Guacamole especial

While making my Sassy Bean Dip, it occurred to me that it doesn't take much extra effort to create two dips instead of just one. New Years Eve 2013 will truly be rocking.

Ingredients

• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 Serranos chiles, stems removed
• 3-4 ripe avocados
• Cilantro
• 1/2 small white onion, finely chopped
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Queso fresco

Assemble the ingredients

Prep the ingredients

 Mix and serve.

Sassy Bean Dip

Well its New Year's Eve 2013.   "Out with the old and in with the new" and other fun concepts to help us transition into 2014.  My personal contribution to this evening of remembrance and anticipation is a simple (but Sassy) bean dip.  :-)

The photos tell the story.  The tongue does the tasting.

Ingredients:

• 1 can pinto beans, well rinsed and drained 
• Juice of 1-2 limes
• Tomato (skinned, seeded and chopped)
• Cilantro
• Parsley
• Garlic (2 cloves minced)
• 3/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Cayenne (dash)

Start with some Campari tomatoes.  Remove the stem.

Carefully place the tomatoes into boiling water and count to 10.

 The skins should be easy to peel.  Who wants skins in their dip after all?

Seed the tomatoes and assemble the ingredients, include the stems.

 Find someone who likes to push buttons and blend the ingredients.

 Spatula time.

Finished product....grab your favorite chip or veggie.
p.s. My helper notes that it may look awful, but its actually delicious!!!

Creamy Chipotle Shrimp Tacos

If you enjoy Mexican food and hope to expand your recipe rotation, spend a few minutes reading a Rick Bayless cookbook.  This post was inspired by a video I watched of Rick eating his way through Mexico.  Thanks Rick.

Ingredients

• 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 2/3 can fire-roasted tomatoes (drain excess water)
• 2 chipotle chiles en adobo
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2/3 cup Mexican crema
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• Salt
• Uncooked shrimp (31-40) cut in half
• Small flour tortillas (warmed)

DirectionsRoast the unpeeled garlic in a dry skillet over medium heat, turning from time to time, until completely soft and blackened in places, about 15 minutes; cool and peel.

 

Puree the peeled garlic, tomatoes and chipotle chiles.

 

Prep the shrimp

 Heat the olive oil over medium high.  Add the pureed mixture.

 Stir constantly until the sauce reduces to a paste.  (~ 5 minutes)

 

Add the pepper, oregano and crema.

 

Reduce heat to medium and stir for a few minutes.

 

Add the shrimp.  They'll cook in 3 minutes, so be ready with everything else.

For example... the Cilantro/Lime Rice

 

 Buen Apetito

  

Crust-less Quiche

This is a recipe that doesn't disappoint.  After years of being frustrated with traditional shell style quiches, I found different variants of crust-less quiche recipes and have found them to be versatile and delicious.

Foundation:
1 cup of Bisquick 
1 cup of Milk
3-4 Eggs 
Handful (or more) of cheese
Salt & Pepper

Variables:
Whatever veggie, ham or cooked sausage you have on hand

Quiche 1-2-3:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Cut the veggies and meat into bites size portions
3. Briefly saute in a little bit of olive oil
4. Use non-stick spray on your glass pie dish
5. Deposit the sauteed veg/meat into the pie dish, spread evenly
6. In a bowl, mix the Foundation ingredients
7. Pour foundation mix into the pie dish, no need to stir or fuss with it
8. Bake until golden brown
9. Upon removing from the oven, sprinkle some cheese over the top.  It'll melt quickly enough.

Today's example was a Kale & Ham with Cheddar-Jack cheese.

Just before baking.  Doesn't look impressive, but have faith!
 

Tada, after done cooking. 

And the serving view.  Slices well and comes out of the pan easily.

 

 

Finally, yes you could term me a quiche-eater.  If a traditional male expects to keep their breakfast ingredients in separate piles, they're missing out on the tastier side of life.

 

Tomato basil soup

I love tomatoes and care not whether they are a fruit or a vegetable.
They're great and lucky me, they're abundant this time of year.

Faced with a 1/2 bushel of the ripe red round beauties, I forged a plan to make a roasted tomato basil soup.

Clean the tomatoes, halve them and remove the stem stump.
Add 1/4 cup of good (in this case great) olive oil, 1TB sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Cook in the oven at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
Let sit for 10 minutes and cool down just enough that you can remove the skins.

Not shown... melt 2 TB unsalted butter with 2 TB of olive oil.
Cook 2 cups yellow or white chopped onions and 6 cloves garlic at medium for 10 minutes.
Watch it closely.  When onions start to brown, add:

1 - 28oz can of skinless tomatoes (yes more tomatoes)
1 cup chicken stock or water
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
The tray of roasted tomatoes and liquid
As much basil as you can find
A bit of thyme

Simmer for 40 minutes

Use an immersion blender or some other technique to blend the soup 

Serve with good Parmesan and croutons 

Rigatoni with Spicy calabrese-style Pork Ragu

Prepare for nirvana.

Rigatoni with Spicy calabrese-style Pork Ragu

I found this gem of a recipe in copy of Bon Appetit that my Mom shared with us.
After putting the recipe on the kitchen counter, the family feedback was instantaneous.
As a firm believer in "giving them what they want", I changed my plan for a family dinner to this recipe, accompanied by salad, baguettes and fresh veggies.

Look here for the recipe:
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2013/02/rigatoni-with-spicy-calabrese-style-pork-ragu

Start by cooking mild Italian sausage in olive oil and then cook the ground pork.

Remove the meat and cook what is similar to a Sofrito in the same pot.

After turning almost golden, add in the peeled and blended tomatoes.

Simmer the concoction for 4 hours.  Add water as you go.  Keep the temp low and avoid the burn.

Cook the Rigatoni and add to the pot with some of the pasta water.
Add more parsley.
Stir and add some Parmesan.

Chili Cerdo before Chilling in China

I'll be deprived of cooking for the next 3 weeks while I'm visit colleagues in Beijing.
For my last "meal", should I cook a family staple or something that only I love?
Sorry folks, I chose the latter.

 Love the ingredients.  This will taste great, I just know it. 

 Remove the sinew, pat dry and salt.

Think about your Grandmother

 250 until falling apart.

 

Mexican rice. The ultimate amigo.

 

I'm off to China folks... with a yummy tummy.

Want the recipe?

Chili Cerdo in adobo sauce
Ingredients
  3 lb. boneless pork roast
  2 red bell peppers, sliced thin
  2 large garlic cloves, minced
  1 16oz can tomato sauce
  1 7-oz. can green chilies, chopped
  1 white onion chopped
  2 tsp. ground cumin
  1 lemon, juiced
  1 cup beef broth
  2 tsp. salt to taste
  3 Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced

1. Sear all sides of pork roast in oil
2. Combine all ingredients in a crockpot.
3. Cook on low,  4 hours or until the pork easily comes apart. 
4. Remove from the dutch oven if needed for pulling.
5. Return to the pot and stir.

A double dose of delightful dinners

I've had the itch to make these two for a long time and this week provided the opportunity.  I realize these are not extraordinary recipes by any means, but that doesn't trouble me any.

Just like finding a shirt to add to your rotation, anyone who cooks is always looking to add a new fav (or two or three) to the repertoire.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring you Chicken Piccata with Fettuccine and Cous Cous "simplified". 
(different days, different tastes... same delight)

First the piccata.
Recipe:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-piccata-recipe2/index.html

 Butter and olive oil in the same pan?  This has to be good.

3 minutes a side for the pounded out, seasoned and floured chicken

Back into the pan after adding the sauce ingredients...

Never got a chance to photo the plate.  Eleanor said, "just photo the lunch leftovers".  What a good kid.

Now for the cous cous recipe.
Recipe: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/couscous-salad-grapes-feta-00000000040787/index.html

Oh my goodness!

 Finally... if you made it this far, you deserve to see my gals.  They make this cooking hobby all the more fun for me.