Lunching

Every now and then you want a simple lunch: a half tuna sandwich, a salad, an apple and an e-reader. Lunch doesn't get any better than this. 

La Fonda Paella

If you live in Atlanta, then surely you've paid a visit to the world-famous La Fonda restaurant for some paella. After a long grueling day of meetings, I stopped by a La Fonda location and indulged. The paella is still was tantalizing as I remembered. The Howell Mill location is located on Howell Mill Road, across the street from ChowBaby and in front of Six Feet Under. Be sure to check them out if you haven't already.

Hot Corn Dip

I found this really awesome recipe for hot corn dip on Pinterest the other day. Instead of going with the first one I saw, I did a bit of research and decided to remix it with a couple of different ones. It was so freaking good! Make this dip for a party; it will be a hit!

Mayo, green peppers, green onions, shredded cheese, butter, roasted red peppers, peppers, fresh corn

Finely dice up your green onions, bell peppers, white onions, and roasted red peppers

Next, scrap the corn off the cob. I prefer fresh corn but frozen corn works too.  DO NOT USE CAN CORN!

Saute in a little bit of butter and season with black pepper

Add in a few shakes of sea salt

Once the corn is done, throw in your veggies and saute until the color perks up. You can throw them in with the corn too but make sure you don't burn them.

Mix the corn and veggies in a bowl

Add  1/4 cup of mayo. It really does't  take a lot of mayo so squeeze gently. 

Mix well and taste to see if you need more salt.  The cheese is salty so use a little less than you anticipate.

Mix in the cheese and stir well. Add some diced jalapenos at this point too if you want to give it a kick.

Pour into a casserole dish and top with more cheese. You can also top with breadcrumbs too if you want to change up the texture.

Bake for 20-25 or until golden brown at 380 degrees. Serve with chips and enjoy!

Modifications:

1. You can also use cream cheese, sour cream or greek yogurt if you want; mayo gave the best consistency 
2. If you want to take the easy way out, use mexicorn. It already has the other ingredients in it. I prefer to do everything fresh so I can control the taste a little better.
3. Panko crumbs or bread crumbs are good to use as topping.
4. Add a scoop of sour cream on top before serving. Yum!
5. Bake in a middle of the loaf of bread. OMG!

Tuna Salad

Its no secret that my tuna salad packs a punch. Its loaded with carrots, celery, onions and bold flavor. Here's my recipe to share:

Any brand of tuna will do but make sure it's in WATER

Dice up some onions (I prefer red), carrots, and celery. Yes, I love veggie loaded tuna.

Add your tuna to a bowl

Throw in your veggies

Finely dice two eggs, three if you're feeling froggy

Two tablespoons of sweet relish

2 spoons of mayo, 2 spoons of greek yogurt. All 4 of either if you want.

Mix well and a pinch of pepper, a pinch of seasoning and a pinch of sugar (add a little more sugar to sweet). Chill and serve.

Shrimp and Rice

I had to throw way my epic dandelion fail and decided to whip up shrimp and rice instead. I really wanted to do shrimp and grits but I was starving and needed something quick.

Diced up some red onions and green/yellow peppers

Washed and seasoned shrimp with seasoning salt and crushed red pepper. Add a little sea salt too.

(not pictured) I cooked some diced bacon and used the leftover grease to saute the veggies

When the veggies are still slightly crispy, add the shrimp. Saute until they turn pink

Add the bacon back in and stir.

Mix in the rice and eat up!

Chicken Tacos

Happy Cinco de Mayo! In honor of the day (and the fact that I wasn't  going to wait 2 hours to get into anyone's Mexican restaurant), I decided to make my own bootleg version of chicken tacos. 

The cast. A cooked chicken, sour cream, black beans, peppers, tortillas, tacos, guacamole, shredded lettuce and taco seasoning.

I like using low sodium products. It doesn't matter if the seasoning is namebrand or not. 

Break the chicken up into small pieces. Not too tiny since it's already cooked. Cover it with taco seasoning and brown in a skillet. Once all the meat is coated and tossed, add a splash of water and saute for a bit.

Time to prep! Get your shells ready and fill with chicken.  Not too much because you have alot of ingredients. I like  to use the Stand N' Stuff shells.

Next, add the black beans you heated up in a small pot. Add a little taco seasoning to the beans while they cook. Make sure you drain them before adding to the shell.

Then, add some guacamole and jalapeno peppers.

Once that's done, it's salsa time! 

I didn't show it but add your sour cream. I like to smear mine on the shell instead of drop it on everything else. Top with as much lettuce and cheese as you want.

And now its time to eat!

Korean Ribs and Baked Beans

I marinated some Korean ribs in olive oil, broiled steak seasoning, parsley and black pepper overnight. Make sure you gently massage the seasonings in.

Cover and bake at 385 for about 25 minutes. You want the meat to cook through. Remove the foil and bake uncovered until they brown. Don't overcook the meat or it will end up tough. Note: these will be really greasy after cooking. Place a rack in the pan so that they can drain.

Brown some ground beef/turkey with onions and green peppers.

I'm using canned beans

Add your beans, a handful of brown sugar, a couple of squirts of mustard and my secret ingredient :)

Once your meat has been cooked and drained, had that mixture to the beans and stir gently.

Looks good huh?

Place into a cassarole dish and bake (covered) for about 40 minutes on 325. I like to slow cook my beans so the flavor blends in.

Homemade Chicken and Rice Soup

I love quick one pot meals that I can set and forget. My homemade chicken and rice soup is just that.





1 pack of chicken legs (about 6 legs)

1 cup of chopped celery

1 cup of chopped carrots

1/2 cup of chopped onions

1 TBSP of black pepper

1 TBSP of seasoning salt (although I'm sure I'm used alot more)

A dash of sea salt

1 bag of frozen mixed veggies

2-3 handfuls of rice





Place the chicken, celery, carrots, onions and seasonings into a crock pot and add enough water to cover the top of the chicken. Place on low and allow to cook for 6-8 hours. Once done, remove the large bones and shred the chicken. Add a bag of mixed veggies and allow it to cook on low for 30-45 minutes. After the veggies are done, add two handfuls (give or take) of uncooked rice and stir. Allow to cook on low for 20-30 mins.

The cast

Yummy chicken and veggies before adding the rice

Adding rice to the crockpot. Yum!

Top with crushed red peppers and eat up!

It is very important that you don't allow the rice to overcook or else it will turn to mush. Add more seasoning to taste and serve! My little guy LOVES this soup/stew.