Fish Tacos

Ok.... this is a family favorite, but there are SO many different ways to prepare it. Also, it's not a picky dish, if you don't have something in the house you can easily substitute something else.

Fish Tacos

Tortillas:
you can use either corn or flour. if we have corn that's generally my first choice to use for fish tacos.... i think it's more authentic that way.

Filling:
this consists of 3-4 things: fish, sauce, salsa, salad.
Fish: easiest way is to throw a couple of fish sticks in the microwave, but that doesn't generally taste the best. if i do use fish stick, baking them so they're nice and crispy is best. or you can make your own fried fish. or if you want to do it a little healthier, (and this is what i generally do because it is quick and pretty inexpensive) is you can get your own fish (i generally use a white fish, tilapia or cod, but really you could experiment with any kind of fish) and then prepare what i call scrambled fish: in a frying pan put a couple teaspoons of oil or butter. add a clove of minced garlic, let the garlic cook about a minute and then add your fish. as the fish cooks let it break apart into small chunks. season with salt and pepper.
Sauce: Mayonaise and tabasco. Use as much or as little tabasco as you want to get the desired heat. I don't use a lot in mine (sometimes none at all) but husband normally likes it so hot that he sweats.
Salsa: I just use my pico de gallo.... you can find the recipe here.
Salad: I use either shredded lettuce or cabbage... and if i don't have either, no biggie, i'll leave it out. but it does add some nice texture.

Caramel Popcorn

This is the easiest caramel popcorn recipe ever. I had an old roomate that I got this from. Her family would make this and play cards Sunday afternoon. It was a great tradition.

Caramel Popcorn

3 gallons of popped popcorn
2 c packed brown sugar
1 c caro syrup
1 cube butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Combine brown sugar and caro syrup in a pot and bring to a boil. Add butter and cook until butter melts and mixture boils again. Add sweetened condensed milk, bring to a boil, cook to soft ball stage. Pour over popcorn, stir well and serve.

Honey, Mustard, and Rosemary Pork Roast

Honey, Mustard and Rosemary Pork Roast 

 3/4 c beer 

1/2 c dijon mustard 

6 Tbsp honey 

1/4 c olive oil 

2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (1 Tbsp dried) 

2 Tbsp chopped garlic 

2 lb boneless pork roast 

1/2 c whipping cream 

 Wisk first 6 ingredients to blend in a glass bowl. Add pork and turn to coat. Let stand at room temp. 1 hour or cover and refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 350. Transfer pork to roasting pan and reserve marinade. roast until thermometer inserted into center reaches 150 (abt 55 minutes) Let stand 15 minutes. Strain marinade into sauce pan. add cream and juices from roasting pan. Boil sauce until reduced to 1 1/2 cups (abt 15 minutes) Season with salt and pepper.

Pork Chops in Sour Cream Sauce

Pork Chops in Sour Cream Sauce

1 Tbsp olive oil
6 pork chops
1 c water
1/2 medium onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 cube beef bullion
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 c ketchup
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 c water
1/2 c sour cream

Brown pork chops in olive oil. Add water, onions, garlic, and bullion. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove pork chops and set aside. Add brown sugar and ketchup to onion mixture. Mix together and cook on medium high for 1-2 minutes (add extra water if needed). In a small bowl combine flour and water. Slowly add to ketchup mixture. Cook until thickened. Add sour cream and remove from heat. Add pork chops and turn to coat. Serve with rice.

Beef Stew

Beef Stew

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs stew meat (1" pieces)
2 c flour
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
2 c sliced mushroomos
3 c beef stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 lb new potatoes diced
1 c diced carrots
1 c diced onion (or frozen pearl onions)
1/2 c frozen peas
4 fresh thyme sprigs
4 fresh oregano sprigs
4 fresh rosemary sprigs
2 bay leaves

In a medium bowl combine flour. pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, and salt. Heat olive oil in large skillet. Dredge meat in flour mixture and brown in olive oil. Remove from heat and place in a large pot. Add 1 c stock to skillet and scrape all the goodies off the bottom. Add thyme, oregano, rosemary and bay leaves. Pour mixture into pot with meat. Add mushrooms remaining stock and tomato paste. Cover and simmer 2-3 hours. Remove bay leaves, thyme, oregano, and rosemary sprigs. Add potatoes, carrots and onion. Cook for an additional 20 minutes. Add frozen peas during last minute of cooking. Serve hot with homemade bread.

Brussel Sprouts

This is my Mom's favorite recipe, well maybe not .... but it is her favorite way to cook brussel sprouts.

Brussel Sprouts

1 tsp olive oil
1 c chopped red onion (if we don't have red we'll use yellow)
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin (we just use the minced stuff that we have on hand... but fresh is better)
8 c brussel sprouts sliced
1/2 c chicken broth
1 tsp sugar
8 tsp chopped pecans toasted (oven @ 350 for ~5 min)

Heat oil. Saute onion and garlic for 4 minutes until lightly browned. Add brussel spourts and saute 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and sugar, cook 5 minutes stirring frequently. Sprinkle with pecans.

Pollo Loco

Crazy chicken. This was one of Marco and my favorite meals from a restaurant back in Raleigh. It's not exact, but it's the closest thing.

Pollo Loco 

4 chicken breasts, fillet and pound flat 

juice from 1 lemon 

juice from 1 large orange 

2 Tbsp vinegar 

1 tsp worchestershire sauce 

3/4 c chili sauce (I substitute ketchup with a LOT of chili powder) 

2 tsp sugar 

2 tsp garlic powder 

1 dash tobasco sauce 

2 Tbsp oil 

 Wisk all ingredients together and marinade 4-24 hours. Grill on medium high, 6-8 minutes each side. Serve with spanish rice, pico de gallo, and a salad. This also makes a great freezer meal.... prepare the chicken, throw together the marinade. Place it all in a plastic bag and throw it in the freezer... it marinades as it thaws.