A Classic

Many people are having money issues in these tough economic times, why not enjoy a classic low cost dish that is great for breakfast or lunch, a fried egg sandwich. I went simple on mine for lunch today and just added cheese, but there are so many different options for a fried egg sandwich. Add bacon, ham, a sausage patty, tomato slices, avocado, the list could go on and on. A special thanks to The Alchemist Chef, at http://alchemistchef.blogspot.com/ for coming up with a great list of recession proof meal ideas.

Pesto Pizza

I found some new premade pizza crust the other day at the grocery store, Mama Mary's Thin and Crispy Pizza Crusts. Put your favorite toppings on and cook according to the package instructions, and these really come out nice and crispy. In the most recent issue of Bon Appetit, there is an article on a pizza and prosecco party, that gave me an idea for a simple pizza that I knew John would eat. Pesto and Feta, simple toppings, but 5 year old friendly. I highly recommend that you try these premade crusts the next time you are in a hurry and would like an easy meal and check out the other ideas for pizza in Bon Appetit for some inspiration.

Soup to Heal

I have been plagued by a sinus bug the past few days and I have a recipe that never fails to clear me out and make me feel better, it is my version of Caldo Tlalpeno, or Mexican Chicken Soup. To let you know in advance this is not a recipe for those who cannot handle spicy. I grew up in Southern California and have been eating spicy foods for most of my life, it takes tons of heat before I am unable to eat something, this recipe does not push the threshold for me, but for those who find a jalapeno spicy, you are not going to like this dish.

1 32oz. carton of Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth/Stock
1 can of chicken noodle soup
1-2 organic chicken breasts, diced into 1 inch cubes
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1-3 serrano peppers, sliced with seeds, how many you use depends on how spicy you want the soup
1 onion, diced
1 plum tomato, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 tablespoon of fresh chopped cilantro
1-2 tablespoons of Tapatio
salt and pepper to season

Heat a large pot on low. Add chicken broth, onion, serranos, and the broth from one can of chicken noodle soup. Heat on low for around a half hour. While onions and serranos are cooking with broth heat a large skillet on high and add oil, before oil starts smoking, add chicken seasoned with salt and pepper, and brown for about 5-7 minutes. When chicken is done browning, add to broth mixture. Now is the time to taste the soup, if you do not feel that the soup is spicy enough, add some Tapatio, then bring soup to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer on low for another half hour. To serve soup, in each bowl add a portion of tomatoes, carrots, and cilantro, pour soup over uncooked vegetables and serve.

Great Spring Recipe

A friends and I were talking about recipes using vegetables that are in season right now, and she mentioned that Food and Wine magazine had a great pasta recipe. After hearing about it, I knew that I had to try this recipe: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/penne-with-asparagus-sage-and-peas. It is a habit of mine to never make a recipe as written, this one was no exception. For this one I did not use sage, I used one of my favorite Italian cheeses, Pecorino Romano, and used mini cheese raviolis instead of penne. I also cut down on the chicken stock, used low fat milk instead of heavy cream, and reduced the amount of cheese, garlic, and butter. I really do not feel that I made the recipe from Food and Wine, however it was definitely my inspiration and deserves credit as such. Give this recipe a try or add your own touch to it. Take the recipes advice and serve with a nice Sauvignon Blanc. While on the website for Food and Wine check out some other great recipes, there were quite a few that I am dying to try. I hope this recipe inspires you to get some asparagus and taste the flavors of spring.

Lawry's Taco Seasoning/ Huge Taco Salad

I have a problem in Virginia, no store that I have been to sells Lawry's Taco Seasoning. I have had to have friends visiting import this item for me, I am almost out and now I am going to just order some online, but really Virginia retailers, what is wrong with you? This is the best Taco Seasoning packet going, it is great on ground beef, chicken, ground turkey, and can be played with and used as a marinade. I beg all VA retailers to start carrying this product. Please forgive my rant over the lack of this product in Virginia; it just gets frustrating when you cannot get your hands on the right ingredients.

Anyway, I bought some great ground beef and needed to use it so I was thinking about all the things that I make with ground beef and decided I really felt like taco meat. I had three packets of Lawry’s left so I did not think my husband would get upset with me for making tacos without him. I used my packet and followed the directions on the back, from there the sky is the limit with what you can do with taco meat. Tacos, nachos with ground beef, burritos, salads, a favorite in my family is a mix up bowl, where cheese, sour cream, and pico de gallo are mixed together with the meat and scooped up with tortilla chips. I was feeling like I had not been getting enough vegetables in my diet so I pulled together this monster salad. It feature a chopped heart of romaine lettuce, ½ an avocado chopped, 1 ounce of shredded Colby jack, 2 tablespoons of pico de gallo, 3 tortilla chips that have been crushed, and about 2-3 ounces of taco meat. For a dressing I mixed 1 tablespoon of sour creams with a teaspoon of Tapatio hot sauce. I ate a little over half of this and was more than full.

Lolly Chops aka Lamb Chops

Looking at my food pics I have been a bit remiss in my postings. I did not even share my recipe for lolly chops, as John likes to call them. This is a great main course that takes no time at all to cook up. All you need is a rack of lamb cut into chops and a grill and you are ready to go. I recommend buying your rack at Costco; they have been selling it around here for only $9.99 a pound, which is quite a steal. If I did not have a Costco membership, I would be tempted to get one just for the price of lamb. Anyway on the recipe….


1 rack of lamb cut into chops
1-2 cloves of garlic minced (depends on your taste)
2 tablespoons of fresh chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


In a large ziploc bag, add chops seasoned with salt and pepper, and rest of ingredients. Marinate in fridge for at least ½ hour up to overnight. A half hour before cooking take chops out of fridge to bring to room temperature. While chops are out pre-heat a gas grill to high. When chops have been out for allotted amount of time, place on hot grill. Close lid and cook on each side for about 3 minutes. My grill tend to set fire to the chops, so watch carefully, luckily for me, I like mine charred rare, so this really is not an issue.

Serve chops with mashed potatoes and some greens. Keep seasoning on side dishes light, as you do not want to overpower the lamb, trust me on this one, last time I made this I served it with seasoned wild rice and the flavors from the rice took away from the lamb. As for wine, I recommend serving this with a Petite Sirah, Guenoc and Bolger both make great ones that do not cost a ton.

Happy Birthday John

John turned 5 today and to celebrate he dragged me to his favorite place, Silver Diner. This is not my favorite place to eat to say the least. I am not a fan of chain restaurants, and this place is a diner chain, also just one of the every single chain restaurants you can find in Newport News, VA, the chain restaurant capital of the world. Can you tell I am bitter much? However tonight I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was the service great, (ask for Tony), but my food choice was great too. I have been there a ton of times, it is John' favorite, and someone is always eating the meatloaf, I decided that I had to give it a try. I was smart about it and asked for the gravy on the side, thankfully so. I could barely stand the smell and would have had to send back my entree if it had arrived smothered in gravy. The meatloaf was tender, onion and red pepper filled, flavorful, and a HUGE serving. I think that I may have to rethink my aversion to Silver diner after this experience. I will say that I need to apologize to anyone sitting around us, 3 rowdy boys and a baby never make good dining companions, if you ever see us coming be sue to ask for a different table.