Month: September 2008

Spicy Shrimp tacos with Tomatillo salsa

Spicy Shrimp tacos with Tomatillo salsa

Yesterday I posted a recipe for tomatillo salsa.  It was so fantastic!  I love green salsa, so it was a weird coincidence that flipping through an old Cooking Light magazine, I saw a recipe for spicy shrimp tacos with tomatillo salsa!  I think that was 

Roasted tomatillo salsa verde

Roasted tomatillo salsa verde

These are tomatillos.  The look like green tomatoes except they have these paper skins on them.  This is only my second attempt at making salsa and when I tasted it, I thought it tasted like it was from a Mexican restaurant, I was so excited!  

Spaghetti Pizza

Spaghetti Pizza

          There was this restaurant I went to as a teenager in Richmond, Virginia while on vacation that had the best baked spaghetti I have ever had in my life!  I can’t remember the name of the restaurant, but when I was 

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Chocolate chip pancakes have become a tradition in our house after spending a long weekend at the Wisconsin Dells.  The boys were 2 and 4, our daughter wasn’t even born yet.  We went to a restaurant called Mr. Pancake which had long lines and boasted 

Zucchini-Potato Latkes with Tzatziki sauce

Zucchini-Potato Latkes with Tzatziki sauce

I make potato pancakes at least a few times a month.  My oldest son always gets excited when I am making them for dinner.  He’ll smell them from another part of the house and come running.  “Are you making potato pancakes?”  And of course, when 

Team in Training

Team in Training

I’m taking a break from recipes today to ask for your help.  I mentioned before that for the last 3 years, my husband and I participated in Team in Training and completed the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon for two years, and that I did the Half 

Green Chicken Enchiladas

Green Chicken Enchiladas

I love mexican food!  This is a recipe I have made a bunch of times and it always gets rave reviews in my house.  The original recipe was from a book called “Eating for Life” by Bill Phillips.  For those of you who don’t know 

Light Eggless Omelettes

I printed out this recipe over a year ago with the intention of making them, but how many times do we copy recipes out of someone else’s cookbook, or print them off online, or copy from cooking magazines, but never make them?  This happens to 

Mini quiche biscuits

These are really easy to make, even on a weekday.  You can make them ahead and freeze them to heat up in the microwave at work, or make them for a brunch.  The base of mine is your basic refrigerator biscuit.  Each biscuit is only 

Zesty green beans

Zesty green beans

Green beans are about my favorite vegetable.  Tonight I made an awesome dish with green beans that I want to share with you.  1/2 pound of fresh or frozen green beans 1/4 of a large red onion, sliced 2 cloves of garlic, sliced 1 tablespoon 

Granola balls

Granola balls

I saw this recipe on Whole Foods web site and I made them to include in my kids lunches this week.   We all tried one and they taste awesome!  2 cups old-fashioned oats 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1/2 cup 

Nutella

Nutella

If you have never tried this before, I am warning you….DON’T!  My oldest son went to a friends house and when he came back he said he had tried Nutella and it was fantastic and please, please, please can I get some the next time 

Chocolate Dream Pie – the reduced fat/calorie version

Chocolate Dream Pie – the reduced fat/calorie version

When I was driving with my daughter in the car last week, she sometimes likes to play this game where she will say, “raise your hand if you like the color pink” or “raise your hand if you like marshmallows” to which if you like 

Beer and Cheese Soup

Beer and Cheese Soup

There used to be this tiny restaurant that was open in my town that made the best cheese soup ever!  You really couldn’t even call it a restaurant.  It was called Scottie’s Deli and there was a counter you could stand and eat at, and 

White bean and chicken chili

White bean and chicken chili

   I have never made white bean and chicken chili before.  I’ve read a ton of recipes over the years but I finally made my version of this great take on chili.  The best thing is you can also make this in your crock-pot.  If 

Chocolate Chip Cornbread

Chocolate Chip Cornbread

There are two magazines I get in the mail each month that makes me feel like its Christmas.  The first one is Cooking Light magazine, and the second one is Bon Appetit.  I usually don’t make a lot of things from Bon Appetit because they 

Chicken Brunswick Stew, a tribute to my Dad

Chicken Brunswick Stew, a tribute to my Dad

I got my love of cooking from my Dad.  When I was in grade school my Dad went back to school to become a chef.  Weekends were spent tasting my Dad’s “homework”.   Crepes suzette, pastries with all fabulous kinds of fillings like cherry or 

Banana chocolate chip muffin – Muffin of the week

Banana chocolate chip muffin – Muffin of the week

I made these muffins this morning before work.  It only took a few minutes to put the batter together, and you don’t need a lot of ingredients, and the oven does most of the work! 3 bananas, mashed 1 cup sugar 3 tb. butter, melted 

My cholesterol update

My cholesterol update

I have mentioned before, I found out this spring that my cholesterol was off the chart!  I went to my regular doctor check-up and I said to him.  “I’ve never had my cholesterol checked, can you check it?”  All it takes is a sample of 

Quick and fabulous dinner

Quick and fabulous dinner

I made a great dinner tonight in no time flat.  Since school has started back for my kids, so has all the open houses, and curriculum nights and PTO meetings.  Tonight we had two different meetings, and we had to be at school by 6:00 and I 

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins – Muffin of the week!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins – Muffin of the week!

I love Lemon Poppy Seed muffins.  I have tried many varieties of “healthy” versions, but mostly have come up short.  Either they are too dry, too diety tasting, or just plain gross.  This version is quite good.  It comes, of course, from one of my 

Eat your veggies!

Eat your veggies!

For the longest time, I would read in health and fitness magazines, books, websites, etc… to add more fruits and veggies to your diet and not only will it fill you up, but the calories are so much less than eating a granola bar, protein 

I’m back on!

I’m back on!

For those of you who know me personally, these are famous words of mine.  Of course, “back on” means I have veered off my diet for any length of time, then when I get serious again, I tell everyone “I’m back on!”  My sister even 

I'm back on!

I'm back on!

For those of you who know me personally, these are famous words of mine.  Of course, “back on” means I have veered off my diet for any length of time, then when I get serious again, I tell everyone “I’m back on!”  My sister even 

Easy breakfast – frittata

Easy breakfast – frittata

I woke up this morning starving!  I wanted a deluxe breakfast, but with getting ready for work, making lunches for the kids to go to school, finding socks that match etc… I thought I was going to have to resort to cereal.  I opened my