My Take on Tortilla Chips

It been raining here, so naturally I thought that there was a reason for me to be in the kitchen. After concocting quite a few sweet treats, I wanted to make something salty or savory. Don't get me wrong. I love sweet things, but that's not always healthy to have lots of sweets sitting around...it makes it too tempting. So after thinking about what I had, I thought of tortillas. Bingo! I'll make tortilla chips. Seeing as they are baked and not fried, I won't have to feel bad after I eat them and I know they will be a perfect snack to munch on. But I was feeling spicy and decided to spice up my tortilla chips as well. Plain are always good, but today called for something more. After looking at my spice rack, three things immediately popped out...chili powder, ground cumin, and onion powder, along with salt and pepper.

Most people think that the only way to make tortilla chips is to fry them, which is usually how they are done, but if you bake them, they are just as good. I am pretty sure that this is quite possibly one of the easiest things that you can make. Trust me, you don't even need a recipe and it can be done with as many tortillas as you like. Preheat the oven to 350. Cut the tortillas into triangles and spray with cooking spray or brush with vegetable oil.

Here is the fun part where you get to be creative. Sprinkle on whatever spices you want and put them in the over for 5 to 6 minutes. Turn the pan and bake for another 3 to 4 minutes. Watch them because they get dark fairly quickly. I made mine savory, but you could always do cinnamon and sugar for a sweeter version. Pair that with a caramel dip and you have one crowd pleasing snack. You will always have a "go to" in your back pocket for every get together you might need it for. Have fun with these and let me know how you customize them!

Homemade Spice Rub

Fire up the grill because there is a new spice rub that you need to try out and it's summertime, so it's a great excuse to have a barbeque. I found the original recipe on Pinterest from The Yummy Life, but modified it with the spices I had on hand. The great thing about this recipe is that it can be customized to your taste and it is super simple to put together (if you don't make the mistakes I did). It's sweet and spicy and great with all kinds of meat prepared in whatever way you wish. Chicken, beef, grilled, or slow cooked this rub has you covered. Now, you don't have to worry about marinating or advance preparation. Just grab, sprinkle, and cook.

Here is my modified 9 spice dry rub recipe:

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup salt
1/2 cup paprika
4 teaspoons onion powder
4 tablespoons chili powder
4 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons dried rubbed sage
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger


Directions:

Dry the brown sugar for an hour or two so that it doesn't clump when you mix the ingredients together.


Sift all the ingredients together and then whisk. Store in an air tight container.

*Note: Do not try to sift the brown sugar. It clogs it up and won't work very well. After having to pour the spice mix into another bowl and resift it and then use a colander, I got a consistency that looked unclumpy. I am fairly certain that if you leave out the brown sugar, the sifting would be a piece of cake. The other option is to use a food processor, however, I don't have one.

So feel free to use this as a starting point to create your own spice rub. They are much better then store bought ones and you can make them to your liking. Come back and let me know what you used in your rub and how it turned out!

Spice Up Your Life

One of my favorite at home pasta dishes is pasta topped with olive oil, salt, and black pepper. There is something about the simplicity of the ingredients and the warm satisfaction it brings that really makes me feel complete. What makes pasta even better is that it is pretty inexpensive and can make a few servings at a time. As much as I love it, there are times when I am feeling adventurous, but I am not really sure what to do because sometimes things can go really wrong with spices. Recently, I have been hearing how beneficial spices are for your metabolism and diet, so I decided I would try to add more spice to my life. As I sat looking at my spice rack, I pondered what combinations might work. Finally, I grabbed whatever I saw first and gave it a go.

I had grabbed crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. Sounds like a pretty reasonable combination, so why didn't I think about that immediately? Honestly, I don't know. I think that it is because for me spices can be a bit intimidating. I know how they taste individually, but striking the perfect balance between multiples ones can be difficult. Here's what I have come to find. Just being willing to try things out. You might get some good, definitely some bad, and then a few that are just so so, but no one can say you didn't try. But back to my dish. The kick from the crushed red pepper seemed to bring out the flavors of the Italian seasoning even more, and took me back to my Italian rendezvous. This is definitely a recipe to make again!


My other way to keep pasta interesting is to change up the shapes. I remember all the trips to the store where I insisted that shaped pasta was much better than spaghetti. Fortunately, I usually won that argument and got to pick out my favorite shape. When Barilla introduced there line of mini pasta, I was super excited. I love anything and everything small and bite sized, and this pasta was definitely a throwback back to my childhood days. The tomato or spinach pasta is also great and works really well if you are trying to get kids to eat more vegetables. One of the best and most surprising pastas I have had recently was lemon pepper pappardelle pasta from Trader Joe's. The intense lemon and pepper flavor turn a bland noodle into a shining star. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, you need to try it out!

I am always on the look out for great new pastas or spice mixes, so post your favorites below and I will be sure to try them out.