I Don't Cook, But My Boyfriend Does!

Sweet Potato & Spicy Black Bean Tacos

2012-05-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

I had a craving for sweet potatoes and black beans, but the husband was thinking tacos, (not unusual). So, like a healthy couple should, we compromised. The result was Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos, and they were awesome!

The natural sweet flavor of the potatoes and the added spices perfectly complimented the black beans. I strongly recommend that you DON'T skip the chipotle sour cream sauce with these tacos, it just works perfectly.

Inspired by one of our favorite recipes, Sweet Potato Hash, we made some slight alterations. Instead of par boiling the potatoes, we simply roasted everything for about 35 minutes.

I am intentionally not providing measurements or exact ingredients, I think this one is all about personal preference, but I will advise you to make extra, the leftover hash was delicious the next morning with eggs!

Sweet Potato & Spicy Black Bean Tacos (print this recipe)

Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes -diced (1 medium is enough for 2-3 servings)
Green bell pepper - chopped
Onion, yellow - chopped
Garlic - finely chopped
Jalapeno pepper - seeded, finely diced
Cumin
Cinnamon
Allspice
Salt & pepper
Parsley or cilantro

Spicy Black Beans
Black beans
Onion, white or yellow - diced
Cilantro
Lime juice
Cayenne pepper
Cumin
Corriander
Salt & pepper

Chipotle Sour Cream Sauce
Sour cream (about 4 oz)
Chipolte juice from the can (about 1/2 teaspoon)
Cilantro
Lime juice
Salt

Fresh corn tortillas

While you are roasting the potatoes, in a medium bowl, mix together the ingredients for the spicy black beans. In a separate small bowl, combine the chipotle sour cream sauce. Be careful with the chipotle juice, a little goes a long way! Warm your tortillas, and pile it all on to your liking.

Dark Chocolate Brownies

2012-05-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

OK, really, what could be better than chocolate? There is nothing better to lift the spirits, calm the soul, or make you say ahhhhh than a rich, gooey, dark chocolate brownie with walnuts..... oh, and don't forget, dark chocolate is full of HEALTHY antioxidants!

Top off a dark chocolate brownie with a handful of berries, a dollop of cool whip, and you have yourself a delicious, almost-guilt-free dessert = ).

Since I am not an avid baker and I don't have my own special favorite recipe YET, I used the recipe from the back of the Nestle dark chocolate chip bag. Here it is to print.

Ingredients:

10 oz. Nestle Toll House Dark Chocolate Morsels
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 tbsp water
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 8 x 8 inch square baking pan. Set aside 1/3 cup of chocolate chips. Heat morsels, sugar, butter and water until melted in medium saucepan, stirring constantly until melted. Pour into a medium bowl. Stir in eggs, one at a time with a wire whisk until blended. Stir in vanilla extract, add flour and salt, stir well. Add in remaining morsels and nuts. Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake 38 to 49 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out slightly sticky. Cool on wire rack or in pan, cut into squares. Makes about 16 brownies.

Serve with a scoop of your favorite ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream and a handful of berries!

Clam, Chard and Bacon Pizza - Just Try It!

2012-04-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

Like the title says, don't think about it, just TRY IT.

We are normally very traditional pizza people. We usually like thin, crispy crust, minimal ingredients, meat and veggies, simple.

I don't know what possessed me to try this recipe. I have only eaten clams a handful of times and never from a can. I have never tried any kind of seafood on pizza and never thought I would. It must have been the bacon.

We were blown away. Nothing like I have ever had before. Absolutely delicious! The crust came out perfectly crispy in the cast iron skillet, and the toppings complimented the crust beautifully.

We followed the instructions exactly, the only change we made was adding a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese and some sliced red onions.

Clam Chard and Bacon Pizza

Adapted from Epicurious

print version

Ingredients:
All-purpose flour (for dusting)
1 1-pound store-bought pizza dough (Trader Joe's, plain)
1 10-ounce can whole baby clams
2 slices thick-cut bacon (2 ounces), cut into 1"-wide pieces
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 1-pound bunch Swiss chard, center stalks removed, leaves torn
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500°F.
(this step is optional, but helpful) Fill a large bowl with boiling water. Place a baking sheet over; dust with flour. Place dough on baking sheet; cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes to soften. Flip dough; cover and let sit 10 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, drain clams, reserving liquid. Cook bacon in a 12" cast-iron skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 4–5 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel–lined plate. Add garlic and shallot to drippings in skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in chard and 1/4 cup reserved clam liquid and cook, stirring, until chard is just wilted, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in butter, vinegar, and as many clams as you'd like. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl.

Wipe out skillet and heat over medium-high heat until very hot. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12" round. Sprinkle skillet with cornmeal and transfer dough to skillet. Brush top of dough with oil. Cook, shaking pan occasionally and turning pan to avoid hot spots, until bottom of dough is golden and crispy, 6–8 minutes.

Spread chard mixture over dough. Bake until crust is golden and cooked through, 6–8 minutes. Scatter bacon and cheese over; cook just until cheese is melted, 2–3 minutes longer.

Rainbow Chard

2012-03-24T14:45:00.002-07:00

I took these photos just before we found out we had to move.......beautiful Rainbow Chard that we pulled from our garden.....

Chard has always been our go-to side with chicken, fish and pork. Not only is it one of the healthiest vegetables available, it is full of nutrients, vitamins and natural anti-oxidants, but it's also gorgeous!!

Basic Chard Recipe (you can use Swiss, Rainbow, Green etc.)

1 bunch of chard
1/2 small onion thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Rinse chard thoroughly in a colander. Roughly chop into 1 inch strips. Place chard in a large bowl and toss with 1 tbsp of olive oil until thoroughly coated. Add the onion, garlic and pepper flakes to a large skillet with the other half of olive oil and saute for about 5 minutes, add the chard and mix well over medium high heat. Chard is done when soft and wilted, add salt and pepper to taste.

You can also add other ingredients, olives, nuts, mushrooms, leeks, bacon, don't be afraid to experiment!

New Chapters.....

2012-03-19T10:57:00.001-07:00

I have a good excuse for not writing a new post for so long, we just got our internet turned on at our new house!

We were not planning to move. In fact, we thought we would live at our old house for a very long time, we loved living in University Heights in San Diego. We could walk to one of the BEST farmers market in San Diego. We had established grape vines, a vintage rose garden, a vegetable garden and a private patio. We had great neighbors, we were walking distance to great bars and restaurants, in short, that house had everything we wanted.

But life had other plans for us and we had to move to make room for our landlords parents...... everything happens for a reason, right?

We don't mess around. We started looking for a new place right away, and found it! Within 10 days we moved into our new house in North Park, about 3 miles from our old house. We love the spacious, bright and airy layout and we have a huge balcony that over looks a beautiful canyon, we are going to love it!

We still have a lot of unpacking to do before we start cooking and blogging again, so please be patient, we will be back very soon!

Our new backyard, can't wait to start planting some veggies and fruit trees!

Black Bean, Corn and Mango Salad

2012-02-20T22:19:00.000-08:00

I am blessed to have a husband that doesn't mind grocery shopping, especially since I HATE grocery shopping! Instead, I scour the weekly ads and coupons and meticulously write out the grocery list with detailed instructions of what brand to buy, what to get if that brand isn't available, how many, etc.....

Apparently, last week my penmanship was less than perfect because instead of a jar of mayonnaise, or "mayo" my beloved came home from shopping with a beautiful MANGO. No sandwiches this week.

The unexpected ingredient was actually a welcome treat since I recently saw a recipe for Thai Green Mango Salad that I really wanted try. Ramya of The Mistress Of Spices is one of my favorite food bloggers.She and her husband recently moved to Thailand, but her cooking influence includes India, France and America, her catalog of recipes are mostly vegetarian, and always tempting!

I still want to make that salad, but while browsing her site, I found this other salad that I thought would be perfect to serve with our grilled salmon, Black Bean Corn and Mango Salad. There are a lot of flavors going on in this salad......it was Mark's suggestion to add the fresh strawberries, it worked quite well!

Black Bean, Corn and Mango Salad
Adapted from The Mistress Of Spices serves 4

1 tbsp. olive or canola oil
1 cup corn kernels (fresh, canned or frozen)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans*, rinsed and drained
1/2 roasted or fresh red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 red onion, diced
1 large, ripe mango, chopped
5 large fresh strawberries, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Serrano chili de-seeded and finely diced
Juice of one lime
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Spray a large nonstick pan with cooking spray or heat the oil in the pan. Add the corn (undrained if from a can) and stir well. Pan-roast until the corn begins to blacken in spots, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure that it doesn't stick. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

While the corn is cooking, mix the beans, bell pepper (any color bell pepper will work), onion strawberries and mango in a large bowl. Once the corn has cooled down to room temperature, add it to the bowl.

Add the lime juice, cilantro, salt, cumin and chili and mix well. Adjust seasonings to taste.

*We also added a handful of garbanzo beans for more fiber

Roasted Grape Crostini with Goat Cheese

2012-01-18T21:42:00.000-08:00

Everything is better roasted. Including grapes. I saw this recipe for Roasted Grape Crostini from Authentic Suburban Gourmet. I love grapes, and whoever first thought of roasting them was brilliant!

They turned out wonderful. Sweet, tangy, warm, salty and kind of smoky.

I made a few changes to the recipe. For starters, I used goat cheese instead of ricotta. Nothing against ricotta, it is nice, but I am very fond of goat cheese and we always have it in the fridge.

I also didn’t have any fresh thyme laying around, but I do have plenty of fresh basil........

Roasted Grape Crostini with Goat Cheese

Ingredients: (amounts depend on how much you want!)
Seedless purple grapes
Sourdough baguette or ciabatta bread
Olive oil
Ricotta cheese or goat cheese
Thyme or basil
Lemon zest
Salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Spread grapes onto a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Toss all together gently with your hands. Place pan in the oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until grapes just begin to burst.

While grapes are roasting, heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Brush the bread with olive oil. Grill until lightly toasted. Tip: keep heat at medium and toast longer, to prevent burning.

Assemble the open-faced sandwiches: Spread cheese over bread. Top with roasted grapes. Add the lemon zest and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. Sprinkle with a bit of salt or fleur de sel.

Tip: Have the cheese at room temperature for easier spreading.

Ham, Kale and Bean Soup

2012-01-09T10:06:00.000-08:00

I don't know how official it is, but I heard that January is National Soup Month. Why not? It's hard to pick just one to start with..... but we managed.

We co-hosted a fabulous New Year’s Day party this year where we enjoyed the company of some fantastic friends and family and we got to feast on some amazing food. Extra bonus, we received some yummy hostess gifts and somehow we even ended up with a substantial portion of leftover honey baked ham……

If you live in Santa Barbara and you are a foodie, you probably know my cousin Krista. She is the editor of Edible Santa Barbara, one of the most impressive food magazines on the stands today. Krista and her husband Steve have worked hard to create an amazing publication including recipes, articles on gardening, organic farming, wineries and so much more, click here to explore.

Krista and Steve gifted us with a fantastic hostess gift from Shepherd Farms in Carpenteria. I have not been there yet, but I can say that Sheperd Farms makes a fantastic organic dried “Herbs de Provence”. This particular blend includes sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, oregano and bay. I can only imagine the possibilities, soups, sauces, marinades, eggs, salads.........

Inspired by our gifts and the desire to eat something that is NOT stuffed, fried or drenched in butter or alcohol, we threw together the following ingredients to create this delicious and healthy Ham, Kale and Bean Soup. Remarkably quick, mostly healthy and incredibly delicious!

Ham, Kale and Bean Soup

Makes 4-6 servings
printable version

1 ½ cup cooked ham, chopped

3 medium carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, diced

½ onion, chopped

1 leek, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 can pinto beans

1 can cannelloni beans

2 cups chopped kale

5 cups vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Herbs de Provence (or blend of dried herbs)

In a large pot or Dutch Oven heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onions and garlic and saute until tender about 10 minutes.

Add the ham, beans, vegetable broth and season with salt, pepper and Herbs de Provence. Bring to a light boil and add kale. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until kale is cooked to desired tenderness.

You can't get much easier than that! Enjoy with a nice piece of crusty bread, or better yet, a grilled cheese sandwich!

Eggplant and Chicken Puttanesca Stacks

2012-01-04T11:53:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love January? It's a great time to "reset" and get back on track or change your life's path. I for one don't make resolutions but I do take the time to evaluate my life, where I am and where I want to go. At this point in my life I am pretty happy with things. I like my job, I am healthy and I am madly in love with my best friend and husband. Life is good!

I found the original recipe for Eggplant and Chicken Puttanesca Stacks on The Daily Green while searching for something new and interesting to do with eggplant. When I am searching for a new recipe, I type in the main ingredient in Google then do an image search. From there I flip through hundreds of images until I find something that looks good, I am a visual person!

If you haven't heard of Puttanesca sauce, it is a tomato based sauce that combines olives and capers and it is delicious. Many people don't like anchovies so feel free to omit them and add a few extra olives instead. You could also omit the chicken and call it vegetarian, although I love the chicken and don't recommend it!

We fell in love with this recipe and have made it at least five times in the last few months. At first glance the recipe might look like a lot of effort for a dinner for two, but when you break it down it's only a few steps and it actually goes pretty quick. Expect about an hour for preparation.

Eggplant & Chicken Puttanesca Stacks

click here for printable recipe

Ingredients: for 2-4 Servings

For Eggplant:

1 lg. eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch slices

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, or as needed

1 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

For Chicken:

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

All-purpose flour (use remaining flour after breading the eggplant)

1 tablespoon olive oil

For Sauce and Cheese:

1/2 cup white wine

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

3 anchovy fillets packed in oil, chopped (we used 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste)

1/4 teaspoon dried chile flakes

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives (about 10 olives), chopped

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

3/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup fresh ricotta cheese, at room temperature

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Slice the eggplant into 1/4" slices, pat dry and sprinkle with black pepper.In three separate shallow bowls or pie plates, put the flour, eggs, and panko crumbs. Dip the eggplant slice in the flour both sides. Next, coat the floured slice with egg, dredge the eggplant slice in the panko. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, fry the eggplant slices for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer the eggplant to the lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Flip the slices over and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes.

While the eggplant is in the oven, prepare the chicken. Slice the chicken into 1/2" pieces, lightly pound flat with a meat mallet. Season the pieces with salt and pepper then coat each piece in flour and shake off excess. Place chicken pieces in sauté pan with 2 tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sauté the chicken pieces for about 2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover to keep warm.

For the sauce, pour the wine into the pan to deglaze, scraping the bits from the bottom. Add the garlic, anchovies, and chile flakes and sauté for 30 seconds. Stir in the stock, olives, tomatoes, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of the parsley, and add the chicken back into the pan. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer while the eggplant finishes baking. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

In a small bowl, mix the Riccota cheese, the remaining 1/4 cup parsley, the lemon zest, salt, and ground black pepper.

When the eggplant is done, start building your stacks! Start with one slice of eggplant, top with a spoonful of the cheese mixture, add a piece of chicken, a little more cheese, then a heaping spoon of the Puttenesco sauce, then another piece of eggplant. If desired, spoon some remaining sauce and cheese on top of each stack and serve.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Walnut Raisin Dates Cookies

2011-12-07T21:44:00.001-08:00

Oatmeal Walnut Raisin Date Cookies

It's that time of year again. Cookies. Cookies, Cookies! I can not make enough of them..... mostly because we can not stop eating the cookies that I have been making to give as gifts! It's hard not to, they are SO GOOD!

I bought a huge quantity of dates to make the delicious Date Walnut Torte that we made for a dessert contest/Holiday party that we went to last weekend.We didn't win. But we still have a bunch of dates left, so I have been searching for recipes that call for dates.

This recipe more than met my needs for a recipe that uses dates, is sweet, but not too sweet, and that includes nuts, raisins and oats, which kind of keeps it healthy, right? Don't be fooled, these cookies are super tasty, regardless of how healthy they are!

This particular recipe originated from Epicurious.

Oatmeal Walnut Raisin Date Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped pitted dates

1 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil; butter foil.

In a medium bowl, blend the first 5 ingredients in medium bowl.

In another larger bowl beat butter, vegetable shortening, and both sugars with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in honey, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture, then stir in oats, raisins, dates, and walnuts.

Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing mounds 2 inches apart. Flatten cookies slightly with a fork.

Bake cookies until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on baking racks.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2011-12-05T12:12:00.001-08:00

Since ALL of our friends and family are avid readers and followers of "I Don't Cook, But My Boyfriend Does!", we are often sent recipes to try in hopes that they will make it to the blog.Well, here is a good example of that.

It's weird, of all the soups we have posted over the years, Chicken Tortilla Soup has somehow never graced our recipe index before now. I can not explain it, we love SOUP, we love CHICKEN and we love SPICY soups, and this my friends is all that, and more. It's AMAZING!!

Thank you Bill for sending us this delicious and VERY SIMPLE recipe, a definite keeper!

Chicken Tortilla Soup (serves at least 8)
print version

4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
8 cups chicken broth (= 2 of those cartons)
8 corn tortillas, sliced into pieces
1 med. onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
2- 14 1/2 oz. cans diced tomatoes w/ jalapenos
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 bay leaves

In a large stock pot: (we used a 6 qt. dutch oven)
- 6 Tbsp. oil over high heat
- add tortilla pieces, fry until crispy and set aside on paper towel to absorb oil
- add onion, cilantro, & garlic- saute
- add tomatoes and all juices from the cans- bring to a boil
- add broth, cumin, chili powder, & bay leaves- bring back to a boil
- reduce heat to simmer *see note below
- add chicken breasts (raw, even frozen is fine) & cayenne pepper
- simmer (approx. 15 min. if frozen breasts)
- remove bay leaves
- take out breasts, check for "done-ness", shred, and put back into pot.

Top with:
-avocado
-fresh cilantro
-sour cream
-shredded cheese
-tortilla chip pieces

You will have plenty for left-overs! Great to make in advance and let it sit on the stove, or easy to reheat.

It's a very flexible recipe, i.e., you can use more or less tortillas or chicken etc... Adjust spiciness with more or less cayenne.

* Note: We roasted 2 jalapenos and 1 serrano pepper for about 15 minutes, removed most seeds, chopped and added just before adding the chicken, it added a nice roasted flavor!

If you like this recipe, you might also like this recipe for Shrimp Fra Diavolo that Bill also shared with us!

Sweet Potato Hash... The Other Yams?

2011-11-18T10:52:00.001-08:00

With so much going on these days, we are happy we only need to bring ONE dish to the family Thanksgiving meal. This year we are going out on a limb and trying something different. Instead of the standard mashed yams smothered in gooey, melty marshmallows, (although that does sound really good!) we are going to try a savory but still sweet, Sweet Potato Hash.

We accidentally created this dish a couple months ago and we both fell in love with its sweet and savory flavors with just a tiny bit of heat from the jalapenos. It is certainly a dish to enjoy all year round.

Let's just hope Aunt Marilyn will forgive us.....she loves those sweet marshmallows!

Sweet Potato Hash

Printable Recipe

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

3 large sweet potatoes, diced into small cubes

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 1/2 cups sweet onion, coarsely chopped

2 green peppers, coarsely chopped

2 jalapeño peppers, finely diced (remove seeds for less heat)

4 cloves of roasted garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground allspice

2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Bring large pot of water to a boil and add diced sweet potato. Boil for 5-8 minutes, until potato cubes are cooked through. Drain the water and set the sweet potato cubes aside to dry while you cook the pepper and onions.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of oil and add the onion, garlic, green peppers and jalapeno. Stir often and sauté until the onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes.

Drizzle another tbsp. of oil to the skillet then add the cubed sweet potatoes, salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice and fresh herbs, combine well. Keeping the skillet at medium heat, arrange the hash in a single layer and continue cooking until potatoes, onions and peppers have slightly browned.

Wishing you and yours a very fulfilling and grateful holiday season!

Favorite Soups and Stews to Warm You Up!

2011-11-09T11:52:00.000-08:00

As you can see from my lack of posts lately, I have been in a blogging funk.

It's certainly not because we have not been cooking some great stuff, we have made some fabulous meals lately, I just haven't felt like writing.

Since we write this blog as a team, my partner in crime is stepping up and giving me that extra "shove" that I need. By that, I mean Mark has come up with a 'blog menu' of dishes that he will prepare with the specific intention of posting. The list includes some exciting and exotic dishes featuring some unusual spices and ingredients, I am sure you will be intrigued too!

In the meantime, here are a few of our most popular soups and stews to help inspire and keep you warm during these cool and rainy days.

Butternut Squash & Red Pepper Soup

White Bean Chicken Chili

Mushroom Barley Soup

Egyptian Split Pea Soup

Albondigas

Check back soon, new and exciting dishes are on the way! I'm getting inspired just thinking about it!

Godiva Coffee

2011-10-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

There sure are some sweet perks to being a member of Foodbuzz's Tastemaker Program. Most recently, we received two packages of limited edition fall coffees from Godiva: Pumpkin Spice and Caramel Pecan Bark.

This prompted a few experiments........

First, we tried both coffee flavors alone as regular coffee. All I can say is ........ awesome. Nothing says Fall like the aroma of pumpkin and spice, am I right? As soon as I opened the bag of Pumpkin Spice coffee I was ready for Thanksgiving and a slice of pumpkin pie!

The Caramel Pecan Bark is nothing less than soothing Autumn comfort. Since October is actually one of the warmer months of the year in San Diego, we are still enjoying iced coffee.

This recipe found on The Pioneer Woman is worth the time effort to make. The result is a perfect, rich and creamy, smooth iced coffee, by far the best I have ever had.You can make this with any coffee you like, but the Godiva Caramel Pecan Bark was exceptionally delicious!

Autumn Spiced Iced Coffee

makes 2 tall glasses

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Pumpkin Spice or Caramel Pecan Bark coffee grounds
2 cups cold water
Ice
Milk, cream, or half & half
Sweetener (optional, I used vanilla syrup)

Note: You will need a cheesecloth for this recipe.

Directions:
Add the coffee grounds to a container that has a lid.
Pour in the cold water and mix to combine.

Allow to "brew" for at least 8 hours. Place a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Place a few layers of cheese cloth over the strainer and pour the coffee mixture into the strainer. Give it a while to strain through. Use a spoon to press through the remaining liquid.

Add ice to a glass, and fill half way with your iced coffee.

Add milk/cream/half & half and sweetener, if desired. Stir or shake to combine.

Since last weekend was my birthday, we had to indulge a little. We were invited to share a cabin with some friends up in Big Bear and to partake in the 41st annual Oktoberfest celebration....... we had a blast! The cabin was fantastic, the company was wonderful and the celebration was better than anticipated.

One of our favorite ways to enjoy the Godiva Pumpkin Spice Coffee was to start with this.......Pumpkin Spice Latte found on the GodivaCoffee.com website, but we added a shot of Disaronno at the end, it was the perfect end to the perfect birthday! Thank you everyone for making my birthday weekend so much fun!

What to Cook During a Blackout.......

2011-09-09T22:49:00.000-07:00

Things got interesting in Southern California last night. About 3:30 in the afternoon the entire region lost all electricity. I was on the road trying to meet up with my boss, but even the cell phone towers were down so we could not make phone calls. Traffic became a nightmare with all the traffic signals down, it amazes me how many people don’t know what to do at an intersection when the lights are flashing!

Did I mention today is my husband’s birthday?

By the time I got home, it was clear that the power was not coming back on soon, and it was going to be a long night. Fortunately, I had time to gather an assortment of candles, flashlights, BATTERIES, water, and matches, before the sun went down.

The one thing I was not prepared for was what to eat. Mark was scheduled to work late, I had a simple grilled cheese sandwich in mind before all the chaos, when he got sent home early, we had to reevaluate the dinner situation.

Thank goodness we still had propane in the BBQ.

Since you shouldn't open the refrigerator unless totally necessary, we quickly grabbed the half frozen Italian sausage and the yellow mustard, oh, and the bottle of white wine that was luckily still a little cool!

We found just enough sliced wheat bread for each of us. Then Mark mixed up some of his famous mustard sauce, simply yellow mustard, honey and a little cayenne pepper. Yes, by candlelight.

The sausages were perfectly grilled, and of course nice and spicy!

It was not a fancy meal, and it was certainly NOT a photo op evening, but it was kind of fun. Our "first Crisis" as a married couple! I think we both agree, we need to get better prepared for this type of thing, our fathers would both be disappointed....

The rest of the evening was super fun. With no phones, TV’s or computers to distract us, we sat outside, looked at the stars, visited with the neighbors, and of course we sort of felt compelled to eat as much perishable cheese as humanly possible, it was going to go bad, right?

We are all back to normal today, our power came back around 10PM last night. Now, I need to go through the fridge and figure out what can be salvaged and what has to be tossed out. According to this, I should throw out most everything in the fridge, but the freezer stuff should be OK.

I better get to work....batteries, I NEED to put batteries on my shopping list.....

Stay tuned to find out what we make for Marks REAL birthday celebration meal!

PS. Please notice I highlighted a bunch of words in my post today.....these are all IMPORTANT things to think about in case of an emergency!

Anaheim Peppers Stuffed with Nuts and Berries

2011-08-31T12:01:00.000-07:00

If there is one trend in our cooking, it would have to be our tendency to add something sweet to our spicy. We have also started adding nuts to many of our dishes. Walnuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, peanuts.....and yes, we are a bit nutty ourselves!

This stuffing recipe was put together by using up what we had lying around.We found these beautiful Anaheim peppers (among other things) at our local Hillcrest Farmers Market, and we wanted to make an appetizer that would be delicious and satisfying without a whole lot of effort.

Nutty, fruity, cheesy, savory, I'm still not sure what to call these stuffed peppers, but I can tell you that they turned out amazing!

Anaheim Peppers Stuffed with Nuts and Berries

Printable Recipe

Ingredients: (Makes 6 appetizers)

3 Anaheim peppers
1/2 cup mixed nuts

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes

1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles

4 oz canned corn1 handful of fresh basil, sliced
1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. sweet paprika to garnish

1 tbsp. honey

Directions:

Clean the Anaheim peppers and carefully and cut in half lengthwise. Gently remove the seeds from the inside of the pepper. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil then place the pepper on top.

Broil peppers until they start to get charred and blackened, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a small brown paper bag, (some people like to use a plastic bag) and let cool for about 10 minutes. (Here is a great tutorial from The Pioneer Woman!)

Reduce the oven setting to 400 degrees.

While peppers are cooling, prepare the stuffing mixture in a medium bowl. Combine the nuts, cranberries, dried tomatoes, goat cheese, corn and basil. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and gently combine.

Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the blackened skin VERY CAREFULLY.

Coat a glass dish with olive oil cooking spray. Place the roasted peppers in the dish, then carefully stuff each pepper with the stuffing mixture. Bake in oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until hot and lightly browned on top.

Sprinkle peppers with sweet paprika, drizzle with honey and serve hot.

We found that these tasty appetizers to go exceptionally well with Margaritas......Salute!

Affogato Al Cafe

2011-08-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

Affrogato Al Cafe

My husband and I just celebrated the three year anniversary of the day we first met! It's kind of a long story, but we met on a street corner in Little Italy in San Diego..... it's been nothing but "happily ever after" since!

Even though Mark does the majority of the cooking around here, I wanted to make something special to commemorate our first meeting, so I thought an Italian treat would be perfect.

I may have discovered my new most favorite thing!

I found the following recipe from Sommer over at Spicy Perspective, one of my favorite go-to blogs when I am looking for something new and creative or just for inspiration. This is a wonderful and simple way to make a shot of Espresso and a scoop of vanilla gelato an extra special experience!

Affogato al Cafe

Adapted from: A Spicy Perspective

Ingredients:

2 scoops vanilla gelato (or GOOD vanilla ice cream)

1 oz. Espresso

1/2 oz. Kahlua

1 tsp. dark chocolate shavings

Instructions:

Place two large scoops of vanilla gelato in a glass.
Pour one shot of hot espresso over your gelato or ice cream then, add Kahlua.
A quick shot of whipped cream is a nice touch, but optional.
Use a veggie peeler to shave chocolate curls over the top.

Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2011-08-05T23:02:00.000-07:00

Yup. Another sweet potato recipe. We just can't get enough.

It really is all about simplicity. There is nothing fancy or complicated about the recipe. Just look at the list of ingredients, nothing but goodness.... you can't go wrong.

We served this as a side dish with some fabulous rib eye steaks and grilled corn on the cob, it was one of the best meals we have EVER made.

Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes
print version

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes, roasted

2-3 cloves soft roasted garlic

1 green onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp. softened butter

1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary stalks (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven at 425. Cut potatoes cut into quarters (or at least equal sizes) and place on a roasting pan covered with foil. Optional: we like to roast a whole bulb of garlic wrapped in foil, though you will only need about 3-4 cloves for this recipe. Roast for about 40 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Another option: include 2-3 whole sprigs of rosemary in the roasting pan, it infuses a subtle rosemary flavor to the potatoes.

Place potatoes in a medium sized bowl, add the garlic and butter and mash by hand, until well combined and slightly lumpy. Mix in green onions and parsley and serve warm.

Roasted Garlic

Grilled Stuffed Jalapenos

2011-07-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

These guys don't need a big write up. You have probably had them at a party or a BBQ and thought that they are too complicated or too much trouble to make, right? Well, guess what? They are super EASY to make!

So, go ahead and make a batch of the stuffing and fill up your favorite peppers. You can stuff just about anything, not just jalapenos, try mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini......there is no end to the possibilities!

Grilled Stuffed Jalapenos (print version)

serves 6 as appetizer

Ingredients:

6 oz. whipped cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup cooked and chopped bacon

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

2 green onions, thinly sliced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

few dashes of hot sauce (we use Tapatio)

salt and black pepper

12 large jalapeno chili’s, halved lengthwise, stemmed and seeded

1 tbsp. sweet paprika

Instructions:

Heat grill to medium.

Mix together the cream cheese and the bacon in a medium bowl until blended. Fold in the cheddar, green onions, garlic and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Fill each jalapeno half with about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture; sprinkle the top with sweet paprika.

Place peppers on the grill (or use a grill basket, if preferred), filling-side up, and cook until slightly charred and tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Optional: To get a nice charred look on top, pop the poppers into a preheated oven set on broil for 2-3 minutes.

Optional: We made this simple sauce to top off our poppers. It would be great on fish tacos too!

Whisk together (or use a small food processor)1/4 cup of sour cream, about 1 clove chopped garlic, a spoonful of adobo sauce from chipotle chilis, and a handful of chopped cilantro..... delish for your dish!

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms.... Again

2011-07-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

This is a repeat recipe. We made these Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms last year and it is still one of our more popular posts. Easy to see why, these mushrooms are AMAZING! This is a great appetizer to bring to a party, but if you do, make a double batch, because they go fast!

Click here for the recipe.

I am still learning how to play with the settings on our new camera, but it is so much fun experimenting......

Thanks for reading, more great posts coming soon!

Cherry Garcia Sangria

2011-07-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

Cherry Garcia Sangria!

Here is something you probably don't about me, I was a Deadhead. I don't want to incriminate myself too much, but there was a time in my life when I often took a week off work to go see the Grateful Dead play a 3 night show in Vegas, or San Fransisco or where ever they were going. I lived for the next adventure and it became a way of life. A wonderful time in my life.

After lead singer Jerry Garcia passed away in 1995, life changed. One way I dealt with the changes was by collecting anything and all things Jerry Garcia, as he was always my favorite musician and character in the band.

Among the many treasures I acquired, was this special artisan collection of tea tins featuring the art work of Jerry himself. The Republic of Tea paid tribute to Jerry with the collectible tea tins featuring original art work by Jerry. I don't think you can buy them any more, but you can get Jerry Cherry Black tea, and a whole mess of other delicious blends of organic teas.

Yes, these collectors item tea tins expired long ago, (2008 to be exact), but I still love the art work!

Anyway, let's get to the Sangria. It's Summer time, it's hot, and there is nothing more refreshing than an ice-cold frosty glass of fruit filled red wine. We were looking for something to serve guests for a Saturday afternoon get together utilizing red wine.....here is the recipe we ended up with.........

Cherry Garcia Sangria (printable)

Makes 2 large pitchers (depending on how much fruit you use)

2 cups chilled Cherry flavored tea1 bottle of red wine (we used inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon)
8 oz ginger ale

1/4 cup triple sec
1/4 cup blackberry brandy
1 cinnamon stick
1 small pear, sliced
1 small apple, sliced
1 orange
1 lemon
1 peach and or nectarine (optional)
1 handful of frozen cherries, blackberries, strawberries or grapes

Directions:

Make ahead: Prepare 2 cups of cherry flavored tea and chill until cold.

Pour wine into a large pitcher, or split into 2 pitchers. Add the triple sec and brandy, then squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon and orange into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (remove the seeds), add the whole cinnamon stick, sliced apples, pears, and whatever other fruit you want to use.

Chill for several hours or overnight. The longer you can leave the sangria to chill and marinate in the frig, the better it will taste.

Tip: We poured the Sangria mixture (minus the fruit) into ice cube trays to make sangria ice cubes! A wonderful way to keep the drinks cold without diluting with water when they melt. They also make delicious adult Popsicles!

Just before serving, add the ginger ale and chilled tea and stir. Garnish with fresh mint and frozen berries. Regular ice can be added, but a few of the Sangria ice cubes are even better than plain ice!

Press Here > to Lock Roll

2011-07-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

Do you know about the tabs?

I'm talking about those little tabs on the side of most of the aluminum foil, plastic wrap, waxed paper, pretty much everything on a roll. They actually serve a purpose.

Once the tabs are pushed in, it makes pulling and tearing a LOT easier by holding the roll in the box. If you have ever fought a roll of out-of-control foil or plastic wrap, you know that there must be an easier way.....

I can not remember the first time I heard of this little trick, but when I did, it was like, duh! When I recently pointed it out to my husband, who constantly struggles with and harbors a deep resentment for plastic wrap, he was blown away.

I thought it might be a good time to mention this tip since I have recently made a lot of fabulous new foodie friends on Foodbuzz, and other sources, and it is a topic that I haven't seen so far.

So, if you didn't know about this, go to your kitchen right now and pull out all of your aluminum and plastic wrap rolls, push in all those tabs!

Recipes for the Holiday Weekend

2011-06-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

It's been 3 weeks since I have had a real camera. You probably noticed the drab and dull photo in my Fathers Day post, that was taken with my husbands cell phone, which actually came out better than the one with my iphone camera...... but that is another story.

Since I just can't take a good picture right now, we thought this would be a great time to recap some of our favorite Summer recipes that you might consider making for the upcoming holiday weekend.........

Brisk Tea Cocktail

Orange Pasta Asparagus Salad

Potato Salad

Colorful Tomato Salad

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Pinto Beans That Rock!

Turkey Burgers

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

A new camera is being carefully researched and I can't wait to start photographing again. Until then, wishing you and yours a wonderful Fourth of July weekend brimming with good eats and lots of fun!

Cheerios - A Fathers Day Memory

2011-06-18T23:02:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite memories of my Dad is when we had breakfast together early in the morning before my Mom and little brother woke up.

As I climbed up to the counter and found my spot on the bar stool next to his, he would set me up with a place setting which included a bowl, napkin, spoon, and a glass of milk.

It was always (and still is) a simple bowl of Cheerios. Just the plain old fashion, yellow box kind.

To make it special, my Dad would carefully slice half of a banana for my bowl, and the other half for his.

Then there was the sugar. We are talking about the early 70's folks, before it was "bad" to give your kids sugar. There was probably a little more sugar in my bowl then there should have been, but I lived.

The best part of this morning ritual was that it was MY time with my Dad. Not a man of many words, I can't recall any profound conversations, but we talked about stuff going on in the world and in our lives.

And after our breakfast we went our separate ways and on with our days. I went to school or climbed trees or whatever I was into at the time, and he went to work to build a house or something.

We lost my Dad 15 years ago to heart disease, and not a day goes by without missing him. So, all I have are these special memories, of simple times and simple pleasures, but these memories still warm my heart and make me smile.

My brother and his wife are having their first child in a couple of weeks. I have a feeling that a couple of years from now, he and his son will be sitting at the counter eating their Cheerios and starting their day together.....

Happy Fathers Day!

Back Up, Back Up, Back Up!

2011-06-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

One of my biggest fears in life just happened and it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I have long feared this day, the day my hard drive died and I have NOTHING backed up or saved.

All my photos, all my files. All my great ideas, half written posts and saved recipes to try. Not to mention important business documents, resumes, favorite bookmarks, family information, addresses, site passwords, journal entries, the Excel spreadsheet of ALL of my 500+ concerts, our wine notes (extensive research)......... POOF, and GONE.

The "Blue Screen of Death" something nobody wants to see, EVER

I have heard this story before from others who did (and didn't do) the same thing. I shook my head and felt sorry for them, and went on my way after making a mental note to myself to back up my stuff later.....I even bought an external hard drive about a month ago. It's sitting right here in a box next to the dead computer.

If you have not done so, PLEASE go back up your files right now! Put your photos and files on a disc or an external hard drive, something, do it NOW! Don't be lame like me!

And now, I am going to go make a sheet of fudge brownies, eat the whole thing and cry some more.....

UPDATE: My amazing and wonderful brother was able to retrieve all my files and photos!!! I still need to buy a new computer and believe me, I WILL be using that external hard drive to back everything up from now on.

Another lesson learned the hard way, but better than not learning at all, right?