Mexican Risetti

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

For Mexican Monday I am happy and proud to share with you one of my original recipes.

Food Network challenge... acceptedIn January of 2011 Food Network magazine had an Iron Chef type challenge using the secret ingredient Spaghetti. I had an idea, I made it, and I submitted my recipe to Food Network. I didn’t win, or at least I don’t think I won, it’s been over two years and I still haven’t seen the winner announced!

I decided to break up the spaghetti and make a mock risotto. To add even more of a twist I opted to use Mexican flavors instead of Italian. I used a Mexican beer in place of white wine, chorizo as my meat, and Mexican blend cheese instead of Parmesan.

Mexican Risetti Steps

An Original Recipe

Mexican Risetti

Makes 2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb spaghetti, broken
  • 2 links Mexican chorizo, casings removed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 Spanish onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, deseeded
  • 3/4 bottle light Mexican beer
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 C chicken broth
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • handful fresh cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnish)
  • 3/4 – 1 C shredded Mexican-blend cheese
  • zest of 1/2 lime

Steps:

  1. In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, brown chorizo in olive oil. When cooked, remove from the pan and set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Leave the drippings in the skillet.
  2. Reduce heat to medium-low and add in the butter. Add garlic once butter is melted. After 30 seconds add in the broken spaghetti. Toast for 2 minutes. Add onion and jalapeno. Saute until onions are translucent.
  3. Deglaze the pan with the beer. Add in oregano. When beer is absorbed, add chicken broth in about four stages, allowing the broth to be absorbed before each addition of liquid.
  4. After pasta is al dente add in diced tomato, cilantro, and the cooked chorizo. Let warm through and melt in the cheese. Garnish with lime zest and cilantro.

Mexican Risetti

Thanksgiving Brussels Sprouts

~ lk529 ~ 6 Comments

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday – I love the tradition. Unlike the Hollywood American Family, I love gathering with family. And, I love the food!

I think Thanksgiving as turned into my favorite holiday because after getting married, I’ve become the hostess for this family oriented holiday. Stuart’s family and my family converge on our home for not only Thanksgiving, but also for the Iron Bowl!

I am presenting a Thanksgiving side dish early so that I can participate in the Thanksgiving Side Dishes Link Party hosted by Let’s Dish. (Don’t worry, I’ll still do my week of Thanksgiving sides closer to the holiday.)Image

In combining our two families, there have been merging of traditions and additions to Thursday’s menu.

This dish is one of those that were introduced to my family by my mother-in-law. And each year, there’s never enough! I think this year a double recipe will need to be prepared.

Thanksgiving Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

  • 2 lb fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 oz pancetta, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 C chicken broth

Steps:

  1. Cook Brussels sprouts in salted boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain.
  2. Crisp up the pancetta in a large skillet in the olive oil for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Toss in the sprouts 5 minutes. Season with S+P.
  3. Pour the broth into the skillet and simmer for 3 minutes, or until the broth reduces so that it coats the Brussels sprouts.

*This recipe is adapted from Giada at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/brussels-sprouts-with-pancetta-recipe/index.html*

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta Sew You Think You Can Cook

Turkey Sloppy Joes

~ lk529 ~ 3 Comments

Happy Halloween!

Halloween in my house means Sloppy Joes. I don’t know if it really was an annual Halloween supper or not, but my brain connects Halloween with Sloppy Joes.

Halloween Collage

Sloppy Joes make for a great sandwich night. The ingredients are pantry staples and it’s quick to come together. The meat mixture reheats beautifully and your lunchbox the next morning is more appetizing than the typical deli meat and cheese.

Turkey Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Vidalia onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/4 C ketchup
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

Steps:

  1. In a large sided skillet saute onion in olive oil. When translucent add the garlic and turkey. Break up the turkey as it cooks.
  2. Meanwhile, in a bowl whisk together ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, vinegar, and tomato sauce.
  3. After turkey is cooked through, stir in the tomato paste. After 45-60 seconds add in the sauce. Stir and warm through for 3 minutes.
  4. Spoon Sloppy Joe mixture onto hamburger buns. Eat and trick-or-treat!

*This recipe is modified from Jessica at http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2012/04/turkey-sloppy-joes/*

Turkey Sloppy Joes

Candy Corn Pizza

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Here is another Pinterest recreation for my final candy corn presentation. When you slice a round pizza into triangles, you will find yourself staring at a delicious slice of candy corn pizza. Assemble the pizza by first rolling out your dough into a circle. Put shredded mozzarella cheese in the center and surround that with shredded cheddar. The yellow bottom of the candy corn is represented by the crust, so brush it with olive oil. If you wanted to you could dye the pizza dough with yellow food coloring.

Below are recipes for homemade pizza dough and homemade pizza sauce, but for a busy Halloween night feel free to take advantage of the grocery store with a jarred sauce and refrigerated dough – I will not judge.

Candy Corn Pizza

Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

  • 1 pkg dry active yeast
  • 1 C warm water
  • 3 1/2 C flour
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • cornmeal

Steps:

  1. Dissolve yeast in the water, 10 minutes.
  2. In a stand mixer combine flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and add half of the yeast. Mix in with your fingers. Add in the olive oil and remaining yeast.
  3. Knead dough with the dough hook of your stand mixer for 7 minutes. (Or by hand on a floured surface for 10 minutes.)
  4. Shape dough into a ball and put in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise for one hour, or until doubled in size.
  5. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 475 degrees F. Divide dough into 4 separate pieces and roll out on a floured surface.
  6. Sprinkle cornmeal onto a pizza paddle (or edgeless cookie sheet). Place pizza dough on the paddle and assemble.
  7. Bake pizzas on pizza stone 20 minutes until pizza crust is crispy and cooked through.

*This pizza crust recipe is adapted from a recipe that came with a friend’s pizza stone*

Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 can (28 oz) tomato puree
  • 1 1/2 C water
  • 1/4 C olive oil
  • 1/4 C red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp dried parsley
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp salt

Steps:

  1. Combine all ingredients.

*This pizza sauce recipe is adapted from Lynn at http://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2009/01/homemade-pizza-sauce.html*

Candy Corn Popsicles

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

I saw this one floating around on Pinterest. It’s actually what prompted my candy corn theme for the week. You only need 3 ingredients, yogurt, apple juice, orange juice. Or you can follow the Pinterest version using orange juice and pineapple juice.  Because I have Simply Apple apple juice it’s darker than the from-concentrate counterpart.

You can feel comfortable giving these popsicles to your kids before sending them off Trick or Treating for mountains of candy because there is zero added sugar, and depending on the brand of juice and yogurt you buy, you could be tricking them into a sugar-free dessert!

Candy Corn Popsicles

Here’s the How-To for Candy Corn Popsicles:

Using a tiny spoon put some white yogurt (plain, vanilla, Greek or regular) in the bottom of your popsicle mold. Place the mold in the freezer, covered with plastic wrap, until hardened.

Put apple juice on top of the frozen yogurt. Put in the freezer, covered with plastic wrap, to let solidify just enough so that the third layer won’t mix. If you let it harden completely it’ll be near impossible to put the popsicle stick/handle into the mold.

Top off the popsicle with the orange juice. Put the sticks into the mold and freeze.

When you go to remove the popsicles from the mold run it under cold water first. Doing so will loosen them from the sides of the mold. Or you can set the mold in a bowl of cool water.

Candy Corn Popsicles 2

Candy Corn Inspired Fajitas

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Disclaimer: There were no candy corns harmed in the making of these fajitas.

I wanted to bring my candy corn theme to Mexican Monday and I felt the best way to do this was with bell peppers and onion and the best way to showcase the candy corn colors was through fajitas. Using this platform, the white, orange, and yellow aren’t hidden within closed tortillas or underneath melted cheese.

Steak Fajitas

Ingredients:

  • 4 tbsp olive oil, divided use
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped
  • 1 tsp adobo sauce (from can of chipotle peppers)
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 1/2 tsp cumin, divided use
  • 2 1/2 tsp chili powder, divided use
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 lb flank steak, sliced on the bias into strips
  • 1/2 large white onion, sliced
  • 1 orange bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

Steps:

  1. Make marinade: combine 2 tbsp olive oil, lemon juice, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, onion powder, garlic, Worcestershire, chipotle pepper and adobo sauce.
  2. Season steak with S+P and toss in the marinade for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Toss onions and bell peppers in 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 1/2 tsp chili powder, S+P. Saute vegetables in 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. When tender remove from skillet and keep warm.
  4. In the same skillet, cook the steak to desired doneness.
  5. Serve with sour cream and cheese.

*This recipe is modified from Rachel at http://www.thestayathomechef.com/2013/05/flank-steak-fajitas.html*

Image

Candy Corn Pillow

~ lk529 ~ 5 Comments

So You Think You Can Cook will be taking on the Candy Corn theme leading up to Halloween this Thursday. I have been very excited about this theme and the week is finally here where I can show you what I’ve been up to.

I’m starting off with a sewing post. A pillow. This craft is incredibly simple, you only need 3 different fabrics. (I was able to find everything I needed out of my stash.) And you only need to sew 5 seams!

Candy Corn Pillow

Here’s the How-To for a Candy Corn Pillow:

Note: My pillow form is 14×14″.

Cut fabric. You will need 2 3 1/2 x 15″ rectangles of white fabric, 2 7 1/2 x 15″ rectangles of orange fabric, and 2 5 1/2 x 15″ rectangles of yellow fabric.

IMG_5910

Your finished squares should be 15×15″, sew on a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Attach white to orange and orange to yellow. When you press each square, iron the seams in opposite directions.

IMG_5911

Put right sides together. Pin. Leave a 4″ gap on the yellow edge of the pillow. Sew all around the pillow, keeping that gap, with a 1/4″ seam allowance.

IMG_5913

Pull pillow inside out. Poke out the corners. Iron the unsewn 1/4″ flat on each side of the gap.

IMG_5914 IMG_5915

Stuff your new pillow case with your pillow form.

IMG_5916

Close up the gap with your preferred method: hand sewing, buttons, Velcro, machine sewing, etc.

Buttermilk Pancakes with Pear Syrup

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

This time of year the internet is overrun with pumpkin treats and apple ciders. The pear, although also in season, doesn’t seem to get as much publicity. I don’t know why not! Have a pear, you’ll taste fall.

This plateful of pancakes dressed in pear syrup was a perfect autumn breakfast and no pumpkins were harmed in the process.

Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 3 C flour
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 3/4 C buttermilk
  • 3/4 C milk
  • 1/3 C butter, melted

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs. Add in both milks and the melted butter.
  3. Combine wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
  4. On a hot buttered griddle drop 1/3 C of batter into pancakes. Flip pancakes when batter starts to set and bubbles form in the center of the pancake.

Pear Syrup

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 C pear nectar
  • 1 1/2 C sugar
  • 1/4 C light corn syrup
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch ground cloves

Steps:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
  2. Boil for 60 seconds. It will foam!
  3. Remove from heat. Skim off the foam.

*The pancake recipe is adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/buttermilk-pancakes-ii/ and the syrup from http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipes.recipeListing/filter/dianas/recipeID/407/Recipe.cfm*

Buttermilk Pancakes & Pear Syrup

T-Shirt Quilt

~ lk529 ~ 9 Comments

I played golf in high school and my coach was kind enough to pick me up after school and drive me to practice and games. I got pretty close to her, and we talked about everything on our commute. One day she told me that she wanted to send off her son’s t-shirts to be made into a quilt. I, being a slightly emotionally nostalgic packrat, fell in love with this idea!

Spirit

Fast forward 4 years and I discover that my now mother-in-law makes quilts, including t-shirt quilts. Because I loved Stuart’s from his high school days, she very kindly created one for me.

Fast forward 4 more years and now I can make my own t-shirt quilt! My friend Kate and I made one out of her shirts from Auburn (her very first quilt, “Spirit”!).

1 year later I completed my first t-shirt quilt. “Aero Force” combines Stuart’s shirts from ROTC and my shirts from Aerospace Engineering. If there was a t-shirt to be bought in any of the organizations I belonged to, I shelled out the 15 bucks for it; Stuart didn’t have enough shirts on his own to make two quilts, so I did one for the both of our Auburn careers.

Aero Force

How to make a Too Cool T-shirt Quilt

*We follow the T-shirt quilt method by Andrea T. Funk.*

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

~ lk529 ~ 3 Comments

This taco recipe is probably the most popular taco recipe on foodgawker! After making this dish it’s obvious why – you couldn’t come across a simpler recipe! 3 ingredients, set it and forget it. Except that you can’t forget it because your kitchen will start to smell like a Mexican restaurant. I don’t suggest making this when you’re home all day – it’ll just make you hungry!

Stuart has been raving about last month’s Healthy Chicken Tacos so I served my tacos with the same avocado lime sauce.

The shredded chicken also makes for great nacho meat. For lunch the next day I took Tostido’s Scoops, topped them with chicken and cheese, popped it in the microwave for 25 seconds and dipped in salsa!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:

  • 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 16 oz jarred salsa
  • 1 oz taco seasoning

Steps:

  1. Place chicken in slow cooker. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and cover with salsa. Cook on LOW 6 hours.
  2. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred.
  3. Assemble tacos with desired toppings: sour cream guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese.

*This recipe is adapted from Sarah at http://www.mychocolatetherapy.com/2012/01/crockpot-chicken-tacos.html*

Slow Cooker Tacos Slow Cooker Tacos