Mexican Lasagna

I wanted to make stuffed poblano peppers tonight, but I had to rethink because my poblano peppers from the garden were just too small.  So tonight I've made for you a Mexican Lasagna.  Now keep in mind if you make this dish you can really use whatever you have on hand, substitutions are great, so be creative. What I used:  8" flour tortillas cut in half (I would wait to cut the tortillas because the size of your baking pan will determine how many halves you need).  For the Filling: I used 1lb of 93/7 ground turkey, 1 chorizo sausage, 1/2 lb of veal (these meats were in frig and I needed to use them), but you can use whatever you have turkey, lamb, beef, chicken whatever and it doesn't have to be ground meat, you could use any meat cut into bite size pieces.  I also chopped 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 poblano pepper, 1/2 red onion, 1 jalapeno, 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, 3 cloves of garlic. I used 1 C frozen corn, 1.5 tbs hot paprika, 1.5 tbs cumin, 1 tsp coriandor, 1 tsp marjoram or oregano, S& P for taste, 1 15 oz can of beans rinsed & drained (whatever you have on hand), 1 14 oz can of tomato sauce.  You will also need 2 C of monterey jack cheese and I also added 4 oz of cotija cheese (this is a cheese from Mexico and is hard and crumbly, similar to feta but not as salty). For garnish a handful of chopped cilantro several scallions chopped.  Let's cook!!  Preheat your oven to 425.  Take a large skillet and add your meats and heat over medium heat and brown the meat and break it up as it cooks 5-7 minutes, add your peppers, onion, spices, beans, corn, and tomato sauce and let simmer for about 5 minutes.  Now it's time to start the layers for your lasagna: meat mixture, tortillas, cheese and just layer it  until you are either out of the mixture or tortillas.  Place your lasagna in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cheesed is bubbly and lightly browned.  Garnish with your cilantro and scallions.  *NOTE I only had 2 layers, so next time when I get to the last layer of tortillas I think I will save some meat mix to place over the final tortilla layer and then top with cheese, or maybe an additional cup of cheese. Try it and let me know what you think.

Herb Chicken & Sausage with Basil Couscous

Tonight I was inspired by Chef Giada DeLaurentiis not because it's her recipe, but because she is so beautiful and  I love to watch her cook.  So tonight we took boneless, skinless chicken thighs that had been marinated all day with fresh herb sprigs, garlic from the garden and some dry white wine.  The herbs I used were fresh rosemary, thyme, basil, and oregano.  I crushed 3 garlic cloves too.  I added the chicken, herbs, wine and garlic to large zip lock and let them marinate for about 6 hours in the frig.   You could marinate overnite too if you have more time.  What  you will  need for the dish:  marinated chicken thighs, 3 italian sausages casing removed and broken into bite size pieces,  3/4 C dry white wine, 2 tbsp duck fat (you could use EVOO too, but I've had this duck fat in frig for awhile, so I wanted to try it),  4 cloves garlic minced, fresh asparagus ( I only had 5 left from a bunch, so I cut them into 1/2" pieces, 5 mushrooms sliced, 1/2 C heavy cream, 1 C fresh spinach chopped, 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, 2 sprigs of oregano.  For the couscous, just follow the directions on the box, I added 1 tbsp EVOO and 10 leaves of chopped basil to the finished product.  I also cooked my couscous in chicken stock and I used the butter which is optional.  Now that we have our mise en place together lets cook.  I took a large skillet and added the duck fat and heated over high heat for 5 minutes.  I added chicken thighs and seared both sides for 2 minutes (be careful, the duck fat really pops and splatters),  I then added the sausage and let that go for additional 2-3 minutes, stirring periodically to brown all sides of the sausage.   I added the wine and let the pan deglaze and reduced the heat to med.  I added the asparagus, mushrooms, garlic to the skillet and mixed everything in.  I cooked this for about 3-5 minutes and then added the heavy cream and the spinach and continued to cook for another 2-3 minutes.  I then added the herb sprigs (which you will remove from the dish before serving).  I reduced to heat to med low and let this simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes.  I removed from the heat, covered the dish and let it rest until I served it over my basil couscous.  Not sure if the duck fat added anything special, but this dish was really really yummy, so give it a try and let me know what you think. Bon Appetito!!

Chorizo & Chicken Tex Mex

I'm back at the Chorizo again and this time it was a success, yay!!  If you're not familiar with Chorizo, it's a spanish sausage loaded with paprika and spices.  It has a very strong flavor and I think it works well with chicken.  The chicken will absorb the flavors of the Chorizo and sometimes it's not necessary to add extra spices when you cook with it.  This dish tonight is loaded with flavor and textures, so lets get started.   You will  need:  2 Chorizo sausages, casing removed torn into bite size pieces, 1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken thighs rinsed & patted dry, 3 cloves garlic chopped, juice of 1 lime, 1/2 of 1 red bell pepper julienned, 1/2 of 1 green bell pepper julienned, 1 jalapeno julienned (I didn't remove the seeds), 1/2 Spanish onion sliced thin, 2 tbs tomato paste, 1/4 C low fat sour cream, 1/4 C heavy cream, 2 tsp hot hungarian paprika, 2 tsp cumin,  S&P, 1 tbs EVOO, for garnish -3 scallions chopped, 1/2 avocado sliced/ 1/4 C cilantro chopped and 1/4 C shredded monterey jack cheese.  You will also need your favorite rice to serve this with.  I used 1 C basmati rice and simmered it in 1.5 C of chicken stock for 20 minutes after it was brought to a boil.  Now let's make the meal- I took a large skillet and added the EVOO and heated on med high heat for about 3-4 minutes.  I seasoned the chicken thighs with S&P on both sides and added the whole chicken thighs and the garlic to the skillet and let the thighs brown on each side for 2-3 minutes and removed them from the pan.  I then added the Chorizo pieces, lime juice and the peppers and onions, stirred them and let them cook for about 5 minutes.  The lime juice will deglaze the skillet and add a bit of acidity. While that was cooking I cut my chicken thighs into bite size pieces and added them back to the skillet with the Chorizo and peppers.  I added the spices, tomato paste, sour cream and the heavy cream to the skillet, stirred it in and then reduced the heat to low and let this simmer for 5 more minutes.  At this point is was really getting thick so I added less than 1/4 C water. I continued to simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes until chicken was cooked thru.  I removed the skillet from the heat and let it rest covered for about 5 minutes.  I served the Chorizo & Chicken over the basmati rice and garnished it with the a sprinkle of shredded cheese, scallions, cilantro and wedges of avocado.  Give it a try, it's easy, quick and really yummy!!

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Check this out!!  Tomato Plant Eating Horn Worm invaded by Parasitic Wasp Larvae.  Survival of the fittest.  Nature Rocks!!!

Quick Chicken Curry and Vegetables

You may have noticed by looking at my blog that I really like curry flavors.  I haven't yet made my own curry spice mixture, but I'm working on it. Until then I use a curry powder that I bought from Jungle Jim's which is this huge market that sells everything food wise that a foodie would love.  It's just an amazing store and I spend hours and lots of $$ every time I go.  If you haven't been, take a road trip and check it out, you won't be disappointed.

This dish is very easy, very quick and tastes great.    I got my curry rice going which consists of 1 C basmati rice, 1tbs butter, 1 tsp of curry powder, 1 tsp kosher salt,  1.5 C chicken stock.  Just put all this in a pot and cook, bring to boil, cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook about 20 minutes.  Let the rice rest for about 10 minutes after cooking and fluff with a fork.  Now the curry chicken and veggie is really easy, tonight I just used what I had on hand, 1.5 lbs organic boneless skinless chicken breasts (rinsed in cold water and patted dry) cut into bite size pieces, 1 tbs EVOO,  3 garlic cloves chopped, 2 C broccoli florets,  1/2 C frozen peas, 2 C fresh baby spinach leaves, 1/2 C heavy cream,  1/2 C chicken stock, 1.5 tbs curry powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1 tsp garam masala, 1tsp hot Hungarian paprika 1 tsp kosher salt.  I added the EVOO to a large skillet and heated it over med high heat for about 2 minutes and added the chicken pieces and chopped garlic and coated them with oil and just sauteed it for about 3-4 minutes until all sides if chicken were no longer pink.  I added the broccoli, chicken stock, broccoli and peas, salt, spices and continued to simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes.  I then added the heavy cream and stirred the mixture, and let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes.  I then stirred in the spinach, reduced the heat to low, covered and simmered for about 3-4 minutes.  I removed the skillet from the heat and just let it rest, covered, for about 10 minutes.  I served the chicken over the curry rice and garnished with a spring of cilantro and crushed red pepper.  I wish  I would have had some naan bread on hand to dip in the creamy sauce, but maybe next time.  I hope you try this dish.  It's really easy, quick and yummy.

Sunday Supper

Louis whipping us some beans

Autumn's Banana Pudding

We had a wonderful Sunday supper with my in-laws, the whole gang was there my momma and papa in law, mamaw in law, my sister and brother and law, my niece and nephew and my cousin in laws, and my hubby.  My papa-in-law Louis cooked up some serious Louisiana cuisine (they are from Mississippi and Louisiana, so they kind know their cajun food).  I would give you the recipes, but it's pretty much a little of this, little of that, with a pinch and a dash of that too.  He's a great cook and he just has everything he makes in his head.  My sister-in-law takes after her father, because her recipe for her amazing banana pudding was similar to her dad's.  She said you use some bananas, banana pudding, sweetened condensed milk and whip cream.  Yeah, I think I can do that:o).  Anyway, we had a feast with "authentic" cajun dirty rice made with fried chicken livers, spicy baked beans, bbq chicken slathered with this amazing spicy, sweet, savory bbq sauce (definitely umami).  I'll try to get the recipe.  My father in law kind of gave me the recipe for the dirty rice and it goes like this, saute your trinity (onion, celery and green pepper) until soft, set aside.  Fry the chicken livers until done and then chop them finely and add this along with the trinity to 5 C of rice and chicken stock and cook until done.  Oh, and don't forget the S&P.  The finished rice is sticky and not wet. It was a an amazing Sunday Supper not only because of the food, but because we were together as a family.  Thank you all for a wonderful Sunday Supper!!

Grilled Pork Chops with Cappellini

We had been on a long ride, so when we returned home we grilled up some pork chops and served those with some cappellini pasta (angel hair pasta). We used the gas grill, since it was late and we were both pretty hungry.  I preheated the grill with 3 burners on high and 2 on low.  I prepared the chops with some kosher salt and a generous amount of fresh ground pepper.  I also had a tbs of unsalted butter reserved to brush on the chops while they grilled.  I placed the chops on the high heated side of grill and grilled each side for about 5 minutes.  I only turned them once for 5 minutes per side.  After that I moved them to the low side of grill and brushed butter on one side. It took the chops about 20 minutes to grill total until they reached a temp of 145.  In between turns I buttered the chops.  After those finished I let them rest for about 5 minutes.  While my chops rested I had my salted water going for my pasta.  While chops were grilling Will minced 4 cloves of garlic and made a chiffonade of about 1/4 C of fresh basil leaves.  The cappellini only takes about 4 minutes to cook.  We reserved a C of the pasta water and drained the pasta, placed it back in the pot with 1 tbs of butter 2 tbs of EVOO the garlic, basil and fresh ground pepper.  We also added some of the pasta water to keep it loose.  We served the pasta with some grated Parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper along with our grilled pork chops.  Bon Appetito!

Country Fixins

Last night we grilled some corn on the cob and some thick pork loin chops.  We also had some half runner green beans and red skin potatoes.  We grilled the corn and chops on the charcoal grill.  The chops were about 1.5 inches thick and I seasoned them S&P.  I grilled them until they reached an internal temp of 145.  They took about 20 minutes.  I've tried grilling corn several ways, removing husks and laying on grill , soaking the corn in cold water for several hours and not soaking the corn.  I think my favorite way is to soak the corn with the husks left on in cold water for up to 8 hours and laying the corn on the upper grates of the grill, where they will steam.  I usually keep them on the grill up to 30 minutes. While my chops and corn were grilling I prepared the half runner beans and potatoes for the pressure cooker.  If you're not familiar with half runner green beans, they are thicker and larger than the green beans you usually find in your market.  They are firmer, and have a large beans inside the pods.  You also need to remove the string from the pods before cooking.  They also are more yellow green in color.  I've never seen them in my local market.  Farmers markets usually have them in the summer.  When I was a child my grand parents always grew a large garden with lots of half runner beans.  When the beans would come in I would help my mamaw pick them and string them.  She would usually can 20-30 qts of the beans.   I remember that she would slow cook the fresh beans with bacon and bacon fat.  They were so yummy with mashed potatoes, corn bread and fresh home grown tomatoes.  This was a wonderful summertime meal.  For this meal I took the beans and some red skin potatoes quartered and cook them in my MDF pressure cooker for 6 minutes.  I let the pressure cooker get to max pressure, reduced the heat to low and cooked them for 6 minutes.  After 6 minutes I removed the cooker from heat and let it release pressure naturally.   When they cooled we placed in bowl with S&P and butter.  Yummy!  We served the corn with lots of butter and S&P along with our beans, tators and chops.  Now that's some country fixins.  Enjoy!