August 22
· Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged beef, mexican/spanish, sandwiches
These sandwiches are perfect if you’re looking for a meal with minimum time and effort and maximum taste.
This recipe, originally from Robin Miller of the Food Network, was super easy and yummy. We made a few small improvements, though. Here’s our version:
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup onion, cut into strips
3 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces sliced roast beef, cut into strips
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 4-oz can diced green chiles (undrained)
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp ground cumin
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and ground black pepper
6 sandwich rolls, halved
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté 3 minutes, until soft. Add roast beef and saute, stirring frequently, 3 to 5 minutes until browned on all sides. Add tomatoes, jalapeños, lime juice, and cumin and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes to heat through and reduce slightly.
Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon onto sliced rolls, including plenty of sauce.
April 3
· Filed under Recipes · Tagged drinks, mexican/spanish, party food
This recipe came from “Lisa” on allrecipes.com. It was super easy to make (even as a first-time sangria maker) and very tasty.
You probably won’t need ALL this fruit (see photo, ha ha), so use what’s left to garnish your glasses.
1 lemon
1 lime
1 orange
1 1/2 cups rum
1/2 cup sugar
1 750-mL bottle dry red wine
1 cup orange juice
Have the indgredients well-chilled. Slice the fruit into rounds and place in pitcher. Pour in rum and sugar and chill in refrigerator for two hours to develop the flavors.
When ready to serve, crush the fruit slightly with a spoon and stir in the wine and orange juice. Adjust sweetness to taste.
We made this in February, but I totally recommend it for a summer evening.
January 19
· Filed under Recipes · Tagged family recipes, mexican/spanish
This was my first time making my own salsa. I’d had some of my grandma’s homemade salsa while at her house over Christmas and loved it, so I got the recipe from her before I left.
This was super easy to make. We found it to be a bit sweet when we made it, so we’ll probably decrease the amount of sugar next time. Also, I’d recommend running the veggies through the food processor a bit before mixing it all together, unless you like really chunky salsa.
1 cup vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 c salt
2 jalapenos
2 28-oz cans diced tomatoes
1 medium onion
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
Small amount of cinnamon
Cumin to taste (optional)
Combine all ingredients
November 24
· Filed under Recipes · Tagged chicken, FAVORITE, mexican/spanish
The name’s quite a mouthful, huh? Ha ha! 
I got this recipe from Robin Miller, who has a show on the Food Network called “Quick Fix Meals.” I made these for some girlfriends, and then again for my husband, and they were a hit. Not exactly an authentic enchilada recipe, but the dish wasn’t hard to make and was full of flavor.
Note: Robin’s recipe has you cook enough chicken to use for another recipe. If you’re just making this, use only 1 pound.
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 4-oz can diced green chilies
1/3 prepared salsa, mild, medium, or hot
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
4 8-inch flour tortillas
1 1/3 cups shredded Monterey jack and/or Cheddar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 2 minutes. Add chicken and saute 5 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove half of the chicken and reserve for another use.
Stir in black beans, green chilies, and salsa and simmer 5 minutes, until sauce thickens and reduces. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
Arrange 4 tortillas on a flat surface. Top each tortilla with an equal amount of chicken mixture. Roll up tortillas and place side by side in a shallow baking dish. Top tortillas with shredded cheese (1/3 cup per tortilla).
Bake enchiladas 15 minutes, until cheese is golden and gooey!
September 16
· Filed under Recipes, Uncategorized · Tagged mexican/spanish, soup, vegetarian
I made this dish for a recent lunch with some girlfriends, and it turned out even better than I’d expected! They all seemed to enjoy it as well. Pair it with some yummy bread like we did, and you’ve got a satisfyingly cool and delicious lunch.
2 cups tomato juice, chilled
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1 cup fresh corn
2 tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowls.
I only made one change to this recipe: Instead of using fresh corn, I just thawed out some frozen corn, which worked perfectly. I love convenience!
April 1
· Filed under Recipes, Uncategorized · Tagged beef, family recipes, FAVORITE, mexican/spanish
Yup, that’s what it says in my cookbook… “Mom’s Mexican Casserole.” Because this dish is one my mother’s been making for as long as I can remember. It’s one of my comfort foods, and it’s SO easy to make!
This one’s good for a crowd or for lots and lots of leftovers (which is what we did this time around). It’s definitely not the healthiest thing around, but it’s so tasty! Pair it with a salad and you’re set.
1.5 lbs ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can diced tomatoes w/ green chilies, drained
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
2/3 bag tortilla chips
8 oz shredded cheddar
Brown the ground beef. Mix up all ingredients except chips and cheese. Cover a 9×13 pan with half of the chips and spread with half of the mixture. Layer the remaining chips and mixture and top with cheese. Heat at 350° until hot (about 8 minutes).
The unhealthy kicker here is the beef and the cheese. Remember, though, you can do what we did and cut a lot of the fat by using ground turkey instead of ground beef and cheese made with lowfat milk. All the flavor with less fat!
It looks totally gross, but it tastes SOOOOO good!
