Spiced up Black Beans

I found myself alone, and with responsibility. I don't know that this was the best combination, but hopefully something good came of it. Jodi had volunteered to prepare "Beans for Eight" for the Stake Fiesta Latina activity tonight. However, she dared to leave this responsibility on me (she went up to Idaho to visit her dad). I didn't want to be boring and just take some refried beans, so I put my mind to work, and came up with this...a slightly spicy black bean concoction, and I like it! Next time you have burritos, or just want something to dip your tortilla chips in, give this a try.

Spiced Up Black Beans

• 1 (30-oz) can Black Beans, drained
• 1 (4 oz) can fire roasted, diced green chiles (you can use medium or hot)
• 3/4 cup salsa (select your favorite)
• 1 (14.5-oz) can whole kernel corn (I didn't put this in, but I think it would be great)

Mix everything together. Heat and serve, or dip (I served mine cold, but that is mostly because I had to go to work, and just dropped the beans off well before the activity started). I think a little lime juice would add a nice background flavor. I'll have to try that next time.

Just a note, it is better if you let it sit and allow the flavors mix. Plan ahead!

Cinnamon Rolls with a twist

I needed small pieces of cinnamon roll for a crowd, so I took a tip from my new favorite simple cookbook and made over our family cinnamon recipe (which I still think is amazing.) It's simple, just take 1/2 the recipe and roll it out nice and big. Butter, sugar and cinnamon as usual (I also added some toffee bits) then roll it up and seal it. No changes thus far.

Now it gets fun. Slice it with a very sharp knife (I sharpened mine the other day) the long way. Yup, just one long slice all the way down the length of that hunk of dough. Now you have 2 delicate pieces that are spilling out all over the place. Take them and twist them together, trying to keep the filling on top. I forgot to photograph this step, which I regret, because it's beautiful to see the brown sugar striped twisting around themselves. Take the twist and wrap it in a circle on the inside of a springform pan. I used a 10", and I think it would be difficult to do it smaller unless you used less dough, which, of course, is easy, so never mind about that.

Seal the ends together the best you can, then let it raise, which mine didn't do well, but it's no biggie. Cook at 350˚ for 25 minutes, then beat 1 egg yolk with 1 tsp water and brush it over the rolls. Cook 15 minutes more, then remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove sides of pan and place a sheet pan or large cutting board under the cooling rack. Drizzle the thin icing over the top and let it drip down the sides and into the waiting pan. Cool completely, then slice and serve. Voila! Little cinnamon roll slices for many people!

Chocolate Caramel Popcorn

So, yeah, it had to be done eventually, and I don't regret being the one to do it. As Michelle (and Bryce, Justin, Jodi, Liz, Heather, Mom, Marquie, etc.) can attest, I'm just one BAD influence. Oh well, that's life. Besides, after the Chipotle Beef debacle, I thought I owed the forum something! So here you go, please enjoy (as Liz and I did last night!)

Chocolate Caramel Popcorn

• 1 recipe of Family Cookbook Caramel Popcorn
• 2-3 batches of air popped popcorn [more popcorn=less caramel per piece—don't be greedy!]
• 1/4-1/3 cup cocoa [I used dutch process because I finally replenished my Kitchen Kneads supply!]
• Peanuts or pecans or peanut butter chips (optional)

OK, so prepare the popcorn and caramel as usual, but after you melt the butter and sugar together, add cocoa and mix well. Be very careful with the boil, because this will thicken FAST! Of course, I only made a 1/4 size batch, so it thickened super fast. Add salt, vanilla, and baking soda as usual. This will be thicker than your average caramel, but you shouldn't hate it.

For the small batch I used about 2 Tbsp cocoa, so my amount above is an estimate. We didn't add nuts or anything, but they sound good, don't they? We did 1/4 batch caramel to 1 batch popcorn, and it wasn't quite enough goo; so gauge accordingly. Love you!

Chipotle Beef II

I originally posted this as a comment to the recipe below, but thought it would make a nice recipe (and story) all by itself.

So, I was craving Chipotle yesterday, so I thought it would make delightful party fare for our get together last night. Unfortunately, I forgot you posted the great recipe below and I went in search of a recipe online (Sorry, Dad!) I found one, bought the ingredients, and then realized that the directions were horrible, so I freaked out. While I was online I saw your recipe posted (again!) and used it as the basis for my new hybrid of chipotle beef. It saved us all, so many thanks, Dad, even though I forgot about your original post! I do feel bad, but there's nothing I can do now. So, our hybrid was the same, but with a can each of green chiles, beef broth and diced tomatoes. It was really juicy, and I think Justin will be sick for a week after what he ate (even though Jodi tried to stop him!) We used a 3 pound roast, and it was a bit spicy as Mom mentioned, but we ate it up anyway. I think for the kids you could reduce the Chipotle peppers to 1/2 or 2/3 can. So here's the one I used:

Crock Pot Chipotle Beef

• 3-5 pound roast
• 1-14 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1-14 oz can beef broth
• 1 small can diced chiles
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped

Rinse and dry roast, then place in crockpot. Pour tomatoes and broth over the roast. Combine remaining ingredients, then pour over the top of the roast. [My recipe said to keep it all on top of the roast, but I'm not sure if that's important or not given how I prepared it.] Cook on low 12 hours or high for 8 hours. [I used a combination of the two as I checked it and freaked out about it being done on time, etc., etc.] When the roast is shreddable, removing it from the pot and shred it completely. Give the ingredients in the pot a stir, then return the meat to the pot and continue cooking until you're ready to serve it. [I let it stew another 1 1/2-2 hours and it was juicy, flavorful, and divine! I don't think it would have been quite as luscious if I hadn't let it stew in the liquid after shredding.]

I served it alongside homemade tortillas, spiced black beans, sauteed peppers and zucchini, and plenty of sour cream to cut the spice! Again, Dad, sorry I neglected the recipe you so generously posted. I promise to use it next time!

Chipotle Beef

Mom like this so much she asked (Actually, she told :)) me to get it posted and since James has the recipe site to do it, it made it easy to do. Some of the older family members may remember burritos from Jerry's in St. Paul. One of the meats we always enjoyed was Chipotle beef. So, because of mom's prompting and as a reminder of wonderful food from years gone by, here is my personal recipe.

First, the peppers, Chipotle peppers are actually Jalapeno peppers that are smoked. They are spicy but have a very robust and full flavor brought out by the smoking process.

Ingredients --

• Three to five pound beef roast, thin sliced or cubed. Either way, after cooking you will want to shred it some.
  
• One medium red, or yellow onion cubed
  
• Five Garlic cloves, chopped
• One small can Chipotle peppers, cut into pieces
  
• Salt to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Cooking --

• Brown the beef
• Add onions, garlic, salt, pepper and Chipotle Peppers
  
• Cook until tender in either a crock pot or dutch oven (heavy covered pot). Cast iron is best.
  

Serving --

• This is a spicy dish and can be used in many ways such as a filling for burritos, tamales, or just as a meat dish served with rice, beans and tortillas. (Pinching as Heather would say)
• Depending on how it is served, (such as with rice and beans) will serve ten to twelve people
  

Enjoy.

Turkey Chili

I stumbled upon this recipe by accident. I started making taco soup by cooking 1 lb of ground turkey, and then realized I hadn't pre-soaked the dry beans that I needed to make the soup. So, I searched some recipes for what to do with 1 lb of ground turkey. I came across this recipe on Creative Homemaking and found we happened to have all of the ingredients, so I made it and it turned out great! Justin and I loved it so much we suggested it to Michelle and James as they put together the menu for the week. We had it together and everyone liked it (well, except for some of the kids). Give it a try! It's very healthy as well!
Turkey Chili

• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced [we found that thickly sliced is pretty good too]
  
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 28-oz. can of crushed tomatoes [we used diced, and it seemed just fine]
  
• 1 15-oz. can of black beans, drained
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 can corn (optional) [I don't think you'll want to leave it out, the color of the corn makes it visually appealing]

In a large soup pan, cook onion, pepper, celery, and turkey in oil until turkey is cooked through. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, beans, and oregano, and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add corn and simmer for 10 more minutes. Serves 6.

My Mom's M&M Cookies

These (we think) are the cookies my mom used to make for us when we were little. They are by far my favorite kind of cookie ever, and I insist that the same recipe with chocolate chips substituted is not as good (but there is considerable debate on that topic, so feel free to try that if you want :). When she would make them, I would usually eat about 6 right in a row, until I had to stop because I felt sick.

M&M Cookies

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter (not spread), softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (12-oz) (1-3/4 cups) M&M® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bits

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in flour mixture. Stir in M&M’s bits.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls about 2-in apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350* for 9 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute in pan.

Hint: For chewy cookies, begin checking cookies for doneness at ~ 8 minutes and for beginning brownness.

Here's some fun ways to spice up your pancakes!

I found these recipes one day on Mr.Breakfast.com when I decided to make breakfast for dinner and wanted a few ways to spice up our pancakes. We just happened to have apple cider in the fridge and I couldn't resist making the cinnamon honey butter to go along with it. Justin loved both, and it was really fun. We had whipped topping with it and it was very good together.

Apple Cider Syrup (15 servings)

[I halved this recipe and it served us more than twice each, but there's only two of us!]

• 2 cups apple cider or apple juice

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup butter

• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch

• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix together sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg in saucepan. Pour in juice (apple and lemon). Cook and stir constantly until thickened and boils. Boil and stir one minute. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Serve warm over pancakes [we found that it is just as delicious served cold (as long as you stir the separated ingredients)].

Cinnamon Honey Butter (16 servings)

[I halved this recipe and it was more than enough]

• 1/2 bup butter, softened

• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

• 1/2 cup honey

• 1 tsp cinnamon

In a medium bowl, combine butter, confectioners' sugar honey and cinnamon. Beat until light and fluffy.

Bittersweet Chocolate & Pear Cake

This is the first recipe AND the format I'd like to use for posting.

Principles:

1. Put the title in Bold Italics so it's easy to find the beginning of the recipe.  Add commentary before or after or whatever.  I think it's fun to know why and where and when you made it, plus family reactions.
2. Use bullet points for the ingredients so they're easy to identify.
3. Include all directions as well as any changes you made, notated in [brackets.]
4. If your recipe has a citable source, tell us where you found it, just below the title.  It's nice to give credit where it's due.  If you can't find an author, no biggie.

I came across this recipe in a food blog I frequent, and had to make it as soon as I had occasion.  I found occasion one October evening, and it's taken me ages to share it.  Anyway, it was AWESOME.  I even wrapped up a piece and gave it to a friend as a thank you for a favor she did for me.  Not only is it delicious, but it's beautiful as well.  Browning the butter was a new experience for me and took some patience, but it was so worth it.  Find on occasion to make this cake.

Bittersweet Chocolate & Pear Cake

Al Di La Restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs, at room-temperature
• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 pears, peeled, in a small dice (I used anjou, but would recommend a softer variety, like a bosc or any other of your favorites)
• 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust with breadcrumbs [or flour,] set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together, set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs on high speed until pale and very thick. (In a professional Kitchen Aid, it takes at least five minutes; on a home machine, it will take nine minutes to get sufficient volume)

While the eggs are whipping, brown the butter. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan (because it will foam a lot) and cook it until the butter browns and smells nutty (about 6 to 8 minutes). It helps to frequently scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan in the last couple minutes to ensure even browning. Remove from the flame but keep in a warm spot.

Add the sugar to the eggs and whip a few minutes more.

Just as the egg-sugar mixture is starting to loose volume, turn the mixture down to stir, and add the flour mixture and brown butter. Add one third of the flour mixture, then half of the butter, a third of the flour, the remaining butter, and the rest of flour. Whisk until just barely combined — no more than a minute from when the flour is first added — and then use a spatula to gently fold the batter until the ingredients are combined. It is very important not to over-whisk or fold the batter or it will lose volume.

Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle the pear and chocolate chunks over the top, and bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back to the touch, about 40 to 50 minutes, or a tester comes out clean.  It may take longer.  Serve with whipped cream or ice cream or whatever.