Mexi-talian

I am not what you would call a "Suzy Homemaker" in the kitchen. I can never remember how to boil an egg, I burn microwave lasagna and I have lit my stove on fire. However, recently I have perfected black bean enchiladas and whole wheat pasta.

When scrounging together some dinner tonight, I found some left over black bean/onion/garlic combo from enchiladas, enchilada sauce, cheese and whole wheat penne pasta. I threw the pasta and black bean combo into a bowl, covered it in sauce and topped with cheese. After microwaving it for a few minutes I had the most delicious meal ever! Ever!

Who knew! It was amazing! No joke, I've been craving it ever since. Try it out sometime. It super east and cheap to make!

Easy Breezy

Earlier this week, I grilled out with my friends. The pool, good food, fun friends... it was way awesome! Since summer is a great time to cook and eat outdoors, I thought I'd share two recipes that I made for my friends the other night. Super easy, pretty cheap to make, and it seems like they were a big hit with everyone.

Black Bean and Mango Salsa
1 can black beans ($.80)
1 red onion ($1)
1 fresh mango ($1) - I'm going to try and substitute pineapple next time to see how that taste. might be good.
1 container fresh grape tomatoes ($2-3)
Ground black pepper to taste (I used Smokehouse Ground Black Pepper from work, but I don't think it's available retail.)

Throw all that in a bowl, and refrigerate to let all the flavors blend together. Easy and cheap!

Suzy Sangria
2 Bottles of red wine (I used Merlot.) ($6-7)
1 Medium orange ($.30)
1 Lemon ($.10)
1 Lime ($.10)
1 Small bag frozen mixed berries (I only used half the bag.) ($2-3)
2 1/2 - 3 Cups sparkling water (I used blackberry flavor.) ($1)

Cut the orange, lemon and lime in circle slices. Pour the wine in a pitcher. Add fruit and sparkling water. Chill and enjoy SangriaLand! (College - shout out!)

Disclaimer: "Always please drink responsibly." DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE, KIDS!!!