Hello Friends,

Tonight, I thought that we might go South of the Border. These Chicken and Veggie skewers are marinated in cilantro, lime, and cumin. Serve with rice, salsa, and warm tortillas.

Chicken Kabobs Mexicana

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1-1/2 lime, juiced
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1-1/2 small zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1-1/2 onion, cut into wedges and separated
• 1-1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 15 cherry tomatoes

Directions

1. In a shallow dish, mix together olive oil, cumin, chopped cilantro, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken, and mix well. Cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
2. Preheat grill for high heat.
3. Thread chicken, zucchini, onion, red bell pepper, and tomatoes onto skewers.
4. Brush grill with oil, and arrange skewers on hot grate. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through, turning to cook evenly. Serves 6.

Great, great recipe. An excellent authentic Mexican rice recipe (not to be confused with Spanish rice) that I make as a side dish with all of my Mexican dishes. The key is cooking the rice properly and using good quality chicken broth or stock. This, with along a well made margarita, will kill any craving to go out to eat

Mexican Rice

Ingredients

• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1 tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, halved

Directions

1. In a medium sauce pan, cook rice in oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Stir in onion, green pepper, jalapeno, and diced tomato. Season with bouillon cube, salt and pepper, cumin, cilantro, and garlic. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes. Serves 6.

Have A Wonderful Weekend,

Phil

Hello Again Everyone,

Sticking to the Mexican theme, here's this evening's Vegetarian alternative. Friends have offered to pay me quite well for this recipe, and it's so simple, and easy to make, as well as delicious. It's also vegan if you don't add the cheese at the end. If you prefer a more spicy, as I do, soup, just add a dash or two of hot sauce before serving.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 (1 pound) package frozen pepper and onion stir fry mix
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 3 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
• 4 (14 ounce) cans vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn
• 12 ounces tortilla chips
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the pepper and onion stir fry mix, garlic, and cumin, and cook 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Mix in the tomatoes and chile peppers. Pour in the broth, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes.
2. Mix corn into the soup, and continue cooking 5 minutes. Serve in bowls over equal amounts of tortilla chips. Top with cheese and avocado. Serves 12.

Hope Your Saturday's Terrific,

Phil

Hello Friends,

Here's a Sunday Dinner that you all might just enjoy.

This recipe is quite simple and it goes together nicely. Tender chops are encased with a crunchy coating.

Parmesan Sage Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash pepper
• 2-1/4 cups soft bread crumbs
• 1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage
• 1-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 3 egg, lightly beaten
• 6 bone-in pork loin chops
• 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine

Directions

1. In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt and pepper. In another shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, sage and lemon peel. Place egg in shallow bowl. Coat pork chops with flour mixture, dip in egg, then coat with bread crumb mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes.
2. In a skillet, brown chops in oil and butter for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until juices run clear and a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F. Serves 6.

Next, here's a slightly tart green bean side dish flavored with onion and bacon. Goes great with either ham or pork.

Sweet and Sour Green Beans

Ingredients

• 2 (15 ounce) cans green beans, drained, juices reserved
• 3 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until well-browned. Add onion and cook until translucent. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes more.
2. Pour vinegar and 3/4 cup of the reserved green bean liquid into the pan. Add sugar, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and stir in the green beans. Continue cooking at a low simmer until beans are hot. Serves 6.

Finally, this recipe is always in great demand from my friends and family. It tastes similar to sweet potato souffle, with a custard-like texture. Use with any meal that sweet potatoes seem to go with such as ham, or pork, etc.

Butternut Squash Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup margarine, melted
• TOPPING
• 1/2 (16 ounce) package vanilla wafers, crushed
• 1/2 cup margarine, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Put butternut squash in the microwave and cook on high, until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Cut in half, scoop out seeds and cube. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add squash and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash.
3. In a 9x13 inch casserole dish combine 3 cups mashed butternut squash, white sugar, milk, vanilla extract, salt, flour, eggs and 1/4 cup melted margarine.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until set.
5. In a medium bowl combine crushed vanilla wafers, 1/2 cup melted margarine and brown sugar. Crumble over top of cooked casserole and return to oven to brown. Serves 12-15.

Have A Great Week My Friends,

Phil

Phil, this look real tempting!! I love Mexican foods and fix them quite often. However, for the most part right now Sara's kitchen is operating on minimum because of the heat. Quick meals, no heated oven and salads are on the menu. We are all praying for rain and relief from this heat. 104 as of 3:05 pm.

Always like to stop by and see what cooking in Papa's kitchen though and you have some delicious meals for us to try. Thank you friend, you know we are here even if we don't always comment.

God bless you,

Sara