It’s definitely Christmas shopping time. My wife and I are elbow to elbow with the rest of the crazy shoppers out there. We have found some really great deals, and I am excited for this Christmas Eve and and Christmas morning. We have a lot of traditions in our families when it comes to Christmas. For instance, my wife’s family always opens their presents Christmas Eve; where my family opens them Christmas morning. This has worked out brilliantly when you have to get to both households for Christmas. My family opens a “funny” gift on Christmas Eve, and my parents are very good at finding the funniest presents for each of us. This tradition started when as kids we would be so anxious for Christmas morning mom and dad would let us open 1 present on Christmas Eve. We would be so excited to open that present, only to discover that it would be something like a note that says Merry Christmas or the like on it. It was great fun and now we look forward to it every year. In my wife’s family, they lay the presents under the tree as soon as they are wrapped, which is also great because it’s a whole new level of decorations. You get to see Christmas morning every day in December. It’s the traditions and spending time with the family that make Christmas so remarkable.

I watched a special on the History channel about the history of Christmas and how we got a lot of our traditions. I recommend everyone watch it. It explains how the secular world intertwined with the religious world to give us the Christmas of today. Things like why it’s celebrated on the 25th of December and why we have a Christmas tree (thanks, Vikings!). Another cool thing I found out was about the song, “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.” Man, that’s a crazy song! You should really listen to the lyrics. Carolers would stand in front of your house singing, and, basically, would continue singing or (worse) invite themselves into your house until you brought them something to appease them, like figgy pudding. It was not a nice thing, as is always portrayed in Christmas movies. It’s the funny things like that, that I enjoyed finding out.

Our last tradition that I have now inherited from my wife (and I am curious if anyone else does this) is that our TV stays on the Hallmark Channel all the month of December. Every show is a Christmas show, and my wife can’t get enough. Some of the shows are very corny, but, I will have to admit, most of them are heart warmingly good. What Christmas traditions do you have?

Peach French Toast

Serves 2

Christmas shopping in our family always gets a little carried away. Anyone who knows my family personally will tell ya we’re crazy when it comes to Christmas. Why? Because we love it we would damn near rather go bankrupt than to not have a huge, gi-normous Christmas. Where talking a Christmas with so many presents that we have to take breaks in the middle of opening presents. Now, I will say at any time we can have up to 3 generations with us opening presents, but still it’s insane. Especially if there is family in from out of town with their kids; then it can get really fun.

Over the last few years, I have introduced this style of Christmas to my in-laws and their family. They think I’m crazy too! Why not have some fun and watch the joy of somebody opening a present? Better yet, watch somebody completely freak out because you got them something they weren’t expecting but what they really wanted. I look forward to it every year.

My wife and I started our shopping this year on the dreaded Black Friday. We spent the weekend on Lake Grapevine camping with my family. It was cold and wet on Thanksgiving day, but it was a lot of fun the rest of the time. We went with the family to ride the North Pole Express Grapevine. It was a good time, only the kids were supposed to dress up in their pajamas, but all of us grown ups decided it would be fun too. You should have seen the looks we got walking through Historic Grapevine Texas in our pajamas. The train ride was okay and Santa looked great, but they could have done a lot more to make it more like the Polar Express Movie. I will say that my parents, my wife, and I really had more fun going to the wineries after the train ride in our PJs, because that’s when we really got some good looks. All in all, it was fun. It’s been awhile since I posted, so I am starting off with an easy one. If you haven’t been to Grapevine, Texas, during Christmastime, well, you’re just missing out. They claim that they are the Christmas Capital of Texas, and I bet that they are not far off on that claim. The whole downtown is done up with that Holiday flair and shows. You can’t walk past a shop or store without seeing wonderful Christmas decorations and holiday cheer.  We had so much fun that we may make family camping on Grapevine Lake a family tradition for this time of year. Where else can you do your Christmas shopping, drink as much wine as you can get your hands on, Christmas shop ’til you drop, and camp all at the same time? What a great time with the family and our dogs (we had 8 out there!).

Now it’s time for the real shopping to begin. We have our Christmas list and our checking it twice and we don’t care who has been naughty or nice. Actually sometimes the naughtier the better…

It’s been awhile since my last post so I am gearing up with a simple one and will get working on Holiday recipes. Christmas is my favorite time of year. I know that Christmas has a lot of different meanings, but, for me, it’s the look on people’s faces when they get something they really wanted that is my favorite.

Simple Honey Mustard Chicken

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Right now is my favorite time of year for the weather. You wake up to a cool morning in the mid-50s, and it usually doesn’t go above the high-70s for the day (actually, it was 88 yesterday!). This coming weekend is a family tradition my wife and I just love, First Monday Trade Days in Canton, Texas. This is the one event you can guarantee that my family will always be attending, year after year on Halloween weekend. It’s like a garage sale on steroids. Heck, it’s like a flea market on steroids. You can get crafts, collectibles, and the junk all put on about a bazillion acres and, and they serve the crazy fair food that we all love. We have been doing this trip for going on 10 years. The RVs come out, and we set out to shop like nobody’s business. This is where we start our Christmas shopping each year. It’s almost guaranteed that you will find something for everyone on your shopping list. It might be the latest gadget on the market or that unique, silly metal sculpture of a donkey you just can’t resist (ugly damn donkey, Mom!). It’s amazing the things you can see and the silly things you sometimes buy. My wife and I have bought tons of decorations out there for our home, because, oh yeah, it’s like Kirklands, Marshalls, Ross, Hobby Lobby and Michaels on steroids,as well. It’s is so much fun, like a mini vacation each year, where you know you’re gonna spend more money than you can afford. . . and every dime will be worth it!

If you plan to camp out there like we do, take some friendly advice. Plan on working the phones for a long time to reserve a spot. When the phone lines open up for the RV spots, my mom and dad, with two phones each, begin tackling the task of securing our spots. Through non-stop dialing and constant busy signals, it’s a frenzy to make sure you get a spot. In fact, it’s so crazy that this year we didn’t even make it to our normal camping spot. It sold out within 10 minutes, so we had to settle for a secondary spot. The second spot is not bad; it is just a little further from the grounds, so a little further to carry all your stuff. If you ever get a chance put Canton, Texas, on your radar for the weekend before the first Monday of each month. This is when the First Monday Trade Days in Canton, Texas, happens. Bring some money and comfortable shoes and prepare to shop like nobody’s business.

Today’s recipe is something I was having fun with. I got a little creative and tried to make and a little breakfast package. It worked well, and I decided that I will make some mini frittatas this way, as well. Test

Bacon-Wrapped Egg Cups

Serves 2

Ingredients

6 Strips Bacon

5 Eggs

Mexican Cheese Blend

Manly Housewife Seasoning

Milk

Cooking Spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat for 2 minutes on each side. You want the bacon to set up but not  be crispy.
3. Coat 4 muffin tins heavily with cooking spray.
4. Wrap bacon around the inside of the cup, 1 1/2 strips per cup.
5. Fill each cup with 1/4 of the egg mixture.
6. Top with cheese.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until egg is completely set.
8. Enjoy!

It wasn’t long ago that my wife and I went to a street fair close to our house. We had high hopes and expectations with the fair being in the biggest winery city close to us. We planned on spending the entire day out there, enjoying wine and music; alas, the fair was horrible!  The vendors were few, the wines were just semi-decent, and the music was not our style. However, we walked, like we do, everything else one bite at a time. As we walked, we saw your typical fair food, like sausage on a stick, corny dogs, and nachos, but we were looking for the truly unique food. What we found was true Mexican (not “Tex Mex” style) tacos. Wow! They were good! No cheese, just meat, onions, some sort of salsa, and lots of cilantro and lime, all wrapped in a homemade corn tortilla. Well, after watching Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations down in Mexico on the Travel Channel,  it was time to finally take a stab at true Mexican tacos. . . from scratch, all the way down to the corn tortillas.

True Tacos

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 8-Ounce Round Steak

1/4 White Onion, chopped

1/2 Cup Cilantro

1 Lime

1 Large Avocado

1 Tablespoon Garlic

Sour Cream

Salt and Pepper

For Tortillas

1 Cup Maseco Corn Flour

2/3 Cups Water

1/4 Teaspoon of Salt

Directions

1. Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper.
2. Pound Steak into submission (thin).
3. 1/8 Thick and set aside and let rest.
4. Chop onion and  cilantro, place in small garnish bowls and set aside.

It’s time to make the corn tortillas.  I have to tell you that my wife really impresses the hell out of me sometimes. I mean, she is an amazing wife and I could not have been luckier finding her, but sometimes she just kicks it up a notch. I was trying to figure out how to make these tortillas without a press. As you might now there is a cool device that makes perfectly flat, round tortillas. Well, I have a ton of kitchen gadgets; however, this is not one, but it is one that I will be adding. Check out the pic below, and I’ll explain why my wife is so brilliant.

1. If you don’t have a tortilla press, get together 2 cast iron pans, some cling wrap, and a rolling pin and play some Macgyver music.
2. Mix Maseca, water and salt and stir until its crumbly
3. Place one piece of cling wrap over cast iron pan bottom
4. Roll dough into 1 to 1.5 inch balls
5. Place a second piece of cling wrap over the bottom of a second pan
6. Press both pan together
7. (Who needs a tortilla press? Thanks, Baby! Brilliant idea!)
8. Roll the dough flatter with a rolling pin. (I couldn’t just push them together flat enough and just the rolling with a pin didn’t work.)
9. Unwrap from plastic and place in a skillet over medium high heat and cook for 50 seconds both sides. Repeat for the rest of the dough
10. Set Aside and finish and get ready for steak.
11. Place cast iron pan on high heat and prepare to get smoked out.
12. Once pan begins to smoke, sear both sides of the steak about 2 minutes each side and let rest for 5 minutes.
13. In a bowl mix avocado, garlic and salt; stir and set aside.
14. Chop steak into tiny 1/2 inch pieces.
15. Set up your assembly line of toppings.
16. Build your tacos and top with lime juice.
17. Enjoy!

Post from a great friend of mine!

Here’s a quick and easy recipe for taco salad. Thought I’d give the Manly Housewife the night off. . .

Taco Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound Lean Ground Beef or Ground Sirloin, seasoned to taste

1 Tablespoon Butter

½ Yellow Onion, diced

½ Cup Beef Stock

1 can Pinto Beans

2 Cups Baked Tortilla Chips

1 Tomato, diced

1 head Iceberg or Romaine Lettuce, shredded

4-ounces 2% Reduced-Fat Cheddar-Jack Cheese, shredded

4 Tablespoons Low-Fat Sour Cream

1 Cup Salsa

Sliced Black Olives, to taste

Directions

1.       Melt butter (and, yes, use real butter; it’s better for you than margarine and gives the beef a better flavor and browns better, this small amount won’t hurt you) in medium skillet on medium-high heat, add and cook diced onion until translucent.

2.       Add ground beef, season to taste with salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, onion and garlic powders, or whatever spices your family enjoys. Chop tiny as beef cooks, stirring often to brown evenly.

3.       Add one can of drained Pinto Beans, ½ cup beef stock, reduce heat and simmer until stock is absorbed into meat/bean mixture and warmed through, while you prepare salads.

4.       On four individual dinner plates, assemble salads: ½ cup crushed baked tortilla chips topped with ¼ head shredded lettuce, ¼ of meat-bean mixture, shredded cheese, tomato, black olives (if desired), and top with 1 tablespoon of sour cream and ¼ cup salsa.

5.       Each guest can stir/mix each taco salad on his or her own plate right before eating to avoid the salad becoming soggy as they do when mixed in one large bowl.

I haven’t done a lot of breakfasts on here, which I need to do more of I’m told. I do have some pretty good recipes and enjoy cooking breakfast, so I will work on getting more breakfast recipes up here. I usually make a lot of frittatas for me and my wife. They are simple to make, and you can add so many different flavors that the possibilities are endless. Sunday morning, I wanted to try and make something a little more fun. I pulled some of our cookbooks, of which we have many, cookbooks from everywhere and featuring almost every food type. Any time we go to Marshalls department store, that’s where I find myself spending the most time, the book section, hunting cookbooks. If you didn’t know, they always have a little book section that is usually filled with different varieties of cookbooks. The prices are great and usually a fraction of the original cost. We have found some wonderful cookbooks there and at Half Price Books. As I browsed through a bunch of different books I couldn’t find anything that was fun enough to make. There were plenty of waffles and crepes and the like but nothing that really piqued my interest. As I usually do, I put the books back on the shelves and started opening cabinets. While taking inventory of ingredients, I began formulating a plan and came up with French toast with a twist (of course). Why not try and stuff it? I had heard of it before but had not ever tried to make it. Luckily it turned out wonderful and goes into the keeper file.

Stuffed French Toast

Serves 2

Ingredients

4 Slices of Bread (I used regular bread but french bread would have been great.)

1/2 Cup Cream Cheese

2 Tablespoons Peach Preserves

2 Egg Whites

1 Whole Egg

1 Teaspoon Apple Pie Spice (mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice)

1 Teaspoon Good-Quality Mexican Vanilla

1/2 Cup Peach Preserves (For Syrup)

Directions

1. In a bowl, cream together cream cheese and 2 tablespoons preserves.
2. Combine well and spread on two slices of bread covering with the second slice.
3. In a shallow bowl whisk together eggs, apple pie spice, and vanilla.
4. Dunk each cream cheese filled sandwich into the egg mixture until both sides are well coated.
5. Spray a non-stick skillet with a cooking spray and heat to medium-high heat.
6. Cook the bread on both sides for 3 minutes.
7. While toast is cooking, in a saucepan heat up the 1/2 cup preserves until they are warmed through, about 5 minutes.
8. Serve toast with preserves syrup.
9. Enjoy!

A lot of Foodbuzz bloggers are doing all they can do to get to this year’s food blogger festival. We have been joining in on contests and cooking some of the best and wildest creations we can come up with. I decided to give it a go with one of the competitions. As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received coupons for free bags of Fresh Express Salad mixes. The challenge was to come up with a unique recipe using a bag of one of their salad mixes. Now, I will have to admit that I have been using Fresh Express salad mixes for awhile, not even really paying attention to the brand label. When I went to one of my favorite grocery stores to look for these mixes, I was pleasantly surprised that they were some of the stuff I use regularly when I make salads. I am brand conscious on some things but I guess salad was never really one of those things I paid attention too (I do now!). Now that I had stood in front of a bajillion salad mix choices, I had to come up with a unique recipe using salad (something most of my followers know is not my strong suit) and still give it The Manly Housewife twist. I looked through all the different bags, from simple romaine hearts to cleverly packaged mixes like Caesar mix, Italian mix and sweet butter mix. I had no clue what I was going to try and make. It was fun running through several combination in my head trying to come up with that winning recipe. Some of the combinations I came up with I’m really glad I didn’t actually try.

What I decided on was the Kit House Ranch Salad mix. Truthfully, what got me was the secret recipe ranch dressing that came with the iceberg lettuce, carrots, and red cabbage. As  I stood with the bag in hand things started  coming together. I was coming up with that recipe that was worthy of The Manly Housewife name. Something that was true to my style of cooking and put the Fresh Express on display.

Fresh Express Club Tacos

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Bag Fresh Express Kit House Ranch Salad Mix

1/4 Small Red Onion

8 Strips Bacon, fried until crispy, drained, and chopped

2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1/4 Cup  Shitake Mushrooms, chopped (about 4 large mushrooms)

1 Tomato, diced

2 Hard-Boil Eggs, chopped

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The Manly Housewife Taco Seasoning Ingredients

½ Teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 Teaspoon Chili Powder

½ Teaspoon Paprika

½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder

½ Teaspoon Onion Powder

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions

Now the fun begins

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Combine spices to make taco seasoning and heavily coat both sides of the chicken breast.
3. Add oil to pan and turn to medium-high heat and cook chicken breast 3 minutes both sides until the breast get that nice blackened look.
4. Place chicken in the oven to finish cooking (you will know it’s done when juices run clear, about 10 minutes).
5. Hard boil the eggs (place to eggs in a pot of cool water 1 inch higher than the eggs, bring to a boil, then cover and remove from heat for 12 minutes; rinse with cool water, peel, and dice.)
6. Open bag of Kit House Ranch Salad and mix the salad with the awesome ranch (this ranch has definitely got that made-from-scratch taste; it rocks!)
7. Assemble the tacos in layers (it’s going to get messy!).
8. Layer in this order for maximum flavor: chopped chicken breast, cheese, Kit House Ranch Salad, mushrooms, egg , red onion, and cooked bacon,
9. When the tacos begin to bust at the seams, fold up and eat.
10. Enjoy!

Check out Fresh Express on there Website

Keep up with them on their Kit Blog

Sunday was a fun day spent with perfect weather, great friends, and amazingly greasy food. Where was it? The State Fair of Texas, of course! We could not have picked the more perfect day to go to the State Fair. My wife and I, along with some friends, decided the only way to really experience the fair was to eat our way through it. This was not to a be a trip for the feint of heart (I think I felt my arteries clogging as we left the park). I knew that the day was going to be a wonderfully greasy day when the first food stand we stopped at, to get a couple of beers and a sausage on a stick, we saw something called “Donkey Tail.” Okay, it’s the State Fair, so you expect there to be some wild things to try, but we were not expecting “Donkey Tails.” Now, we really had to ask what they were, and, once we knew, we had to try ‘em!  This isn’t the exact recipe they used to make them, but if I was going to try it at home (and I will), this is how I would prepare them.

Donkey Tail Recipe (Deep Fried Chili Cheese Hot-Dogs)

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 Hot dog

1 Flour Tortilla

1/2 Cup Chili

1/2 Cup Nacho Cheese

Chopped Onions to Taste

Jalapenos to Garnish (optional)

Vegetable Oil, for frying

Directions

1. In a large frying pot, add vegetable oil deep enough to fry the hot dog and heat to 350 degrees.
2. Place hot dog in center of tortillas and top with 1/2 the cheese.
3. Fold it up like a burrito. Fold in the sides then fold over until you make a nice little bundle of goodness.
4. Place gently into the hot grease and cook for 30 to 45 seconds.
5. Remove from grease and drip drain on paper towels.
6. Cut in half and place in a bowl.
7. Top with chili, remaining cheese, onions, and jalapenos (optional).
8. Watch your heart explode.
9. Enjoy!

My understanding is that the Donkey Tail was created by a 90-year old lady who owns her own restaurant. Please know this is not her original recipe. This is just how I would make it from my experience of enjoying one at the fair.

From there, went exploring the different tents with vendors selling their wares, from gadgets to clothing to multitudes of sunglasses stands. I guess sunglasses knock-offs are selling very well this year. Our next food destination was to try and find the deep fried Frito pie; however, the line was ridiculously long (I can only assume this was because of how awesome they were!). My wife and our friends were dying to get a foot-long corndog, so we chose to get in that line instead. We walked part of the midway on our way to the car show. I have to admit that I had never been to a car show, well, that I remember (maybe as a kid), but, man, was it ever cool. Every make and model was on display from the major manufacturers. You could sit in everything from a $125,000-dollar car to $12,000-dollar car. They had everything from electric cars to gas-guzzling, off-road vehicles. You could even pay to see the Batmobile if you chose too. My wife and I fell in love with a cruiser-style bike called a V-star. It looked tough and sat very comfortable. . . and it went on my wish list.

After the car show, I got my sausage on a stick, while the others enjoyed fried gator and funnel cake, and then we all destroyed the deep fried peaches and cream.

Funnel Cake

Fried Peaches & Cream

We had some debate on how these might have been prepared, but either way, these were absolutely killer good. The crispy outside with the peach filling inside, they came drizzled with raspberry sauce, dusted with powdered sugar, with a cream dipping sauce on the side. Wow! They rocked! We went even further and combined the funnel cake with the peaches to make an instant explosion of flavor in our mouths. While eating these delights, we were sitting not far from the famous “Big Tex.” For those that don’t know,  Big Tex is about a 70-foot tall, animated fair mascot, dressed as a cowboy. He has been a staple at the fair for years. We all agreed the Tex needs a bit of an upgrade, because he is starting to look kind of of scary. He greets people coming in the gate but is weirdly proportioned and is in need of some serious upgrading to his voice box. He is, however, that icon that people are accustomed to seeing, year in and year out, at the Texas State Fair.

After this bout with artery-clogging food, we headed back to the midway. Luckily, my wife is just like me: roller coasters are great, but if it’s a spinning, twirling circle of death style ride, we’re out. Some of our friends enjoyed everything that twirled, spun, or used centrifugal force to flip you upside down. They’re just crazy! Then, I jokingly asked one of the game vendors if I could just give him $50 for the teddy bear because  I figured that’s what it would cost to win it. He didn’t seem to think it was very funny, but we all enjoyed a good laugh.

Our last round of food was twirl fries. The ones were they use a drill and a special drill bit to cut the potato into a twirl style tower of fries. They were amazing, as well, covered in a ton of salt.

Twirl Fries

The State Fair was a great experience, something I had not done since I was a kid. Some people in our group had never been. I think we will go back next year, but I need at least a full year to recover from all that grease.  So, with a bottle of water and fat, full puppy belly, we headed home with thoughts of, “Wonder what that deep fried Frito pie tasted like?” Then, we talked about making donkey tails and what crazy concoctions the vendors will bring to the table next year.

I got one of those wild hairs the other night where I just had to try something new, an escape from the ease of my typical, comfort-level recipe cooking. At my local grocery store last week, they had a big tub of pretzels on sale. Being the crazy impulse buyer that I am, I couldn’t resist. They were fun and in the shape of footballs. My wife and I have been snacking on them off and on for the last week were almost pretzel-ed out.  Well, since I have been TRYING to eat healthier and get away from everything smothered in cheese or fried, I decided to get creative. I made the coolest pretzel-crusted chicken breast. This was fun to make and tasted awesome. I hoped that the pretzels would hold up to baking and crust like bread crumbs do. They did and the flavors were divine. My wife rated this one with 5 stars, and I think if I were in preschool again I would have received big smiley-face rating. It is so fun setting a goal of creating something unique with different combination of flavors. Putting it all together and having it come out better than you expected. That’s what goal setting is all about. Deciding what you want and then going for it. My wife is glad I did…

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Cup Crushed Pretzels

1/2 Teaspoon Season Salt

1 Packet Home-Style White Gravy Mix

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Crush pretzels by placing them in a food processor and grind. (Here’s a hint: I first tried the Ziploc baggy with a mallet to crush. . .  and that didn’t work so well but made one heck of a mess!)
3. Coat both sides of the chicken with season salt.
4. Then, roll the chicken in crushed pretzels heavily coated both sides.
5. In an ungreased baking pan, place the chicken pieces and sprinkle with more of the pretzels (they like to jump off).
6. Bake for 1 hour.
7. Prepare gravy to directions on packet.
8. Serve pretzel-coated chicken with the gravy
9. Enjoy!

Ingredients Quesadilla

Ingredients Garlic Dipping sauce