One of my favorite foods to experiment with are tortillas. You can buy them in bulk for super cheap, so if you mess up a couple, it's no big deal.
Soapapillas ~ I'm not sure how they really make these in the Mexican restaurants, but I like to simmer a little butter/margarine/oil (whatever you've got laying around) on the stove top at a medium heat. Toss in a tortilla when it's nice and sizzling. Some people like these really crispy, and others like them a little thick and chewy. Both are good, and it's totally up to you. When I take mine out of the pan, I lay them on a plate lined with cloth so the grease can be absorbed. But while they're still hot and wet from the butter, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar all over them. I flip mine over and cover both sides. Now, you can premix your cinnamon and sugar. You can put it all in a bag or container and shake it up. Or you can sprinkle both ingredients on separately. Captain's choice. After they cool, I use a pizza cutter to make little tortilla chip triangles. When they're on the plate and ready to eat, I drizzle just a little bit of honey over them. They are sooooo good. A few times I've been out of sugar, and used only honey. But I've also used apple and strawberry preserves on top, and those were delicious too. We even love these with peanut butter and syrup!
Random Quesadillas ~ What do you have in your refrigerator? You'd be surprised at what tastes great in these tortillas, seriously. Last night I was determined to get rid of leftovers. So after heating up my oil as I mentioned above, I threw in the tortilla with some cheese, some random salsa from a Taco Dinner Kit, and I used BBQ chicken that we'd had the night before. I took the chicken off of the bone, and kind of shredded it up. I put all of the ingredients in while they're still in the pan, so they all heat up nicely. They were so good! I've also made breakfast tortillas, with scrambled eggs, cheese, and an assortment of peppers that were going to go bad if I didn't hurry and use them. If you like pork or red meat, cheeseburger tortillas and bacon tortillas are pretty good, too.
Don't just think inside of the box. Don't think you can't make a dish because you're reading a list of ingredients and may be missing something. One night, I made my sister and I some pretty awesome sundaes out of Little Debbie Fudge Rounds, milk, and ice cream. And let me tell you, those things were awesome (deadly fattening and artery clogging, sure, but AWESOME). Half of the time that I'm in the kitchen, I'm missing some random ingredient. Just take a step back, ask yourself what would be similar in flavor, and mentally scour the contents of those dark, scary kitchen cabinets. We waste so much in today's time. I'm all about getting extra mileage out of leftovers and using stuff that's about to expire or hiding in the back of the fridge.
Be creative in the kitchen! Have fun!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Rough, dry, skin.
I'd love to go to a spa every week for fresh, glowing skin. But this is not practical for my lifestyle or my budget. Here are a few things I use to make my own scrubs at home, for a fraction of the cost and at my own convenience.
For your actual scrubbies, you can use salt, sugar, or even coffee. Regular table salt is nice because it's smaller than sea salt or kosher salt, so you won't have to grind it yourself. However, don't use that after shaving! The salt will sting. Brown sugar is a little more gentle than regular sugar, and I love the way it smells. As far as coffee, it's actually great for your body. Lots of studies show it helps cellulite, and helps restrict blood vessels. If you have sensitive skin, oatmeal is also a great alternative.
Next, you may want to add scent and/or moisturizer. There are so many oils you can add to make your own scent and moisture. These are limitless: lavender, vanilla, orange, cinnamon, rose, etc. I don't like mineral oil, as it can clog pores.
Some natural options you can add are lemon peel (for energy), orange peel (to calm nerves), comfrey (to heal irritations), or shredded ginger (for extra exfoliation). I also like baking soda (for fizziness and to clarify skin) and honey (for extra moisture). Also, don't forget fresh items such as avocado for great moisturization. All of these items have different effects and can be personalized to your individual needs.
Lastly, don't forget to reuse old containers! If you have any handy, it's a great way to store your new scrub. You can also pick some up for around a dollar at any craft store.
For your actual scrubbies, you can use salt, sugar, or even coffee. Regular table salt is nice because it's smaller than sea salt or kosher salt, so you won't have to grind it yourself. However, don't use that after shaving! The salt will sting. Brown sugar is a little more gentle than regular sugar, and I love the way it smells. As far as coffee, it's actually great for your body. Lots of studies show it helps cellulite, and helps restrict blood vessels. If you have sensitive skin, oatmeal is also a great alternative.
Next, you may want to add scent and/or moisturizer. There are so many oils you can add to make your own scent and moisture. These are limitless: lavender, vanilla, orange, cinnamon, rose, etc. I don't like mineral oil, as it can clog pores.
Some natural options you can add are lemon peel (for energy), orange peel (to calm nerves), comfrey (to heal irritations), or shredded ginger (for extra exfoliation). I also like baking soda (for fizziness and to clarify skin) and honey (for extra moisture). Also, don't forget fresh items such as avocado for great moisturization. All of these items have different effects and can be personalized to your individual needs.
Lastly, don't forget to reuse old containers! If you have any handy, it's a great way to store your new scrub. You can also pick some up for around a dollar at any craft store.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Cinnamon Breadsticks and Leftover Pizza
Every time there's a get together and pizza is ordered, everybody wants some of those delicious cinnamon breadsticks and icing. Yeah, they're yummy, but they're expensive! There are lots of recipes online for them, but I never remember to grab the right ingredients. So here's my favorite versions:
1) For my picky eaters who don't like pizza crust, I trim that off before giving them their slices. I make sure to cut away all of the sauce, so all that's left is just the bread.
2) Use whatever bread is handy in the cabinet.
I like the phrase "whatever is handy"!
It's pretty much a no-brainer at this point, but there are a few variations that (in my conceited little brain) kind of make a difference in the end. I preheat the oven while I'm using the stove top- around 350 will do the trick. I heat some oil in a pan, and then drop the bread, or the crusts, into the pan and get them nice and toasty, almost like a grilled cheese sandwich. (You know your pan is ready for cooking when a few sprinkles of water make the oil sizzle.) Then I put them in a sealable bag with lots of cinnamon and sugar.
Lots of shaking makes this a fun project for the kids!
Next, we shake the bread out onto a pan, and pop them into the oven (that's a grown-up job, though). I let them bake for 3-7 minutes, then I switch the oven to broil for no more than 2 minutes. I watch them closely, because broil can burn things easily. Whip them out of the oven (don't hit anybody with that hot pan, sister!), let them cool, and voila! You have a cheap, toasty, and fresh way to make lots of yummy breadsticks without that hefty pricetag.
Oh, and the icing? I melt a little butter in either the microwave or on top of the stove and stir in enough sugar and milk until I have just the perfect consistency. Warning: it takes a tiny bit of butter, an even smaller amount of milk, and mostly sugar. It couldn't be much easier at all. And another fun way to let the kids in on the snack is to give them their own little bowls of icing and add food coloring, or sprinkles, or any other fun toppings you can think of.
I like this because I can substitute soy milk for regular milk, brown sugar for regular sugar, and wheat bread instead of white. Also, I love mixing honey, peanut butter, and apple sauce in different combinations for yummy dipping sauces instead of sugary icing.
If you're looking for a more salty snack, try toasting your bread in the pan as suggested above, and then shaking them in a bag of fresh parmesan with a little garlic, salt, and pepper before baking them.
There are so many ways you can change this idea and mold it to your individual tastes. And quit throwing away all of that pizza crust!
1) For my picky eaters who don't like pizza crust, I trim that off before giving them their slices. I make sure to cut away all of the sauce, so all that's left is just the bread.
-or-
2) Use whatever bread is handy in the cabinet.
I like the phrase "whatever is handy"!
It's pretty much a no-brainer at this point, but there are a few variations that (in my conceited little brain) kind of make a difference in the end. I preheat the oven while I'm using the stove top- around 350 will do the trick. I heat some oil in a pan, and then drop the bread, or the crusts, into the pan and get them nice and toasty, almost like a grilled cheese sandwich. (You know your pan is ready for cooking when a few sprinkles of water make the oil sizzle.) Then I put them in a sealable bag with lots of cinnamon and sugar.
Lots of shaking makes this a fun project for the kids!
Next, we shake the bread out onto a pan, and pop them into the oven (that's a grown-up job, though). I let them bake for 3-7 minutes, then I switch the oven to broil for no more than 2 minutes. I watch them closely, because broil can burn things easily. Whip them out of the oven (don't hit anybody with that hot pan, sister!), let them cool, and voila! You have a cheap, toasty, and fresh way to make lots of yummy breadsticks without that hefty pricetag.
Oh, and the icing? I melt a little butter in either the microwave or on top of the stove and stir in enough sugar and milk until I have just the perfect consistency. Warning: it takes a tiny bit of butter, an even smaller amount of milk, and mostly sugar. It couldn't be much easier at all. And another fun way to let the kids in on the snack is to give them their own little bowls of icing and add food coloring, or sprinkles, or any other fun toppings you can think of.
I like this because I can substitute soy milk for regular milk, brown sugar for regular sugar, and wheat bread instead of white. Also, I love mixing honey, peanut butter, and apple sauce in different combinations for yummy dipping sauces instead of sugary icing.
If you're looking for a more salty snack, try toasting your bread in the pan as suggested above, and then shaking them in a bag of fresh parmesan with a little garlic, salt, and pepper before baking them.
There are so many ways you can change this idea and mold it to your individual tastes. And quit throwing away all of that pizza crust!
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