multi-tasking is great...

except when it's not.  last week i treated isabella and her friend to sonic after school goodness.  i ordered via drive-thru and kept in the front console until we arrived home so there wouldn't be any chance for mess :)  i drove up to my mailbox and fetched the mail, parked the car in the driveway, and we all unloaded.  i was trying to make it all in one trip...purse, mail and one CHERRY slush and one OREO blast all being handled by me.  i unlock the door somehow, open the door and the creamy cookie yumminess falls.  i (obviously forgetting the RED CHERRY drink still sitting atop my mail in my hand) threw the mail down while RED falls next to black and white goop on our fairly new rug.  SWEET! :D

yeah, so my multi-tasking skills were not up to par then, but i made something pretty yummy in the ol' crockpot the other day, and that is muti-tasking at its finest!

flank steak

i found this recipe on pinterest :)

i used about 3/4 of green chiles and the spiciness was just right for our familia :)  girls loved it over yellow saffron rice...

this stuff is a staple in my pantry.  fyi, they have a good red beans and rice bag AND spanish rice :)

try it out and enjoy...and try not to do TOO much ;)

and btw, the sweet mess cleaned up nicely w/o any trace of my awesome brain working on the lowest gear!

mmm, mmm, good...

soup!  here's the santa fe soup recipe from the fab-mama, brooke.  and let me tell you, if you love queso (and who doesn't?), you're gonna love this!


Santa Fe Soup:
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can kidney beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can chopped Rotel tomatoes
1/2 lb Velveeta cheese
1/2 lb Velveeta Mexican cheese


Brown ground beef and onion. Combine tomato mixture and cheese in the microwave and mix together. Use all the juices from the browned meat and cans of beans, corn and tomatoes. Mix together. If mixture is too thick, add 1 can of tomato soup and one can of water.  Heat one medium heat until hot, stirring often. (The soup will burn on the bottom if you don't stir it often)
Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips on top!


Sweet Cornbread:
1 c flour
3/4 c cornmeal
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 c brown sugar
3 T butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 c milk

Combine all ingredients and place in 9x13 greased pan. Cook at 400 until the cornbread is golden brown. Yummy!!

thanks for sharing the yumminess, brooke!

you must try...

this eeeeeeeeasy and deeeeeeeee-lish recipe!  let's just say even my mom said it was "delicious."  people...this very rarely happens ;)  we even had left-overs today and my four year old says, "mama, this is dee-lish-ous!  you make the best food in the world!"  **keeping that memory in a safe place**

so, basically it's a pork loin roast cooking in a slow cooker.  i got this recipe for crockpot salsa verde burrito bowls from www.mommacooks.net.  and i did make the whole recipe, but i am just going to tell you how to cook the pork as you can use it for whatever you want!...enchiladas, tacos, burritos, salad...put it on a baked potato for cryin' out loud!

i am going to add one very helpful step.  i always forget this and thought to myself how great it would be if recipes included this step...so here we go:

INGREDIENTS:
*2-3 lb pork loin roast
*1 16 oz jar of mexican salsa verde sauce

STEPS:
*LINE SLOW COOKER W/ LINER!!! (i forgot i had this wonderful thing and had the pot sitting for days soaking in water until my sweet mr. man scrubbed it clean :))
*pour salsa verde in slow cooker
*add one salsa jar of water
*place pork on top
*cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5
*shred w/ forks and DEVOUR!

aaaand you're welcome ;)

YUM, YUMMY...broccoli?

YES!  it is delicious!  i found this on pinterest, and some of you have probably seen it on there, too.  i've made it three times already (each time forgetting one element), and it still tasted excellent each time.  you can find the original recipe here, but here is my version and easy list of instructions :)

INGREDIENTS:

couple of large bunches of broccoli

fresh garlic

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

olive oil

lemon

shredded parmesan

basil (optional, but it is excellent w/)

PREPARE:

-preheat oven to 425

-place sheet of foil on cookie sheet

-cut florets off broccoli

-slice 4 cloves of garlic

-place brocco and garlic in large bowl, drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

COOK:

-place in oven for 20-25 minutes (brocco will brown a little...a crispiness you will love!)

**meanwhile, chop up that basil and have lemon and zester handy**

FINISH:

-put all that goodness back in large bowl

-zest lemon over brocco (do NOT skip...never skip lemon zest, it makes a HUGE difference in any recipe!)

-slice lemon and squeeze over brocco

-drizzle a tad more oil

-sprinkle parm cheese (about a handful)

-sprinkle basil and toss all together

ENJOY!

i'm a southerner...

but i am mexican, so i didn't grow up eating pot-pies, chicken n' dumplings or grits...none of that goes well w/ rice, beans, tortillas and sliced avocado (which there was ALWAYS fresh guac or sliced avocado on the dinner table, but i didn't grow to love the stuff until the last few years!  LOCO!)  anyway, my point to this glimpse of my upbringing is that i cooked and ate grits for the first time last night.  i have to say that they were rather tasty!  my husband happens to love the stuff, and i've been telling him for yeeeears that i would cook them sometime...but let's be honest, if i'm going to cook and cook something that i've never had before, i want to have a warm fuzzy that it's going to actually taste good.  the sounds of grrrr-its, isn't so appealing.  but as i've mentioned before, one of the reasons for this blog is for me to try new things and share those experiences.  so, lucky for you i followed a recipe and did it well enough to share :)  unfortunately, i did not document the cooking w/ photos (which is probably why i actually cooked it correctly!).  i will say that the recipe will be easy to follow and you know why?  it won't be in paragraph form like i read from...

why not list the instructions?

to make things worse, i actually took the above photo on my phone, lol!  i was looking through a southern living magazine at my friend mary's house when i spotted it :)  "this looks yummy...*click*"  thanks mary ;)

shrimp and grits (or as my gal, brooke named it "sandy grits")  don't you love it!?

unless noted, use salt, pepper, etc to taste

WHAT YOU NEED:

salt

pepper (i used pepper grinder for fresh ground)

1 cup instant grits (i used 3-minute brand)

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

1 lb peeled/deveined medium-size shrimp

olive oil cooking spray

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2-3 garlic cloves minced (i used 3...i always add at least one more clove than what is called for)

lemon (cut in half, ready to squeeze)

1/4 tsp hot sauce

2 cups baby spinach

PARMESAN GRITS:

-pour 4 cups water and salt in medium sauce pan, bring to a boil

-gradually whisk in grits

-cook over medium heat and stir occasionally for about 8 minutes or until thick

-stir in parmesan and pepper

-keep warm (i went ahead and poured them into a pie dish ready for the topping)

CREAMY SHRIMP SAUCE:

-spray skillet w/ olive oil and heat pan

-dump shrimp in and sprinkle w/ salt n peppa (...here and we in effect!)

-heat shrimp until just pink

-take shrimp out and set aside

-reduce heat and add oil

-whisk in flour for 1 minute

-whisk in broth, green onions, garlic, lemon juice, and hot sauce

-cook 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened (i had to add just a little more flour to thicken)

-stir in shrimp and spinach, cook until spinach is slightly wilted

-pour the saucy goodness over grits and enjoy!

as much as i enjoyed the meal, i explained to my husband (as he was going for a second helping) that i would much rather the creamy shrimpness over a bed of mashed potatoes :)  so, what i would love to try is making the creamy shrimp sauce and pour it over grilled chicken and mashed potatoes...mmmmm!

have you ever...

piled the children in the car, drove to the local fast food joint and ate dinner in the parking lot?  me either...until tonight!  honestly, my day wasn't that bad, but it only takes those last couple of hours of the afternoon, before daddy arrives and the kids are making me go bananas!  unfortunately for me, it was my hubby's night to exercise so there wasn't any relief coming through the door.  so instead, i took the girls to whataburger...

 

they were contained, watching cartoons, eating and happy...and mama was, too :)

let's say it wasn't one of those days and cooking was on the agenda.  i have a very yummy recipe that is quick, easy and the whole fam will devour!

bruschetta chicken bake

you will need:

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 pkg (6 oz) stove top stuffing mix for chicken

1/2 cup water

2 cloves garlic, minced (i used 3)

1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 tsp dried basil leaves

1 cup kraft shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese (i bought store brand)

preheat oven to 400 degrees

empty entire can of diced tomatoes (w/ juice) in a medium bowl, add stuffing, water and garlic.  stir just until stuffing is moistened.  set aside.

place chicken in 13x9-in baking dish and sprinkle the chicken w/ basil and cheese (i added salt and pepper...no, i didn't start playing "push it", the seasoning not the 80s duo!)

top w/ stuffing mixture

bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through

enjoy!

fyi...

i found this recipe in some random kraft foods magazine...

i could've sworn the chicken needed to be cooked before placing in the oven and almost cooked the chicken in a skillet before my hubby caught me...

i started to sprinkle the cheese and basil on the baking dish before putting the chicken in before my hubby caught me...

the hubster thought i needed more chicken and added some more (frozen mind you)...

my hubby just-so happened to offer his help w/ dinner that night...thank goodness :)

i would love to try this recipe w/ adding mushrooms and artichoke!  it wouldn't exactly be a "bruschetta bake," but i bet it would be dee-lish!

i messed up...again...

yup.  i made the pineapple upside-down cake again and messed up on the recipe.  thankfully it was still super yummy, and i can still tell you how to make it :)

what you need:

yellow cake mix (do not buy butter recipe)

bertolli extra light tasting olive oil

eggs

20 oz can of sliced pineapples

brown sugar

what you might want:

glass of wine

cute apron (this one was on loan from my m-i-law...b, somehow it made the trip back home w/ me!)

spray the bottom of your pan (i used a glass baking dish) w/ cooking spray and sprinkle brown sugar all over (the more the better).  line the pan w/ pineapple slices (keep juice in can) and sprinkle more brown sugar over the pineapples.

mix the cake mix per instructions on the box, but instead of using vegetable oil use olive oil mentioned above :)  AND (this is where i messed up) instead of using water, use leftover pineapple juice in the can.  then pour over the golden yumminess...

pop it in the oven and bake per cake box instructions.  once it's finished baking, let it cool for at least 20-30 minutes.  befoooooooore....

flipping it...(my f-i-law was there to help me!)

a pineapple stuck and i'm trying to knock it off, hee-hee

oops...

no one will ever know ;)

yum!

so super scrumptious and soooo EASY!

now some people use cherries in the middle which i'm sure looks pretty, but i'm just not a cherry fan!  also, you can use two round pans for a better presentation.

thanks to my m-i-law, barbara (b), for letting me use her kitchen and buying the bertolli olive oil ;) and thanks to my photographer, marrrry, for helping me document the baking fun!  oh, and thanks to betty (not crocker, my mamacita) for introducing this pineapple goodness to me :)