Mexican Rice (Recipe 145 of 150)

Mexican rice is one of the recipes I'm forever chasing to find the "perfect" recipe. I've come close and have several recipes I like. This recipe will be added to the list. 

It was flavorful and Damn Delicious (hahah I couldn't resist - that's the name of the blog I got it from). 

So, I didn't add any of the veggies - except the onion, but I don't count that as a vegetable. I'm not a fan of veggies in my Mexican rice. 

Mexican Rice

Recipe from Damned Delicious

Serves 6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in rice until toasted, about 2 minutes.

Stir in tomato sauce and vegetable broth, and bring to a simmer, about 2 minutes. Stir in corn, carrots, peas, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is cooked through, about 13-16 minutes. Stir in tomatoes.

Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro, if desired.

Al Pastor Kabobs (Recipe 144 of 150)

Oh man. These kebabs are delicious. I should say, they are with my few modifications. 

First, I'm not a huge fan of pineapple, and especially cooked pineapple. Blech. So I didn't put pineapple or the peppers on my skewers. Just the pork, mam.

The other thing I did different is charred the peppers. I don't find it makes much of a difference in the overall flavor. These chilis are already dried, so I don't bother. I cleaned, and de-seeded the chiles before I steeped them. 

This may look like a pretty involved recipe, but I assure you it is not. And the prep is 100% worth it. Such a wonder, well rounded flavor. 

One note from the original author: 

"CANNED Pineapple Juice. Please use only CANNED pineapple juice! Canned pineapple juice will infuse your pork with flavor without leaving it mushy if it’s not marinated too long. Fresh pineapple juice still contains enzymes that could break down your pork and more likely to leave it mushy in a short amount of time."

Al Pastor Kabobs

Recipe from Carlsbad Craving

Serves 4

SKEWERS

• 1 ½ – 2 pounds pork tenderloin cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 pineapple cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 red bell pepper sliced into 1 1/2” chunks
• 1 green bell pepper sliced into 1 1/2” chunks
• 1 large onion sliced into 1 1/2” chunks
• 5 T olive oil divided

MARINADE/SAUCE

• 4 dried Guajillo chiles
• 1/3 c canned pineapple juice*
• 1/3 c orange juice
• 1 onion peeled, halved
• 4 garlic cloves peeled
• 3 T apple cider vinegar
• 2 T achiote paste (see notes)
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1 chopped chipotle pepper from can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 T ground cumin
• 1 T dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt

CHILES

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add guajillo chiles and toast until blistered in spots and fragrant, turning occasionally, about 3 minutes. Transfer peppers to a cutting board. Once cool, cut tops off chiles, cut in half and remove seeds, taking care not to touch your eyes. Add chiles back to skillet and cover with water. Simmer 3-5 minutes until softened.

MARINADE

Remove softened chilies to blender along with all Marinade ingredients and blend until smooth.

Add pork to a shallow dish or freezer size bag. Add 1 cup marinade and 3 tablespoons olive oil, stir to combine. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2-6 hours.

Add pineapple, bell peppers and onions to a separate bowl. Add ¼ cup marinade and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover and refrigerate. (You can prep veggies at any point – they don’t have to marinate.) Refrigerate remaining marinade separately.

ASSEMBLE

NOTE: Soak wooden skewers for at least 30 minutes in water before grilling or broiling.

When ready to cook, thread pork, pineapple, bell peppers and onions onto skewers. Dab off excess marinade from pork so it can char.

Grease and preheat grill to high heat. Grill skewers until lightly charred all over, approximately 2-3 minutes per side. You can check a pork cube for doneness if desired. 

Let rest 5 minutes before serving. 

Smothered Pork Chops (Recipe 143 of 150)

Cook's Country recipes never let me down. They're a spin off of Cook's Illustrated and those never let me down either. As long as you follow their directions, you're guaranteed a good meal. 

I had a couple things different in this recipe. I had pork chops in the freezer and wanted to use those. They were thinner than this recipe requires. They still turned out fine, but I think a thicker chop would be more pork flavor. 

I completely forgot the vinegar at the end. I was hungry and I thought I had read the recipe thoroughly. THIS is why I should always get all the ingredients out and measured before I start cooking. It's a new goal of mine and here I am skipping it. 

I'd make this recipe again. It's easy and delicious. It's got a nice onion flavor without being overwhelming. 

Smothered Pork Chops

Recipe from Cook's Country

Serves 4

• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 bone-in blade-cut pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick
• 1 ½ T vegetable oil
• 1 T unsalted butter
• 2 onions, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ tsp dried thyme
• ¾ c plus 1 T beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp cider vinegar

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine onion powder, paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and cayenne in small bowl. Pat chops dry with paper towels and rub with spice mixture.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chops, 3 to 4 minutes per side, and transfer to plate. Melt butter in now-empty skillet over medium heat. Cook onions until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in ¾ cup broth and bay leaf, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Return chops and any accumulated juices to pan, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook until chops are completely tender, about 1½ hours.

Transfer chops to platter and tent with foil. Discard bay leaf. Strain contents of skillet through fine mesh strainer into large liquid measuring cup; reserve onions. Let liquid settle, then skim fat. Return 1½ cups defatted pan juices to now-empty skillet and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce is reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes.

Whisk remaining broth and cornstarch in bowl until no lumps remain. Whisk cornstarch mixture into sauce and simmer until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in reserved onions and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Crock Pot Cubed Steak with Gravy (Recipe 142 of 150)

I feel like I've made a recipe very similar to this on before. I searched the blog and, indeed, there are several recipes involving a slow cooker, gravy and beef.

I've never used French Onion soup out of a a can before. In fact, didn't even know you could buy French Onion soup in a can. 

This is a fix it and forget it meal. Easy, easy, easy. And super budget friendly. Cube steak is somewhat inexpensive.

Crock Pot Cubed Steak with Gravy

Recipe from The Country Cook

Serves 4

• 1 packet au jus gravy mix
• 1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 (10.5 oz) can French onion soup
• ½ c water
• 1 ½-2 pounds cube steak (about 3-4 cubed steaks)
• To thicken gravy:
• 3 T cornstarch
• 3 T cold water

In the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker, combine cream of chicken soup, French Onion soup, packet of au jus and water. Stir well.

Put cubed steak in slow cooker with gravy mixture.

Cover slow cooker and cook steak on low for 6-8 hours.

After cooking, it's time to thicken gravy. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and cold water. Stir mixture into crock pot.

Turn the setting to high and cook for 30 minutes (until gravy is thickened.)

Homemade Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (Recipe 141 of 150)

Alfredo is a super easy recipe for me. I've made it so many times I can do it without actual measurements. Like many things, it can be made to taste. 

This recipe was good. I didn't change up really anything. I didn't use fettuccini because I had tagliatelle on hand so I used that. Really you could use any pasta - except elbow. That's just weird and reserved exclusively for man n cheese and mac salad.

Homemade Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Recipe from The Food Charlatan

Serves 4

For the chicken:

• 2 large chicken breasts, (1.5 pounds)
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons oil, vegetable, canola, or light olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter

For the fettuccine:

• water
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, for pasta water
• 12 ounces fettuccine

For the Alfredo sauce:

• 3/4 cup butter, (1 and 1/2 sticks)
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
• 2 cups heavy cream*
• 1 & 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, adds flavor not heat
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 & 1/2 cups FINELY shredded block Parmesan cheese
• To garnish:
• extra parmesan cheese, to garnish
• chopped parsley, to garnish

Prepare the chicken. Use a sharp knife to slice each chicken breast in half horizontally, to create a thin cutlet. Or you can buy chicken already cut into cutlets. 

In a small bowl, combine 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika. Pat the chicken with paper towels on both sides until it is very dry. Sprinkle the spice mixture all over the chicken on both sides, and rub in. [JW note: I rarely cook chicken like this. I prefer my chicken to be bite size already so I don't have to deal with a knife. Lame? Maybe. If you choose to do that, just sprinkle the seasoning over the pile of diced up chicken.]

Heat a 12-inch sauté pan over medium high heat for at least 3 minutes. When it is hot, add 2 tablespoons oil. Swirl to coat. The oil should shimmer right away.

Carefully place the chicken in the pan. Once it touches the pan you can't move it, so arrange accordingly. Do not crowd the chicken. If your pan isn't big enough, do it in batches. Do not touch, poke, or move the chicken at all. It needs to stay put to get a nice sear.

Once all the chicken is in the pan, lower the heat to medium. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes. 

Use tongs to flip each piece of chicken, swirling the pan as necessary to coat with oil. Immediately add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and swirl the pan as it melts. (The butter helps the chicken to brown, and brings flavor.) Cook the chicken on the second side for about 2 minutes, until the other side is a deep golden brown and a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees F. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm. Leave all juices in the pan.

Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine according to the package instructions. Drain when done.

Make the alfredo sauce. In the same pan that you cooked the chicken in, add 3/4 cup butter (1 and 1/2 sticks) over medium heat. Let it melt and bubble a bit (don't let it brown), then add 5 cloves of smashed and minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.

Slowly add 2 cups of cream while stirring. Its really important your cream is at about room temp. Take your time. Add 1 and 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.

Let the cream mixture cook over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes until you see gentle bubbles on the side of the pan. Do not bring to a full boil; your sauce will break (meaning it will look curdled instead of smooth). Lower the heat to medium low.

Finely shred 1 and 1/2 cups parmesan cheese using the finest grater. I do not recommend using pre shredded parmesan (and definitely not the powdered stuff). Pre-grated cheese will not melt as well, and your sauce will be clumpy. [JW note: The recipe is not wrong, don't use pre-grated parmesan. It's got too many fillers and doesn't melt as nicely. Spend the time to grate your own. You'll appreciate it. I promise it.]

Add the cheese to the sauce just a few tablespoons at a time. Sprinkle some in and stir for a bit to help it melt, then add a bit more cheese, stir, etc. This will help the cheese to melt more thoroughly, making a smooth sauce.

Once all the cheese is added in, taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as you like.

Add the noodles in batches so that it all gets coated well in sauce. Add in about 1/3, stir to coat, the next 1/3, and so on.

Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the chicken into strips against the grain. You can either plate the pasta and arrange the chicken on top to serve, or add the chicken to the pasta in the pan and stir it all together.

Top each serving with extra parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of parsley!

Crockpot Beef Stew (Recipe 140 of 150)

Just 10 more recipes to hit my goal. I'll be half way there by the end of this week! 

It's stew and soup season to me and that means I try to make a stew or a soup (or both) in a week. It is a leftover I'll eat for sure - at least once. 

I have made stew a thousand times over the years and I've never made it quite like this one. And truthfully, this one is going to be a favorite from now on. 

See, I like my stews to have a thick sauce and not a loose, thin sauce. This recipe guarantees a thick sauce. It was perfect. 

Now, I kinda didn't have all the ingredients. Well, one main ingredient...the can of crushed tomatoes. I used that can earlier when I made Ropa Vieja and didn't get to the store to get another can. But I have this "tomato bouillon" and I figured that would suffice for the tomato flavor and it did. You gotta be careful with bouillon though because it can get salty. So watch your seasoning and maybe season later in the cooking process. 

Crockpot Beef Stew

Recipe from Carlsbad Cravings

Serves 6

BEEF STEW

• 1 T Vegetable oil
• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast cut into bite size pieces
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 4-5 medium red potatoes, chopped (about 1 pound)
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4 stalks celery, sliced thick (1/4”-1/2”)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf

BEEF GRAVY BROTH

• 1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 10.5 oz. can beef consommé **
• 1 15 oz. can low sodium beef broth
• 2 T low sodium soy sauce
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 1/3 c all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp beef bouillon
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp EACH ground cumin, paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme

Chop meat into bite size pieces. While meat is still on the cutting board, toss it with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add half of the beef to the very hot skillet and let cook undisturbed for approximately 2 minutes, or until nicely seared on one side, then continue to cook while stirring until beef is browned all over but not cooked through. Remove beef to 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker. Repeat with remaining beef.

Add all of the vegetables and garlic to the slow cooker and toss with the beef.

Add all the the Beef Gravy Broth ingredients to the now empty skillet (wipe out excess grease but leave brown bits). The flour will be lumpy at first but will dissolve as you cook and continue to whisk. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until thickened to the consistency of gravy. Add to slow cooker and toss to combine. Add bay leaf. The Gravy will be very thick but will thin to the perfect consistency as moisture is released from the vegetables as they cook.

Cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours or on LOW for 8-10 hours or until vegetables and beef are very tender. Discard bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Hot Jezebel Dip (Recipe 139 of 150)

Photo from 12 Tomatoes

I've been waiting and waiting to make this recipe. It's spicy and I have a couple of friends who don't like spicy. But tonight's Sunday dinner is my golden opportunity. Small group and most are ok with spicy. 

I did not use 2 T or 3 T of horseradish. I used a heaping tablespoon and it was just right. It still cleared the sinuses. 

The sweet and spicy combo of this with the cool cream cheese is really yummy. I have visions of baking chicken in this sauce at some point (sans the cream cheese). 

Hot Jezebel Dip/Sauce

Recipe from 12tomatoes.com

Serves 8

• 1 (18 oz) jar apricot preserves
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 2-3 T horseradish
• Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
• ritz crackers or chips

In bowl, whisk together apricot preserves, Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons horseradish, and black pepper. Add more horseradish and black pepper to taste.

Chill overnight OR serve immediately poured over top of cream cheese.

Curried Cauliflower Gratin (Recipe 138 of 150)

Photo from Cooking Light

Cauliflower is an under-used veggie I think. You don't see it too often on menus and rarely do you have it served to you at someone's house. Or at least that's been my experience. 

I happen to really enjoy cooked cauliflower. It's disgusting raw. I have several friends who aren't a fan of it, but I try to feed it to them anyhow. 

Tonight is Sunday dinner. It's being hosted by some British/Scottish friends. He's making a roast and I wanted to bring a unique and a bit different veggie side dish. Enter Curried Cauliflower Gratin.

Y'all this recipe was so freaking delicious. It's being added to the favorites for 2022. Make this side dish!

Curried Cauliflower Gratin

Recipe from Cooking Light

Serves 4

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
• 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves
• 4 c cauliflower florets
• 2/3 c light coconut milk
• 1/4 c lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3 T chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 T sliced red Fresno chilis

Heat olive oil in a 9-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Add curry powder, grated peeled fresh ginger, and thinly sliced garlic cloves. 

Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. 

Stir in cauliflower florets, light coconut milk, cup lower-sodium chicken broth, and kosher salt. 

Bake at 450°F until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Turn on broiler to high; broil until browned, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro and sliced red Fresno chiles.

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja (Recipe 137 of 150)

Whoa. It's been over a month since I made a new recipe. I think that's the longest I've gone in several years without making something new. There are a lot of reasons and you can find out by hopping over to the other blog for more details. 

Ropa Vieja! It's a Cuban recipe and it's so delicious. I never order at a Cuban restaurant because they use bell peppers in it and, well, blech. I've made it a couple of times too. Here is the most recent this year. And then again in 2017. Then one other time in 2011. All of them are slightly different, but all of them are basically stewed meat. 

This one was good. Flank steak was WAY too expensive to use so I bought a tritip roast which was, surprisingly, about $10 less than the flank steak. I think you could use a chuck roast for this and get just as good results. You might want to cut it into chunks though to allow more flavor into the meat. I cut the tritip in half. 

I didn't buy capers for this either. Capers are expensive little buggers and for a tablespoon of them I just didn't think it was necessary. 

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja
Recipe from Martha Stewart

Serves 6

• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions, cut into thick slices
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into thick slices
• 3 large cloves garlic, cut into thin slices
• 1 jalapeno (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired), cut into thin slices
• 1 T whole cumin seeds
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 c small Spanish olives
• 1 T capers, drained, plus 1 tablespoon brine
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving
• Cooked white rice and plantain chips, for serving

Preheat a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker. Season steak generously with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high. Add steak and cook until browned on both sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, jalapeno, and cumin seeds; season with salt and pepper and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook 2 minutes more. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Pour mixture over steak in slow cooker; cover and cook on high until very tender, 5 hours (or on low 10 hours).

Transfer steak to a platter; cut in half crosswise. Using two forks, shred meat. Transfer sauce to skillet; cook over high heat until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in shredded meat, olives, and capers with brine; cook just until heated through, 2 minutes more. Top with cilantro and serve, with rice and plantain chips.