Potato Wedges with Chilli Con Queso

Where does the time go!?

It's been ages since I've posted a blog, but it seems like just yesterday and I'm not entirely sure where all those days in between have gone?

Anyway, moving on, I'm back now....although I'm going away again tomorrow....but it's only for 5 days and IT IS Mr B and my first wedding anniversary so I think that is a fair excuse....

Moving onto other things, it has been super hot today, like melting hot, like it's too hot to do anything but lay on the couch in your underwear and drink. And speaking of drinking, last night Mr B bottled his latest batch of home brew ginger beer and he is tipping that this one will be a knock your socks off, kick you in the teeth, tip top brew.....we are resting all of our hopes on some ginger soaked in brandy so fingers crossed!

The happy brewer!

How cool do these labels look! I got them made for Mr B's birthday and seeing all the bottles, filled, capped, lined up and labelled, they just look so professional! 

So tonight, to celebrate our pending holiday (and because it's too damn hot to cook a big meal and we just wanted something easy....) we made these Potato Wedges with Chilli Con Queso from a Tex-Mex cookbook that Mum and Dad gave Mr B for Christmas. They were super easy and even more delicious!!

This served Mr B and I easy for dinner, but you could serve it as an entree for 4 people or for 2-3 people with some salad for a main.

You will need:
5-6 large potatoes
Oil

Place the potatoes on a baking tray and bake in an oven pre-heated to 220C for around an hour.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Now you can do this the night before like I did, saves you a hell of alot of time!

Once the potatoes are cool, cut each one in half and scoop out the flesh, leaving a thin layer of potato still in the skin.

Place the potatoes in a large pre-heated fry pan with some oil. Allow them to cook until they are golden and crispy. You will need to turn them after about 7-10 mins. Once they are done, remove them from the pan and allow them to drain on some paper towel.

For the Chilli Con Queso
30g butter
2 spring onions, finely diced
1 tspn crushed chilli
1.5 tspns crushed garlic
3/4 cup sour cream
1.5 cups grated cheese

To make the chilli con queso, start by melting the butter in a fry pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, chilli and spring onions and cook for 2-3 mins. Remove from the heat and add the sour cream and cheese. Return the pan to the heat and stir until smooth. You don't have to stir it constantly, but just be conscious of it.

For the Guacamole:
1 large avocado
1/2 tbspn lime juice
1/2 tbspn lemon juice
cracked pepper

To make the guacamole, start by cutting the avocado in half and removing the seed. Scoop out the flesh and place in a bowl. Add the lemon and lime juice and season with the pepper. Place in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

For the Tomato Salsa

2 tomatoes, finely diced
1/2 tbspn lime juice
cracked pepper

To make the tomato salsa, combine the tomatoes, lime juice and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Place in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Now to put it all together, fill each potato skin with the chilli con queso, top with some tomato salsa and guacamole, sit down with a tequila and enjoy!!

Mrs B xx

Burrito Bowls

It's been a beautiful warm day here, the sun has been shining, the breeze has been cool and to top it off, Mr B and I have had the day off work. 

Mr B and I were up early today to meet some of our friends for breakfast. Not only was it one of their birthday's, but it was also the last time we will see them for a month as they are heading off on a big road trip this week to spend a month in Sydney with family. We had a really lovely morning and it was so good to catch up with them, but we sure are going to miss them while they are away! After breakfast Mr B and I came home and were surprised that we had been up, out for breakfast and home all before we would normally even wake up on our day off! 

Mr B spent the rest of the day mowing our property and I did some baking, went to the optometrist (how hard is it to pick a new pair of frames for glasses - there is just too much choice!!), did some shopping and came home. Something about the warm weather or maybe it's everything we have got done today, but either way I'm exhausted and want something easy for tea. I think these Burrito Bowls are perfect 'Friday Night' meals and perfect Summer Night meals too! 

Burrito Bowls - Serves 2

2 Tortillas
200g beef mince
400g can of red kidney beans
1 pkt burrito seasoning
2 tomatoes diced
1/3 cup corn kernels (2 small tins or 1/2 400g tin)
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
2-3 lettuce leaves. shredded
Salsa, Sour Cream and Grated Cheese to serve

Pre-heat oven to 110C.

Place 2 empty and clean glass jars on a baking tray with the lids off. Lay a tortilla over the top of each jar allowing the edges to hang down. Bake for 15 mins or until crisp.

Place mince in a lightly greased fry pan over medium heat and cook until browned. Add the beans, burrito seasoning and 2-3 tbspns of salsa. Cook for 5-7 mins.

To assemble the bowls, place a tortilla bowl on a plate. Add the mince mixture, tomato, corn, lettuce and avocado in alternating sections. Top with salsa, sour cream and grated cheese.

These were absolutely delicious. And I mean you could just do the beans with no mince for a vegetarian version, you could add chicken instead of mince, you could do whatever you want, but whatever you do I definitely recommend you try this!

Mrs B xx

Mexican Beef Salad

It's like mega hot here at the moment, and I don't know about you, but I certainly don't like coming home from work on a stinking hot day and spending hours in the kitchen whipping up a hot meal for tea. So to that end I've been trying to come up with cooler ideas for dinner, I mean we have been having salad with everything lately so I was thinking kind of like a salad in disguise so as not to distress Mr B. This one had the potential to go horribly wrong, on one hand it incorporated two of his favourite things, beef and mexican, but on the other hand there were beans involved, I knew I was walking a fine line but sometimes you just have to take a risk and this time, it paid off....Plus I mean we all like a fuss free mid week meal do we not!?


This recipe easily makes enough for 4 as a main and can be served hot, warm or cold, how's that for versatile!!

All you need is:

400g butternut pumpkin, peeled, cut into 1cm cubes
500g extra lean beef mince
35g packet taco seasoning
400g can red kidney beans, drained
310g can corn kernels, drained
1 green capsicum, diced
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 tspn crushed garlic
mini tortillas to serve

Cook the pumpkin in the microwave with 1/4 - 1/2 cup water for 5-7 mins or until softened.

Meanwhile, in a fry pan over medium heat, cook the mince until just starting to brown. Add the taco seasoning, garlic, capsicum and onions and cook for a further 3-4 mins.

Remove the pan from heat and stir through the pumpkin, kidney beans and corn.

Serve with tortillas and most importantly, enjoy!!

Mrs B xx