Shrimp Quesadillas

Shrimp Quesadillas

Start by making these three recipes.

Elsa's Green Salsa                                                           From: Elsa Delacruz

Tomatillos (8)
3 Hot peppers (jalapeno or chile de arbol) adjust to taste.
Onions (1/4 of Medium size)
Garlic (one medium clove)
Salt to taste
Cilantro to taste.[ usually use 6 to 10 branches]

Juice of 1/2 lime
With very little water [almost just the water left in them after washing them] place tomatillos and peppers in a pot and steam them in low [takes about 10 min.]
Once the tomatillos are steamed placed in blender with onion, garlic and salt. Blend to desired texture.
Once desired texture is achieved drop in the amount of cilantro you'd like to add and blend a few seconds more so that the cilantro is barely chopped.

Squeeze juice of 1/2 of lime.  ENJOY!!

Cafe Rio Black Beans                

From: http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2007/11/jared-and-i-love-cafe-rio.html

2 T. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. cumin

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can diced tomatoes (can substitute 1 1/3c. tomato juice)

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped

In a non stick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat

until you can smell it.  Add beans, tomatoes, and salt. Heat through, stirring

frequently. Just before serving, stir in cilantro.

Easy Lemony Shrimp

2 lb. medium shrimp

3 T. olive oil

1/2 tsp salt  (can use Kosher)

1/4 t. black pepper

1/4 c. butter

1 heaping Tbsp. minced garlic (4-6 cloves)

1/4 c. chopped onion

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 c. minced fresh parsley

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1) Peel and de-vein shrimp. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and drizzle olive oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

2) Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the garlic and onion. Saute 1 minute. Add red pepper flakes and saute about 3 minutes more until onion is translucent.  Add shrimp mixture, scraping all olive oil, salt, and pepper into skillet. Cook the shrimp on each side until opaque.  Add parsley, lemon zest, and juice. Continue cooking until slightly thickened.

 To make Quesadillas:

1) Put a tortilla on a skillet with about 1 Tbsp oil

2) Sprinkle tortilla with cheese ( I use cheddar or mozzarella)

3) Put black bean mixture on 1/2 tortilla

4) Add shrimp on same 1/2 as beans

5) Fry until golden brown and cheese is melted; fold in half

6) Garnish with green salsa, sour cream, and avocado

When I make this, I make at least 2 pounds of shrimp so I have leftovers to last me all week! 

**These quesadillas can also be made with pulled pork or fajita chicken.**

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

Cake Batter
3.5 c. all-purpose flour (can substitute half the flour with whole wheat)
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
1.5 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) butter
1.5 c. ground flax seed
2.5 cups sugar
6 large eggs
2 cups canned pureed pumpkin (or 1 15 oz. can)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2⁄3 cup milk
1.5 c. walnuts, chopped (optional)


Topping
1 1⁄3 cup plus 2 tablespoons rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour (can substitute 1/2 c. wheat flour, 1/2 c. white)
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
  12 tablespoons unsalted butter


Directions
・ Preheat oven to 350°F.
・ Grease two 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.
・ To make the topping, combine 2⁄3 cup oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in processor. Add butter and cut in until crumbly. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oats. Set to one side. Repeat this again for second loaf's topping.  My food processor won't hold all of this in one batch so I split it in two and do two batches..
・ In mixer bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flax seed. Gradually beat in the sugar and 1 egg at a time.
・ Add the pumpkin and vanilla extract to the wet batter mix.
・ Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the batter. Slowly add the milk. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread with the topping.
・ Bake the loaf cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
・ Turn the cake out onto a rack and cool completely.

Beef Barley Vegetable Soup

Beef Barley Vegetable Soup

Leftover pot roast-- about 2 cups (or more) meat

(I cook a chuck roast in Lipton Onion Soup Mix and cream of mushroom soup in a crock pot until it is fork tender. I dice the leftovers and use them in this soup.)

6 c. water, or enough to cover the meat                           

Salt to taste (May not need any, as the soup base has salt in it.)  

1 Tbsp. sugar                         

3 celery stalks, diced

2 medium onions, chopped                

1 tsp. each oregano, thyme, basil                    

about 2 c. tomato juice

1 clove garlic, crushed                                        

1/2 c. barley (Sometimes this is too much. Use caution! Sometimes I omit it. Depends on my mood.)

2lb bag frozen vegetable assortment (corn, beans, peas, carrots)

4 scant tsp. beef soup base

Bring beef, onion, and water slowly to a boil in a 6 quart pot. Add all ingredients except barley; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Raise heat and add barley, simmer additional 45 minutes. Turn off heat and let flavors set before serving. This soup is even better the 2nd day. Serves 6 to 8.

(There is a lot of room for variance in this soup.  Sometimes I use 2 large bags of vegetables, sometimes I use fresh.  Usually, it takes more than 6 c. water.  Tons of flavor, and delicious on a cool Fall evening!)

Uses of Hydrogen Peroxide

Uses of Hydrogen Peroxide

1. Clean your counters, table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave
a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe, or spray
it on the counters-

2. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to
kill salmonella and other bacteria-

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved hydrogen peroxide as a sanitizer.

3. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and
keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system
like bleach or most other disinfectants will-But be sure you put the mixture into a bottle that filters out sunlight.  Also, it appears that hydrogen peroxide does not harm septic systems.  Again, this is probably a mixture of 50% water with the other half being 3% or 30% strengths of hydrogen peroxide.

4. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of
whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour
directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and
rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary- Be Careful!

The effectiveness of this method is a matter of experimentation, but the principle is sound.  Some of the so called "oxygen" bleaches contain hydrogen peroxide.
Be careful about the suggestion to use it on spots.  Hydrogen peroxide is a bleach!

5. Use as a vegetable wash or soak to kill bacteria and neutralize
chemicals

We don't know about the chemicals, but there are several credible references about the use of hydrogen peroxide on fruits or vegetables.  Research published by the Journal of Food and Science in 2003 showed effective results of using hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate apples and melons that were infected with strains of E.coli.
Add salt in addition to 1/4 cup 3% hydrogen peroxide to a sink full of cold water. Wash vegetables thoroughly, rinse with cold water and drain. This process prolongs freshness.

6. Clean with hydrogen peroxide when your house becomes a biohazard
after its invaded by toxic mold, such as those with water damage

In a publication about "Healthy Homes," the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) listed hydrogen peroxide as among the substances that can be used against mold, but also said there had not been enough research to recommend its use.  It is not known what molds hydrogen peroxide is most effective against or what the human health hazards may be from using it so extensively. Also, since hydrogen peroxide is a bleach, be careful where you use it in terms of preserving the colors in your home.

7. Humidifiers and steamers: Use 1 pint of 3% hydrogen peroxide to a gallon of water. This helps keep them clean too.

8. Dishwater Rinse: Add 2 ounces  (or more) of 3% hydrogen peroxide to the regular washing formula to safely sanitize and eliminate the tranmission of colds and diseases.

Make Your Own Laundry Detergent

Whole Lotta laundry Soap

(Liquid Version)

Ingredients:

·         1 C Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*

·         1 C Borax

• 1 whole bar Fels-Naptha  heavy duty laundry soap**
• Water

*Must be WASHING SODA.  Baking soda won't work, neither will Arm & Hammer detergent.

**other soaps:  Zote, Pure & natural, Ivory,  Sunlight

1)     Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full with hot tap water.  Set aside.

2)     grate the soap bar. (you can use a cheese grater or a food processor)

3)     heat 4 cups of water to nearly boiling

4)     add grated soap, heat and stir until completely dissolved remove from heat

5)     Add washing soda, and borax.  Stir well until all powder is dissolved.

6)     Pour into 5 gal. bucket with water

7)     Fill bucket to top with more hot water.  Stir, cover, and let sit overnight to thicken.

In the morning, the soap will have a thick, jell-like consistency.   Stir and break up.   Fill your containers 1/2 full with soap, and fill the rest of the way with more water! Shake or stir.  I usually shake before each load

Yield: 10 Gallons.  

To use:

 Top load machine: use 5/8 c (approx 180 loads)

 Front load machine: use ¼ c (approx 640 loads)

Optional: Add scent soap with 1-3 TBS Scent Crystals (Downey, Purex, etc) or your favorite essential oil

Awesome laundry Soap

(Powdered version)

Ingredients:

·         1 C Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*

·         1 C Borax

• 1 (4.5oz) bar Ivory, or other laundry soap** - finely grated

Mix it all together and store in an airtight container

To Use:   1 Tbs per load (up to 2 Tbs for heavy soil)

Yield: 32 oz (about 64 loads)

These are safe for use with septic tanks because they contain zero phosphates and zero fillers (like montmorillonite clay) that cause commercial powder detergents to clog lines. They are also completely non-toxic and will not harm necessary septic bacteria like toxic detergents and antibacterial soaps.

Source:

http://www.diynatural.com/homemade-laundry-detergent-soap/

Super Easy No-grating

liquid version

3 Tablespoons Borax
3 Tablespoons Washing Soda
2 Tablespoons Dawn Dish soap

Put these ingredients in a one gallon jug. Pour 4 cups boiling water into the jug. Swirl until ingredients are dissolved in the liquid. Cool. Then fill almost to the top with cold water. The bubbles will overflow out of the bottle.  The slower you add the water, the less suds you’ll have to deal with.  I love this because you can pick an awesome scent with the Dawn dish soap. But original Dawn works the best because it gets grease out. The other scents may not have the degreaser. :o)

Use: between ½ and 1 cup depending upon load size and soil level 

Source:

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/