EATIN SOME GOOD GRUB!!

So I have turned a new leaf and decided that I am going to learn how to cook some new things that are deliciousand moderately nutritious. I have created some of my own dishes and mooched off of others, but regardless we ate good last week. Here are some of the recipes because the food turned out great and it was all pretty easy.

Homemade Mashers: Cut up desired amount of potatoes and boil them until soft. Add green onions, milk, salt, sour cream and cream cheese if you want to make them really fattening. Just use however much you want of all of the ingredients. I rarely measure, I just use whatever amount looks good. These mashers taste delicious and are way better for you than the boxed kind plus they are pretty easy to make.

French Dip Sandwichs: I got this recipe off of a friends blog, so she gets the credit, but it was delicioso and Devin ate it up as though he had never eaten anything in his life. He LOVED it so much that when we went grocery shopping again, he picked out all of the stuff to make it!

2 Tbsp butter

1 shallot, chopped

1 Tbsp flour2 cans beef stock, or what I used2 bouillon cubes dissolved into 2 cups of water

1 1/2 lbs. thin sliced roast beef

Grill seasoning blend for steak, salt and pepper, rosemary and thyme

sourdough bread-I used San Luis

In a large skillet over moderate heat, melt butter. Add shallots to butter and saute 2 minutes. Add flour to butter and shallot and cook a minute longer. Whisk in beef stock in a slow stream. Bring sauce to bubble and allow to simmer over low heat until ready to serve sandwiches.Pile meat loosly across your cutting board. Season meat. Set cups for dipping sauce, plates and sourdough. To assemble, using kitchen tongs, dip meat into loose au jus sauce and pile across sourdough. Set cups with extra dipping sauce.

SouthWestern Pita Salad: I had originally wanted to make something along the lines of Pita Pit, but when that idea failed, I ended up with this delicious salad that I think I could eat every day. I call it South West Pita Salad. It was really good with tomatillo ranch dressing, but when we ran out, I just had it with salsa and sour cream and it was still amazing!! Check it out!

Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)

2 tomatillos (tomato like vegetable with a husk around them)

½ bunch of cilantro

1 clove garlicJuice of

1 lime

1 jalapeño (Use the seeds too if you like it spicy. You could substitute a few drops of green tobasco for the jalapeno.)

Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate.

Make the dressing before hand so that you wont have to worry about it.

For the salad, I used 1 head of green leaf lettuce cut into small strands like shredded lettuce would be. Then I added a bit of red onion, some corn, tomatoes, cheese, black beans and avacado. Put cheddar cheese on the pita as you would a quesadilla and put in the oven at 350 until the cheese is melted. Grill up some chicken to your liking. I just use the George Forman because it is really quick with a little PAM and garlic salt. It works well.

Put the salad mixture on the melted cheese pita, then the chicken, add a bit of salsa and sour cream and then use the dressing if you want to.

Roasted Potato Salad: I made this for a bbq that we had. I was a little wary of it because I am not a Miracle Whip fan, but it turned out delicious and we hardly had any left overs even though I doubled the recipe. It was relatively easy to make and very good hot or cold.

4 large potato, peeled and cubed

1 C miracle whip

2 boiled eggs chopped

2 slices bacon, diced and cooked

1/4 C green onions

salt and pepper

Heat oven to 425. Place potatoes on baking sheet sprayed with PAM and bake for 30-35 minutes until potatoes are tender and golden brown. Stir once. Mix Miracle Whip, crushed bacon, onions, eggs salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Add potatoes and stir together.