Pizza egg rolls

These are Delicous and can be made with many variations in ingredients. These particular ones, were made aimed at a "works/combo" pizza flavor Profile. But you can do just meat ( chicken, sausage, ground beef, etc.), sauce and cheese. Or you can use pineapple, Canadian bacon, cheese and sauce. So many possibilities. I would advise cooking them really quickly because given that there's so much sauce , the Egg roll wrappers get very soggy and can come apart and tear.


3 bell peppers ( I have 4 in the pic, but only used 3) $2.00
2 containers of pizza sauce from
Your store of choice $4.00
1 package of pepperoni or appx. 1-2c. Worth.
I found this cheese called mozzarella whips. Thought they'd be fun to put in the center of the rolls. (You could use a cup of shredded mozz instead. )1/2 package $3.40
1/2 c. Sliced black olives $1.25
1/2 tsp garlic salt*
1 package if egg roll
Wrappers $2.00
A small pot of frying oil. ( appx. 3 cups)*
1 egg to use as glue to hold the egg roll together.*
A sheet if parchment or wax paper to assemble and ly the egg rolls on. *

Dice up the bell peppers. Cut the cheese whips into about 2 1/2 inch long. Mix sauce, pepperoni's, bell peppers, olives and garlic salt together in a large bowl. Crack the egg into a small bowl, whisk with 1 tsp water. Lay out your parchment paper and begin assembling your egg rolls. Use a BBQ sauce brush to paint the egg mixture along each edge of the egg roll wrapper Dona's you roll, it will allow it to stay rolled up. See my southwestern egg roll recipe for phot instructions on how to roll properly. Scoop in the pizza mixture, be aware of the pepperoni's in making sure they do not stick together. Them add a piece of cheese, then roll and set aside. Continue to assemble the remaining rolls. Heat your oil to temperature. I deep fried 2 at a time for about 2 mts. Then using a metal slotted spoon, I placed them on a cooking rack on top of paper towels. This will allow them to drain excess oil, cool off and still stay crispy. Now my rolls tore and split on almost everyone. But while frying, it wasn't horrible. It made lots of bubbly sounds, to some it would be very scary. However, you'll be ok as long as you are only doing 2 at a time. If your rolls are sounding like crazy, then lower your heat a bit. After you are finished, split one in half with a knife and enjoy your hardwork :).

So 3 steps:
Make pizza mixture
Roll egg rolls
Deep fry

My crowd pleasing spinach dip.. make ahead too.

This spinach dip is so easy, and I always make it a day ahead. I serve it hot, but you can serve it cold just as well. I use chips, but feel free to go with crackers, veggies, bread, whatever you you feel like.

1 family sized pack of frozen chopped spinach $3.50
1 8 oz pk cream cheese (room temperature)$1.50
1 small can of cream of celery soup $1.00
1/2 c. mayonnaise*
1 cup shredded mozzarella $1.25
1 tsp lemon juice (I just use some squirts from my plastic lemon)*
1/2-1tsp salt (dependig on your prefference)*
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning*
1/2 c. shredded parmesan $1.50


Place the frozen pack of spinach in a large bowl of water, still in the package, microwave 4mts. Flip, then microwave another 2mts. Poke a whole in the bag, and squeeze out as much water as you can. then open the package, and ball up the spinach in your hand, and continue to squeeze out the water. Place spinach in large bowl. Add cream cheese, soup, mozzarella, lemon juice, salt, and lemon pepper seasoning. Mix with an electric hand mixer if you can. Once finished, place mixture in a disposable aluminum pan or glass ware safe to bake in. Top with shredded parmesan and then foil if you plan on putting n the fridge before baking. Once ready to back, preheat oven to 375. Bake covered with foil for 30 mts, then remove foil and bake another 15 mts.

so 4 steps:
defrost spinach
squeeze out water from spinach
mix ingredients with an electric hand mixer
bake

Pumpkin spiced yams.. make a day before.

I made these for Thanskgiving. While trying to locate the mini marshmellows at the store, I came across these and thought they would be fun. They are pumpkin spiced marshmellows, also made by Jet-puffed. I knew the flavors would be great, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover how once cooked, it turned into a hard top, like that of a creme brulee. I added some other ingredients, candied some walnuts and pecans, then placed in the fridge overnight for Thanksgiving.

3 cans of cut sweet potatoes (I used Princella brand 8 oz cans)$5.00
1/2 cup milk*
2 tbsp of butter*
2 dashes of cinnamon*
1/2 tbsp maple syrup*
1/2 tsp vanilla extract*


candied nuts:
1/2 cup walnuts $2.00
1/2 cup pecans $2.00
1 tbsp brown sugar*
dash of cinnamon*


1/3 package of Jet-puffed pumpkin spice marshmellows $0.75


Open cans of sweet potatos, drain. Combine potatoes, milk, butter, cinnamon, maple syrup and vanilla in alarge bowl. I use an electric mixer to mix mine. you can just use your hands as well. mix until well blended. I placed mine in an disposable aluminum foil pan that I purchase them from the dollar tree. Next, combine the nuts, cinnamon and sugar in a small pan and cook on medium to low until the sugar become wet like a glaze. Turn often to coat each nut and quickly remove from heat so they don't burn. Top the yams with the nuts, then the marshmellows. This is where you can either cover in foil and cook another day or, just place in the oven at 375 for 30mts.

so 4 steps:
mix ingredients in a bowl
make candied nuts
top yams with nuts and marshmellows
bake

Beef roast with a garlic, herb, onion and seasoned paste.

This time of year, these roasts drop in price enough for me to buy them. Cooking a roast can be filled with much anxiety. Do I under cook it so its not dry? Do I over cook it to be safe and spend all night convincing people it's not leather? Decisions decisions.. I feel I have perfected it rather well. Here's how...

1 roast ( this was a NY strip roast)

1 roast ( this was a NY strip roast 4-5lb $19
1/2 golden onion $0.10
3 garlic cloves $0.03
Handful of cilantro $0.10
1/2 Tsp garlic salt*
1 tsp honey*
Dash if red pepper flakes*
1 tbsp olive oil*

Allow roast to sit out 30 mts to allow the roast to cook more evenly. If you cook it while still cold, the center will cook slower then the rest.
Preheat oven to 325
Place all the ingredients for the paste in a food processor. Mix until its all blended. Place your roast in a roasting pan, then rub the roast really well using all your paste. Place in the oven for 45 mts. Once finished, remove from oven, cover in foil and allow it to sit for 15 mts. Slice and serve with horseradish if you like.

so 3 steps make paste rub roast cook and let sit

Big pot of Chicken and dumpling soup for $6.50

Rainy day, ( one of the few we get here in San Diego) wanted something hardy and hot. Had some chicken thighs in the fridge. I put this together. Of course it made the house just smell fantastic. I think my next business endeavor should be something with bottling comfort food scents for sprays/oils. Like spiced enchilada, or garden herb beef roast, how about lemon pepper chicken, and Hawaiian BBQ pork???





8 chicken thighs $3.80 ( these pieces are often the cheapest pieces of chicken)
3 stalks of celery
1 c. chopped carrot $1.00( I used baby carrots, already peeled and I always have them on hand)
1 large golden onion $0.20
2 chicken bullion cubes $0.25
1/2 tsp pepper*
1 tsp garlic salt*
1 tsp garlic powder*
1 can cream of mushroom soup $1.25

slurry to thicken the soup:
2 tbsp corn starch
1/4 c water

dumplings:
2 c. flour*
3/4 c. cold water*
1 tsp salt*

Place chicken in a large pot. Add 8 c. water. Chop celery, onion and carrot. Add veggies to pot, garlic salt, garlic powder, pepper, and bullion cubes. Cook on medium heat for an hour. Remove chicken from the pot. Let it cool enough to where you can handle it. While the chicken is cooling, begin making the dumplings. Mix the flour with the salt in a mixer. Once it has mixed well, add the cold water gradually. Empty the dough onto a floured surface. knead in a ball. Then with a floured rolling pin, roll over dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Let sit while you go back to the chicken. Remove the skin from the chicken. Remove the meat from the bones, shred. Discard bones and skins. Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Add The can of cream of mushroom. Stirr well. Mix the cornstarch and water in a cup, add into the pot and stir. Take a pizza cutter and cut the dumpling dough into 1 inch wide strips, then cut those into 1 inch squares. rip in half each square and add to the pot. Once you add the dumplings, do not stir. Instead turn the pot in a circular motion holding the outer handles. once the dumplings rise to the top of the soup ( roughly 4 mts.), it is ready to serve. Enjoy!

so 5 steps:
add chicken, seasonings and veggies to the pot, cook on medium.
remove chicken, make dumplings, allow to sit.
remove skin and shred chicken
return chicken to pot, soup and cornstarch
add dumplings.

Ice cream sandwiches with homemade cookies

It was my turn to bring the dessert. I didn't have too much time or anything obvious to make. So... I searched my kitchen and found a bag of chocolate morsels. I found another bag of mini chocolate morsels I accidentally bought during the Holidays. My brain took over from there. You can get 12 ice cream sandwiches out of this recipe.

Cookies:
2 c. chocolate morsels $2.00
2 3/4 c. flour*
1 tsp baking soda*
1 tsp vanilla*
2 eggs $0.30
3/4 c. sugar*
3/4 c. brown sugar*
1 c. butter*(softened)(if you forget to soften it, just place each stick of butter in a large ziploc and roll over it with a rolling pin to flatten it out)

vanilla ice cream $3.00
1 c. mini chocolate morsels $1.00

Preheat oven to 350. Mix butter with sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add flour 1 cup at a time, add baking soda. Once it's all mixed well, add chocolate morsels 1 cup at a time. Place golf ball sized spoonfuls of batter on a cookie sheet about 2 1/2 inches apart. This will make 24 cookies. Bake for 11 mts. let sit in the pan for 10 mts, then remove to a cooling rack until all cookies are finished. Remove ice cream from freezer and let sit while you bake the last batch of cookies. Empty the mini morsels into a plate. Once the cookies are well cooled, you can begin building the sandwiches. Take a cookie, flip it over and add a scoop of ice cream on top of the cookie. Take another cookie and very carefully sandwich the ice cream in the middle. Roll the outsides of the ice cream center in the mini morsels on the plate, sprinkle any spots that didn't get covered in the minis. Place in the freezer immediately. I built one at a time. Set in freezer for at least 1 hour before serving. Enjoy!

So 3 steps:
make and bake cookies
build sandwiches and roll in mini's
freeze for an hour.

15 minute biscuit donuts

I had some rolls of layered Pillsbury grands jr. biscuit dough. These were smaller sized than their typical biscuits. They were perfect for donuts. I used an apple corer, removed the center, fried those up to make donut rolls and of course the donuts. They were crunchy on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside. so easy, so quick. Cupcakes from a box take longer to make than these. The kids helped even. I got 15 out of 3 packs of biscuit dough. Something about eating them at home really does make you feel less guilty. Going back for seconds and dare I say ..3rds, yeah... not so innocent any more!

3 packs of of layered Pillsbury grands jr. biscuits dough rolls. $3.75 (they were around $1.25 ea.)
3 cups oil to fry with*

glaze for donuts:
1 c. powder sugar for glaze*
2 tbsp milk*
1/4 tsp vanilla extract*

Chocolate topped donut:
1/2 c. semi chocolate morsels $0.75
2 tbsp shortening*
1 tbsp sprinkles $0.25

powder sugar topping:
1/4 c. powder sugar*

Heat your oil up to 375. Open biscuit dough rolls. Remove biscuits and place on wax paper. Take out the center of the biscuit with the apple corer.
Set aside the centers of dough, as you will fry these too. They make great donut rolls. Once oil is at the right heat, add 4 donuts at a time. fry 1-2 mts each side. flipping half way through and once golden brown. Remove from oil, and place on cooling rack. Continue to cook up the rest including the holes.
Once all the donuts are done frying, turn off the oil and make the glaze and toppings. For the glaze. in a small bowl, microwave the milk for 35 seconds. whisk in the vanilla and powder sugar. Dip the donuts in to coat the tops. wait 5 mts and dip again. Now make the chocolate topping. Microwave the shortening for about 35 seconds, add the chocolate morsels, mix and microwave 25 seconds, mix and microwave another 25 seconds. Mix well, then dip the tops of the donuts into the chocolate. Add sprinkles on top if you wish. For the powder sugar topping, just empty the powder sugar onto a plate and roll the donut around in the sugar until well coated. Enjoy!

so 3 steps:
remove centers and fry
make glaze and chocolate topping
dip donuts and add sprinkles.

$8.00 Mozzarella stuffed, garlic italian meatloaf

I think it's so silly when I hear people complain about meatloaf. In my house, it's one of my family's favorites. Adding garlic and garlic seasoning with flavored bread crumbs, then stuffing it with cheese may have something to do with it!


2-2 1/2 lbs ground beef (I used 80/20) $5.50
3/4 c Italian style bread crumbs $0.70
2 eggs $0.30
1 tsp minced garlic or 3 cloves chopped fresh garlic $0.10
1 tsp garlic salt*
3 pieces of mozzarella about finger length long and roughly 1 in. wide
1/2 cup ketchup $0.50


Preheat oven to 375. Mix the meat in a large bowl with all the ingredients except the ketchup and cheese. Once mixed, divide the meat into 2 piles. Spray a meatloaf pan with some non stick spray. Place one of the piles of meat into the dish. Press it in. This will be your first layer of meat. Then lay in the 3 slices off cheese in the center of the meat. Take the rest of the meat and place on top the first layer and cheese. press all around to form a loaf shape. top with ketchup and bake for 1 hour 15 mts . let sit 10 mts before slicing into. Enjoy!

So 3 steps:
Mix meat and ingredients
build loaf putting cheese in the middle
bake

$6.00 BBQ chicken done in oven.

This BBQ chicken is very simple and will leave you licking those fingers when done, and yours too!

I got these pieces of quartered chickens for $0.99 a lb.
a great find. In all I spent $5.00

1 c. sweet baby rays BBQ sauce $1.00
1 tsp. garlic salt*
1/2 tsp. mesquite seasoning*

preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 baking dish with non sick cooking spray. Place chicken in dish. pour BBQ sauce over the chicken, coating all pieces well. sprinkle on garlic salt and mesquite seasoning. Bake for 2 hours. Enjoy!

so 2 steps:
put chicken in dish, cover in sauce and seasoning
bake

10 minute asian beef on greens.

Seen a recipe similar to this off the Internet. I added my own twist. I served it on a medley of sauteed greens. You can serve it with rice, noodles or as is. I like lemon couscous. The best part is... it literally takes maybe 10 mts to cook. Yup, it's one of those meals where the cleaning of the dishes takes far more longer than the actual cooking of it. It's so good, that when you are done eating it, you expect to be given some fortune cookies along with the the bill!

Meat:
2- 8oz Boneless top sirloin steaks $10.00 (you can also use a london broil or flank steak. The sirloin was a treat)
3 stalks green onion $0.20
3 tbsp. soy sauce $0.25
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar*
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
2 tbsp. cornstarch*
2 tbsp. olive oil*
3 cloves of garlic $0.10

Greens:
3 baby bok choy cabbage $2.00
1 cup broccoli $0.50
2 cups spinach (raw) $1.00
2 tbsp. olive oil*



Place the steaks in the freezer for about an hour. This will make it much easier to slice into thin pieces. Whisk together soy sauce, olive oil, vinegar, garlic salt and corn starch. Slice beef real thin. Place in bowl with the liquids and coat the meat very well. Peel and chop up garlic. Coat a frying pan with some olive oil. place on stove on medium high. Add the garlic. Saute the garlic for 2 mts while stirring. Add the meat. Stir the meat often as it cooks. while cooking the meat. grab a pot. place The 1 tbsp olive oil in the pot. once heated on medium high, add the bok choy and spinach. Cook the broccoli in microwave in a bowl with water for 4 mts. then strain and add to pot with the other greens and the last tbsp of olive oil. stir well. The meat will be done when it's no longer pink. The liquids should have turned into a saucy coating on each piece of beef. After you sauteed the greens all together for about 4 mts, remove from heat. Place greens in a dish. Add green onion to beef, mix well. then add beef on top of greens. Enjoy!

so 4 steps
freeze and slice beef
make sauce, coat beef
cook beef
cook greens

Shepard's pie.. Piping on the mashed potatoes with large ziploc.

Shepard's pie.. My brother's favorite! What's not to love? Meat in a creamy sauce mixed with veggies. Topped with cheese and mashed potatoes. Super cheap, super delicious. My version calls for taking your mashed potatoes, allowing them to cool, placing in a big ziploc, cut a corner and pipe on dollops on top.

Appx. 2 1/2 lbs ground beef $6.00
Meat:
2 cans cream of mushroom soup $2.00
1 c. Frozen peas $1.00
1 c. Frozen corn $1.00
1 white or golden onion $0.20
3 cloves garlic $0.10
1 tsp garlic salt*

Potatoes:
6 medium russet potatoes $1.50
1/2 c. Sour cream $1.00
1/3 c. Milk*
2 tbsp. Butter or margarine*
1 tsp garlic salt*

1 c. Shredded cheese packed ( cheddar, Mozzarella, Colby, whatever you like best)

Rinse, Peel and dice potatoes.
This will allow them to cook very fast. Once finished, drain potatoes in strainer. Place in bowl. Add the sour cream, milk, butter and garlic salt. Take a hand mixer, and mix the potatoes until well mashed.. Aka.. No lumps!! Set aside and allow to cool. Preheat oven to 375. Now chop up onion and garlic. Sauté in pan with a little olive oil. About a minute. Then add ground beef. Cook until brown. Place meat in a large bowl.. Mix well with the cream of mushroom, peas and corn. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Pour meat mixture in to baking dish. Sprinkle cheese over the meat. Add mashed potatoes to large ziploc.. Do not seal the top of the bag. Twist it instead. You should now have a homemade piping bag. Cut the corner with scissors. Squeeze dollops of mashed potato on top of meat and cheese. Kind of keep a pattern. Once finished, bake for 35 mts. Remove when done and allow to sit for 15-20 mts.. Trust me! Enjoy!

So 3 steps:
make mashed potatoes
make meat mixture
pipe potatoes on top and bake.

Caprese salad.. Make 3 servings for $5...

Ok, so I will admit, I don't love basil! ( insert shocking scream here) I know I know.. That's sacrilege! I feel it's too floral tasting and over powers a dish. I do use it sparingly. Like in my caprese salad. Layers of marinated tomato and mozzarella.. I love how the Italians layer and stack everything.. And even if they begin to lean, it's still ok!

2 large tomatoes $1.00
5 basil leaves*
1 ball of fresca mozzarella $3.50
1/3 c. Zesty Italian dressing $0.50
1/4 tsp. of salt*
1 tbsp olive oil*
2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette*

Slice tomatoes into roughly 1/4 in. Thick slices. Sprinkle with salt. You should get atleast 9 hearty slices. Place in a container or ziploc with dressing. Marinate in fridge over night. Once ready, slice mozzarella ball into 9 slices. Build salad. Each salad should have 3 tomato 3 mozzarella. Drizzle with oil and balsamic. Roll basil leaves and thinly dice. Sprinkle over salad. Enjoy!

so 3 steps:
Slice and marinate tomatos
slice mozzarella
stack salad, drizzle and garnish

Southwestern Egg rolls with a tangy dipping sauce.

Southwestern Egg rolls... fun, different and very tasty. Hmmm... I wonder what other non successful southwest/asian dishes there are? Maybe Texas shrimp toast? Or chow mein chili?

Appx. 3 cups of oil for deep frying with. $2.50
Chicken:
2 boneless skinless chicken breast $3.00
2 tbsp taco seasoning*
1 tbsp chili powder*
1/4 tsp garlic salt*
2 tbsp lemon juice*
1/4 c. olive oil*
dash of pepper*
2 tsp minced garlic* ( I use prepared, jarred minced garlic. I always have it on hand, especially for marinades)

filling:
1 can black beans $1.00
1 c. frozen corn $0.75
1 red bell pepper $0.80
1 onion $0.20
1/2 tsp garlic salt*
2 pinches red pepper flakes*
7 pickled jalapeno slices.*
1 packed c. Monterrey jack cheese $1.50
1 tbsp green onion $0.15
2 tbsp frozen spinach $0.20

1 pack egg roll wraps $2.00
1 egg for sealing the egg rolls $0.20
1 sheet of wax paper dusted in flour to place egg rolls on before you fry them*

Dipping sauce:
3/4 c. ranch $1.00
1/2 c. salsa $0.75
2 tomatillos $0.50





Take a large glass bowl. ( plastic is not recommended as it may allow bacteria to linger when marinating raw poultry). Add the taco season, chili powder, garlic salt, lemon juice,olive oil, pepper and minced garlic. Whisk until well blended. Add chicken and allow to marinate atleast 30 mts. Cook the chicken in a pan on medium for about 8-10 mts. each side. I always let my chicken breasts sit for about 5 mts. before slicing into them. Once ready, dice up the chicken. Now make the filling. Dice up the bell pepper and onion. coat a pot with some oi live oil. Add corn and diced onion and bell pepper, garlic salt and red pepper flakes. White that is cooking. open black bean can and drain about half of the liquid out. set aside. Then quickly microwave the spinach in some water until soft. Dice up the pickled jalepeno real fine. Once the mixture in the pot is done, add it, with the chicken, beans, spinach, jalepeno and green onion in a large bowl. Mix well. once the tempeture has dropped, add the cheese and mix again. Now whisk the egg with the tbsp of water. this will be your glue to seal the egg rolls. Take an egg roll sheet. Place in a triangle shape. Spoon about 2 tbsp worth of filling near the corner closest to you. very carefully begin to fold and roll. Take the triangle closest to you. fold it over the filling.
Then take the right side and fold over.
Continue to fold and roll as you go trying to get a tight roll. then right before you seal, brush on some of the egg wash. This will act as glue to seal the egg roll.
Once you finish each roll, place on sheet of wax paper. Each pack of egg roll sheets yields about 20-30. Bring your oil up to heat around 375. Add 4 egg rolls at a time and fry for around 4 mts. work in batches. Store fried rolls on a cookie rack with paper towels under neath. ( this will allow the air to circulate allowing it to cool and stil stay crispy. I do this with everything I fry). Once finished, make your sauce. Peel the green leafy stuff off of the the tomatillos. Add them, the ranch and salsa to the blender. Mix until blended well. Enjoy

so 6 steps:
marinate and cook chicken
chop chicken and veggies
cook mixture and mix well
add mixture to egg rolls and roll
fry rolls
make sauce

5 ingredient roasted chicken

Too many nights, I'm just so busy. This Chicken is so easy, it practically cooks itself. Now roasted chicken recipes are alot like being told a joke... Some are rushed while others take way too long. meanwhile, some lack spice or may sound good, but ultimately are very dry. I switch it up alot. However, this is what I call a " safe " meal. It's not so crazy that it'll freak the family out. It will taste good. And lastly, it should be easy enough to cook on little to no sleep!

1 whole chicken.. $2.75-8.00 ( these vary in price. I try to get them when they are less than $5.00, I freeze them, then defrost by placing them in the fridge for 2 days)
3 slices of lemon $0.20
1 tbsp olive oil*
1 tsp garlic salt*
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning*

Preheat oven to 350. Remove chicken from bag. Remove insides ( 2 kidneys, liver, neck and heart)discard. Rinse in cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel then place in a baking dish. Drizzle your olive oil on top of the chicken. Rub oil all over too coat the outside. This will allow it to brown nicely. Then sprinkle garlic salt and lemon pepper on outside of chicken. Lastly, stuff the inside of the chicken with the lemon slices. It will perfume the chicken with lemon flavor as it cooks. Pop in oven for 2 hours. Once its done, allow it to sit for 10 mts before slicing. Now feel free to roast some diced up potato's and carrots along with the chicken. Just add olive oil and seasoning to veggies as well and arrange in dish around chicken.

So 3 steps:
prepare chicken, rinse, oil/season
bake
slice and serve.

Wanna alotta enchilada!!

Enchiladas or what my Husband likes to call "lasagna". UGHHHHH! I'm just too damn tired to even dive into all the many many reasons as to why this is beyond WRONG!!! (insert my Italian Great Grandmother rolling in her grave). In any case, They are delicious. Along with my very confused Husband, my kids all love to gobble these up!




Meat:
1 2-3lb pork roast, boneless $5.00 on average
1 jalapeno $0.50
1 white onion $0.20
3 cloves garlic $0.10
1 green bell pepper $0.80
1 cup beef or chicken broth $1.00
1 cup water
1/2 tsp garlic salt*
1/2 tsp oregano*
1/2 tsp red pepper flake*
dash of cinnamon*
Olive oil to brown meat with*

sauce:
3 roma tomatos $1.00
1 red bell pepper $1.00
1 white onion $0.20
3 garlic cloves $0.10
1 jalepeno $0.50
1 tbsp Olive oil to drizzle with
1/2 tsp garlic salt

6 burrito sized flour tortillas $1.50
2 cups packed shredded cheese ( I use mozzerella, but you can use whatever) $1.25
2 avocados $1.50
2 tbsp chopped red onion $0.10

pre heat oven to 325. Take a large pot. place on cook top,coat the bottom with olive oil. Turn the heat on medium high. Season the pork roast with the garlic salt, oregano, pepper flakes and cinnamon. Brown the meat in the pot til it gets browned all over. This will lock in the flavor and increase the seasoning affect. while browning, dice up the onion, bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno. Make sure to remove the seeds and membrane from the inside of the jalapeno. Otherwise it may be a bit too spicy. Add to the pot with the broth and water. Bring to a boil. Then place the pot in the oven for 3 hours. This is a process called braising. It will slow cook the pork with all the flavors you've created in the pot. when you have 40 mts left, prepare sauce. Place whole tomatos on baking sheet. Peel and divide onion in 4 pieces, place on baking sheet as well. peel and pace whole garlic cloves on sheet. Remove top of bell pepper, remove seeds and place on sheet. Then remove top, cut jalapeno in half, remove seeds and membrane, then place on sheet. drizzle with Olive oil and salt. roast for the remainder of time in oven with pork. Remove pork from oven when done. shred the meat up and keep in liquids. Remove the stuff for the enchilada sauce from oven when done. Add to blender with 1 c. of the cooking liquids from the pork. Blend until mixed well. Take a large baking dish, a 9x13 is perfect. Lay in about 1/3 c. sauce to coat the bottom of the dish, then 2 tortillas, 1/3 c. sauce, about 1 c. pork and lsrge handful of cheese sprinkled well. repeat .. 2 tortillas, 1/3 c. sauce. 1c. pork and large handful cheese. repeat one last time. this should yield 3 layers of tortilla, sauce, meat and cheese. Place in oven at 375 for 30 mts. Once done, remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 mts. This way once you cut into it, the juices from the sauce won't spill out everywhere. while resting, make guacamole. Mix the avocado with the diced red onion. Cut pieces of enchiladas serve with a tbsp. of guacamole on top. enjoy!

so 4 steps:
dice onions and peppers to cook with.
brown and slow cook pork.
roast peppers and onions for sauce, blend.
build enchiladas and bake
make guacamole

Homemade flour tortillas..too cheap, too easy!

Making tortillas is interesting. You assume it's gonna be far more difficult than it actually is. I think the peeling off of the band aid from the injury I suffered while dropping the pan I used was harder! Well, maybe more time consuming though. Alot like pancakes, Watch your heat and your tortilla closely. If done right, it'll taste and definitely smell very authentic!


2 3/4 c. flour*
5 tbsp. shortening* (if you don't already have a container, its around $4.00 and goes a long way. mine's from 2 years ago)
3/4 tsp salt*
3/4 cup warm water

mix the flour with the shortening in a large bowl by hand. kinda work the shortening in by crumbling it with the flour. Mix the water with the salt and slowly add that to the flour mixture. mix until a ball of dough forms. Place onto a floured surface and knead ( folding the dough) Then take pieces of dough and form into about golf ball sized balls ( for taco size tortillas). you should get about 12 or so out of the batch. place on a large plate and over with a towel for 30 mts. Then on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. roll out a ball one at a time into a taco sized ( roundish shape)tortilla. Place on a hot pan/skillet/griddle.. ungreased. cook on one side until you get some bubbles ( about a minute). Then flip and repeat. Immediately remove from pan and put on plate, cover quickly with towel. Cook 1 at a time. Use in fish tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, tortilla pizzas ( increasing the to burrito sized tortillas). Store in a large zip top bag.

so 3 steps:
mix the 4 ingredients.
form balls and let sit for 30 mts.
roll out and cook.

Tortilla pizza.. yup, pizza in 15mts..

This quick and waist friendly meal happened like many other great dishes in history... by complete desperation and blind faith! I was out of flour to make dough. my pita bread that I was banking on to make the pizza with had been eaten (still not sure by who. That case is currently pending). So I did what any pizza craving person would do, I said screw it and made believe it was dough. Piled it with my chosen toppings, plopped in oven and crossed my fingers. When it was done, I sliced it up. With that first bite, I still swear I heard magical music in the air. It was HEAVEN! I had to reprocess this in my mind."Am I really eating something that not only taste exactly like thin crust pizza, but it's only 390 calories"? I walked away from the kitchen that day a new woman.


1 burrito sized tortilla $0.20
1/3 c. spaghetti sauce $0.30
1/3 c. shredded mozzerella $0.50
about 10 pepperonis $0.25
5 sliced mushrooms
about 2 tbsp sliced onion
1 tbsp sliced green onion
1 tsp. prepared minced garlic

( you can add whatever toppings you'd like. Chunked pineapple, sliced olive, spinach, tomato slices, bell pepper,etc.)

preheat oven to 500.
place tortilla on ungreased pan. spoon on sauce and spread to cover entire torilla. add cheese, mushroom, pepperoni, onion and green onion. top with garlic. Bake for 13-15 mts. remove and slice. It is very low cal too. appx 390 calories.

so 2 steps:
build pizza on tortilla.
bake and slice.

Beer battered fish tacos.. bottoms up!

Fish tacos are amazing. Funny though, we have taken such a heslthy food as fish, found a way to batter it in beer, stick it in a tortilla and fill it with sauce. We should be ashamed of ourselves!! Man, I would kill for 1 right now! Haha, seriously though, I can't help but Giggle at the irony of my 3 yr. old inhaling them while watching Finding Nemo!!


About 3 cups oil in large pot to deep fry $3.00
Fillet of mahi mahi or haddock or cod $6-10.00
1 bottle of bud light lime $1.00
appx. 2 c.flour*
1/2 tsp garlic salt*
1/2 tsp smoked paprika*

20 taco sized flour tortillas (you could make your own, but that's another post) $3.00
1/2 head of green cabbage ( shredded) $0.80
1 lime ( sliced) $0.30

pico de gallo:
4 roma tomatos $1.00
1 white or golden onion $0.25
1/3 bunch of cilantro $0.30
1 lime squeezed $0.30
1/3 tsp salt *

sauce:
1 c. sour cream $1.00
1 avocado $0.50
4 slices of pickled jalapeno $0.05

First, make pico de gallo by placing the ingredients in a food processor and pulse about 4 times. if you do not have a processor, you can just chop up the ingredients and then mix in bowl with salt and lime juice.

then, heat oil. slice about 3 inch strips of fish checking for bones, make sure the strips aren't too wide. If cut carefully, you could get a whole lot out of a large fillet. Shoot for 20 pieces. Place 1/3 c. of the flour in a plate, roll strips in flour set aside.
Make batter by mixing beer, 1 c. flour, garlic and paprika in a bowl. your batter shouldn't be too thick, just enough to coat your finger if dipped. Take strips and dip in batter, then cook about 4 at a time in oil about 3-4 mts.

finally, make sauce. blend sourcream, avocado and jalapeno in blender.

warm tortillas in microwave for about 30 seconds. Build taco.. sauce, cabbage, fried fish, pico and squeeze sliced lime and enjoy.

this will make appx 20 tacos..

so 5 steps:
slice fish
make batter
coat and fry fish
process pico
blend sauce

Sweet Sweet Salmon, and you get to play with fire!

Salmon is everywhere. Torch guns however are not. Thankfully the Husband owns many odd tools/weapons. This actually came about because ( which I choose to believe is on purpose aside from laziness?)he constantly decides to leave this potentially, highly dangerous "toy" lying around. Its very versatile. So instead of waiting for one of my kids to burn down the house with it, I figured I'd put it to use that would beneift all of us, not get us all on the 6 o-clock news!!!


Salmon fillet ( I get 4 or 1 large and cut into 4) appx. $8
Glaze:
1/3 c. soy sauce $0.75
1 tbsp white wine vinegar*
2 tbsp brown sugar*
1 clove minced garlic $0.30
1/2 tsp garlic salt*

Butter:
3 tbsp butter or margerine*
1 clove minced garlic $0.30
1 dash pepper*
2 tsp lemon juice*

Drizzle salmon with some olive oil. Bake salmon fillets at 375 for 15 mts on top a sheet of parchment paper on baking sheet. while baking, add glaze ingredients together in sauce pot, bring to boil. Brush glaze on to salmon when they finish baking. Then turn the oven onto broil for 5 mts. Once done, remove from oven, place fillets on glass plate and this is where it gets fun. Torch the top til it gets nice and crispy. Immeadiate top with a dollup of butter mixture. Enjoy.

So 4 steps:
Bake salmon.
boil and brush glaze.
Broil, then torch.
top with butter.