Because everyone likes an umbrella in their drink

As it is getting hotter and hotter (and hotter!), I look for ways to keep cool around my house and the Valley. Now I have had many people in this town ask me, bless their little hearts, “How did you stand the unbearable heat in Louisiana?” And as the temperatures rise to ABOVE ninety in Hailey, I finally have my answer—the air conditioner. In the South, one moves from a temperature-controlled house to a chilly car to a destination, all in quick order and with as few stops as possible. In Idaho, this mode of pod-living is not an option. My house was built pre-air-conditioning (thank goodness for my trusty Suburu and the Sun Valley Magazine’s brisk office air). But in the high-and-dry mountains, I love being outside and around town, 90-degree temps be damned.

As I was trolling Hailey this weekend, I noted an essential and glaring absence: chips, salsa, breeze, margaritas. It is a travesty that there is not one place in town (and I am talking Hailey–not Ketchum or Bellevue) where I can sit outside in the shade, enjoy the summer breezes, gorge myself on tortilla chips with dippables, and sip on one of my classic summer favs, the margarita.

I have shared my favorite fruit margarita before on yum!, but I recently learned a quick and easy recipe from one of my favorite books, The Sweet Potato Queens Book of Love. There is a place in Natchez, Mississippi that I feel everyone should know about if they ever fancied a Delta vacation—Fat Mama’s. The best tamales, great atmosphere, to-die-for chips and salsa, and margaritas that will “Knock-You-Naked.” Luckily, I have the recipe so I can sit on my back porch, sip a cool drink, close my eyes, and dream that I have a cabana boy at my beck-and-call, instead of my bulldog, Montgomery, drooling on my feet.

The Margarita

If they “knock ya nekkid,” don’t say I didn’t warn you! Grab frozen limeade, ice cubes, and a blender to get really chilly.

18 ounces limeade
18 ounces tequila (use good tequila)
24 ounces 7-up (or sprite)
24 ounces Dos Equis or Corona

Get a large picture and mix it all up. Pour over ice and garnish with an umbrella. Because everyone likes umbrellas in their drinks.

Mangolicious

The mango is an exotic and enticing fruit that leaves me contentedly frustrated. Content because the juice, flavor, fragrance, and color are so foreign that with one bite, I am transported from my happy mountain valley to any tropical location (mango is the national fruit of India, Pakistan and the Philippines; and a symbol of attainment and potential perfection in the Hindu religion). And frustrated because I never can cut it correctly or get enough meat away from the massive pit.

America has been good to mangoes in recent years. The word is a color description, fashion statement, SNL character, or Seinfeld reference. I have taken advantage of the continuing availability and buzz around the fruit and tried a number of new recipes. Mango is so healthy and great plain, as a salsa, as a topping to pork and a classic yummy dessert. I found this recipe years ago in Gourmet Magazine and it is a great way to quickly impress your guests with your mad flambé skills, or indulge yourself with a bit of rum-soaked heaven. Yum!

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Mangoes Flambé

Serves 4. Takes about 15 minutes.

4 (one-pound) firm-ripe mangoes
6 tablespoons turbinado sugar
1/3 cup dark rum

Preheat broiler. Wash and dry mangoes. Use the ‘inside-out’ cutting method: Remove 2 flat sides of each mango with a sharp knife, cutting lengthwise alongside pit and cutting as close to pit as possible so that mango flesh is in 2 large pieces (reserve remaining fruit for another use). Make a crosshatch pattern with a small sharp knife, cutting across fruit down to skin at 1/2-inch intervals and being careful not to pierce through. Grasp fruit at both ends and turn inside out to make flesh side convex.

Arrange fruit, skin side down, in a large shallow baking pan lined with foil and sprinkle evenly with 4 tablespoons turbinado sugar (total). Broil 5 inches from heat until fruit is golden brown (it will not brown evenly), about 5 minutes. Arrange fruit on a large platter. Cook rum with remaining sugar in a small saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, and then carefully ignite rum with a kitchen match and pour, still flaming, over warm mangoes. Serve immediately.

Pancakes are Good

As I come back to reality after my beautifully long weekend, I realize that summer is just starting and every weekend for the next couple of months is going to be full of activities. Concerts to look forward to and festivals to anticipate, lifts to ride (baldy lifts are open), and art fairs to attend. And where there is fun and entertainment, there are picnics, dinners, barbecues and potlucks. In the summer, plans pop-up and then disappear as quickly. This is hard for me.

I like things to be in order. My pantry and fridge are alphabetical and categorized, my clothes are color-coordinated, my days are listed, recorded, planned—I am a scheduler and some have even gone far enough to call me OCD (I personally don’t see where they get that). My approach to meals is no different then my approach to my time. I like three meals a day and to know what and when I am eating. So everything going on right now, I have piece of mind with breakfast. My mom always said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and since it facilitates my appreciation of pancakes, I agree. I find they can be time-consuming in the morning so I loved this recipe that I tried last weekend—easy, fast and delicious.

Pfannekuchen

German-style pancake

Makes 4 servings. This is thicker than the classic American pancake, but so yummy. I doubled the fruit and used my 9-inch cast iron pan. My mom found the recipe and we made it with fresh blueberries she brought me from her garden in Louisiana, though any fruit could be substituted. In Southern Germany the word for pancake is Pfannkuchen. Oddly enough, in Berlin the same word refers to a doughnut. German dialects can be very tricky. Be extremely careful when ordering pancakes in Berlin. If this looks too decadent, try my healthy pancakes. Recipe from The Times-Picayune, Thursday, June 18, 2009

2 eggs

½ cup flour

½ cup milk

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

juice of half a lemon (or less, to taste)

¼ cup fresh blueberries

blueberry jam

marmalade, honey, or syrup

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add flour, milk, nutmeg and salt. Blend by hand but leave slightly lumpy. Heat a cast iron skillet or a 12-inch skillet with a heat-proof handle over medium heat. Add butter, melt and heat without browning, then pour in the batter. Sprinkle berries in batter, spacing the fruit widely (I didn’t bother with that as I double the fruit). Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until pancake is golden brown and billowing on the edges. Working quickly, remove the pan from the oven. Sprinkle confectioners’ sugar evenly over the cake with a fine sieve. Return to oven for 1-2 more minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with lemon juice. Serve with jam, syrup or whatever. Yum!

Tasty Tubers

As the Fourth of July creeps up on us, and we all start filling our calendar with plans for rodeos and street parades, parties and getaways. I fondly remember celebrating America’s Birthday as a child. Those lazy days were always spent trying to beat the heat at a local swimming hole (either in the river or down by a lake) surrounded by family, friends, music and cold sweet tea with pimento and cheese sandos.

This year, I am spending my Fourth at home and am looking forward to all the festivities in the Wood River Valley, especially the outdoor parties, barbecues, and pot-luck dinners. I often look at the get-togethers as the ‘ultimate cooking challenge’ and will spend way too much time deciding on something to bring. I want it to be yummy. New. Different. And I often use my unsuspecting guests as culinary guinea pigs, or if I’m being nice, supreme judges to sample my creations. Sometimes this approach has negative outcomes (I would never advise hot grapes in a noodle salad) but generally I am pleasantly surprised by the things I can cook.

On the flip side, I also enjoy the classics: cold noodle salad, coleslaw, vegetable skewers. This year I’m using potato salad to put my southern roots on the table, literally (a potato is a root, isn’t it?). And this twist on potato salad melds the sweet potato (a staple in Louisiana) and my limitless love of bacon with local Idaho spuds.

Bacon and Sweet Potato Salad
This salad meshes SO many great flavors and is perfect hot or cold for any 4th of July barbecue. It was originally created by chef and southerner, Stephen Barber of BarberSq Restaurant in Napa, CA. but I have added and altered some of the ingredients.

3 large eggs, boiled and peeled
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and chunked
2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 ½ pound red potatoes, quartered
½ pound mini gold potatoes, quartered
8 slices bacon, diced
1 large red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¾ cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
¼ cup canola oil
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons sugar
1 bunch green onions, chopped (about 1 cup)
¼ chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Bring Sweet potatoes, ½ teaspoon salt and water to cover to a boil in a Dutch oven (or a big pot). Cook 10 minutes; add all remaining potatoes and cook fifteen minutes or until tender. Drain. While the potatoes are cooking, fry bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat for eight to ten minutes or until crisp; remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Reserve one tablespoon of the drippings in skillet and sauté red onion and garlic until tender. Reduce heat to low and whisk in vinegar, mustard seeds, and red pepper; cooking 3 minutes. Add canola oil, pepper, remaining salt, and sugar and mix well. Pour hot vinegar mixture over potatoes. Add eggs, bacon, green onions, and parsley, stirring gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

My love of Bacon

I can't help it. I love bacon. I love the taste, the texture, the smell, the sound of it frying—and even have a jar of bacon grease in my fridge for flavoring plain dishes (read: vegetables). I am from Louisiana. I like fried things. I am not fat (I would call myself 'healthy' but this blog slightly challenges that description). I like beer. I eat a ton of bacon.

So here it is. My bacon list. My baby. My entertainment. One of the reasons you either love me or think I am crazy. These are things I want—to try, to own, to make:

RESOURCES

Grateful Palate. The best bacon resource in the world. Or at least, my favorite.

Bacon Today. Daily Updates on the World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon.

Bacon Haikus. Just in case you would like to read a couple

PRODUCTS AND GIFTS

Bacon of the Month Club. Best present ever. Just ask my brother in law.

Bacon Scarf. You are what you eat.

Bacon Bra. Making the bacon scarf look WAY more normal

Wake n' Bacon. Yes. It is an alarm clock that makes bacon.

EATABLES

Bacon of the Month Club. Best bacon ever. Just ask my brother in law.

Baconnaise. Because everything should taste like bacon

Bacon Gum. A fun way to carry bacon in your pocket

BLT ring. They only make up to a size 6. I wear an 8. I wrote a strongly worded letter. No response. I still want one.

Bakon Vodka. Oh yea. You can drink it.

THE Bacon Explosion. 'THE' being all caps is all you need.

Porktopia. Awesomeness. My boyfriend's response to such greatness: I personally would like to see small snack sized meat pigs. Say the size of a fist. I would garnish mine with leafy lettuce wings and onion ring halos. Love it.

Squeezeable Bacon. The world's most perfect food.

A Crawfish Creation

I have been feeling slightly disenchanted with my meals lately and really wanted to put some soul in my cooking. This happens when I haven’t tried anything new or eaten anything southern-spicy. So I did what I always do when my personal recipes aren’t doing it for me—I called my cooking hero, my mom. I had an idea of what I wanted to eat: I wanted a fish I could throw on my grill and top it with some kind of yumminess. I love working with another foodie on recipes—and Mom is the best of the bunch. We’ll talk about a vague idea, and the back and forth conversation about ingredients will evolve into an original dish. Mom helped me by sending me a simple white sauce recipe (easily altered) that would work with the pound of Louisiana crawfish tails I had in my freezer. (I loved the result and am already planning on trying the recipe with morels, an Idaho delicacy that, much to my chagrin, I have yet to taste. I know you can buy them but I feel I need the local experience of finding them in the wild.) So I bought a pound of halibut (skin on), heated up my grill to medium, threw the fish on skin-side down for about 15 minutes, and topped it with my new favorite sauce. You can get crawfish tails here in the valley at Atkinson’s or substitute some shrimp instead.

Crawfish Extraordinaire

Here’s a similar recipe from one of my favorite sources, LA Conservationist, a publication of Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries. Judalee (my mom) found this recipe and used it as a topping for panned trout. The recipe is written to use as an appetizer or a sauce for noodles. Cooks note: depending on how spicy you want it, I usually drain the crawfish and season the tails with Tony’s or Old Bay before I sauté them into a sauce.

1 pound cooked crawfish tails

1/2 stick butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 medium onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons parsley, minced

2 tablespoons green onion, minced

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup heavy cream

salt, pepper and paprika

(I think morels would really make this sauce pop)

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add flour and stir until lightly cooked. Add onion, garlic, parsley and green onion and cook until onions are clear. Next, add crawfish and cook over a low fire about 10 minutes. Add white wine and simmer until blended. Slowly add cream and simmer over low fire. Do not let it boil or the cream will curdle. Add seasonings with extra paprika for a nice reddish color. Plate your fish and top with the sauce.

Recipe Twist: Serve this sauce toast points or in pasta shells for appetizers. I added my sauce to cooked noodles for a wonderful crawfish pasta.

The Cowboy Poet, BBQ, and Tofu Peanut Noodles

Last night was pure magic for me. I will be the first to mock the great state of Idaho (I-da-ho. No. U-da-ho.), but one thing is certain—it is majestic. The descriptions beautiful or pretty just do not do it justice. Neither do stark, elegant, lovely. I like majestic. One place that shows the many facets of Idaho is Silver Creek Preserve. Mountains, slow-moving rivers, wildlife, plains. Absolutely breath-taking. And that was where I was last night. The Nature Conservancy had a staff retreat and I was invited (my cuz, Eli works for TNC). 

Eli made my favorite quick dish—yummy hot or cold. Noodles with fried tofu and peanut sauce. All you do is make the sauce, cook a package of the noodle of your choice (we chose spag), and then got a package of tofu and sauteed it until golden. Mix it all together and there you go!

But back to the night. The food was great. BBQ's always are. Burgers (enough to have the double meat, which I went for), hot dogs, elk sausage, and all the best sides. I topped my burger with the scrumptious coleslaw Nancie brought to the table. And we got to finish it off with some excellent lemon cake from Stephanie and Heidi. I even went in for the second piece. Awesome.

Ernie Sites was the man of the hour. Singing classic songs, song writing, yodeling, poetry, storytelling, picking on a guitar, picking

 on a mandolin, AND picking on a banjo. I honestly can't put it into words - it was so enjoyable. Just a magic night.  I wasn't the only non-TNCer there, but they made me feel part of their night and it was just hella fun. Thanks Ernie, the entire staff of TNC's Hailey office and SC preserve team for such a great memory!

I Dig the Pig

Ok. I can't help it. I LOVE pork. Just about everything that comes from a pig - bacon, chops, roasts, tenderloins, rinds, even corn dogs (read: NOT pickled parts, or hot dogs. Only when the dog is covered in a cornbread-like substance and then fried). I search the web and have found such treasures at the bacon explosion, porkgasm, the many bacon-styled gifts, and my favorite present to give—The Bacon of the Month Club (Just ask my brother-in-law—or anyone that saw the glimmer of excitement in his eye on Christmas morning—it rocks the house.).

So last night was incredible as I had friends over for a Porkfest of sorts. The pork chops were covered with a spice rub and some served with a raspberry chipotle sauce; and the pork ribs were grilled and then glazed with BBQ sauce. So hella good. One thing I do need to note is how much longer ribs are to cook than any kind of pork without a bone. They were good but a little pink inside, which freaks me out. Just be sure your pork reached over 180 degrees for a couple of minutes and the meat should be ok, even if it isn't totally white. Always good to know the rules of cooking meat.

I have no recipe here as you can check out some pork ideas from my Memorial 'All Things Pork' Day post. I just wanted to share my love of pork (and this, in no way, compares to my deep affection and devotion to bacon—which I will blog about a lot). Thanks Eli and JHT for a good night, and late arrivals Steph and Lacey made it fun!

My new plan

ok. I feel like I have been a little 'blog happy' lately. I write a blog for Sun Valley Magazine - www.sunvalleymag.com - and I have been copying it here. Now I love to share my recipes - but this space isn't as conducive for huge long posts. So I am going to work at doing at least one quick blog a day - to share my love of food/the things I have tried/and what I am eating now. And I will alert everyone when my new SVM blogs are up. 

Memorial 'All Things Pork' Day

With Memorial Day weekend coming up, I am hoping to spend my time outside at the BBQ.

I love food, love to be outside, love to grill. I can show off my patio or garden, invite friends, feed numerous amounts of people cheaply, and just enjoy our weather and a cold beverage. Grilling is an easy way to bring the ‘wow, this is good’ factor to your food. It is—by far—one of my favorite things to do in the summer, besides set off treasure hunting around town at the many yard sales. In fact, I found my grill at one such yard sale, where I paid a minimal price for a great gadget, complete with a tank of propane gas.

Since there has been a large sale on grill-worthy meat lately, I hope you all take advantage of our great weather and a three-day weekend. I picked up a bunch of pork ribs and after my Memorial ‘All Things Pork’ Day, I am going to experiment with some of these recipes so I can have scrumptious lunches for the duration of the week. If pork is your choice, check out my recipes for this blog. If it is chicken, see the great recipes in last week's blog on Planning A Week of Food. And if it is steak, shoot me some recipes for next week!

Spices and Sauces

For my day of grilling pork, I am doing pork ribs, pork chops, a tenderloin, and two packages that were in my cousins freezer labeled 'pork'. I am going to dry rub them with spice and throw them on the grill 'til they are done.

Cajun Spices

3 tablespoons sweet paprika

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves

2 tablespoons dried sweet basil

1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon white pepper

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon salt

Dash chili powder

Dash cumin powder

Mix dry ingredients together using a fork or place them in a jar, cover & shake until they are mixed thoroughly. Store in tightly covered container.makes about 1/2 cup

Blackberry Barbecue Sauce

This makes about 8 servings and add a subtlely sweet flavor to the pork. Recipe from The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creale Cuisine by John Folse

1/2 cup blackberry preserves

1 1/2 cup ketchum

1/8 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons cane syrup (Louisiana cane syrup is the best)

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon mustard powder

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 cup fresh blackberries

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well. Brush sauce over grilled pork tenderloin, pork chops or ribs when they are almost cooked.

 

After my pork is cooked, I usually pull off all the meat and shred it. I do this using two forks and just tearing the meat apart. One EASY thing to do is to top the meat with BBQ sauce and enjoy a sando. But here are two different options:

BBQ Pork Pizza

2/3 cup barbecue sauce

1 prepared pizza dough (i like the Pillsbury ones that you can roll-out and prebake)

3/4 cup shredded Gouda

1 cup shredded mozzarella

3/4 cup Parmesan

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/4-1/2 pound shredded pork

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a small bowl, toss pork with 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce. Set aside. On a floured surface, roll out dough and place on a greased sheet pan. Shape to fill the sheet pan, about a 15 by 10-inch rectangle. Spread remaining barbecue sauce evenly over pizza dough. Sprinkle Gouda, mozzarella, Parmesan, onions, pepper  and pork over top. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese bubbles. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and cut into pieces.

Pork Fajitas with Mango Black Bean Salsa

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon salt or spices

1/4-1/2 pound of your leftover pork (can be sliced, shredded, etc)

6 scallions, trimmed

Flour tortillas, at least 6

Mango Black Bean Salsa

1 large mango, chopped

1/2 red onion, diced

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and diced

dash of jalepeno juice

juice of one lime

1/2 teaspoon cajun spices (or salt)

For the salsa: Combine all ingredients in a meduim bowl. Stir well, cover and refrigerate until ready to use

For the fajitas: Whisk together lime juice, cilantro, garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and salt. Place pork in baking dish and pour lime dressing over pork. Cover and let sit for 15-20 minutes while making salsa. Heat up a saute' pan and grill scallions until crisp. Remove pork from dressing and add to pan to heat. Divide pork and scallions among tortillas. Top with salsa. Serve.

Y'all have a great Memorial Day weekend. There is so much going on around town. Enjoy!

Planning A Week of Food

My immediate dilemna is solving the current trend with my grocery budget. It is either feast or famine. Literally. But since I am a Master at looking in my bare and empty fridge and creating a 5-course meal, yet frugal enough when the living is large to know to double recipes and freeze, this has never bothered me. 

But this weekend as I rushed around eating on-the-go, I realized that I have not been planning ahead and it is costing me time, money, and healthy meals—all things I like to have. So, I decided to give myself a slight challenge this May: To plan a ‘pay-it-forward’ dinner every week. Grab one big ingredient (something as a base to many meals) and cook it, then spend the week enjoying a twist on the leftovers. Hopefully this will stretch my grocery budget a bit (saving some cash for my summer plans), turn my hurried lunch hour of making food into enjoying my meal, and be a healthy way to stock my fridge.

 I noticed that the whole chickens at Atkinson's were on sale (as are pork ribs). I grabbed a medium fryer – and this was my week:

Roasted Chicken

Roasted chicken is easy, good, and pretty quick. Rub down the chicken and cover with salt and pepper if ingredients are sparse or flavor it up for a little more kick.

3-pound farm-raised chicken

Cajun spices, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper

2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

4 celery stalks

1 green pepper, quartered

Unsalted butter

Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it well. Salt and pepper the cavity and then stuff with onion, pepper and celery. Truss the bird, which ensures more even cooking and makes a more beautiful roasted bird. Spice the chicken—I like to rain the spices over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven. Baste the chicken with the juices and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board. Remove the twine. Remove the legs and thighs and wings. And use that for your dinner. Slather the meat with fresh butter and serve with a simple green vegetable or salad.

When the chicken is cool, get all of the meat off the bones and reserve. Use the chicken carcass to make a really good homemade stock for future recipes or soups.

You have so many options with chicken meat. You could top green salads, make a soup, enjoy wraps, make chicken salad, chicken fajitas, chicken pizza, chicken and rice, chicken stir-fry, etc. etc. etc. Here are two ideas that I tried this week:

 

Chicken Enchiladas

My brother sent me this recipe and used 1.5-2 pounds of shrimp instead of chicken. He had 'the kid test' and 'the guest test' and passed. Everyone—his friends, wife, thirteen-year-old boy, eleven-year-old girl, and two-year-old baby—loved it. It is simple, easy, six ingredients, good and good for you. Special Equipment: food processor or blender

10-12 fresh tomatillos

2 serrano peppers.  

1 1.5 pounds of chicken, cooked and slightly shredded into pieces

Corn tortillas

Pam cooking spray

6 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated

2 tomatoes, chopped

Husk and wash tomatillos and peppers, boil ‘til soft and color changes.  Drain and blend together in a food processor or blender. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a pan on the stove to medium and soften corn tortillas one at a time with Pam. Fill tortillas with chicken and grated cheese, roll them up and put them in a 9x13 pyrex pan. My pan fit 2 rows of 6 enchiladas nicely. Cover with Tomatillo sauce and some more cheese. At this point everything’s cooked so heat it up for 20 minutes or so at 325, until cheese is good and melted. Put some fresh chopped tomatoes on top, eat.

Cooks note: You can do the tomatillo sauce beforehand, you can also get the whole thing together earlier in the day and let it sit before the heating up part (not too long so the tortillas don’t go to mush). 

Fiesta Chicken Empanada

This is a recipe from Pillsbury® I cut out of a magazine—it really streches your chicken into a dinner, with great leftovers for lunch.

1 (15-oz) package Pillsbury® Refrigerated Pie Crusts, softened

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

½ medium red bell pepper, chopped

½ medium green bell pepper, chopped

½ medium yellow bell pepper, chopped

10 ounces of cooked chicken, chopped

4 teaspoons dry fajita seasoning

½ cheese and salsa dip (I like using Rotel®)

1 egg, beaten

Garnish:

Sour cream

Salsa

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Use one pie crust, roll out and place in ungreased 14-inch pizza pan. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion and bell peppers; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add chicken and fajita seasoning; mix well. Spoon chicken mixture onto crust, leaving one inch around the edge. Spread ½ cup dip over chicken mixture. Brush ege of crust with water and place remaining crust over filling. Press edges firmly to seal. Brush top with beaten egg. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cover edge of crust with strips of foil after 10 or 15 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Cut into wedges, garnish, and serve.

There are so many options with chicken – it is easy, versatile, yummy, and cheap!

 

Strawberry Banana Crepes

Because I love my crepe maker and the strawberries are good right now. I got this recipe from Quick Cooking and it yields about 16-20 crepes. Special equipment: crepe maker – or use an 8-inch nonstick skillet.

Crepe Batter:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1-1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

1 to 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Filling:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

Topping:

2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

2 medium firm bananas, sliced

¼ cup sugar, optional

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, milk, and eggs; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. In an 8-inch nonstick skillet, melt one teaspoon butter. Stir batter; pour about 2 tablespoons into the center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to evenly coat bottom. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, adding butter to skillet as needed. When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between.

In a mixing bowl, combine the filling ingredients. Spread 2 rounded tablespoons on each crepe; roll up. Combine topping ingredients and spoon over crepes. Serve.

yum!

 

Welcome to yum!

Appetizing. Different. Succulent. Daring. Dining. Food.

I have an obsession with food. I talk about it—love looking at it—am entertained by every experience it brings—benefit from learning how to prepare a new dish—am educated by other cultures through their unique ingredients—and my zeal for the perfect bite knows no bounds.

Which is why—after years of teaching friends to cook, wowing my family with new tastes, and just generally being fascinated with the food culture—I made the exciting leap to food writing. I find it fun to share my recipes, tips, discoveries and failures in the kitchen, and my experiences in my home away from home—the Wood River Valley. I am originally from the South and meshing my cooking knowledge with Idaho's local resources has been a fun challenge. My goal with this blog is to give share recipes and fresh ideas that you can bring home to your own kitchen, share what is going on around us, and explore my life through food.

I write a blog for Sun Valley Magazine - so this is my spot to mesh that, with more-frequent updates/quick recipes/and munching around town.

Sauces, Sauces, Sauces

(this was a blog I wrote in March - but I have been revisiting the recipes and they are all really easy and hella good) 

As a newer transplant to the WRV, and for the first time living anywhere in the U.S. but the South—I am still amazed by the change of seasons and actually enjoy chatting about the weather. Indulge me as I’ve never before lived any place without 100% humidity. Besides, weather is such great conversation. No, really. I love to look up the 10-day report online and then talk about it. I love every minute of it but at the moment, it has me conflicted. 

While I was over-the-moon with the 5 inches of dumping snow yesterday, today I crave to be outside of my office and on a patio, soaking up the sun and clear blue skies, hanging with my dog and enjoying the mild climate. I finally understand a rock and a hard place. It is this time between winter and spring in Idaho when neither you nor Mother Nature can make up your mind because either way you go, you would be thrilled. When the grass isn’t necessarily greener—because of the choices—because of the feeling of seasonal awe—because you live here. So though I find it hard to say goodbye to winter—my favorite season, the one I celebrate and relish as I enjoy our mountain every weekend—I also am looking forward to spring, to planting, to deck sitting and dog hiking. I can’t decide if I want in. Or if I want out. But I do know I have to sit back and enjoy the variety of this time of year—the ease of choice and beauty and some good quick cooking. Sauces. Dips. Dressings. Marinades. For either the oven or the grill—if you are staying in and hanging out—for dipping and topping…when whichever way you go, it is gonna be good.

Uncle Robert’s Johnny Sauce

My uncle makes this for the holidays and we all count down until the revered Johnny Sauce is in our fridges. Dip anything. Top anything. Grill with it. It is yummy and Robert is sharing—we are lucky. My uncle rocks.

1 cup mayonnaise (may use regular mayo, low-fat, fat-free or sugar free mayo)

1/2 cup chili sauce

1/2 cup vegetable oil (canola or corn oil)

1 teaspoon Lea and Perrins (steak sauce)

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon yellow mustard (prepared, not dry mustard)

1 tablespoon grated onion

2-3 cloves garlic pressed (may use equivalent of chopped garlic)

juice of 1 lemon or 2 Tablespoons bottled lemon juice

Mix together and chill.  It's better if made a day ahead. 

Simple Herb Sauce

This is a basic parsley sauce that is easily varied. Use mint, basil, etc. Special equipment: food processor

2 ounces flat-leaf parsley, stalks removed

1 clove garlic, peeled

juice of ½-1 lemon

5 oz extra virgin olive oil

In a food processor, add the parsley, garlic, and juice of ½ lemon and whiz to chop. Season with salt and pepper. Then, with processor on, pour in enough oil till sauce is to your liking. Taste, and add more lemon juice is you wish.

With this sauce:

You can make a stuffing by adding 2 ounces breadcrumbs and 1 ounce pine nuts to spread over a pork fillet. Or you could add chopped anchovies and gherkins pickles, stir in some smooth mustard, and mix into beef casseroles. Add some mayo to make a dip or add more herbs and olive oil to drizzle over tomato, avocado and mozzarella.

Watercress Sauce

Watercress is so packed with nutrients and totally good for you. Serve with salmon. Special equipment: food processor.

1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

7 ounces watercress, washed

½ pint vegetable stock

Whiz onion in the processor until chopped. Heat oil in a pan and cook onion for 10 minutes til softened. Whiz watercress in processor till finely chopped, then add to onion and cook for five minutes. Stir in stock and bubble for 15 minutes. Serve or cool and refrigerate.

With this sauce: Mix in 2 beaten eggs and 2 ounces of heavy cream. Fill a ready-made tart shell and bake. Make a soup cooking 9 ounces of finely peeled and chopped potatoes in 15 ounces of stock. When done, stir in sauce and heat throughout. Make a stuffing for lamb by adding 4 ounces breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and 2 ounces of parmesan cheese. Make a pesto by adding toasted pine nuts, lemon zest and grated parmesan and processing till combined. Add to pasta.

Red Pepper Sauce

This sauce freezes well and is great with fried chicken breasts. Special Equipment: food processor.

3 red peppers, seeded and halved

1 onion, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

14 ounce can chopped Italian plum tomatoes

In processor, whiz peppers and onion till finely chopped. Heat oil in a shallow pan and add pepper mixture. Simmer over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, then add tomatoes and cook on a low heat for another 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

With this sauce: Make a great sauce by stirring in mascarpone and mix through hot pasta. By adding a chopped red chili pepper (or flakes or paprika), one pint of stock, a can of chickpeas and fried chorizo; you have a great soup. Do a thicker sauce for pork chops or tuna steaks by mixing in 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, the zest of one orange, and 2 ounces ground almonds. Make a dip for shrimp or fish sautés by adding a dollop of the sauce to garlic mayonnaise.

White Sauce Recipe

I put on shrimp tacos. But you could top fish or chicken as well. This makes a TON.

2 cups Miracle Whip or mayo

¾ cup milk

½ tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 ½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 ½ teaspoon oregano

Measure dressing in bowl. Gradually stir in milk. Season with pepper flakes, cumin, salt, garlic powder and oregano. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to blend. If you taste right away—it will taste like mayo or dressing.

Peanut Sauce

Great on chicken sauté, as a dip, or over pasta. My sister-in-law gave me this recipe about 4 years ago and I am a pb lover so I keep this around. It is so good I can actually dip bacon into it. Thanks Erica for sharing!

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

1/2 cup  peanut oil

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup soy or tamar sauce

1/4 cup lemon juice

4 garlic cloves, minced

8 cilantro sprigs

2 teaspoons dried red chili pepper

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger

Blend all ingredients. Serve.

Italian Dressing

I use this to marinate meat, fish, and veggies before I grill them. Also as a dressing for salads.  To make this a creamy Italian dressing—add 1 teaspoon mayonnaise and 3 teaspoons of water.

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dried Italian spices

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

black pepper

½ teaspoon fresh minced garlic

Combine all ingredients in a blender on high until combined—about 30 seconds. Cover and refrigerate.

yum!