Living Insanity's Loving Food

 I get pupusas frequently with my coworkers and I bought a frozen box of them from Aldi.  They didn't come with slaw or hot sauce so I looked up how to make Salvadorian style slaw to go with them.   Ingredients: 1/4 to 1/2 a green cabbage, thinly sliced 1 onion, diced 1 carrot, shredded 1 jalapeno or use 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup vinegar 2 teaspoons salt Directions: In a bowl whisk together water, vinegar, salt, oregano, and crush red pepper. Add cabbage, carrot, and onion. Cover and refrigerate for a day before use. You could also transfer to mason jars. Slaw will last refrigerated up to a week.

My dog turned 1 years old this week!  So I had a party.  We had burgers, hot dogs, pasta salad, and potato salad.  Smores in the firepit My burger was topped with American cheese, bacon, lettuce, mushrooms, bbq sauce, and mayo. Hot dog was topped with spicy brown mustard and diced white onion. Pasta salad was pasta, cherry tomato, broccoli, red pepper, red onion, cucumber, parmesan cheese, and dressing. Potato salad was red potatoes, mayo, sour cream, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, pickle juice, lemon juice, celery, diced pickles, fresh dill, garlic powder, salt, pepper, topped with paprika.  

This is Adam's aunt's pasta salad recipe.  I have eaten it many times, but I haven't made it.  I plan on making it from now on!  I just got the recipe. Ingredients: 1 box of rotini noodles 1 can of tomato soup 1 bottle of Italian dressing 1 green pepper 1 cucumber 1 onion small container of cherry tomatoes celery seed Directions: Boil the noodles and drain.  Run cold water over noodles to quickly cool down. Dice the green pepper, cucumber, and onion.   Halve the cherry tomatoes Put the noodles and veggies in a large bowl. Add the tomato soup and Italian dressing. Toss until well blended Sprinkle pasta salad with a small amount of celery seed.

  We had a small 4th of July celebration.  I made hamburgers, pulled pork, street corn casserole, and had some cut up watermelon.  Rebecca brought over some very good brownies.   Mexican Corn Casserole 4 cups frozen corn, about 24 ounces 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 diced red pepper 1 bunch of cilantro minced, a few leaves for garnish 1 diced jalapeno 1/2 large red onion, diced 2/3 cup cotija cheese (ours was grated) Dressing: (This dressing is so good I want to put it on other things!  Burger topping, pasta maybe) 3 tablespoons sour cream 2 tablespoons mayo 4 tablespoons lime juice (about 2 limes) 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon chili powder In a large skillet heat olive oil then add corn, red pepper, jalapeno, and onion.   Place corn mixture into a casserole dish. Pour the dressing over the corn and mix together. Top with the cojita cheese and cilantro.  

These skewers from Aldi are the bomb!  They take about 10 minutes in the air fryer.  Remember to flip them over once.  I sprinkled with tajin after cooking.  They skewers come in a package were each skewer is sealed.  You only open up the number you want.  10 in a package.  They lasted 3 meals for me.  The asparagus was also from Aldi!  It was awesome.  After the horrible Sams Club asparagus I guess I needed to give the veg another try.  My red skin mashed potatoes are not Aldi.  The potatoes were probably bought from Walmart.  This meal was so good.  I love Aldi sometimes!

We went to the beach for the air show.  My boyfriend wanted steak and shrimp for dinner so that is what we had!  I bought 4 sirloin steaks, a caesar salad, and asparagus from Sams Club.  Then I made some instant garlic rice.  I sauteed mushrooms from Walmart too.  The shrimp came from the crab shack down the street.  The Sams club steaks were outstanding.  The produce was not.  I had to throw out a lot of mushy slimy asparagus.  We also had to pick out brown lettuce form the salad.  We wont be buying produce from Sams again.  

  Ingredients: Small round potatoes, these were red potatoes Olive oil Salt Pepper Old Bay Instructions: Heat oven to 450 Bring a pot of salted water to boil.  Add potatoes and cook until tender. Drain potatoes. Add foil to a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray or use a little olive oil. Place potatoes on the baking sheet. With a potato masher (we use a meat mallet) gently smash potato. Drizzle the smashed potatoes with olive oil.  Salt, pepper, and add Old Bay to taste. Bake 20-25 minutes until you see golden crispy edges. Eat the perfect side dish!  You can top these like a baked potato if you like.  

  After making stuffing balls I had a craving for more stuffing.  This time I just made the stuffing without eggs and didn't bake it.  Sliced ham, scalloped potatoes, and another round of sausage stuffing. For the ham I made a glaze.  Orange juice, sugar, honey, mustard, cinnamon on the stove top boiled down to a thicker consistency.  Poured over the ham.  Ham went into the oven for 15-20 minutes to warm up. Scalloped potatoes are my usual recipe.  You only need butter, onion, milk, flour, cheese, and thinly sliced potatoes.  I have seen people do the layers differently.  I do a layer of potato, then sauce, potato, sauce.  I personally like bread crumbs on top, but my boyfriend doesn't.  I put bread on only half.  We use a mandolin to get our potatoes thin.  If I use a knife they take forever to get soft.  

This year I was in charge of the famous stuffing balls. Ingredients: several carrots, diced several stalks of celery, diced onion, diced 2 boxes of Aldi brioche rosemary and garlic stuffing 2 eggs, beaten chicken broth 2 rolls of Jimmy Dean sausage salt and pepper 1 stick butter, melted Directions: cook sausage and remove from pan saving the drippings add vegetables to pan and sautee add some stock and cook until carrots soften put stuffing mix in a bowl add the cooked sausage and vegetables stir together add melted butter add stock if needed for correct consistency add in the eggs form balls and place in fridge Then bake in the oven  

Margarita Ingredients: 1 cup Ice 1/2 cup Frozen pineapple 4 ounces Pineapple juice 1/4 cup Orange juice 2 tablespoons Lime juice 1/2 cup Tequila 2 tablespoons Honey Tajin for the rim We thought it needed more pineapple flavor and are going to try again with more pineapple and more pineapple juice.  Also I'd rather use triple sec than orange juice. Corn Ingredients: Corn on the cob, boiled about 5 minutes Mayo Garlic powder Lime juice Tajin Cilantro Cojita cheese Mix the mayo with some garlic powder and lime juice and brush onto corn. Add cojita cheese to a plate and roll the corn in it. Sprinkle lime juice over the corn. Press cilantro into the corn.  I couldn't get it to really stick without pressing. Sprinkle as much Tajin as you want.    

We celebrated Memorial Day a few days late, but we tried several new recipes.  We spiralized and marinated hot dogs, made Mexican street corn casserole, and I made a ranch pasta salad. Marinated Hot Dogs 1 package of beef hot dogs, usually 6 to a pack 1/4 cup ketchup 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 package of hot dog buns Place hot dog on cutting board and use a knife to cut the hot dog at an angle until the length has been cut into a spiral. In a large resealable bag combine the marinade ingredients of ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce.   Add hot dogs to marinade and keep in fridge a minimum of 20 minutes.  Can be kept overnight. Grill hot dogs and place on buns with your favorite toppings.   My favorite toppings are mustard and raw diced onion, but sometimes I do sauerkraut.   Ranch Pasta Salad 1 lb prepared macaroni noodles 1 cup shredded carrots 1/2 cup diced celery 1/4 cup red onion (I...

  The herb garden has been growing like crazy with the cooler and rainy weather we have been having.  I planned a meal around some of the fresh herbs.  I made 2 pounds of bbq beef, a dill potato salad using baby red potato, and a caprese salad with fresh basil.  BBQ Beef (this is a double batch) 2 pounds ground beef 1 large onion, diced 1.5 cups ketchup 2 tablespoons mustard 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce In a large pot, brown the beef and onions in some olive oil.  Salt and pepper the beef. Drain and return beef to pot. Add all the sauce ingredients and heat through. Serve on slider or Hawaiian rolls or hamburger buns. I like to keep the BBQ beef in the crockpot.  I brown the beef and then put it in the crockpot with the sauce ingredients.  I cook it on low for an hour or two and then just switch to keep warm.   Potato Salad baby red potatoes, boiled t...

I marinated some boneless chicken thighs in mojo sauce.  BBQ sauce was added at the end of grilling the chicken.  I also had some chicken sausage, asparagus with lots of lemon juice, and baked loaded sweet potatoes.  I love the warmer weather!  

 I had Thanksgiving at the boyfriend's cousin's new house.  We were looking for a house at the same time last year.  They found one first though!  I wanted to take a few things.   I made Buffalo chicken dip and took crackers, chips, and celery to dip in it.  This made way too much!  I would halve the recipe next time. Buffalo Chicken Dip: 2 large cans of chicken 1/2 cup of ranch dressing 1/2 cup of wing sauce 1 container of blue cheese crumbles (save some for topping) 1 8 ounce block of softened cream cheese 1 8 ounce package of shredded cheddar cheese (save some for topping) Mix all ingredients together and then top with reserved blue and cheddar cheese. I put the mixture into a throw away brownie pan with a lid so I wouldn't have to worry about dirty tupperware. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Next I made homemade cranberry sauce because my boyfriend said he had never had it before. Habanero Cranberry Sauce: 1 8 ounce package ...

Cucumber Salad.  Sour cream, vinegar, fresh dill, onion, salt, pepper, onion.  No mayo potato salad.  Red potato, olive oil, vinegar, fresh dill, green onion, lemon juice, pepper, salt.  Hot dog with sides.  These are actually chicken sausages from Costco that are a bit like a bratwurst.

  I made pulled pork in the crockpot for Friday night dinner.  It was two pork tenderloins in root beer on low all day until pork fell apart.  Then you pull the pork, pop it back in the slow cooker and add bbq sauce. I made my famous sweet and spicy coleslaw and I made a pasta salad with good seasons italian mix plus some green pepper, cherry tomato, and mozzarella pearls.

  We had 'family' dinner Friday which means the boyfriend and my friends.  I made collard greens for the first time, sweet and spicy coleslaw which was maybe too spicy this time, corn on the cob, mac n cheese, cornbread, water melon, and a lemon cake for dessert! BBQ PORK RIBS Rub Ingredients: * 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar * 1 1/4 cups sugar * 1/2 cup salt * 1/4 cup ground black pepper * 1/4 cup paprika * 2 to 4 slabs baby back ribs *** to add some heat try 1-2 tablespoons cayenne *** Directions: Combine all the ingredients for the dry rub in a mixing bowl. Rub the ribs with the dry rub. Lay on a doubled sheet of aluminum foil. Wrap ends over first, then fold up sides and crinkle tightly closed around rack (as little air as possible, without tearing the foil). Let marinate in refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Without unwrapping foil cocoons, place ribs on a large baking pan lined with more aluminum foil (the juice will leak and you don't ...

To bowl with potatoes, add mustard, sour cream, mayonnaise, a squeeze of lemon juice, and as much dill as you like. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.   

 We have found a deli potato salad we like!  This yellow one with eggs from Green Valley. You know the trick to getting the cheese to goo and draped over the burger?  A little water in the pan, put a lid over it, and steam it for a bit.  

  Nothing is better than a few dogs with onions and mustard and a little homemade potato salad. I always use Hebrew National all beef hot dogs.