Tomato and Black Bean Burritos

4 - 12 inch tomato tortillas
2 - 15 oz cans black beans
15 oz can tomato sauce
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons lime juice, or lemon
1-2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil

First -
Tightly cover the tortillas with aluminum foil and put in a 350 F ° oven for 10 minutes to soften them.

Meanwhile -
In a sauce pan on medium heat, cook onions in olive oil till golden brown, then add corn, beans, and tomato sauce. Heat through, then add lime juice and cilantro. Stir to combine and let simmer for a minute.

Then -
For each burrito, take one tortilla, put 1/2 cup bean mixture on tortilla closer to one edge, top with 1/2 cup cheese. Fold short end over the filling, then fold sides in, and roll up, laying seam-side down on a baking pan. Repeat with other three tortillas.

Finally -
Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.

Enjoy!

Note: Serve this with a pico de gallo, sour cream, and fresh limes.

Chicken Artichoke Penne - Updated!

Serves: 2
1 cup uncooked Penne Pasta
4-6 oz. canned Alfredo Sauce (try this homemade!) or to taste
3 oz. Quartered Marinated Artichoke Hearts
2 Chicken breasts or 4-5 Chicken Tenders

Cook penne according to package directions in a medium sized sauce pan, adding a pinch or two of sea salt and dry minced garlic.*

While the pasta is cooking, sprinkle sea salt and freshly ground black pepper onto the chicken pieces. Throw the chicken on a hot stove-top grill or a Foreman. You can cook the chicken from fresh or frozen. Chop into bite sized pieces when browned and cooked through.

When the pasta is done, drain the water, don't rinse the pasta. Return it to the pot. Pull the artichokes pieces apart and throw them in the pot, add the chicken and the Alfredo sauce. Heat through and serve warm.

* You can use any form of garlic, like crushing a fresh garlic clove with a knife and tossing that in. Whatever you like.

Serving Suggestions: Eat with a light salad and garlic bread. Also a nice sparkling drink like white grape or pear.

***Update***

Feeding a host of demons? No Worries! This dish is easy to multiply for however many hordes you are serving. Let's hash out a few “smaller” numbers:

Servings 6:

3 cups uncooked Penne pasta

12-18 oz. Alfredo Sauce

9 oz. Quartered Marinated Artichoke Hearts

6 Chicken Breasts or Thighs Or 12 Chicken Tenders

Servings 12:

6 cups uncooked Penne pasta

24-36 oz. Alfredo Sauce

18 oz. Quartered Marinated Artichoke Hearts

12 Chicken Breasts or Thighs Or 24 Chicken Tenders

By your selfie? Just make half the original recipe. (Unless you are super hungry of course. Though I always say “Serving Sizes” are arbitrary anyway.) Easy like tripping over nothing.

Smoothie!

Blend like it's going out of style! :)

This is one of many smoothies I've made myself lately. Here are some recipes that I do:

Blackberries
Mango, chopped
Strawberries, quartered

My favorite fruits! A handful of each, plus your favorite fruit juice, type of milk, or sports drink.
(Someday soon I will also add Raspberries, my other favorite.)

I've tried cow's milk, white grape juice, and Gatorade/apple/orange powdered drink mixes with ground Chia seeds and water(of course)(This is what I did in this smoothie). SO Yummy!

I have also tried a handful or two of spinach leaves and a handful of sweet corn kernels. It may sound gross, but it is tasty, and there is enough other ingredients that you don't really notice the veggies.

Someday I will try it with fresh carrot juice! (Which I love to drink plain - it's uber good for you!)

Steel Scrubbers!

Who knew and didn't tell us?! :)

Wowza! It didn't scratch the pan at all! :)

This is so amazing! It's like brand new now.

I really like how cool the water looks in this last one. Like an icicle!

Happy Scrubbing!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

"Advanced" Technique for Mess-Free Cupcakes!

My friend was making cupcakes tonight, and resorted to THIS!

Put batter into a Ziploc bag!

Baked Penne with Bison

*This is SO tasty! Just made it tonight.
(I buy Bison in a package of four 1/3 lb patties so it's easier to get the right amount. I might add more next time though!)

2 cups Penne Pasta

1/3-2/3 lb ground Bison
1-2 tbs Balsamic Vinegar
1-2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried minced Garlic
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
Onion powder, to taste

1/2 Red Onion, chopped
1/3-1/2 8oz package fresh Mushrooms
1 medium Carrot, shredded

4 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan + some for sprinkling on top
1 Egg

24 oz. Bottled Alfredo Sauce (I used the mushroom kind)

1. Boil Pasta until desired tenderness. (I boil my pasta with a pinch or two of sea salt)

2. While the pasta is cooking, take a small skillet and put it on medium heat. Add the Vinegar, Worcestershire, Garlic, Mustard, and Onion, stir. Add Bison, cutting into chunks and cook till there's no pink. Don't over cook, and don't drain. (I use bamboo kitchen utensils) Remove from heat and let cool.

3. Whisk Egg in a small mixing bowl, add Parmesan, stir. Add most of the Monterey, stir.

4. Combine everything in a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a 13x9 or 3 quart baking dish, spreading evenly. Top with extra Monterey and more Parmesan.

5. Bake at 375 F Degrees for 30-40 minutes.

:)

Butter Herbed Grilled Salmon with Pasta

For Two


2 - 4oz. wild caught salmon fillets
4 oz. uncooked angel hair pasta or linguine
4 tbs. butter
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. dill weed
1/2 tsp. ground coriander seed
1/2 tsp. lemon peel
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/8 tsp sea salt


Salmon:
1 - Start by spraying a grill for the stove top with olive oil and heat it to medium heat. (If your fillets have scales on one side, don't worry about it- cook it first because it's easily removable once it's cooked.)
2 - Grill the salmon a few minutes on each side, I generally cook on each side at least twice, till it's done - it will turn a lighter color and be flaky and have white stuff between the flakes.


Pasta:
1 - Fill a 4-6 qt. sauce pan 2/3 full of water(I always fill it with hot tap water so it boils faster). Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt(and olive oil if desired)and some crushed dried garlic in so the pasta won't stick together. The water will come to a boil faster with the lid on, but leave the lid off while cooking the pasta (7-10 minutes or until desired tenderness).
2 - When the pasta is done, drain it but do not rinse it off.


Sauce:
1 - While that's all cooking, put the butter and last six ingredients into a 1 qt. pot and bring to boiling, then turn the heat down and let simmer till you are ready to serve the meal.
2 - Drizzle the butter sauce over the salmon and pasta on your individual plates.


I hope you enjoy this great meal as much as I do!


Some great things to make this more of a rounded meal:
A fresh Caesar salad with croutons or an Olive Garden type salad.
Herbed or cheesy Breadsticks or garlic bread.
White grape juice or a light colored sparkling drink.