MJ's Kitchen

Green Chile Pecan Cheese Spread

by mj on April 11, 2013

If you enjoyed the Roasted Bell Pepper Cheese Spread from a few days ago but wanted something with more of a kick, you’re going to love this Green Chile Cheese Spread. It is as easy to make, if not easier, and it’s just as delicious. So for all of you lovers of spicy foods, this one is for you! No fancy ingredients except for maybe the green chile which may not be available to some of you, but never fear – in the Kitchen Notes I provide some suggestions for alternative chiles. The cheese is cream cheese so nothing fancy there.

Just like the bell pepper cheese spread this green chile cheese spread can be served with bagel chips, pita chips, or any chips for that matter. You could also spread it on a flour tortilla, roll the tortilla, and cut into little bite size snacks. Just be sure to refrigerate for an hour before cutting. It will make the cutting process much easier. This morning I just spread it on half a bagel and had it for breakfast with a cup of tea. No matter how you dish it up, you’re going to love it!

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Roasted Bell Pepper Cheese Spread

by mj on April 7, 2013

Figuring out what to have for breakfast and supper is easy, but I do have a hard time sometimes with lunch. If we don’t have any leftovers, then we’ll either have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or I’ll throw together a snack type lunch like my Cucumber Crostini. This week I’ll be sharing two more of our lunchtime snacks – this Roasted Bell Pepper Almond Spread and another one that is a bit more spicy – a Green Chile Pecan Cheese Spread. I have had several readers mention that they can’t handle spicy foods very well, so this one is for you.

This bell pepper spread is a little sweet but that’s due only to the sweetness of the roasted bell pepper. The cheese is capricho de cabra – a Spanish goat cheese produced with the milk from Murciana goats. This goat cheese is different from what I normally buy. Instead of being crumbly, capricho de cabra is creamy and can be stirred into a buttery spread. You really don’t have to add anything to it, but it works as a great complement to the roasted bell pepper. Add a little olive brine for acid and chopped almonds for another layer of flavor and texture and you have a tasty spread for bagels, pita chips, your favorite crackers or apple slices. Have it for lunch or share with friends as an appetizer or party dip.

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Braised Red Chile Chicken and Vegetables

by mj on April 2, 2013

This braised red chile chicken recipe might remind you somewhat of the Hungarian dish – Paprika Chicken. The paprika pepper that creates a rather spicy and rich tasting Paprika Chicken is similar to that produced by the red chile powder used in this dish. However, that’s about as far as the similarities between the two dishes go. Paprika chicken uses cream or sour cream and is usually served over pasta, neither of which is the case here.

Braised Red Chile Chicken and Vegetables is actually more of a southwestern dish with some Mexican components as toppings. Instead of paprika I use New Mexico red chile powder and other traditional southwestern seasonings. The base or sauce is created using strained or crushed tomatoes which, once cooked down, create a rich sweet and spicy sauce. Because of this rich sauce, this dish can be served over rice, grits or polenta, or with flour tortillas that can be used to scoop it up so that nothing goes to waste.

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Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese with Asparagus

by mj on March 28, 2013

For some reason my craving for macaroni and cheese has been escalating. Maybe it’s because of all the wonderful mac & cheese recipes I’ve been seeing online lately. But the one that pushed me over the edge was Zsuzsa’s stovetop Creamy Macaroni and Cheese. When I first saw her picture, I knew that was the mac & cheese I wanted to eat. Her recipe looked fabulous and the video she provided in the post was a great tutorial on how to put all of the components together for a creamy outcome. You definitely need to check it out.

For this recipe I used Zsuzsa’s for the most part, but purely out of habit I ended up making the béchamel (white sauce) the way I normally do. I added a couple of herbs to the dish because I love herbs, and then cut back a bit on the cheese. For the finishing touch and to create a complete meal for Bobby and me, I added my Simply Asparagus dish which you’ll find later in this post. Each plate was served with a serving of macaroni and cheese and about 5 to 6 spears of asparagus. We cut the asparagus into bite size pieces and ate a piece with each bite of mac & cheese. It is quite tasty!

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Not My Aunt’s Chicken Pot Pie

by mj on March 24, 2013

I’ve been tied up for a couple of weeks, so my wonderful sister Nadalyn, has graciously stepped in and made us a chicken pot pie. Before I turn this over to her, I have to say that this recipe is SO Nadalyn. I cook meals with a lot of leftovers because I learned not to waste anything from my mother, but Nadalyn – she has taken it to a whole new level. She is the frugalista of leftovers and this chicken pot pie is a great example. It’s all yours Babe…

My husband’s aunt and uncle made a living running a diner in a small rural town. They were the sweetest, kindest, most generous couple you ever met. Honestly, I think that was the main reason people ate at their diner, and also the fact that their diner was one of only two sit-down eateries in town. His aunt’s chicken pot pie was her staple. It was the diner’s special every day and the dish she brought to all family gatherings. Unfortunately, we use to say that the closest a chicken got to her pot pie was if one ran past on the road. The dish consisted primarily of a small bag of frozen mixed vegetables in thickened chicken stock covered with a pie crust in a restaurant size baking pan. It was a game among us seeing if anyone would actually find a piece of chicken in their serving of pie. That’s where I got the tongue-in-cheek name for my dish.

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Meyer Lemon Sherbet and an Assortment of Meyer Lemon Recipes

by mj on March 19, 2013

The co-op had some beautiful Meyer lemons the other day and I couldn’t resist buying a few, especially since I had never bought them before. I never knew what to do with them thus I never bought them. Now I know! I used one of the lemons in place of preserved lemons in my Capellini with lemon, garlic and egg pasta dish. It was very good, better than regular lemons but not as good as using preserved lemons. So what do I do with the other lemons? The weather helped me answer that question. We have finally warmed up to near record highs and the spring winds have started to blow; therefore, something cool and refreshing sounded good, thus – a Meyer Lemon Sherbet.

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Avocado, Orange and Cucumber Salad

by mj on March 14, 2013

I don’t remember when I discovered that a dinner salad could be more than iceberg lettuce and bottled dressing, but WHEW- I’m so glad I finally did! Of course I do have to say that there was a time when iceberg lettuce was the only lettuce you could find at the grocer, thus its past popularity. But now let’s ponder this question. Does a dinner salad really have to have lettuce at all? Actually – No.

A dinner salad can be just about anything you want it to be. It can be made with just a few ingredients or a whole host of ingredients, none of which are lettuce. The main thing I enjoy about making a salad is incorporating different textures and flavors, and – in my opinion – the fewer the better. This salad is representative of the type of salad that Bobby and I love to eat. It only has three main ingredients – avocado, orange, and cucumber, and the dressing (if you can call it that) is a little lime juice, some sea salt and a dusting of red chile powder. It’s a refreshing little salad that makes a great brunch, lunch or side at dinnertime.

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Homemade Mexican Chorizo Sausage

by mj on March 9, 2013

Let’s make some Mexican Chorizo, one of my favorite sausages. Making my own sausage is something I’ve always wanted to do, but after seeing the process of grinding, stuffing, curing or smoking, I decided to take the easy way out and choose a sausage that doesn’t need any of that. Mexican Chorizo can be made with ground pork bought from your local market, and herbs and spices found in any well-stocked spice cabinet. Because it’s normally used as a bulk sausage, no casing is needed. I do like to let mine sit in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 days in order to let the seasoning meld with the meat before using it, but that’s not really necessary. You can use it right away, the next day, 3 days later, or freeze it for another time.

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Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic and Herbs

by mj on March 4, 2013

I think by now you know how much I love garlic, but you may not know how much I love potatoes. I could eat potatoes almost everyday. I love them mashed, smashed, roasted, au gratin, as hashbrowns, and in a variety of soups. I guess the only way I don’t like potatoes is as French fries. Those I can take or leave. This winter organic potatoes have been really cheap, so we’ve been eating a lot of potato dishes. This roasted garlic mashed potato dish is one of our favorites.

It’s a very quick and easy dish for us because I always have a bottle of roasted garlic infused oil in the pantry and jar of roasted garlic in the fridge. So what better way to use the garlic and some of the oil than in mashed potatoes. Add some fresh herbs for color and another layer of flavor, and you have yourself a bowl of gourmet mashed potatoes with very little effort.

If you don’t have the garlic oil or roasted garlic on hand, not to worry. In the Kitchen Notes I explain how to get both in 20 minutes, which is about the time it takes to cook and mash the potatoes. Also, if you aren’t a huge garlic fan, but do like “a little” garlic, this recipe is still for you. Just cut back on the amount of garlic or replace the garlic-infused oil with extra virgin olive oil or butter. And if you don’t like garlic at all, just omit it altogether. The buttermilk and olive oil alone make this a very tasty bowl of mashed potatoes.

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