Pico de Gallo Recipe
Last night we had some friends over to our home and we served Mexican food. This consisted of tacos, taquitos, Mexican rice, refried beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, and all the other taco fixins’. My friend asked for the pico de gallo recipe and I told her it was on my website.
I checked today to give her the link and the recipe was no where to be found. For those of you that know me, I wrote for another company for 3 1/2 years. Apparently, I wrote the recipe on their site. Oh well, just the issues that come with giving someone else the rights to your content.
I hope you enjoy the recipe. 
Ingredients:
- fresh diced tomatoes, preferably Roma tomatoes
- fresh diced onions
- fresh finely sliced cilantro (leaf and stalk)
- fresh diced jalapeno pepper (to make milder, remove seeds)
- minced garlic or garlic powder
- lime juice
- Goya adobo seasoning
- salt (optional)
Chop up fresh ingredients and place into bowl. Add seasonings. There are not specific measurements. As you can see in the picture, the main ingredient is fresh tomatoes. All the other ingredients are according to your taste preferences. Let me know if you have any questions.
*Update: After thinking about the pico de gallo it seems that we use about 6-8 Roma tomatoes, 1 medium onion, 1 jalapeno, and about 1/2 stalk of cilantro. I’d say you need to use 1 tbsp or less of lime juice. These are the issues that come with not using a recipe and just cooking until something looks or tastes good.
Enjoy!
image (c) Karen Weideman
December 30, 2010
Homemade Playdough Recipe
My kids really enjoy playing with playdough. I have found that homemade playdough is very easy and inexpensive to make. It also lasts longer and is softer and easier to mold. Today we made two batches of playdough, some “cookies”, and we also decorated our creations. Here are some pictures of our day and a recipe for you.
Playdough Recipe
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1/4 cup salt
- food coloring of choice (5-10 drops)
Mix all the ingredients, adding the food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until play dough has a smooth consistency. Remove play dough from the pan and allow to cool for a few minutes. Knead until smooth. After it has cooled, place it in a plastic bag or airtight container to keep it soft.
Thrifty gift idea: Make some of this to use as an inexpensive party favor. Save frosting containers for the playdough. Decorate or cover the containers.
Another tip: When I was teaching preschool, we would multiply this recipe times four so that we would have enough for about eight kids. Also, we would make a color of playdough for each month which went along with the color of the month we were studying.
December 26, 2010
Oreo Truffles Recipe
For Christmas this year, I decided to try a different dessert. I admit I did not create this recipe. It is floating around the internet and in magazines, so I am not sure who created it.
Oreo Truffles
- 1 pkg Oreos, finely crushed (including white part of cookie)
- 1 8 oz block of softened cream cheese
- white or milk chocolate baker’s chocolate/almond bark (I used an entire 1 lb package and 2 squares from another package.)
- Crush Oreos. I put mine in a gallon size ziploc bag and crushed them using a rolling pin. I’m sure this would be much easier with a food processor.
- Add crushed Oreos and softenened cream cheese to a medium sized mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to blend together well. You will need to pull the Oreo batter out of the beaters a few times.
- Shape Oreo mix into small balls.
- Microwave chocolate for about 2 1/2 minutes or until the chocolate is melted. You’ll need to stir the chocolate throughout the heating process.
- Dip into melted chocolate and place on waxed paper covered cookie sheet. (I found it is easiest to dip the truffles into a bowl of chocolate and use forks to pull them out of the chocolate.)
- Sprinkle truffles with sprinkles, crushed cookies, or swirl on a different color of melted chocolate.
- Refrigerate or freeze until firm. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
You can find almond bark in the baking section of grocery stores or you can use meltable candy chocolate found at craft stores such as Michaels.
Enjoy!
December 20, 2010
Menu Plan Monday ~ December 20
There’s only five days until Christmas. It’s a busy time so menu planning is not something I want to have on my mind. But we must eat and so that leaves me thinking of a plan. Due to the crazy schedule this week things may need to be changed, but this is my tentative plan.
Sunday - leftover potato soup (made Saturday for lunch) topped with bacon and cheese
Due to the leeks, cheese, bacon, chicken broth, etc, this dish is a little more costly than most of our meals. It is so delicious and we can get a few meals from it so it’s a nice treat and worth the cost involved.
Monday - Philly steak sandwiches with peppers and onions, Pierogies, apples (maybe homemade apple crisp?)
The Philly steaks were buy 1 get 1 free. This time I will use frozen peppers and onions because I purchased those buy 1 get 1 free this week at Food Lion and I had a coupon. The Piergies were purchased on sale at Harris Teeter and the apples need to be used asap. The sub rolls were purchased today on the bakery clearance rack at Walmart.
Tuesday - tenderloin on the grill, salad, another side?, rice krispy treats, pizza, salad
The Freschetta pizzas were on eVIC special at Harris Teeter for only $2.97 each. (Family will be visiting.)
Wednesday - Tyson chicken tenders, broccoli, rice We went shopping because I had some good coupons to use so we stopped at Cook Out for a quick dinner.
I intentionally planned to have something easy because I will be cleaning and entertaining throughout the week. This is the one day inbetween company. I got the Tyson chicken tenders on sale and had a $1 coupon. We will probably use half of a bag which will cost $2. The frozen broccoli was buy 1 get 1 free and I had a coupon.
Thursday - oven fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans
(Family visiting.) I got the chicken on sale at Food Lion a few weeks ago for $1.79/lb. The potatoes are buy 1 get 1 free at Food Lion this week.
Friday - something easy on Christmas Eve
Saturday - turkey, ham, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green beans, corn, pie, etc.
My mom and dad will bring the ham. My brother and sister-in-law will bring the pie, gravy, and sodas. I got the turkey on sale at Thanksgiving for $.39/lb. I hope to find sweet potatoes on sale this week like I did at Thanksgiving. Also, I hope to remember to take a picture of the sweet potato casserole this time.
Since we will be entertaining company this week, we will be going over our weekly food budget, but due to sales and coupons I know that we’ll still do pretty well. We will probably enjoy the Christmas leftovers for a few days next week which will help us get back on track.
What are you having for dinner this week?
For more weekly menus visit Organizing Junkie.
December 15, 2010
Wordless Wednesday: This Week’s Baking
This week I made 52 pumpkin muffins and 5 mini loaves. I used these as gifts for the teachers at school.
December 14, 2010
Menu Plan Monday ~ December 13, 2010
I was busy baking Christmas gifts last night and didn’t get around to posting this.
Sunday – pizza, fruit
Monday – taco soup from the freezer (frozen from leftovers) served with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips
Tuesday – tatertot casserole, lentils (from the freezer), green beans
Wednesday – leftovers
Thursday – quiche, waffles, fruit
Friday – potato soup (with leeks) served with crumbled bacon, grilled cheese sandwiches
Saturday – Something easy!
One again, our family will stay on budget and eat dinner for $35 or less. What’s on your menu this week?
December 9, 2010
Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
About 8 years ago I decided to make a sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving. Since then, Thanksgiving and Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without it. It is so yummy and receives lots of compliments.
Sweet Potato Casserole
- 5-6 good size sweet potatoes
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1/2 stick melted butter
- 1/2 cup milk*
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 bag marshmallows
- Boil potatoes until soft throughout. (Some people like to cube theirs before boiling, but I like to boil my potatoes whole with the skins. This will take about an hour. I also cover my potatoes so that they cook faster.)
- Allow potatoes to cool for a little bit and remove skins. (I use tongs to pull the potatoes from the water. Sometimes I also use the tongs to pull the skins off while they’re hot and they cool much faster this way.)
- In a large bowl mash the sweet potatoes. This can be done with a fork or hand masher.
- Combine mashed sweet potatoes, beaten eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Mix well. Add milk a little at a time and stir. (You may not need the entire 1/2 cup. Sometimes it depends upon the natural liquid in your potatoes.)
- Place sweet potato mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish. Smooth potato mixture to be level.
- Bake at 350F degrees for about 35-45 minutes or until hot throughout.
- Remove from oven and top with lots of marshmallows.
- Bake another 10 minutes or so until marshmallows are brown. Yummy!!!
an inside view
Alternative topping: If you prefer pecans instead of marshmallows, you can mix 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup chopped pecans, and 1/2 cup melted margarine. Spread on top.
Make ahead tip: To save time and oven space, make this dish the night before Thanksgiving or Christmas (without the marshmallows). The day of the meal, bake or microwave the casserole until it’s hot (10 minutes or more in the microwave), top with marshmallows and bake 10-15 minutes until marshmallows are brown.
If you want a dish that will get eaten, then you should try this recipe. Enjoy! :)
December 5, 2010
Menu Plan Monday ~ December 6
I admit, I don’t like planning the meals each week. When I was working from home I could think more about what I wanted to make each day and plan accordingly. Now that I’m back to teaching, I need to plan ahead so that I don’t get frustrated when I come home from work. I’ve been working hard on planning our meals from what we already have in our stockpile and it is working nicely. I have been able to feed our family dinner for less than $35 each week.
This is a tentative plan of our meals for the week. They’re always tentative due to scheduling or just finding a great deal on something else.
Sunday - pork barbeque sandwiches, baked tater tots, fresh apple slices
The barbeque is from leftovers in the freezer.
Monday - hotdogs with chili, beans, maccaroni salad
Food Lion has the Hebrew hotdogs bogo this week and Walmart had cucumbers for $.35 each. The pasta was free at Food Lion a few weeks ago. I planned something super easy for tonight because of a program we’ll be attending.
Tuesday - oven fried chicken, sweet potatoes, green beans, leftover maccaroni salad, rice, biscuits
Food Lion has the chicken breasts on sale this week for $1.79/lb. Green beans were bogo and sweet potatoes were $.28/lb before Thanksgiving.
Wednesday - leftovers
Thursday - tuna croquettes, scalloped potatoes, lima beans
The Bumble Bee tuna pouches were purchase for less than $.40 each with coupons. I will use 2-3 pouches.
This meal plan is from Friday night’s plan last week. The school was having dinner, movie, and babysitting for $5/kid so we went on a date.
Friday - tacos, beans, homemade Mexican rice, canned salsa
Ground beef is from the freezer, purchased on sale for less than $2/lb. Mexican rice can be made for about $.25. The canned salsa was made for nearly free this summer.
Saturday - pizza? Something easy.
What will you be making this week?
November 29, 2010
Menu Plan Monday: November 29, 2010
Last night we finished up our Thanksgiving leftovers. They were so tasty and I enjoyed finding different ways to serve them. One night we had ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls. Another night we had ham, scrambled eggs, and grits. And it was nice to spend less time cooking too.
For the first time ever, I made homemade pumpkin muffins from pumpkin that I cooked myself. The recipe made 32 muffins. I took them to the Thanksgiving meal, gave some away, and we still had plenty to eat this week. The kids have been excited to eat them for breakfast.
Sunday - ham, scrambled eggs, grits, fruit
Made with leftover ham from Thanksgiving.
Monday - chili
Frito Pie – fritos, chili, sour cream, tomatoes, cheese
Made from ground chuck purchased at Harris Teeter for $1.50 on eVIC. Cheese purchased really cheap at Food Lion.
Fritos $1.47 Harris Teeter eVIC.
Tuesday - spaghetti, garlic bread, salad
Made from canned spaghetti sauce I made this summer from fresh tomatoes (free). Noodles were free at Food Lion. Ground chuck from Harris Teeter for $1.50.
Wednesday - leftovers $0
Thursday - sausage balls, broccoli, and rice
Sausage was on sale for $2.50 and I had a coupon. The frozen broccoli was buy 1 get 1 free at Harris Teeter and I had a coupon.
Friday - tuna croquettes, scalloped potatoes, lima beans
I got the tuna for about $.30/pouch with coupons and I will use two 5 oz pouches.
Saturday - ??? Something easy!
I will be feeding my family dinner for less than $35. What’s on your menu this week?
November 28, 2010
Recipe Ideas for Leftover Turkey
One of the things I hear weeks before Thanksgiving and Christmas are people concerned about the amount of turkey they’ll have left over. They want to serve their family and guests turkey, but they’re hesitant because of the waste involved. Rather than letting good food go to waste, try some of these ideas for your left over turkey.
Turkey and gravy - We had this one Friday night. I simply made some gravy out of cornstarch and chicken boullion and warmed the turkey in the gravy. I added some leftover sweet potatoes and rolls and made some green beans and mashed potatoes. The kids enjoyed the meal.
Turkey sandwich - This one is a given, but it is one of my favorites. Some people like their sandwich with mayonnaise and onions. I like mine with mustard on white bread.
Turkey salad - This is another family favorite. I chop up some turkey, add some mayo, diced dill pickles, salt, and pepper, and it’s as good as chicken salad. I also like to make ham salad.
Turkey and rice - Cook rice according to package directions, add desired seasonings. Throw in some chopped turkey and some vegetables. You might also like to make a gravy.
Turkey wraps - Add some turkey, cheese, and fresh vegetables to a lettuce slice or tortilla.
Turkey soup - There are many varieties of turkey soup. You could make a cream based soup or a Mexican style soup. Use your favorite chicken soup recipe using turkey instead of chicken.
Turkey stock – Rather than purchasing chicken stock from the store, make your own and freeze it to use later in soups and stews.
Turkey pot pie – Chop up some turkey, add a bag of frozen vegetables, mix in some gravy, and top with a pie crust or pour on a liquid Bisquick mixture and bake.
Don’t forget to store your turkey properly.
Other resources:
Recipe Goldrush
All Recipes
National Turkey Federation
Healthy Eating Made Easy
Jennie O
What are your favorite turkey recipes?
image sxc.hu
