Stuffed Jalepenos

I didn't reinvent the wheel or anything with these, I'm sure everyone has had them before, but I thought I'd share the way I make them. I've tried several ways. I've tried slitting them open and stuffing them whole, I've tried all kinds of cheeses, different peppers etc. I've done them on the grill and in the oven, the grill gets way too messy! These are the ones I always fall back on though. Everyone just loves them!

You'll need:
(this makes 24)
12 jalepenos
8 mozzarella string cheese sticks (you can use shredded mozzarella if you prefer)
8 oz. cream cheese
24 slices of bacon


Rinse all the jalepenos. Slice them in half the long way, and clean out the seeds and membrane. Be careful not to use your fingers to do this, you'll be burning all day, if not all weekend. I use a pairing knife but gloves would work too. The more membrane left, the spicier your pepper. (I like them with a little punch)

Cut each string cheese stick into 3 pieces and put one piece into each pepper halve.

Scoop a spoonful of cream cheese into each pepper halve after the mozzarella, wrap with a slice of bacon and set on a foil-lined cookie sheet. 

Bake at 425 for approx 20-25 min, just until bacon begins to crisp.

Enjoy!

Pizza Pie

Here's a quick and easy alternative to deep dish pizza from your local pizza place. You can play with the ingredients and try all kinds of different combos. I used a mixture of ground beef and italian sausage for my meat layer and I love green pepper and mushroom on my pizza so I topped this pie with them.
Also, like I said, this is a "quick and easy" meal, so I also used a tube of biscuit dough for my crust, but feel free to use actual pizza dough.

For my Pizza Pie you will need:
1/2 pd ground beef
1/2 pd Italian sausage
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
2-3 cups shredded mozzarella/parmesan mix
1/2 cup sliced mushroom
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
Italian seasoning
salt and pepper

First, preheat oven to 375. Grease a deep-dish pie plate or cast iron skillet.

In a skillet, brown the beef and sausage.

Add some salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. I probably used a 3/4 teaspoon or so of Italian seasoning.

Next, add the jar of spaghetti sauce.

Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 min. 

Arrange your dough in the bottom of the pan you will be baking your pie in. Sprinkle about a half cup of cheese over the dough.

Next, spread the meat sauce over the dough.

Now add the peppers and mushrooms, and top with remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered for 16-18 minutes, til cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

Pork Steak Tacos with Avocado Tomatillo Salsa

I watched Rick Bayless make something like these on PBS a few Saturdays ago. I tweeked the recipe a little to my liking and they came out perfect. The pork is marinated in spicy chipotle sauce and then grilled alongside the pineapple slices. I served them with just a few toppings- avocado salsa, red onion, and queso fresca. The grilled pork and pineapple went so well together!
I had to go to 2 different grocery stores for the pork steaks. FYI- Albertsons doesn't carry them, not my Albertsons anyway. I found them at Smith's though. I love Smith's meat selections! They always have what I'm looking for.
Also, you may have to search hi and low for the Achiote paste. Another thing I could never find at my local grocery stores. I got it at this little Mexican Market in Downtown Henderson.

For the Avocado Tomatillo salsa, you'll need:

4 medium tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1/2 cup cilantro
1 jalapeno, stemmed and roughly chopped
2 ripe avocados, pitted and scooped from the skin
1 small white onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup water
salt
 In a food processor, or blender, combine the tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeno, onion, and water. Puree. Add the avocados and pulse just until incorporated. Season with salt.
Chill in the fridge.

For the Pork Steaks you'll need:

A package of Achiote paste, 3.5 oz.
3 canned chipotle chilies, in adobo sauce, with about 4 tbsp. of the sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup water
1.5 pds pork shoulder steaks
1 red inion, sliced into long thin pieces
1/4 of a pineapple, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
queso fresca (Mexican crumbling cheese)
corn tortillas


In a blender or food processor, combine the paste, the chipotle peppers, the adobo sauce, the oil, and the water. Puree. Pour over meat and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
Once you're ready to grill, start with the pineapple. Oil the slices and grill them just for about a minute on each side. Keep warm.
Now grill up the meat. They will only take about a minute or two per side.
Once the meat is done, chop it up and serve it on warm corn tortillas along with a slice or two of the pineapple. Top with the Avocado Tomatillo salsa, red onion, and some queso fresca.

Enjoy!!

 

Meat-atarian Sub

Looking for something to whip up during a game? This sub is quickly put together, and a real crowd pleaser. My friend Hillary passed along the recipe, she's been making this for her family for a while. I tried it a few nights ago and it's absolutely delicious.

You will need:
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated parmesan
(I used an Italian cheese mix- Mozz, Parm, Asiago, Provolone)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup mayo
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 loaf french bread, halved lengthwise
1 lb. sliced deli ham
8-10 slices of cooked bacon
4 oz. sliced pepperoni
1/2 cup pizza sauce

Combine the first eight ingredients in a small bowl. Spread over cut sides of bread. Layer with Ham, Bacon, Pepperoni, and pizza sauce. Replace top.
Wrap sub in foil and place on a large baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 25-30 min, or until heated through. Cut into slices.
Enjoy!
p.s., I had pics of the "finished" sub, but they got lost before I could upload them. But, you get the idea...

 

Penne Rustica

Ok, so these pictures aren't the best step by step pictures because I was feeding my 6 week old baby while I was making dinner, but it's not a hard dish to prepare. This is a mock version on Macaroni Grill's Penne Rustica. But honestly, I think this one is better. It's a combination of chicken, shrimp and pancetta over penne, with a sauce to die for.
You need to use a grill for the chicken, and a stove for the pancetta and shrimp.


You need (for the Gratinata Sauce):
3 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. minced garlic
3 tbsp. Marsala cooking wine
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup milk
1/2 chicken broth
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. frsh thyme, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. cayenne (or more if you want it spicy)


1 pound penne pasta
12 medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 skinless chicken breast fillets
1/2 cup pancetta, chopped


a small handful of shredded parmesan for sprinkling (I ran out of parmesan, so I used mozzarella and it was good. Any cheese is better than no cheese!)
1 1/2 tsp. paprika

Preheat grill to high. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
In a bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients, except for the butter, garlic, and wine.

Prepare sauce by melting the butter in a skillet over a med/low heat. Add garlic and sweat it out for about 5 minutes. don't let the garlic brown! Add the Marsala wine and cook another 5 minutes.

Add the bowl of remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Bring it up to a simmer and leave it there for 10 minutes.

Cover sauce and remove from heat. It will thicken as it sits.

Cook pasta according to package. Drain and set aside.

Rub chicken with a bit of olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Grill chicken for about 10 minutes per side, or until done. When chicken is done, slice it into small strips.

Heat some olive oil in a smaller skillet. Add the pancetta and cook for about 7 minutes. Just until they begin to crisp up.

Season the shrimp with some salt and pepper and pan fry them in a little olive oil too, just until they start to pink. this should only take 2-3 minutes.

In a big ceramic or glass dish, pour in the pasta..

This is where I become M.I.A. My hubby took over in the kitchen for a few minutes so I could feed a hungry baby :)

After the pasta, layer the chicken, then shrimp, then pancetta. Pour the sauce over the whole thing.

In a small bowl, mix the parmesan (or mozzarella) with the paprika. Sprinkle over the suace. Bake at 500 for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Stromboli

I didn't take pictures along the way because it was my first time making stromboli and I wasn't sure it would turn out, but O.M.GEEEE., it was perfect.

I have another pizza dough recipe on the blog somewhere, but I like to try different ones all the time, so here is another good one. Give it a whirl. You can always use a store-bought dough as well.

Basic Pizza Dough:
1 cup warm (110 degrees F) water
1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups bleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, sugar, and 1 tbsp oil and stir to combine. Let sie until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt, mixing by hand until all is incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue adding the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition, until all the dough is incorporated but the dough is still slightly sticky. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky, 3-5 minutes. Oil a large mixing bowl with remaining oil. Place the dough in bowl and turn to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

For the filling, you will need:
1/2 pound mild Italian sausage, crumbled

1 cup sliced yellow onions

1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell peppers

1/2 cup thinly sliced green bell peppers

2 tablespoons thinly sliced seeded and stemmed jalapenos

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 pound sliced ham

1/4 pound thinly sliced pepperoni

2 cups grated mozzarella

1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash
1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet and set aside.

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until browned and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan. Add the onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos and cook, stirring, until very soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cool.
Punch down the dough and divide half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the dough to a large rectangle, about 10 by 14 inches. Spread half of the cooled sausage mixture across the dough leaving a 1-inch border. Overlapping slightly, layer half of the ham, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese over the top. Using a pastry brush, paint the border with egg wash. Roll up the dough into a cylinder, pinching the edges to seal. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining ingredients. Let the dough rise, 20 to 30 minutes.
Brush the top of each stromboli with egg wash. Bake until nearly completely golden brown and starting to crisp, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle each stromboli with Parmesan cheese and return to the oven until the cheese is melted and the dough is golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes. Slice thickly and serve.

Cory's Chicken & Chorizo Enchiladas, with Beer Can Chicken

Cory made these two ways; the first with Shrimp and Chorizo, and then he tried them Chicken and Chorizo. Both are awesome, so try it either way.

To use shrimp instead of chicken, you want 1 1/2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, chopped into bite size pieces.

Makes 12 enchiladas

What you need:

Cheese Sauce:

½ cup sweet red pepper, chopped

½ cup onion, minced
½ cup green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup butter
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 ½ cups Monterey Jack cheese or Pepper Jack cheese
½ cup sour cream

Chicken and Chorizo Mixture:
1 small tube of pork Chorizo
2 tbsp butter
4 cups shredded chicken
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
12 (9 in.) flour tortillas

For the Chicken, we did a beer can chicken in the oven. Cory has always wanted to do one, so we figured this was a good time to try one! We would have used the grill outside, but it was super windy out. The oven worked just as well though and the chicken came out great, really moist and juicy.

you need:
1 (4-pound) whole chicken

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons of your favorite dry spice rub (we used Weber's Chicken Rub)

1 can beer (we used Coors)

yeah that's right, we drink Coors from a glass, cause we're classy like that.

Remove all the giblets from the chicken. Rinse off and pat dry.

Rub the veg. oil all over the bird, and then season the bird with the salt, pepper, and dry rub. Set aside.

Open your can of beer and take a few swigs :) You just want to use about half to 3/4 can of beer for the bird. Place your bird over the can, using the legs to make like a ripod with the can. 

Now you can either grill your bird, over a med-high heat for about 1.5 hours, or put him in a dutch oven or roasting pan and set in the oven. Roast at 400 degrees for about 1.5 hours. You're looking for in internal temp of 180 degrees. When it's done, let him sit for 10 min before shredding.

Prepare the chorizo. Sautee over med-high heat for 5-7 min. Remove from pan and place on a plate with a paper towel, to soak up some of the grease. Set aside for now.

Ok, so to start our cheese sauce...

Saute red pepper, onion and green pepper in 1/4 cup butter until crisp-tender. Add oregano, salt, garlic powder, pepper, cayenne pepper, and flour; blend well and cook, stirring constantly for about a minute.

Whisk in the cream and continue cooking for 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese; stir until melted. Add sour cream, stir to blend. Set aside.

In another skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Saute chicken and 1/2 cup onion for 2-3 min. Add chopped tomatoes and 1/2 of the cheese sauce.

Fold in the chorizo..

Butter up a 9x13 baking dish..

Have some more beer..

Spoon 1/3 cup chicken and chorizo mixture into each tortilla.

Sprinkle a bit of cheese on top of chicken mixture. Roll the enchiladas up tightly.

Arrange seam side down in a 9X13-inch glass baking dish. Spoon remaining cheese sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Enjoy!