Mexican | Mommie Cooks!

Savory Southwestern Salmon Pie

June 28, 2011 By Julie 14 Comments

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?

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Family Friendly Fridays: Chicken Fajitas

April 1, 2011 By Julie 26 Comments

Having resided in Dallas, Texas for six years before moving to North Carolina, I can most definitely appreciate great TexMex fare. With so many enticing options to grab a pleasing plate of authentic grub right at your fingertips, it’s hard to know where to go first. I definitely have my favorites: Mi Cocina (Margarita anyone?), Via Real (their chicken Monterey is UNREAL) and Blue Mesa Grill ( Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips. Enough said.) to name a few. But if a sizzling fresh plate of fajitas is what you crave, then Joe T. Garcia’s in Fort Worth is your place. Best darn fajitas I’ve every put my mouth to. Period. Let me break it down and show what I mean. The dinner menu is a total of three items. Chicken Fajitas, beef fajitas, and a family sized dinner with enchiladas, tacos, and cheese nachos. That’s it. You better believe they do ’em right.

Missing these beauties the way I do, I had to try and recreate my own “go-to” fajita platter. Joe T’s is a pretty big commute these days and we’re not planning to move back anytime soon. I’m sure my version doesn’t do the original justice, but it still fills that ever present craving I always seem to have for a pepper and onion loaded, guacamole topped, cheese and salsa filled, flippin’ delicious chicken fajita. Oh, and remember that salsa verde we whipped up a couple days ago? Throw a spoonful or two on these beauties and watch them sing.

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Salsa Verde

March 28, 2011 By Julie 33 Comments

Our family ~~is addicted to~~ loves salsa. Take my kids to a Mexican restaurant and we might as well save the money on the meals because they’ll scrape the dishes of salsa clean and ask for more before the drinks even arrive at the table. My husband practically inhales the stuff. And for him, the hotter the better. He’s the one asking for the “muy caliente” batch sitting in the back of the kitchen. You know the one; it’s usually deemed to have a little too much kick for American Gringos. Well not my husband. He relishes in the deliciousness of a good salsa induced sweat.

It can be said that salsa is the Mexican version of ketchup and I believe it. It tastes good on (and in!) just about everything. Give me a bowl of salsa, some chips and a beer and I’m as happy as a girl can be. Recently, I’ve really been getting into salsa verde. It has a real “limey” flavor that you just don’t get from regular salsa. And the best part about about this green nectar of the Gods is how truly easy it is to make.

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Navajo Fry Bread

February 28, 2011 By Julie 32 Comments

The time comes when all birds must leave the nest and fly on their own. When I graduated college and started looking for a job, I decided that the farther I could soar from my hometown the better. Sound familiar? Be it a need for actual physical distance or merely emotional distance, I’m willing to bet that at one point in our lives we could all relate to that new found feeling of independence pulling us as far away as possible from where it all began. As for myself, I wanted nothing more than to show all those around me that I had what it took to make it on my own.

That ever growing need for independence eventually landed me in Phoenix, AZ. It was far from my childhood stomping grounds, completely different in every possible way from Wisconsin, and I had a cushion in the fact that my grandparents were living there in case I ever needed a familiar hand.
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Family Friendly Fridays: Chocolate Churros

February 18, 2011 By Julie 47 Comments

I have had this recipe on my radar for some time now. It all started when I resolved to create a list of 100 “must make” dishes in the name of organization and pop it up on my Facebook page. I added churros to the manifest and concluded almost immediately that I needed to make them ASAP. And here I am, four weeks later, and they’re finally up for all to enjoy. I’m honestly not sure why it took me this long to make them (although I’m positive my husband would have some valuable insight to share regarding said procrastination habits). They’re simple to make, the kids loved them, and the hubby literally ate half the batch upon walking in the door from work, proclaiming it be an appetizer before dinner.

I personally loved the addition of chocolate to the mix. I realize that I “de-authenticated” the recipe a bit by doing so, but my goodness, this is chocolate we’re talking about. I’m sure once you’ve tried a couple you’ll be able to forgive me for the indiscretion.

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Family Friendly Fridays: Southwest BLT Crostini

January 28, 2011 By Julie 37 Comments

If you’ve ever been curious about worm composting, then head on over my local NPR’s food blog WFAEats where you can check out an article I recently wrote on just such a topic.

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Ok, who’s ready for football? I know I am. Having grown up in Wisconsin for the first 21 years of my life, I am a die hard cheesehead through and through. It’s kind of hard not to be when you live in a state like Wisconsin. I still remember the Christmas Eve when my dad packed my brother and me up in the eggmobile (our pet name for my dad’s 80’s wood-paneled station wagon; gotta love it) and drove us up to Green Bay. The Packers were playing the Steelers (coincidence perhaps?) and my dad decided we would scalp a few tickets and catch the game. We were colder than a hairless poodle after a polar bear dive into Lake Michigan on a January morning, but we persevered for the good of the team. Dad finally scraped up three tickets and in we went. Here’s how that game ended:

And in case you’re wondering just what a polar dive is, you can check out this link to a you tube video chronicling this year’s craziness. I’ll stick with my hat and scarf thank you very much.

Let me tell you, cold or not, there is just something so surreal about watching the Packers play at Lambeau Field. The din of the crowd, the music, the orange hunting jumpsuits, the fan next to me with a cheese head sporting a Xmas tree decorated with crushed Pabst Blue Ribbon beer cans . It’s so electrifying you hardly even remember that you can’t feel your hands and feet anymore. As an adult, I’ll admit, that I can be a little fair weather on years when we aren’t heading to the big game (I’m much more of a college ball fan than pro most days), but I’ll almost always sneak a peak at the scores, catch a game or two during the season, and when they need it, support them like the true Wisconsin cheesehead that I am.

Which brings me to my next point. In case you hadn’t heard yet (HA) the Packers are going to the superbowl. Which means, this year I’ll be celebrating both the commercials AND the game. And you can’t truly support your team through four quarters of Superbowl madness unless you have a whole lotta beer and a whole lotta good eats. These little guys pack a mighty sized punch into a bite sized portion. Let’s just say I made 12 of them for the two of us while we watched the playoff game and they were gone before the first quarter ended. Yea they’re that good.

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