Homemade Baileys
* only read on if over the age of 21 * One of the greatest joys in my life is making things that others enjoy eating. I think it is especially fun to make my own foods that others would normally just buy (like ranch …
Tag: from scratch
Cream of Broccoli Soup
St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner so I have a delicious green soup for you today! This is a nice basic Cream of Broccoli Soup – it has all the flavors you would want and gets its thickness from potatoes that are cooked …
DIY Sushi Date Night
Sushi is tasty
Dates are fun
Why not make your own sushi for a tasty fun date night
I am by no means an expert on Sushi Making. We have done it a few times and honestly, the best way to learn to make sushi is to practice! You might want to watch a few videos (Hi YouTube), go out to eat & watch the expert make your rolls, or look up some tutorials.
The basics that you need to know are place your nori sheet on a bamboo mat. Place about 1/2 cup of your rice on the nori and pat it into the bottom 3/4 of the nori. Put your desired fillings carefully on the 1/3 of the nori closest to you. Carefully roll the sushi and then cut into 6 – 8 pieces. That is the long & the short of it.
Don’t expect the first (few) rolls to look good, but they will sure be tasty!
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There are a few things that you need…
- sense of fun/adventure
- acceptance that you might make mistakes
- Nori
- Sushi Rice
- Pickled Ginger
- Wasabi
- Sesame Seeds
- Soy Sauce
- Cream Cheese
- Cucumber
- Green Onions
- Avocado
- Imitation Crab
- Salmon
- Tuna
- Other Sushi Fillings of your choice
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One Year Ago – my Horoscope about making others happy through feeding them (which is still hanging in my kitchen)
And I leave you with this, Today’s Question of the Day… what is your favorite Date that is centered around an Activity?
Crispy Oven Fries
BUT – on a good note, these are at least ‘healthier’ fries (served with ‘healthier’ buffalo chicken). “Healthier than what?” you may ask – well healthier than what you would get at a restaurant of course! Now, I am not saying by any stretch of the imagination that this is good for you, but its not really that bad for you. A meal like this once in a while partnered with a regularly scheduled healthy diet and some activity equals a well balanced and happy life
Crock Pot Apple Butter
We light candles, we buy air fresheners, & use room sprays – but the best way to get the house smelling yummy is to cook something yummy!
Habanero Tomato Soup
Do no get scared off by this title – I ‘only’ used 1 habanero in the pot of soup and it was just spicy enough for me to feel it in my nose a little but without being too killer.
We had a whole bunch of tomatoes in the fridge that would have gone bad on the counter. They had spots that needed to be cut off of them and I wasn’t sure what to make for dinner. We also had some leftover Enchilada Pulled/Shredded Chicken (I just shredded all of the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken and heated it with a can of store-bought enchilada sauce which I doctored up with some extra cumin and such). I decided to make a Mexican Tomato Soup & of course our over-abundance of habaneros seemed like a logical choice to fit in with this!
This is an easy “after-work” meal. The first few days of school (and a long Labor Day Weekend) have thrown me off my normal schedule – but this soup has me back to my normal kitchen adventures, I have missed it! To create this meal I litterally just threw tomatoes in the blender & thought about flavors. Then pureeded batches of tomato & friends went into the pot to be heated/reduced/tasted/enjoyed. Perfect with a quick quesadilla on the side to finish off the “Mexican Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Dinner” theme.
Habanero Mexican Tomato Soup
- 8 cups pureed tomatoes (I just threw tomatoes in the blender and the amount of tomatoes I had which were ready to go ended up being about 8 cups – feel free to be flexible here
- 1 habanero (or jalapeno, whatever your tastes enjoy)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 roasted red pepper (from the jar or fresh – whatever)
- 2 sun-dried tomatoes (I have a jar in olive oil in the fridge)
- 1 medium onion
- 1 – 2 cups shredded chicken (if you don’t have leftovers: approx. 1 large breast – just boil and shred it)
- 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste) & 1/2 t pepper (to taste)
Working in batches, place all of your ingredients (except chicken – if using)) in the blender. I started with whatever fit in the blender & then dumped and went back to the blender for more. Place pot over medium heat and allow to come to a boil. Skim off the bubbly parts that rise to the top. I allowed this to simmer for about 30 minutes and thicken up quite a bit – allow it to just become as thick as you enjoy your soup!
Serve in bowls with some shredded cheese and sour cream. The ideal sour cream was mine that I mixed with some of my tasty Salsa Verde. Serve with a quick pan-sauteed quesadilla & enjoy the Mexican flavors of Tomato Soup
And I leave you with this, Today’s Question of the Day… When do you know when something is too spicy – how do you walk that line?