Lime Soup from the Yucatan

We had tons of amazing food on our trip to Mexico summer before last and among one of my favorites was this delicious, hot, refreshing, limey soup. They call it Sopa de Lima, aka Lime Soup. It is a rather creative name... (sarcasm anyone?). However, it was one of my favorite dishes I had while in Cancun. It was one of the dishes I set out to recreate almost as soon as we got home. Sopa de Lima originates from the Yucatan portion of Mexico and one website calls it "the Yucatan's version of your grandmother's chicken soup." That is a very fitting description! It's great when you're feeling sick.

As I scoured through recipes, I found a lot of different versions that were not what I had experienced in Mexico. Some had tomatoes, some had red or green peppers, others had cilantro. So instead, I just made my own and I must say, I actually like it better than what we had in Mexico. I have shared this recipe before on another blog, but I have since refined it and made it a little better. You could expand on this recipe by adding those other ingredients like I mentioned, bell peppers, tomatoes etc. I have done it both ways and it's all delicious.

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts

1 medium onion VERY thinly sliced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1-2 jalapenos, seeded and minced 

2-3 teaspoons of dried oregano (Mexican oregano would be preferred)

8-10 cups of chicken broth
Salt & Pepper

1/2 cup of lime juice

Avocados, limes, cheese, cilantro and tortilla strips for toppings

DIRECTIONS

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions, garlic and jalapenos in some cooking oil. Add in the chicken breasts and brown on all sides. Deglaze the pan with a little of the broth and then add the rest of the broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer for 30+ mins over medium-low heat (the longer the better). Take the chicken out and shred it. Return chicken to the pot. Add lime juice and cook for 5 mins more. Serve with fried corn tortilla strips, diced avocado, cheese and lime wedges to heighten the lime flavor. 

This picture is from when I made it with a can of diced tomatoes and a chopped bell pepper

London Broil Marinade

My husband is very much a "meat & potatoes" kind of guy. And I have made it my life's work to serve meat that doesn't make him reach for the bottle of BBQ sauce. Although, that is a very tall order for me because that boy loves his BBQ sauce... a lot. I try not to be offended when he goes for the BBQ, he just really loves it.

This has been my third attempt at making London Broil and I think it has been turning out pretty great, very minimal BBQ sauce. I made it for Valentine's Day dinner with potatoes and asparagus, Darin loved it! There is nothing more romantic than having a HUGE dinner, right? ... Maybe not... But it was delicious and I will certainly be making it again!

As for ingredients, I really do hate mustard, with the exception of spicy brown mustard. Although, I only use it for marinades, potato salad and deviled eggs. It works as such a great binder for marinades and brings a lot of flavor. This recipe came into creation when I started pulling things out of my fridge and cupboards, mixing them together, smelling the mixture and making adjustments. It was completely spontaneous and this is the way it turned out. The marinade has some great basic flavors that pair beautifully with the meat. You could use this on any kind of steak and it would be delicious. But I really love a good broiled piece of London Broil. I hope you enjoy!! Let me know if you try it out!

YUMMMMM with roasted onions, potatoes and balsamic glazed carrots

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS
Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour marinade over meat in a ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight. Let meat rest out on the counter for about 30 minutes prior to cooking. Broil meat on a foil-lined baking sheet on the rack that is one space down from the very top. Broil for 5-6 minutes, flip it over and broil for another 5-6 minutes for meat that is medium. Shorten or lengthen the time depending on how you like your meat. Use a meat thermometer to check. Remove meat from the oven, loosely cover with foil and allow it to rest for about 15 minutes before slicing.

Our "fancy" Valentine's Day Dinner with London Broil, asparagus and potatoes

The "Melanie" Way of Making Mashed Potatoes

I know, I know... mashed potatoes... They are so simple. But I figured it would be a good idea to put it down on "paper" and make a post for my mashed potatoes. There really isn't anything special about them except the egg. Adding the egg is an idea I got from a Shepherd's Pie recipe a few years ago. The egg makes the potatoes get a little brown on top when you put the Shepherd's Pie in the oven. However, it add such a rich and full flavor to mashed potatoes, that I started doing it any time I make mashed potatoes. So without much of an intro, here are my mashed potatoes:

INGREDIENTS
5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup of butter
1/4-1/3 cup of milk
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1/4-1/3 cup of parmesan cheese
1 egg

DIRECTIONS
Place prepared potatoes in a pot of water and boil on high till the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain the water from the pot and add butter, milk, salt and pepper to the pot. Using a handheld mixer or potato masher, mash all ingredients to the desired consistency (smooth or lumpy). Add the cheese and egg and quickly mix. It is important to mix the egg in quickly so that the heat from the potatoes doesn't make your egg go sunny side up. Once it is mixed in, the heat from the potatoes will "cook" the egg so you aren't eating raw eggs. Serve potatoes plain, with gravy, crumbled bacon... or whatever you like.

Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

DISCLAIMER: I am not any kind of expert with Greek food. In fact, I am pretty new to it. But I love the flavors that Greek food uses so I have started creating some of my own recipes. They may not be authentically Greek, but they are inspired by Greek flavors. So basically, don't be hatin' on me if my Greek food isn't Greek enough for you.

Darin has always been a great facilitator of me trying new cooking styles. And his love of gyros has inspired me in the past few months to try my hand at Greek food. I have made basic chicken gyros a few times and I think it is time to share. There are two parts to this recipe, one for the tzatziki sauce and one for the chicken. If you have the opportunity for grilling, DO IT!! It will be so much better than the way I had to make it. Prepare the chicken the same way, just skewer it with some chunks of onion, artichoke hearts and throw it on the grill! On a side note: I used store-bought hummus for my gyros but I know that it is really easy to make as well. I decided to be lazy and buy some delicious roasted red pepper hummus from the store. Be sure to stuff your gyros to the brim, if its not falling apart while you are eating it, then it's not a real gyro!

YUMMMMMMMM

TZATZIKI SAUCE 

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups plain greek yogurt
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1 clove of garlic, grated or finely minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Juice of one lemon

DIRECTIONS
Mix everything except the yogurt together in a bowl first, then stir in the yogurt. Cover and chill for at least an hour or two to get the best flavor. Stir again before serving. You can use this on your gyros, kabobs or just eat it plain with some pita bread.

GREEK CHICKEN GYROS

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, grated or finely minced

2 tsp ground marjoram

2 tsp ground coriander

Salt & Pepper

1 cup of marinated artichoke hearts, thinly sliced

Juice of one lemon

Pita bread, hummus, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, chopped olives, feta cheese, tzatziki sauce

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl combine chicken, onions, garlic and toss with marjoram, coriander, S&P until evenly coated. Heat a large frying pan to medium heat and add 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add chicken and pan fry on all sides till almost cooked through. Add the sliced artichoke hearts for the last few minutes until they are heated through. Top with lemon juice after adding the artichokes. Build gyros with a warm pita, hummus, chicken, veggies, cheese and tzatziki.

Cherry Tomato Balamic Pork/Chicken/Salmon

Sometimes I like to pretend that I eat healthy. Now don't get me wrong, I don't eat tons of over-processed, fatty junk foods and fast food. I do try to keep my pantry free of lots of pre-made meals and processed foods (granted I do have a couple boxes of mac & cheese in my pantry, to my shame). But I do enjoy using butter, sugar and all those things that can pack on the fat and calories.

This meal in particular is one of the healthier ones I have come up with lately. It is essentially just balsamic-glazed meat with tomatoes. You can use chicken, salmon or pork, all are great. You can add some mozzarella or parmesan if you like cheese (let's be honest, if you don't like cheese, you shouldn't be on my blog). Sage or thyme are both great with balsamic. Toss in some zucchini, broccoli or asparagus. Serve it with white/brown rice or pasta. I just love balsamic anything! I have even had balsamic ice cream and it was awesome, so when I say that I love balsamic you know that I mean it! But the options with this concept are endless!

TIPS:
Pork chops will usually cook faster than if you were to use chicken or something else, FYI
After adding the tomatoes, shake the pan every once in the while to get the tomatoes glazed on all sides
Balsamic vinegar will caramelize and then burn quickly if you leave it alone too long, keep a close eye and keep it moving!

I used pork and served with mashed potatoes and a salad this time!

INGREDIENTS
4 portions of pork chops, chicken breasts or salmon
2 cups of cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp of dried thyme/sage
1 tsp garlic powder
3-4 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp of olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Parmesan/Mozzarela cheese

DIRECTIONS
Heat a large skillet with a lid to medium heat, and add olive oil. Season all sides of your meat with salt, pepper, garlic and thyme/sage. Once your pan and oil are thoroughly heated, add meat and cook for 3-5 mins on each side (meat should not be cooked all the way through yet). Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the meat and continuously spoon the balsamic back over the meat for about 2-3 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes to the pan and cover with a lid for a few minutes more until meat is cooked through and the tomatoes have popped. Serve over rice or pasta and top with cheese if desired. Add a side of veggies to make a complete meal!

It's a Spicy Meatballs! (Meatballs for Spaghetti)

Who doesn't love spaghetti & meatballs? Well, I am sure there are plenty of people who don't like them, but I am definitely not one of them! These are one of my favorite things to prepare for several of reasons. 1. They are the anti-procrastinator (make 'em ahead of time for the days on which you procrastinate). 2. There are so many variations! 3. They are always tasty (very important!) and 4. They are SOO easy to make and VERY hard to screw up!

I started making large batches of meatballs about three years ago. My mom was visiting and helping me stock up my freezer (love you, Mom!) and she had the idea to make a bunch of meatballs. Of course, that is exactly what we did. We made a TON, divided them into portion-sized baggies and threw them in the freezer! Since it's just me and my hubby at home, I will put about six meatballs into each baggie. That way, I can just grab a bag when ever I need it. Another great thing is that there is no defrosting required. I just toss the frozen meatballs in a pan with my spaghetti sauce and turn it on medium heat while I get the spaghetti cooked and make a quick salad or something. Just be sure to stir the sauce while it is heating up, you don't want anything to burn and it will help the meatballs warm evenly.

Like I said, I love how this recipe can be adapted and changed up in what ever ways you want. The recipe I wrote below is the way I made the meatballs this time. However, I haven't made them that way before and I probably won't make them this exact way again! I will mix it up based on whatever I have in my house, or whatever I feel like buying. The meats can be swapped out: ground beef, ground turkey, hot Italian sausage, mild Italian sausage.... I am serious, use what ever you like! Use red bell peppers. green bell peppers or NO bell peppers if you don't have them or like them! You can use plain breadcrumbs or Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs. I prefer buying plain breadcrumbs because I use them for more than just Italian-flavored dishes. If you use more ground meat and don't use Italian sausage, add in more herbs to make up for the lost seasoning. Maybe you like marjoram or parsley, throw them in too! The more the merrier!

TIPS:
-Use a cookie dough scooper to make the meatballs uniform in size and make quick work.
-Make sure your baking sheet has sides so your meatballs don't go rolling all over the floor! I used a 15x10in pan and that was big enough for all 4 dozen meatballs
-This is more of a helpful fact, some Italian sausage will come in the casings. Just cut a slit down the length of the casing and pull all the meat out, discard the casings.

But here goes nothing! I hope you like the recipe, let me know what you think about it, I love comments, feedback, requests and suggestions. <3

Served on top of some whole-wheat spaghetti!

INGREDIENTS 
(yield approx 4 dozen meatballs)
1 lb. hot Italian sausage
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp died basil
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 - 1 cup breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl until well blended. (It is easiest for me to use my hands to do this.) Divide mixture and roll into 1-2in balls and arrange on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. (They can sit close together, they don't expand like cookies). Bake for 20-25 mins until cooked through. Allow to cool before storing. And don't forget to enjoy!

Just the start of my ingredients

Remember, you don't have to use Hot (but is is SUPER yummy!)

All mixed up and ready for scooping

About to go in the oven!

See how pretty they look!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I am a spoiled girl! My hubby took my months of "hinting" to heart and got me a great Christmas present. And of course, when I say "hinting" I mean that I was drilling it into his head that I wanted an immersion blender for Christmas. So guess what!? I got an immersion blender for Christmas! I was am excited! This recipe was one of the first big things that I have used my immersion blender to make. If you don't know what an immersion blender is, I will tell you. It is a hand-held device that is immersed and used to blend... Mind blown? Didn't think so... I don't know how else to describe it! But it is awesome for making sauces, soups, batters or anything. Here is a picture of the one I got:

The first thing I used it for was to make my crepe batter on Christmas morning. I could have used a hand mixer like a normal person would have done, but I was eager, to say the least. And I figured that it would help my crepe batter be nice and smooth, with no lumps. For this soup recipe, it helps a lot because instead of having to take your soup out of the pot and blend it in the blender in small batches, you can just use the immersion blender right in the pot! Also, I made Parmesan croutons out of some French bread to put on top, it was perfect! But this recipe so super easy and really yummy! I made it into a dinner with some Lemon-Pepper chicken and a salad.

TIPS
If you aren't a crock pot person, just do it over the stove and simmer until the squash is nice and tender. Then blend and continue like normal.
If you are short on prep time, skip the roasting and throw it all in the crock pot and let it go. But roasting will enhance the flavor... just saying
I really wish I had tried adding a little kick, like some crushed red pepper flakes or something. I think it would be so tasty!
That butternut squash is a beast to get into, but you can definitely do it!
I used a regular potato peeler to peel the squash. I just had to go over it a couple of times to get through the tough outer layer.

Just throw it in the pot!

After roasting

After about 4 hours

Blend, blend, blend!

INGREDIENTS

Enjoy!

3-4 lb butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
32oz of chicken broth (sub vegetable broth if you are going for vegetarian)
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup of parmesan or fontina cheese

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a large baking sheet, lightly coat the squash, onions, carrots and garlic in olive oil and S&P. Roast for 20-30 minutes. Place the roasted vegetables in the crock pot and cover with broth. Cook covered for 4+ hours or until vegetable are nice and tender. Using an immersion blender, puree soup in the crock pot to the desired consistency. If you are using a standard blender, you will need to work in batches and blend. Once pureed, stir in yogurt and cheese and heat for 10 more minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with homemade croutons, French bread or even more cheese!