Category Archives: Food & Recipes

Food is an important part of our family. I don’t believe in “secret recipes.” If I make it, I’ll share it. And if you like it, I hope you’ll share it, too.

June 2, 2011 · 7:00 AM

TCP Cooks: Smoky Baby Back Ribs


Of all the things The Complete Package cooks, his smoked meats are among my favorites. Pork ribs, brisket, pork tenderloin, chicken breasts – it’s all good. One of my personal favorites is the pork ribs. They’re not only delicious as a meal – with baked beans and potato salad, they are fabulous as leftovers. Once the meat falls off the bone (literally), it can be used in posole, pulled pork sandwiches, and one of my favorite light summer meals – smoky pork lettuce wraps. Today, I’m sharing TCP’s secret formula for fall-off-the-bone smoky pork ribs and those easy, flavorful wraps.

Here’s what you’ll need for the ribs:
1 rack of pork baby back ribs
2-3 teaspoons of garlic salt
2-3 tablespoons of Salt Lick Dry BBQ Rub
aluminum foil and oak smoking chips

First, remove the pork ribs from the package and rinse them thoroughly. Pat dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, remove the silver skin from the back side of the ribs and leave the fat on the top side. Sprinkle liberally with garlic salt, then apply a light coat of the dry rub mix, rubbing it in until the entire rack is coated. If you can’t find Salt Lick rub, you can order it online or simply substitute your favorite brand. If you’re in Texas, you’ll find it in HEB stores.

TCP uses a gas grill, but you could do this with charcoal, too. Heat the grill to high heat and sear the ribs on both sides, until they are browned and crispy. Remove the ribs from the grill so you can adjust your grill temperatures as follows. Remember: the key to tender smoked ribs is “slow and low” which means a longer cooking time at low heat. The result is smoky perfection.

If you are using a gas grill, turn off the heat on ½ of the grill, and turn the heat on the other ½ of the grill down to medium heat. This divides your grill into a “warm” side and a “cool” side for smoking your ribs. Place your ribs back on the cool side, and a wood chip packet on the warm side (see below).

If you are using a charcoal grill, remove the grill from your cooker and push your charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. If you still have quite a few hot coals, use a pair of tongs to remove some of them. You want half of your grill to be free of coals, and half your grill to have just enough hot coals to cause your wood chip packets to smoke. Use extreme caution when moving hot coals!!

Rip off 2 sheets of aluminum foil about 12-14” long. Place 1 ½ cups of oak smoking chips in the center of each sheet and fold them into a sealed packet. Using a sharp knife, cut 6 to 8 slits in the top of the foil packets to allow the smoke to escape. Place the ribs on the “cool” side of the grill and one of the oak chip packets on the “hot” side. Close the grill and allow the ribs to smoke for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the first wood chip packet and replace it with the second. Smoke for an additional 30 minutes, making sure the “cool” side of the grill doesn’t get too hot, overcooking or drying out your ribs.

After one hour of smoking on the grill, place the ribs into a baking pan, cover tightly with foil and place them in a warm oven (250F) for 3 hours. When you remove them from the oven, remove the foil and allow your ribs to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into them. When I say cutting them, I really mean using tongs to pull the rib bones out. It’s not really cutting if they fall apart when you touch them. As a bonus, your house is going to smell fabulous and your neighbors are going to be ringing doorbells trying to identify the source of this heavenly aroma. It’s up to you whether you share or not. I’m not saying a word.

Smokey pork, scallions & hoisin on crisp Boston lettuce? Win-win-win!

For the lettuce wraps, you’ll need:
one head of Boston lettuce
2 to 3 cups of leftover smoky pork rib meat
2 or 3 scallions, sliced lengthwise into 3-4” strips
your favorite hoisin sauce

Separate your head of lettuce into individual leaves, cut your scallions into thin julienned strips, and warm your smoky rib meat. To serve, hold one lettuce leaf in your hand. Place a spoonful of smoked pork in the lettuce leaf, add scallion shreds and top with hoisin sauce. Roll and consume. It’s that easy. If you’re a rice lover, you can add steamed rice to your lettuce wraps. If you like crunch, you can add those crispy chow mein noodles. I’m a purist. I like to keep it simple with pork, scallions and hoisin. But that’s the beauty of leftovers. You can be as creative or as straight forward as you like. I just wish I had the words to describe how incredible this tastes. Oh, TCP and smoky pork… I love you so!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with a lettuce wrap.

14 Comments

Filed under Food & Recipes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 24, 2011 · 8:51 AM

Tart Cherry Dark Chocolate Bark


Remember this box of cherry goodness I got from my friend Kirsten at Comfortably Domestic? She held a giveaway to highlight local Michigan cherries from one of her favorite companies, The Cherry Republic. I thank my lucky stars every day that her brilliant son pulled my name from that hat. It has truly been a gift that keeps on giving. I started on the bag of dark chocolate-covered cherries first, since I could not resist them. Oy vey! They were spectacular. So much so, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them.

Next up? The bag of mixed nuts and dried cherries. The nuts were raw, and I like mine roasted, so I simply separated out the cherries, threw the nuts into a dry skillet, and toasted them until they smelled heavenly. Once they cooled, I mixed the cherries back in and stored them in a jar to keep them fresh. These are great for snacks or as an oatmeal topper. But I still couldn’t stop thinking about dark chocolate-covered cherries. So what does a girl do when she has a jar full of toasted nuts and dried cherries, but chocolate on the brain? That’s right, you clever little minxes. She smothers them in dark chocolate. So, without further ado… I give you Tart Cherry Chocolate Bark. Shazam!

What you’ll need:
One bag of good quality dark chocolate chips (I love Guittard)
Two cups of dried cherries & mixed roasted nuts

Start by lining an 8″ square pan with parchment paper. It’s easiest if you cut two strips and lay them in opposite directions. Did you know that cellophane tape will not stick to parchment paper? Neither did I. Lesson learned.

Using a double boiler or a metal or glass mixing bowl over a pan of boiling water, melt your chocolate then whisk until smooth. Be careful not to burn yourself, either on the hot mixing bowl or the steam. Once your chocolate is creamy and smooth, remove the bowl and set it on a kitchen towel. Next up, grab your cherry and nut mix. The Cherry Republic version is awesome. Notice those gorgeous tart cherries and those giant nut halves? No little bits or pieces here.

Add your cherry & nut mix to the melted chocolate and stir until well combined. Pour it into your prepared pan and flatten it with a spatula until it’s about 3/4″ thick. Put it into the refrigerator to set up for about an hour.

Once it’s set, remove it from the pan and cut it into squares with a sharp kitchen knife. Store in an airtight container. I like to keep mine in the refrigerator since it’s so dang hot in Houston. And that’s it! The only thing left to accomplish is a little self-restraint. Can’t help you there, but I wish you luck! Lots of luck.

Stay tuned. The last item from the gift box is a jar of cherry chipotle salsa, and there’s no telling what’s going to happen with that! Thanks again, Kirsten. Your taste in cherries is impeccable.

18 Comments

Filed under Food & Recipes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

May 23, 2011 · 7:51 AM

Things I Love: The Cookbook Edition

As I sat on my sofa browsing my favorite cookbooks for next week’s menu, I had a sudden urge to grab my camera and share some of my favorites with you. I’m not good at suppressing urges, evidently. For example, I compulsively collected cookbooks for YEARS, easily amassing 50+ books, some of which I rarely read. I’ve finally gotten a grip on my addiction, clearing my collection down to my Top 20 or so, but it wasn’t easy. Some I can’t part with are in a cabinet, but my favorites are left out on the kitchen counter so I can grab them at will. Here are the best of those I keep within arm’s reach.

The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook

I received this as a wedding present 29 years ago, and it’s still the cornerstone of my cookbook collection. I love the full-color photo index pages. When nothing sounds good, these gorgeous photos help me find inspiration.

In addition, they have illustrations throughout the recipe pages to give you technical assistance if you need it. As a menopausal space cadet, I can use all the assistance I can get. I make no apologies for that. It is what it is.

Cleora’s Kitchen, by Cleora Butler

This is more than a cookbook; it’s the memoir of a beautiful woman named Cleora Butler who worked as a cook in the homes of Tulsa’s great oil barons back in the golden age of oil barons. It’s a tribute to her family history, as well as the history of cooking and entertaining throughout her 70+ years.

What a remarkable woman she was. The stories she shares add a level of depth and clarity to her recipes I haven’t found in other cookbooks. Another thing I love is the structure of the chapters – done by decade. Starting with “The Early Years” of her childhood (pre-1920’s) and taking you through the 1980’s, her walk through the recipes that shaped her career and her life are enlightening.

If you’re into simple, family style cooking and you love noodle casseroles, try this one from Cleora’s collection. It was a hallmark recipe in its day.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks, by Ree Drummond

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I am a Pioneer Woman fan. I love her beautifully executed website, and am an active participant in the Tasty Kitchen recipe sharing page. It should come as no surprise, then, that her cookbook is an extension of her website. It’s colorful and fun, like Ree herself.

It contains the recipes she loves, complete with full-color photos, as well as stories of her life on the ranch and her family, whom she lovingly refers to as The Marlboro Man and her punks. Of course, she also includes her extended family, farm hands, friends and household pets who have also become celebrities in their own right (ie. Charley the Basset Hound). This is home cooking at its best, with a spattering of her trademark humor to keep it entertaining. Anyone who believes food should be wrapped in bacon is my kind of cook.

The Lighthouse Breakfast Cookbook, by Michelle Bursey & Carol Korgan

This little gem is published by the owners and chefs of the Heceta Head Lighthouse Inn on the Oregon coast. We had the pleasure of staying one night in the Lightkeeper’s House B&B a few years ago. It came with a 7-course breakfast that lasted 2 hours. It was without a doubt the most fabulous breakfast I have ever experienced. Hands down. Bar none. Their staff focuses on using the best local ingredients that are available, and the love they put into their food is experienced in every single bite. Buying their cookbook was a no-brainer for me.

See that blueberry smoothie in the middle? It was a life-changing revelation. Made from blueberries picked on the grounds of the lighthouse, it almost caused me to ask a complete stranger if he was going to finish his. Almost.

The Pastry Queen, by Rebecca Rather

I don’t know where to start with this one. I love it so much, I can hardly stand it. If I had to play “Sophie’s Choice” and choose only one cookbook to grab in case of an emergency, it might just have to be this one. Those spiky Texas Big Hair Tarts on the cover grabbed my attention, but the rest of the book had me running to the cash register. If baking is your religion, this could be your Bible.

If you dream of being a baker, you must get to know Rebecca better. If you’re a Texan, you’ll feel like this remarkable woman and her recipes are part of your heritage. If you find yourself anywhere near Fredericksburg, Texas, I command you to go visit her Rather Sweet Bakery and Cafe. It should be at the top of your to-do list. Seriously. While her photos are fabulous, her recipes taste every bit as wonderful, if not better. I never tire of looking through this cookbook.

And I can’t visit her bakery without buying these adorable pink pig cookies for the grandkids. If you have an avid baker in your family, consider picking this cookbook up as a birthday or holiday gift. It’s a winner.

Throw in my two favorite America’s Test Kitchen cookbooks (I can’t begin to tell you how much I learned from them) and you have my list of favorites. What I want to know now is which cookbooks you treasure. Which can you not live without? I’d love to know what inspires you.

19 Comments

Filed under Food & Recipes, Things I Love

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

May 20, 2011 · 6:42 AM

Recipe Review: Pasta al Pomodoro


She’s young, she’s spunky, she’s a Chicagoan and she makes a mean Pomodoro sauce. Who am I speaking of? Well, that would be the lovely Jenna of Jennaseverthingblog.wordpress.com. On May 11th, she posted a recipe that caught my eye and made my tummy grumble. And I had just eaten. I knew when I saw it that I would have to try it. It’s her version of Pasta al Pomodoro, and if you’re a rabid pasta fan like me, you’re going to want to make it, too.

Here’s what I loved about Jenna’s Pomodoro:
1. It’s incredibly easy to make.
2. It’s made with a handful of all-natural ingredients.
3. It packs a wallop of flavor you don’t get from jarred sauces.
4. It can be paired with every type of pasta – from bow-ties to lasagna.
5. I can make big batches of this and freeze it for quick meals.
6. It contains fresh basil. Everything is better with fresh basil.
7. It contains lots of fresh garlic. Everything is better with garlic.
8. It tastes better than any other pasta sauce I’ve ever eaten. Seriously.

Here’s what I didn’t love about Jenna’s Pomodoro:
Nothing! This is my new go-to sauce. No more Prego for me, baby.

So do me a favor. Jump over to Jenna’s blog and take a look at her step-by-step instructions, complete with full-color photos. If you’re not sold on this sauce, then I’m a monkey’s uncle. Which will be tricky, since I am neither a monkey nor an uncle. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find an Altoid.

14 Comments

Filed under Food & Recipes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 18, 2011 · 12:14 PM

Quite Possibly the Easiest Summer Berry Dessert You Will Ever Make


This is one of those “accidental” recipe finds, discovered while browsing comments on The Pioneer Woman’s website. PW posted a photo blog of fabulous strawberry recipe photos (many of which made me weep with joy), but it was the first comment posted that really grabbed my attention. Sydney B posted a link to a strawberry clafouti recipe. A strawberry what?!? Clafouti. That’s klah-FOO-tee. Say it with me. “Klah-FOO-tee.” I like it! It sounds like a party in a Pyrex. Reminds me of KC & the Sunshine Band. It’s got me singing, “Shake shake shake…. shake shake shake… shake clafouti. Shake clafouti.” Let’s see if that’s not stuck in your head the rest of the day, right? But what IS a clafouti, really? I needed to know.

“Clafouti, is a baked French dessert of black cherries (or other fruit) arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter. The clafouti is dusted with powdered sugar and served lukewarm.”

There. Now we know. So back to Sydney B’s link. It took me to www.shutterbean.com, where I discovered the easiest berry dessert I’ve ever made. And since I love berries and I love custards, this has the potential to become my go-to throw-down company’s coming dessert-in-a-hurry recipe. Thank you, Tracy the Shutterbean!

Here’s how easy this recipe is. For the record, it calls for strawberries, but I threw in some raspberries, too. Basically, you butter a glass baking dish. Toss your fruit with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch and arrange them in the bottom of the dish. Combine the other ingredients in a blender and whiz for 15 seconds. (I didn’t want to dig out my blender, so I used a mixing bowl and a whisk – old school style). Pour the mixture over the fruit and bake it until the center is set and the top is lightly browned. Remove it from the oven, sprinkle it with powdered sugar, and serve it warm. Done. Can you believe it? Seriously… from start to finish, it took 10 minutes to pop this into the oven. To see Tracy’s step-by-step photos and recipe, click here. You won’t be sorry.

If you love summer berries and creamy custards, you should try this. I will give you a few tips. Use really ripe, sweet strawberries. If your strawberries are really large, cut them into bite-size pieces. If you add raspberries like I did, increase the sugar to 1/2 cup or it will be really tart. Other than that, this recipe is simple, easy to make, and bursting with the fabulous flavors of summer berries and vanilla. And that’s all I need. Well, that and the Strawberry Kiss Cake posted by Brooks the Cakewalker from the Pioneer Woman’s photo post mentioned above. Have mercy! If you make that one, I am SO coming over!

18 Comments

Filed under Food & Recipes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 13, 2011 · 5:56 AM

Recipe Review: The Pioneer Woman’s Lemon Blueberry Pancakes

I’ve never eaten a lemon pancake. I know, it’s not a dark confession, but it is a confession none the less. I love all things lemon, but somehow lemon pancakes have eluded me. Until this week, when I saw the most gorgeous photos of lemon blueberry pancakes on The Pioneer Woman’s website. Have mercy.

Luckily, I had 2 lemons in my fruit bowl who were screaming, “C’mon! Go get the blueberries already! We’re dying to jump in some pancakes here!” Taunted by fruit – that’s my life. Since I can’t stand to disappoint anyone, much less a couple of mouthy lemons, I went to buy blueberries. Big, fat, juicy Texas blueberries. Thank God I did, because these pancakes did not disappoint.

Here’s what I loved about this recipe:
1. the batter was fragrant, light and bubbly
2. it took only minutes to whip up
3. except for blueberries, I had everything I needed in my pantry
4. the texture of the warm pancakes was soft & fluffy perfection

Here’s what I would do differently:
a. I would use two lemons instead of one, to boost the lemon flavor
b. I would use sweeter blueberries; mine were a little tart
c. if I had company, I would definitely double the recipe
d. if I didn’t have company, I would definitely eat every single one myself

If you love lemon more than you love blueberries, consider using 2 lemons (juice & zest) to kick up the lemon flavor. If you love blueberries more than you love lemon, make the recipe exactly as it’s written. Personally, I’m all for more lemon in just about every single situation. Except around a paper cut.

As is my custom, I’m not going to re-publish a Pioneer Woman recipe on my blog. It’s much more practical to provide you with the link so you can see Ree’s Lemon-Blueberry Pancakes for yourself, along with the gorgeous photos she provides in her step-by-step instructions. If you don’t fall in love, then you are definitely not a pancake person. Maybe a muffin man, but not a pancake person. PS – Do you know the Muffin Man? The Muffin Man. The Muffin Man?

16 Comments

Filed under Food & Recipes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 9, 2011 · 1:43 PM

TCP Cooks: New York-Style Cheesecake

The Complete Package Cooks: My all-time favorite cheesecake

As promised, I am sharing more of The Complete Package’s signature dishes on my blog. For new readers or random visitors, The Complete Package is my beloved husband of 29 years. (Side Note: Yes, those are 29 continuous years. Yes, he cooks. Yes, he does dishes. No, you can’t have him. And sorry, but he doesn’t have a brother.) The first recipe I shared was his flavor-packed flank steak sandwiches with soy-ginger mayonnaise. This one comes from the other side of the menu board. It is his signature creamy New York style baked cheesecake, and it’s AMAZING. If you love cheesecake the way my family loves cheesecake, you’ll definitely have to try this one. I’ll warn you… somewhere a horrified cardiologist is clutching his chest, screaming “don’t do it!” But fear not. For somewhere else, on the other side of the spectrum, is a cheesecake lover screaming “oh, hell yeah!” This recipe is for that person. Or people. Or flash mob. So hide your bathroom scales, grab a springform pan and your fat pants, and let’s make The Complete Package’s earth-shatteringly fabulous cheesecake.

For the crust, you’ll use:
one sleeve (approx. 5 ounces) of graham crackers
4 tablespoons of butter, melted
1/2 cup of chopped pecans

Crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs; add the butter and nuts. Stir to combine and press into the bottom of a 10″ springform pan. Bake at 400F for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool completely. Turn your oven up to 475F for the cheesecake.

For the filling, you’ll need:
5 packages of cream cheese (8 ozs. each), softened
1 3/4 cups of granulated sugar
3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
8 eggs, divided – 5 whole eggs & 3 yolks
the zest of 2 lemons
the zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of almond extract

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Slowly beat in the sugar and mix until thoroughly combined. With the mixer at low speed, add the flour and salt, the whole eggs and yolks, the citrus zest, heavy cream and extracts. Beat at high speed for 4 to 5 minutes. Pour the filling into the springform pan and smooth out the top. Place the cheesecake in the oven on the center rack and bake at 475F for 12 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 300F and bake for 35-40 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove it from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. Once your cheesecake is completely cooled, you can move it to the refrigerator to chill. When you are ready to serve, remove the sides of your springform pan by running a sharp knife around the edge to loosen it and pop the ring clasp on the side of the pan.

If you’re serving this for company or a fancy dinner, you can move your cheesecake to a pretty cake plate. If you are a plain cheesecake person, dig in. If you like to dress yours up first you can top it with a good quality blueberry, cherry or strawberry topping. If you’re really twisted, you can cover the entire thing in melted chocolate and put it back in the fridge to form a hard chocolate shell. If you do that, please call me so I can come over. I’ll bring the coffee!

17 Comments

Filed under Food & Recipes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 3, 2011 · 10:28 AM

A Box of Love from the Cherry Republic

Cherry goodness from Comfortably Domestic Blog and http://www.cherryrepublic.com

Michigan is the Cherry Republic. I hate to admit it, but I didn’t know cherries were grown in Michigan. Don’t boo and hiss, Michiganders (Michiganians?). I’m deeply rooted in southern Texas. We grow tropical fruits and pecans down here. That’s puh-CAHNS. I love cherries, I just wasn’t really aware of where they’re grown. I once saw a cherry tree in northern Montana, and I was awe-struck. But then my blogging friend Kirsten over at Comfortably Domestic mentioned Michigan cherries and I was intrigued. When she held a giveaway contest featuring a box of goodies from The Cherry Republic, I took my chances and entered. When I actually won and received a box of organic cherry chipotle salsa, a bag of dried cherries with mixed nuts, and a bag of dark chocolate covered dried cherries, my mind was totally blown. Not only am I now aware of Michigan’s glorious cherries, but I am a fan. A big fan. Huge. Fan. These are by far the best chocolate covered cherries I’ve ever eaten, and you guys know how I love dark chocolate. I can’t stop eating them, and I can’t thank Kirsten and the good folks at Cherry Republic enough for this fabulous gift box, but I can share their websites and encourage you to visit. I’m not sure about Mother’s Day shipping, but you can certainly check it out. What mom wouldn’t love a gift of Michigan cherries? And then there’s Memorial Day. And the Fourth of July. And Labor Day. And Halloween. Or Thanksgiving. Cherries at Christmas would be divine. Are cherries considered “lucky” on New Year’s? Don’t forget birthdays! I’m pretty sure the gift for a 29th wedding anniversary is Michigan cherries. Honey? Did you hear me?

You can buy fabulous cherry products at: http://www.cherryrepublic.com/

You can visit the lovely Kirsten’s blog at: http://comfortablydomestic.com/

15 Comments

Filed under Food & Recipes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

April 21, 2011 · 7:28 PM

A Recipe Review: A Sweet Pea Chef’s Easy Crème Brulée

Food bloggers amaze me. Their dedication to cooking, staging and documenting recipes knocks me out. How do they do it day after day after day? My fellow blogger Lacey at A Sweet Pea Chef is one of those amazing people. Browsing her recipes and photos is like browsing through food porn. It is a glorious, guilty pleasure. But my favorite thing about Lacey’s blog is that her recipes are not just pretty. They are easy to understand, easy to prepare, and unbelievably tasty. She’s the real deal. She loves to cook and she happily shares that love with her readers. It’s just one of the many reasons I love her beautiful blog.

Every once in a while, Lacey will post a food poll, letting her readers choose recipes or topics that will be covered at a future date. One such poll featured possible dessert recipes. Choices included crème brulée, carrot cake cheesecake, lemon bars, oatmeal raisin cookies and cranberry sorbet. I was intrigued by the carrot cake cheesecake, but I voted for crème brulée. Several times {wink}. Why? Because I love simple foods with tremendous flavor, and crème brulée is one of those foods. Four ingredients. Full of flavor. Out of this world texture. I’m in.

The recipe says “easy” and by golly, she wasn’t kidding. You combine 4 ingredients, pour them into ramekins and bake them in a water bath. The cast of characters include 5 egg yolks, 2 cups of heavy cream, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. For this recipe, I broke out the good stuff – the pure vanilla bean paste. If you’ve never tried this stuff, you have to. This recipe is perfect for it. If I were making a chocolate cake, I would most definitely use the regular vanilla extract. But for this dish, the good stuff really shines.

Once your little pots of creme are baked and cooled, it’s decision time. You can stop here and just enjoy this as an incredible custard, or you can pour some sugar on it and brulée those puppies. I’m going whole hog. Conveniently, TCP just happens to have one of those baby blow torches. “Break out the blow torch, honey! I’m gonna’ burn some sugar, Sugar!” Fingers crossed that I don’t burn the house down. Oven mitt? Check. Fire extinguisher? Check. Let’s roll!

The verdict: this stuff is almost too good to be true. It’s so easy and inexpensive to make, it makes me a little angry at all those hoity-toity restaurants that charge $12.50 a serving for it. Shame on them. Deep, money-grubbing shame. Thanks to Lacey, I can now make fabulous crème brulée at home. That’s a good thing and a bad thing. Good because this recipe is really fantastic. Bad because I really shouldn’t have the power to make this all the time. I’m having a vision of “Good Nana” and “Bad Nana” sitting on each shoulder screaming at each other. (Secretly, I’m rooting for Bad Nana. Go, Bad Nana! You go with your bad self!)

To see this recipe with all of the glorious step-by-step photos, visit Lacey’s blog at: http://www.asweetpeachef.com/sweets/easy-creme-brulee/

PS – A very special thank you to Katie at Lucky Girl Sweets ‘n Stuff. She selected my name for her first giveaway last week, which happened to be those super cute red ramekins. They look just like miniature Le Crueset Dutch ovens. They are too stinkin’ cute, and perfect for crème brulée. Thanks, Katie! I love them. You should click on the link above and drop in on her. She’s a feisty Texan like me. And tell her I said “howdy!”

16 Comments

Filed under Food & Recipes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

April 19, 2011 · 8:37 AM

My Favorite Mexican Food Side Dish: Creamy Poblano Rice

I feel like I should apologize for loading my blog with so many recipes lately. I usually try to spread them out, but we’ve eaten so many good things this past week, I feel like I need to share them before I forget them. Don’t laugh at me. It happens. I blame the menopause. Today, I want to share my new favorite side dish. I’m calling it Poblano Rice because I’m creative like that.

Poblano Rice - Before Baking - Inside NanaBread's Head

 

 

The Complete Package loves rice. I’ve mentioned this before. He’s addicted. I whipped this up one night to go with Mexican food, and now it’s our favorite side. It starts with poblano peppers, either canned or fresh. I’m in Texas, so I usually go for fresh.

Roasted Poblanos - Poblano Rice - Inside NanaBread's Head Blog

 

Oh, baby. Poblanos are my favorite. I could eat them every day. I roast them over an open flame on my gas stove, steam them, peel and de-seed them, then chop. Then snitch a few. Then slap my own hand, usually. For this dish, I throw them into cooked or leftover plain basmati rice and add sour cream, monterrey jack cheese, garlic salt, salt & pepper. So simple, and yet so very satisfying.

Ingredients - Poblano Rice - Inside NanaBread's Head Blog

 

NanaBread’s Creamy Poblano Rice
1 cup Texmati basmati rice, uncooked
1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt (or 1 tsp. regular table salt)
2 cups of water
1 tablespoon of vegetable or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt + 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 fresh poblano peppers – roasted, skinned, seeded & chopped OR 1 can of sliced poblano peppers (7.5 oz.), drained
1 cup sour cream (low-fat is fine; I even use fat-free Greek yogurt)
1 1/2 cups of grated pepper jack cheese
cayenne pepper, to sprinkle on top (optional)

In a medium size heavy-bottom pan, add the vegetable oil. Turn the heat to medium-high and heat the oil just until it starts to shimmer. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until the rice turns chalky white and some of the grains start to brown very lightly. Carefully add the water, throw in the salt, and stir to keep the grains from sticking. When your rice begins to bubble vigorously, give it one last stir. Place a lid on the pan, reduce the heat to low (I set mine between 1 and 2 on my stove dial), and set your kitchen timer for 25 minutes. Once done, remove the lid and allow the rice to cool. TIP: this is a great way to use leftover steamed rice. Just start at the ‘stir in everything else’ portion of the recipe.

 

In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked rice, sour cream, poblano peppers, garlic salt and one cup of grated pepper jack cheese. Mix it up and give it a taste.

 

If it needs more garlic salt, regular salt or you want to throw in some cracked black pepper, now is the time to add it. Once it’s perfect, spoon it into a baking dish that has been lightly sprayed or oiled. Spread it out evenly and top with the last 1/2 cup of grated pepper jack cheese. Man, I love cheese. All the cheese. Not Limburger, but all the others.

Grated Jack Cheese - Poblano Rice - Inside NanaBread's Head Blog

If you like spice, sprinkle on a little cayenne pepper. It really kicks it up a notch. I highly recommend it. Highly.

 

Pop your baking pan, uncovered, into a hot oven (375F) for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese on top is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven and serve it with your favorite main course. This week, it was my recipe for carnitas.

Poblano Rice - Ready to Serve - Inside NanaBread's Head

 

Two weeks ago, it was fajitas. Next week, it could be fish tacos. The possibilities are endless and the world is my oyster. Hmm… poblano rice with grilled oysters, shrimp and veggies? Or poblano rice with carne asada. Or poblano rice with the Pioneer Woman’s tequila-lime chicken. Dang. Now I’m hungry. Again.

Update: On June 2, 2016, I updated the photos for this blog post. The originals were poorly lit and frankly not very appetizing. If you followed a Pinterest link to get here and the photos don’t match, don’t worry. It’s the same recipe, just with hopefully more appetizing representations of one of my favorite family recipes.  -jeanne

35 Comments

Filed under Food & Recipes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,