Almost Chipotle At Home

I really love Chipotle. I've only been there 3 times, but really, they are so yummy! Today I found myself craving a Chipotle burrito bowl. I have 2 kids with birthdays this upcoming month plus back to school shopping, so my husband and I really couldn't justify the expense of eating out. I figured i'd try my hand at making them at home. I went to the 99 cent store and spent 1 dollar on a package of lettuce, 1 dollar on a large can of black beans, and 1 dollar on a package of queso fresco (I don't think they use this at Chipotle but I love me some queso fresco!) I had everything else at home. Please excuse my pics, I can't find my camera so I took them on my phone. This is how it turned out:

 Above is Tiny's bowl. It consisted of hand torn romaine lettuce, diced tomato, grilled steak, black beans, corn, cilantro lime rice, shredded cheese (he wanted mozzarella), freshly made guacamole and a light drizzle of Italian dressing.

Above is my bowl. I had a base of lettuce and diced tomato, topped with grilled steak, black beans, cilantro lime rice, queso fresco, freshly made guacamole and a drizzle of Italian dressing.

It was super easy. I started the rice first. (Picture of homemade cilantro lime rice below.)

While the rice was cooking I made the guacamole and let it set in the fridge. I diced the tomatoes, heated up the beans, added the ingredients to the cilantro lime rice to flavor it, and heated up the steak. Then I ripped up the lettuce and assembled our bowls. Totally cheap, especially since we used last night's leftover steak.

You could use any sides you want. I checked out the Chipotle website and the stuff they use is pretty basic:
*lettuce
*tomato
*grilled steak, grilled chicken or barbacoa (I have a recipe for their barbacoa that I am dying to try!)
*pinto or black beans
*cilantro lime rice (they usually have a choice between white and brown)
*corn (you can pan roast your corn, it adds an amazing flavor to salads and other dishes!)
*cheese
*guacamole
*sour cream
*salsa

Throw your lettuce and tomatoes in a bowl, and top with whatever toppings you like to personalize your own Chipotle bowl. This would be totally fun for a family night or a party! You could have a "Chipotle bar"! This came out delicious and was well worth making it at home.

Quadruple Layer Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe

Quadruple Layer Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe

2 c. pumpkin (see below)
2 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. vegetable oil
1. tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Pumpkin pie spice: (see below)
2 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. ginger
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cloves

walnuts (for garnish)

Pumpkin: You will need one small pie pumpkin. Cut a round hole in top, scoop out seeds. Cut pumpkin in half and place cut sides down on greased baking sheet. Bake @ 350 degrees for an hour and a half. Take out of oven, let cool, scoop pumpkin out of shell and mash. Measure out 2 cups for recipe. This may be done well ahead of time and placed in fridge until needed.

Pumpkin Pie Spice: Mix together pumpkin pie spice ingredients in a small container. Reserve 2 tsp. for cake recipe. Remaining spice can be stored in cabinet for several weeks.

To Make the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pan(s).

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice.

In another bowl, combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. (I Beat everything by hand with a wire whisk and my cake came out great.) Spread into pans.

Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Test with toothpick in center of cake to see if it is done. If toothpick comes out clean, cake is done.

You may bake this in 2 layers, and cut each layer lengthwise. I baked 4 little layers and just checked them and took them out a bit earlier. I was afraid of the crumbs getting into my icing if I sliced the layers in half...

Ice the top of each individual layer with your favorite icing or ganache. (I wasn't happy with the icing I used on this cake and will change it next time I make it.) When you place the top layer on, ice the top and then garnish with a crusting of walnuts.

Split Pea Soup Recipe

Well, this is not an innovative or new recipe by any means, but split pea soup can be a frugal and deliciously healthy dish. Dried split peas are very economical and have a long shelf life. (I like to buy mine in the bulk section at Winco.) I got my potatoes for 99 cents for a 10 pound bag, my baby carrots @ 79 cents a pound, and the celery was pretty cheap, too. Add half a brown onion, chopped, and some leftover ham from a meal a few nights before and we had a big pot of pea soup for a very low price per serving. (I didn't actually work out exactly what that price was, i'm too lazy, but, trust me, it was a cheap way to feed a big family + some guests.)

you'll need:
*2-3 cups dried split peas, rinsed and rained
*8 to 10 cups water, plus more for replacing evaporated water while pea soup boils
*1/2 medium onion, chopped
*20 baby carrots, cut into 4ths
*4 celery ribs, halved and then sliced
*5 to 8 potatoes, peeled and chunked (amount varies depending on how much you like potatoes. We like more rather than less in our soup.)
*ham steak (optional, I make this vegetarian style quite often by omitting the ham), diced, or you can just throw in a ham bone for flavor without having chunks of meat in your soup
*salt & pepper to taste

1.Throw your split peas, water, and diced onion into a large stockpot. bring to a boil. Boil for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. DO NOT ADD SALT until later, because if you are using ham in this recipe the ham will add a bit of salty flavor on its own-if you salt now you may end up with very salty pea soup.

2. Boil about 20 more minutes. If you keep it at a medium high boil, your peas will start to disintegrate. After your second 20 minutes is over, add your diced ham. I like to cut mine fairly chunky so that my pea soup will be hearty with good sized dices of meat. You may want to add more water at this point to replace the water that has boiled down. Depending on how thick you want your pea soup to be, you can add as much water as you'd like.

3. Boil for another 20 minutes. Make sure you stir often because this will begin to thicken and the bottom could burn. I like to use a good, heavy bottomed pan so that it doesn't burn so easily on the bottom. Keep on checking the water level and adding water to suit your taste.

4. Add your carrots, celery, and potatoes. Taste the broth to see how salty it is. You may add a teaspoon of salt to give some flavor to the potatoes so they don't end up tasting flat. You can also grind some fresh pepper into the mix if you'd like. Boil for 40 more minutes, stirring often. You should end up with a thick, hearty soup, with nice chunks of potatoes and ham and some dices of celery and carrot for flavor and color.

This soup is high in fiber and iron, making it a hearty and healthy choice for your family-you can also sub the ham for turkey ham, it is still very flavorful and has less fat and calories. I usually use regular ham but I trim it very well before I dice it for our soup. We like to serve ours with whole grain bread and Smart Balance margarine-this tastes delicious dipped into the soup. This is great on a cold fall or winter day and the leftovers are awesome for lunch for hubby the next day, too!

Note: If you soak and rinse your peas for several hours before making this, it shouldn't give you gas.

Fried Rice Recipe

When it comes to frugality in the grocery budget, using up leftovers tops the list. This recipe uses some leftover rice and meat, and if you have leftover peas and carrots you can throw those in here as well. (Personally I like using frozen peas and carrots in this because they retain their texture as they cook and don't become soggy.) I like to make mine in a large heavy bottomed nonstick 12 inch skillet-it gives me enough room to stir everything in without it spilling over the sides and onto the stove top.

I don't really measure the stuff I throw in this, but i'm going to include measurements because I know some people rely on them. Please remember that they are approximate.

• 2 cups leftover steamed white rice, preferably chilled overnight
• about 1/2 c. to 1 c. leftover meat, diced small. (This depends on how much meat you like in your fried rice-also, if you are using fresh meat and not leftovers, using less meat can save you money.) For this pic I used some bacon ends (pork) but you can use leftover chicken, beef, etc-even shrimp if you'd like
  
• about 8 oz. frozen peas and carrots mix
• 1 bunch scallions, sliced-mostly white tips-you can cut off the green stems, chop and reserve to use for garnish
• 4 eggs, scrambled, with a dash of soy sauce-I use either Kikkoman or La Choy
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• dash of sesame oil
• vegetable or olive oil for frying

1. Heat skillet, add a bit of veggie oil and a dash of sesame oil. Make sure skillet gets good and hot. Fry cubed meat for 4 to 5 minutes to brown it up.
2. "Sprinkle" rice into the skillet with your hands. Make sure that they don't stick together in clumps, break them up into pieces of individual rice.
3. Fry rice for a few minutes. Make sure the heat is up nice and high, but don't burn your rice. Stir frequently and mix meat all up into your rice.
4. Add soy sauce to pan. Stir rice around so as to coat the individual grains with sauce. They'll turn kind of a nutty color.
5. Pour pea and carrot mix into the pan. Stir around to integrate the veggies into the rice.
6. With a spatula, slide your rice to one side of your skillet, leaving half of the skillet empty. Add a teeny bit more oil if necessary.
7. Pour scrambled egg mixture into empty side of skillet. Let set for a few minutes so that the bottom of the eggs can get firm-don't let your eggs get brown, that might add a funky flavor to your rice.. Mix and scramble until mostly cooked in the one half of your pan.
8. When your eggs are mostly set, stir your rice vigorously but gently to get all the egg mixed up into your rice. You want to use your spatula to break up the egg so that you have little pieces evenly distributed through the rice.
9. Toss in your scallions and stir into your fried rice. You can let it fry just a little more on high heat if you like your rice more firm and brown...

If you'd like, you can top this when serving with some of the sliced green scallions you reserved at the beginning. I like to throw some hot chili sauce on mine as well.

**This is probably going to sound weird, but when you initially make your steamed rice, let it set in the pan with the lid off for an hour or two before putting it away in the fridge. It will help it dry out a bit so that it doesn't stick together too much. Also, if you make your rice nice and firm it will work better for this recipe. Rice that is made with a higher proportion of water tends to get gummy in the pan and comes out clumped up and soggy. (Ask me how I know.) :-) I have found long grain white rice to work best for me.

This recipe gets better and better the more you make it. My first few tries didn't come out too well, texture wise. They tasted good but didn't look so great. It takes a little practice sometimes to get it down but the high heat is a must, it keeps everything frying and not getting soggy in the pan.

Pancakes with sweet ricotta filling and triple berry reduction

This is what I made for breakfast this morning. Pancakes piled high with sweet ricotta filling in between and a triple berry reduction syrup on top. I didn't have any, myself, and instead opted for a ham, swiss and scrambled egg sandwich on whole grain bread, but the kids tell me this was delicious!


To start, make your favorite pancake recipe. Any pancakes will do, but because of the sweetness of both filling and topping, I would suggest plain buttermilk pancakes so you don't end up with a too sweet brekkie.


For the ricotta filling:
~ 2 cups ricotta
~ 1 cup confectioner's sugar
~ 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix well in a medium sized mixing bowl. Set aside.

For the berry reduction:

~1 bag frozen berries
~ sugar, to taste
~ water

1 bag of frozen berries (this is convenient, you can use fresh if you'd like.) Any type of berries will do. I used a berry medley of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. If you use a larger fruit like strawberries you may want to cut the berries into bite sized pieces like I did.

Pour your berries into a saucepan. Cover with 1 to 1 1/2 half cup water. Sprinkle with sugar to taste. Boil your berries, stirring occasionally, as you cook and flip your pancakes. By the time your pancakes are done you will have a nice sauce. If you like your berries firm, don't cook as long and they will hold their shape and texture.

To serve:
Place one pancake on a plate. Spread ricotta cheese mixture on top as if icing a cake. Top with another pancake. Add as many pancakes as you like, (there are 4 in my picture), when you get to the top pancake, instead of icing with the spread, top with your fruit reduction, making sure to scoop several berries on top of the pancake as well as the juice. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar for a nice finishing touch. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Almond Crusted French Toast Recipe

In the fall I like to make pecan crusted pumpkin french toast topped with a dollop of maple whipped cream. It's almost more of a dessert than a breakfast. I wanted something lighter for the summer months, so this morning I experimented with cinnamon almond crusted french toast. Please excuse my pic of breakfast, above, as I am certainly not a food photographer, haha. The little white lumps are powdered sugar. As an afterthought i'm sure breakfast could have done without it.


Here's what you need to make this:

*a sturdy skillet
*plastic ziplock/freezer bag
*rolling pin or other suitable almond smasher (for the fun part, you can even get the kids involved)
*spatula

*several slices of your favorite bread. (I use Milton's Whole Grain Plus bread-it has lots of fiber and a good supply of iron, which I need, because I struggle with chronic anemia.)
* eggs, I used about half a dozen for 7 slices of french toast
*a splash of milk to mix with your eggs to make them nice and fluffy
*cinnamon
*vanilla
*a handful of almonds
*Smart Balance margarine sub, or whatever type of butter/margarine you use

Now, here's what ya gotta do:

1. Put your almonds in a sturdy, sandwich sized freezer bag. Don't close it because then it will probably pop while you are trying to crush your almonds. Lay your freezer bag flat on the counter, try to lay the almonds in one flat layer. Now take your rolling pin and crush your almonds, still inside the bag. Beat them, roll over them, just make sure they are in small chunks with some that are almost powdered.

2. Pick up your bag of almonds and shake a little cinnamon in for flavor. As much or as little as you like. Shake the bag all around to mix the cinnamon and almonds together.

3. Get a small dinner plate and pour your almond/cinny mixture out in a flat layer on your plate.

**At this point you may want to turn the heat on under your skillet to medium-high. not too high, not too low. You want your skillet nice and warmed up for when you put your french toast in. If you have a good nonstick skillet, you may not need any butter or margarine. If not, throw a small dollop of Smart Balance margarine sub in there to add a nice buttery flavor and keep your french toast from sticking.

4.Take a small, shallow dish that is big enough to fit your bread slices in and crack some eggs into it. Add some milk, a bit of vanilla and a sprinkle of cinnamon to your liking. Beat your eggs until they are light, fluffy and yellow.

5. Take your slice of bread, and immerse each side in your egg mixture. Make sure that you get the whole thing covered in egg.

6. Now, take your egg drenched slice of bread and press each side into the almond/cinnamon mixture. Make sure the bread is covered with yummy pieces of almond and flavorful cinnamon.

7. Lay your bread in the hot skillet. Keep an eye on it and flip it when it is a nice golden brown. I can't even tell you how long, you just have to practice a few times and get a feel for it. Cook on the second side until golden brown and crusty.

Note: This french toast is very rich, I only make one crusted piece per person. I pile their plate nice and high with regular french toast (same recipe sans almond mixture step) and then top it with 1 slice of crusted french toast.

You can serve this with butter/margarine/Smart Balance/whatever you use, and some maple syrup, or even a fresh berry reduction and a dollop of freshly whipped cream. If you use the bread and stuff that I did it has a good amount of iron and fiber, and it also has some added vitamins and minerals. It will have kind of a chewy, grainy texture. I love it this way but if you are a white bread kinda person it may take some getting used to.

I am eating this for breakfast this morning, even while I do my Biggest Loser contest. I love modifying recipes to make them healthier.

**If you have an aversion to egg yolks, just use egg whites (no yolks) in your egg mixture.

Southern Red Beans and Rice Recipe

I made this for dinner tonight and it was yum! However, it was like 70 degrees while I cooked it. I think it would be great on a colder day. It's a very warming dish.

1 pound of small red beans
1 pound of sausage (less if you like less meat in your dish or are trying to save money by using less meat/many cooks prefer andouille but any good, firm sausage will do.)
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 medium sized green bell pepper, chopped
3 large celery ribs, halved and sliced
1 tsp. minced garlic (fresh is best)
2 tsp. cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
*you can also throw a bay leaf in if you'd like. I do sometimes.

When serving:
Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
Louisiana style hot sauce (I like Tobasco, or Crystal for a milder taste)


1.Rinse and sort beans into a large stockpot. Add about 6 to 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Let set for one hour, covered. After one hour has elapsed, drain and rinse beans. Return to pan.

2. I use a 5 qt. stockpot for this recipe. I add enough water to hit the 5 quart line inside (i'm lucky to have pans that have measurements on the inside-yay
Ikea pots and pans! Disclaimer: I got my set for only $19.99, but I had to wait in a line that literally had HUNDREDS of people in it-SO worth it for great pots! /end crazy happy rant about pots and pans and back to the recipe.) Bring to a boil, and boil for about an hour, adding water as needed, and stirring occasionally.

3. While your beans are boiling, very lightly brown your sausage. I brown mine just enough to firm it up so that I can cut it more easily. Slice your sausage into rounds and set aside. Chop onion, bell pepper, and celery, and add your 1 tsp. garlic into a large mixing bowl.

4. After your beans have boiled for an hour, add your sausage and veggie/garlic mix. Give it a stir, add some salt to taste (not too much as the sausage will add some saltiness.) Add water, if needed-the pot should be almost full, about an inch and a half from the top. Bring it back to a boil and boil for an hour and a half to two hours, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed. (I like mine kind of like a stew, with broth.)

5. When your dish is finished, ladle it atop a heaping mound of white rice. Season with a hefty shake of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, and a few generous dashes of Louisiana hot sauce.

**Fresh french bread and a salad are also good accompaniments to this dish. (I'll have to post my favorite simple french bread recipe later.)

Atole de Arroz recipe

It's pretty chilly tonight, so i'm making atole. Atole is kind of a sweet, hot rice cereal type of stuff. It's really good and warming. This is how i'm making mine.
I'm not putting raisins in because I don't have any, and, well, i'm not really into hot raisins. :) This is a pretty cheap recipe to make because it consists of mostly rice and milk.

Atole de Arroz

3 cups milk
2/3 cup rice
¾ cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cook 15 minutes over medium heat.
Cover and cook 15-20 minutes. (oh, and don't eat the cinnamon stick when you serve it! LOL!
Serve warm.

Tomato Hamburger Mac

This is what i'm making for dinner tonight. It's simple, fairly quick, and it can be quite cheap depending on the type of hamburger meat you use. It's also a one pot meal, which is always convenient! :)

2lbs. ground beef (I use the 7% fat ground beef)
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 28 oz. can tomato sauce
4 cups frozen green beans
1, 16 oz. bag of dried large elbow macaroni noodles

Brown ground beef in a large pot with onion and garlic. Onion should be translucent by the time meat is done. While cooking meat, add salt and pepper to taste.

When meat is done browning, open your can of tomato sauce and pour it into the pan. Fill up the can with cold water, and pour the water into the pan, three times, for a total of 84 oz. of water. Add the [still frozen] green beans, and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until green beans are slightly tender [to your liking].

Add the whole bag of macaroni noodles. Give it a stir, bring to a boil, and add salt and pepper to taste. Turn down the heat slightly and simmer until macaroni noodles are tender, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Add small amounts of water as needed or if you prefer a "saucier" dish. Make sure to stir often so the noodles don't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Serve with freshly grated Romano cheese on top, and a wedge of crusty shepherd's bread on the side. (A salad is a nice accompaniment as well.)

**Fresh or canned green beans can be substituted for the frozen. For fresh, the cooking time may need to be extended. For canned, you can just add the macaroni at the same time as the green beans-there is no extra cooking time needed.

***This recipe makes quite a bit, and is good for a large family. If you have a smaller family, you can always cut the recipe in half, or freeze half for later.

If you end up with leftovers and reheat them in a microwave, sprinkle a bit of water on top first so that the noodles don't dry out.

Navy Bean and Sausage Soup Recipe

This is a great winter dish! Thick and warming with a rich flavor.

1 pound dry navy beans
1/2 onion, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1, 14 oz. beef smoked sausage, cubed (I used Hillshire Farm brand)
2 medium sized carrots, diced (or sliced if you prefer)
3 large stalks celery, sliced
1/2 medium zucchini, halfed lengthwise and then sliced
5 or 6 good sized russet potatoes, peeled and diced

Sort navy beans and put in a large pot. Cover with plenty of water. Add chopped onion and garlic, and a bit of salt (not too much because the sausage will be salty too.) Heat to a boil and simmer for about an hour and a half to two hours or until beans are tender.

Add sausage, carrots, celery, zucchini, and potatoes, and let simmer for about 45 minutes to a hour, until all veggies are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add water as needed, or if you like more broth in your soup. Serve piping hot with soft buttered bread.

This soup would probably be really good with about half a red bell pepper, chopped, and added with the rest of the veggies. It would add some lovely color too!