Turkey Tacos & Grilled Zucchini

What you need:

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp olive oil


2 zucchini
salt, pepper, olive oil

How you do it:

In a large skillet on med/high heat, season ground turkey and brown
Cut stem and end off zucchini then cut in half. Slice halves longways into three thin pieces
Paint zucchini with olive oil and season with salt and pepper then grill on a grill skillet or an electric grill. About 3 minutes per side.
When turkey is finished browning, dress with your favorite taco fixing;
Cheddar cheese, torillas, lettuce, sour cream, hot sauce, onions,

Why it's so good:

Who doesn't like tacos! Fast, Easy, Accessible. The ground turkey has half the calories and about a tenth the fat of extra lean ground beef. What you want to look for is "GROUND TURKEY BREAST", ground turkey could be breast, leg and even skin and the calories are about the same as your lean beef. The grilled zucchini is sweet and salty and makes a great fresh companion to the spicy goodness of the taco. Mangia Tutto!

Grilled Ahi painted in Peppered Sesame oil and Curried Rice

What you need:

3 Ahi Tuna Steaks (FRESH)
Coarse Pepper
Coarse Salt
Sesame Oil

Dressing (Optional)
1/2 cup sesame oil
1/2 tsp wasabi paste
1/8 tsp ground ginger
2 TBSP Soy Sauce
lime juice

Rice
1 1/2 cups white rice
3 cups water
1 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 TBSP chopped onion
1 tsp ground ginger


How you do it:

If you are making the rice as a side, start that first by putting the rice, water and seasoning in a microwave safe bowl covered and microwave it for 15 minutes

Brush each tuna steak with sesame oil (if you don't have sesame canola will work)
Then generously dust with cracked pepper and salt. (if you have a Steak House grinder with pink, white and black pepper with garlic and salt, use that)
Grill at 350* until the sides begin to change color from red to white
For me it was about 8 minutes per side, but we eat our steaks med. rare

In a small bowl combine dressing ingredients and whisk
Drizzle over whole or sliced tuna

Why it's good:

So my weekly trip to Sam's paid off with the purchase of this tuna, 3 steaks ranging from 5oz to 9oz for $14. Luckily everything else I needed was already in my pantry and literally one of the quickest dinners to make. The grill marks were wonderful and the peppery crust on the tuna was perfect. We love seared tuna when we go out but 6 small slices for $9 is hardly budget friendly, this time I got to eat my fill. Sorry I don't have a photo, there wasn't mush time between the grill and our mouths. Enjoy and Mangia Tutto!

Creative Corn Muffins

What you need:

1 pk of corn bread mix
1 egg
1/4 cup Apple Sauce
1/4 cup Milk
2 TBSP sugar
1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Mix-ins:

1/4 cup Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Walnut Halves
-or-
1/4 Dried Blueberries
1 TBSP Sliced Almonds

How you do it:

Mix everything in a bowl until well combined
Add mix-ins
After greasing a muffin pan well, divide batter amongst the cups
Bake @ 400* for 12-18 minutes until firm and golden brown

Why it's good:

I ALWAYS have corn bread mix and never have anything to do with it. So I decided to jazz it up a bit. This is a great example of "use what you have". I had almonds, walnuts, dried blueberries and chocolate, but invent your own with raisins, other dried fruits, granola, brittle, marshmallows or whatever you can find. You can really create an array of flavors for various seasons and occasions. Swap the applesauce for mashed bananas and add walnuts and some cinnamon for a banana-nut muffin.

This can be great for kids, it has about half as much sugar as prepackaged muffin mixes. I used them to package and give as hostess or get well soon gifts. This could be great around the holiday. I happened to use my Maple Leaf Muffin Tin which would look lovely around Thanksgiving. You can see how I package them up on my other blog. Mangia Tutto!

Simple Steak Marinade

What you need:

Steaks (I used London Broil, but a roast can work too)
1 TBSP Mustard (any old yellow will do)
1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Tsp Minced Garlic
1 Tsp Wine (Red, White, whatever you've got) Apple vinegar will do if needed
1/2 Tsp Black Pepper

How to do it:

Mix everything together and generously coat the meat.
Broil, grill or pan sear to your liking.
I had a 2.8 lb steak that I broiled at 475* for an hour

Why it's good:

First off, they had london broil at my grocery store buy one get one free, so here I am with 4 lbs of steak and no recipe or idea what to do with them. It was 4:30pm and I had a hungry husband to feed so slow cooking was out of the question. I tenderized the meat for about 10 minutes with the nifty little device below. if you don't have one GET ONE!




Then whipped up the marinade, quartered some red potatoes threw in some sweet onion and in the oven it went. The steak literally fell apart on my fork. The mustard/ garlic combo is succulent and savory. It was an odd combination in the bowl but hey, it's all I had in the fridge. 2 thumbs up from the husband who, loved the onion and potato side dish that had absorbed all the drippings. YUMMY! Mangia Tutto!

Party Pasta Salad

What you need:

2 lbs of pasta- (Rigatoni, Penne is fine)
one bottle of Italian dressing
1 cup diced cucumbers
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 sliced black olives
one pack of crumbled feta cheese
2 cups of Italian Cheese shredded or whatever you have(asiago, mozzerella, etc)
1 cup bacon (you can buy the pack at the store that is REAL Bacon and use it for lots of recipes and toppings)

How you do it:

Cook pasta until soft,
Take italian dressing and add to warm pasta
Add in everything else and served best at room temperature
Feel free to add more, less or substitute cheeses and veggies

Why it's so good:

It's pasta, enough said, but more importantly you can change it up to suit your party, picnic or family's taste. You can hide a lot of veggies in it, it's cheesy and a great mobile food since it can also be served cold. You can also dress it up with a Zesty Italian Dressing, add capers and expensive cheese or olives and poof a fancy pants pasta. Perfect fare for parties and BBQ's and also perfect for your wallet. It cost me $13 to make the version above and it was enough for 15 - 20 people to have very generous portions as a side dish. The secret is that I buy the pre-diced and chopped veggies and cheese from the salad bar at the grocery store. It saves time and money to only buy the amount you need.

Grab a 6 pack, some 80/20 ground beef and rolls, add some salt, pepper and a few friends... sounds like a fun time to me all for under $25! Mangia Tutto!

I'm BACK

Sorry, I've been gone for a bit. Life got busy with school, internships, charity work and family life. The good news is that I am back and with TONS of new recipes. Also be sure to check Fabulous Finds as I will be updating it soon with some great ideas for planning a fabulous fiesta (that's party for those who don't know). I just posted my Jamaican Chicken Salad and I still have more to come. How about an easy and impressive Red, White and Blue-berry treat for the Fourth of July, or Party Pasta Salad.
Check back to check them out and don't forget the oldie postings like Sinful Mac n Cheese just add Maryland Blue crab meat or 30- minute Chili, summer-ize it with grilled Eastern Shore sweet corn.

Before I forget, thank you to all those that comment and leave responses. I'm glad you enjoy the recipes and the stories. Keep em' coming!

~ Lauren

Jamacian Chicken Salad

What you need:

5 Large Grilled Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Mayo
Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
1/4 cup Yellow onion (finely dice)
1/4 cup celery or 1 stalk (petite diced)
1/2 cup "Golden Delicious" Apple or half an apple (petite dice)
1 tsp Curry Powder
Salt & Pepper

How you do it:

If the chicken needs to be grilled, season with jerk spice then grill & set aside to cool off
If already grilled, begin by tearing chicken into small pieces then set aside in a large bowl
In a separate bowl combine mayo, sour cream, onion, celery, apples and curry powder
Season with salt & pepper to taste. For a spicier salad add red peppers or more curry. For sweeter add sliced almonds and raisins. You can go where-ever you want with this one.

Why it's so good:

It can't get any easier, can it? So there are no bottles or canned goodies in this recipe but everything was in my kitchen. I had some left over chicken from a BBQ and had eaten enough of it to the point where it was going to be a treat for my dogs. When I went to the fridge I found mayo, sour cream and saw some bread then it hit me, don't toss it to the dogs, toss it into a salad. The chicken was already seasoned and cooked so I tore it apart, added my mayo and cream. I spiced it up a bit more with curry and TA-DA fast, easy lunch for me while I get some work done around the house with the baby and a great snack for the hubs when he gets home from work.

The grill marks on the chicken were smokey, the apples and celery crisp and the mayo and sour cream were cool and smooth, pile it high on rye or wheat and enjoy. The money you saved on not wasting the chicken could be better spent, like a new pair of heels. Ok, ok. I guess the car could use an oil change. Mangia Tutto!!