Bacon and Spinach Quiche

I tried something new and loved it. Quiche is often called a "girly" food. Girly food or not my family woofed this down. It's so easy to make. Here's how it goes.

1 Pre-made pie crust.
1 Frozen box of spinach
1 Package of bacon
6 Eggs
1 Pint of heavy cream
1-2 Cups of cheddar cheese
1 Onion optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut bacon into small squares and cook. (optional - cook diced onions with bacon) Set aside to drain. Defrost spinach and drain in cheese cloth. Try to get as much moisture out of the spinach as possible. Whip together eggs and poor in about 1 cup of cream. You don't want to much cream because then the eggs will take forever to bake. Layer in the pie crust first then the spinach, bacon and cheese. Make nice even layers of all the ingredients. After everything is layered except for the egg mixture, poor the egg over the top to just fill in all the spaces in between. Cook for about an hour or until the quiche no longer wiggles. Let sit for about 5 minutes and serve to a hungry family. This also warms well the next day!

Dark Chocolate (Pumpkin) Muffins

Mmmm I love these muffins. I had never tried to make muffins before until I got this recipe. It's not entirely by scratch but whoever said it had to be? These tasty morsels are just right in the sweetness department and guess what? You don't hardly know the pumpkin is there but what you will know the second you bite into one is how dense and chocolaty it is. Anyone who loves dark chocolate will loves these. Here's how it goes...

1 Box Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Cake Mix (because that's only one that I could find in Dark Chocolate!)
1 15 oz Can of Pumpkin.
1 Bag of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips - optional
THAT'S IT!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix cake mix and pumpkin in an electric mixer or by hand in a bowl if you prefer. You will want to add an egg or some milk or something because it will look to thick but DON'T! When the two ingredients are mixed well fold in Chocolate Chips and spoon in spoonfuls of batter into a pre greased muffin tin. ( I use my cooking Canola oil spray. It works the best) You can use muffin paper cups but it just means that it will waste some of the batter and these hold up without the paper. With the chips added in it will make the cups nearly all the way full. Again don't worry this is normal. Bake at 400 for approx. 18-20 minutes. Stick a toothpick in to see if it comes out clean. Don't forget though that the chips might make it look like it is uncooked. I let them cool on the counter and then put them in an airtight container for a few hours. I think they are best after a night in the Tupperware. They will nearly melt in your mouth. The original recipe came out of a book called Hungry Girl and it is the same except for the chips. Also for a change of pace add in Reeces Chips instead of Chocolate Chips. YUM! Also without the chips each muffin is supposedly only about 150 calories. One last thing, they freeze! Throw them all into a Ziploc then into the icebox to chill out. I love pulling them straight from there!

Steak Fries

Thank you Rachel Ray, I love your Steak Fries! I changed them a bit for me however. I won't tell you how she did hers instead I'll tell you how to do mine! Here's how it goes.

4-8 Large Potatoes
Spray Canola Oil
Extra Spices from your meat
Large Cookie Sheet

I start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Spray your cookie sheet thoroughly with the canola oil. Wash your potatoes well then cut the potatoes in long thick slices. Lay them down close with one another so that you can get as many as possible on the sheet. Once your sheet is full spray the canola oil again over the top of the potatoes. Then use your spices like salt and "salt" your fries. The other day we used Menudo spice mix for our BBQ and I took some extra, mixed it with a bit of salt and then sprinkled it all over my potatoes. Other times I have just used Lawry's if it's for nothing specific. These will crisp up nicely. Watch them however. The thinner the slices the faster they cook. Also if you want them done faster turn up your oven to 450 an reduce the time by 15 to 20 minutes but again watch them. Cook them at 400 degree's for 1 hour. Serve with a mix of mayo and ketchup for fry sauce. Delish and your family will gobble them up!

Mexican Casserole

This dish is basically just enchiladas laid out flat and layered. I forgot to take the finished picture sorry. It ends up not looking pretty anyway. It is really so delicious though. It's one of those "Thirty Minutes Meals"(Not from Rachel Ray though). I included the pic of all the cans so that you could see just what I use. I've used different brands but for the enchilada sauce I like La Victoria the best for this recipe. Here's how it goes.

1 lb Cooked Ground Beef
2 - 3 Cups Cheddar Cheese
Put some cheese to the side for the top
6-7 Flour Tortillas
1 Large Can of Refried Beans
1 Large Can of Enchilada Sauce
1 Small Can of Diced Olives
1 Small Can of Diced Green Chili's

I have a great round microwavable "glass" dish that fits my flour tortilla's but any microwavable dish would work. This recipe will definitely stain a plastic dish. Start out by pouring just a little sauce in the bottom of your dish. This helps the tortilla's not stick. Then start to layer your ingredients, tortilla, beans, meat, cheese, olives, green chili's to prefered level of heat. (I typically don't add the whole can of chili's and I usually leave some on the table for Brent to add to his). Then pour a bit of sauce to cover and continue with layering. Finish the top with one more tortilla, the rest of the sauce and then the rest of the cheese. You may use more tortilla's but that is all my dish will hold. Also I use the canned olives because it is convenient. I love my Pampered Chef Large Rubber Spatula with this dish because it is so easy with the beans and sauce and meat. My hands usually end up in the mixing and it sometimes gets a little sloppy. This is a fun recipe for kids to help with because it's easy prep. Prep time is minimal and cook time is 20 minutes in the Microwave. It will end up looking nothing like what it started off as but it will smell and taste fabulous.

Pico de Gallo

My pico is something I am so proud of. Can I brag a little here? I watched a few cooking shows where they showed different ways to make it and then I tried it and changed it and changed it and came up with this recipe. I love the look of this as well as the taste and texture. I love to serve this as a side with of course any Mexican dish but specifically with taco's or really just dig in with a big bag of tortilla chips. So here's what you gotta do to make your own.

10 Roma tomatoes
1 Red Onion
1 Bunch of Cilantro
2 Jalapenos
2 Limes
Salt to taste

Dice the tomatoes and onions into same small size pieces. Wash the cilantro well and dry fairly well by wrapping it in a paper towel. Cut off an inch of the stems from the bottom up and then fold the cilantro into a ball (stems included - tons of flavor) and chop semi fine. De-vain and de-seed jalapeno's so that the pepper cleaned out, then julienne them and then chop supper fine (mince). In other words you want the jalapeno's to be an after thought and not seen. If you want to add some heat to the pico you can keep some seeds in. Jalapeno adds tons of flavor and if done the way I'm saying there won't be hardly any heat at all from the pepper. Once tomatoes, onions, cilantro and jalapeno's are chopped, juice the limes over the chopped veggies. To get a lot of juice out of your limes, rub them on the counter under your palm before you cut them and if they've been in the fridge for awhile you can microwave them for 10 seconds to help them be softer and yield more juice. Now it's time for the salt. Go easy on the salt at first, you can always add but you can't take any out. Mix, taste, add salt if needed.  It is best chilled for one to two hours. While it chills the salt will make the tomatoes bleed their juice. The acid from the limes will soften the taste of the onions and the jalapeno's and all the flavors will marry. Before serving, mix the juice that has settled back through the dish. Enjoy! For an extra kick try adding avocados to the mix.

Zucchini Casserole

Zucchini Casserole is an early childhood favorite. I remember when we lived in Sparks , NV and we would have these huge zucchini's growing in the garden. When I was young this wasn't my favorite recipe but as I grew up a little I learned to really like it and now love it so much. It's one of those recipe's of my mom's that brings memories of her standing in the kitchen with the sweet smell of tomato sauce wayfaring for miles down the road. Mom and Dad would make tons of stuff with the zucchini and this is just one of the recipes that came from the garden. Hopefully soon I'll be able to add another favorite...Zucchini bread! For now though this delicious dish is a crowd pleaser when you are looking for something cheesy and comforting. Here's how it goes...

5-7 lbs of Zucchini or Italian Squash
2 lbs of Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
1 Large bottle of Prego or favorite thick spaghetti sauce
3 Cups of Cheddar or favorite melting cheese.

Cut the zucchini into half moons or into cubes depending on whether or not you get real zucchini or Italian squash. Boil for a few minutes until just slightly tender then drain (You'll need the pot again in a minute). You don't want to get the zucchini too tender or they will go mushy. Cook your ground beef, drain well and rinse. Combine ground beef, zucchini and Prego into stock pot and bring up to a small bubbly boil. You really just want the temperature to be hot to melt the cheese in your individual bowls. Serve with cheese and eat like a soup. The cheese will melt and make everything so yummy.

The Ross Family Tomatillo Salsa

This recipe has been a long time in development. I came to the understanding after talking to my oldest brother Karl over the phone one day that he is the one who originally told my dad how to make this after he returned from his mission. Somewhere and somehow it became my dad's recipe and he may have changed it or varied it a bit from Karl's. So I took the liberty in changing the name just a touch to add Karl back into the mix. Anyway here it is. We love it. We love it so much that we (my dad) eats it on everything he can think of!















Here's what you need:
2 lbs fresh tomatillos husked and washed
2 bunches of cilantro chopped coarsely
1 medium red tomato
6cloves of garlic
1 medium white onion
2 medium Serrano chilies (strip seeds and membranes)
2 medium Jalapeno chilies (strip seeds and membranes)
2 limes juiced
1/2 tsp salt

In a sauce pan lightly blanch the tomatillos, Do not let the tomatillos over cook and become mushy since this will degrade the flavor. (I don't bother with this step. My dad's may be a better flavor but I am to lazy to do this and I don't really see the difference.) Rough chop the other ingredients and put them in a blender, cut the blanched tomatillos in half or quarters and put them in the blender. Add the lime juice and salt. Use high speed or liquify until all ingredients are mixed and well chopped. Add more salt to your taste. Serve with any Mexican Food, as a meat sauce, salad dressing, over steamed veggies, as a fresh veggie dip. Tastes great on baked potatoes, rice, pasta, and chips

French Onion Soup

One night I came home from a date that hadn't gone well and my dad was still up. I told him about the date and he said that I needed some comfort food. He went into the kitchen and started whipping up French Onion Soup. He then flipped through the channels on the TV and found Barefoot in the Park, with Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, was just starting. I had never seen this movie, nor had I ever had French Onion Soup, nor had I ever had a late night date with just my dad and I, watching what was to become one of my favorite movies and eating what was to become my favorite soup! Thank you Daddy for always looking out for your little girl! This is a memory that will live on forever. Well here's how my dad made his French Onion soup...

3 Large or 4 Medium White Onions
4 tbsp of Margarine
2 tbsp of Olive Oil
4 Cans of Beef Stock
2 tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce
2 Cups of Swiss Cheese (or any cheese you have on hand)
1 Box of Croûtons
1 Rental of Barefoot in the Park w/Robert Redford and Jane Fonda

First start by slicing all the onions in thin half moons. Then in a large stock pot fry the onions, butter and olive oil together until the onions just start to turn brown. (Keep turning onions so they don't burn) Then add the beef stock and the Worcestershire Sauce. Bring to a boil and then turn off. Let sit while you set the table and grate the cheese. Enjoy

Side Note: Paula Deen adds a tsp of thyme to her onions as they are cooking. Try it!
Side Note #2: If you lack Croutons, cut up bread into small cubes, sprinkle a bit of olive oil over the top of the cubes. On a cookie sheet spread cubes in a single layer and bake for 8 minutes on 350. Watch them to make sure they don't burn!

Fish Taco's

This is our version of Wahoo's fish taco's. Now granted we have not perfected this recipe but these were pretty good.
Here's what you need:
2 Corn tortilla's per Taco
1 Avocado
Verde Salsa
1/4 head of Cabbage
1 Lime
2 or 3 lbs Fish of choice (In this case it was Pollock)
3 Green Onions

We can't really BBQ quite yet so this was pan fried. Finely slice the cabbage. Finely dice the green onions. It's better with two tortillas. Put it all together and enjoy. Simple prep, simple clean up. What could be better.