Hot Tamales at Year 23

It's my first ever attempt at tamales from scratch. I made green chile chicken this time and used the crockpot, because I didn't want to make a big steamer pot and I had no help.  Perhaps the kid will help next year. He certainly is good at the eating part. Making the filling ahead, and then making the masa dough in the stand mixer was much easier than I thought.

 

 

Thanksgiving 2018

                           

     

It's become tradition to spend Thanksgiving with the inlaws out in Hemet. Which is fine, except that it's going to be like 100 degrees tomorrow, which is a record-breaker (hottest since 1903). Yuck. I'm already sweaty and uncomfortable.

On the bright side, maybe that will make me want to eat less since I'll be sweating my ass off. Save on the carbs somehow.

As a result of this holiday traditional Thursday, I always make a Thanksgiving meal at home on Wednesday because, let's face it, we're all just in it for the leftovers right?

I have tried many methods of turkey prep: dry brine, wet brine, oven bag, high temp/low temp, lift skin and butter, spice bouquet in cavity, stuffed, unstuffed, breast side down & flip, etc.  I am not a fan of the frying situation as the fire danger and skin burn eventuality give me severe anxiety. This year, though, I thought I'd try something I've never done before.  Err I say this, if you have a mayo aversion, leave my blog immediately-- especially if you're one of those sadistic Miracle Whip peeps. 

That's correct, I lathered that baby good in some good' ol Hellman's mayonaisse.  (** listen West Coasters, I'm fully aware it's called Best Foods out here, but y'all got a realize I'm an East Coast girl at heart and I can not get over it being the same damn bottle with some generic food processor's brand. I like to fool myself into believing is was some German grannie that made this personally for me.**) 

Once lathered all over and inside the skin of the breast, I sprinkled it with this dry rub:

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 T freshly chopped parsley

Then I cooked it at 325 degrees, approx 15 minutes per pound.

I did not baste it at all, just let is go in the oven and glanced at it with the light, but didn't open the oven. The meat was moist, and the skin was phenomenal!

Sadly, I forgot to take a photo of the bird because it was 3000 degrees in my kitchen by the time I was done and I was too sweaty to remember anything.  But it was a nice pre-holiday lunch with a side of pie. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Philly Sticky Buns, or Where are you Flourtown Bakery?

Endorsed by my 14 yr old son: "These are BOMB!"

Every once in a while, you need a taste of home. This is a process, but if you have a stand mixer, use the dough hook and go to it!

PHILADEPHIA STICKY BUNS

For the YEAST DOUGH

1⁄3 cup milk

1⁄4 cup sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 cup butter

1⁄4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

1(1/4 ounce) package yeast

1 egg

2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour

FOR THE TOPPING

1⁄4 cup butter

1⁄4 cup light brown sugar

1⁄2 cup pecan halves (or more)

FOR THE FILLING

1⁄4cup butter, softened

1⁄4cup light brown sugar

1⁄2cup chopped raisins

1⁄2teaspoon cinnamon

First the DOUGH:

*In a small pan, heat milk just until bubbles form around edge of pan; remove from heat.

*Add sugar, salt and butter; stir to melt butter, then cool to lukewarm.

*Sprinkle yeast over water in large bowl; stir to dissolve then stir in lukewarm milk mixture.

*Add the egg and 2 cups of the flour; beat with electric mixer until smooth.

*Add the remaining 1/2 cup flour and mix by hand until dough is smooth and leaves sides of bowl.

*Turn dough onto lightly floured surface ; knead until dough is smooth and blisters appear.

*Place in lightly greased bowl; turn to grease all over.

*Cover with towel and let rise in warm, draft-free place until double, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  (I proof all yeast bread/doughs by starting my oven, letting it get to 110 degrees then turning it off; set the bowl with the towel covering it in the warm oven to proof for the time stated)

Prepare the TOPPING:

*While dough rises, in a small bowl with spoon cream the butter and brown sugar.

*Spread on bottom and sides of 9X9X2-inch square baking pan.

*Place pecans evenly on top, flat sides up.

Prepare the FILLING:

*Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins together.

Prepare the BUNS:

*When dough has risen, roll dough into a 16X12 inch rectangle; spread with butter, sprinkle with brown sugar, the raisins and cinnamon.

*Roll up from long side, jelly-roll fashion; pinch edge to seal.

*Cut crosswise into 12 pieces. (Recommendation: use unflavored dental floss to cut them! Slide the floss under the roll, pull both sides up and cross each other to get a clean cut that knife will not give you)

*Place, cut side down, into prepared pan.

*Let rise, covered in warm place free of drafts until doubled,1 to 1 1/2 hours. (Again, use the heat to 110 and turn off method)

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

*Bake sticky buns 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

(Note: After cooking, I let mine sit for 20 minutes, then inverted them and they fell off in one large square.)

*Invert on plate, let stand 1 minute then remove pan.

*Serve warm.

This is labor intensive and might be worth doubling to make a 9x13 batch.

Egg Roll Casserole

So sometimes I want an egg roll, but I need to cut out the fried shell and the carbs. This is an option.

Ingredients
1 # ground pork
5 oz shredded purple cabbage (or napa cabbage)
5 oz bean sprouts
5 oz shredded carrots
1 tsp ginger
4 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 T sesame oil
green onions (garnish)

Instructions
Combine the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and oil. Add the veggies and toss. Brown the pork, then add the veggies and stir fry 3 minutes. Pour into casserole dish (13x9) and bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve over brown rice or rice noodles.

Taco Seasoning

Photo credit to: http://www.lamag.com/digestblog/del-taco-selling-street-tacos-twice-price-actual-street-tacos/

Oh, street tacos. There is just nothing like street tacos in LA, unless maybe you're in San Diego. I love that I can head on over to Baja Ranch Market down the block and get some Pollo Asado, Carne Asada, or Carnitas at any moment. But sometimes I've got leftover beef or chicken that I need to use up, and then I stir-fry it up with some of this homemade taco seasoning, slice some lime wedges, and heat up those fresh corn tortillas from the local tortilleria. Easy, tasty, gone! The Teen Titan loves them. I keep this on hand for such an occasion.

Taco Seasoning

1T Chili powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp red pepper (eliminate if you don't like it so hot)

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp black pepper 

Keto/Low Fat Pepitas (Pumpkin) Muffins

Fall baking before Indian Summer arrives at 100+ tomorrow. 

Come back autumn! Please! 

                                                                

Pepitas (Pumpkin) Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups Stevia Baking Blend
• 1 cup applesauce
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups almond meal/flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• Pepitas (for topping)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, sugar, applesauce, water, and eggs.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together flours, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
4. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until blended.
5. Pour into bread or cupcake pans (will make 24-32 cupcakes). Bake at 350 for 25-35 (until knife comes out clean).

Nutrition:  34.9g Carbs, 204.3 Kcal per muffin (1 serving of 24 batch)

Gone Keto

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I have not posted in a while, partly because I'm back to work and partly because I haven't been cooking as much. Firstly because of the heat, and secondly because of my change in diet. I've gone the Keto route, low carb, high fat, but not to the extreme. I try to stay under 200 g carbs a day, and I'm working out 3-6 times a week. I've lost 22 pounds since May doing so, and I'm not dealing with blood sugar highs, lows or fatigue. Thus, I'm staying on trend with the Keto-friendly diet and recipes. 

Today I bought a huge and lovely corn bread from Vons- fresh baked in their ovens and it smelled delicious, so I had to have chili. I used a Ree Drummond recipe variation for chili at home, because I have one no-onions eater and I'm trying to stay away from beans and their hidden carbs unless I'm measuring carefully.

Thus:
 1# ground beef (80/20%) browned & drained
1 minced garlic clove
1.5 T chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 T tom paste
1 8 oz can tom sauce
8 oz water/beef broth
1/8 cup shredded cheddar (per serving)

Brown & drain the beef, then add the garlic and spices. Stir to combine. Add the paste, sauce, and broth or water. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low until reduced to the thickness you like.

Serve with warm cornbread and some cheddar cheese sprinkled on the chili.

Cake-Mama-Mia!

The Cake Mamas of Glendora, CA won the first season of Cupcake Wars on Food Network. They have an interesting story-- current wife teams up with ex-wife to co-parent and start a bakery biz. Then they had some kind of falling out and there is only one Cake Mama now, who is also a competitive bodybuilder which kills me. I guess she has to burn off all that sugar. They made an awesome Lego Darth Vader cake for my cousin Trish's son on his birthday which was featured in their brochure and gallery . This is literally his cake:

Disclaimer: These are not my photos; I got them from their Yelp site. But these are the 2 cupcakes I purchased as a treat this week, and they were bomb. I especially enjoyed the second one.

Piña Colada:

Lemon Berry Tart:

Tuscan Garlic Chicken

This came from Cooking Panda videos on Facebook. Simple and FANTASTIC. This is a keeper! It's pretty much all Keto-Friendly too! 1/2 the recipe is 10.8 carbs and 899 Kcal.

This is a poor photo, as these were the leftovers, but it is so good!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into cutlets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Season chicken with salt and pepper, then saute in a large skillet on medium high heat for 3-5 minutes on each side, until browned and thoroughly cooked. Set chicken aside on a plate. 

2) Bring the heat down to medium. In the same skillet, whisk in the heavy cream, chicken broth, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese for a few minutes until mixture thickens slightly. 

3) Add spinach and sundried tomatoes. Simmer for a minute or two, until spinach wilts. Return chicken to pan and flip a few times, so that it is thoroughly coated in sauce. 

Well, I D'eclair!

* Oh those were the days, you old dessert menu at Claim Jumper.  But seriously- a no-bake dessert for a hot humid summer day? Yes please.

Here is the recipe, but please note, I went the sugar free/ lower carb/ real cream route.

Sugar free chocolate frosting, real heavy cream whipped with vanilla & 3 T stevia powder,
and sugar free instant pudding.

That made my recipe 491 calories per 1/8th cake and 71 carbs instead (a whopping 14 WW pts, but let's ignore that for now!!)

Super easy- you could probably use cocoa, milk, and stevia powder instead of the frosting too.

I pushed the 'fridge time', so mine looks a little less set in 100 degrees/30% + humidity, but it tasted fine!

Shrimp Etouffee

*Crawfish Etouffee is one of my favorite dishes, but I don't have easy access to crawfish, so I went the shrimp route. This recipe was tasty, but I think it was a bit runnier than the sauce should be- it tends to be thicker and stew like but this was soupy. I think I'd add the broth slowly in smaller amounts and then adjust it if it got too thick.

Seasoned with spice mix.

Saute the vegetables in butter.

Add the flour to make a roux.

Add the diced tomatoes.

And the rest of the spice mix.

See- a little soupy with all the broth added at once.

Once it thickens, add the shrimp back.

Garnished with green onions.

I also had leftover noodles, so I served them rather than the traditional rice.

Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Popper Casserole

This is a Keto Diet recipe. Aidan like buffalo wings, so I thought I'd try this and see if he'd eat it. I also divided this recipe in half and cooked it in the new toaster oven (beating the kitchen heat in the summer!)

Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Popper Casserole

400 degrees (PreHeat)

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds (6-small) boneless chicken thighs
• 6 slices bacon
• 3 medium jalapenos*
• 12 ounces cream cheese
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 ounces shredded mozzarella Cheese
• ¼ cup Frank’s Red Hot (or other hot sauce)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook chicken thighs (I cooked my chicken thighs with salt/pepper seasoning on the grill- 15 min skin up, 15 min skin down, 15 more skin up to make this easier and less hot in the house. I then chopped it into bite size pieces).

Chop the bacon into bite size pieces, then cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Then add the jalapenos slices (deseeded)

When jalapenos are soft, add cream cheese, mayo, and hot sauce (I used Tapatio). Mix together and let cream cheese melt a bit.

Lay chicken into casserole dish and top with cream cheese mix.

Top with cheddar & mozzarella.

Bake for 15 minutes, then broil for 3 minutes to finish it off.

786 kcal per serving (makes 6)

4.6 carbs per serving

WW = 20 points per serving