Birria De Res Tacos

02/22/2021 by Laura Leave a Comment

Birria De Res Tacos are showing up everywhere. I’m sure I would have had them at a taqueria somewhere had I dined out in the last year. Since that is not the case, most of my “new to me” food comes from the internet, blogs, or YouTube videos.

This recipe takes inspiration from a mash up. First from Food 52 and second from Views On The Road. I like the preparation of the beef used in the Food 52 recipe. From Views On The Road, I like the Spicy Chili Oil. I did make the salsas included with the Food 52 recipe. I thought they were horrible and would not add anything to the taco. I suggest not wasting your time or money on the salsas. My brave neighbors concurred, after they gave them a taste.

I love the Food 52 marinade and will use it frequently. I think it would be great with flank steak or chicken. I also think the marinated and cooked meat would make a fine enchilada! I have not tried the meat preparation as seen on Views on the Road. However, I’m willing to bet the flavors of the Food 52 recipe are more pronounced due to the 48 hour marinating time, the complexity of ingredients, and the slow cook time.

Begin by making the marinade.

Birria Marinade

¹/₂ gallon water

20 chiles guajillo (destemmed and deseeded)

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

3 whole cloves

3 whole allspice

5 cloves garlic

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds

1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano

¹/₂ cinnamon stick

¹/₂ white onion

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon sea salt

Place the 20 deseeded, destemmed chiles guajillo in a stock pot with 1/2 gallon of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and steep for 10 minutes. Add the cloves, allspice, peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, cinnamon stick and sesame seed to the stock pot. Steep an additional 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic to the blender. Add all the ingredients from the stock pot and blend until smooth. Depending on the size of your blender, you may need blend in batches.

For the birria de res tacos

2 ¹/₂ pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch cubes

1 tablespoon sea salt

¹/₄ cup white vinegar

1-2 cups birria marinade

While the marinade is cooling, cut the chuck roast into 2 inch cubes. Once cut, rub with 2 1/2 tablespoons of seat salt. Nest massage in 1/4 cup of white vinegar. Please meat in bowl, cover with marinade. Cover bowl with saran wrap and marinade in fridge 24-48 hours.

I cooked the meat in the crockpot on high for 4 hours and low for two hours. The crock pot was very helpful in keeping the consommé warm as well. Alternately, you can cook the meat in the oven in a roasting pan at 325’ 2-4 hours. Remove the meat from the broth to a bowl, and shred using two forks.

To serve:

Corn tortillas

Reserved birria consomé

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 ounce Queso Oaxaca, shredded if you do not have Queso Oaxaca, you can substitute string cheese)

2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

Diced white onion

To assemble the tacos

Heat a little oil in a heavy frying pan. Dip the tortilla in the consommé. Lay the tortilla down in the oil and cook about 10 seconds. Carefully flip the tortilla. Add meat the meat and cheese to the tortilla. Fold in half, flip and fry a little longer, until crispy.

Add the cilantro, diced onion, or picked red onion, add a little of the chili oil. Serve with rice and beans. Enjoy!

Views from the Road Chili Oil

Chili oil ingredients 4-Guajillo Chiles + 1 extra for infusing

2-Bay leaves

1/2- Tablespoon Oregano

1/2-Tablespoon Chicken Bouillon

1/2-Teaspoon Pepper Corn or 1/2-Teaspoon Black Pepper

1/4- Teaspoon Ground Clove or 2-Cloves

1/2-Teaspoon Granulated Garlic Powder

1/4-Teaspoon Sugar

1-Cup Canola or Vegetable Oil

Detailed steps to make the chili oil recipe here.

Laura’s Quick Chicken Marsala

04/25/2020 by Laura 2 Comments

This is one of the more frequently served meals from our repertoire of quick chicken breast dishes. It looks far fancier then it actually is. It’s great for a weeknight but is also a worthy dinner party option.

This recipe includes one of my “dirty little secret” ingredients. British gravy granules Bisto. Bisto has been around for over 100 years and is used to color and thicken gravies and sauces. It adds a tiny bit of flavor, but not a lot. I add it to stews, sauces, and gravies that need a little thickening. I use it here to tighten up and finish the sauce in this Chicken Marsala. You can usually find it in the British/Irish section of the grocery store, or at many online retailers.

Ingredients, for 2-3 servings

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup flour

salt and pepper

olive oil for sauteing

1 Tablespoon butter, for sauteing

3/4 pound mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed and sliced

2 large cloves garlic, finely minced

1 cup sweet marsala wine

1 cup chicken stock

2 Tablespoons Bisto

1 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes (my preference) for serving

Place the flour in a zip lock bag. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken breast, dredge and pound the chicken into a flat filet. Repeat with the other pieces of chicken.

Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a heavy skillet. I use my cast iron skillet for this recipe. Brown the chicken on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the garlic and saute until soft. Add the mushrooms and saute until soft and a little brown. (You may need to add a little more oil or a pat of butter.) About 5 minutes.

Add the Marsala wine. Bring to a simmer and reduce the wine, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock. Return to simmer and add the chicken. Simmer on low heat for at least 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Finally, add two tablespoons of Bisto to the simmering sauce, to thicken it up. (Alternatively, you could use a couple tablespoons of corn starch dissolved in a little stock.)

Reduce heat to warm, while you prepare your pasta, rice or potatoes. Garnish the chicken with a little fresh chopped parsley.Serve with a fresh vegetable and a lovely, dry white wine.

Have a lovely evening. Thanks for stopping by.

MSLS

Bolognese…. for days

02/05/2020 by Laura 1 Comment

We were surprised when we didn’t find this recipe here on the blog, since it’s something we make a couple times a year. With a little searching, it turns out we had posted it “way back when”. It was not our best work…I hope you find this updated, refreshed post much more appealing!

This is a “go big, or go home” recipe. It’s a bit of work and is best when left to simmer all day. We’ve adapted it to our biggest stock pot*, by tripling the recipe. We like to stock our freezer with this sauce, for a quick meal or to make an extra special lasagna. Use the best ingredients you can afford, including imported Italian tomatoes…they do make a difference.

* Le Creuset #34, 13.25 quarts. Weight is 21 pounds. Not sure how many more years I’ll be able to toss this baby around the kitchen!

Bolognese Sauce

Adapted from Food & Wine, September 2003, 25 Favorite Classics, by Marcia Kiesel

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely diced

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 celery rib, finely diced

1 pound coarsely ground beef chuck

1 pound coarsely ground pork

1/4 pound mortadella, cut into 1/4-inch dice (optional)

1 small can tomato paste

1 cup dry white wine

Two 28-ounce can Italian whole tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved

1 1/2 cups beef stock

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped basil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

In a medium enameled cast-iron casserole, melt the butter in the oil. Add the garlic, pancetta, carrot, onion and celery and cook over moderately low heat until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes.

Add the ground beef and pork and cook over moderate heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the mortadella and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, the stock, nutmeg and 1 tablespoon each of the parsley and basil and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very thick. I like to simmer this sauce at least 4 hours.

Reduce heat to very low, stir the cream and the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley and 1 tablespoon of basil into the meat sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

We like to serve this over pappadrelle or buccatini pasta, alongside a tossed salad and great Italian bread. Buon appetito.

Sausage, Ricotta, Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Shells…and a 2019 recap

12/28/2019 by Laura Leave a Comment

Well here I am, a little over a year since my last post! I’m sure many of you are as shocked as I am that we are days away from a new year and a new decade. For those of you that have asked, yes I am still cooking, creating recipes and taking a photo of the results now and again. However, the routine of food blogging has been severely impacted by my other passion: fiber arts. I had the opportunity, this year, to take many classes, learn new skills and sharpen old ones. I currently have 3-4 knitting projects, 2 macrame projects and 1 very large weaving project underway! Next up, I want to learn to spin my own yarn. Thankfully, I am surrounded by like minded crafters, teachers and fiber options! I hope to add a Fiber Art page to this blog. I may even post a few things for sale.

Getting settled in a new community and a new home has been extremely rewarding, yet extremely time consuming. September marked the one year anniversary of our exit from the “big city” to our rural, peaceful, serene home. We completed many projects our first year: raised garden beds, a railing for the deck, lots of landscaping including over 25 trees, dozens of hydrangeas, lilacs, and rhodies, as well as new lawn. Those raised garden beds were stuffed full of veggies all summer. Some are still producing in spite of winter temperatures. We no longer have 5 stores within a mile of us, so our garden and our giant freezer are very important to daily life. I am looking forward to a slower paced spring and summer, with only one or two construction projects and a lot more time on the beach.

We routinely cook the recipes here on the blog. Sometimes I’m surprised by the ones that have not been posted, like these Stuffed Shells. They are really a fun, basic little pasta recipe that can be customized to your specific taste and diet. Easily converted to be vegetarian and/or gluten free with substitutions for the pasta, sausage and cheeses.

For the Stuffed Shells

1 box (12 ounces) jumbo pasta shells

4 cups marinara sauce, home made or store bought

16 ounces bulk Italian sausage: chicken, pork, or vegetarian

2 tablespoons olive oil

16 ounces frozen chopped baby spinach, cooked 3-4 minutes in the microwave (or steamed) and well drained

10 large mushrooms, stems removed, tops diced

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

salt and pepper, to taste

12 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese

2 large eggs

12 ounces shredded mozzarella, plus more for topping

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

Cook the pasta shells according to directions. Do not overcook, as they will be baked after being stuffed. Drain, cool, and lay out on a sheet pan lined with towels to make sure they are good and dry.

While the pasta is cooking, brown the sausage in a skillet, over medium heat. Move the sausage to a mixing bowl. Return the skillet to the heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, garlic to the pan and saute until veggies are soft. Add the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Move the veggies to the large mixing bowl.

Place the cooked, drained spinach on a towel, roll it up, and squeeze it well to ensure all liquid has been removed and spinach is dry. Add the spinach to the big mixing bowl.

In a smaller, separate bowl, add the ricotta, eggs, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Mix well. Mixture should be light and fluffy.

Add the cheese mixture to the rest of the ingredients in the large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. I find my hands work best. Make sure to break up the sausage well so there are not any big clumps.

Cover the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish with a thin layer of marinara sauce. Gently fill the shells with the sausage, veggie and cheese mixture, one by one, using a small spoon. Be careful not to tear the pasta.

Cover the pasta with the marinara sauce. Top with shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese. Cover the pan with a sheet of foil. Bake 45 minutes at 350′. remove foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

Thank you for following my blog. Stay tuned for updated photos and a few new recipes in the coming year.

Wishing you all the best in 2020 and beyond.

Have a great evening,

Laura

Season’s Greetings with a story and a recipe!

12/15/2018 by Laura 4 Comments

Happy Holiday’s! It’s been awhile since I showed up in this space. In case you didn’t know the reason for my absence, I’ll explain now. Late last winter we decided it was time to move out of Seattle. We had been talking about it for a few years. For most of my career, I was tethered to the airport, so our choices were limited. Once I cut those ties, we were free to move “almost” anywhere. We wanted to stay fairly close to family and friends, and ensure Dave could continue with his band. We moved Northwest about 70 miles to Camano Island. Dave had spent many wonderful summers here on the island, and knew it was exactly where he wanted to be. I took a little more convincing, but I finally came around. It is an island only due to a slough that separates it from the mainland. But, that separation makes a huge lifestyle difference!

It was the first time we sold a home, the first time we bought a home the conventional way, and the first time Dave made a major move in over 40 years. The purging, packing, laughing, sorting, E-Baying, Craigs Listing, dumping, storing, and donating, continued for about 5 months. There were repairs to be made to our home; including the last minute remodel of the main bath I insisted on. When we weren’t packing, purging, repairing, or painting, we were house hunting. Just typing this exhausts me. Our house was finally listed in early July. The Seattle market had been so crazy, we were concerned when it still hadn’t sold 3 weeks later. Alas, we had a buyer and accepted an offer. We agreed on a closing date of September 9th. It was all of a sudden really real! Dave was leaving his home of 40 years and I was leaving my home of 26 years. And, we did not know where we were going.

The house hunt heated up. We were all over the place in the Northwest corner of Washington, aided by our amazing relator, who has since become a dear friend. We were determined to not be the ones that broke her record for number of houses looked at, which was 60 something. We got to 40 something August 6th. We fell in love with a house. That date is significant, as our closing date was September 9. We planned to close on both houses on that day, as we wanted to avoid putting the rest of our things in storage and moving twice. I coordinated with the movers, the escrow companies with the detail and follow up required to get the Voyager to Mars, even though it was only a 70 mile move! I am pleased to say, we did indeed close on both houses on the same day, the movers were where they were supposed to be, when they were supposed to be and we spent our first night in our new home on September 9th.

That first night was something. Having lived on a very busy road in Seattle for over 25 years, we were both freaked out by how quiet it was in our new home. It took a few days to adjust, but believe me, we have totally adjusted. Listening to the wind rustle through the tall trees in our yard is better then any relaxation tape I have ever heard.

There are still a many boxes in the garage to sort through and both of us are figuring out how to best accommodate our hobbies in our new home. I can tell you that my landscaping and gardening hobby is alive and well. Between the fall sales, the amazing nurseries, and fantastic fall weather, I spent our first six weeks changing many things in our yard. I planted nearly 500 bulbs that will bloom in spring. We planted a dozen trees: fir, spruce, cedar, pine. A dozen bushes: hydrangeas, azaleas, and ferns. We have a long way to go, and I love every minute of it.

In addition to gardening, I’ve reunited with my yarn obsessed, knitting self of my past. It has brought so much joy, friendship and community. Not to mention, added many new pieces to my wardrobe.

What about cooking? Yes there’s cooking. I gave up an amazing gas range when we moved and we are both trying to figure out the electric stove situation. We do have propane and a gas range is in the future. I have not organized my photography gear as efficiently as I like, which makes shooting and blogging recipes fairly challenging. I do take a lot of Instagram photos with my phone, and most of the dishes I prepare can be found here, in the blog archives.

I make these cookies, ON DEMAND, every year. They are everyone’s favorite, including Santa’s. Don’t worry Santa, I will have a nice warm batch of these waiting for you on Camano Island, just like every other year in Seattle.

So there you have it. We are happier then happy, more blessed then we deserve to be and grateful for all things. We hope you have a kind and peaceful holiday season and a healthy and happy New Year!

Have a wonderful evening and thanks for stopping by.

More Savory Less Sweet

Laura, Dave, Jasper and Cooper

Santa’s Favorite Chunky Chocolate, Cranberry and Pistachio Cookies

The combination of dark bittersweet chocolate chunks, tart cranberries and salty, crunchy pistachios is divine. The festive dark red cranberries and the bright green pistachios make this the favorite Christmas cookie at our house. It may become the favorite at your house too!

(I doubled this recipe)

2 1/2 cups organic all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup organic packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup organic cane sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup pistachio nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

1 cup dried cranberries

14 ounces bittersweet chocolate chunks

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla on medium speed just until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, beating 3-5 minutes after each egg. Add 1/2 the flour mixture and gently mix on low one or two minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the remaining flour, nuts, chocolate, and cranberries and mix with your hands until all is thoroughly incorporated.

On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into thirds. Shape each third into a log. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, preferably for 24 hours. (You can refrigerate up to 2 weeks or freeze up to one month.) When ready to bake, let the dough sit at room temperature about 15 minutes, while oven heats.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Slice the logs into disks 3/4 inch thick and place the disks 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. If the nuts or chips crumble out, simply push them back in.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the cookies are very lightly browned in the centers, about 10 minutes. If you like soft chocolate chip cookies, err on the side of under baking. Cookies always continue to bake a little after they have been removed from the oven.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.

Santa will be so pleased to find these cookies waiting for him on Christmas Eve!

Cookies??? Did someone say cookies????

Our Favorite Coq Au Vin

02/19/2018 by Laura Leave a Comment

Our crazy Seattle weekend weather demanded warm comfort food. So between the repeating rounds of snow, wind, sunshine, and hail, I made one of my favorite dishes, Coq au Vin. I first fell in love with Coq au Vin when Mom and I made the recipe from the Time Life Foods of the World: Cooking of Provincial France. I loved making something so “exotic”! During my high school years, we frequented a little French café, and it was always my entre of choice. The entre was so popular, you actually had to reserve it when making your dinner reservation. I’ve had many versions of Coq au Vin from random French restaurants, during my travels. One of my favorites is from Anthony Bourdain’s restaurant in NYC, Les Halles. My recipe is from his cookbook of the same name. Bon appétit

Ingredients

1 liter, plus one cup of dry red wine

1 onion, cut into 1 inch dice

1 carrot, cut into 1/4 inch slice

1 celery rib, cut into 1/2 slices

4 whole cloves

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 bouquet garni (instructions below)

1 3.5-4 pound organic whole chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 pound slab bacon cut into small lardons, about 1/4″ by 1″

1/2 pound small, white button mushrooms, stems removed (I could not find tiny mushrooms, so I quartered the ones I bought)

12 pearl onions, peeled (I hate peeling these – I used peeled, frozen pearl onions)

pinch of sugar

Boquet Garni

1 sprig flat leaf parsley

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 small square cheesecloth

1 small piece of twine

Lay the herbs on the square of cheese cloth. Gather up the corners and tie with the string.

Equipment

3 large, deep bowls

plastic wrap

fine strainer

large Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot

tongs

wooden spoon

small sauté pan

small sauce pan

1 sheet parchment paper

whisk

deep serving platter

DAY ONE

Combine the bottle of red wine, diced onion, sliced carrot, celery, cloves, peppercorns and bouquet garni in large, deep bowl. Add the chicken and submerge it in the liquid so it is completely covered. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

DAY 2

Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry. Put it aside.

Strain the marinade reserving the liquids and the solids separately. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in the large Dutch oven. Sear the chicken on all sides turning with tongs, to evenly brown on all sides. Once brown, remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the reserved onions, carrot and celery to the pot and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to coat evenly. Stir in the reserved marinade liquid and the bouquet garni. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken back into the pot. Simmer very low, slightly covered for about 90 minutes, or until thigh temperature reaches 165′ on a thermometer.

While the chicken cooks, sauté the bacon lardons in a small pan over medium heat until lightly brown. Remove to paper towel to drain. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings and sauté the mushrooms in the same pan until golden. Set them aside.

In the small saucepan, combine the pearl onions, a pinch of sugar, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of butter. Add just enough water to cover the onions, then cover the pan with a circle of parchment paper the same size as the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until all the water has evaporated. Remove the paper and cook until the onions are golden brown. Be careful as this happens fast!

Remove the onions from the pan, set aside. Add the remaining cup of red wine. Reduce by about half or until thick and syrupy. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

When the chicken is cooked through, carefully remove it from the liquid to a deep serving dish.

Add in the bacon, mushrooms and onions to the stockpot. Bring to a gentle simmer. Adjust the sauce for seasoning and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Pour the sauce over the chicken. If the sauce is not a thick as you like, tighten up with a beurrre manie.

We typically serve this dish with fluffy mashed potatoes. Enjoy with a Washington Syrah and an arugula salad!

I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. You will be happy you did.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful evening.

Laura

Quick and Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

02/02/2018 by Laura Leave a Comment

Can you believe it is February 2nd today? According to Punxsutawney Phil, there’s 6 more weeks of soup weather ahead of us!

January was a total blur for me. I got that ridiculous virus (flu). I really hope you have escaped it, and if you catch it, do take it seriously. I started hacking on Boxing Day; coughing so hard and uncontrollably I could not catch my breath at times. (Before you ask, YES I GOT A FLU SHOT!) I saw the Dr. on the 27th of December and was given steroids, antivirals, and inhalers. If you know me at all, you know I will do anything to avoid taking Prednisone. This time, I did not even consider putting up a fight! I would have done anything to STOP the coughing! When there were clear signs of infection a week later, I was put on antibiotics. I ran fevers of about 100′ off and on for three weeks. It was just last week that I honestly believed I would make it to Valentines Day! I’m surprised our food delivery folks haven’t called to see why the Hot and Sour soup orders have stopped! Anyway, with my absence explained, and all the crap I ordered on-line while sick; returned, I’m here to share this recipe with you!

We love chicken tortilla soup! So flavorful and satisfying. I always have a whole chicken in the freezer, and roasted tomatoes in the pantry. Onions, avocados, tortillas, and cilantro are usually restocked weekly. I discovered a frozen southwest veggie mix a couple summers ago. It is the perfect add-in to this soup. This frozen veggie combo also makes a great cold salad with a lime, cumin, cilantro vinaigrette. This veggie mix has become a staple in the freezer as well. This post is not sponsored…I’m sharing this “short cut” with you ’cause that’s what I’m all about.

For the soup

Place one whole chicken* (extra fat, skin and giblets removed), in a large stock pot.

cover the chicken with 3 quarts of fresh, cold water
season with salt and pepper

Simmer about two hours, over low heat, until chicken is done – no pink in the thighs.

Remove chicken from pot. Strain the broth into a large bowl and set aside.

Pull the chicken off the bones, removing the skin, breaking the meat into bite size pieces. Set aside.

*You could use rotisserie chicken and three quarts of chicken stock, if your prefer to not cook a whole chicken. Just start with the steps below.

1 large or 2 small jalapeno peppers, minced

1 large, sweet onion, diced

4 T. olive oil

Sauté the onion and pepper in the olive oil over medium heat in your stock pot, about 5 minutes, until tender.

Add:

1 large can diced, fire roasted tomatoes
2 T ground cumin
1 T chili powder
Salt, pepper
2 bags of southwestern style frozen vegetables

Pour the reserved stock back into the stock pot. Taste for Seasoning. Simmer about 30 minutes.

15 minutes before serving, add the reserved chicken meat to the pot. Simmer gently to warm the meat through. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

While the soup is heating, prepare the garnishes:

Cut 4-5 corn tortillas into strips. Add 4 T of oil to a sauté pan and cook them until lightly brown and crisp. Cool on a paper towel to remove any excess oil.

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

1 bunch of green onions, sliced

2-3 avocado’s diced

lime wedges – 1 per serving

grated cheese, for serving

sour cream for serving

When ready to serve, ladle soup into a serving bowl bowl. Top with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro, onion and sour cream. Add a lime wedge on the side.. This soup is fantastic leftover and also freezes well.

Make it soon, you won’t regret it!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful evening.

Laura

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

12/23/2017 by Laura 2 Comments

I don’t have a recipe today, but I thought I’d to check in to wish you a Merry Christmas. I know it’s been awhile since I’ve showed up here! I have been cooking, not to worry! For the past few months, I’ve been consumed by my other passion: KNITTING! Rather then styling, shooting and editing photos of food, I’ve been using the time to knit. I’ll post a few knitted project pics in the coming weeks. And, I’ll be back to posting recipes soon too!

Today, I wanted to give you a last minute gift idea. As you know, I managed restaurants for many years and was a bartender for quite a few of those years. One of my favorite hot drinks to serve was Blueberry Tea! There’s nothing “blueberry” about it. However, the combination of the liquors and the bergamot from the Earl Grey tea, suggest a faint hint of “blueberry”. If you need a gift for a harried hostess, an exhausted hairdresser, a busy neighbor or a good friend, THIS IS IT!

It’s so simple and cute to put together! Grab a festive mug, a small Amaretto, a small Grand Marnier, and a few Earl Gray tea bags. Place some shredded red paper in the bottom of the mug. Write out the “Blueberry Tea” recipe on a note card. Arrange all in the mug. Tie it all up with cellophane and a cute ribbon! You just might want to make one for yourself too!

Have a great evening and enjoy the holiday. Thanks for stopping by. See you in 2018!

Laura

Garbage Day Soup!

09/27/2017 by Laura 2 Comments

It’s human nature to have many routines, whether they’re conscious or unconscious! Often, we’re not even sure how long we’ve had them or how they got started. One of mine is cleaning the fridge the night before the compost, recycling, yard waste, (garbage, if you’re not from Seattle) are collected. I’m pretty sure my mom does the same thing. However, now that I have “more time than money” I am very conscientious about the wasting of anything. It’s not that I was not conscious before, but when your unpredictable work schedule takes you away from home 3-5 days a week, you don’t always manage the larder as efficiently as possible; leftovers get tossed, planned meals don’t get cooked, and the freezer quickly fills with foil packets I call UFO’s….unidentifiable frozen objects, that are rarely interesting a month or two later!

Even with the best intentions, sometimes what’s left at week’s end, is pretty drab and has very few opportunities to be repurposed! I’d love to hear ideas for leftover lettuce based salads, as that is one item that fills my compost bucket routinely! Chicken or salmon – easily become next days sandwich with a little help of mayo, celery, bell pepper. Potatoes, vegetable and gravy – perfect set up for Shepard’s pie, or “dinner for breakfast” potato pancakes.

I got lucky this week, when I opened the produce drawer to “clean it out”. I had a few ears of corn, a half-dozen poblano peppers, a couple jalopeno peppers, cilantro and some leftover chicken. I knew immediately I would be making a corn, pepper, chicken chowder. We had onions, garlic, baby potatoes and chicken stock in the pantry, so I jumped right in. This could all be thrown together in a crock pot, but I actually made the base one day, and reheated it with cream the second day. This soup is delicious and will stay in our rotation throughout the winter, even though we will have to sub frozen corn for the fresh.

For the corn, poblano and chicken chowder

1 large sweet onion, chopped

4-6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 jalopenos , stems and seeds removed and finely chopped

5 poblano peppers, stems and seeds removed and chopped

4 ears of corn, cut away from the cob

12 tiny potatoes, quartered

1 quart chicken stock

2 cups water

2 cups cooked chicken meat in bite size pieces (from leftover chicken)

1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped – retain a few leaves for garnish

1 pint heavy cream

oil for sautéing

salt and pepper

grated cheese for serving – Mexican style

Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in the bottom of a heavy soup pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, peppers until soft, about 7 minutes

Add the corn cobs, chopped cilantro, potatoes and chicken stock, and allow to simmer at least an hour.

At this point, I added the chicken, simmered it about an hour more and then moved the pot to the fridge. You could easily complete the soup, but I think the extra day with the corn husks in the pot really pumped up the corn flavor! Add salt and pepper as needed.

About an hour before serving, I brought the soup to a slow simmer. I reduced the heat as much as possible and added the pint of cream.

We served this with grated cheese and fresh-baked corn bread. I really hope you’ll give it a try, whether you have the ingredients on hand or not!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great evening.

Laura

First of Fall – Pork Chili Verde

09/21/2017 by Laura Leave a Comment

Wow! Somebody flipped the “summer heat” switch to the “off” position! I am grateful for cooler, more moderate temperatures, but it seems the change was a bit extreme! There’s been at least a 20′ difference in temperatures from last week to this. We knew rain was coming, so we scrambled to get the last of the garden clean-up / harvesting / fall planting done. I ended up with a fair amount of peppers and tomatillos, which, along with the cool, rainy weekend, inspired me to make this dish. We added a few more tomatillos, poblano peppers, garlic and onion from the farmers market, and we were set.

For the Pork Chili Verde (this makes a lot, we froze half)

for the tomatillo pepper slurry

8 poblano peppers

12-15 fresh tomatillos, husked and rinsed, stem removed

2 large white onions, peeled and quartered

8 cloves of garlic, peeled

8-10 assorted peppers – jalapeno, Fresno, Serrano, based on your taste and desired heat level!

Heat your oven to 500′. Place all the peppers, tomatillos, quartered onions, and garlic on a sheet pan. Roast the vegetables until they begin to brown and are softened. This will take about 25 minutes.

Remove the stems and seeds from the roasted peppers. Place all of the roasted veggies and any juice from the roasting pan, in the large bowl of your food processor and pulse until smooth.

for the meat

4 pounds lean pork cut into 1″ cubes (I used boneless, thick cut pork loin chops)

flour, salt and pepper for dredging

neutral, high heat oil for browning

1 large, sweet onion, diced

1 can/bottle beer – an ale of your choice

2 cups fresh or frozen chopped Hatch green chili (I bought a ton directly from Hatch in August. Canned chili ok, but not as flavorful.)

2-4 cups of chicken stock

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons of cumin

Avocado slices, chopped cilantro, sliced green onion, cooked rice, charred tortillas, sour cream and shredded cheese for serving.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add 2-3 tablespoons of oil. Place 1 cup of flour, one tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of pepper in a zip lock bag. Dredge the cubed pork, in small batches and add to the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Turn the pork to ensure all sides are browned evenly. Repeat this process until all the meat is browned, adding additional oil as needed.

In the same pan, sauté the chopped onion until golden, scraping up all the bits from the bottom of the pan. Deglaze the pan with the beer. Let simmer 5 minutes. Add the meat back to the pan, then the pureed veggies, and the chopped green chili, cilantro and cumin. If too thick, add a cup or two of the chicken stock. Stir well, cover and simmer over low heat, about 6 hours. Stir frequently and adjust the salt as needed, also adding additional stock if needed.

I also made a batch of black beans to serve along side, and a delicious, but non instagram worthy, apple pie for dessert. Ahh fall! I wish you could have all smelled the kitchen.

To plate, place a scoop of rice on a plate or bowl. Add a serving of stew. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, cilantro and green onions. I served black beans and charred tortillas along side.

I really hope you’ll give this recipe a try. It’s one of our favorites. Great left over and freezes well too.

Have a wonderful evening, and thanks for stopping by.

Laura