Grilled Fish Tacos w/ Chipotle-Lime Dressing

Anyone that knows me, knows that I appreciate a GOOD fish taco recipe. I am kind of a Fish Taco Snob. I have standards, you know? .wink. This is one Fish Taco recipe that I do not turn my nose up at. With Cinco De Mayo just a day behind us this will become one Mexican inspired favorite! These Grilled Fish Tacos have a creamy dressing spiked with lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and Adobo sauce for an a little extra kick! We garnish our tacos with tomatoes, cilantro, shredded cabbage, and lime wedges. These tacos are guaranteed delicious!

I

Ashlee, The Culinary Queen

Apple Streusel Bars

Happy Wednesday you all!! Boy, do I have a delicious dessert recipe for you today! Apple Streusel bars-These Apple Streusel Bars are like Apple pie but even better and believe me, I am an expert when it comes to Apple Pie. No Joke. In fact, the reason I dub myself an expert in the Apple Pie arena, is because it happens to be my Husbands dessert of choice, so I have made a lot and I mean a lot of apple desserts during our 8 years of marriage! Don't get me wrong, he loves all the desserts I whip up around here but Apple pie is hands down the one dessert that he requests the most!

I

Ashlee, The Culinary Queen

Dr. Pepper Marinade

Today, I have a delicious marinade recipe to take you into your weekend. If you enjoy your weekends by getting outside and enjoying the great outdoors and doing a grilling like my little family does, then this is a recipe for you! This Dr. Pepper Marinade is delicious and can be used to marinate chicken, pork, beef or turkey. I have only tried chicken, but I think any type of meat would be fabulous! 

I whipped up this marinade this week and used chicken breasts. After marinating and grilling the Chicken Breasts, I sliced and then placed them on a delicious salad.  My kids and my Handsome Hubby really liked this chicken. I also enjoyed it and thought that the meat turned out super tender and very flavorful!

If you are looking for a new marinade to use this Spring and Summer for quick and easy suppers, then try this recipe! I am sure it won't disappoint! 

Hope you all have a great weekend!

I know my weekend will be spent watching soccer practices, soccer games, attending a family birthday  party, and maybe a little grilling on the Barbie!! Wink!

Dr. Pepper Marinade

Ingredients:

1 (12-ounce) can Dr. Pepper

 1/4 cup soy sauce 

1/4 cup lime or lemon juice 

1/2 cup vegetable oil 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

1 medium onion, minced 

1 teaspoon hot sauce or cracked peppercorns

Directions:   

Whisk all the ingredients together. Combine this with chicken, turkey, pork or beef in a gallon-size bag (add more Dr. Pepper to cover if necessary) and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. Once you have the meat on the grill, boil the marinade for 5 minutes to thicken and use for basting.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups, enough for 2 pounds of meat.

I

Ashlee, The Culinary Queen

Cheeseburger Macaroni

This is one Tex-Mex recipe that would be perfect to insert into your weekly meal plan. Kids and Adults alike will enjoy this dish. It is comfort food at its finest. This particular recipe is fast and easy to make and can be put on the table in about 30 minutes. It is the perfect main dish to make; especially on those busy weeknights when the family is running everywhere and they only have a few moments to eat before running out the door to extracurricular activities.

This recipe uses staples from your pantry and the 'heat' of the dish can be tailored to your family's liking. Ground turkey or beef, macaroni, taco seasoing, Rotel tomatoes and chilies and cheddar cheese are a few of the ingredients used to make this hearty dish. Pair this main dish up with crispy garlic bread and corn on the cob for a delicious weeknight dinner. Enjoy!

Cheeseburger Macaroni

recipe adapted from kevinandamanda.com

image courtesy of food.com

1 lb. ground turkey or beef

1 pkg. Taco Seasoning

1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies (or petite diced tomatoes for less heat)

2 c. water or beef broth

1 c. elbow macaroni

Brown and drain meat. Stir in taco seasoning, Rotel, beef broth, and macaroni. Heat to boiling. Simmer 12-14 minutes or until macaroni is tender.

Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce-

2 T. Butter

2 T. Flour

3/4 c. Milk

1 c. Cheddar Cheese

1/2 t. salt and pepper

1/2 t. Lowry's Seasoning Salt

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisk for about 5 minutes until fragrant and light and brown in color. Whisk in the milk and bring in boil. Whisk until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the cheddar cheese until melted. Add the salt and pepper and Seasoning salt to cheese sauce. Pour the cheese sauce over the meat mixture. Stir gently to combine.

I

Ashlee, The Culinary Queen

Happy Easter...I'm a Little Late!

Did you all enjoy your Easter Holiday? We sure did! Our Easter Break ended yesterday. Now back to the daily grind. For the Long Easter weekend, we traveled down to Southern Utah (me and my hubby's old stomping grounds) to visit our families. Both my husbands parents and my parents live there. It was so nice to see all of our family members. My kids participated in several egg hunts courtesy of both sets of Grandparents. We also enjoy some delicious food and indulged in all that Easter Candy. I sure enjoy eating Reese's Peanut Butter eggs and my mom's chocolate creme filled cupcakes. Delicious. Boy, have I hit the gym hard the past two days to balance out my over-indulgence!
Last but not least, my family didn't forget to celebrate the knowledge of our risen Savior. We are so grateful for his huge sacrifice and the enduring love he has for us!

Remember when I showed you this Easter Apparel? During my get together with my family's side, my sisters and I decided to take a few pictures of all of my nieces and nephews. What a job! When it comes to taking the perfect picture of 7 little wee ones, it may or may not be more work than it is worth. A little hint....5 wiggly babies and two toddlers is a. lot. of work. My sisters and I are still trying to collaborate all of our pictures to find the perfect one so we can make a cute craft to give my mom for Mother's Day. It is just around the corner you know? More to come on that.

Here is just a tiny preview of a few of my pictures...

Aren't they cute in all their matching Easter Outfits?

I think they are all so cute! I sure love my kids and nieces and nephews!

I heart being a Mom and Auntie!

Happy Easter!!

Check back here tomorrow for a delicious Dinner Recipe Idea that the whole family will enjoy-

 Cheeseburger Macaroni.

See you all tomorrow!

I

Ashlee, The Culinary Queen

Easter Sun Dress and Lil' Guy Ties

With Easter coming up this weekend, the past few days have been spent sewing. All other things at my house have gone by the way-side. Does this ever happen to any of you when you sew or are working on craft projects? My poor neglected children have their mom back! Wink.  

Well luckily, life can return to normal around these parts because I got my sewing projects done!  Hurray!

These are what I have been working on...

Aren't these ties so cute! I sewed them for my cute little nephews! I can't wait to see them wear them. Boy, will they look handsome and so dapper in their new Easter ties.

I also sewed this little Sundress for my sweet little niece. 

Can't wait to snuggle with the little sweetie!

I know that I said my kids have been neglected around these parts for the past few days, but I promise I haven't overlooked them! I sewed my son a matching tie last year and a friend sewed my little girl a darling little dress with matching pantelooms made out of the same fabric. 

In fact, we had family pictures taken in them last year!

You may be wondering why I am sewing all these cute little matchy-matchy outfits? Well, my brothers and sisters and I haven't had the chance to all be together at once for over a year, so we are  planning on taking pictures of the grand babies and putting them in a nice frame for my mother dear for Mother's Day! Stay tuned for some cute pictures with matchy-matchy outfits and some very cute kidlets!

Note: The patterns I used for the ties and sundress can be found and purchased here. I love this site and Ashley, the author of the blog is one crafty gal. She has super easy tutorials which are great for gals like me who are seriously challenged when it comes to sewing. I probably wouldn't and couldn't sew without her simple and easy to follow tutorials. Head on over and check out her darling blog!

I

Ashlee, The Culinary Queen

7-Up Marinade

This marinade is one of my family's favorites. It is very kid friendly and they lick their plates clean whenever I make it. This quick and easy marinade can be thrown together in a jiffy. Whether you choose to marinate Chicken or Turkey Breasts, they always turn out juicy and tender every time! Don't you love fool-proof recipes? I do!! With grilling season just around the bend, this is the perfect recipe to start with when you decide to dust off the ol' grill!

7-up Marinade

recipe and photo courtesy of dinnertimeideas.blogspot.com 

Ingredients:
4-5 chicken or turkey breasts

1 can 7up or Sprite Soda

1 c. soy sauce

1 tsp. garlic powder or minced garlic

Directions:
Place chicken in a ziploc bag that is resting in a large bowl. Pour in marinade ingredients. Firmly seal the zip top bag and store in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it. The soda will fizz up quite a bit, so pour it in slowly and hold the bag firmly. I put the ziploc bag in a bowl first and leave it in there while the chicken is marinating, just in case of leaks. Let the chicken marinate for up to 24 hours before grilling. Grill on a medium grill for 6-8 minutes per side.

.

I

Ashlee, The Culinary Queen