Flautas (aka: Taquitos) at Home

Like many other busy families we keep a supply of frozen foods in the freezer for those nights when getting dinner on the table needs to be no fuss.  One of those frozen "desperation" meals has been a box of taquitos that we bought at Cotsco.

They are ok, but never really crisp up the way they should and tend to have more spice in them than the boys enjoy.  I love a crisp taquito (or flauta depending on where you are ordering them) topped with sour cream and guacamole. 

About a week ago, I was asking my husband if there was anything he wanted me to get from the grocery store he mentioned the ingredients for flautas.  He had been checking out various food sites and figured it couldn't be too hard to make these for lunch.

This was one of those Sunday lunches that we made that required both of us to be involved.  After My Husband started working with the corn tortillas and rolling them up, we found that they needed to be heated a bit longer before working with them.  Once we had them heated properly, they were quick and easy to roll up.  While My Husband got started with frying them up, I finished up with rolling the rest up -- some just had chicken and some were a combination of chicken and shredded cheese.

We really enjoyed these flautas and both of Our Boys said they were so much better than the one's from the box!  They took a little longer to prepare, but were so much tastier!  Nice and crispy, and a satisfying lunch on a weekend.  The store-bought taquitos take about 20 minutes to bake, and from start to finish these took us about 20-25 minutes.  Not too bad and they were so much better!

Mott's New Garden Blend Juice and an All You Giveaway (CLOSED)

GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED!  WINNERS WILL BE CONTACTED VIA EMAIL.

If you are on a healthy eating/living kick, you might be trying to get in more servings of vegetables.  While I tend to shy away from drinking my calories, there is a new product that is not heavy on the calories and will get in 2 servings in one glass!  Check out the new Mott's Garden Blend juice.

With only 45 calories, it's not going to throw you off your healthy eating game.  The taste is full of flavor and has a kick to it as well.  While the kick was a bit much for My Oldest to drink it, I think it would be a great addition to my cooking. 


The Shrimp Jambalaya that I make uses tomato juice, but I think adding this vegetable juice instead will add a nice kick to the dish without having to completely rely on Tobasco sauce.

With tomatoes coming into their prime soon, our favorite Gazpacho could benefit from using this juice as well.   Enough kick to keep things tasty without becoming the focus of the soup.

Next time you are in the grocery store, look for this new option when it comes to vegetable juice.  There are so many ways you can incorporate it into a healthy diet.

Now, for the giveaway!  The PR folks for All You magazine have offerred up 25 copies of the July issue to my readers!  I received a sample of this magazine and was surprised I hadn't picked it up before as it is full of money saving tips, recipes and coupons.  The tag-line on the magazine says that it will pay for itself - and with the coupons inside, that is a great deal!

Giveaway details:

1. Leave a comment on this post sharing you favorite money saving tip or inexpensive meal to make at home.
2. Tweet the giveaway and leave an additional comment (include @famfriendsfood in the tweet).  There will be 25 winners, so be sure to share the giveaway with everyone you know!
3. Only open to U.S. residents.
4. Comments will be accepted through Midnight, Saturday, June 25th.
5. The 25 giveaway winners will be announced on Sunday, June 26th.

Disclaimer:  I received samples of the Mott's Garden Blend Juice and All You magazine.  I was not compensated for this post or told what to say.  All opinions are my own.

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

 

Family Recipe: Baked Clams

Do you have a food memory that keeps haunting you?  You know something that you had as a kid that was so good that you kept talking about it for ... I don't know... something like 20 years or so?  Well, My Husband has been talking about these Baked Clams his mom made him when he was much younger for what seems like a lifetime. 

 

Unfortunately, I had never had them and every time we would go to a restaurant and their menu had something like Clams Oreganata on it... My Husband would look at it and think maybe this would be the one's he remembered.  Unfortunately, that was not the case. 

 

Luckily, My Mom-in-Law had these fabulous clam shells still hanging around and split them up between me and My Sis-in-Law.  I also got a copy of the recipe... it just took me awhile to finally make them.

 

Why-oh-why did I wait?  Seriously?  The recipe is relatively simple and yet so hard to stop eating once you taste it.

 

On a Stick! - Fun Recipes for Everyone (cookbook review)

It's no secret that I love cookbooks.  It's also no secret that I ADORE cookbooks with lots and lots of full-color photos that make me want to get in the kitchen and cook.  So, when I received a review copy of Matt Armendariz's (of Matt Bites) "On a Stick!" - I got so excited!

If you have read Matt's blog - or rather drooled over the mouth-watering photos he shares there - you will not be disappointed in this cookbook.  Each and every recipe is accompanied by a photo that will have you grabbing your notepad to make a shopping list to pick up the ingredients and get started cooking for friends and family.

Each recipe is served on some type of stick - I loved the various skewers and picks that were shown in the book.  I will be searching for a great place to find them so that I can serve up these recipes in the style they deserve.

As I read through the book - yes, it is possible to read a cookbook like a book when the author shares tidbits with each recipe - I found that there was a light-hearted, youthful feel to these recipes.  No matter your age, these recipes will have you thinking back to summertime fun at the fair or around the campfire. 

I've got a few recipes marked to try such as the Deep Fried Mac 'n' Cheese on a Stick, Chinese Five Spice Skewers, Bacon Wrapped Shrimp... and let's not forget something sweet to end the meal such as Chocolate Covered Cheesecake, Cinnamon Rolls or Fruit Salad Skewers.  So many fun party foods, so little time! 

So, what did I make first?  The Pizza Skewers!

Of course, My Oldest said they should be called Lolli-Pizzas, so we've renamed them in our house! They were a huge hit, but I will probably go a bit lighter on the pizza sauce/cheese mixture that gets added to the top after they have baked.  My Oldest even suggested just adding the extra cheese to the top as another great way to bake these up.

This recipe is quick and easy to prepare and would make a perfect after school snack when the kids get home and bring along a couple of friends.  Or serve it up for lunch on a weekend rather than hit the drive-thru!

Now, I'm not going to share the recipe with you here, but suggest that you head over to Amazon and pick up a copy for yourself!  It is such a fun cookbook for anyone who likes to entertain or just serve up fun food on a stick for the heck of it.

Note:  I was not compensated for this review or told what to say.  The opinions here are mine and I received a copy of the cookbook so that I could formulate my own opinion.  If you choose to click on the link to Amazon and purchase the cookbook, I will receive a small referral fee.

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.
    

Quick and Easy Sausage Pasta

Do you make a meal plan for the week and then shop for it?  Or maybe you make a list of possible meal ideas?  If I haven't had time to really sit down and select recipes for the upcoming week, My Husband and I will think of what ingredients we need to be able to pull a few good meals together. 

This time, we wanted sausage... but, wanted to cook with something that had more flavor than the usual turkey sausage that I buy.  I couldn't find anything in the refrigerated meats section that fit the bill so, I went over to see what was in the butcher case.  I often forget to check out what they have in the butcher case, and probably miss out on some really nice cuts of meat as a result.  This time, I found a sweet sausage that was exactly what we wanted.

I also picked up some green and red bell peppers and some lovely red onions.  I happen to enjoy spending a few minutes slicing or dicing up veggies after a long day at work.  If you don't get pleasure from wielding a knife against some poor, unsuspecting veggies then hit the salad bar and pick up some already cut up for you and dinner will get on the table even faster!

For this meal, I wanted to get the sausages going on the grill first to get them cooked most of the way through.  I like to slice them up and let them get a bit brown in the pan - the seasonings add so much flavor to the veggies that are already sauteed in the pan.

Overall, this quick meal was a huge hit with My Family.  My Oldest had gotten tired of the turkey sausage, but was willing to give this a try and ended up really loving it!  There weren't many leftovers, but what we did have reheated nicely.

Quick & Easy Sausage & Pasta
Source:  Patsyk Original

Ingredients
1 pound sweet pork sausage
3/4 pound farfalle pasta - cooked according to package instructions
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 small red onion, vertically sliced
1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (my favorite is Penzey's Tuscan Sunset)
1/4 cup chicken broth

Directions
Heat a grill to medium-high heat and grill sausages for about 10-12 minutes.  Turning occasionally.  Remove from grill and slice.

While sausages are grilling, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add vegetables and saute until softened.  Add sliced sausages and allow to brown on each side. 

Add cooked pasta and chicken broth and allow to cook until the liquid is almost completely cooked off.  The pasta may get a bit browned, and that is fine - it will take on the flavor of the sausage.

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.
    

Steak with Blue Cheese Sauce

I love trying new recipes.  Of course, that is one of the things people who write food blogs do.... so, when My Family asks me to make something more than once in a 2 week period, it's definitely worthy of a new post!

I had to laugh the first time I made this because My Oldest has developed a taste for blue cheese.  Since it's such a strong flavored cheese, I thought he was going to opt-out of the sauce like His Brother.  He even stirred in some of the blue cheese crumbles into this mashed potatoes.  Gotta love a kid who will do that! 

Fishing and Food in Gananoque - the 2011 version

I was going to share a recipe I made recently that was a flank steak and blue cheese sauce, but then decided I needed more photos to go with the post so that will have to wait until later this week when I make it again.  It will be worth the wait!

So, what to share this time?  We recently went back to Gananoque, Ontario to do some fishing - just like last year (see HERE and HERE).  

This year, our trip began with a rainy day of fishing and eating our shore dinner in the rain.  Not the best way to fish (in my opinion, and I didn't complain out loud), but Our Boys were not phased by the rain.  They were impressed that our guide, Terry, was able to get a fire going with the rain. 

The rest of our weekend the weather was much improved and there was plenty of fish biting at different times.  The boys caught some rock bass, perch and pike.  Even though I am always saying that I'm not a "fishing person", I think the reason I enjoy these trips is because it is such a pleasure ot watch My Boys catch fish, enjoy being on the boat and waiting for the fish to bite and discovering whatever they can while we are on shore for dinner.

Here are some of the highlights from this trip:

We always look forward to the best bacon ever when we are waiting for the fish to be fried up!

Always worth the wait, fresh fish - fried to perfection.

Homemade pie for dessert each day!

I'm not the outdoors-y type, but I do enjoy this trip and look forward to doing it again next year.  Of course, for me, it helps that we stay in a cabin so I have some creature comforts. 

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.