Green Chile Cheese Dip

This is one of those recipes that will make you look like a genius and truly pleases a crowd. The ingredients might already be in your house and you can whip it up in a hurry. Everyone will gush over it, it's delicious.

What you need:

1, 8 oz block cream cheese (softened)

1, 16 oz jar salsa verde or tomatillo salsa

1 cup shredded monterrey jack cheese

1/2 cup frozen corn kernals

Begin by preheating your oven to 375. Drain the salsa jar through a fine mesh strainer to remove the excess liquid and discard the liquid. Keep the tomatillos, peppers, etc that remain. Combine everything in an oven safe dish, reserving some of the monterrey jack to scatter across the top. Bake for about 15 minutes or until dip is bubbling and slightly browned on top. Serve with corn chips and enjoy : )

Smokey Mushroom Tacos

These mushroom tacos are loaded with body and flavor and you will not miss the meat in this dish, I promise. In fact, the spices would work well with ground beef or steak, but it’s unnecessary because the mushrooms are so delicious. I like to use a red onion in this dish because its slightly milder in flavor and doesn’t compete with the mushrooms, it also looks pretty. Combined with bright guacamole and salty creamy cheese, these might just be the perfect taco. I like to serve them with corn tortillas, if you have the ability to heat them up over an open flame that is great but sticking them under the broiler for a closely watched minute would give you the same bitter burnt edges that are so yummy.

What you need:

8 oz mushrooms ( I went with a shiitake, oyster, button blend..but choose whatever you like)

1 small red onion sliced (reserve roughly a tbsp for your guacamole)

olive oil

butter

salt and pepper

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ancho chili powder

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Begin by heating a skillet over medium heat and drizzling in 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter. Add your sliced onions and a dash of salt and pepper. Let the onions cook for 5 minutes until they have begun to soften and lose their color. Now add in all of your spices and stir to coat the onions. Add a bit more olive oil if the spices are clumping and try to spread the spices around. Stir for a few more minutes until the aromas of the spices have really come alive. Now add your mushrooms and another tbsp of butter. Stir and coat the mushrooms with the spices. Add a few more sprinkles of salt and pepper and cover with a lid. Lift the lid every 5 minutes or so and stir to make sure the mushrooms aren’t burning. After about 15 minutes the mushrooms should be golden brown and delicious. Serve on tortillas with guacamole, queso fresco or feta cheese, and some sliced radishes, additional cilantro is also welcome. Enjoy!

If you need a quick guacamole recipe this is my go-to.

One ripe avocado (should be almost black in color and give to pressure but not be too squishy)

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 tbsp very finely minced onion

freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 a lime or lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Mash avocado and mix everything until well combined with a fork.

Pasta with Roasted Broccoli and Cheese

Simplicity seems to be my strong suit these days. Now that spring break is over the girls have an activity every day after school. I’m all for it, I think its great that they want to try ALL the things….hopefully they will eventually narrow it down to one passion, but for now I am spending the afternoons and early evenings chauffeuring them around the county. The grocery store was SO crowded yesterday and I went in without a plan, big mistake. I stared at all the produce and then impulsively threw a ton of broccoli and lettuce into my cart and left.

Since I tend to be home morning-mid day managing construction and taking care of the animals I’m trying to get better at incorporating meal prep into our busy schedule. I LOVE roasted broccoli and since Johnny is away on business I thought it would be really easy to enjoy a pasta dish with the girls after getting home late this evening. This dish took 20 minutes from start to finish and was super tasty. If you want to add a little protein, it would be great with some added grilled or shredded rotisserie chicken.

What you need:

-Olive oil

-2 broccoli crowns, chopped into little pieces

-1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese works well too)

-2 tbsp salted butter

-1/4 grated or shredded Parmesan cheese (plus more for topping)

- approx 8-10 oz dried rigatoni or preferred pasta (1/2 a standard box)

-salt and pepper

-red pepper flakes

This is so easy its silly. Begin by preheating the oven to 425 and then chop your broccoli into little bits and pieces. The smaller the pieces, the crispier they will be. Spread out the broccoli onto a baking sheet and drizzle over a healthy amount of olive oil (3-4 tbsp). Sprinkle fresh ground salt and pepper all over and give it a good toss. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, stirring half way through. The broccoli should get nice and crispy on the edges but still maintain its vibrant green color throughout.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook your pasta according to the package directions. When the pasta is cooked through, drain it in a colander. Add the cheeses and butter to the pot that the pasta was cooked in and stir to melt. When the cheese is mostly melted and combined add the pasta back in with a healthy dose of fresh ground pepper. Add red pepper flakes if you desire. Now mix in your broccoli and serve with additional Parmesan on top. Enjoy : )