Elote - aka "Mexican Corn on the Cob"

I love to try new side dishes to spice things up a little...especially if they are easy! When I saw this recipe in "Our Best Bites" cookbook, I knew I had to try it! We love mexican food at our house and usually just pair it with rice - BORING! So here is our new favorite side dish! It was soooo good! The kids all wanted seconds! Try it with Beef enchiladas with homemade enchilada sauce ( to be seen in the next post). You will want it over and over and over again!!!

Mexican-style Corn on the Cob

adapted slighly from: Our Best Bites Cookbook

6 ears fresh corn on the cob

1 1/2 C shredded cojita cheese (which i found easily in my grocery stores specialty cheese section).

4 1/2 T mayonnaise

3 T. sour cream

1 1/2 t lime zest

1 1/2 t fresh lime juice

3/4 t. chili powder

1/2 tsp franks red hot sauce

Pinch of salt

Husk corn and cook in your desired way. We rubbed ours with butter, covered with salt and pepper and rolled up in heby duty tin foil to grill on the grill on medium heat. It took about 15 minutes, turning the corns every 3-5 minutes.

Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, chili powder, and franks red hot all together.

Grate the cotija cheese on a large plate that you can roll the corn in.

When the corns are done, unwrap, rub on the mayo mixture and then roll in the cheese.

Words. Can't. Describe. The. Deliciousness.

Meditteranean Orzo Salad with Roasted Veggies

We have been on an orzo kick at our house for the last couple weeks! The kids and hubby have just been gobbling it up! I love that you can add whatever veggies and spices you want to just change it up a little bit! This one has a meditteranean flair to it that we ADORED! I will be making this again and again!!!

Meditteranean Orzo Salad with Roasted Veggies
adapted slightly from http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/

Vinaigrette:
1/4 c olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
dash of dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Combine in blender and mix well.

1 T olive oil
1 zucchini cut into spears
1 yellow squash cut into spears
1/2 red onion sliced into rings
1 yellow, red , and green pepper, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
garlic salt  and dried oregano to taste
1 C orzo, cooked per package instructions
1 1/2 T fresh parsley, chopped
3 T crumbled feta cheese
handful of kalamata olived, sliced
Prehead oven to 450 degrees. prepare a sheet pan with olive oil and place all veggies on pan. season with salt, pepper, oregano and garlic salt to taste. place in oven and cook for 10-15 minutes until veggies are soft and roasted. Cut the veggies into bite sized pieces and add to cooked and drained orzo. Add the fresh parsley and feta cheese. Drizzle on the vinaigrette and then toss to coat. (you may not need all the vinaigrette). Taste and reseason if needed. serve immediately!

Toasted Orzo with Peas and Parmesan

This is one of our new favorite side dishes! My family loved it so much, I had to make it twice in one week! SOOOOO good, and so fresh and summer tasting!!! I served this with lemon chicken!!! This would also be good as a lunch salad with some lemon chicken or shrimp mixed in!!

Toasted Orzo with Peas and Parmesan
adapted slightly from Keeping Up Cookbook (keepingupcookbook.com)
2 T. Butter
1/2 C. finely diced onion
3/4 t. salt
3/4 t. garlic salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/3 C. orzo
2 1/2 C. chicken broth
1 1/2 C. frozen peas, thawed
1 C. grated parmesan cheese
1 lemon, cut into thin wedges

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and salts. Cook until onion is softened. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in the orzo and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the grains are golden, about 5 minutes. DONT SKIP THIS STEP! Toasting the orzo gives it an amazing nutty flavor that makes the whole dish! Carefully stir in the broth, and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the orzo is tender, 15-20 minutes. (Keep heat low or liquid will boil off too quickly). If the orzo is cooked and liquid remains, increase heat until evaporated.
Off the heat stir in the peas and parmesan. Let stand until the peas are warmed thorugh, about 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with lemon wedges. (I drizzled a little lemon juice over the entire dish first and then covered with lemon wedges.

Happy Memorial Day! (Hamburgers, potato salad)

So, I realized that I haven't ever posted a hamburger recipe and I had to remedy that! We love, love, love the summertime and grilling! Its the quickest, easiest way to do dinner in the summer and for some reason it never gets old! My husband could eat a good burger every night if I would let him! So I thought I would share our classic favorite hamburger recipe (if you can call it a recipe...) and also my favorite potato salad recipe. My grandma is the best potato salad maker in the world! We could always count on a bowl of yummy potato salad to grace the table at any BBQ!  I tried to recreate her recipe as best as I could, and I also added in a few tastes of my own! Notice in the picture that i took it while the food was on paper plates...I did that on purpose! It's summer, low maintenence, and paper plate kind of food! Just keeping it real!

The Classic Hamburger - Lamb Style

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion

2-3 T butter, melted

1 T Olive Oil

salt, pepper, garlic salt, and Montreal Steak seasoning to taste

Worcestershire sauce

a couple slices of bacon, cooked

1 tomato, sliced

shredded lettuce

Colby Jack cheese, sliced

Your favorite BBQ sauce

Hamburger buns

Cut onion in half. Use one half for the caramelized onions: cut it into thin slices and set aside. (See below for the recipe on how to make caramelized onions). Dice the other half of the onion. Mix the minced onion into the ground beef with a fork. (don't over mix!), season the ground beef with salt, pepper, garlic salt, Montreal seasoning, and a couple shakes of worcestershire sauce. Form into patties and grill until desired amount of doneness. We like to add a slice of cheese to the burger when it is about done so it melts right on top of the burger. Brush some melted butter on the inside of each hamburger bun and throw on the grill until a little golden brown color appears....They cook fast, so don't burn! Assemble your burger to your liking with whatever toppings you love! Here is mine: Bun, hamburger with melted cheese, caramelized onions, a couple slices of bacon, tomato, lettuce, BBQ sauce, bun. Now you can make your burger however you would like, that's one of the beaties of burgers, HOWEVER, I would strongly reccomend not leaving out the caramelized onions, they get SO sweet and wonderful and just make the burger. Just a suggestion.

How to make Caramelized Onions:

Melt butter and olive oil in a medium sized saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Then sprinkle a little sugar over the top - like maybe a teaspoon or so. (this gives the onions a slightly sweet taste which is divine!) Saute slowly over medium heat. (you want to cook them slowly, so keep the heat at medium!). Cook, stirring frequently until onions are soft and golden brown. It takes a good 10-15 minutes to get the color you need. Then when the are about done, sprinkle a couple shakes of worcestershire sauce into the pan and stir around. I can eat them straight out of the pan just like this! (I'm weird, i know!)

My Favorite Homemade Potato Salad

About 3 lbs red potatoes

1/2 lb bacon, cooked, cooled and crumbled 

1 1/2 c. mayo

2 T. milk

2 T. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp yellow mustard

3-4 green onions sliced

3 celery stalks sliced

4 eggs, boiled, peeled and sliced

salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste

1-2 dill pickles diced

Bring a large stock pot of water to boil and add potatoes. Cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool. Cut the rest of the veggies and prepare the dressing by adding mayo, mustard, milk and apple cider vinegar to a bowl and wisking together. Salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste. Take cooled potatoes, and cut into 1 inch cubes, leaving skin on. Add to a bowl with celery, green onions, bacon, pickles, and sliced boiled eggs. Pour dressing over the top and stir gently to just combine. Place in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

*you can also add bleu cheese crumbles OR grated colby jack cheese for extra flavor!*

Serve all this deliciouness with your hamburger, sliced watermelon, and corn on the cob for the perfect BBQ!

Whats your favorite BBQ food??? Yay for summer!