Pico De Gallo

There is NOTHING better than fresh salsa, but second best I would say is fresh pico de gallo.

Honestly, I've never made this, I've purchased it in the store or at markets several times...not cool, I know.

I can't believe I've never made this before, it's so fast and easy and it is so much better than the packaged stuff...what was I ever thinking???

I got the inkling to make this after reading a segment out of one of my America's Test Kitchen books. 

They give recommendations on products as well as give us awesome recipes.

They recommend chips, sauces, utensils, pretty much everything you can think of and when it came to salsas they literally said they could not recommend ANY store bought salsas.  Even salsa made with canned tomatoes at home is better...that was eye opening to me.  No wonder I love homemade salsa so much.

Which by the way, my mother makes a mean homemade salsa, I will share that recipe with you all someday.

Anyway, put this pico on ANYTHING, it was simple and tasty, loved it!

ENJOY!

Pico De Gallo

3 roma tomatoes, or one large beefsteak tomato

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2-1 jalapeno with ribs and seeds removed (or leave them in for more heat)

2 T chopped green onions

S&P to taste

1/4 tsp garlic salt

Basically mix everything together in a bowl...taste and adjust flavors as necessary. 

EASY and DELICIOUS!

YUM!

Best Dip EVER

You are looking at what is quite possibly my absolute favorite thing to eat with a chip. 

This bean salsa/dip/salad...call it what you will, it is fantastic and that is all that matters.

I can promise you that if you make this, it will be a hit.

I got the recipe from my mother and I honestly have no clue where she got it from.

It is so addicting and so delicously fresh that you will not be able to stop eating it.

These "fritos" or corn chips, are what we have found to be the most yummy with this dip.

You could also use any other chip you desire...but I'm telling you, Fritos+bean salsa=crack (as in ridiculously addicting, you may need rehab after trying just once kind of crack).

That was not very PC, and for that I apologize.

But really, after you taste this, you'll get it.

ENJOY!

1 can each of pinto beans, black beans, black eyed peas and northern beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can of corn

1 green and 1 red pepper finely chopped

1 medium onion finely chopped

3 stalks of celery, chopped

salt and pepper

Dressing: 

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup vinegar

1/2 cup veg. oil (I used safflower)

Combine dressing ingredients in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved.  Remove from heat and cool completely.  Then toss the dressing with all other ingredients. 

Voila...AMAZING!

Corn and Chili

This meal was a play on the usual corn bread and chili combo.

I've been wanting to make these corn fritters all summer, and I finally got around to it once the weather turned cold and the leaves started falling off the trees. 

They definitely didn't disappoint, I thought they were pretty tasty. 

Logan wasn't that impressed, he says he doesn't LOVE corn so therefore he doesn't LOVE these.

Well I for one LOVE corn and I loved these, and maybe you would to.

So try them, corn is on sale everywhere now.

ENJOY!

P.S. Sorry about the lack of pics, I had to throw these together really quick.

Corn Fritters

3 ears corn, husks and silk removed

1/3 cup milk 

1 large egg

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

S&P

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup flour

2 T vegetable oil

sour cream for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200 (if you have to do these in batches and need to keep them warm before serving.

To remove the kernals, cut off the tip of each cob, stand it up in a wide shallow bowl.  With a sharp knife, slice downward.

To the bowl, add the milk, egg, sugar, baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper; mix.  Fold in the corn meal and flour.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels.  In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 T of the oil over med heat.  Working in two batches , drop the batter into the pan by heaping tablespoonfuls.

Fry until golden brown, about 2 min per side.  Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt; place in the oven.  Repeat.  Keep warm in oven for up to 30 min.  Serve with sour cream, if desired.

LOGAN RATING: **

Engagement Partay!

I love my mama!

Thanks Mom AND Dad for throwing such an amazing day of parties.

Onto the food.

So for the evening party I wanted something SUPER simple and something that could be 100% prepped ahead of time. So I decided on a taco bar.

It was perfect, everyone loved it and it was ZERO work for me after the shower. THANK GOD!

We did beef and chicken tacos.

I seasoned the beef with this, and it was delicious.

The red pepper flakes added a great kick, don't ever buy packet seasoning again please!

For the chicken, I just made something up.  CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?

I'm really not that kind of cook, or a t least I never have been in the past.

I think that the 1 yr + of blogging and cooking has increased my skills...at least a little.

Anyway to the chicken (which we just pulled from already cooked rotisserie chickens from the store) 

I added green chilies (from the can) along with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and S&P. 

I added some chicken stock to make the meet nice a tender and juicy as well as to allow the spice mix to stick to the chicken and not just hang at the bottom.

I guessed on the ratio of the spices but I think it was something like 1 part cumin to 2 parts chili powder then 1/4 part garlic powder...hmmm does that make sense??

Well just try it!

Ok NEXT...

I also made pico de gallo for people to put on their tacos and dip their chips in.

It was pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.

Nice and fresh and light, not too cilantroey...oh made up words... :)

Pico De Gallo

2 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/2 in pieces

1/2 white onion, finely chopped

1/2 to 1 serrano chile minced

2 T fresh lime juice

1 T olive oil

2 T finely chopped cilantro

coarse salt

Combine all ingredients in a nonreactive bowl, adding 1 tsp salt; let stand 5 min.  Season with more salt to taste.

Makes 2 cups.

Guest Appearances 

So my uncle Dug made the salsa, both a medium and a hot.  He makes the BEST salsa...thanks again Dug!

My mom made her famous bean dip, which I will definitely be making again in the near future.  I'm telling you, this stuff is amazing, could eat it all day!

To round it all off, my sister in law, Lindsey made some grilled corn with cilantro lime butter.  This was a hit!  Everyone loved it!  Unfortunately I didn't get to try it, but I will definitely be making it so that I can!

Pre grilled corn, so pretty!

WOAH I know this is overload!!!!

Don't worry we only have dessert left.

So for dessert I made Mexican wedding cakes (HOW FITTING) and margarita cookies.

I found the margarita cookies here and they were delicious, but kind of a pain to make, I won't lie to you.

Mexican Wedding Cakes

1 cup pecan halves

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temp

confectioners' sugar for coating

In a food processor, pulse pecans, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add butter and pulse until a dough forms.  Shape dough into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic; refrigerate until firm, 30-60 min.  Dough can be frozen up to 3 months.

Preheat oven to 325, with racks in upper and lower thirds.  Scoop off level tablespoons of dough and roll into balls.  Space them 1 1/2 in apart on two large baking sheets.  Bake, rotating sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until just lightly golden around edges, 20-25 min.

Cool 5 min on sheets, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  

Place confectioners' sugar in a bowl and roll cookies in sugar twice to coat thoroughly, tapping off excess each time.  ( be careful they are kind of fragile and can come apart easily.)

ENJOY!

Makes 24.

These were REALLY good!

Again no Logan ratings...he doesn't remember  his ratings...largely due to the Mexican beer.

And I'm back!

Not only am I back, folks

but boy oh boy do I have a post for you.

As you all know, I was in MN last weekend.

BOTH my Mom and my Dad threw logan and I a wedding shower and engagement party.

As usual I agreed to take on the menu for both parties. 

It was A LOT of work and luckily I had some helpful workerbees,

but it all got done and everything was a hit!

I must preface this post by saying that I do not have as many pics as usual.

The kitchen on Sat morning was like a crazy bee hive and it was really hard to find time to take pics of each step, while still getting everything done.

So you will just have to imagine what each step would look like. K?!

First lets go over the shower food.

This is not food you can eat in the shower,

but actual food that I served at my wedding shower...silly you.

Anyway, I wanted to have a couple of munchie things for people so I settled on roasted chickpeas and sweet and spicy almonds.  It was a great choice.  However I had trouble with getting the chickpeas seasoning to stick...not sure why and also don't let them sit and cool after roasting because mine got soggy and I had to roast them again.  

Sweet and Spicy Almonds

2 1/2 cups whole unblanched almonds

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp coarse salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 T honey

1 tsp olive oil

1 T water

Preheat oven to 350.  Spread almonds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until fragrant, tossing halfway through, about 10 min.

  In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt, and cayenne pepper.

In a large skillet over med heat, cook honey, oil and water, stirring until combined, about 1 min.  Add almonds; toss to coat.

Transfer almonds to sugar mixture (do not scrape extra glaze into bowl); toss to coat.  Spread almonds on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet and let cool.  Nuts can be stored up to 2 wks at room temp in an airtight container.  

Makes 2 1/2 cups

Crunchy paprika chickpeas

2 cans chickpeas

3 T olive oil

1 1/2 tsp coarse salt

1 tsp hot or sweet paprika

Preheat oven to 450.  Drain and rinse chickpeas, pat dry with paper towels.  Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with oil; toss to coat evenly.  Spread in a single layer and roast until deep brown and crispy, tossing occasionally, 35-40 min.

Remove from oven.  Sprinkle with salt and paprika; roast until fragrant, 2-3 min more.  Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and let cool completely.  Chickpeas can be stored up to 2 days at room temp in an airtight container.

makes 2 cups.

Next I wanted something with a little more substance, but still a light appetizer. I decided on mozzarella/grape skewers and with the leftover mozzarella we made mozzarella/tomato/basil skewers.

Mozzarella and Grape Skewers

12 thin slices prosciutto (4oz) halved crosswise

48 seedless red and green grapes

24 bocconcini (small mozzarella balls)

Fold each piece of prosciutto several times, about 1 in wide.  Thread 2 grapes, 1 bocconcini and 1 piece of prosciutto onto each of 24 wooden skewers.

makes 24.

More munchies.  These were good...I heard more than once "wow, these are better than cheez-its"

Spicy Cheese Crisps

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 tsp coarse salt

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 cups finely grated cheddar cheese 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp, cut into pieces

Whisk together flour, salt and cayenne pepper. 

Add cheese and butter, mix with hands, rubbing butter into dry ingredients, until dough forms.

Transfer dough to a sheet of waxed paper.  Form into a 1 1/2 in diameter log; roll up tightly in paper.  Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hrs.  ( I did it overnight)

Preheat oven to 400.  Trim ends of log, if desired.  Slice dough into 1/4 in thick rounds.  Arrange rounds 1 in apart on baking sheets.  Bake rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 16-18 min.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Crisps can be stored up to 5 days at room temp in an airtight container.

Makes about 40.

Still wanting a little more substance (something that might help people to soak up the sangria) I decided on the asparagus gruyere tart.  It proved to be a GREAT decision!

Asparagus Gruyere Tart

flour for work surface

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed 

5 1/2 oz gruyere cheese, shredded

1 1/2 lbs med or thick asparagus

1 T olive oil

S&P

Preheat oven to 400.  On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16 by 10 in rectangle.  Trim uneven edges.

Place the pastry on a baking sheet.  With a sharp knife lightly score the dough 1 in in from the edges to mark a rectangle.  Using a fork, pierce the dough inside the markings, at half in intervals.  Bake until golden, about 15 min.

Remove the pastry shell from the oven, and sprinkle with the cheese.  Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over the cheese, alternating ends and tips.

Brush with the oil, and season with S&P, bake until spears are tender, 20-25 min.  

Serves 4.

And come on how could I go wrong with some goat cheese spreads?

Goat Cheese Spreads

1 log (5-6oz) fresh goat cheese, softened

S&P

In a med bowl, mash goat cheese with a fork; season with salt and pepper.  Add one of the desired flavorings.

Pesto

1/2 cup pine nuts toasted

4 cups basil

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 garlic clove

S&P

1/2 cup olive oil

Stir in 1/4 cup homemade pesto.  ( you will only need about 1/4 of the recipe above).

Sun-Dried Tomato

Add 3 T chopped oil packed sun dried tomatoes and 1 tsp minced fresh thyme.

Pistachio-Chive

add 1/4 cup chopped toasted pistachios and 2 T finely snipped fresh chives.

Serve these with fresh bread or crostinis. 

Lastly I thought I should throw in some seriously decadent cheese dip, without regard for any diet or waistline.  WOW am I glad I did.

Here is where I got the recipe.

Thank you Paula Dean, you never disappoint. 

OH and don't forget the Sangria...man did that go well!

We had 4 batches made up and 12 ladies managed to take it down rather quickly! 

YUM!

Recipe here...I added limes and lemons as well.

Sorry, no Logan rating as he was not invited to the shower.

STAY TUNED FOR ENGAGEMENT PARTY MENU!!!!!

LONG OVERDUE

I have just been so busy!

Watching movies, catching up on TV shows, reading good books, finishing my half-done knitting projects, going to the gym, hanging in the sun and occasionally studying for my board exam.

I've neglected you all, because of my oh so busy schedule recently.

And for that I am SORRY!

I blame Logan...

mainly because I can.

ANYWAY!

This was something that I made for our Quatro De Mayo celebration supper club.

Yes thats right, we celebrated the 4th day of May, while everyone else was celebrating the 5th.

We are cool like that, I know you're jealous.

It was fitting, because I am in the 4th year of my 20's and I had just finished 4 years of college and we have lived in Missoula for 2 years, which is half of four...OK so I just wanted to celebrate a day early.

So SUE me! :)

So since now you know that this was made on May 4th, you are probably wondering why I am just now sharing it with you, on the 24th of May.

The truth is...

THIS is how behind I am! 

I'm sorry! x a million.

I promise to make it up to you all..

maybe.

Seriously though this is good.

I made two for about 12 people and I'm sure glad I did, because it was gobbled up!

So make this for a dinner party or just for yourself, you won't be sorry!

THANKS FOR READING!!!!

ENJOY!

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

4 flour tortillas (10 in)

1 T oil

1 large onion diced

1 jalapeno chile, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp ground cumin

S&P

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

12 oz beer or 1 1/2 cups water

1 package (10oz) frozen corn (I used canned, because I like it better)

4 scallions thinly sliced, plus more for garnish

2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400.  Using a paring knife trim the tortillas to fit a 9 inch spring form pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet over med heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic and cumin; season with salt and pepper.

Cook stirring until onion is softened, 5-7 min.

Add beans and beer to the skillet and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to med; simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated 8-10 min.

Stir in corn and scallions and remove from heat. Season with S&P.

Fit a trimmed tortilla in the bottom of the springform pan; layer with one quarter of the beans and 1/2 cup cheese.  Repeat three times, using 1 cup cheese on the top layer.  

Bake until hot and the cheese is melted, 20-25 min.  Unmold the pie; sprinkle with scallions.  Slice into wedges and serve immediately.

Serves 6.

Logan Rating: ***

And I quote "I know I liked it but I don't really remember"

WHOOPS!  Guess I shouldn't wait 20 days to post the blog!

Supper Club-Asian Theme

I am still catching up on old recipes,

I know this is not a surprise to most of you.

Anyway these recipes are the things I made at the supper club we hosted a few weeks ago,

it was an Asian theme this time.  

SO I made hot and sour soup, pork potstickers, and gingered snap peas.

So I have three recipes to share with you in this post.  

I also made dessert wontons, with chocolate chips and raspberries inside...they were KILLER!

Thank you supper clubbers, for making this yet another successful night!

ENJOY!

Lets start with the soup.

I can't for the life of me get this stupid picture to turn around...so you will have to turn your computer.

This soup was REALLY good!

And my mushroom hating, tofu despising fiancée, LOVED it.

How bizarre. 

Hot and Sour Soup

2 cans reduced sodium chicken broth

2 T soy sauce

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

8oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps thinly sliced (I used some shiitake and some crimini)

3-4 T rice vinegar

2 T cornstarch

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 package soft or firm tofu, cut into 1/4 in cubes, drained well

2 T finely grated peeled fresh ginger

3 scallions, thinly sliced

In a large pot, combine the broth, soy sauce, red pepper flakes and 2 cups water.  Bring to a boil over med heat.  Add the mushrooms; reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 10 min.

In a small bowl whisk together 3 T of the vinegar and the cornstarch.  Add to the pot; simmer stirring until the soup is thickened, about 1 min. 

Add egg through a slotted spoon, and stir to form ribbons.  Stir in the tofu.  Remove from heat; let stand covered for 1 min.  Put the ginger in a small sieve (aka my hand) and squeeze to release its juice into the soup (discard the solids).  Taste; add the remaining T vinegar if desired.  Serve sprinkled with the scallions.  Add more red pepper flakes if you want more heat!

Serves 4.

Paige Rating: ****

PotStickers are next...

These were delicious!  They were a huge hit, I doubled the recipe and we had NO leftovers.  

They were a bit annoying to make, because I had to make them in batches, but it was worth it!

You will LOVE these!

Pot Stickers

1/2 cup finely chopped napa or savoy cabbage

salt

6oz ground pork 

3 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped

1 T finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 tsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

24 rectangular or square wonton wrappers

2 T vegetable oil, such as safflower 

1 cup water

In a med bowl, toss cabbage with 1/2 tsp salt.  Let stand 10 min.  Wrap cabbage in a double layer of paper towels; firmly squeeze out excess liquid.  Return cabbage to bowl; add pork, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil.  Mix well with a fork.  (this could be refrigerated for up to 2 days if you wanted to make it ahead of time).

To make pot stickers, work with one wonton wrapper at a time; cover the rest with a damp kitchen towel to keep them from drying out.  Place 1 rounded tsp of filling into center of wrapper.  With dampened fingertips, moisten all edges.  Fold wrapper in half over filling to form a triangle, making sure filling is centered; press down edges firmly to seal.  Transfer to a lightly oiled plate and cover with a damp towel to keep moist.  Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

In a large skillet with a tight fitting lid, heat 1 T oil over med high.  Add half the wontons and cook turning once, until lightly browned, about 1 min per side.  Carefully add 1/2 cup water (oil may spatter); cover and steam until wrappers are translucent, 2-3 min.  Repeat with remaining wontons. 

Makes 24.

Paige Rating: *****

And lastly lets look at the peas.

These were really good and really simple to make.  

A nice healthy option, compared to the other finger foods we had.

Gingered Sugar Snaps

1 T oil

1 pound sugar snaps, strings removed

1 piece peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped, about 1 T

S&P

Heat oil over med high.  Add sugar snaps and ginger.  Cook stirring occasionally, until snaps begin to brown, about 5 min.

Add 1/4 cup water; reduce heat to med.  Cook, stirring and scrapping up the ginger from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon, until snaps are crisp-tender, about 2 min.  Season with S&P.

Serves 4.

Paige Rating: ***

First Meat in the median supper club, peach salsa

I know what your thinking and NO that is not a typo, we really do mean "meat" in the median.  The theme of this supper club was, well yup you guessed it, Meat.  And with our meat we all met in the grassy median outside a friends house.  A huge shout out to Neil and Emily for thinking up this genius idea, it was an absolute blast.  We brought chicken apple brats to stick with the meat theme and then I made grilled peach salsa to accompany them.  What great food we had at this BBQ.  If you are wondering what supper club is, well it is a group of our friends that get together every week (or try to at least) and have a themed pot luck dinner.  Next week is our week and we are attempting an open fire cookout and possible campout...cross your fingers!
So I have failed again as far as getting a picture at supper club, I will NOT forget my camera next time, and I can promise that since it will be here at our place. :)  Anyway this salsa was AMAZING, kind of time consuming as far as salsas go, but totally worth it.  I doubled the recipe, but it makes a lot as is so unless you're serving a lot of people you wouldn't need to.  Try this one, its such an awesome refreshing twist to salsa.

Grilled Peach Salsa

1 T olive oil

4 ripe peaches, pitted and quartered

1/2 white onion, cut into 2 wedges

1 T chopped canned chipotle in adobo

1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

S&P

Heat grill to high.  Lightly oil grates, to keep the fruit from sticking.  Drizzle peaches and onion with oil and rub to coat.  Grill until the peaches and onion are lightly charred and peach skins begin to loosen, about 10 min.  Make sure to turn every few minutes.  Let cool.

Peel peaches and cut into 1/2 in pieces; finely chop onion.  Combine in a bowl with remaining ingredients, and season with salt and pepper.  Add more vinegar fora  tangier taste, or more sugar for a sweeter flavor.

Logan Rating: ***

Ladies Night Spinach Dip

Sorry I don't actually have a delicious picture of this dish complete, I wish I hadn't forgotten my camera so you could see the finished product.  However, I did forget my camera so this will just have to do.  A few of my girlfriends and I decided to have a wine/app night this weekend and I thought this would be the perfect dish.  I served it with a fresh baguette and it was a hit.  I still think I like spin/artichoke dip better, but this was pretty good nonetheless.  There was about 2 bites leftover that I did bring home for Logan to try, so never fear there will be a Logan rating...I know you were all worried for a second.  

At this ladies night we also had a caprese salad courtesy of Caroline, which was so fresh and delicious, a fresh and simple pasta from Kate and some INSANELY amazing chocolate granola thanks to Emily.  And of course we had lots and lots of wine; including a vino verde from a new friend Molly!  Thanks for all the fun ladies, twas a blast, can't wait till the next one!

In the mean time people, try this one, if you want it for a bigger party I would double the recipe, because it didn't make as much as I was expecting.  Also, because either I didn't buy cream cheese at the grocery store or Logan ate it all in one sitting, I used laughing cow light cheese wedges as a substitute.  Had to think on my toes and this time it worked out, although I'd like to try the recipe again with cream cheese.   ENJOY!

Hot Spinach Dip

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves

2 lbs spinach, washed and chopped (I didn't chop it)

1/2 cup milk

6 oz cream cheese, cut into pieces and softened

3 dashes worcestershire sauce (why do they make that word so difficult)

3 dashes tabasco

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

S&P

Preheat oven to 425.  Heat oil in pot over medium.  Add onion and garlic; cook until lightly browned, about 5-8 min.  

Add spinach in two additions, letting the first wilt before adding the next; cook until completely wilted, tossing frequently, 5-8 min.  Transfer to a colander; drain, pressing to release all excess liquid.

In the same pot, bring milk just to a simmer.  Add cream cheese and cook, whisking until melted, about 3 min.  Add spinach worcestershire sauce, tabasco, and 1/4 cup mozzarella.  Season with S&P.  Transfer mixture to a lightly oiled 1 1/2 quart baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.

Bake until bubbly and cheese is golden brown, about 20-25 min.  

I used the broiler to get the cheese on top brown.

Makes 3 cups.

Logan Rating: ****