Mexican kebabs

I'm going to a cocktail party tonight and bringing these, and I know someone will ask me for the recipe, it's that good! A great summer dish, and something different for the hors d'oeuvre spread..


Make marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh oregano
1 minced garlic clove
2 tsp adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles)
Season with salt

Marinate chicken, shrimp, pork, scallops or beef and place on skewers with chorizo, zucchini, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, okra, red onions, red peppers or pineapple.

Grill or bake or broil - depending on your mood or the weather!

Serve with Chipotle Mayo

Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 finely chopped chipotles in adobo
1 T orange juice
1 tsp lime juice
3/4 tsp minced fresh oregano
1 T minced red onion
1 T minced fresh cilantro
Season with salt


(These should be grilled. Last night we had a big storm, so I baked the chicken breasts, and will cube, skewer & serve in a pool of sauce on a large platter hors d'oeuvre style) It still tastes great - the boys ate almost half of it before I could get it into the refrig....

Cook's Illustrated French Onion Soup

(Modified, and saved for posterity, since it was so good)

3 large sweet (I used Mayan) onions, sliced thin
2-4 TB butter - enough to get them cooking, and softening

Cook for 30-35 minutes until reduced, syrupy and brown.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring to a simmer
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups beef broth (*I know! I would have thought it was the other way around)
1/4 cup red wine
2 sprigs parsley (not chopped)
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf

When onions are ready, ladle some of the hot liquid into the onions, and stir it up to grab all the yummy bits from the pan, and pour it all in to the broth. Weed out the herbs after it has cooked together for a little while, maybe 5 minutes.

Cube some italian bread, ladle a good heaping portion of soup in oven proof bowls, and top with the bread and a couple of slices of swiss cheese. Top with one or two tablespoons of grated fresh parmasean, and broil for around 10 minutes or until nice and crusty.

This was the best onion soup I've ever tasted, much less come out of my kitchen.

(the recipe called for one tablespoon balsamic vinegar stirred in at the last minute but I forgot!)

Pam's Chili

2 lbs. ground beef
onion
garlic
Brown together and drain.

Add
1 6oz. tomato paste
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 large can tomato juice
2 cans chili beans
water (I rinse my bean cans out with a little water and add it to the chili.)

Let the chili season begin! I was walking through the grocery store a few years ago and a friend's mom stopped me and told me about this fantastic chili recipe she had just gotten at her Homemaker's meeting. It's become our family favorite!

Fourth of July "Burger 'n Fries"

(a/k/a What the heck was I thinking? cupcakes)

I read about this recipe on a blog Claire shared on Facebook, Bakerella. The idea was so wickedly cute that I could hardly stand it : Cupcake Buns, Brownie Burgers, and Cookie Fries.

The blog suggested use of box mixes, and I was happy to comply. I spread the project over two days... okay, three days. Day one - bake a box of brownies. Day two - bake yellow cupcakes and roll out sugar cookies. Day three - assemble and decorate.

Making the sugar cookie "fries" was the biggest challenge. I used refrigerated dough and rolled it with a rolling pin, but it was so hot and humid in my kitchen that the dough was sticking. So I calmed down, stuck the partially rolled dough in the freezer, had a drink, and revisited the task once the cool evening air moved in. It was tough to cut the dough into fry-like strips, and I did end up slicing the cookies once they came out of the oven. Had I known I'd end up slicing them in the end, I probably wouldn't have pulled out so many hairs in the process.

Matt was a dear and helped me bake the cupcakes. Decorating was fun - dusting the "buns" with sesame seeds, cutting "burgers" with a cookie cutter, strategically placing "mustard" and "lettuce" - but once again a challenge in a warm summer kitchen. The tops of the "buns" slid to the sides, and the frosting began to run from the tops. I kept my cool and worked on through to the end, putting the plated cupcakes in the fridge to keep from melting.

Hard work? Absolutely. But it was worth it for all the ooohs, aaahs, and smiles in the end.



Now that I'm back at home with new kitchen appliances (including a convection oven), I'll be on to testing some other recipes before too long. Aloha!

Memorial Day Update

Bri called me for the picnic spaghetti recipe - he brought it to a gathering.

I brought Scotcheroos to the fireworks party we attended.

Some holidays just call for Mom's recipes!

Brown Eyed Susans

I was looking for a quick little cookie or bar recipe to make for a friend whose father passed away. I came upon this recipe on the 50 best cookie recipes on the cooks.com site. I chose it because Mom loved "susies," one of her favorite flowers, and this reminded me of her.

They were delicious! Sorry I didn't take a photo!


BROWN EYED SUSANS

1 c. butter
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter. Add sugar, extract, flour and salt. Roll level tablespoon of mixture into balls. Place on cookie sheet and flatten slightly with thumb print. Bake in 400 degree oven 10-12 minutes (watch them).

FROSTING:

1 c. powdered sugar
2 tbsp. cocoa
Almond halves
2 tbsp. hot water
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine sugar and cocoa. Add the water and vanilla. Put 1/2 teaspoon of frosting on each cookie with almond in the center.
Makes 3 dozen.

Chili

I make chili a lot, and the kids like it, so I'm going to post my recipe so that they can always find it when needed! I'll have to dig up one of Mom's chili recipes and give it a go so I can post a comparison!

The Recipe is called Pedernales River Chili by Mrs. Lyndon Baines Johnson! Yes, the president's chili!

4 lb. chili meat - I use hamburger or ground turkey. And however much you want - 4lbs is a lot unless you're making a huge vat of chili. (and then I would increase all the other ingredients by .5 - 1. You can just use this recipe as a start and do as you please...)
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped.
Cook all of this together til the meat is done and drain the fat.

Then stir in
2 tsp ground oregano
4 tsp cumin
6 tsp chili powder,
2 large cans crushed or diced or whole or whatever kind of tomatoes you like - I go with crushed
3 cans beans - I use kidney and white, and even sometimes pinto - 1 can of each is fun. I love at least one can of big white (cannelini) beans for variety
2 Cups hot water
salt and pepper to taste
and a couple of dashes of hot sauce if you like it spicy.

Makes me long for football.