Love to Cook, Cook to Love

My week got off to a great start when I received a care package from my mom with all sorts of Autumn goodies inside (thanks, Mom!). Among the pumpkin-scented soap and Halloween colored clothing was a couple boxes of spices from Penzeys Spices. On each of the jars was Penzeys slogan: "Love to Cook, Cook to Love." The array of spices got me inspired to get cookin' and the result was the below Chicken Sate with Peanut Sauce. Along with a couple sides, this makes a great dinner but it would also make a crowd pleasing appetizer for your next gathering.

Begin by soaking wooden skewers in water. Doing this prevents the skewers from charing during the cooking process. I'll admit this is the first time I have actually soaked the skewers and it definitely helps.

Next, make a marinade by mixing 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt with the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Now it's time to spice it up. I used the Sate seasoning from Penzeys, which is a mixture of salt, brown sugar, garlic, onion, coriander, ginger, tumeric, paprika, lemon grass, and various peppers. Any similar spice blend would work or even just a basic yellow curry would be great. Mix the spice of your choice with the yogurt/lemon mixture and marinate chicken breast tenders for an hour or two.

While the chicken marinates, make the peanut sauce by mixing a tablespoon or so of creamy peanut butter with 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar, and a good squeeze of lemon or lime juice. Add a couple tablespoons of warm water to thin out the sauce and refrigerate until it's time to eat.

Skewer the marinated chicken and cook over an open grill or indoor grill pan until done, about 5 minutes per side. Serve with the prepared peanut sauce and enjoy!

You Say Tomato, I Say Bruschetta

During a late-day stroll this afternoon, Mike and I popped into a market for Bruschetta fixings. Plump Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, and a warm baguette. There is no rocket science behind this appetizer, but its certainly a crowd pleaser and very refreshing for a pre-dinner treat!

Mix together the following: 2-3 Roma tomatoes (seeded and diced small), a handful of fresh basil leaves (chopped into a thin confetti), salt and pepper (to taste), a drizzle of good olive oil. If you have it, fresh oregano (about a teaspoon) makes the flavors even brighter. Serve along with thinly slices baguette, sliced Italian salami, like Soppressata, and a glass red wine. Buon Appeetito!

How Do You Like Them Apples...(With Rum, Please)

Things I'm loving about right now: earlier sunsets, cool breezes and leaves that crunch when you step on them, blue skies and yellow leaves, football Sundays, pumpkin pie candles, apple cider...with rum.

I usually opt for wine and beer over the hard stuff, but this apple cider cocktail has changed my mind. I'm sure I'm not the first one to mix rum with apple cider, but I thought I would do my due diligence and pass the recipe along to you all.

Coat the rim of a glass with cinnamon. Fill with ice, a cinnamon stick, a shot or two of dark rum, and 8 oz or so of real apple cider. Make sure you get the real stuff- it's usually in the produce section not the juice aisle. Once the weather gets colder, I'm sure this would be fabulous warm.

Cheers!

Pumpkin Treats

Pumpkins. The quintessential symbol of autumn and one of the seasons trendiest fruits (yes, it is a fruit). Pumpkins are making their way into everything these days- lattes and beer, sauces and soups, and of course baked goods.

The changing leaves and cooler breezes have inspired me to start baking, and I decided to kick off the season of the pumpkin with a classic. My mom found this recipe in a magazine ad for Libby's Pumpkin sometime circa my junior year of high school, and we have made it every year since. It's moist, spicy and sweet, and neutral enough to eat with your morning coffee or for an after-dinner dessert. I take no credit for the recipe, but it's a definite must for this time of year.

Marbled Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 10 cup bundt or round tube pan.

In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup solid pack pumpkin with 2 teaspoons ground  cinnamon. Set aside. 

In another bowl, combine 1 package of boxed yellow cake mix with 4 eggs, 3/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 1/4 cup water. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes.

Stir 2 1/2 cups cake batter into the reserved pumpkin mixture.

Alternately spook plain and pumpkin batters in your greased pan. It doesn't have to be perfect. This technique is how you'll get the cook marbled look.

Bake in preheated over for 40-45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool. 

Dust with powdered sugar before serving and enjoy this little taste of fall!

If you buy a normal (15 oz) can of pumpkin puree, you will have just enough for pancakes later in the week. I love this recipe because it doesn't call for anything fancy and the pancakes come out perfect. 

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

In a bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups milk, 1 cup pumpkin (or whatever is left from the cake), 1 egg, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and 2 tablespoons vinegar. 

In a separate bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon each cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. 

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just enough to combine. 

Heat a lightly oiled griddle to medium heat. I like to dip a paper towel in oil and (carefully) wipe across the griddle. Ladle about 1/4 cup pancake batter onto the griddle and cook a couple minutes on each side or until each side is golden brown. 

Serve with warm maple syrup, powdered sugar, and whatever other pancake toppers you like. I was thinking some apple or pumpkin butter would have been especially great on these. Enjoy! 

Broncos Lose, Fish Tacos Win!

After a disappointing loss on football Sunday, I thought a bright, fresh meal shared with good friends might alleviate some of the dismay. I was right. Filling and refreshing fish tacos was just what I needed to make this Sunday a win in my books.

I've blogged about fish tacos before, but tonight's version has got to be my favorite one yet. This has the perfect mix of flavors and textures and is a recipe I will use in the future for all of my fish taco endeavors.

What made these tacos stand out from the previous ones was the mango salsa and the seasoned cilantro crema. The mango salsa brings a sweetness to the otherwise savory taco, and the color from the salsa brings life to the plate. The crema brings balance to the taco and counteract the other sweet, spicy, and salty elements.

For the mango salsa, I used a basic pico de gallo mix of diced tomato (about 3 medium tomatoes), 1/2 a red onion (minced), a good handful of chopped cilantro, juice from 1/2 lime, salt and pepper, and one jalepino (minced) if you like it spicy. To the salsa, add about 1 cup of diced mango.

For the crema, mix about 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1/4 cup of mayo with the juice from 1/2 a lime. Stir in a good handful of chopped cilantro, a couple garlic cloves (minced or crushed) and a tablespoon or so of taco seasoning.

Another important element for these tacos was getting a good crisp on the tortillas. Heat each tortilla on a griddle until the outside starts to brown and crisp up. The crispier tortilla will hold up well with all the stuff you put inside and the crunchy-ness adds a new texture to the plate.

Finally- the fish. You can use any type of mild white fish you have. I used sol. Tilapia, mahi mahi, and cod are all good choices, too. I dredged the fish fillets in a flour-salt-and-pepper mixture and pan fried it until golden. The fish can really be cooked however you like it- pan fried, grilled, oven baked, etc.

Build the taco to your desire. I like you smear a crisp tortilla with a good spoonful of crema, put the warm fish fillet on top of that, then cover with mango salsa, chopped lettuce or cabbage for crunch, and a sprinkling of cojita cheese.

One bite will transport you to a happy place where football losses and the weekends' ending don't matter. Enjoy, and have a beautiful week!

Celebrating America

Today, September 11, 2011, marks one of my favorite days of the year and, sadly, one of America's worst days in history. 10 years ago, the World Trade Center towers in New York City were destroyed by extreme acts of terrorism. A decade later we remember that horrific day and pay tribute to those who lost their lives.

Ironically, today also happens to be the first football Sunday of the season and, consequently, one of my favorite days of they year.  To me, the kickoff to football has always signified the start of my favorite time of year. Cooler weather, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, changing leaves, football weekends, Pumpkin Beer (pretty much all things pumpkin...) and a new season of cooking. Gone are the hot summer days when standing over a hot stove was torture. Fall welcomes back comfort food- pots of chili, warm, bubbly casseroles, chicken and dumplings, soups and stews...I could go on forever. Fall also welcomes back my blog. I know I took a bit of a vacation over the summer months but I am ready to get cooking again. Today, I decided to kick things off with a game day brunch menu that is sure to wow even the pickiest tailgater.

Huevos Rancheros and Bloody Marys

Huevos Rancheros, literally translating to "Rancher's Eggs" is essentially and open faced breakfast burrito and a perfectly filling Sunday brunch. I began by making a quick, fresh salsa of chopped tomato, cilantro, jalapeno, avocado, salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Green onion would also be good in here if you have it. Next, I heated about 1/2 cup of refried beans (1/4 cup per serving). Once you get these things prepped, you can start your eggs. Melt about a tablespoon of butter in a large nonstick skillet. Once it's bubbly, add your eggs one at a time. Helpful hint- crack your eggs individually into a small bowl, then pour the egg gently from the bowl to the skillet. This way, you can prevent broken yolks and bad eggs. Let the eggs fry, sunny side up, for a couple minutes, then flip so they're sunny side down for about 30 seconds. Meanwhile, heat your tortillas in the microwave for 20 seconds or over an open flame for the same amount of time. I like to use whole wheat tortillas for the added health benefit, and I think they taste just as good as white flour tortillas. Once the tortilla is warm, spread the refried beans over the tortilla then top the refried beans with two fried eggs. Top the eggs with your homemade salsa, sour cream, and cheese. I like Cojita cheese, which is like the Parmesan of Mexican cheeses. On top of the eggs, you can really use whatever Mexican toppings you prefer or whatever you have on hand, but the fresh ingredients in homemade salsa really make these huevos special and healthier.

In my mind, no brunch is complete without a Bloody Mary. For all you Bloody Mary haters out there- I myself had never been a fan of tomato juice and had steered clear of Bloody Marys for that reason. I tried one a couple years back (likely because of a wicked hangover) and it was love at first sip. As far as alcoholic beverages go, this one is pretty good for you, too. I make my own Bloody Mary mix with Hot and Spicy V8 and a mix of other add ins- celery salt, black pepper, pickle juice, horseradish, tabasco. Once you get the tomato juice mixture to your liking, pour over ice with a couple shots of vodka. I like Absolute brand Pepper vodka for an added kick, but plain vodka is just fine too. And if you're anything like me and enjoy tequila, you can really keep with the Mexican brunch menu and make a Bloody Maria by substituting tequila for vodka. Keep in mind- tomato juice kills the taste of alcohol so please drink responsibly, and don't forget to raise your glass in a toast to the memory of 9/11, ten years ago and today.    

El Centro

I've been meaning to do some Boston restaurant reviews for quite some time now (translation: since I started blogging), but have obviously not accomplished a single one. I hope this is the first of many to come!

Mike's mom and step-sister were in town this past weekend, so we took this as an opportunity to try a new restaurant, El Centro. El Centro is a brand new restaurant located in Boston's "South End" neighborhood. Mexican cuisine is one of my (and Mike's) favoritos, and Boston (compared to Colorado and California, at least) lacks a good selection of restaurants offering our beloved South-of-the-Border fare. It looks like we found a new place to go to satisfy our cravings- El Centro was excellent. The restaurant was intimate, quaint, and above all authentic. From the music to the decor to the waitstaff, I felt like I was in Mexico. Even the bathroom fit the part. What I loved about the menu was that it wasn't too extensive. They had enough options so that everybody could find something they liked, but not so many options so that it was overwhelming. Even their drink menu was authentic- only Mexican imported beer, sangria, and a small selection of wine. I feel like keeping a menu on the smaller side enhances the restaurants point of view. And a restaurant with a focused POV is (in my opinion) always more successful than its multifaceted counterpart.

Our table started with guacamole with chorizo. The avocados used were perfectly ripe and there was just enough spice to enhance but not overpower the delectable fruit (yes, avocado is a fruit). Crumbled on top of the chunky guacamole was warm, spicy, melt-in-your-mouth chorizo sausage and a dusting of cotija cheese. Dip a chip in that and it's the best nacho you've ever had. For my main course, I had a chile relleno. Chile rellenos are one of my favorite Mexican dishes and often what I order at Mexican restaurants. For one, they are light and delicious. For two, it's not something I can make myself (at least not well). El Centro's relleno was a poblano pepper roasted to perfection and stuffed with shredded chicken, cheese, and a simple tomato salsa. What I loved most about the relleno was that it wasn't breaded, fried or baked in egg batter. This really let the chile shine and gave the dish a lighter side, perfect for summertime. My fellow diners also raved about their meals. Among them were shrimp in a chipotle sauce, tacos al pastor (pork and pineapple filling), tacos caramelos (steak, bean, and cheese filling) and a dish called La Mejor Del Mundo, literally meaning "the best in the world." This was a generous portion of steak, charcoal grilled, and served on a wooden plank with beans, guacamole, green chiles, and tortillas. According to the menu, this dish was served "Sonora Style", which is the area of Mexico that El Centro's chef hails from. Sonora, Mexico is just south of the border from Arizona. Their culinary staples include beef, seafood, chiles, and tortillas. And I have the say the chef of El Centro definitely did the ingredients of his motherland justice as he brought them to life on his menu. Oh, and let's not forget the churros con chocolate that topped the meal off. It was the perfect ending to a delicious meal. Next time you're in Boston with a hankering for comida Mexicana, I hope you'll try El Centro. Adios!