Iced Herbal Ginger Lime Tea

Disclaimer: I received products from KitchenIQ in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Every once in a while there’s a kitchen product that comes around and changes your life.

Okay, maybe not your life.

But your culinary world.

A citrus zester is a great example. Can you imagine if we still had to carefully and thinly slice the peel from a lemon and then chop it up into teensy pieces?! I know I certainly wouldn’t make that effort. There are a lot of citrus zesters out there that make the task of zesting a lime much simpler.

But KitchenIQ took that precious tool and made it even better! Their V-etched Better Zester! provides the smoothest zesting experience I’ve ever had thanks to the nonstick coating on those v-shaped blades. But the feature I love the most is the container attached to the back of the tool. Not only does it catch the zest, it has lines indicating tablespoons and mL. You’ll never again be guessing if the zest of one lime gives you a teaspoon or not. (I know I never actually measure the zest in a recipe and always “wing it.”) A quick {gentle} bang on the countertop and the zest falls to the bottom for easy measuring.

KitchenIQ didn’t stop their with their mind-blowing gadgets. I’m so excited to have The Grate Ginger Tool in my life. I must admit, I’ve ever enjoyed working with ginger simply because it wasn’t an easy ingredient to prep. First there’s peeling the skin. I’ve heard the back of a spoon works quite nicely but it’s never been as easy as it looks on TV, I always end up cutting off the skin and as a result losing a lot of the usable ginger. Ginger is also quite fibrous. Using a microplane grater on it always left me with a stringy piece of ginger in my hand, and chopping it finely just isn’t that fun.

The Grate Ginger Tool answers each of these problems. There is a removable spoon-like device peels the ginger quite nicely and the non-stick v-shaped blades makes grating the ginger as easy as cutting through softened butter. The ginger shavings end up in a little compartment inside the gadget which pulls out easily. There’s even a slicer on the back!

If their new V-etched Spice Grater works just as well as the previous two products, I can’t wait to get my hands on some whole spices!

An Original Recipe

Iced Herbal Ginger Lime Tea

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp freshly grated ginger root
  • 1/4 tsp freshly zested lime
  • 12 oz hot water
  • simple syurp, to taste
  • ice

Steps:

  1. Place ginger and lime in a loose leaf tea ball infuser.
  2. Pour hot water over the tea infuser in a large heat proof cup. Allow tea to steep 3-5 minutes.
  3. Divide ice into 2-3 serving glasses, fill with tea, and sweeten to taste with simple syrup. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Iced Herbal Ginger Lime Tea | Sew You Think You Can Cook

 

#SundaySupper: Easy Cinco de Mayo Recipes

Mexican food used to be the most frequently made (and blogged about) cuisine in my house. And, while it still is, I haven’t been very creative with it as of late and our “Mexican Mondays” have definitely become a thing of the past. Now we just have Mexican food whenever the refrigerator ingredients dictate it and it’s usually a method for using up leftovers.

That being said, Mexican is usually a safe bet for our kids, too. They {usually} like beans of any kind, are more likely to eat ground meat instead of sliced or shredded, and of course, cheese.

I don’t often think of side dishes when it comes to preparing Mexican food, but today I have for you a very simple Black Bean Cilantro Rice that is prepared in one pot!

Making this dish was the first time I successfully made rice without a rice cooker. I’m tempted to even call it fool-proof!

I served this rice on a Friday during Lent alongside some quick pan fried fish. It would compliment pork quite nicely, too.

IMG_2833After declaring he didn’t like it, Firecracker finally tried some of the rice, and ended up asking for seconds! I was surprised Treat wouldn’t eat it, though he did help me with some food styling.

Thank you to Shelby of Grumpy’s Honeybunch for hosting today’s event. Be sure to scroll past my recipe for more great, easy idea for you Cinco de Mayo fiesta.

Black Bean Cilantro Rice

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 C minced red onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 C Jasmine rice
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 C vegetable stock
  • 1 can (14 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 C fresh cilantro, chopped
  • juice 1-2 limes

Steps:

  1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent, add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add the rice, onion  powder, cumin, and salt. Stir 30 seconds to evenly coat the rice. Add the stock and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat for 10 minutes before stirring in the cilantro and lime juice.

*This recipe is adapted from Kelly at http://www.mountainmamacooks.com/2017/03/one-pot-black-beans-cilantro-lime-rice/*

Black Bean Cilantro Rice for #SundaySupper from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Appetizers

Drinks

Entrees

Tacos

Sides and Sauces

Sweets

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement

#SundaySupper: Healthy Green Recipes for Saint Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day is Friday and the Sunday Supper crew has over 35 healthy recipes from breakfast to dessert to make you feel less guilty about all of that Guinness and Bailey’s you’re likely to indulge in over the weekend. Thanks Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures for hosting this event.

I tried something completely new to share today and am happy to say that my “bravery” paid off with a side dish that we’d be (and have been) happy to repeat.

Grilled and wilted greens isn’t exactly a new phenomenon but it’s one that’s always kinda made me cringe. Lettuce is supposed to be crisp and refreshing. How can grilling it be a good idea and why is it so popular?

As for cabbage – that’s a green that can be served warm and often is, but I’ve never really cared for it hot. That’s the only reason I didn’t like my mom’s cabbage rolls growing up (though I should revisit them now that I’m a food blogging adult).

Yet here I am, sharing a recipe for grilled cabbage. And it’s fantastic! It’s warmed through, charred to a level of near sweetness, and maintains texture. Topped with a fresh dressing makes it nearly addicting. This side dish is quite easy to do in 10 minutes and can be done indoors on a grill pan. But if you’re out grilling already, just throw that cabbage on the grill while you’re at it!

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Grilled Cabbage with Spicy Lime Dressing

Ingredients:

  • 1 head of cabbage
  • canola oil, for brushing
  • 1/4 C lime juice
  • 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 C fresh cilantro
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • lime wedges

Steps:

  1. Clean the outer leaves from the cabbage. Cut into 8 wedges, leaving the core intact for easy handling.
  2. Brush wedges with oil.
  3. Grill cabbage 4-5 minutes on each side, until charred and warmed through.
  4. Make the dressing: Combine lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, garlic, salt, cayenne, and sugar in a blender and blend until smooth.
  5. Spoon dressing over the grilled and serve with lime wedges.

*This recipe is adapted from Faith at http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-grilled-cabbage-wedges-with-spicy-lime-dressing-157671*

Grilled Cabbage with Spicy Lime Dressing for #SundaySupper from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Best Breakfasts

Must Make Main Dishes

Scrumptious Salads

Stunning Sides

Dreamy Desserts

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement

SRC: Lime Crusted Salmon with Sweet Potatoes and Peas

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It’s Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! In the Secret Recipe Club, each participating blogger is assigned a blog from another participating blogger and secretly searches their site for something to recreate. The accompanying blog post then goes live on reveal day! So while I was immersed in my assigned blog, someone else was picking through mine! I’m so excited to be part of this group, to see what on my blog peaks other’s interests and to stumble upon new blogs and new recipes.

This month I was assigned Where Is My Spoon? written by Adina. Adina has an incredibly magnificent entrance into the culinary world, at least in my opinion! When she moved to Germany with her husband she didn’t cook because she “couldn’t even boil an egg.” In all honesty though, boiling an egg isn’t necessarily the easiest thing to do if you’re easily distracted… She learned to cook by reading through a cookbook in a new language! I mean, how impressive is that?!

When I received my assignment in my email I forced myself to decide on a savory dish. I felt like I was drowning in a wonderful world of sugar and needed to grab a life vest. I was beginning to regret my decision when I found Carrot Cupcakes with Blueberry Frosting and White Chocolate Apricot Cheesecake. If I hadn’t done Nectarine Caprese Salad last month for SRC I would have definitely gone with her Strawberry, Nectarine, and Quinoa Salad.

Ultimately, I decided to pick a dish that was fresh and light, Lime Crusted Salmon. Adina served it with sweet potatoes and peas. I decided to go with it! I hadn’t had peas in a long time and it reminded me of how much I enjoy the sweet veggie. Turns out I learned that my husband and 10 month old like them, too! Growing up, my favorite way to eat them were atop mashed potatoes. Turns out they complement sweet potatoes, too. A big thank you for introducing me to a new weeknight favorite!

Lime Crusted Salmon

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 lb salmon filet
  • 1 1/2 tbsp butter, softened
  • 2 tbsp panko
  • 1 lime, zested and sliced into wedges

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking dish.
  2. Combine butter, panko, lime zest, and S+P. Spread over fish.
  3. Place salmon in the baking dish and surround with lime wedges. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until the fish is flaked easily with a fork.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

  • 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 tbsp butter

Steps:

  1. Place potatoes in a medium pot. Cover with water and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender. Drain.
  2. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes with the butter. Season to taste with S+P.

Peas with Mint

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 10 oz bag frozen peas
  • 1/2 tbsp butter
  • chopped mint, to taste

Steps:

  1. Cook peas according to package directions, or as desired.
  2. Toss with butter, mint, and S+P to taste.

*These recipes are modified from Adina at http://www.whereismyspoon.co/salmon-with-lime-crust/*

Easy Weeknight Salmon Dinner for #SecretRecipeClub from Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

To see the other bloggers who participated in The Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

#SundaySupper: Easy Taco Recipes for Taco Tuesday

 

Warning! This recipe is insanely addicting. It will make you want to go out and buy all of the chorizo you can find. In fact, I did just that. However, at the time of purchase there were only two packages of chorizo left on the shelf. But still! I don’t think I can go to the store without getting a package. All because of these tacos. Truth be told, we made these twice in one week! They’re that good. We’ve told friends about them and have promised to make them next time they come over. I need to double the amount of chorizo from now on so that we’ll actually have leftovers!

The first time I made these tacos I did everything ahead of time. I made the salsa and crema around 4pm. Because Treat took a nap I jumped at the opportunity and cooked the chorizo, too. Not one to squander my slightly less hectic house, I decided to assemble a couple of tacos and have a photo shoot while the light was still good.

It’s hard not to yell at your toddler for standing on his chair while you’re standing on yours to get that aerial shot. You’ll see he has some of that salsa on his beloved Thomas plate. He was mostly interested in picking out all of the black beans, one of his favorite foods.

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We had to take a break from the photo shoot to bring Treat up from his nap. Both boys ended up eating their dinner before Daddy got home from work! At least they both adored the dish enough to still sit with us at the table nibbling while we scarfed down some tacos.

Firecracker also decided to help me with some food styling by dumping a heaping spoonful of salsa onto one of the tacos. (Good thing I was already done!)

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That helpful toddler ensured that his little brother had enough salsa to eat, too. It’s moments like these that melt my heart. They’re such good brothers to each other. The love that Treat has had for his older brother has been obviously visible in his adoring looks since month 1. Firecracker also took to our family’s new addition within a couple of weeks, trying to say his name long before the rest of his vocabulary emerged. I just hope this brotherly love lasts them a lifetime.

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Can you believe that until these tacos I’d actually never had queso fresco!? Even with my series of Mexican Monday, which has been severely lacking lately. I’ve typically been “too cheap” or simply unable to find it. Now, living in Southern California, I had no trouble finding a large variety of Mexican cheeses at the store. The queso fresco reminded me of a saltier version of string cheese, so if you can’t find it, I’d suggest shredded mozzarella.

I had bought some typical taco toppings, lettuce and tomato, and then completely forgot about them! Honestly, these tacos shine without them and the lime and cilantro crema keeps them feeling light and fresh.

Chorizo Tacos with Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Ingredients for tacos:

  • 1-2 lb ground chorizo, casings removed if using links
  • soft shell taco tortillas, we prefer flour but corn would work well, too
  • queso fresco

Ingredients for salsa:

  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can (15 oz) fire roasted corn, drained
  • 1/4 C diced red onion
  • zest 1 lime
  • juice 1 lime
  • 1-2 tbsp agave, to taste
  • fresh cilantro, torn, to taste

Ingredients for crema:

  • 1/4 C sour cream
  • 1/4 C fresh cilantro, chopped
  • zest 1 lime
  • juice 1 lime

Steps:

  1. Cook ground chorizo in a skillet over medium high heat. Drain and set aside.
  2. Make salsa: Combine all salsa ingredients in a large bowl. Season to taste with S+P. Keep in fridge until ready to serve.
  3. Make crema: Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt. Add water if needed to thin it out.
  4. Assemble tacos with chorizo, salsa, crema, and queso fresco. Option to add other favorite taco toppings: avocado, lettuce, tomato.

*This recipe is modified from Keri at http://fashionablefoods.com/2016/04/25/chorizo-tacos/

Chorizo Tacos with Corn & Black Bean Salsa  Sew You Think You Can Cook (1)

Update October 1, 2017: October 4th is National Taco Day and to celebrate the Sunday Supper Movement has collected about two dozen fun and simple taco recipes to celebrate! Be sure to scroll past my recipe to see the mouth watering collection for yourself!

The taco recipe I’m sharing with you today is in fact an oldie but goodie. These Chorizo Tacos with Black Bean & Corn Salsa were first enjoyed about a year ago (8/21/16 to be exact) and shared here on Sew You Think You Can Cook. I kid you not when I say these have made a very regular appearance on our dinner table since then!

Because chorizo is already seasoned with incredible Mexican flavors, all you need to do is cook it up and drain the fat! The salsa is simply mixing a few ingredients and is a favorite of my kids. The crema is another 3 ingredients. Done!

Breakfast, Dessert, and Alternative Tacos

Lunch and Dinner Tacos

 

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

#BundtBakers: Secret Garden

4ae7b-bundtbakerspostI have been sitting on this cake for months! And that is not an exaggeration. Sue of Palatable Pastime is hosting and announced the theme of “Secret Garden” earlier this year. She defined the task by making a cake with flowers, herbs or summer vegetables. #BundtBakers is a group of bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient.

I opted for the “herbs” qualification and used up my massive amount of mint! I quickly decided on doing a mojito bundt. For Cinco de Mayo we met with some of my husband’s new coworkers at a local Mexican restaurant to celebrate their project kick-off. Neither of us are really big margarita fans and we figured we’d try the mojito instead. I had forgotten about that particular cocktail over the years. I remember first having one at my neighbors house some 6-odd years ago with some homegrown sugar cane and mint – delicious.

This recipe was the first that I photographed with my new macro lens. In addition to my obsession with photographing blood oranges, I’ve found zoomed-in photos of zest to be fascinating.

As you probably know by now, I am not a huge fan of frosting in general, but specifically on my bundt cakes. I hate covering up the intricate details of my bundt pans. This cake did need more than just powdered sugar, so I decided to create a simple lime glaze and toss in some finely chopped mint for extra measure to top these moist, boozy cakes.

I used my Bundt Duet Pan for these Mojito Bundt Cakes.

Mojito Bundt Cakes

Ingredients for the cake:

  • 2 C flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 stick butter, softened
  • 1 C sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp lime zest
  • 2 tsp finely chopped fresh mint
  • 1/2 C rum
  • 1 1/4 C applesauce

Ingredients for the glaze:

  • 2 C powdered sugar
  • juice 1/2 lime, or to taste
  • lime zest
  • fine chopped fresh mint

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 2.5 C bundts.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Add in the lime zest, mint, and rum and mix until fully incorporated.
  4. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, mixing until combined. Add 1/2 of the apple sauce, mixing until combined. Repeat, ending with the dry ingredients.
  5. Divide batter between the bundt pans. Bake 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out cleanly. Allow cakes to cool in the pan before removing to a cooling rack.
  6. Make the glaze: Whisk together powdered sugar and lime juice until smooth. Fold in the lime zest and mint. Top cooled cakes with the glaze. Garnish with extra lime zest and mint, if desired.

*This recipe is modified from Kat at http://www.gooseberrymooseberry.com/2012/03/mini-mojito-cupcakes.html*

Mojito Bundt Cakes for #BundtBakers from Sew You Think You Can Cook

You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about #BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

And don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have baked this month:

Almond Lavender Bundt by The Queen of Scones

Carrot Bundt Cake with Chamomile Orange Icing by Patty’s Cake

Chocolate and Mint Cake by Baking Yummies

Ginger & Lemon Crackle Courgette Bundt Cake by Baking in Pyjamas

Elderflower and Lemon Bundt by Jane’s Adventure in Dinner

Lavender & Honey Bundt by Living the Gourmet

Lavender & Lemon Bundt Cake by I Love Bundt Cakes

Lavender Lemonade Bundt by All That’s Left Are The Crumbs

Lemon and Rosewater Cake by Palatable Pastime

Lemon Balm Bundt Cake by Magnolia Days

Lemon Zucchini Bundt with Sugared Pansies by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Roses & Lemon Bundt Cake by kidsandchic

Spiced Zucchini Bundt Cake by Making Miracles

Sweet Chocolate Feel the Beet Cake by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Vanilla Rose Bundt with Edible Flowers by Our Good Life

Yorkshire Parkin Mini Bundt by Food Lust People Love

Zucchini, Cheddar and Chive Bundt by Cookaholic Wife

Spicy Tomatillo Salsa

Without fail, if I send my husband to the grocery store, he will come home with items that weren’t on the list. Occasionally it’s a package of refrigerated cookie dough but more often than not it’s something “crazy” from the produce section. I’m constantly amazed by his exploratory nature when it comes to the culinary world, actually for all worlds really. I am definitely not as adventurous.

While tomatillos aren’t exactly crazy we’d never worked with them in our own kitchen before. I went that “safe” route and decided to utilize them in a salsa for Mexican Monday.

This salsa is spicy!! Way too spicy for my taste, but my husband loved it!

Spicy Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients:

  • 4 tomatillos, husks removed, washed, and chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, deseeded and chopped
  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • handful fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 sweet onion, diced
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • agave, to taste

Steps:

  1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a desired consistency is reached. Adjust salt and agave to taste.

*This recipe is adapted from Amanda at http://www.thechunkychef.com/abuelos-copycat-tomatillo-lime-salsa/*

Spicy Tomatillo Salsa  Sew You Think You Can Cook

Key Lime Cheesecake Filled Graham Cracker Bundt Cake

Happy Birthday… to me!

I am very excited to share my birthday cake with you. This cake recipe comes from one of my fellow #BundtBakers, Tux over at Brooklyn Homemaker. Back in April we were tasked with the theme of “hidden surprise.” I have been sitting on his recipe for four months just waiting to make this cake my birthday cake.

Why? Because key lime pie is my absolute favorite dessert and he took it to the next level with our shared love of beautiful bundts! The “hidden surprise” inside a graham cracker cake batter is a key lime cheesecake.

Key Lime Cheesecake Filled Graham Cracker Bundt Cake (baby) | Sew You Think You Can CookI brought this cake to a game night and only one piece returned home with me, which my husband was thankful for so he could try more than a bite. When I tried my piece after photographing the cake, my little man raced around the table to get a taste. It was pretty much the funniest and cutest thing. (But I’m pretty partial.)

Thank, Tux, for a fabulous cake recipe worth of anyone’s special day!

Key Lime Cheesecake Filled Graham Cracker Bundt Cake

Ingredients for filling:

  • 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/4 C sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 4 tbsp key lime juice
  • zest 1 lime

Ingredients for cake:

  • 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 C finely crushed graham crackers (I got this from about 9 sheets in food processor)
  • 1 1/2 C flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/4 C buttermilk

Ingredients for glaze:

  • 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 tbsp key lime juice
  • 1 C powdered sugar
  • up to 3 tbsp milk

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heavily grease bundt pan.
  2. Make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese and sugar with a pinch of salt until there aren’t any lumps. Add the egg and mix until combined. Add in the key lime juice and lime zest until smooth. Set aside. (If you don’t have a second stand mixer bowl transfer the filling mixture to a separate bowl and clean the mixer bowl and paddle.)
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and both sugars. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
  4. In a bowl, whisk together graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
  5. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the stand mixer, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
  6. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan. Create a well by pressing the batter up the sides of the pan. Pour the filling mixture into the well – if you’re talented and brave enough, swirl the filling into the cake batter being careful not to touch the sides of the pan. (Mine didn’t quite swirl and instead I had a lovely tunnel of key lime cheesecake.)
  7. Bake cake 50-60 minutes until a cake tester comes out cleanly. Allow cake to cool at least an hour in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack.
  8. Make the glaze: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until there aren’t any lumps. Add the key lime juice and as much of the milk as needed to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cake.

*This recipe is adapted from Tux at http://brooklynhomemaker.com/2015/04/16/graham-cracker-bundt-cake-with-key-lime-cheesecake-swirl-bundtbakers/*

Key Lime Cheesecake Filled Graham Cracker Bundt Cake | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Chipotle Lime Shrimp with Strawberry Salsa

They say you eat with your eyes first.

That must be true because viewing the stunning food photography by Jessica of How Sweet it is caused me to try this intriguing flavor combination: chipotle, strawberry, and black beans.

I admit, I added the black beans – the addition that really had my husband scratching his head. Instead of eating this Mexican Monday meal as tacos, we had tostadas. And tostadas call for refried beans to act as the “glue” that holds the meat and toppings in place. I didn’t think traditional refried beans would really be the way to go with shrimp so I opted for refried black beans. I’m very relieved to inform you that it worked!

I cut some serious heat from the original recipe and I still found it to pack on the spice. Because I freeze my chipotle in adobo in ice cube trays I never know until the cube thaws if I have just sauce, just pepper, or a combination of both. Jessica’s recipe calls for the sauce to be in the marinade – instead I had a pepper which I cut in half and tossed in the bag. This method is a great alternative if you don’t want too much heat but still want that smokey spice from the chipotle peppers. Additionally, I only used half of one (large) jalapeno instead of two whole jalapenos in the strawberry salsa – by all means, if you like it spicy add as much jalapeno as you like!

Chipotle Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:

  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, halved
  • 2 limes (zest and juice)
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp

Steps:

  1. Place all ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
  2. Cook shrimp 2 minutes on each side. I did this on a lightly greased grill pan. If you cook the shrimp in a skillet, add 1 tbsp of olive oil.
  3. Serve shrimp with strawberry salsa (recipe below) in a taco with lettuce and cheese or as a tostada with refried black beans and cheese.

Strawberry Salsa

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz fresh strawberries, diced
  • 1/2 red onion, finely diced
  • 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
  • 1/4 C fresh cilantro (I used Gourmet Garden lightly dried cilantro)
  • juice of 1 lime

Steps:

  1. Combine all ingredients and season to taste with salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*These recipes are adapted from Jessica at http://www.howsweeteats.com/2014/04/chipotle-lime-shrimp-tacos-with-strawberry-salsa-you-can-totally-preorder-my-book/*

Chipotle Lime Shrimp with Strawberry Salsa | Sew You Think You Can Cook

#FoodieExtravaganza: Potatoes

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Hello, August, it’s so nice to see you! Did you know that August is the only month without a holiday? (Unless you count my birthday!) Good thing there are plenty of food holidays to get us through the last full month of summer. There’s National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (that was yesterday, folks), National Root Beer Float Day (tomorrow), National S’mores Day (10th), National Rum Day (16th), and National ‘Bacon Lovers’ Day (20th) to name a few.. okay a lot.

But we’re not celebrating any of those, today.

The Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly party hosted by bloggers who love food! Each month we incorporate one main ingredient or theme into recipes to share with you, and today we’re celebrating potatoes! (National Potato Day is August 19th.)

Potatoes are probably the most versatile item in the produce department. Not only are there a wide variety of flavors, textures, and colors to choose from, there are countless of ways to prepare them! An excellent choice from our host Kathleen of Fearlessly Creative Mammas. Be sure to scroll past my recipe for a great selection of new and fun ways to prepare your next spud.

Chipotle Lime Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb fingerling potato medley, halved
  • 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided use
  • 1-2 tbsp diced chipotle in adobo with sauce
  • 1 tsp minced garlic (I used Gourmet Garden stir-in garlic paste)
  • zest 1-2 limes
  • juice 1-2 limes
  • fresh cilantro (I used Gourmet Garden lightly dried cilantro)

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Toss the potatoes in 2 tsp olive oil and season with salt. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast 30-35 minutes, or until fork tender.
  3. In a small bowl whisk together chipotle in adobo, 2 tsp olive oil, garlic, and the zest and juice of limes. Season to taste with salt.
  4. Toss roasted potatoes in as much dressing and fresh cilantro as desired. Serve warm.

*This recipe is adapted from Meredith at http://www.insockmonkeyslippers.com/summer-braise-chipolte-and-lime-roasted-potatoes-giveaway*

Chipotle Lime Roasted Potaotes for #FoodieExtravaganza from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Be sure to check out the rest of these potato recipes:

Latvian Spiced Dill French Fries from Fearlessly Creative Mammas

Chicken and Mashed Potato Waffles from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

 Horseradish Potato Au Gratin from From Gate to Plate

Roasted Purple Potatoes with Rosemary and Thyme from Our Good Life

Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup from Making Miracles

Llapingachos (Ecuadorian Stuffed Potato Patties) from Tara’s Multicultural Table

Tortilla Espanola (Spanish Omelet) from Cali’s Cuisine

Japanese Moon Gazing Potatoes from Ninja Baker

Potato Gnocchi with Wild Mushrooms from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Sweet Potato Spiced Swirl Bread from Baking in Pyjamas

Loaded Pierogi from Cooking With Carlee

Bloody Mary Potato Salad from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Colcannon with Kale from Cherishing a Sweet Life

Jersey Royals with Mint from Food Lust People Love

Naked Ladies with their Legs Crossed from Passion Kneaded

Shredded Potato Crusted Chicken from The Freshman Cook

Copycat Chicken & Gnocchi Soup from Pantry Friendly Cooking