Tasty Thursday: Peanut Butter and Potato Chip Sandwich

That's right.  PB and PC.

The creamy goodness of peanut butter with the salty crunch of potato chips. Mmmmm.

I want to thank the BF for introducing me to this combo.  Out of the blue, he asks, "Want a peanut butter and potato chip sandwich?"

"What did you just say?" It was like he was telling me there really is a Stargate in Cheyenne Mountain (total nerdy sci-fi reference by the way).  My mind was blown.  I never heard of such things.  And my mind exploded some more after biting into the creamy crunchiness.

And now I make it as an after work snack.

And of course, anytime I'm eating a sandwich the dog is somewhere nearby (top right).

You're welcome.

Other great peanut butter partnerships:

Peanut butter and pickles.  My friend from high school brought this to my attention.  Genius.

Peanut butter and powdered sugar.  Delicious.

Peanut butter and marshmallow fluff, aka Fluffernutters!  O.M.F.G. I'm pretty sure I die and go to heaven every time I eat one.

Tasty Thursday

I have a slight obsession with Where's Waldo.  Every time I see a Where's Waldo book, my face lights up.  I've loved Waldo since childhood.  It's something about finding a man in a striped sweater and his friends that get me all excited...

For Christmas yesterday, the BF got me a compilation book of all the Where's Waldo puzzles.

Best. Christmas. Ever.

I've only had the chance to complete one puzzle and I've come to this conclusion.  There's no way a nine year old can do them.  Ain't no way.  After a couple of minutes, my brain was hurting and it felt like I was growing cataracts or something on my eyes, they were so sore.

Anyway, this Christmas I tried out two recipes that are definite keepers.  One's an appetizer type and the other's a boozy type.

I made Killer Artichoke Bread from The Girl Who Ate Everything.  Let me start off by saying that it really was killer.  You can't go wrong with bread, cheese and butter.  And artichokes are vegetables.  Right?  So it can't be THAT bad for you.

Killer Artichoke Bread
adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

-1/4 c butter
-big spoonful of minced garlic
-14 oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts, well drained and chopped
-about a cup of shredded Mozzarella
-about half a cup of shredded pepper jack
-about half a cup of grated Parmesan
-1/2 c sour cream
-1 loaf of Italian bread, sliced lengthwise
-salt and pepper, to taste

Melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.  Add the chopped artichoke, cheeses and sour cream.  Stir until everything is combined and remove from heat.

Spoon the artichoke/cheese mixture onto the bread.  Broil for about 4-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starts to brown.

Slice into pieces and you got yourself some cheesy artichokey goodness.

And since you've wrecked your diet by eating this bread, you might as well make yourself a boozy milkshake later.

This peppermint milkshake requires three must have ingredients:  peppermint schnapps, vanilla ice cream and whole milk.  Whole milk!  What!?  I know.  But the thick milk helps it have that creamy thickness that alot of milkshakes have.  And it's still thin enough you can drink through a straw without having a brain aneurysm.  And besides, at this point you've already gone past the point of no return with your calorie intake, so what the heck.  Indulge.

Peppermint Cocktail Milkshake
-1 c whole milk
-2 c vanilla ice cream
-3 oz peppermint schnapps

Blend everything together.  If you have some candy canes laying around, crush 'em up and add those too!  I don't want to say this makes two servings because, honestly, I could drink the whole darn thing, so enough for two glasses it makes instead.  And if you're feeling really fancy, add whipped cream on the top.

Tasty Thursday

Do you like mahi mahi?

Do you like tacos?  Or better yet, do you like double decker tacos?

Do you like Rachael Ray?

Well, if you've said yes to any of those, I have the recipe for you!  Mahi mahi tacos!

Ever since that fateful day I had a fresh fish taco on the side of the road in Maui (as sketchy as this roadside eatery was, the food was delicious).  I've been hooked on fish tacos since and I've unsuccessfully attempted to create many variations.

This particular recipe scored some serious points.  I liked it.  The BF liked it.  The dog and cat even liked them.  Well, to their credit, they'd eat anything, but regardless, win.  The BF even mentioned that I should share the recipe on the blog.  That's the first time he's said that, so I have to oblige.

For me, what made this was the black bean/chutney mix used in between the taco shells.  OMG.  I've never had anything like it and I could've seriously eaten it by itself with some chips.  And it helps when it's an easy recipe.

Now, don't let the long list of ingredients and instructions scare you.  Rachael's recipe is actually pretty easy and, yes, it did only take me 30 minutes, if not less.

The recipe calls for mango chutney, which I found in the Indian food section of the grocery.  I imagine you could also use other types of fish besides mahi mahi.  And as for myself, I actually eyeballed alot of the quantities of the ingredients.  So, adjust according to your taste!


Rachael Ray's My-oh-Mahi! That's a Good Fish Taco  

1/4 c canola oil
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped -- I just used a couple spoonfuls of jarred diced jalapenos
1 red onion, 1/4 of it finely chopped and the remainder thinly sliced -- I did it vice versa
1 garlic clove, minced or grated -- I eyeballed it with already minced garlic
15 oz can of black beans, drained
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 c mango chutney
2 limes -- I used squirts of concentrated lime juice
2 tbsp hot sauce
3 tbsp honey
a handful of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 head of red cabbage, shredded
4 mahi mahi fillets
1 tbsp grill seasoning -- I used a combo of my own seasonings and added some chipotle chili powder
8 each of hard shell tacos and soft shells
sour cream or whatever toppings you want

Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat and add the jalapeno, chopped red onion, and garlic.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the beans and cumin and mash together.  Season the beans with salt and pepper and fold in the chutney.  Reduce the heat to low, stirring now and then to keep from burning.  If the beans dry out, add a splash of water.

Zest one of the limes and set aside.  Combine the juice of both limes, hot sauce, honey, 2 tablespoons of the oil, salt and pepper with the sliced onion, cilantro and shredded cabbage.  Toss it all to combine.

Heat a grill or preheat the broiler.  Season the fish with the remaining oil, 2 teaspoons of lime zest, and the grill seasoning.  Cook the fish until cooked through, turning once.

Glue the hard shells to the soft shell tacos with a couple spoonfuls of the mashed black beans.  Fill your tacos with some flaked fish and top with the cabbage slaw and whatever else your tummy desires.

Tasty Tuesday: Cream of Tomato Soup

Sometimes, I just crave a grilled cheese and tomato soup.  But it can't be any tomato soup.  I particularly don't like many canned tomato soups.  They taste like ketchup and water to me.  I'm a fan of thick and creamy soups.  Soups that can fill you up.  I found a recipe by Jamie Oliver that suited my tastes.  It's thick, creamy, and easy.  And it goes so well with my grilled cheese (that I load up with cheese by the way).  Essentially, you heat a big can of tomatoes, onions, flour and cream together in a pot and sprinkle chives on top when ready to eat.

Cream of Tomato Soup
from Jamie Oliver

28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 c minced onion
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp flour
1/4 c heavy cream
chopped chives

-You can either puree the tomatoes or leave them be.  I left mine be.
-Heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and season with salt and pepper.  Saute until the onions are soft but not brown.
-Make a roux by adding the flour and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
-Add the tomatoes and cream.  Re-season with salt and pepper of you wish.  Stir to combine everything.
-Cover and bring to a simmer.  Heat for however long you want to wait.
-Garnish with chives before you eat.

Bacon Wrapped Hamburger

Yes.  Bacon.  Please.

Within the last couple of years, I've actually been preferring turkey bacon, which is pretty much blasphemy.  Turkey bacon I usually use just because of the lack of grease that flies back at my face when it's frying.  But there is something utterly delicious about a slice of thick cut, porky bacon.  Mmmmm.

Well, I was making burgers and an idea came into my head.  I love bacon cheeseburgers.  How epic would it be to wrap bacon around a  burger patty?  What!!??  Yes.  I did it.

I only had a pound of ground beef and doesn't make much with the way I normally make burgers (I make 'em big) so I mixed an egg and some cheese into the beef to fluff it up a bit.

Bacon Wrapped Burgers

a handful of shredded cheddar
a little bit of grated Parmesan
chopped onion
1 egg
spoonful of ketchup
spoonful of Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb ground beef
bacon
burger buns

Mix the beef with the cheeses, onions, egg, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper.  Form them into patties.  Wrap bacon around the patties (I used 3 slices).  Cook them up to your liking.  And you have yourself a burger with the potential to give you the meat sweats.  Yummy.

Frank and Beans

We had a Cowboy dinner of sorts the other night.

Frank and Beans.  How fancy.

I did serve it with baked sweet potatoes and coleslaw.  A well balanced meal...

I was having a craving for some good ol' baked beans. And I can't really just feed the BF and myself plain beans. Well, I could, but I'd feel totally wrong. 

I forgot how much I loved baked beans though.  Before the other night, I think it's been about a year that I had them.  I like mine with brown sugar and bacon bits.  Sweet and savory.

I'm not posting this to share the recipe, because well, it's pretty self explanatory.  Baked beans...and hot dogs.  Done.  Well, actually, I take that back.  I added some more brown sugar and a little bit of mustard.  But that's it!

I posted this to show you that although I love to cook, I am lazy and can still make dinner classy.  Heh, heh. 

Beanie Weanies satisfied my appetite as a child, so we were content on the grown-up, classier version :)

Are beans still the magical fruit these days???