Category: Food

Food

Italian Prosciutto Chicken

Amanda

This was actually the first dinner I ever made for Charlie. I am pretty confident a smoke alarm may have been an unwanted guest at our dinner… but it all worked out, right?

This is a main dish that goes with pretty much any side, though we, of course, prefer potatoes. I think Prosciutto is one of the best creations on this earth today. At the market here there is a stand that has homemade prosciutto. It is $14 – per quarter pound. As in $56 a pound. If I had all the money in the world I would buy the wheel and eat it with a fork. It was SO good.

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To be honest one of the things I am most looking forward to during our honeymoon. Other than spending time with Charlie, drinking beer, drinking wine, and hiking… is the FOOD. I can’t wait to be in Italy EATING. Just eating all the food. All the gelato. All the prosciutto. All the cheese. California may be short on water, but give me a week in Italy and it will be short on food.

Digressions aside, this is a fast and easy “company” meal. Something to make with short notice and very few ingredients.

H&M dress from 6 years ago. I look so professional.

Prosciutto Chicken

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print
Ingredients:

  • 4 slices prosciutto
  • 2 chicken breasts
  • italian seasoning (our favorite is Spice House Third Ward Italian)
  • 1/4 cup parmesan
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

  1. Take two slices of prosciutto – lay out next to each other so they are touching. Season with italian seasoning of choice, and 1/2 of the parmesan. (Repeat)
  2. Place chicken breast at the bottom of prosciutto and roll tightly, end with fold side down. (Repeat)
  3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil over a skillet over medium-high heat.
  4. Place chicken fold side down into skillet.
  5. Reduce heat to medium.
  6. Turn after four minutes, or when prosciutto begins to crisp.
  7. Repeat step six until prosciutto is crisp and chicken is cooked through

Food, Life

Plated Review

Amanda

I love grocery shopping. Probably more than the average person, so when Plated showed up on Rue La La I wasn’t that interested in trying it out. While I was debating whether to buy the voucher, I went to Plated’s website and looked at the meal options – and to my surprise, they looked awesome! For instance one of the available meals I ordered was Skate Fish – something I have only had once, and have been really wanting to try to cook myself. The perfect excuse. The Rue La La discount + my store credit = let’s try this sucker out!

Well the week came (last week) where Plated was needed in our lives. Mostly because we had blown the majority of our food budget on beer and eating out while Tim was here. I went on to Plated’s website to search for meals. Their website is incredibly user friendly. I settled on their Baked Gnocchi, Skate Fish, and Tunisian Chicken, with a scheduled delivery date of 3/25.

I got notice that the box was on its way on Monday, and I was super excited!!! When I got home Tuesday the box was waiting by my door. Not sure who invented the packaging for Plated, but I assume it is an ex-NASA employee. This box is on lockdown. You could easily repurpose it as a cooler.

The first thing I noticed was that one of the recipes they sent me was wrong. (Whoops!) I called to let them know and they apologized profusely and offered to email the right recipe to me, and explained that all of the recipes were on the website as well. The first awesome part was that I got to talk to a real human with very little hassle, and the second part was that they were so nice! I wasn’t upset – just needed the recipe.

Each recipe came with its own bag of goodies – and if an ingredient was loose, it was still labeled. Very organized!!! And I love organized. Like, a lot.

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The first recipe we tried was the Baked Gnocchi. I set up all of the ingredients and read briefly through the directions. Word to the wise – don’t do this, instead read the directions VERY thoroughly. What threw me, was that the directions are given in paragraph form. I am more of a list person – so I definitely skipped over a few items in the paragraph, which caused some confusion later. (Not their fault… my fault). Another oopsie – they forgot to send garlic! We got two packets of oregano, but no garlic! Luckily we pretty much always have garlic in the house… for vampire protection and such. When I let them know about the missing ingredient, they credited me $8, which I thought was nice.

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Tucker was all about Plated.

I started the gnocchi recipe – it was pretty easy, it did take a little longer than they said. But that may have been my fault… I omitted basil from the sauce, since I’m allergic. (Fun fact!) The sauce was rich and delicious, but also super simple. I’ll definitely make it again using my own ingredients. The gnocchi was great – well made, and considering that I have yet to master gnocchi from scratch, much more successful than our last homemade attempt at gnocchi. In my opinion there was not enough cheese, because there is never enough cheese.

On Thursday we made Skate Fish Schnitzel – it was absolutely delicious but made a disaster out of our kitchen. Like tornado disaster. I think it was worth it. The weird thing about this recipe was that an ingredient (parsley) was given directions on how to prepare – but not what to do with it! We figured it was probably for garnish so we used it during plating. Also, we made the mistake of starting the sauce when the pan was too hot. Insert vinegar explosions and “oh sugars.” Total failure. I didn’t know you could burn mustard. A little bit of lemon on the Skate went a long way, and I like to pretend that this made it “light” because it had less butter.

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The sides to the Skate Fish were purple potatoes and fennel. I have had some experience with purple potatoes, which are potatoes that are purple… not terribly complicated. The fennel, however, I had never cooked with. We use fennel seed pretty frequently, but I had never started from the raw stuff. It is really good! See this is the benefit of a service like Plated – you end up trying different foods, and liking them! Definitely a win for Plated.

Our skate fish night was also Tucker’s birthday – so we finished off our Skate Fish with Sprinkles cupcakes. I am #TeamSMore ALL THE WAY. Charlie said the Salty Caramel was average. I don’t even understand why it is a competition. It should be S’More time all the time. Tucker was excited because #TuckerWantsSome finally became #TuckerCanHaveSome! Cannot wait to try out some dog treat recipes in the next month or so.

The last meal was Tunisian Chicken. To be honest I pretty much ordered this for Charlie. He likes spicy food WAY more than me, and this looked spicy and delicious.

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The prep was pretty simple, marinate the chicken while you saute some onions and smoosh some tomatoes with your hands. *Cooking Tip* Make sure to remove the seeds when you are cooking with peppers. I learned this the hard way. Actually, Charlie learned for me – I basically made him pepper spray nachos the first year we were dating. It’s a miracle we made it. And in the interest of full disclosure, we added waffle fries. Because we apparently are incapable of eating dinner without a starch.

I had never cooked with chicken thighs prior to this, and I have to say I prefer the breast meat. But Charlie was 100% totally sold on the meal. What is nice about Plated is that even though they sent “spice mixture” they also included in the recipe all of the spice contents, so we can replicate the mixture.

Charlie wants to take the sauce portion of the dish and make a vegetable stew to serve over cous-cous and goat/feta cheese. I think I love him and want to marry him all over again.

Overall, Plated was a great experience. I can definitely see the advantage of a service like this if you’re a busy professional, or live in a city like LA where it takes 3 hours to drive the mile to the grocer. I think I’ll stick to doing my own shopping for now – but I am definitely going to keep my account for the future!

*Please note that Plated in no way compensated me for this average review. I’m not that cool.

Food

Bluewater Grille (SD Bucket List #17)

Amanda

Even though we had this on our “Bucket List” it was really just a front to go there again. Because it is The Happiest Place on Earth. Bluewater is a Fish Market and Grille. Meaning that you can either buy fresh fish to go, or order fish to eat there.

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The menu is pretty simple, you get to choose from many different types of fish, but your options are Taco, Sandwich, Salad, and Plate. You then pick a marinade (Lemon Butter, Lemon-Garlic Butter, Teriyaki, Blackened, Chipotle, Bourbon Butter, or Bronzed) and then order Waffle Fries. Because they are delicious.

I am not a huge cabbage fan, so I’ve never loved Tacos. But Charlie says they are THE BEST IN THE WORLD. And our dear friend who actually grew up in San Diego, but had never been to Bluewater, said they were the best she had had as well. So that proves it. #science

The Sandwich (my choice) comes on this freshly baked delicious bread, with a delicious tartar sauce, tomatoes, lettuce, onion, and the fish of your choice. I always 86 the onion, and add avocado. Because it is California and avocados should be on everything. I do have to add the disclaimer that I usually am a huge tartar sauce hater, but this is the most delicious sandwich sauce that has ever existed.

The Salad and Plate are both larger portions, and kind of self-explanatory on their menu. Honestly the fish serving sizes in the Taco and the Sandwich are WAY more than enough for us – so we usually stick to those. The appetizers Charlie loves are the Ceviche and Cioppino. We actually just recently started getting the calamari. I swear they look like chicken nuggets, and they are so freaking delicious it almost hurts my mouth.

The only downside about Bluewater is that you have to wait in line. For a long time. But it is really fun people watching, and as long as you anticipate the wait, it won’t seem that bad. If you’re really impatient, or just don’t feel like cooking, you can order To-Go and skip the line and eat it at home. But don’t try and be sneaky and eat a To-Go order in the restaurant. They don’t tolerate those kinds of shenanigans.

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If we do move from San Diego, this will be one of the places we miss the most. I hope if you’re in town you’ll stop by. It is really close to the airport, so you basically have no excuse, whether you are coming or going… or live here already!

xx

Amanda

Food

Breakfast Burritos

Amanda

For how much I say I don’t like Mexican food… I seem to post a lot of Mexican recipes? Maybe I’ve just been lying to myself, and I actually love Mexican food…

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Anyway, digressions aside… this is the ultimate morning-after-being-overserved breakfast. We made it originally when Tim was in town, constructing a mini-burrito bar in the apartment for everyone to serve themselves from. We combined all of our favorite breakfast foods/burrito fillings and made them into a delicious breakfast burrito! Yum. Charlie and his brother took it one step further, and actually crushed tortilla chips as a first layer to the burrito. So creative!

Smiley eggs!
So happy to have Breakfast Burritos.

Breakfast Burritos

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print
Ingredients:

  • 4 large flour tortillas
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 1 roma tomato
  • 1/2 cup black beans
  • 2 russet potatoes
  • 1 lb protein (we chose bacon – of course)
  • 1 cup Mexican cheese
  • 1 cup guacamole
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • dried rosemary (or preferred potato seasoning)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place bacon in a single layer on paper.
  3. Add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil into a cast iron skillet. Cut potatoes into 1-1 1/2 inch cubes. Add potatoes to skillet and season with salt, pepper, and rosemary.
  4. Place both taters and bacon into heated oven. Set time for 15 minutes.
  5. After 15 minutes, check and stir taters and check bacon. Continue to check in five minute intervals.
  6. The taters should take about 30 minutes until they’re soft and just starting to crisp. After they soft in the oven, place on stovetop and crisp on medium-high.
  7. The bacon will take about 20 minutes to crisp. After bacon is done, chop into 1 inch pieces.
  8. While bacon and taters are cooking, chop tomato and pepper and place in a bowl.
  9. In a separate skillet – cook eggs as desired. (We chose scrambled!)
  10. After all burrito innards are finished cooking – line a large flour tortilla with cheese (and crumbled chips if desired). Microwave for 30 seconds.
  11. Fill warmed and cheesy burrito as desired. Roll up, and top with guacamole!

*Chef Note: I did make a little “sauce” out of the beans/tomatoes/peppers… but I preferred the fresh ingredients better. If you would like to make the sauce, just mix a portion of the fresh veggies and beans and sauté them for 10-15 minutes until soft.

Food

Prosciutto Wrapped Dandelion Greens

Amanda

We recently received Dandelion Greens in our CSA, and I found myself in the all-too-familiar “What on earth is this?” Luckily, per the previous link, our CSA Company, JR Organics, does a great job of describing what the contents in our box are, and also how to store everything! I figured the taste would be pretty close to Arugula, but it was actually more bitter and less pepper-y. Either way, it was pretty delicious.

I wanted to use it for an appetizer over the weekend, not because we were having people over. But because I like snacking. Charlie wanted to make his Reuben Dip, so I decided to add Dandelion Greens and Parmesan Pups to make it a wholesome rounded meal. (Please note, I am not a nutritionist, but I do know this is not a wholesome rounded meal.)

I used a Martha Stewart salad and picture as inspiration and ended up making the wraps a lot denser than I think I would if we were bringing this over to someone’s house, or using it as just an appetizer. I am going to have the recipe reflect a thinner filling and more prosciutto. Because the world could ALWAYS us more prosciutto. For real.

I also got to work with dates for the first time. You want to cut them hot-dog length, not hamburger-length, to de-pit them.

Also, Tucker once again was VERY interested in the meals we prepared. I feel like #TuckerWantsSome could be the next #TheoandBeau…

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Prosciutto Wrapped Dandelion Greens

  • Servings: 10 prosciutto rolls
  • Difficulty: medium
  • Print
Ingredients:

  • 3 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  • Freshly Ground Pepper
  • 5 Cups Dandelion Greens, with the ends trimmed
  • 5 ounces Medjool Dates (about 14 small), halved and pitted
  • 3 ounces crumbled Blue Cheese
  • Lemon Juice (about 1 ½ lemons worth)
  • 8 ounces Prosciutto

Directions:

  1. Wash and trim dandelion greens until about 4-5 inches long.
  2. Halve and pit medjool dates (see tip above for pitting dates).
  3. Place washed dandelion greens in a bowl with blue cheese and dates.
  4. Add olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper to taste.
  5. Mix contents until elements are well coated.
  6. Lay out prosciutto on a cutting board or other hard surface.
  7. Stack dandelion greens, dates, and blue cheese on top of prosciutto.
  8. Tightly roll prosciutto, placing fold side down on a serving tray.
  9. Repeat steps until you’re all out of prosciutto or filling.

Food

Butterfinger Cookies

Amanda

Apparently Butterfingers are an embarrassing habit. I am not talking about being caught with your hands in butter, because that would be kind of embarrassing. I’m talking about the delicious peanut buttery chocolately goodness that is formed into a candy bar and used to be hocked by Bart Simpson.

Tucker likes Butterfingers.
Tucker likes Butterfingers.

I wasn’t aware of it, but apparently Butterfingers aren’t “cool.” Hence Whitney not telling me until we’d known each other for some twenty odd years that BUTTERFINGERS were her favorite candy bar. That girl. Love her. Anyway, after we got that “getting to know your candy tastes” talk out of the way, I introduced her to these, Butterfinger cookies.

Whitney, enjoying her new favorite cookie dough.
Whitney, enjoying her new favorite cookie dough.

This recipe is a funny thing, because I have no idea where it came from. I know my mom found it somewhere, sometime between the day I was born and today. I do have an idea of how delicious it is. And how it could probably bring about world peace. I’m not even exaggerating.

Butterfinger Cookies

  • Servings: 3-4 dozen
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print
Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted softened butter
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 1/4 cups peanut butter
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Bag of Fun SIze Candy Bars (or 5 full size Butterfingers)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Unwrap Butterfingers (clearly) and load into a Ziploc bag.
  3. Smashy smashy those Butterfingers!
  4. In a mixing bowl, mix sugars, eggs (remember just whites), vanilla, peanut butter, butter, and baking soda.
  5. Whip for 30 seconds.
  6. Add flour, mix until just combined.
  7. Add crushed Butterfingers. Again, mix until just combined.
  8. Spoon onto a cookie sheet.
  9. Bake 10-12 minutes.
  10. Let cool on sheet for 1-2 minutes before removing to wire rack.

Food, Life, The Manimals, Travel

Little Brother Visits/Brewery Tour (SD Bucket List #7)

Amanda

Family is the best. This past weekend Charlie’s brother came out to visit us in SD. We had a jam packed schedule all weekend, and I am only slightly recovered. Tim got to meet his nephew, Tucker. He was already familiar with his other ornery nephew, Walter. And we got the opportunity to really show off our “home” in San Diego!

Tim arrived late Thursday night and had a Monday afternoon departure, which left us with all day Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and part of Monday to cram as much SoCal as we could. If our sleep deprivation is any proof, we succeeded.

Friday

I had to work… LAME. But I was kept up to date with Snapchats and texts as Charlie and Tim headed out to explore SD. After breakfast at the casa they headed to Fiesta Island/Dog Island so Tucker had a chance to show off his talents. Then they, of course, headed to In-N-Out for a classic animal-style lunch. (Digression – Does anyone else not really like In-N-Out? Not a huge fan. Apologies to the West Coast.) They then headed to the brew store to pick up some brewing equipment as well as the ingredients for a Honey Dunkelweizen (NOMS! Amanda Beer!) I arrived back at the apartment from work to a steaming hot apartment, beer debris everywhere, and two very happy productive men.

After they finished their liquid gold, we headed to Hodad’s for dinner. Hodad’s being what I believe is the best burger place in SD. After a brief line we headed in to the beautiful license plated dining area and ordered our food. I conquered a milkshake for six people, and we all felt terrible about ourselves afterward. (Terrible meaning – absolutely satisfied with no regrets.)

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Saturday

We had a JAM PACKED Saturday, which required a very early morning alarm and a rush out the door to get to a Farmer’s Market where no one was ready for us. (Whoops!) Must have been Daylight Savings Time hangover from last week – the merchants at the Little Italy Market were moving sloooowly. We ordered up some Papalecco coffee drinks and patiently waited for our favorite stands to kick it into gear. We had some delicious Crepes courtesy of La Creperie – the boys feasted on the California Surfer while I returned to the Green Gobbler. With time running out, I headed to pick up our CSA from JR Organics while the boys perused our other favorite stands – including Vonda Lee’s California Cheesecakes – YUM!

We raced home and changed into our sea-adventure clothing and headed out to kayak! We got to La Jolla just in time and wet-suited up to prepare ourselves for a deep sea adventure of snorkeling and kayaking. We brought waterproof cameras, and learned afterwards that no one does one-day film photo anymore? It has to be sent away – so pictures and a recap will come next week.

When our time with mermaids had come to an end, we showered, and changed to go to breweries! We started at Intergalactic. Oh. My. Nerdfest. I say that in the best endearing way possible. Classic Star Wars posters, hilarious beer names, amazing people – definitely a new favorite for this girl.

After Intergalactic we set out for Greenflash – a consistently awesome brewery that is extremely popular in San Diego. Apparently it had been a while since we had gone, because they did a COMPLETE overhaul of the place. It’s beautiful! There is even a fancy Greenflash food truck with meat and cheese plates. And parmesan garlic fries. We were so impressed with the new set-up, and can’t wait to spend some cash in the gift store. When we have cash.

We then set out to Rough Draft, another brewery we had been before, where we played a tantalizing game of Connect Four and drank more beer. (Are you sensing a pattern? A beer pattern?)

To finish off the day we stopped at St. Archer, or the Mockingjay Brewing Company. See the similarity? Credit to Tim. I loved the set-up of St. Archer – they had a great patio with lots of space and some nice lighting that came on as the sun set.

We decided Tucker had probably had enough stimulation for the day and headed home to drop him off before going to dinner. He basically crated himself and waited for us to leave, we must be such a bother to him. We decided the best way to finish a day of total debauchery was pizza – so we headed to Pizza Port. An OB staple that is a must on our visitor checklist. Good beer. Great pizza. Awesome people watching. At this point all of us were completely exhausted, and two of us had definitely been over-served. (Spoiler Alert – it wasn’t me. I was driving).

Sunday

After a VERY long lazy sleep we woke up and crafted some breakfast burritos. They took a long time, but the end result was worth it and delicious. I’ll more purposefully make the recipe again so I can post it on here.

I sent the boys to go to Torrey Pines and told them I would walk Tucker while they were gone, but instead I took a nap… It was 90+ degrees out, so when I did wake up and try to get Tucker to go outside, we made it about a block before he turned me around. In that he dragged me across the street towards home and wouldn’t walk any farther. Dogs are hysterical.

When the boys returned home we cooled off in the pool for a bit and then headed to the ultimate SD spot – Bluewater Grille. We had originally tried to go Friday but it was SO CRAZY. They were basically out of every kind of fish. Sunday was just as insane! They hadn’t run out of quite as much fish though. After about 45-minutes we made it to the cash register to put in our order. I can tell you indisputably, no matter how long you have to wait for Bluewater. It is worth the wait. I will do an entire Bluewater Ode eventually. But here is a preview of what deliciousness is waiting for you if you head our way…

Because we felt that our stomachs still may not be stretched to their absolute maximum capacity, we stopped at a new favorite Baked Bear. To give you an idea of how the gluttony had finally taken a toll on me – I didn’t finish my ice cream sandwich cookie. That’s a really big deal.

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We then all collapsed on the floor at home, praying to the digestion gods that they would move quickly so we could all feel back to normal.

Monday

I again had to work – STILL LAME. So Charlie and Tim headed to Dog Island and Lucha Libre! Ugh – taking away my bucket list items before I even get the chance to go! Not fair. They said it was delicious, and I am making Charlie take me back sometime soon. After that Tim went back to the cold east coast and Charlie and I slept for a day straight.

(Please note the sleeping comment is wishful thinking… we’re still trying to get off the struggle bus.)

xx

Amanda

Food

Taco Tuesday!

Amanda

Okay so this recipe is not for an actual taco. It’s better. Because it is less messy, and literally takes a blink and wink to make. Once again we rely on our trusty Penzey’s stockpile to produce a delicious meal with minimal effort. We really didn’t change much in this recipe except for shaking up the seasoning a bit!

There are all sorts of different textures in this Taco Soup, there are the crunchy chips, the melty cheese, the yummy veggies. Everything! Ugh, mouth watering now.

Taco Soup

  • Servings: 5
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print
Ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground Turkey
  • 2 15 oz. cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 14.5 oz can Corn Kernels, drained and rinsed
  • 1 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes, NOT drained (I prefer unsalted as well)
  • 1 16 oz jar of Salsa (Pick your own heat level)
  • 1 ½-2 tsp Penzey’s Bold Taco Seasoning
  • Salt
  • Tortilla Chips
  • Shredded Cheese (We used the “Mexican” mixture)
  • Sour Cream

Directions:

  1. In a large pot, cook Turkey until well done
  2. Drain fat from pot
  3. Add Black Beans, Corn, Tomatoes (with juice), Salsa, and Taco Seasoning
  4. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently
  5. Add approximately 16 oz of Water (conveniently the size of your Salsa jar)
  6. Add Salt to taste
  7. Cook for 20-30 minutes over medium-low heat
  8. Serve with crumbled Chips, Cheese, and Sour Cream
Food

Chocolate Chip Bars

Amanda

I often find myself craving cookies without the desire to make individual cookies. Mostly because I’m lazy and sometimes because I have had too much wine. Before you feel too badly for me, I found a solution – Chocolate Chip Bars.

These were a favorite of my Mom’s when we had to make cookies fast, but had other things to do other than clearing out a batch every 14 minutes. These can be made in a 9×13, a heart shaped cake pan, a skillet, or a microwaveable mug. The best part about these is you can make them as “done” as you want. My preference is to eat them with a spoon.

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Chocolate Chip Bars

  • Servings: 12-16 Bars
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print
Ingredients:

  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup softened unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • (1 cup nuts)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Cream butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, and salt.
  3. Add in flour and mix until just combined.
  4. Add chocolate chips (and nuts).
  5. Distribute into an ungreased 9×13 pan.
  6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Food

Chicken Tostadas

Amanda

Confession. And please don’t hate me. But I kind of really dislike Mexican food. I don’t even like salsa… Obviously living out in San Diego, this is a crime. We’re just a short trip to Mexico and we are surrounded by amazing Mexican cuisine. Charlie has been so great about being patient with my “pickiness,” but at the same time, he likes to challenge me, a lot. Therefore, I have come to like some Mexican food. Mainly Tostadas. Tostadas are delicious. Who even knew such a delicious thing existed?

My first introduction to Tostadas came when we were moving out of our first SD apartment. We were trying to avoid buying food at ALL costs, and more importantly trying to use up all of the food we already had. While we were scrounging around the cupboards we came up with: corn tortillas, beans, rice, and tomatoes. Charlie said “Oh! Let’s make tostadas!” At this point I had no idea what they were, and just deferred to Charlie for cooking that night. Well, since then tostadas have become a staple in our household – something I even crave.

What is so great about these is that you can really make them with just about anything in your cupboard. You can use beef/fish/chicken… anything! The only kind of tedious thing is frying the tortillas. But you can always buy pre-crispy tortillas!

Mouth salivating...
Mouth salivating…

These have brought me joy. I am not exaggerating. Real joy. Credit to Whitney for the fantastic photography. Though I did hold a paper bag to serve as a light diffuser. Charlie was so unamused with our photography.

Chicken Tostadas

  • Servings: 8 Tostadas
  • Difficulty: medium
  • Print
Ingredients:

  • 3 Chicken Breasts
  • 8 Corn Tortillas
  • 1 Cup Uncooked Rice (Cooked – I think approximately 2 Cups)
  • 14 oz can of Diced Tomatoes
  • ½ Cup Black Beans
  • Bold Taco Seasoning
  • Cheddar/Mexican Cheese
  • Guacamole
  • Canola Oil (About ½ cup depending on pan size)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
  2. Season Chicken Breasts with Bold Taco Seasoning
  3. Once oven is heated, bake Chicken Breasts for 17-20 minutes
  4. While Chicken is cooking, start Rice
  5. While Rice and Chicken are cooking (hey multitasking!) start frying Tortillas
  6. To fry Tortillas… fill a large skillet with enough Canola Oil to completely submerge Tortilla, heat to medium high
  7. Once oil is hot carefully place one Tortilla into oil and, using a spatula, flatten Tortilla against bottom of the pan
  8. When Tortilla begins to crisp – with more structural integrity flip over and repeat on other side
  9. When finished, drip oil off Tortilla into pan and place Tortilla on a plate covered with paper towel
  10. Repeat for all Tortillas
  11. When Rice is done, add Tomatoes and Beans, as well as any desired seasoning (We use Bold Taco)
  12. When Chicken is done – shred (by hand or by Cuisinart… We prefer Cuisinart!)
  13. Set up “stations” and eat while hot!!