Fish Taco

Last night I made dinner for my family and when I asked everybody what they wanted, they responded with tacos. So I chose to make fish tacos for everyone but with a variety of fish. My mother had salmon, I had Mahi-Mahi, and my dad had tilapia. I heated up flour and corn tortillas, set out a bowl of cheese, lettuce, chopped tomatoes, avocado, salsa and hot sauce. My parents loved the dinner and we ended up not leaving a crumb.

Breakfast for the Family

I treated my family to breakfast this past week and they enjoyed it. I made large omelettes with what they wanted and fruit smoothies. My father chose to have bacon, sausage, jalapeno peppers, and green chilis. My mother had swiss cheese, bacon, spinach and green peppers. My father and mother had smoothies with bananas, strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries.

Mexican Lasagna

My family made a Mexican Lasagna this past week and everybody devoured it in minutes. My aunt surprised the family with this dish because we were all just hanging out at my grandmother's house and she arrived with this. It was gone in less then half an hour. Even the picky eaters of my family ate this. 
Ingredients:
2 pounds of shredded chicken
1 can of refried beans (16 ounces)
1 can of chopped green chiles (4 ounces)
1 envelope taco seasoning
2 tablespoons of hot salsa
12 ounces of uncooked lasagna noodles 
4 cups of Colby-Monterey Jack cheese (16 ounces)
1 jar of mild salsa
2 cups of water
2 cups of sour cream (16 ounces)
3 green onions chopped 
1 chopped tomato, optional

Steps:
1) Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in beans, chilies, taco seasoning and hot salsa.
2) In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, layer a third of the noodles and meat mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers twice.
3) Combine mild salsa and water; pour over top. Cover and bake 1 hour or until heated through.
4) Top with sour cream, olives, onions, tomatoes if desired and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes. Let stand 10-15 minutes before cutting.

St. Patty's Day Dinner

Every St. Patrick's Day, my family goes to my grandmother's house for dinner. She makes corned beef and cabbage, bread, Irish soda bread, potatoes, and carrots. We always have to make a lot of corned beef because there are at least 15 family members there. We usually finish half of what we make so that we can have leftovers for the next day.

Ingredients:
1 onion, cut into wedges
4 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 pound carrots, cut into large chunks
3 cups water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (3 pound) corned beef brisket with spice packet, cut in half
1 small head cabbage, cut into wedges

Steps:
1) Place onion, potatoes, and carrots in a 5-quart slow cooker. Combine water, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, and contents of spice packet in a small bowl; pour over vegetables. Top with brisket and cabbage.
2) Cover and cook on Low until meat and vegetables are tender, 8 to 9 hours. Remove bay leaf before serving.

The next day, our leftovers usually look like this.

Cinnamon Goodness

I made a batch of snickerdoodles this weekend and they tasted amazing. I brought it to a family party Saturday and when i put them out, they immediately disappeared.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 3/4cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose or unbleached flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Steps:
1)  Heat oven to 400ºF.
2)  Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the butter, shortening and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
3)  Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
4)  Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Spanish Fiesta

My family had a spanish themed dinner this past week. My sister was up from college and wanted us to do this. My dad was in charge of making empanadas, my mother made a salad, and my sister and I made churros.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
2 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 quarts oil for frying
1/2 cup white sugar, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Steps:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water, 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in flour until mixture forms a ball.
Heat oil for frying in deep-fryer or deep skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Pipe strips of dough into hot oil using a pastry bag. Fry until golden; drain on paper towels.
Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Roll drained churros in cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Italian Night

My family will have one night a week that we call "Italian Night." This week we made lasagna.

Ingredients:
12 whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 pound lean ground beef
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano, or to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 (16 ounce) package cottage cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 (25 ounce) jars tomato-basil pasta sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese


Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add the lasagna noodles a few at a time, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Remove the noodles to a plate.
3. Place the ground beef into a skillet over medium heat, add the garlic, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper to the skillet. Cook the meat, chopping it into small chunks as it cooks, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain excess grease.
4. In a bowl, mix the cottage cheese, eggs, and Parmesan cheese until thoroughly combined.
5. Place 4 noodles side by side into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan; top with a layer of the tomato-basil sauce, a layer of ground beef mixture, and a layer of the cottage cheese mixture. Repeat layers twice more, ending with a layer of sauce; sprinkle top with the mozzarella cheese. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese has melted, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until cheese has begun to brown, about 10 more minutes. Allow to stand at least 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Francese

The other day, my family had a variety of food for a large party and a few of them I enjoyed. The chicken francese was the best dish in my opinion. The dish was gone in just a few minutes.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, beaten
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup butter
2 lemons, juiced
1 teaspoon cornstarch


Steps:

Coat chicken with flour, then egg beat, then saute in a large skillet until almost cooked through. Drain on paper toweling.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
In a medium saucepan combine the wine, broth, parsley, salt and pepper to taste, butter or margarine and lemon juice over medium low heat. Stir together while heating slowly. When butter or margarine has melted, slowly stir in cornstarch until sauce thickens slightly. Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour sauce over all.
Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

Super Bowl Contest

My family does a contest during the Super Bowl. We go to my Aunt's house and participate in a chili contest. Half of the people are to make the chili and the other half taste and rate all the chilis. The winning chili will get bragging rights till the following year.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef chuck
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
3 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon bacon bits
4 cubes beef bouillon
1/2 cup beer
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese

Steps:

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
2. Pour in the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, chile peppers, bacon bits, bouillon, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.
4. To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese.

Banana Bread

One of my all time favorite foods that my father would make for me is banana bread. He always made this as a treat for the family once a month. I would wake up in the morning to the smell of delightfulness in the air.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

                                             

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Guinness Treats

On my mother's side of the family, everybody is Irish. So most foods are made like the Irish. My aunt always makes Guinness Brownies. They are the best treats that anyone brings to my grandmother's house. Everybody eats them and the brownies will disappear within minutes. She gave me her recipe and now I will share it with you.

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup Guinness stout
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup unsalted butter
1½ cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

STEPS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x9-inch square baking pan, then line with parchment paper.

2. Bring the Guinness to a boil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. Boil until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and stir occasionally until completely melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined and pale yellow in color. Gradually whisk in the melted chocolate mixture, then the reduced Guinness. Add the flour and salt and fold into the batter with a rubber spatula until no streaks of flour remain.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack; cool completely before cutting and serving. The brownies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Healthy Lunch

I usually try to eat healthy food when it comes to lunch. So, I will cook up some grilled chicken and have that for most of my meals. But when it comes to school lunch, I never buy food, I bring in a container of chicken and yellow rice.

The Ingredients:

Chicken(up to you how much you cook)

Yellow rice

How to:

Grill the chicken on a grill and then cut up.

Boils the yellow rice for 25 minutes then mix with the chicken and either eat then or put away and a plastic container for another time.