Providing helpful information regarding our feathered, feline, and canine friends while also sharing fun stories. And locally we provide pet sitting services.
This isn’t really a traditional recipe for my family. Although, when I was a child, my mom got this recipe for quick Mexican rice when we were living in Arizona from one of her friends. She’s made it ever since. And so I started making it for my family as well. It’s easy to make, delicious, and can be served with your favorite Mexican or Tex-Mex food.
This Sicilian cod fish recipe is another one of my mom’s recipes from when she was growing up. It was passed down from her grandma. And it’s delicious and easy to make. There are other ones out there, however they typically feature black olives. But I’m not sure if the difference in ingredients is due to where in Sicily each person/ group was located. Or perhaps it was because of money, or even preference. Though I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Ingredients for Sicilian Cod Fish Recipe:
4 cod fillets
1or 2 baking potatoes, (depending on the size) washed, peeled, and sliced
1 (14.5 oz) can whole tomatoes, diced or pulsed in food processor
1 red or white onion, peeled and diced
1 cup flour
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
And Italian seasoning to taste
Instructions for Sicilian Cod Fish:
Heat oven to 350.
Mix flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together. And then coat the cod fillets with the flour mixture.
In a skillet, on medium heat, add just enough olive oil to sauté the fillets until they are lightly brown on each side.
Remove the fish when they’re browned on each side. And in the same pan, add the sliced potatoes, and cook till almost fork tender.
While the potatoes are cooking, in another skillet on medium heat, add olive oil and cook diced onion and minced garlic until onion is transparent, not burned.
When onion is transparent, add diced tomatoes and season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Simmer and then place fish and potatoes in an oven-proof casserole dish. Pour the onion and tomato mix over the fish and the potatoes. Then bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked and tender.
I used red potatoes when I made this. But, the recipe calls for baking potatoes. However I just used what I had on hand.
Thanks for stopping by! And don’t forget to leave a comment! And if you made this, let me know what you think.
This is one of my own recipes that I just threw together one day, several years ago. And I’ve been making it ever since. I like it, because it’s easy, and I’m all about easy when it comes to preparing food. But it also tastes great. Tell me what you think after you’ve made the best homemade taco salad.
Ingredients for Homemade Taco Salad:
16 oz of ground beef
1 pkg of taco seasoning mix
24 oz pkg of salad kit (I use the ones with shredded carrots, cabbage, and/or different types of lettuce)
1 large tomato or 2 small tomatoes, diced
1/4 c-1/2 c shredded Mexican blend cheese
Tortilla chips
Optional–garnish with avocado or guacamole
Instructions Taco Salad:
First, cook the ground beef in a skillet till beef is all browned; drain and put beef back in skillet.
Next, add taco seasoning mix according to the instructions and simmer, covered ~ 15 minutes
Then, while the beef is simmering, pour the salad mix into a large bowl and add the diced tomato.
When the beef is ready, make sure there isn’t a lot of liquid in the pan, and add the meat to the salad.
Next, add in the Mexican blend cheese and toss the salad.
Then mix in the tortilla chips last; toss once or twice.
And garnish with guacamole or avocado.
Finally, serve immediately and enjoy.
When I make this salad, the taco seasoning blend is usually flavor enough that I don’t add any dressing. However, if you prefer, there are plenty of recipes out there to choose from. Or you can pick up something from the store.
When my husband worked as a fireman, he came up with this easy sheet pan chicken nachos recipe for his shift, which he then shared with me. I make it frequently, because it’s tasty and very simple. Especially for nights when I don’t really want to cook or time is an issue. It combines canned chicken meat, refried beans, tortilla chips, seasoning, and some garnishes for a yummy snack or meal, whatever one prefers.
Ingredients for Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
12.5 oz Can of Drained Chicken Breast
15 oz Can of Refried Beans
1/2 oz Guacamole Seasoning Packet
16 oz Bag of Tortilla Chips
Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
Instructions for Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos:
First, grease jellyroll pan with cooking spray and set aside.
Next, put 1 Tbsp olive oil in medium to large pan.
Then, drain canned chicken breast and put chicken in pan over medium to medium high heat.
Add refried beans and 1/2 oz of guacamole seasoning; stir till well combined and warmed through. Remove from heat.
Next, spread tortilla chips on greased jellyroll pan.
Then drop chicken/bean mix by spoonfuls onto chips, careful to get the dip on most of the chips.
Add desired amount of shredded Mexican blend cheese to nachos when finished adding chicken/bean mix.
And broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Finally, serve immediately.
I hope you and yours enjoy this as much as we do. Let me know what you think!
Every New Year’s Day I grew up having pierogis and gwumpkies at my maternal grandparents house until we moved to another state. That’s when I was entering 3rd grade. Pierogis are one of my absolute favorite foods. It’s probably because there’s a mixture of dough and butter. Regardless, the Polish cabbage pierogi recipe is the one I’m going to share today. And the one that I love the most.
In case you didn’t know, Pierogis are filled dumplings. Plus, they’re mostly associated with the cooking of Central and Eastern European nations. However, they go by different names in those nations. In Poland they’re referred to as pierogis. Though, in Russia, they’re known by vareniki.
Moreover, in this recipe, the pierogis are filled with cabbage. But, more commonly, they are filled with potatoes. In other nations, they fill theirs with meats. I imagine the choices can be endless, although these are the traditional selections.
Polish Cabbage Pierogi Filling Ingredients
Cabbage
1 Small Onion
3 Tbsp Butter
And Salt and Pepper to Taste
Ingredients for Dough
2 1/2 Cups Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Egg
And 1/2 Cup Cold Water
Pierogi Filling Instructions
First, chop onion and shred cabbage.
Next, cook onion and cabbage in 3 tbsp of butter in frying pan on medium-low heat; season to taste w/ salt and pepper.
Then, simmer until tender.
Dough Instructions, and Putting it all Together
First, sift flour and salt together, and then add egg, and work ingredients into a dough, gradually adding 1/2 cup cold water.
Next, knead dough on floured surface until firm and smooth.
Then roll into ball and let it set for 10 minutes beneath a warm inverted bowl.
Next, take 1/3 dough at a time, roll thin, and then with a biscuit cutter, cut dough into circles.
And place a spoonful of filling in center of circle, fold in half and press edges together and crimp to ensure seal.
Then drop pierogis into boiling, salted water, and cook for 10 minutes.
Finally, after pierogis are filled and cook, pour melted butter over them.
These are my all-time favorite pierogis. However, I have also had them with fruit filling as a dessert, and they were unexpectedly wonderful. As I’ve mentioned before, I have some Sicilian in me on my mother’s side, because her mom was Sicilian. Though, I’m also Polish, which comes from my mom’s dad.
Holiday Traditions
When we lived in Arizona, meals at my maternal grandparents house were always a treat. Because, not only did they have quite a spread, but it was very ethnic; Italian on one side and Polish on the other side.
Gwumpkies or golumpkies, aka Polish stuffed cabbage rolls, were another Polish dish my grandpa would make for New Year’s day. This also features cabbage. However, rather than stuffing the cabbage, the meat and rice is stuffed into cooked cabbage leaves.
That’s not a recipe that I have ever cooked personally. Though my mom still faithfully prepares a lot of the recipes that were passed down to her.
What are your favorite holiday recipes? Is there some favorite dish that was handed down in your family? Or is there something that you make every year that gets requested? Please feel free to share, because I love trying new recipes!
I hope everyone has a blessed New Year’s day and a safe, healthy, and prosperous 2021!
This recipe is one that’s been handed down to me from my mom, which was handed down to her from her own mom; then back generations, originating in Sicily. And they resemble biscotti in a lot of ways, only they are Sicilian cookies. Also, when looking up Papatelli, I saw pictures of them that looked like biscotti. However none looked quite like the ones passed down in our family. They also sound like Italian pepper cookies, in the way that the recipes resemble each other with similar ingredients. Though our cookies are called Papatelli. I hope you enjoy.
Ingredients for Papatelli
3 Cups Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Cocoa
3 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp each of Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, and Pepper
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1 Orange Rind with juice
1 Cup of Raisins
12 oz of Sliced Almonds; (recipe originally calls for 1 lb, but we add a little bit less)
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil; (I use Grapeseed Oil)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Milk for Moistening; (just a splash to moisten the dough)
The remaining dough after rolling up half into the shape of a sausage.
Instructions
First, preheat oven to 375°.
Next, measure and mix all dry ingredients, except raisins and nuts.
In separate bowl, beat eggs, vanilla, orange juice, and vegetable oil.
Then, gradually add dry mix into the wet mix, mixing on low to medium speed. And add splash of milk as needed.
Last, add nuts and raisins, and continue to mix by hand, adding more flour to your hands if needed to keep dough together.
Then, on a floured surface, split dough into 2 and roll out like sausages, 1 inch wide and slice diagonally, ~ 1-1.5 inches long.
Next, place the dough 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets.
Then bake for 15 mins.
Finally, cool and enjoy!
What the dough ends up looking like.
Now everyone in my extended family makes these cookies with a white glaze for extra sweetness. However we don’t, since my daughters and I love these cookies just as they are out of the oven, once they’ve cooled. The blend of spices, chocolate, nuts, and raisins make these cookies the perfect snack. Furthermore, they’re deceptively easy to forget how many calories you’re ingesting. We can readily eat several of these before a meal, after a meal, or in place of a meal. But I wouldn’t recommend it.
What are your Christmas traditions? Do you have a favorite cookie recipe that you make in your own family?
Chicken Girl 