Sometimes Simple, Sometimes Grand, Always Declicious
I recently discovered that the authentic method for making fettuccine alfredo comes from the use of four main ingredients: butter, cream, Parmesan cheese and pasta water. You simply add some of the leftover pasta water to a heated butter/cream mixture, let it cook down and thicken, and finish with some fresh Parmesan cheese. Seriously simple.
…
Less than a week until Halloween. My kids are practically busting at the seams with excitement. Nick, my oldest, plans to be Luke Skywalker, Drew is going to be a pumpkin, and my five year old? Well, he’s made the decision to be a marble. But not just any marble mind you – a rainbow marble. I’m sure you’re wondering how I’m going to achieve this feat. That’s good because I’m wondering a bit myself. I’ve come up with an idea to paper mache a rather large balloon, cut out a few holes for appendages and hope for the best.
…
Homemade marinara is one of those recipes I’ve wanted to try for some time now. There is just something to be said for good ol’ fashioned red sauce made from fresh tomatoes; no cans involved. This recipe is good – really good; and as we all know, good things take time. Once you put the love into the pot, I promise it will will reward you in spades. The best part is, this sauce can be fridged for up to two weeks and frozen for up to six months. It only gets better and once it’s cooked up it can lend itself to a delightfully quick weeknight meal. Serve it with meatballs to create a hearty spaghetti dish or spread it over pizza as a savory sauce. However you use it, I guarantee you’ll be happy you chose to make your own.
Before I jump to the recipe, I’m excited to announce a new partnership I’ve started with Sunbird Seasonings. Get ready for some delectable recipes in the upcoming weeks!
…
School is almost back in session and I can honestly say that I have begun counting down the days. As much as I love the lazy mornings and the relaxed schedule, there’s something to be said for pushing the chicks out of the nest to fly on their own, even if it’s only for a few hours each day. This year my youngest, Drew, will officially begin his educational foray through preschool. He’s more than ready and so am I. After seven years of full time “momhood”, I will finally have a couple mornings to myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love to share moments with my kids, but I have to say that the thought of a doctor’s appointment without a child in tow is somewhat intriguing. The ideas are already beginning to form as to how I will spend this precious alone time. Blogging, of course, will take a chunk. With no boys left back at the house, I’m free to finally volunteer at my older children’s school. I suspect that the long lost art of exercise might also creep it’s way back into my life. Lord knows it needs to.
With summer winding down, I’m gearing up for the inevitable dinner time crunch that will soon return. Gone are the days of leisurely dinners and back are the rushed 30 minute meal times. So in the spirit of back to school, let’s whip up a 30 minute plate pleaser, shall we?
I have been wanting to try my hand at chicken piccata for some time now. Every time I see a picture of the dish floating somewhere across the internet, it gets my stomach grumbling. Chickenwise, there’s nothing quite like a perfectly breaded and cooked filet to get me running for my dinner plate in anxious anticipation. The Southwestern inspiration? Well, that’s just me craving a little bit of the west in my dish, which I have have to say happens more than I’d like to admit. Not that anyone has a problem with that mind you. Just sayin.
Begin your chicken piccata by flattening out a few choice chicken breasts, flouring them up, splashing a handful of choice spices over the top, and tossing them into a hot frying pan with a little oil.
Once they’re cooked through, pull them out and set to the side. Try not to nibble too much while you’re cooking the sauce.
Turn the heat down to low and into the same pan add some lime juice, white wine (be sure to pour yourself a glass to drink while cooking, it really aids in the mood of the chef), chicken broth, diced green chiles, and a few more spices for good measure.
Stir in a couple dollops of sour cream, a splash of heavy cream and a handful of chopped fresh cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and serve over rice or noodles.
Bring on the school time meal crunch. This mama’s ready to get back in the groove.
Total Time: 30 min
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Pd Chicken Breasts
Cumin, Garlic Powder, Salt, and Pepper for Sprinkling on Breasts
1/2 Cup Flour
1 Lime, juiced
1/4 Cup White Wine
1/4 Cup Chicken Broth
4 Oz. Can Diced Green Chiles
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 Cup Sour Cream
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Bunch Cilantro, Chopped
Salt and Pepper, to Taste
Heat up the oil and butter in a large sauce pan on medium high heat.
Pound out your chicken breasts to between 1/4" and a 1/2" thick.
Sprinkle each breast on both sides with the cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Dredge the chicken with flour on both sides and place into heated pan.
Cook Chicken, flipping once, until juices run clear. Remove from pan.
Using pan juices, turn heat down to medium low and add in the lime juice, wine, chicken broth, chopped chilis and the spices.*
Stir in the sour cream and heavy cream. Add in the cilantro and season to your liking with salt and pepper.
Serve the chicken over rice or noodles with a few hearty spoonfuls of sauce over the top.
* If the pan juices have become burnt while cooking your chicken (brown is ok, black is not), replace the juices with a fresh 2 tbsp of both the oil and butter.
Let’s give a hearty welcome to savory southwestern salmon pie. This meal was conceived out of a necessity to clear the pantry and fridge before vacation and quickly forged itself into the permanent dinner rotation.
Usually, when I attempt to create meals using only what I have on hand, the aftermath is either a rip-roaring “I meant to do that” success or it’s a “what the heck did you get us into with this dinner” failure. I have to say, with the way things were flying into pans and bowls; a little bit of this and whole bunch of that, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it hit a rather delicious mark with me. I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for Southwest flavors to begin with. Drop it all into a pie crust and just like that I’m licking my chops and proclaiming blogworthyness.
Make the note that the ancho chile kicks up the spice level a bit. Two of my three were ok with the heat, but the third one took issue. You could probably leave the chile out if needed and it would still work beautifully, however, I have to say that I love the added flavor it gives to the dish.
Let’s get on with it shall we?
…
Today I’m going to share a recipe for sweet and spicy black beans although I can’t claim ownership for creating it. It was taken from a cookbook given to me by my Aunt Ann entitled Recipes from Baja. It was put together by the East Cape Guild of Baja California Sur, Mexico where my aunt and uncle now spend about about half their time during the year.
Before I share the recipe, I have to share a little bit about my Aunt Ann (or AA; double A as she is referred to by family and friends), because she’s a pretty amazing woman by all standards. One of the many reasons I say this is because my aunt is an oarsman on the Colorado River. She guides people down the Grand Canyon and has been doing so with her husband for almost 35 years now.
I have always been in awe of her ability to just get out there and do what she loves. She was one of the first women to professionally guide people down the Grand Canyon. She does her job really well and she is extremely respected within the rafting community. She has taken all levels of people down the river including politicians, movie stars, sports stars and, of course, little ‘ol me. Here is a picture of her on the river with Tom Cruise (this was before he married Nicole Kidman and went a bit off the edge of reality).
I was fortunate enough to be able to take a river trip with my aunt and uncle when I was a junior in high school. It was an eighteen day trip, completely paid for. All I needed to do was help out around camp and assist the research group that was taking the trip with us. They were studying the humpback chub (a fish for all you non-biologist types out there) and it was right up my alley as I was planning to go to college for a degree in Wildlife Biology. I’ll never forget how amazing that trip was. Many people only dream of having the opportunity to take such a trip and I was fortunate enough to get the chance.
My aunt and uncle have since “semi” retired from the rafting business although they still take the occasional trip down the river and run their own company selling custom whitewater rafting gear. If you’re ever in the market, you can check out her company, The Summit.
A big portion of their time is now spent down in Baja California where they own their own piece of land on the ocean. No home on it, just a trailer and a boat for marlin fishing. And they relish every minute of it. They love Baja and I love that they want to share a piece of the culture with us.
The cookbook they passed on to us has so many amazing recipes in it, including the bean recipe I’m going to share with you today. I hope to share more recipes from this cook book in the future and when I do, I’m sure I will think of my aunt and what an amazing woman she is. Here’s a picture of them taken in 2006 with my middle son, Alex.
And now, without further ado, the Sweet and Spicy Black Bean recipe. Here’s what you’ll need to put them together. Keep in mind when you’re looking at this recipe, that it puts together a really large batch so if you’re cooking for a smaller group you might want to cut the recipe in half.
Another thing to note is that I was trying to whip these up quickly while simultaneously putting all three kids to bed before all the guests arrived for the Cinco de Mayo cooking club, so I ran out of time to take my step by step pictures for these. I apologize for dropping the ball today (or the camera as the case may be!)
Ingredients Needed:
2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
2 Medium Onions, Finely Chopped
1-2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
2 Jalapeno Peppers, Seeded and finely Chopped
4 15oz. Cans of Black Beans
1 28 Oz. Can of Diced Tomatoes with Basil Garlic and Oregano, Undrained
1/3 Cup of Honey
1/3 Cup of Packed Light Brown Sugar
1 Tsp of Gnger
1 Tsp of Salt
Grab a large frying pan and heat your olive oil on medium high heat. To the heated oil add your onions and stir. Cook the onions for 5 minutes and then turn the heat down to medium and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes stirring frequently so they don’t burn. Your onions should cook down to about half of what you started with and they should be a nice golden brown color.
While your onions are cooking, chop up the jalapeno’s and garlic and set to the side. Drain and rinse your black beans and add them all to a large pot on medium heat. Along with the beans add your tomatoes, honey, brown sugar, ginger and salt.
After your onions have cooked for an additional 15-20 minutes, add in the jalapeno and garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Then add the onion mixture in with the beans and heat through until hot.
There is also a note from the cookbook that says you don’t necessarily have to cook your onions for 20 minutes but this will make the dish if you do. Those golden browned onions will impart a wonderful sweet flavor you won’t want to miss.
Here’s my finished pot hot on the stove and ready to be served up:
And here’s a picture of a serving about to be given to Andrew. The kid tore these up. It looked like a bean massacre when he was done. The final product:
Total Time: 30 min
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Onions, Finely Chopped
1-2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Jalapeno Peppers, Seeded and Chopped
4 15 Oz.Cans Black Beans
1 28 Oz. Can Diced Tomatoes with Basil Garlic and Oregano, Undrained
1/3 Cup Honey
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Salt
Grab a large frying pan and heat your olive oil on medium high heat.
To the heated oil add your onions and stir.
Cook the onions for 5 minutes and then turn the heat down to medium and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes stirring frequently so they don't burn. Your onions should cook down to about half of what you started with and they should be a nice golden brown color.
While your onions are cooking, chop up the jalapeno's and garlic and set to the side.
Drain and rinse your black beans and add them all to a large pot on medium heat.
Along with the beans add your tomatoes, honey, brown sugar, ginger and salt.
After your onions have cooked for an additional 15-20 minutes, add in the jalapeno and garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Add the onion mixture in with the beans and heat through until hot.
