Its getting so cold out…yes, I know it’s November…but I’m just not ready for this chilly weather. I finally broke out my winter jacket yesterday. This New Mexican Green Chile Stew from I Love New Mexico might just be the perfect thing to keep me warm this weekend. The recipe is super simple and reminds me of my trip to Santa Fe this Spring.
New Mexican Green Chile Stew
from the blog, I Love New Mexico
Ingredients
2 lbs lean beef or pork (I always use pork)
2 T. olive oil
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 (or 3) garlic cloves, minced
salt to taste
6 – 8 green chiles, chopped (or 1/2 cup)
Cooking Directions
Place oil in large saucepan and saute onion and garlic over medium heat for 2 – 3 minutes
Cube meat, sprinkle with salt and add to onion and garlic to brown.
Add potatoes and chile and cover with water.
Cook over medium heat until potatoes are soft enough to eat and continue to add water if necessary.
Garnish with cilantro if you life (which I do). Eat, enjoy and stay warm!
This weekend I dropped my pumpkin spice english muffin into my coffee mug. Yes, the entire muffin fell into it. And yes, it was a huge cup of coffee. Since I try not to be too wasteful, I scooped out my english muffin and ate it and it actually tasted pretty good. It made me think of coffee-flavored french toast. Is there a recipe out there? In my research, I only found a few. I’ll have to do some testing with Jon this weekend 🙂
Every week I trudge through the crowds and do my grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s. If you have not been to a NYC Trader Joe’s, you do not know what it’s like to weave in and out of crowds and customers waiting to checkout. On the weekends, you’ll average a 30 minute wait to checkout. It’s crazy but I love Trader Joe’s so I do it.
I wanted to come up with a quick appetizer for dinner so I came up with a goat cheese flatbread that was pretty delicious!
Goat Cheese Flatbread
Total Time: 10 min
Prep 5 min | Cook 5 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
2 small whole wheat wraps
1 goat cheese medallion
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Directions
Turn oven broiler on.
Spread goat cheese on wraps.
Thinly slice onions and sprinkle on top of wraps.
Sprinkle with dried basil, salt and pepper.
Place flatbread directly onto the rack so the bottom also crisps.
I get a lot of inspiration from my friend, Maddy at MPDaily. She always has great dinner ideas and last week when she told me she was having chicken piccata for dinner I had to copy her. I found a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis that totally hit the spot.
Total Time: 40 min
Prep 15 min | Cook 25 min
Yield: 4servings
Ingredients
2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Cooking Directions
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.
Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.
It’s almost the end of summer and I’m getting a little sad. No more long, sunny days. No more fresh berries. No more sundresses & flip flops. Well, there’s one way to preserve the happiness of summer…make berry butter! The Pioneer Woman has an easy recipe with step-by-step pics and instrux. Now, why didn’t I think of that? We typically only thing of savory compound butters but sweet is the way to go!
Total Time: 2 hrs 20 min
Prep 2 hrs | Cook 20 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
1 pound Unsalted Butter, Softened
1/2 cup Raspberries
1/2 cup Blackberries
1 loaf Crusty Bread: Baguette, French Loaf, Etc.
4 whole Egg Yolks
2 cups Half-and-half
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
Zest Of One Lemon
Maple Syrup For Serving
Sifted Powder Sugar, For Serving (optional)
Cooking Directions
Make the berry butters: in separate batches, whip 2 sticks of butter at a time on high using the whisk attachment. Switch to paddle attachment. Add either raspberries or blackberries. Turn mixer on low for only about five seconds, just long enough for the berries to begin to mix in/break up, but not so long that it turns into a mess. Clean mixer bowl and attachments and repeat with other kind of berry.
With each batch, turn mixture out onto a long sheet of plastic wrap set over a long sheet of foil. Use the wrap/foil to roll the butter into a cylinder: first seal the plastic wrap around the cylinder, then secure the foil around it. Twist the ends, gradually applying more pressure as you twist in order to make the cylinder taut.
Once it’s a nice, neat cylinder of foil, place into the freezer for 30 minutes in order to quickly solidify it, then transfer it to the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Butter should be nice and firm. NOTE: You can add a little sifted powdered sugar to the butter to make more of a sweet spread for bread and muffins! For French toast, though, the maple syrup makes things sweet enough.
To make the french toast, cut bread into slices 1/2 inch thick. In a dish, mix together egg yolks, half-and-half, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Dip bread slices in mixture, coating both sides, then remove from dish and set aside. Repeat until all bread is coated.
Heat iron skillet or griddle over medium heat. Sizzle butter in the pan when hot. Cook French toast on both sides until golden brown, being careful not to burn.
Remove berry butters from fridge. Unwrap one end and cut slices. Lay one slice each onto each serving of French toast. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired, then drizzle with warm maple syrup.
Tommy and Ella 