Chimichangas

When I was in high school, I would eat out with my friend. She would order a chimichanga. I had never heard of a chimichanga before she ordered it. She told me it was a fried burrito. It sounded good but I still would order a hamburger. When I was young, my philosophy was why order anything but a hamburger. My philosophy now is to try new foods. I actually have never ordered a chimichanga in a restaurant. Since I like introducing different foods to the kids, I figured I would make some chimichangas. I hardly fry foods so the kids thought this was a nice treat.

Beef Chimichangas
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup pepper jack, shredded
8 (6 inch) flour tortillas
2 cups oil
toppings: sour cream, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, black olives, onions etc.

Directions: 

1. In a large skillet, brown the meat over medium high heat.
2. Drain the excess oil form the pan.
3. Add the onions, garlic, jalapeno, oregano, pepper.
4. Cook until the onions are tender.
5. Spoon 1/4 cup of the meat mixture just shy of the center of each tortilla. 
6. Top the meat with the cheese. 
7. Fold in the sides almost touching.
8. With the sides tucked in, roll the bottom up tightly to form a burrito.
9. Refrigerate the chimichangas for 20 minutes.
10. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. 
11. Carefully, add the chimichangas. 
12. Cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown.
13. Remove from the oil and place onto a plate lined with paper towels. 
14. Serve immediately with desired toppings.  

Recipe adapted from Kraft.

One year ago.........................I made Chicken Enchiladas.
Two years ago.......................I made Migas in a Taco Bowl.
Three years ago.....................I made Chicken Salad Roll Up.

Did you already know........................
-Chimichangas are a deep fried burrito.
-It can consist of meat, vegetables, and spices of choices.
-The creation of the chimichanga is unknown but believed to originate in Arizona.

Thai Chicken Wrap

My children argue like any typical siblings. One reason they argue is my son likes to tell us lots of facts. My daughter likes to correct her brother as an older sister will do. Since my son is confident in his facts, I am the fact checker. Normally, I know the answers which makes it easier for me but when I don't I will look it up. So, I had to look up whether penguins eat squids or not. I have never paid much attention to the diet of penguins. I am too busy worrying about my children's diets. Well, my son was right (which he normally is 90% of the time but his sister does catch him on other the 10%). This was our discussion while we ate these Thai Chicken Wraps. They are really good and fast to assemble. My son made the sauce for us. My daughter prepped the lettuce. It was a nice way to prepare lunch

Thai Chicken Wrap
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 lb. cooked chicken, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped
1/4 tsp ginger, minced
1 package of Asian blend cabbage slaw (cabbage, carrots, snap peas, etc.)
1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
2 Tbsp peanut butter
2 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp water
4 large tortillas
1 cup lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup almonds, toasted
 3 stalks of green onions, chopped

Directions: 

1. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat.
2. Add the chicken, garlic, sweet onion, ginger, and the cabbage slaw.
3. Cook for about 5 minutes. Stir often.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the sweet chili sauce, peanut butter, soy sauce, and water. Stir until smooth. 
5. Add the chili sauce mixture to the chicken. Stir to incorporate.
6. On a tortilla, add the lettuce and chicken mixture. 
7. Top with the almonds and green onions.
8. Fold the tortillas to form a wrap.

Recipe adapted from Tastes Better From Scratch. 

One year ago..........................I made Sweet Potato Casserole.
Three years ago......................I made Breakfast Potatoes.

Did you already know.............
-Penguins eat krill, squid, and fish.
-While swimming, penguins swallow their prey whole.
-Penguins do not live at the North Pole.

Sausage Wonton appetizers

One of my favorite dishes my best friend brings over are some sausage wonton appetizers. They are so good. Well, I was thinking how much I like the Rotel Sausage Dip but I wanted to make it similar to my friend's way. They are easy way to serve dip while watching football. My youngest son helped me and we love them. My son didn't even want me to take some photos to share. He just wanted to eat them. So, I comprised with him and took a photo of him eating one. Boy, my son needs a haircut.

Photo by my youngest son!

Sausage Wonton appetizers
24 wonton wrappers
1 package of Jimmy Dean pork sausage
1/2 cup white onion, chopped fine
1 (10 oz.) can of Rotel, drained
4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup crushed tortilla chips

Directions:

1. Line a cupcake pan with one wonton wrapper in each cup.
2. Place another wonton wrapper on top of the other with the second wonton square sides sticking up between the spaces of the first. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4. In a large skillet, brown the pork sausage.
5. Add the onion and cook until the pork sausage is fully cooked.
6. Add the drained can of Rotel into the skillet. Cook for about 1 minute.
7. Add the cheddar cheese and the cream cheese. Mix until well incorporated.
8. Cook until the cheese is melted.
9. Spoon the mixture into the center of the wonton cups until they are half full.
10. Top the mixture with the crushed tortilla chips.
11. Bake the won tons for 15 minutes or until the wonton wrappers are fully cooked.
12. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Recipe adapted from here.

Two years ago.....................I made Burgundy Mushrooms.

My photographer

Did you already know..........
-Wontons originated from North China.
-Wonton means small dumpling or swallowing clouds.
-Wonton and dumplings tend to vary in size and thickness of the wrapper.

Migas in a Taco Bowl

My family love eggs. I love them since they are a cheap, fast breakfast, brunch, or supper. When I added tortilla chips to the eggs, the kids thought this was the best thing ever. I thought they would even think it was more cool if they were served in Taco Bowls. I made my Taco Bowls from corn tortillas since they tied with the corn tortilla chips. They are really easy to make. I used these directions but there are even YouTube vidoes.

Migas in a Taco Bowl
4 large eggs
2 egg whites
2 Tbsp skim milk
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 tsp butter

1 cup tortilla chips, crushed (I used blue corn tortilla chips)
1 cup Monterey Jack with Jalapeno Cheese
4 Taco Bowls
Optional garnish toppings:  guacamole, sour cream, cheese, salsa, salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, and skim milk. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the onion, red bell pepper, and jalapeno pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.
4. Add the whisked egg mixture to the skillet. Stir well. Turn the heat to medium low. 
5. Add the butter and cook until the eggs are fluffy. 
6. Add the crushed tortilla chips and fold in the cheese.
7. Serve the egg mixture into the center of the taco bowls.
8. Top with desired garnish.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago..........................I made Chicken Salad Roll Ups.

Did you already know............
-The Spanish word Migas translates into crumbs.
-Migas ordered in Spain or Portugal is a dish made with stale bread, olive oil, sausage, or pork.
-The Tex Mex version is just scrambled eggs with tortilla chips.

Growing Up!

Recently, my Mom gave me a back rest pillow. The kids thought it was the neatest thing. They were more fascinated with the pillow than some of their toys. They placed it on my bed and had to take turns trying it out. Then finally they let me try out my gift which is always nice. They told me to lean back into it and how comfy it felt. Then my son told me to go to sleep. Why he thought I would want to sleep sitting up was beyond me but I pretended to sleep. Anytime I pretend to sleep I make some snoring noises, don't you? My seven year old son started to laugh and he said, "A woman snoring, that is funny!" He knows I don't snore in my sleep and neither does his sisters so he assumes females don't snore. (Good thing he hasn't been around my sister much when she sleeps because I know she snores!) So, it got me thinking about my childhood assumptions.

Childhood Assumptions:

1. Men are serious and don't smile a lot. (My Dad and my maternal relatives did not smile a lot. They are men.)
2. Men do not eat sweets. (My Dad use to eat a lot of candy as a child and outgrew candy plus my maternal Grandfather was diabetic.)
3. Men like beer and women don't. (My Mom very rarely drinks.)

Do you have any childhood assumptions that have changed since becoming an adult? My husband does smile and loves sweets. I will drink a beer once in awhile especially when I am cooking chili since I don't want it to go to waste. 

My oldest daughter asked me to make some steak fajitas. My sister orders this meal a lot so I knew what was in it but had never looked up the recipe since it seemed like a quick meal. I was surprised by all the recipes I looked at wanted me to marinade the meat for hours. Since I had lack of planning, I just used a better cut of meat so it would be tender. We liked it and my daughter was happy. These are the type of meals we serve when my husband is away since he doesn't eat steak and peppers. I think he is missing out.

Steak Fajitas
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
8 oz Sirloin Steak, cut in strips
1 Tbsp Montreal Steak seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 red pepper, sliced in strips
1/2 green pepper, sliced in strips
1/2 yellow onion, sliced in strips
1/2 fresh lime juice, optional
8 flour tortillas

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat.
2. Season the steak with the Montreal Steak Seasoning, a little salt, and pepper. 
3. Add the steak and brown for about 3 minutes per a side or cook until the desired doneness.
4. Remove the steak and place on a plate.
5. Add the red pepper, green pepper, and yellow onion to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Squeeze the lime juice over the vegetables and cook for about another minute or two. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Remove the vegetables and mix with the steak before serving on tortillas.

One year ago........................I made Cranberry Cream Cheese Bundt Cake. It was so good that I know what I'll be making this week.

Did you already know....
-Some causes of snoring are excess weight, alcohol consumption, congestion, and exhaustion.
-4 out of 10 men snore and 3 out of 10 women snore per Health 24.
-Snoring can be a sign of sleep apena.

Strange Cat

We have strange animals that live in my house. My dog loves to lick our cat. I don't mean in a friendly way. I mean our cat is receiving a regular bath. She is saturated when he is through. (I have posted a photo of our cat at the end of this post.) Occasionally, she will swipe at him but I think it is more for show since she doesn't move away. Why? Why does the cat let our dog do this to her? Why does he want to lick her in the first place?

Recently, I have changed work locations. Near my old job, I liked to order a wrap from Bay Wrap. So, I decided I would attempt to duplicate one of their wraps. My oldest daughter said I did a pretty good job. I made a chicken and rice meal the night before and made extra to make this easy to go lunch. Any Asian salad dressing is a great substitute for the sauce.

Asian chicken wrap
1/8 cup honey
1/8 cup soy sauce, low sodium works fine
1 Tbsp cup water.
1 clove garlic, minced fine
1 tsp ginger, minced fine
1 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
2 cup chicken, cooked and cut into strips
4 tortilla wraps
2 cup lettuce
1 cup sprouts
1 cup rice, cooked
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 cup scallions

Directions:

1. In a small bowl,combine the honey, soy sauce, water, garlic, ginger, olive oil, and lemon juice. Taste the sauce and adjust the flavors to taste. Add salt and pepper if desired. 
2. Place the chicken in the sauce and set aside.
3. Place the tortilla wraps on a plate. Cover the tortilla wraps with a damp paper towel. Microwave the wraps for about 10 seconds, just to warm them.
4. Place one wrap in the center of a large piece or aluminum foil or wax paper. 
5. Place 1/2 cup of lettuce and 1/4 cup sprouts evenly over the tortilla wrap.
6. Onto of the lettuce, evenly spread out 1/2 cup of the chicken. 
7. Over the chicken, sprinkle the cooked rice and almonds. 
8. Top the rice with the scallions and sprinkle a little of the sauce evenly over the tortilla. Do not drench or the tortilla will become too soft.
9. Fold up the sides of the tortilla and roll up the wrap tightly.
10. Wrap the chicken wrap with the aluminum foil or wax paper.
11. Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

Did you already know...
- A group of cats are called a clowder.
-Cats are the most popular pet in North America.
-A cat will clean itself 1/3 of the time its awake.

Why me?

burrito

It is currently Spring Break for us so I have been away. We traveled down South where it was suppose to be warm. I think Mother Nature is playing games with me by allowing the weather to be warm for a day before turning cold. I think Mother Nature has a sense of humor since she must know I packed mostly shorts.

Maybe if I make something from the Tex-Mex region, the warm weather will return? I actually prefer burritos over tacos. Do you like tacos or burritos better? My husband would pick tacos.

Burrito
1 1/2 lb ground hamburger
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped finely
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped finely
1 Tbsp chili pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup water
8 flour tortilla 
1 16oz. refried beans (optional)
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
toppings: cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Brown the hamburger in a skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes. 
3. Make sure to break up the meat well.
4. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add the chili pepper, cumin, salt and pepper over the meat and distribute the spices throughout the meat.
6. Stir in the water and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
7. Working with one tortilla at a time, spread a layer of the refried beans over the tortilla if desired.
8. Top with the hamburger mixture.
9. Sprinkle some cheddar over the hamburger mixture and roll into the burrito shape.
10. Lay the rolled burrito into a 9x13 baking dish with the seam side down.
11. Continue to assemble the burritos one at a time.
12. Bake the burritos for about 20 minutes. 
13. Before serving, top each burrito with the desired topping.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

Did you already know...
- A burrito is a tortilla folded over a type of filling.
-A Mexican burrito may have only one type of filling like meat.
-The American burrito tends to have a combination of fillings like rice, meat, beans, etc.
-There are even regional type of burritos like the San Francisco burrito.