EASY TORTELLINI SOUP

Ok, I admit it.  I must be out of my mind.  The temperature is in the 80's again, and I wanted soup.  No way to explain it; it's just the way I am.  However, it is too hot to be standing over a hot stove all day long, so I decided to make this simple soup.  It doesn't take too long to cook, and most of the ingredients are ready-made.  The original recipe came from a Taste of Home cookbook, and this is my adaptation.   ...

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PUERTO RICAN STYLE CORNED BEEF AND RICE

Before we start cooking today, let me tell you my sad news.  My laptop is in the shop.  :(  It has been for a few days now.  Yes, I can use this one (Jorge's), but it just isn't the same.  Apparently, even with all my anti-virus protection, my computer was BADLY infected.  And I don't know how it happened!  Grrrr.... One of the first and simplest Puerto Rican recipes I learned to cook was corned beef...

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TOSTONES CON MOJITO DE AJO (TWICE-FRIED PLANTAINS WITH GARLIC SAUCE)

I said a few days ago that we would talk about tostones at a later date.  Today is the later date.  Tostones are exactly what the title says, twice-fried plantains.  As you probably know, a plantain looks like a green banana, but is very different.  They can be cooked in various ways, but this my favorite.  They can served as an appetizer, or as a side dish.  Either way, just like potato chips, you can't eat just...

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SLOW COOKER CHILI

As I have said before, I love my slow cooker!  Can't live without it.  So it was only a matter of time before I started experimenting with my chili recipe in the slow cooker.  The only problem with this recipe is that the key ingredient is not available in all parts of the country.  As a matter of fact, I can't buy it here in Florida.  It's called a chili roll, and if you've never seen one, you're going to take one look...

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CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE COLD

According to all the book titles out there, chicken soup is good for the soul.  I don't know if that's true or not, but I do know that it's good for what ails you.  That being said, I woke up this morning with a cold.  That draggy, stuffy feeling, when you want someone to hand you a bowl of steaming hot, homemade chicken soup and send you off to bed.  Well, Jorge was at work, so if I wanted that soup, I was going to have to...

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CARNE GUISADA (PUERTO RICAN STYLE BEEF STEW)

Today I decided to get back into Puerto Rican cooking.  When we first married, we started looking for English-language Puerto Rican cookbooks.  Now, since then, we have found several, but at that time, we couldn't find any.  The best that I could do was a few recipes on the Internet.  I must have found this recipe on one of those sites, but I have no idea which one.  And, of course, over eight years, I have made my usual...

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BAKED SALMON CROQUETTES WITH GARLIC SAUTEED ASPARAGUS

Ok, Valentine's Day is over.  Step away from the chocolate.  I don't know about you, but there is way too much chocolate still in my house (not to mention cookies).  Gotta get back to healthy cooking! Growing up in Kentucky, we always ate fried salmon croquettes, except we called them salmon patties.  And yes, we pronounced the "l" in  salmon.  Anyway, back then we didn't think about whether or not it was healthy. ...

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BAKE M & M COOKIES FOR YOUR SWEETIE TODAY!

Happy Valentine's Day!  Today is a holiday celebrated  by Hallmark, FTD, and restaurants everywhere.   Ummm, sorry, I meant to say by lovers everywhere.  It just seems that way, right?  It's really an odd holiday, when you think of it.  According to Wikipedia, the holiday originated in celebration of two early Christian martyrs (both named Valentine, duh!).  Valentine of Rome was martyred around AD...

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EASY SHEPHERD'S PIE

Some days you just need comfort foods.  You know, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, chicken soup, etc.  Well, this was one of those days.  Actually, it was one of those weekends, but I digress.  Today was such a day; a day for shepherd's pie.  And since I was the one in need of comfort food, I used my easy recipe.  I think the original may have come from Taste of Home (or maybe not?), but since then I have...

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LIME-MARINATED TILAPIA WITH BROWN RICE PILAF

Yesterday, I decided that we were long overdue for healthier cooking.  Since the holiday season, it seems that we have been eating all the wrong foods.  So, it was back to broiled fish and rice for us.  I know, one day won't make a huge difference, but, hey, it's a start.  And best of all, these are such simple foods to prepare, and we do enjoy them.  Proof that you don't have to sacrifice taste for health. LIME-MARINATED...

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LAST MEAL REQUESTS - GARLIC CHEESE BALL

I have been reading through other people's blogs, and I found the most fascinating blog.  It's called "Dead Man Eating" (or something like that), and this guy posts the last meal requests of condemned inmates. I don't know where he gets his information, or more importantly, what he was doing when he decided this would be a good idea, but I gotta tell you, it's interesting.  You know how you don't want to look at an accident scene,...

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