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Back at it here with a recipe for almost fully homemade...

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:41:31 -0600

Back at it here with a recipe for almost fully homemade enchiladas. For these I used a packaged enchilada sauce, which is obviously the right choice for anyone cooking on a weeknight.

So here’s what happened on this command kid’s most recent Sunday night:

-Slice up a whole sweet yellow onion
-Crush 4-6 cloves of garlic
-Spice up a few chicken breasts with s+p, chili powder, a little cumin and sugar, and whatever else tickles your fancy.
Toss these three items with some olive oil and more s+p and bake at something like 400 degrees until the chicken is cooked through.

Once that mix is out of the oven, follow these steps repeatedly:
Take a medium fajita sized tortilla and cradle it in your hand, sprinkle about a tbsp or cheese, spoon in some of the previously cooked and sliced chicken breast, onion and garlic, and file ‘em up. Make as many enchilada rolls as your pan and chicken mixture allows, then cover the pasture of rolled joys with the enchilada sauce and a little extra cheese.

Cook in the oven until everything is hot and bubbly.

Enjoy with fresh tomatoes, salad, or traditional beans and rice.

Gina Schmidt - Outlook Web Access Light

Mon, 09 May 2011 05:21:13 -0600

Gina Schmidt - Outlook Web Access Light

America’s Foodiest Town 2010: Boulder, Colorado: In the...

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 10:54:47 -0600

America’s Foodiest Town 2010: Boulder, Colorado: In the Magazine : bonappetit.com

Boulder named the foodiest town in the US for 2010. Surprise, surprise…

The Swedish Postal Service - Magical Christmas Cards (via...

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:34:25 -0600

The Swedish Postal Service - Magical Christmas Cards (via cpbeurope)

A great way of combining digital with analog - physical Christmas cards made from you and your friends’ mutual Facebook activities.

CP+B Europe: Already digging in to the good stuff.

Arcade Fire’s Experimental New Video Shows What’s Possible...

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:23:08 -0600

Arcade Fire’s Experimental New Video Shows What’s Possible with HTML5

The best iteration of HTML5 to date, leveraging Google maps and your childhood memories

SlideShare: What the F**k is Social Media NOW? | Digital Buzz Blog

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:38:21 -0600

SlideShare: What the F**k is Social Media NOW? | Digital Buzz Blog

Gonna Want Seconds: White Chicken Chili

Wed, 19 May 2010 11:19:57 -0600

Gonna Want Seconds: White Chicken Chili

Closet Cooking: Fresh Pea and Mint Pesto

Wed, 19 May 2010 11:15:29 -0600

Closet Cooking: Fresh Pea and Mint Pesto

Kara’s Tomato Noodles A pseudo guest blog from my roommate...

Wed, 12 May 2010 11:55:07 -0600

Tomato Noodles

Kara during our recent graduation

Kara’s Tomato Noodles

A pseudo guest blog from my roommate Kara, this is probably the thing she makes with the most frequency. As far as I know Tomato Noodles is Kara’s 100% original recipe, so listen up because this is a treat :)

What you’ll need:

One can of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup

One cup of Pasta, Kara suggests small shells

Yup, that’s it

What you’ll do:

Cook the pasta according to directions (salt the water of course), then drain it and put it back in the pot. Reserve a little of the pasta water to use in making the soup because the pasta water is starchy and will help the soup adhere to the noodles (if that’s too complicated for you, no sweat). Now add the condensed soup to the pot and thin with a little water to make the soup/sauce as thick or thin as you desire.

A note to Kara: I really wanted to use the picture with the pasta strainer and the pizza, but I thought you might prefer this one :) Happy Tomato Noodles!

Flat Bread Pizza When I was in Argentina I think I ate the most...

Tue, 11 May 2010 19:23:00 -0600

Flat Bread Pizza

When I was in Argentina I think I ate the most delicious pizza of my life. I know, Argentina right? I lived in Palermo and there was this tiny pizza place a couple blocks from my house that had this amazing pizza. I only ate it once or twice, but the time I really remember is the one day I woke up at 5pm (some of you might remember this) and couldn’t handle doing anything else but walk down the street to get one of these pizzas. In Argentina they make fantastic Napolitana pizza that’s topped with garlic, sliced tomato and green olives. This was the inspiration for this dish… and another hangover of course.

What you’ll need:

A slice of Naan bread - you can buy these at any store, Maggie makes a similar pizza on a tortilla, or you could use pita too.

About 3 tbl. of whatever tomato sauce you have in your fridge

1 tbl of goat cheese if you have it, and you like it of course

1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 of a large ripe tomato, sliced

A handful of green olives, sliced

And spices for the topping: Garlic Powder, S+P, Basil, Oregano, etc.

What you’ll do:

Place the flat bread on a baking sheet. Spread the goat cheese on top of the flat bread, then the tomato sauce. Sprinkle half the cheese, then add the tomato slices, the spices, the olives, and the rest of the cheese. Dribble a tiny bit of olive oil over the top if you want for a little extra authenticity (as much as you can get by making the pizza out of a flatbread). Then pop it under your broiler for just a minute or two. Slice her up and enjoy!

Other ideas: Flatbread is a great way to make impromptu pizza of any sort. Top with fresh mozzarella slices, prosciutto and arugula for another authentic twist. Or try Mediterranean flavors like feta cheese, black olives, roasted peppers, or artichoke hearts. Naan is for more than just dippin!

CUP CAKE CANON It is just about as awesome as it sounds.

Sun, 02 May 2010 20:47:00 -0600

CUP CAKE CANON

It is just about as awesome as it sounds.

Tacos that will put a mustache on your face - because they are...

Sat, 01 May 2010 19:35:16 -0600

CARNE on the left - FISH on the right

Tacos that will put a mustache on your face - because they are so authentically delicious, duh.

When I have the chance to make a feast I typically veer toward Mexican food. It is so much fun to make, everyone likes it, and it is super casual but always delicious. So, I gave you the guacamole recipe already, make that as the appetizer so everyone can munch while you cook. Margs or Mexican beer are always a plus too of course. I hate the term “surf and turf,” but we made fish and carne asada tacos for this fiesta, so I guess I’ll let it slide. Like I’ve said, I’m from San Diego so my standards are high. I mean, my parents can make the most amazing carne asada (though it is purchased from our favorite deli) on the tiniest grill you’ve ever seen on the beach while we surf (shout out if you’ve been lucky enough to be a guest at one of our beach parties), and this recipe actually rivals theirs. In order to not make this post unbearably long I’m only going to give you the carne now and you’ll have to come right back for those fish tacos.

Carne Asada Tacos - Patrick was responsible for cooking the meat, if you’ve ever known a man then you understand. To make the evening even better I have to say I started cooking around 7:00 pm and I perfectly estimated we would not eat until 10:00, which was partly due to the necessity of going to CVS - yes, the pharmacy - to buy a grill - also the smallest one you’ve ever seen - to cook the meat over coals like a only real men (or at least this guy) do. Well now that that’s out of the way, we got the recipe for the carne asada marinade here. I’m breaking it up into what you do to make the carne asada and then everything that makes it so amazing, so pay attention!

CARNE ASADA

What you’ll need (cooking for 4 btw):

Around 1 lb. of flank steak

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 garlic cloves minced, 4 if they’re small

2 limes, juiced

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp. each of S + P, garlic powder, chili powder, dried oregano, ground cumin, and paprika. - eyeball them or whatever

What you’ll do:

Whisk all the ingredients (except the steak stupid) together. Place steak in a glass dish and coat with the marinade. Refrigerate for 1-8 hrs, we did like 4 I think and it was plenty. Cook the steak on a grill if you have one until medium rare (any further done and you’re not my friend), or you can toss it in a skillet. Try not to eat it all before you get it into tacos, it’s so yummy though it will be hard!

To assemble that into a perfect taco you will need:

Corn tortillas - wrap them in a wet/damp paper towel and zap ‘em in the microwave - double bagging the goods (using 2 tortillas per taco) is the really traditional way, plus it is the only way to keep the whole thing from falling apart in your hands and possibly your lap.

Cotija Cheese - also known as “queso fresco” this is like Mexican feta cheese, super crumbly and just slightly tangy. You might have to go to a specialty store but almost any big grocer tends to carry it (definitely whole foods).

And Salsa Fresca - that’s the chunky, super fresh stuff. Here’s my recipe:

What you’ll need:

One very large tomato, chopped - beefsteak are my favorite because they don’t have the gummy wet seeds I hate.

1/2 a red onion, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 limes, squeezed

1 jalapeno, chopped

A huge handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

What you’ll do:

This is just like my guacamole recipe, minus the avocado of course, but just mix it all up in a bowl and let it chill, it only gets better with a little time.

I also made this really yummy sauce that was for the fish tacos (you know, they always have that white sauce), but I thought it was great on the carne asada tacos too. The sauce was a last minute decision and at that point we were all out of limes (for the whole fiesta you need an inappropriate amount of limes), so I completely improvised. The base of the sauce is sour cream, then you basically just need something acidic (i.e. lime juice), whatever spices you want like a little cumin, chili pepper, S + P, etc., and cilantro (the other ingredient in obscene usage for this meal). So here’s what I did:

Mixed in a bowl: 3/4 cup sour cream, enough juice out of a jar of jalapenos in the fridge (yup it worked just fine) to thin it out, S + P, chili pepper powder, garlic powder, some Frank’s Red Hot, and chopped cilantro.

Phew! And that was just one taco recipe… By the way, this recipe for tacos is exactly how I make my fabulous chicken tacos too. I think the toppings are perfect for whatever protein, or grilled veggies for that matter, you like to fill your tacos with. Although, the fish tacos are served differently, so you best be comin’ back now. AYAYAYYY

ps Fun mexican photos (not tacos though of course) are from the original taco

Nacho: “Chancho. When you are a man, sometimes you wear...

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 09:01:00 -0600

Nacho: “Chancho. When you are a man, sometimes you wear stretchy pants in your room. It’s for fun.” (Nacho Libre)

I have amazing recipes for both carne asada and fish tacos, everything you need to have an amazing mexican feast to celebrate the end of finals! I just need PATRICK to send me the recipe he used for the carne… come on now, everyone’s waiting!

Well here’s a little sample… feel special because this is my secret recipe for guacamole!

Gina’s Perfect Guacamole:

What you’ll need:

2 Ripe avocados

2 Good-sized tomatoes

1/2 a red onion

2-3 garlic cloves

1 really juicy lime, maybe 2

1 jalapeno (the seeds and membrane - the white ribbing inside - is where the heat is, so just remove it if you are afraid of the sting of the pepper, and oh yeah, wash your hands before you touch anything….)

A gigantic handful of fresh cilantro (you really can’t have too much)

What you’ll do:

As you can tell, this recipe is not super precise. But trust me, I’m from San Diego so I know a thing or two about good Mexican Food. In a medium sized bowl mash up the avocado to your chunky preference. You literally chop/dice/make small all of the other ingredients and add them to the avocados. Mix and squeeze the limes. You might be saying duh on this one, but really, a great guacamole is guaranteed when you mix all these ingredients in one bowl of chunky spicy zesty deliciousness! Serve with tortilla chips or add to your favorite tacos, okay now you can say duh.

RAMEN ADDICT

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:46:59 -0600

I have a guilty obsession with ramen. Yes, top ramen. Weird right? I’m in college, come on. I...

The Svelte Gourmet: Recipe Makeover #1 - Svelte Macaroni &...

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:08:05 -0600

The Svelte Gourmet: Recipe Makeover #1 - Svelte Macaroni & Cheese!

A healthy version of homemade mac n’ chee whaaaaat?!

Bored of basic pasta con marinara? I love to spice it up a...

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 11:28:48 -0600

Bored of basic pasta con marinara? I love to spice it up a little bit by adding just one or two extra ingredients. Last night I made mine with some goat cheese I had sitting in my fridge. For one person about 1 or 2 tbl. is the perfect amount to infuse your sauce with that rich and creamy flavor of goat cheese I love so much. If you are not a fan of goat cheese (it can be a little too intense for some people… you know who you are), then just go for something like ricotta or even cream cheese works great. It sounds weird but a little philly is a great addition and does the same creamin’ duty as other fancier cheeses. I also like to add a little dry basil and garlic (either fresh or in spice form).

The lesson: use what is in your kitchen. Be creative and try new things, even if it is just adding something you need to get rid of to basic dried pasta and bottled sauce.

So what’s your favorite upgrade?

Closet Cooking: My Top 10 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Yummmm

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 07:59:42 -0600

Closet Cooking: My Top 10 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Yummmm

MOST AWESOMEST THING EVER

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 22:45:53 -0600

MOST AWESOMEST THING EVER: I love this website. It’s hilarious and pointlessly fun from Big...

Spring Roll Soup « Keep Your Diet Real I like this...

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 21:28:14 -0600

Spring Roll Soup « Keep Your Diet Real

I like this blog’s platform: We have forgotten what real food is. But real food is simple to make, delicious to eat, and good for you.

I couldn’t agree more.

Noble Pig: Fresh Corn and Chicken Chowder Love corn chowder but...

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 12:30:00 -0600

Noble Pig: Fresh Corn and Chicken Chowder

Love corn chowder but afraid of anything with “chowder” in its name as I am? This corn chowder is made almost entirely with chicken stock and zero heavy cream, just like it should be. A nice spring soup recipe that I can’t wait to try!