Huevos Rancheros

I hail from Southern California. San Diego, specifically. And so perhaps it goes without saying that I have a deep and abiding love for Mexican food. Taquitos, guacamole, and Orange Bang run through these veins. (Es cierto.)

One of my favorite go-tos when I can't decide what to eat for breakfast, or nothing sounds particularly appetizing, is huevos rancheros. This is true for both eating out and at home.

Fortunately, there is no one right way to make them, and only a couple essential ingredients. Obviously there are huevos, or eggs. (The runnier the better, in my opinion; poached or over-medium will do.) Most restaurants tend to serve the eggs poached on huevos rancheros, a skill I have yet to master. I'm going to give it a go one of these days. (I like this tutorial.)

Second is some sort of bean element. I've used seasoned or plain black and pinto beans, and even canned chili with beans (vegetarian, beef, turkey and chicken are all tasty). When using plain beans or vegetarian chili, I will often add crumbled soyrizo from Trader Joe's. It adds a lot of flavor as well as a meat element. (Melissa's also makes a good soyrizo.) It sounds weird, but the flavor and texture are on point. It's also excellent scrambled into eggs and served in corn tortillas like a breakfast taco.

Optional add-ons: cheese (shredded or the magical orange stuff that goes on movie theater nachos), guacamole, pico de gallo or salsa, cilantro, sour cream, sriracha,  and tortilla chips. The combinations are endless, really.

Comerse!

Huevos Rancheros

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Periodicals + Potage

It's a known fact among our close friends and family that we subscribe to precisely 1 million magazines. This can be contributed, in part, to Mario's proclivity for cashing in every. single. expiring airline mile... typically in the form of subscriptions. Time, so we can stay up on current events and be well-rounded citizens; Women's Health, so I can be a more active, attractive version of myself (while feeling completely inundated by the ever contradictory advice regarding the best methods of physical exercise and macronutrient consumption); Outside, because the photography! and the articles! (and, let's be honest, the lingering aspiration that I will one day become "outdoorsy"); Adweek, because it's good to know the latest and greatest in the marketing and advertising world (Target, how dare you use my frivolous acquisition of glitter, t-shirts and trail mix to profile my buying habits). The list goes on (and on). Did I mention they are all paid up until 2030, at which point we can add an AARP subscription to the mix?

If I'm honest, most of them make their way to the recycling bin or Kiddo's school for collage projects. As I get older (and more evolved, I hope), I find that constant influx of information, often served up in a zillion little information boxes, overwhelming. Reading a magazine at bedtime is a sure way to stave off slumber... it puts my brain on information overload. In short, I've become a terrible magazine reader. Gone are the days of me anxiously awaiting that month's issue of Teen. (Tiffani Amber Thiessen + Brian Austin Green = True Love Forever.) (I'm old.)

In an ideal world, I'd pore over all the glossy pages and become an expert in the fine arts of fitness, DIY and home decor. I'd make a Pinterest-worthy home cooked meal six nights a week, complete with the requisite spiraled fruit or vegetable peel garnish. Martha and her beautifully photographed monthly inspires me to be a better, well, everything. (Only Martha could get me to consider gold leafing my Easter eggs.) Martha Stewart Living is a fairly new addition to the magazine pile (though we go waaay back), and it, along with Outside (usually) get read. They are the exceptions.

Every couple months I'll be wooed by an issue Real Simple from the checkout line (for the love of all things holy, open another lane), and a copy will make its way home with me. Because clearly I need another magazine ... like I need a hole in my head. But, you know, the covers are real pretty and promise to make my life better from A-Z.

One such month was February. Let me tell you, that issue was worth its weight in recipe gold. I was in a soup sort of mood and they knew that. (Target probably told them.) And that's the story of how 3 new meals made their way into my life. Make them, enjoy them, and let me know if you want a free gift subscription.

Greek Shrimp and Dill Soup 

I've made this several times and it has quickly become a favorite. Easy peasy and super delicious. // Advice:  I add a second bottle of clam juice; I like extra flavor in my soup broths.

Miso and Potsticker Soup 

This one takes a little more effort, but boy is it good. Miso is allegedly a superfood, so I could feel the latest issue of Women's Health radiating approval from the mail pile. // Advice: Sub low-sodium chicken broth for at least half of the water. Flavor and all that jazz. Also, I used our favorite potstickers from Costco which have a firmer wrapping that held up through leftovers the next day.

Mushroom and Leek Soup with Soba Noodles

This was a fork + spoon, slurp-your-noodles kind of soup. The best kind, in my opinion. // Advice: Again, add a broth (beef, chicken and vegetable would all be good) otherwise the soup base is a little boring. Also, don't sweat it if you can't find dried porcini mushrooms. All my local stores were mysteriously out of stock, so I substituted a mixture of dried mushrooms that contained porcinis and it turned out just fine.

Periodicals + Potage

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Bacon Brussel Sprouts

Kiddo has always been a funny creature when it comes to food. (I've often wondered how two people who can and will eat darn near anything could have bred such a persnickety child.)

Though terribly picky throughout most of his life, he has always gravitated toward obscure, less kid-friendly foods. It defies reason that a 6-year-old, who ate precisely four things, and only if prepared just so, would not only beg for fiddleheads at the grocery store, but declare them to be one of the best things he'd ever tasted. (It took a little research on my part to figure out how to prepare them. Apparently they can be toxic if not cooked properly? Just what a mother wants to hear. But when you have a picky eater, you'll do just about anything to add a little variety to the dinner table.)

Another of his favorites is Brussels sprouts. A few years ago we got a couple stocks in our CSA, leaving me a tad stumped when it came to preparing them. There's the steaming method, which leaves them flavorless and soggy, but I was looking for something more sophisticated. And so I took to The Google, as any inquisitive cook does.

We settled on Emeril Lagasse's Bacon Brussels Sprouts recipe and the rest, they say, is history. These Brussels sprouts have become a mainstay in our house, and have even graced the Thanksgiving table a time or two. Any leftovers we may have don't last more than a day or so. (They've been an after school snack request more than once. Truth.) I'm a fan of having a collection of standbys that everyone likes. In fact, that pretty much sums up how I roll in the kitchen.

I've made this enough that I no longer need to consult a recipe, but the same fundamental ingredients are always present: fresh Brussels sprouts (duh), bacon, and thinly sliced onion (red, yellow, Spanish... they all work just fine). Slice the bacon/cook in a large pan/remove the bacon/add the onion and cook until caramelized/throw in the sprouts (and any other veggies you want to include)/cook until the sprouts are crunchy but not raw (I cover the pan for a few minutes to get the right amount of softness)/add the bacon back in and serve.

Kiddo usually eats them straight up, but I've added dried cranberries, (extra) garlic, almonds, sunflower seeds, and a variety of other additions to please the adult palate. Most recently, I crumbled some really good blue cheese over the top and served it for lunch.

This makes a great side, but we've also had it as a main course. It's that good.

Next up: learning how to make his newest obsession, Borscht. Help? 

Bacon Brussel Sprouts

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Country Music and Corn Dip

I like the Pioneer Woman's show on Food Network. I enjoy sitting down on a Saturday morning, cup of coffee in hand, watching the show while the boys sleep in. It's a nice little ritual. 

Trisha Yearwood's show followed, but I got merely a glimpse, as my DVR only records the first minute or so. To make a short story long, during one such Saturday morning I was introduced Trisha's Hot Corn Dip. Anything that can be eaten off a chip is fine by us, so I printed it and put it in the must-try section of my recipe binder.

On Friday night we were feeling particularly dip-ish, so I turned to Pinterest (duh). Cowboy Corn Dip was one of the first to pop up and I followed the link to the recipe. I liked the ingredients in this recipe over Trisha's, but preferred her idea of serving it hot. And thus a hybrid recipe was born. Trisha is a country singer, and married to another country singer, and this recipe has the word "cowboy" in the title... so it was a match made in heaven, right? Just me?

I'm not a huge fan of corn. It simply wouldn't be on my dip radar, which has been newly coined my "dipdar". But this was tasty. Spicy, cheesy deliciousness. In fact, it made an encore as yesterday's breakfast. And now I have a hankering to sing about my dog. 

Cowboy Corn Dip

2 cans Mexicorn, drained
4 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 (4 ounce) can green chiles, drained
1 can diced jalapenos, added to taste
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste

Add all of the ingredients in a square baking dish and mix until combined. Bake at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly around the edges. Remove from oven and allow to set for a moment. Serve with tortilla chips.

Note: The original Cowboy Corn Dip recipe called for a freshly diced jalapeno or jalapeno relish. I couldn't find the latter in my local supermarket, and this girl doesn't mess around with chopping fresh hot peppers. It never fails that I rub my eyes and ruin my evening. Husband loves anything "extra spicy", so we met halfway when adding the jalapenos to the mix. You can always top an individual serving with more if you possess the superpower to allow you to eat such things.

With a budget comes meal planning. We didn't eat out a lot before, but we also weren't great about planning ahead. Last minute trips to the grocery store lead to unintentional purchases and superfluous spending. Now we go to the store with a list and stick to it. We love eating at home... but didn't appreciate it enough before, in my opinion. That's too bad. Now we are making up for lost time with meals like the turkey dinner Mario had a hankering for Friday night. And by turkey dinner, I mean chicken with all the fixings. Because the turkeys at the local grocery store were old, scary rejects from last Thanksgiving. Eighty bucks for a freezer burned bird? Uh, no thanks. 

What I'm getting at is this: I like a home cooked meal. And now that I've mastered the planning ahead part, and have a steady flow of new and old favorites, more recipes will be making an appearance on this little corner of the internet. This is by no means a cooking blog, nor will it become one, but I write about what is going on in my life. As of late, my inner domestic goddess has been making an appearance and shall therefore be permitted to blog .

Country Music and Corn Dip

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Birthday Dinner

Mario's birthday (and my half birthday) was a week ago today. As a grownup, when your birthday falls on a weekday life must go on around it. Still, I wanted it to be special.  But also attainable. Which means homemade cheesecake on a school night wasn't going to happen. Luckily, Mario is easily pleased.

One of his favorite meals that I make is chicken enchiladas. I don't make them enough, actually. They are easy peasy and freeze like a breeze. I'm so clever. I found the recipe ages ago in a cookbook Mario brought into the relationship. The only issue? It's a professional cookbook with weird measurements and crazy portions meant for restaurants. And when you flip the  page that allegedly contains the recipe for green enchilada sauce? A recipe for red enchilada sauce. So I put on my thinking cap and made it my own. Enjoy!

Sarah's Easy Green Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2 cups (16oz) canned green enchilada sauce
1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed and shredded
12oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6oz sour cream (I use "light")
12 corn tortillas (slightly more or less depending on how much you fill them)

Directions:
Combine the shredded chicken, sour cream, and half the cheese in a medium bowl. Warm the enchilada sauce in a medium saucepan on low heat. Careful not to get it too hot... your fingers are going in there!  Gently coat each corn tortilla in the sauce and lay it in a greased baking dish.  Place approximately 2 tbsp of filling along the middle and roll, seam facing down. If the tortillas crack, don't fret! It all works out. Pack the enchiladas in there (I usually have 4-6 along one edge of the baking dish to fill the gap) until you run out of filling. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top. Sprinkle on remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese has melted and the edges are bubbly (approx. 15-20 minutes).

A birthday celebration is not complete without a cake, of course. I would normally bake from scratch, but alas. The frosting, however, is always homemade these days.

I bought a Duncan Hines chocolate cake mix and baked it into two 9" round baking pans. Once cooled, I whipped up some peanut butter frosting and went to work. This recipe is adapted from one of my all time favorite cookbooks, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I doubled it and had enough to generously frost a 2-layer cake. In my early blogging days I featured recipes from this cookbook almost weekly. I originally bought it because of Jared's dairy allergy, but found that their cupcakes are far better than the real thing. Honestly, you will never need to buy frosting again.

Vegan Peanut Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

1/4 cup margarine, softened (I use Earth Balance sticks)
2 Tbsp non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening (in the health food section of most grocery stores)
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (I use Skippy Natural--it isn't oily so the frosting won't separate)
1 Tbsp molasses (the recipe says "optional", but I disagree... it's a must!)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp milk alternative (rice, soy and almond all work really well)

Directions:
In a mixer (I use my KitchenAid, but a handheld mixer would work, too), cream together margarine and shortening on medium speed until well combined and fluffy. Add the peanut butter, vanilla and molasses and beat until smooth (approx. 2-3 minutes). Beat in sugar gradually until well combined (frosting will be stiff). Slowly drizzle in the milk alternative until a fluffy, creamy texture is reached (I usually only need a couple drizzles). Frost your creation as usual. Any leftovers can be eaten with a spoon refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a couple weeks. For the cake, I used an icing knife to spread it over the layers. I ran it under warm water, dried it off, and resumed when the frosting started to stick.

The boys devoured it. I'm not a big cake person, but it so closely resembled a Reese's peanut butter cup that I had to resist the urge to take the whole thing and eat it with a fork while watching the lost footage episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I wish I had time for such scandalous behavior.

Birthday Dinner

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

I am having a serious love affair with my new Crock Pot. I came home last night to find that some lovely person has made me dinner after a looong day. Only I am that lovely person. But I like to pretend I have a little dinner fairy on my side.

This recipe comes from my Better Homes & Gardens Ultimate Slow Cooker Cookbook. I must admit that I was intimidated by the long list of ingredients when I first saw it. I need not be. Monday night, I chopped a few veggies and some chicken and threw it into the pot. Tuesday morning I fired her up. When I got home, it was just a matter of adding a bit of cornstarch for thickening (you could easily skip this if you don't mind it being more soup-like) and whipping up the cornbread dumplings (which takes all of 5 minutes). I threw the dumplings in and reset the timer for 25 minutes.

It was really good! In fact, Kiddo ate two whole bowls. Unheard of. Recipes like this remind me why meal planning/slow cooker-usage should be a regular part of my life.

The only thing I would do differently is to taste it prior to dropping in the dumplings. That's a good point to add in more salt and pepper. We salted it a tad after it was bowled up, which was fine, but I'll do it differently next time. Also, since Jared was partaking, I made it dairy-free (as usual). I substituted soy milk and Earth Balance for the milk and butter and omitted the 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese that usually goes in the dumpling mix. For you cheese-loving, allergy-free folks, use the real thing you lucky ducks!

Ingredients: 

2 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups potatoes, chopped
1 large onion, diced roughly
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 lbs chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
1. In a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker combine the carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, bay leaves, sage and pepper and stir to combine.
2. Place chicken on top of the vegetables.
3. In a medium bowl, gradually whisk broth into soup and pour this mixture over the chicken.
4. Cover; cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4-5 hour (I did 9 hours on low because we were going to be home late).
5. Turn slow cooker to high heat. Remove and discard bay leaves. Combine water and cornstarch and stir into stew until combined.
6. In a medium bowl combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl combine egg, milk and melted butter (+ cheese, if you're using it). Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir with a fork until just moistened.
7. Use 2 spoons to drop dough directly on top of stew. Cover and cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean. Do not lift the cover while the dumplings are cooking.

When I think of comfort food, chicken and dumplings is at the top of my list. This recipe definitely fit the bill. 

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Chili Chili, Bang Bang

 

This is one of my favorite go-to recipes...and one of my first posts. The photos were awful, so I decided to spruce it up and repost it now that I have more than two followers. Aside from the photos, the rest is the same. Fart joke included. I enjoy revisiting my old posts and see how I've changed. Or not.

This recipe is fast, easy, and makes my husband super hot for me. I think. It is chili, so it's tough telling. That man could eat chili every day, and often does. Before we bought a Tempurpedic mattress, I used to feel like I was on one of those vibrating beds in an old Motel 6.

 

I've heard this called "Richard Simmon's Chili" and "Weight Watcher's Chili," but I have no idea where it actually originated. I tried googling it once and didn't find evidence of either. To be honest, I never really used a recipe. I saw a version of it once, liked the idea, and made up my own version based on the one-pot concept.

I made a batch Monday night...and usually make it year round. It is super filling, delicious and healthy, so I like to keep it in the fridge for a quick lunch or dinner. Now I'm sharing it with you. Make it your own!

Sarah's Easy One-Pot Chili Remix

• 1 lb meat (I use ground turkey or chicken...but you can use sausage, ground beef, etc.)
• 1 packet ranch dressing mix
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 2 cans diced tomatoes (I like to mix it up and use flavored varieties like fire roasted, green chili, etc.)
• 3 cans beans (I like black, pinto, cannellini or kidney)
• 1 can corn
• additional seasonings to taste, if desired (I like cumin, chili powder or whatever else strikes my fancy...I never measure and it's rarely the same combination)

Brown the meat in a large pot. Drain. Return to medium heat. Add the ranch, taco, and any additional seasonings. Stir into the meat until no longer powdery. Add the cans of tomatoes. Stir until combined. Add the beans. Heat until bubbly. Add the corn. Once bubbling resumes, reduce heat to low and simmer until ready to serve. Eat. Enjoy.

 

 

Could this be any easier? A couple hints: I usually try to find reduced sodium or no salt added beans and corn. Also, don't drain anything. Just open the cans and dump. That's the beauty of this recipe.

 

 

 

Chili Chili, Bang Bang

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

It's the Slaw

One of my favorite dishes in the whole wide world is Oriental Chicken Salad. You know, the one made with cabbage slaw and ramen noodles. I could eat it every day.

Unfortunately, the copious amounts of oil and salt-saturated dressing do NOT love me back. It is so easy to fall into the "it's a salad...it must be healthy" trap. Determined to enjoy this salad, I decided to tweak it. I'll probably be tweaking it forever, but I think I have stumbled upon a pretty good formula. Enjoy!

Sarah's A Little Less Junk in the Trunk Healthier Oriental Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 bags of prepackaged cabbage slaw mix
• 4 medium chicken breasts (grilled and cubed) or 1 whole rotisserie chicken (remove meat from bone and shred/cube)
• 1 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 slivered almonds

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup oil (grapeseed, avocado, canola, etc.)
• 5 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
• 4 tbsp sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place chicken, slaw, green onions, sunflower seeds, and almonds in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together oils, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper until well combined and smooth.
3. Immediately pour dressing over slaw mix and stir until well combined.

 

 

 

 
How easy was that? A couple suggestions...I don't really measure the almonds and sunflower seeds. I like a lot of crunch in my salad, so sometimes I dump and sometimes I measure. Whatever floats your boat. Also, if you decide that you just have to have the ramen noodles, crumble them over the top of individual servings. Otherwise they will get soggy and your leftovers will not have that crunch you crave.

If you try it, let me know what you think! If you tweak it, tell me what you did and how it turned out!

It's the Slaw

Wednesday, September 12, 2012