Restaurant-Style Salsa and Queso Blanco Dip

Monday is cinco de Mayo, and there is one thing I know for sure: I am going to be ready for a margarita at the end of it. Bright and early Monday morning, I'm chaperoning Andrew's kindergarten class field trip to the local science center. I'm sure it will be fun, and also that it will be stressful. I will definitely be ready for a siesta instead of a fiesta by the end of the day.

When I was looking through my saved Mexican recipes (and there are a lot of them!), searching for something to share to celebrate this fun holiday, it didn't take me long to settle on these two. This is the best restaurant-style salsa I've ever tried, and this is the best queso dip I've ever made. And I firmly believe that they are both required elements of any good Mexican spread.

The salsa is spicy, with awesome tomato flavor and the perfect texture and consistency. The queso is...Well, there are just no words to describe the queso, really. It's incredible. I'm telling you, you're going to love both of these recipes -- especially if you eat them together over tortilla chips. Mmm.

Restaurant-Style Salsa
from The Pioneer Woman 

Two 10-ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chiles

One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole jalapeno, quartered and sliced thin, with seeds and membrane
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 lime, juiced

1. Combine the diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes, cilantro, onions, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, salt, sugar and lime juice in a blender or food processor.

2. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you like, about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

3. Refrigerate the salsa for at least an hour before serving.

 

Queso Blanco Dip

from Seeded at the Table

 

1 1/4 (1.25) pound block white American cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/4 cup diced green chiles, from a can

2 pickled jalapenos, chopped

1 ounce pickled jalapeno juice

2/3 cup whole milk

1/2 cup cold water

 

1. Toss all ingredients into a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 5-7 minutes, stopping to stir after every minute. The mixture might seem watery during the first few stirs, but should come together as a nice runny dip after all the cheese is melted.

2. Serve immediately as a dip with tortilla chips.

  

Big Batch Bolognese Sauce

It snowed last week here. Snow! In October! I'm never really ready for winter, but I'm especially not ready for it when it starts this soon. Give me my autumn, Universe!

Since the weather has cooled down, I've been craving slow-cooked comfort food in a major way. In that vein, a few weekends ago I made a delicious bolognese sauce that I'm so excited to share with you. Coming up on Friday, I'll share a fabulous recipe I made using this sauce. It's going to be a delicious week here on the blog!

As I do with so many things I make these days, I just kind of winged it with this recipe. I don't know if this would be considered "traditional" bolognese sauce, because I never really looked up any recipes. I just did my own thing, and I was so pleased with the results. The sauce has a nice bit of heat, a little bit of sweet, and a deep, rich flavor overall. It's thick and meaty and so comforting -- and it makes the house smell amazing while it's simmering on the stove. And plus, there's something so satisfying (at least for me) about preparing something and letting it cook all day long, and then getting to enjoy the results multiple times.

As the recipe title indicates, this is truly a "big batch" sauce. It uses three pounds (plus four ounces) of meat! You'll get at least two uses out of it, and it freezes really well. It fits perfectly into the "make it once, use it a few times" cooking philosophy that I've adopted lately.

One more thing: The sauce calls for the rind from a wedge of fresh parmesan cheese. I love the salty-cheesy flavor it adds to the background of the sauce. If you don't have a rind, you could stir in some grated parmesan at the end and the results would be just as delicious.

Big Batch Bolognese Sauce

Olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, diced
2 pounds ground sirloin
1 pound  ground Italian sausage
2 large onions, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 green bell pepper, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small can tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock
2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried oregano, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
Rind from a wedge of fresh parmesan cheese
Granulated sugar, if needed

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat a layer of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until slightly crisp, then add the sirloin and sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned. Add the onions, carrots, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Stir in the tomato paste until thoroughly coated and fragrant, then add the red wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and cook until wine is reduced. Stir in the beef stock, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and parmesan rind. Heat to bubbling, then reduce heat to medium low.

3. Cover and let simmer for 3 to 5 hours. The longer the sauce simmers, the thicker and richer it'll be. Discard the bay leaves and cheese rind before serving. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes, if needed. If the sauce is too acidic, add sugar to taste. Serve with spaghetti or anything you want.

4. To freeze, place portions of the sauce in gallon-size plastic freezer bags. Remove all the air from the bags and store flatly in freezer until ready to use.

Chicken Tacos with Quick Citrus-Pickled Red Onions

I don't think it's any secret by now that I love a good taco, and I especially love them during the summer months. They're such a light and quick dinner option, which makes them perfect for warm weather. Thankfully, Cooking Light has no shortage of taco recipes to choose from, and you know how I love my Cooking Light. In this version, chicken tacos are topped with citrus-pickled onions, creamy avocado, and queso fresco for a meal that is ready in minutes and tastes absolutely amazing.

This was my first time pickling onions, and I was so pleased with the results. The pickled onions were the real star for me. Boiling them for just a moment first takes away their sharp bite, and you're left with a sweet, tangy, still slightly crunchy garnish. The boys even enjoyed them, and I can see myself making the onions on a regular basis so I can use them as a topping for sandwiches and other types of tacos, too.

Chicken Tacos with Quick Citrus-Pickled Red Onions

slightly adapted from Cooking Light, April 2010

Juice of 1 orange

Juice of 2 limes

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 pound chicken breast tenders

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

Cooking spray

Flour tortillas

1 avocado, pittled and sliced

1 tomato, seeded and diced

Crumbled queso fresco cheese

Sour cream

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Place onion in a small saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; drain and plunge onion in ice water. Drain onion; add to juice mixture. Chill until ready to serve.

2. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Sprinkle chicken with oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned and done, stirring occasionally. Shred or chop chicken into bite-size pieces.

3. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide chicken evenly among tortillas. Drain onion; divide evenly among tortillas. Top each tortilla with sliced avocado, diced tomatoes, queso fresco, and sour cream.

Grilled Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Besides the fact that we've only had a few days of true spring weather around here, we've been grilling out frequently. Last night, after Joe brought in the food from the grill, Andrew told him, "Daddy, I want you to grill every day." I of course have no complaints about this, because any time I can pass the main portion of cooking a meal off on someone else, I'm happy. I was not so happy about the fact that Andrew told my mother-in-law that Daddy cooks all of our meals when he was asked (NOT TRUE). Oh, kids.

This chicken was one of the first things to grace our grill this year, and it was fabulous. I was skeptical about the fact that the chicken only stayed in the marinade for 3 minutes, but I was so surprised by how much flavor it got during that short amount of time. And the salsa is so simple, but so unbelievably good. I used some sweet little multi-colored cherry tomatoes, and I thought they made the salsa look so pretty. I think the salsa would be delicious on just about anything, but it really did pair perfectly with the chicken in both texture and flavor. This was such a simple, flavorful, and healthy meal, and even the boys gobbled it up. Win!

Grilled Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

barely adapted from Cooking Light April 2009, also found on myrecipes

For the chicken:

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the avocado salsa:

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 avocado, pitted and chopped

1. To prepare chicken, combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss and let stand 3 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.

2. To prepare salsa, combine tomato, onion, lime juice and salt in a medium bowl. Add avocado; stir gently to combine. Serve salsa over chicken.

Southwestern BBQ Shredded Chicken Sandwiches

Ever since I made this sandwich, I have been thinking about it constantly. I realize that sounds pretty pathetic, but there you have it. I was literally laying in bed last night before I went to sleep, thinking about all of the things I love about this sandwich. The smoky-sweet-spicy BBQ sauce, the gooey cheese, the crisp corn relish and the soft avocado...ah. It's just an amazing sandwich, with the perfect balance of flavors and textures.

These sandwiches are endlessly adaptable, and they can take as much or as little time as fits your lifestyle. Use a rotisserie chicken and they're ready in minutes. Or cook the chicken and BBQ sauce in a Crock pot and shred the chicken before serving. Either way, these sandwiches are absolutely delicious. For me, it's the incredible corn relish that just takes them over the top. The relish is even good on tortilla chips, as I can personally attest. I could eat it every single day!

Southwestern BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

corn relish adapted from A Taste of Home Cooking

For the chicken:

4 strips bacon, chopped

1 medium red onion, diced

1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon chopped chipotle in adobo

1 teaspoon cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

3 cups cooked and shredded chicken

For the corn relish:

2 cups corn kernels (I used canned, and it was fine)

1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped

1 roasted red pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon honey

Salt and pepper to taste

For the sandwiches:

4 slices jalapeno havarti or pepperjack cheese

1 avocado, pitted and thinly sliced

4 sandwich buns

Mayonnaise

1. Preheat a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until nearly crisp. Add onion and continue to cook until onion is softened. Add BBQ sauce, brown sugar, chipotle in adobo, and cumin. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Once the mixture is bubbling, stir in the chicken and reduce the heat and let simmer while you prepare the corn relish.

2. To make the relish, combine corn, jalapeno, roasted red pepper, and cilantro in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the honey and lime juice. Pour the lime juice mixture over the other ingredients and toss together. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

3. To make the sandwiches, top the bottom half of each bun with some of the BBQ chicken mixture. Top with a slice of cheese, a spoonful of the corn relish, and sliced avocado. Spread the top of the buns with mayonnaise and serve.

Grilled Chicken Tacos with Green Apple Salsa

Every March, it happens. No matter how mild the winter was, I’m done with it. I’m ready for spring. I’m ready for flowers, sunshine, evenings spent entirely outdoors, and fresh fruits and vegetables. And the grill. I am very, very ready for dinner cooked on the grill.

One day a couple of weeks ago, I suddenly got it in my head that I wanted to make a Mexican-flavored grilled chicken with an apple salsa on top. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and even as I put it on our weekly menu, it was still coming together in my head. The results were absolutely amazing. The spicy, flavorful marinade made the chicken so tender, and the crisp apple salsa on top was the perfect textural contrast. The salsa itself had a great balance of spicy and sweet elements and was just incredible when paired with the chicken. At the last minute, I decided to slice the chicken and serve it in tacos. It was delicious that way, but would have been incredible all by itself too.

Grilled Chicken Tacos with Green Apple Salsa

For the chicken:

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (or 1 store-bought envelope)
1 teaspoon sugar

For the salsa:

3 Granny Smith apples, diced
Juice of 2 limes
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of salt

Flour tortillas

1. In a large bowl, combine oil, lime juice, vinegar, taco seasoning, and sugar. Add chicken, coating all sides evenly with the marinade. Cover and marinate for one hour, up to overnight. I marinated mine for about 26 hours (due to a last-minute change of dinner plans the night I’d planned to make this) and it was perfect.

2. When ready to eat, preheat a grill or grill pan to high heat. Add chicken and cook until cooked through.

3. While the chicken is cooking, combine all of the salsa ingredients in a small bowl.

4. Slice chicken and portion into flour tortillas. Top with salsa.

Roast Beef Gyros

I have such a quick, easy, delicious, and relatively healthy recipe to share with you today. If you love gyros, but don’t have the time to marinate chicken, and don’t have the money to buy lamb (*raises hand*), then this is the recipe for you. These gyros, which use deli roast beef, are not at all authentic – but who cares? They’re amazingly good, and they go from skillet to table in the time it takes to pronounce the word “gyro” correctly.

Tzatziki sauce is one of my favorite condiments, for Greek food or anything else. It’s delicious on gyros, but it’s also good on a plain old chicken sandwich or as a dip for pita chips. I’ve made tzatziki sauce a few different ways now, and the one I’ve listed with this recipe is my favorite version. I use a combination of Greek yogurt and sour cream, which is probably also very unauthentic, but I really like the extra tanginess the sour cream provides. I also don’t like a lot of “stuff” in my tzatziki – just cucumber, a clove of pasted garlic, and a splash of vinegar. It can be made way ahead of time, which makes this meal come together even more quickly. Make the sauce the night before, then just throw the roast beef in a skillet five minutes before dinner time.

These were a big hit with my family, and I found that one package of deli roast beef, bought right in the lunchmeat aisle, provided enough for all four of us (although I still wish I would have had more). Greek food tastes so fresh to me, and since I love the flavor profile so much, I’m really happy to have this quick recipe in my arsenal.

Roast Beef Gyros
gyros adapted from Tasty Kitchen; tzatziki sauce is my recipe

For the filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 package deli roast beef
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

For the tzatziki sauce:

Half of a seedless cucumber
4 ounces Greek yogurt
4 ounces sour cream
1 dash white wine vinegar
1 clove of garlic, pasted with a little salt
Salt and pepper to taste

For assembly:

Naan or other flatbread
Half of a seedless cucumber, diced
Halved cherry tomatoes
Feta cheese

1. To prepare the tzatziki sauce, shred half of a cucumber. Place in a kitchen towel and squeeze as much moisture out of the cucumber as you can. Add to a bowl with the garlic. Stir in sour cream, Greek yogurt, and vinegar. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

2. Heat olive oil in a skillet and add beef, Worcestershire sauce, lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Heat the beef through, then cook for a few minutes on low heat.

3. Spray the flatbread with cooking spray and put it under the broiler until it is soft and warmed through. Fill it with a generous amount of roast beef, followed by lots of tzatziki sauce, feta cheese, tomato, and cucumber.

Autumn Chopped Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

Like a lot of people I know, I’m addicted to Pinterest. I enjoy it not just for recipes, but also for crafts and home decoration ideas. But mostly, if I’m being completely honest, for recipes. The recipes I may actually do something with. Finding the time to craft and redecorate is much harder. But finding the time to make this salad was easy!

I absolutely loved all the flavors of this salad. It’s composed of pears, bacon, quick-candied pecans, dried cranberries, and feta cheese, all tossed with crispy romaine and drizzled with maple vinaigrette. The pears and pecans provide sweetness, the bacon and feta give it saltiness, and the cranberries and the vinaigrette provide another level of tangy sweetness. What a delicious ode to the flavors of autumn.

Joe was pleasantly surprised by the salad, too. I don’t think he expected to like it, but he really did – especially the dressing, which I threw together on a whim instead of using the poppy seed dressing and balsamic vinaigrette called for in the original recipe. I thought the maple would work really well with the other flavors, and it did. We both loved this, and we’d planned to eat the leftovers for lunch the next day…but there were none. That’s how good it was!

Autumn Chopped Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
salad adapted from Espresso and Cream; dressing is my recipe

For the salad:

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Pinch of cinnamon
8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 medium pear, thinly sliced
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
1 cup dried cranberries
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

For the maple vinaigrette:

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add pecans and cook until lightly toasted and fragrant. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook until slightly caramelized. Remove from heat to cool.

2. In a large bowl or on a serving platter, combine the lettuce, pear, bacon, cranberries and feta cheese. Stir in pecans.

3. To make the dressing, whisk together the vinegar and maple syrup. Whisk in olive oil until thoroughly combined. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Drizzle dressing over salad.

One year ago: Mint cookies and cream ice cream

Caribbean Jerk Chicken Tacos

I’m pretty sure that this is one of the only recipes on my blog that I haven’t eaten more than a single bite of. Not because it’s not delicious (which, according to Joe, it absolutely, 100% is), but because I got a migraine the night I made this for dinner which made me sick to my stomach. As a result, this meal (which I’d been looking forward to all week, of course) seemed incredibly unappealing all of a sudden – as did all food. The headache hit me halfway through cooking, and by the time I’d served my family the only thing I had any energy for was curling up on the couch and whimpering.

So, here’s what Joe had to say about these tacos, straight from his mouth to your ears eyes: “At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to like them, because I thought the cinnamon taste was weird. But then I had a few bites and they really grew on me. They’re [expletive deleted] delicious. So is the mango salsa.”

Now if that isn’t a glowing recommendation, I don’t know what is! Get that man a food blog!

I know this recipe is really long and it looks complicated, but honestly, most of it is just spices. It’s not too difficult at all, especially if you make the salsa ahead of time. The beans and the chicken mixture both come together really quickly.

I do plan to try these tacos again on a night when I'm feeling better. I mean, look how gorgeous they are! How could they not taste good?!

Caribbean Jerk Chicken Tacos with Mango Salsa
adapted from Macaroni and Cheesecake

For the chicken:

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime

For the black beans:

1/4 cup chopped red onion
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 can black beans, slightly drained
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Juice of 1/2 lime

For the mango salsa:

2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Flour tortillas
Sour cream

1. For the chicken: In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium low. Add chicken and all seasonings. Stir to combine. Add in lime juice, red wine vinegar and 1 to 2 more tablespoons of olive oil (depending on how moist it is). Stir to combine and cook until chicken is heated through. Add more olive oil if chicken needs more moisture.

2. For the black beans: In a medium sized pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low. Pour in black beans and add in garlic powder and additional olive oil. Stir to combine and allow to cook down until most of the liquid is dissolved. Mash with the back of a spoon. Keep on low heat until ready to use. Right before you use it add a squeeze of lime and stir to combine.

3. For the mango salsa: Combine all ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. For assembly: Begin with a flour tortilla, spread a thin layer of the black bean mash across the center of the tortilla. Top with chicken, then sour cream, then mango salsa.

One year ago: Creamy burrito casserole

Cinnamon Buttermilk Pancakes with Peach Butter

Here’s a simple truth about me: You can put the word “butter” in combination with most other foods in the title of a recipe, and I’m going to want it. Honey butter. Basil butter. Butter baked chicken. Cranberry butter. And, in this case, peach butter. PEACH BUTTER. Yes, please!

As soon as I saw this recipe, I was in love with the idea of making a compound butter with peaches for pancakes, but I didn’t feel like making the sweet potato pancakes that Rebecca made. So I made cinnamon buttermilk ones instead. The combination was wonderful, and it was made even better by a generous helping of warm maple syrup. As long as your butter is softened, this meal is ready in no time, and it’s such a delicious breakfast or dinner treat. I used canned peaches because I hadn’t been to the farmers’ market and the peaches at the supermarket weren’t looking so great, and the canned ones worked just fine.

Cinnamon Buttermilk Pancakes with Peach Butter
pancakes adapted from Allrecipes; peach butter adapted from Ezra Pound Cake

For the pancakes:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup vegetable oil

For the peach butter:

1/4 cup canned peaches, diced
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Combine all pancake ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth.

2. Pour batter onto the griddle using a 1/4 measuring cup. Flip pancakes when edges appear to harden. Cook pancakes on other side for same amount of time until golden brown.

3. In a small bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Whisk in peaches and serve on top of pancakes.

Pork Loin Chops with Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce

This is another recipe I’ve wanted to try for at least a year. After Thanksgiving, when I found myself with half a bag of cranberries left over in the fridge, I knew this was how I was going to use them up.

We all absolutely loved the cranberry-pomegranate (cranegranate?) sauce on top of the pork chops. The sauce would be delicious on its own, in fact, as an alternative to a more traditional cranberry sauce. It also would have been delicious on top of mashed potatoes, which I’d intended to make with this meal and would have had I remembered to buy potatoes (d’oh!). The sauce is tart and tangy and sweet and just has tons of flavor.

The original recipe calls for pork tenderloin that is baked in the oven. I decided to fry mine up in olive oil instead, but I think either method would be absolutely delicious. This is a flavorful, relatively healthy meal with very few ingredients, and it couldn’t be easier to prepare!

Pork Loin Chops with Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce
adapted from About.com

1 pound pork loin chops
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup pomegranate juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

1. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook until pork chops are caramelized.

2. Meanwhile, heat pomegranate juice, sugar and cranberries in a small saucepan on medium high until boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to medium low and cook until sauce thickens and reduces.

3. Drizzle sauce on top of pork before serving.

Cranberry Butter

I know that most of you have already completely planned out your Thanksgiving feasts, which is why the recipe I'm sharing today is something really quick and easy that you can whip up to add to your spread in 10 minutes: cranberry butter. With less than 24 hours to go until most of us are eating The Big Meal, it probably doesn't sound like the wisest idea to add yet another item to your list, but trust me: You should definitely make this. It's sweet and tart and so much more interesting than plain old butter on your rolls. Best of all? It's absolutely delicious. I snuck a little bit of the batch I made last night to put on my toast this morning, and it was divine. It's going to taste even better on homemade rolls tomorrow!

Cranberry Butter
source: Fun Foods on a Budget!

3/4 cup butter, softened

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 cup chopped fresh cranberries

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

1. In a small mixing bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and honey until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add cranberries and walnuts; beat 5 minutes longer or until butter turns nice and pink.

2. Transfer to a sheet of plastic wrap; roll into a log. Refrigerate until chilled, then unwrap and slice to serve.

Burger and Fries Friday: Bacon Patty Melts with Special Sauce

This week's burger is another one inspired by my time at the Waffle House. That's where I was first introduced to the melty deliciousness that is the patty melt. I had a regular customer who used to order a bacon patty melt whenever he came in, and when I served it to him I'd watch him mix together his own little sauce for it, using mayonnaise, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. Then he'd pile the sauce on his burger along with a bunch of pickles and eat the sandwich in huge, messy bites.

That sauce looked delicious, so I decided I'd try it at home. In a moment of inspiration, I chopped up some pickles and put them directly in the sauce, and what do you know? It's an amazing concoction. I've served it on our homemade patty melts ever since.

I use white bread for our melts, since we wouldn't go through an entire loaf of rye. Other than the sauce and the bread, my patty melt is pretty traditional: a seasoned beef patty, topped with caramelized onions, melty American cheese, and a couple of slices of bacon, served on butter-grilled bread. I think the sauce really adds something different to the burger, a salty, tangy, slightly sweet element that really works with the rest of the flavors.

Bacon Patty Melts with Special Sauce
source: Cassie

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Wocestershire sauce
1 deli pickle, finely chopped

8 strips of bacon
4 beef hamburger patties
Hamburger seasoning
1 large onion, chopped
8 slices of white bread
8 slices of American cheese
Butter

1. To make the sauce, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and chopped pickle; refrigerate.

2. To make the burgers, fry bacon to desired crispness in a large skillet. Remove to paper towels to drain. Season burgers with hamburger seasoning and fry in bacon grease to desired doneness.

3. While burgers are cooking, cook onions in butter over medium heat until softened and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Butter each slice of bread. Top each with a slice of cheese, and cook over medium heat on a griddle until lightly browned and cheese is melted. Top 4 slices of bread with a burger patty, a quarter of the grilled onions, and 2 slices of bacon. Slather some of the special sauce on the other 4 slices of bread and make sandwiches.

Greek Chicken-Stuffed Pitas

First of all, I have to say that these were actually supposed to be chicken gyros, but I couldn't find pocketless pitas in my grocery store. Therefore, they became Greek chicken-stuffed pitas. Ah, well -- it certainly didn't affect the flavor at all, which was pretty amazing.

I've seen this recipe floating around on a lot of blogs recently, and I was really excited to try these. There's quite a bit of prep work invovled, so this is perfect for a weekend meal. The chicken is tender and flavorful thanks to the marinade, and the tzatziki sauce is completely addictive. I served these with Greek-style potatoes, and I even dolloped some of the tzatziki sauce on those (it was delicious!). Joe, Andrew and I all really liked these, and I will definitely be making them again!

Greek Chicken-Stuffed Pitas
source: slightly adapted from elly says opa!

1.25 pounds chicken pieces

4 cloves garlic, smashed

Juice of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 heaping tablespoons plain yogurt

1 tablespoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper

Tzatziki sauce (recipe follows)
Sliced tomatoes

Sliced red onions

4 pitas (pocketless for gyros; sadly, I could only find pita pockets)

1. Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, yogurt, and oregano in a bowl. Add the chicken and rub the marinade in. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

2. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and then saute until cooked through.

3. Heat the pitas. Top (or, in my case, stuff) each pita with the chicken, tzatziki, tomatoes, onions.

Tzatziki Sauce
source: adapted from elly says opa!

16 ounces plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)

1 cucumber, seeded

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

Salt and a little pepper

Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

1. Strain yogurt using a cheesecloth over a bowl (if you don’t have that, a strainer lined with a coffee filter will work) for several hours or overnight to get out as much moisture as possible. (I used Greek yogurt, which has already been strained, so I skipped this step.)

2. Peel and seed the cucumber. Shred the cucumber and squeeze them in a clean towel to get as much moisture out as possible.

3. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumbers, garlic, vinegar and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate 30 minutes or more before serving so flavors can meld. Before serving, drizzle a little olive oil over the top.

Summertime Hot Dogs with Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce

I have been wanting to make this barbecue sauce for probably about a month now. I mentioned this before, but it seems like every time I put this on the menu something happens and we haven't been able to make this dinner. Last night, though, we finally did!

I had high hopes for the sauce, especially considering my luck cooking with soda before, and it definitely did not disappoint. I love Dr. Pepper but I’m trying not to drink it very much since I'm pregnant, so this was the perfect way to indulge. The Dr. Pepper adds wonderful sweetness and a perfect molasses undertone to the sauce.

The recipe calls for the sauce to be pureed, but I skipped that step simply because it didn't bother me to have chunks of onion and garlic in my sauce. I topped my hot dogs with chopped pickles as Better Homes and Gardens suggested, and it was definitely delicious. We have a ton of sauce left over, which I can't wait to use to feed my barbecue cravings later in the week. We ate this with sweet corn on the cob (the first of the season), and it was the perfect summer supper.

Summertime Hot Dogs with Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce
source: Better Homes and Gardens

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 12-ounce can Dr Pepper
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 hot dogs
8 hot dog buns
Optional toppers: pickles, sliced jalapeño peppers, chopped onion

1. For sauce, in medium saucepan cook and stir onion and garlic in hot butter over medium heat about 10 minutes until onions are tender. Add all ingredients except hot dogs, buns, and toppers. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Cook, uncovered, until sauce begins to thicken, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool sauce 10 minutes.

2. Puree sauce in pan with immersion blender, or transfer to a blender jar, cover, and blend until smooth. (I skipped this step.)

3. Meanwhile, on grill cook hot dogs on rack directly over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through. Serve hot dogs on buns with toppers.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Saturday evening was one of Joe's favorite nights at our house: taco night. He becomes a little boy whenever tacos are involved; he simply can't get enough of them. I always make fun of him for his excitement, even though secretly I love taco night, too.

Anyway, when I looked in the cupboard, I discovered a mini-crisis: I didn't have an envelope of store-bought taco seasoning mix like I thought I did. I've always hesitated to make my own taco seasoning at home -- could a homemade mix ever taste as good as the store-bought version? But at that point I didn't have a choice. I remembered (and actually located -- a miracle) a recipe I printed off a while ago for homemade taco seasoning, so I decided to give it a shot. And I'm so glad that I did! This stuff is every bit as flavorful as the store-bought mixes. I'm not looking back, baby!

It seems like a lot of people I talk to are looking for a homemade taco seasoning mix, so that's why I'm posting this. I promise you that it's delicious, and a nice alternative to the high-sodium store-bought mixes. I think I'm going to make a big batch of this so I always have it on hand.

Homemade Taco Seasoning
Source: Nothing But Crumbs

Single Serving (enough for 1 pound of ground meat):

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (omitted)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon corn starch

Bulk:

3/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoon paprika
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons white pepper
1/4 cup corn starch

Mix all ingredients together. Use 3 tablespoons (single serving) and 2/3 cup of water for each pound of browned meat.

"Olive Garden Salad Dressing"

I put the title of this recipe in quotes, because to be completely honest, this salad dressing tasted absolutely nothing like Olive Garden's famous dressing, at least not to my tastebuds. That's not to say it's not a delicious dressing in its own right -- it is -- but it just didn't fulfill that craving I sometimes have for Olive Garden's dressing.

The website where I found this copycat recipe also has another recipe for this dressing, which I have a feeling probably tastes a bit more like the original -- but it contains raw egg, which my pregnant self can't have right now.

This truly is a very good salad dressing, as long as you don't have expectations that it's going to taste like the original. For my part, when I'm craving Olive Garden's dressing, I'm just going to go to the restaurant across the street from where I work and buy a bottle of it.

"Olive Garden Salad Dressing"
Source: Group Recipes

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons corn syrup (I used sugar)
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons Romano cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt (or 1 garlic clove, minced)
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mix all ingredients in a blender or food processor until well-combined. Serve over salad.

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that my love of cilantro runs deep. I use it as a garnish for pretty much every South of the Border-ish recipe I make. So when this dressing popped up in my Google Reader, I knew I had to make it as soon as possible.

This is seriously one delicious dressing. We used it as a dip for taquitos, and used the remainder to dress a simple salad of romaine hearts, corn, black beans and avocado. It would also be a great dip for chicken fingers or thick steak fries. The ranch flavor is definitely there, but it doesn't overpower the cilantro and the lime. The original recipe calls for hot sauce, but I bought a green salsa with a medium heat level, which gave it just the right amount of spice. This is my new favorite dressing, without a doubt.

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing
Source: Our Best Bites

1 1-ounce envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup milk
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 cup green salsa

Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and combine. Make several hours ahead of time to allow for thickening.