Misadventures with Tori

I was really wanting to try something new for dinner… but DH wouldnt hear it. He wanted Season-all fish, so thats what we did…. kinda.
Here’s the inspiration : Bridget’s Cinco de Mayo tacos!

INGREDIENTS
1 pound of tilapia (about 4 filets)
Seasonall (a taco blend or other spices would be good. You can also keep it simple with just salt and pepper.)
1 medium lime
tortillas
toppings : 1/2 bell pepper and 1/4-1/2 onion (depending on size) - you can do whatever you’d like. We had these left over from fajitas and DH loved the combo!

DIRECTIONS
Saute bell peppers and onion in olive oil until soft. Add a bit of seasoning if desired. (I added about a tsp of seasonall.)
While those cook, lightly season both sides of the fish and set it to grill. It shouldnt take more than 3-4 minutes per side to cook.
Break up fish and assemble tacos with a bit of lime over the top. Enjoy!

Elly’s Black Beans

DH and I loved these! I’ve been on the search for a good (but still basic) bean…. Very easy and tasty!

INGREDIENTS
EVOO
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 cup chicken broth
squeeze of fresh lime juice

DIRECTIONS
Heat EVOO in a skillet and add onions. Cook until tender.
Add garlic and tomato paste and cook about 30 seconds to a minute.
Add half the beans. Mash beans with a potato masher or other device.
Add remaining beans, chicken broth, bay leaf, cumin, chili powder and oregano.
Simmer 15 minutes.
Squeeze fresh lime juice over the top.

Mexican Sopaipillas from GourmetSleuth.com
I enjoyed these… DH wasnt crazy about them. Make sure that they are REALLY thin… those were the best.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
3/4 cup warm water (I didnt need all of this water. I had about a TBSP left over. Don’t let your dough get sticky!)
oil for deep frying
Toppings:Honey, cinnamon, creme fraiche
Makes: 12- 6 inch tortillas (This is the full recipe. I cut in half and that was more than enough for the two of us. If you’re just cooking for two, I’d recommend a quarter recipe.)

DIRECTIONS
Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl.
Use your fingers and rub in the shortening until the mixture is the size of fine bread crumbs.
Gradually add just enough water until the dough begins to form.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for one hour.
Work with half of the dough at a time and roll out into a square keeping it as even and thin as possible.
If you have not made pastry before this may take some practice.
Just have fun with it!
Cut the dough into 3″ squares.
Complete with the 2nd piece of dough.
Heat oil for deep frying to 375 degrees.
Add a few pastry squares at a time and use tongs to push the pastry into the oil.
Cook until golden brown on both sides, turning once.
Remove them from the oil and place on a plate with paper toweling and allow to drain.
To serve, place on a plate and drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Serve creme fraiche or heavy cream on the side.
(As you can see, I just rolled mine out and left them free form…. they’re still really good:) )

These have been haunting me for two weeks now… Everytime the lovely BakingBlonde makes a post, theres a picture of them. They were REALLY good…. but the picture doesnt do them justice. They were still warm when we cut into them

Frosted Marshmallow Bars
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS baking cocoa
3-4 cups mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350.Lightly grease a 9×13 pan with PAMIn a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla beat until fluffy.In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Stir to combine. Add the flour mixture to creamed mixture. spread in greased 9×13 pan.Bake for 17-20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with marshmallows, return to oven 2-3 mintues, or just until marshmallows are soft.Remove from oven. Using a knife dipped in water spread the metled marshmallows evenly over bars.

Frosting
3/4 stick butter
6 TBS Milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup mini marshmallows or 4-6 large marshmallows
1/2 cup Chocolate chips (maybe upto 3/4 cup depending how chocolatey you want it)

Combine ingredients (except marshmallows and chocolate chips) in medium saucepan and melt over medium low heat. Stir constantly until combined. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.Add marshmallows and chocolate chipsStir until marshmallows and chips are melted.Remove from heat. Allow to cool and thicken slightly (can set in sink of cold water to speed up process). Pour and spread over marshmallows on bars.Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

I made these on Sunday night…. before my poor laptop died They were fantastic! Its from allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS
4 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops (we used 2 1″ thick butterflied chops.)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil (I skipped and used pam)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced
3 tablespoons pecans (optional)

NOTE: I doubled everything in bold to make more sauce as recommended by one of the reviewers. I recommend doing this!!

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C).
Place a medium dish in the oven to warm.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Brush chops lightly with oil and place in hot pan.
Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, or until done.
Transfer to the warm dish, and keep warm in the preheated oven.
OR grill them. I did this, and it took about 10-15 minutes.
I cooked my sauce while they were cooking and the timing worked well!

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt and pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Add butter to skillet, and stir in brown sugar mixture and apples.
Cover and cook until apples are just tender.
Remove apples with a slotted spoon and arrange on top of chops.
Continue cooking sauce uncovered in skillet, until thickened slightly.
(You might want a bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
Ours got a bit runny after it had cooled.)
Spoon sauce over apples and chops.
Sprinkle with pecans if desired.

As I learn to cook more… We keep acquiring more kitchen tools!
Today a generous MINI customer brought us over a belated wedding gift- new knives!

and DH bought me a new laptop… my old one was having a few mechanical problems… and finally the HD commited suicide during a transfer. I’m posting for the first time from my new MACBOOK!!! :) 
 

Some of you may notice something new about this page… Its changed from a pink site about MINIs to a cooking blog.

No, your eyes do not decieve you… its really a cooking blog now! Please feel free to check back for cooking and MINI updates!

For those of you that were expecting a cooking blog, welcome to the new site!

I got this great fajita recipe from AllRecipes.com . We tried it yesterday and it was FANTASTIC! 

INGREDIENTS
1 (1 1/2-pound) beef flank steak (we used sirloin b/c it was cheaper.)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, sliced (we used 1/2 the onion.)
1 medium green pepper, julienned (1/2 the green pepper)
1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned 
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons cornstarch (skipped it as everything was too soft )
1 tablespoon water
12 (6 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
3/4 cup fat-free sour cream
3/4 cup salsa

DIRECTIONS
Thinly slice steak across the grain into strips*; place in a 5-qt. slow cooker.
Add tomatoes, jalapeno, garlic, coriander, cumin, chili powder and salt.
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours**.
Add onion, peppers and cilantro.
Cover and cook 1-2 hours longer or until meat is tender.

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into slow cooker***.
Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Using a slotted spoon, spoon about 1/2 cup meat mixture down the center of each tortilla.
Add 1 tablespoon each sour cream and salsa.
Fold bottom of tortilla over filling and roll up.

* : I did 1/4″ slices. They were WAY too thin. The meat just FELL apart. I’d recommend 1″ strips for easy removal.
** : We cooked for 6 hours and added the fresh ingredients. 7 hours total was more than enough.
*** : We didnt bother with this. Everything smelled so good we just dug in. One warning- if the meat is too small, it becomes VERY hard to pick things out. (It becomes a very tasty mush.) If the ingredients were larger, I would have done this. The fajitas were VERY runny, but SOOOO good. 

The beans were really easy too. DH really enjoyed them, but they were too spicy for me. (and I only put 1/2 the spices in!)

Another AllRecipes.com find! 

INGREDIENTS
1 pound dry pinto beans, rinsed (I did 2 pounds/cans of Bush’s beans - one pinto, one black.)
2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided (I did one)
1 medium tomato, diced (skipped)
2 tablespoons ground cumin (1 TBSP)
1 tablespoon chili powder (1/3 TBSP - I’m a wimp!)
2 tablespoons olive oil 
salt to taste<

DIRECTIONS
Place the undrained beans in a large saucepan.
Place over high heat, and bring to a boil.
When the beans have come to a boil, stir in 1 tablespoon of garlic, the tomato, cumin, and chili powder.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until the beans are very soft, about 20 minutes.

Once the beans have cooked, mash them with the remaining tablespoon of garlic, the oil, and salt to taste; use additional water as needed to achieve desired consistency*.
Place over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve.

* : I slow cooked them over 30 minutes on the stove. They were nice and mushy by the time they were done!

This idea was passed around on the WC board… and I needed something I couldnt screw up to salve my soul after all the baking disasters I’ve had lately. This is SOOO easy!

INGREDIENTS
Box of cake mix (I used a chocolate fudge)
Can of soda (diet or regular… Coke is recommended, I used A&W rootbeer.)
Frosting (I used canned - I didnt want to risk botching anything up!! You’re more than welcome to DIY yours if you’d like.) 

DIRECTIONS
Mix soda and cake mix and bake according to directions on box. That’s it!! 

This was inspired by a post on the WC board… and the leftovers in the fridge. I took what I had and hoped it worked.. it was great! I made it twice… and forgot to measure BOTH times. (sorry!)
Here are rough directions…..

INGREDIENTS
tater tots (about 15)
leftover steak (if its been seasoned great, if not, add a seasoning of some sorts. about 1/2-3/4 cup diced pieces)
5 eggs
optional : other meats or veggies. (make sure to add enough egg to cover if you’re adding more to the bake!)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pam loaf pan.
Microwave tots for a minute or so so they’re soft.
Cut/break them up and arrange them in the bottom of the loaf pan.
Don’t pack them in.. leave a bit of space for the eggs to get in there!
Chop up your steak and layer it over the tots in the pan.
More is better here- the steak really gives it the flavor since its the only seasoned thing in here.
Crack and scramble your 5 eggs in a separate bowl and pour over the top.
Stick it in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. (If it wasn’t done, I microwaved it for about 2 minutes to complete the cooking. I’m impatient.)

This served the two of us… but we both needed more… so serve with sides! (we did fruit salad.)

This recipe came from the lovely Nestie Gomela (aka Rachel of Culinary Kicks) and we enjoyed it! It was good the first day, but great the second!

INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground beef
1 large can Bush’s baked beans (any canned baked beans work fine)
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
whole wheat hamburger buns (we used white… shhh!)

DIRECTIONS
Brown the beef and pour off fat.
Add the beans to the meat and mix well.
Add ketchup, mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Cook until hot and bubbly.
Serve on hamburger buns.

This recipe came courtesy of a Detroit Knottie friend… the lovely Shelly aka McVayDesigns. 

She got it from her obsession with  allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (we did 2 breasts and cut ours into bite sized pieces.)

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, mix together the paprika, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, thyme, cayenne pepper, and ground black pepper. Set aside about 3 tablespoons of this seasoning mixture for the chicken; store the remainder in an airtight container for later use (for seasoning fish, meats, or vegetables).
Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Rub some of the reserved 3 tablespoons of seasoning onto both sides of the chicken breasts.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the grill, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes on each side, until juices run clear.

Warnings!!!
This is HOT!!! I did 1TBSP cayenne instead of the recommended 2 and my DH STILL thought it was hot. I’m a total wimp, so I skipped it and ate leftovers instead
 We used 2 chicken breasts and we had about 1/3 the spice mixture left. I’d make sure to save about 1/2 before you contaminate it with the chicken. You can always add more!