Pea Pasta Salad

Salad
2 to 3 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
1 bunch of chopped green onions
1 small red bell pepper, diced
12 oz. frozen baby sweet peas, thawed
2 cups shredded cheese (I use a cheddar and mozzarella blend)
1 12 oz. pkg. small elbow macaroni, cooked and cooled
6 to 8 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 head of iceberg lettuce, chopped

Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Dash of Cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup olive oil
2 TBS red wine vinegar (whatever vinegar you have on hand is fine)

Simple Instructions

I make everything a day in advance allowing the flavors to combine. Combine everything except for the bacon and lettuce. Right before serving, add the bacon and lettuce

Santa Fe Beef Enchiladas with Adobo Sauce

1 TBS. olive oil
1 TBS. butter
¼ cup flour
1 can of chicken broth
1 TBS. Chile powder
2 TBS. New Mexican Chile Powder (I order mine from The Shed’s website)
1 tsp. cumin
1 small can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef
Salt and pepper
12 flour tortillas plus extras (I use the freshly made flour tortillas from Kroger)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Pickled jalapenos

In a medium sauce pan heat the butter and oil. Add the flour whisk constantly. Add chicken broth, chopped chipotles, adobo sauce and ¾ cup of water. Add Chile powder, cumin and New Mexican Chile powder. Reduce heat and let sit about 10 minutes until nice and thick. You can always add more Chile powder for more of a kick.

In a large skillet, heat oil/butter over medium high heat. Add the beef, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. I add additional seasoning to the meat (extra Chile powder, garlic salt, sometimes Lawry’s seasoning, etc…). Cook for about 8 minutes or until the beef is cooked through. You can always do a mixture of beef and pork. That works wonders too.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Wrap the tortillas in foil and heat in the oven for about 10 minutes. Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish. Spoon about ¼ cup of the adobo sauce on the bottom of the pan. Next, fill each of the warm tortillas with ¼ cup of beef and 2 TBS. of cheese. Roll up and lay seam side down in the dish.

Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees. If your oven runs hot, heat to 425 degrees. Pour the adobo mixture over the enchiladas and cover with remaining cheese and a few jalapenos. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes, and then top with cilantro.

I serve mine enchiladas with a fried egg on top.

New Digs

We moved last week and we’re no longer within walking distance of a million bars and restaurants. I already miss them. I miss the convenience. The good news is that I’m happily forced to do more work (fun) in the kitchen. First off was my favorite enchilada casserole with New Mexico chile and Chipotle chiles in adobo. Heavens to Besty!!! M and I have been in high cotton with that casserole. Up next is more chocolate chip cookies from the freezer. I made a ton over the weekend to freeze and cook whenever I get the urge. Oh, the joys of adjusting to a new oven.

OTB

We live next door to On the Border off of Knox. As close as we are, we rarely visit. We made an exception and headed over there not once, but twice last weekend. First, it was for scooners of beer and chips and salsa. Have you had their salsa? It’s REALLY good! Dinner at OTB was not on the agenda, but after a few bites of their salsa we vowed to return the next night. M went with the beef/chicken fajita combo and I with the chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce. They were good. I’d take enchiladas at El Fenix over any other, but these were a nice stand in. We topped off the night with scoops of Wild About Harry’s. I just love their coconut flavor. Delicious!

Vampires

In case you were wondering. I’m in love with Edward Cullen.

Making my time in the car more enjoyable

I spend quite a bit of my time in my car. It takes me anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes to get to the tollway in the mornings. Once on the tollway, it takes me another 30 to 45 minutes before I get to work. It’s a good thing I’m traveling the opposite way of traffic. My commute never bothered me before. Well, that is not entirely true. It mildly bothered me, but now IT REALLY DRIVES ME CRAZY! I’ve been working 9 and 10 hour days. That along with my commute is pure hell.

M is great! He gets home before me and always has the dishwasher unloaded and the lights turned on. I come home well spent from a long day at work plus the commute. He’s been asking me if there is anything he can do to ease my tensions. I had an idea. I needed audio CD’s or audio downloads from iTunes. M has been filling up my playlist wonderfully. This week, it has been all about Ira Glass. I start Twilight today. My car rides just got a heck of a lot better. Nice, huh?

Dinner is on

I have a drink in hand and the oven is roaring.  I have vegetables roasting, mushrooms cooking and potatoes baking. Steaks are about to hit the pan and finish in the oven. It’s a good night.

I like steak

My promise to cook steaks last weekend came and went. Meaning, I didn’t feel like cooking. It’s strange to me that there are times when I have no desire to do something that I love. I had every intention of cooking on Saturday, but didn’t. Even more strange is that the very next day I whipped up several (five) dishes for Sunday dinner.

This weekend, I plan to redeem myself. I am going to cook steaks. The big question is in regards to the side dishes. I’ve already got a sweet potato for myself and a regular potato for M. Now what? Any suggestions? What are your favorites sides to go with hearty beef?

A little celebration

Last night M and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. The original plan was to cook steaks this weekend to celebrate. That’s still on the schedule. We took the opportunity to toast the occasion at Houston’s. Man, I love that place. We started off with the spinach dip which was great. M had the ribs with a Caesar salad, fries and cole slaw. I went with the cheeseburger,  house salad and fries. It was all really tasty. On the way home, we stopped off at Braum’s for a little ice cream fix. It was a fabulous night.

I have a question. Do you remember when Houston’s was on Walnut Hill Lane? Yep, me too. I loved that location. I also loved the barbecue chicken on the menu. Where did it go? Same with the Ahi tuna. It’s prepared completely different now. Is there anything that you miss on the menu at Houston’s?

Satisfied

There was a slight rain delay for yesterday’s game, but all went as planned. I got my bobble head and some good ballpark grub. What is it with ballpark nachos? I love them! I like them loaded up with extra cheese and jalapenos. Several beers and a hot dog later I was living the life.

I woke up close to noon today. Rats. I hate it when I miss a good portion of the day. The weather is gorgeous! My Mom and I went for a nice long walk and then it was a trip to the grocery store for ingredients for tonight’s dinner; fish tacos. Personally, I was craving a big old bowl of spaghetti with ricotta, cream and roasted tomatoes. Not so for M. He always gives me that funny look when I ask, “how does spagetti sound for dinner tonight?” I thought everyone loved spaghetti. What’s up with that?

Off to read the paper and make my way through a massive stack of magazines. Last thought before I sign off. I used to dread Mondays because it seemed like the next weekend was always so far away. Not so anymore. I feel like I blink my eyes and it’s already Friday again. When did time start moving so fast? Is it just me or do you feel the same way?