Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Mexican Grilled Corn “Elote” – The Last Grilled Corn Recipe I’ll Ever Need
I have no idea how authentic this is, as I’ve never had this in Mexico, or even prepared by actual Mexicans, so let’s play it safe and just say this was inspired by “elote,” as it’s called. I’m sure there are hundreds of variations, but the one constant seems to be the final step, which consists of grating copious amounts of Cotija cheese over the seasoned ears.
Cotija can be found in any large grocery store (at least in California), and for me it’s like a bland, slightly drier Feta cheese. I know that doesn’t sound especially appetizing, but when combined with the creamy chili mayo, and the smoky grilled corn, it’s absolutely to die for. In a pinch, Parmesan or Feta would work, but I can’t imagine it being as perfect.
There should be no shortage of fresh corn on the cob this time of year, so I highly encourage you to get some (twice as much as you think you are going to eat), and give this amazing recipe a try soon. Enjoy!
corn on the cob, boiled in salted water for 5 minutes, drained
melted butter, as needed
grated cotija cheese, as needed
For the chili mayo (makes enough for about 8 ears):
generous 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp ground ancho chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
juice of one lime
salt to taste if needed
View the complete recipe
salt to taste if needed
View the complete recipe
I Think Therefore I Am… a Winner of a Blogging Award!
I want to thank Nessa (pictured below) for naming me as a recipient of the Thinking Blogger Award! She gave me this award a while ago, but I am just now getting around to making the announcement.
You guys know how modest I am. Part of this great honor is that I must now give this award to five other blogs. It was almost impossible to choose only five from all the great blogs I visit and link to. But, after careful thought, and several coin-flips, I hereby bestow this Thinking Blogger Award to the following blogs:The Culinary Chase
Egg and Soldier
Janet is Hungry
sum.ptuo.us
Noshtalgia
Noshtalgia
Congratulations, and now you have to choose 5 winners.
Good luck with that!
Good luck with that!
Quick Personal Update:
My Mom’s surgery went well, and she sends along her thanks to all the well wishers and Key Lime commentators. I will be returning to San Francisco on July 26th and getting back to regular production. Finally, no I haven’t had a Garbage Plate yet, but will. I’ve been trying to get a hold of a portable defibrillator before I dig in.
My Mom’s surgery went well, and she sends along her thanks to all the well wishers and Key Lime commentators. I will be returning to San Francisco on July 26th and getting back to regular production. Finally, no I haven’t had a Garbage Plate yet, but will. I’ve been trying to get a hold of a portable defibrillator before I dig in.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Hamilton Beach 33967 Set n Forget 6 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker
This programmable Hamilton Beach Set n Forget Slow Cooker comes with a thermometer probe for meat and a clip-on spoon. It features three choices for easy, automatic cooking: Probe, Program and Manual. It has full-grip handles and a clip-tight gasket lid for portability. It also has power interrupt protection.Price: $59.99
Click here to buy from Amazon
SEMI HOMEMADE SOUP

SEMI-HOMEMADE SOUP
This is a very tasty and easy way of preparing soup in a few minutes. Personally I don’t prefer canned soups because of its preservatives but I love the taste of these soups than the homemade ones. Recently I started getting readymade dried soup packets and these were good too but most of the time the vegetables added in them was less. I tried adding frozen vegetables to the readymade soup mixture and I liked it very much. Then onwards, I started preparing soups this way. In this soup, I added beans, carrots, cauliflower, frozen peas and corn. The soup mixture used here is sweet-corn. The measurements I have used here are for 2 persons. They can be increased or decreased accordingly.
INGREDIENTS:
Instant soup mix, (any kind) ½ packet.
Vegetables like, beans, carrots, cauliflower, peas, corn, everything coming to cup when cut.
Cilantro for garnishing, a handful.
Salt and pepper as required.
PREPARATION:
I have used a mixture of frozen and fresh vegetables here. If frozen vegetables are used, they can be added directly to the soup. Chop the fresh vegetables and cook them in microwave for 2 minutes and keep aside. Heat a pot with 2 cups of water. When the water starts to boil, add ½ pack of the soup and stir everything well. Add the cooked vegetables and frozen corn and peas and keep stirring for a few minutes. Turn off the stove when the soup reaches the desired consistency. Garnish with cilantro, add salt and pepper and serve hot with bread or crackers.
Chicken Tikka Masala
*Note: I read up a bit about garam masala - the spice used in this dish (and many other Indian dishes). There is a great variance in what is in it, so this may alter what your end product tastes like. I went to an Indian food store here in the city (so cheap) and asked the ladies there what they recommended. They showed me one they liked and so I got it. After we tried it, I felt like the dish needed about twice as much, so thats why there is a range there. Taste the sauce as you go, and add more as you see fit. Also, if you cant find garam masala, the recipe indicates that you can combine 2 tsp. ground coriander, 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom, 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper and use that as a substitute.
Chicken Tikka Masala
(serves 4-6)
CHICKEN
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
1 c. plain whole-milk yogurt
2 T. vegetable oil
1 T. grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
SAUCE
3 T. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 fresh serrano chile, ribs & seeds removed, flesh minced
1 T. tomato paste
1-2 T. garam masala*
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. sugar
salt, to taste
2/3 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
For the chicken: Combine salt, cumin, coriander, and cayenne in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk yogurt, oil, ginger, and garlic together in large bowl and set aside.
For the sauce: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, serrano, tomato paste, and garam masala and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.
To cook the chicken: While sauce simmers, position oven rack 6 inches from heating element and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discart excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until thickest part registers 160 degrees and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10-18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.
Let chicken rest minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro, season with salt to taste and additional garam masala if needed, and serve over rice. (Sauce can be made ahead, refrigerated for up to 4 days and gently reheated before adding hot chicken).
Monday, March 31, 2014
Tacos

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of meat (Your choice. We often use beef and chicken. And leftovers from kabobs are excellent.)
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Green Bell Pepper
*You can also use a frozen mix of stir fry veggies. We often go that route as we enjoy this recipe a lot. It’s a lot easier to keep the bag of frozen veggies than to have everything fresh on hand.
Shredded Cheese
Teriyaki Sauce (recipe below)
Rice (enough for your family)
Tortillas (enough for your family)(We like whole wheat)
Sour Cream
Teriyaki Sauce:
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
2 Tbs Ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
Mix well. Add up to a cup of water to stretch the sauce and make it go further. Or just to tame the bold taste.
Directions:
Marinade your meat in the teriyaki sauce for a few hours, if desired.
Put your rice on to cook. I use a rice cooker. It’s a set it and forget it deal here. Chop your veggies and meat into thin strips. Sauté them in a frying pan or wok with a little bit of oil. After they start to soften, add the teriyaki sauce to the pan. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Add cornstarch to thicken the sauce as needed. Season as desired. We enjoy a little garlic and some John’s Steak and Seasoning. You can warm your tortillas, if desired.
When the rice is done, serve. Lay your tortilla out, and put everything else inside. Top with shredded cheese and sour cream. Wrap up and enjoy!
--
Krista
While He Was Napping
whilehewasnapping.
whilehewasnapping.etsy.com
whilehewasnapping.
whilehewasnapping.etsy.com
Palakkai Koottu Baby Jackfruit Curry

Palakkai Koottu (Baby Jackfruit Curry)
This is a well known dish for the people hailing from Chettinad.Achi’s are very crazy of this veg and just because of that a small baby jackfruit will cost 30 or 35 Rs in that area. If anyone in chettinad manages to get one baby jack they will surely share half of it with their friends or close relatives since it is a rare find tasty veg. But I am lucky to have a jack fruit tree in my garden and I cook this often in season. This is a sure item to be cooked on pongal day and so however costly it is at that time, people will buy one and share atleat a small piece. During all functions the first item in the lunch menu list will be this curry if they could somehow manage to get this. I know all will be wondering what is special in this that the achis are so crazy about it.The answer you can get once you taste it and I am sure that all from chettinad would have for sure tasted the curry and will agree with me. Now a days with the pressure cooker, cooking the curry is also very easy. Only difficulty is the cutting part. Once you are experienced, it is a 10 minute job. Half baby jackfruit will be enough for this curry. In the next half we can make Pilakkai pirattal,another famous item made out of this veg
This is a well known dish for the people hailing from Chettinad.Achi’s are very crazy of this veg and just because of that a small baby jackfruit will cost 30 or 35 Rs in that area. If anyone in chettinad manages to get one baby jack they will surely share half of it with their friends or close relatives since it is a rare find tasty veg. But I am lucky to have a jack fruit tree in my garden and I cook this often in season. This is a sure item to be cooked on pongal day and so however costly it is at that time, people will buy one and share atleat a small piece. During all functions the first item in the lunch menu list will be this curry if they could somehow manage to get this. I know all will be wondering what is special in this that the achis are so crazy about it.The answer you can get once you taste it and I am sure that all from chettinad would have for sure tasted the curry and will agree with me. Now a days with the pressure cooker, cooking the curry is also very easy. Only difficulty is the cutting part. Once you are experienced, it is a 10 minute job. Half baby jackfruit will be enough for this curry. In the next half we can make Pilakkai pirattal,another famous item made out of this veg

Ingredients
Baby jackfruit (half)-Skin removed and cut into small pieces
Big onion-1
Tomato-1
Sambar powder-2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder-1/2 teaspoon
Thoor Dhal-2 hand fulls

To season
Mustard seed-1 teaspoon
Cumin seed-1 teaspoon
Urudh Dhal-1 teaspoon
Curry leaf little
Corriander leaves to garnish
Procedure
Length wise cut the baby jack fruit into two halves. Soak a small tissue in oil and wipe of the milk coming out from the jack fruit. Peel off 1cm skin from the veg and cut into small pieces as shown in the picture. Chop the onions and tomatoes. Now in a pressure pan or small cooker put the cut jack fruit, onion and tomato pieces. Add the thoor dhal,sambar powder and turmeric powder also. Add water till the whole thing is just inside water. Add the salt needed also. Mix everything well and keep the cooker in the stove. Wait for the first whistle. After that reduce the flame and cook for just 5 minutes. After the pressure goes open the cooker. In a kadai in one table spoon of oil season the curry with the items given in ‘to season’ and pour the curry from the cooker into the kadai. Check for the exact taste and if anything is missing add that and bring the curry to a boil and switch off. Garnish with coriander leaves. The consistency is semi solid

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