Sweetie's Kitchen Adventures

Quinoa - Superfood! As well as an excellent choice for those new years resolutions of healthy eating. I found it over at Mel's Kitchen Cafe . (I love every recipe I've tried from her blog)  I was so happy to have tried this recipe and have made it now several times. I love the texture of the quinoa and black beans, and the hint of heat from the cayenne is the perfect touch. Ingredients:  1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 cup frozen sweet white corn 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped Directions: In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When shimmering and hot, add the onions and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or two until the garlic is fragrant, be...

Happy New Year Y'all! It's a tradition to eat black eyed peas and cabbage on new years... for luck and prosperity.  I did a little research this morning and this is what I found. For New Years, pork represents health and wealth, and continued prosperity. Some say also that a pig also represents progress - since pigs pretty much can't just look backward without completely turning around, so a pig represents forward progress. The tradition of black-eyed peas for southerners is believed to have originated back during Civil War times when Sherman's soldiers raided southern homes, taking virtually all of the food and burning the crops, but mostly ignoring the fields of black-eyed peas, because they thought them to be food for the livestock and of no value otherwise. As one of the few food sources left to sustain the people and the southern soldiers, those black-eyed peas came to represent good fortune. The black-eyed peas represent coins, cabbage represents paper ...

My husband is totally a Velveeta guy. He will choose processed american melty cheese over anything else. And I do mean anything… in addition to macaroni and cheese, he wants it on nachos, melted in scrambled eggs, and even Philly Cheese Steak! (Personally, Velveeta mac & cheese is my favorite too, but it's not the only cheese out there right!?!?) So… I knew he wasn’t going to be thrilled about this recipe, but I really wanted to give baked Macaroni and Cheese another shot. When I've tried to make it in the past it has been dry and not very flavorful and well…. dry. And the results were…      not bad! I dont think it will replace our beloved velveeta but it is a nice change. This is a Mark Bittman recipe and I am submitting this to IHCC Pot Luck. Ingredients: 21/2 cups milk 2 bay leaves 1 pound elbow, shell, ziti, or other cut pasta 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 11/2 cups grated cheddar 1/2 cup freshly grated...

I'm back!! I am submitting this to IHCC. I haven't participated in a while... in fact I haven't cooked anything new lately. But I needed a side dish to go with my Tilapia, and I new Mark Bittman would have something to fit the bill. The rice turned out so flavorful and he has a ton of different options. The recipe is very versitle! Ingredients 2 to 4 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 1 chopped carrot 1 1/2 cups rice, preferably basmati Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 1/2 cups stock Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish Directions 1. Put 2 tablespoons of the butter or oil in a large, deep skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, add the onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. 2. Add the rice all at once, turn the heat down to medium, and stir until the rice is glossy, completely coated with butter or oil, and starting to color lightly, about 5 minutes...

The only squash casserole I ever knew existed consisted of sauteed onions and squash, saltine crackers and sliced american cheese. I mean, don't get me wrong... I love the stuff, but when I came across this recipe I just had to try it!! Please pardon the terrible picture. It does nothing more than show you how amazingly cheesy this casserole is. To be honest, grabbing the camera was an afterthought. This casserole was wonderfully full of flavor and did I mention cheesy?? I love cheese. The real stuff that you painstakingly shred yourself, not the weird bagged stuff. I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as we did! note: it was spicy (which was perfect for us) Tex-Mex squash casserole Ingredients: 2 yellow squash and 2 zucchini, cut into coins (4 cups) 1 medium onion, diced 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 jalapeno, diced 2 tablespoons of butter 1 can of Ro-Tel 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon of cumin 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper 1 cup of chicken or vegetable b...

Spanish Rice? Mexican Rice? Its just rice here and it is the perfect addition to any Mexican meal. It's a requirement at our house, and very easy to make. I think depending on what region of Mexico you are in, you will get different things in your rice (carrots, peas, etc.) but we are basic here... no extras. Of course that could all be in my head??? Not really sure where I got that information from. Enough of the chit chat, lets get cooking! Oh yeah, this recipe was taught to me by my mother in law who learned it from her father in law so this is family secret here ;) ... Shhhh, I wont tell if you wont.  Spanish Rice Ingredients 1/2 cup chopped onions 2 cloves garlic, minced 4oz tomato sauce (half of a small can) 1 cup rice 2 cups water salt and pepper to taste 2 tbsp olive oil Directions Start by heating oil over medium high heat in a skillet with a tight fitting lid (very important that the lid is tight or you'll have crunch rice...

Side Dish Superstar!! What a busy day! I have so many things to be thankful for, but most of all I am thankful for my wonderful family. I chose Nigella's Garlic Roast Potatoes as my Side Dish Superstar. They were absolutely delicious... I just wish I would have gotten a better picture before they disapeared. Garlic Roast Potatoes Ingredients 3 pounds maincrop potatoes (I used red potatoes) 1/3 cup regular olive oil 1 head garlic Kosher salt   Directions Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Wash and dry the potatoes, and cut them into about 3/4-inch dice. Toss in a large oven tray and pour over the oil, smulching around with your hands to mix well. Separate the head of garlic into cloves adding them to the tray, and roast for about 1 hour, turning once or twice during that time, until crispy and golden but still soft on the inside. When they're done, remove to a large plate and sprinkle with salt.