Tesha's Texas Caviar

I got this from my friend years ago and love it - I'm not sure if it's actually "her" recipe, but I call it "Tesha's Texas Caviar" regardless if it's hers or not! It's so good I would totally claim it if I was her! I just decided to add this to our Super Bowl munchie menu - the vinaigrette has sugar and oil in it but you drain that off, so I'm calling this a 'healthy' munchie to make myself feel a little better about all the crap we are going to eat come Sunday ;)

I don't have a picture, it looks just like it sounds - beans and chopped veggies in a vinaigrette/marinade. To serve you'll want to drain off the marinade or it's super messy; save the marinade though because you can keep adding more beans and veggies to it for a couple months. We like this with big corn chips, but tortilla chips also work.

TESHA’S TEXAS CAVIAR DIP

Mix together in a big bowl:

1 can pinto beans w/jalapeno (if can’t find add 1 T. chopped jalapeño)

1 can black eyed peas

       *drain and rinse all beans very well. 

1 can white corn      

1 small jar pimento, chopped

1 cup green pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

Bring to a boil then cool completely:

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 T. water

3/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup salad oil

1 cup sugar

Pour over bean mixture, marinate 24 hours before serving. Drain to serve but save marinade. Serve with big scoop corn chips. Keeps for 2 months in fridge (you can add more beans, etc. to marinade and keep it going).

one year ago: the hair bump trick
two years ago: pretzel hugs (these would be fun for Super Bowl with the 2 teams colors for the m&ms!)

Baked Ham and Cheese Sliders

Planning for our Super Bowl party this weekend - I'm thinking I'll make baked ham and cheese sliders which I was sure I've posted about before but can't find it anywhere...so I'll post now (if this is a repeat I'm sorry - and let me know where it is since I've lost it!). These are easy, foolproof, hold well, and are really yummy. Perfect finger food/heavy munchie/super bowl party worthy.

Of course I also can't find a picture of these delish little sandwiches - so I'll share this photo and the original recipe from Kings Hawaiian, mine look pretty much just like this (maybe not as well photographed LOL but still...)!

Ingredients:

24 slices of deli honey ham
6 Slices of swiss cheese, cut into fourths
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/2 cup butter melted
1 tablespoon Onion Powder
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
2 packages (12 count) KING'S HAWAIIAN Original Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls

Directions:

1. Cut rolls in half (leaving them intact, so they are all still hooked together) and spread mayo onto 1 side of the rolls. Place a slice or two of ham and slice of swiss cheese in roll. Replace the top of the rolls and bunch them closely together into a baking dish.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together poppy seeds, dijon mustard, melted butter, onion powder and worcestershire sauce. 
3. Pour sauce over the rolls, just covering the tops. Cover with foil and let sit for 10 minutes.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for additional 2 minutes until tops are slightly browned and crisp. Serve warm.


Note: you can make these ahead of time and keep in the fridge until it's time to bake. You can also easily change the ingredients - different meat and cheese, omit the poppy seeds, whatever you want!


Other Super Bowl food ideas that I've posted in the past:
root beer bbq pulled pork
snack football stadium
football deviled eggs
mini pigs in a blanket
chocolate covered strawberries
football cupcakes
fruit helmet

Folded Paper Pouch

I forgot about making these cool folded paper pouches at Ronda's a while ago, sorting thru photos today I came across them and thought I'd share - looking thru my photos I realize I am quite behind blogging a bunch of things! Apparently I make more than I have days to share hahah!!

I still love the other open top pouch I made for Ronda (all 120 of them - click here for that post) and continue to make them; the last time was at Christmas when I made one with a cover which I figured out how to do all by myself (!) to hold a few gift cards. See it at the bottom of this post (I forgot how cute it turned out!).

For this folded pouch you'll need a piece of cardstock 4 1/2" x 12".

Score both of the long sides 3/4" in, then turn the paper and score across the narrow side at 2 1/2" and 8". Starting at the top where the 2 1/2" score line is, remove 8" of the long sides as shown (leaving 3/4" x 4" piece that forms tabs at the bottom edge where the other score line is - see picture).

Fold the two side tabs in, apply adhesive to the back sides of the tabs (the white strips in the below picture shows where I applied double stick tape), then fold at the bottom score line so the tabs stick and create the opening. You can notch the top corners if you want a little more detail. Once again, look at the picture to try to figure out what I'm saying - it's not hard I just have issues describing what I'm doing!

To finish, put whatever goodie you want into the pouch (Ronda's held Stampin' Up gem embellishments which fit perfectly) and fold the top part down at the remaining score line (the one that you made at 2 1/2"). It will overlap the pouch opening a little bit.

She had me make these cute tags to stick on the front overtop of some twine I wrapped and tied to hold the flap down.

A few days later I made the same pouch to hold a gift card using double-sided patterned paper, I like the contrasting pattern on the inside. You can see I didn't notch the corners, tied pretty ribbon around to keep the flap closed and attached a card to finish it.

Here is the other paper pouch that I learned to make from Ronda, I added a cover over the open end to sort of turn a gift card holder into more of a present. Cute, right?

Salsa Verde Pork Enchilada Casserole

We had lots of leftover shredded pork after Greek pork taco night, I googled ideas for leftover shredded pork and found this one. It reminds me of my favorite chicken enchilada suizas (click here for that post - they are so good!), this uses a little cream cheese instead of sour cream and they turned out delicious. I pretty much followed the recipe, I'll note the couple little changes I made in parenthesis. I served it with a shredded lettuce, tomato, and avocado salad on the side.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups shredded pork
• 15 corn tortillas
• 1 16oz. jar of salsa verde (it's green salsa, find it in the Mexican aisle at the grocery store)
• 2 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 8 oz. shredded monterey jack cheese
• cilantro for serving  (I'd say this is optional since I forgot to add it to ours and they still tasted great!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350'.
2. Reserve 1 cup of salsa. Combine cream cheese and remaining salsa and mix well. (note: I put the cream cheese and remaining salsa in my little food processor to get it nice and smooth).
3. Wrap the tortillas between damp paper towels and microwave for 1 minute (note: I did not do this step). 
4. Spread the reserved cup of salsa in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
5. Lay 5 tortillas over the salsa, you can rip them in half to cover more of the surface if you want.
6. Spread 1/3 of the sauce on top of the tortillas.
7. Place half of the shredded pork on top.
8. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese.
9. Repeat layering 5 tortillas, 1/3 of the sauce, the rest of the pork, and 1/3 of the cheese.
10. Finish with a layer of 5 tortillas, remaining sauce and cheese. (note: I made this earlier in the day, covered the pan with aluminum foil and refrigerated it for a couple hours before baking it).
11. Bake for 30 minutes, or until warmed thru and the cheese is melted. 
12. Top with chopped cilantro if you remember ;)

serves 6-8. click here to see the original recipe source

one year ago: wedding day mimosas
two years ago: getting the guest room ready

Words - 'Your Story'

I love to collect quotes, motivations, words to think about...my photos, phone, and desktop are full of them! I think they can be relevant to my blog about 'making things'...they make me think, make me motivated, make me stop for a second and reflect, make my day, and help to make me be a better me. So every now and then I'll share one - hopefully they'll also help 'make your day' :)

Gemstone Soap...by Brooke

Brooke made these fun gemstone soaps but didn't write it up for me to post. So this won't be as cute of a description as she would give, but here's how she did it.

Click here for instructions on how she normally makes soap, there's a cute video of her showing what she does.

For these big gemstone soaps she layered different colors of melted soap in big plastic cups (red solo, etc.) letting each layer set up before adding the next layer. Once the whole thing is firm peel off the cup - you're left with a big chunk of soap. She then just whittled away the sides using a kitchen knife until she got the effect she was after. Easy!

Anniversary Card

I had a photo from my sister's wedding last year made into a 4x6 magnet that I sent them for their one-year anniversary - I didn't have a card though and really planned to go buy one until it dawned on me that I have a craft room full of paper and supplies to make one (not to mention that I help Ronda who has a CARD-MAKING business! Geesh you'd think my first thought would have been to make one and not buy it!). Anyway...I started to make a card with a little heart on the front (I'm turning that into a Valentines card and will show you later) but then had the idea to use the magnet as part of the card.

Their wedding colors were navy and blush so I thought it'd be a little nice touch making this card from those colors. Using an oval die cut and my Big Shot I cut out a hole in the center of the navy card (a piece of 9"x 6.25" cardstock folded in half), measuring first where it needed to be so you could see their faces - this took me a couple tries to get it centered correctly. Then punched out the word "happy" from blush cardstock using a set of word die-cuts I have from Stampin' Up - I love how pretty the font is - and layered it on top of a rectangle strip of glitter paper and a glitter paper heart using foam dimensionals. Inserted the magnet and held the card shut by wrapping it with a pretty piece of ribbon. Simple but I think it's cute - Happy Anniversary Sissy!

one year ago: Kyle's sausage stuffed acorn squash
two years ago: stamp a floor mat

Updated Side Table

before...

I have this little table in my office that is too modern for the space - I was in a 'that's gotta go' mood but then thought maybe it just needed a fresh look. It started with the frosted glass top that was a weird off white greenish color - I happen to have a fresh roll of that woodgrain contact paper (are you sick of seeing that stuff by now? So far I've made Sarge's 'doghouse' and covered the chair backs at our new game table with it) so I simply cut out a big circle and stuck it to the top. Much better. It was still pretty modern looking tho with the metal legs so I got some thick twine for $3 at the hardware store and started wrapping. I didn't glue anything and the contact paper can easily be removed so I haven't permanently changed the table if I ever want to change it again. Easy fix and it looks so good now in my little space!

...and after

one year ago: eggs and avocado toast
two years ago: citrus scented lamb stew

Organizing...Your Life!

I read an article about organizing different areas to help your house run more efficiently and got all excited about one specific idea using a small notebook. The woman writes down everything in this little book that she carries everywhere with her - goals, to-do lists, menu plans, weekly schedules, etc all go in the book. She still uses her digital calendar and master schedule, but likes writing it all down and having it with her...not gonna lie, I started searching for the perfect small notebook a little obsessively with big plans to do this system myself. Then I paused...and realized that even though I love making lists and being organized I would be creating more work for myself having to keep the notebook up-to-date (I usually leave my purse in the car, and I know I'm not going back out to the car to get the notebook! And then I'd have to remember to put it back in my purse..nope, not gonna happen), in addition to my digital calendar and big planner that sits in the kitchen and I love (my sister buys me one every year - it functions as both calendar and diary). I did incorporate a couple of the ideas from the small notebook system though and it's working so well for me I thought I'd share.

I'm still using my big planner as it's intended (scheduling/calendar) but have added a couple things - the book is big enough for me to draw a line down the center of each facing page and use one half for menu planning (a side note: I'm very bad about meal planning, we just run to the store most days and get what we want for dinner. Once in a while I go get big groceries, usually when Dave complains that we are out of everything! I'm hoping that by actually making a plan I'll be able to buy enough once a week that we don't need to run to the store constantly!) and the other half for a weekly to-do list. I've only been doing this for 3 weeks but it's already making a difference - seeing it all written down in the planner that I look at every day makes me get the to-do list done, and I only made one extra trip to the store last week. Ahhh.

I also started recording work-outs and chores that I need to do to help keep those things on track. I'm really liking this new system - let's see if I keep it up!

one year ago: string art

two years ago: Dave's Cosmopolitans 

Skillet Chicken and Veggie Pot Pie

So I realize this is like the 3rd food thing I've posted in a row, and I don't normally do that...but Tuesday 1/23 is NATIONAL PIE DAY!!!!! I love pie. Pie is right up there with donuts, wine, and bacon. And the fact that national pie day is tomorrow is just screaming for me to make a pie ;) I made this early just so you can enjoy it for national pie day if you want!!

I've been sticking to the whole "no sweets/added sugar" thing this month and that means making a berry or apple (or coconut, or chocolate cream, or Cathy's strawberry pineapple - I'm going to share that one with you at some point, it's so good!) would just be too hard. But I'm thinking national pie day could also be a savory pie, right? I saw this recipe on cookinglight.com and since "light" is in the title I thought I'd give it a try.

Right off the bat I'll say that their picture and mine is 100% different. I actually thought I was going to post this recipe as a "fail" just based on the pictures. But then we ate it and I have to say, it tastes really good. Really really good. Dave laughed at how mine looked until he tried it - he actually said "ok, I hate to say this, but it's really good. It just doesn't look like the picture". Get past the fact that it looks nothing like their picture (I'm fairly certain that even though the recipe calls for refrigerated pie crust they used something else! Either homemade crust or puff pastry or something...)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 (6 oz.) boneless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 3 cups unsalted chicken stock, divided
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup sliced carrot
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 4 cups coarsely chopped turnip greens or kale
• 1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 3/4-in. cubes (about 3 cups)
• 3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 pkg. refrigerated piecrust
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 10-inch cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side. Place chicken on a cutting board; let stand 10 minutes. Shred into large pieces.

2. Combine 2 1/2 cups stock and flour in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Add onion, carrot, and garlic; sauté 6 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup stock, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in turnip greens; cook 1 minute. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and flour mixture. Add turnips; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in chicken and parsley. Remove pan from heat.

3. preheat oven to 425'

4. Arrange piecrust over pan, folding edges under as needed. Cut slits in dough to allow steam to escape. Brush with egg white. Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

I can never remember which is a turnip and which is a rutabaga.
Thank goodness they label this stuff now at the grocery store!
Here is a turnip before (r) and after I peeled it with a vegetable peeler (l).

on the stove before adding the crust

I served it in wide shallow soup bowls thinking it was going to be too runny for a plate,
but it actually came together and thickened up while baking. It's just the crust on top
 that's not as pretty as it should be!

here is the photo that accompanied the original recipe on cooking light. I kind of knew that mine wasn't going to look like this - totally false advertising on their part. Don't let that stop you from making this healthier version of chicken pot pie though!! It tastes really good! 

recipe found here. 8 servings, 297 calories each, 11.9 fat, 28g carb

one year ago: make reserved signs for a wedding or party
two years ago: Brooke made a pencil holder

Greek Pork, Tzatziki Sauce, and Lemon Rice Pilaf

This is a beyond easy recipe for crock-pot shredded pork - adding the lemon juice and spices changed it from my standard shredded pork recipe and made for a delish Greek taco dinner (with plenty left over to make salsa verde carnitas casserole that I'll share later!). We put the pork in store-bought flatbread (or pita) like a taco, next time I want to try my hand at making the flatbread from scratch tho...topped with chopped tomatoes, feta crumbles, and tzatziki sauce, served with lemon rice pilaf. So good, and something different!

GREEK SHREDDED PORK

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds pork loin roast (not tenderloin, I think that would be too lean)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 teaspoons Greek seasoning blend (or mix together oregano, onion powder, garlic powder)
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper 

Directions:

1. Place the pork in a 5-6 quart crock-pot. In a small bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients, pour over the pork. Turn the pork a few times to coat in the mixture.
2. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours (or high for 4-5 hours). Shred the pork with two forks and keep warm in the crock-pot until ready to serve.

TZATZIKI SAUCE

Mix together and refrigerate until ready to serve:

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup grated or diced very small seedless cucumber 
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional, but yummy)
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• pinch of black pepper
• drizzle of olive oil

note: traditional tzatziki doesn't have feta in the sauce, you can add it tho and it's yummy - or just add feta crumbles on top of the meat in your "taco". 

LEMON RICE PILAF - this is my non-recipe version, google if you want an "actual" recipe!

In a large skillet put 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once it's hot add 3 cups of cooked brown rice and 1 cup cooked orzo, stir until it gets hot. Add a Tablespoon of Greek seasoning (or mix together oregano, onion powder, garlic powder like in the Greek pork recipe above). Once that's all combined and hot taste to see if you need more seasoning, salt and/or pepper. Add some lemon juice (I don't know how much, I kept adding until it tasted good to me - probably 1/4 cup but just add slowly and keep tasting). 

Obviously I had cooked rice and orzo in the fridge so putting this together was so quick and simple!

recipe for pork and tzatziki from melskitchencafe.com

Broccoli-Apple Salad with Creamy Italian Dressing

I threw this together for my lunch today - very simple, yummy, healthy, and quick. It isn't really a recipe other than the dressing I used is the Creamy Italian from that fantastic corn salad I posted last summer (click here for that post).

For this salad I tossed together blanched broccoli, chopped apples, a handful of dried cranberries, and a sprinkle of chopped bacon with a bit of the dressing - so good! Obviously you don't have to make your salad this way - it's sort of a "kitchen sink" kind of dish, just use whatever you have on hand.

Here's the dressing recipe again:

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
2 pinches cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons water

Whisk all ingredients together until thick and creamy. Refrigerate.

Carved Watermelon Football Helmet...by Jenny

Hi All, 

Non cooking non crafty sister again.  In my continuing quest to have my sister do all my baking (as well as all family birthday shopping/wrapping/mailing)  I feel its time to pay my dues again. 

Its almost super bowl time so I have been saving this one for an entire year.  Every now and then I have to prove my sister didn’t get all the crafting talent and I choose to refrain by choice (gotta let her have her thing).  This is about as crafty as I get. 

1.  

            Using a round watermelon, slice off a piece approximately 4 inches down on the stem end. Set cut piece aside to use later for mouth guard.

2.       Make a curved cut from one side of the melon to the other to cut out the face portion of the helmet. Hollow out the entire melon.

3.       

       Take the piece that was set aside in step #1 and place cut side down. Place knife at the center of stem end and cut in half.

4.       Take one half of cut piece and draw mouth guard grid with a sharp pencil or thin marker as shown in picture. (unless you are crafty and wanna just wing it). Remove flesh and using a small knife, cut out grid design.

5.       To assemble, place mouth piece on a plate. Place the helmet piece on top, pushing the mouthpiece ends towards the inside of the helmet. You may need to carve a little out of the helmet ends to fit the mouth grid comfortably. Mine kept falling so I used toothpicks hidden inside to hold it on.

6.       Fill with fruit salad.

That’s it for now.  Since my Lions aren’t in the Super Bowl (shocker), I don’t really care who wins.  So just eat the fruit and 

watch those commercials.