Sweet Potato Turkey Sausage Caramelized Onion And Pepper Hash

Yesterday I realized that I had two sweet potatoes I needed to use.  And while deciding on what to make to go with them, I hit upon this idea.

I hadn't made hash in quite a while, and the last time I made it, it was for breakfast.  I began putting together my ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes (salt, pepper, olive oil)
1 package of smoked turkey sausage (Hillshire, Butterball, whatever)
1 large yellow onion (although I think a red onion might be even better)
3-4 mini bell peppers (I used red and yellow)
3-4 tablespoons of green chilies (probably one of those small cans would work - to your taste)
salt, pepper, garlic powder, bacon/jalapeno salt (thank you BFF and Specs)
2-3 tsps maple syrup


Start by roasting the sweet potatoes.  Peel and cut the spuds into small hash-friendly pieces and load into a shallow-rimmed pan.

Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.  Make sure the potatoes are in a single layer.

Cover with foil and put into the bottom third of a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and roast for another 10 minutes.

In the meantime, caramelize the onions.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and add onions.  Keep on a medium heat and let it go for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Don't let them burn.

Once they're soft and such a lovely brown color, add in the peppers and green chilies.  Season with salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic powder.  Then, sprinkle in some bacon/jalapeno salt (or ground jalapeno powder or ground chipotle powder, or whatever you want to spice it up with).

This mixture will cook down further in the next 10 minutes or so, and when it looks more like a pile of dirty yarn, set aside and cook up the sausage.

I used the same skillet to incorporate all the goodness of the onion/pepper mix.  When the sausage started browning, I added a maple syrup.  

It was at this moment, Joe asked me what I was making.  The house smelled sooooo good!

When the sausages were brown and sticky, I added in the onion/pepper mixture and the perfectly roasted sweet potatoes.  Yum!

Delicious with a side of cornbread!

Christmas Candy Recipes - Sugar Cookies (Yeah, I Know...Not A Candy) And Icing

Let's face it, it's just not Christmas without sugar cookies - cut into shapes like trees, santas, candy canes, bells, and reindeer and decorated with homemade dye-colored icing and sprinkles - just like you're great aunt used to make.  Santa was ALWAYS grateful for these cookies...and I always got just what I'd asked for!

The Best Sugar Cookies Ya Ev'r Et Er Snitched

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup veggie oil
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar

Cream butter and sugar with mixer until smooth and fluffy.
Add the next four ingredients (eggs, oil, salt, vanilla) with beaters on.
Sift dry ingredients together (flour, soda, cream of tartar) and slowly combine.

Roll out and cut out shaped cookies or discs.  Place on lightly greased cookie sheet (you could also use parchment paper or a sil-pat).

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden.

Sugar Cookie Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp milk
2 tsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla
Food coloring
Decorations

Stir sugar and milk until smooth.  Beat in the corn syrup and vanilla until icing is smooth and glossy (if it's too thick, add a little more corn syrup).  Divide icing into separate bowls and stir in food coloring, as desired.  You can dip the cookies, paint them with a paint brush or spread them using a knife or the back of a spoon.  Continue the fun with sprinkles, silver candy balls or whatever you think Santa would like.

Christmas Candy Recipes - Divinity

My grandmother would divine the shit out of this recipe.  It's really just whipped meringue fudge, but it's the whipping that makes it sooooo freakin' good.  Get a friend to help beat it, and you'll do yourself proud with this divine deliciousness.

2 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 light corn syrup
1/2 cup water*
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup chopped walnuts

Heat sugar, corn syrup and water in 2qt saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved.  Cook, without stirring to 260 degrees on a candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a hard ball.  Remove from heat.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; continue beating while pouring hot syrup in a thin stream into egg whites.  Add vanilla; beat until mixture holds its shape and become sightly dull (mixture may become too stiff for mixer - this is where your friend comes in).  Fold in nuts.  Drop mixture from the tip of buttered spoon onto waxed paper.  Store in refrigerator.

*Use 1 tablespoon less on humid days

Christmas Candy Recipes - Toffee

My dentist loved that I loved these candies.

1 cup chopped pecans (cashews work, too)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Grease an 9-inch square pan.  Heat sugar and butter to boiling in 1qt saucepan, stirring constantly.  Boil over medium heat, stirring constantly for 7 minutes (your biceps will love you).  Spread mixture in pan.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over hot mixture and place a cookie sheet over the pan (to help hold in heat) until the chips are melted.  Spread out the chocolate so it covers the candy.  While still melty, sprinkle the nuts over the top.  Cut into squares while still warm.  Refrigerate until firm. 

Christmas Candy Recipes - Creamy Caramels

I'm sure if I thought about it long enough, I could turn this into chocolate salted caramels, but let's start with the basic recipe.  Before you begin, cut about 40 3-inch square pieces of waxed paper.  When the caramels are cool, you can wrap them separately.

The key with caramels is stirring.  Constant.  Overall.  Stirring.  You can't let the sugar get to hot or it will burn.  Like the fires of hell.  I'm not kidding around.  Stir it.  Stir it NOW!

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
2 cups half & half

Grease an 8-inch square pan.  Heat sugar, corn syrup, butter and 1 cup of the half & half to boiling in a 3qt saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Stir in remaining half & half.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, to 245 degrees on a candy thermometer or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a firm ball (this is called a cold water test).  Immediately spread into pan and cool.  Cut into 1-inch squares.   Store in a cool place (not the fridge).

Christmas Candy Recipes - Angel Cookies (Forgotten Cookies)

This one is actually from my ex mother-in-law.  Just don't completely forget about them until you preheat the oven for the next batch.  True story.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Beat 2 egg whites until stiff
Beat in 3/4 cup sugar
Fold in 1 small package of chocolate chips and 1.25 tsp vanilla

Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.  Put in oven and TURN OFF HEAT.  Leave in oven until cool, 2-3 hours

Christmas Candy Recipes - Ribbon Fantasy Fudge

Not much can compete with peanut butter and chocolate...especially not with peanut butter and chocolate fudge.

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
6 oz package semi-sweet chocolate morsels
7 oz jar marshmallow creme
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter (either style, but I love the creamy)

Combine 1.5 cups sugar, 6 tbsp butter and 1/3 cup milk in heavy saucepan; bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.  Continue boiling 4 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate morsels until melted.  Add 1 cup marshmallow creme and 1/2 tsp of vanilla; beat until well blended.  Pour into greased 13x9 inch pan. 

Repeat with remaining ingredients, substituting peanut butter for chocolate pieces.  Spread over chocolate layer.  Cool at room temperature and cut into squares. 

Christmas Candy Recipes - Green Things

I know, the name sucks.  But these little candies are super easy and look sooooo pretty strewn around a candy tray.

1/4 lb butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp green food coloring
35-ish jumbo marshmallow (I suppose you could use marshmallow creme)
4.5 cups plain cornflakes
Cinnamon red hots

Melt butter and marshmallows in saucepan over low heat.  Add vanilla and coloring.  Stir.  Pour over cornflakes in large bowl and mix until flakes are covered.  Drop mixture onto wax paper in spoonfuls and decorate with red hots.  Let stand overnight.

The idea here is that the candies will look like evergreen bunches with red berries.

Christmas Candy Recipes - French Chocolate

These look really special, but they're simple.  And REALLY rich.

1 12-oz package semi-sweet morsels
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 tsp. vanilla
1.5 cups shredded coconut

Melt the semi-sweet morsels in the top of a double boiler set on low heat.  Remove from heat and stir.  Add the sweetened milk, the walnuts and the vanilla and stir again.  Let the mixture cool.

Put the coconut in a medium bowl.  Butter your hands and roll the cooled chocolate into small balls (about the size of a peach pit).  Then roll the balls in the coconut.  Store in the refrigerator.

If you like, you can toast the coconut, or use cocoa instead to coat.

Christmas Candy Recipes - Fudge Scotch Ring

This is my personal favorite (I think) - Butterscotch Fudge

1 6oz package of semisweet morsels
1 6oz package of butterscotch morsels
1 can Eagle-brand milk
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp vanilla

Melt chocolate and butterscotch morsels with Eagle-brand milk in the top of a double boiler set on low heat.  Remove and stir until smooth.  Add chopped walnuts and vanilla and stir again.  Let chill for about an hour - not until set, just until it's kind of sticky and gloppy.

Line a jelly-roll pan or cookie sheet with foil and spoon the mixture onto the foil in a thin wreath shape.  Chill again until firm.  When you cut this up, it'll be like you're slicing a bundt cake...small disk-like pieces.  If this sounds like a lot of work, just put the mixture into an 8-inch square foil lined pan, chill, and cut into squares.

Christmas Candy Recipes - Rocky Road

Here's a super simple candy that's reminiscent of my favorite ice cream.  It's easy to make and just about foolproof!

1 pound of milk chocolate
1-1.5 cups pecan halves or large pieces
1-1.25 cups mini marshmallows (or what makes you happy)

Cut or break the chocolate into coarse pieces; place in the top of a double boiler over warm water on low heat.  (Milk chocolate must be melted very slowly and should never get really hot...trust me on this one.)  Cover until partially melted, then uncover and stir until completely melted and smooth. 

Spread a thin layer (about half) in a foil-lined 8-inch square pan.  Sprinkle with half the pecans and all marshmallows.  Stir remaining chocolate and drizzle over the top so that the marshmallows and pecans are held in place.  Top with remaining nuts.  Refrigerate until firm. 

Remove from pan and peel off the foil.  Cut into small squares and wrap in saran or waxed paper for a special touch.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

You can substitute walnuts or cashews, if you like.  Or you can add dried fruit instead of the nuts if you have allergies.

Seriously, The Best Sweet Potato Casserole

In our 5th or 6th year of marriage - we invited Joe's family to Thanksgiving dinner.  I was sooooo excited.  I'd been making my mother's recipes for years, but was finally getting to show off for the in-laws. 

One of my always-a-hit sides is a sweet potato casserole that is to die for (I make extra so we'll have plenty for leftovers), and without which I would never have Thanksgiving dinner.  That's just how I roll.  Anyway, as I'm mixing it all up, Joe tells me that his dad, Wally, doesn't like sweet potatoes.  Oh well, no problem; more for me.

The family arrives, and the turkey and all the fixin's are set out; we piled up our plates and begin to eat.  Silence (except for chewing).  I sneak a curious peek as Wally takes spoonful after heaping spoonful of the casserole and then devours the portion.  I ask, "So, you like those do you?"  To which he replies, "These carrots are delicious!" 

I can't just let him go.  "Wally, those are sweet potatoes."  "What?" he says, spoon mid-air, "No!  I don't like sweet potatoes."  "Well, I guess you do now!" 

We haven't gone a dinner without them, since.  So here's seriously THE BEST sweet potato casserole.

3 cups sweet potatoes (about 4 good-sized ones)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk

Topping
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Wash and lightly scrub the potatoes and cut into 2-inch slices (they boil faster this way).  Start checking them with a fork in about 20 minutes, and when they're soft all the way through, dump them in a colander and let them cool just enough so that you can handle them.  Peel the chunks and mash the potatoes.  I use a little hand mixer.  Mix in the sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, and milk and scrape into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish (pyrex).  Set aside.

For the topping, melt the butter and mix in the remaining ingredients.  I use my hands for this so I can get the crumble just right.  You want it to be like pea gravel and fairly dry - you can add more flour if needed.  And I'll tell you right now, I ALWAYS use just a bit more brown sugar and just a few more pecans...go figure.

Sprinkle the topping all over the top of the potatoes, covering almost completely.  Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.  The topping should be kinda melty and you should see the potatoes bubbling a little.

Enjoy!

Tortellini With Italian Meat, Artichokes, And Roasted Garlic Sauce

Last night I was not in the mood to cook, and I almost called "On-Your-Own" for dinner.  But as I peeked in my pantry to see what I might make for myself, I was struck with an idea. 

I had: a box of cheese-stuffed tortellini, a jar of roasted garlic cream sauce (King Soopers' pasta aisle special), and a can of artichoke hearts.   I knew I had a few slices of salami (genoa and dry - from a recent Italian sandwich bender) and some fresh Parmesan in the fridge.  Well, that sounds pretty good!

Drain and cut up the artichokes (fairly small pieces), and set aside in a medium bowl.  Cut up the salami and stir into the artichokes.  Season with a bit of pepper and some red pepper flakes.  Boil water for the tortellini and dump the cream sauce into a separate pot, set on medium heat.  Cook the tortellini until just done and drain.  Once the cream sauce begins to bubble, add the artichoke/salami mixture and stir together.  Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat.  Serve in pasta bowls and finish with a sprinkle of Parmesan.  Yum!! 

I'm thinking you could also add some sun-dried tomatoes, some capers, olives, or even some peperoncini to the dish.  Oooh, you could ditch the tortellini and spread the mixture on some pizza dough, instead.  The possibilities!!!

Slow Cooker Pork Ribs

Wow!  So easy and soooo good!  Here's an easy fall-off-the-bone way to prepare delicious pulled pork meat for a crazy good dinner.

Here's what you'll need:

1 rack of meaty bone-in pork ribs, cut into smaller sections so it will all fit in your crockpot
4 or 5 bottles of beer, or enough to cover the ribs once in the pot (I used Shiner Cheer - malty, peachy, cinnamon-y; but you can use whatever you choose - the original recipe called for PBR)
4 or 5 smashed garlic cloves
10 or so whole peppercorns
4 or 5 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
1 tsp or so of kosher salt
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Put everything except the BBQ sauce in the crockpot and cook for 8 hours on low.

Eight hours later, pull the ribs from the pot.  If the meat falls off the bone, you've succeeded!  Continue pulling the meat off (super easy) and cull through it with your fingers to find any other bone or marrow bits - finger licking is encouraged.

Place the meat in a shallow pan and toss with your favorite BBQ sauce.  Add a bit more salt and some pepper.  I also added a sliced fresh jalapeno and some jalapeno dusting salt.  Put the pan in a 350 oven for about 15 minutes until everything is hot and sizzling.

Put on hamburger buns for sandwiches or just eat in a big pile.  YUM!

Bayou Risotto

This is a recipe that I cut out of the Dallas Morning News on Thursday, August 14, 1986...no eidetic memory, here...the date's on the corner of the clipping.  The recipe is really pretty simple and totally delicious.  It's great for a dinner party or just for two - with plenty of leftovers the next day.

What you'll need:

6 slices of bacon, diced (I usually use big thick-slice smoked bacon)

1 cup of uncooked rice

3/4 cup chopped yellow onion

2 medium garlic cloves, crushed and minced

1 14 oz can chicken broth (you might need a second can - just in case)

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 tsp coarse black pepper

Hot pepper sauce, to taste (Texas Pete's or Louisiana Sunshine)

1 cup frozen whole okra, thawed, drained and cut into inch-long bits (discard stems and tips)

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 lb of cooked, cleaned shrimp (tails removed)

Here's what you do:

Cook bacon in large saucepan or stew pot (something with a lid) until crisp and golden.  Add rice, onion and garlic.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, 3-4 minutes or until rice is translucent and onion is tender.

Add enough water to broth to make 2 1/2 cups; add to saucepan with green pepper, black pepper and hot pepper sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover tightly, simmering for about 20 minutes.   Check on the rice at about the 15 minute mark.  If the mixture is getting sticky, just add more liquid - I usually have to pop open another can of chicken broth and add about half of it.

When the rice is just tender, stir in the okra, shrimp, and tomato.  Remove from heat and let stand, covered, until the rest of the liquid is absorbed...about 5-8 minutes.

Makes about 6 servings.

YUM!!!

Colorado Hatch Green Chili Sauce

It's Fall, and hatch green chilies are all over the place - at least here in Colorado.  Little corner markets have big roasters out front, and the aroma is mouth-watering and really puts me in the mood for some homemade green chili sauce.

Colorado Hatch Green Chili Sauce

Five or six good sized hatch green chilies\
Two or three red Fresno peppers (just for color and extra flavor).
A small pre-cooked pork chop (a day or two in advance, I'll have Joe grill some pork chops, and I'll save a small one back for this recipe)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 can chicken broth
Big bowl of ice water

First, chop (or food process) the pork chop into tiny pieces.

Next, we're going to char the chilies.  You can do this on a sheet pan under the broiler (which until this year I've always done) or you can char them right on your gas cooktop.  Yay!, I have a gas stove so I tried it - sooooo easy.  Just make sure you have the vent/fan on, or at least the number to the fire department.

Whichever method you choose, leave the peppers on (or under) the heat until they're bubbly, charred, soft, and sizzling.

As you take them off the fire, plunge them into a bowl filled with ice water.  The cold shrinks up the pepper from the skin and makes them really easy to peel...and you won't have to visit the burn unit.

Peel the peppers with your fingers, leaving some of the char - for that good smoky flavor.  Cut off the tops and discard with most of the seeds.  The more seeds you leave, the hotter the final product.  Slice up the peppers and finely chop them; add them to the pork chop.

Now it's time for the roux.  

Place the butter and the flour in the pot and melt/mix on medium high heat.  Once all the butter has melted and mixed with the flour, slowly pour in the chicken broth while constantly stirring.  Patience. Patience.  The magic happens at about the 4-5 minute mark; the sauce begins to thicken.  When it's a lot like pancake batter, dump the chilies and pork chop into the pot and turn down the heat.  Mix everything together and let it cook down for about 20 minutes.

Once it's all heated through, bubbling and driving you mad with the aroma, you can remove from heat and let cool.  I served this with Mexican breaded chicken tenders and fresh sliced tomatoes.  Store in the fridge - if you have any leftovers.

Peachy Keen Green Chili Bacon Jam

Okay, here's one for you.

Remember the other day when I bought some green chili bacon?  Well a while back, BFF Cindy, was going on and on about a particular menu item at the Imperial Taproom in Canyon, Texas that came with bacon/peach jam.  Raved about it.  Made me drool a bit.  So I had an idea.  What if I used the green chili bacon to make bacon/peach jam.  BINGO!

Here's what you need:

4-5 strips of green chili bacon, cut into small pieces (if you can't find this bacon, I'm sure good quality smoked bacon and a bit of chipotle or green chili rub will get you close)
4 peaches, about a lb, peeled, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tbs green chili sauce (I use 505 brand)
About 5 hours of your time

Stir the peaches, sugars, and lemon juice together in a saucepan and let sit for an hour (no heat).  You want all the juice from the peaches to melt the sugars and form sort of a syrup.

After the peaches have juiced themselves, turn on the burner and get them to a full boil.  Reduce the heat and continue boiling for about 30 minutes.  You want the peaches to start breaking down and the syrup to start congealing.  At about 25 minutes, spoon in the green chilis.  Stir.

Meanwhile, render the fat from the bacon over medium low heat.  Rendering means cooking - but NOT crisping - the bacon.  You'll have to watch the skillet, but you can tell when the fat is rendered...it's not as sizzly and the fat begins to brown.

When you're comfortable with your bacon (although, I am always comfortable with bacon) drain it on a paper towel and pour off all but about a tablespoon of the fat in the skillet.  Add the now syrupy peaches to the skillet and turn the heat down to low.

Let this mixture cook on low for about 3.5 hours, stirring occasionally.

When the peaches are pretty much mush and the sticky syrups are like, well, jam, remove from the heat and pop into a blender for a quick pulse to smooth out the chunky bits.

I'm serving mine tonight with a chipotle-rubbed tenderloin.  Enjoy!

Green Chili Bacon Chipotle Sauced Shrimp

On a recent trip to Breckenridge, we four friends picked a chipotle shrimp appetizer.  It was fabulous.

They were delicious.  Plump, spicy, creamy...they ticked the boxes.

At the grocery store yesterday, I noticed some nice large in-shell shrimp in the case.  I thought, "Oh, hellz yes!"  As I was standing there, I heard someone - not too far away - in front of the butcher case ask for a pound of hatch green chili bacon. Whaaaaaaat?  I actually felt the light bulb go off.

I bought the shrimp, the bacon, a can of chipoltes, a tub of sour cream and some avocados.  Here's what I did with them:

Green Chili Bacon Chipotle Sauced Shrimp

1 lb large cleaned and shelled shrimp (I took the tails off because I'd rather eat than work)
5 strips hatch green chili bacon, diced and fried crisp (if you can't find the bacon, you could always just add some green chili into the skillet with regular bacon)
1 can chipotles with sauce
1 tbs lime juice
2 cups sour cream
salt and pepper

In a bowl, salt and pepper the shrimp (I also added a dash of onion powder and a few shakes of garlic salt, but that's just me.)

Dice and fry the bacon.

Drain on a paper towel and pour off all but about a tablespoon of the grease. Put the bacon in a bowl.  Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook until they've curled up their little tails, and they're nice and pink.  Drain the cooked shrimp on a paper towel and add them to the bacon, toss.

Pour the chipotles into a blender along with the sauce, the sour cream, the lime juice and some salt and blend until smooth.  I didn't quite have enough sour cream so I used some mayo and some ranch dressing...worked just as well.

Pour the mixture into a squeeze bottle.  Now here's the thing...if you want to, you can toss the bacon and the shrimp with the sauce, or you can drizzle it lightly on the shrimp and add more as you like from the squeeze bottle.

I topped the shrimp with some slices avocados and a handful of cotija cheese.

This checked ALL the boxes!

Best/Easiest Grilling Marinade...EVER

So simple.  So versatile.  Oh, so very good!  This easy marinade works on pork, beef, chicken, even fish.  Thirty minutes in a jumbo plastic baggie, and BAM, you're ready to cook!

One count (about an ounce) for every 3-4 ounces of meat/fish.  Four chicken breasts?  About a four count pour.  Two 10oz sirloins?   About a five or six count pour.

Place meat in the big baggie and add each of the following using the appropriate count:

vegetable oil
soy sauce
cooking sherry

Then for every piece of meat, shake in a couple of good shakes of garlic salt.

Seal bag and mix all together.  Pound - just a bit - on the meat to help work in the marinade and break down tendons/ligaments, etc.  Let sit at room temp for about 30 minutes, then grill.  That's it.  So simple.

Salmon Quinoa Salad

Recently while we were in Portland, Oregon, we had dinner at a lovely restaurant called Q. Their beer list was interesting; their menu was fabulous. Husband Joe and I shared a small plate of bacon-wrapped dates and a butter leaf lettuce salad. Frankly, I don’t remember what he had, but I had a spice-rubbed salmon over a quinoa salad that was to die for. The salad was so bright and tasty, I couldn’t wait to get my fork back in there for another bite.

Now, I’m not a huge fan of quinoa. And whenever I try to make it, it just doesn’t come out quite right. I failed again when I tried recreating this salad at home. But I got the rest of the salad right. Next time I make it, I think I’ll make it with pearl couscous. Fuck Quinoa!

So, while it’s kind of vague and fluid, here’s my recipe:

Cooked salmon from the deli section at the grocery store (you absolutely could grill it yourself). I think Honey Smoked Salmon would work just as well. It all depends on just how lazy you are.
2-3 cups cooked quinoa (if you can make it), or couscous, or whatever starch you want to use.
Dozen or so grape tomatoes, halved
½ cup sliced black olives
¾ cup chopped cucumber
½ chopped pecans or peanuts
¾ cup of sweet corn (I microwaved one cob and sliced the corn off of it). You could also use frozen corn or even roasted corn.
¼ cup thinly sliced yellow and orange bell peppers (I use the minis)
Just a few thin slices of fresh jalapenos and/or fresno peppers
2 teaspoons of lime juice
Enough of some kind of creamy vinaigrette to lightly coat ingredients
Dash of garlic salt
Salt and pepper to taste

Take the skin off of the salmon and shred into large salad bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss to coat. Ta-da! Salad can be served warm or cold.

Let me know if you come up with easy quinoa or any other ingredients that could go in this salad!

Awesome Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

From Our Best Bites

This recipe showed up on my Feedly, and I sprinted to the kitchen to make it.  Totally worth the shin splints.  Since Joe and I love the heat, I've jacked the recipe a bit from the original.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

5 tbsp butter
5 tbsp flour
2 15 oz cans chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder (or more, to taste)
black pepper, to taste
1/3 c sour cream
Tabasco or your favorite hot pepper sauce, to taste
salt, to taste
4 oz cream cheese (I know, you want to add more, but it's not necessary), softened to stirring consistency
1 7 oz can green chilies (or more, to taste)
3-4 c cooked, shredded chicken (I used rotisserie chicken from the grocery)
4 c shredded jack/cheddar cheese (I also added a bit of pepper Jack)
10-12 small flour tortillas, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Lightly spray a 9x13" Pyrex or other baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.

Add butter and flour to large saucepan and heat over medium heat.  As butter begins to melt, start stirring.  The flour and butter will begin to combine to form a paste.  Once all of the flour is coated with all of the butter (2-3 minutes), it will start to brown (and you'll start to wonder what fresh hell you've created - congratulations, you just made a roux!)  Begin slowly pouring in the chicken broth.  Continue stirring as the gloppy butter and flour mixture starts to dissolve.  Keep adding the broth and KEEP STIRRING.  When all the broth is added, and your wrist is starting to cramp, add the dry spices.  Bring the sauce to a simmer and continue to stir.  All of a sudden, you'll notice the sauce is thickening.  KEEP STIRRING.

When the sauce is the consistency of week-old buttermilk, remove the saucepan from the heat.  Remember, there's a fine line between "thickened" and "congealed."  Stir the sour cream and the hot pepper sauce into the hot mixture and, you guessed it, keep stirring until combined.  Set aside.

Now, I know that this sauce does not look like the red enchilada sauce you're probably used to.  In fact, depending on the amount of hot pepper sauce you added, it's barely a pale pink...that's perfect for this recipe.

In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese, the green chilies, and about a 1/2 cup of your lovely sauce.  Add the chicken and about 2 cups of cheese.  Mix together.

Pour about 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the prepared pan and spread out evenly.  Take a tortilla in the cup of your hand and fill it with some of the chicken mixture.  Don't be chintzy, but don't over fill it - remember you're going to have to roll it a bit.  Push together and overlap the edges of the tortilla, and pretend you're rolling a joint.  Work the two sides toward each other to help spread out the mixture, then place seam-side down in the dish.

Personal note - I tried using the large flour tortillas, but there's a lot of excess tortilla.  I used the smaller ones and, while the insides squished out a bit, there was a more satisfying ratio of chicken mixture to tortilla.

Once all the tortillas are lined up in the dish, commingling their lovely contents into the sauce, pour the remaining sauce over the top and cover with the remaining two cups of cheese.  If you like (which I did), you can also add jalapeno slices all over the top, but, under the cheese.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Stupidly Easy BBQ Pie

One evening I sat wondering WTF I should make for dinner.  I had some hamburger and some cheese.  I spotted a can of Grands biscuits in the back of the fridge, and I knew I had the makings for BBQ sauce.  Light bulb moment.

At first I thought about sloppy joe empanadas or maybe tiny bbq pizzas.  A quick look online steered me towards BBQ Pie.

1 can Grands flaky biscuits
1 lb hamburger
Your favorite bbq sauce (or whip up some like I did - I'll tell you how below)
1 cup or so of colby/jack cheese

Spray an 8x12 baking dish with PAM and press the biscuits into the bottom, around the edges, and up the sides.  Be patient and smoosh all the seams together.  Pop into the oven at the recommended temperature for about 10 minutes.  You want to give the biscuits a bit of a head start so they won't be raw on the inside.

Brown the hamburger and season with salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder (or dried onions) and drain completely.  While the meat is cooking heat up your BBQ sauce or make your own.  I use about a cup of ketchup, about a 1/4 cup of light brown sugar, a tablespoon or so of apple cider vinegar, and salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder.  I also include a few splashes of green chili sauce.  Add all ingredients into a sauce pan and heat.  Be sure to give it a taste...you can adjust according to your preference of heat, tang or sweetness.

When you're happy with the sauce, pour it over the meat and drizzle a couple of teaspoons of yellow mustard into the mix.  Stir well.

Take the now somewhat-browned biscuits out of the oven and pile on meat mixture.  Spread evenly around the dish and top with cheese.  Return the dish to the oven for another 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the biscuits are brown and the cheese is bubbly hot.

Serve with dill pickles and baked beans.  So stupidly easy.

Sweet Baby Jesus Slow Cooker Roast Beef

My mother used to cook the hell out of roast beef, so it was never one of my favorites.  Oh, she might have cooked it properly, but she didn't know how to slice it, so it ALWAYS came out dry and unforgivably unappealing.  So when I saw the following recipe for easy roast beef, of course I had my doubts.  No way could roast beef ever be that juicy good.  Color me wrong!  This roast beef is perfect...SBJ perfect.  Not only because it's amazingly flavorful, but it's sooooooo easy (even Joe can make it).  

Recipe:
Your favorite cut of meat for a roast - I prefer a nice tri-tip.
1 stick of salted butter, halved
1 packet of Au Jus dry gravy mix
1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
5-6 whole pepperoncinis

Depending on the size of the roast, you may want to cut it into larger chunks (I usually halve the tri-tip).  You can keep the fat on the meat or slice it off and toss it in the slow cooker - either way you'll get the deliciousness that comes from cooking fat in butter.

Arrange the beef in the slow cooker.  Sprinkle in the dry mixes, then toss in the butter pieces.  Load the pepperoncinis around the edges and tucked into the spaces between the meat chunks.  Put the lid on and turn the cooker on low for 8 hours.

That's it.  I swear.  No liquids, no veggies (roast them separately or make a batch of instant mashed potatoes), no kidding.  About 10 minutes before you're ready to eat, take the meat out and place on a platter.  Cover with foil and let it rest for a few minutes.  When you're ready for it, simply pull it apart with a fork...you can try to slice it if you want to, but it really will just fall apart.