a) wedding guest season has commenced
b) there is no b
Official tally: I have been to 37 post-college weddings of non-relatives. This does not include the 2 weddings that I legit crashed (one in Rochester and one in South Carolina). It also does not include all of the weddings of relatives and pre-college weddings of family friends. From May to October for the past decade or so, I moonlight and weekend-light as a wedding guest. It is totally ridiculous. It is safe to say that I have spent almost as much money on weddings as I have on law school, and I would guesstimate that only maybe a little more than two-thirds-ish of my friends are married at this point. So that's where I've been. Kicking off wedding season, not trying new recipes, and eating frozen food and leftovers.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
recipes 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36: cinco Cinco de Mayo delights!
Happy early Cinco de Mayo! Last year on Cinco de Mayo, in a crazy twist of events, I ended up dining here in White Plains: http://maps.google.com/maps/place?oe=UTF-8&gfns=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=mexican+restaurants+white+plains&fb=1&gl=us&hq=mexican+restaurants&hnear=0x89c29422e2a335d9:0x541404101a5bfc6c,White+Plains,+NY&cid=13678484839254701877. This place gets a gold star. It was recommended by a trusted source (oh, how I wish I could elaborate more because... how and why I ended up there is a really good story, but alas, I cannot) and is so hole-in-the-wall that it doesn't even have a website. It was a great Cinco de Mayo. It was a fiesta! There was a lot to celebrate! This year on Cinco de Mayo, I will be in Maine, which is just as much a hub of Cinco de Mayo revelry as Veracruz in White Plains. Does my blogcasm translate? In any event, here are cinco of my Cinco de Mayo recipes. To be honest, I only have cinco Cinco de Mayo recipes total and all of them are here. Okay, to be totally honest, as I type right now, I only have cuatro Cinco de Mayo recipes (and to totally wear my honesty on my sleeve, I thought cuatro was spelled "quattro" until 18 seconds ago). I am taking a gamble on the fifth one, because I am cooking it right now for the first time, and hoping it makes the blog cut by the time I get to the end of this post... I mean, who posts cuatro Cinco de Mayo recipes? Losers, that's who. And who thinks cuatro is spelled "quattro"? People who won Honorable Mentions for French Enthusiasm in high school, that's who. Fingers crossed on the fifth one! The first recipe is my guacamole. I made it up. It is yum. The second recipe is also made up and very simple. The third recipe is from the high school classmate who had the blog that no longer exists, as is the fourth one. Wow, I've definitely gotten a lot of keeper recipes from her and I wish she still had her blog! The fifth recipe is the dark horse wild card, and if it makes it into this post, I will cite the source later. It smells good. I am optimistic even though Tristan is moaning about doing most of the work on the recipe because I am so busy typing away. (Tristan does not like that sentence. He says it makes him look like a jerk when he is "in fact the hero of this story"). Anyway.
GUACAMOLE (serves 4)
Mash together:
-2 ripe avocados
-a handful of grape tomatoes, halved
-half a package of guacamole seasoning (this can usually be found in the produce section of the grocery store)
-fresh squeezed lime juice (maybe half a lime-ish?)
-one minced garlic clove
-chopped fresh cilantro to taste
ROASTED CORN AND ASIAGO QUESADILLAS WITH CILANTRO GRILLED PINEAPPLE SALAD (serves 4)
Ingredients:
-4 large tortillas
-1-2 cups corn, depending on the extent to which you heart corn (Trader Joe's sells frozen "roasted corn" and it is perfect for this; note: I fall on the far end of the hearting corn extreme, this is a lot of corn)
-8 slices asiago cheese
-cooking spray
-4 pineapple rings
-about 1 T honey
-about 1 T olive oil
-about 1 T balsamic vinegar
-2 c fresh salad greens
-a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
-some sliced cucumbers
Instructions:
1) the night before: dethaw the frozen corn in the refrigerator and marinate the pineapple rings in a mixture of the honey, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and some of the fresh cilantro
2) the next day: spray a frying pan with cooking spray and heat
3) put a tortilla in the pan
4) add 2 slices of the cheese and 1/4 of the corn on one half of the tortilla
5) once the cheese melts, flip the other half of the tortilla over, and cook both sides of the quesadilla until crispy (repeat with the next three tortillas)
6) while the quesadilla is cooking, grill the marinated pineapple in a grill pan
7) toss the salad greens, some fresh cilantro, and cucumber
8) add the grilled pineapple with some leftover marinade as the dressing
CHICKEN TAMALE CASSEROLE (serves 6-8)
Ingredients:
-1 c shredded Mexican cheese
-1/3 c fat free milk
-1 egg
-1 t ground cumin
-1/8 t red pepper flakes
-1 (14 3/4 oz) can of creamed corn
-1 (8.5 oz) box of corn muffin mix
-4 oz canned green chili peppers, drained
-cooking spray
-10 oz red enchilada sauce
-2 c shredded, cooked rotisserie chicken
-1/2 c sour cream
-corn, black beans, chopped green onion for the top
Instructions:
1) preheat oven to 400 degrees
2) combine 1/4 c of the cheese and all ingredients through the chili peppers in a bowl
3) stir until moist
4) pour mixture into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray
5) bake for 15 minutes, or until set
6) pierce the top liberally with a fork
7) top with enchilada sauce, chicken, black beans, corn, and scallions
8) sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for 15 more minutes
9) remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, cut into squares and serve each square with a dollop of sour cream
TILAPIA TOSTADAS (serves 4)
Ingredients:
-1/2 c sour cream
-1/4 c green salsa
-cooking spray
-1 c yellow corn kernls
-1/4 c finely chopped red pepper
-1/4 c finely chopped red onion
-1 t minced jalapeño
- 3/4 t salt
-1 diced, peeled avocado
-2 t fresh lime juice
-1 1/2 lb tilapia fillets, cut into 2 inch pieces
-1/4 t black pepper
-1/3 c yellow cornmeal
-1 T olive oil, divided
-8 tortillas (6 inch size)
-1 c angel hair slaw
Instructions:
1) combine sour cream and salsa and set aside
2) heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray
3) add the corn, pepper, onion, jalapeño, and a pinch of salt to the pan
4) saute the mix for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
5) remove the mixture from the pan, wipe the pan clean, and stir the avocado and lime juice into the mixture
6) meanwhile... preheat the broiler
7) sprinkle the fish with the remaining salt and pepper
8) place the cornmeal in a large plastic ziploc bag, add the fish, and shake well to fully coat the fish
9) heat 1 1/2 t of oil in the pan over medium-high heat and add half of the fish to the pan
10) cook the fish for about 3 minutes on one side, flip and cook for 2 more minutes until the fish flakes
11) repeat with the remaining fish
12) coat both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray and broil 2 minutes on each side until crisp
13) top the tortillas with fish, corn mix, and sour cream/salsa sauce
CHICKEN MOLE (adapted from the Sandwich King Jeff Mauro http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jeff-mauro/chicken-mole-torta-recipe/index.html to accommodate a chef with an almond allergy, and coming to you courtesy of Tristan, who is undoubtedly going to take most of the credit for this creation and "all of the credit for the effort and execution")
Ingredients:
-2 T green chilis
-a swirl of sesame oil around a cast iron skillet
-1/2 onion, diced
-salt and freshly ground black pepper
-1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (this is sold in a can)
-3 T chocolate chips
-sprinkle cinnamon
-sprinkle of ground cloves
-1 T minced garlic
-3 c chicken stock
-14 1/2 oz diced tomatoes with their juices
-2 T sunflower seed butter
-1/4 c raisins
-2 T toasted sesame seeds
-2 or 3 bone-in chicken breasts
-sliced avocado
-brown rice
-re-fried beans
-lime wedges
Instructions:
1) heat the sesame oil in the cast iron skillet over medium heat
2) add the onions and some salt; saute until soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes
3) add the green chilis and minced chipotle and cook for about 3 minutes
4) add the chocolate, cinnamon, cloves and garlic and cook until the chocolate melts
5) quickly (so the chocolate doesn't burn) add the chicken stock, tomatoes, sunflower seed butter, raisins and sesame seeds
6) simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently
7) blend the sauce in a blender until smooth; add about 1 T of the adobo sauce (or as much as desired to get the flavor to the desired degree of spiciness) from the leftover chipotles and blend for about another minute
8) add the mole back to the skillet and preheat the oven to 350 degrees
9) sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, place the chicken in the sauce, coat each piece with the sauce and simmer 15 minutes per side, stirring the sauce around so it does not burn (this part gets messy, so it works best to cover the skillet... Tristan learned this the hard way!)
10) move the skillet to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes
11) shred the chicken off the bones and coat with sauce
12) serve with sliced avocado, brown rice, re-fried beans, and lime wedges...
...and a Feliz Cinco de Mayo indeed (to you, that is)! As for me, I'm about to get sent to Dumpsville- Population: Me. Poor thing didn't know he was whipping up mole from scratch this evening! But he did GREAT!
GUACAMOLE (serves 4)
Mash together:
-2 ripe avocados
-a handful of grape tomatoes, halved
-half a package of guacamole seasoning (this can usually be found in the produce section of the grocery store)
-fresh squeezed lime juice (maybe half a lime-ish?)
-one minced garlic clove
-chopped fresh cilantro to taste
ROASTED CORN AND ASIAGO QUESADILLAS WITH CILANTRO GRILLED PINEAPPLE SALAD (serves 4)
Ingredients:
-4 large tortillas
-1-2 cups corn, depending on the extent to which you heart corn (Trader Joe's sells frozen "roasted corn" and it is perfect for this; note: I fall on the far end of the hearting corn extreme, this is a lot of corn)
-8 slices asiago cheese
-cooking spray
-4 pineapple rings
-about 1 T honey
-about 1 T olive oil
-about 1 T balsamic vinegar
-2 c fresh salad greens
-a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
-some sliced cucumbers
Instructions:
1) the night before: dethaw the frozen corn in the refrigerator and marinate the pineapple rings in a mixture of the honey, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and some of the fresh cilantro
2) the next day: spray a frying pan with cooking spray and heat
3) put a tortilla in the pan
4) add 2 slices of the cheese and 1/4 of the corn on one half of the tortilla
5) once the cheese melts, flip the other half of the tortilla over, and cook both sides of the quesadilla until crispy (repeat with the next three tortillas)
6) while the quesadilla is cooking, grill the marinated pineapple in a grill pan
7) toss the salad greens, some fresh cilantro, and cucumber
8) add the grilled pineapple with some leftover marinade as the dressing
CHICKEN TAMALE CASSEROLE (serves 6-8)
Ingredients:
-1 c shredded Mexican cheese
-1/3 c fat free milk
-1 egg
-1 t ground cumin
-1/8 t red pepper flakes
-1 (14 3/4 oz) can of creamed corn
-1 (8.5 oz) box of corn muffin mix
-4 oz canned green chili peppers, drained
-cooking spray
-10 oz red enchilada sauce
-2 c shredded, cooked rotisserie chicken
-1/2 c sour cream
-corn, black beans, chopped green onion for the top
Instructions:
1) preheat oven to 400 degrees
2) combine 1/4 c of the cheese and all ingredients through the chili peppers in a bowl
3) stir until moist
4) pour mixture into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray
5) bake for 15 minutes, or until set
6) pierce the top liberally with a fork
7) top with enchilada sauce, chicken, black beans, corn, and scallions
8) sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for 15 more minutes
9) remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, cut into squares and serve each square with a dollop of sour cream
TILAPIA TOSTADAS (serves 4)
Ingredients:
-1/2 c sour cream
-1/4 c green salsa
-cooking spray
-1 c yellow corn kernls
-1/4 c finely chopped red pepper
-1/4 c finely chopped red onion
-1 t minced jalapeño
- 3/4 t salt
-1 diced, peeled avocado
-2 t fresh lime juice
-1 1/2 lb tilapia fillets, cut into 2 inch pieces
-1/4 t black pepper
-1/3 c yellow cornmeal
-1 T olive oil, divided
-8 tortillas (6 inch size)
-1 c angel hair slaw
Instructions:
1) combine sour cream and salsa and set aside
2) heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray
3) add the corn, pepper, onion, jalapeño, and a pinch of salt to the pan
4) saute the mix for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
5) remove the mixture from the pan, wipe the pan clean, and stir the avocado and lime juice into the mixture
6) meanwhile... preheat the broiler
7) sprinkle the fish with the remaining salt and pepper
8) place the cornmeal in a large plastic ziploc bag, add the fish, and shake well to fully coat the fish
9) heat 1 1/2 t of oil in the pan over medium-high heat and add half of the fish to the pan
10) cook the fish for about 3 minutes on one side, flip and cook for 2 more minutes until the fish flakes
11) repeat with the remaining fish
12) coat both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray and broil 2 minutes on each side until crisp
13) top the tortillas with fish, corn mix, and sour cream/salsa sauce
CHICKEN MOLE (adapted from the Sandwich King Jeff Mauro http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jeff-mauro/chicken-mole-torta-recipe/index.html to accommodate a chef with an almond allergy, and coming to you courtesy of Tristan, who is undoubtedly going to take most of the credit for this creation and "all of the credit for the effort and execution")
Ingredients:
-2 T green chilis
-a swirl of sesame oil around a cast iron skillet
-1/2 onion, diced
-salt and freshly ground black pepper
-1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (this is sold in a can)
-3 T chocolate chips
-sprinkle cinnamon
-sprinkle of ground cloves
-1 T minced garlic
-3 c chicken stock
-14 1/2 oz diced tomatoes with their juices
-2 T sunflower seed butter
-1/4 c raisins
-2 T toasted sesame seeds
-2 or 3 bone-in chicken breasts
-sliced avocado
-brown rice
-re-fried beans
-lime wedges
Instructions:
1) heat the sesame oil in the cast iron skillet over medium heat
2) add the onions and some salt; saute until soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes
3) add the green chilis and minced chipotle and cook for about 3 minutes
4) add the chocolate, cinnamon, cloves and garlic and cook until the chocolate melts
5) quickly (so the chocolate doesn't burn) add the chicken stock, tomatoes, sunflower seed butter, raisins and sesame seeds
6) simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently
7) blend the sauce in a blender until smooth; add about 1 T of the adobo sauce (or as much as desired to get the flavor to the desired degree of spiciness) from the leftover chipotles and blend for about another minute
8) add the mole back to the skillet and preheat the oven to 350 degrees
9) sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, place the chicken in the sauce, coat each piece with the sauce and simmer 15 minutes per side, stirring the sauce around so it does not burn (this part gets messy, so it works best to cover the skillet... Tristan learned this the hard way!)
10) move the skillet to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes
11) shred the chicken off the bones and coat with sauce
12) serve with sliced avocado, brown rice, re-fried beans, and lime wedges...
...and a Feliz Cinco de Mayo indeed (to you, that is)! As for me, I'm about to get sent to Dumpsville- Population: Me. Poor thing didn't know he was whipping up mole from scratch this evening! But he did GREAT!
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