Southwestern Pasta Bake

Hello to my favorite foodie gang! I thought Springtime had come to my little corner of Washington but it was just a tease. One day of sunshine and 60+ weather, now we are back to drizzle. Even my tulips are confused by this crazy weather. I really want to get my new batch of herbs planted and get my garden set up, but I don't want to get soaking wet to do it! 


Anyway. let me get to today's recipe. We are on #153 Southwestern Pasta Bake. To be honest, this was one of those recipes that I read and thought it sounded OK but I wasn't in a huge hurry to make it. For some reason I just wasn't putting all of the ingredients together in my head and come up with YUM. Also, I had it on my shopping list and had picked up all of the groceries but I was having a hard time finding a night to cook when someone besides Kevin and I would be eating. I am sure that you all trust our opinions, but I like to have more to offer.


Finally I gave up and made it for dinner. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted. Kevin and I really liked it. Of course I feel the heat could have been kicked up a notch. I even kept the ribs and seeds with the jalapeño, but next time I would go for two peppers at least.  Of course for those of you that like it on the milder side, if you remove the ribs and seeds of the pepper you will be just fine.


I also had more like 2 pounds of chicken vs the 26 ounces called for because I had chicken breasts in the freezer already so I used 4 of those and they were bigger breasts. I liked how meaty it made the dish though.


After Kevin and I had our fill we put the leftovers in a Rubbermaid container and popped it into the freezer for a night when I didn't feel like cooking, not that I have many of those, but just to have it. The next night Seth and Melissa came over unexpectedly and I didn't have anything planned. Kevin and I looked at each other and both had the same idea, we needed their input on the recipe, so we pulled it out, warmed it up and had it for dinner a second night. Actually, I think it was even better the second time. Maybe because the flavors had time to really get happy together? I am not sure, but the kids both really liked it. 


So this dish went from one that really didn't grab me, to one that is a winner in my book.


Sorry, I forgot to take a picture. Bad Bobbi!


Southwestern Pasta Bake


Ingredients


Coarse salt
1 pound penne rigate or cavatappi (corkscrew) pasta
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (twice around the pan)
4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon ground cumin (1 palmful)
1 tablespoon ground coriander (1 palmful)
2 tablespoons chili powder (2 palmfuls)
Coarse black pepper
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3/4 pound sharp yellow cheddar cheese (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/4 fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (a generous handful)
1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped (a couple of handfuls)


Preheat the broiler to high and position the rack 8 inches from the heat.


Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the boiling water and cook the pasta until slightly undercooked-a little chewy at the center.


While the water is coming to a boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat with vegetable oil. Season the chicken with cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Add the seasoned chicken to the hot skillet and cook until light brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeño and continue to cook for 5 minutes, While the chicken is cooking with the onions, make the Cheddar sauce.


In a medium sauce pot, melt the butter and add the flour to it. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes over moderate heat, whisk in the milk. When the milk comes to a bubble, stir in the cheese, cilantro, and parsley with a wooden spoon. Season with a little salt and pepper and remove the cheese sauce from the heat.


Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it back to the large pot, add the contents of the chicken skillet and all of the cheddar sauce, and stir to combine. Transfer to a baking dish and place under the broiler to lightly brown.


Serves 4


*When I reheated the pasta bake the next night, I warmed the container in a hot water bath. Once it was fairly thawed out I transfered it to the casserole dish and topped it with panko bread crumbs. Then cooked it in a 350 over for 40 minutes.


Chicken Breast



Chicken Southwestern

Switching Things Up In A Curry

Hello my fellow foodies! Hope this afternoon is treating you well. If you can tell I am in a wonderful mood! The sun is shining here in my little corner of Washington, and there isn't a rain cloud in sight. Oh happy day!!


OK, back on track, last night's recipe. Well last night was supposed to be recipe #57 Turkey Cutlet Parmigiano with Warm, Fresh Grape Tomato Topping, Pesto, and Mozzarella. Sounds yummy no? Well, we still don't know since Miss Forgetful over here forgot one of the ingredients for the recipe. Well actually I drank it. It called for white wine and I, not realizing I needed it for last nights recipe, drank the last glass of it a few nights ago. I guess that will teach me to pay attention right?


So here I am, in a bit of a panic, it is time to start cooking and I have no idea what I am going to make. My son Seth was here and his answer of course was to order pizza, ummm no. It was hard to explain to him that I am cooking every night so I can share the experience and information here on my blog. He just thinks I am crazy.


Now I grab my calendar and see what the next recipe is. OK, recipe #147 Italian Style Garlic Shrimp with Cherry Tomatoes and Thin Spaghetti. Sounds awesome......dang it....the shrimp are frozen....UGH....NEXT? Saturdays recipe, #40 Mostly Green Curry Chicken over Coconut Jasmine Rice. Do I have everything I need for it? BINGO gang we have a winner!! 


This was a wonderful finish to a crazy chaotic start. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this one. I have only cooked with coconut milk once before, a parchment wrapped chicken with veggies in coconut milk, and it just didn't do anything for me. But I jumped in feet first to get this one done, determined it was going to be good. WOW was I right! Not only was it good, it was fantastic! Kevin ate all of his bowl and finished mine, and Seth had quite a bit as well. I sent some home with him for Melissa because we both said it was one she would love.


I stayed close to the recipe on this one. I switched a yellow bell pepper for the green one, but hey the recipe said "mostly" green right? I used a large jalapeño pepper and finely chopped it. I am not sure if it was a typo or the step was just omitted for some reason, but it only says to cut it in half and seed it. Possibly I was supposed to use it in the cooking and then remove it before serving, but it didn't say that either so I made a judgement call. You know most of us here like things spicy so I was more than happy to have that jalapeño in there. 


I also added 1/2 cup cilantro instead of the 1/4 cup it called for. That was just because, well, I love, love, love cilantro so I couldn't help myself. With the scallions, I sliced about 5 or 6 because I used the green tops in place of the chives for the Aussie Meat Pie recipe. I like onions, so it worked well.


Last but certainly not least, the hot sauce. To me curry needs to have a bit of a bite. I don't mean it needs to bite your head of, but a little nibble at least is needed. The recipe says to use Tabasco to taste but, like I said in Aussie Meat Pie posting, I use Franks Red Hot or Sriracha. I used the Franks this time and a good amount. Probably about 10 to 12 shakes of the bottle. I made sure and salted well too. 


End result......total YUMMINESS!!! Kevin said this is definitely a keeper and I 100% agree. The picture isn't the prettiest but trust me the taste is GREAT!

Oh oops I also doubled the rice part of the recipe, we like starch in this family! I think it was a good idea and you will still have enough coconut milk.

Mostly Green Curry Chicken over Coconut Jasmine Rice

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 13 1/2 ounce can coconut milk
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 4 6 to 8 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped into bite sized pieces.
• salt
• black pepper
• 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced 
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 small jalapeño, cut in half and seeded
•  3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• zest and juice of one lime
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves (a handful), chopped
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves (a couple of handfuls), chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
• hot sauce, such as (I say Franks Red Hot) Tobasco, to taste

 Directions
In a sauce pot combine 1 cup of chicken stock, 1/4 cup of the coconut milk, and the jasmine rice. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 to 18 minutes. Turn the heat off and keep the rice covered until ready to serve.


While coconut jasmine rice is cooking, preheat a large non-stick skillet over high heat with about 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces, spreading them evenly across the the pan, and brown chicken on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the browned chicken to a plate and reserve. Add the last tablespoon of the vegetable oil to the pan. Add the green bell peppers, onions, garlic, jalapeño, ginger, and broccoli florets. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the veggies start to wilt. To the skillet add the remaining coconut milk and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat, and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken back to the skillet, and return it to a simmer for about 2 more minutes. add the lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, scallions, parsley, and frozen peas. Stir to thoroughly combine. Simmer a minute more to heat the peas, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Add some hot sauce if you like heat. Serve over coconut jasmine rice.


Serves 4

Curry Chicken

It's Salsa Stoup Time

The last time we talked dear readers I was catching peoples mouths on fire. But, it was a good fire. Is that like the people in Arizona that say "but it's a dry heat"? Anyway, last nights supper was recipe #24 for those that are following along. For those that are not, it was Salsa Stoup with Double Decker Baked Quesadillas. Kevin, Seth, Melissa and I all ate. All of us agreed it could have been spicier but after the fiery hot ribeye escapade I was trying to tone it down a bit so I followed the recipe, well for the most part I did. Just to let you know, I didn't color inside the lines when I was a kid and I did run with scissors! Oops, back on track, I did use a potato masher to break up the tomatoes after I added them, and I probably added twice the amount of chicken stock that it called for. I know I am bad but I just can't help it, it just seemed reallllly thick to me and I wanted it more "stoupier".


I sent the left overs home with Melissa and Seth and told her that I think if she added some hot sausage to the "stoup" and then poured it over noodles it would be really good. I am always trying to help them find ways to make dinner that doesn't cost them an arm and a leg. Well, aren't we all right? But I know how hard it can be to make recipes for just two people, so if I can help out I do.


The quesadillas were good. I liked the green onions in them for crunch, but again I was looking for some heat. For those of you that are not big pepper or spice lovers please make this meal. The soup was a nice twist on regular tomato soup and the quesadillas are cheesy and yummy. For us wild ones, kick up the heat. Add Serrano peppers instead of jalapenos and maybe do three instead of 2. Live life dangerously! Seriously this is a great quick meal for someone that doesn't want the traditional grilled cheese sammy and tomato soup.


Doesn't it look yummy? 

Salsa Stoup and Double-Decker Quesadillas


Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (twice around the pan), plus some for brushing the tortillas
2 Jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 28 ounce can stewed tomatoes (may need to chop these to make them easier to eat)
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock or broth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
6- 6 to 8 inch flour tortillas
3 scallions, chopped
1 cup shredded Pepper Jack
Sour cream, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 F.

Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and the jalapenos, bell peppers, onions, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, then saute the veggies for 5 minutes. Add all the tomatoes and stock and bring to a bubble. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the cilantro.

Paint one side of 2 tortillas with oil and place them, oiled side down, on a large cookie sheet. Mix the cheddar with the scallions and divide between the tortillas evenly. Top with another tortilla and top each of those with equal amounts of Pepper Jack Cheese. Set the last tortillas on top and brush the tops with oil. Bake the quesadillas for 10 minutes, then cool for 5 minutes to set. Cut each into 6 wedges.

Serve each bowl of stoup with 3 wedges of quesadilla along side and sour cream for topping either.





Salsa Soup

It's Gettin' Hot In Here!!!

Well I can tell you honestly right now that Rachael was not lying when she named this recipe Fiery Hot! From the meat to the sauteed peppers and the chipotle smashed potatoes there was no room for anymore heat. But it was sooooooo good!


Let me take you on a little journey... Ok I think I mentioned that even though the recipe was for Fiery Hot "T-Bones" I was making Ribeyes. I know, I know, I said I would try to stick close to the recipes but in this case I had to twist it up a bit because Kevin only like Ribeyes, something I am going to remedy him of, but that it why none the less. 


So with that said, I started out on my quest to find the most AWESOME Ribeye steaks I could find in my tiny little town and BINGO I hit the jackpot!!

Are those babies gorgeous or what?!?!? I was so excited to find them that my nerves about cooking them didn't kick in until I was unwrapping them on the prep board so they could warm up while I got working on the rub and prepping the veg. All of a sudden I looked at them and my mind yelled, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" I hate it when I yell at myself! But seriously folks, I have NEVER cook a piece of meat, aside from a roast, that thick so I was a bit nervous. Rachaels recipe calls for 1 1/2" thick steaks not almost 3" ones! But once I took a step back I realized that I could draw on my memories of endless hours of Food Network shows, Man Vs Food, Hells Kitchen, etc, I was able to calm myself.

With my new found confidence I started the rub. Since the steaks were bigger I decided I would make more of the rub and it was a good call. I did have extra but I would rather have too much than not enough. I just double the recipe but looking back I guess I could have just made 50% more. 

I let the steaks rest with their nice warm coating and got the potatoes chopped and in the water. I knew I had to adjust the time a bit to allow for the extra cooking time for the steaks so I opted to get all of my prep done at once instead of doing things along the way like Rachael. So the potatoes are in the pot covered with water and my veggies are prepped. See I even have my garbage bowl ready to go.

           

                      

I decided I would try the whole "restaurant style" of cooking these steaks, so I got my cast iron pan screamin' hot with some oil, and once it started to smoke I put my steaks on. Thank goodness I only bought two because they took up whole whole pan.

I seared them for 6 mins on high heat and then turned them.............

.......and the smell in my kitchen was AMAZING!!! Although my smoke detector was less than happy about the situation and let me know this over and over again...LOUDLY, I could barely contain my excitement. No one was home so I was sad that I didn't have anyone to share this with. It was almost like Christmas! I know I am weird but hey, food does it for me.

I let them sear on the other side for the same (5 to 6 mins per side on high heat) and then popped them into an oven that I had preheated to 350. As soon as I got them in I dropped the temp to 300 and left them in for 15 minutes. Now I started the potatoes and went with the recipe from there. I rendered the bacon and added the onions and chipotle powder and MAN as soon as that all started working together the smell was well, just awesome. 

Kevin was home now and the fist thing he said was, "Where is this bacon going?" and when I told him it was going in the smashed potatoes he got a big smile on his face. I will say though, it may have been the chipotle powder I got, but I think a full tablespoon of it in the smashed poatatoes was borderline too much. Although it was the kind of heat that takes you just to the edge without pushing you over, it was too much for Jessi and Melissa.

Now I pulled the steaks out of the oven and got them on the plate to rest while I did the veg. Everyone's, and I mean EVERYONE'S jaws dropped when they saw the steaks come out. I just prayed they were as good as they looked and smelled.

Those would make a carnivore out of just about anyone! After I gathered myself back together I sauteed the peppers, and I did them a bit longer than the 5 minutes the recipe called for. I used a lid to sweat them a bit and let them get some nice color on them (probably doubled the time). 

Now Jessi wanted me to make sure and tell everyone that she, the girl that doesn't like anything spicy, could not stop eating the steak. I am serious it was a jaw dropper to me guys. She doesn't like too much black pepper on things! But this girl was eating bite after bite. I made a plate for Kevin and he beelined it out of the kitchen, while the rest of us, Seth, Melissa, Jessi, and I, attacked the other steak like a bunch a rabid hyenas!! I am amazed we all came out of it with 10 fingers!

So I guess my opinion all in all. If you don't like it hot I would cut the chipotle in half and try it. If you like a thicker steak, my method made perfect medium rare steaks, but I say, as well as the rest of my gang, TRY THIS ONE!! It was HOT!! 

Until tomorrow, keep your taste buds happy!!

Fiery Hot Texas T-Bones with Chipotle Smashed Potatoes and Hot and Sweet Pepper Saute

Ingredients

• 3 whole jalapenos
• 3 bell peppers, choose 3 different colors
• 2 1/2 pounds small potatoes, such as baby Yukon gold or small red skin potatoes, coarsely chopped
• Salt
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chipotle powder, divided
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon dark chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
• 2 large T-Bone steaks 1 1/2 inches thick, 2 1/2 pounds total
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 3 turns of the pan, divided
• 1/4 cup bourbon, eyeball it

Directions

Seed and slice the hot and sweet fresh peppers and reserve.

Cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Add salt to boiling water. Cook potatoes until tender, 10-12 minutes. Chop and brown bacon in a small skillet and add a tablespoon of chipotle powder and onions. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat until onions are tender. When potatoes are tender, drain and return to hot pot. Add bacon mixture and sour cream to the potatoes. Smash potatoes and season with salt, to taste.

While potatoes are working, combine dry spice rub: chili powder, remaining chipotle powder, cumin and grill seasoning. Rub steaks liberally on both sides with the mixture. Heat a 12 to14-inch skillet screaming hot. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan. It will smoke. Add steaks and do not turn for 6 minutes. Flip and cook another 6 minutes for medium rare, up to 10 minutes for well done. Remove skillet from flame and add bourbon. Return steaks to stove and flame the pan. When the fire goes out, transfer the meat to a large serving platter and pour pan juices over the top. Let meat rest for juices to redistribute. Return pan to heat and add remaining tablespoon vegetable oil to the skillet. Add hot and sweet peppers to the pan and saute them for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pile peppers alongside steaks.

Remove meat from the T bones and cut into 4 portions. Top with some peppers and pile some chipotle smashers along side. Spoon drippings and juices over meat and serve.

**side note - this WILL I mean I GUARANTEE it will cause a lot of smoke. Open windows and turn off the smoke detector it you can!!

Rib Eye Steak