Homemade baked potato chips

Ingredients
3 medium red potatoes, peeled
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp oil

Directions
Preheat oven to (450 F). Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the potatoes in 1/8-inch thick round slices. Combine with oil, salt, pepper and spices (garlic, oregano, basil, etc) in a large bowl.
Place potato slices on prepared baking sheet in one layer. Bake for about 15 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Gently remove the chips and place on parchment paper; let dry for few minutes and they are ready to serve.

Smoked Sausage and Cabbage Soup

This is my favorite cabbage soup ever!

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
2 leeks, chopped (whites and light green only)
2 cloves garlic
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 smoked sausage, sliced
6 cups of water
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
1 small head cabbage, cored and chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
fresh pepper to taste
1 cube chicken bouillon

Directions
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium low heat. Add leeks and sauté until soft, about 4-5 minutes; add garlic, carrots and yellow pepper and sauté about 2-3 minutes.
On another pan brown the sausage with little oil and when they're brown on both sides add the slices to the pot or Dutch oven.
Add bay leaves, parsley, chicken bouillon and water; cover and bring to a boil. Add the cabbage and potatoes, taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed. Cook until the potatoes and cabbage are tender, about 30 more minutes.

Hamburguesa mexicana

Today was an easy lunch. We had Mexican Hamburgers and oh boy, they were so good I can't wait to make them again. Here's the recipe for 2 servings, but From 1/2 lb. ground beef you can easily make 4 patties for four people, just add one more avocado, tomato and a little bit more lettuce.

1/2 lb. ground beef
3 tb bread crumbs
1 egg
1 onion, minced, divided
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 jalapeño pepper
2 tomatoes, chopped and juices strained
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup red & green bell pepper, chopped
1 lime
1 avocado
1 1/2 cup iceberg lettuce or Romaine, cored and shredded
2 hamburger buns
Salt and ground pepper to taste

Directions
Mix ground beef, half the onions, bread crumbs, mozzarella cheese, jalapeño pepper, and eggs in a bowl; form into patties.
Combine tomatoes, half the remaining onion, cilantro, a quarter of each, red and green pepper, and half the lime juice; mix well to make pico de gallo. Cover and chill in refrigerator.
Mash avocado, remaining onions, and remaining lime juice together in a bowl to make guacamole. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat; pan-fry burger patties to desired doneness, 3 to 5 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).
Assemble each sandwich by placing a burger in each bun; top burger with guacamole, shredded lettuce, and pico de gallo. Enjoy!

Homemade Granola Bars

Hi!
I'm making my own snacks at home for my husband and me. Today I made granola bars, which are so easy to make and delicious! The best part is you can choose what to put in the mixture. I only added pecans and raisins, but the options are limitless! :0) next time I'll add chocolate chips and almonds. Enjoy!

6 cups Rolled Oats (not Quick Oats)
4 Tablespoons Butter, melted, plus more for greasing
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup molasses
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cup Rice Krispies
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, toss the oats with the canola oil, melted butter and salt. Spread the mixture out on 2 baking sheets and toast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, shaking the pan twice and making sure they don't burn. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F.
In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, honey, orange juice and molasses. Heat the mixture slowly, stirring until all combined. Stir in the vanilla.
Toss together the toasted oats, rice cereal, wheat germ, pecans and raisins. Pour in the sugar mixture, stirring as you pour. Toss to combine; it will be sticky!
Press into 1 baking sheet (thoroughly greased with butter, or line pan with foil and grease foil) and bake until golden, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut pieces with a sharp knife and remove from the pan.

Easy White Cake

I wanted to bake an easy cake and I had all these ingredients so I thought why not bake it today. It turned out delicious and then I frosted the cake with chocolate frosting. Yummy!

Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

Homemade pizza

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope Fleischmann's Pizza Yeast
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 salt
2/3 cup very warm water (120' to 130'F)
3 tablespoons oil
Pizza sauce, toppings and cheese
Preheat over to 425'F.
Combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add water and oil. Mix until well blended; about one minute.
Add gradually, enough remaining flour until soft dough ball is formed. You may need to add a little more water if dough is too dry. Dough will be slightly sticky.
Knead on a floured surface adding additional flour if needed, until smooth and elastic; about 4 minutes with floured hands, pat dough out to fill greased pan pizza pan, OR roll dough to a 12-inch circle and transfer to greased pan pizza pan.
Top as desired with pizza sauce, toppings and cheese.
Bake on bottom oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust is browned.

Bananas & Oats Bars

I'm trying to cook more healthy snacks for my husband and I and this is an excellent option. The best part about this recipe is you don't need any flour and you still get the consistency to make cookies and even bars, either for snacks or dessert. It smells delicious by the way! :)

8 bars

Ingredients
3 bananas, peeled
1 1/4 cups of oats, Old Fashioned or Instant
1 full tb raisins
2 tsp chocolate chips, optional

Directions
Purée the bananas along with the oats very well. Add the raisins and chocolate chips (optional) to the batter, mix very well.
Preheat the over at 350 and grease a cookie sheet or baking ban and pour the batter into the sheet/pan, spread evenly to make bars or scoop the batter into the sheet to make cookies. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool it off and enjoy!

Savory Ramen Soup

I wanted to have some kind of pasta for lunch today, but since I had Ramen noodles I decided I'd go with that, and add a couple more things to make it delicious.

1 serving

Ingredients
1 Ramen Soup package, I used picante Chicken flavor
1 cup frozen vegetables, I used Normandy blend
1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped
1 tsp peanut butter
1/3 tsp Sriracha sauce
1 tb Hoisin sauce
1 tsp Kikkoman soy sauce
1 tsp olive oil

Directions
Cook the ramen soup as directed in the package.
Place a small pan on medium flame. Add the olive oil. When hot add the vegetables, housing sauce, soy sauce and ginger and mix. While the noodles are cooking, add the peanut butter and mix, pour the vegetables in the soup and let them cook for a minute or two. Add Sriracha sauce (optional) Serve hot and enjoy!

Hubby's Apples in Yogurt

My hubby and I were hungry tonight after church but it was kind of late to eat too much, so he tried this for tonight, and is delicious and a healthy snack. Yum!

1 serving

Ingredients
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
1 tb yellow raisins
1/3 cup organic vanilla yogurt
Hershey's chocolate shavings to garnish (optional)

Directions
Chop the apple, put it in a bowl, mix it with the yogurt and raisins and mix. With a potato peeler shave the chocolate bar over the apples to garnish.

Black bean soup

This is a very delicious bean soup and so easy to make. I had some Jasmine rice in the refrigerator from another meal and added 1/3 cup of rice into the soup. The rice is a nice compliment to the soup because it's a grain and its flavor is not too strong, so it blends perfectly with the beans.

By the way, I cook my own beans. Here's my method, it's so simple:
1. If preferred soak 1 cup of beans overnight and the next morning drain, discarding soaking water.
2. Add water to about an inch from top of beans and boil gently 1 to 1 1/2 hrs. or until tender.
Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp cumin
15 oz black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp Mexican sour cream

Directions
1.In a large saucepan, combine onion, oil, garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt to taste. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in beans and broth. Reduce heat to medium-low.
2.Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Mash some beans against side of pan. Serve sprinkled with Mexican sour cream and cilantro (optional).

Shrimp in Garlic "Camarones al Ajillo"

Who doesn't love shrimp? I love seafood and all the ways shrimp can be cooked. Today I bring to you a recipe I used to eat in my home country, Guatemala. This recipe is so easy and quick to make. This can be an appetizer over Italian bread or it can be the main course with vegetables or wild rice on the side.
Ingredients
1 lb fresh shrimp, shelled
3 tb olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, peeled & sliced
1 tb chives, finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
4 tb unsalted butter, melted
1 tb lemon juice
1 tb Italian parsley, finely chopped
1/4 tsp chili powder
Directions
Place the pan on medium flame. Add the olive oil. When hot add garlic and cook, flame sizzle until golden in color for about 2 minutes. Turn flame to high and cook the shrimp until pink in color in both sides, approximately 2 minutes. Add the chives, white wine, butter and lemon juice. Bring to a boil until reduced in half, for about 2 minutes. Add chopped parsley and chili powder. Add a pinch of salt.

Polenta Pizza

Prep Time Cook Time Total time
1 hour 30 minutes 1 hr 30 minutes

I had made polenta for a meal the other day and I didn't realize it was much for only two people. Today I thought it would be easy and delicious to cook a Polenta Pizza with the left overs I had and it turned out delicious
The other day I had originally followed this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/herbed-polenta-recipe/index.html as a side for my meal, it was very delicious,
however; I recommend following a basic polenta recipe to get the right consistency to make Pizza Polenta:
Ingredients
6 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Toppings
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese
2 tb Panko bread crumbs
2 Roma tomatoes sliced in 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup red onions
1 cup ham, diced

Directions
1. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, and stir until melted.
2.On a baking sheet, brush on olive oil, making sure to cover every square inch. Pour the cooked polenta, and spread with a spatula to cover the entire baking sheet. Season with sea salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate for 2 - 3 hours.
3. Once the polenta is firm, preheat the over to 425 degrees F. Uncover the polenta, and pop in the over for 20-25 minutes, or until it begins to brown lightly.
4. Meanwhile, in a sauté pan over medium heat, cook the ham until crispy. Transfer the ham to a paper towel lined dish. Top the polenta with the tomato sauce, cheese, tomatoes, red onions, cilantro, ham, Panko break crumbs and more cheese. Add salt and pepper.
5. Pop in the over for another 3-4 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the Panko bread crumbs begin to brown.
6. Serve immediately and enjoy!