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Cheesy Sausage Quesadillas
8 oz browned and drained turkey sausage (casings removed and crumbled)
1 cup cooked Minute Rice
1/2 cup canned corn (drained)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese (optional)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup salsa
1 pkg flour tortillas
Sour Cream
Guacamole

In small bowl combine cooked and drained sausage, rice, corn, and cilantro.
Heat skillet over medium heat. Spray tortilla with cooking spray. Place tortilla, coated side down in skillet. Spoon 1/4 rice and sausage mixture onto tortilla. Sprinkle with cheeses. Spray another tortilla, coated side up and put that on top of mixture. Cook for 2-3 min on each side, or until cheese melts. Top with salsa, sour cream, and or guacamole if desired.

**You can also make this in the microwave. Do not use cooking spray on the tortillas. Make quesadillas and then cover with a damp towel. Cook 1-2 min or until the cheese is melted.

Nachos

Cheese Sauce
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can milk
2 tsp yellow mustard
1 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
2 tsp Tabasco sauce

Whisk together in a saucepan until heated and thickened.

Brown in saucepan 1 lb ground beef. Drain
Mix in 1 pkg taco seasoning (Mix with water according to pkg directions)

1 cup diced tomatos
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 bunch of diced, green onions
1/2 cup black olives **optional**
sour cream
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salsa**(optional)
Green chilis **(optional)
Guacamole
1 bag nacho corn chips

On a plate, put 1 cup nacho chips. Spoon 1/4 cup ground beef mixture. Top with cheese, lettuce, tomatos, and other fixings according to taste. If more spice is desired, a few dashes of tabasco will spice it right up.



Peanut Sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp corn starch
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup peanut butter
red pepper to taste

Wisk soy sauce, lemon, corn starch, & garlic. In small saucepan wisk peanut butter and hot water together. Stir in soy sauce mixture. Add red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer until sauce thickens. Serve with cooked chicken

Chicken Orzo Salad
1 box small pasta (small shells, rings, or orzo) cooked, and drained
4 c cooked, chicken breasts, diced
1 cup red and green grapes
2 c cucumbers, diced
1/2 c celery, diced
1/4 c minced onion

Dressing
2 cups mayo
1/4 c half and half
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt and pepper

Mix dressing ingredients together

In seperate bowl mix salad ingredients. Pour dressing on top and chill.

Toasted Chick Peas

1 can chick peas (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained

Pour chick peas on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Drizzle 1/4 cup olive oil on top of chick peas. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp coarse sea salt, 1 Tbsp cumin powder, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional)

Bake 350 for 30-35 min or until chick peas are toasted through.

Make It Hot When it's SOOO Cold

There's nothing sexier than something that is "Hot".  This week we are smack in the middle of winter.  Cold, frozen, snowy, slushy, crap.  When the weather man said that this weekend was going to be well below zero, we filled the wood box, bought extra milk and hibernated.  As I was beginning to complain about how cold it was, I was trying to think of a way to bring back the heat from the summer.  Heat!  I got it! 

I dug out the various hot sauces and Hubby qued up the DVR to tape various Western movies.   If it was going to be frigid outside, we were going to make it smoking on the inside.   The different spices and hot sauces were varying  colors of reds and oranges and we tasted them on the end of a toothpick.  Some were so hot that they made the nose run and the eyes water.  Others were subtle and warmed the back of the tongue and throat.  Either way, we laughed to watch each other taste the different degrees of spice.  Even the names of the various spices are enough to put a smile on your face.  "Fire in the Hole", "Texas Tongue Torch," "Butt Burner", and the hottest sauce we have "Dave's Insanity Sauce" are some of the various devil's brews that will heat your entire being.  Aren't the names great?

Red chilies, roasted cumin,  cayenne pepper, pickled chilies, different vinegars, chili powder, fresh garlic, ginger, and wasabi powder in various combinations make for lethal concoctions that look innocent enough but can reduce someone to tears.  I have often thought that the older one gets, the more they can handle spicy foods due to the facet that  taste buds  dull as we age.   The beauty of these spices is that you can spice to taste.  Some like it hot, others don't care for that much spice and like a slow mellow heat, while others enjoy a sweet tang that spices up the tongue and cheeks.  Chicken wings are a great way to experiment with different degrees of heat and spice.

Watching classic movies like "Shenandoah", "Two Mules For Sister Sara", and "Have Gun Will Travel" put us all in the western frame of mind.  Hot, dusty, sunny heat  along with plates of Nachos spiced with Tabasco and bowls of chili redolent with red chilies and roasted cumin made us all remember that summer is coming. 

In a few months we'll be lounging in front of the AC slurping cool and frosty drinks and this winter freeze will be a memory.  But for now, heat it up inside.  Make a cup of hot coffee or cocoa, put a shot of Kahlua in  it, make a plate of Nachos or wings and add a dash or two of hot sauce.  Can you hear the guitars and maracas?  Ole! 

This week's menu is inspired by peppers and spice. 
***Means that recipe is included.

Sunday
Chili
Cornbread

Monday
Cheesy Sausage Quesadillas  ***
Green Salad

Tuesday
Pancakes
Sausage

Wednesday
Nachos***
Fresh Fruit Salad with apples, kiwi, mandarin oranges, red grapes

Toasted Chick Peas***

Thursday
Chicken Kabobs
Peanut sauce***
Rice
Green Beans

Friday
Chicken Orzo Salad*** (Made with left over chicken from Thurs)
Sour Cream Quick rolls (Made with only 4 ingredients)***