Salsita

We had an incredible time in Wisconsin,
visiting family and cousins.
One of our first days there
we got to take a lil' trip into Milwaukee
and watch the Brewer's Game
just us adults! What a gift!

The girls bonded so quickly
and spent so much time hanging out together!
Laura and I would sit back and try to picture the future
where they'll enjoy each other's company
and hang out, maybe paint each other's nails.

And on that note,
I'd like to post that I'm "copying" something my sis-n-law did =).
When we got there
she had a gallon bucket in the fridge
full of homemade salsa,
and we devoured over half of it
before the week was over.
I snuck a peek at the recipe
and couldn't believe how simple it seemed!
So, based on availability at our grocery store,
and my memory of her recipe,
and a few things that sounded good,
I have made us a huge batch of salsa!
YUM!

I wanted to post the recipe here
in case you'd like to give 'er a try,
but also so that I can find the recipe later,
when I wanna try to recreate =).

"Fresh" Homemade Refrigerated Salsa
1 can Rotel Tomatoes (I found lime juice/cilantro cans!)
1 can diced stewed tomatoes, no salt added
1 can Mexican Recipe S&W Stewed Tomatoes
1/4 c. cheapest med. salsa in the store (optional)
1 onion chopped (big or small chunks- to your liking)
pinch of sugar (or Splenda in my case)
sprig or two of chopped cilantro

I blended the S&W tomatoes, cuz they were halved,
but I left the diced Rotel and stewed tomatoes,
so as to have some "chunk" to put on the chips.
You totally don't have to add the med. salsa, if you prefer less heat.
Anyway, super delish, and so fresh tasting,
despite the fact that it almost all came from cans =).
Laura also says you can throw in a mango or pineapple
if you wanted to go for a sweet fruit salsa!
Thanks for letting me "copy cat" you, Laurita!

We-Are-Family

I put this other little video together
to celebrate the end of the year 2010.

I find myself so thankful for family.


Love and miss you!

Italian Roast Beef Sandwiches

This is a recipe I got from my mama
who got it from her friend, Carol Snell
down in Quito, now in Texas,
and I adapted it a little to turn up the flavor.
It was quite easy,
and the tri-tip roasts were MEGA on sale,
so I only paid $1.99 a pound for an almost three pounder
and it will serve us for at least three meals
(just to let you know-
I cut off about a pound of fat...
so you don't think we're each eating
1/2 a pound at each meal! haha!)

I served the shredded roast
on garlic toast rolls from a local, Mexican-run Panaderia
and almost felt like I was in Ecuador.
Almost.

To make the Garlic Toast:
Slice french rolls almost all the way in half.
Butter both sides.
Sprinkle generously with Garlic Powder.
Sprinkle with Dried Oregano.
Broil, open faced, until browned to your likeness.

I highly recommend, even if you use other bread,
that you toast the bread, because the meat is so juicy
that it soaks into fresh bread too quickly.

The Roast:
Trim any excess fat from the roast
(again- I used Tri-Tip, but any beef roast should work)

In small mixing bowl:
2 tsp Garlic Salt
2 tsp freeze-dried Basil (regular dried would work)
1 tsp freeze-dried Garlic (fresh minced would work)
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp white sugar
Fresh Ground Pepper

Mix together with fingers.
Take pinches of herb/spice mixture,
and rub into all sides of the meat.
I had some very thick areas of meat,
so I made a few cuts into the meat,
and rubbed the mixture down into the cracks.

In Crock Pot:
1/2 Yellow Onion, sliced thinly
1 Green Pepper, sliced thinly (I used yellow/red/green mixture)
2/3 cup Red Wine

Set rubbed roast into crockpot on top of veggies.
Cook on HIGH for 5-6 hours.
Shred using a fork and tongs.
Serve on garlic toasted rolls
or with potatoes.

Another serving idea would be to melt
a slice of Provolone on top!!

Mmm!
Enjoy!

Taylor's Birthday

I've decided to first post this series of videos,
which we showed at Taylor's birthday party.
Mom, Dad, I have a DVD for you with this video on it.
So therapeutic to make it,
and think back to how much she's grown this year.

Enjoy!


Remember you may need to go to the site
to view the videoThat song is sung by Kathy and Gary Hickle
and written by one of Kathy's friends.
It's one of our favorite lullabies.



Remember you may need to go to the site
to view the video
Can you believe our little Bushel and a Peck girl
changed so much in just a few months?
From holding her head up
to rolling over,
From crawling
to standing everywhere.



Remember you may need to go to the site
to view the video.We love our Taylor Lee.
Happy Birthday!

You-Cah

Yesterday,
I was in our corner store
where they sell so many fruits and veggies
for a much better price than the "real" grocery store,
and I saw that they had frozen yucca!!
(Bobby Flay from food network
pronounces this wonderful latin american root veggie
as the 'yuck-uh' plant,
but that just sounds yucky and makes me grit my teeth,
so please read that as frozen you-cah, okay? *smile*

So I bought a bag, got good tips from my mom on how to best prepare the yucca, and brought it home to defrost. Today I plopped the thawed clumps of yucca into VERY salty water, and boiled them for 15 minutes.

Then I filled the skillet with lots of canola oil, heated it, and cut the slightly boiled yucca into slices (about the size of home fries). I did 3 minutes on each side, and then pulled them out, blotted off the oil, salted them with Sea Salt (definitely a new favorite for me!) and then served them up.

They turned a beautiful golden brown, and they tasted incredibley wonderfully salty and crunchy.

If you haven't tried this before, you'll just have to come visit us here, and I'll buy some more frozen yucca, and fry it up for ya!

It's like a tastier, crispier, flakier french fry.

There's proof you need to come visit us *wink*!

Chili Cook Off

Today we are going to our church's
First Chili Cook Off
to kick off the Rally Week
before next week's Rally Sunday

Rally Sunday traditionally signifies
the pastor gives the church a challenge
to "jump on board" the church's vision
and commit to the next year...
It's usually an exciting series,
and also a good one to invite others to.

Anyway,
We are bringing Chicken Chili
to today's Chili Cook Off
(accompanied by a Swing Band!! fun!)
So I thought I'd put up the recipe
and tonight I'll let you know
how it was received by people
ha!


Hickle Chicken Chili
adapted from a recipe from Lori Meehan

Cook 1.5 pounds Chicken
Place raw (or still frozen) Chicken breasts or tenders
in crockpot on High. Add:
1 Bay Leaf
6 Black Peppercorns
1 tsp Celery Seed
1/2 Yellow Onion, in chunks
1 Clove Garlic, in chunksCover Chicken in water, and put in High until fully cooked.
Remove Chicken, shred and set aside.
Discard liquid.

In Saute Pan with 1 Tbsp Oil:
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, mashed
Saute until transluscent and beginning to brown on edges.

In Saute Pan Add:
1 can "Mexican Style" stewed tomatoes
2 cans "regular style" stewed tomatoes
2 cans Black beans (do not drain)
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup your favorite salsa
(this is how you control whether it's hot, med or mild)

Cook nice and slow:
Pour entire mixture into preheated crockpot.
Add shredded chicken. Stir. Add:
3 Adobo (dried) chili pods, whole
(Leave peppers floating in chili)
Cook for 2-3 hours on high.
When ready to serve, remove and discard adobo peppers.

Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream.
Enjoy!

So I'll let you know what people think
of the Chicken Chili
after today's cook off.
I'm excited to go hang out with church people =)

Update:
We got runner up, but didn't win.
Had barely any to bring home with me though,
so I guess that's a good sign =)

Herb Slow Cooked Chops with Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

I don't have a picture
of this wonderful creation
but I just have to share with you
how wonderful this recipe turned out!

I made it up.
I just didn't feel like
having the same ole' same ole'
flavored pork chops for dinner.

Herb Slow Cooked Chops
with Balsamic Vinegar Reduction
in a frying pan:
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried rosemary
(I'm sure fresh herbs
would be even MORE WONDERFUL
but I didn't have any on hand...)

Cook until onions are transluscent,
and beginning to brown on the edges.

Lay six thick, juicy pork loin chops
over top the onions.
Generously salt and pepper the top of the chops.
Sear until browned on that side.
Flip, salt and pepper, and sear until browned.
(chops will NOT be fully cooked,
just browned on each side)
Transfer chops to preheated slow cooker.

Into pan with onion remnants add:
1 c. white wine
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 c. milk
1/2 package mushroom soup mix

Simmer until thickened a bit.

Pour sauce over the chops in the slow cooker.
Cook, on low, 4-6 hours.

About 15 minutes before ready to serve,
pour 1/4 c Balsamic Vinegar
into small sauce pan.
Simmer over low fire until beginning to thicken.
Stir occasionally.

To serve:
Place pork chop on plate
(we served ours on creamy pasta- delish)
and drizzle balsamic vinegar reduction over top.

Mmm...
can't even tell you how excited I am for lunch tomorrow
cuz this meal was just so good, good, good!

Reunited in Folsom (Video of a Reunion)

There's so much to write about
when it comes to our fun family reunion last week.
And there's just TONS of pictures to show you.
Impossible, I'd say,
to get all the good ones into one, two, even FIVE blogs!
So I've decided to fit it all into a lil' video.

It amazes me that every single person
that is related to Grandma and Grandpa
was at some time or another
with us during the weekend!

And without further delay...
Hillis Family Reunion 2010
(it's a really big file, so if it skips, give it a second to load,
and then continue watching)


For those of you that are not part of the Hillis Family
here's some stuff you may need to know,
in order to appreciate the video all the more

#1 Weekend Highlights
*surprise
*Folsom Lake with everyone
*family pictures in the park
*swim, rest, catch up, hang out
*Family Talent Show
*church together
*open house for extended family and friends
*cake with the ORIGINAL cake topper from G&G's wedding cake
*interview about the last 80 years!
*good bye brunch
#2 Sound Track
provided by the Hillis Family Talent Show

#3 Inspiration
Grandpa wrote a song about how surprised he was
and how grateful he was
to be with the whole family to make new memories.
This is the song that you hear at the beginning and end.
Grandma and Grandpa,
love you bunches!
Congratulations on 60 years of marriage!!

Easy Peasy Chicken Enchies

This afternoon as I drove home
I knew dinner was going to have to be somethin' quick
as it was already near 4:30,
I was already beginning to feel hunger,
and I had prepped nothing early,
so whatever we ate would begin
either frozen,
canned,
or dried.
Spaghetti? with frozen meatballs?
chicken tacos? from frozen chx breast?

Then I decided I would go with
Chicken Enchiladas
even though I didn't have any Enchilada sauce
so I would have to improvise my own.

I did,
and decided the frozen chx might take too long,
so I asked Greg if he were willing to
"go on an adventure"
with me, and try canned chicken.
(I keep it in the cupboard
to use for quick bbq chix sandwiches
with homemade bbq sauce-
so easy... you just have to have time
to pick up some good rolls or buns.)
Thing was,
the corn tortillas we had on hand
turned out to be a little too old,
so they wouldn't fold around,
and broke apart,
so we decided
(Greg was helping assemble)
that we would make it a casserole.

So here's the creation,
and it's not gourmet to say the least,
but certainly
CHEAP,
FAST,
and quite
YUMMY.


Easy Peasy Chicken Enchies

2 Lg Cans Chicken, drained
1 Can Stewed Diced Tomatoes (I like the ones with garlic)
1 Can Cream of Chx Soup
1 sm Can Green Chiles
2 tsp chile powder
1/4 chopped onion
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
3 shots tobasco sauce
18 corn tortillas, uncooked
several cups of shredded cheese (we used Mexican blend)
several sliced black olives

Put tomatoes, soup, chiles, and spices in sauce pan.
Stir, and simmer for five minutes.
Pull out 1/3 of the mixture,
to use for later.
Add canned chicken to sauce pot.
Simmer for five more minutes.
Spoon 1/4 c sauce (no chx) mixture onto bottom of 9x13 pan.
Lay 6 tortillas over sauce, overlapping a little bit.
(sort of like lasagna noodles)

Spoon half chicken mixture over tortillas.
Sprinkle cheese generously.
Sprinkle half of sliced olives.
Repeat tortillas, all remaining chicken mixture, cheese.
Repeat tortillas, sauce (no chx), lots of cheese, and remaining olives.

Cover in tinfoil.
Bake @ 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Remove tinfoil.
Bake @ 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven,
and let rest for 3 minutes.
Slice and serve with sour cream.
(makes 8 generous servings)

Green and Ham

When my mother in law was here
I think she "re-wet" my appetite
for cookin' in the kitchen!

So this week I've had fun
makin' real-ish meals!

Tonight I took some of what was left in the fridge
and found a yummy combination
so I thought I'd share.

Just beware...

It's definitely NOT gourmet,
in fact it is more like a "quick fix"
but it was pretty yummy
and definitely fast!

'Green Ham' Sandwichesfrom the brain of Katrina Hickle* ham steak, diced into cubes
* American Cheese slices
* crescent tube (I used an off brand)
* finely FINELY finely chopped green onion
(to the point that they looked almost like chives)

Line cookie sheet with tinfoil.
Grease it, cuz the melted cheese will stick.
Fill one triangle at a time with
small piece of cheese, ham, onions, then small piece of cheese.
Roll like a regular crescent,
Bake in 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.

They turned out a lot like a HOT POCKET
but with extra Umph, cuz they had the onions.

Also- I had some green onion left over,
so I made two crescents with JUST green onion,
and OMG I would TOTALLY serve those with a turkey dinner!
(Although my hubby would probably kill me
cuz he doesn't like it when I complicate something
when it was already good as it was...)

Anyway, try them for a QUICK and pretty CHEAP lunch.
I can imagine SEVERAL different variations I could do.
Maybe meatball with marinara,
shredded leftover chicken with black pepper and cheddar,
or pulled bbq pork or chicken.
Mmm!
Why have I never done this before?

Here's a shot of the process:

And here's the final product!
Yum!!