Pico de Gallo

This recipe is so simple, I feel sort of silly even posting it. But I think everyone needs a good pico de gallo recipe, and this is my go-to. I’ve made it tons of times and love it so much that I thought it was high time to give it a post of its own.

As is true of most of the Pioneer Woman’s recipes, this couldn’t be simpler or more delicious. This pico de gallo is great served with tortilla chips, mixed with some mashed avocado for guacamole, or even as a topping for sandwiches (like these). Mmmm, so good -- I could use a bag of tortilla chips and a bowl of this yummy stuff right now!

Pioneer Woman’s Pico de Gallo
source: slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

5 Roma tomatoes
1 small onion
2 jalapeno peppers
Cilantro
Lime juice
Coarse salt to taste

1. Chop jalapenos, tomatoes and onions into a very small dice. Chop cilantro. Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and stir.

2. Squeeze the juice of half of one lime into the bowl. Add salt to taste and stir again. Refrigerate until serving.

Elvis Milkshakes

I love getting lost in a really good food blog, spending hours and hours in the archives bookmarking recipes to try. One of my favorite food blogs to do that with is Noble Pig; Cathy’s food always looks so amazing, and every time I visit her site I go away salivating. Our incredibly hot weather has made me pretty much obsessed with ice cream in all its various forms, so when I saw these milkshakes on Cathy's site I knew I had to give ‘em a try.

Whether or not you’re a fan of Elvis, I guarantee that you’ll be a fan of these milkshakes. They’re so delicious -- incredibly rich and creamy and perfectly satisfying on a hot day. I’ve made them quite a few times now, and they’re always a huge hit with my husband and oldest son. You should hear Andrew say "Elvis shakes" -- it’s priceless, and that alone is worth the calories. Next up? Teaching him to sing "You Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog."

Elvis Milkshakes
source: Noble Pig

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

3/4 cup milk, divided

2 cups vanilla ice cream

1 banana

1. In a bowl, beat peanut butter and 1/4 cup of milk with a hand mixer until smooth. In a blender, blend ice cream, remaining milk and banana until smooth.

2. Add peanut butter mixture to ice cream mixture and blend until just combined.

3. Pour into glasses and garnish with banana slices.

Foil-Pack Chicken with Artichokes, Tomatoes, and Rice

It seems like I’m all about the rice dishes lately, huh? I’ve now posted three rice-centric recipes in a row. Hopefully later this week I’ll have a little bit more variety for you!

I’m a huge fan of foil-packet dinners like this -- they’re sort of like one-pot wonders, only wrapped in foil instead. This is a complete meal in one, with chicken, vegetables, a starch, and even a delicious sauce. We all really liked this meal a lot. I pretty much stuck to the original recipe, except I used brown rice, adjusted for serving size and added a sprinkle of cheese to the top of each packet (because cheese makes everything better, right?). This was so incredibly low-maintenance, and really flavorful and delicious too. Can’t beat that!

Foil-Pack Chicken with Artichokes, Tomatoes, and Rice
source: adapted from Kraft Foods

1 1/2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
1 1/2 cups warm chicken stock
3 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves, 1/2 inch thick

Salt and pepper to taste
1 can artichoke hearts, drained, quartered
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1/4 cup pesto
Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 400°.

2. Mix rice and chicken stock; spoon onto centers of 3 large sheets heavy-duty foil. Top with chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then top chicken with artichokes and tomatoes; drizzle with combined dressing and pesto.

3. Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and both ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place on a baking sheet with rimmed edges.

4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove packets from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut slits in foil with sharp knife to release steam before opening. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Weekly Meal Planning, Week of 6.28.10

Oh man. I've been off work for the past four days, and the only good thing about facing a full week of work is knowing how much delicious food we'll be eating.

Monday: Roasted bell pepper pasta

Tuesday: Cream cheese chicken enchiladas

Wednesday: French onion pork chop skillet, roasted asparagus

Thursday: Spaghetti with turkey pesto meatballs, garlic bread

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Sticky peanut butter and jelly wings, French fries

Sunday: Stuffed zucchini, salad

Salsa Rice Burritos

I don’t have a whole lot to say today. The weather here is pretty gloomy right now, which usually I don’t mind at all (I’m one of those weird people who loves cloudy days and thunderstorms and rain), but today it’s just making me feel blah. It’s been a long week so far.

Anyway, on days when I feel like this, these burritos are just the kind of thing I want to make for dinner. They’re quick, easy, delicious, and my favorite kind of comfort food. I think these took maybe 10 minutes to make. They were a big hit with all three of us, and Andrew even devoured the leftovers for lunch the next day. This will definitely be one of my quick go-to meals in the future, especially since I always have all of the ingredients on hand. Enjoy!

Salsa Rice Burritos
source: adapted from Betty Crocker

1 jar of salsa
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin

1 cup uncooked instant rice
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Handful of chopped cilantro
1 package flour tortillas for burritos (8-inch)

1. In 10-inch skillet, heat salsa, cumin and chili powder to boiling. Stir in rice; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in beans, corn, cheese and cilantro.

2. Spoon about 1/2 cup rice mixture onto center of each tortilla. Fold up bottom of each tortilla; fold over sides. Serve with salsa and sour cream.