The Best Darned Chili Mac EVER!

I'm not into diner food, per se. Honestly speaking though, if my husband offers to cook for the night, I'm all for it, even if it IS chili mac from a box and a can. Still, I know that even diner food can be absolutely delicious if the person cooking it pays attention and does it lovingly.

The other night I was not in the mood to cook at all. Strange, I know, but still... So, there I was, defrosting some pork carnitas cuts, and trying to figure out a way I could make them into something that sounded tasty... And, I decided on chili. But I needed something more, since my daughter, being a young 22 month old, can't handle a lot of spice. BUT, she loves a food adventure, and really likes flavor. So, I considered what I had...

Looking in my pantry, I could not find a box of mac and cheese anywhere. BUT, I did have a bag of wheel noodles, some butter, some flour, some milk, and some cheese... So, technically speaking, I *could* make it from scratch... And, the idea was born...

1 lb pork carnitas, cut to 1/2 inch chunks
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomatoes with green peppers and onions
1 can (small) tomato paste
1 can "chili" beans (they have the spices already in them)
1 packet chili seasoning

Heat a pan to medium-high heat
Add Pork and begin to cook, moving around to brown
Once mostly cooked, add the garlic
Continue to cook until pork is done
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, beans and seasoning
Reduce heat to low, stir to combine, and let simmer

MEANWHILE....

Bring 8 quarts of salted water to a boil
Add 2 cups dry wheel pasta
Stir once water starts boiling again

While that is cooking...

2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
1 c whole or 2% milk
1 c shredded cheese

Melt butter in a pan on medium heat
Add flour to the pan, and whisk to combine together
Cook on medium-low heat, whisking until you smell the flour get nutty
Add the whole milk a little bit at a time, whisking to combine
Once smoothly combined, add shredded cheese to the mix

Once pasta is cooked, drain, and add cheese sauce to it

You can either place the mac and cheese on the bottom of the plate and pour chili over it, OR you can mix the two together completely.

Another great way to do this is to make hashed browns and serve the chili over them.

Enjoy!!!

Chile Chicken Chowder (my twist)

So, I was watching Paula Dean the other night and already had a good beef stew cooking, and she started making poblano chicken chowder. I was totally intrigued. I really love making a good chicken tortilla soup, and I adore chicken corn chowder, so the idea of a somewhat-combination really got me going... I had to put my own twist on it, though, as I really love to have potatoes in my chowders... And I prefer to thicken most of my soups with corn starch rather than roux. So, here it is. Enjoy!

Yields: 12-16 servings, depending on your hunger level...

1/4 cup olive oil
3 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 large onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice
5 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 lbs gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups frozen or fresh corn
1/8 cup minced garlic
2 to 3 small poblano peppers, roasted, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice -OR-
2 to 3 small anaheim peppers, roasted, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, or more to taste
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
2 quarts water or chicken broth
1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, minced
3 cups diced (large pieces) grilled chicken
1 Tbsp corn starch, mixed into
1 pint heavy cream

Directions

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat
Add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, peppers, salt, white pepper, cumin, and thyme
Saute for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften
Stir in the chicken bouillon
Add the chicken broth, potatoes, corn and cilantro, and cook until the carrots and potatoes are tender
Stir in the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until the chowder is thick and the chicken is heated through
Add the cream and corn starch mixture
Bring up just to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about two minutes, stirring constantly

Serve garnished with some fresh tomatoes and tortilla chips

If you really want to make the nice warm burn come alive, add both the poblanos and the anaheims. I found the flavor to be really fabulous.

Asparagus with Lobster and Cream Sauce...

OK - so, you think you can't have lobster because it's so expensive. Actually, it's not all that expensive if you get it on sale, and if you're mixing it into other things, like in this dish. I picked up 4 lobsters for about $24 total at my local store - they were having a sale - and if you look around, you may surprise yourself. It's a bit of work to pick them, but it's really tasty. If lobster isn't your thing, you can also do this with shrimp or crab as well...

Serves 4 people

4 small lobsters (about 1 lb each - you'll get about 5 oz of meat out of each), picked clean
1.5 lb pencil-thin asparagus, chopped into 1.5" long pieces
2 medium shallots, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
nutmeg
salt
pepper

Heat 12" non-stick skillet on medium heat
Add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter and let melt
Add shallots and garlic
Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg*
Let sweat for about 6 minutes, until super fragrant - do not let brown
Add asparagus, and cook about 6 minutes - stirring every few minutes
Chop lobster into bite-sized pieces
Add cream and let cook until starting to thicken, stirring every few minutes
Add lobster and parmesan cheese
Let cheese thicken, and lobster fully heat up

Serve over baked potato or linguine pasta

*Nutmeg should be used with caution. I'd say only 2-3 scrapes on a microplane, if you're not used to the flavor. It brings out the sweetness of the lobster, but can overpower it if you aren't careful. No more than about 5-6 scrapes tops in this dish, at this serving size.

Tex-Mex Rice...

I can't call this Mexican rice - it's not. It's not technically Spanish rice, either... It's hispanically inspired, thus the tex-mex. I did this in my 10-cup rice cooker, but you can do it in a single pan with a good lid. It's easy to do, inexpensive, very tasty, and leftovers are great in a tortilla.

Prep time: About 15-20 minutes
Cook time: About 20 minutes
Serves 6-8 hungry people

1.5 lbs ground meat (I like 2/3 turkey, 1/3 pork)
4 cloves garlic
1 pasillo pepper, minced
2 red bell peppers
2 yellow bell peppers
1 jalepeno pepper, minced (you can seed and de-vein for less heat)
1 large red onion, diced
2 cups black beans, cooked
2 cups rice, cooked
1 cup corn, cooked
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the meat in a pan and, once almost completely done, add garlic and peppers
Stir to combine, and let cook a few minutes
Add onion, and cook for about 5-7 minutes on medium heat, until softened
Add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine and heat

I like serving this with homemade guacamole, cotija cheese, and creme freshe.

Enjoy!

~M

Oaxacan-inspired Shrimp Salad

So, I play around in the kitchen a lot with different foods and ideas. Many times, the weather inspires me to put together whatever it is I end up serving. Other times, it's budget that constrains me... Tonight, both of these were in play, but there was nothing cheap about what came of it...

There are two componants to this salad - the first is the meat, namely shrimp. You can also do this with tilapia fillets if you like, or scallops. I wouldn't recommend any seafood that was meaty or dark, since this ends up being really delicately flavored... The second is the rest of the salad, which can be prepared up to several hours in advance...

Prep time: About 30 minutes
Cook time: About 2 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb 51-60 shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 habanero pepper, seeded and chopped
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 can (12 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups fresh or flash-frozen (now thawed) yellow corn
1 large red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 habanero pepper, minced
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 avocados, diced
1/2 package of queso fresco cheese, diced
2-3 Tbsp Kosher salt
1-2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

In a plastic ziploc bag, combine the first portion of the ingredients together, and let marinade at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients together, and let sit in the fridge until the shrimp have finished marinating.

Heat a large skillet to high heat. Once you see the beginnings of smoke come off the pan, add all the shrimp at once, and stir constantly. This size shrimp should be perfectly cooked in about 1-2 minutes.

Add to the salad, and let chill in the fridge. Season to taste and serve cold.

Lime Coriander Garlic Aoli

Condiments, when good, are the best things in the world for food... I came up with this to go with Tilapia, since it's such a bland fish. I like to spice up my flavors and go wild with them, so this was a perfect way to do it. This aoli (basically, a home-made mayo with garlic added), has the flavors of coriander seed, lime, parsley, thyme, and chives in it. The color is green, and the taste is delicious. I recommend using it on fish tacos, onion rings, and burgers, too!

3 egg yolks
5 cloves fresh garlic
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp lime juice (about 1/2 a lime)
2 tsp fresh lime zest (off the 1/2 lime from above)
2 Tbsp coriander seed
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp thyme
2 Tbsp chives
1 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper

In your food processor, add all ingredients together, reserving the olive oil.

Blend, and slowly stream in olive oil until you get a nice emulsion going.

Add salt and pepper to taste, and blend for another minute or so.

This will keep in your fridge for about a week or so. It makes about 1 1/2 cups of aoli.

Enjoy!

Toad In The Hole

Sounds a bit off, but really, it's rather tasty, if you like toast and over-easy eggs. Enjoy!

serves 1

2 eggs
2 slices bread
butter
salt
pepper

Heat a flat pan or skillet to medium.
Using a cookie cutter or knife, cut a hole in the middle of your bread (a 2" hole is recommended)
Place butter into the pan and spread to cover the bottom of it
Place bread onto the bottom of pan
Crack eggs into the hole, and season with a little salt and pepper
Let sit about 2 minutes, or until the whites are firm
Flip, and let sit another two minutes

Serve!