Fish Tacos & Mango Salsa

My favorite time of year is not only filled with warm weather and sunshine, but also all the fresh veggies and dishes to make with them. I love mango salsa. It is super refreshing and my recipe is super easy. I use the following: 1/2 red onion (chopped), 1/2 red pepper (chopped), jalapeno (chopped and seeded), 1 or 2 mangos (chopped), juice from one lemon and lime and some cilantro chopped (to your tasting) 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, little apple cider vinegar (1tsp), 1 tsb of brown sugar and 1/2 tsp of black pepper. Mix and store in refrigerator overnight.

Every salsa needs something to go with it. I could eat it by the spoonful, but wanted to make fish tacos with it. SO.....I used a fresh Cod fillet and just used 3 tsp of butter and topped with Old Bay Seasoning. Then bake for 12 minutes at 350. YUM ! I love Old Bay is is awesome, I have not used in awhile and forgot just how much I like it.

Then just slice the fish into strips or however you like, put into a tortilla shell and top with some shredded cheese, lettuce and mango salsa. I can't even describe how good this recipe is, but it is very tasty and will leave you feeling refreshed.

Getting Out and Enjoying Nature

It was a spectacular weekend. The weather was great yesterday and time was all I had. I enjoyed taking pictures of this beautiful tree, the field and of course my little "Mya". We live in a world where people don't get out and enjoy the free gifts God gave us. We are so worried about getting things done ! When it comes down to it, its the little things that matter the most. I would rather have a messy house instead of miss out on a beautiful day.

I think this is a magnolia tree, but I am not sure. If I am wrong and you know exactly what tree this is, please tell me. All I know, it came from God and when in bloom it is beautiful.

 I love fields. I like to think about how many people have taken this same picture, because they see the same beauty. My guess is not enough, but we all take things like this for granted.

 Most of all, I enjoy being able to take Mya outside because she truly loves it. She likes to explore and smell EVERYTHING !! These were two cute pictures I captured of her. I really like the one of her on the old wagon and then walking on the trail was just to precious.

Anyway, I hope you had nice weather and got out to enjoy it. God Bless.

Easter Wreath

I had been feeling crafty and wanted to make a new wreath for the door and wanted to do something Easter themed. I started to look on Pinterest for some ideas and was a little bummed when I searched for Easter wreaths - all I found was Easter Eggs, etc. but nothing with a cross. Isn't that what Easter is all about, duh? Anyway, I wanted to paint so this is what I came up with and it turned out pretty nice. First, Michaels had paint on sale 3 for $1. AWESOME. Then, with my 40% off coupons, I got the wreath (which was a wired, green wreath $2.99), burlap roll ($4.99) and cross $2 - for a total of $7. The garland was bought last year on sale, but I am sure you can find something like this in a craft store.

I wrapped the wired wreath with the burlap, only twice. Then I just wrapped the garland around the burlap and fluffed the strands the way I wanted them :)  The hardest part with painting - that was only because I had to wait on the paint to dry ! This paint dries quickly. I painted the cross purple and the letters in white / green. Turned out really pretty !

HE IS RISEN, reminds me that Christ died for my sins, but death isn't eternal. He is a gracious God and Easter is a time of celebration !!

This weeks Michaels Coupon: 40% off - http://weeklyad.michaels.com/coupons/print

You Love Me Anyway

I am currently doing a Bible Study titled "Bad Girls of the Bible" by Liz Curtis Higgs. I must say, it is pretty awesome. Lets face it, we are all Bad Girls and Bad Boys. BUT the good news is God Loves US anyway. If we believe in him, confess and repent to him, we have HOPE. We are saved by his GRACE alone.

The current chapter we are studying discusses the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. If you don't know the story it can be found in John 4:1-38. It is the longest conversation in Scripture between Jesus and anyone. She doesn't even have a name, just referred to as the Samaritan woman. God knew her name and she knew the Messiah. All she did was BELIEVE.

The woman came to the well looking for water, but found Jesus (what better gift is that?). She found a stream of water, that would last longer than a drink, yet it would last her forever ! This meeting at the well was Gods plan, he knew she would be there and there was a purpose for it and a lesson for all of us to learn. The lesson, in my opinion, is even though we don't know her name, she had five husbands and was known to society as "dirty" she was loved anyway by Jesus. At the end of the day, that is the only one and only thing that matters.

Sidewalk Prophets song " You Love Me Anyway" pretty much sums it up nicely. This songs, gets to me everytime. I scream out the lyrics in my car - the cars next to me probably think I am crazy, but I don't really care. This is one of my favorite songs and the lyrics are so deep, yet have such a simple meaning. My favorite part is towards the last part of the song, so POWERFUL. We as sinners put Jesus on the cross (we are the thorns, sweat, blood and nails). We try to push GOD away at times, but he no matter what he still loves us. So quit judging others, reconcile differences and treat others the way you want God to treat you.

I am the thorn in your crown

But you love me anyway

I am the sweat from your brow

But you love me anyway

I am the nail in your wrist

But you love me anyway

I am Judas's kiss

But you love my anyway

See now I am the man who yelled out from the crowd, For your blood to be spilled on this earth shaken ground

Yes than I turned away with a smile on my face - with this sin in my heart, tried to bury your GRACE

And then alone in the night, I still called out for you, So ashamed of my life, my life, MY LIFE, BUT YOU LOVE ME ANYWAY

Cranberry Pork Roast

Well, its Sunday Crock Pot Day ! I must say, I love the crock pot and my tummy loves it too :)
I have been doing some rearranging in the kitchen and cabinets today and most of us always have canned goods sitting in the cabinet taking up space and not sure what to do with them, well at least I do. I had a can of cranberries and wanted to use them. SO.....I searched online for a recipe. I found a recipe from allrecipes.com, but gave it my own twist. I had also bought a bone in pork roast. So I searched for cranberry and pork roast. This recipe is super easy and super delicious. It would be great on chicken or turkey breast too (Oh, yeah, I need to try that SOON) !

Ingredients:
Bone in Pork Roast
Salt-n-Pepper
14.5 oz Cranberries
3/4 Cup of French Dressing (I made this homemade, recipe below)

French Dressing:
2/3 cup Ketchup
1 cup white sugar
1/3 white vinegar
3/4 cup EVOO
1/2 cup lemon juice
Pinch of salt
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic, minced



First, I put the bone in pork roast into my crock pot. I rubbed some salt and pepper on roast. I emptied can of cranberries and poured the dressing over roast.

Then, I mixed the cranberries and dressing together and soaked the roast with mixture. Cover and cook in a crock pot for 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

 

This was the final product. It had a fantastic taste!! The cranberries cooked down just enough and blended with the dressing to give this pork roast a unique, juicy flavor. I can't wait to have leftovers and a pork sandwich for lunch with this meal.  This is a must try recipe. I hope you enjoy, I did......

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Being a girl who started cooking chicken wings when she was only 5 years old.......I love spicy, red hot FOOD ! I love anything buffalo and I just discovered this Frank's Red Hot Buffalo sauce. I must say, it is pretty darn good. I was in the middle of preparing a meal for a family in need and had some leftover noodles. I didn't want to waste them and cooked way to many, but had already decided on making buffalo chicken for our dinner. Anywho, long story short. I decided I would be creative and make a buffalo chicken casserole :) WOW, it was delicious. Check out the yummy recipe and photos to go with it.

First, start with your favorite hot sauce, but I do recommend Frank's Buffalo.

 Then about 1/2 box of noodles (I used rotini and penne, that is what I had in pantry) That is the beauty of noodles, you can normally mix noodles like this. Then pour some ranch dressing (I use Hidden Valley) over the noodles, about 1/3 cup.

 Mix the noodles, ranch and some cooked chicken (cut into pieces). Then add about 1/3 cup of  buffalo hot sauce and shake in a bowl to get good coating. 

 Pour into 9x13 inch pan, sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesean cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20min and then cook for 5 minutes longer on 425 to brown the top !!!!

I drizzled some additional sauce when I took out of the oven :)

Serve and Voila you have Buffalo Chicken Casserole. Super easy and Super Tasty !!

I will make this again for sure.

Chicken Teriyaki With Pineapple Slaw

So, this recipe was not only fun to make it tastes yummy too. I love anything with pineapple, fresh especially. This recipe was super easy and delicious. Mixing veggies and fruit may seem weird to some, but when using the right veggies and the right fruit together, you can make a creative dish that leaves your tastes buds wanting more......I found this recipe in the Better Homes Cookbook, but I switched it up a little and gave my spin to it.

Ingredients:
3-4 chicken breasts, skinless
1/3 cup Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce
1 tsp of brown sugar
1/2 tsp of minced garlic
fresh chopped pineapple - I used about 1/2 cup

* Mix all the above ingredients and pour over chicken. I put chicken in a ziploc bag and poured the mixture over it. Marinate for a couple hours (longer the better) and then pour all contents into a baking dish. Bake at 350 for 45min.

Slaw:
2 cups a cabbage, shredded
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 green pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup of pineapple chopped
4 tablespoons of Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce
dash of pepper, salt and red pepper flakes
1 tsp of butter

Heat a skillet with some EVOO and 1 tsp of butter. Once butter starts to melt, add all slaw ingredients and cook for about 10 minutes. The cabbage will become tender, as well as the peppers.

Viola, the final product was Oh so yummy for my tummy. It looked so pretty too !! This would be good in the summer, but grill the chicken. I hope you try and enjoy :) I served with a side of rice.