Kelli

For a fun birthday tribute to Kelli, go here!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

I think we've established that you can never have too many enchilada recipes. This is a delicious one, and a fun twist on the norm. I think you're supposed to use the traditional orange sweet potato, but I accidentally got the yellow variety, and it still turned out pretty delicious.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

2 large sweet potatoes

1 T olive oil

1 T minced garlic

1 small jalapeno minced (seeded)

1 can rinsed black beans (I used two cans)

1 can diced tomatoes (I used petite diced with green chilies)

1 T chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups of your favorite salsa

8 large flour tortillas (I filled 10 and still had plenty of filling left to layer on top)

Peel your sweet potatoes and dice into chunks, spread out on a baking sheet with a little olive oil and salt, bake at 400 until soft.

Saute your garlic and jalapeno in the olive oil, add black beans, tomatoes, chili powder, and sweet potatoes. Mix everything really well and let cook for a few minutes.

Spread 1 to 1 and 1/2 cups of salsa on the bottom of a casserole pan. Fill tortillas with the bean and sweet potato mixture, roll tightly, and place in pan. When finished top with remaining salsa and filling. You can also top with cheese if you would like. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Serve with lettuce, olives, avocado, and a little sour cream.

V-Day Food Fun

Trying to decide which of these ideas to do for which meal over the weekend and Monday. Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!

Pizza idea from One Charming Party, Fruit Kabobs from Bev, and Warm + Fuzzy Cookie Pops from The Decorated Cookie. Thanks for the cuteness, friends.

Food for Thought

I doubt I am alone in my quest to eat healthier this new year. I have so much room for improvement in this area. I want the shift to be a lasting one, not a fad or specific diet. I have done a bit of searching and have come up with some great resources to help me (and you, if you want) to do better.

I have enjoyed browsing Ellie Kreiger's recipes. A few that I am going to try soon are the whole wheat pancakes with strawberry sauce, the buffalo chicken salad, and the chicken and mushroom quesadillas.

I am loving the new blog Word of Wisdom Living. Lots of great info.

Martha is sure to inspire with 50 light and healthy main dishes.

I've not tried any of the recipes on the Mayo Clinic website, but it's worth a look. I think I'll start with the Pan-Braised Onions with Rosemary. NOT. I said I was going to eat healthier, I didn't say I lost my mind!

Happy and Healthy New Year, every one!

Poor little food blog...

You have been neglected for too too long. Sorry about that. We will take better care of you. Right, Maren, Kelli, Amanda and Emma? :)

Spooky Eats

I love spooky Halloween food... here are a few new-to-me ideas for your repertoire.

Menu, 10-17-10

I don't know if anyone cares what we eat for dinner 'round here, but it helps me and my meal planning to post it here and refer back to my menu's, so here ya go.

Sun- broccoli cheddar soup, strawberry spinach salad, cornbread, chocolate pumpkin cake and ice cream

M- baked potato soup, salad, crusty bread, no bake cookies

T- fast chicken fajitas

W- stir fry

Th- spaghetti and turkey meatballs

F- beef stew

Sat- trying to narrow down which version of whoopie pie I want to bake-n-take to a Halloween party

Summer Vegetable Gratin

I strongly urge you to make this dish as the summer is winding down- you won't be sorry. Aren't those heirloom tomatoes from Trader Joe pretty?

Summer Vegetable Gratin

• 6tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1pound zucchini , ends trimmed and sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1pound summer squash (yellow), ends trimmed and sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 2teaspoons table salt
• 1 1/2pounds ripe tomatoes (3 to 4 large), sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 3/4teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 medium garlic clove, pressed
• 1 T. minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1C. bread crumbs
• 1 C. grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4cup chopped fresh basil leaves

• 1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush 13- by 9-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon oil; set aside.
• 2. Toss zucchini and summer squash slices with 1 teaspoon salt in large bowl; transfer to colander set over bowl. Let stand until zucchini and squash release at least 3 tablespoons of liquid, about 45 minutes. Arrange slices on triple layer paper towels; cover with another triple layer paper towels. Firmly press each slice to remove as much liquid as possible.
• 3. Place tomato slices in single layer on double layer paper towels and sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let stand 30 minutes. Place second double layer paper towels on top of tomatoes and press firmly to dry tomatoes.
• 4. Combine garlic, 3 tablespoons oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and thyme in small bowl. In large bowl, toss zucchini and summer squash in half of oil mixture, then arrange in greased baking dish. Slightly overlap tomato slices in single layer on top of zucchs. Spoon remaining garlic-oil mixture evenly over tomatoes. Bake until vegetables are tender and tomatoes are starting to brown on edges, 40 to 45 minutes.
• 5. Combine bread crumbs, remaining tablespoon oil, and Parmesan in medium bowl. Remove baking dish from oven and increase heat to 450 degrees. Sprinkle bread-crumb mixture evenly on top of tomatoes. Bake gratin until bubbling and cheese is lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and let sit at room temperature 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen. Although Christopher Kimball is the nerdiest nerd ever, I can't help but love him for the good work he does. :)

Menu 9-26-10

Trying to get back in the swing of things after a crazy couple of weeks...

For dinner this week I willl do my best to stick to this menu:

Sun- spaghetti, green salad, rolls, peach cobbler

M- pesto tortellini soup

T- chicken pot pie

W- french dip sammies

Th- spinach manicotti

F- BLTs

Sat- pizza?

I don't care that it's still 100+ degrees here, I'm in the mood for soup and soup it is. Much to my delight and Chris' dismay, soup season is only beginning...

Menu, 8-29-10

Aren't these snowcones awesome? Will be trying these soon.

Also, check out the new website I added to the sidebar- Cooking With My Kid. It's the jackpot for school lunch ideas (and more).

Here's what we're having for dinner this week:

Sun- turkey melt from the airport

M- BBQ pork tenderloin, broccoli and potatoes

T- citrus chicken and rice, carrots and zucchs

W- skillet mac n cheese, green beans

Th- english muffin pizzas

F- out

Sat- looking forward to out of town visitors- will be making crunchy french toast for breakfast, and who knows what for dinner

Next week is birthday-mania in the Bradshaw family. We're pullin' out the cake pans.

Creamy Chicken Tacos (with Mango and Avocado)

I don't enjoy too-long recipe titles that list all the ingredients, but this title isn't complete without throwing the mango and avocado in there because they really set these tacos apart. I think this dish is on the menu in heaven.

Creamy Chicken Tacos (with Mango and Avocado)

2 limes

1/4 C. mayo

1/4 C. sour cream

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cumin

pinch cayenne

3 C. cooked shredded chicken

1 mango

taco shells

2 avocado

Mix together 2 T. lime juice, 1 tsp. lime zest, mayo, sour cream, salt, cumin and cayenne pepper. Add chicken and toss. Thinly slice avocado and mango, and toss in 1 T. lime juice. Spoon chicken into shells and top with mango avocado mix. OUTstanding summertime dinner.

25 Most Common Cooking Mistakes

Photo: Oxmoor House, cookinglight.com

I cam across an article today, and thought it was interesting. I counted, and I've made at least 16 of the 25 mistakes listed...

Find the article here.

Menu 8-15-10

As much as I enjoy cooking, I think I would enjoy it EVEN MORE if I could do it in the likes of this kitchen, which belongs to Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. I love that show- she and Jeffrey crack me right up.

Here's what's cookin in my humble but adequate kitchen this week:

S- taco salad + jello pretzel dessert

M- take out

T- BLTs on ciabatta

W- creamy chicken tacos with mango and avocado

Th- bruschetta chicken

F- birthday BBQ with friends- I'm bringing pesto pasta salad

Sat- pork tenderloin and raspberry spinach salad

Teriyaki Chicken Burgers with Pineapple

My new favorite summer (and possibly year-round) dinner. A BIG hit with all four of us last night.

Teriyaki Chicken Burgers with Pineapple

4 chicken breasts
1 C. teriyaki sauce
4 slices pineapple
4 slices tomato
4 leaves lettuce
4 T. mayonnaise

Marinate the chicken in the teriyaki sauce in the fridge for a few hours. Grill the chicken and pineapple. Assemble sandwiches.

More Veggies, Please

Why is it that babies eat fruit and veggies with no problem, but toddlers struggle to choke down one bite? Every kid loves Mac and Cheese, but few love carrots. Today, I combined the 2 and Jonah ate every bite. Of course, it is good to train kids to eat veggies on their own, but if you need a quick way to get veggies into your toddler without a fight, try this.




Ideas for increasing veggie intake:

1. Dice veggies small, or add pureed veggies to favorite meals or soups. Puree your own with Cuisinart Smart Stick or use pureed baby veggies.
2. Add spinach to smoothies.
3. Make breads and muffins with veggies (i.e., pumpkin or zucchini bread)
4. Make sweet potato french fries with EVOO and favorite seasonings (I like salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder).

What are YOUR tricks??? Do you have a recipe your kids love or an idea for squeezing more veggies into your kids diets?

Menu, 8-8-10

School is starting up for us this week... I am trying to keep a positive attitude. I am hoping to send some extra special lunches from home to remind my first-grader how indispensable her mom is. :)

Family Fun has some fun ideas such as... two-tone puzzle sandwiches, sandwich art, and sandwich on a stick. Can't wait to make these!

Here's what we're eating for dinner this week:

S: chicken enchiladas blancas, green salad, ice cream sammies

M: leftovers

T: chicken and pasta alfredo, yellow squash

W: caesar salad with abc pasta

Th: chicken teriyaki burgers with pineapple, yellow and green beans

F: english muffin pizzas

Sat: green pizza

Must-Try

If you live in Mesa or anywhere in the vicinity, I beg of you to try out Caffe Boa Bistro if you haven't already. I love the original on Mill in Tempe, but am completely smitten with its little sister in Mesa. Cannot say enough good about it. Look over the menu and see for yourself. Try the house-pulled mozzarella, SoCal Love, and any of the handmade pastas (my husband loved the linguini with mushrooms). The starter course of bread with pesto aioli, olive oil and hummus is unforgettable. Best restaurant in Mesa without a doubt.

Menu, 8-1-10

Don't know why, but this grass cake struck my fancy. You won't find it on my menu for this week but its pretty just the same...

Sun- meatloaf, mashed and rolls courtesy of Kelli herself, green salad, steamed veggies, chocolate bundt cake, homemade peach ice cream courtesy of Chris!

M- going out... deciding where is the hardest part. So many outstanding dining establishments, so little time (and money...)

T- linguini with spring veggies

W- chefs salad

Th- tacos

F- broccoli chicken calzones

S- pizza or somethin of the sort

Snickers Salad

This is my kind of salad.

Snickers Salad

6 large granny smith apples

lemon juice

12 snickers bars

2 C. heavy cream, sweetened and whipped

1/2 C. chopped peanuts

1/2 C. caramel sauce

Chop apples and toss with a few T. lemon juice. Chop snickers bars into pieces the same size as the apples. Toss apples and snickers with whipped cream. Top with nuts and drizzle with caramel. You'll be the most popular person at the potluck. :)

Menu, 7-25-10

This week for dinner:

Sun- Carter's Welcome Home dinner... lasagna, garlic bread, green salad, chocolate bundt cake-n-ice cream

M- mini-hamburgers, steamed carrots, tater tots

T- BLTs

W- BBQ chicken salad

Th- Caprese pasta salad

F and S- only time will tell