Chipotle Chicken Pasta

Chipotle Chicken Pasta

1 pound penne pasta
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons honey, divided
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 large chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups frozen peas
2-3 tablespoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipolte in adobo sauce)
2 cups half and half
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
tortilla strips and parsley for garnish

Prepare the pasta per package instructions, drain and set aside.

Whisk together the lemon juice, 1tablespoons of the honey, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the marinade. Toss to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and marinade to the pan, sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan, add the bell pepper and onion to the pan and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, then stir in the peas. Add the adobo and half and half to the pan, bring to a simmer and stir in the parmesan cheese. Stir in the chicken and pasta, toss well to coat. Serve, topped with tortilla strips and minced parsley.

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Brisket Tacos

Miss F loves tacos and watching Pioneer Woman. When she saw the episode that included brisket tacos, she knew she wanted to have them for dinner as soon as possible.  She was obsessed with these tacos.  We used the leftover meat for quesadillas and tacquitos, I think she had the leftovers lunch and dinner the following day.  This recipe couldn't be any easier and would be great to feed a crowd at a party, just leave the shredded brisket in the crockpot with it set to warm and set out all the fixings, it's taco party time!

Brisket Tacos

2 cloves garlic
1 onion sliced
2 pound brisket, trimmed of most of the fat
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 15 ounce can red enchilada sauce
12 tortillas
Guacamole


Place the garlic and onions on the bottom of the crockpot and place the brisket on top. Sprinkle the chile powder and salt over the brisket, pour in the enchilada sauce. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove the brisket from the crockpot and shred with two forks. Return the meat to the crockpot and toss with the sauce. Serve on warm tortillas with guacamole.

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Pork Souvlaki

Pork Souvlaki

½ cup olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Greek oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ pepper
1 ½ pounds pork loin, trimmed of silver skin and excess fat, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cups of Greek yogurt
1 English cucumber, peeled and grated
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
12 pitas, warmed
1 tomato, seeded and chopped

Whisk together the olive oil, onion, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour over the pork and let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Stir the yogurt, cucumber, garlic and lemon juice. Stir and set aside.

Thread the pork onto skewers, alternating with the bell pepper. Broil for 5 to 7 minutes, until the pork is cooked through. Serve skewers with pita, tomato and cucumber yogurt sauce.

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Creamy Tortilla Soup

We could live on tortilla soup in our house, doesn't matter the variety.  I always make a huge batch so that both C and Miss F have plenty of leftovers for their lunches, I always take some too.  This recipe was fantastic and was a huge hit.  I only wish their wasn't such an avocado shortage right now, it pains me to pay nearly $3 an avocado, even though they are totally worth it, I much prefer the normal $1 price.  This recipe was adapted from Cooking Classy.

Creamy Tortilla Soup

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 cups half and half
¼ cup flour
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
¼ cup sour cream
For serving:
Shredded cheese, diced avocados, corn tortilla chips

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeno, sauté for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds more. Add the broth, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Add the chicken breasts, bring the mixture to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, remove the chicken and let rest for 5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes. Whisk ½ cup of the half and half with the flour. Pour the half and half mixture into the pot, stirring constantly. Stir in the remaining half and half and cook for 3 minutes, until the soup has thickened. Dice the chicken, add it to the pot along with the black beans, pinto beans and corn. Stir in the sour cream just before serving. Serve topped with cheese, avocadoes and tortilla chips.

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Butter Basted Ribeyes

I made two ribeyes, figuring Miss F could share with C and me. Turns out, these steaks were a huge hit with everyone and I definitely finished dinner wanting more. Next time, I will make each one of us our own steak.  Miss F still refuses to eat potatoes, she tried one bite of the twice baked potato and declared them to be gross.  Such a silly girl.  This recipe is adapted from Food and Wine.

Butter Basted Ribeyes

Two 1 pound, bone-in rib eye steaks
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 thyme sprigs
3 garlic cloves
1 rosemary sprig

Season the ribeyes with the salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the steaks and cook for 5 minutes, flip the steaks and add the butter, thyme, garlic and rosemary to the pan. Baste the steaks with the butter and herb mixture, for about 5 minutes more. Transfer the steaks to a plate and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve.

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Pumpkin Gingerbread Bundt Cake

To continue with my mindset of willing it to be fall even though it feels like 100 degrees outside, Miss F and I decided to bake with pumpkin after we purchased a few pumpkins for our porch. She had requested a cake of some sort and having just made a bundt cake for my mom's birthday, I knew I wanted to use the pan again.  I adore gingerbread, especially when served warm with a healthy dollop of whipped cream.  This recipe had the perfect spice and the pumpkin made the cake incredibly moist.  This recipe was adapted from McCormick.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Bundt Cake

4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup molasses
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup boiling water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the pumpkin, brown sugar, molasses and butter on medium speed until combined. Add the egg, mix well. Add the flour and water, alternating and beating on low just until blended. Pour the batter into a greased 12 cup Bundt pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, invert cake onto the wire rack and cool completely. Slice and serve with whipped cream.

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Spicy Corn Chowder

We were in Colorado this past weekend, where it actually felt like fall...and then winter.  A huge winter storm rolled in on Sunday and we made it out of town just in time.  Vail Pass was closed overnight because of the poor driving conditions and the next morning our neighbors reported that we had gotten over a foot of snow!  Hopefully this is a good omen for ski season.  And then we returned to the land of eternal summer, but I can still pretend it is fall and make all sorts of soups for the 90 degree weather.  This recipe is adapted from The Neelys on Food Network.

Spicy Corn Chowder

4 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small jalapeno, chopped seeds and ribs removed
2 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 large red potatoes, well scrubbed and small diced
1 cup half and half
16 ounces frozen corn
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until, remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Add the onions and red pepper, sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the jalapeno and garlic, saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour until thoroughly combined. Cook the flour until it reaches a slight blonde color, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken stock and the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes; potatoes will become soft. Add the half and half, corn, cayenne and bay leaf. Simmer for 15 more minutes. Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with the reserved bacon.

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Garlic Shrimp and Sundried Tomato Pasta

Whenever C is out for the evening, Miss F and I always indulge in seafood. We had visited my parents for crabs and got a couple pounds of fresh shrimp from the Kemah seafood market. The shrimp there are so much better than what you can get in the grocer.  Miss F has become and expert shrimp peeler, which makes dinner prep a breeze.  She wasn't a huge fan of the sun dried tomatoes, but that meant all the more for me.  I used dried sun dried tomatoes and rehydrated them with boil water.  I added a bit of the water the tomatoes steeped in to the sauce.  This recipe is adapted from Julia's Album.

Garlic Shrimp and Sundried Tomato Pasta

12 ounces linguine pasta
2 tablespoon butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup sundried tomatoes
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon paprika
1 cup half and half (or milk)
1 teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Prepare the pasta per package instructions, drain and set aside, reserving the cooking water.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic and tomatoes, sauté for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the shrimp, salt and paprika, cook for 5 minutes more, until the shrimp are pink. Add the half and half, basil and red pepper, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and pasta, adding any of the reserved cooking water if the sauce needs thinning.

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