Turkey "Pozole" (Rojo)

Pozole is usually made with pork. I have never made a pozole recipe so I'm not sure how authentic this is, but I am not complaining about how this turned out. This is a Martha recipe and commenters posted this is not a true pozole. So yes, this is probably a quick/cheater recipe. Don't judge me. Martha even gets the spelling wrong they said! (Posole)

We are serious believers in good soup garnishes. When I make my white chicken chili (with hominy), I break out even MORE garnish ingredients.

Not pictured- baked corn tortilla chips.

 

The turkey was leftover from that huge ass turkey I roasted during the Vortex. 7 cups of chopped turkey in this stew. Yay for leftovers!

It was also my pleasure to tear into two HUGE cans of hominy. I love hominy. So much!

It came together quickly but it needed to simmer for 30 minutes. I needed that time to bake the tortilla chips. My boys can't get enough of chips.

Funny little boy quote: "Mom, when I have kids will you show me the recipe for these chips. These are really good."

Tortillas, oil, salt. Oven. There you go, kid.

 

Don't make fun of my Chococat bowl! It gets me through rough times.

 

We like! I think it will taste even better tomorrow. And plenty to freeze for future lunches.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Martha's Chicken (or turkey) Posole.

 

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Rigatoni Pasta Pie

The finished pie.

 

No, it's not really a pie.

Yes, it was a bit of work arranging all these rigatoni noodles upright like this. Slippery little suckers.

 

 

And then the meat sauce got pushed down through all the holes, the best that I could.

 

 

That plain bit of real estate is for James. I knew he'd like his piece with no cheese. Semi-picky seven year old, but that was an easy fix so I didn't mind.

 

 

I wasn't patient enough to let the "pie" set up for 10 minutes. We dug right in. (P.S. It sliced up very nicely the next day!)

 

The verdict- very kid friendly, nice idea for presentation, but the meat sauce was nothing to write home about. I could use a jarred pasta sauce and save a bit of work. And yeah, I could save a bit of work and just make a lasagna or regular spaghetti if I just want pasta, sauce, and cheese. I just like to try new things!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Rigatoni Pasta Pie.

 

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Oven Fried Chicken

Update 1/2/14

This chicken has become popular in my household once again. This time it is young James that loves it. He is CRAZY about this chicken. He calls it "Crispy Chicken".

I have made a few changes to this recipe. I use panko crumbs instead of whole wheat sometimes, and other times I use a mixture of both. So I guess it is not completely South Beach with that change but it is still healthy and delicious. Oh, and sometimes I use dried parsley instead of the fresh. Slight change that makes it even easier to premix.

I still try and have this mixture prepped in the freezer for easy weekday meals. If I have chicken defrosted, I cut it up, dip it in olive oil, roll in the crumbs and then bake for 20 minutes! Easy enough.

So like I said, James loves this. He loves it so much that he wants "all kids to have this chicken". We had a whole conversation about it before I asked him to repeat everything for a video. So now we're hoping to go viral :)

The recipe link is below, as usual. It still works. I tested it. But like I said, we use panko crumbs mostly for the extra crunch.

Here is James' video. Please share so it goes viral! Haha!

 

 

 

 

2/2010---Oven-fried chicken for dinner. We've enjoyed this chicken for a few years now, since discovering them in our South Beach Diet cookbook. It is an easy meal to prepare if you have the ingredients prepped- I usually have whole wheat breadcrumbs and ground almonds in the freezer, just for this! Also, I've made the breading ahead of time and had that in the freezer too. It is then so easy to dip each piece of chicken in olive oil and some frozen breading, and bake.

It's just so good! The thyme, garlic, and almonds I think really make this great.

Click here for the stolen recipe. I originally found this recipe in my SBD cookbook but it is also online.

 

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Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

I'd forgotten how good it feels to make a recipe for no good reason but to enjoy it and relax. I had all the ingredients for this one so instead of going out and spending money (my original plan was to browse at the new Trader Joe's in Shoreview) I stayed home to make this many-step recipe and then a nice dinner.

 

 

These bars started with a cookie crust that needed to bake for 15 minutes. While that baked I whipped up the streusel topping, the apple mixture, and then the cream cheese filling. All of these layers went on top of the warm cookie crust and then baked for another 30 minutes.

 

And then I made the caramel sauce, which was a trial. The first sauce attempt was too pale. The second sauce attempt burned. The third was a charm. It is muy gooey and almost candy-like. I had to re-melt it a bit to spoon it on top of the finished bars.

It's just plain cruel torture to let something cool completely. And then I finally decided that I should refrigerate the bars because of the cheesecake layer. So just a little while ago I cut into the bars. Yum. My dear husband said it tastes like apple pie but better because of the caramel and the cookie bottom.

So my taste tester gives this a thumbs up. I'm glad because we have a lot of bars to eat up! Or share :)

Click here for the stolen recipe for Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars.

 

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UPDATE: 9/9/13 Pesto & Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Update- Pesto Chicken Salad sandwiches: I think my proportions have been all wrong. I now use 1 full cup of pesto to 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt, and the rest of the recipe as usual. (The recipe link is way on the bottom of this post.)

And this pesto is a bit different. I think the recipe is the same BUT the garlic AND the pine nuts are both toasted. Yum.

 

6/5/10Last summer was the Summer of Pesto. I discovered pesto and then tried growing my own basil. Ithink I did pretty well! I started supplementing my meager harvests with cheap bundles of basil from farmer's markets. I couldn't keep up my demand though :) I had a few 1/2 cup bags frozen for a bit but I did use it up quickly.

This first pesto picture is from last summer. It's a very good basic pesto recipe. No fuss.

Click here for the stolen recipe for last summer's Pesto.

I made this next pesto yesterday with a new recipe. I already mentioned it but here is the recipe again. I can't say if this will be my new recipe yet but it was just as simple. It's a neat shade of green! Very fresh looking.

Click here for the stolen recipe for this Pesto.

And ooooh here's my picture of the Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches from last summer. We've usually served them in pita bread with some fresh greens. I follow the recipe kinda but I use about 1/2 cup of my pesto and about 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt with all of the other ingredients. It's a wonderful sandwich!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches.

I can't say that I'll be making a lot of pesto this summer. Pine nut prices are a bit much. I think I heard a mention of a shortage? Bummer.

 

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S'mores Fudge Bars

This was probably the fastest turnaround time from Pinterest to kitchen.

 

When I find a recipe online I always read the comments. I read a few comments that said the marshmallow and graham layers were too thick. I should have adjusted for that. I totally agree that this is too much marshmallow, as good as it was.

 

The bars lifted right out of the pan, thanks to foil. And a few minutes under the broiler and they were nicely toasted!

 

The slicing was not so easy due to the stickiness of the marshmallow.

 

Transporting them was going to be sticky too so I decided to put them in cupcake liners. And then the partygoers won't have to touch them either. Best eaten with a fork!

 

So they are very good! Just so messy. It would be ideal to pour it all in cupcake liners, when assembling, but the layers really were so sticky pouring out. I don't think it would be any neater. I had to work fast especially with the marshmallow mixture.

Click here for the stolen recipe for S'mores Fudge Bars.

 

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Repeat- Pork Medallions in Mustard Tarragon Sauce

I made a few improvements since the last time I made this.

 

My searing technique was much improved- the pork had a lovely brown sear and stayed very moist.

I whisked the heavy cream with the mustard so that it was thickened slightly when I added it to the leeks, wine, and broth. The sauce was much smoother and thicker than last time.

I used fresh tarragon instead of dried.

And this was served over mashed potatoes instead of roasted potatoes on the side.

"Better than a restaurant," said the hubby.

 

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Vanilla Latte Cupcakes

 

It is one of my work bestie's birthday this weekend and we are celebrating tomorrow! She is a coffee lover too so I'm hoping these Vanilla Latte cupcakes will go over well! It is a surprise!

The recipe is from Annie's Eats, so it was sure to be a good one. The cake has espresso powder AND brewed coffee in the mix (I skipped the Kahlua, since it was for WORK. BOO!) and the frosting is a Swiss Meringue frosting. Half of the frosting got a concentrated espresso powder boost and it was piped prettily in a swirl. The vanilla bean flecks are just lovely! I just LOVE fresh vanilla.

 

The cake was moist and fluffy, with just a subtle coffee flavor. I expected it to be a heavy flavor and I was very glad it was not. The frosting is one of my favorite kinds- the Swiss Meringue has to be cooked in a double boiler, and then ultra whipped by my KitchenAid mixer for a good eight minutes into stiff peaks and to cool down. It is a silky, lovely, not-too-sweet frosting. YUM.

Thumbs up!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Vanilla Latte Cupcakes.

 

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Pork Medallions with Tarragon Mustard Sauce

This dish was inspired by a dinner I had in Paris. That meal was divine.

My dish was great! I really liked the whole grain mustard texture. It was tangy, and savory, and the tenderloin was melt in your mouth!

 

To make it kid friendly I added simple roasted potatoes and steamed green beans. My James loves his beans! (He even saved one bean, asking if we can plant it for a magic beanstalk!)

This was my Paris plate. The inspiration.

 

My sauce ended up a bit thinner but just as flavorful. A pretty good attempt!

 

I feel like Pioneer Woman with the next few action shots! The pork tenderloin searing in butter and oil...

 

The leeks and garlic getting happy in wine and broth...

 

The meal was so successful that my husband cleaned his plate!

 

I found the recipe online, after a simple google search of "French mustard seed pork". I love google! I think the recipe was pretty darn close. I think I would tweak it to make the sauce a bit creamier, but really it was good as is.

It was French night for sure, I even bought a bottle of Cotes du Rhone wine, but it sure didn't cost me 3 euros!

 

Click here for the stolen recipe for Pork Medallions with Tarragon Mustard Sauce.

 

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Pad Thai

It was my first time making this! And because we love all things Thai I definitely want a good recipe in my repertoire!

 

This was a very easy dish to make. So easy that I got a little frazzled in the kitchen, keeping up with the few quick and easy steps and then trying to figure out our other parts of dinner time (James' sides, setting the table, calling the boys to dinner, etc.) I should have done all that other stuff and then started the cooking. Lesson learned! This comes together pretty quickly.

I made one substitution (as suggested by the blogger), using lime juice instead of the tamarind paste. I just could not find it in my local Cub or Target stores. Darn. The sauce was still spicy sweet and flavorful. I'd be curious to find the tamarind paste and see if it improves it. Hmmm.

I do like to stay true to good recipes but I think next time I would add vegetables. Or maybe serve a vegetable on the side?

Dear Jim's verdict was that it was "very good". He said it twice so he meant it! He also said that it reminded him of sweet and sour. We are keeping this recipe and adding it our rotation. Yay!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Pad Thai.

 

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Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits, and Chili

I saw the recipe for these biscuits on Pinterest, but they are taste tested by my favorite blogger (Brown Eyed Baker) so I knew they would be good!

The verdict? Duh! My husband and even my small child loved them! They are quick and easy, and will definitely be made again and again. I just hope they don't replace my beloved cornbread when it's chili making time..

This is my instagram picture, titled: Life is good. Chili in my Chococat bowl, Sweet Child of Vine Fulton beer, and a copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit.

 

Drop biscuits. Good and easy!

 

Click here for the stolen recipe for Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

And because I've never really posted my chili recipe, here it goes from memory... It is a South Beach recipe from long ago. I want to say that I got it from a message board, which is why I haven't been able to find it online anywhere now. It might not be the most authentic, true chili but it is darn good and healthy.

Chili

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 2 bell peppers, any color, chopped (I usually do a green and a yellow/red)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground beef (these days we substitute lean ground turkey)
• 15 oz tomato sauce
• 1 can tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 can black beans (I use Bush's reduced sodium), drained and rinsed
• 1 can light or dark kidney beans (I use Bush's reduced sodium), drained and rinsed
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin

1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the bell peppers, onion, and garlic and cook until softened. Add the ground meat and cook until there is no pink left.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add dollops of sour cream, shredded cheddar, and any other toppings that you enjoy!

 

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Nectarine Beso

 

We were having Mexican food (enchiladas) for dinner so I thought some tequila would be welcome! This drink is inspired from the recipe link below but I made a few significant changes. I even changed the name!

Here is the basic recipe:

Nectarine Beso

• 4 oz lime juice
• 2 ripe nectarines, cut into chunks
• 1.5 oz tequila
• 1 oz Triple Sec

Blend the nectarines and the lime juice until it is a smooth puree.

In a shaker, add 1 oz. of the nectarine puree to the remaining ingredients with ice. Shake. Strain the drink into a chilled glass and garnish with a nectarine slice.

Isn't it lovely when you have all of the ingredients on hand? I can't keep enough nectarines in this house for my little guy. And thanks to my sis and bro-in-law I have good tequila (yeah, still from Christmas. I am a slow drinker.)

This tastes like a nectarine margarita. Can't beat that!

Click here for the stolen (inspiring) recipe for Nectarine Kiss.

 

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Vanilla Ice Cream

I had to look back on all of the ice creams I've made (really, not too many) to see if I've ever made plain old vanilla ice cream. I hadn't! I thought this was a perfect time to get my feet wet with ice cream this season and soon enough I'll make the "fancier" kinds. I have my eye on a Tiramisu recipe...

This ice cream definitely does not disappoint. Look at those vanilla bean specks!

 

 

 

I always make the ice cream custard a few hours (or the night) before I want to churn the ice cream. It needs to be CHILLED before you attempt to churn it. It is just ideal. So I made the vanilla mixture last night and left the vanilla bean pod in the mixture. It got nice and happy overnight!

 

The flavor is amazing! I just snuck this small bowl of ice cream as a pick me up :) I have plans for the ice cream for tonight's dessert. I bought some rhubarb at the grocery store and it's just DYING to be made into Rhubarb Ginger Crumble, and then topped with this ice cream?? My husband is going to kiss me... twice!

The recipe is from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop. Most of the ice cream recipes I make are from this book. I love it. You just can't go wrong. I hope I run into DL in Paris. That'd be sweet!

Click here for the link to David Lebovitz's website and link for Vanilla Ice Cream.

 

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Best(ie) Banana Bread

 

 

This is my go-to banana bread recipe, probably because it is the easiest, one-bowl recipe. A friend gave this recipe to me. I don't have her permission to post the recipe (though I doubt it was her own) but we don't talk anymore and that's a shame.

As I was making this recipe it occurred to me that I've been baking a long time. I always say that I REALLY started cooking and baking when I moved in with Jim. I thought of cooking as MY responsibility or something I could contribute to the household. As I thought about it, while making this recipe, I really started baking in the late 90's for Ally McBeal.

Every Monday I would go over to this Bestie's house for the weekly TV show. She and her boyfriend/fiancee would provide a small group of us with a great dinner and I would bring the dessert. Cheesecakes, cakes, tarts. It was a small challenge every week to bake something in my quirky little apartment kitchen. (I miss that 60's fluorescent floral wallpaper!)

Well, that was a great little trip down memory lane. It just makes me sad now. Besties move on, I guess!

Best(ie) Banana Bread

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)- room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Combine well. Add the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes. (I've found that it needs more time.)

 

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Omelette

Tonight's dinner: Omelette with sharp cheddar, canadian bacon, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and Sriracha sauce.

 

No recipe. Just plain cooking!

 

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