Real Mom's Cook

Turkey Wraps

2009-03-31T20:47:00.001-07:00

these are so easy to do and perfect for a crowd.

ingredients:

tortillas, turkey (or whatever kind of meat you like), cheese, lettuce, tomato, and cream cheese (i mix in a 1/2 of packet of ranch dip mix with my cream cheese for more flavor)

the easiest way to do this is to lay all the tortillas out in a assembly line. spread some of the cream cheese mix on each tortilla to lightly cover the whole tortilla

shred your cheddar cheese and put it on next (not to much just a light covering) then top with lunch meat

next put some thinly sliced tomato, and lettuce on top and your ready to roll

roll up tightly (sometimes you can add a little smidgen of cream cheese at the end to seal the wrap closed) then wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate for a hour or so. i roll one up then put the next one down and roll it once until they are all rolled in the same long strip so they aren't touching.

when ready to serve. cut the ends off then slice into smaller slices, you can also serve them like this if you want.

ENJOY!

Salsa

2009-03-15T21:59:00.001-07:00

this is my recipe for salsa. it is so good. if you make it and it is too hot just add more tomatoes until it is the mildness you like.

ingredients: peppers (i use jalapeno, Serrano, and yellow peppers), green onions, cilantro, garlic, whole peeled tomatoes, and salt.

this is so easy and you will never buy the jarred stuff again!

take your chili's and simmer them in a pot with water until tender. cut off the stems once cool and you can discard the seeds if you want (i don't)

put about 4 cloves of garlic in your food processor with all those chili's and pulse until some what smooth. put it in a big bowl

next add the canned whole peeled tomatoes to the food processor and pulse really quickly (maybe 3 seconds) then add them to the bowl

(see how you can still see some of the peppers?, those will all come out with the tomatoes)

next chop your cilantro and green onions and add to the bowl, then add a good dash of salt.

then mix and chill

this makes a lot of salsa! you can do 2 things

make half the recipe
or make it and freeze it before you add cilantro or green onion and just put it in before you use it.

so yummy! enjoy

Top Chef Finale

2009-02-25T23:31:00.001-08:00

UGH! that is all i can say

WAAAAAA..........

2009-02-19T00:12:00.001-08:00

so bummed! both of my guys were on the bottom this week with Fabio going home!!! i was so sad! i swear if Hosea wins i will never watch Top Chef again (ok slight exaggeration) but i seriously do not want him to win. Go Stefan!

YAY!

2009-02-12T01:11:00.000-08:00

i was so excited after watching top chef tonight i am so glad Leah went home she was not in the same league if you ask me. i have never had a hollandaise sauce or challah bread i really need to venture out in my food because i haven't tried a lot of stuff i see on the show or most cooking shows i have watched

Carla is rocking it isn't she? i hate peas so her meal seemed nasty to me but whatever it was well done. i guess i still think she looks like a ostrich and did you hear her say she used to be a model?!?! what the heck!

Hosea is really starting to bug me and my guess is he will go home next week. he is so competitive with my Stefan and he is no where near him as a chef.

Stefan oh my poor European this week overcooked his fish but i knew he would make it through he is clearly at the top of the chef pool.

Fabio ahhh he broke his finger and still managed to win this week. i loved his comment about chopping his finger off and grilling it before he would go to the hospital lol. his chicken looked yummy didn't it? i love his personality it is so cute.

clearly i have no life i know that and i am OK with that. i am off to watch chopped, do you all watched chopped on food network? its alright i just try to figure out what i would make if i was given random ingredients in a basket. later....

Final Five

2009-02-10T23:05:00.001-08:00

so i told you all i love top chef! so here is my favorites from my least favorite to my top 2 (because i love them equally)

5. Leah her food never looks good to me. she always seems to give up and she made out with Hosea. something about her just bugs!

4. Carla oh my gosh people she just gets on my last nerve. i think her food looks alright but she bugs and she has a resemblance to the following animal

3. Hosea i like Hosea alright but i just don't think he is as good as Stefan and Fabio and he is always hating on Stefan what is up with that can you say insecure?!

2 & 1. Stefan and Fabio rock! i love there confidence and you can just see they LOVE to cook! and they know they are good at it but it is not arrogant if that makes sense. and the fact that they are European they remind me of my dad he had a very confident fun loving life of the party attitude.

so there are my predictions in case anyone cares. are you all watching?!

Top Chef

2009-02-04T23:20:00.001-08:00

do you all watch? it is my favorite show on tv at the moment! i have watched every season and rarely my chef wins! this season i am going for the 2 Europeans i love those guys! they remind me of my dad (he is from Spain). Josea is a big baby i thought i liked him but now he bugs me. Carla looks like a Ostrich.

Anyway's thought i would chime in before i watched tonight! i have to watch it after wards so i don't have to see commercials....

Chicken Adobo

2009-01-28T21:42:00.001-08:00

My friend Dani gave me this wonderful recipe for chicken adobo and i make it all the time now. i of course never follow a recipe to a T so i had to change a few things.

ingredients: chicken thighs, a large onion, garlic, seasonings, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and crushed red pepper.

serves 6-8

take your chicken thighs and remove the skin (comes off very easily) i rinse them off then set on cookie sheet sprinkle with garlic powder, pepper, and salt (just a little salt)

get your favorite pan hot and add a bit of olive oil then add chicken

*important do not move the chicken until it starts to brown. you want the chicken to get a nice color then flip it over and cook until that side is nicely colored. remove it and set on clean cookie sheet or pan and cook the other half of chicken. (the chicken will NOT be done, nor will it look done)

slice your onion and garlic up while the chicken is cooking

so you have all the chicken browned your pan has all these yummy bits on the bottom!

remove all but a tablespoon or 2 of the oil and then add the onion, garlic and some crushed red pepper

and cook until onions are nice and translucent and they have pretty much picked up all those bits on the bottom

next add balsamic vinegar (the original recipe called for apple cider but i didn't have any) to soy sauce. for today i used 1 cup balsamic and 2/3 soy (for less chicken use 2/3 and 1/3) let simmer

add all chicken back to pan

cover and let cook for about 20-30 minutes or until all the chiken is cooks and the color looks so yummy

i serve with rice and veggies.

3 ww points per piece of chicken.

oh and i don't normally make my rice in a nice meat pile like this i just had to measure it for the points =)

ENJOY!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2009-01-27T21:46:00.001-08:00

Last night i made chicken tortilla soup it is yummy to have on a cold night. and it is super easy all cooked in the crock pot

ingredients: 4 chicken breasts, 1 can black beans, 1 can corn(drained),2 cans tomato sauce, 2 cans Mexican style stewed tomatoes, 1 small bottle of pace salsa (or any other salsa you like)

serves 8

so just layer the chicken in the crock pot and season with your favorite seasoning i use garlic powder, tony's, and cumin

then just put everything else in.

and cook on high for about 5 hours. take a chicken breast out and check to make sure if it is done (it will be most likely) as long as it is take all the breasts out and cut them in strips it will probably just shred off. mix it all back in and keep the crock pot on.

ok so now for the part that makes it great. you can top this with your favorite tortilla chip but i like to make my own. just take a tortilla and cut it in strips and add it to a pan with just a little oil in the bottom. cook until crisp and golden, as soon as they come out add a little kosher salt.

i used 6 tortillas and 1 tablespoon of oil for each 3 tortillas so for 1 tortilla per person it totaled 2 ww points much better than chips and it tastes delish.

ok so take your bowl of soup

top with cheese (i used 1/2 an ounce 1.5 points), 1 tablespoon of sour cream(1 pt.), and the chips(2 points) . with the soup at 3 points per serving. 7.5 points total and VERY filling!

ENJOY!

My favorite lunch at the moment

2009-01-25T14:47:00.001-08:00

so i have been wanting to eat bread and tomatoes lately and i made up this yummy sandwich a week or so ago that is seriously SO yummy! John and I like this tomato, mozzarella, basil salad at macaroni grill and i decided to make it at home and add bread what could be better?

the main stuff other than the bread and dressing because i forgot to take it out before i took the picture.

so i cut the cheese and tomatoes in slices and layer on a plate add some basil (they didn't have any fresh at my store so i used this freeze dried, it was good once i added the dressing) drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add some salt and pepper. while the salad is marinating, add two slices of sourdough bread to your oven with a little olive oil brushed on either side.

when the bread is a little crisp take it out and rub with a clove of garlic (do not skip this it is the best part of the meal!!) add the cheese to the bread and stick back in the oven until cheese is melted

top with tomatoes and enjoy serious yummy!

each piece of bread with topping is 4.5 weight watcher points but soooooooooooooo worth it!

Let's cook the easiest thing possible first

2009-01-22T00:20:00.001-08:00

today we will cook a pot of beans. the funny thing is beans intimidated me so much when i was first married and i think now i have pretty much got it together when it comes making beans lol.

ok first off i just get some beans from the store (i do not buy them bagged i buy them in the produce section in those big bins, do you all have them?) so i go through and make sure there are no funky beans, shriveled up, or rocks in there and discard all of those.

next i rinse all the beans in a colander for like 5 minutes until they are nice and clean. no need to soak them ahead of time they will cook perfect!

i put them in a pan and fill it with water and add 5-6 garlic cloves and a good amount of salt. turn the fire on high until the water begins to boil, then i put the cover on and cook on medium for about 3-4 hours. keep checking on them and if the water is getting low just add some more, it is not rocket science don't be afraid of it. after 3-4 hours add a big palm full of cumin, some seasoning salt and lower it to low. cook until you can pick up a bean and smash a bean between 2 fingers with out a ton of pressure.

this is what they look like when they are done, you can eat them like this. we usually eat them this way the first night as a side, or in veggie soup (i will posting my recipe for this soup in a couple of days it is DELICIOUS!) but if you want to make refried beans this is how you do it:

get a pan very hot and add a little oil (a few tablespoons) and then add some of the beans to the pan. i leave the garlic cloves in but you can take them out if you want.

make sure you add the juice to the beans too or they will be much to dry. use your masher and mash while they are cooking, do not over mash them you do not want them to be too smooth you want texture people. once they are to your liking and bubbling you can add the cheese you love, i usually use jack cheese. they will still look runny but dont worry they will thicken up as they cool.

at this point i turn off the flame and put a lid on it until ready to eat. wanna see my favorite way to have refried beans?

take a small pan and add abut a table spoon of oil and fry a tortilla until crispy, top with beans and cheese, and all your favorites that you would put on a taco. Seriously so good and a meatless dinner. Beans are a great source of protein!!!!

so my very first post...........

2009-01-21T23:47:00.001-08:00

on my cooking blog! let me just start by saying i LOVE to cook! i really do, i have recently started trying to cook some new stuff because my family tends to be creatures of habit and can eat the same 10 things over and over. I am Mexican so alot of what i cook is Mexican food but i have been experimenting with new things and taking lots of pictures now i will warn you i am no pioneer woman but my family are my biggest fans... usually!

so first let me tell you a little about myself in case you don't read my main family blog. i am a sahm mom of 4 kids Liz-10, David-6, Johnathan-5, and Jake 19 months old, and we just found out we are expecting another baby in September! We also have a son Matthew who passed away at 3 months old he was Johnathan's twin brother. My hubby John works really hard so that i can stay home with the kiddos and he is AWESOME! i am a mops coordinator and i am planning on home schooling next year wow what a adventure we are on around our house! so enough about me lets talk about food!

so what will make this blog different from any other cooking blog? i cook very simple meals, i don't want to make a 7 course dinner i just want to show you some yummy food your family may love. i don't follow recipes to well i will try to tell you to the best of my knowledge but i cant make any promises =).

my biggest tip when it comes to cooking is to season your food! i mean so many people can make food look so pretty then when you taste it there is no flavor! so for my very first post i will show you some of my favorite kitchen seasonings!

these are my 2 favorite seasonings/spices. cumin is so yummy and adds a smokey depth of flavor to your food that is so delicious. i put it in my beans, rice, taco meat, soup, chili, and on and on.

the Tony's i have seen in Albertsons and Wal-mart but i always order a case online and put the extras in the freezer and use them as i need them. you add this just like salt and it has a little kick to it. i literally put it on EVERYTHING that i would salt.

i do use lots of pepper, salt, garlic powder and many other seasoning but these 5 i have mentioned are my favorites.

i use cooking spray, and extra light tasting olive oil all the time as well as vegetable oil but i have to have he light tasting kind. the others are too strong to me. i will never forget one time we were visiting someone and they made pancakes using the regular olive oil and even with syrup we could only taste olives blahhhh......

lastly here some onions and garlic, if you are not using fresh onions and garlic you are missing out! i used to think i hated onions, and now i love them cooked. Raw they are still gross to me but a cooked onion just rounds out a great meal to me!

So what spices do you love? what are your staples in your pantry? i cant wait to hear from you!