Happy Halloween

Is it me or does it feel like its been Halloween for a week now? I guess its because people have been celebrating and dressing up since last Friday. I've said it before Halloween is not my jam. I will say every year I am a little disappointed to not get any trick or treaters in our complex. 

Trick or Treating is the one aspect of Halloween I really enjoy. Plus if we don't have trick or treaters, that means we don't have any reason to buy a massive bag of candy. Which is a bummer, because it just isn't Halloween without a fun size snickers or a peanut butter cup. Normally I could careless about candy, but today I just one a couple of my favorite childhood treats!

I am in luck I did spy one last pumpkin cupcake with spicy butter cream in my fridge so that will have to be my Halloween treat for the day. After today its full steam ahead to Thanksgiving! I can hardly wait to breakout the Christmas music!

Good food and wine at Twisted Vine!

Tonight I had the honor and the privilege to attend the soft opening of Twisted Vine Bistro and Wine Bar. One of my dear friends Mia Saling is the Executive Chef at Twisted Vine, and I could not wait to try the menu.

Since it is a wine bar, the first order of business was to select a glass of wine. I was going to go with a glass of processco to start, then I was advised to try a glass of Frista, it is a sparkling wine from Chile that is infused with strawberries.

I really enjoyed this wine it was light fruity, and I could really taste the strawberries. It was a perfect way to kick off the meal. We started with the small plates. We ordered the yellow tail tostadas and the Molten  Brie Crisps.

The Yellow tail tostadas had a nice crunch, which I love because I am a texture junky. In contrast the guacamole and the cream sauce gave the tostadas a nice creamy balance, that paired beautifully with the perfectly cooked yellowtail.
The Molten Brie Crisp has a light crispy outer shell, that hides a melty gooey brie. On top there are port wine cherries and candied pistaschios which add a touch of sweetness to cheese. That sweetness actually helps cut the richness of the cheese.
Up next I had the tomato fennel soup. This soup is rich and creamy so silky smooth, I could not believe there is no heavy cream in this soup. That's right somehow Mia was able to create this amazingly rich and satisfying soup without the help of heavy cream. So if you want something that taste sinful but isn't get this soup!

We didn't stop at the soup, oh no! There were too many other tempting options on the menu we had to keep going! That's exactly what we did, we ordered the Sopressata, Prociutto and Fresh Mozzarella Flat bread.

This is a great flatbread for meat lovers. When this arrived at my table I was really drawn in by the beautiful colors of this flatbread. Don't let all that arugula fool you, there is some serious meat under there. I really enjoyed the freshness of the pesto against the prociutto. This is a yummy snack to share with some friends over a bottle wine or to split for dinner.

Twisted Vine isn't just savory, they have a nice sweet side too. For dessert we ordered the Chocolate cake with vanilla bean gelato. This cake is a chocolate lovers dream. I loved the vanilla bean gelato which was nice and cool against the warm chocolate cake. It was the perfect end to the meal.

It was such a lovely night, I am so very proud of Mia, she has put her heart and soul into this menu and the flavor of the food reflects her passion for cooking.

Congratulations Chef Mia! You ROCKED it!

**Life lesson: Seeing Mia living her dream and seeing the results of all her hard work and dedication was truly an inspiration for me. Watching her reminded me, to keep doing what I love and to never give up on my dreams! Thank you Mia for showing me that any thing is possible with hard work and love for what you do!

Happy Halloweekend!

I'll admit I don't get excited over Halloween. I don't care about dressing up, I hate scary movies and haunted houses. The thing I love about this time of year, is it kicks off the holiday season. I know that we are less than a month away from one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving. 

I've already started to think of menu ideas and I can't wait to have my family in town to enjoy all the food and festivities. So basically Halloween is the gateway to the funniest two months of the year! Since this is the Saturday before Halloween we are going to a party tonight.

Its a cool Halloween party because its based on food and not so much Halloween. So I am more that excited for that. I wish everyone a fun and safe Halloweekend!

Boo!

Classic Mexican Coctail, Not a Margarita!

When most people think of Mexican cocktails the Margarita is the first thing that comes to mind. Margartia's and tequila sunrises. While I love a good Margarita, I wanted to explore other Mexican cocktails.

While researching recipes for this week I came upon a drink called a Chico. Chicos were a popular cocktail during the World War II era. As time went on people stopped ordering Chicos in favor of the ever popular Margarita.

As I read the recipe for Chicos, I thought man this sounds really, really good. I think if more people tried Chico's they would agree. Maybe we could bring Chicos back! Since the weekend is here, why not give this cocktail a try.

Chicos:
1 shot sliver tequila
1 shot blackberry liqueur
Fresh lemon juice
Simple syrup
soda water
Fill a tall glass half full of ice. Add the tequila and the blackberry liqueur. Fill a shot glass with one-third lemon juice and two-thirds simple syrup; pour over ice. Top off the glass with soda water. Stir.

Cheers! TGIF!

The Truth about Lard

This is lard:

This may not be the lard your use to seeing. The lard most of us see is the kind we get in the store. Its pure white and usually hard until you heat it up. That lard is full of stabilizers and trans fats to make sure it doesn't spoil and can be stored at room temperature without melting. That is the lard that has given lard a bad rap for being un-healthy and causing heart disease and obesity.

The lard I used was fresh lard, and it will go bad in one week if not used. It will get soft and gooey at room temperature and it isn't as bad for you as a you might think. Lard has half the cholesterol of butter and one third of the saturated fat.

It makes amazing cookies, pie crust and tortillas! So next time a recipe calls for lard. Don't flinch with disgust and dread. Don't let images of EKG's and cardiac episodes fill your brain. Instead consider as you would any other fat a recipe calls for. Be sure to get the fresh lard from your local butcher or meat market.

Stay the hell away from that Snow Cap or Monteca crap on the store shelves!

My first Tortilla making attempt

I've eaten hundreds if not thousands of tortillas in my in my lifetime. Yet, I've never tried to make them myself. I've watched other people make them but never really thought of trying it myself. That all changed this week! Last night I made my first ever from scratch flour tortillas.

To my surprise Tortillas are really easy to make and take very few ingredients. To start I put four cups of flour into my mixing bowl.

The next ingredient is the most important ingredient and that is lard. Yep that's right good old fashioned fresh lard. When I say fresh I do not mean the stuff on the grocery store shelves that come tubs or logs. I mean freshly render pig fat from the butcher. Lucky for me I live near a Mexican meat market and they had plenty of fresh lard on hand for me to buy.

The lard gives the tortillas that soft smooth texture. Its the perfect fat for tortillas. After the lard I just added a dash of salt and a cup of water. Once all the ingredients were in the mixer I turned it on and let it mix for about five minutes.

I let the dough mix until it started to pull away from the bowl and come together in a ball. Now I covered the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for one hour.

Once the dough has rested I put it on a well floured surface. Then devided the dough into eight balls.

Here's were it started to get tricky. Now I had to roll the dough out into a circle. I found rolling out dough into a nice circle is harder than it seemed. So my tortillas came out a little irregular shapped.

Now its time to cook the tortillas. I heated my cast iron skillet and cooked the tortillas until they started to bubble then flipped it over and continue to cook on the other side. 

Now nothing left to do but eat! I love fresh hot tortillas especially with butter and honey. That is good eating! 

Even though they were perfectly round they were perfectly good! Now I just need some red chile and beans to eat with them. 

Have I mentioned I love Mexican food week?

Red chile chicken enchiladas

For as much Mexican food as I eat and have eaten in my life. I realized there are a lot of dishes I've never made at home. I've either had them at a restaurant or eaten them in someone else's home. So when I was looking through recipes for this week I realized that some of my favorite dishes I've never made for myself.

One of those dishes being rolled enchiladas. I've made green chile chicken enchiladas before, but those are more like a casserole that are layered and stacked. I've never made the single layered rolled enchiladas before and whats even crazier is I've never made red chile enchiladas. I figured it was high time I did.

To start the enchiladas I had to prepare the filling. In this case it was chicken. To make the chicken I stewed it in water with onions, garlic, bayleaf, pepper corns and cumin. Basically I made chicken broth. I used two chicken breast with the bone in and skin on. 

I let this cook for 40 minutes. While that was cooking I prepped my other ingredients which consisted of grating cheese and chopping one whole yellow onion.

Now the fun part frying the corn tortillas. I have I mentioned that I don't like to fry things? I really, really, do not enjoy having to fry anything. I mostly don't like frying because working with hot grease scares me and I hate it when the grease splatters and burns me. Anyway I had to get over it and fry my corn tortillas.

The key to frying corn tortillas for enchiladas is for the grease to be HOT! If the tortillas doesn't bubble and sizzle the second you put it in the skillet the grease isn't hot enough. I only fry them about 10-15 seconds on each side. I don't want them hard or crispy like chips. Just want them soft enough to roll.

By this time my chicken is cooked and ready to be shredded. 

I didn't forget that lovely chicken broth the chicken came out of. I strained it and put in the fridge to use in something else this week. Chicken's done, tortillas are fried, cheese and onions are ready so its time to make enchiladas. But wait, what about the enchilada sauce? Here is were most people go wrong with me is on their choice of enchilada sauce. 

I am from New Mexico and the only thing that ever goes on our enchiladas is either red or green chile. I mean it when I say this makes a huge difference in the taste of your enchiladas. Most store brand "enchilada sauces" are tomato based and too sweet, yuck! I love a nice simple red chile puree sauce. Which thanks to my mom I happened to have a fresh jar straight from New Mexico.

Red chile sauce can be made at home and is awesome. However its hard to find the New Mexico chiles in my hood so I used the jar sauce from one of my favorite New Mexico restaurants. Now time to assemble the enchiladas which is really easy.

To assemble all I did is take one corn tortilla put some fresh onion and shredded chicken in it then roll it up. Sorry I didn't get a picture of the chicken going in the tortilla but again I was hungry and in a hurry. I kept repeating this method until I had a dish full of enchilada rolls.

Next I poured my red chile sauce over the top.

Then added more fresh onions ( I really, like a lot of onion on my enchiladas).

Then I covered the whole thing is sharp Cheddar cheese.

I put these in the oven for 30 minutes to melt the cheese and heat through. Next time I will do it for 20 minutes 30 was a little too long. 

The final product looks like this!

Look at that warm bubbly goodness. It just brings a smile to my face and warms my heart whenever I look at it. Dinner was really good! The best part is there were left overs so I got to eat them again today! Life is good!

So far Mexican week is getting off to a great start!

Semana comida mexicana (Mexican Food week)

Oh happy, happy day! Since the day I started this challenged I've looked forward to this week. I LOVE Mexican food! It is truly my comfort food. When I feel sad or homesick I turn to Mexican food. So when I looked at the cooking schedule and saw that this week was Mexican I could hardly contain my excitement.

I am going to be honest Mexican food isn't really outside of my comfort zone. I am going to make a real effort to find recipes and dishes I've never made before so I still feel challenged. As I speak there is a pan of  enchiladas in the oven that I cannot wait to eat. I will be posting all the steps and pictures tomorrow.

I had a suggestion to make a new margarita everyday to go with the food. I am still thinking about that one. I am sure that at some point this week a margarita will make an appearance on this blog. Now comes the hard part what to make? So many recipes and only one week!

Bacon Jam!

Today we went to lunch with friends and as I looked over the menu, i couldn't really decide what to get.  Then something caught my eye under the grilled cheese sandwiches. There was an aged chedder grilled cheese with bacon jam and fresh tomatoes.

I looked at other items on the menu, but something just kept bringing me back to that grilled cheese sandwich. So I ordered it and I am so happy I did! To start the cheese was melted perfectly and the bread was the right combination of crunchy and chewy. Which for me is key to a good grilled cheese. What really made this sandwich was the bacon jam.

The bacon jam was salty but I was suprised because it was sweet too. The sweetness reminded me of carmalized onions. It was the perfect condiment for a grilled cheese sandwich. The saltiness cuts through the richness of the cheese and sweetness balances the sharpness of the aged chedder. I would have to say this was the best grilled cheese I have ever had. I really do greated that to the bacon jam. Seriously, everything is better with bacon!

Foodie Tip of the week

The best time to go to the grocery store, is on a Saturday night. Its fantastic, the store is basically empty there are no lines and you can get all your shopping done peacefully. This is especially good for stores like Trader Joe's that are often small and jammed packed with people most other nights. 

I really enjoyed not having the hassle of being run down with carts, or having to deal with rude senior citizens. Its the most peaceful time to grocery shop. Now you maybe thinking, but Kim I have a life! There's a reason why the stores are empty it's because people are out having fun on a Saturday night and not grocery shopping. I totally understand that, on the rare occasion you find yourself with nothing to do on a Saturday night you should go buy your groceries. 

If you go out late after nine you can go get your groceries before you go out. Then when your hungover on  Sunday you have food in the house and you don't have to leave. Its win/win! There you are if you want hassle free food shopping go on Saturday night. 

TGIF PEEPS!!!

Happy Friday everyone!

What better way to kick off the weekend, then to watch another funny episode of my drunk kitchen!

Cheers!

Have a fun safe weekend!

Easy as 1-2-3 Thai beef stew

I've spent the majority of this week stressing myself out over cooking Thai food. I was totally convinced that Thai food would be complicated and hard to make. Wow was I wrong! The recipe I made today could not have been more simple. In fact the actual active time to make this dish was only 10 minutes.

Thai Beef Stew is the easiest recipe I've executed thus far in this challenge. Its a great one pot meal that requires very little effort.

First I put in pound beef stew meat cut up in cubes into my crockpot. This dish can be made on the stove or in a crockpot. If you cook it on the stove it only takes two hours to make it.

Then I added one cinnamon stick, one bay leaf, two tablespoons of sugar and two star anise to the pot.

after all the spices are in its time to add the soy sauce, not just one soy sauce but two different kinds of soy sauce. I was really shocked when I saw that the recipe called for seven tablespoons of soy sauce! I though man this is going to be way too salty. I trusted the recipe and added two tablespoons of dark sweet soy sauce and five tablespoons of regular soy sauce.

Then I added one stalk of celery, the great part is I didn't even have to chop it up. I just had to break it in half and throw it in the pot. Seriously the easiest dish to to make. After celery was in I poured in two cups of water, then put the lid on and let it cook for about 3-4 hours.

Fast forward a few hours and I was ready to eat! I paired this stew with rice noodles and lots of fun garnishes. The recipe suggested, bean sprouts, green onion, garlic and cilantro. I put all of these in my stew except the garlic (I forgot about it). It turned to be a really nice satisfying soup! The broth was rich with lots of flavor. It wasn't salty at all I was surprised at how balanced all the flavors were.
To night I faced and my fear and realized I had no reason to be worried at all.

Where does the time go?

Wow how is it Wednesday already?! It feels like it was just Sunday yesterday. I'm only freaking out about this because I realize the week is half done and I still need to make some Thai food. Not to worry I have a plan I will be a cooking machine over the next couple of days. Provided I can find all of the ingredients I need.

This is the first time in a long time I am not happy that Friday is almost here. I better get cracking!

Thai Food week

A new week has begun and with it a new country. This week is Thai food.While I love Thai food, I am really nervous about taking this on this week. I don't know if its the exotic ingredients that make me nervous or just a new cooking style and method that have me uneasy? In any case I am going to attempt it. I am going to give it my best shot.

I have no clue what my first dish is going to be, so I need to figure that out by tomorrow. I'll be honest part of me wanted to back out and pick something easier. However, the whole point of this challenge for me is to push my shelf outside of my cooking comfort zone. To be ok with mistakes and mishaps. This week is really going to be a test for me.  

I should probably stock up on extra beer for Cory, poor guy is going to need it. I am sure there will be at least a couple of kitchen meltdowns before this week is over. This week will be an adventure for sure. cooking Thai food will be like going to gym. I may not like it but I'll be happy with the results when I am done!

Osso Buco

Italian week has come and gone. I will say I am going to miss it. The weather finally cooled down enough for me to make something that needed to cook for hours and that is warm and hearty. Ever since I mentioned Italian week. Cory as asked are you going to make Osso Buco? As the day went by I could tell he was loosing faith that I would make it. So as a treat for him and myself I decided to do one more Italian recipe.

Confession: The recipe called for veal shank, however I must have said lamb shank to the butcher because that's what I ended up with. The lamb worked really well in the dish, so it turned out to be a happy mistake.

To start I seasoned my lamb shanks with salt and pepper then lightly dusted them with flour. While heating a quarter cup of olive oil in a large dutch oven (thanks grandma for the awesome dutch oven, I love it).

Once the oil is hot I put the shanks in the pan to brown.

Once the meat is browned I removed it from the pot. Then I put finely diced onions, celery and carrots into brown for about six minutes.

Once the vegetables have browned I added in a tablespoon of tomato paste to the vegetables and let it cook together for four minutes.

Now for the fun part, deglazing the pan with half cup of white wine!

Now the trick to deglazing is to use the liquid in this case wine to scrap up all the wonderful brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Those brown bits are where the flavor is, and you want every bit of that brown goodness. Once I was done deglazing the pan it was time to add the crushed tomatoes.

Now its time for the spices and herbs. One teaspoon of fennel seeds, chili pepper flakes and oregano.

Next in the pot my bouquet garni, which is just fancy for herbs bundled in cheese cloth. I bundled together fresh parsley, peppercorns and one bay leaf.

Now I add the lamb shanks back in the pan and pour beef stock until the shank is halfway submerged.

I put the lid on the pot and let good for three hours! Three long torturous hours of smelling yummy lamb goodness coming from my kitchen! I did get to stir it occasionally and add more broth as needed. That's really it hands off until the meat is tender and falling off the bone!

Once the meat is tender I removed it from the pot and shredded it then added it back into the sauce. Then I poured this awesome meaty goodness over homemade(didn't turn out so well) noodles. The final product looked like this.

As I mentioned I made the noodles myself. Thus explaining their awkward shape and texture. I think I just need more practice at noodle making. I will say that the osso bucco sauce was OUTSTANDING! So good that I hardly noticed that my noodles weren't that great. Cory loved this meal and declared it the best meal I've made in very long time.
I think it was a great way to wrap up Italian week. I will for sure be making this again, minus the homemade noodles (I'll buy those).
Now its a new week time for a new challenge, ciao Italy!