Potato Tacos

These tacos are a scrumptious lenten dish that will leave your taste buds tingling! For this flavor-filled dish, you will need:

1 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2  tomatoes, cored

2  jalapeños, broiled and stemmed

1 clove garlic, sliced

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 cup vegetable oil

18 corn tortillas

Thinly sliced green cabbage and tomatoes, for garnish 

For the rice:

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1/4 c. green onions, chopped

1 1/2 c. rice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 c. vegetable broth

1 tomato, diced

1/4 c. carrots, chopped

1/4 c. cilantro leaves, finely chopped

1 lemon, juiced

Puree cilantro, oregano, tomatoes, jalapeños, and garlic in a blender until smooth; set salsa aside. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil, add potatoes, and cook until tender. Drain potatoes and transfer to a large bowl. Add  garlic salt, butter, salt, pepper, and cumin, and mash until smooth. Set potato mixture aside. 

Heat oil in a  skillet over medium-high heat. Spread 1 heaping tbsp. potato mixture over half of each tortilla, and fold over to form a taco. Working in batches, add tacos to oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown and crisp. Pour salsa over tacos.

While potatoes are boiling, you can work on your rice. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add green onions and saute until fragrant. Add rice and stir until light brown. Next, stir in tomatoes, carrots, vegetable broth, lemon, cilantro, garlic, and cilantro. Cover and leave on medium heat until rice is tender. ENJOY!

Cinnamon-Ginger Chocolate Cupcakes

Being a big fan of both ginger and cinnamon for their taste and health benefits, I decided to incorporate them into my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe. For these delicious, flavor filled cupcakes, you will need the following:

1 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons of flour

1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 scant cup of sugar

1 tablespoon of baking powder

a pinch of salt

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ginger

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter (melted)

1 cup of milk

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

2 eggs

For Frosting:

4 2/3 cups of confectioners' sugar

3/4 cups and 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

2/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup of milk

Preheat the oven to 325^o

Mix the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a mixing bowl until you get a sandy consistency. Whisk the egg, milk and vanilla in a separate bowl. Mix half into the the flour mixture until lumps are gone. Pour in the remaining milk  and continue to mix until the batter is smooth (be careful not to over mix or you will get dense cupcakes.). Spoon the batter into the cupcake cups and fill about 2/3. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean. 

In a bowl, mix confectioners' sugar, butter and cocoa together with a handheld mixer at medium speed. Turn the mixer down to a lower speed  and add the milk a couple teaspoons at a time. Once it is well mixed, turn the mixer to a higher speed. Beat for about 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier it becomes. 

Finding Light in the Darkness

It is the first night of my husband’s overnight shift at the hospital. My son and I were just finishing up our Evening Prayers, when all went dark except for the candle lighting our LORD and His Mother. At this very moment the prayers that are often just words to me have powerful meaning. “Preserve us from the gloomy slumber of sin and from the dark passions of the night.” It was beautiful seeing nothing but the holy icons staring back at us. After we finished praying, I went around the house and lit candles. I  sit here, next to my sleeping babe, with only the candles lit and the illumination from my slowly, dying laptop. I hear nothing. It is so peaceful; no hums of air conditioners or a chirp from a cricket. I realize how often I take advantage of my quiet times during the day. When I might normally be quite terrified at an erie night such as this, I have found complete peace. What a Wonder God is.

Basil and Zucchini Soup

If you are one of those fortunate people to have generous gardeners as friends, then you may have found yourself with an abundance of zucchini during this summer season. I came across this delicious, simple recipe and decided to make some changes. It has such a refreshing flavor, that allows for a soup during these warm evenings. The recipe calls for:

• 
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1 in. thick
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves, washed and stemmed
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tomato, diced
• Grilled Mozzarella Sandwich to go with the Soup:
• French bread
• Mozzarella cheese
• Garlic salt

In a large frying pan. Saute your onion in the olive oil until onion is lightly browned. Add the zucchini. Stir often. When zucchini is transparent, remove from heat. In a medium pot, pour broth, basil, lemon, zucchini, salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 min. In a blender, puree the soup until a smooth consistency is formed. Just like you would make a grilled cheese, grill the mozzarella sandwich and sprinkle with garlic salt. Garnish soup with tomatoes and a sprinkle with chili powder. Dip sandwich in soup and VOILA!