I'm all about seasonal cooking, but even though the calendar says it's almost November, the weather is a humid 83 degrees, and that just doesn't inspire fall food. So today's recipe is one that I cook a lot in the summer. If it's actually cold where you live (lucky!!) you can file this one away until the warmer months!
Serves: 6
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
Marinade:
1/2 c. lime juice
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
1/4 c. fresh cilantro
2 Tbs. honey
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 lb. chicken breasts
Mix all ingredients together and pour into gallon size ziploc bag with the chicken breasts. Marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours. Drain the marinade and pound the chicken breasts to flatten them a bit. Grill chicken and shred it.
Salsa:
2 c. diced pineapple
1 mango, cubed
1/2 red onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
You can make this salsa just before serving, but I think it's better after it sits in the fridge for an hour or so. Just toss everything in a bowl and stir it up.
To make quesadillas, heat a large skillet over med. heat. Layer chicken, shredded monteray jack cheese and salsa on a flour tortilla and to with another tortilla. Cook on one side 3-4 minutes until tortilla is lightly browned. Flip and cook on the other side until cheese is melted. Cut in triangles (a pizza cutter works best!) and serve with sour cream for dipping.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Killer Pot Roast Sandwiches
It's rainy and gross today. And rainy and gross days make me want to use my crockpot. I love the way it makes the house smell delicious all day long. Of course, it also makes me hungry all day long, and that's not such a great thing!!! But diets be damned, it's gross outside and I'm making pot roast!!! Normally when I make pot roast, I use this really yummy Paula Deen recipe, but I didn't have a key ingredient, so I had to make do with what I had. You can certainly go the traditional roast route and serve it with mashed potatoes, veggies, etc. but I'm not. We're turning it into the most sinfully delicious sandwich!
Serves: 6
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients:
3 lb. chuck roast
1 onion, sliced
1 packet dry onion soup mix
4 beef boullion cubes, crushed
2 bay leaves
1/2 c. white wine (or red, I just have white on hand because that's my booze of choice!)
In a med skillet, heat 2 Tbs. olive oil on med. heat. Season roast with salt and pepper and brown on all sides. Transfer roast to crock pot. Cover with sliced onions, soup mix, crushed bouillon cubes, bay leaves, wine and enough water to cover. Cook on low 5-7 hours.
Okay, so that does it for the roast, but if you want the most delicious sandwich on earth, here's what you do. Slice another onion and toss it in a med. saucepan with 2 Tbs. of brown sugar. Cook over med. low heat until onions are super soft and sticky- about 10 minutes. Slice french bread, hoagie rolls, whatever your sandwich bread of choice may be (use a substantial bread, this is a hefty sandwich!!) Slice your roast and place several slices on the bread. Cover roast with caramelized onions and a slice of swiss cheese. Place under the broiler until cheese melts. Top with another slice of bread- preferably one that's slathered with mayonnaise- unless you hate mayonnaise) Use the liquid in the crock pot as an au jus, and honey, you've got a sandwich so good it will make you cry!!
Serves: 6
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients:
3 lb. chuck roast
1 onion, sliced
1 packet dry onion soup mix
4 beef boullion cubes, crushed
2 bay leaves
1/2 c. white wine (or red, I just have white on hand because that's my booze of choice!)
In a med skillet, heat 2 Tbs. olive oil on med. heat. Season roast with salt and pepper and brown on all sides. Transfer roast to crock pot. Cover with sliced onions, soup mix, crushed bouillon cubes, bay leaves, wine and enough water to cover. Cook on low 5-7 hours.
Okay, so that does it for the roast, but if you want the most delicious sandwich on earth, here's what you do. Slice another onion and toss it in a med. saucepan with 2 Tbs. of brown sugar. Cook over med. low heat until onions are super soft and sticky- about 10 minutes. Slice french bread, hoagie rolls, whatever your sandwich bread of choice may be (use a substantial bread, this is a hefty sandwich!!) Slice your roast and place several slices on the bread. Cover roast with caramelized onions and a slice of swiss cheese. Place under the broiler until cheese melts. Top with another slice of bread- preferably one that's slathered with mayonnaise- unless you hate mayonnaise) Use the liquid in the crock pot as an au jus, and honey, you've got a sandwich so good it will make you cry!!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Peach Curry Pork Chops and Coconut Rice
The thing I love most about these pork chops is the spicy sweet peach sauce. I always serve coconut rice with it, because the sauce is awesome on the pork chops, but it's out of this world on the rice!!! This recipe is a tweaked version of one I found on Allrecipes. I recommend using fresh peaches with this, even if you have to get bland, out of season peaches like I did- they'll still have better flavor than canned peaches once you cook them down. You can use canned peaches, it will still taste good, just not quite as good. You could also use thawed frozen peaches. I haven't tried that, so if you do, let me know how it works!
Serves: 4
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
4 center cut pork chops
4-5 ripe peaches (or 1 14 0z. can sliced peaches in syrup)
1/2 c. sugar
2 Tbs. dijon mustard
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. honey
1 onion, diced
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
Peel and cut peaches into 1 in. chunks. In med. saucepan, mix sugar with peaches and bring to boil. (If you're using dry, out of season peaches, you'll need to add 1/2 c. water as well) Simmer over med. heat for 10-15 minutes until peaches are soft. Remove from heat and cool. Drain syrup from peaches. Mix syrup with dijon mustard, curry powder and honey and whisk until smooth.
In large skillet, heat vegetable oil over med. heat, add onion and pork chops and brown chops on each side. Pour peach sauce and peaches over chops. Cover, reduce heat to med. low and simmer 15-20 minutes. Cover pork chops with sauce to serve.
Coconut Rice
Serves: 6
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
1 1/2 c. white rice
2/3 c. water
1 can coconut milk
2 tsp. sugar
In med saucepan, mix rice with water, coconut milk and sugar and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15-20 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Fluff with fork before serving.
Serves: 4
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
4 center cut pork chops
4-5 ripe peaches (or 1 14 0z. can sliced peaches in syrup)
1/2 c. sugar
2 Tbs. dijon mustard
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. honey
1 onion, diced
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
Peel and cut peaches into 1 in. chunks. In med. saucepan, mix sugar with peaches and bring to boil. (If you're using dry, out of season peaches, you'll need to add 1/2 c. water as well) Simmer over med. heat for 10-15 minutes until peaches are soft. Remove from heat and cool. Drain syrup from peaches. Mix syrup with dijon mustard, curry powder and honey and whisk until smooth.
In large skillet, heat vegetable oil over med. heat, add onion and pork chops and brown chops on each side. Pour peach sauce and peaches over chops. Cover, reduce heat to med. low and simmer 15-20 minutes. Cover pork chops with sauce to serve.
Coconut Rice
Serves: 6
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
1 1/2 c. white rice
2/3 c. water
1 can coconut milk
2 tsp. sugar
In med saucepan, mix rice with water, coconut milk and sugar and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15-20 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Fluff with fork before serving.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Sunday Dinner- Cranberry Pear Crisp
When I first spot cranberries in the store, I buy a bag specifically for this recipe! Cranberries really symbolizes fall and the start of the holiday season to me, so I'm filled with happiness the first time I spot those little red jewels! This recipe actually started as a pie- and it is an awesome pie- but since Matt's not a huge fan of pie crust, I changed it into a crisp. If you want to do it as a pie, all you need is one 9 in. pie crust and use a 9 in. pie pan
Serves: 8
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Ingredients
12 oz. package cranberries
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. apple cider or apple juice, divided
5 c. pears, peeled and chunked
1/4 tsp. ginger
5 Tbs. butter, divided
1/4 tsp. salt
3Tbs. cornstarch
1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400*. In skillet over med. heat, bring cranberries, sugar, 1/4 c. apple cider/juice to boil. Cook, covered, until slightly thickened and cranberries begin to burst. Stir in pears, ginger, 2 Tbs. butter, and salt and cook 2 more minutes. Stir cornstarch into remaining 1/4 c. apple cider/juice, and stir into cranberry pear mixture. Stir until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and pour into 8x8 baking dish (or into the pie crust if you're doing the pie version).
In med. bowl mix flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in remaining 3 Tbs. butter and mix with fork or pastry cutter until crumbly. (you can also pulse these ingredients in a food processor until crumbly.) Sprinkle over cranberry pear mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
Serves: 8
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Ingredients
12 oz. package cranberries
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. apple cider or apple juice, divided
5 c. pears, peeled and chunked
1/4 tsp. ginger
5 Tbs. butter, divided
1/4 tsp. salt
3Tbs. cornstarch
1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400*. In skillet over med. heat, bring cranberries, sugar, 1/4 c. apple cider/juice to boil. Cook, covered, until slightly thickened and cranberries begin to burst. Stir in pears, ginger, 2 Tbs. butter, and salt and cook 2 more minutes. Stir cornstarch into remaining 1/4 c. apple cider/juice, and stir into cranberry pear mixture. Stir until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and pour into 8x8 baking dish (or into the pie crust if you're doing the pie version).
In med. bowl mix flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in remaining 3 Tbs. butter and mix with fork or pastry cutter until crumbly. (you can also pulse these ingredients in a food processor until crumbly.) Sprinkle over cranberry pear mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
Sunday Dinner- Squash Casserole
This is one of Matt's favorite side dishes. This is a Paula Deen recipe, and that girl has never steered me wrong- fat maybe, but never wrong!!!
Serves: 6
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
1 large onion, diced
1/2 stick butter
3 c. cooked squash, drained with all the water squeezed out
1 c. crushed Ritz crackers, with additional 1/2 c. for topping
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350*. Slice squash into even slices, cover with water and boil 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain into colander and mash with potato masher to squeeze out all the water. Saute' onion in butter until softened. Mix everything together and pour into buttered 8x8 casserole dish. Top with remaining 1/2 c. of cracker crumbs. Bake 25-30 minutes.
Serves: 6
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
1 large onion, diced
1/2 stick butter
3 c. cooked squash, drained with all the water squeezed out
1 c. crushed Ritz crackers, with additional 1/2 c. for topping
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350*. Slice squash into even slices, cover with water and boil 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain into colander and mash with potato masher to squeeze out all the water. Saute' onion in butter until softened. Mix everything together and pour into buttered 8x8 casserole dish. Top with remaining 1/2 c. of cracker crumbs. Bake 25-30 minutes.
Sunday Dinner- Roasted Chicken with Gravy
What could possibly be better than Sunday dinner? A big ol' yummy meal to top off a great weekend is the epitome of family togetherness for me. So in honor of Sunday dinner, I'm posting three recipes that you'll find on my table tonight. I hope you'll be having a delicious dinner with your family tonight as well!
Roasted Chicken and Gravy
Serves: 4-6 (depending on size)
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (3-5 lbs)
1 med. onion, quartered
2 stalks celery, cut into 2 in. pieces
2 tsp. minced garlic
3 Tbs. butter, softened
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary (optional)
Preheat oven to 350*. Season cavity of chicken with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning (make sure to take out bag of giblets and other chicken innards! Lots of people save it to make gravy- I don't, but that's totally your call.) Stuff chicken with onion, celery, garlic, rosemary and 2 Tbs. butter. I like to kind of layer it- stuff in some onion, some butter, some garlic, some celery and repeat- you get the idea. Place the chicken breast side up on a foil-covered roasting pan. sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and rub the remaining 1 Tbs. of butter all over the chicken. Roast chicken for 1 1/2 to 2 hours depending on size. (usually about 20 minutes per lb.) Check on it after about 45 minutes- if skin starts to get too dark, loosely tent it with foil and return to oven. If you're not sure that it's done, use a meat thermometer- if the thickest part of the breast is at 170*, it's done.
After it comes out of the oven, loosely tent with foil (if you haven't already) and let it rest 10-15 minutes. Drain off pan juices into med. saucepan. Mix 2 tsp. of cornstarch with 1/2 c. cold water until smooth, and whisk into pan drippings. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened. Some people like to use flour in their gravy. I prefer cornstarch because I think it blends better, but it's totally up to you, use whatever makes you happy. If your gravy gets too thick, add water, if it's too thin add more cornstarch (mix with cold water first. If you add plain cornstarch to hot gravy, you'll wind up with monster lumps!) Gravy is an inexact science, and a lot of it depends on the amount of pan drippings you start with.
Roasted Chicken and Gravy
Serves: 4-6 (depending on size)
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (3-5 lbs)
1 med. onion, quartered
2 stalks celery, cut into 2 in. pieces
2 tsp. minced garlic
3 Tbs. butter, softened
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary (optional)
Preheat oven to 350*. Season cavity of chicken with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning (make sure to take out bag of giblets and other chicken innards! Lots of people save it to make gravy- I don't, but that's totally your call.) Stuff chicken with onion, celery, garlic, rosemary and 2 Tbs. butter. I like to kind of layer it- stuff in some onion, some butter, some garlic, some celery and repeat- you get the idea. Place the chicken breast side up on a foil-covered roasting pan. sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and rub the remaining 1 Tbs. of butter all over the chicken. Roast chicken for 1 1/2 to 2 hours depending on size. (usually about 20 minutes per lb.) Check on it after about 45 minutes- if skin starts to get too dark, loosely tent it with foil and return to oven. If you're not sure that it's done, use a meat thermometer- if the thickest part of the breast is at 170*, it's done.
After it comes out of the oven, loosely tent with foil (if you haven't already) and let it rest 10-15 minutes. Drain off pan juices into med. saucepan. Mix 2 tsp. of cornstarch with 1/2 c. cold water until smooth, and whisk into pan drippings. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened. Some people like to use flour in their gravy. I prefer cornstarch because I think it blends better, but it's totally up to you, use whatever makes you happy. If your gravy gets too thick, add water, if it's too thin add more cornstarch (mix with cold water first. If you add plain cornstarch to hot gravy, you'll wind up with monster lumps!) Gravy is an inexact science, and a lot of it depends on the amount of pan drippings you start with.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Chorizo Torta
For lunch today, I'm knocking off my favorite sandwich from the best Mexican restaurant in town. You may think, "Who gets a sandwich at a Mexican restaurant?" I do- it's that good. Depending on where you live, you may have a hard time finding chorizo. I found it at Walmart, but I think it's a relatively new product from Johnsonville. If you want to try this recipe, but can't find the Johnsonville Grilling Chorizo, check Mexican grocery stores in your area. Trust me, it will be worth it!!! This sandwich is so easy and soooooooo delicious. You can also use chicken, marinated pork, grilled steak, whatever, but chorizo is, by far, my favorite.
Serves: 4
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
1 lb. chorizo
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 c. shredded lettuce
2 avocados, sliced
1 8 0z. can sliced jalapenos (0r 3 fresh)
1 med. onion, sliced thinly
mayonnaise
4 white sub rolls, or 1 loaf ciabatta bread (or as we call it, chewbacca bread) cut into four pieces
In large skillet over med. heat, brown chorizo (If using links, remove casing from meat and break meat up with a spoon until the texture resembles browned ground beef). Lightly toast sliced sandwich rolls in broiler if desired. Spread mayonnaise to taste over bread. Spoon browned chorizo onto rolls, top with tomato slices, lettuce, onions, avocados and jalapenos. Yummmmmmmm.
Serves: 4
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
1 lb. chorizo
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 c. shredded lettuce
2 avocados, sliced
1 8 0z. can sliced jalapenos (0r 3 fresh)
1 med. onion, sliced thinly
mayonnaise
4 white sub rolls, or 1 loaf ciabatta bread (or as we call it, chewbacca bread) cut into four pieces
In large skillet over med. heat, brown chorizo (If using links, remove casing from meat and break meat up with a spoon until the texture resembles browned ground beef). Lightly toast sliced sandwich rolls in broiler if desired. Spread mayonnaise to taste over bread. Spoon browned chorizo onto rolls, top with tomato slices, lettuce, onions, avocados and jalapenos. Yummmmmmmm.
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