365 in 365 - #104 - Holiday Tamales

Thank you soooo very much to the lovely and talented Sonia, aka Ms. Ruin, for coming to the house tonite to photograph the tamale making process.  It was such fun to visit with you, my sweet friend.

It is sooo tempting to post the recipe, but I cannot......at least not yet.  The recipe is for a magazine article that will be published in Plano Profile in November.  Once the article is published, then I can post the recipe here along with a few others that I promised to the magazine.  I'm such a tease, aren't I???

I have been busy working on recipes for the article and I promise that I will get back on track and begin posting recipes again for all of you.

Thank you, to everyone who visits this blog......I appreciate each visit.

From the heart of my purple kitchen to you, have a great nite!!

S.

365 in 365 - Adventures afoot......

Tonite, I am preparing 2 pans of pumpkin flan for a party I am catering tomorrow evening.  I am so very excited about this wonderful opportunity.  The menu is simple and straightforward:  quesadillas with salsa rojo and crema Mexicana, tortilla chips with roasted corn and black bean pico de gayo, fresh green salad with tomatoes, avocado, romaine lettuce, queso fresco and chipotle ranch dressing, watermelon water for Margaritas and pumpkin flan for dessert.

Then.....on Sunday, I will begin prep for an article that will be in a local magazine in November.  Next Friday, the food editor is coming to see me at home to do the interview and collect some recipes for the article.  I am so very excited and can't wait to spend some time with her.

I hope y'all have a blessed and wonderful weekend.

From the heart of my purple kitchen to you,
S.

365 in 365 - #??? - Hatch Chile Peppers

Hatch, New Mexico in the US is home to the greatest chile peppers in the world....the Hatch chile pepper.  This pepper ranges from very mild on the heat scale to very hot.    Each year, the Hatch Chile Festival comes to markets across the US.  Boxes, displays and pepper roasters burst at the seams with these green and red beauties.  As the season progresses, the character of the flavor changes and the color moves from green to red.  Each cache of peppers yields subtle differences in flavor and character while all are wonderful and simply addictive...Hatch chile peppers might just be my drug of choice.

Today, I spent some time at Central Market in North Texas selecting peppers: hot, mild, fresh and roasted.  I easily brought home 10 pounds....for this one trip.  Trust me, there will be more trips to the market over the next couple of weeks.

At this point in the evening, I am prepping the peppers for cooking by soaking them in cold water with a special cleanser to get rid of any "nasties" that might be lurking on the peppers.  I have several bunches of cilantro (someone, PLEASE make a perfume from this herb!!!), large, sweet onions, flour tortillas, cheese, chicken, beef, ground turkey, pork tenderloin and all the makings for cornbread.  Tomorrow, I will make a gorgeous picadillo with which to stuff the peppers and will bake them with a light tomato based sauce infused with flavors from the Southwestern US.  Other peppers will be stuffed with various other concoctions, of which I will post the recipes once they are tested.  

OOOOO - plantains.....yup, I will need some of those too.

For tonite, dinner was hatch chile pesto spread on fresh, soft and warm Hatch chile flour tortillas.

So, it is back to the kitchen I go to finish prepping and begin cooking savory and sweet treats using this annual gift from the American Southwest.

In stead of "be still, my beating heart".....that old saying has morphed into, "be cool, my burning tongue"....

From the heart of my purple kitchen to you, have a great evening!!!
S.

365 in 365 - #103 - Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I had forgotten all about this coffee cake until I found this recipe in my mom's shoebox.  This was a recipe that she would make for holiday morning breakfasts and is simply wonderful.  It is rich with a great moist texture, and very satisfying for anyone with a sweet tooth.

1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sifted flour
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream

Topping
1 cup chopped nuts
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar

Cream butter and sugar together and add eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated, add the vanilla
Add the sifted dry ingredients alternating with sour cream

Grease a tube pan and pour in half of the batter
Sprinkle with 1/2 of the topping, pour in the remaining batter and sprinkle with the remaining topping

Bake at 350' for approx. 45 minutes

Let cool before serving.

From my purple kitchen to you!

Enjoy,
Susan

365 in 365 - #102 - Mini Lemon Drop Cookies

This is a cookie recipe that I found folded up and tucked in between a few other recipes that my mom had in her shoebox.   I remember these cookies as a cool summer treat on a hot day.  They are bright and lemony with a cool finish.

1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 stick butter
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
7 teaspoons lemon zest
1 cup minced nuts - optional

Beat the butter and sugar together, add the eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated, then beat in the lemon zest.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and nuts (if desired)
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated

Drop by 1/2 teaspoon on greased cookie sheet
Bake at 375" for 8 - 10 minutes
Let cool and glaze

Lemon Glaze
4 cups of confectioners sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice

Add the lemon juice by tablespoon to the powdered sugar and mix until desired consistency and frost the cookies with glaze.  Sprinkle with yellow sugar crystals, if desired.

From my purple kitchen to you!

Enjoy,
S.

365 in 365 - #101 - Spicy Stuffed Peppers

I think every culture has a version of stuffed vegetables of some sort.  Some are stuffed with cheeses, other veggies, meats, plantains, tofu or other ingredients such as rice and beans.  Where I grew up, we had stuffed green bell peppers.  These were very easy to make with ground beef, onion, rice and tomato sauce.

But, over the past several years, I have come to fully enjoy a little spice in my life and have come to enjoy using a more zesty version of the pepper.  I love to use poblano peppers, but now that Hatch chile pepper season is here....this is my pepper of choice.

For an updated and spicy version of stuffed peppers, try this:

2 large jars of Picante sauce
12 to 18 Hatch chile peppers, washed with the tops cut off and seed pods removed
13 x 9 x 2 inch pan or larger if needed

For the stuffing:
1 pound of ground beef or ground turkey
1 large yellow onion, diced small
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Crumbled queso fresco for sprinkling over the top of the peppers

Mix all the stuffing ingredients together and stuff the mixture into the peppers, filling them from the narrow tip up to the top.
Place enough picante sauce in the bottom of the baking vessel to coat the pan
Lay the stuffed peppers in the pan and spoon over additional picante sauce on each pepper and keep the remainder of the sauce handy.  You may have to add some additional sauce to the pan.
Cover the pan with tin foil for the first 20 minutes of cooking, then remove the cover and let the sauce thicken.

Bake at 350' F for 30 to 45 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Serve with a green salad and black beans for a great southwestern inspired meal.

From my purple kitchen to you!!!

Enjoy,
S.

365 in 365 - #100 - Cornbread Stuffed Hatch Chiles

One of the best things in the world are Hatch chiles.  Each year, the bounty of mild to hot peppers is incredible and I purchase TONS of them to cook and freeze.  I buy them fresh and fire roasted and prepare them for use all year long.  There is something so sublime about Hatch chiles.  Yes, they really are different than "regular" chiles.

These are the chiles that the chile pepper wreaths are made from.  We have "ristras" hanging in the kitchen and usually have a pepper wreath on the front door in the cooler weather.

One of my favorite ways to fix them is to stuff them.  One very unique way that I prepare them is to fill them with my favorite cornbread recipe and bake them.  The cornbread recipe I use is a sweet version and everyone has their favorite.  Basically, prepare the chiles in this manner:

First, wash the peppers and then cut the tops off of them and remove the seed pod.  Line a jelly roll pan with tin foil and spray it with cooking spray.  Then, take  strips of tin foil and create a "log" about 2 inches in diameter by scruntching up the tin foil to form the log.

Then, mix up your cornbread recipe and fill the peppers about 2/3 of the way with the batter, being sure to get the batter down into the tip of the pepper.
Place the peppers with the open end up on the tin foil log and bake according to the cornbread recipe.

I think  you will be surprised at just how wonderful these are.  These also freeze very well if sealed well in saran wrap.

More Hatch chile recipes will be coming your way over the next few weeks.

From my purple kitchen to you!!!
Enjoy,
S.

365 in 365 - #99 - Heart Healthy French Toast

OK...here goes...this version of French toast can be served to just about anyone who is calorie conscious, even vegetarian.  Even this version will blast the "regular" version out of the pan.

I hope your arteries had a nice rest, because they are about to get a little tender, loving care.  

For the heart healthy version of French toast, you will need:
Egg substitute to equal 1 dozen eggs, mixed with with 1/3 cup of milk
2 teaspoons of real vanilla extract
1/2 cup of real maple syrup - please don't skimp on this ingredient
Optional - 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
10 - 12 slices of your choice of bread, low calorie / high fiber bread works great

A non-stick pan with cover, coated with your favorite low calorie cooking sprayReal maple syrup for pouring over the French toast
Or...you can use my recipe for Strawberry Jam with Dark Chocolate balsamic vinegar......complete YUMNESS!!!!!!

Soak each piece of bread in the egg batter.  You may need to squish it down with a fork until it is well soaked with the egg batter.  You also might need a spatula to pick it up and place it in the hot pan.  Spray the pan with cooking spray, but don't let it get browned.  Place 2 slices of the soaked bread into the pan and place the cover on the pan.

Let this cook for at least 10 minutes then check to see if it is browned on one side by gently lifting up a corner.  It might take an additional 5 to 10 minutes.  The trick here is to be patient.  Once the first side is browned, flip the toast over and place the cover back on the pan.  Let it cook an additional 10 minutes and check to see if  the second side is browned.  When the toast is done, it should be nice and puffy in the center of each piece.  When this comes out of the pan, it will deflate, so don't be surprised if it does.  Repeat the process until all the egg batter is gone.

This is a great make-ahead breakfast.  The version also freezes very well if wrapped tightly.  If you choose to reheat this in a microwave, reheat the toast by covering it with a damp paper towel on the defrost setting. This will keep the toast from becoming rubbery and tough.  I reheat this in a 325' (F) oven, wrapped in tin foil for about 15 minutes and then unwrap it and heat for an addition 5 minutes, just to crisp it up.


This version is wonderful and I'll bet, if you don't tell anyone that this is "heart healthy", they may not know the difference.


I would love to hear from y'all when you try this recipe.


From my purple kitchen to you,
Have a wonderful nite!!!
S.

365 in 365 - #98 - Real French Toast

Get ready....I'm about to blast all of those pieces of egg "dipped" bread out of the pan......

I am always surprised at what I see being labeled French toast.  Most of the time, the bread has barely had the briefest of introductions to the egg and then it is slapped in a pan to fry.  What comes out is simply a piece of bread with fried egg on it....BLECK!!!!!!

This version is not for the calorie conscious.  This is a "special occasion" version of the recipe.  Tomorrow, I will follow with the "heart healthy" version.  So please let your arteries rest easy tonite, salvation is on the way.

For the French toast that I am about to show you, you will need:
1 dozen eggs, beaten very will with 1/3 cup of heavy cream
2 teaspoons of real vanilla extract
1/2 cup of real maple syrup
Optional - 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
6 - 8 slices of home-made bread, cut at least 1/2 inch thick, preferably cut 3/4 of an inch thick

A well seasoned cast iron skillet with cover, heated on low to medium low heat.
Plenty of butter
Real maple syrup for pouring over the French toast
Or...you can use my recipe for Strawberry Jam with Dark Chocolate balsamic vinegar......complete YUMNESS!!!!!!

Soak each piece of bread in the egg batter.  You may need to squish it down with a fork until it is well soaked with the egg batter.  You also might need a spatula to pick it up and place it in the hot pan.  Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan and let it melt, but don't let it get browned.  Place 2 slices of the soaked bred into the pan and place the cover on the pan.

Let this cook for at least 10 minutes then check to see if it is browned on one side by gently lifting up a corner.  It might take an additional 5 to 10 minutes.  The trick here is to be patient.  Once the first side is browned, add a little more butter if needed and flip the toast over and place the cover back on the pan.  Let it cook an additional 10 minutes and check to see if  the second side is browned.  When the toast is done, it should be nice and puffy in the center of each piece.  When this comes out of the pan, it will deflate, so don't be surprised if it does.  Repeat the process until all the egg batter is gone.

This is a great make-ahead breakfast.  The toast freezes very well if wrapped tightly.  If you choose to reheat this in a microwave, reheat the toast by covering it with a damp paper towel on the defrost setting. This will keep the toast from becoming rubbery and tough.  I reheat this in a 325' (F) oven, wrapped in tin foil for about 15 minutes and then unwrap it and heat for an addition 5 minutes, just to crisp it up.

Tomorrow...the heart healthy version.

From my purple kitchen to you.

Have a great evening!!!
S.