Simple Fresh Chipotle Chicken Sausage Tacos

Easiest Chipotle Chicken Sausage Tacos

This meal kind of got pieced together but it came out fantastic with great flavor.  For these tacos it really is the super fresh salsa and guacamole that made it all come together.  Again trying to choose healthier protein options I brought home a package of chipotle chicken sausage.  And yet again I got skeptical looks from my meat loving husband.  Earlier in the day I have been out in the vegetable garden and besides a huge bounty of eggplant (which I will have to find recipes to use it all up) there were a few small red bell peppers and a couple more big tomatoes.  Knowing we were going for tacos this evening I decided to try my hand at a homemade salsa.  A quick trip the grocery store for some cilantro (sadly that did not want to grow in our garden) and a jalapeno pepper and we were set.  A few pulses of the food processor later and our kitchen smelt great!

This started after picking a few more tomatoes and a few little bell peppers from the garden probably some of the last ones for this season.  

Salsa:

Two big tomatoes roughly chopped

1 bell pepper

1/2 or 1 jalapeno pepper (depending how spicy you like it)

1 yellow onion roughly chopped

1 handful of cilantro

1 juice of a lime

2 teaspoons of honey

2 teaspoons of cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Quite simply put all ingredients into the food processor and pulse until desired consistency.

Fresh Guacamole: 

One ripe hass avocado pitted and roughly chopped

1/2 lime juiced

approximately tablespoon chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl mash the avocado.  Blend the rest of the ingredients.

Chipotle Chicken Sausage Tacos:

1 package of chipotle chicken sausage chopped(from Fresco or Johnsonville)

1/2 bell pepper cut into thin strips

1/2 scallion finely chopped

1 teaspoon cumin

Crispy taco shells

shredded cheese

In a heated pan of little olive oil cooked chopped chicken sausage until it starts to brown and crisp.  Add cumin and let cook about a minute.  Next add the scallion and bell pepper and cook another 2 minutes.  Heat taco shells on a cookie sheet in a 325 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes.  Place chicken sausage mixture into taco shells, top with fresh salsa, guacamole, and shredded cheese.  

**Easy side: I served my tacos with a side of canned black beans and frozen corn I cooked in a small pot with a sprinkle of cumin and some of the leftover scallion and bell pepper I can chopped for the tacos.  Easy and delish!

Asian Turkey Burger

In an effort to make healthier selections I have been wanting to try ground lean turkey instead of ground beef. However like many I had a resistant husband. When a coupon and a sale inspired me to make the leap. His reaction was "really ground turkey what are you going to do with that?"  I came across what sounded like a great recipe for Asian turkey burgers.  I thought why not let's give it a try. I had a wonderful recipe already for an Asian slaw, this went wonderfully on top of the burger.

The flavors of this burger and the slaw on top complimented each other so well.

My husband's only issue with the burger....I made them a little too fat! Other then that his reaction after being skeptical about the ground turkey was "oh my god that is a good burger!"  He would like to see it again soon on our weekly menu.

Recipe:

Asian Turkey Burger-

Ingredients

     

    For the mayo-

    

    3 tablespoons mayonnaise

    1 tablespoon of Sriracha

    For the burgers-

   

    1 1/2 lbs ground turkey

    1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

    1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro  

    3 cloves minced garlic

    2 scallions, finely chopped

    3 tablespoons soy sauce

    1 tablespoon sesame oil    

    1 tablespoon minced ginger

    1 teaspoon red pepper flake

    Hamburger buns

    For the Asian Slaw-

     1 red or orange bell pepper- thinly sliced

     1 onion (red or yellow)- thinly sliced

     1 carrot- thinly slice or shredded

     2 tablespoons of soy sauce

     1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

     1 teaspoon minced ginger

     1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

• To make the mayo, mix together the mayonnaise and the Sriracha in a small bowl and set aside.

• Next prepare the slaw so the flavors can blend while the burgers cook.  Mix all the liquid slaw ingredients in a medium bowl.  Toss the sliced vegetables in the sauce and set aside in the fridge.

• Using your hands, mix all the ingredients for the burgers in a large bowl until just incorporated.  Scoop out mixture and form into a patty. Repeat until all the mixture is used.

• Heat a grill pan (or an outdoor grill)   Lightly oil the pan.  Grill the patties about 5 to 7 minutes per side, until well browned on both sides and a meat thermometer reads 165.  

• As burgers finish grilling toast buns on grill.  When buns are ready spread mayo mixture on top of bun.  Burgers can be served with the slaw on top.  If you would rather eat slaw as a side top burgers with tomato and lettuce.  I also topped our burgers with swiss cheese which worked wonderful with the flavors but tasted great without!

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Home Organization- Part 1- Fridge

Recently I over the summer I reached my breaking point with the chaos that had been taking over my fridge.  We are all guilty of it just quickly throwing things wherever there is the smallest of spaces, then forgetting things as they get pushed to the back.  That's when science projects begin to form in the back of your fridge on the mystery leftovers.  For my husband and I there is recent desire to eat healthier and also not to be wasteful.  So yes having the desire and want for a change, however the immediate push to actually do something about it took a little longer.  I think the breaking point for me came when one morning standing barefooted with the door wide open looking for something I reached around looking for my required item, of course as I looked for it I gathered an armful of objects when finally reaching for my found item and a glass jar of tomato sauce inevitably came crashing down around my bare feet.  My kitchen is white tile floors.  Needless to say this was not how I wanted to start my day standing amidst my white floor with tomato sauce toes surrounded by broken glass.

It was a few days later that I headed out to the local dollar store to secure me some baskets to organize my chaos.  So far two weeks or so into my reorganization things are going along swimmingly.  It has made things neater and easier to locate things.  This also lead me to venture into my freezer to stop the onslaught of frozen meat at my head whenever I opened it.  Again two simple baskets costing me all of two dollars has made life so much better!

 Two baskets in the tiny freezer have now made it so much easier to locate things without being hit in the head with frozen meat.

A few baskets in the fridge have corralled smaller items. (yogurts, fruit cups etc..) The green baskets now hold our cheese and deli meats.

Shrimp and Clam Boil

Nothing better on a summer day then a fresh catch meal.  I looked through a few recipes for a few different boils and decided to use bits from a few and this is what came about.  Using some fresh jumbo shrimp and littleneck clams, kielbasa, fresh picked corn, potatoes, and a beer.

Recipe: (served 3)

About 15 jumbo shrimp

About 15 littleneck clams

Two ears of corn (or frozen)

On bottle/can of a lager beer

handful of colorful little potatoes (cut in half or quarters according to size)

1lb of smoked kielbasa (cut in one inch or so pieces)

1 tablesppon of old bay seasoning (more or less to taste)

pinch of cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)

salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil with the bottle of beer, old bay seasoning, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.  Put the potatoes and corn in the pot and boil about 10 minutes.  Next place the kielbasa in the pot and boil another 7-8 minutes.  Place the clams in and boil another 5 minutes, finally place the shrimp in the pot and boil until the shrimp is pink and potatoes and corn should be tender.  When serving add more seasoing (old bay, salt/pepper to taste) serve with toasted garlic bread.

1st Anniversary Gift

As my first wedding anniversary approached I was racking my brain for a gift idea that would stick to the paper theme. I had seen suggestions for photo albums, concert tickets, etc... However we just returned from a Caribbean cruise and we have concert tickets for the end if the summer. So I came up with the idea of a "date night idea book". I put together a binder with lots of different ideas for possible date nights. There are enough ideas to last for date once a week for a year. Ranging from silly nights at home to nights out on the town or full day trips. I found tons of ideas from the website http://www.thedatingdivas.com a wonderful resource for couples!

Very simply I found a nice binder to hold everything in...

Part of the collection included quiz books on how well you know your spouse good for a night in.  Also good for a nice in is the Lovers' Massage Book!  All found on Amazon.

 I added dividers so that I could group the ideas my sections were: A night out on the town, A night at home, I challenge you, Coupons, Advertisements (for me to place clippings from the paper etc..)

I am such the coupon clipper so this will help keep them organized when needed for a night out.

I hope this is helpful for a unique first anniversary "paper" gift.

For our anniversary we spent the day out east on Long Island, NY.  We drove out to Montauk Point, walked around the village, then made our way home stopping at a farmer's market in Amagansett, and stopping for a picnic at a winery or two in the Hamptons.  All in all is was a wonderful day with just the two of us! 

Scallop Po Boys

Scallop Po Boys

Joe and i have been trying to vary up our dinner to include more fish.  To eat a little healthier we have made a conscience decision to try and eat fish twice a week, chicken twice a week, a meatless meal at least once, and the last day can be anything.  Now I understand that the fried scallops on this sandwich are not necessarily healthy but we are just starting out, at least we stuck to the fish category!I have a big bag of frozen bay scallops I purchased at BJ's recently and was looking for something to do with them when I came across this recipe.  The sandwiches were fantastic.  I liked the spice from the hot sauce, and the scallops had a great flavor. 

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges, for serving
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• Hot sauce, to taste
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 pound bay scallops, patted dry
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 4 hot dog buns
• 4 lettuce leaves

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, teaspoon paprika, and hot sauce; season with salt and pepper. Set spicy mayo aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs, flour, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon paprika; season with salt and pepper. Add scallops, and toss to coat.
3. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Working in two batches, fry scallops, tossing occasionally, until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer scallops to a paper-towel-lined plate; season with salt.
4. Dividing evenly, spread inside of buns with spicy mayo. Top with a lettuce leaf, then scallops. Serve po boys immediately, with lemon wedges.

recipe source: http://www.marthastewart.com

Teacher Summer Gift

As the end of June is here many are thinking of gifts to give their children's teacher.  As a teacher myself I have gotten my fair share of wonderful gifts and some that hmmm I enjoy the thought that the student wanted to give me a gift but I have no use for.  So I thought I would share some ideas for teacher gifts. 

List of ideas for a teacher gift:

1. At the end of the year leading into a summer why not a wrap a towel with a tube of sunscreen and a magazine.
2. Gift cards are always useful and appreciated.
3. With so many budget cuts and supplies very limited for teachers, perhaps a basket or plastic bin filled with items to get started for September. (post-its, a box of pencils/pens, box of tissues, ream of paper etc..)
4. A recent idea I saw for a male teacher is a metal tub with some grilling tools, BBQ sauces, and a tag that read "For a teacher that was on fire this year"

5. Another food treat would be a box that contains ice cream toppings, cones, waffle bowls, sprinkles, etc... with a tag that read "wishing you a cool summer".

As with any gift it is the thought that counts. It doesn't have to be over the top or expensive.   I know a simple hand written letter or note from students is always appreciated as at times we do not always hear "Thank You".

I found some other interesting ideas on the following website:

Plum Adorable

http://www.plumadorable.com/ten-teacher-gift-ideas/