Chipolte Chicken Skewers

These were delicious. Part of the reason for my lack of posts lately is that I don't think much of what I've made lately is worthy. Or they're repeats. But this is wonderful.

I also made a cilantro sauce and sweet potato fries to go with it. The sweet potato fries were chipolte flavored, too, made by Alexi (I think...frozen food section at Publix).

This recipe came from Joe. Like him I used the broiler (about 6 inches from element for about 7 minutes a side) since we were getting our usual Florida evening thunderstorm. I didn't use skewers since I didn't cook them on the grill. Seemed unnecessary.

Oh...this is supposed to be an appetizer or party food, but, obviously we had them for dinner with enough leftover for my lunch tomorrow!

For the chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2" thick strips

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped (I used two)

2 teaspoons adobo sauce

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

wooden skewers, soaked in water

For the sauce

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 small garlic clove, minced (I used two)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 scallions, minced

salt and fresh ground black pepper

To prepare the chicken - In a large bowl, add chicken, brown sugar, cilantro, chipotle, adobo sauce, salt, chili powder, garlic and pepper, tossing well to combined. Cover bowl and place into the refrigerator to marinate for about 2 to 4 hours. Mine actually marinated for about 10 hours.

To prepare the sauce - In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic, cilantro and scallions - season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Cover bowl and place into the refrigerator to chill while the chicken marinates. I actually put all the ingredients into the food process for a slightly green tinted smooth sauce.

Preheat broiler with a rack placed in the top position.Thread each piece of chicken onto the soaked wooden skewers. Place chicken under the broiler and bake until cooked through, about 5 to 8 minutes, turning skewers over halfway through.

Serve with dipping sauce.

Beef Barbacoa

The Mettille boys love going to Chipolte. I prefer Moe's just because I think you have more choices and it's a bit cheaper. But I do enjoy them both. I found a copy cat recipe online for the beef barbacoa and decided it would make good football food.

I'm not really sure it tasted the same but it was very good and I'd make it again. We topped ours with fresh tomato, seasoned blackbeans, lettuce, chopped green onion, cheese and sour cream. I had to use the small tortillas because I couldn't find burrito size that were whole wheat or low carb. This took quite a while....not something you can do on a work night. At least I can't :)

Here's the thing... Our Seminoles won against #7 BYU which no one thought would happen so do I have to make these meal every Saturday now?? We have rules in the family about game days. You can't wear a shirt that you wore when they lost. I have to wear my new FSU crocs during the game, etc. etc. You get the idea. As good as the beef was, don't want it every week!

Beef Barbacoa

Ingredients

1 1/2 # beef brisket
2 cups diced tomatoes (I used canned)
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup red wine
2 Tbs. lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp ground oregano
1 seeded and sliced jalapeno (I used two)
3 Tbs. cilantro (I used a handful)
1 large onion,thickly sliced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions

Put everything in a slow cooker cook on low for 8 hours. I didn't really time this. I just checked when the meat could be pulled. I took the meat out, and shredded it and then I thought what a shame to throw out all this liquid so I blended it with my immersion blender. I poured it out of the slow cooker, put the beef back in and moistened it with a bit of the sauce.

Easy Cheese Danish

I've made these twice and I'm in love with them. I'm on a diet and I'm in love with Cheese Danish.... jeepers!

Thanks a lot Ina Garten. Thanks for making sure the weight I lost during the week comes back on the weekend. Thanks for making me crave these crazy things all the bloody time. Thanks for making me think about different variations and ways that they could look prettier.... Thanks a lot!

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (1 lemon)
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted (Note: you could easily double the amount of pastry and have enough filling)
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don't whip!

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash.

Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes. (I don't do this -- but I do refrigerate the filling for a while before using -- last night I made the filling; this morning I made the danish).

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm. Or cold. It really doesn't matter.

Not My Grandmother's Pot Roast

Thank goodness! My Grandmother watched my brother and I during the summer when we were in elementary school. Every Tuesday, we had pot roast. It was greasy and disintegrated when you tried to cut it. And did I mention that we had this every Tuesday. It's something that I don't normally crave (to say the least). That is, until I saw Paula Deen make it the other day. The sauce is made with cream of mushroom soup and a bit of red wine which made it almost smell like Beef Burgundy but it didn't have that strong of a wine taste. I did throw some potatoes in the pot when there was about an hour left to cook.

From Paula Deen (with some changes)

Ingredients
1 (3 to 4-pound) boneless chuck roast
1 teaspoon House Seasoning, (I used Lawry's Season Salt and Garlic Powder)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced onion wedges
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup (I used two - we're saucey people)
1/4 cup red wine (doubled the wine)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules (didn't use)
3/4 cup water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Rub seasoning into the roast on both sides. Heat oil in a large skillet and brown the roast, searing it on both sides. Place the meat in a roaster pan (I used a big dutch oven). Add onions and garlic to skillet for 1 to 2 minutes to absorb leftover roast juice. Place into roaster pan with meat and bay leaves. Note: I did everything in the dutch oven.

Combine the mushroom soup, wine, Worcestershire sauce and beef bouillon into a bowl. Pour over the roast. Add water.

Cover pan with lid and bake for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until tender.

Remove and discard the bay leaves.

Ricotta Stuffed Tomatoes

I finally have some food worth talking about. Seems that lately nothing was really that good, or very interesting or just repeat food. Also trying to diet makes it hard -- it's hard enough trying to think of food that meet the calories, fat, carb restrictions!

A big hit last night -- let me tell you!! I served these with a grilled t-bone steak (for me) and blackened salmon (for Mark). The original recipe came from http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/, with of course some changes of my own.

Ricotta Stuffed Tomatoes

Tomatoes, cut in half (I used 2 big vine tomatoes)
1 cup of ricotta cheese
2-3 tbsp asiago cheese, grated
10-15 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp oregano
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
Italian style panko crumbs

Preheat oven to 400. Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the insides. Mix the rest of the ingredients except for the panko crumbs. Stuff the cheese mixture in the tomatoes and top with the crumbs. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake approximately 30 minutes -- but I think it would depend on the size of the tomato, too.

Comfort Food

This was a nice twist on a comfort meal. Instead of tomato soup and grilled cheese, I used a couple of Tyler Florence's recipes with a some changes - I bought pesto since I no longer have a basil plant, and I didn't make the chicken meatballs - I used slice chicken sausage since that's what I had in the freezer. When I make this again, I'll purchase the correct sausage and make the meatballs.

The 'grilled cheese' sandwiches were wonderful though. In fact, I'm craving it right now. Don't use the crappy grocery store mozzerella....get the fresh stuff from the deli or from SAMS.

Chicken Soup

Extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 large carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 bay leaf
4 fresh thyme sprigs
3 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
5 parsley stems, plus 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
4 black peppercorns
Kosher salt
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for garnish

For the meatballs:
1 medium onion, diced
Olive oil
6 links organic chicken-apple sausage meat
1 egg
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 handful fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 pounds frozen cheese tortellini, store bought
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the soup:
Set a large stock pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, half the garlic, carrot, onion, celery, bay leaf, and thyme and gently saute until fragrant, about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, add parsley stems, black peppercorns and salt, to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer while you work on meatballs and tortellini.

For the meatballs:
Caramelize the diced onion in a saute pan with a little olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage, egg, onion, thyme, parsley, and cheese to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they all come together. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil until just smoking. Use a small ice cream scoop to drop meatballs onto skillet. Cook, turning, until golden brown.

Drop tortellini straight from freezer into soup. Cook until they float. Once meatballs are browned, add to pot of chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Give soup a final seasoning and serve in shallow bowls with a small shower of Parmesan, olive oil, and parsley.


Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients
4 slices thick-cut sourdough bread
1 ball (1 pound) fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 plum tomatoes, cut into thick slices
1 cup fresh basil pesto, recipe follows (I used jarred)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil

Basil pesto:
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 cup Parmesan or Romano
2 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
Toast pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Combine pesto ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined but still rough-textured.

Assemble sandwich by smearing insides of bread slices with pesto. Arrange a layer of sliced tomato and season with a few turns of fresh pepper. Layer the mozzarella slices over the top and then place another piece of bread on top to make the sandwich. Drizzle olive oil over skillet's surface and place sandwiches on the hot skillet or panini press. If using a skillet, place another heavy skillet over the top to form a "press". Turn after 2 to 3 minutes and replace weight. The sandwich is ready when golden brown and mozzarella has melted around the edges.

Hello Out There!

I guess it's time to get back on this proverbial horse! I have some old things to post, but, I'll start with present day and go backwards.

It was a quiet 4th of July. We stayed in and I made Strawberry Margaritas (that strangely just tasted like regular margaritas).

I marinated a London Broil and sliced it thin. I used a package marinade that I got from SAMS. It's made by Weber and is chipolte flavor. You know the ones - in the packet and you mix with water and oil. I gave the beef a good soakin' - for about 8 hours and did a quick sear on the grill (about 5 minutes each side) for a rare in the middle; medium rare on the ends. It doesn't look like it from my 'resting' picture but this was juicy and very good!

As a side, I made Pioneer Woman's Hot Crash Potatoes. I'm constantly trying to eliminate the number of pans/dishes that need to be used. So instead of boiling the potatoes first and then baking; I just throw them in the microwave. Brillant. No difference as far as I was concerned. I smushed the potatoes with the bottom of a glass and sprinkled them with kosher salt, pepper and olive oil. Baked at 425 for about 40 minutes or until brown. These are seriously good!