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Do You Know The Way To {Santa Fe}?

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Once upon a time, there was a restaurant/bar in Seattle’s university district called Rain Dancer. I would eat there with my dad and sister when visiting the Pacific Northwest.

They had the most amazing sandwiches on their lunch menu, but my sis and I would always get the same thing ~ the Southwestern grilled cheese.

However, when I would place my order I would always call it the {Santa Fe} grilled cheese. The waiter always knew what I meant….

One time we went over for lunch, parked in the rear parking lot, walked up to the back door and…..gasp! The door was locked. We went to the front. Rain Dancer was no mas.

Sad, sad day.

I have been wanting to recreate this sammie for AWHILE now and this afternoon I finally did…

Brought back LOTS of memories.

This is a pic of Jay’s…he requested cheddar rather than the traditional pepper jack….gasp! I would have taken a picture of mine with the {proper} queso, however when I went to flip it in the pan, it got all jacked up and was no longer as photo worthy as this one. BUT it was still delish!

All you need is some sourdough bread, butter, black bean and corn salsa {just some black beans, corn, red onion, cilantro, cumin, salt & pepper, lime juice and a tad bit of olive oil}, tomato slices, avocado slices, and cheddar pepper jack cheese. Butter one side of each piece of bread, put on a slice {or two} of cheese, spoon on some of the salsa, add your tomato & avocado slices, put more cheese on top of that to act as glue to hold the whole thing together. Preheat your grill pan or skillet on medium and grill away! I put a lid over it to help with the melting process. Maybe 3-5 minutes on each side and you’re good to go.

You could most certainly add some turkey or use guacamole instead of sliced avocado. I thought about smashing the beans a little {kinda like refried beans} because they tend to spill out of the sandwich when grilling and flipping…

These would be great to make as minis for an appetizer of sorts, too.

SO yum!

*****

This is my 700th post!

Wow.

SEVEN HUNDY!

Two year bloggy anniversary is coming up on November 1st…I have a little giveaway in the works. Please check back soon for the deets!

Thanks for reading! I cherish each and every one of you!

{BIG hug!}

*****

Linking up over at Gingerbread ~ Sweet Saturday

Come on over and browse!

XO

Crispy, Crunchy, Salty, Sweet {And Shoes!}

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Last night I threw together a test batch of another Pinterest find.

I made a joke on a recent Facebook status that Pinterest needs to require that for every recipe pinned a {fitness} pin must follow! I mean really….give me something to DO to work off all these goodies!

I love that Jess is hosting PinterTest Kitchen…because apparently every pin that pops up is not worthy! So far I have been lucky and everything has been scrumptious and this Sweet Salty Snack Mix is no exception:

{my apologies for the 6:21am cell phone pic}

The moment I spotted this I knew I was going to make gobs of it for Christmas and hand it out to everyone, but then I thought it’d be cute with Halloween m&m’s.

Here is the line-up:

Pretzel twists or sticks would be fine, too

Small Fritos {original}

UNsalted roasted peanuts or nut of choice

m&m’s {you could certainly kill two birds with one stone and get peanut or almond m&m’s. I had a bag on-hand and weeded out all the orange, brown and green ones for this. I also threw on a few candy corn so they wouldn’t feel left out!}

White chocolate chips or Wilton candy melts

Dark or milk chocolate chips or Wilton candy melts

Just throw down a layer of pretzels and Fritos then {glue} those together with white chocolate {after you’ve melted of course ~ 30 second intervals in the micro at 50% power [VERY IMPORTANT], stir and repeat until smooth}. For me, white chocolate does not melt as smoothly as milk or dark…I found that I had globs of the white chocolate and had to smooth it out with a butter knife a little. Then toss on some peanuts and the m&m’s and {glue} those down with some milk chocolate drizzle! Put in the fridge to set up and then break into chunks and eat share.

Crispy, crunchy, salty and sweet!

I picked up some purple plastic tumblers with spiders on them at Dollar Tree {4 for a buck}, washed them {!!!} and then filled with the snack mix.

Done and done! {I’ll try and post a pic later, but wanted to share this with you ASAP so you could make some this weekend!}

*****

Lately my Ross has had great shoes! Today I found these {Simple Weegee Booties} for a very belated gift for a very special little guy:

{are they not adorableX100?}

And I picked up these Blowfish ballet flats for Elliott for just $12.99…

{wish they came in my size}

*****

Well, that’s it…a couple new recipes in the works for this weekend along with some housework and pumpkin patch action on the agenda.

What about you? What are you up to?

XO

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

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So it could jump into the Crock Pot and become a fabulous dinner for you!

I most recently saw this Mexican Crock Pot Chicken and thought it’d be perfect to feed a crowd ~ my in-laws are visiting and I needed somethin’ for the crock pot yesterday as we were out and about and weren’t home until right before din din.

I found some gorgeous thin-sliced organic chicken breasts on sale so that is what I used this time {I usually use the frozen tenderloins from Trader Joe’s for something like this}. Cooked on LOW for about 6 hours and the chicken literally almost shredded itself into long thin shreds. I also used Weight Watchers cream cheese {in the little tub} since that is what I had on hand.

Loved the addition of fresh chopped tomatoes and cilantro straight from our garden. We had a not-ripe-enough avocado that we will put on top tomorrow night when we have leftovers!

This chicken would also be great in tacos or burritos instead of on a bed of white rice. It was a treat to have the Jasmine rice because I have been buying nothing but brown rice and quinoa lately. Jay said this meal reminded him of the bowls at Chipotle ~ that’s a compliment in my book!

{I also made Banh Mi while my in-laws were visiting…in case you missed that post, here it is again. They were just as amazing as the first time…you really need to try BOTH of these recipes!}

Back to healthier eating {and Jillian!} mañana.

Happy Tuesday to you!

Do You Dim Sum?

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Have you ever been to dim sum? If not, you really should go…

Little carts come around with dumplings, potstickers, noodles and pork buns/siopao {my fave!}. The even deliver boba teas and coffees on these little carts.

So fun.

When we lived in the Bay Area we found a place in SF’s Chinatown that we loved, Great Eastern Restaurant.

Here are a few pics from over 3 years ago ~ September 2008 ~ just before we moved back to So Cal…

{Holden 19 months}

{Elliott 3.25 years}

{SF’s Chinatown}

{yesterday’s picks at Empress Pavilion}

{Chinese flip flops!}

*****

So glad my mother-in-law suggested this. It’s the perfect Sunday afternoon outing.

I love exposing the kids to different cultures and having them try new foods ~ they’re already great with chop sticks!

Go to Yelp and find a dim sum restaurant in your area.

Sit down, sip some tea and sample little Chinese bites.

Rotisserie Chicken Two Ways

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One rotisserie chicken.

Two completely different meals.

I’m on it.

Last Friday afternoon I picked up a fresh rotisserie chicken, brought it home and immediately took it off the bone. Hint: it’s MUCH easier to get off the bone when it’s warm than when it’s cold.

I took half the chicken, chopped it up and added it to this crock pot lasagna recipe ~ lasagna with mushrooms, spinach and a bechamel sauce. I also chopped up one red pepper and added that in with the onion, mushroom and spinach mixture.

{Since Leah’s recipe didn’t include the chicken, I just went ahead and followed her directions and scattered the chopped chicken on top of each veggie layer}

Started the crock pot at 3:00pm and when we got home at 7:00pm from dance, dinner was ready!

*****

Recipe numero dos….

I had the other half of the chicken ready for another meal and decided to make this curried chicken salad with almonds and raisins from Tyler Florence.

Two words ~ DEEEE-LISH!

I had all ingredients on-hand. LOVE when that happens.

I served it with some leftover quinoa.

Easy.

*****

I don’t know about you, but Mr. Rotisserie and I are good friends. I can always count on him.

Please DO share some of your rotisserie chix secrets!

Happy Tuesday!

*****

Linking up again with Lady Behind The Curtain ~ Cast Party Wednesdays

Frugal Girl’s Frap

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On Monday afternoon I fixed my Pops and me an iced coffee with Coconut Creme coffee-mate ~ it was the perfect warm afternoon pick-me-up.

I thought I’d try it blended and make a frugal girl’s version of a Mocha Coconut Frappucino.

All you need is come chilled {strong} coffee, crushed ice, Coconut Creme coffee-mate, Splenda, Hershey’s syrup, whipped cream in a can, some coconut, a blender and a straw!

Fill a glass with coffee and ice as you would for an iced coffee. Pour that into a blender with a couple tablespoons coconut creamer and your sweetener of choice, if you desire. Process until blended. Drizzle chocolate inside a glass, fill with coffee goodness, top with a fancy spray of whipped cream, another drizzle of chocolate and a sprinkle of coconut!

Longing for my first pumpkin spice latte of the season, but still waiting on Mother Nature for the perfect morning!

Enjoy!

*****

Linking up over at Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain and What I Whipped Up Wednesday @ Sugar and Dots!

Recipe Box

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One of my Pinterest girlies recently pinned these potatoes…

{Baked Hasselback Potatoes}

Since my Dad/Popsi is visiting from Seattle, I figured it was a good excuse to try them. We ate them alongside Ina Garten’s Turkey Meatloaf and garlicky green beans.

These taters were full of flavor in every little nook and cranny!

I also prepared one of our other family favorites ~ Chicken Marsala.

Just thought I’d go back into the recipe box and {re}share these in case you missed them the first time around. They really are good ‘ol stand-by comfort foods.

Perfect for Fall ~ coming in just about 3 days!

Hope your Monday was a happy one.

XOXO

Monkey Business

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Today is my friend and neighbor, Hollie’s, birthday. I baked up a special loaf of peanut buttery banana bread for us to nibble on with our coffee this morning to celebrate.

{banana bread recipe from my best girlfriend, Denise, a million years ago}

Peanut Butter Studded Banana Bread

I decided instead of the normal walnuts or chocolate chips, it needed a little something different…

2 cups flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking soda, sifted in with the flour

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt, sifted with dry ingredients

3 bananas, mashed

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup Reese’s peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350*.

Cream butter and sugar.

Add in all other ingredients and mix.

Stir in peanut butter chips.

Pour into a greased and floured pan.

Bake for 60-70 minutes.

*****

Warm banana bread with unexpected little pockets of peanut buttery goodness?

Yes, please!

The happiest of birthdays to you, Hollie!

*****

What kind of monkey business are you up to today?

Linking up with Lady Behind the Curtain ~ Cast Party Wednesday

Hot Chili Nights

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The weather hasn’t quite given us the green light for chilis, roasts and crock pot comfort meals, but I say “so what!” I spotted this sweet potato chili recipe in a Better Homes and Gardens at dance class last Friday and jotted down the main ingredients, but kind of did my own thing as far as preparing it.

3 large sweet potatoes {I guess you could also use yams}, peeled and cut into medium sized chunks {aka not too big and not too small!}

1/2 pound ground turkey, browned {this was not part of the recipe ~ I added it, but this would also be perfect as a vegetarian meal}

onion, chopped

red pepper, chopped

garlic, minced {however much you like…we like A LOT}

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes with jalapeños

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

dash cayenne

chopped cilantro and sour cream for garnish

I used 2 large sweet potatoes ~ peeled and cut them. Chopped a brown onion, red pepper and massive cloves of garlic. Sauté onions, peppers and garlic in olive oil until soft, stirring often. I browned the ground turkey in a separate pan, but you could brown it along with the veggies I suppose. Add the sweet potatoes, tomatoes {I ended up using a big fat can [28 ounces, I think] of petite diced}, and about 1-2 cups water {depending on how thick or soupy you like it}. Bring to a boil then turn down and simmer {covered} for about 20-25 minutes until potatoes are fork tender. Add the cooked meat and beans, heat through. Ladle it up and serve with cilantro confetti, a dollop of light sour cream and several dashes of Tabasco.

I love chilis because you can make a big pot and eat it throughout your busy week for lunches and dinners. The flavors also seem to get better the second and third day {can you tell we’re totally OK with leftovers over here?} 😉

Since this has the starchy taters, I didn’t serve any cornbread with it. It was a hearty, filling one pot meal ~ perfect for the {upcoming!} cooler weather. I also recently discovered a chicken basil chili that I will be making next week….stay tuned for that yummy recipe.

*****

Happy, happy weekending!

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