Mexican Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

This is SO yummy!! Defiantly going into the rotation!

2 ancho chili peppers, stemmed and seeded {i found a big bag of them at Wal-mart}
3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3/4 pound ground beef
3/4 pound fresh chorizo {i used soyrizo - couldn't taste the difference at all - neither could Shayne and it's way healthier!}
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, pasted (finely chopped then mashed with salt) or grated
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
Salt and pepper
2 pinches cinnamon {i omited}
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 12-ounce bottle Mexican beer, such as Dos Equis {i used beef stock}
1 pound spaghetti or whole wheat spaghetti
1/2 cup grated queso asadero, cotija or Jack cheese, plus more to pass at table
Finely chopped scallions, cilantro or parsley, to garnish

Simmer peppers in stock for 15 minutes to reconstitute, then purée stock and softened peppers in a food processor.

Meanwhile, heat EVOO in heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and chorizo, brown 12-15 minutes then add onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and cook 8-10 more. Sprinkle in a little cinnamon then add tomato paste and cook 1 minute, stirring.

Add beer {stock}, stir a minute more then add the stock and pepper purée. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

While sauce simmers, bring water to boil for spaghetti. Salt water and cook pasta to al dente. Heads up: save a cup of starchy cooking water just before draining. {i didn't need this, my sauce was the right thickness for us}

Toss pasta with reserved water, half of the sauce and a couple of handfuls of grated cheese.

Serve in bowls with extra sauce on top, garnished with more cheese, scallions and cilantro or parsley.

Rachael Ray

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

The cinnamon flavor in these muffins is very subtle. If you're a big fan of cinnamon, I'd recommend doubling the amount of cinnamon, or using even more than that.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup apple juice
1 egg
1 cup (about 1 large) apple, peeled, cored, and finely diced

Preheat oven to 400*F. Grease or line a muffin tin with baking cups.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk together the vegetable oil, apple juice, and egg. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture; fold until dry ingredients are just moistened but batter is still lumpy. Gently stir in apple chunks. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake for 18 - 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into one or two of the muffins comes out clean.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These are super yummy. I never would have thought of doing pumpkin cupcakes. These aren't as pumpkin-y as pumpkin pie or pumpkin bars, so even non-pumpkin-lovers (like my sister-in-law) will love them!

1 yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
2 8-ounce pkgs. cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
24 pieces candy corn

Heat oven to 350*. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Combine cake mix, eggs, oil, pumpkin pie spice and puree. Mix well. Divide the batter among prepared muffin tins and bake for 18-22 minutes. Allow to cool. Using an electric mixer, beat powdered sugar, cream cheese and vanilla until creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Spread or pipe frosting onto cupcakes and top each with one piece candy corn. Yields 24 cupcakes. {My batch only made about 20 cupcakes.}

Recipe (with slight changes) and picture from Real Simple.

Pork Chops with Roasted Red Pepper Cream

I serve this over rice to soak up all the cream sauce.

4 bone-in rib or center-cut pork chops, about 1 inch thick
Salt and Pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 onion, sliced thin
6 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 (8 oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Pat chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering and just smoking. Add chops and cook until well-browned and meat registers 145* on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.

Add onion to empty skillet and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes; add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, cream, roasted peppers, and sugar, and simmer, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Off heat, add any accumulated pork juices back to the pan and stir in basil. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chops.

*If you don't have fresh basil, substitute a couple teaspoons dried, adding to the pan with the broth. It won't look as pretty, but it will taste as good.

Fusilli alla Caprese

Another great recipe from Giada. I love how fresh everything is!

Fusilli alla Caprese

• 1 pound fusilli pasta
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered (about 1 1/2 pints)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, torn
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

In a medium skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. As the tomatoes cook and soften, smash them with a fork. Continue to cook until the tomatoes make a chunky style sauce, about 4 minutes. Transfer the tomato sauce to the bowl with the pasta. Toss to combine. Add the basil leaves and mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until the pasta is moist. Serve.

*picture from here

Mexican Rice

I love the rice you get at Mexican restaurant and finally found a make-at-home recipe that rivals them. It was really easy and turned out perfectly, even though I'm afraid of making rice on the stove and usually use my trusty rice cooker. 

Mexican Rice

3 T vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked rice (not instant)
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.  Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Trust me on this one. So chocolatey, and soooo good.

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup (3 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder*
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350*F and line muffin tin with baking cups.

Melt butter, chocolate, and cocoa together in a bowl in the microwave, stirring often, and allow to cool slightly. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another large bowl, whisk eggs and vanilla together by hand until uniform. Slowly whisk in the sugar until combined, and then slowly whisk in cooled chocolate mixture until combined. Sift about 1/3 of the flour mixture over the batter and whisk in. Whisk in sour cream, then sift remaining flour mixture over batter and whisk until completely incorporated. Stir to make sure batter is fully combined.

Place a level ¼ cup of batter into each muffin tin (I actually use a measuring cup for this and level it off; if you don’t, the cupcakes will run over and the edges will bake together.)

Bake at 350* for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs attached. Rotate tins halfway through to ensure even baking. Cool in tins for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Yield: 24 cupcakes

NOTE: You can also bake this in a 13”x9” baking pan for 30-35 minutes.

*Heaven knows why, but I have a devil of a time finding Dutch-processed cocoa around here. I substituted Hershey’s Special Dark with good results.

Cool Cucumber Salad

Easy, easy, easy!

3 cukes, sliced in thin rounds
1 cup vinegar
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt

Heat all ingredients, except cukes, until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour over sliced cukes and refrigerate.

Chicken and Rice Burritos

This is really simple but we all love it. Use leftover chicken and leftover rice and it only takes 10 minutes!

2 1/2 c. shredded chicken
1-2 c. cooked rice
1 3/4 c. water
1 package taco seasoning
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 large tomato diced
1/3 c. sliced green onions
8 burrito size tortillas

Optional extras
Shredded cheese
Guacamole
Sour cream
Salsa

Heat chicken, rice, water, taco seasoning, and tomato sauce until warm and thick. Add tomato and green onions. Spread desired amount and filling and extras on tortilla, roll up burrito style.

Idaho Cookie Salad-YUM YUM YUM!!!!!

Large instant vanilla pudding

2 C buttermilk

16 oz cool whip

1 large can pineapple tidbits

2 cans of mandarin oranges

3-4 bananas

fudge stripe cookies

Mix pudding and buttermilk together

Stir in cool whip

Mix in the pineapple and mandarin oranges

Mix in bananas and cookies before serving

This makes a lot you may want to cut it in half!!

I also like to add more fruit even though my husband hates it.

Zucchini and Corn Quesadillas

*photo and recipe (adapted) from here

3-4T olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 onion, diced
1-2 medium zucchini, halved and thinly sliced
1 can sweet corn (if you have fresh, I think it would be so much better)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 t cumin
lots of chopped cilantro (depending on your tastes)
salt & pepper
8 whole wheat tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese (I used pepper jack, but any cheese you love would work)

Preheat over to 400 degrees.

In a medium skillet, heat olive oil. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute more. Add zucchini (and corn if you're using fresh) and cook until it begin to soften, about 5 minutes more. Add corn and beans and cook until heated through. Season with cumin, salt, pepper and cilantro.

Spread one side of tortillas with olive oil. On a cookie sheet place one tortilla, oil side down, fill with zucchini mixture and top with cheese (more or less depending on your tastes). Place remaining tortillas on top, oiled side up. Bake until cheese is melted and the tortillas begin to get crispy, about 10 minutes (you can also place under the broiler if you want it even crispier). Cut into wedges and serve immediately. I served mine with raspberry-chipotle salsa and it was fantastic.

**Only make the number of quesadillas you need for the meal. Save remaining filling to make additional quesadillas for lunch the next day. Or, just eat the yummy filling alone (like I did)

Cherry Chipolte Chili: Gluten Free and Vegetarian

My friend Lori had a cooking night the other night where she made some fabulous recipes for us. This one sounds strange but was oh so yummy! She is mainly vegetarian and gluten free.

Ingredients:
2 c vegetable broth
1 c dried cherries (our grocery has them by the raisins)
1 T olive oil
1 c chopped onion
1 T crushed fresh garlic
1 bottle roasted red pepper chopped, or one fresh red pepper chopped
4 t chili powder
1 1/2 t cumin
1 t ground coriander
1 t dried oregano
4 c petite canned chopped tomatoes
1 16 oz can black beans
1/4 c chopped cilantro
avacado to taste

For chips:
Spelt Flour tortillas
Coconut oil

Directions:

Heat 1 cup of broth in microwave. Place cherries in small bowl and add hot broth and set aside.Heat olive oil in a 4 quart sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion (and red bell pepper if not using bottled roasted bell pepper); sauté about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add chopped bottled red pepper (if not using fresh), chili powder, cumin, coriander, and oregano. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes and remaining broth, bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered about 5 minutes. Stir in beans, cilantro, and cherry mixture. Continue cooking until thoroughly heated. I cut one tortilla into wedges and fry in coconut oil and stick the triangles in one side of the bowl and then chop a half of avocado and put on top of the chili. If you can find spelt tortillas, they don't have gluten, have only 100 calories and are yummy.

Asian Steak Tacos with Spicy Mushroom Salsa

When I saw these in my bon appetit magazine I seriously drooled onto the page... I kid you not. I made them, and they totally lived up to each salivatory drop. Only next time I'll make a few changes to appease mine and my husband's taste buds.

ASIAN STEAK TACOS
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon lemon peel
1 teaspoon Sicilian sea salt
2 pounds skirt steak, trimmed
8 flour tortillas (6 inch)

SPICY MUSHROOM SALSA
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound shiitake or crimini mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)
2 large shallots, sliced into rings
1 teaspoon chipotle chile pepper {I'll use 1/2 t. next time, too spicy for me}
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil {I'll use 1/2 T. next time, it overpowered the natural shroom taste}
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed
1/4 teaspoon Sicilian sea salt

Mix oil, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, garlic, ginger, lemon peel and sea salt in a small bowl until well blended. Place steak in a glass dish. Rub seasoning mixture all over steak. Cover. Refrigerate 1 hour, or longer for extra flavor.

Meanwhile, for the Salsa, heat oil in large skillet on high heat. Add mushrooms; cook and stir 4 minutes or until golden brown. Add shallots and chipotle chile pepper; cook and stir 3 minutes or until shallots begin to brown. Spoon mushroom mixture into a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients; toss lightly. Set aside.

Grill steak on medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes per side or until medium-rare doneness. Remove steak to cutting board. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

To serve, slice steak across the grain into thin slices. Serve in warmed flour tortillas topped with Spicy Mushroom Salsa.

Yum.

It's actually a Cat Cora recipe, promoting McCormick Gourmet spices...

Chili's Salsa

Out of all the restaurant salsa's out there - Chili's and Uncle Julio's are my favorites... This taste's just like Chili's, so I thought I'd share. Sidenote: Why does Chili's have better salsa then On the Border? Same company - you'd think they'd give the better salsa recipe to the Mexican restaurant. Next challenge is to find a match for Uncle Julio's salsa.

I got this off of recipezaar and made a couple adjustments for a fresher taste (the cilantro and lime). It's been a hit every time I've made it... which has been quite a bit lately.

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can tomatoes and green chilies

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can whole canned tomatoes (plus the juice)

4 teaspoons jalapenos (canned,diced, not pickled)

1/4 cup yellow onion (diced)

1/2-3/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

1 t. lime juice

1. In food processor place jalapenos and onions.

2. Process for just a few seconds.

3. Add both cans of tomatoes, salt, sugar, cumin, cilantro and lime juice.

4. Pulse all ingredients until well blended but do not puree.

5. Place in covered container and chill.

A couple hours of chilling helps blend the flavors, and gets better tasting each hour it sits.

Tamale Pie

I use to make this all the time when I first started cooking. It was when I thought that casseroles was the only form of cooking I could handle. Why I stopped making it, I'll never know because it is goood! But it's for sure going back into the rotation.

PIE

1 lb. ground beef

1 c. chopped onion

1 c. chopped green pepper

1 (16 oz.) can stewed tomatoes

1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 c. sliced black olives {i omit, not a fan}

I clove garlic, minced

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

1 ½ c. grated sharp cheddar cheese {i use 1/2 c., and it's plenty}

CORNMEAL TOPPING

¾ c. yellow cornmeal

½ tsp. salt

2 c. cold water

1 T. butter

- Preheat oven to 375.

- Cook ground beef, onion and green pepper in skillet until beef is browned. Pour off excess fat.

- Add tomatoes, corn, olives, garlic, chili powder, cumin and salt.

- Cover and simmer 20 minutes.

- Add cheese, stir until it melts.

- Meanwhile, stir cornmeal and salt into cold water in saucepan. Cook stirring constantly until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat and stir in butter.

- Turn meat mixture into greased 9x9 casserole dish {or I'm assuming a pie dish would work, hence the name}. Top with cornmeal mush.

- Bake for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Green Chili Chicken

I made this on Sunday in the crockpot and it was really good. It was super easy to throw together in the morning and was ready when Matt got home. I'm sure you could cook it in the oven for an hour or so, too, if you prefer.

3-4 large chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic herb blend seasoning (or plain garlic salt would work, too)

6 cups steamed rice
blue corn tortilla chips

Place chicken, soup, chiles, cumin, salt, pepper and garlic blend in crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. When done, shred chicken with two forks. Spoon over bowls of rice and garnish with crumbled blue corn tortilla chips.

4 servings

from Picky Palate

veggie gnocchi

I love, love, love gnocchi and order it whenever I go somewhere that serves it. I tried making homemade gnocchi one time and it wasn't really worth the effort. Then, hallelujah, I found it in the pasta aisle at Wal-Mart. Happy day. This recipe was the perfect dish to make with it. Light, easy, summery and with tasty leftovers. Enjoy.

1 T olive oil
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise
1 summer squash, quartered lengthwise, and sliced crosswise
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 lb. gnocchi
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 T grated Romano cheese
1 T butter
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Set a large pot of salted water to boil. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add squash and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, cook gnocchi according to package instructions. Reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid, drain gnocchi and transfer to skillet. Toss gnocchi, adding enough cooking liquid to create sauce. Remove from heat and stir in basil, cheese, butter, and lemon juice.

Coconut Macaroons

1/3 C plus 3TBS flour

3 3/4 C coconut

1/8tsp salt

1 can sweetened condensed milk or use the alternative

1tsp vanilla

Mix together in a bowl with a large spoon. Drop onto a well-greased or parchment covered cookie sheet. Very important as there is no oil in them!!!

Bake at 350 degrees

8 min for little cookies

20 min for large

Bake until bottoms are just barely brown

Alternative to Sweetened Condensed Milk

I got this recipe from a friend that is really good at using things that are in her food storage and is an amazing cook.

3/4 C powdered milk

3/4 C sugar

1/2 C HOT tap water

Put hot water in blender. With blender going, add sugar and dry milk. Blend until smooth. Makes about 1 can of Sweetened condensed milk.

Spinach Artichoke Bites

If you need an appetizer, try these. Pick your favorite dip, (like Melissa's Spicy Artichoke Dip) and make them into individual bites. The shells are wonton wraps placed in a mini muffin pan. Use just under a tablespoon in each cup. Bake for about 8 minutes at 350 degrees.