Huevos Rancheros

Yield: 4 servings * Overall Price: ~$7 * Calories: 272

Ingredients:

4 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons New Mexico chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
4 large eggs

1/4 cup New Mexican Red Chile Sauce
     (recipe to follow)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Coat tortillas with cooking spray, place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350* for 12 minutes or until crisp.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, bell peper, and garlic, saute 3 minutes. Add green chiles and next 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil, cook 3 minutes or until thick.
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add eggs to pan, cook 3 minutes or until done.
5. Place 1 tortilla on each of 4 plates. Top each tortilla with tomato mixture and egg. Spoon New Mexican Red Chile Sauce over each serving, sprinkle with cheese.

New Meixcan Red Chile Sauce:
Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup New Mexico chile powder
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (14-ounce) can vegetable broth
Directions:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, saute 4 minutes. Add chile powder and garlic, saute 1 minute.Stir in tomatoes and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Yield: 3 cups (serving size 1/4 cup)

Thoughts:
Having to make the sauce made this a little frustrating to make, so if I were to do it again, I'd make it beforehand instead of doing it all at the same time. I didn't get to eat this, but my family said they liked it.

Chicken and Mushrooms with Marsala Wine Sauce

Yield: 4 servings * Overall Price: ~$17 * Calories: 384

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms
4 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken beast halves
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divivded
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Served here with mashed potatoes and green beans

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
11/2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
11/2 cups thinly sliced button mushrooms
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup dry Marsala wine
2/3 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup small fresh basil leaves

Directions:
1. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound chicken to an 1/2 inch thickness using a meat mallet or a small heavy skillet. Combine 3 tsp. flour, 1/4 tsp. salt, and black pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour mixture.
2. Heat a large stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tblsp. oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; cover and keep warm.
3. Heat remaining 1 Tblsp. oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, red pepper and garlic; saute two minutes or until onion is lightly browned. Add remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, porcini, shiitake, button mushrooms and oregano; saute 6 minutes or until mushrooms release moisture and darken, Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Return chicken breasts to the pan, and add cherry tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, turning chicken once. Sprinkle with fresh basil.

Thoughts:
They didn't have porcini mushrooms at the store I shopped at so I replaced them with a different type. It turned out fine. This is one of the more harder meals I've made. It turned out pretty good though and I would probably make this agian.

Chicken-and-Corn Pies with Cornbread Crust

Yield: 5 servings * Overall Price: ~$15

Ingredients:

1 (10-oz.) can enchilada sauce
1 (10-oz.) can Mexican diced tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro, drained
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1 tsp. chili powder
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 (6-oz.) package Mexican-style cornbread mix
2/3 cup milk
1 large egg
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Mexican four-cheese blend, divided
Toppings: sliced pickled jalapeno peppers, sour cream

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375*. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a 31/2 -qt. saucepan over medium heat until combined; cook, stiring occasionally, 10 minutes. Stir in chicken.
2. Whisk together cornbread mix, next 3 ingredients, and 3/4 cup cheese in a small bowl just until blended.
3. Pour chicken mixture into 5 lightly greased (10-oz.) ramekins. Spoon cornbread mixture over hot chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Place ramekins on 2 jelly-roll pans.
4. Bake at 275* for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve with desired toppings.

Thoughts:
This was pretty easy to make and it got rave reviews from my family. They all hope to have it again soon.

Goodbye Auburn!

While in Auburn I fell in love with a lot of the food that was special only to Auburn. I decided I would share some of my favorite food and restaurants there.

Barbecue House

Barbecue House is one of the stops you must take if you're ever there. Not for lunch or dinner, but for breakfast. It rivals for best breakfast ever. I usually order a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit, but really anything is delicious.

Chicken Salad Chick

Chicken Salad Chick was new to Auburn when I first moved there and quickly became popular among the students and the locals. My favorite thing to order is the buffalo barclay chicken salad on a crescent. You definitely don't want to leave the restaurant without trying their grape salad. It is heaven on earth.

Veggies To Go















Veggies to go is the place to go if you're wanting a southern style meal fast. There is no way I could pick a favorite combination of food there. I will say that I love their meatloaf, but other than that I mix up what veggies I want on the side.

Big Blue Bagel

Big Blue Bagel has branched out from Auburn, but it is one of my favorite places to go to for lunch. I have moved from favorite meals there several times through the years I lived in Auburn. My latest favorite and what is pictured above is the California on an everything bagel. It has cream cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, and brussel sprouts.

Momma Goldberg's Deli

Momma G's is the perfect place for lunch, dinner, or a really late night meal. It is defiantly the place every Auburn student has gone on a monthly bases if not a weekly basis. I usually order a momma's love all the way with nachos (doritos, melted pepper jack cheese, and jalapenos).

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is one of the more expensive restaurants in Auburn, but it is totally worth it. My favorites there are their cobb salad and their turkey wraps. One of their specialties is sweet potato chips. Them dipped in honey mustard dressing is soooooo good!

Fuji's

Fuji is known for their sushi. They have the best in Auburn. I liked to mix it up when I went there, but most of the time with a ginger salad and either a california roll or a kasakami roll unless I was feeling adventurous.

Zazu

While Zazu has great entrees, their dessert is the best thing on the menu. If you ever go there you must order a s'mores waffle. It is one of the best tasting desserts around!

Old-Fashioned Meat Loaf

Yield: 4 servings * Overall Price: ~$15 * Calories: 340



 Ingredients:

Served here with mashed potatoes and green beans

1 pound ground beef

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

8 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

Toppings:

1/3 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix all meatloaf ingredients well and place in a baking dish. Shape into a loaf.
Toppings:

Mix ingredients for topping and spread on loaf. Bake for 1 hour.

Thoughts:

This recipe is from Paula Deen. I didn't use bell peppers because I don't like them, so I substituted them with green chilies. It was really easy to make.