I’ve had this recipe from Deborah starred in my Google Reader since June. What a perfect combination for Cancy & I. I love avocados & he (like most men) loves meat. This was super easy to put together and tasted wonderful. Please don’t cheat by buying a green sauce from the store. The tomatillo/chile mixture smells great while cooking and is totally worth it. We both really liked this recipe and for sure will be making it again.

Guacamole Tacos with Tomatillo and Steak Sauce



4 Anaheim chiles, seeded

4 dried chiles de arbol

1 pound tomatillos (about 10), husked and rinsed

4 cups water, divided

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 teaspoon aniseed

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound skirt steak, cut into 1/3-inch cubes

3 large avocados, halved, pitted

1/2 cups (packed) finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

12 small flour tortillas, softened



Place all chiles in medium saucepan, then add tomatillos and 3 cups water. Cover and boil until chiles and tomatillos are soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cool and drain.



Combine tomatillo mixture, garlic, aniseed, and oregano in processor; blend until smooth. Strain, discarding solids.

Wipe same saucepan clean. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil; heat over medium-high heat. Add strained sauce, simmer 5 minutes, then add 1 cup water. Bring to boil. Add chopped steak; reduce heat to medium-low and cook until sauce lightly coats back of spoon, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if sauce is too thick (consistency is similar to thin Bolognese); about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt.



Using spoon, scoop out avocado flesh and place in medium bowl. Add cilantro, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt; coarsely mash with fork.

 Place 2 tablespoons guacamole in center of each tortilla; roll up. Place on plate, seam side down. Pour warm meat sauce over tacos to cover and serve.

I saw this grilled cheese recipe in last month’s Every Day with Rachael Ray, November’09. I’m a huge grilled cheese fan so I thought I’d give it a try. The day I wanted to make them it was a little chilly outside (OK chilly for Texas, anyway). I thought what’s better than just a grilled cheese? So I made a yummy tomato soup to dip the grilled cheese in. Save this when you want a super easy meal on a chilly weeknight.


Spicy Tomato Cheese Soup
1 can condensed tomato soup 

1 can condensed Cheddar cheese soup 

3 cups spicy V8

a splash of hot sauce
salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Inside Out English Muffin Grilled Cheese
2 English Muffins
4 slices of Sharp White Cheddar
salt & pepper

Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Lightly Spread the inside of each English Muffin with butter. Arrange the muffins butter side out to build 2 sandwiches, each with a slice of sharp cheddar some salt & pepper, than another slice of white cheddar.

Place them in the pan and cook, turning once or twice, until the cheese is melted and the outsides are a golden brown.

I usually go to Elly’s site when I’m craving lamb or something else Greek. I stumbled across her Burrito Soup & knew that this was a must-do.This was a really nicely seasoned and easy dish to make. Always on the lookout for crockpot ideas, this would be great for a crowd if you are having people over to watch “the game”. Or if you just want to make a hearty soup and have some tasty leftovers.

Crockpot Burrito Soup

2 tsp. canola oil

1 large onion, diced

1 lb. extra lean ground beef

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

5 cups beef broth

2 Tbsp. aleppo (or any) chili powder)

1 Tbsp. cumin

2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

2/3 cup corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup uncooked rice (or, cook rice separately)

Heat a large  heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat and add oil. Cook the onions for a couple minutes before adding the beef. Brown the beef with the onion and drain if necessary. Put  back on the heat and stir in the garlic, just until fragrant.

Pour the beef mixture into the crockpot and then add the tomato sauce, beef broth, spices, corn and black beans. Cook on low for…however long you’re gone.
Increase temp to high and add the rice, just until cooked. Alternatively you can put the cooked rice in bowls and ladle the soup over it.

Garnish with your favorite toppings.

You can’t have Fall and not make something with pumpkin. This was first recipe of the season using this Fall Favorite. I can never seem to use bananas up fast enough so this was a great way to use them and get the flavor of Fall.

Banana Pumpkin Bread
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 9×5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, stir together the mashed banana, eggs, oil, pumpkin, honey and sugar. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pie spice and cinnamon, stir into the banana mixture until just combined. Fold in the raisins and walnuts if desired. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

This really isn’t a recipe, but more of a great way to get you vegetable servings covered. You can mix this up using whatever vegetables you prefer. This nigh was sort of a “clean out the vegetable drawer in the fridge” night. Cancy even liked vegetables this way. I’ve found so far that any vegetable tastes better when roasted. Eat & Enjoy!

Roasted Balsamic Veggies

about 1/2 lb Fresh Green Beans, ends snapped off
1 Medium Yellow Onion, cut into rings
1 Red Pepper, sliced into strips
1 pkg of Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
small handful of Blue of Feta Cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place vegetables in a Ziploc bag, add salt & pepper and about a Tbps of Olive Oil. Toss.

Lay veggies out on a sheet pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes until roasted & tender.

Serve into individual dishes and splash a bit of Balsamic over top and sprinkle cheese as well.

There really isn’t much of a recipe to post for this one other than some basic prep before grilling. We made this to go along with Baked Lemon Pasta and they were great together. I think grilling & roasting are going to be the only way I can get my husband to eat enough vegetables. You gotta do, what you gotta do. Get out to that grill and cook up a healthy, yummy dinner.

Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken

1/4 Cup olive oil
1/4 Cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp Lemon Pepper seasoning
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

Combine first three ingredients in a Ziploc bag and shake to mix.
Add the chicken breasts & marinate for at least 1 hour.
Grill chicken until done.

Grilled Asparagus

In a separate Ziploc bag, combine the same ingredients as above, but toss fresh asparagus in the marinade and let sit for 15 minutes before grilling.

I adore Ree of ThePioneerWoman.com. I also happen to love anything of hers that I’ve made. This lemon pasta was no exception. Now, Cancy thinks all meals need to be served with meat so I made lemon pepper pasta. I would have been perfectly content with just the pasta. I hope you try this. While you’re at it, you should check out the rest of Ree’s site.

Pioneer Woman’s Baked Lemon Pasta

1 pound thin spaghetti

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 lemon

2 cups sour cream

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste if desired

Plenty of grated Parmesan cheese

Flat leaf parsley, chopped

Extra lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente.


In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT. When butter is melted, add minced garlic.
Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.


Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary.

Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.


Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)


When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top.
Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley.
Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

We have tons of ground beef on hand so I am always looking for new ways to use it. This is yet another Rachael Ray recipe that came out a winner. We both really liked this. My recipe shown below is using smaller amounts than Rachael’s original. I cut most everything in 1/2 since it was just the 2 of us and we were stuffed.
I served this with mashed potatoes & roasted green beans. Easy & delicious weeknight dinner.

Gorgonzola Filled Meatballs with Bay & Onion Creamy Tomato Gravy

1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, grated or minced
1 large egg
1 handful grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 handful plain breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons sage leaves, sliced or finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1 fresh bay leaves
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (15 ounces)
1/2 cup cream

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.



Place the meat in a mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add in the garlic, egg and egg yolk, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, breadcrumbs and sage. Mix together with the meat and roll into eight large balls and arrange in a baking dish. Coat the balls with 2 tablespoons EVOO. Using the end of a wooden spoon, make an indentation half way into each ball and fill each cavity with some Gorgonzola cheese. Bake until golden and cooked through, 15-20 minutes.



Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO and butter in a saucepot over medium heat. Add the bay leaves and onions and season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes and heat through, stir in the cream, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer to thicken slightly, 8-10 minutes.



Ladle the sauce into shallow bowls and top with big stuffed meatballs and Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Spinach alongside, if desired.

I love, love, love broccoli cheese soup. We’ve had a chilly week so this was a perfect fit. I had to add a bit more 1/2 & 1/2 and chicken stock but other than that, I stayed true to the original recipe. This was delicious, creamy, & warm. Great for a chilly, rainy night.

Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/2 medium chopped onion

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups Fat Free 1/2 & 1/2 (I changed this to 3 Cups)

2 cups chicken stock (I changed this to 3 Cups)

1/2 lb fresh broccoli

1 cup carrot, julienned

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

salt and pepper

Sauté onion in butter. Set aside.

Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the half & half.

Add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes.

Add salt and pepper. Using an immersion blender if you have one, now is a good time to puree some of the soup. I made sure to leave some of the broccoli pieces whole.

Return to heat and add cheese. Stir in nutmeg.

We went out for Indian food a couple of weeks ago and we remembered how much we liked all of the flavors in Indian cuisine. I came home from work last week to a strong curry smell when I walked in the front door. There was my husband, at the stove using what seemed like every dish in the house and all of the burners on the stove. He decided to try a Crab Curry dish. I’ve got to say, it was delicious. Now this recipe doesn’t have the most common of ingredients so make sure you shop before you start this. Cancy went to 3 different stores that day to get everything. Sweet husband…

Crab Curry

1 cup water
6 big size crabs (Cancy used 1 pound of crab legs instead of whole crab)
8 red chillies whole
1 tbsp tamarind pulp
1/2 coconut scraped
1 tsp Garam masala powder
8 cloves garlic
1 tbsp oil
1 big size onion sliced
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin seeds

Boil the crabs and clean them, only the body and claws are used (the crab claws can be lightly cracked and the body cut into half, to facilitate eating).

Grind the scraped coconut with red chillies, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and garlic to a fine paste.

Heat up oil on medium heat up and stir fry cut onion. Stir-fry for one minute. Mix in ground spices and stir-fry for a minute. Mix in tamarind pulp, salt to taste and crabs.

Simmer (boil slowly at low temperature) on low heat, covered for 15 minutes. Mix in little more water if necessary and stir fry till done.

Serve hot over Basmati Rice.