Spanish Rice

  As I had said in my last post, Daren's ceviche started a serious craving for mexican food. It was almost dinner time and I just HAD to have something to satisfy that craving since I wasn't really digging the ceviche. I absolutely love spanish rice and have to make sure I get it every time we go out for mexican. I found two recipes that sounded like they should be fairly similar to the restaurant style and quick to make. This is what I made.....

Spanish Rice

1 cup uncooked jasmine rice {or you could use white long grain}

3 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves minced fresh garlic or 1 tsp garlic salt

2 tsp cumin

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 cups chicken broth

fresh lime juice

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add rice and fry, stirring constantly until puffed and golden. While frying add onion, garlic and cumin. When the rice is ready, stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Squeeze a bit of fresh lime juice over top and serve.

  This tasted as much like what I usually get at a mexican restaurant as any that I have ever eaten that was homemade. It was just the fix I needed ;) In fact I enjoyed it so much that I forgot to take pictures. But I had just enough tomato sauce left that I made it again the next evening with quesadillas {yep, still craving mexican=)} and got a picture then. I like to heat mine up a lot {as in make it really spicy} and this is THE BEST hot sauce!! Daren picked it up at the mexican market as well. 

   Needless to say it probably wasn't the best thing to be eating since I've been fighting heartburn, but it was definitely worth the pain.....

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Give all your worries and cares to God,

for He cares about you.

1 Peter 5:7

Enjoy your day! =)

♥ Sheila   

 

Ceviche

  Well I tried to get the hubs to write this post, but he refused.....{not that I was at all surprised ;)} I thought since he did all the preparing and cooking this time, it would be fun if he blogged about it too, but this obviously is not his idea of fun. =) So I will be a good little wifey and write for him. =)
  Daren has been wanting to try and make this ever since about two summers[ish] ago.....Our Hispanic neighbor had made some and gave him a taste of it and he thought it was delicious. {Me? I wasn't all that impressed} He had said something about trying to make it again the other day and while I was shopping at the oriental market I picked up the Serrano chili peppers that he needed and then he stopped at the grocery store on the way home from work Tuesday morning and got the rest of the ingredients.
  He had searched  different ceviche recipes and came up with several that sounded similar to what he had eaten, so he combined parts from each one and came up with this.  And for those of you who don't know what ceviche is.....(I didn't when Daren brought it here the first time)....It's a Spanish dish, kind of like a fresh salsa but made with  fresh, raw shrimp, fish and/or other seafood that has marinated/cooked in the fridge in lime juice. It  would be more of a refreshing, summer time, cook-out type food, but it still tastes the same in winter, I guess. =)  

Ceviche 

yield: around 8-10 cups (too much for one person or even two)

 3/4 lb fresh Tilapia fillets (or any other firm white fish)

3/4 lb fresh shrimp (or scallops or a seafood mix)

7 limes, juiced

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 small cucumber, seeded and chopped

1/2 red onion, diced

1 firm, ripe avocado, chopped

1 small tomato, chopped

2 Serrano chili peppers, sodded and chopped

2 cups Clamato (clam and tomato juice cocktail)

2 tsp red chili salt

hot sauce to taste

Corn Tostadas (he got them at a Hispanic market)

proof that Daren actually did make this ;)

Chop the tilapia into bite sized pieces. place it and the shrimp in a shallow baking dish. Squeeze the lime juice over until it is covered. Cover and put into fridge to marinate/cook all day or overnight. Remove from the fridge and drain the lime juice off. 

getting the vegetables all chopped... 

Add all the chopped vegetables, seasonings and Clamato. Stir it all together. Cover and refrigerate for at least another hour. Serve chilled with corn tostadas.

     

   I did try it again and it was ok, but I'm just not a huge fan, although I think he did an excellent job of making it =). Daren thought it was pretty good for his first attempt. It did make me start craving Mexican food though, so I ended up making spanish rice which turned out great and really hit the spot! That post will be coming soon.... 

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God made Him who had no sin to be

sin for us, so that in Him we

might become the righteousness

of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 

Until next time, =)

♥ Sheila  

Mini Upside Down Apple Gingerbread Cobbler

  Daren was on shift yesterday and I decided to make the guys dessert.....Since it was windy and cold I wanted to make something that could be served warm. After searching for awhile and combining some different ideas I came up with this. 

Mini Upside Down Apple Gingerbread Cobbler

yield: 12 mini cobblers

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp oil

1 cup flour

1 egg

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp soda

1/4 cup molasses

apple pie filling {I wanted

to use a whole apple ring, but didn't have apples so just used the canned pie filling I made this fall.}

Combine all the ingredients except pie filling and mix well. Grease a muffin tin and spoon some apple pie filling into the bottom of each cup. Pour the batter over top of the apples. Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and loosen the edges with a knife. Turn the tin upside down on a flat surface to remove the cobblers. The apples may not all come out, but you can just spoon them out and onto the gingerbread. Serve warm with whipped cream. {or whipped topping which I used because I didn't have cream.}

  

  The guys really seemed to enjoy it, in fact I think Daren ate three. =) I ate the one I had taken pictures of {had to make sure I was taking them something that would be edible ;)} and it was quite yummy I thought. They were easy peasy to make too....

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Be joyful always; pray continually;

give thanks in all circumstances, for this is

God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Much love,

♥ Sheila  

Baked Crab and Artichoke Dip

  Happy New Year to you all!! Yes,  this post may be a little late and yes, it has been awhile since I have posted; but with all the festivities of the past couple of weeks I just decided to take a short break. So now that most all the Christmas/New Year gatherings and celebrating is over I hope to be back to blogging more frequently. 
  So yes, this post is about what I made for the party we went to on New Years eve......I have a cast iron skillet that I use fairly often, but always just use it on the stove top. The first thing I noticed with this recipe was that it was baked in a cast iron skillet. I was pretty much hooked right there....it just seemed like such a cool idea {why have I never thought of that anyway?} and I loved the presentation then when you serve it. And the dip sounded pretty ok too! ;) There was sooo much food that the dip didn't all get eaten, but it seemed to  be a hit with everyone who tried it. Daren thought it was great....but then again anything that has the word crab in it, he is going to love. =) 

Baked Crab & Artichoke Dip

 8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 1/2 cups grated Asiago cheese, divided

14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained

8 oz jumbo lump crab meat (I used claw meat because it was cheaper)

salt

pepper

Pico de Gallo

2 roma tomatoes, seeded & chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded & chopped

1 handful cilantro, chopped

1/4-1/2 cup green onion tops, chopped

squeeze of lime juice (I used most of one lime)

salt

Beat cream cheese, mayo, and yogurt together until smooth.  Add the white and light parts of the green onion (the dark green will be used for the pico), lemon juice and 1 1/4 cup grated cheese. Fold in crab and artichokes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer into the skillet (or if you don't have a cast iron skillet you can just use a baking dish) and spread out evenly. Sprinkle the top with the rest of the grated cheese. Bake @ 425* for 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

To make the pico toss all the ingredients together and  set aside until ready to serve.

Remove the dip from oven and top with pico de gallo. Serve with crostini and crackers.

Best served hot or very warm....can be made ahead of time and baked at the last minute. {which is what I did}

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My verse for the New Year ~

Forgetting what is behind and straining

toward what is ahead,

I press on toward the goal to win the prize

for which God has called me heavenward

in Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 3:13+14 

May your year be abundantly blessed! =)

♥ Sheila