Breakfast Burritos

I call my son "Pickiest Eater Ever" for a reason.  He has always been, let's call it "particular" about what he would eat.  People said "Cover the veggies in ranch dressing".  Nope.  He wouldn't eat condiments.  Seriously, no condiments.  Not even ketchup.  People said "Mix everything together in a casserole.  He'll never know it's there".  Nope.  He would spend all of supper time picking out the tiny pieces of onion or peppers or carrots.  By the time he was satisfied they were all gone, the food was cold.  So, trust me, I've tried everything.  I finally learned to chill out and let him eat when he got hungry.  In other words, I'd treat him like a camel.  When he was hungry I would fill up the hump.  Let him eat till he was stuffed.  Then, if he didn't eat so much later, it wasn't that big of a deal.  It worked for us and avoided a lot of arguing and stress.  Now that he's gotten older, he's actually started to try things he would have never even considered just a few years ago.  Growth.  What do you know?

One meal he has always loved is breakfast.  When we would go out to dinner at a restaurant, I would ask if they could make him some pancakes.  Seriously.  Now that he is a growing teenager, he can really shovel some food down, including breakfast foods.  Here is a recipe I make for him that is easy, filling and he absolutely loves.  You can modify it to include your favorite ingredients.  You can wrap them in foil and take them with you.  You can make a bunch. keep them in the fridge and microwave them when you want one.  It's a good recipe to have in your pocket.

 

*Note:  I use 1 egg per burrito, 1 piece of ham or bacon per burrito.  The following recipe makes 2 burritos.  You can scale it up as needed.

BREAKFAST BURRITOS

2 eggs

1 Tbs milk

Cajun Seasoning to taste (or salt and pepper)

2 slices of deli ham (or bacon), chopped

shredded cheddar cheese

2 flour tortillas (soft taco size)

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add chopped ham to the skillet and let brown, stirring occasionally.  (If you are using bacon, make sure it is fully cooked and drain any excess grease).

  

Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, milk and Cajun seasoning until well combined.

Once the ham is browned, lower the heat to medium-low then add the egg mixture to the pan.  The trick to making really good scrambled eggs is cook them low and slow.

Stir the eggs around occasionally with a wooden spoon.  (A metal utensil will ruin the finish of a nonstick skillet).

Don't over cook the eggs or they'll be dry and rubbery.  This is what they'll look like when they are done.

Turn off the heat so the eggs don't over cook.  Next, add some shredded cheddar cheese and let it melt.  You can add a little or a lot.  Whatever you like.

While the cheese melts, warm the tortillas so they will be pliable and easy to fold.  You can microwave them for a few seconds, but I like to put one in a warm skillet, let it sit a minute or so then flip it and let the other side warm up.  Really easy.

Once the tortilla is warmed up, transfer it to a plate.  Add half the egg mixture.  At this point you can add a little more shredded cheese if you like,

Fold in one side just a bit, like this:

Next, fold the bottom half way up, like this:

Then, fold the top half way down to close the burrito up, like this:

There you go, a delicious, handy dandy, portable breakfast.

If you are a vegetarian, just replace the meat with onions and peppers (or black beans, maybe).  You could use pepper jack cheese and add some salsa.  You could add chopped tomatoes and green onions.  The options are endless!  Give this one a try.  After all breakfast is the most important meal of the day!  (You knew I had to say it at some point, right?).  Enjoy!

Chicken and Sausage Creole Stew

Hello everyone!  So sorry I haven't posted in a while.  Man, have we been busy!  First of all my son had pneumonia!  Poor thing was so sick.  Then, I went to visit my daughter in Orlando.  She was accepted to the Disney College Program and is working in the Magic Kingdom this semester.  My Mama, my best friend and I have been planning a trip to see her.  Our birthdays are close together so I thought it would be a great way to celebrate.  When my son got sick, it looked like the trip was off.  But, thankfully, he was feeling much better and had Daddy and Paw Paw to take care of him, so we went on our trip as planned.  My daughter was so excited to see us!  It was worth it.

Here we are in front of our favorite ride, Pirates of the Caribbean.

It was beautiful in Orlando!  We couldn't have asked for better weather!

Louisiana weather, on the other hand, has been predictably unpredictable!  One day is gorgeous and the next is miserable.  When it's yucky outside, I crave a warm, spicy stew.  This creole stew is perfect for a cold night.  It has chicken, smoky sausage, the trinity of Cajun cooking (onion, celery, bell pepper), a sweetness from the tomatoes and a great spice from hot sauce and seasoning.  A true taste of Louisiana!

CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE CREOLE STEW

1 lb boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cubed (I left mine in big pieces)

1/2 lb smoked sausage, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (any color)
2 green onions, sliced
Cajun Seasoning (I love Tony Chachere's)
1 TBS Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce (optional)
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
3 splashes hot sauce
2 TBS butter
2 TBS flour
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water

Season the chicken with Cajun seasoning and set aside.  Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.  Let it get good and hot.  Brown the sausage on both sides.

Once the sausage is browned, remove it from the pot and set aside.

Now brown the chicken on both sides.  I left mine in pretty big pieces, but you can cut them up into smaller chunks if you like.

Once the chicken is browned, remove and set aside.

Next, add the onion, celery, bell pepper and green onion to the pot.  Saute for about 5 minutes, until cooked down and limp.

Add the Kitchen Bouquet, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce.  Stir well.

Add the butter and let melt.  Stir well.

Add the flour and stir well.  Let the flour cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the broth, water and tomatoes (including the juice).  Stir.

Return the chicken and sausage to the pot.  Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Look how thick and rich this stew is.

Serve over rice.

This stew is smoky and rich, with just the right amount of spice.  So comforting on a cold night.

When I visited my daughter, she told me what she missed the most was my cooking.  Good thing I brought along some leftovers!     

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy Valentines Day!  I have never been one of those girls that really got into the commercialism of this holiday.  When I was in college, I would wear all black and boycott it.  Now that I'm married, I have a sweet hubby who brings me flowers but I still think it's crazy to expect your guy to spend a fortune on gifts to show his love.  Seriously, flowers die, candy rots your teeth and jewelry is just shiny rocks.  I'd much rather have my guy show his love in little ways everyday than by buying extravagant gifts once a year.  But that's just me.

My hubby loves my chocolate chocolate chip cookies.  They taste like a brownie and a chocolate chip cookie got married and had a baby.  Perfect for Valentines Day, right?

CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup self rising flour*
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

*If you don't have self rising flour, mix 1 cup all purpose flour with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp baking soda.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the softened butter with sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla.  To "cream together" just means to mix with a mixer on medium-high speed until well blended and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa and cinnamon.

Mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture until combined.  Don't over mix it.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop from a Tablespoon, 2 inches apart, onto a cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.  You want these slightly under done.  If you over bake them, they will get all dried out and that's not good.  Just slightly golden on the edges.

These are so good!  It's like a brownie and a cookie all rolled into one.  If that doesn't say love, I don't know what does?

Classic Pot Roast

It's been so busy here lately!  The renovations on the house, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Mardi Gras, baseball practice, the list goes on and on.  Sometimes, when our worlds are at their craziest, we just need to slow down, sit down and enjoy.  This classic pot roast recipe is the perfect way to do that.  It slow cooks in the oven and you serve it from the same pot you cook it in.  Classic, rustic, unbelievably delicious!  Just what I needed.

CLASSIC POT ROAST

2-3 lb chuck roast

1 onion, quartered

1 cup baby carrots

2 stalks celery, quartered

3 medium potatoes, quartered

2 sprigs of parlsey

1/2 cup beef broth (or water)

1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes

1 packet brown gravy mix

salt/pepper

2 TBS vegetable oil

  

Cut the onions, potatoes and celery into quarters.  You want big pieces because they will be cooking for a long time.  If they are too small, they'll over cook and turn to mush.

 

A tip to keep potatoes from turning brown:  Once cut, put them in a big bowl of cold water until you're ready to use them.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

In an oven-proof pot with a lid (I love a cast iron pot for this), heat oil over medium-high heat.

Season the roast with salt and pepper.

Brown the roast on both sides:  Let the pot get very very hot!  Place the roast in and don't touch it for 2 minutes.  If you keep moving it around, it won't get that great crust on it.  After two minutes, flip it over and let it sit there (untouched) for 2-3 minutes.  It may take a little longer on the second side.

See that great brown crust.  That imparts flavor.

Remove the roast to a plate and set it aside.

Next, we deglaze the pot:  That just means getting the brown bits off the bottom.  While it's hot, pour in about 1/2 cup beef broth (or water) and scrape up the bits with a spoon.

Once you've deglazed the pot, pour in the tomatoes and brown gravy mix.  I zip them in a blender together because my guys don't like chunks of tomatoes but that's not necessary.  You could just stir them together then pour the mixture into the pot.

Return the roast to the pot.

Place all of the vegetables around and on top of the roast.  Place the parsley sprigs on top.

Put the lid on and place in the oven.

Bake at 300 degrees for 2 1/2 - 3 hours (for a 2 - 3 lb roast).  Bigger roasts will take longer.

Remove the parsley stems.

Look how delicious this looks:

Just push the vegetables to the side so the meat can be seen in the middle.  You can serve it straight from the pot.

The meat is so tender you can pull it apart with a fork!

This classic recipe is so easy but it's pretty impressive.  Your family will be wowed by a bubbling pot of tender beef and flavorful veggies!  Just add some crusty bread to soak up the gravy and you'll be in comfort food heaven.