How Do You Roll?

Ahh... summer break... I can cook again!  (Not that I haven't been cooking... I just haven't been cooking too many NEW things and/or blogging about them.)  It's actually been kind of nice to have a repetoire of go-to recipes to make. 

I do like to try new things, though. 

I found this particular recipe on Pinterest:

Peanut Butter Rollup

I imagine that you make it in a similar way to making a pizza... except that you don't bake this... and you don't roll up a pizza.  I did say similar, not the same.  I've never made a pizza.  Maybe I should try that sometime!  I did once get a pizza delivered to my house that was still on the pizza pan.  Weird, huh?  Have I mentioned that I love Pinterest?

Anyway, these rollups were really good!  I liked them a lot with the jelly, but I would say that if you use jelly you should eat them the same day you make them.  Otherwise the jelly makes everything soggy and starts leaking all over your refrigerator.  Trust me on that one.  They just aren't as good without the jelly, in my opinion, so just keep your timing in mind.  I made them with jelly and then they were fantastic the next morning... but the NEXT morning, they weren't as good.  Does that make sense? 

Why do I feel like I'm rambling tonight?  I think I used the word jelly way too many times!  It's been a long day.  :-)

Happy Father's Day, by the way!  (If you're a Dad, of course).  I made my hubby some waffles from scratch, which I've actually never done before.  I usually use Bisquick for waffles.  I just like how they taste.  These were alright... but just not up to the Bisquick fluffiness standard that I've set for myself. 

Waffles from scratch!

Below are two salads I made this week... the first is a little overloaded in that bowl.  Haha.  I should have done it on a plate for a better picture.

Alissa's Crazy Salad

Alissa's Crazy Salad
Spinach leaves
Cherry tomatoes
Mushrooms
Broccoli sprouts
Hardboiled egg
Tofu
Cauliflower
Avocado
Ranch-flavored almonds
...with a little drizzle of ranch dressing on top. 

It's actually really good... despite all of the randomness that's in it.  ;-) 

I made this salad tonight:

Alissa's Taco Salad

Alissa's Taco Salad
Blue corn chips
Spinach leaves
Mushrooms
Grated cheddar cheese
Seasoned ground beef
Fresh salsa (YUM!  I discovered it this week... so good.)
...and whatever else you want to add.  I added a dollop of taco sauce, sour cream, and guacamole right on top.  I would have added some black beans and corn if I'd had any in the house.  I looked.  ;-) 

Thank you readers, if you're out there, for sticking with me through 100 posts!  :-)

Until next time...

Reminiscing...

So, I remember my mom making something like this when I was little...

Tortilla Rollups

We always had them for parties and I remember them being delicious.  I wish I had her recipe... actually, maybe someone out there who reads this blog does have it!  If you do, I'd love to know what she put in her little rollups. 

I went hunting for a recipe via the Internet and came up with "The Pioneer Woman's" recipe.  I'll call it a recipe because there were some instructions, but really you could make these rollups anyway you want.  In her recipe, she used a whole lot more veggies.  My mom's weren't like that... they were more like how I made mine. 

Basically, I put RF cream cheese, scallions, chopped green olives, and cilantro in a bowl.  I mixed it up, spread it onto the tortilla and added a little freshly shredded cheese. 

Next, you roll and wrap with saran wrap to put in the fridge for about two hours.  I guess it could be longer, but that was all the time I had.  :-)

Take them out, chop them up, and eat!  Really easy... I took them to a housewarming party and they were literally gone in about 10 minutes.  I think I got to eat one!  Haha.  Mmm... I'd say they were a hit.  I'll have to keep playing with the recipe, though, to see if I can perfect it.  There's just something about having a food that reminds you of your childhood.  Am I right?  I don't know... maybe I'm crazy.  ;-)

The Amazing Avocado!

So, I don't know how familiar you are with Pinterest... but it's been a small obsession of mine lately.  There are about a million things on there I'd like to be eating, making, crafting, sewing, doing, etc.  However, because it's literally impossible to do everything on Pinterest, they are bookmarked for later when I have some free time.  Oh wait.  ;-) 

Anyway, I found these Baked Avocado Fries via Pinterest.  I've been wanting to make them for at least two months, but haven't had free time that matched up with ripe avocados.  Avocados, for some reason, only have a short window of opportunity.  Whoa... I think I just learned a bit too much information about avocados and how they were named.  I'll let you read that little tidbit on your own.  This is a family-friendly blog! 

Hehe.  Bet you're curious!

Can I just tell you that it is not easy getting an avocado out of it's skin without breaking it?  Usually I just scoop it out and mash it up for guacamole.  This was a little trickier.

Flour, egg, bread crumbs!  Dip, dip, dip!

The above concoction is sour cream, parmesan cheese, lime juice, adobo seasoning, and cumin.  Tasty for dipping!

Baked Avocado Fries

I'm telling you... Pinterest could not make it easier.  You click on the picture of something delicious and it brings you directly to the recipe.  Love. 

By the way, these were really good and really filling!  They had a crunchy texture on the outside, but were smooth and buttery on the inside.  Mmm...

A Day of Cooking

Ugh.  I came home from work on Friday super frustrated with life.  Don't get me wrong... I have a very full life.  I love my family.  I like my job (most of the time).  Not too many people can say that!  It's just that life is a little too full at the moment.  I am counting down the days until summer vacation.  It can't come fast enough!

So, in order to try to give myself more time each night this week, I did a whole lot of cooking today.  My lovely husband, who does not get nearly enough credit for all that he does, went grocery shopping for me while I watched the baby.  Did I say that I love my family? 

Here's what I made:

Rosemary Lamb Stew with Spring Vegetables

Except that I used beef instead.  Lamb is crazy expensive and we are trying to stick to some sort of a budget here, people.  Plus, who wants to eat lamb?  Lambs are baby sheep!!!  :-(  If you eat them, they won't grow to their full potential and give anybody any wool.  Sheesh. 

Smokey Shrimp and Corn Soup

This is not for those allergic to shellfish *cough* Jimmy *cough cough*.  I'm eating some right now for dinner though and enjoying every bit.  Both of the above recipes were from the infamous WW recipe book that I can never find links to online.  I'll see what I can do. 

Veggie-Stuffed Shells

Absolutely no lactose in those... well, at least right now.  I may add some cheese directly to the top once I scoop some out.  They smelled really good while they were cooking and I'm excited to try some this week.  I love all things pasta.  There's also no meat, by the way.  Completely vegetarian. 

MORE Barley with Spinach and Asparagus

Yeah, I made this last week and it was so amazing that I made it again.  I didn't even take a new picture.  It looks exactly the same except that I accidentally added more onion than last time and I did add some leeks (on purpose) because I had one to use.  I like leeks. 

Anyway, if I have to cook this week, then there's something wrong.  Our refrigerator currently has a lot of yummy, healthy choices in it!  Go me!  :-)

Ugh, just ate a spoonful of onion.  I think I chopped/sliced/diced too many onions today. 

Healthy Schtuff

OMG.  My baby blog has taken over all of my blog time!  :-) 

Here are some yummy things I've made recently and haven't had time to post about...

Grilled Zucchini Rolls with Herbs and Cheese

Now, I will say that my zucchini rolls did not include herbed goat cheese because Jimmy couldn't find it at the store.  Where does one find goat cheese?  On a farm?  Well, we didn't go to a farm.  Maybe next time.  These were really good though!  I used my new grill pan (woot woot!) and cooked up the zucchini and then rolled them, which was not nearly as easy as it sounds. 

Jimmy thought they tasted like cheeseburgers.  Seriously.  I dunno.  You'll have to try them and see!

Crockpot General Tso's Chicken

I love love love that crockpot site.  It's very user-friendly and has about a million recipes that are easy and rated based on how much the chef's family actually liked them.  Plus, most of the recipes (if not all) are gluten-free and pretty darn healthy. 

I will say that this was nothing like the General Tso's you would order from a take-out place, but it was delicious in its own way and waaaaaaay healthier.  Worth it.

Broth Fondue!

Neal, Casee, Jimmy, and I have been having all sorts of fondue fun!  I may have purchased a fondue pot for Neal for his birthday and now we make him bring it over every time he comes to visit.  :-)

Casee trying to cut apart salmon. 
Yes, the vegetarian at the table has the job of cutting meat. 
That seems fair!

Haha, both Neal and Jimmy were watching her trying to cut up the salmon.  After fondue, we watched some Game of Thrones... there it is!  It has a prime spot on the table.  Haha. 

Barley with Spinach and Asparagus

I can't find this last recipe online... but it was pretty darn delicious.  I got it out of a weight watchers cookbook.  YUM! 

What have you been cooking lately?  :-)

Veggies

As I've been cooking lots of baby food lately, I've been learning more about different vegetables.  Squash, sweet potatoes, peas... all good things for baby!  Good for us, too. 

A new goal of mine is to try to use the veggies I've been using to make baby food in other recipes. 

Grilled Zucchini with Mint Gremolata

I know, I didn't say that I'd used zucchini to make baby food yet... that's next on the list.  I actually did make this with yellow squash today, but forgot to take a picture!  We chowed down on it before I remembered... doh.  Oh, and I used my new grill pan to cook it.  :-)  Pretty exciting. 

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic

So, there it is.  A sweet potato recipe to which I am totally addicted!  I've made two batches in less than a week... I think I like it.  Just chop, add seasoning, and bake!  Mmm.

I have yet to make something with peas yet... I'll keep you posted.  However, I did make this soup yesterday:

Lentil Soup with Eggplant and Zucchini

...and onion and bell pepper and carrot and tomato and garlic and... well, I think that was everything I had to chop up.  My arm was pretty exhausted after all of that!  This is a WW recipe and made a GIANT pot of soup.  It's a good thing it was a hit with the hubby.  ;-)  We'll be eating all week!!!

Happy cooking, people.  I'll come back with more recipes/updates soon...

Markets, Soups, and Spring

So what does everyone think about farmer's markets (Farmer's Markets -do you capitalize that?)? 

I like the idea of them, but haven't really utilized any in my area because it seems like a lot of work.  I'm not all about extra work.  I think if I could cook without ever shopping for food in the first place, I'd be okay.  It seems like food shopping PLUS shopping at another market just doubles the time spent out and about.  Ugh.

I enjoy the actual cooking process way more than shopping.  The chopping, mixing, and bubbling, not to mention the aromatic kitchen that comes along with it.  Oh, and eating the food isn't half bad.  ;-)

...but... there are apparently farmer's markets who have programs where you can pay a lump sum and then pick up fresh produce every week, every other week, whatever you want.  The one I visited today provides a bag of whatever produce is in season beginning in July and ended in October (if you join the program).  That might not be bad for me.  All I'd have to do is pick up the bag and then cook whatever happens to be inside.  It would be a mystery every week and hey, I might learn some new things about whatever is in there. 

I'm very tempted. 

Oh, you can also pick items up directly from the farm... where you can go and cut your own herbs and sunflowers!  Doesn't that sound fantastic?  Since I've failed twice now at growing herbs on my own, that sweetens the deal even more. 

Okay okay, enough about that.  Here's some yummy soup I just made:

Asparagus Leek Chowder

It started out as a giant pile of veggies in a pan... and turned into an awesome pot of soup!  Jimmy and I both liked it a lot.  It didn't even need a lot of seasoning! 

Now that it's springtime, I think it's time for some light and delicious soups.  What kind of soup do you like to make this time of year?