The Bean Queen

Breakfast Burrito Casserole

2011-09-24T13:53:00.001-07:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!

You must be thinking, it's not Christmas yet?!?! Well in my world, the most wonderful time of the year begins with football season!

Oh how I love game days, whether it be attending the game, tailgating, watching at a bar or watching with friends, football just make me happy! The other day, the Cardinals game was starting at 10 am, so we decided we should make brunch and watch football, which made for an excellent Sunday!

Those of you that know me, know that I am NOT a morning person! I love, love to sleep in; so the thought of getting up early to make something before I went to my friend's house for the game was not appealing, so I decided I needed to find something that I could prepare the night before and just pop in the oven the next morning. I had quite a few recipes saved in my google reader that fit these requirements, but for one reason or another they just weren't right, then I stumbled upon this one from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures, and I knew it would be the one!

It was simple, didn't involve a lot of ingredients and was Mexican themed, which is always a bonus in my world. This was really easy to put together, and you could substitute the sausage for bacon or ham, or even try it vegetarian style with black beans! I baked this up in the morning and served it with salsa and avocado slices, to our crew, and everyone raved about it! It was soooooo goood! Touchdown!!! (Sorry, couldn't resist) We ate the whole dish and I was already thinking about when I could make it again, which just might be this weekend.

Breakfast Burrito Casserole

adapted from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures

1 16 oz. pkg. pork sausage, cooked (I used light)

10 - 12 small tortillas (I used corn, but you can also use flour tortillas)
2 c. shredded cheddar, pepper jack, or colby jack cheese, divided
2 c. half and half (you can use milk, but half and half is better)
6 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
For serving: salsa, avocado slices, sour cream

In a large bowl combine meat and 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Put about 3 tablespoons of filling in each tortilla, and fold in half (you may need to warm the tortillas in the microwave first). Place filled tortillas on their sides, overlapping slightly, into a 9×13 pan.

In a bowl combine eggs, half and half, and salt. Mix together well and pour over filled tortillas. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, remove them from the fridge and let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake about 10 minutes more.

Serve with salsa, avocado and/or sour cream and enjoy!

Beaver Choice - Tempe, AZ

2011-09-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

I need to start this post off with a disclaimer: the owners of Beaver Choice are actually one of my clients; I leased them the space to open the restaurant, so I went into this hoping that it would be good and I wouldn't have to write a bad review, well, I am happy to report that the food here is excellent!! I really shouldn't have worried, as all of the reviews on Yelp were glowing, but you just never know!

So I know you are probably chuckling at the name, who would name a restaurant Beaver Choice? Especially if that restaurant was to be located in the same shopping center as Ted's Hot Dogs? It makes for quite a comical corner for food, but it is tasty food, so I guess it just adds to the experience. The owner of Beaver Choice, Hanna, is the nicest lady you could ever meet. She ended up in Arizona via Canada via Sweden via Poland, and there are influences of each in her food. Apparently the national animal of Canada is a beaver, so that is how the restaurant got it's name, and yes, she does know what beaver is slang for, but she thinks it is funny and gets people talking about her restaurant!

Luckily, her food is good enough to get people talking, and the name becomes just a side comment! The day we were there, they were still writing orders by hand, but were going to be getting a computer system in the next week. My only complaint about my experience was probably the wait and confusion due to the hand written orders, so now that that should be all cleared up, there is no reason to not go to Beaver Choice!

The menu is full of delicious sandwiches and pitas, as well as favorites such as QuebecPoutine (fries covered in cheese curds and gravy, a Canadian classic) and Swedish Meatballs with Lingonberry Sauce. There were so many choices it was hard to choose, but we finally were ready to order.

My sister went with the Pork Tenderloin in Gin and Cream sauce. Each entree comes with three side choices, and she went with the side salad, broccoli and the pan fried thyme potatoes. When the food was served her plate was heaping with food, making the $11.50 dish well worthy of the price. The pork medallions were perfectly cooked and tender, and delicious when dipped in the cream sauce, that had quite a bite from the gin. The salad, was a salad, but the lemon dressing was tasty. The broccoli was cooked well, but nothing special, which was not the case with the potatoes, they were phenomenal! Perfectly roasted, crispy on the outside and seasoned with thyme, they were the perfect pairing to the pork. My sister was very happy with her meal, and vowed to be more adventurous with her side choices the next time.

I decided to try the dish that everyone says is the best one on the menu, the Chicken Schnitzel Cordon Bleu. It is basically a chicken breast, pounded thin, then stuffed with ham and brie cheese. It is then breaded, and sauteed until crispy and served with a creamy mushroom sauce smothered over the top.....and Oh My God...it is AMAZING! I don't even like mushrooms, but the sauce is scrumptious and goes so well with the crispy chicken, salty ham and creamy cheese. I chose the creamy dill mashed potatoes as one of my sides, and they were perfect for sopping up the extra sauce. I also got the marinated green beans, which were served like a cold bean salad, and had great flavor and the tomato basil salad, which was delicious as well. Both were light and refreshing, which was the perfect compliment to the savory chicken dish. The portions here are huge, so even though the dish was $11.75, I easily got two meals out of it.

The space doesn't have many tables, and is quite minimalist when it comes to decor (all from IKEA) but it makes up for it with the amazing flavors being pumped out of their tiny kitchen. The menu is full of interesting and exotic sounding items, but also has a cheeseburger for the non-adventurous eaters in your life. I can't wait to go back, and I really hope that when I do, Hanna has made some fresh pierogi that she has as a special every now and then!

Beaver Choice

1743 E. Broadway Rd.

Tempe, AZ 85282

480-921-3137

www.beaverchoice.com

Phyllo Brie Tarts

2011-03-29T08:53:00.001-07:00

I have a confession to make; sometimes (okay, more times than not) when I go to the grocery store and I see something interesting or on sale I will buy it, even if I have no idea what I am going to do with it. I try to talk myself out of it, but I just can't pass up a good deal or a new find, so into the cart it goes. These little tarts are the result of one of those purchases, and I am happy to report they were delicious!

While cruising the aisles at Fry's one night I spotted an aisle display of these little babies.

I was surprised to see them in the middle of an aisle because normally they are kept in the frozen section, so I was intrigued, I was even more intrigued that they were on sale for just $1.00 per box! With the holiday season coming up (yes, this is another recipe I made before Thanksgiving) I figured there would be some party coming up that would require me to bring an appetizer, so I threw 2 boxes in my basket. Sure enough, just a few days later I was invited to my friend Jenny's "Modern Family Thanksgiving Dinner" so I quickly volunteered to bring an appetizer! I googled around the web a bit and I came up with the idea for these tarts...and let me just say...they have a lot going for them:

1. They are EASY!

2. They look very IMPRESSIVE!

3. They taste DELICIOUS!

One of the nice things about these is you can change up the flavor of jam based on your preference or what you have on hand (blueberry for me, another one of those impulse buys!) and the second bonus is that they taste delicious hot out of the oven or at room temperature, so they are the perfect party food! Plus, who doesn't like mini sized food...it lets us eat more right?

Phyllo Brie Tarts

from Jenn

1 pkg. Athens Mini Fillo (Phyllo) Shells

1/2 c. or so jam or preserves of your choice

Brie cheese, rind removed, cut into 1 inch cubes (You will need as many cubes as you have shells)

Pecan halves (Once again, one nut per shell)

Preheat oven as directed on package of shells. Place shells on a baking sheet and spoon a teaspoon of preserves into the bottom of the shell. Top with a cube of cheese, then press a pecan halve on top.

Bake about 5 - 10 minutes, just until the brie has started to melt and the phyllo starts to brown. Enjoy!

Italian Spinach Dip

2011-03-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

Like many people, I grew up eating the cold spinach dip served in a hollowed out bread bowl. I always ate it, but I never loved it. I think part of it was due to the water chestnuts...yuck...I just don't get them. I know they don't really taste like anything, but they are crunchy nuisance in my book! I also didn't particularly care for the seasoning of the dip either, it came from a vegetable dip mix made by Knorr and there was just something to it that turned me off after so many bites. When I saw this recipe and noticed the absence of the standard vegetable dip mix I knew I had to give it a try, it still had those pesky water chestnuts, but I omitted them and just added more red peppers....and it was great! It still had some tang from the Italian dressing seasoning mix, and the addition of the roasted red peppers covered nicely for those weird water chestnuts! I brought this to a party (way back in November...slacker...yes me) and everyone loved it. It paired really well with the buttery Ritz crackers, but I am sure it would be just as good in a hollowed out bread bowl. This is my new "go to" cold spinach dip...give it a try! Another bonus is with its green and red colors it is very festive for the holidays.

Sorry for the delay in sharing and the crappy picture, I didn't have my camera with me so I took it with my new phone, and I just couldn't figure out how to get the picture to my e-mail....technology and I are not always on good terms :)-

Italian Spinach Dip

adapted from Kraft

1 c. light mayo
1 c. light sour cream 1 env. Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1/2 c. chopped roasted red peppers (or more!)
Ritz crackers or bread slices for serving

Mix mayo and sour cream with the Italian dressing mix until well combined. Add spinach and red peppers and stir; chill until serving. Serve with Ritz crackers or bread.

Bacon Pierogi Bake

2011-03-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

I actually have this baking in the oven right now, but the picture below is from I made it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. This is a yummy, comforting casserole that came from Cooking Light of all places! I am not sure how I missed it when I got my issue, but all of a sudden it started popping up all over the other blogs that I read, so I knew that I had to try it! When I found my copy of the magazine, I realized why I may have skipped over it, the picture just didn't look that good, I guess we really do eat with our eyes! The pictures on the other blogs were so bright and colorful, but the magazine made it look burned, boring and dry! I think the dryness is maybe what threw me when I first looked at it, so when I made it I decided to double the sauce, making it extra saucy and extra good (but definitely not extra Light, ha!). The version I posted below is the double sauce version, but you can cut it back if you must!

This was really easy to throw together, and I had all the dishes done while it baked for just 20 minutes in my toaster oven. I used the mini pierogis when I made it, although the original calls for the regular size, but I think I would stick with the mini, they are more fun! This is creamy, salty, and fresh tasting all rolled into one! I think it could easily be adapted for vegetarians by omitting the bacon and just cooking the garlic in a bit of olive oil or you could cook the bacon separate and just put it on individual portions! Whatever you do, you must make this! It is starting to get warm here in AZ, but with the fresh tomatoes on top, I can still consider it a Spring dish!

Bacon Piergoi Bake

Adapted from Cooking Light - December 2010

1 (16-ounce) package frozen potato and cheese pierogies (such as Mrs. T's) - I like the mini's
Cooking spray
4 center-cut bacon slices, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 c (6 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 c. fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 c (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 c thinly diagonally sliced green onions
1/4 c chopped seeded plum tomato
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange the pierogies in an 11 x 7-inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cook bacon in a saucepan over medium heat until crisp; remove from pan. Set aside.

Add garlic to drippings in pan, and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add cream cheese to pan, and cook for 1 minute or until cream cheese begins to melt, stirring frequently. Gradually add chicken broth to pan, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Pour the cream cheese mixture evenly over pierogies. Top evenly with cheddar cheese. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until bubbly and thoroughly heated. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with bacon, green onions, tomato, and pepper.

Lobster Bisque

2011-03-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember, my family has eaten Stouffer's lasagna for Christmas Eve dinner. My mom started doing this because she could put it in the oven before we left for church, and when we got home it was ready and we could eat right away. Well this year, after our "rogue" Thanksgiving, where we made brisket instead of turkey, we decided to shake things up at Christmas as well. My whole family loves Lobster Bisque, and when we see it on a restaurant menu, we almost always get a bowl to share. So when we were brainstorming what we wanted to make for that dinner, as soon as I suggested Lobster Bisque, the family was sold! Since the bisque is so rich, we decided to have salad and lavosh with it, and it made for a meal that felt special for the holidays!

This was my first attempt to make a soup like this, and I have to say it was really quite easy. My dad helped me to grill the lobster earlier in the afternoon, then we chopped it up and let it soak in the sherry while we were at church. We also pre-diced all of the vegetables. When we got home, it only took about 20 minutes for us to have some piping hot bisque on the table....almost as easy as the frozen lasagna! This soup was really good, the whole family loved it, and it was almost even better the next day when reheated and thinned out with some milk. The only thing that we will change the next time we make it, is reducing the amount of dry sherry, the sherry was a bit strong for our tastes, so next time I would reduce it in half so it doesn't overwhelm the other flavors.

This isn't an every week kind of soup, mainly because some of the ingredients can be pricey, but it is perfect for a special occasion...so give it a try!

Lobster Bisque

adapted from The Reluctant Gourmet

1 - 2 c. cooked lobster meat (I grilled 2 lobster tails, but Trader Joe's has frozen pre-cooked langostino lobster that would work also
1/2 c. dry sherry (I would either reduce in half, or just not add all back into the soup)

3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2 c. onion, diced
1/4 c. celery, diced
1/4 c, carrot, diced
Salt and white pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning, or to taste
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 c. whole milk
1 c. half and half
1 c. seafood stock (This is usually in the frozen section, but you can substitute chicken stock if you can't find it)

Combine the lobster meat with the sherry. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

In a hot pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once it stops sputtering, add the onion, celery, carrot, salt and pepper and Old Bay. Stir and let cook until the vegetables are translucent and are getting soft.

Add the tomato paste and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add the flour and cook for two to three minutes, stirring all the time.

While whisking, add the cold milk, half and half and stock and bring to a boil. Let boil for about 1 minute, still whisking constantly. Turn the heat down and let simmer until slightly reduced.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.

Taste, and add more salt, pepper or Old Bay, if you think it needs it. Add the reserved lobster and sherry to the pot and simmer for just a couple of minutes, so the lobster is heated through.

Serve with crusty bread and maybe a little sour cream on the top. If you want to be really fancy, sprinkle on a little chopped tarragon as garnish. Yummy!

Missing in Action

2011-03-05T14:40:00.001-07:00

I have been missing in action from my blog and I am sorry, but I would like to explain. Did you notice at all that my last post was on December 24th? Well, on December 25th I received one of these:

An Apple iPad!!

Oh how I love this thing! I can lay on the couch or in bed and browse the internet, check my facebook and play games (Angry Birds and Words with Friends are my favs). But the one downside, it isn't very good for blogging. You see, it isn't very easy to lay on the couch and write a blog post with it, and I haven't quite figured out how to load pictures on to it yet, I haven't even hooked my e-mail up to it yet...it is really just like my grown up toy....a toy that I haven't gotten tired of yet! So since I have been so wrapped up in playing with my new toy, my laptop has been very neglected, which has resulted in my blog being neglected. I have done a lot of cooking over the past couple of months, so I have plenty to share, I just haven't been able to tear myself away from the iPad, but that is changing as of now! I do love sharing my adventures, so I need to put down the iPad every now and then and fire up the laptop! I am not saying I will get to it everyday, but I am going to make a renewed effort....so thanks for hanging in there with me....and if I disappear again, send me a message and tell me to put down the iPad and get back to blogging!

Chocolate Kahlua Bundt Cake

2010-12-24T09:34:00.001-07:00

My stadium bundt cake pan had been neglected since the Superbowl last year, and since this was ASU's "bowl" game this year, I felt that it needed to make an appearance. I haven't been a huge fan of any of the past bundt cakes that I have made, they have all seemed pretty boring to me; good, but boring. So I went in search of something new to try and when I came across this cake I figured chocolate and liquor...how can it be bad? The answer is it can't! This cake was moist, full of chocolate with the subtle hints of Kahlua. We ate it with hot chocolate that also had a touch of Kahlua, another yummy winter treat! I dusted it with powdered sugar, so it makes it a bit difficult to tell in the picture, but it is indeed in the shape of a football stadium! I took the leftovers to my office and it was gone before lunch....so I would indeed call this a crowd pleaser and a bundt cake that I will likely make again!

I served it on a football field platter and used goal post toothpicks that my sister gave me for a more authentic look!

Chocolate Kahlua Bundt Cake

1 (18 1/4 oz.) pkg. Devil's Food cake mix
16 oz. sour cream
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 eggs
1/3 c. Kahlua
1 (3 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
Powdered sugar, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except for the powdered sugar just until mixed. Spread into a greased bundt pan. (Hint: tap the pan lightly on the counter to get out all the air bubbles and distribute the batter evenly.)

Bake for 40 - 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for about 20 - 30 minutes and then carefully remove from bundt pan. Let the cake continue to cool, then dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Championship Bean Dip

2010-12-23T21:31:00.000-07:00

Three things I really love:

1. Beans (especially refried)

2. Dip (especially when it includes beans)

3. My crock pot

So what happens when I can bring all three things together for a common cause....MAGIC! I love this dip, it is the ultimate dip in my world, and it is just so easy! I served this when I had friends over to watch the ASU football game, and everyone was raving about it, it really is the best bean dip ever! I found the original recipe in an old Fix It and Forget It cookbook that was my grandmas, and modified it a bit for my tastes. It is the perfect party dip because you throw it all in the crock pot and 2 hours later you have a delicious dip! Serve with tortilla chips, Fritos or corn chips and you have yourself a winner! With football Bowl Games and the Superbowl just around the corner this is just the dip to cheer on your favorite team to victory!

Beans are not one of the most photogenic foods....so please no judgements on the photo!

Championship Bean Dip

2 (15 oz. each) cans refried beans (I use Rosarita Spicy Jalapeno)

2 c. picante sauce (I use Medium heat Pace)

2 c. Pepper Jack cheese, shredded

2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

1 1/2 c. sour cream

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Chips for serving

Combine all the ingredients, except chips, in the crock pot; stir well to combine. Cover and cook on High for 2 hours, or until heated through, stirring once or twice during cooking. When ready to serve, turn crock pot to warm and serve with chips!

Note: This makes a really, really big batch, feel free to cut all the ingredients in half, but I like to have leftovers to make burritos!

Chicken Enchilada Ring

2010-12-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

So it's been awhile I know, but the fall is always a crazy time for me and now it is the holiday season and time is just flying by! I have a backlog of things to share, so fingers crossed I will post more than once per month moving forward!

You may ask why is fall so busy? Well....one word....football! I don't play football or coach football or even have a job that has anything to do with football (although I kinda wish I did), but I watch football, and I watch it a lot! I love college football, NFL and even play in 2 Fantasy Football leagues! I wake up in the morning to my radio alarm playing sports talk radio and listen to it while I drive around all day....during the fall, football just seems to take over! I even manage to travel to a couple of away games every year to follow my beloved Arizona State Sun Devils (this year we went to the Wisconsin and Cal games). Unfortunately, both of my favorite teams, ASU and the Arizona Cardinals, are not having very good seasons this year....but I am no fair weather fan...I still have to watch and give them my support!

While the NFL still has a few more weeks to go, college football is over. Well, it is not really over, but when your team doesn't go to a bowl game, it feels like it is over (although who am I kidding, I will still probably watch most of the bowl games...I am a football junkie, remember?). Going into our last game, the Sun Devils knew that even with a win they wouldn't get a bowl game, but it being our rivalry game against the University of Arizona Wildcats....it was basically going to be played like a bowl game....and it did not disappoint! After a slow start, the game got to be really close, and ASU pulled out a one point victory in double overtime by blocking an extra point (which they also did to send the game into overtime to begin with)....talk about drama! It was a crazy game, with highs and lows, and very fun to watch (being the junky that I am, I actually taped it and re watched it the next night so that I could take it all in again....do you think there are support groups for this kind of addiction?) and I was glad that I had invited some friends over to watch it because it really made it that much more fun.

So here is the first of the dishes that I made, this was a real winner, and everyone really liked it. It is actually supposed to be formed into the shape of a ring, but since it was for a football party I shaped it like a football as much as I could...genius! The buttery crescent rolls were so tasty with the Mexican fillings, and everyone piled on guacamole and salsa and declared it a winner! This was a snap to throw together since I had precooked and froze the chicken a couple of weeks ago; I have one more bag of chicken in the freezer so I have a feeling this will be making a repeat appearance soon!

Chicken Enchilada Ring

Adapted from www.justapinch.com

2 c. cooked chicken, cubed or shredded

1 (4 oz.) can sliced black olives, drained

1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies, un drained

1/2 c. mayo

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1 small tomato, chopped

1 lime

2/3 c. finely crushed tortilla chips

2 pkgs. crescent rolls

Salsa, sour cream and guacamole for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl combine chicken, olives, cheese, chilies, mayo and taco seasoning; stir to combine. Seed and chop the tomato and add to the mixture. Juice the lime and add 2 tablespoons to the chicken mixture. Reserve 2 tablespoons of crushed chips and add remaining chips to the mixture; mix well.

Unroll crescent dough and separate triangles. Arrange on a cooking sheet making a circle with the wide ends overlapping in the center and the points toward the outside. There should be about a 5 to 6 inch diameter opening in the center.

Spread chicken mixture evenly onto the widest end of each triangle. You can really heap the mixture on, and you may have a bit leftover.

Bring points of triangles up and over filling, and tuck under the wide ends of dough at center of ring. Sprinkle with the remaining crushed chips.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until the crescent rolls are golden. Let cool for a minute, then slice along the seems to make wedges. Serve with garnishes if desired.

San Francisco Treats!

2010-11-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

My sister and I took a long weekend trip to San Francisco to visit a college friend and attend an ASU football game at Cal. We had a great time hanging out, shopping, doing some touristy stuff and eating! While we didn't have any Rice-A-Roni, the supposed San Francisco Treat, we did enjoy lots of good eating during our visit to the Bay Area! Our friend Sarah that we visited, loves to follow my blog, so everywhere we went, she would remind me to take a picture, take a picture! So here is a rundown of our San Francisco Treats!

The first night we went to my friend Sarah's In-Laws Mexican Restaurant in San Carlos. It is called La Hacienda and is celebrating their 30 year anniversary this year! I have always been so jealous that she married into a family that owned a Mexican restaurant, so I was excited to try it out, and it did not disappoint! The food was all fresh and delicious!

The appetizer speciality on the menu is jalapenos stuffed with chorizo and jack cheese and then deep fried! They are then drizzled with the "family secret" sauce! These were good, and this batch was pretty spicy.

All of the dinners are served with Albondigas Soup, which is basically a vegetable soup with little meatballs. I have seen this on many menus, but have never ordered it, so this was a great opportunity to give it a try, and yummy, it was delicious! It was very mild and the meatballs had a wonderful flavor, I will definitely have to try this at some other places now.

My sister got the two taco dinner, with one chicken taco and one shredded beef taco, which was served with rice and beans. She loved the filling in both of the tacos, both were nicely seasoned and the meat was really tender. She also scraped her plate clean of the beans and rice, so I a guessing she liked those too ;)!

I just didn't know what I wanted to order, there were so many delicious sounding choices, but I finally settled on the Flauta dinner with shredded beef. The flautas were bursting with the tasty beef and covered in sour cream and guacamole, they were delicious! The beans were good as well, and they don't use any lard in them, so getting tasty beans with no lard is a major accomplishment!

Cris, whose family's restaurant it is, ordered a steak burrito, which I am not sure is really listed on the menu, but since he has an in with the owner's he can get what he wants! He dumped some really hot salsa all over the top of it and chowed down, I didn't get a chance to get a good look at the inside, but I do think that it too was bursting with beef!

Sarah was having a hard time deciding what she wanted too, she said that she usually goes for the Nachos or a Chimichanga, but that night she decided to get a Chicken Tostada. It was topped with shredded lettuce, salsa and sour cream. She cleaned her plate, so I am thinking she like it too!

So if you ever are in the San Carlos area, check out La Hacienda, it isn't big on the inside, but it is big on flavor!

La Hacienda
1377 Laurel St.
San Carlos, CA 94070

The next day Laura and I went into downtown San Francisco to shop while Sarah and Cris went to work. Our first stop was my favorite place on earth....Macy*s at Union Square! We were hungry when we got there so we headed down to the basement where they have a food court....but it is no ordinary food court, it has Boudin Bakery, Wolfgang Puck Express and Fresco by Rick Bayless to name a few...this was a high class food court!

Of course being in San Francisco we had to eat some sourdough bread, and there is just no better way to eat it than with some creamy clam chowder! Boudin is famous for their sourdough, and they do a great job on the chowder too, so it is the perfect way to enjoy this....especially on a cold, drizzly day like many of them are in San Francisco!

http://www.boudinbakery.com/

We also decided to try something from Fresco, which is a new fast casual concept by famous Chef Rick Bayless. He is the master of Mexican cooking (but not the kind we are used to down in the Arizona desert) and has numerous restaurants in Chicago that are very pricey, so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try out his food! We got a Huarache, which is like a Mexican flatbread on a masa crust. It was topped with chicken chorizo, black beans, roasted peppers and cheese, and then topped with fresh lettuce. It was really tasty, and the crust was quite dense, so we had to eat it with a fork. We also got some chips and guacamole on the side, and it may sound weird, but these chips were amazing! They were thick, but light and crisp and salted perfectly, paired with the guacamole, they made for some excellent eating!

http://www.fronterafresco.com/

After our day in the city, we met back up with Sarah and Cris and two of their friends. They took us to dinner at this little place in Pacifica called La Playa Taqueria. They have a big menu of Mexican standards, but they are also surprisingly known for their cheeseburgers...go figure? Usually, when you go to a Mexican restaurant you are supposed to avoid the Gringo menu, or you stick out like a sore thumb, but not here! The place was packed as it was a Friday night, but you order your food a counter then get a number. The only thing that I found to be a bit odd was that you couldn't order drinks at the counter too, you had to go to the bar, but at least they have a full bar!

My sister wasn't feeling anymore Mexican food for the day, so she went with the burger, and since we were with some regulars, they told her she had to order it on the sourdough instead of the bun, because they bake the bread there daily. How weird is this, a Mexican restaurant known for burgers and fresh baked sourdough??? I realized we weren't in Arizona anymore! My sister told me the burger was awesome and that the bread rivaled that from Boudin....so it must have been some good bread!

Being the Arizona girl and Mexican food lover that I am, I was more than happy to eat more Mexican food! I ordered the Bean Dip and a Super Fish Taco. The bean dip was HUGE!!! I was grinning from ear to ear when they set it in front of me....mmmm beans! Even though the group that I was with are regulars, no one had ever ordered the bean dip, and after one bite, they were mad at themselves for wasting so many trips to La Playa with no bean dip! The beans were creamy, salty and had just enough cheese mixed in to really amp it up; this was some of the best bean dip I had ever had! I was happy to share with the table, and even then, our group of 6 couldn't finish it! My fish taco was also really delicious, the fish had been battered and fried, but there was something so light about it, and it retained its crispness even after being covered in guacamole, sour cream and cheese! They didn't skip on the toppings with it, and cheese is a close second to my love for beans, so I was one happy girl!

La Playa Taqueria

1560 Coast Highway

Pacifica, CA 94044

You know how when you are on vacation you eat a little bit too much??? Well, we definitely did, but at least we got in a lot of walking and burned off some calories! Our other indulgences included a bowl of Lobster Bisque that we bought after walking around Fisherman's Wharf; we were a bit disappointed with this one, it didn't have great flavor, and I don't think we got a single chunk of lobster!

My sister always wants hot chocolate when it gets cold and rainy, but she hates the hot chocolate at Starbucks, so Sarah took us to her favorite coffee shack, Caffino! It is a little kiosk in a parking lot that you drive-up to, but Laura said the hot chocolate was excellent and my caramel latte hit the spot....so good things do come in small packages! (See how dark and dreary it was in the background? Perfect hot beverage weather!)

Crepes A Go Go
2334 Telegraph Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94704

Before the football game up in Berkeley we needed to grab something to eat, Sarah and Cris were not really familiar with the area, so we didn't have a plan. I saw a crepe place and told them that is where I was going, Sarah joined me, but Cris and Laura opted to go to the bagel shop next door. Well, Cris and Laura were very jealous when Sarah and I came back with crepes filled with turkey, jack cheese, avocado and tomato....these were AMAZING! The crepe had a touch of crisp to it and a touch of sweet, which went really well with the savory fillings. Sarah and I were nice enough to share, and Laura and Cris were very thankful....I really need to find a place here where I can get a crepe....they are soooo gooood!

Teacake Bake Shop

1309 Burlingame Ave.

Burlingame, CA 94010

http://www.teacakebakeshop.com/

After ASU's embarrassing loss, we needed something to cheer us up, and stumbled upon this new bakery that had just opened called Teacake Bake Shop in Burlingame. They had all kinds of cupcakes with fun flavors, but we were drawn to the cookies and brownie cups....and for good reason....BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE EVER!!! We all couldn't believe how delicious these were, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. We had taken them home to eat, and Cris was very tempted to go back and get another one after he finished his....yes, they were that good! The brownie cups were also decadent as well....it is good that I don't live near here....or I would be in trouble!

We ate a few other things too, but these were the highlights, but the real highlight was just spending time with friends, enjoying the scenery and getting a break from the real world. Until next time San Francisco....

We found these really cute lion hats, but figured we wouldn't really need them in the desert!

S'Mores Cookies

2010-10-17T08:58:00.002-07:00

These cookies tasted so good....that I never got a picture of them! That's right, I made these a couple of months ago and they got eaten up before I remembered to get a picture, I debated on whether or not to post since I don't have a picture, but decided they are too good not to share, so you will have to click on this link to the original poster's blog and then you can start drooling!

I loved the idea of these, especially how you added graham cracker crumbs into the batter, it really did take these up a notch! The next time I make them, I think I am going to leave the little piece of Hershey bar off of the top, and use jumbo marshmallows cut in half instead of a few little ones. As much as I love chocolate, the Hershey bar mad them too chocolaty since there are already chocolate chips in the batter, it somewhat overwhelmed the flavor. Also, the little marshmallows are a bit of a pain to try and put on the cookies halfway through the baking process, it would be much quicker to just plop one big one on top! But other than that these are a fun cookie to make and to eat!

S'Mores Cookies

adapted from Macaroni and Cheesecake

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 c. graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 c. miniature chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. mini marshmallows
2 Hershey bars, broken into rectangles

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, and salt.

In a second larger bowl beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, and remove from the oven. Push 3 to 4 marshmallows and a few pieces of Hershey bar into each cookies.

Return to the oven and bake an additional 3-4 minutes until fully cooked. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Jalapeno Chicken Casserole

2010-10-16T20:56:00.000-07:00

Well, looks like the cat is out of the bag, Laura (my sister) if you are reading this, please forgive me! Why am I asking for her forgiveness? I may or may not have not mentioned the word jalapeno when I invited my sister over for dinner and told her what I was making! My sister is a wimp when it comes to spicy food; for instance, she claims to LOVE buffalo wings, but then wipe all of the sauce off of each one before she eats it....so weird!!! So when she asked what I was making, I told her Mexican Chicken Casserole, she said yum, so I said see you at 6! I knew that if I mentioned the "J" word she would not even try it, so I had to be a little bit sneaky....but isn't that what big sisters are for???

So at 6 last Sunday night, my sister and my parents arrived for dinner; we sat down and ate, and guess what? They all liked it! My sister made a little mention that a few of her bites were a little spicy, but like I said before, she is a major spice wimp. This was really good, and fresh tasting. I liked that it didn't use a canned soup as the base, which I am not against at all, but they can sometimes make dishes feel really heavy. I also really liked the addition of the spinach, it was a good way to get in some veggies, this almost tasted like a spicy spinach dip with chicken, which is definitely not a bad thing in my opinion!

My only suggestion when making this would be to use more chicken. The pound of chicken called for in the recipe seemed a little sparse to me, but do what you like! I was also thinking of maybe instead of adding more chicken, to just use a can of black beans, or even use no chicken at all and just black beans....mmm beans....well they don't call me The Bean Queen for nothing!

I am really sorry I didn't get a picture of the insides, but trust me, it was very pretty!

Jalapeno Chicken Casserole

adapted from Chaos in the Kitchen

2 Tbsp. butter

1 onion, diced

3 jalapenos fresh, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. flour
20 oz chicken stock
salt and pepper, to taste
10 oz pkg. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 Tbsp. pickled jalapenos, diced
2 Tbsp. jalapeno pickling liquid
2 c. light sour cream
4 green onions, tops only, diced
2 Tbsp. lime juice, or about 1 lime
1 large bag of tortilla chips
1 lb chicken, cooked and chopped
2-3 c. cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
fresh cilantro, chopped

Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Saute onions, jalapenos, and garlic until soft. Sprinkle flour over jalapeno mixture and cook for several minutes until golden. Add chicken stock to pan and stir until smooth. Cook, stirring often, until simmering and slightly thickened. Season sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Meanwhile in a medium bowl, combine spinach, pickled jalapenos and liquid, sour cream, lime juice and green onions. Add chicken stock mixture to sour cream mixture and stir thoroughly until mixed.

In a 9 x 13 baking dish, layer a handful of crushed tortilla chips, chopped chicken, and half of the sauce mixture. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Add another layer of crushed tortilla chips, and the rest of the chicken and sauce mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Top casserole with another layer of crushed tortilla chips and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.

Bake casserole for 30 to 40 or until hot and browned. Top with fresh pico de gallo, if desired.

I served mine with a big pot of pinto beans.....mmm mmm good!

House of Tricks - Tempe, AZ

2010-09-24T22:02:00.000-07:00

I had been hearing great things about House of Tricks for years, but I had never made a trip there due to the price point of the menu. Fast forward to my sister's birthday and this is where she picked for dinner, which was perfect because it would be on my parent's nickel! Now, my sister's birthday was actually at the end of June, so I am about three month's late on this post, but honestly, I think I delayed posting because I wasn't really all that impressed with my experience.

The building itself is so cute, a little old house in the heart of Tempe with lots of charm. It being June, in Arizona, we had to eat inside and they didn't seem to have the best air conditioning, so I would not really recommend going during the summer months. Our waiter was really attentive and did a good job, but I think the food was over promised and under delivered.

We got the Watermelon, Tomato and Burrata (mozzarella) salad to start, it was a lovely presentation, but I didn't think it justified the $12 price tag. The burrata was delicious, but the watermelon was odd for us, plus it wasn't ripe and had no sweetness to it.

I was having a hard time deciding what sounded good to me on the menu, and ultimately chose the Roasted Chicken stuffed Ravioli in a corn sauce, and my Uncle Tony followed suit. The sauce was nice and light and the filling of the raviolis was good, but there was one major problem, the outer edges of the raviolis were so thick, they were tough! That's right, tough pasta, a major problem! Maybe it was just that night's batch, but they really needed to roll the dough much thinner. Uncle Tony and I both agreed that the dish needed the touch of an Italian grandmother!

My sister and my dad both got the Grilled Filet with a Mushroom Demi Glace, Potato Galette and Asparagus salad. Both of their steaks came cooked to order and they enjoyed the potato gratin. They both enjoyed their meal, but they did go pretty basic so there wasn't too much to comment about.

My mom got the Nori Wrapped Ahi Tuna Tempura, which had a beautiful presentation. It was served on a bed of brown rice with enoki mushrooms and a soy ginger vinaigrette. My mom loves seared ahi, and this was a unique take on it, by actually battering it and flash frying to give it a crunchy outside. She really liked this and said that all the flavors blended really well together.

Aunt Martha ordered the Shitake Mushroom Crusted Salmon that was served over a Scallion Risotto. The dish was topped with tempura style haricot verts (green beans), which really gave it that wow factor! The beans were crunchy and tender, and went well with the crust on the salmon. Martha loved this dish, but then again, if you know my Aunt Martha, she's never met a food she didn't like!

Since we were there to celebrate a birthday, of course we had to get dessert too! The list that the waiter rattled off had so many options that we had to get two! The first one was a chocolate peanut butter bread pudding with chocolate dipped pretzels and caramel sauce.....sounds amazing right? Well, it was actually a big let down! The bread pudding part was really mush and the flavors didn't stand out on their own....plus the pretzels were chewy...which means they were stale! This had such potential, but just didn't cut it :(

My sister's favorite dessert is Key Lime Pie, so we ordered that as well. We have had a lot of Key Lime pies in our days, but this one was probably near the bottom of the pack. It didn't have that much tartness too it, which is a key component to key lime pie. The filling was smooth and creamy, but it mostly just tasted like sugar.

We all had a nice time and my sister enjoyed her birthday meal, but I don't think I will be heading out to House of Tricks anytime soon again. I don't mind paying big price tags for a good meal, but I just wasn't impressed enough to run out and have another $25 entree. Once it cools down I may consider going for lunch on the patio with some girlfriends, but I will pass for dinner.

House of Tricks

114 E. 7th Street

Tempe, AZ 85281

www.houseoftricks.com

Strawberry Volcanoes

2010-08-30T22:27:00.000-07:00

The month of August has been really busy for me, between going out of town for 9 days, being swamped at work and many other things, I just haven't had a chance to sit down and post on my blog. The fall is always a really busy time of year for me as well, with football season, a couple of trips (football related of course) and all the holidays; but it is also a good opportunity to do some cooking for the aforementioned football season and holidays, so I hope to bring you all some more foodie fun soon!

These were the last item that I made for my sister's housewarming party back in July (and I still need to post about her birthday dinner in June....yikes!), and I have saved the best for last. My sister loves chocolate covered strawberries, so once I stumbled across this picture and description somewhere in my Internet travels, I knew they would be perfect for her party! They do take a bit more work than just a dipped strawberry, but they are so cute and delicious that it is worth it!

Strawberry Volcanoes

1 lb. strawberries, cleaned, with tops cut off to make flat

1 c. chocolate chips, melted

Whipped cream, in a can or homemade

After slicing the tops off of the strawberries, make a cross cut across the tips of each strawberry. Drain the strawberries on paper towels. Carefully dip flat bottoms of strawberries in melted chocolate; place on wax paper and cool. Carefully pipe whipped cream into the split opening on the top of each strawberry. Chill until serving and enjoy!

Proscuitto, Marscapone & Fig Bruschetta

2010-07-31T22:31:00.000-07:00

This bruschetta is so easy, it is embarrassing, but it looks so classy and people gobble it up, so it is a good recipe to have in your repertoire! My friend Heather first introduced me to this combination, and she first had it at a local wine bar called Postino here in Phoenix. The combination of the creamy cheese, salty prosciutto and the sweetness of the figs is the most awesome combination ever! It may seem weird to some, but give it a try, you will have your guests thinking you are quite the gourmet!

Prosciutto, Marscapone & Fig Bruschetta

by Jenn

1 French baguette, sliced on the diagonal about 3/4" thick

1/2 lb. Prosciutto, thinly sliced

1 tub Marscapone cheese (Usually found by the gourmet cheeses at the store)

Dried Figs, sliced (These are on the dried fruit aisle, near the raisins)

Cooking spray

Turn oven on to broil.

Place bread slices on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray or olive oil. Broil for about 3 - 4 minutes just until the tops start to brown. Remove from oven.

Spread a layer of Marscapone on the toasted side, top with slices of Prosciutto and a couple of slices of figs. That is all, you are ready to go, and these hold nicely at room temperature!

Enjoy!

Caprese Skewers

2010-07-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my sister moved into a new condo that she recently purchased. She was so excited for her new place that she just had to have a housewarming party ASAP, never mind that she didn't even have bedding or things to put on the walls when she decided this. But nonetheless, she planned it for a weekend after we got back from vacation, and asked me to help out with the food. She had some very specific requests of things for me to make, but luckily they were all pretty easy to pull together. Although the whole weekend was a mad rush with us spending all day Saturday running around to different stores to finish decorating the place and then going to buy and make all the food by 4:00 pm on Sunday, but we got it done with just minutes to spare! I have to say, her place looks really good, and she was able to pull it together really quickly. It took me months to figure out my place, although I was behind to start with because all I owned was a bed, TV and a retro baby blue recliner! Oh the days of simplicity!

Here is a picture of the spread that we put out for the guests, and over the next couple of posts I will share with you what I made, starting with Caprese Skewers!

The guests loved all the food, and I just had to call my sister out when she was showing off all the food that SHE (code for me, Jenn, her sister) made! But hey, that's what sisters are for :) It is almost embarrassing to share this as a recipe, because it is really more of an idea, but it makes for such a great item to take to a party or a picnic because it can be made ahead of time and doesn't require a fork! I first made these for one of my football tailgates and everyone went wild over them, so I knew I had me a keeper!

Caprese Skewers

by Jenn

Cherry Tomatoes (I bought a box at Costco and had about half leftover)

Fresh mozzarella (Once again, I bought this at Costco, it comes in a pack of 2, but I just used one log)

Prepared Pesto (I used Classico Brand, found on the pasta aisle, but use fresh or make your own!)

Toothpicks

Dice mozzarella into cubes, about 3/4" by 3/4". Put cheese and tomatoes in a large bowl, spoon a couple of tablespoons of pesto into the bowl; stir to combine and coat the cheese and tomatoes. Add more pesto until you get the desired amount of coating.

Skewer the tomatoes and cheese onto toothpicks. I usually do cheese, tomato, cheese; but do whatever combination you like! Put skewers in a sealed container in the refrigerator and let sit at least an hour to let the pesto marinate into the cheese. Enjoy!

El Charro Cafe - Tucson, AZ

2010-07-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

Yes friends, your eyes are not deceiving you, I went to Tucson. I know that anything related to Tucson is against my religion being a Sun Devil and all, but I went to see this country lady.

Do you recognize her? It's Carrie Underwood! I have loved Carrie since her days on American Idol, and when she won and started putting out country albums, I loved her even more! The first time she came to Phoenix I had a conflict and couldn't go to the show....fast forward a year later and it is announced that she is coming back to Arizona....but this time to Tucson....yuck! But this is how much I love Carrie, I will head into enemy territory to see her! The show was awesome, and the picture above is of her in an old truck that literally was right over our heads! My sister and I had a great time, but not wanting to stay in Tucson for too long, we left and drove back to Phoenix right after the show!

We got to Tucson about an hour and a half before the show and wanted to grab some dinner. My sister and I are both Mexican food junkies, so we decided to check out some of the local food and plugged in our request to the GPS and let it guide us. Our GPS led us to the El Charro Cafe, which was an adorable, old, little building in downtown Tucson, it didn't look scary and the parking lot was busy so we decided to give it a try!

The restaurant is comprised of a couple of little old houses and patios, very cute, but very lacking in bathrooms! Once we were seated at a table indoors, we were presented with a basket of chips and two kinds of salsas, one red and one green. The chips were on the thick side for my taste, and not warm, but they were decent. The red salsa was milder than the green one, but still had some nice kick to it. Both were tasty, but not the chunky kind of salsa that I like the most.

My sister was wanting to eat lighter that night and decided to start with the Charro Salad. The menu didn't have much of a description, but she was treated to what she called the "most amazing salad ever!" The salad was mixed greens, with chunks of mango, roasted pepitas, dried cranberries and Casero cheese in a light vinaigrette. The presentation was beautiful, and she loved the combination of flavors; just the other day she mentioned how good it was and we were there 2 months ago!

In the last 6 months, my sister has become absolutely obsessed with shrimp tacos. She orders them wherever we go, and rules out places and picks places based on the availability of shrimp tacos! Well, this night she didn't get shrimp tacos, even though they had them on the menu, but she opted for Shrimp Ceviche Tostadas. The tostadas were on the appetizer menu, but the serving was 3 large tostadas, so definitely enough for a meal. The shrimp tasted so fresh with the lime, lemon and tomato marinade. The crispy shells with the cool seafood topping were the perfect dish for a hot summer night.

The menu at El Charro is huge, and I had such a hard time deciding what to order! There were many items that sounded good and were so different from some of the items that are typically found on menus, but we were in a bit of a rush to go to the concert so I got an old stand-by, a Green Chile Beef Burrito Enchilada Style with a side of beans! I like to measure most Mexican restaurants by their Green Chile, so I figured I would give it a try here. The beef was nice and tender, and the green chile packed just enough heat that made it flavorful but didn't make it so it scalded my mouth. The beans, well they were just blah, boring, no flavor, not good. And look, they didn't even garnish them with any cheese!

I don't think we could have stumbled upon a better place to eat on our trip to Tucson, for the most part the food was tasty, the building was historic (built in 1922) and they got us in and out in record time, letting us get to the show, which was our real mission for the night. I wouldn't go back if I was really in the mood for some good beans, but I would return just to try out some of their other intriguing dishes.

El Charro Cafe (5 Tucson locations)
311 N. Court Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85701
www.elcharrocafe.com

Nifna's Green Salsa

2010-07-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

I actually made this about two months ago, which will probably come as no shock since I haven't been posting regularly, but it is such a nice change of pace from regular salsa that I couldn't just not post it. Apparently Nifna's is a well known Mexican restaurant in the Houston area and this dip is served to everyone with the complimentary chips. (Side note: I recently read that we are getting a Nifna's here in the Phoenix area, so I will have to check it out and compare once it opens!) I was not only intrigued by the ingredient list, but also by the preparation because the tomato component is actually cooked first. This was really good, it had a hit of heat, but the sour cream and avocado in it helped to temper the fire. Also, this made a ton! So unless you are going to a party or have a huge family, you may want to cut the recipe in half...or maybe not....cause it probably won't last long! I took this in to my office and my co-workers went wild over it! I have a pretty small office and had two requests for the recipe...which can only mean one thing...it's a keeper!

Nifna's Green Salsa

adapted from Home with Mandy

3 medium-sized green tomatoes, coarsely chopped (you can substitute yellow if you can’t find green ones, and you are not supposed to use red, but that is all I could find and it still worked!)
4 tomatillos, cleaned and chopped

1 to 2 jalapenos, stemmed and coarsely chopped

3 small garlic cloves, chopped
3 medium-sized ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
4 sprigs cilantro
1 tsp. salt
1 c. sour cream

Combine chopped tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapenos and garlic in a saucepan and heat on medium high Add garlic. At this point, using a potato masher, start to smash the tomatoes to bring out the juices. Let the mixture cook, mashing more and stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes remove from heat and let cool a bit.

Meanwhile, put avocado, cilantro and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times until combined. Add cooled tomato mixture to food processor and pulse until smooth. Remove mixture to a different bowl and stir in sour cream. (I chilled mine for a bit after this because it was still warm from the tomatoes.) Dig in with some tortilla chips....mmmm!

.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

2010-06-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I hit an awesome sale on strawberries, just 99 cents for a package, so I picked them up thinking I would snack on them. Well, I am a bad girl and put them in the fridge and forgot about them, until one Sunday night when trying to figure out dinner I found them and realized that they needed to be eaten, and quick! Was I going to eat a whole container by myself that night, probably not, but I remembered seeing a recipe for these Strawberry Shortcake Cookies and figured at least they would be going towards a good cause!

This is a Martha Stewart recipe, and she did not disappoint! They tasted just like a strawberry shortcake minus the whipped cream, they were heavenly! I did have a bit of a problem getting the strawberries incorporated into the dough, but I think it was my fault for bringing the dough together too much before adding the strawberries, so I had to mash pieces into the balls of dough. I almost decided to throw the towel in because I didn't think they were going to turn out, but after tasting them, I would have been very mad at myself for missing out! These really are best warm out of the oven and really should be eaten within a day or two of baking, but honestly, they are so good, you'll be lucky to have any left by day two!

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

adapted from Martha Stewart

12 oz. strawberries, hulled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1-2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
6 Tbsp. cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 c. heavy cream
coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter to the flour mixture until coarse crumbs are formed. You can also use your fingers. Stir in the heavy cream until the dough starts to come together, then gently fold in strawberries.

Using a 1-1/2 inch cookie scoop, drop dough onto cookie sheets, evenly spaced apart. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 22-27 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chicken Suiza Tostadas

2010-06-13T21:10:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, it has been way too long since I have been able to post anything food related here, but my computer is working again (for the most part) and I am ready to get back to making a more regular appearance on here!

According to my camera, I actually made these back on April 12, so it seems that I am about 2 months behind in all my posting, which is a shame, because I have made some yummy stuff during that time! These tostadas are actually a spin on a recipe that was getting posted all over the various blogs that I read, they were intended to be eaten as a sandwich, but being such a Mexican food lover, I have a hard time putting the concept of Mexican food and sandwiches together, plus I wanted something crunchy, so thus I served it tostada style! But feel free to serve on a nice crusty roll if it is a sandwich that you crave!

This is actually a Rachael Ray recipe, and it actually took less than 30 minutes! The basis is a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, so that really eliminates a lot of time, but there is some prep involved with getting all of the chicken off of the bone. (Quick Tip: It is much easier to pull the chicken off the bone and shred it while it is still warm, so if I go to the grocery store early in the day, I always de-bone and shred the chicken when I get home and then just refrigerate until I am ready to start cooking.) This smelled delicious while cooking, and the end result confirmed it, the chicken mixture was creamy with a touch of heat. For the shells, I just took corn tortillas and fried them in a little bit of oil until crispy, but you could always use pre-made shells or bake them until crispy for a lighter version.

Since it was just me eating this, I was able to package up two more portions for the freezer, which will be just perfect when I need a Mexican fix after a long day at work!

Chicken Suiza Tostadas

adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray - September 2009

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 small red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 c. store-bought salsa verde
1/2 c. sour cream
1 rotisserie-style chicken, skin discarded and meat shredded
4 tostada shells
4 slices Monterrey jack cheese (I just used shredded)

1. Preheat the broiler. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and honey, then stir in the salsa and heat through. Mix in the sour cream. Stir in the chicken to coat.

2. Pile the chicken mixture on the tostada shells. Top with the cheese and broil to melt. Serve with extra sour cream and salsa if desired....and of course....a side of beans!

Out of Order

2010-05-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

My laptop at home got infected with a nasty virus and decided to not work anymore. I had my IT friend come over to look at it and he informed me that it had to go home with him for an in depth analysis...which didn't sound good. So because of this, I haven't been able to post anything new lately, even though I do have some restaurants and recipes to share with you all. Well, let me take that back, I could post them, but they wouldn't have any pictures since all the pictures are on my laptop; and let's face it, a post about food with no pictures just doesn't quite cut it....and I don't want my reputation tarnished! I am hoping to get my computer back tomorrow (fingers crossed) and I am also hoping that when I get it back it is in working condition so that I can get back into posting more consistently.

So please bear with me while I deal with having no computer at home (which, by the way really sucks on the weekends....I feel so out of the loop!). I hope to be back in action soon, especially since with Memorial Day being this weekend there is sure to be food to be made!

Lamb Kofta with Harissa Yogurt Sauce

2010-04-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

I had given up my subscription to Cooking Light about two years ago because all the recipes got really complicated with huge ingredient lists and I just didn't want to bother with them. But a few months ago I happened to flip through an issue at a friend's house and I really liked the new layout and the paired down recipes; so when I got an e-mail saying that I could get a 2 Year Subscription for just $15...I jumped at it! I found this recipe in the first issue that I got and had to make it right away! This was listed as one of the quick cooking options, and guess what? It was actually quick! I had everything done in less than 30 minutes! Now, I did take a liberty with the rice and instead of cooking jasmine rice with saffron I used a pouch of Mahamata Yellow Rice that I already had in my pantry, but other than that I followed it to a T.

The house smelled delicious while the Kofta were cooking, and when topped with the creamy yogurt sauce, this dish was just plain delicious! I had invited my friend Whitney over for dinner the night that I made this and she too really enjoyed it, which was evidenced by her clean plate! This is definitely a dish that I would make again....especially since it seems sort of fancy for a weeknight dish!

Lamb Kofta with Harissa Yogurt Sauce

adapted from Cooking Light April 2010

2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro (I used frozen that I find at Trader Joe's, it rocks!)

2 Tbsp. grated fresh onion
2 Tbsp. 2% Greek-style plain yogurt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. turmeric

2 tsp. bottled minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 lb. lean ground lamb
Cooking spray

1/2 c. 2% Greek-style plain yogurt
1/4 c. chopped bottled roasted red bell pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp bottled minced garlic
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

1 pkg. Mahamata Yellow Rice
Green onions, sliced, for garnish, optional

Prepare rice as directed on the package. (I used the microwave method.) Sprinkle with green onions.

While rice cooks, prepare kofta. Combine cilantro and next 9 ingredients (through lamb); shape into 12 oblong patties.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook 10 minutes or until done, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.

While kofta cooks, prepare sauce. Combine 1/2 cup yogurt and remaining ingredients. Serve sauce with kofta and rice.

Va Bene Italian Restaurant

2010-04-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

In general, I Like Italian food, but I Love Mexican food! But now Va Bene Italian Restaurant has changed that because I loved Va Bene! I planned one of my monthly sorority dinners here after hearing good reviews, it is not near my normal neighborhood so I felt that this was a good chance to try some place new! This particular night there were 9 of us meeting for dinner, and while some of the girls had been out with me when I was reviewing a restaurant before, the other ones were really good sports and just went along with it when I passed the camera around the table (which will also explain some of the crazy picture angles) and made them take pictures before taking bites! Since this dinner was over a month ago now, I don't really remember what each of these dishes was let alone the comments from those that ate them, so I am basically just going to tell you what each dish is to the best of my memory....but what I do know is that everyone loved their dinners and a few of us even got dessert (although I forgot to pass to the camera at this point)!

I think this was just penne with a fresh tomato sauce....looks tasty!

I think that this is the Pollo alla Genovese, which was chicken breast with artichoke hearts in a dijon cream sauce. It was served with veggies and mashed potatoes on the side.

I believe this is the Linguine Gamberoni con Rucola which is a linguine pasta with tomatoes, arugla and shrimp with a touch of cream. Whoever ordered this must have been at the other end of the table from me, because i definately would have wanted a bite!

This is what I ordred, the Gnocchi alla Vodka to which I added Italian sausage. Let me just say, this was the best gnocchi that I have ever had, the little nuggets were so tender they just melted in my mouth. The vodka sauce was also done just perfect; creamy with a touch of heat. I wasn't expecting the sausage to be in a crumbled form, I would have preferred it sliced, but the gnocchi was so good that it didn't matter.

This is the Penne Aglio Olio Peperoncino con Broccoli, a pretty long name for pasta with broccoli! This was just a nice clean dish that my friend really enjoyed.

My friend Kim at the Filet special, which was a filet in a mushroom cream sauce. Since she couldn't decide between a steak or pasta, the waiter was kind enough to change out her side item to some of the Gnocchi all Vodka! She was in heaven and the plate was clean by the time she was done!

Va Bene's version of the Linguine Vongole looked and smelled amazing! We couldn't believe how many clams were mounded onto the dish, and the white wine sauce was fresh and clean with a touch of garlic.

My sister has been on a Seafood Risotto kick lately, so she couldn't pass up trying the version at Va Bene. This version had scallops, shrimp and mushrooms in a light brandy cream sauce. She thought that this was an amazing risotto, while rich, not overpowering and the seafood was cooked perfectly!

We had a wonderful time at Va Bene, the food was delicious, the service outstanding and top that with good friends and it wa the recipe for the perfect evening. I am going to have to come up with reasons to head down to that part of town more often so that I can try some more of their delicious dishes!

Va Bene Italian Restaurant
4647 E. Chandler Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85048
http://www.vabeneaz.com/

Meatballs in Peanut Chile Sauce

2010-04-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

Wow, I am really behind on my blogging, but I am going to try hard to catch up! I made these delicious meatballs a couple of Sundays ago (well, at this point it was probably like four Sundays ago, yikes!) when I was hanging around the house. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand due to a sale at Fry's plus a coupon where I got a one pound bag of meatballs for just $1.00! This was really simple to throw together, and it only takes about 3 to 4 hours to cook, perfect if you get a late start like I did that day! This had all the flavors of a yummy Thai dish, and it was even better served over some basmati rice! I think these would also be a fun appetizer to bring to a party and eat with toothpicks, since they aren't your standard meatball swimming in barbecue sauce!

Meatballs in Peanut Chile Sauce

adapted from A Year of Crockpotting

1 (1 lb.) bag frozen meatballs

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1 cup canned coconunt milk (I used light)
1 tablespoon red curry paste
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons white granulated sugar

Put meatballs into slow cooker (frozen is fine). Add peanut butter and coconut milk. Drop in a gollop of red chile paste, then add fish sauce and sugar. Stir as well as you can to combine.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours, high for 2-4, or until peanut butter mixture is fully melted and the meatballs are heated throughout.

Serve as a hot appetizer, or over long grained basmati rice as a meal.

Bloggaversary

2010-04-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

So I just realized that I missed my one year bloggaversary.....I am a bit bummed about it....but in all honesty it didn't even cross my mind. My anniversary is April 2, which was last Friday, and well, last Friday I spent the day celebrating the life of my Grandmother who passed away on March 30. Grandma Ruth, my mom's mom, was 93 years young and fighter until the end. She was not ill, but she had been slowly declining in health over the past few weeks, becoming very weak and bed bound in the end. I was planning to go and visit her on my lunch break the day that she passed, but I got a phone call from my mom around 8:15 am saying that she might not make it until then.....10 minutes later, just as I was trying to scurry out of the house to go see her, I got the call that she was gone. It was hard, I had many emotions, but ultimately I was happy to know that she was now in peace and no longer in any pain.

My grandmother was an intelligent and caring person, who overcame so much in her life and was very independent....she lived by herself and drove a car until she was 88! One of her very favorite things was an Arby's Roast Beef sandwich and curly fries, my sister and I would sometimes pick it up and take it to her for lunch; she always had the biggest smile spread across her face at first bite. I always will think of her everytime I go to Arby's.

After the ceremony for her Celebration of Life, we had people back to my parent's to celebrate and eat. In her honor, my sister made chocolate covered strawberries, because she always loved chocolate (I think I inherited that trait from her) and we had sandwiches and fruit. It was a lovely day, and we had so many dear friends and family there to support us, including my other grandmother who came in from California for the occasion.

So while I didn't get to make something special for my Bloggaversary......I was able to spend the day celebrating someone special in my life....someone who made the best pie and whose eyes got wide when a hot fudge sundae was set in front of her.

I Will Miss You Grandma!

I Love You!

Chocolate Mint Brownies

2010-03-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

I wanted to bring in a treat to my office for St. Patrick's Day, I am not Irish, but I love any good excuse for treats! I had seen a version of these brownies in an issue of Cooking Light over a year ago, and I had been thinking about making them ever since, and I finally had the perfect opportunity! The original recipe has you actually make the brownie part from scratch; but since I had hit at sale at Fry's a few months ago and got brownie mix for $1.00 per box, I thought it just made more sense to use what I already had (plus, it was the dark chocolate kind...my favorite)! So I whipped up the brownie base on the Sunday night before the big day, and then made the toppings the night before. The layers were really easy to make, I had just a little bit of trouble with gettting the chocolate layer to cover the entire pan, but other than that, these were a cinch to make! When I went to the store, I picked up mint extract instead of peppermint extract, and I think I am going to have to buy the peppermint for next time because the pure mint is just a hint too strong...a bit like toothpaste...and well, chocolate and toothpaste just don't mix! No one else that tried these seemed to notice or mind, everyone at my office loved these, and what is not to love? Dark, rich chocolate with a splash of cool minty filling equals deliciousness!

Chocolate Mint Brownies

adapted from Cooking Light

Brownie Layer:
1 box (Family size for a 13 x 9 dish) brownie mix of your choice
Extra ingredients required on brownie box

Mint layer:
2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
2 drops green food coloring

Glaze:
3/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips
3 Tbsp. butter

Preheat oven according to brownie box directions. Prepare and bake brownies as directed by the box. Cool completely.

To prepare mint layer, combine powdered sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, and next 3 ingredients (through food coloring) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer until smooth. Spread mint mixture over cooled cake.

To prepare the glaze, combine the chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Let stand 2 minutes. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into 20 pieces.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

2010-03-24T20:31:00.000-07:00

So as you can tell from all my previous posts, I am a huge Mexican food lover!! But what you may have not caught on to, is when it comes to Mexican food, I rarely choose chicken as my filling of choice. I will choose a beef or pork dish over chicken almost any day; I couldn't even tell you the last time that I ordered something at a Mexican restaurant that involved chicken (and well, I go to Mexican restaurants at least a couple times a week)! With that being said, I was oddly drawn to make these creamy chicken flautas, I saw them pop up on a bunch of blogs, and the ingredients in the filling sounded so delicious, that I decided to just give it a whirl. I am so glad that I tried this, not only is the filling so easy to put together, but it is delicious!! While mixing it up I was considering not even putting this in the tortillas, just heating it up and eating it with a spoon! The flavors are so fresh and really pop, that I just loved the combination! Since these are baked and not fried, this is actually quite a healthy meal, loaded with lean protein!

My sister came over for dinner the night that I made these, and she was a big fan as well. I really wish that I had taken a picture of the gooey filling for you all, but you will just have to trust me and try it out for yourselves! But a word of warning: line the baking sheet with foil, because some of the filling is bound to escape!

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

adapted from On My Menu

4 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese
1/4 c. green salsa

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. sliced green onions
1 (12.5 oz) can solid white chunk chicken, drained (Or sub 2 cups cooked chicken)
1 c. grated pepperjack cheese
12 small corn tortillas
Kosher salt
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Warm the cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine, and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. Place 2-3 Tbsp. of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges, and then roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Spray the tops of the tortillas lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa and/or shredded cheese!

Quick Restaurant Style Salsa

2010-03-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

As a born and raised Arizona girl, I grew up eating chips and salsa; actually, a lot of chips and salsa! There is just something so refreshing about salsa on a hot day, it is the perfect snack, and if you don't overdo it on the chips it is quite healthy too! I have never made my own tomato based salsa before so when I saw this recipe pop up and I read how easy it was to make, I figured that the time had come! This really does taste like the salsa you get in a lot of restaurants, and since it starts with canned tomatoes, it couldn't be easier, or cheaper! I whipped this up in my food processor in less than 2 minutes....seriously! The flavor gets better after it is refrigerated for awhile, so I would suggest making it a bit ahead of when you want to eat it, but if you just can't resist....it will still be tasty!

Quick Restaurant Style Salsa

adapted from Taste Buds

2 (15 oz. each) cans Mexican-Style stewed tomatoes
1(4 oz.) can chopped green chilies

1/2 bunch cilantro, rinsed

1 bunch green onions (stems and bulbs), rinsed
1 tsp garlic salt or powder (I used powder)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp vinegar
Using a food processor (or blender), blend tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, cumin, Worcestershire, and vinegar. Add onions and chilies. Stir and serve with chips.

See....I told you it was easy!

Shrimp Pot Pies

2010-03-20T20:03:00.001-07:00

Hi, my name is Jenn, and I am a blogging slacker! I don't know what my funk has been all about, I have actually made quite a few things over the last couple of weeks, it is just every time I think about sitting down to post, I just don't want to! Maybe it is because I have hit my one year of blogging mark and I am losing some steam, but whatever it is, IT NEEDS TO STOP! I need to just snap out of it and post what I cook, because I really do enjoy sharing my adventures on here. So if I have a long, unexplained absence again, send me a note and kick my virtual butt!

So, onto the food now....and this was some good food! One of my favorite blogs that I follow is Cassie Craves, almost everything that she makes appeals to me, and nothing is too crazy fancy. When I saw the recipe for the Shrimp Pot Pies pop up on her blog, I wanted to make them, and I wanted to make them pronto! She adapted the recipe from Sunny Anderson on the Food Network, and I went a bit further and took my own liberties....but that is the fun part about cooking! I think I got a bit heavy handed with the salt, but other than that, these were delicious! My only issue with these were the puff pastry shells, mine didn't get cooked all the way through in the middle by the time they were browned on the outside, not sure what the problem was, but I guess I may just not be good with puff pastry! If you can't find the pastry shells, you can always use puff pastry sheets and just cut them in larger rectangles! Either way, the filling is yummy, and since I substituted half and half for the heavy cream, these weren't too terrible for the waistline!

Shrimp Pot Pies

adapted from Cassie Craves

4 - 6 frozen puff pastry shells
1 (1 lb.) package frozen uncooked medium shrimp (buy them shelled and deveined)

1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 small carrots, diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups half and half
Salt and white pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place puff pastry shells on baking sheet and bake per the package instructions.

Meanwhile, season the shrimp with cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Saute the shrimp, 1 minute per side. Remove shrimp and set aside.
Add remaining butter to the pan and saute onions and carrots until softened about 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir 30 seconds. Add wine, bring to a simmer and cook until most of the wine has evaporated. Add the half and half and bring back to a simmer until the sauce thickens to a gravy consistency, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Place the shrimp back into the sauce to coat. Season with salt and white pepper. Ladle the shrimp mixture onto the bottom halves of the puff pastry shells; enjoy!

Cafe Carumba

2010-03-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we had one of our monthly alum dinners that I am in charge of planning. I couldn't quite figure out where to go; it is getting hard because I don't like to repeat restaurants, but eventually I decided on Cafe Carumba which is in Old Town Scottsdale. I had been there once, when it just opened about 4 years ago, but after I looked at the menu I could see that it had been revamped, so I was excited to try it. Our group arrived, and we thought the interior was cute, decorated in modern Southwestern decor, but we were shocked to see only about 2 other tables occupied....and it was 7:00 on a Friday night!?! Nevertheless, we were there, we were hungry, and we figured we would't have to wait too long!

We started off with the Nacho Bowl, which was basically all of the nacho toppings placed in bowl with chips to dip in it. The girls that ordered it really liked it, but I thought that it was missing a key element to nachos...the cheese! It was just seasoned ground beef, sour cream, onions and tomatoes; while all the ingredients were tasty, I think some cheese would have made things a whole lot better! But it didn't stop them from scraping the bowl clean!

One of the other girls wasn't too hungry, so she opted for the Caracas Chopped Salad, which was a combination of grilled chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes and cojita cheese served on romaine. The presentation of the salad was very nice, the bright colors of the corn and tomatoes made it look very appetizing. The chicken was nicely cooked and the combination of all the simple flavors made for a nice, light meal.

The most popular item with our group was the Taco Platter, three out of group of seven ordered it, but they all chose different fillings! The picture below shows the grilled chicken tacos, but there was also on order of the steak tacos and the pork tacos too! Everyone liked their tacos, the fillings were generous and the flavors were good, and since the platter came with three tacos and two side dishes....there were a lot of leftovers! We all thought that the choices for side dishes were quite unique, not just your typical rice and beans. We tried almost all of them amongst us; the side salad, sweet potato fries, homemade potato chips, black beans, pinto beans and even the roasted mushrooms and spinach! The homemade chips and the sweet potato fries were our favorites, but they were all quite good.

My sister opted for the most unique entree out of group, she ordered the Chicken Oscar "Carumba" Style! The dish was a grilled chicken breast topped with two crab cakes, asparagus and topped with an ancho hollandaise sauce. The presentation was lovely; the chicken was cooked perfectly and the crab cakes were full of crab, but the only thing that didn't make this an out of this world dish for her was that the sauce was a bit too spicy for her. I tasted the sauce and liked it, so if you don't mind a bit of spice, this is a fun Southwest twist on a classic dish!

There were a lot of items that sounded good to me on the menu, but ultimately I decided to go with the Green Chile Pork. I love green chile pork, and I usually measure most against the one at Z'Tejas, so I was intrigued to try this version. It was served in a hot skillet with warm tortillas on the side. I tried a bite of the pork first and it was very tender, it just fell apart, but I didn't really get much green chile flavor. I scooped some into a tortilla, along with some pinto beans and took a bite, it was good, but it just didn't have that much flavor, the beans overpowered the pork! It was not a terrible dish, but I guess I am a bit of a Green Chile snob....and this one is not one that I will be ordering again!

Overall, we had a nice experience at Cafe Carumba, the food was good for the most part and the service was quick. I am still perplexed as to why the restaurant was so empty the entire time that we were there, but I have heard that it is a popular brunch spot on the weekends, so I may have to go and check that out. I would go back again to try out their happy hour as well, especially, since unlike almost all the other restaurants in Old Town, they actually have their own parking lot!

Cafe Carumba
7303 E. Indian School Rd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85281
http://www.cafecarumba.com/

Lightend Up Chicken Fried Steak

2010-02-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

I remember eating chicken fried steak a few times in the cafeteria in elementary school, it came in the form of weird oval with a side of mashed potatoes, I ate it, but I don't remember it being anything special. Chicken fried steak is not a staple here in Arizona, so I wasn't really exposed to it other than in the cafeteria, that is until I found a local restaurant called Ranch House Grille. I had never really thought of ordering chicken fried steak before, but it is what this restaurant is known for, so I figured I had to give it a try! Well, let me just say, I should't have tried it...why you may ask? Because I LOVED it! Oh my goodness, I really didn't need to know about this delicious, calorie ladden piece of meaty goodness smothered in creamy gravy....but now that I knew about it....I craved it....I just had to have it! I don't get to Ranch House very often, but when I do, I always get the chicken fried steak; so when I came across a lightened version in my Healthy Cooking magazine I just knew that I had to give it a try, so that I could enjoy it without the guilt!

I have to say, this was actually really easy to put together, and the breading was seasoned just perfectly! The only minor problem that I had was that the breading didn't stick too well, so I think next time I would do a double coat in hopes of getting it to stick a bit better. The gravy was a cinch to make as well, and in about 20 minutes I had a healthy and hearty dinner! This version says that 1 serving is just 318 calories and 13 grams of fat....so I can enjoy my guilty pleasure with a little less guilt!

Makeover Country-Fried Steak

adapted from Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking Feb/Mar 2010

1 beef top round steak (1 lb.) (I bought one that was already tenderized)

1/2 tsp. salt (I used seasoned salt)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder, divided

1/2 tsp. pepper, divided

1/4 tsp. onion powder (I omitted)

1/2 c. buttermilk

3/4 c. plus 4 1/2 tsp. all-purpose flour, divided

1 Tbsp. canola oil

4 1/2 tsp. butter

1 c. 2% milk

Cut steak into four serving-size pieces; pound to 1/4 in. thickness with a meat mallet. Combine the salt, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 1/4 tsp. pepper and onion powder; sprinkle over both sides of the steaks.

Place buttermilk and 3/4 cup of flour in separate shallow bowls. Dip steaks in buttermilk, then flour. (Next time I will repeat this a second time.) In a large skillet, cook steaks in oil over medium heat for 3 - 4 minutes on each side or until meat is no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.

In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in remaining flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in remaining garlic powder and pepper. Serve over steak.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2010-02-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

If you haven't tried this dip yet....go directly to the store and get the ingredients to make it! This stuff is so completely addicting and is the perfect dish to bring to a party, because the dish will always come home empty! I took this to my friend's Superbowl party and everyone loved it. I made it quite spicy, but you can always reduce the amount of hot sauce to tone it down a bit, but whatever you do, just make it, the photograph below just doesn't do it justice!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 (8 oz. each) pkgs. cream cheese

1 large can white chunk chicken, drained (I used the Costco kind)

1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

1 c. Frank's Buffalo Wing sauce

1 c. Ranch Dressing

Place cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals until softened. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until heated through. Serve with tortilla chips, celery sticks and/or carrot sticks!

Enjoy!

Open Faced Lasagna Ciabattas

2010-02-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

I got this really cool lightbox for Christmas, but it didn't come with any instructions, and being the novice photographer that I am, I decided I needed a bit of guidance. Luckily for me, I have a friend that is an AMAZING photographer, so I called her up and offered a home-cooked meal in exchange for some camera tips...and she was quick to agree! I also invited along her boyfriend and another friend of theirs, because while I like to experiment in the kitchen, I am not a fan of eating leftovers for days on end! As the evening approached on our agreed upon day, I still hadn't quite figured out what I wanted to make, but I knew I wanted it to be something hot and hearty! When I first discovered the world of food blogs, one of the first ones that I ever ran across was Picky Palate, and this recipe in particular caught my eye. I went back and looked at what I had marked to try and when I saw this, I knew that I had found the evenings meal. This was really quite easy to toss together, and was a fun twist on lasagna without having to boil water! The recipe makes quite a bit; I ended up sending a bunch home with the boys....but I think they were happy to help me out! Jessica gave me some great tips on lighting, camera settings and angles, and while I haven't quite matched her skill level yet....I am working on it!

Thanks again Jessica!

Toasted Open Faced Lasagna Ciabattas

adapted from Picky Palate

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 lb ground Italian Sausage (I used link sausage and just removed the casings)

1 (26 oz) jar of your favorite pasta sauce
8 leaves fresh basil, chopped

15 oz container ricotta cheese

½ c. grated parmesan cheese

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (I used an Italian blend)

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. Italian Seasoning

4 ciabatta rolls

1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

Parmesan cheese

Basil, for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Cook sausage until browned, about 5-7 minutes; reserve ¼ cup of sausage for ricotta. Reduce heat to low and stir in pasta sauce and basil leaves. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Place reserved ¼ cup sausage, ricotta, parmesan, shredded mozzarella, salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning into a medium bowl. Stir to combine.

Split each ciabatta roll and place cut side up onto a large baking sheet. Spread ricotta mixture over each roll, about ¼ cup (*you probably won’t use all of ricotta.). Top with a couple spoonfuls of pasta sauce, and fresh mozzarella cheese slices.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and hot. Remove, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and basil; serve.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake

2010-02-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

My friend had invited me over to watch the Superbowl, I was looking forward to it, but have to say it felt a little odd not to be hosting the party myself. I love to plan parties and menus and have people over, but I was a teeny bit relieved to have the day off. But when I got a frantic text from my friend asking if anyone could bring a dessert, I switched back into party mode and decided to bake a cake! I got this really cool bundt cake pan last year for Christmas, it is in the shape of a football stadium!! What better day to bust it out again than for the Superbowl? It looks even snazzier when I put it on my football field platter and stick little end zone toothpicks in it....I know the powdered sugar makes it a bit difficult to see in the picture...but trust me....the people at the party just couldn't stop talking about how cute it was! Well, they did eventually stop talking about how cute it was when they started talking about how good it was! This is a classic combination of chocolate and peanut butter, nothing fancy, but always a crowd pleaser.

My pan is being forced into retirement for the next 6 months until the football season starts again in August.....it sure is going to be a long 6 months!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake

1 (18.25 oz.) package devil’s food cake mix
1 (3.8 oz.) package chocolate instant pudding mix

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. water
4 large eggs
1 (8 oz.) container sour cream
1 (10 oz.) pkg. peanut butter chips
Garnish: confectioners’ (powdered) sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 10-cup fluted pan.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, and sugar. Add oil, water, and eggs; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Stir in sour cream and chocolate/peanut butter chips. Spoon into prepared pan.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Sift confectioners’ sugar over top of cake.

Brio Tuscan Grille

2010-02-04T20:48:00.001-07:00

We told my dad to pick a restaurant to go to for his birthday, he didn't know what where he wanted to go, so we suggested Brio that had just opened at the Scottsdale Quarter. As I have said before, my dad LOVES Italian food, so we thought this would be a good pick for his special day, and fun for everyone since none of us had ever been there before.

We had a 7:00 reservation on a Thursday night and were seated promptly upon our arrival. Let me just say, the interior of the restaurant is so beautiful; it has high ceilings which have been ornately decorated with chandeliers and fabric swags. Even though the ceilings were so high, and there were so many tables, it really didn't get to be all that loud inside, so we were happy about that, especially my dad.

We were greeted by a friendly waiter within seconds of sitting down, and placed our beverage orders. We were also given a nice basket of assorted breads and cracker breads, the cracker breads were the best of the bunch; seasoned with rosemary and parmesan cheese!

We looked over the menu and were impressed by the selection, and felt that the prices were very reasonable considering the atmospher of the restaurant, so we were hoping the food wouldn't let us down! We decided to start with some Lobster Bisque and salad before our entrees. My family cannot resist a bowl of Lobster Bisque, and if we see it on a menu, we generally find ourselves ordering a bowl with four spoons!

The bisque came out in an adorable soup toureen that had lion heads on either side of it, which is something that my mom, sister and I couldn't help but point out! I was the first to take a bite of the bisque, and while I found the flavor to be nice and lots of big chunks of lobster, I found the texture to be a bit off. A bisque is supposed to be as smooth and velvety, but this was really thick, almost like you had to chew your soup! We all decided that the flavor was there, but that the execution was off, so next time we will probably pass on the bisque.

We had also ordered both the Caesar Salad (minus the croutons) and the Brio Chopped Salad as starters. The Caesar was just your classic version, but both my sister and dad really liked the dressing. It was nicely dressed and sprinkled with Paresan cheese, and the lettuce was nice and crisp. My mom really enjoyed the chopped salad that was filled with tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, onions and dressed in a red wine vinaigrette. Everything was chopped into similar sized pieces making it easy to eat, and she thought it all went very well together. The salads had made up for the chewy bisque, so we were looking forward to our entrees!

I decided to order off of the appetizer menu since I wasn't overly hungry that night, and I chose the Gorgonzola Lamb Chops. They offer an entree sized portion of these, but when the waiter informed me that it came with EIGHT chops, I decided that was just way to much! The chops were cooked to a perfectly pink middle and were baked with a crust of gorgonzola cheese. Dipped in the red wine veal sauce that they were served with, they really just melted in your mouth! The sauce was one of my favorite parts of this dish, I was dipping my bread in it at the end to make sure I didn't miss any of it!

My dad chose the Veal Marsala for his entree. The veal was super tender like veal should be, and was swimming in a classic Marsala sauce specked with mushrooms. On the side, there were crispy roasted potatoes and green beans. My dad loves veal, and tends to order it most of the time that he goes for Italian food and he really liked this version. The portion was a good size and he especially liked the roasted potatoes.

My mom and my sister both ordered the same thing, the Shrimp and Scallop Risotto. The dish came out and smelled amazing, and we could all see that it was overflowing with shrimp and scallops. The risotto was made with fire roasted tomatoes and cream, giving it a rich and creamy flavor. It was drizzled with a pesto sauce that added just the right amount of nuttiness to the dish. I was able to snag a few bites and fell in love with this, it reminded me of my beloved "pink sauce" that I tend to gravitate to when ordering pasta. They both had leftovers to take home, and reported that it was almost even better leftover!

Since we were celebrating a birthday, we couldn't not have dessert, although the birthday boy wasn't interested, so my mom and I got to choose! We decided to get a Creme Brulee Trio that included a classic version, a caramel version and a chocolate version. For some reason my sister does not like Creme Brulee, silly girl, so it was all for me and my mom! They were all smooth, silky and creamy but the caramel one was our favorite. It was not overly sweet, but had just enough of the caramel flavor that it was just divine.

We all really enjoyed our whole experience at Brio; the service, food and atmosphere were all excellent. The menu had quite the selection and we all agreed that there were other dishes that we would be interested in trying, so I am guessing that we will be back again in the near future!

Brio Tuscan Grille

15301 N. Scottsdale Rd.

Scottsdale, AZ 85254

http://www.brioitalian.com/

Banana Cream Cheesecake

2010-01-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

I know that I may have mentioned this before, but I LOVE CHEESECAKE! It doesn't really matter what flavor; plain, chocolate, peanut butter, I love them all! When I came across this recipe for Banana Cream Cheesecake I knew I had to give it a try; while I had never had banana cheesecake before, I like banana cream pie....so how could this not be good?

I made this for the dessert course of my football party, let's just say that things were not going so well for our team by the time I brought this out, but this seemed to perk everyone up right away! We all loved this spin on cheesecake, some opted for whipped cream and others kept it plain, but the results were delicious nonetheless! I think this is only the second cheesecake I had ever made in my life, and it uses a unique low temperature cooking method, but it turned out just perfect and the top didn't even crack!

Banana Cream Cheesecake

adapted from Our Krazy Kitchen

CRUST:

20 vanilla cream-filled sandwich style cookies

1/4 c. buter, melted

FILLING:

3 (8 oz. each) pkgs. cream cheese, softened (I used light)

2/3 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

3 eggs

3/4 c. finely mashed banana (I just threw two into the mixer and let it do the mashing!)

1/2 c. whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. maple extract (I didn't use this)

Use a blender to finely chop the cookies; add melted butter and stir until well blended. Press mixture into the bottom of a 10" springform pan and smooth it out. Refrigerate crust while making the filling.

Beat cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add in the sugar and corstarch, followed by one egg at a time. Beat in the bananas, whipping cream and vanilla until smooth. Pour mixture into the crust.

Place pan on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees and bake an additional 75 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes, then refrigerate, uncovered for at least 6 hours before serving.

Slice and serve with whipped cream, banana slices and/or even caramel sauce!

Alton Brown's Buffalo Wings

2010-01-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

One of my New Year's Cooking Resolutions was to cook something out of all the cooking magazines that I subscribe to within a month of receiving them in the mail; well wouldn't you know that within just days of making that resolution my first magazine appeared in the mailbox. I have been getting Food Network Magazine for about a year now, and honestly, I haven't made much out of it; like with most resolutions I am bound and determined to stick to them especially since it is still only January! I decided to try these chicken wings from Alton Brown that appeared in the magazine because unlike most wings they are baked and not fried, and while they were good, boy did this reaffirm my dislike for Alton Brown....why does he have to make things so complicated? I have never been a fan of his show, I find him to be really annoying, but nevertheless, the recipe got good reviews so I figured I would give it a shot. I had never made chicken wings from scratch before and I think it can be done much easier with the same results. But if you feel like undertaking a project, give these a try.

Alton Brown's Buffalo Wings

from Food Network Magazine January/February 2010

12 whole chicken wings (I used a 4 lb. bag of already separated wing portions)

3 oz. (6 Tbsp.) unsalted butter

1 small clove garlic, minced (I omitted)

1/4 c. hot sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Style)

Kosher salt

Place a 6-quart saucepan, with a steamer basket and 1 inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.

If using whole wings, remove the tips of the wings and discard. Use kitchen shears or a knife to separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings in the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam 10 minutes. (I had to do this in 2 batches.) Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay out the wings on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator to dry, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove the paper towels from the pan and replace with parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven, about 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook 20 to 30 more minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.

While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a small bowl with the garlic (if using). Pour this along ith the hot sauce and 1/2 tsp. salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine. Remove the wings from the oven, transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm.

BBQ Shrimp

2010-01-20T08:26:00.001-07:00

This was my second time making these shrimp, the first being before my blogging days, but I just had to share these with my readers because they are so good and so easy! They are most like the BBQ shrimp that they serve down in New Orleans, a thin sauce that is slightly spicy and oh so good. Make sure to make some garlic bread to go along with these, because you will definately want something to dip into the delicious sauce! Make sure to have lots of napkins ready, because these are peel and eat, so things could get messy!

Also, for easier clean up, I would recommend using a dispoable aluminum pan!

BBQ Shrimp

adapted from Recipezaar

2 lbs unpeeled large raw shrimp (I use the easy-peel kind to make it easier to eat)

1 lemon, cut into wedges
2 bay leaves
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. ketchup
1/4 c. worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried thyme

Place shrimp in a 13- x- 9-inch pan; top with lemon wedges and bay leaves. Stir together butter and next 6 ingredients. Pour over shrimp.

Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 35 minutes or until shrimp are pink, stirring every 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves.

Serve with garlic bread and lemon wedges.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

2010-01-19T08:11:00.001-07:00

With my beloved Arizona Cardinals in the playoffs, I decided to have a few friends over to watch the game. Well, a game viewing party is not complete without food to snack on, so I decided to cook up a spread. It was a mix of tried and true favorites and some new recipes, and I am glad to say, that I have now have some new dishes to add to my tried and true collection!

This Jalapeno Popper Dip that I found over on Big Red Kitchen is delicious! It has just the right amount of heat, and actually could have more, but even my spicy food avoiding sister liked this, so I would say that it is just perfect! We ate it with both tortilla chips and Ritz crackers and both were delicious!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

adapted from Big Red Kitchen

2 (8 oz. each) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 c. mayonnaise

1 c. shredded Mexican blend cheese

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 (4 oz) can chopped jalapenos

1 c. panko bread crumbs
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1/4 c, butter, melted

Blend together the first 6 ingredients and process until smooth. You do not need to drain either can of peppers. Spread the dip into a greased 2 quart casserole. In a bowl mix bread crumbs and the other 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Pour melted butter over top crumb mixture and mix well. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over the dip and bake in a 375° oven for about 20 minutes. You want the top to get browned and the dip to be heated through and bubble gently on the edges. Serve with Tortilla Chips and/or Ritz crackers.

Football & Dishes

2010-01-18T07:45:00.001-07:00

I am a huge football fan; college football and NFL, I watch it all. And I usually start to get pretty sad around the time the season ends, which as of today, is only 3 weeks away :( It is a long time between the Super Bowl in early February until pre-season starts in August. But during the season, I live for the weekends! I tailgate with my friends at all the ASU home games, travel to a few away games (going to Wisconsin this year!) and organize my Sundays around what time the Cardinals will be playing. Three years ago, some people at my office were organizing a Fantasy Football League and asked if I wanted to join, I had never played before but figured I would give it a shot....well get this...I won the league! From that point on I was hooked, last year I took second place and this year I took first place again! Who says a girl doesn't know anything about football?!?!

Each year along with the title, I have earned a nice cash prize, and well, even though it is nice to have some spare cash, I like to treat myself to something just for me. This year I decided that I would get myself some new dishes. The dishes that I had were the ones when I first moved out on my own after college; I moved into my house with a bed, a tv and an old recliner....I had nothing. I also was still working as an intern at the time and made very little money, so I needed the essentials, but on the cheap. I bought an 8 piece set of dishes, with dinner plates, salad plates, bowls and mugs for $15! Now don't get me wrong, they have been good dishes, but I had been wanting to upgrade, so this was my opportunity!

I found a great deal on these dishes at Macy's....when I saw them on-line I knew they were the ones that I had to have. Plus, they were on sale, and with all my coupons, I didn't even spend all my winnings, so now I do have a little spare cash! I did end up having to go to three different Macy's in order to get all the pieces that I wanted....but it was worth it!

Here is my new dinner plate (white with black rim), salad plate (floral print) and bowl (white with black rim). Oh yeah, and that is my little kitchen helper!

I also got some cute serving dishes in the floral print to go with the new set.

(I actually got 6 of the little dishes, prefect for sauces, etc.)

While I was at Macy's getting my dishes, I spied this cute cupcake tower that was on sale; I just couldn't resist! Looks like I need to make some cupcakes soon!

Tamales

2010-01-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

Whenever I tell someone that I am making homemade tamales I always get the same reaction, "Wow, that is so much work." Well, if someone had told me they were making homemade tamales a couple of years ago I would have had the same reaction, but now I know, it really isn't all that hard! Now, in saying that, I don't grind my own masa or anything, and maybe that is where the difficult part lies, but with store bought masa it couldn't be easier! It has become a tradition now for me, my sister, my mom and my aunt Martha to get together and spend an afternoon making tamales. Yes, it does take some time for them to cook, and the more people helping to assemble the better, but the results are so worth it! This would also be a really fun dinner party idea, invite a group of people over to help assemble the tamales and then drink margaritas and eat guacamole while they cook....hmmm....maybe I am going to have to do that!

My sister, mom, Aunt Marth & Me showing off our tamales!

Tamale Dough

2 c. masa harina (It can be found by the flour in the grocery store)

1 (15.5) oz. can chicken broth, warmed

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. lard

1 (8 oz.) can creamed corn

1 bag corn husks (Follow soaking directions on the package to pre-soak)

Combine masa harina, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in lard with a pastry blender. Stir in warm broth and creamed corn to form a soft dough. Now you are ready to assemble!

Optional Fillings:

-Green Chilies

-Shredded cheese

-Shredded beef (We use Del Real brand pre-cooked shredded beef found at Costco)

-Cooked Chicken

The options are endless!

Lay out a pre-soaked corn husk on your work surface, with the wide side closest to you.

Spread a thin layer of the dough on the husk, leaving about 1/2 inch on each of the sides and only up 3/4 of the way up the husk starting on the large end.

Layer your desired filling ingredients on the dough. (On this one we put shredded beef, diced green chilies and shredded cheese!)

Now we are ready to fold them up!

Lift up the husk from the left side, and fold over on top of the tamale.

Then fold the right side over (it will be overlapping the the left side).

Lastly, fold the bottom flap up.

Now your tamales are ready to be steamed!

(If you want these to look more decorative, you can take a strip from a husk and tie it around the tamale and knot it, but they will stay together just fine even without it.)

To cook the tamles, you need to fill a large pot with about an inch or two of water and bring to a boil. Then you you need to use a steamer basked (or in our case, a jimmy-rigged upside down strainer) to put the tamales in so that they are not touching the water. Cover with a damp towel and steam for about 40 to 45 minutes until the tamales are cooked. They are down when they easily peel away from the husk. You may need to had more water during the cooking time, so check after 20 minutes or so.

And there you have it, a plate of fresh, homemade tamales!

This recipe makes about 20 tamales, but we quadrulpled the recipe and ended up with about 6 dozen! These freese really well, and can reheat in the microwave in about 2 minutes.

Mint Chocolate Chippers

2010-01-12T09:25:00.002-07:00

I didn't get a chance to do any baking around the holidays, but the other night I got to thinking about some special edition Dark Chocolate & Mint chocolate chips that I had bought in anticipation of Christmas season, and how the poor bag was still just sitting in my cupboard. Not wanting for it to go to waste, I logged on to my Google Reader and found a recipe for "Intimint Chocolate Chip Cookies" that was posted on Picky Palate that used these special chips....perfect!

I whipped these up in no time and boy were they good! A soft, chewy cookie loaded with dark chocolate, white chocolate and mint chips; a fun twist on a classic. I was also excited to try out my new non-stick baking mats when making these, they worked just great, and then cleaned up in a snap! This recipe made about 4 dozen cookies, and knowing that I definitely didn't need that many around my house, I brought over half of them into work with me the next day. I have a small office, and they didn't last past lunch; everyone loved them! Unfortunately, it seems that I will have to wait until next year to make these again, as they don't seem to be in the stores anymore, but fingers crossed that they bring them back next holiday season!

Mint Chocolate Chippers

adapted from Picky Palate

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. packed light brown sugar

1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. real vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 bag Nestles Limited Edition Dark Chocolate and Mint Morsels
1 c. white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to wet ingredients along with the chips. Mix until just combined. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until slightly golden on outside edges. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to cooling rack to finish cooling.

Thai Rama

2010-01-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

Ever since we had dinner at Yupha's Thai Kitchen a few weeks ago, where my sister got her first taste of Tom Kha Gai soup, she had been craving another bowl of the soup. So, a couple of weeks ago, we decided to go to the Arizona 5A-II state football championship game at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe because our high school, Chaparral was vying for the championship. (They ended up winning!) We thought it would be fun, but boy did it make us feel old, especially when I realized that I was sitting in those same stands 10 years ago when I was a senior in high school.....wow does time fly! We had rushed to get to the game in time after work on that Friday, so we didn't have time to eat dinner beforehand, so when we left the game we were hungry!

Since it was a cold December night, my sister really wanted to get some of the Tom Kha Gai soup. Well, I didn't feel like driving all the way down to Yupha's, and since there seem to be a bunch of Thai restaurants that have recently popped up around ASU's campus, we decided to try someplace new, which is how we ended up at Thai Rama. I was a little bit skeptical at first because I remembered the restaurant being a place called Char's Thai back when I was in college, and while I had never eaten there, I had heard that it was very old inside. So we were pleasantly surprised when we walked in and found a restaurant that had been completely remodeled, it was so clean and fresh looking. The new owner's had put in all new flooring, paint and tables, giving the place a much needed facelift.

We looked over the menu, which was vast, but it didn't take my sister long to decide, she had her mind set on some soup! But first we decided to get some Crab Puffs as an appetizer. My sister and I always tend to order crab puffs when we are together, and can you blame us? Crispy shells filled with creamy cheese and crab, dunked into some sweet and sour sauce....delicious! These puffs were an excellent version of the classic, they had just the right ratio of crab to cream cheese; which made the filling creamy but didn't overpower the crab flavor. The shells were perfectly crisped, and were not greasy at all, which is a major bonus. The portion as huge, it included 6 large wonton stars; so far, so good!

We had just barely finished the crab puffs when our entrees arrived, starting with my sister's soup. At most restaurants, it is called Tom Kha Gai, but Thai Rama refers to it as Tohm Khah Goong; I am not really sure how the name difference comes into play, but it is the exact same soup. At Yupha's we had just ordered a small cup of the soup, but at Thai Rama, Laura ordered the full portion; this was served in a silver urn like contraption that has a whole in the middle that is lit on fire to keep the soup warm, it is a pretty common way to serve soup in Thai restaurants, but it didn't stop us from getting a kick out of it! Laura liked this version of the soup even better than Yupha's, mostly because it used shrimp instead of chicken. The broth was so flavorful with that hint of coconut, and they had spiced it just right to not make it overly spicy for my spice averse sister. She raved about how she was going to be addicted to this now, especially since the restaurant is just down the street from where she lives!

I didn't really know what I wanted to order that night since I wasn't really in the mood for Thai food (I agreed because I knew my sister was really craving it, and many times she gives in to my Mexican cravings!), but ultimately I decided on the Khao Paht, or fried rice. You got to choose between chicken, beef, pork or shrimp to be added to the rice, and I went with the pork at a mild spice level. I have to say, I didn't have any expectations for this because I wasn't in the mood for Thai, but after my first bite, I was singing a different tune! The rice was amazing; perfectly seasoned, with a hint of heat. Although, the best part about it was the pork, they used a tenderloin, and it was the most tender pork I have ever had; it just melted in my mouth. I had my sister try a bite of it, and she too thought that it was excellent. The portion was huge, so I took quite a bit of it home and I have to say, it was every bit as good leftover and cold the next morning!

We had a really great meal at Thai Rama, and I can't wait to go back and try some of their other dishes, like the Pad Thai and Panang Curry. The atmosphere was pleasant, the restaurant was clean, and the servers took excellent care of us. I noticed that Thai Rama has a few other locations around town, so if you are in the mood for some good Thai food, look them up and find one near you!

Thai Rama

927 E. University Dr.

Tempe, AZ 85281

http://www.thai-rama-az.com/

The Greene House

2010-01-04T21:44:00.000-07:00

Starting in early December, over a span of 30 days, my family celebrates my mom's birthday, Christmas, New Year's and my dad's birthday....that is a lot of celebrating! But even though the holiday season usually has all of our schedules packed, we always make time to celebrate together as a family. My mom's birthday was on a Thursday night, and when we asked her where she wanted to go, she immediately said The Greene House. Now for most people this wouldn't sound strange, but my mom is one who doesn't like to have a fuss made about her, and usually responds with an "I don't care" or "You choose," so I knew that The Greene House must be good if my mom actually chose to have her birthday dinner there. She and my dad had been there a handful of times and she declared that they had her favorite scallop dish, which is why she picked it, since neither my sister nor I had ever been there we were equally excited to check it out.

The Greene House is located in Scottsdale in the Scottsdale Kierland shopping center. If you have never been to Kierland, I suggest checking it out, especially at night, and during the holidays. In a city so spread out like Phoenix, it is a true gem; with shops and restaurants on the bottom floors, and condos above, it gives you that city living feeling that we don't really have here. We had a reservation for 6:30 and were seated promptly at a corner booth/table combination. My first impressions of the interior were this, crisp, clean, loud and the tables were too close together! I know that I said Kierland gives you that big city feel, and much like the restaurants that are found in New York and Chicago, The Greene House really packs in the tables to make the most of their space. I guess I am just spoiled as far as roomy seating goes, but I enjoy a good booth with high backs where I can't overhear the conversation of the people sitting next to me. But, we were here, and we were hungry, so I just ignored the noise and the extra conversations floating around and focused on the food.

We decided to get a few appetizers to start, first choosing the Herb Hummus that was topped with tomatoes, onions and feta cheese and served with warm flatbread. My first impression was that I loved the flatbread! It was definitely made fresh, which was evidenced by the grill marks, and was served warm which brought out a slight sweetness to it. The combination of the herbed hummus with the cool tomato, onion and cheese with the warm bread was just heavenly. The portion was quite generous, and could easily be a meal for a non-meater. I would order it again just for the flatbread alone!

We also decided to get the Tempura Calamari to start with, and we were in for a pleasant surprise when it arrived. Not only did the dish include delicious, tender pieces of lightly battered calamari sprinkled with sea salt, but there were thinly sliced pieces of zucchini mixed in with it as well! The zucchini slices were paper thin, giving them a nice cruch, almost like a potato chip, when you bit into them. We all loved this little bonus, and I may have liked them even more than the calamari! The dish was served with a sweet chili vinaigrette for dipping; it had just the right balance of heat and sweet that went well with both the zucchini and calamari. We almost didn't order this dish to begin with, but the empty plate that was left in front of us proved that it was a good last minute decision.

Soon after we finished our appetizers, our entrees arrived, with my mom's beloved scallops coming out first. The plate had four large scallops that were nicely seared and served with carmelized cauliflower, snap peas and bacon, with the sauce from the veggies drizzled on the plate. The first thing my mom did once she got her dish was hand the bacon to my dad! While my mom has nothing against bacon, she is not a huge fan, and knows how much my dad loves it....how sweet is that? After the bacon was gone, she started in on the scallops, she said they were cooked perfectly as usual, and loves the flavors in the sauce and with the cauliflower. I tried a bite of a scallop, and while they were cooked well, I wasn't as big of a fan of the flavorings, it tasted a bit blah to me, but I have had some amazing scallops lately so maybe that was part of my problem. Nonetheless, my mom loved her dish, and since it was her birthday, thats all that mattered!

My sister ordered the Harvest Chopped salad and added a grilled chicken breast on top. She loved the combination of the dark, leafy greens paired with the sweetness of the grapes, apples and strawberries and the tang of the goat cheese. The salad also was sprinkled with walnuts to give it some crunch, and was dressed in a light vinaigrette. My sister loves a good salad, and she really loves goat cheese, so she was very happy with her meal.

I had a hard time deciding what to order that night, but ended up going with the Grilled Mahi Tacos. The dish came with two large tacos loaded with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, avocado and sprinkled with cojita cheese. They also came with a side of seasoned white beans. I tried the beans first, and wow, they were good! They had a nice smokiness to them, with just a bit of heat; they too had been sprinkled with cojita cheese. I next tried my taco, it was pretty good, I liked the fresh tortillas and the toppings, but I felt that the fish was a bit overcooked, which made it dry. I also think the fish lacked some initial seasoning, because besides being dry, they were pretty blah. The lady at the table next to us had ordered the steak tacos, they looked to be really juicy, so I am thinking I just got some overcooked fish. But I think my heart still belongs to the fish tacos at Loco Patron...if you haven't tried them....they are a must!

My dad ordered the Twin Kobe Burgers as his entree, I guess he was in a red meat mood but didn't want to mess with a steak. The burgers were a bit larger than a traditional slider, so the made for a substantial meal. They were topped with fontina cheese and homemade pickles and served on brioche buns. My dad ordered his medium-rare, and was very happen to discover upon his first bite that they were cooked perfectly. As his side dish, he upgraded to the White Truffle Parmesan and Chive French Fires....and Oh My Goodness....they were AMAZING! Cooked to perfect golden brown and sprinkled with flavor, they were truly some magnificient french fries, and we were all very happy that my dad was in a sharing mood that night!

Since we were there celebrating a birthday, of course we had to get some dessert, and of course we let the birthday girl choose! I can't say that I wasn't secretly thrilled when she happened to choose the one that I had been eyeing on the menu, the Blueberry Crostata a la mode. It was basically like a mini blueberry pie minus the top crust and topped with vanilla ice cream. This was delicious! The crust was rich, buttery and flaky, and the blueberry filling was smooth and sweet. The crostata was served warm, so eating it with the cool vanilla ice cream was just divine.

Now that I have been to The Greene House, I would likely go back, because overall I felt that food was of superb quality and flavor. My mom told me that the best time to go there is when the weather is nice, because they do have a patio, and it is not nearly as noisy. So once the spring comes around again, I might just find myself venturing back to The Greene House for another delicious meal!

The Greene House

15024 N. Scottsdale Rd.

Suite 100

Scottsdale, AZ 85254

http://www.foxrestaurantconcepts.com/

My New Year's Cooking Resolutions!

2010-01-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year to you all! I wish you all good health and happiness as we begin this new decade! I opted for a low-key New Year's celebration this year by attending a New Year's PJ party hosted by my sister and her roommate. There ended up being 13 of us sporting our finest pajama's while playing board games, munching on food and drinking champagne. We all had a lot of fun and even took a moment to go and check out the blue moon (although, it didn't look blue to us).

I have been enjoying a lazy New Year's day, leaving the house just long enough to go and have lunch with my dad, while spending the rest of it lounging in bed, watching football and catching up on my Google reader. It dawned on me while browsing some new blogs that I need to step outside of my comfort zone and try some new cooking techniques and products this year, as well as make use of some of my current cookbooks/magazines/gadgets that haven't gotten much love in the past. So I present to you, my list of kitchen resolutions.

My 2010 New Year's Cooking Resolutions

Learn to make Risotto
Enter at least 1 recipe in a recipe contest
Make something that requires the use of a candy thermometer
Make a fish dish that does not start with fish sticks!
Make at least 1 recipe out of each cooking magazine that I get within a month of it showing up in my mailbox
Make an Indian food dish at home
Try brussel sprouts

Here's to a wonderful 2010!

My 100th Post & My Christmas Bounty!

2009-12-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

Wow....100 posts...I can't believe how quickly it snuck up on me! To be really fair, I should have hit this milestone a few weeks ago, I do have a few recipes and restaurant reviews that I haven't posted yet, but with the holidays and some personal stuff that came up, I just got behind. But I am excited that I get to show off all my fun new cooking gifts that I got for Christmas on my 100th post!

My family and I had a wonderful Christmas this year, filled with old traditions (biscuits and gravy for breakfast and wearing the silly paper crowns that come in the Christmas crackers during our Christmas feast) and new ones (going to the Clees family's on Christmas Eve for Chili and getting Chinese take-out for dinner). But it didn't really matter what it was that we did, it just mattered that we did it together, because that is what the holidays are really all about! I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful family, we all really do enjoy spending time together, so that makes it all the more fun when we do. Speaking of my wonderful family, they have been really supportive of my blogging (quickly learning not to take a bite of their food before I take a picture when we are out at restaurants and coming over to try out my latest creation); and my newfound blogging hobby was clearly not forgotten by them when it came time for Christmas shopping! I hit the jackpot! In years past they have always told me how difficult I am to shop for, so I guess my new hobby has made things easier for them, which in turn, benefitted me! So here is a tour of my new foodie gadgets....I can't wait to try them all out!

Digital Food Photography Book and a Collapsible Light Box (Not pictured)

My mom got me the light box and my sister got me this cool book. The light box is so neat; it pops up out of a case, then folds flat for storage and it came with a tripod, some extra spotlights and a few different colored backgrounds. I am still working on figuring out how to best use it, but I can't wait to take my food photography to the next level with the light box and the photography book!

Stainless Steel Cheese Knives

I actually got these knives at a holiday gift exchange that my girlfriend's and I have every year. There were lots of fun gifts to choose from, including a Fajita Set and MAC eyeshadows, but I just couldn't resist the cheese knives because I LOVE CHEESE! Not only do I love cheese, but I love to entertain, and serving cheese and crackers is so easy and elegant....and now I have the tools to do so!

Non-Stick Baking Mats

In my recent baking adventures I started using parchment paper on my cookie sheets...and wow...what a difference it makes! No more sticking to the tray and they just cook so much more evenly. Since I would like to consider myself somewhat "green" I thought that it would be better to have re-usable mats that served the same purpose. My mom got these for me at Macy's, they are Martha Stewart brand, and they even have a dozen little circles on each of them to show you where you should place the dough!

Cooking miBook

My sister got me this, and it was a total surprise! I had never even seen one of these before (which is very unusual for me, I like to think that I am up on all the latest gadgets). Basically, it is supported by Food Network and is a mini computer/tv thing that you set on your kitchen counter and it allows you to look up a recipe and cook with it step by step! It is like private cooking lessons! It is loaded with over 300 recipes and tips. I can't wait to try it out and learn some new tricks of the trade!

Spode Baking Dishes

For those that have known me a long time, you know about my love of all things polka-dot...especially black and white polka-dot! I was so excited to get these dishes; they are not only practical, but so cute! I saw these on the Macy's website back in September and casually mentioned to my mom how cute I thought they were, I had completely forgotten about them, and was so excited to find them under the tree! They are really heavy duty, and will make for such a nice presentation when I have guests over. Now I just need to figure out what I want to use them for first!

Cuisinart Non-Stick Hard Anodized 10 Piece Pots & Pans Set

While I am completely in love with my new Spode baking dishes, I think my favorite gift was the pots and pans set! When I first moved into my house I owned nothing but a bed, a tv and a retro baby blue velvet recliner; I had always lived in the dorms in college, so I had no need to acquire any kitchen stuff. So when I got my first house I needed everything....and everything, well....costs a lot of money....so I ended up just buying the cheapest set of pots and pans that I could find at Kohl's. And while they were good to me, it has been 4.5 years and they have seen better days. So I was elated to get a brand new set of heavy-duty pots and pans that don't have any scratches or chipped coating! The sizes of these pans are much better than my old ones, and I can't wait to get cooking with them! So thanks again Mom & Dad....I love them! (Oh yeah, and thanks for coming over and helping me clean out my kitchen cupboards so that I had a place to put them!)

So to all my friends and followers....it looks like I am all set to bring you all more foodie fun in 2010!

Macaroon Christmas Tree

2009-12-24T15:36:00.000-07:00

Merry Christams to All! Hope everyone is ready for the big day tomorrow....it sure did seem to sneak up on me this year! I have just a few minutes before I have to go get ready to go to Christmas Eve services, but I wanted to post this just before I left because it is just so cute! A couple of weeks ago I had the Food Network on and was just sort of halfway watching it when I glanced over and saw Sandra Lee putting this tree together, I thought it was cute, but then didn't give it much more thought until my mom said she had some leftover White Chocolate that she didn't know what to do with....aha....light bulb went off in my head and I said that I would take it and make this tree! I got the stuff that I needed (or thought that I needed, as I never even bothered to look up the recipe but just make it from memory) and started putting it together. While I wouldn't call this the easiest thing to make, it is not hard, you just need a bit of patience trying to get the macaroons to stick to the cone before adding the next layer, but I would do a few layers and then let it sit before coming back to it. I am taking it over to our family friend's for Christmas Eve dinner tonight.....and even if no one eats it....I still think it is too darn cute!

Macaroon Christmas Tree

adapted from Sandra Lee

Click this link for the original recipe.

For my changes, I didn't use any additional sugar, and instead of Red Hots I went with Peanut M&M's.

Also, I didn't refrigerate mine to harden, that probably would have sped things up.....but I still got it to work!

Time to get ready for church.....MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Apple Dumplings

2009-12-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

I had never eaten an apple dumpling, or any kind of dumpling for that matter, but when I saw this post on Krista's Kitchen, I just had to try them! Growing up, my Grandma always made the pies for our Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations....there was always apple and cherry, and they were amazing! The crust was flaky and tender, and we all looked forward to them each season. Well, as Grandma got up there in age (she is 93 today!) she passed over the pie making duties to my mom, but for some reason, my mom could never get the crust to cooperate for her. So about two years ago, mom gave up on her pie making efforts, usually delegating that task to a guest that would be joining us for the holiday. This year though, I knew my Aunt Nancy would be making pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving, but I felt that we needed a little bit of variety, so I decided I would make these apple dumplings.

These were actually quite simple to put together, which was surprising to me, since they do start with a pie crust base. They made made my house smell so good while they baked, with all the apples, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg! I took these to our Thanksgiving dinner and we ate them with vanilla ice cream and homemade whipped cream, they were quite good! They tasted a lot like an apple pie, but with the gooeyness on the outside of the crust instead of the inside. I would try these again, but I felt that they maybe had a bit too much nutmeg or cinnamon in them, giving them a sort of "spicy" flavor. But the crust was tender and flaky, which if you ask me what makes a good pie, it is all about the crust!

Apple Dumplings

adapted from Krista's Kitchen

For the dumplings:

2 1/4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2/3 c. Crisco
1/2 c. milk

Stir together flour and baking powder. Cut in Crisco. Stir in milk to form a soft dough and knead 2-3 times in the bowl until everything sticks together. Roll out to 1/4" thickness on a floured surface. Cut into 6 squares.

Filling:

3-4 baking apples, peeled and cored
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1-2 Tbsp. butter for dotting

Cut apples into large pieces and arrange in the center of each dough square. Sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Dot with butter. Lightly brush a small amount of water on the edges of the dough. Fold the corners up to the center. Pinch to seal. Transfer to a rectangular baking dish.

Sauce:

2 c. water
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Bring the ingredients to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Pour into the dumpling filled baking dish. Bake dumplings at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Sweet Potato Casserole

2009-12-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

I know that I may be in the minority on this one, but for some reason I just can't seem to get on board with putting marshmallows on my sweet potatoes. Maybe it is because I became a sweet potato fan later in life via the sweet potato french fry craze, but whatever it is, I just don't think they go! I got this recipe out of Cooking Light a few years ago and modified it to exclude the marshmallow topping, instead opting for some chopped pecans, but if you must, throw some marshmallows on top. But whatever you do....you MUST make this! Not only is it so incredibly easy, it is delicious! For some reason I only ever seem to make it on Thanksgiving each year, and each time I can't believe that I have let so much time pass, yet I just don't seem to get around to making it again until the following Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone is enjoying their December's so far.....mine is flying by...so much to do, so little time!

Sweet Potato Casserole

adapted from Cooking Light November 2007

2½ lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 in. cubes
¾ c. packed brown sugar
¼ c. butter, softened
1½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. vanilla extract
½ c. finely chopped pecans, divided
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 °F

Place sweet potatoes in a large pot, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until very tender. Drain; cool slightly.

Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add sugar and next 3 ingredients. Mash sweet potato mixture with a potato masher. Fold in ¼ cup pecans. Scrape potato mixture into an even layer in an 7 x 11 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with the remainng pecans. Bake for 25 minutes.

Confetti Dip

2009-12-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of family coming into town for the Thanksgiving holiday, and per our tradition, we were going to have Mom's Special Lasagna for dinner at my parent's house together on Thanksgiving Eve. My mom's "special" lasagna is actually just the classic Stouffer's lasagna, it's not homemade, but it is darn good and you just can't beat the ease of it. Plus, she always figured that she was going to be doing so much cooking the next day that she deserved a break the night before! Just before I was heading out to my mom's, I got word that some of our relatives had hit some traffic and were running late. Well, I was HUNGRY, and I didn't figure that my mom would have any snacks to hold us over until dinner, so I rummaged around and threw together this dip based on some snack bites that I had once seen in a magazine. When I got to my parent's, I popped it into the oven and soon we were munching on this delicious dip! I basically just threw in some sliced black olives and pimentos and mixed it with some mayo and shredded cheese. I wanted to add some onion, and I didn't have any green ones, so I threw in some dried, minced onion, not ideal, but it worked. My aunt and my grandma loved this dip, in fact, they put the leftovers on turkey sandwiches and toast over the next few days...so I guess it is a keeper!

Confetti Dip

10 oz. can sliced black olives, drained

1/4 c. chopped pimentos

4 green onions, chopped (I had to substitute dried, minced onion)

1/2 c. mayo (I used light)

2 c. shredded cheese, flavor of choice, I used a colby blend

Triscuits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a pie plate with cooking spray.

Combine all ingredients except for the Triscuits; mix well. Pour in pie plate, bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with Triscuits.

Zucchini Corn Cakes

2009-12-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

Remember when you were a kid and getting mail was like the coolest thing ever? Well, I must be a kid still because I love getting mail! I am not talking about bills, or junk mail or even catalogs (although I am always quite thrilled when my US Weekly arrives); the mail that I love getting is the personal kind. With everything going electronic and paperless these days, writing someone a letter is usually done at a computer, not with a pen and paper; but there is just something about a handwritten note that still brings a smile to my face. Luckily for me, my grandmother who lives in California still likes to still down and write me a letter from time to time. She usually just tells me about something going on with one of my other cousins or she will include a picture or even a coupon, but the last letter that she sent to me included a recipe that she and my cousin had recently made. I was happy for the new recipe, but it didn't quite beat the joy that a handwritten letter from my grandmother brought to me. I have a whole box of letters that she has written to me over the years, and they are truly some of my most prized possessions.

The timing of her letter and recipe couldn't have been more perfect, I happened to have some zucchini in the fridge the needed to be used and a box of Jiffy Corn Bread mix in the pantry. The recipe called for shredded zucchini, so I was also really excited to use my new Titan Peeler (yes, the ones off the infomercial, but I bought mine at Bed Bath & Beyond), not only does it peel, but it juliennes. I have to say, the peeler worked perfect for this, and I was able to put these together in no time! I did jazz mine up a bit from the original by adding in a handful of shredded cheese (because in my opinion cheese makes everything better) and topping them with a dollop of sour cream, and next time I think I might add some green chiles! These were delicious and easy, and I ate them just as they were for my meal, but they would also be great served as a side dish.

Keep in mind, if you are looking to brighten someone's day, sit down with a pen and paper and write them a note because it is usually the little things in life that mean the most!

Zucchini Corn Cakes

adapted from Women's Day - Sept. 15, 2009

1 medium zucchini, shredded

1 box Jiffy corn bread mix

1 large egg

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

1 Tbsp. canola oil

Sour cream, if desired

Place shredded zucchini in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 2 minutes on medium-high heat; drain. Combine zucchini, corn bread mix, egg and milk. Let stand for 5 minutes and stir in cheese.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet. Drop heaping tablespoons of the batter into the hot oil. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Serve with a dollop of sour cream if desired.

Microwave Acorn Squash

2009-12-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago when I was walking through the grocery store I spotted an acorn squash, at that point I realized that it had been at least 10 years since I had eaten one, so I decided that that was going to change! I plopped a good looking one in my cart and finished up the rest of my shopping. Later that night I decided to cook it for dinner and rememberd an easy recipe that I had seen in a Simple and Delicious magazine; after a bit of searching, I found it and was able to whip this up in just 15 minutes. I couldn't believe how easy this is by using the microwave, and the first bite brought back memories of when my mom used to make this when I was a kid, which is just what I needed on a Sunday night in November!

Microwave Acorn Squash

from Simple & Delicious Sept/Oct 2008

1 medium acorn squash

2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp. butter

2 tsp. honey

Dash of salt

Cut squash in half; discard seeds. Place squash cut side down in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 10-12 minutes or until tender.

Turn squash cut side up. Divide the brown sugar, butter, honey and salt evenly in the centers of the squash. Cover and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

Red Curry Shrimp with Jasmine Rice

2009-11-18T08:49:00.001-07:00

A couple of Sunday's ago I didn't go to the grocery store as planned, and once six o'clock rolled around, I was hungry. Rather than running out to grab something, I figured I should try to throw something together with the stuff that I had on hand. When I looked in my cupboard I found this:

It was a jar of Thai Kitchen Red Curry Simmer sauce, I had bought it a few months ago when I had a coupon for it, and had yet to try it. I remembered that I had some shrimp and frozen broccoli in the freezer, so I figured I would try it out.

I knew I needed some sort of rice or noodle to serve it over to soak up the sauce; so I was very happy when I came across this:

Uncle Ben's Jasmine Ready Rice! I think I bought this with the intention of using it with some sort of Thai stir fry I was going to make once; well it didn't happen then, but on this night I was happy to find it, especially since it only takes 90 seconds in the microwave and it is done.

So I gathered my sauce, shrimp, rice, frozen broccoli and red bell pepper that I had found in the fridge and started cooking. Well the strangest thing happened, from start to finish the entire process took just 15 minutes, which is at least how long it would have taken me to run out and grab some food somewhere! Plus, it was a much healthier option than anything I would have gotten. The flavor of this was good, very mild for those of you worried about spice (but it could be easily taken up a notch with some siracha sauce) and it paired so well with the Jasmine rice. I was very proud of myself for making such a colorful, healthy meal....and my stomach was grateful that it only took 15 minutes!

Red Curry Shrimp with Jasmine Rice

(Serves 2 )

1/2 lb. uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined (If using frozen, just run under some water for a minute)

1 (11.9 oz.) jar Thai Kitchen Red Curry Simmer Sauce

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 c. broccoli florets (I used frozen, but fresh would work)

1 (8.5 oz.) bag Uncle Ben's Jasmine Ready Rice

In a medium saucepan, heat simmer sauce until boiling. Add shrimp to sauce and reduce to a simmer. Cook about 3 minutes and then add the red bell pepper and broccoli. Meanwhile, cook Ready Rice according to package directions. The sauce is done once the shrimp are fully cooked (pink). Divide rice into two bowls and top with the shrimp sauce. Enjoy!

Cheesy Potatoes Gratin

2009-11-17T08:32:00.058-07:00

By no means has it actually felt like Fall yet here in Arizona, but that hasn't stopped me from wanting to eat Fall type foods, specifically, casseroles! I know I have previously pledged my love for almost all things casserole, so when I say these on Kaitlin's blog, I knew I just had to make them soon. As luck would have it, I happened to have a package of homestyle potato slices in my fridge that were quickly approaching their expiration date, so I took it as a sign! After getting home from work one night, I was able to quickly throw these together, especially since the potatoes were already sliced (the original recipe called for peeling and slicing the potatoes). I had just gotten these cute little red ramekins and had been looking for a reason to try them out, but I suppose you could just put everthing in one large dish, it might just have to cook for a bit longer.

I had one little problem while making these, at some point, my toaster oven that I was baking these in turned off! I was pretty sure that I set the timer for the alotted time, but somehow it went off, and I didn't hear it ding over the TV. When the smell finally brought me into the kitchen, I could tell that they weren't done, so I just had to guess on how much time they needed until they were done. After the delay,I was finally able to dig into the potatoes, and they were worth the wait! They were creamy, cheesy and just so comforting! I think I went a little bit overboard with the garlic, but that is a personal preference, so adjust accordingly! These could even be made into a nice meal with the additional of some ham to the mix....but entree or side dish, they are still delish!

Cheesy Potatoes Gratin

adapted from Kaitlin in the Kitchen

20 oz. pkg. Simply Potatoes Homestyle slices (found in the refrigerated section by the eggs)

1/2 c. half and half

4 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated

2 c. extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, divided

2 small garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Butter, to butter the gratin dishes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, add potato slices, half and half, 1 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic and salt & pepper. Stir to combine, making sure all the potatoes are well coated; if needed add more half and half. Generously butter your ramekins or baking dish (this adds flavor, don't use spray). Spoon the potatoes evenly into 4 small ramekins and flatten to make sure they're in an even layer. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, then remove and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Let cool for about 5 minutes before eating.

Beer Cheese Dip

2009-11-16T20:00:00.003-07:00

I actually made this dip for one of my tailgates earlier this season, but I forgot my camera that day, and my sister called dibs on the leftovers. I told her she could have them as long as she took a picture and sent it to me....well, she lost her camera cord....so it took awhile....but she finally sent it so I can post the recipe for all of you!

At this point, I can't even clearly remember what game I made this for, but I am thinking it had to be University of Washington....which was an exciting game as my Sun Devils scored a touchdown as time expired to win the game!! Everyone in the stadium figured we were heading into overtime (which I was a bit miffed about because my DVR was going to miss overtime...and yes, I go to the game and re-watch it on TV, it is just my thing, don't judge me!).....but then a beautiful rainbow pass dropped the ball into the waiting hands of Chris McGaha, who seemed to be in just as much shock as the rest of the crowd! It always seems that we come up on the short end of these last minute scores (which, incidentally, is the reason for three of our losses this season), but this night was different for a change.

We were having a really casual tailgate that night, just Washington "Husky" Dogs, Washington Apple Pie....you get the drift. I knew we needed some sort of munchie to tide us over until we grilled the hot dogs, so I went searching on Recipezaar and came up with this little gem. After reading the ingredients, I was sold, and I knew my crew would be to....I mean it has two kinds of cheese, ranch dressing and beer in it...can it get any better? Well, I whipped this up in my Kitchen Aid mixer, and let it sit overnight until game day, the verdict, it was a HIT! Everyone wanted to know what was in it, and couldn't stop eating it. I served it with some pretzel crisps that I found at Costco, because pretzels + cheese + beer = YUM! Like I said earlier, my sister took home the leftovers, and I am guessing they didn't last long. For those of you weary of the beer part, you really couldn't taste it, but if you want to leave out the liquor all together, just substitute some apple juice!

Beer Cheese Dip

adapted from Recipezaar

2 (8 oz. each) pkgs. cream cheese
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix (Like Hidden Valley)
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c. green onion, tops only, chopped
1/3 - 1/2 c. beer, any flavor (I think I used Bud Light) or use apple juice

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and the ranch dressing mix; mix until smooth. Stir in the cheddar cheese and the green onions. Slowly add beer until you reach your desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate overnight; serve with pretzels, crackers, veggies, etc!

Yupha's Thai Kitchen

2009-11-12T21:08:00.010-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I made plans to go out to dinner with "My Biggest Fan" (aka Kelly) and her family, as usual, she wanted me to pick the place, and preferably make it someplace new. When we get together, we tend to always go for Mexican food, and while neither of us have ever been known to turn our nose up at a good enchilada, I thought we should shake things up a bit. I had remembered reading about Yupha's awhile ago, and I always had wanted to try it, and with it conveniently being located in Tempe between my house in Scottsdale and her house in Chandler, it just made since. Plus, she and her husband Jimmy love them some spicy food, so if we weren't going for Mexican, at least they could still get their spice fix! Never wanting to miss out on some Thai food, or getting to play with a cute baby, my sister came along with us as well.

Yupha's is located in the same plaza as Vincitorio's Restaurant on the Southeast corner of McClintock and Elliot. They used to be located on Rural and Elliot, but have moved to this new location in the past year. The space is big, open and modern; with high ceilings, minimal furniture and modern art, it makes for a very relaxing vibe. We arrived at 6:30 on a Thursday night, and while the place wasn't completely full, most of the tables were occupied. Our waitress came by and took our beverage order, and then gave us some time to look over the menu. And time she gave us, because it seemed like it was 10 minutes before she finally returned; they must have been understaffed that night, because it was just her and one other waitress covering the whole restaurant, so we decided not to get to upset by this.

When she finally did return to take our order, she couldn't have been more pleasant; answering our random questions and suggesting items on the menu. Kelly and Jimmy ordered the Thai Rolls to start and I got some Tom Kha Gai soup to begin with. The spring rolls came with four in an order, and plum sauce on the side for dipping. Everyone's first reaction to them was how skinny they were, and not in a good way. The menu described them as being filled with bean threads and vegetables; well, upon their first tastes, Kelly and Jimmy saw a bean thread or two inside of them, but other than that, it just seemed to be all wrapper. They were cooked to a nice, golden, crunchy brown, but they were seriously lacking in the veggie department. The plum sauce was good, but they are probably not something that I would recommend for anyone to order.

I absolutely love Tom Kha Gai soup, but almost every Thai restaurant that I go to doesn't offer just a single serving bowl of it, they get all fancy and serve it in these giant silver urns, so I rarely end up ordering it. When I saw that I was able to order just a bowl of the soup, I knew that I had to give this version a try. Well, I have to say, this was the best version I have ever had; it had a touch of heat, mixed with the cool coconut and lime leaves, it was heavenly. My sister had never tried this kind of soup, so I scooped some into a bowl for her and she too thought that it was really good. The flavors were so well balanced, that I really could have eaten a giant urn full of this version!

I like all different kinds of Thai dishes, curries, noodles, etc., but on this particular night I wasn't feeling that adventurous, so I decided to go with the old Pad Thai standby. Kelly decided she was going to have the Pad Thai as well (but I won't bore you all with two pictures of the same dish). I ordered mine mild with the chicken and shrimp, while Kelly ordered hers at a hot heat level and with just tofu. When the dishes came out they were giant plates, just heaping with noodles. The ever present crushed peanuts and bean sprouts were strewn across the top just waiting to be mixed in to the delicious sauce and noodles below. Both Kelly and I dug in and were immediately happy with our dish; the noodles were perfectly cooked, and the sauce had just enough sweet and heat to give it a savory flavor. We both really enjoyed this classic, and I even felt that this is quite possibly the best version that I have ever had. My only complaint would be that I got a whopping two shrimp in my dish, and one of them was so hidden I didn't even find it until I was boxing up my leftovers!

Laura, whom I usually refer to as the Pad Thai Queen, because she never varies from her order, actually surprised me and ordered the Roasted Duck. Well, I shouldn't say this totally surprised me, because while she loves a good Pad Thai, if there is duck on the menu, it is no contest. She was quite surprised by how many different duck dishes Yupha's had on their menu, typically, if there is duck, there is one option, but they had at least four options plus a duck special! Not being one for spicy food, she opted for the Roasted Duck that was served over a bed a steamed spinach and with a brown sauce on the side. When her plate arrived, she was amazed to see the entire duck on her plate...bonus! The duck's skin was nice and crispy, and when dipped into the brown sauce, the flavor was really accentuated. Laura was really happy with this dish, and while it didn't scream Thai food, she was happy to pass up her usual Pad Thai in favor of the duck (though that didn't stop her from stealing a few bites off of my plate)!

Jimmy was in the mood for curry, and finally decided on the Green Curry with Beef, at a hot heat level! When the bowl came out, I could smell the heat wafting off of it and the scent of the lemongrass; it looked really good. After piling his plate with rice, he scooped beef and green curry sauce over the rice to begin his feast. He really like it, the meat was tender and the heat of the curry was tempered by the rice. At one point, he ran out of rice, and due to the shaky service, we waited a long time before Laura told him to just eat the rest of her rice; which was a good thing, because we might still be waiting for rice and water today! Once he got more rice, Jimmy was able to polish of the curry and declared it to be a success!

When we first got to the restaurant, Logan was still asleep, and of course he decided to wake up just before we got our food....but he is such a good baby that it didn't cause any problems. Laura hadn't seen him since he was a few days old, and she was excited to see how big he had gotten at five months old! We tried to take some pictures with him at the end of dinner, but he wasn't in the mood for photographs, but that didn't stop us from trying!

Myself, Laura, Logan & Kelly

(Not Pictured - Jimmy the Camera Man!)

Dinner was excellent, I am so glad that I finally made it to Yupha's, and I think the consensus of the group was that this was some above average Thai food. As always, we went for the company, but enjoyed the food, not a bad Thursday night at all!

Yupha's Thai Kitchen
1805 E. Elliot Rd., Suite 115
Tempe, AZ 85284
www.yuphasthaikitchen.com

Creamed Spinach

2009-11-08T17:06:00.003-07:00

I have been cooking I promise, but I haven't been blogging about it, and I don't really have an answer as to why. This is the spinach side dish that I made to go with the Stuffed Pork Loin and the Individual Pumpkin Cheese Cakes; that was two weeks ago. I guess I have been rather busy, but that is not an excuse, so I would like to apologize to "My Biggest Fan" for my absence....I vow to get back on track this month!

My dad loves a good creamed spinach, so when I was trying to figure out a vegetable side to go with the pork, I decided that creamed spinach would be perfect. This is a version from Emeril Lagasse that I found on Recipezaar, it was really simple to throw together, and reheated well. The only issue I found was that it was a bit runny, so I think the spinach needs to be rung out really well before the liquid is added, but other than that....it was just delicious! (Please pardon the picture.....there was just no pretty way to photograph this!)

Creamed Spinach

adapted from Recipezaar

3 Tbsp. butter
3 lbs. fresh spinach, washed and stemmed (The original said to chop, but I skipped that)

Salt & pepper to taste

2 Tbsp. chopped garlic

2 c. Half and Half

2 c. Italian blend cheese, shredded, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish; set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add butter and stir until melted. Add spinach to skillet along with salt and pepper; saute for 3 to 4 minutes or until all the spinach is wilted. (At this point, I would remove the spinach and squeeze out all the extra liquid) Add the Half and Half and the garlic to the spinach; bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 6 minutes, or until mixture begins to thicken. Remove pan from heat and stir in 1 1/2 cups of the cheese. Pour into prepared baking dish; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for about 4 - 6 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Stuffed Pork Loin

2009-10-29T14:30:00.004-07:00

So after I had volunteered to make family dinner, I had to figure out something to make for it! I wouldn't call my family picky eaters (except maybe my dad), we all are pretty adventurous, it just seems that we all happen to have really different tastes, so I was struggling to figure out something that I thought would appeal to all of them. My other issue that I was trying to work around was that I didn't want to actually have to be physically cooking something and be distracted from watching the game....because if you know me....I don't like to miss a minute...I even record and re-watch games! I was going through some recipes that I had saved and came across this one, I thought it would be perfect, it included at least one ingredient that everyone liked; Dad (bacon), Laura (pesto), Mom (spinach) and myself (cream cheese). But the big seller for me was that after I prepared it, I could stick it in the oven for an hour or so and just concentrate on watching the big game!

This really didn't have a lot of ingredients, and the presentation was quite fancy, the most difficult part was just figuring out the best way to cut the pork to get it to lay flat, but once I figured that out, I just pounded away with my meat mallet to flatten it some more! I really should have taken some before pictures of the process, but I was making three other recipes at the same time, so I just didn't have time. The original recipe used a pork tenderloin, but the one at my store were so small and narrow, that there was no way that I was going to be able to get all the stuffing ingredients in the middle, so I substituted the pork loin and it worked out just fine. The whole family really loved this; the pork was tender and the flavors worked really well together, and it just looked so darn fancy on the plate! I served it with Parmesan couscous (which my mom so graciously prepared since it wasn't quite half-time and I couldn't be torn away) and some creamed spinach (recipe coming soon!) It was a wonderful meal, and would work really well for a dinner party since all the prep can be done beforehand.

If you are looking to show off in the kitchen, you must try this!

Stuffed Pork Loin

adapted from Favorite Family Recipes

1 (2-3 lb) pork loin or tenderloin (I used loin because the tenderloins were too small to stuff)

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. jarred roasted red peppers, chopped

6 - 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I just left them whole)

1 pkg. dried pesto seasoning (Like Knorr brand, usually found near the pasta)

Fresh spinach leaves to taste

olive oil

salt

pepper

Cut the pork almost in half, then starting at the middle, cut each side almost in half again so that it lays flat. Pound with a meat mallet to get the pork an even thickness. Spread the cream cheese over the pork evenly, leaving about 1 inch around the edges. Lay the roasted red peppers over the cream cheese then top with the bacon. Evenly sprinkle the pesto seasoning over the red pepper layer, then top with the desired amount of spinach. Starting at one of the short ends, roll the pork up jelly roll style. Using kitchen twine, tie the roast closed with about 3 or 4 pieces of the twine. (At this point, I wrapped in plastic and chilled until ready to cook.)

To cook the pork, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place pork in a baking dish; drizzle with the olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 60 - 90 minutes until pork is cooked through. Let it stand about 10 minutes, then slice it and serve it!

Individual Pumpkin Cheesecakes

2009-10-26T20:14:00.004-07:00

This past Sunday night I had volunteered to make dinner at my parent's house for a Family dinner while we watched the Cardinals on Sunday Night Football (for those of you that missed it, the game was awesome, we beat the NY Giants!). After I finally decided what I was going to make, I was still looking at recipes online when I came across these little gems. I LOVE cheesecake as some of you may know, and I remember having a pumpkin cheesecake that my aunt made at a Thanksgiving probably 15 years ago, but I haven't had any since. I felt that it was fate that I try these out because for the bottom crust you were supposed to use a gingersnap cookie, and I just happened to have half of a box leftover from when I made the Pumpkin Pie Dip for the tailgate a few weeks back....jackpot! These were really easy to throw together, my mom and my sister both loved them, especially since they are just the perfect little serving size. These could definitely be jazzed up with some whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon, but they are tasty just how they are!

Individual Pumpkin Cheesecakes

adapted from Put A Lyd On It

18 paper baking cups

18 gingersnap cookies

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

3/4 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. Pumpkin Pie spice

2 eggs

1 c. mashed pumpkin (From a can, 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix)

1/3 c. light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Place baking cups in muffin pans; press a gingersnap into the bottom of each cup. Beat cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch and pumpkin pie spice with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs and blend to combine. Add pumpkin and corn syrup to the mixture; beat for 1 minute. Divide filling evenly into the prepared baking cups. Bake for 30-35 minutes until just set. Let cool briefly, remove from muffin tins and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Enjoy!

Harry Bissett's Bayou Grill - Athens, Georgia

2009-10-25T21:39:00.008-07:00

After an amazing dinner our first night in Georgia, we were hoping that the trend would continue. On our first night in Athens, my dad had made reservations at a restaurant that specialized in Louisiana style cooking, so we were looking forward to some good ole' Southern cooking! Harry Bissett's is located in a building that looks like it should really be an office building, but alas, it is a giant two story restaurant with a bar and patio on the first floor and the restaurant on the second floor. Upon our arrival, were immediately seated in a large round booth on the second floor. The restaurant's interior is fairly plain, with a few pieces of art here and there.

We began to look over the menu and decided to get some soup and an appetizer to share. We ordered the Sherry Crab Bisque, which was a rich cream broth highlighted with sherry, red and green peppers and lots of crab. This bisque was outstanding! Each bite had the perfect combination of all the elements, it was smooth and just out of this world delicious! We all really liked this, but I think it was I who was the biggest fan, as I wouldn't let the waitress take the bowl until I soaked up every last drop with the bread that was on the table.

We considered getting the Barbecue Shrimp for our appetizer, but when we asked the waitress about them, she said that they were quite spicy. While my dad and I would have been okay with this, the frightened look in both my mom and sister's eyes made it clear that we needed to pick something else; so we decided on the Oyster's Rockefeller. I have always loved Oyster's Rockefeller, I even went as far as to make them at home once (and almost lost a finger in the process), so I was eager to try this version. My dad is more of a raw oyster fan, but since the oysters were from the Gulf of Mexico (he won't eat raw from what he refers to as "warm waters") he thought that the Rockefeller sounded like a good idea. There are many versions of Oysters Rockefeller, some include bacon, some include a heavy bechemel sauce; but these were very simple and light. The topping was just a combination of spinach, butter, celery and onions, but they were seasoned just perfectly, and I felt that they were one of the best versions that I had ever had. The topping didn't mask the flavor of the oyster, and the spinach was nice and tender. We had only gotten an order of four oysters, but we were all wishing that we had gotten more.

Mom was in the mood for some fish, and since the Catch of the Day was Salmon, she decided to get the Catch just simply grilled. She also got her choice of two sides and chose a garden salad and the jambalaya. When her plate came out, the fish had nice grill marks on it and it was very good in size and served with a slice of lemon on the side. She took a bite and discovered that it was very dry, which meant that it had been overcooked. She didn't bother sending it back, but she said that even if it wouldn't have been dry, that the flavor wasn't anything special. Her side salad had come out before the entrees, and it was really small, but it did include dark greens and not just iceberg lettuce. She liked the flavor of the jambalaya, but once again was perplexed by the small portion. All in all, she probably had gotten about 1/4 of a cup of the rice, while her fish was a really large portion. Over the course of our meal, we noticed that this seemed to be the pattern, huge entrees and small sides, which really makes no sense when looking at it from the cost perspective of the restaurant!

At first, my sister and my dad were going to order the same thing, but ultimately, they decided to order two things and then share bites. My sister ordered the Carpetbagger Steak which was a filet mignon topped with fried oysters and a Bearnaise sauce. She chose the side salad and the Brabant Potatoes, which were basically just potatoes cubed and roasted. When her plate came out, it was quite the sight to see. The steak was quite large, and was cooked to a perfection with a pink middle. The crispy oysters and the Bearnaise sauce were both excellent and plentiful. She tried each element on their own, but said that it tasted best when some of each were all featured in a bite. She was very happy with her entree, and while she ate they potatoes, she didn't think they were anything special.

I had a hard time deciding what to order, but I just kept coming back to the Veal Lafayette, so I decided when in Athens, do as the Athenians do! When my plate was served, I couldn't believe how huge the portion was! There were three large pieces of veal had been pounded thin, lightly battered and then sauteed, they were then topped with a cream sauce that was laced with crawfish tails, dill and sherry. I had never had crawfish before this, but upon my first taste I decided that I had been missing out! The tails were so sweet and tender, and when mixed with the sherry and the cream, it became a delicious sauce. The veal was nice and tender, and tasted wonderful smothered in the Lafayette sauce. For my sides, I chose the Dirty Rice and the Green Beans. I hadn't had dirty rice in a very long time, but my first bite was as good as I remembered. This version was speckled with ground beef and onions, and the seasoning was salty with a touch of spice, making it just perfect. But the real stand out of the sides was the green beans! The beans had been slow cooked with bacon, and well, bacon makes everything better! But seriously, the beans were so tender, they just melted in your mouth, and the salt from the bacon gave them just the right amount of seasoning. I gave my dad a bite, and declared that he should have ordered the green beans, which coming from my dad, is a big deal!

Like my sister, my dad wanted some red meat, so he ordered the Uptown Stuffed Filet. The meat was stuffed with blue cheese and then covered in a port wine sauce. Like my sister's steak, his too was cooked perfectly, making it extremely tender and juicy. My dad loves blue cheese, and the addition of the cheese to this steak did not disappoint. The port reduction sauce tamed the tangy blue cheese just a touch, making it a wonderful compliment to the dish. Like my sister, he too had gotten the side salad and Brabant Potatoes for a side (so boring!). He really enjoyed his meal, and after he and my sister swapped bites, they decided that they each preferred the dish that they had ordered to the other one, so I guess it worked out just fine!

I wasn't really in the mood for dessert (shocking I know), but my mom and sister really wanted something sweet to end the meal, so I told them to just go ahead and pick something and I would try a bite. Well, they picked something that I probably wouldn't have chosen, Sweet Potato Pecan Pie, but I was willing to give it a try. Well let me just say, they made a wonderful pick, the pie was so good! I was a bit hesitant at first because I am not a fan of pecan pie, but this had just a small layer of the pecans on top of the sweet potato filling, and it really complemented the filling just perfectly! The pie was topped with some Chantilly Cream (a type of sweetened whipped cream, in this instance, vanilla) and was truly heavenly. It is very similar in taste to a pumpkin pie, in fact, I am not sure I could tell the difference if I didn't know what I was eating. Both my mom and my sister thought that this was the best dessert ever, and started thinking about how they could recreate it for Thanksgiving!

While this meal didn't top our meal from the previous night, for the most part, it was a really good meal. While we did find some faults (overcooked fish and skimpy sides) we did experience some of that Cajun flavor that we were looking for. Athens is a small town, and I would reckon that this is one of the better restaurants in town, and if I did find myself there again, I probably would find my way to Harry Bissett's, if for nothing else, just to eat bisque and pie!

Harry Bissett's Bayou Grill
1155 Mitchell Bridge Road

Athens, GA 30601

http://bayou.harrybissetts.net

The Atlanta Fish Market - Atlanta, GA

2009-10-20T16:45:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it has been three weeks since we got back from our Georgia adventure and I haven't posted about any of the delicious food that we ate! And eat we did; lots of wonderful seafood and Southern delicacies were on our agenda, and while I never did get any chicken and waffles (don't scrunch your nose at this, it is darn tasty), we did have some really wonderful food!

Our first night of the trip we stayed in Atlanta near Lenox Square, which is a big shopping district. Pre-trip my dad had done some research and had gotten us reservations at The Atlanta Fish Market, which was touted to have some of the best seafood in Georgia. After getting changed at the hotel we headed over for our 7:30 reservation, and even though it was really only 4:30 Phoenix time, we were starved due to traveling and the lack of a formal lunch. I was in charge of the driving during the whole trip since my dad had hurt his back, and while I don't usually mind driving, I am not fond of the passengers trying to tell me how to drive or that they accidentally forgot the directions! After a few maneuvers that could possibly be considered illegal, we finally found the restaurant, which incidentally is hard to miss due to the 65-foot high copper fish that sits out in front of the restaurant!

The restaurant was housed in a large brick building, and upon entering the high ceilings and colorful decorations gave it a very inviting feeling. We were taken to one of the large booths that ran along one of the aisles. Have I ever mentioned how much I love booths? It is just so much more comfortable, you can spread out, and if you are a girl...there is always room for your purse! This booth could have easily sat six people, so there was no fighting for elbow room. Our waitress came over and discussed the specials, then took our drink orders and left us to look over the menu. This menu was massive, there were so many delicious looking choices, we just couldn't decide! I think before she took our order, at least three of us had changed our orders at least three times!

When our waitress returned with our drinks and some crusty sourdough bread, we put in our order; a few appetizers for sharing and our entrees. We dug into the bread like we had not seen food in days. It was warm on the inside, and crusty on the outside, the perfect way to start our meal. Luckily, some of our appetizers arrived, otherwise we may have put ourselves in a bread coma!

The first thing on the table was the Creamy New England Clam and Cod Chowder. My family is a bunch of seafood soup loving fools, and we always seem to get clam chowder when we are out, so we were anxious to try this version. At first impression, I was a bit taken back by the appearance of the soup, I am used to a chowder that is very white, but this one had more of a golden hue to it. But all first impressions immediately went away as soon as I took a bite, it was the most amazing chowder I had ever had! It was thick enough, but not heavy; it had a nice seafood flavor, but not in an overwhelming way; and the potatoes were cooked perfectly. My whole family thought that this was a superb chowder, and the bowl was empty in a flash. In truths, I could have had another bowl just for myself!

My dad and sister were really excited to see New England "Steamer Clams" on the menu, so we got an order of them as well. Normally when we get these, the clams come swimming in the broth, but in this instance, the clams were served on the side from the broth, so you just dipped the clam in the broth. Wow, these were amazing!! The broth had such great flavor; garlic, lemon, butter and the clams were so tender it was a match made in heaven. A close second was dipping the bread in the leftover broth...mmmm.

My dad also wanted to share a salad to start and chose the Blue Cheese Caesar, since my mom does not like blue cheese, it was up to my sister and I to help with it. We all found the concept of a Caesar salad with blue cheese to be very intriguing, and the result was delicious. Basically, it was a regular Caesar salad, that was then topped wih crmbled blue cheese for some added punch. The three of us that ate it really liked it, you could still taste the Caesar dressing, but for a blue cheese lover, this is one tasty salad (and I don't even normally like salad!).

We had just barely finished all our starters when our entrees started to arrive. My mom one was one of the people who couldn't quite decide what to order, but utlimately, with some guidance from our server, she decided on the Jumbo Sea Scallops Hong Kong Style. Hong Kong Style is the restaurant's signature fish preparation, and you can get it with any of the fresh seafood selections that they have that day. So for the scallops, they were sauteed with sherry soy, scallions and ginger then served over a bed of sauteed spinach with a side of sticky white rice. The presentation of the dish was beautiful, and my mom couldn't get over how huge the portion was! Typically, restaurants will give you about 4 or 5 large scallops as a serving, this dish had about 10! Mom took her first bite and was very happy with the dish. The scallops were sweet and tender, and when contrasted with the salty soy it was a delicious combination. I was lucky enough to score a scallop off her plate, and it was so amazing, the flavors were so delicate and especially good when eaten with some of the spinach that had been cooked in the same broth; it was a very successful dish. Mom had a hard time eating all of the scallops, but she just couldn't bear to see any of them go to waste!

My dad ordered something I have never seen him order in a restaurant, lobster. It is not that he doesn't like lobster, it is just not something that he ever seems to be in the mood for (with the exception of when it is in a bisque - see I told you - seafood soup fanatics!). I guess the description of the 1 1/2 lb. "Signature" Whole Stuffed Maine Lobster was just too enticing for him to pass up. The lobster was HUGE, it took up an entire plate to itself, forcing the whipped garlic potatoes and green beans to occupy their own plate. The lobster had been split down the middle but left the tail meat intact to be dipped in drawn butter, but the rest of the shell was stuffed with Alaskan King Crab stuffing, which was basically like a giant crab cake! Dad really loved this, he said the lobster was cooked perfectly, and was not rubbery at all. The King Crab stuffing was seasoned well and really complimented the sweet lobster. The garlic whipped potatoes were also excellent, with just the right amount of garlic and extremely creamy from the butter. He too had a hard time finishing his meal.

I was in the mood for crab, but I am not a fan of crab legs and I didn't think I could eat two whole crab cakes so I decided to order the "King" Crab Fritters off of the appetizer menu. When my plate came out, I was presented with three medium sized fritters, some homemade potato chips and a side of spicy remoulade sauce. I cut in to the first fritter and was pleasantly surprised to find basically a crab cake! It seems that they had taken their typical crab cake mixture, dipped it in a light batter and deep fried them. The crab was wonderful, there was not a lot of filler, just crab and I really liked the remoulade sauce. The homemade potato chips were still warm and cooked just enough to give them a nice crunch. I felt that this was an excellent value because I was basically get the crab cakes at a much reduced price, and since I got samples from everyone else's plates...I had more than enough food to eat.

My sister was going to order the crab legs, but then she decided that she could get those anywhere, so she went with the Surf Special of the Day, the "Lobster & Frites." It consisted of a 6 oz. lobster tail dipped in their thin batter and flash fried and was served with french fries and some honey mustard dipping sauce. When her plate first arrived she was a bit confused because she didn't think it looked like a lobster tail, but she went ahead and started eating anyway. As she started eating, she realized that there wasn't any honey mustard dipping sauce (she has a major obssession with this stuff), while we waited to flag down the waitress, my dad finally tried a bite of her meal and said, "Mmm, those are some good shrimp." What? Shrimp, she had ordered lobster! Well when the waitress came back she confirmed that they gave my sister the wrong meal, and like magic, the lobster appeared, but we got to keep the shrimp too due to the mix up! Boy were we lucky here, these were the best fried shrimp we had ever had. The batter was so light, that it gave just enough crunch without masking the shrimp flavor. My mom, dad and I were happy to eat the plate of shrimp that we were given by mistake!

While my sister too enjoyed the shrimp, she loved the lobster. It had the same thin batter, and the sweet lobster paired really well with the honey mustard dipping sauce. She gave me a bite and it was delicious, a unique preparation that really highlighted the lobster very well! (Now this looks more like a lobster tail!)

Even though we had eaten way too much already, especially due to the tasty bonus shrimp, we just couldn't resist getting some dessert....I mean we were on vacation! I really wanted to get the bread pudding; I used to be very against bread pudding, but now I can't seem to understand why? This version was dotted with golden raisins and served warm with a butter rum sauce....it was divine! The raisins really made this exceptional, I think golden raisins get a bad wrap most of the time, but when they are warmed up their sweetness really shines through. My mom is a big bread pudding lover, and thought that this was an excellent version.

My sister is not a fan of bread pudding, so we ended up ordering a second dessert, the warm apple tart with cinnamon ice cream. The tart was excellent, it had a crumb topping and the crust was so flaky and delicious. What really set this tart apart was the homemade cinnamon ice cream that it was served with, it was a wonderful combination that made it very unique.

While we probably didn't need to have dessert, we were glad that we did, but we were very, very full! My sister declared it the best meal she had ever eaten, and most of us agreed that as a whole, the meal was AMAZING! Our trip to Georgia had started off on a high note, and I know if I ever get back to Atlanta, a trip to The Atlanta Fish Market will definitely be on my itinerary!

The Atlanta Fish Market
265 Pharr Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30305

http://www.buckheadrestaurants.com/

Black Bean and Mandarin Orange Salsa

2009-10-16T22:45:00.005-07:00

I was running a bit behind in planning my tailgate menu for the ASU vs. Oregon State football game a couple of weeks ago. I like to theme my menus based on the team that we are playing, but I couldn't seem to draw any inspiration from Corvallis, Oregon or the Beaver mascot....is beaver even edible? Well, with it being October, it suddenly hit me, I would go with the team colors....ORANGE and BLACK! After my epiphany, I was able to quickly plan a color themed, or close enough, color themed menu!

ASU vs. Oregon State - October 3, 2009

Grilled Sliders with Cheddar Cheese (I am not that good at grilling, so I figured the meat was the black part!)
Black Bean and Mandarin Orange Salsa with Tortilla Chips
Carrots with Ranch (I put black food coloring in the ranch...didn't go over so well!)
Pumpkin Pie Dip with Ginger Snaps & Chocolate Teddy Grahams (Recipe Coming Soon!)

This wasn't one of my most elaborate menus, but it went over really well with my guests, especially this salsa. It was such a nice refreshing change from the normal black bean salsas that usually have corn in them, the sweetness of the oranges paired really well with the salty black beans. I usually end up with leftovers of most of the things I bring, but not with this one, the bowl was licked clean!

Black Bean and Mandarin Orange Salsa
adapted from Coastal Living - January 1998

1 (11 oz.) can mandarin orange sections, undrained
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. roasted red pepper (from a jar), diced
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar (or you can use balsamic)
1/4 tsp. salt

Drain orange sections, reserving 1/3 cup of the juice.

Combine orange sections, beans, red pepper, and cilantro in a large bowl; set aside.

Whisk together the reserved orange juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt; pour over orange mixture, tossing well. Chill until serving and serve with tortilla chips.

VinciTorio's Restaurant

2009-10-15T11:57:00.011-07:00

I hadn't been to a new restaurant in awhile, so I was looking forward to trying out this place with a few girls from my Sorority Alumni group. Two of them are regulars at VinciTorio's and had been wanting me to host one of the dinners there, so I finally gave in and planned the dinner there for a Friday night. I had called at noon that day to get reservations, and it was good that I did, because there were quite a few people waiting when we arrived, but we were seated right away.

The interior of the space has a very homey feel, with pictures of the owners family all over the walls. I estimated that there were only about 20 tables in the restaurant, so it was a nice atmosphere. After our waiter took our drink orders he came back with a basket of hot bread. My friends, the regulars, informed me that all the bread was made in house, making it very fresh. There were two types in the basket, a foccacia and a garlic bread. Both of them were excellent, the garlic bread was crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. The foccacia seemed to be scented with rosemary, and it was delicious dipped into the self-serve olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette that was on the table.

The menu had lots of options, pasta dishes, meat dishes, salads, sandwiches and pizza...so much to choose from! While we looked over the menu, we decided to get some soup and salad to start with. Katie was raving about the Mushroom Soup, and while I am usually not a mushroom person, once I saw hers, I decided to give it a try since my meal was going to come with a choice of soup or salad. It was a rich, thick soup made with mushrooms, cream and red wine. As I was eating mine, I just felt that something was missing, so I added a dash of salt, and then the flavors really came alive. It was delicious, and I may have cured my mushroom hatred (although it still applies to raw mushrooms....yuck!).

Laura, Whitney & Cynthia all decided to start with the Caprese Salad. The presentation of the salad was lovely, and it came with some pleasant surprises that were not indicated in its description on the menu; roasted red peppers, marinated artichoke hears and kalamata olives! They gave me a bite to try, and while it was a decent version of a Caprese salad, it was nothing spectacular. The tomatoes seemed to be a bit under ripe, making them a bit hard and flavorless. The fresh buffalo mozzarella was good, and we really did enjoy the little extras on the side.

After we had finally decided on our main courses, it wasn't long before they started rolling out of the kitchen. Cynthia (one of the regulars) ordered the Gnocchi al Pomodoro Fresco, but substituted the fresh Pomodoro sauce for the Bolognese sauce. A huge bowl of little pasta and potato nuggets arrived, drenched in the meaty sauce. This is one of the usual things that she orders here, and she was not disappointed a bit. She gave me a gnocchi to try, and while I thought the dumpling was good (maybe a little tough), I was not a fan of the sauce. I think tomato based sauces are very personal, and what is amazing to one, just doesn't do it for another. I liked the ratio of the meat to the red sauce, but I think there was just a bit too much oregano for my taste, plus, I usually like my gnocchi served in a Vodka sauce!

Whitney was torn between two dishes, but ultimately decided to order the Ravioli di Zucca, which were butternut squash ravioli in a four cheese sauce. The presentation of these was beautiful, and she was quite amused that the ravioli were actually in the shape of large hearts! She felt the sweet squash filling paired well with the savory cheese sauce, and was very happy with her meal. It was definitely a rich dish, but not in a heavy way.

Katie (the other regular) ordered the Eggplant Sandwich which was served with homemade potato chips. The sandwich consisted of lightly breaded eggplant slices, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese all baked into a fresh roll....the sandwich was huge! Katie said that it was very good, the eggplant was not soggy in the sandwich at all, and there was just enough sauce and cheese as a compliment. She gave me a chip to try and they were amazing! There is just something about homemade potato chips, they were still a bit warm, and seasoned perfectly with a touch of salt.

Laura wasn't in the mood for anything heavy that night, so she ordered the Chicken Caesar Salad. The salad was a good size portion with strips of seasoned chicken breast perched on top. She really liked the chicken, and felt that it was cooked perfectly. The salad was dressed with just enough dressing to retain the crispness of the lettuce. Laura really liked this salad, and said it was definitely something that she would order again.

When I saw the Cannelloni Rossini on the menu, I need to look no further! I have always loved Cannelloni, but it is not found on a lot of menus, so I was excited to try it. This one was filled with a mixture of ground veal, chicken and ricotta cheese, then topped with a duo of bechamelle and marinara sauce. When the plate arrived, I couldn't wait to dig into it, but I was ultimately disappointed. The filling was really dry, and there wasn't quite enough sauce on top to make up for the dryness. Also, once again, the red sauce just didn't suit my taste buds, making it taste a bit odd to me. The bechamelle sauce did have good flavor, and I ended up dipping some of the delicious bread in it. I was bummed by my dish, but at least everyone else seemed to enjoy theirs.

At the end of our meal, both Cynthia and Whitney decided to get a Cannoli for dessert. I am not a fan of Cannoli, but they both assured me that they were very good. They were a good size, filled to the brim with cream, and accented with a sprinkling of chocolate chips, powdered sugar and a cherry on top!

Laura decided that she wanted some dessert also, but opted for gelato instead. She had her choice between chocolate and vanilla; she chose the chocolate. After just one bite, she declared it to be the best gelato she had ever eaten! At that review, we all grabbed a spoon and took a taste, and it was amazing! It was rich and creamy and had just enough chocolate to make it feel decadent, but it wasn't overly sweet. She happily cleaned her bowl and was glad that we stayed for dessert!

Overall, we had a really nice time at VinciTorio's, it is a charming neighborhood Italian restaurant. The service was excellent, and for the most part the food was really good. I would consider giving it a second chance because there were some other items on the menu that were very appealing to me, but for next time, I just know that I need to stay away from anything with red sauce!

VinciTorio's Restaurant
1835 E. Elliot Rd., Suite C-109

Tempe, AZ

www.vincitoriosrestaurant.com

Tater Puffs

2009-10-14T14:23:00.004-07:00

I love a nice hearty breakfast in the morning, but if I am being honest, it is pretty rare in my life. Mornings before work usually consist of me getting up way too late, scrambling to get dressed and then grabbing some crackers or yogurt while I head out the door, that are ultimately eaten at my desk at work. You see, while I love a nice hearty breakfast, I love sleep more! A few weeks ago, I decided that I should make something that I could easily grab and go off to work with. I didn't want to make muffins, because while I do love a good muffin, I really need to have some protein in the morning. I had stumbled upon a recipe for these Tater Puffs on the Family, Friends & Food blog and thought they would make a quick and easy breakfast.

I modified them using what I had on hand (sausage instead of ham), but really, the options with these are endless. They were quick to throw together, and I was so proud of myself for having pre-made my breakfast for the week! I would suggest maybe adding an additional egg or some extra cheese, but other than that they were quite good, most mornings I even enjoyed them cold right out of the refrigerator!

Tater Puffs

adapted from Family, Friends & Food

1 (20 oz.) pkg. refrigerated hash browns
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. yellow onion, grated or finely diced
10 oz. pork sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease mini-muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until combined. Spoon a rounded tablespoon into each muffin cup, and slightly pack down.

Bake until golden brown, about 25 - 30 minutes.

(This makes about 32, so you can either do a second batch, or just put remaining mixture in a larger muffin pan.)

Bacon Mac & Cheese

2009-10-04T20:17:00.002-07:00

Up until about a year ago, I had had a subscription to Cooking Light Magazine for almost 10 years, but when it came up for renewal the last time, I broke up with Cooking Light. It is not that Cooking Light hadn't been good to me and provided me with lots of delicious food over the years (I can honestly say, there wasn't a recipe that I tried that I didn't like), it was just that over time, it's offerings became less and less appealing to me. I am not sure if it was the mile long ingredient lists, or the obscure ingredients for that matter, but I hadn't tried a recipe out of my last 10 issues....so it was just time to move on.

So it only figures that since I decided to go and break up with them, they have changed their format and started putting out much simpler (and more personally appealing) recipes! I saw this recipe posted on a couple of different blogs, and all gave it rave reviews. My current Mac & Cheese favorite was a stove-top version that I had gotten out of an older version of Cooking Light, so I was eager to try a new version. Let me just say one word about this version....WOW! This is hands down my new favorite Mac & Cheese, it is so simple, so delicious, and it came from a light cooking magazine; does it get any better?

Oddly enough, the item that I think gives this the most flavor punch is actually not the bacon, but the green onions! I happen to love green onions, and the flavor of them, mixed with the creamy cheese and the bacon was amazing! Another thing that I really liked about this recipe is the way that it reheated in the microwave, it came out really creamy, not clumping up like some reheated versions.

So with fall upon us.....it is time for some comfort food....and this certainly fits the bill!

And now I am left to ponder if I really should have broken up with Cooking Light after all!

Bacon Mac & Cheese

Adapted from Cooking Light September 2009

3 1/4 tsp. salt, divided

12 oz. elbow macaroni

4 tsp. flour

1 1/2 c. skim milk, divided

2 c. shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided

1/4 c. green onions, sliced

1 tsp. hot sauce

1/4 tsp. pepper

4 slices center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled

Cooking spray

Preheat broiler

Bring 6 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Add pasta; cook al dente, drain.

Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 1 cup milk, bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes, or until it cools to 155 degrees. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, onions, hot sauce, pepper and bacon; stir. Add pasta; toss. Spoon into a 2-quart, broiler safe dish coated with cooking spray; top with 1/2 cup cheese. Broil 7 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Spinach Enchiladas

2009-10-01T16:40:00.003-07:00

If you had asked me as a kid if I like Spinach Enchiladas, the answer would have been an overwhelming NO! But once I got hooked on Spinach Artichoke Dip, I started to notice and taste all the delicious possibilities that spinach had to offer. Spinach works in just about anything, and really adds both color and nutrition to a dish; so now, I almost always have at least one package of it in my freezer to toss into a dish that I am cooking. Lately, I have really been into ordering Spinach Enchiladas out at restaurants, which is not the norm for me, but they have been hitting the spot (and well, the addition of the spinach should make me feel less guilty for all the chips and salsa, right?), and every restaurant seems to have such different versions. Some are in red sauce, others a cream sauce, and some have even been topped with sliced almonds that added a delicious element to the dish.

While watching some football a couple of Sunday nights ago, I got a craving for some Spinach Enchiladas, and while I could have gone out and picked up some take-out, I realized that I had all the ingredients on hand, so I decided to just make them myself! Let me say, these really are very easy, and they are really delicious. This night, I made them with a packet of enchilada sauce mix that I doctored up with some Chipotle seasoning for a bit of heat, but a can of prepared enchilada sauce would works just fine too, or you could even go the cream sauce rout....just go with whatever you are craving!

I baked these up in the toaster oven, which only took about 15 minutes, and I had myself a homemade Mexican feast. These were actually even better re-heated the next day, what a bonus!

Spinach Enchiladas

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen, chopped spinach; thawed and drained
1 packet Enchilada sauce mix, prepared per package directions (Or just use a pre-made kind)
2 c. Mexican blend cheese, shredded
6 - 8 corn tortillas, warmed per package directions (I could only fit 6 in my pan)
4 green onions, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Once spinach has been thoroughly drained, combine it with the cheese and onions. Season with salt to taste. In an 11 x 7 inch pan, pour a thin layer of the enchilada sauce to coat the bottom of the pan. Working with one tortilla at a time; dip each tortilla in sauce, then stuff with spinach and cheese filling. Roll up, and place seam side down in the prepared pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and top with any leftover filling mixture. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Bulgogi

2009-09-29T12:32:00.004-07:00

First of all I would like to apologize for my lack of posting the past two weeks, it is not because I haven't been cooking or trying out new restaurants, because I actually have quite the back log of things that I need to post; I was just in a blogging funk! I am not sure what it was, but every time I thought about going to my computer to post something, I would always find something else to do, then I went out of town for a few days and time just got away from me. But I am back, and ready to post!

For those of you who have never eaten or heard of Bulgogi, it is actually just the fancy name for Korean BBQ. My first experience with Korean BBQ was last summer at a sushi restaurant in Coronado, I spent a whole year trying to find a place here in Arizona that served it, but alas, they are all pretty far from where I live and I never was able to get to one of them. When I went back to Coronado this summer, I went to the sushi place again, but wasn't very hungry, so I didn't order the Bulgogi. So now it had been over a year and I still hadn't gotten my Bulgogi fix, and I just knew that I had to remedy the situation.

When I was perusing some of my favorite food blogs, I linked over to one whose author was actually born and raised in Korea. She had posted a simple recipe for Bulgogi that used a bottled sauce and said that it tasted just as good as if you were to make it from scratch....so I figured I would give it a try! My regular grocery store didn't carry the sauce, so I took a field trip to a nearby Asian grocery store. This was my first trip to such a store, and it was quite the experience! I decided to make the Bulgogi for my family for lunch on a Saturday afternoon; my sister and I were going to my parents house to work on a sewing project with our mom, so I thought it would be nice to bring over some lunch.

I marinated the meat overnight, and it cooked up really quick on the grill because I had had the butcher slice the meat really thin. The authentic way to eat it is to then wrap it in lettuce with some cooked rice, and a bit more of the sauce. Everyone seemed to really enjoy this, the flavors were very fresh and it was a nice, light lunch. While I enjoyed it, it wasn't quite the same as the delicious Bulgogi that I had experienced last summer, but overall I found it to be a nice refreshing meal. My sister took the leftovers to work a few days later, and said that they were even delicious reheated too!

My picture below is only of the meat, my camera battery died before I could get a picture of it all assembled.

Bulgogi

adapted from My Fabulous Recipes

2 lbs tri-tip or flank steak, thinly sliced (I asked my butcher to do the slicing)
1 jar CJ's Korean BBQ Marinade (found at an Ethnic grocery store)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup Asian pear, freshly ground
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Cooked rice, optional
Lettuce leaves, optional

In large bowl, place thinly sliced tri-tip or flank steak. In separate bowl, mix the BBQ sauce, garlic, pear, and sesame seeds well. Pour the sauce over the beef. Stir the beef until it is soaked in the sauce. Cover and let marinate overnight in the fridge. Grill the meat over a medium heat grill according to your liking. Serve with rice and lettuce for wraps if desired.

Spicy Sausage Dip

2009-09-16T16:19:00.003-07:00

Last Thursday the first game of the '09 NFL season, and I wanted to make something kinda snacky to eat for dinner while I watched the game. As you all should know by now, I have no problem eating some dip and calling it dinner, so no comments about having a balanced meal from the peanut gallery! Besides, there was tomatoes and green chilies in the dip, so I think they should account for both fruit and a dip! I had seen versions of this dip around the web, some heated it in the crock pot, some baked it, while others just made it on the stove top, and I went with the latter for the sheer reason that I was able to eat it much quicker! When you read the ingredients list, which there are only 3 of, you will think to yourself, "This can't possibly taste good," but after just one bite, those thoughts will completely disappear. The creaminess, cools the heat of the chilies and the sausage adds a nice hearty flavor....basically, this dip is a hungry man's dream! I took the leftovers to my dad, and he thought it was mighty tasty himself. I loved how easy it was, and that it can be kept warm in a crock pot if serving at a party.

So basically, it was an awesome Thursday, bringing together two things that I love...Football and Dip!

Spicy Sausage Dip

10 oz. bulk breakfast sausage (Or 16 oz. if you want it really meaty)
8 oz. cream cheese (I used light)
10 oz. can RoTel Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, drained

Tortilla chips

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat; add the sausage and cook until no longer pink, crumbling it as you go. When sausage is cooked, drain the grease from the pan. Add cream cheese, in chunks to the pan, stirring to melt the cheese. Add RoTel and continue stirring until cheese is fully melted and everything is combined. Serve with chips!