A long week at work = burgers, fries and a chambord-arita at Village Burger Bar!
Oops. We ate all of our burgers and can't show you how yummy they were!
Oops. We ate all of our burgers and can't show you how yummy they were!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Tex-Mex Enchiladas
My mom and I have been on a quest for sometime to find a recipe for the brown, almost chili-like sauce that comes on top of tex-mex cheese enchiladas. Enter the "Homesick Texan" blog. I've become slightly obsessed reading through the recipe index and printing out lots of great things to try at home.
Back to the enchiladas. I'm not happy with that red sauce in a can business... although I found one I can tolerate at Central Market... its smoked hatch chile enchilada sauce or something close to that name.
Nothing beats this sauce though. Its smoky and thick. Really easy to make and has no meat (which will come in handy when I need meals on Friday during Lent). I made Mike's half of the pan with ground beef seasoned with chipotle lime seasoning and mine with just mixed mexican cheeses.
I wasn't happy with the photos so check out the Homesick Texan's recipe and photos!
Here are some other recipes on the blog that I have my eye on...
Back to the enchiladas. I'm not happy with that red sauce in a can business... although I found one I can tolerate at Central Market... its smoked hatch chile enchilada sauce or something close to that name.
Nothing beats this sauce though. Its smoky and thick. Really easy to make and has no meat (which will come in handy when I need meals on Friday during Lent). I made Mike's half of the pan with ground beef seasoned with chipotle lime seasoning and mine with just mixed mexican cheeses.
I wasn't happy with the photos so check out the Homesick Texan's recipe and photos!
Here are some other recipes on the blog that I have my eye on...
- black eyed pea dip
- chipotle sweet potato soup
- flour tortillas
- jalapeno cheese bun
- migas
- mexican chocolate pralines
- chorizo cream gravy
- jalapeno cheese grits
- brisket tacos
I LOVE Texas cooking and food. My great friend Jen, currently residing in London and missing chips and queso, will be happy that I'm practicing making Texas treats for her to eat on her next visit!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
My Bestie Cooks!
My bestie Laura sent me this photo last night depicting her recent kitchen adventure:
I expect these for breakfast next time I visit... which needs to be asap!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Weekend Waffles
This weekend Mike and I had dinner with newlyweds Nick & Erica and another long-time friend of Mike's, Adam. Both guys were groomsmen in the wedding.
We had a delish dinner at The Ranch in Las Colinas which is by far one of my favorite places to eat. I love to get the Dublin Dr. Pepper & Crown to sip on all night long. We also discovered Saturday nights are half-price bottles of wine so we had a great Chardonnay courtesy of Adam.
The menu is FULL of local ingredients and the menu even tells you where the ingredients come from.... I love that!
Highlight of dinner was a new item on the menu - chicken & waffles! These little stacks came with whipped sweet potatoes on the bottom topped by a piece of waffle with ancho maple glaze topped by a piece of boneless fried chicken with creamy jalapeno gravy. To die for!
The photo isn't fantastic because its a little dark in there and it was on my blackberry. You can also see the kobe tacos we ordered :)
I'm going to have to experiment with making my own chicken & waffles very soon!
We had a delish dinner at The Ranch in Las Colinas which is by far one of my favorite places to eat. I love to get the Dublin Dr. Pepper & Crown to sip on all night long. We also discovered Saturday nights are half-price bottles of wine so we had a great Chardonnay courtesy of Adam.
The menu is FULL of local ingredients and the menu even tells you where the ingredients come from.... I love that!
Highlight of dinner was a new item on the menu - chicken & waffles! These little stacks came with whipped sweet potatoes on the bottom topped by a piece of waffle with ancho maple glaze topped by a piece of boneless fried chicken with creamy jalapeno gravy. To die for!
The photo isn't fantastic because its a little dark in there and it was on my blackberry. You can also see the kobe tacos we ordered :)
I'm going to have to experiment with making my own chicken & waffles very soon!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Sausage & Peppers Frittata
I adapted this recipe from my Giada at Home cookbook from the recipe "Baked Provolone and Sausage Frittata." Its super simple to put together and frittatas in general are very versatile. You can put one together with eggs, milk, some kind of cheese and add an whatever leftover veggies or protein suits you.
Ingredients:
Butter for the baking dish
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1/2 pound mild turkey sausage, casings removed
8 large eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
3 cups shredded provolone cheese
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease 8x8 baking dish. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Add sausage and cook until brown. Set aside to cool.
In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and slat until smooth. Add bell pepper, 2 cups of the cheese and 1/4 cup parsley. Add turkey & onions. Pous mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and the eggs are set.
Changes:
I decreased all of the add-ins just a little bit. I like to have a lot of egg to my frittata. I also did not sprinkle the top with any additional cheese... I thought the inside was cheesy enough. I also added a little Italian seasoning to my turkey sausage as it was cooking to make sure the frittata was full of flavor.
Ingredients:
Butter for the baking dish
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1/2 pound mild turkey sausage, casings removed
8 large eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
3 cups shredded provolone cheese
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease 8x8 baking dish. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Add sausage and cook until brown. Set aside to cool.
In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and slat until smooth. Add bell pepper, 2 cups of the cheese and 1/4 cup parsley. Add turkey & onions. Pous mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and the eggs are set.
Changes:
I decreased all of the add-ins just a little bit. I like to have a lot of egg to my frittata. I also did not sprinkle the top with any additional cheese... I thought the inside was cheesy enough. I also added a little Italian seasoning to my turkey sausage as it was cooking to make sure the frittata was full of flavor.
crispy parmesan biscuits on the left, frittata on the right
Monday, January 17, 2011
Crispy Parmesan Biscuits
I made these crispy parmesan biscuits by Giada last weekend for brunch with Mike, his mom, her boyfriend and Mike's sister Rachel. We had it with another Giada recipe - sausage and peppers frittata. The cooked biscuit picture will show up with the pictures for the frittata!
These biscuits are pretty great. We had them with brunch. Giada's recipe says to stack them with smoked salmon and arugula. I have also made them before to serve with chicken salad and chili.
Note - the thing I have the biscuits baking on is one of the things I use most often in the kitchen. Its a silpat mat you place on baking sheets. Its totally non-stick on its own and you just rinse and wipe clean after you are done with it. Love it! See them here , here and here!
These biscuits are pretty great. We had them with brunch. Giada's recipe says to stack them with smoked salmon and arugula. I have also made them before to serve with chicken salad and chili.
Note - the thing I have the biscuits baking on is one of the things I use most often in the kitchen. Its a silpat mat you place on baking sheets. Its totally non-stick on its own and you just rinse and wipe clean after you are done with it. Love it! See them here , here and here!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Put Something Nice in the Mail!
January 8-14th is National Letter Writing Week which I really like given it would be a nice change considering how much of our communication is done via IM, text, email, e-card etc. I love getting things in the mail and sending cute cards and thank you cards to friends and family. All of these little gestures are very often overlooked but sending postcards, cards and thank yous are one of my favorite practices (thanks in large part to my parents!).
Here are some great cards I spotted on Hello Lucky's website. I need to restock :)
Add an address label or stamp from Polka Dot Design...
Must-have Jonathan Adler pen:
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Turkey-Spinach Meatballs
This isn't so much a recipe as it is just a tip. Next time you make meatballs for spaghetti, subs or even mini-meatball lasagna (which is what I used them for) try adding half a box to a whole box (depending on how wild and crazy you are) of frozen spinach to the meat mixture. Its a super simple and cheap way to add veggies to your meal.
Here are some great meatball recipes -
Chicken meatballs (Giada)
Turkey meatballs (Giada)
Pork, beef or lamb meatballs (Smitten Kitchen)
Beef & veal meatballs (BGSK)
The best way to incorporate the spinach is to let it thaw completely and drain and dry it very well. Frozen spinach holds a ton of water so if you don't drain and dry the spinach completely you will have a very wet meat mixture.
Our meatballs turned out great and I can count another vegetable serving (which I definitely need) without having to make a separate dish of veggies :)
Here are some great meatball recipes -
Chicken meatballs (Giada)
Turkey meatballs (Giada)
Pork, beef or lamb meatballs (Smitten Kitchen)
Beef & veal meatballs (BGSK)
The best way to incorporate the spinach is to let it thaw completely and drain and dry it very well. Frozen spinach holds a ton of water so if you don't drain and dry the spinach completely you will have a very wet meat mixture.
Our meatballs turned out great and I can count another vegetable serving (which I definitely need) without having to make a separate dish of veggies :)
Monday, January 3, 2011
New Year's Eve Mac & Cheese
For the second year in a row, we headed over to the Stanley's for dinner on NYE. Mike and I decided to stay in this year and relax instead of going to a party. Dinner + Dexter with the Hubs was a great end to 2010!
I brought mac & cheese and got some great comments on it! (Hearing people liked your food is such a great feeling!) I wasn't planning on putting the recipe up so I didn't take any photos... I have been really bad at taking photos the last week or so but here's the recipe -
Mac & Cheese
1 lb. favorite noodles (pick something that will hold the sauce... I used shells this time)
1 stick butter, unsalted
4 cups milk (I had 2 cups 2% and 2 cups whole on hand)
1 smashed garlic clove (optional)
1/2 cup flour
6 cups grated cheese (I had 3 cups sharp cheddar, 2 cup sharp white cheddar, and 1 cup of Romano at home)
Garlic bread or croutons
Boil noodles in salty water until just under al dente (they will continue cooking in the oven). Drain and set aside.
Pour milk into saucepan and warm over low heat. Melt the stick of butter over low heat with the smashed garlic clove. Increase heat to medium low, remove garlic and sprinkle flour over butter, stirring to incorporate. Cook flour & butter 2 to 4 minutes until the flour has been absorbed and the mixture is a golden color. Whisk in warmed milk and let sauce thicken (mine took 12 to 15 minutes). (Stir often during the thickening process.) Take pot off heat and add in grated cheeses. Salt & pepper to taste.
Pour noodles and cheese sauce into buttered 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes until bubbly. While baking, put garlic bread or croutons into food processor and pulse to desired consistency. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top of mac & cheese after baking. Put back into oven on top rack to brown the breadcrumbs, this should only take a few minutes. Pull out of the oven once the top is browned. Don't burn the roof of your mouth when you take a scoop right after you pull it out of the oven :)
*And yes, it sounds like a lot of milk and cheese... however, to get a thick and creamy sauce, they are both needed! Don't be scared. Just make a mental note to either hit the gym or not eat the whole dish yourself :)
I brought mac & cheese and got some great comments on it! (Hearing people liked your food is such a great feeling!) I wasn't planning on putting the recipe up so I didn't take any photos... I have been really bad at taking photos the last week or so but here's the recipe -
Mac & Cheese
1 lb. favorite noodles (pick something that will hold the sauce... I used shells this time)
1 stick butter, unsalted
4 cups milk (I had 2 cups 2% and 2 cups whole on hand)
1 smashed garlic clove (optional)
1/2 cup flour
6 cups grated cheese (I had 3 cups sharp cheddar, 2 cup sharp white cheddar, and 1 cup of Romano at home)
Garlic bread or croutons
Boil noodles in salty water until just under al dente (they will continue cooking in the oven). Drain and set aside.
Pour milk into saucepan and warm over low heat. Melt the stick of butter over low heat with the smashed garlic clove. Increase heat to medium low, remove garlic and sprinkle flour over butter, stirring to incorporate. Cook flour & butter 2 to 4 minutes until the flour has been absorbed and the mixture is a golden color. Whisk in warmed milk and let sauce thicken (mine took 12 to 15 minutes). (Stir often during the thickening process.) Take pot off heat and add in grated cheeses. Salt & pepper to taste.
Pour noodles and cheese sauce into buttered 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes until bubbly. While baking, put garlic bread or croutons into food processor and pulse to desired consistency. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top of mac & cheese after baking. Put back into oven on top rack to brown the breadcrumbs, this should only take a few minutes. Pull out of the oven once the top is browned. Don't burn the roof of your mouth when you take a scoop right after you pull it out of the oven :)
*And yes, it sounds like a lot of milk and cheese... however, to get a thick and creamy sauce, they are both needed! Don't be scared. Just make a mental note to either hit the gym or not eat the whole dish yourself :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)