An Inspired Cook

An Inspired Cook
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  • Monthly Archives: December 2011

    • Reese’s Cheesecake

      Posted at 9:22 am by NativeNM, on December 30, 2011

      This is Josh’s birthday cheesecake.  He discovered Reese’s Cheesecake several years ago in a cave (I’ll explain later) and had to have it for his birthday ever since.  When Josh was a teenager, we started spending our spring break in NM.  For 3 or 4 years straight we would take a couple of those days to go to Carlsbad Caverns.   It takes the normal visitor a couple hours to go through the self guided tour but Josh would take hours looking at every formation and taking pictures.  At the end of the tour sits the famous lunchroom 750 feet underground which serves sandwiches, snacks and souvenirs.  When we went through the line Josh saw these packaged single slices of Reese’s Cheesecake that he wanted to try.  Since we were on vacation I said Okay.  He thought that was the best thing he ever ate and asked me to find a way to make that cheesecake.  So this is my attempt at the Reese’s Cheesecake.  Continue reading →

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      Posted in Cakes, Cupcakes and Muffins, Recipes | 0 Comments | Tagged Cheesecake, Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust, Peanut Butter Cups, Reese's Cheesecake

    • Blue Corn Posole

      Posted at 9:21 am by NativeNM, on December 23, 2011

      The holiday traditions I remember from growing up in New Mexico are Luminarias which are small paper sacks filled with sand with a small candle inside.  Throughout New Mexico luminarias are a special attraction all over the state and have become so popular that people travel great distances to see the displays.  Another tradition is having a steaming bowl of Posole Stew on Christmas Eve.  Posole comes from the cultures of Native Americans, Mexicans and Europeans and is known as a dish for celebrating life’s blessings.  Posole corn is the hard dry corn kernels otherwise known as hominy.  I still feel connected to New Mexico even though I no longer live there and count my blessings for all the traditions I grew up with.

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      Posted in Dutch Oven and Cast Iron, Recipes, Red or Green, Soups, Stews and Chili | 4 Comments | Tagged Blue Corn Posole, Posole, Stew

    • Dark Chocolate Pretzel Cookies with Sea Salt

      Posted at 9:34 am by NativeNM, on December 20, 2011

      Everywhere I turn I see recipes combining dark chocolate and sea salt.  My hubby Joe loves dark chocolate and pretzels so I decided to bake up some of these trendy cookies and see what all the fuss was about.   It’s hard to describe but you get a bite of sweet and then a bite of crunchy saltiness chasing behind.  I kept thinking it was that it was like the first time I sipped a sweet margarita in a salty rimmed glass.  If you like sweet and salty things, this is the cookie for you. Continue reading →

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      Posted in Cookies, Recipes | 0 Comments | Tagged Dark Chocolate Pretzel Cookies with Sea Salt, Pretzel Cookies, Sweet and Salty Cookies

    • BLT Soup

      Posted at 9:49 am by NativeNM, on December 16, 2011

      The summer of 2010 we met Joe’s family at Yellowstone National Park for a family vacation.  While the brothers and other family members were away on their backpacking adventure, I stayed back with Joe’s mom, Joan.  Joan and I took day trips throughout the park and on one occasion we traveled to Jackson Hole for a day.  We walked the square in awe of all the neat shops, galleries and restaurants.  When lunchtime was upon us we settled on this little place called Trio Bistro.  Everything on their menu looked so enticing.  I couldn’t make up my mind and finally decided on a Panini sandwich which came with a side bowl of soup.   There were 2 or 3 soups to choose from and after careful consideration I picked the BLT Soup which to my surprise was one of the most memorable soups I’ve ever tasted.  The soup was rich with tomato goodness with a dollop of arugula pesto, sourdough croutons and crisp bacon sprinkled on top.  I couldn’t stop thinking about this soup and had to find a way to recreate it.   What I made may not be exactly the same but it’s pretty darn close and if you like tomato soup, you will surely love this one.

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      Posted in Recipes, Soups, Stews and Chili | 2 Comments | Tagged Arugula Pesto, BLT Soup, Sourdough Croutons, Tomato Soup

    • Oatmeal Cookies

      Posted at 10:03 am by NativeNM, on December 13, 2011

      I’ve been craving cookies, maybe more like I crave baking cookies.  The kitchen is my sanctuary on cold winter days with the oven warming and the aroma of fresh cookies baking.  And what’s better than a warm cookie and a glass of milk to lift your spirits.  I decided I’d just go with what I could find in the pantry since I didn’t want to go to the store.  When I spotted the oats, my decision was made . . . Oatmeal Cookies.

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      Posted in Cookies, Recipes | 0 Comments | Tagged Cookies, Oatmeal Cookies, Oats

    • Tex Mex Calzones

      Posted at 8:53 am by NativeNM, on December 9, 2011

      A couple years ago we ate at Old Chicago which is a chain restaurant here in the Kansas City area, maybe you have one too.  They are best known for their pizza and calzones which are huge and taste fantastic.  Josh had this “Texican Calzone” that he just raved about and wanted to get again.  Next time we were there the menu had changed and it was no longer available.  He never forgot that calzone and so I did some research, found an old menu with the description and went about trying to break it down so that I could make it for him.  I think I hit the jackpot because he was all smiles when these came out of the oven.  Just wait until you slice into the inside, you’ll see what I mean.

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      Posted in Bread, Entree, Pizza and Calzones, Recipes | 1 Comment | Tagged Calzone, Calzone Dough, Espinaca, Seasoned Ground Beef, Tex Mex Calzone, Velveeta Queso Blanco

    • Tortellini Soup with Meatballs

      Posted at 9:09 am by NativeNM, on December 6, 2011

      I’ve been looking for new soup recipes and came across a Tortellini Soup and a Meatball Soup that sounded so delicious that I decided to combine the two.  This broth based soup is made with tomatoes, spinach, onion and garlic to warm your heart on a cold day. I had no trouble convincing my boys that this was going to be good.  They filled their bowls to the rim and in no time at all it was all gone.  You learn around here to get it while it’s hot or you might not get any at all.  Continue reading →

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      Posted in Recipes, Soups, Stews and Chili | 1 Comment | Tagged Tortellini Soup, Tortellini Soup with Meatballs

    • Italian Meatballs

      Posted at 9:50 am by NativeNM, on December 2, 2011

      I have two college age guys that come and go as they please.  Between their work and school schedule I never know when they will show up, but when they do they are always hungry.  Meatballs make a perfect meal for these hungry guys so I like to make big batches of them to freeze so that we can pull them out for a quick meal.  Making your own meatballs are not that hard and are the perfect compliment to your favorite pasta or soup plus they make a mean meatball sub too.

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      Posted in Entree, Recipes | 0 Comments | Tagged Italian Meatballs, Pesto Meatballs
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