Meat Loaf Cordon Bleu (or Meat Loaf "Surprise")

It's Ashley again. I made meat loaf a few nights ago, and my boys gave it rave reviews. I call it "Meatloaf Surprise," but it's a good surprise. No weird green splotches or anything.:)

This makes a huge loaf. I was feeding 7 very hungry boys and we had about 1/3 of the loaf leftover. I suggest making it in 2 pans and freezing one for later.

Ingredients:
4 pounds extra lean ground beef
2 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 medium onion, chopped
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
8 oz. turkey bacon, cooked (or deli sliced ham, your choice)
4 ounces pepper jack cheese
4 ounces mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Lightly grease 2 9x5 inch loaf pans or 1 really big loaf pan. (I some issues with sticking because I skipped this step. It wasn't pretty.)
3. In a large bowl mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs and onion. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
4. Pat half the meat mixture out onto a piece of wax paper. Flatten to 1/2 inch thickness.
5. Lay half the bacon onto the flattened meat and top with half the pepper jack and half the mozzarella.
6. Pick up the edge of the wax paper to roll the flattened meat into a log. Remove the wax paper; seal the ends and seam. Place the loaf into the loaf pan.
7. If using 2 loaf pans, repeat steps 4-6 with the other half of the meat. If using one really big pan, use all of everything instead of half in steps 4-6.
8. For 2 pans, bake 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until no longer pink inside. For 1 pan, bake 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours.

The top of my loaf was a little dry so you might pour a small can of tomato sauce over the top before baking. It's also fun to let everyone think it's a regular meat loaf. It makes the "surprise" more entertaining.

I'm Back in the Kitchen!

At least for now I'm back in the kitchen :-) It's cold outside, I'm on a tight budget these days (thanks to a poor housing market and 2 mortgages) and I'm going back to school in the Spring on top of keeping house, planning weddings and selling stationery. Anyone else think I'm insane? I see those raised eyebrows. You call me an overachiever... I call me an idiot!

Anyway, I'm in the mood for soup and I am a huge fan of taco soup. However, I want it to be filling enough that 1 serving will do and I will have plenty left over... (It freezes and reheats WONDERFULLY!). I took a few recipes that I found and put them all together. This is what I came up with.


* 2.5 lbs Chicken breasts
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 2 (16 ounce) cans pinto beans
* 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans
* 3 (10 ounce) cans Rotel tomatoes
* 1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn
* 1 (16 ounce) can ranch style beans
* 1 package ranch dressing mix
* 1 package taco seasoning
* 1 (8 ounce) block of cream cheese
* 2 cups water OR chicken stock

Season chicken on each side LIGHTLY with Jen's Special Seasoning. Cook chicken until about 95% done... I don't know how I came up with this number other than the chicken wasn't pink inside but it was still REALLY soft and moist.I cooked it as whole breasts and then cut it because it's easy to overcook it when it's cut BEFORE you cook it. Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes and set it aside.
Chop/Dice onions and sauté them in the pot you plan to use, until they sweat nicely. Reduce the heat to medium-low. If you like chunks of onions, feel free to coarsely chop! I have a husband who will make me sorry if I leave them too large.
When the onions begin to caramelize, add the Rotel tomatoes. Let this mixture begin to bubble.
Add the taco seasoning and ranch dressing mix.
Add the beans and corn and let it bubble again. (Do not drain any of them!)
Add the chicken and push it down into the soup so it will cook the rest of the way.
Once the liquids have melded together to make one consistency, add the 2 cups of water or chicken stock. I used water which was o.k. but I think the stock would make it thicker and even add more flavor. OR you could use 1 cup of water and 1 cup of stock. Let me know what you do and how it goes.
Once it gets back up to a bubble/simmer, add the cream cheese if you dare! It really cuts the bite and adds a little sweetness.
Stir pretty frequently throughout just to combine the flavors and eventually to melt the cream cheese.
Once it's to the flavor and consistency you want it, serve it up with tortilla chips, sour cream and shredded cheddar (preferable SHARP cheddar!).

From My Kitchen to Yours, Good Eats!

Good Ol' Fried Chicken

We had some friends over the other day and the plan was, I was going to make fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Our friends were bringing some fresh corn and field peas or black eyed peas. YUMMMMMM! This post is about the fried chicken. It's a messy process and it IS a process... but the result was the best homemade fried chicken I've had. Our friend made a funny comment. "I have NEVER seen someone fry chicken... it's always just appeared." Ok, now for what you've been waiting for.
From My Kitchen to Yours, Good Eats!

Ingredients

* 1 quart buttermilk, plus 2 cups
* Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
* 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
* 2 teaspoons hot sauce
* 6 chicken thighs
* 4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon garlic powder
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
* 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
* vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Directions

In a large bowl or baking dish, whisk together 1 quart of the buttermilk, 2 tablespoons salt, 2 teaspoons of hot sauce, and a little bit of pepper, if desired. Add the chicken pieces, turn to coat, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Place the remaining 2 cups of buttermilk in a bowl. Stir together the flour, garlic and onion powders, paprika, and 2 teaspoons chile de arbol powder (or cayenne) in a large bowl. Divide flour mixture among 2 shallow platters and season generously with salt and pepper. Dredge the pieces a few at a time in the flour mixture and pat off excess, then dip in the buttermilk and allow excess to drain off. Dredge in the second plate of flour and pat off the excess.

Pour about 3 inches of oil into a deep cast iron skillet; the oil should not come more than halfway up the sides of the pot. Put the pot over medium-high heat and heat the oil to 375 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches, add the chicken pieces to the hot oil, 3 or 4 at a time and fry, turning the pieces occasionally, until evenly golden brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a rack to drain; repeat to cook the remaining pieces. Serve hot

Guest Blogger

This is Ashley (Jen's little sister), and I am the first ever guest blogger to visit Eat@Jen's. I'm honored to be here.:)

Jen asked me to blog the best cookie recipe I've had in a long time. To qualify that statement, I work at a boys ranch with 11 12-18 year olds so I make a lot of cookies. I can't take credit for the recipe. I got it out of Cook's Illustrated - the magazine from America's Test Kitchen on PBS. My comments are in italics.

Chocolate-Chunk Oatmeal Cookies with Pecans and Dried Cherries

Makes 16 (I g

ot 12) 4-inch cookies

1 1/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. table salt

1 1/4 c. rolled oats, old fashioned (3 1/2 oz.)

1 c. toasted pecans (4 ounces), chopped coarsed - optional

1 c. dried tart cherries (5 ounces), chopped coarse - optional

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks about the size of chocolate chips (Here I just used chocolate chips with white chocolate swirls. It satisfies a sweeter tooth, you skip-out on chopping the chocolate and you can replace them with any flavor you want!)

12 tbsp. unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool

1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar, preferably dark

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large 18"x12" baking sheets with parchment paper. (I used wax paper, but I think the parchment paper would have been more effective. I'll explain why later.)

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. In second medium bowl, stir together oats, pecans, cherries and chocolate.

3. In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until no sugar lumps remain, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low speed until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. With mixer running at a low speed, add flour mixture. Mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running on low, gradually add oat/nut mixtu

re; mix until just incorporated. Give dough a final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

4. Divide dough evenly into 16 (I got 12) portions, each about 1/4 c. (The magazine recommends - and I LOVE - using an ice cream scoop like this one:

 

 It makes perfect giant cookies that make people's eyes get really big!
) Roll dough between palms into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Stagger 8 balls (or 6 in my case) on each baking sheet, spacing them about 2 1/2 inches apart. Using hands, gently press each dough ball into 1 inch thickness. Bake both baking sheets 12 minutes; rotate them front to back and top to bottom. Continue to bake them 8-10 minutes, until cookies are medium brown and edges have begun to set but the centers are still soft (cookies will seem underdone and will appear raw, wet and shiny in the cracks). Do not overbake. (These instructions are perfect for soft, pull-apart, melt-in-your-mouth cookies.)

5. Cool cookies on baking sheets on wire rack 5 minutes (This is where I think parchment paper would have helped. I used wax paper and 5 minutes just wasn't long enough. The cookies were just a little too soft to move at that point. I recommend 10 minutes or just follow the instructions and use parchment paper). Using a wide, metal spatula transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature. No one REALLY likes a room temperature cookie, so wait about 5-7 more minutes, pour yourself a cold glass of milk and chow down!

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did. Perhaps I'll visit again soon with more experiments from my kitchen!

-Ashley

Easy...Yummy...GOOD

Robert gets to come home for lunch these days and I love it! The challenge is, we have a mini-fridge so we don't keep groceries stocked up. That means we have to come up with a few days worth of meals with just a few groceries. Here's what we came up with.

We bought chicken breast strips, tortillas, Caesar salad mix, ranch dressing and some other things that have nothing to do with this post :-) What did we do with all of this lovely goodness? We put it together.

Using the special seasoning I always use, I smothered the chicken with it, put it in a pan, and cooked the chicken. I also put a capful of liquid smoke in the pan.

After the chicken was cooked, I placed it on a pan on some paper towels to let it dry a little. This is where Robert and I took different directions.

Robert put his salad mix (greens, croutons, Parmesan cheese) on a tortilla, followed by chicken and Caesar dressing.

I put my chicken on a plate with some Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce and shredded cheddar and microwaved it until the cheese was melted. THEN I put my salad mix on the tortilla, the chicken and Ranch dressing.

Both of us finished lunch saying, "That was really good!" Try it. Make it your own :-) Make it EASY!

From My Kitchen to Yours, Good Eats!

New House, New Town, Same Old GOOD Food!

Sorry it's been so long... not that anyone is really reading this, but if you are, I apologize! We moved and in the last 3 months I have barely lifted a finger in the kitchen. It's been sad... and expensive! Sonic is right up the road and oh how I love a chili cheese coney (ex-long!). Anyway, I have a recipe I wanted to share, so I thought, "What else am I doing?"

LAST Saturday (6th), we tailgated for the first time since moving back to Tuscaloosa. It was GREAT. My favorite part of tailgating is the food. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, mac & cheese, potato salad, salsa, baked beans... and pulled pork. That's what I'm writing about today. It was the best pulled pork EVER and I made it! I actually had a girl comment, "You made this? I didn't know people could make this...." I guess she was under the impression that it was from a restaurant or something. :-)

Here's what we did -

15 Lbs of pork (we were cooking for 40-50 college students)
Jen's Special Seasoning
2 TBSP Liquid Smoke

Cover the meat with a good layer of the seasoning on all sides and on each side, drizzle some of the liquid smoke. Place the meat in a roasting pan in the oven for 8 hours on 200 degrees... PERFECTION.

I made a homemade BBQ sauce to go on it and that was probably the best part. I'm not sure if I can share that just yet. We are considering bottling it - that's how good it was. :-) Until next time, From My Kitchen to Yours, Good Eats!

Long Time No Cook

I have literally been out of town for two weeks. I left on the evening of June 9th... came home June 14th and turned around to leave again on the 15th. The first week I was teaching VBS Arts & Crafts to 40 something children. The second week, I was at the beach getting a sunburn and relaxing after having spent a week with 40 something children. I didn't cook but 1 time during those two weeks and that was just because I had started marinating pork chops with good intentions... I will say, they sat in the bag of my homemade marinade for 2 days before I cooked them and I don't know that I would do it differently. These chops were AWESOME. I would venture to say some of the best I have ever made. My only lament is that Robert did not get to try them. I guess that is all the more reason for me to make them again! I also wish I had taken a picture because these boogers were beautiful! I'm just not good like some people when it comes to snapping pictures of my food before I eat it! Let me know if you try these. Also, as a side note, you can totally use this marinade on EVERYTHING. I made it up one day and have been making it up ever since. It starts with a dry rub or sorts (Special Seasoning) and then you add a couple of wet ingredients. From My Kitchen to Yours, Good Eats!

Special Seasoning

(good for everything- this recipe seasons 4 chicken breasts, pork chops or steaks)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp minced onion

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne

To use as a marinade, add:

1 cup of Hickory BBQ Sauce
2 TSP Hickory Liquid Smoke (on the BBQ aisle)

6 boneless, center cut pork chops (I like the thick ones).

Season each chop with the seasoning on each side OR just put enough of the seasoning in the bag to coat the chops nicely. Add the BBQ Sauce and the Liquid Smoke. Let these sit in the bag AT LEAST 24 hours. Stick 'em on the grill for a few minutes... HAVE DINNER!

We serve our pork chops with a "loaded" sweet potato (brown sugar, butter, cinnamon). So not healthy, but OH so yummy!

Squash Casserole

I was going through some old e-mails when I came across a recipe exchange that I participated in one time and I found the one my mom had sent me... I haven't made this in a long time but I think about it often... Maybe it will show up in my menu soon. Until then, here's the recipe courtesy of my mom, Sonya. Good Eats, From My Kitchen to Yours!

Squash Casserole

4 bags pic-sweet brand cut squash w/seasoning -peppers and onions

1 large jar pimento

2 package of herb flavored stuffing mix

1 16 oz size container sour cream

1 cup melted butter

2 cans cream of chicken soup

Steam cook the frozen squash

pre-heat oven 350

mix melted butter with both boxes of stuffing mix - layer 1/2 of the mixture on the bottom of a 11 x 13 casserole dish, safe other 1/2 for topping

remove and drain most of the liquid from cooked squash, combine remaining ingredients, place in casserole dish and add remaining stuffing mix.

Place in oven and cook for about 30-40 minutes until mixture is bubbly.

I got tagged!

I was tagged by Jaime at My Burnt Toast and I am sorry to say, I probably won't tag anyone because I don't have anyone else to tag!


The rules:Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1. What was I doing ten years ago?

10 years ago, I was 14... I know I was a band geek/nerd/dork and about this time that year I was suffering through band camp in south Alabama.

2. What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today?

1. Contemplate getting my hair cut
   
2. Wash dishes
3. Fold clothes
   
4. Buy Jaime a sprinkler so she doesn't have to water flowers in the heat :-)
   
5. Meet with Jaime's husband about life insurance
   

3. Five snacks I enjoy:

1. Oreos
2. Cookie dough
   
3. Cocoa Pebbles
   
4. Bagels w/ strawberry cream cheese
   
5. Grapes
   

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

1. Buy a car with A/C!
   
2. Pay off my house and buy a bigger one
   
3. Buy a condo at the beach
4. Purchase/Build a storefront for The Paper Frenzy/The Wedding Frenzy
   
5. SHARE!

5. Places I've lived:

1. Mobile, AL
   
2. New Orleans, LA
   
3. Atmore, AL
   
4. Gulf Shores, AL
   
5. Shreveport, LA
6. Bon Secour, AL
7. Tuscaloosa, AL
8. Birmingham, AL
9. Pinson, AL
   

6. Jobs I've had:

1. Retail Associate: Pacific Sunwear, Old Time Pottery, Souvenir City
   
2. Receptionist: Hart Heating/Cooling, Central Park Christian School
   
3. D.J. at a Skating Rink/Manager of Concessions
   
4. Wedding Planner
   
5. Summer Missionary
6. Youth Minister
7. Science Lab Assistant
   

New Spin, Not a New Favorite

I haven't cooked in a few days because of Robert's crazy schedule this week but I did cook Monday and had a lot of leftovers that I am just realizing, as I sit on my parents' couch, I left it sitting out when I left yesterday... bummer.

Anyway, I attempted to spin T.G.I.Friday's Bruschetta Chicken into something I enjoyed making, but I must say, I was sorely disappointed. Why am I posting it? Because maybe you can tell me what I did wrong.

Fortunately, we tasted before we served ourselves so we knew that we did NOT like it. I had a jar of spaghetti sauce so we had chicken and spaghetti :-) It was new for me, but I enjoyed it. Here is the recipe from who knows where... :-) Maybe you will enjoy it more!

Good Eats, From My Kitchen to Yours!

4 (4 oz.( chicken breasts (grill right before serving)

***Pasta:***
1 pound angel hair pasta (can cook and chill ahead of time)
2 tablespoons salt
***Tomato Salad:***
8 medium-size Roma tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves of minced garlic
10 fresh basil leaves
***Balsamic Glaze:***
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar

Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and black pepper Grill 3-4 minutes per side for grill marks or until the chicken breasts reach 165ºF

Pasta:

Boil pasta in 1/2 gallon of water with salt until al dente Drain and transfer to bowl

If cooking ahead of time, shock in an ice bath to cool, remove from water and toss with 2 Tbsp. of salad oil

Tomato Salad: Step 1 Wash, core and dice tomatoes to 1/4" pieces, save juices and place in small bowl. Wash, dry and cut basil leaves into thin strips Combine all ingredients and hold for 2 hours before use

Step 2

Heat heavy bottom sauce pan under medium-low flame Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil, heat oil for 20 seconds Add any remaining garlic butter from bread to sauce pan Sauté in oil 2 cloves of garlic sliced into thin coins (if small use 3) for 45 seconds on each side until soft and tender - do not brown garlic (if brown discard and start over) Increase heat and add tomato salad and stir

Step 3 Add 1/2 cup of plain tomato sauce to pan and bring to a boil Add pasta to sauce pan and toss with fresh sauce (sauce should just coat pasta) Transfer to a service platter or plate individually Garnish with balsamic glaze

Balsamic Glaze:

Bring to a boil in small sauce pan and turn down flame to a simmer Reduce by 75% until sauce turns to a thick syrup, hold at room temp

To Serve Slice chicken breast into strips on a bias (45 degree angle) and place on top of pasta Slice 5 fresh basil leaves into thin strips and garnish pasta

Fancy Chicken Casserole

That isn't its proper name, but it's what I've decided to call it. I found a recipe for a stuffed chicken breast and it sounded good but I took it a little different direction. I hope you like it as much as I do. Feel free to add your own touches and when you do, let me know how it goes! I will attempt a picture tomorrow :-)

Good Eats, from My Kitchen to Yours!

12 chicken breast halves
1 c. Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1/2 c. butter (melted)
1 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 TBSP Parmesan Cheese
1/2 TSP salt
1/2 TSP black pepper
1/2 TSP ground Cumin

Preheat the oven to 400.

Pound chicken breasts into less than 1/2" thick pieces. Place a small amount of the shredded cheese in the middle of the flattened chicken breast and roll it up. Use a toothpick or an uncooked pasta noodle to hold it in place. Place the chicken rolls in a 9x13 pan.

Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and cumin. Pour the melted butter over the chicken. Spread the bread crumb mixture over the butter covered chicken. Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is done.

While the chicken is baking, make the cream sauce.

3 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour
1 pint heavy cream
1 c. shredded monterey jack cheese
1/8 c. Parmesan cheese

Melt butter, add the rest of the ingredients until the cheeses are melted.

Pour this over the chicken when it has finished baking. ENJOY!

Not Sure What to Call It... :-)

The other night I made Tuna Steaks with Sweet Corn Salad. I made tuna salad from the tuna steaks on Thursday. I made something wonderful and nameless from the leftover sweet corn salad today. After dinner the other night I kept thinking, "This is good... but it could be something more." Indeed!

Since we only used 2 servings of the "salad" there was quite a bit of it left. I had about 2 lbs of ground beef in the freezer so I browned it, added some taco seasoning (no water) and added in the corn salad. After it got good and hot, I took it off the stove and put it in my handy dandy mixing bowl. I threw in 2 blocks of cream cheese, about a cup of shredded sharp cheddar and mixed it well.

This is my new favorite Mexican dip. TRY IT!

Good Eats, From my Kitchen to Yours!

Leftover Sweet Corn Salad
2 Lbs Ground Beef, browned
1 packet Mild Taco Seasoning
2 8-oz. blocks of cream cheese
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Fritos Scoops to enjoy it with!

My hubby's growing up :-)

Two days in a row he has tried something out of his ordinary repertoires of dinners. Last night was the second marvel. I love tuna salad. The first time I ever made it after we were married, Rob recounted a childhood story of eating a tuna sandwich at a friend's house and puking repeatedly afterward. I can't blame him for being a little wary... but four years later, we have had a breakthrough!

We had a few extra tuna steaks from Wednesday night's dinner. I chopped it, added a few tablespoons of mayo, some mustard, boiled eggs and sweet pickle relish. I would've added some chopped onion but I didn't want to run Robert off completely from the idea. It was probably the best tuna salad I've ever made. I think the seasoned, fresh tuna steaks made the difference.

Robert likes to frequent a place in Tuscaloosa called Jimmy Johns. I could care less about the sandwiches there, but the bread is fantastic. I honestly don't know what kind it is but it's GOOD. I think it was Tuesday the last time Robert went there for lunch. Jimmy Johns offers any bread that is leftover from the day before for $0.50. So, after his lunch, he packed up a couple of loaves of that bread... and I am so glad he did.

We put that tuna salad on that yummy bread and THAT was a good dinner :-) Good Eats From My Kitchen to Yours!

As a side note:
I made some herb roasted tomatoes the other night just to have around. I found they made an excellent addition. The recipe is below.

2 pounds ripe Roma tomatoes, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil leaves
1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepperPreheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to thoroughly coat. Place in a single layer on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet and bake until moist-dried, about 2 hours.

Yellowfin Tuna with Sweet Corn Salad

(Picture Courtesy of Food Network)

I'm not big on fish. I'm not good at cooking it and if it's really fishy, I don't like eating it. However, Winn Dixie had Tuna Steaks on sale so I started with that. Why not make my re-debut something new and unique. This is the recipe for 6 servings so you can either take it to lunch the next day or dinner the next evening and I have plans for it in totally different ways after that.

For the Tuna

6 (5-ounce) Tuna Steaks
salt and pepper to taste

Season each side of the tuna with salt and pepper. Heat your grill to high and cook the tuna to the desired temperature.

Sweet Corn Salad

2 Tsp EVOO
6 ears of sweet corn - grilled with husks on, kernels cut off the cob
1/2 c. sweet onion
1/2 c. diced tomatoes - peeled and finely chopped (I used the can version... DRAIN THEM WELL)
1 TBS Fresh Cilantro
1 TSP Pure Cane Syrup (Pretty sure this can be done without...)
2 TBS Lime Juice
1/4 TSP Salt
(I used a dash of crushed red pepper to give it a kick... it went nicely with the citrus-y flavor)

Heat a large skillet over Med-High heat. Add the oil, corn and onions and let them sizzle for a minute or 2. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss them to combine. Allow it to cool.


Place 1/2 cup of the Sweet Corn Salad on each plate and place the tuna on top.

Rob didn't rave, but he ate it to my surprise! He said he liked it... he didn't clear his plate but that he ate any at all :-) I give myself a KUDOS haha

Good Eats From My Kitchen to Yours!

Nothing New Under the Sun

So I have a friend named Jaime who has a food blog and then her sister, Erin, started one not long ago... I figured I should jump on the bandwagon. I'd hate to be left out :-)

I've always like to be in the kitchen. When we were little, my sister and I would attempt to make my parents breakfast in bed... especially on Saturdays. In order to "surprise" them, we would get up really early, like 6 AM and start "tip toeing" around the kitchen... we did this as best as a 6 year old and a 4 year old could. In the end, one or both of our parents would end up awake wondering why on earth their 6 year old was playing with the stove while standing in a chair.

We never meant any harm, nor did we realize the dangers we were encroaching on in those wee hours on Saturday mornings. All we knew is that we wanted to show our parents how much we loved them. The same thing holds true for me today. If food was one of the "Five Love Languages", it would definitely be mine. When I cook for you, it means that I love you and I want to show you.

I must confess, the past couple of months, there hasn't been a whole lot of love in my kitchen. Between starting a new business myself and my husband working a new schedule in a new city, some adjustments have had to be made. I finally bought groceries today for the first time in probably 2 months... like really bought groceries. I spent over $130. I got into a little trouble with "the man" but I think he'll be glad I did it.

My favorite thing to do in cooking is to take an idea home from a restaurant or a recipe from somewhere else and make it my own - add my own flair to it. Tonight's experiment is Yellowfin Tuna with Sweet Corn Salad and Butter Peas. Rob, my husband, is an extremely picky eater so just in case, I have grilled him some corn on the cob and made him some garlic butter to go on it. I have a feeling we'll both be glad I did. I'll let you know how it goes either tonight or tomorrow. Until then, Good Eats from My Kitchen to Yours!