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Superbowl Week – Carnitas

February 2, 2012 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 7 Comments

My favorite Superbowl food?

Hands down….

These Carnitas!

We love football around here.

dinner Superbowl Week Carnitas

We love our Pats.

We love Superbowl Sunday with snacks and the whole hood gathered round.

We love these carnitas.

Want to feed a crowd easy?

dinner Superbowl Week Carnitas

Make these carnitas and a taco bar.

Make a lot though.

My boys can rifle through these things in no time flat.

Big thanks to Girlichef for this amazing, slimmed down recipe.

So easy

Sooooo good!

Pork Carnitas

WHAT YOU NEED:

Serves 8

6 pounds country style pork ribs

kosher salt

water

corn or flour tortillas

chopped onion

chopped cilantro

guacamole

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Liberally salt your pork on all sides with kosher salt and lay in a 11×13 baking dish.  Space them out so they are not touching.  You may want to use 2 dishes.

Add 1/3 cup water to each of the pans.

dinner Superbowl Week Carnitas

Cover with foil and bake at 375 for one hour.

After an hour remove from oven and turn the oven up to 450 degrees.  Remove the foil from the pans.  Bake uncovered at 450 until all the water is gone and all that is left is the fat that has run off the pork, about 30 minutes.

Continue to bake an additional 20 minutes while returning to baste the meat at least twice in it’s own fatty delicious juices.

dinner Superbowl Week Carnitas

Remove from oven and chop up pork and sprinkle with salt.

Serve on tortillas with onions, cilantro and quacamole.

Game on!

LETS GO PATS!!!!

 

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Dinners on a Dime, Featured, Kid Favorite Recipes, Lunch Ideas For Kids, Snacks Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Grilling Week – Steak Fajitas

May 25, 2011 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 9 Comments

You all know about my Mexican food problems here in CT.

They don’t have any…

Well not anything good…

So it’s up to me to make it for us.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE fajitas.

Have for years.

I remember this one time when I used to wait tables at this great restaurant in Boston while I was in college.

It was called the Sunset Bar & Grill

I’ve told you about their AMAZING Nachos.

Well I had a customer once who ordered our famous Cadillac Fajitas but instead of pronouncing it “Fa – HEE – ta” they asked for the “Fa-JIE-tis”

Like “Fagitis” is some creepy disease you catch in the Amazon Jungle.

Still makes me laugh.

dinner Grilling Week Steak Fajitas

STEAK FAJITAS

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 pounds skirt or flank steak, organic if possible

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1 lemon juiced

2 limes juiced

1/2 cup olive oil

4 cloves or garlic, chopped

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 T sriracha sauce

1 T chili powder

1 T ground cumin

1/2 T ground corriander

1/2 T paprika

1 t oregano

1 t black pepper

1/2 head of chopped cilantro

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 orange bell pepper, sliced

2 onions, sliced

Toppings:

whole wheat tortillas

pico de gallo

guacamole

shredded cheddar

sliced olives

sour cream

WHAT TO DO:

Place your steak and veggies to the side while you build your marinade.  Combine all remaining ingredients, other than your toppings, in a large bowl and mix well.

Place the veggies and steak into a large ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the top.  Close the bag and let it sit in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours.  One day would be great!

Remove from fridge and let come to room temp while you heat up your grill to medium high.  Spray or oil your grill so the meat doesn’t stick.

Meanwhile heat up a cast iron skillet on the grill.  I put mine in the back corner where it’s hottest.  Cook your onions and peppers until nice and soft and charred.

Toss on your meat and cook to medium (or medium rare) about 5 minutes on the first side, then 4 on the second.

Slice your meat on an angle and against the grain into strips.

dinner Grilling Week Steak Fajitas

Serve in warm whole wheat tortillas with sauteed onions and peppers and toppings!

Better than a case of “fagitis” any day!

Serve these up with some Sangria and it’s a good day for the ‘rents and the kiddos!

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Featured, Kid Favorite Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Stick to your ribs Steak Tacos

August 6, 2010 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 27 Comments

Last weekend we had some of my old college girlfriends up with their families for a BBQ.

It was the first time we had gotten our families together.

I can’t believe that between us we have 9 kids.

Oh, how times have changed!

Instead of planning after hours parties and heading to the cafeteria to eat away a hangover…

We were discussing what kind of bottles we thought worked best and how many soccer practices a week a 5 year old should have.

Oh how the mighty have fallen…

Well, before the party the hubs freaked out and didn’t think we had enough food.

Really, honey?

Have you met me?

Of course we have enough food.

Yet, off he went to the store to purchase more and he came home with meat…lots and lots of meat.  Needless to say I have about 7 extra steaks in the fridge to use up this week.  Get ready for some steak leftover recipes guys!  Grill a lot of it this weekend…you’ll be glad you did.

dinner Stick to your ribs Steak Tacos

Serves 4  Prep Time: 1o minutes  Cook Time:  15 minutes

1 T canola oil

2 large leftover steaks (you know the one your hubs thought you needed)  If you are a vegetarian you could use portobello mushrooms instead

1 large onion, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 yellow pepper, sliced

1 t garlic powder

1/2 t dried oregano

1/2 T ground cumin

1/2 T ground corriander

1/2 T chili powder

1/2 cayenne pepper

S&P

tortillas

shredded cheese

guacamole

sour cream

hot sauce, this is optional, but I like it spicy!

dinner Stick to your ribs Steak TacosIn a large cast iron skillet heat your oil over medium high heat.  When the oil is hot add your onion and peppers.  Saute for about 5 minutes until they are softened, season with S&P.  Toss in your leftover steak and season with the remaining spices and additional S&P.  Cook until heated through, about another 5 minutes.

Build your taco by laying your steak taco mixture in the middle of your tortilla.  Top with cheese, sour cream, quacamole, and hot sauce.  Need some good guacamole recipes?  Here are two of my favorites…

Tyler Florence’s Guacamoledinner Stick to your ribs Steak Tacos

Barefoot Contessa’s Guacamole

My guacamole is kind of a combo of these.  I’ve made a lot of guac in my day and I’d swear by these two.  YUMMY!!!

dinner Stick to your ribs Steak Tacos

Happy Friday Follow all! Please leave me a note to say you were here and I’ll get ya back over the weekend!

dinner Stick to your ribs Steak Tacos

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Recipes For Kids Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Chicken Ole

July 27, 2010 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 30 Comments

As many of you know we just moved to the Northeast from my home town of LA, CA.  Being a bred a So Cal girl, anytime I’m back east I immediately begin to crave some good ol’ Mexican food.  Oh, yes, I love me some spicy hometown grub.  Sadly, since we now live here year round that means I’m usually out of luck.  Now if you’re familiar with the East then you know, it’s really really hard to find good authentic Mexican food here.  Even the Tex-Mex is suspect.  Here in CT, the options are downright bleak.

dinner Chicken Ole

See I love the good ol’ fashioned, hole in the wall, homemade salsa so spicy you’ll have heartburn for a week but it’s worth it, kind of places.  All I have here is a Taco Bell, and a bunch of terrible places with names like Caliente Rico’s or the like.  Needless to say, I’m dying.  So what do the kids and I do when we’ve already had Fitz Family Taco Night three times this month and we don’t feel like another run for the border???  We switch things up to a fabulous Chicken Ole Casserole!

dinner Chicken Ole

Here’s what you’ll need.

3 chicken breasts cooked and chopped

3 whole wheat tortillas

2 cups tortilla chips

1 onion chopped

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 T cumin

1/2 T corriander

1/2 T chili powder

1/4 T cayenne pepper

1/2 T dried oregano

S&P

1 can red enchilada sauce

1 can olives

1 can diced green chiles

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 375.  In a large bowl combine chicken, sour cream, mayonnaise, cumin, corriander, chili powder, cayenne pepper, S&P and oregano.  Mix well.  Line the bottom of a baking dish with tortillas.  Add a layer of your chicken mixture, next a layer of half of your green chiles and half your olives.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Add a layer of half of your tortilla chips. Repeat the layer process with the remaining ingredients.  Pour the enchilada sauce on top.

dinner Chicken OleCover with foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional five minutes.  Remove from oven and serve with sour cream, diced scallion and tomato.

This does the trick and takes care of our cravings for the southwest.  Sometime you just have to take matters into your own hands…Ole!

Are there any foods that you can’t find in your area that you really miss?

dinner Chicken Ole

dinner Chicken Ole

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Kid Favorite Recipes, Recipes For Kids Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Mommie Cooks’s Mexicali Rice

July 2, 2010 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 29 Comments
TGIF!  I can’t believe it’s Friday already and you may have arrived here via the Friday follows.  Welcome welcome, come on in, get comfy.  I hope you have a little looksie and be sure to let me know you were here so I can come back and return the love.

side dishes Mommie Cooks’s Mexicali Rice

side dishes Mommie Cooks’s Mexicali Rice

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, it’s my guest post part deux over at Mommie Cooks.  Today I’m slinging some drinks old school style perfect for your Friday afternoon cocktails.   Go over and visit Julie’s blog for my refreshing little pick me up.

side dishes Mommie Cooks’s Mexicali Rice

Once again, in honor of my girl Julie, I’m showing the love by sharing with you a fantastic side dish to go along with the chicken we served up yesterday.  She calls this Mexicali Rice, I call it delicious.
side dishes Mommie Cooks’s Mexicali Rice
1 Cup of Jasmine Rice
2 Cups of Chicken/Veggie Broth
1/2 Cup of Evaporated Milk
1/4 Cup of Sour Cream
1 Cup of Corn
1 Small Handful of Cilantro, Chopped
2 Adobo Peppers, Chopped
1 7 Oz. Can of Diced Green Chiles
1 Cup of Diced Tomatoes
1/2 Cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 tsp of Chili Powder
1/2 tsp of Cumin
S&P
1 lime, zested and juiced

Once again, anything I added is in italics…I have recipe OCD.

side dishes Mommie Cooks’s Mexicali RicePlace your broth in a pot on the stove and get it boiling.  Add in your jasmine rice, turn it down to low, cover it up and let it cook for 20 minutes or until cooked through.  Now add in your chopped green chiles, corn, and cilantro.  Stir it up and then add in your sour cream, milk and cheese.  Mix it up well and let your cheese take a few minutes to melt.   Now stir in your adobo peppers and spices; the cumin and chili powder.  Stir it up good.  Finally, add in your diced tomatoes and give it a minute to heat up.  Season with S&P, lime zest and lime juice.

FYI – My hubs is one of those people out there who HATES cilantro, I apologize to all the cilantro growers out there.  He freaks out if it’s in anything and can spot it from miles away, so I just substitute parsley for his and all the more cilantro for the rest of us.  Apparantly though it’s true, there is a large number of the population that hate it because it tastes like soap to them.  I saw that on Oprah or something.  And that is hysterical because that is what he always told me.  I tell him he’s ridiculous and that it tastes nothing like soap.  He claims that I clearly never talked back to my Momma and never had to have the Ivory Sandwich.  Not this girl…can you hand me back that halo please????
What about you?  Do you have strong cilantro feelings?

Filed Under: Healthy Side Dish Recipes For Kids, Recipes For Kids Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mommie Cooks’s Tequila Lime Chicken

July 1, 2010 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 19 Comments

Guess what???  Today is my very first guest post.  Yup, my girl Julie over at Mommie Cooks asked me to be a guest in her kitchen for the next couple of days and whip up a little something somthing, so I’m happy to oblige!  Please swing by and check it out…

>dinner Mommie Cooks’s Tequila Lime Chicken

So in order to pay hommage to my girl Julie the next two days I will be showcasing two of her awesome recipes that I have recently whipped up.  They are fantastic and if you make them together you’ll have a wonderful dinner on hand the whole family will enjoy.  Mine sure did!    You really should check her out.  I adore her.  Today is a favorite recipe of mine, Tequila Lime Chicken.  Now I make mine totally different, I usually marinate chicken pieces for a day then grill it on the bbq…she does the whole damn bird in the oven.  It’s a great take…check it out.
dinner Mommie Cooks’s Tequila Lime Chicken
1 whole chicken
1/4 Cup of Tequila
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
1/2 tsp of Chicken Base (or 1/4 Cup of Broth)
1 Lime, Juiced
1 orange juiced
1 lemon juiced
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 jalapeno diced
4 Cloves of Garlic
1 Small Bunch of Cilantro, Chopped
1 tsp of Cumin
1 tsp of Chili Powder
1 tsp of Paprika
1/2 tsp of Salt
1/4 tsp of pepper
Cayenne Pepper to taste (Optional)
My additions are in italics…I’m such a loser I can’t follow a recipe to save my life…

Mommie says…
Grab your chicken, rinse and pat it dry.  Drop it into your baking dish and sprinkle the dry spices; cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne on both sides of your bird.
Next you’ll want to mix together your tequila, olive oil, chicken base (or broth), lime juice, orange juice, lemon juice, jalapeno, pineapple juice, garlic, and cilantro.  Now pour your cilantro mixture over the top of your chicken.  It should be starting to look good already and you haven’t even begun cooking it!

This is optional, but I threw my squeezed limes, oranges and lemons, into the cavity of the chicken.  I would have mulched them up anyway and this way, I get every last bit of lime flavor infused into my chicken.

Throw your chicken into your oven heated up to 350 degrees.  Cook it covered for the first 1.5 hours and then uncovered for the last 30 minutes, basting once or twice with the chicken’s juices the last half hour.

Cooking times will vary depending on the weight of your bird, but as a reference, the internal temperature of your bird should reach 180 degrees.  If you have a meat thermometer, stick it into the bird once you get to the uncovered portion of your cooking time.  You should stick the thermometer between the leg and the breast to hit the deepest part of the chicken.

Once your chicken hits that magic number of 180, pull it out and prepare to feast on something spectacular.  If this doesn’t make your mouth water, I don’t know what will.

dinner Mommie Cooks’s Tequila Lime Chicken Isn’t she the best?  Now get on over there and show us some love!

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Recipes For Kids Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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