Homemade Salsa

 I wasn’t compensated for this post.  All opinions are 100% my own.

 

Quick and Easy Salsa

 

My family loves salsa. At least one of us has it daily. I really love making everything homemade if I can. Salsa is one thing that is quick and easy and tastes so much better when you do it yourself. I especially like the fact that I can control the salt intake when I make it myself.

So to make salsa at home it is really easy. All you need is a food processor and a few ingredients that really you can tweak to your own taste. 

Ingredients:

1 can diced tomatoes (I use no salt)

1 small onion quartered

2-4 cloves of garlic depending on your taste

1-2 jalapeno seeded depending on taste

1/2-1 tsp salt depending on taste

1-2 tsp lime juice

few sprigs of cilantro optional

 

Place all ingredients in your food processor. Hit pulse a couple times until well blended. Boom done! Isn’t that easy!!!

My girls don’t like cilantro so I don’t put it in most of my batches. You can also use Italian parsley in the place if you would like.  You can also leave the jalapeno seeds if you would like more spice.

I usually make my own chips, too. All you need is a package of corn tortillas. Preheat your oven to 350. Cut the tortillas into triangles and spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. 

Place the triangles on the cookie sheet and lightly spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 6 minutes per side. Sprinkle with salt right away. Serve warm. You can also store in a sealed plastic bag for a couple of days.

I hope your family enjoys these quick and easy recipes as much as mine do!

Here We Go Again Ready wasn’t compensated for this post. All opinions are 100% my own. 

 I wasn’t compensated for this post.  All opinions are 100% my own.

Homemade Pierogies

 

Being from northern California I had never heard of pierogies. That is until I moved to Illinois and my neighbor from Louisiana introduced me. I have loved them ever since.  

 

I always bought the ones in the frozen section until one day I had leftover potatoes and decided I had to try to make it myself.  This recipe is based on what I found a few years ago and I have tweaked to my liking. You can find the dough recipe at  Genius Kitchen. I just double the recipe.

 

I personally put the dough in the fridge for an hour after the 30 minutes resting.  I also double the recipe. Once I have the dough in the fridge I mix the filling. I have heard that there are many different fillings out there, even sweet ones. I personally always use mashed potatoes and shredded cheddar cheese. The ratio is about 2 cups potatoes to 2 cups cheese. You then mix them together. I have also thrown some green onion into the mix.  Once I have the filling done I pull out the dough and roll it very thin. As thin as you can and still be able to handle it. Use a biscuit cutter or glass to cut out the dough. Fill each circle with the filling, making sure not to overstuff. Less is more because if you fill them too much they are hard to seal. You then seal with your fingers and finish with a fork around the edges.

At this point you can freeze them right away on your cookie sheet or cook right away. If freezing once they are frozen place them in a freezer safe bag to cook later. If you are cooking now start a pot of boiling water. Add the pierogies to the water and remove when they begin to float, about 3 minutes.  

While your pierogies are boiling cut up a vidalia onion (best for pierogies in my opinion) and a few tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Heat to medium.

When peirogies are floating take them out of the water and into the pan with butter and onions.

Cook until the pierogies have a nice golden crust. You will never want to have store bought pierogies again! Enjoy!

 

 

Here We Go Again Ready wasn’t compensated for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

 All opinions are 100% my own. This post may include affiliate links.

My Baked Ziti

We love Italian based food in our house.  Ziti is one of our favorites and this is what I do. Here are the ingredients you will need:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 chopped onion

2-4 cloves garlic ( I use 4)

1 pound ground beef

Italian Seasoning to taste

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (or homemade)

1 small can tomato sauce (I use no salt)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 box ziti

1 15 oz ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese (or Italian blend)

 

I start my ziti early in the day with my sauce. I love to let it simmer on the stove to meld the flavors.   In a large pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic until tender. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. From there add spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and Italian seasoning. Turn heat to low and simmer for a few hours stirring occasionally.

About 90 minutes before you are ready to eat cook your pasta al dente according to the box you are using.

While the pasta is cooking in a medium bowl mix ricotta, Parmesan, eggs, and 1 cup of shredded cheese.

 

When pasta is done pour ricotta cheese mixture into the noodles and stir until completely mixed.

Next pour pasta sauce on noodles and stir until completely mixed.

Top with the remaining shredded cheese.

Put in preheated 350 oven covered for 45 minutes. Take foil off and cook another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and melted.

Once out of the oven let pasta cool for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!!!

You can get any supplies needed for this recipe at Target.

This is a family recipe my grandmother passed down to me. All opinions are 100% my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

 I wasn’t compensated for this post.  All opinions are 100% my own.

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken is one of my favorite dishes. I am a cook at heart. I love to cook and bake and staying at home really has given me the opportunity to make many different dishes. Some days if you are like me, easy recipes that you can just throw in the crockpot are the way to go. Salsa chicken is one of those recipes that are just that. So are you ready for one of the easiest most flavorful meals ever? Well wait no more!

Salsa Chicken

1-1 1/2 pounds chicken breast

1 16 oz jar of salsa ( I like hot)

garlic powder to taste

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup chicken broth

 

That’s it! Now that you have the ingredients it is really easy. Put the chicken in the crock pot. Add chicken broth. I use a few frozen ice cubes of homemade bone broth. I will add that recipe to the site soon, I promise. If you have an Instant Pot it is easy peasy.

Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper to chicken. Salt can be added if you would like, I personally don’t add extra salt to most of my dishes. You can really change up the amounts on the seasonings depending on your own taste.  Top with your favorite salsa. Close the lid and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours. I personally like HIGH for chicken breast. Once your chicken is 165 F you take it out shred it up with a couple of forks and mix with as much liquid as you would like.

This chicken can be used in tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, nachos, the sky is the limit! Enjoy!!!

Here We Go Again Ready wasn’t compensated for this post. All opinions are 100% my own. 

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Electric Roaster Turkey

 I wasn’t compensated for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Electric Roaster Turkey

 

Electric roaster turkey is always my go to. I love turkey a few times a year and an electric roaster will give you a perfect result each time. This easy recipe I use will never fail you. It gives a tender, juicy, flavorful bird each time. So start by removing the turkey from the wrapper pull the neck and giblets and all that out.  Now for the recipe:

Electric Roaster Turkey

1 whole turkey

2 lemons cut in half

1 medium onion cut in fourths (can leave skin on)

2 sticks butter

4 cups chicken or turkey broth

seasoning to taste ( I use poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper usually)

Remove liner of roaster and put turkey in. Pour the broth in.  Stuff turkey with lemon and onion pieces. You can also put fresh herbs in there, too. Slide you fingers under the skin of the bird pressing to make room to slide butter between skin and meat. You can put seasonings on the butter before you slide it in if you would like. I put a half of a stick under the skin on each side of the back of bird and half in each side of the front.

Then you put the turkey liner in the electric roaster. Set to 450 for 30 minutes. Turn down to 325 and cook according to the Butterball time for the size of your turkey. Roasters cook faster than the oven so I would check about an hour or so before Butterball says it will be done. You want your turkey to be 180 in the thigh and 170 in the breast. When temperature is reached place in a pan that it will fit in and tent loosely with foil for 30 minutes before carving. Oh and don’t eat the lemons or onions you stuffed inside, they are for flavor only.

I have been cooking turkeys for years and have tweaked all the tips I’ve learned over the years. This is the compilation of that and we LOVE it. I know you will, too!

 

Here We Go Again Ready wasn’t compensated for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

My Famous Sweet Cornbread

 I wasn’t compensated for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

My Famous Sweet Cornbread

I have been making this sweet cornbread recipe for so long it is a family staple in my house. Whether you are having beans, pulled pork, or so many other dishes this is a perfect addition. You can even eat it alone. i can’t tell you how many times I have a piece with butter and honey for a sweet snack.

What is really nice is if you have any left overs, which we never do in this house you can easily freeze it.   I just put it in a freezer zipper bag and boom done. I only have one time and we used it within the first month.  I’m sure it could of been in there about 3 months and still been good as fresh.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup butter, melted I use salted
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a medium-size bowl, combine egg yolks, milk, vanilla, and melted butter and stir.
3. Add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir until fully combined, but do not over mix.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold them into the batter.
5. Pour batter into a greased 9×13 inch pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

 

Enjoy! I always let it cool a little bit You can cut it warm but I wouldn’t suggest right out of the oven. I know you will love it as much as we do. It is the perfect compliment to any meal!

 

Here We Go Again Ready wasn’t compensated for this post. All opinions are 100% my own. This is a family recipe that has been around as long as I can remember.

Slow Cooker Mississippi Roast

 I wasn't compensated for this post.

Slow Cooker Mississippi Roast

 

Slow Cooker Mississippi Roast is one of my families favorites. I was lucky today I found roast on a really good sale and I knew exactly what I was going to make for dinner! I also have to state that my husband usually doesn’t like roast because he ate it a lot as a kid. He even likes this recipe so that says a lot!

I also can’t wait until the next day when I have open roast beef sandwiches with the leftovers. The flavors really soak in the next day and make it the perfect left over meal.

I did put potatoes on the bottom of the roast but I didn’t include it in the list of ingredients because it wasn’t part of the original family recipe. I just love the flavors the potatoes soak up. You can also add sliced onions and mushrooms and peppers or other veggies, it is very versatile. If you have chicken breasts and not roast that’s okay, too. You can use chicken in the place of the roast and it is just as amazing! As with all of my recipes you can add your favorite ingredients to make the recipe your own this is just a start.

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 pound Chuck roast
• 1 packet Ranch dressing mix
• 1 packet Au jus gravy mix
• 1/4 cup Butter, Unsalted, cut in cubes
• 6-7 Pepperoncini peppers ( I had sliced and whole this time, whatever works)

INSTRUCTIONS

• • Place the roast in a crockpot (6 quart or bigger).
  • Sprinkle the top with the ranch dressing mix and Aus jus dressing mix.
  • Place peppers and the butter on top.
  • 
  • Cover and cook on Low heat for 8 hours.
  • Shred roast with forks

Enjoy the amazing yumminess you have created. You won’t be disappointed it will become a family favorite like it is in my house.

Here We Go Again Ready wasn’t compensated for this post. All opinions are 100% my own. I only recommend products I feel would be beneficial to my readers.