Vegetarian rosti

What I had:

• bag of frozen hashbrowns
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 jalapenos, diced
• 1 pint mushrooms, sliced
• olive oil, 2 tbsp
• salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper to taste
• 4 eggs
• shredded cheese (I used Mexican style mix)

What I did:

• sauteed the onions, peppers and jalapenos in a little bit of olive oil till soft, add mushrooms and spices and cook for another minute. Set aside
• browned the hashbrowns in a 12 inch pan till they are well done (or crispy to your liking)(they should cover the bottom of the pan)
• layered the vegetable mix over the potatoes
• whisked the eggs and poured over the vegetable mix
• sprinkle shredded cheese over eggs
• covered and cooked till eggs were cooked through

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Bars

What I had:

• 1/2 cup butter melted
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I used Skippy Honey Roasted Extra Chunk)
• 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter

What I did:

• Mix together the butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1/2 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 8X8 glass baking pan.
• Mix the 2 tbsp peanut butter and 3/4 cup chocolate chips in  a microwaveable bowl and melt, using 30 second increments. 
• Spread over the prepared crust. 
• Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares. 

 Why don't I have photos of the finished, cut product? Well, I took them to 2 different houses and they were all gone before I could take a photo.



Personally, I would prefer more peanut butter flavor, so next time, I will lower the graham cracker crumbs to peanut butter ratio, but others seemed to love it the way it was.

Sopa Seca (Mexican noodle casserole)

What I had:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for pan 
• 12 ounces fideos (Mexican vermicelli) 
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp Mexican chili pepper 
• 1 teaspoon chili powder 
• 1 bay leaf 
• 1 18.5 oz can crushed tomatoes 
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, made from 2 bouillon cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I use 2 cans of Costco chicken)
• 1 cup coarsely grated Cabot habanero cheddar cheese (4 ounces) 
• 1/4 cup Mexican crema

What I did:

• reheat oven to 375F.
• Brush a large casserole dish with oil. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the fideos and cook, turning them, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the toasted noodles to a bowl. Set aside
• Add the onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, coriander, oregano, chili powder, and bay leaf, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes to the pot. Add the cayenne pepper, increase the heat to high, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth, the toasted fideos, salt, and pepper, to taste. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes. Water can be added to thin the mixture if needed while the noodles cook. When the noodles are tender, stir in the chicken.
• Remove the bay leaf. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, sprinkle the grated cheese over the top, and cover loosely with foil. Bake until the cheese melts and the casserole is hot through and through, about 20 minutes. Serve with some crema drizzled over the top.