Spicy Curry Butternut Squash Soup

One butternut squash
1 shallot
2C chicken stock
1/2C 1/2 & 1/2
1T curry powder
1T Cardamom powder
1T cinammon
1T cayenne pepper
salt to taste

halve squash and cook meat side down in 1" of water till soft
saute chopped shallot in butter
blend squash meat and shallot
add spices, 1/2 & 1/2, stock, blend
salt to taste

Hatch Bagel Special...

OMG I just had a bloggable breakfast! It's been a while since we've created anything bloggable, but we had some fresh veg and seasonal bagels to use so here's our little "bagel and egg" breakfast...

1/2 hatch bagel toasted

scallion cream cheese
sauteed asparagus (olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic)
fried egg, over easy
a thin slice of tomato
sauteed crimini mushrooms (olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic)
whole milk mozzerella

stacked in that order, make sure the mozzerella melts.

ah! light yet satisfying!

Mexican Mess

Okay you're gonna have to trust me on this one... just try it!

1 lb grd beef
1 onion
garlic
1 can golden mushroom
1 can cream of chicken
1 can rotel
1 can ranch style beans
doritos (or other preferred chip)
grated cheese

brown ground beef, add onion, and garlic, drain grease if so desired...
add golden mushroom, cream of chicken, rotel, and beans and heat.
put chips in the bottom of a pan (11x13 or 9x9) and pour hot mixture over the top.
top off with cheese and throw in the oven to melt and crisp the cheese...

Green Chile Pozole

Made this last night. Smelled sooo good and the taste did not disappoint. The sauce itself could be used for any number of dishes. Ingredients are cheap and the preparation is easy if not quick.

Pork:
3 lbs. picnic shoulder, cut in large pieces
1 c chopped yellow onion
5 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 tsp salt

Sauce:
1 lb husked tomatillos
1 c chopped white or yellow onion
2 bunches cilantro, stemmed
1 poblano chile, stemmed and seeded
5 garlic cloves
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
2 c diced fresh mild hatch chiles
1 tbs salt
1 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon paste
1 1/2 tsp beef bouillon paste
3 tbs canola oil

Pozole:
3 15oz cans pozole (hominy) drained


1. Put all ingredients for pork in large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to medium and simmer until tender, approximately 40 min.
2. Strain pork through a colander, reserving 7 cups of the stock. Cut pork into bite-size pieces and set aside.
3. Put all sauce ingredients-except canola oil- in a blender, and mix on high until pureed.
4. In a large stockpot over medium heat, add canola oil. When hot, add sauce and stir continuously until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 4 minutes.
5. Put pork, pozole, and reserved stock in pot with sauce and simmer 30 min.
6. Serve hot and garnish with shredded cabbage, cilantro, and diced onion.

Apple Quail

Okay, so I am cheating a little. Where you will find some nice fresh quail, I dunno. Try my place...

What you need:
1/4 c flour
salt to taste
1/8 tsp paprika
6 quail, breast and legs
2 TBS butter
1/4 c chopped sweet onion
1 TBS chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp dried thyme (1/2 tsp fresh)
1 c apple juice

To cook:
Mix flour, salt, and paprika; lightly flour quail pieces. Melt butter in heavy frying pan and brown quail. Push quail to one side and add onion and saute until tender. Add parsley, thyme, and apple juice. Stir to mix well and spoon juice over quail while bringing to a boil. reduce heat, cover and simer until quail are tender (1 hr). Serve quail on rice with sauteed apples.

YumYum!

Black Bean Tacos

Well it's been a few weeks since the hurricane and we haven't had a chance to replenish the freezer... mmmm meat. Oh how I miss it! Wait a second, black bean tacos? Hm, quite possibly the BEST meatless dinner I have ever had. Where did I get the recipe you ask? Well, I got the idea from Men's Health but the recipe is all original me. You can be impressed, it's okay, I won't tell anyone!

Ingredients:

• Homemade corn tortillas (don't be fooled here, we got them from a local mexican restaraunt)
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 pot saffron rice
• chopped fresh spinach
• chopped fresh cilantro
• chopped fresh tomatoes
• chopped fresh anaheim pepper
• Two Hot Mama's Creamy cilantro and roasted pecan salsa
• Cracked pepper to taste
  

Directions:

• Pile on and enjoy!!

Oooh, it would be really good with fresh avacados too... but they're like 1.99 ea here!!

Not just another bowl of cereal...

We actually had the energy and the means to make a dinner worthy of sharing with you. Granted, it was one night out of a dozen but we gotta start somewhere. Next time you have some good sized shrimp and want a flavorful dish that doesn't involve stir fry, try this. The mango and papaya salad is surprisingly tasty. Sarah is not a fan of either fruit but was sold at first taste. The cilantro and pepper provide a nice contrast and the salad has a very fresh and bright effect on the meal. The longest part of the meal was chopping up the fruit. The marinade and grill time are very short. Note: don't prepare the salad way ahead of time--it is much better fresh. The recipe comes from Phoenix Home and Garden Magazine.

Josh and Sarah

Serves 6

Chile Rub (we used a seafood rub)
¼ cup New Mexican chile powder
1 tablespoon blackening seasoning
- Mix together in a small bowl; set aside.

Fruit Salsa
¼ cup finely diced red pepper
1 cup finely diced mango
1 cup finely diced pineapple
1 cup finely diced papaya
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon sugar
Juice from 1 small lime
- In a small bowl, mix the salsa ingredients together; set aside.

Lemon Butter
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Juice from half a small lemon
1 teaspoon lemon zest
- In a small bowl, mix together with a fork until incorporated and set aside.

Marinade
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small clove garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
18 medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
6 (8-inch) bamboo skewers, soaked in water (don't forget this step)...
- Place first 4 ingredients in a resealable plastic bag and mix well. Add the shrimp and mix to coat. Marinate 2-3 minutes.

Photo by Werner Segarra

1. Heat grill to high. When hot, remove shrimp from marinade and put 3 shrimp on each skewer. Place skewers on a platter and lightly dust shrimp on both sides with the chile rub. 2. Grill shrimp 3 minutes per side or until just cooked through. Place skewers on a warm platter. Brush shrimp on each side with lemon butter; cover to keep warm. 3. Divide the salsa between 6 plates, mounding it in the center. Place 1 shrimp skewer on salsa and brush again with butter and leftover juices from platter. Or, serve separately.

September 6, 2008

Well here goes... one of the top ten meals we have ever created and eaten... It was so good, it could have been served in courses... wow, the kind of meal where you can't decide what to take a bite of next because everything on your plate is so tasty and perfectly prepared.

Prep and cook time: 45 min... and 3 beers


Meal

2002 Robert Hall Red Wine was enjoyed with this meal

1.5" thick New York strip
I am ashamed to say we used Montreal steak seasoning... but it was soooo good... still perfecting the dry rub.

Grilled vegetable medley
brussel sprouts, whole grape tomatoes, baby bella mushrooms, onions cut into large chunks
olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and grilled to perfection

Davenab's pasta salad
penne pasta, quartered grape tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, diced onions, sliced pepperoni, crumbled bavarian sheep cheese
sour cream, ranch dressing,, garlic salt, seasoning salt, pepper


Dessert

Pear Crumble a la mode (butter pecan)
The recipe was loosely followed. I didn't use plums and we used granola in place of oats, and rum in place of water... mighty tasty.


Just doing my small part to promote the spreading of foodies nationwide... will you help? Get out there and get creative!