Meals / Side Dishes
Dhal – A Unique & Quick Side Dish – (video) This traditional Indian side dish is a healthy, quick, easy, and flavorful addition to any meal. In just two minutes, learn how to make a simple side dish that will WOW everyone’s taste buds.
Quick Gourmet Exotic Mushroom Stew – (video) Yes, specialty mushrooms can be pricey—that makes it exotic. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s fun, and best yet, it’s gourmet. Join me as I show you how to make a delectable diversion from humdrum stew.
Savory Elotes (Roasted Corn) (video) – Take your dinner plans over the border without leaving your kitchen. It simply takes a few ears of fresh corn, a pan, and three common seasonings to excite your south-of-the-border meal. Watch this quick video to see how to make a savory, uncomplicated side dish.
Fish or Shrimp Tacos
-Start to Finish 30 minutes
Serves 4
12 cooked frozen fried fish patties or fish sticks, OR 36 medium-size fried shrimp
12 corn tortillas
Taco sauce, tartar sauce, or Comeback sauce
Grated cheddar cheese
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Bake/fry fish sticks or shrimp. Warm tortillas. Spread approx. ½ tablespoon of sauce of choice inside the tortilla. Place warm cooked fried fish or shrimp on top of sauce. Top with cheese and lettuce. Years ago, I saw these on a menu at a seafood restaurant and thought, “How gross!” Well, we tried our own version at home and we love them!
Marsha’s Quick Quiche
– Start to Finish 50 minutes
Serves 4
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 9” pre-baked or homemade pie crust
- Additional ingredients of your choice. Limit to 3 or 4, ¼ cups of ingredients.
(You do not want to over fill pie shell.)
Preheat oven to 350˚. Beat eggs and milk together. For your personalized quiche add whatever you want. Take this opportunity to clean out items from your refrigerator. Like those last two mushrooms, that one floret of broccoli, and your last piece of bacon. Other yummy items include breakfast sausage, hash-brown potatoes, olives, diced onion, etc… Approximately ¼ cup of any one item is usually adequate. Stir well. As shown in photo, if you do not mix well the item will not be spread evenly within your quiche. I always stir in ¼ cup of shredded cheese and a few tiny pieces of Serrano pepper. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake 40 minutes. The top of the quiche should be slightly browned. The toothpick method of confirming doneness is a good idea, too. I generally make two and freeze the other. This is one of those recipes that you can experiment with to find what flavors work the best together. But you can never go wrong with bacon and cheese.
Homemade Tartar Sauce
-Start to Finish 5 minutes
4 servings
8 tablespoons mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
4 teaspoons dill or sweet relish
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
Stir all the ingredients well.
Homemade Cocktail Sauce
-Start to Finish 5 minutes
4 servings
8 tablespoons of ketchup/catsup
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
Stir ingredients well. Add more horseradish if you want to step it up a bit.
Easy Cheesy Enchiladas – (video) In less than 30 minutes have a dish full of homemade cheese enchiladas. Nine minutes prep time and 20 minutes to bake, then one minute to garnish and serve.
Lobster Stuffed Mushrooms
-Start to Finish 35 minutes
Serves 4
2 tablespoons mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
2 fresh or frozen small lobster tails (approx. ¾ cup meat)
½ celery stalk
½ teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
12 large mushroom caps (stem removed)
¼ cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
4 tablespoons butter divided into 12 pieces
Preheat oven to 400˚. Blend first 4 ingredients in food processor until smooth. Stir cheese into mixture. Using a spoon, fill the mushroom caps. Arrange in baking dish or on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place butter on top of each stuffed mushroom. Bake at 400˚ for 15 minutes.
Chili Relleno Casserole
-Start to Finish 2 hours
Serves 8
4 eggs
1 ½ cup milk
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
21 ounces whole green chilies (split open to lay flat)
1 lb shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
Spray vegetable oil cooking spray in a 13 x 9 glass baking dish. In a medium-size bowl, beat the first 5 ingredients together. Arrange chilies in baking dish, covering bottom completely. Combine the cheeses. Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheeses across chilies. Repeat layering twice. Pour egg mixture over the top evenly. Let stand 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350˚. Bake until casserole is slightly puffed in the center and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Cool 10-20 minutes before serving to allow it to set. This dish is basically a quiche.
A Breakfast Worth Remembering – (video) It looks like a five-star brunch meal, but it starts out with leftovers! What do I do with all these leftover mashed potatoes? Make potato fritters. Watch as I demonstrate how to transform cold mashed potatoes into A Breakfast Worth Remembering. It’s simple and they taste amazing.
Bangkok Burrito
-Start to Finish 2½ hours
Serves 4
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Thai Peanut Sauce
1 cup cooked basmati rice
1 ripe tomato sliced, then halved
4 burrito-size flour tortillas
8 garlic stuffed green olives sliced
4 tablespoons sour cream
Marinade chicken breast for 2 hours in Thai Peanut Sauce. While grilling chicken, cook rice. Slice grilled chicken into thin slices. Warm tortillas. Distribute rice and chicken in each tortilla. Place slices of tomatoes, sliced olives, and dollop of sour cream evenly across chicken and rice. Fold one end of tortilla and roll up length-wise. Fresh hummus makes a great side to this meal.
Albuquerque Jambalaya
-Start to Finish 45 minutes
Serves 4
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 box of New Orleans Style Jambalaya mix
1 sliced serrano or jalapeño pepper
4 sprigs fresh cilantro
Boil the chicken breast until done, At the same time, prepare jambalaya according to directions on box. Cut cooked chicken into bite-size pieces and stir into rice. Spoon onto plate, then garnish with peppers and cilantro. Serve with restaurant style tortilla chips.
Simply Spaghetti Squash – (video) No one has to know that you didn’t spend hours making this exquisite side dish. You won’t believe how easy it is until you watch the quick video. Spiff up your next fancy dinner with Simply Spaghetti Squash.
Home Fresh Hummus – (video) Once you make hummus at home, you will never buy premade hummus again. Watch this video to learn how to make a base hummus. Also, see how to make black bean hummus. Make your own variations by adding your desired ingredients to spiff up this basic hummus recipe. I like to add fresh cilantro or fresh turmeric. Serve with warm naan or specialty crackers to present as a snack or an addition to a Middle Eastern meal.
Beverages / Smoothies
Desserts / Fun Foods