chocolate chip ice cream

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces mini choc chips or chopped chocolate

1. use an ice cream maker
2. in a large bowl, combine the cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla
3. follow the manufacturer's instructions for freezing.
4. serve immediately or freeze in an airtight container.

Rosemary Sweet Potato Stackers

1. 
   
2. 
   
3. Ingredients
4. 2 tablespoons organic butter, melted
5. 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
6. 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
7. 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped, plus extra for garnish
8. Sea salt and pepper
9. 5-6 large sweet potatoes or yams, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl whisk together butter, coconut oil, parmesan, chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper.
3. Add sweet potatoes and toss to coat evenly.
4. Layer potatoes slices into muffin pan and fill to the top. They will shrink down once they are cooking.
5. Bake for about 45-50 minutes and edges and tops are golden brown and center in tender.
6. Let cool for about 5 minutes and carefully remove with a spoon. Place on serving tray and top with extra parmesan cheese and fresh chopped fresh rosemary. Serve immediately.

Fresh Strawberry Sorbet

2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 quart (32 oz) strawberries, hulled
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Stir water and sugar in saucepan over high heat until sugar dissolves. Boil 5 minutes.
Puree strawberries in food processor/blender until smooth. Add strawberry puree and orange and lemon juices to sugar syrup. Stir. refridgerate until cold.
Process mixture in ice cream maker. Freeze after in air tight container. You can just put in a shallow container and skip the ice cream maker.

*I used less sugar and a little more lime
*my ice cream maker only fits a half batch of this.

Fried Rice peruvian style (Chifa al paso)

Fried Rice peruvian style (Chifa al paso)
Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked white rice
3 eggs scrambled
1 small chicken breast
1/4 onion chopped
1 tsp garlic pressed
1 TBS small piece of ginger root shredded
5 heads of green onions (use whites and greens)
1 tsp sesame oil
Soy sauce to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Butternut Squash Soup 2

Ingredients:

4 lbs whole butternut squash (about 2 medium)
2 Tbs butter
1 medium Granny Smith apple, (peeled, cored, and diced)
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt, plus more if needed
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3-1/2 cup cream
1 Tbs brown sugar (opt)
pinch of nutmeg or pinch of sage (opt)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Poke holes in squash with fork or knife. Microwave for 3 minutes each. Allow to cool. Cut in half, remove seeds, and place face down in baking pan. (I cover mine with tin foil). Put in oven and pour water into pan around squash halves. Bake 1 1/2 hours. (Alternately, you can brush halves with olive oil or butter, lightly salt and pepper them and cook them facing up for the same amount of time.)
Allow squash to cool slightly and scoop flesh out into bowl.
Melt butter in pan. Saute onion and apples until softened, about 7 minutes. Add squash, broth, water and seasonings. Mix and heat on medium low until it simmers. Continue to stir and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from head and stir in cream.
With an immersion blender or regular blender, puree the soup until smooth.

Simple Baked Fish

Goes great with rice and veggies. I sauté some onions and bell peppers, add vegetables, and then mix in some cooked rice and parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

1-1 1/2 lbs tilapia fillet
2-4 Tbs butter, melted
2 tsp lemon juice
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1/3 cup Panko break crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 425. Lightly grease 13x9" baking dish.
Rinse fish filets and pat dry. Set them in single layer in the prepared baking dish.
In a small bowl, combine butter, lemon juice, garlic, sugar, pepper, thyme and parsley. Stir well. Pour evenly over fish.
Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes. Turn on broiler last 2-3 minutes if you want fish crispy.

From food.com

Taco Soup

(I know this is simple, but I didn't want to forget what I like)

1 lb ground beef, cooked with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning
1 cup corn
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans stewed tomatoes
about a cup or so of water to make it the consistency you like
more taco seasoning and salt and pepper to season how you like

Put everything in a pot and simmer for 30-60 minutes.

Toppings:
sour cream
cheese
cilantro limes

Squash Casserole

A great way to use up some of that extra squash when it is in season. For a different texture, try shredding the vegetables or adding some different veggies. I doubled the squash when I made it but didn't quiet double the rest of the ingredients, just to make it healthier.

Ingredients
(There are two additions of almonds in this recipe, just FYI)

1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
4 cups peeled and cubed yellow squash or zucchini (or a mixture)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped, raw almonds
1 cup cheese (Cheddar, Colby, etc. whatever you have on hand)
1/2 heavy whipping cream (or 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup greek yogurt)
2 eggs
1 can of rotel or green chills (optional-for more flavor)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped roasted, salted almonds (I roasted my own in some butter)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat olive oil and butter in skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir onion and garlic until softened, about 3 minutes. Add squash, salt and pepper (and rotel or chills, if desired). Mix to combine. Cover skillet and cook about 5 minutes, until squash is soft. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. (Or casserole dish, if you don't want to wash an extra bowl like me)
Mix raw almonds and 1/2 cup cheese together. Stir into squash mixture. Whisk cream and eggs in separate bowl. Stir into squash mixture. Pour squash mixture into a 9x13-in casserole dish; top with remaining cheese and roasted almonds.
Bake 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.

Recipe from Allrecipes

Dr Pepper Pulled Pork

Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker
adapted slightly from Mama Foodie


2 1/2-3 lb pork butt (also known as a pork shoulder)
24 oz. (2 cans) Dr. Pepper (or any caramel colored soda pop, each will provide a slightly different flavor)
1 medium onion, cut in quarters and then again in half
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dry ground mustard
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on personal taste.)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
bbq sauce of choice
rolls or buns of choice

Place the chopped onions in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Place the pork butt on top of the onions and add the garlic, ground mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Pour the Dr. Pepper on top and cook on high for 4-5 hours (or on low for 8 hours).

Very carefully, because the pork will be hot, remove the meat from the slow cooker and place on a large cutting board.  Using two forks, shred the pork by pulling away from each other.  The meat should be very tender by this point.  Place the shredded pork back into the slow cooker and continue to cook for an additional hour. 

Drain the remaining juices and toss the meat and onion mixture in the bbq sauce of choice.  I don't have an exact amount listed- just add a bit at a time until you get to your desired sauciness! 

Top onto lightly toasted buns and enjoy!  Goes great with a good slaw and some oven fries.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Rotisserie chicken shredded

4 cans chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can rotel tomatoes (I would probably do mild and let people add hot sauce if they would like it hotter)
1 cup salsa  (Any kind is fine)
1 tb cumin
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic minced

1 cup of frozen corn 

Put all of this stuff in the crock pot on low for 4 ish hours.

Serve with sour cream, cheese (I usually do Monterey jack or Colby jack), chopped avocados, salsa, chips, lime, and extra cilantro.