Bacon, Avocado and Blue Cheese Quesadilla

   A happy new year to each and everyone of you! So hard for me to believe that it is 2013....where did 2012 go so quickly?!? It was quite an eventful year for us with experiencing the birth of our son and adjusting to the new life of parenthood and purchasing a business with husband's twin brother being the more memorable moments. 
   As I reflect back on the past year I am reminded of God's faithfulness and goodness to us in so many ways. I want to make a more deliberate effort this year to thank Him DAILY for all the ways he blesses us that so often I take for granted and remember no matter what my circumstance may be, there is always, ALWAYS something to be thankful for. So my word for the year is -GRATITUDE-.
   OK on to the post recipe...looking for a quick and easy lunch for one or two? Give these flavorful quesadillas a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Bacon, Avocado and Blue Cheese Quesadilla

4- 8" flour tortillas

sour cream

blue cheese crumbles

8 strips bacon, fried

1 avocado, sliced

fresh cilantro, chopped

mozzarella cheese, grated

Spread sour cream on all 4 tortillas. Sprinkle the blue cheese crumbles on two tortillas. Top with 4 strips of bacon and 1/2 avocado each. Sprinkle a small amount of  chopped fresh cilantro and mozzarella cheese over all. Top with remaining two tortillas. Heat a cast iron skillet with a tsp or so of oil. Place quesadillas in one at a time and fry until golden brown and flip. Continue frying until the other side of the tortilla is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Remove from skillet and cut into wedges. Garnish with sour cream and cilantro.

{Tomato would be wonderful on this as well, but I didn't have one so we went without.} 

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Give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you

in Christ Jesus.

~1 Thessalonians 5:18

♥ Sheila      

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  

Recipes Galore...

  Hello folks!! Sooo....how many of you like to experiment with new recipes? I know I do...if I find one that I think looks tasty I copy it down, cut it out, or print it off.....and then they get stuck in a drawer etc. & forgotten about. So I decided to sort through all of those recipes & begin the process of elimination....as I try each recipe if we like the dish the recipe stays & gets filed away properly, but if not into the trash it goes! Since my husband & I both love to cook I think this is going to be a great way for us to spend time in the kitchen together. Anyway we tried our first dish on Friday night & we both thought it was a keeper. So here is the recipe if you would like to try it....was also really simple to make!

{Enchilada-Zagna}

     2-3 cooked, boneless,skinless chicken breast halves, cut into small pieces

1 can (28oz) or 2 cans (15oz each) mild red enchilada sauce

1 (8oz) container sour cream

1 can (12 fl oz) evaporated milk

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 (4oz) can diced green chilies, undrained

1 pkg (12 tortillas) 7" corn tortillas

 Combine enchilada sauce & sour cream. Combine milk, cheese & chilies in a saucepan. Cook over med heat, stirring constantly until cheese has melted. Remove from heat. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Spread 1 cup of enchilada sauce mixture on the bottom of the pan. Layer with 4 tortillas, 1 cup enchilada sauce 11/2 cups chicken & 1 cup cheese sauce. Repeat layers twice. Cover with foil & bake @ 350* for 40 minutes. Uncover & cool for at least 10 min. before serving.

Since I hardly ever follow a recipe to the letter; adjusting it to fit our taste I used mexican cheese blend instead of cheddar, medium enchilada sauce instead of mild( I think I'll use hot the next time, we like spicy & it wasn't very) & just regular 2% milk instead of evaporated. I also melted mozzarella cheese on top right before I took it out of the oven. We ate it just like that with salad, but you could top it with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, etc and it would be delicious!! 

~ Sheila