Recipe Update: Chorizo Magic

Some of you may recall a tasty recipe I posted here a few months ago for Chile Rellenos stuffed with goat cheese. Last night I made them for Ned and decided to add some chorizo to the goat cheese filling. Let me tell you, it was fan-damn-tastic. Also, somewhere along the way, I realized that the rellenos benefit from a little drizzle of olive oil before you put them in the oven. The melty cheesy goodness with the extra kick of spice was just the treat we needed on a very cold evening.

So, my friends, go forth and make delicious Chile Rellenos a la Nancy and Ned. You won't be sorry!

(And special thanks again to the ever-fabulous Diana for the recipe inspiration in the first place!)

Gingerbread Bread Pudding

I made gingerbread last week for my Shrek the Halls gathering, and the recipe made a big 13x9 inch pan of the stuff. While it was delicious in its own right, it was getting a little dry after a couple days, and I wanted to find something fun to do with the extra gingerbread. Inspiration hit in the form of bread pudding!

I just cut up the gingerbread into squares and made a simple custard (I didn't bring the custard recipe with me today, but I'll add it in the comments tomorrow!), baked and viola! Fabulous Gingerbread Bread Pudding! It is quite delicious. Next time, I might add some chopped up walnuts in it, and it definitely benefits from a little ice cream (see below) or whipped cream. Oooh, I bet it would be extra extra good with maybe some pumpkin ice cream or maple walnut or something. Hmmmm, things to contemplate for the future.

All in all, a very successful experiment for a Saturday morning.

Shrek the Halls!

Last night, ABC premiered a new holiday special, Shrek the Halls, starring all of the original cast members of Shrek. I had a couple of gal pals over to watch and eat gingerbread and we loved it! It's cute and funny and sweet - just what you'd expect a Shrek special to be. I think my favorite part was when the Gingerbread Man sneezed a chocolate kiss. Funny! Also, who knew ogre babies were so darn cute?

For you crafty types, may I recommend taking a cue from Shrek and hanging a toilet seat wreath on your door for a festive touch?

I also recommend Emeril's Gingerbread recipe from the Food Network web site. Very tasty, very easy, and particularly excellent under a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Thanksgiving in Thailand?

2 sweet potatoes, baked for 30-40 minutes in 400 degree oven; then cubed
1 lb green beans, washed, snapped in half.
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 can coconut milk
1/2 C chicken stock
1-2 T curry paste (green or red)
Brown sugar, lime juice, ginger, garlic cilantro, salt to taste
Cooked rice

Quick saute pieces of chicken in hot skillet with plenty of oil. Set aside.
Quick saute green beans in same manner, set aside.
Drain oil from pan, leave the nice bits of browned stuff in the bottom, add the chicken stock to deglaze. Add the coconut milk, curry paste, brown sugar, lime juice, ginger, garlic to taste. Reduce the sauce for 5-10 minutes. Add more sugar/lime juice to balance flavors. Remember the potatoes are a bit sweet and will also thicken the sauce a little bit.
Add sweet potatoes, chicken, green beans to the sauce, simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Add cilantro if desired.

Serve over the hot rice.

Apple Cider Braised Pork Roast

Sear pork blade roast in skillet.

Place seared roast in oven safe roasting pan. Slice 3-4 tart appples; 2-3 onions into the pan. Pour on 2-3 cups spiced apple cider. Sprinkle with sage, salt and pepper.

Roast at 350 degrees for 3 hours. Add more spiced cider to the pan as needed.

Serve with mashed taters and green beans.

Ramona -- did you like this for dinner?

Pie Crust for the Pie-Crust-Challenged

Pie Crust recipe from the Longaberger Cookbook:

2 cups flour
1/2 Tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup lard
1 small egg, beaten
1/2 Tbsp vinegar
1/4 cup water

Sift together four, sugar and salg. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the lard until mixture resembles course crumbs. Mix together egg, vinegar and water, then add to flour mixture. Mix until dough is moist enough to form a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 mintues. Divide dough in half and roll out just like any other pie crust.

I never use lard - I usually use Crisco, but sometimes butter. Also, I don't usually have small eggs on hand, so I just use what's in the fridge (usually large) and it doesn't seem to matter.

Pesto

10-15 leaves of basil -- roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic -- gently browned over low heat in 1/4 olive oil
1/3 C pinenuts -- lightly toasted
1/3 C grated romano cheese

Toss every thing into the blender/food processor and give it a whir until it's the texture you desire. Yum!

I made this last night with basil from the garden! Yum.

Chile Rellenos

Last night I made Chile Rellenos for a couple of friends and they were quite delicious! So I thought I'd share them with you! The recipe is from my pal Diana, who was inspired by Chile Rellenos she had at Bobby Flay's restaurant Mesa Grill. The version I made (below) made 6 rellenos, which I made for 3 people as the main dish. As you can see, the recipe is easy to expand or shrink depending on your crowd, or if you're making them for a side dish instead.

Diana's Fab Chile Rellenos

* Take your chile peppers (I used 6 Anaheim peppers, but poblanos would work too, I'm told) and roast them on the grill or under the broiler untill they are blackened, flipping them to get all sides.
* Remove peppers from oven and place in a paper bag to cool - the steam will help separate the skins from the peppers!
* When peppers are cool, carefully remove skins, then make a slit in each pepper and remove the membrane and seeds from inside.
* Combine 8 oz goat cheese with some cojita or jack cheese (or other cheese of your choice). I think I used about a handful of jack cheese for mine.
* Stuff the peppers with the cheese!
* Make an assemby line with your stuffed peppers, a dish of beaten eggs (D recommends one whole egg plus two egg whites), and a plate with cornmeal. (Season cornmeal to taste with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, whatever else sounds good to you.)
* Coat peppers in egg, then dredge in the cornmeal mixture, and arrange in a greased baking dish.
* Bake at 375 degrees 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melty and heated through.

Stealing another idea from the brilliant Diana, I served my rellenos with a tasty chopped salad of romaine, red onion, black beans, corn, mango and avacado. I whipped up a simple dressing of lime juice, vinegar and olive oil, plus a little salt and pepper and just a splash of lemon juice. It was simple and quite tasty!

So, hooray for good food and terrific friends!