Kale Greens with Bacon

Kale Greens with Bacon

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 package bacon, chopped
I bundle kale (I don’t actually know how much I used…), ribbed
Olive oil
Salt
Red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Preparation:

1. Cook bacon in olive oil until brown. Add kale and season with salt and red pepper and stir. Add vinegar and toss. Place lid on top and let steam for a few minutes.

Recipe is an original.

I had kale. I had bacon. It was a good combination. Basically anything is better with bacon! This was my first attempt at greens and it turned out well. The vinegar gave a nice touch and I added a lot of red pepper to make it spicy. Yay for eating healthy-ish!

Taco!

Quinoa Mac and Cheese with Chicken

Quinoa Mac and Cheese with Chicken

Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups uncooked quinoa
1 chicken breast
garlic powder
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
2 tbs flour
1 1/2 cups milk, divided
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup mild cheese such as chevre (goat cheese) or Queso Fresco

Preparation:

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with garlic powder, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook in oil until cooked through.

2. Heat 1/2 cup milk and flour, whisking until combined. Add the rest of the milk and a dash of red pepper and stir with spatula. Bring to a boil and stir for an additional minute.

3. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted. Add quinoa and chicken and stir.

4. Put in casserole dish and place under broiler for about 2-3 minutes. Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from Iowa Girl Eats.

More quinoa! It was a quinoa kind of day. This was delicious! Definitely make sure you have enough cheese and keep stirring the milk mixture so it doesn’t curdle. I used what I had so I used Queso Fresco left over from Carnitas Night. Seasoning the chicken was also great because it gave it a great flavor. I’m also a lazy bum and I don’t like waiting for chicken to cook so I cut it up and then cook. It was delicious and easy. And apparently relatively good for me. Yay!

Taco!

It’s My Birthday and I’ll Cook If I Want To

That’s right. It’s my birthday and so I have to cook up a storm and have people over. Then, of course, go to the midnight showing of The Hunger Games. I decided to make an appetizer spread and have my guests bring the drinks. Here’s the menu:

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip
Meatballs with BBQ Sauce and Garlic Basil Aioli
Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Herbs and Goat Cheese
Homemade Pico de Gallo with chips

There are several recipes involved here so I’ll give them to you individually as well as let you know what I did in advance, etc. Here we go. It’s party time!

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip with Garlic Butter Crostini

Hot Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Serves: 10-12
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 (10 0z) package frozen spinach (make sure it’s not in sauce), thawed
2 (14 oz) cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped in food processor
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup parmesan, grated

Preparation:

1. Grease a casserole dish (recommend a 2 oz dish). Combine ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Pour ingredients in casserole dish and top with extra cheese.

2. Bake on 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

3. Serve with crostinis. To make crostinis, combine 1 stick butter and 4 garlic cloves in a food processor. Cut a french loaf into slices on an angle. Spread garlic butter on crostinis and bake at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes. Allow to cool. Crostini’s can be made in advance.

Recipe from Paula Deen at FoodNetwork.com.

Meatballs with BBQ Sauce and Garlic Basil Aioli

Meatballs with BBQ Sauce and Garlic Basil Aioli

Serves: Makes 40 meatballs
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: About 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Meatballs

1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground beef
1 cup fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs
3 eggs
2 cups chicken stock
2 onions
3 cloves garlic
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil

BBQ Sauce

1 cup catsup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 tbs light brown sugar
2 1/2 tbs sugar
1/4 tbs pepper
1/4 tbs garlic powder
1/4 tbs ground mustard
1/2 tbs Worcestershire sauce

Basil Garlic Aioli

2/3 cup mayonaise
4 garlic cloves, chopped
5-6 basil leaves, chopped
3 tbs olive oil
Salt

Preparation:

1. Make BBQ Sauce and aioli in advance. To make BBQ Sauce, combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour or until thickened. To make aioli, combine ingredients except olive oil in a food processor and pulse. While machine is running, slowly add olive oil.

2. To make meatballs, brown onions and add garlic. Remove from heat once browned and allow to cool.

3. Combine ingredient except chicken stock in a bowl. Mix together with your hands. Heat olive oil and make a tester patty. When tester patty is tasty, make balls (or patties) and cook in batches.

3. Brown meatballs on all sides. Then add a splash (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup) chicken stock and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

4. Drain on paper towels and serve.

Meatball recipe adapted from Anne Burrell’s Cook Like a Rock Star, BBQ Sauce from the Neely’s at FoodNetwork.com and Garlic Basil Aioli from Bobby Flay at FoodNetwork.com.

Homemade Pico de Gallo

Homemade Pico de Gallo

Serves: 10-12
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0!

Ingredients:

3 large beefsteak tomatoes, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 cups cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Combine all ingredients and mix. Refrigerate for about an hour or more before serving. Serve chilled with tortilla chips.

Recipe is an original.

The important part of this recipe is to remember to make the salsa and onion in big chunks. At least, that’s the way I like it. Nothing beats fresh pico de gallo.

Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Herbs

See my previous post for the recipe on these. They are divine!

It was a fantastic party and the food turned out well. It was definitely a lot to make and it took all day but it was worth it. The Bacon Wrapped Dates get better every time I make them and I find they do not take long at all and they need a good stuffing of goat cheese to make sure it all doesn’t melt out. The Spinach Artichoke Dip is a dish I’ve been making for years and it is always a crowd pleaser, plus it is so incredibly easy. The meatballs turned out pretty well. I found it was much easier to cook them as patties and I ended up doing that because I was running out of time. They were very moist and it seems essential to use fresh rosemary. That made all the difference. And of course there’s the Pico de Gallo. That’s another dish I’ve been making forever and it is always delicious and simple. It was a great party and a great birthday!

Sous Chef

Good evening everyone. I would like to introduce you to my Sous Chef, Rory.

Rory the Sous Chef

Her talents include sitting on stuff and stealing food. Her favorite food is bacon.

Willie’s BBQ: A Review

Pork Sandwich Plate

Where: Willie’s BBQ (2245 Pocahontas Trail, Quinton, Va.)

What: Dinner

Number of People: 2

Total Cost: $18

Beef Brisket Plate

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

I lived in Charles City, Va., while in college and I learned that if you want home cookin’ Charles City is the place to be. A BBQ place opened up where the hole-in-the-wall McDonalds used to be and I had never been but had heard good things. One of my cousins even works there but since I don’t get back to Charles City as often I hadn’t visited. I finally had the chance and inclination to go and I have already been back since. Yes, Willie’s BBQ is that good. Adam and I went on a trip to visit my Grandmother and did not regret it. I got the Pork Sandwich Plate ($7.95) with Macaroni and Cheese (all of the sides are homemade) and a drink. Adam got the Beef Brisket Plate ($11) with Baked Beans, Candied Yams and Corn Bread and a drink. The meat was extremely tender and the available sauces were great. I preferred the North Carolina-style sauce, which is vinegar based, as opposed to the Virginia-style sauce, which is tomato based. The sides were obviously homemade. The mac and cheese was so incredibly cheesy without being dry as some homemade mac and cheeses can be. The beans and yams were sweet and the corn bread was crumbly and moist. As a hole-in-the-wall, off-the-beaten-path place it did not have very much decor and the music was as random as possible. But I think that helps give it charm. The service was great since the people who work there are friendly and they obviously enjoy their job as well as the food. You can take anything to go and there is indoor and outdoor seating.

If you ever find yourself on I-64  or Rt. 60 and want to take a rest, stop at the Bottoms Bridge exit and try out Willie’s. It is well worth the stop.

How To Treat Your Avocados With Respect

This is a How-To for avocados. I have discovered moving from the West to East coast that people who live where avocados do not grow are much less inclined to know how to take care of them. Treating an avocado, like a significant other, with respect is important if you want better results. Here are some tips from a Californian on how to treat your avocados.

Steph's Guacamole

Tips:

1. When purchasing avocados, buy not so ripe ones. You want an avocado with less experience. You can tell how ripe an avocado is by pushing gently near the stem area. The softer the area, the more ripe the avocado is.

2. Help your avocados ripen by placing them in a paper bag and in an area that gets some sun during the day, such as a window sill. Make sure to tell your avocado how awesome it is every now and then.

3. Leave the avocados in the bag for a day or two (or a few depending on how much sun, etc.) until the area around the stem is soft but not mushy. When you peel the avocado the inside should be green. A little brown is ok. We all have a little spots here and there.

4. To peel an avocado, run a knife through the avocado and around the pit, then twist a little and pull the two halves apart. To pit an avocado, hit the pit with a knife, twist and pull. The pit should come right out. I don’t have any relationship puns for this one.

5. Use a spoon to get the good stuff out. Don’t be afraid to scrape the inside. The peel will stand up to a spoon, and so will an ego.

You can use avocados for a whole lot of stuff, including Steph’s Guacamole, vegan chocolate cream pie (I WILL make this some day) and a myriad of other dishes. Or just sprinkle on some salt and snack away. Avocados are an amazing food and I look forward to the day I can walk outside and pick an avocado right out of the tree. Ah, the good life.