As it turns out the key to chilaquiles is a good rojo sauce. Having never really made a rojo sauce before, I did the sensible thing and found a solid looking recipe as a starting point that I’ve since modified to better fit my tastes. I really love that this batch makes enough to support two meals. Besides the application below, I’ve used it as a mole base, as an enchilada sauce and as a slow cooking sauce for carnitas and it’s delicious all around. Turns out lots of things get better with a good rojo sauce.

Moving along to the main show, chilaquiles themselves come in many variations and flavor combinations and are traditionally eaten for breakfast or brunch. I happen to think they also make an excellent, easy weeknight dinner too and are a good way to mix up your standard “taco Tuesday”.

All Purpose Rojo Sauce
makes enough for 2 meals
7 dried New Mexico chiles
1/2 C chile soaking liquid*
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeds removed, chopped
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt

*Place dried chiles in a bowl of warm water and let soak and soften for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, add chopped onion, crushed tomatoes, plum tomatoes, garlic and jalapeno to a food processor and blend well until mostly smooth. Add spices and honey and pulse twice. Remove chiles from water and trim off stems. Shake out seeds if desired (many may just fall out, which is fine). Roughly chop chiles into large chunks and add to food processor. Blend until entire mixture is smooth. Reserve half of sauce. The rest can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for future use.

Chicken Chilaquiles
serves 2-3
3C tortilla chips
2C shredded rotisserie chicken
1/2 batch rojo sauce
1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 C queso fresco or cotija cheese
3 green onions, chopped
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
4-5 eggs, poached
Cholula hot sauce, to taste

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, add chicken, green onions, cheddar cheese and 1/2 of the reserved rojo sauce. Toss gently to combine ingredients.

Very lightly grease a 13×9 glass pan. Spread a thin layer of tortilla chips (you may wish to partially crush a few of them, depending on the shape of your chips) across the bottom of the pan. Top tortilla chips with chicken mixture. Crumble 1/4 C of cotija over chicken. Mentally divide remaining sauce into two portions and pour one of the “portions” evenly over the chicken and cheese. Repeat layers – chips, chicken mixture, cotija and sauce.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. While chilaquiles are baking, use your favorite method to poach your eggs. We use this odd Depression-era egg pan of my husband’s but here is an easy picture tutorial to get it right without a special pan. Take note that it only take about 4 minutes to perfectly poach an egg so you will want to wait until your chilaquiles are almost done to drop your eggs in.

Serve chilaquiles with 2 eggs per person and roughly chopped cilantro.

Invitation from Penelope and Lala.

I set up a simple buffet table and added little gold flags and bunting.  The rag garland was also a beautiful touch and stayed hung in my living room for weeks after the party.  Rag garland and flags also from Penelope and Lala.

We served a variety of muffins, pigs in a blanket, bacon and broccoli quiche, apricot and cheese crescent bites, and a salad topped with barley and roasted sweet potatoes (elin’s favorite).

We served caramel cake with salted caramel icing along with a mini smash cake for Miss Elin.

The birthday girl looked adorable in her party outfit!  (Shirt from B. Swanky and bloomers from Bloomin Bloomers)

Everyone had a blast and Elin especially loved her first taste of cake.

Happy Birthday Sweet Elin!  We love you so much!

Avocado Cashew Chicken Salad
1 lb. cooked and shredded skinless, boneless chicken breast (or rotisserie chicken), cooled
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1/4 cashews, chopped
1 avocado
1/3 C plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Combine chicken, celery, green pepper, cranberries and cashews in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mash avocado. A fork should suffice for a ripe avocado, but you may want to process it if it is a bit firm. Add yogurt, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Add to chicken mixture and fold together until all ingredients are covered. (Make sure to cool the chicken as to not melt the yogurt).

I hope you are all enjoying the entrance of spring and hints of summer as much as we are!

Roasted Carrots and Zucchini

4 large carrots, pealed and sliced into even sized pieces.
1 medium sized zucchini sliced into evenly sized pieces
2-3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
Sea Salt
Pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 deegrees.  Place your cut up veggies in a bowl and drizzle with the melted coconut oil.  Toss until all of the veggies are coated.  The coconut oil will probably harden slightly onto the carrots and zucchini and that is ok.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Lay out on parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes turning every 10 minutes.

Remove when brown around the edges and tender.

I served the fish tacos with a homemade creamy tomatillo salsa, with the bright flavors lending themselves well to seafood. I like to add avocado to my version since the richness of the avocado helps balance out the tang of the tomatillos.  Add in some sweet carrots, crunchy cabbage and peppery radishes and you have the perfect spring meal.

Baked Fish Tacos
makes 4 small tacos
12 panfish filets or 1 lb tilapia, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 C panko bread crumbs
1/3 C shredded parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp chipotle or chili powder
cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a cooking sheet or glass pan and set aside. In a medium bowl or large Ziploc bag, combine panko, parmesan and spices. Stir or shake to combine. Melt butter in a small bowl. Dip fish filets lightly in butter, then toss in breading mixture to coat. Set on cooking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on thickness of filets. Fish should be white and flaky when fully cooked.

2 radishes, very thinly sliced
1 C chopped cabbage
1/2 C matchstick carrots
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp lime juice
pinch of salt
4 small tortillas
chipotle mayo

In a medium bowl, add cabbage, carrots and radishes. Drizzle on olive oil and lime juice, tossing to combine. Season with salt and toss again.

Serve baked fish with warm tortillas, chipotle mayo, tomatillo salsa and hot sauce.

Creamy Tomatillo Salsa
6 medium tomatillos, quartered
1/2 avocado
1/2 small onion
1/2 jalapeno, seeded
2 cloves garlic
1 lime, juiced
1 handful cilantro
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp cayenne

Add tomatillos, avocado, onion, jalapeno, garlic, cilantro and lime juice to a food processor. Process until blended and just barely chunky. Add salt and cayenne and pulse two more times. Add additional salt or cayenne to taste if desired.

Working again with the wonderful Kate of Milwaukee’s The Home Market, we put together an enormous dessert spread including treats from Milwaukee Cupcake Company, Goodie Gourmets of Shorewood, WI, Simma’s Bakery in Wauwatosa and a few homemade treats put together and brought up from Chicago by my mom!

Using a modern sports theme, we put together a spread of cupcakes, gourmet popcorn, signature cookies, sports candy, little “macs,” sports themed chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate covered pretzels and more. Black and white stripes with small bursts of chartreuse decorated the table to serve the almost 600 guests.

We served lemonade and caramel corn with pecans from Goodie Gourmets in Shorewood. The popcorn was a huge hit with all of the guests and the first thing to run out!

Not only were the desserts delectable, but the room transformed from warehouse to a swanky modern soiree by the hands of Kate. The same color scheme was dispersed throughout the room with breath-taking modern touches including lamp bases filled with orchids and water and sleek couches and chairs.

It was a wonderful experience and a great time hobnobbing with the athletes! A special thanks to all of the amazing vendors for their fantastic treats!

We are excited for your little man to experience some of these great recipes in the future!

I attended the UW Writer’s Institute last weekend in Madison (for more on that, you can visit my journey to young adult authorship here) and had the pleasure of meeting the friendly staff of local Little Creek Press in Mineral Point, WI. When I saw this cookbook, my foodie brain kicked into gear. I wanted to land this beauty in the hands of one of our readers!

We’ve touched on the art of toddler food in a few other posts before. As hard as we try, it can be difficult to get healthy foods into the fingers of those finicky toddlers. Written by two moms who care about their kids’ nutrition, Super Snacks for Super Kids began as an initiative to bring in donations for the authors’ school wellness committee. With the help of Little Creek Press, these super moms have raised over $30,000 for their school’s program. All proceeds go to the Mineral Point School District Wellness committee.

In the book, you will find a collection of simple snack recipes packed with the nutrition your kids need to feel energized throughout the day. It’s divided into six sections: Snacks for Focus, Snacks for After School, Snacks for Play, Snacks for After Play, Snacks for A Crowd, and Staples. Each section contains recipes specifically designed to meet kids’ nutritional needs for their various activities.

The recipes in this book involve products that are easy to find and conform to our modern-day time constraints. You will also find tips for choosing the best foods and navigating your way through the grocery store to find the best choices for your wee ones. The book is not just good to read, but filled with beautiful photography, it is lovely to page through.

Authors Julie Stephensen and Sarah Fox also provide a way for you to create a fundraiser using their product. Check out the information on their site to learn how Super Snacks for Super Kids can be a healthy alternative to selling cookies!

So now, it is your chance to win a copy! You have until Thursday, April 25 at 11 pm CST to leave a comment on our blog about your kid’s (or nephew, niece, grandkids, friend’s kid, neighbor) favorite healthy treat! One entry per person. The winner will be announced on Friday, April 26.

You must be 18 and live in the continental United States to enter. 

Thanks for entering!

Seriously, the addition of salt is genius.  It makes all of the flavors pop.  I was somewhat hesitant to add sea salt on top of the cupcakes, but once I did and gave it a try I was hooked.

Salted Caramel cupcakes

Caramel Cupcakes
1 1/2 Cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 Cup Butter
2 Cups sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
4 eggs
2/3 Cup Caramel Coffee Creamer (you could use half and half if you don’t have the creamer)
1/3 cup Half and Half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 standard sized muffin tins with 24 liners.  Combine flours together and whisk.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, then the vanilla.  Add the flour in 3 batches, alternating with the the half and half and creamer as you go.   Spoon the mixture evenly into the lined muffin tin.  Bake for 15-17 minutes.  Let cool.

Salted Caramel Frosting
1 cup softened butter
1 cup caramel topping
6-8 cups powdered sugar
3-6 Tbsp milk

cupcake topping
1/2 cup caramel topping for drizzle
Sea Salt

Blend the butter and caramel topping together until creamy.  Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, adding small amounts of milk as you go in order to reach the right consistency.  Beat until creamy.  Frost the cooled cupcakes.  Drizzle with caramel and top with a pinch of sea salt.