Chicken Tequila Burgers

I made these last week and they were a hit! I'm actually adding them to our menu this week again!!I am just craving the yummy flavors this burger had! They were so easy to make! I served them with fries, apples and carrots - quick easy week night meal!
I made a few changes to the recipe. I did NOT grind my own chicken thighs -really! I bought ground turkey( which is all we really eat) instead of chicken. I did not have any tequila in the house but had vodka. I replaced the tequila with vodka.

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½-1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 chicken breasts (about 1 lb. total)
3-4 tbsp. cilantro
Zest of ½ a lime
1 oz. tequila
Dash of soy sauce
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
½ cup panko bread crumbs

For serving:
Burger buns
Sautéed bell pepper and onion
Lettuce

Directions:
Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush lightly with olive oil. Combine the garlic, jalapeno, chicken breasts, cilantro and lime zest in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times until the chicken is uniformly ground. Mix in the tequila, soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste, and panko. Pulse a few more times until the ingredients are well blended.

Form the mixture into 4-5 patties and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Broil the burgers for about 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking to brown both sides. Check for doneness before serving. Serve on buns with sautéed bell pepper and onion, and lettuce as desired.

Source: Annie's Eats




Not sure what this face was about!

Mismatch day - hmm.. no!

Mornings are not easy at our house, I'm sure they are not easy at your house either. I get up fairly early, get ready, then get up the little lady get her ready, wake up Tyler he starts getting ready. I basically drive between 2 schools about 4 times ( going and coming back home) in the morning before I even actually drive to work. So I must have my coffee.
Well add in a little whining, I don't like this outfit there is nothing to eat...
The little lady every once in a while has a difficult time with pants particiulary jeans. They feel too hard, they feel weird, i don't like these!! Seriously because it's 7:35 and your school starts at 7:45!!!
The other day was one of those days. I did not have the patience to deal so I told her to figure it out and put something on.
Well this is how she went to school and no it was not wacky day!

Creamy Taco Mac

I made this last week and really liked it. The downside no one else liked it! It was easy to prepare and tasted like yummy comfort food. I will make it again just for myself I guess the rest of the fam will have to eat P and J's!

Ingredients:
1¼ lbs. ground turkey
8 oz. dry pasta shapes
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
4 tbsp. taco seasoning
3 oz. cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
Salt and pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground turkey over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the turkey is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the turkey is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit. Remove from the heat and top with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Thai Style Halibut with Coconut Curry Broth

A few weeks ago I was browsing www.foodnetwork.com for recipes. I came across this and thought it sounded good. We do not eat a lot of fish at home. I would like to incorporate it more in our diets.
I went to the store to buy the Halibut. I knew that Halibut was expensive but when I saw the price - I was like yeah no!
Instead of Halibut i used Tilapia.
This recipe was interesting, easy and tasty. Even the kids liked it! I found the broth very tasty! I would even omit the fish and add veggies! I added hot garlic chili sauce to the dish to add some spice!

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 shallots, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
2 1/2 teaspoons red curry paste*, or 2 teaspoons curry powder
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon, plus more for seasoning
4 (6-ounce) pieces halibut fillet, skin removed
Steamed spinach**
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked brown rice, for serving
Directions
*Available in the Asian section of most supermarkets

**Steam or microwave 5 cups of washed baby spinach for 2 minutes

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes.

Season the halibut with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Arrange the fish in the pan and gently shake the pan so the fish is coated with the sauce. Cover and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 7 minutes.

Arrange a pile of steamed spinach in the bottom of 4 soup plates. Top with the fish fillets. Stir the cilantro, scallions, and lime juice into the sauce and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the sauce over the fish and serve with rice.

Broken Heart

My little lady loves anything fluffy, fat, soft and furry! She sleeps with all of her animals. I can't even find her at times in her bed since she is smothered with furry things.
One of my BFF's gave her this crazy looking animal looks like a Lemar/ Chinchilla. Mira is in love with it -takes it everywhere with her.
Last weekend I hear this horrible cry coming from the basement. Mira comes running up the steps with her Chinchill (that is what she calls her guy) in two pieces. Body and tail! How did this happen? Well, she was swinging the guy by the tail and it ripped!
It was very hard not to laugh and cry at the same time! Poor little lady her heart was broken.
Well, Chinchill has been in the hospital since then and is awaiting a little surgery this weekend by Ammachi.


Mira drew this picture of Chinchill a few weeks ago:



My sad little lady:

Guacamole!

We love guacamole!!! We have Mexican food at least once a week - I don't always make guac with it but try too. We had guacamole with our valentine's dinner on Monday. I have been making this recipe for years - it's fresh and tasty!!

2 ripe avocado's
fresh lime juice
sea salt
1/4 c minced red onion
1-2 garlic cloves pressed

Mash the avocado, squeeze in the lime juice and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Save the pit to put back in the guacamole it helps it from browning. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve with chips!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

On the menu:
Braised Chipotle Beef
Cilantro Lime Rice
Guacamole/Chips
Red Velvet Cupcakes