Book Club Appy

It was my turn to host Book Club last night. I decided I wanted to make all new recipes. I never do this. The risk is too great!  But I got inspired on Pinterest. 

I really liked these, but I actually preferred them without the tomatoes.  Maybe next time I will skip the tomatoes and sprinkle a little paprika on top for color?

Ingredients:

3 Persian Cucumbers (I have bought these everywhere, and TJ has the best, hand's down!)
15 cherry tomatoes
Ranch Dressing
1 tbsp. dried thyme (dill works too)
4 ounces cream cheese, brick, softened

1. soften 4 ounces cream cheese.
2. peel and cut cucumbers.  make cuts thick.  scoop out center of cucumber with melon baller or grapefruit spoon.
3. cut tomatoes
4. use a hand mixer, mix together dressing, thyme and cream cheese.  mix on medium until blended, then on high for another minute.
5. put in ziploc bag, cut tiny corner off, and pipe into the cucumbers.  top with cherry tomato halves.

Delicious Drink for your next Grown-ups Only Party!

I modified this recipe to make it so I can buy everything I need at Trader Joe's!  This has been a big hit the two times I served it.  It's also great to serve without the alcohol.  I even poured a glass pre-Prosecco for a friend who doesn't drink, then added the alcohol.

Here is your TJ grocery list:

1 orange
1 pomegranate
1 bottle Pomegranate Limeade
1 bottle TJ freshly squeezed OJ
1 bottle Prosecco

And here is the recipe, as I found it online:

Champagne Cocktail

1. 1 quart pomegranate juice
2. 2 cups fresh orange juice, straine
3. 2 cups chilled limeade
4. One 750-milliliter bottle Prosecco
5. Lime and orange slices, for garnish
6. Ice
7. 1 cup pomegranate seeds

In a pitcher, combine the pomegranate juice, orange juice and limeade. Pour in the Prosecco; float lime and orange slices on top. Ladle into 12 ice-filled glasses, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and serve.

 

Sloppy Joe's from Scratch, Served on Pretzel Rolls

Always a family favorite, and an easy prep meal, SLOPPY JOE'S.

I am really picky when it comes to meat purchasing, and I only like one of the ground beef options that Trader Joe's has.

 

And if I am feeling healthy, I buy the TJ wheat buns.  If not, I buy the pretzel buns.

 

Here is my version of Sloppy Joe's.  Adapted from many, many different recipes.  And honestly, I never quite make it the same, because I almost never have all of these ingredients at once!

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 tbsp. dried minced onion

4 oz. tomato sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tsp. white vinegar

2 tbsp. packed brown sugar

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Place ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until evenly browned, stirring to crumble. Drain off any grease.

Stir in the onions, tomato sauce, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce into the beef mixture. Season with salt and garlic powder. Heat to a simmer over low heat, and cook until thoroughly heated and onions are tender, stirring frequently to prevent it from burning on the bottom. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Spoon the hot beef mixture onto buns and serve.

 

ENJOY!!

Trader Joe's Turkey Taco Tuesday

One of the staple recipes that my household loves is Turkey Tacos.  I am a big fan of the TJ ground turkey, as well as the hard taco shells.  See the bottom of this blog entry for my Turkey Taco recipe.  They're tastier than beef tacos, in my opinion!

Turkey Tacos:

Brown one package turkey breast (the breast part is essential) in a non-stick pan.  I use a tiny bit of EVOO, but you can use cooking spray too.
Once turkey is nearly browned, add 1 Tbsp of chili powder and 1 tsp. cumin.  Mix well.
Then add 1 jar prepared salsa.  I use mild for my kids.
You can also add some chopped mushrooms, red peppers, corn, etc. while the meat simmers.
Let it simmer for 10 minutes or more.  Mix every 10 minutes if you simmer for longer.
Fill shells, top with chopped lettuce, grated cheese, sliced black olives and avocado chunks.

YUM!

TJ Fish Tacos - A Complete and Yummy Dinner!

I love when Trader Joe's gives me a complete dinner!  This is a goodie.  And, most importantly, BOTH my kids ate this up.

Ingredients:

Trader Joe's Flour Tortillas - these are delicious!  My husband says they taste quite close to the homemade ones that is Peruvian Aunt made when he was little.

Broccoli Slaw - this is a little bland on its own, but if you mix it with some ranch dressing (I don't like the cilantro ranch that the TJ folks suggested) it tastes SO good with this recipe.

Battered Halibut - this is in the frozen food section.  I'm not a big halibut fan, but it works in tacos really well!  I bake it, cut it up, squeeze some lemon over it.

Cheddar Cheese - the necessary and important condiment for all taco recipes!

Favorite Meal for Dinner - Fish and Chips (kind of)

As I mentioned in my introductory blog, I am really nuts about wanting my kids to have a balanced meal in front of them most nights.  But I don't love to cook.  I do it pretty well, but I just don't like to do it!  So a few nights a week, I like to know that there is something quick and easy, but still sort of resembles a legit, homemade meal... Am I fooling myself?

Anyway, this is my favorite, go-to meal from Trader Joe's.

Battered Fish Nuggets for the kids, Panko Breaded Tilapia Filets for my husband and me and the perfectly named Handsome Cut French Fries for everyone.  Don't forget a lemon or two, ketchup, Malt vinegar and some frozen or fresh veggies.