Chew on This: The Perfect Mexican Meal

I haven’t done a food post in quite some time you all probably thought I forgot how to cook! Well, that is not the case I just usually forget to document it! So this past weekend for Cinco de Mayo I made a delicious meal for my husband and friends. I thought I would share my recipes with you! It’s making me hungry just writing this post! Mexican food is probably my favorite genre of food. I love homemade enchiladas so I made two kinds one with a red sauce and one with a homemade white sauce. To go along with the enchiladas I made a yummy cold corn salad.

Corn Salad

3 cups corn fresh or canned

1 clove garlic

1/2 small red onion chopped

cilantro

juice from 1 lime

2 tbsp crumbled Cojita cheese (or Feta I used Feta because I had it)

1 chopped jalapeno if you like spice

salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook corn over medium heat with garlic, onion, and jalapeno until cooked through.

2. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

3. Then add salt, pepper, cilantro, and cheese.

4. Mix together and add lime juice.

Enjoy!

Red Sauce Enchiladas

Disclaimer: I used canned red sauce for this recipe

I cooked 4 chicken breasts and shredded them and it made enough for 23 enchiladas.

Half onion chopped

Cilantro

1. Mix onion and cilantro into the chicken mixture

2. Fill interior with chicken mixture and handful of shredded Jack cheese.

3. Pour red sauce over enchiladas and top with cheese and olives. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes.

White Sauce Enchiladas

Use same chicken mixture with cilantro and onion to fill these enchiladas.

Sauce:

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

2 small cans chopped green chiles

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 cups grated jack cheese

1 tsp paprika

cilantro

1. In large skillet melt 2 tbsp butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium heat for about a minute to create a roux. Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and cook for another minute. Stir in chiles. Reduce heat and add in 1 cup sour cream. Add in cheese and allow to melt. Stir in paprika.

2. Pour sauce over the assembled enchiladas. Sprinkle top with cheese. Let cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes then sprinkle with cilantro.

I have to say these were some of the most delicious things I have ever made!

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day my loves! Hope you all have a love filled day planned with your significant other or friends. My husband and I are having low key V-Day this evening because we are having a little getaway to San Francisco this weekend. Very excited! I thought I would share some of my favorite Valentine’s Day ideas from my Pinterest board and a yummy cupcake recipe you can make to celebrate. Enjoy!

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Sprinkles’ Strawberry Cupcakes

This yummy recipe is courtesy of Candace Nelson owner and creator of Sprinkles Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.
2. Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.
5. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.
6. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

Strawberry Frosting

• 1/2 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
• Pinch of coarse salt
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners’ sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not overmix or frosting will incorporate too much air. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream.

Don’t those cupcakes sound yummy?? Hope you all have a beautiful Valentine’s Day!

Chew on This: Pork Stew and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Since you are all so special you get 2 posts today! This past weekend my husband and I were all about fall comfort foods. We made a delicious pork stew in the Crockpot ( I think it may be my fave kitchen appliance) and for dessert we had fresh baked pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. There are few things I love more than pumpkin and chocolate. I thought I would share our delicious recipes with you!

Pork Stew

Pork Shoulder (we cubed about 4 lbs)

3-4 carrots chopped

7-8 stalks of celery chopped

1 onion quartered

2-3 potatoes cubed

24 oz hot and spicy V8 (my hubby calls this the special ingredient)

2 cans of beef stock ( less if you like thicker stew)

Directions

Sear the meat in the pan until all edges are brown. Put meat and veggies in Crockpot. Add in beef stock and V8 then stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let it cook on high or 6 hours.

When its done you will have a delicious hearty fall meal. And if you are lucky you will have leftovers like we do!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips (or more if you like your chocolate)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375

In large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and egg until blended.

Add in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, salt.
mix well to form soft batter.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop teaspoonfuls of batter onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake about 12-15 minutes until slightly browned. Let cool and ENJOY!

If you try these recipes I hope you enjoy!

Chew on This: Turkey Chili

There is nothing better than a bowl of delicious chili on a fall night. I recently made a big batch of chili in the crockpot and it was delicious! So I thought I would share my recipe with you!

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)

1 cup chopped onion

1 clove of crushed garlic

3 tablespoons chili powder (I go by taste on this one)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 lb can chopped tomatoes

2- 8oz cans of tomato sauce

1- 6oz can tomato paste

Kidney beans

Directions:

Brown meat, onion, and garlic. Put meat, onion, garlic into crock pot. Add in all tomato items. Stir. Add all seasonings. Cook on low for at least 2 hours. (I let mine cook about 6 hours)

Top with shredded cheese. Serve with cornbread and you have the perfect meal! (You can get my cornbread recipe here)

Hope you enjoy!! Have a great weekend!

Things I’m Loving… Right Now

Today I am going to share some things that I am currently loving from my Pinterest boards. As I have mentioned in other posts I love Pinterest so I am going to share some of my recent finds of all kinds to get you inspired! Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas! Have a great day!

I love this Euro chic living room. The limestone fireplace is gorgeous and the chandelier is fabulous!

This space is so chic! I love the shape of this sofa and the beautiful rug.

This saturated navy blue dining room is so great. I love the pops of white and mix of black.

Who doesn’t love a little arm candy?

These turquoise tufted headboards are so perfect! I love the mix of artwork and pink pillows.

I love this ombre pumpkin! I think this may be my Halloween craft project!

Black and green olives paired with feta cheese is a perfect appetizer. This is a super cute and simple way to serve them.

I love these pink ranunculus! Had to share this pretty picture with you.

Another great party idea. Doughnut and fruit skewers are such a great brunch idea!

This beautiful pink table scape is perfect for showers, tea parties, or weddings. I love the mixed glassware and tea cups.

Chew on This: BBQ Chicken Salad and Cornbread

Last night I made a delicious and easy dinner of BBQ Chicken Salad and Cornbread. I cooked the chicken all day in the crock pot so it came out super moist and delicious. The cornbread is very simple to make as well. I will share my recipes with you. Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Salad

2-4 chicken breasts or thighs

BBQ Sauce Recipe:

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pour sauce over the chicken and cook for 7 to 8 hours on low.

Extras I added to the salad:

Cucumber

Bell Pepper

Red Onion

Tomato

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Ranch Dressing

Cornbread

1/2 cup Cornmeal
1/4 cup Flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 TB honey
4 TB melted butter, slightly cooled, plus one more for the pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. In a medium bowl mix together the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the buttermilk, eggs, honey, and melted butter. Pour the wet into the dry and mix just until combined. Don’t over mix.

4. Pour the mixture into the pan. Either and 8 x 8 glass pan or I used a 9″ cake pan.

5.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out completely clean. You want the cornbread to have a nice brown crust and hold together. Cut into wedges and enjoy!

Hope you all have a great weekend! Don’t forget to start following me on Twitter by clicking the link on the side of my page!

Chew on This: Summer Salads

Summer is the perfect time to make delicious fresh salads. There are many great summer flavors and produce out there to create wonderful flavors. When it’s hot outside you don’t want to heat up the house or eat anything too warm so these salads are great ideas to cool off. I have always loved salads from a young age and as I have gotten older I love them even more. The fresh flavors featured in these recipes I am sharing with you look amazing. Enjoy!

Broccoli, Grape, Pasta Salad

Cherry Tomato Caprese

Grilled Peach and Mozzarella Salad

Strawberry Avocado Salad

Toasted Israeli Couscous Salad with Grilled Summer Vegetables

Chew on This: Birthday Dinner

Hello everyone! Tuesday was my husband’s birthday and I made a delicious meal for him. Our friends brought over a few appetizers and I made the main meal and birthday cake. I thought I would share the delicious recipes with you!

First up was bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers! I for one have a very low tolerance for spicy food so I didn’t try one, but those who did loved them even though they were quite spicy.

Here is the recipe

Next up was the amazing cheesy mushroom pull apart bread. If you have never had pull apart bread you must try it! It was pretty amazing!

Real healthy start right? Here is the recipe.

Next was the main course. I made a grilled flank steak with a delicious chimichurri sauce. I had never made this sauce before, but it was a big hit! It is so easy to make!

Chimichurri Sauce Recipe:

1 cup parsley packed

1 cup cilantro packed

1/4 cup basil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 cloves of garlic

juice of one lemon

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil (enough to get to desired consistency similar to pesto)

Put all ingredients into the food processor and blend until your desired consistency

Lastly, it was time for birthday cake. When I asked my husband what kind of cake he wanted he said Funfetti. Who doesn’t love funfetti right?? Well instead of buying the boxed stuff I made it from scratch and it was so yummy!

Here is the recipe:

2 1/2 cups AP flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
12 tbsp butter, room temperature
2 large eggs + 2 egg whites, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk (or half and half)
4 tbsp rainbow sprinkles

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a stand mixer, fitted with flat beater, beat the sugar and butter until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and egg whites, one at a time, beating on low.
3. Then add vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions, ending with the flour mixture. Fold in rainbow sprinkles.
4. Fill cake pans 2/3 full. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
5. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting.

Vanilla Butter cream frosting

2 sticks of butter

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

7 cups powdered sugar

rainbow sprinkles

In a stand mixer, fitted with flat beater, beat butter until creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add 5 cups of sifted powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla, beat until combined. Add more powdered sugar until you get to the consistency you want.

We had a great time celebrating my husband’s birthday and we were all extremely full at the end of the night! I hope you can use these recipes for your next celebration!

The Perfect Summer Soiree

The weather is heating up so that means more of us will be entertaining outside. I love outdoor entertaining. Colorful or patterned decor, delicious food and drinks, and beautiful florals all are key components for the perfect summer soiree. Here are some great ideas to get you started!

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This chevron runner is the perfect accent to this long table. The small florals and muted colors are very elegant.

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This table is beautifully styled.

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I love these bright bold colors! This screams summertime! The white antique vases are a perfect accent.

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This is the perfect table for any backyard fiesta.

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Perfect backyard BBQ decor.

If you are looking for the perfect summer drinks here are a few favorites!

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Edible Wildflower Ice Cubes. The perfect touch to brighten any drink.

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Watermelon Frosty

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Ginger, Strawberry, Basil, and Gin Cocktail

Chew on This: Popsicles

With the weather heating up and summer approaching I thought it was a perfect time to share some refreshing and delicious popsicle recipes with you!

Berry Yogurt Popsicles

Watermelon Mojito

Strawberry Peach Vodka Collins Popsicles

Mixed Berry and Coconut Yogurt Popsicles

I cup Mixed Berries fresh or frozen

5 tbs Honey

1 1/2 cups full fat Greek yogurt

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1 vanilla pod de-seeded

pinch of salt

Directions:

Put your popsicle molds in freezer before starting. To make the berry sauce, blend berries with 1 tbs of honey. Strain through fine sieve and drizzle sauce equally into molds coating the sides. Place molds back into the freezer until sauce has set.

Add the rest of the ingredients together and mix until combined. Pour equally into the molds. Place into the freezer until set.

Enjoy!