Red Beans and Rice

I have always enjoyed Red Beans and Rice.  I realized that I actually have never ordered it at a restaurant or made it at home myself.  I have taken a few bites of my husband's when he orders it.  So I thought I'd give it a whirl and boy it was tasty!  I am sad that it took so long for me to make it.  It's really easy and really REALLY good.  This has been added to our favorites to have more often.  I used smoked sausage because we had it on hand.  From my research of other recipes, some people use ham hocks or bacon for flavor.   I also had a bone from a pork shoulder left from a batch of Carnitas I made the day or 2 before.  I added it in to simmer with everything.

1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 - 15oz cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 lb smoked sausage (or other sausage/meat of your choice)
1/2 c water
1 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp oregano leaves
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 c cooked rice

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Saute sausage, onion and bell pepper until sausage is browned about 5-7 minutes.  Then add everything but the rice.  Bring to a boil.  Then turn down to medium-low, cover and simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Taste test for flavor and add more seasoning and spice as preferred.   Serve over the rice.   Makes 6 servings.  Cornbread goes really nice on the side as well.   Enjoy! 

Pork Stir Fry

Stir-fry is so easy and you can put just about anything you want in it.  I had a few ingredients on hand and decided to throw this together to see what happened.  It turned out really good and made a lot. You can play with this recipe and add your own favorite veggies.  Marinating the meat for at least 15 minutes adds flavor to the dish. You can use shrimp, chicken or beef in the place of pork.   There are so many possibilities.  Enjoy!!

1 lb boneless pork chops, sliced in strips
2 c fresh cabbage, chopped
1 c frozen or fresh asparagus, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp dark sesame seed oil
2 c white rice, prepared

In a medium bowl, combine the ginger, rice wine vinegar and 2 tbsp of soy sauce and then add the pork. Set aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Add peanut oil and heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.  Add pork along with the marinade and cook until pork is no longer pink and liquid is gone.  About 5-7 minutes.    Remove pork from pan to a bowl and set aside.  Add cabbage to pan and cook until it starts to soften.  Then add asparagus and garlic, cook until cabbage is cooked down but still has some crunch to it.  Add pork back to pan with veggies and add remaining soy sauce and dark sesame see oil.  Cook until heated through.  Serve over rice.   Makes 4 healthy servings.

Cinco de Mayo en Mi Cocina

I wanted to celebrate Cinco de Drinko er Mayo at home with the hubby so I planned to have something festive for dinner.  Oh and cheap as well.  So I created a Taco Mac, paired with chips and salsa as well as a margarita and boom!  You have a tasty full course meal.  Dessert was a Mango Cake with lime glaze which reminded me of this margarita cake I use to make.  It's so fluffy like a spongecake and sooooo good!  It's semi-homemade but still delicious.  I hope you enjoy it all as much as we did.

 
TACO MAC

1 lb ground beef
1 (15oz) can of dice tomatoes (I used Italian style for more flavor)
1 c frozen corn
1 packet taco seasoning
2 c uncooked pasta (I used Campanelle but any will do)
2 1/4 c hot water
2 c Taco or Mexican flavored cheese

Cook ground beef in big skillet over medium-high heat until browned.  Drain if necessary.  Add tomatoes, corn, taco seasoning, pasta and water.  Stir together and bring to a boil.  Stir once more, cover and turn down to medium-low heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender.

Turn off heat and add 1 cup cheese and stir.   Serve sprinkled with remaining cheese and a dollop of sour cream if desired.   Enjoy!

EASY MANGO-RUM CAKE


1 box french vanilla cake make
1/2 c rum
1/3 c water
3 eggs
1 c peeled mango, cubed
1/4 c butter, melted
1/4 c finely chopped mango

LIME GLAZE
1 1/2 c powder sugar
2-3 tsp milk (or water if no milk on hand)
1 1/2 tsp lime juice

Spray bundt cake pan or 9x9 baking dish with vegetable spray.  Place cubed mango on the bottom of the pan.   Blend cake mix, rum, water, eggs and finely chopped mango in a large mixer bowl and mix at low speed until moistened.  Then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. (scraping down sides of bowl if needed)

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick comes our clean.  Cool in pan for about 15-20 minutes.  While cooling, start the glaze.

Mix together all ingredients until smooth.  Add more milk or water for thinner consistency or more powdered sugar for thicker glaze.  Taste test to see if it has the right amount of lime and add more as you wish.

Loosen edges and put cake onto serving platter.   Pour glaze over whole cake. Slice and enjoy!!

Spice Advice

Variety really is the spice of life!  However, don't be ashamed if you don't know what a certain spice is or what to use it in.   Not too long ago, I didn't use any spices other than garlic powder, salt and pepper.   I'm not kidding!  Some of you cooks are probably like "WTF?  Really? How?"   I know!  It's crazy how I went so long in life without exploring the world spices.   My taste buds have since forgiven me.  I think.  .  .

For those of you who aren't exploring or cooking as much, you really should experiment and try spices out.  (Since you're here, check out some of my recipes. hehe)   I'm sure the majority of you have a spice rack in your kitchen filled with items you don't use and probably have no idea what to use them in.   Keep in mind that if they've been sitting in your kitchen for years and have accumulated dust, it's time to go buy a new spice rack or start with a few jars at a time.  Spices that are old are no bueno and believe me, it makes a huge difference in the flavor.   On the same website as the reference guide you'll find out how to tell if they are fresh or not.

I came across Spice Advice while surfing food blogs and websites one day.  It's a handy chart to show what you can use spices in and breaks it down by type of meats and stuff.  Really cool!!

So print it out and/or save it so you can use it as a reference next time you're hesitant about a recipe.  You can start off by just following a recipe.  After you become more comfortable with what spices you enjoy and how much to use, you can start substituting spices the recipe calls for with something you like more.   Have fun with it!  You are very welcome!