Hello everyone! I wanted to let everyone know that my blog now has a new home. It is much easier to find and remember.
Please visit me at
www.holdthenothing.com
Same great recipes just a new, easier, .com.
Enjoy!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Guacamole
I have a wonderful, and easy, recipe for guacamole. When we have Taco Night for one of our weekly family dinners I am always asked to bring this. It is super easy and super delicious.
Ingredients:
6 haas avocados
1 cup red onion, diced
3 limes, juiced
1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
dash or pinch of salt and pepper to taste
I have some pictures to do a little step-by-step if you are unfamiliar with avocados.
1. Slice the avocado from top to bottom all the way around to get the pit out. You can push the knife in until it hits the pit then just rotate the avocado around until the cuts meet.
2. Hit the pit with your knife blade, twist and then pop the pit into a nearby garbage bowl or can. DO NOT grab the pit and take it off your knife, unless you want to lose a finger. You can also slide a spoon under the pit to pop it out.
3. Make slits in the avocado horizontally and vertically. Then take a spoon and dig out the flesh of the avocado and put it into a bowl. Once the avocado is in the bowl put a bit of the lime juice on it so it won't turn brown.
4. Continue 1-3 until you all the avocados cut up.
5. Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and any remaining lime juice and just mash it like crazy. Use a spoon, use a fork, use a meat chopper, even a potato masher would work nicely. Work it to a consistency that you enjoy. I like mine to be a bit chunky.
6. Serve with some chips, or with Taco Night!
Enjoy, and please leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing!
-Johnny
Ingredients:
6 haas avocados
1 cup red onion, diced
3 limes, juiced
1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
dash or pinch of salt and pepper to taste
I have some pictures to do a little step-by-step if you are unfamiliar with avocados.
1. Slice the avocado from top to bottom all the way around to get the pit out. You can push the knife in until it hits the pit then just rotate the avocado around until the cuts meet.
2. Hit the pit with your knife blade, twist and then pop the pit into a nearby garbage bowl or can. DO NOT grab the pit and take it off your knife, unless you want to lose a finger. You can also slide a spoon under the pit to pop it out.
 |
| Stick the knife into the pit pretty hard to "grab" onto it |
 |
| Still stuck to the knife |
3. Make slits in the avocado horizontally and vertically. Then take a spoon and dig out the flesh of the avocado and put it into a bowl. Once the avocado is in the bowl put a bit of the lime juice on it so it won't turn brown.
 |
| Crosswise slits in the flesh |
 |
| Avocado with lime juice |
4. Continue 1-3 until you all the avocados cut up.
5. Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and any remaining lime juice and just mash it like crazy. Use a spoon, use a fork, use a meat chopper, even a potato masher would work nicely. Work it to a consistency that you enjoy. I like mine to be a bit chunky.
 |
| This is about 1/2 of what the recipe will make |
6. Serve with some chips, or with Taco Night!
Enjoy, and please leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing!
-Johnny
Low Sodium Taco Seasoning
Who doesn't LOVE taco night? Pretty much the greatest meal of all time. The only problem (besides the clean up) is that meat has so much sodium in it after you mix in that packet of seasoning.
My solution is this wonderful tasting seasoning mix I came up with.
With all these spices!!!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp minced garlic (the dried kind in the spice isle NOT FRESH)
1 Tbsp minced onion (ditto... spice isle this is important!)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper (freshly ground of course)
3/4 cup of water
To prepare simply brown 1 lb of ground beef, chicken, turkey, fish, tofu, whatever you want to make tacos out of. Once the meat is cooked almost all the way through, add all of the spices, tomato paste and water. Stir and let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes until the sauce thickens to a consistency you're familiar with.
Serve it up with your favorite fixin's... I like lettuce, tomato, black olives, cheese, sour cream, salsa, guacamole... (That reminds me... look for my guacamole recipe in my next post!)
Play with it if you wish, especially the level of heat. If you like it as a "medium" style heat, "hold the nothing". If you like it with a kick add some more cayenne and/or crushed red. If you like it on the mild side leave the crushed red out of the equation.
This spice combination is just right for 1 lb of meat, if you add meat you will need to adjust the measurements. Since I teach Reading I don't know that I can make those adjustments for you. Good luck!
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing!
-Johnny
My solution is this wonderful tasting seasoning mix I came up with.
With all these spices!!!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp minced garlic (the dried kind in the spice isle NOT FRESH)
1 Tbsp minced onion (ditto... spice isle this is important!)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper (freshly ground of course)
3/4 cup of water
To prepare simply brown 1 lb of ground beef, chicken, turkey, fish, tofu, whatever you want to make tacos out of. Once the meat is cooked almost all the way through, add all of the spices, tomato paste and water. Stir and let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes until the sauce thickens to a consistency you're familiar with.
Serve it up with your favorite fixin's... I like lettuce, tomato, black olives, cheese, sour cream, salsa, guacamole... (That reminds me... look for my guacamole recipe in my next post!)
Play with it if you wish, especially the level of heat. If you like it as a "medium" style heat, "hold the nothing". If you like it with a kick add some more cayenne and/or crushed red. If you like it on the mild side leave the crushed red out of the equation.
This spice combination is just right for 1 lb of meat, if you add meat you will need to adjust the measurements. Since I teach Reading I don't know that I can make those adjustments for you. Good luck!
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing!
-Johnny
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Lemon and Herb Chicken Pasta with Olives and Mozzarella
Tonight I felt quite inspired! I came home and started cooking up a wonderful dish. Take a look!
It was pretty darn good too!!! Anyways here is the recipe....
Ingredients:
1 lb Chicken Breast (sliced into "diamonds"....or just small pieces, scroll for demo)
1 lb pasta of choice
6 oz fresh mozzarella cheese (cut into small pieces)
3-4 oz of black or green olives (kalamata are perfect!)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil (to saute chicken)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil (for sauce)
2 Tbsp Butter (for sauce)
1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp celery seed (I promise, it makes a great addition!)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice
**lemon wheels to garnish
Bring water to boil to cook the pasta. While that is coming to boil heat skillet with 1 Tbsp olive oil to saute the chicken. While oil is heating slice your chicken.
By this point your water should be boiling, go ahead and add your pasta and place a wooden spoon across the top, in case of a boil over the water won't boil over. The wooden spoon keeps it calm. Cook your pasta according to the box directions, when done drain and set aside.
Season your chicken with 1tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper, toss around to coat and add to the heated pan, saute until cooked through, remove from the skillet and set aside.
Add 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter to the pan, once melted add the sliced red onion. Saute for 3-4 minutes to give it a bit of color, the onion will also give off some moisture to add to the sauce. Add the herbs and lemon juice and garlic at this point and cook for 2-3 minutes. Garlic will burn if left on direct heat for too long so keep it moving.
Add the pasta to the skillet and toss to combine. Add the chicken and olives and mozzarella cheese. Toss all and keep on the heat for 1-2 minutes just to heat the chicken, cheese, and olives.
Serve it up with a wheel of lemon and a small pinch of parsley for added pizzaz!
Let me know what you think if you try this! I thought it was great!
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing!
-Johnny
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Easy as POP! Cinnamon Rolls
So on Christmas morning I really wanted some kind of Cinnamon Roll type thing to eat. Cinnamon is such a great spice to smell around the holidays, I whipped this up in a few minutes and it was GREAT!
Ingredients:
1 roll crescent rolls (POP)
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter, melted
3-4 Tbsp pecans, chopped, pretty fine
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and pecans until it is the consistency of moist sand. (I guess thats the best way to describe it, just mix them up well)
Unroll the crescent dough and put a bit on the big end of the roll and then roll it up. Continue until you've done all the rolls in the package.
Cook according to the directions on the packaging. 375ºF for 11-13 minutes. Take out and allow to cool for a couple minutes.
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
Ingredients:
1 roll crescent rolls (POP)
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter, melted
3-4 Tbsp pecans, chopped, pretty fine
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and pecans until it is the consistency of moist sand. (I guess thats the best way to describe it, just mix them up well)
Unroll the crescent dough and put a bit on the big end of the roll and then roll it up. Continue until you've done all the rolls in the package.
Cook according to the directions on the packaging. 375ºF for 11-13 minutes. Take out and allow to cool for a couple minutes.
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
Chicken Marsala
When I go out to an Italian Restaurant I love to get Chicken Marsala... so yummy! I decided to experiment a few years ago to see if I could come up with something that is similar to the dish I love. Nothing ever tastes just like a restaurant but this is pretty darn good.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
2 (6-8oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half, lengthwise, and pounded thin.
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter
3 cups sliced crimini mushrooms (I love mushrooms, less is ok too!)
3/4 cup marsala wine
1 cup chicken stock
Salt & pepper
Chopped chives for garnish
In a shallow bowl combine flour and salt & pepper (tsp or so of each) and stir to combine. Dredge the chicken breasts in the seasoned flour mixture and shake of the excess.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, add 1 Tbsp butter to the heated oil. Cook the chicken breasts until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side for thin chicken breast. Put the cooked chicken on a dish and set aside.
Add another Tbsp of butter to the pan and cook the mushrooms until they become brown also. Add the marsala wine and bring to a boil. Stir with a wooden spoon and scrape the yummy bits of flavor off the bottom of the pan.
When the wine has reduced by about half add the chicken stock and cook another 3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened some.
Lower the heat to medium and add the chicken breasts to finish cooking thoroughly. Again they should be 165ºF. The sauce should also thicken up nicely due to the flour on the chicken breasts.
Swirl in the remaining Tbsp of butter, also add a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper to taste.
Garnish with a bit of chopped chive and serve along side some pasta and lightly steamed green beans.
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
2 (6-8oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half, lengthwise, and pounded thin.
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter
3 cups sliced crimini mushrooms (I love mushrooms, less is ok too!)
3/4 cup marsala wine
1 cup chicken stock
Salt & pepper
Chopped chives for garnish
In a shallow bowl combine flour and salt & pepper (tsp or so of each) and stir to combine. Dredge the chicken breasts in the seasoned flour mixture and shake of the excess.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, add 1 Tbsp butter to the heated oil. Cook the chicken breasts until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side for thin chicken breast. Put the cooked chicken on a dish and set aside.
Add another Tbsp of butter to the pan and cook the mushrooms until they become brown also. Add the marsala wine and bring to a boil. Stir with a wooden spoon and scrape the yummy bits of flavor off the bottom of the pan.
When the wine has reduced by about half add the chicken stock and cook another 3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened some.
Lower the heat to medium and add the chicken breasts to finish cooking thoroughly. Again they should be 165ºF. The sauce should also thicken up nicely due to the flour on the chicken breasts.
Swirl in the remaining Tbsp of butter, also add a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper to taste.
Garnish with a bit of chopped chive and serve along side some pasta and lightly steamed green beans.
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
Chicken and Stuffing Bake
This is a great recipe that my mom used to make and I have tweaked it a little bit to make it better. (Sorry Mom) I don't yet have a picture of this one. Next time I make this I will take a picture to add to the post.
Ingredients:
4 cups Stovetop Brand Stuffing
1 cup boiling water
2 Tbsp butter
6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp italian seasoning
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Mix the stuffing with the boiling water and butter. Place the stuffing into a 13x9 baking dish. Season both sides of the chicken with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and italian seasoning. Place chicken on top of the stuffing. Cover lightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 10-15 until the chicken is cooked through to 165ºF.
This dish is great served along side a steamed vegetable like broccoli, green beans, or asparagus Really what ever you want to eat with it.
Variations:
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
Ingredients:
4 cups Stovetop Brand Stuffing
1 cup boiling water
2 Tbsp butter
6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp italian seasoning
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Mix the stuffing with the boiling water and butter. Place the stuffing into a 13x9 baking dish. Season both sides of the chicken with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and italian seasoning. Place chicken on top of the stuffing. Cover lightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 10-15 until the chicken is cooked through to 165ºF.
This dish is great served along side a steamed vegetable like broccoli, green beans, or asparagus Really what ever you want to eat with it.
Variations:
- Add a few Tbsp of butter to the top of the stuffing before you bake it. This will melt down and add buttery goodness to the stuffing and the chicken, and butter makes everything better!
- Combine 1 can cream of mushroom soup with 1/2 cup of milk and pour over the top. This adds a nice gravy type sauce to the bake.
- Combine 1 can cream of chicken soup with 1/2 cup of milk and pour over the top. This also adds a nice gravy type sauce to the bake.
If you try this and do a different variation comment below so I can try it out! Again this is a super easy recipe great for entertaining or just dinner.
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave me your comments!
And as always, hold the nothing.
-Johnny
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