An Inspired Cook

- Green Chile and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
  
  Posted at 9:51 am by NativeNM, on January 13, 2015
  There’s nothing more comforting to this native New Mexican than a bowl of Green Chile and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes. Especially like today when the temp will be no higher than 10 degrees for the day. It’s frigid outside and I’m all about staying warm. A bowl of comforting potatoes with spicy Hatch green chile and cheese is the perfect side dish or in my case main dish to serve on a blustery day like today! These mashed potatoes with buttery creamy melting cheese and green chiles are something that I make quite often. I love them soooo much!! Ask any member of my family and they will vouch for me that I have an infinite love of potatoes that goes way back. I had a hard time coming up with a recipe because I don’t measure when I make mashed potatoes, I just make them. So this time I did my best to put together something on paper that would help recreate the bowl of comfort that I’ve enjoyed so many times. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I have!
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  Posted in Recipes, Red or Green, Side Dishes | 2 Comments | Tagged Cheddar Cheese, Green Chile, Green Chile and Cheese Mashed Potatoes, Hatch Green Chile, Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes with Green Chile and Cheese
- Mini Peanut Butter Cups Cheesecake
  
  Posted at 8:49 am by NativeNM, on January 6, 2015
  Another year passed by, another birthday cheesecake for Josh! For Josh it must be cheesecake and it must involve peanut butter cups. I try different variations every year so it’s not the same ole cake. Last year I made a layer of peanut butter cheesecake topped by a layer of chocolate cheesecake, swirled the two together and sprinkled peanut butter cups over top. He liked it, however he prefers a plain cheesecake with peanut butter cups, chocolate, and peanut butter as layers so he can savor each individual flavor. So I went back to the drawing board and came up with this. It’s a smaller version, a 6 inch cheesecake with little mini peanut butter cups that are so cute! I made a center layer of mini peanut butter cups with a drizzle of melted chocolate and a few peanut butter cups on top just for decor. I don’t know what’s in store for next year’s birthday treat but I’m sure it will include chocolate and peanut butter and cheesecake!
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  Posted in Cakes, Cupcakes and Muffins, Recipes | 0 Comments | Tagged 6 inch Cheesecake, Cheesecake, Mini Cheesecake, Mini Peanut Butter Cups Cheesecake, Peanut Butter Cups, Reese's Cheesecake
- Date Bars
  
  Posted at 8:54 am by NativeNM, on December 16, 2014
  It seems like dried fruit is always front and center this time of year. I enjoy most dried fruits but dates aren’t necessarily one of them. However, they are one of Joe’s favorites and he loves date bars so I thought I would give them a try. He described a soft chewy bar with a bottom crust and date filling, topped with a crumbly streusel. They must have turned out pretty good because he grabbed a bar every time he walked by and gave me a thumbs up with a smile!
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  Posted in Dessert, Recipes | 2 Comments | Tagged Crumb Topping, Date Bars, Oatmeal Streusel Topping
- Creamy Risotto
  
  Posted at 8:42 am by NativeNM, on December 9, 2014
  Creamy Risotto is one of my favorite comfort side dishes. It’s similar to the recipe Pioneer Woman makes which was my inspiration. It’s so easy to make, the only requirement is that you stay close by and continuously stir the pot as the liquid is absorbed into the rice. The process is repeated by adding additional amounts of liquid until all is absorbed over an approximate 20 minute period. Then comes the delicious creamy part, adding a blend of three cheeses with a splash of cream that taste so good that you could eat the whole bowl! It’s meant to be a side dish but could easily be the main attraction!
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  Posted in Recipes, Side Dishes | 2 Comments | Tagged Arborio rice, Cheesy Risotto, Creamy Risotto, Risotto with Parmesan and Romano and Asiago Cheese
- Chicken Mole Nachos
  
  Posted at 9:52 am by NativeNM, on November 25, 2014
  Making anything from scratch is the way to go if you have the time and effort to do so. Mole sauce is a favorite of mine but is a bit complex to make with a long list of ingredients. When in a pinch for time, I sometimes reach for a Frontera sauce packet for a quick and easy meal. Frontera is founded by Rick Bayless and makes some of the most flavorful sauce blends you can find that is packaged and ready to go. I don’t usually promote pre-packaged anything but I will make an exception for Frontera products. This chicken mole makes fantastic nachos but is so versatile it would be yummy folded into tacos, rolled into a flour tortilla for burritos or stacked between corn tortillas for a savory enchilada with melted cheese and a fried egg. You can’t beat the flavor combinations of rich smoky mole chicken with melted Manchego cheese, jalapeno slices, fresh avocado pico, sliced black olives and verde seasoned sour cream.
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  Posted in Condiments and Sauces, Dutch Oven and Cast Iron, Entree, Recipes, Red or Green | 2 Comments | Tagged Avocado Pico de Gallo, Chicken Mole, Frontera's Oaxacan Red Chile Mole Simmer Sauce, Manchego cheese, Mole Chicken Nachos, Mole sauce, Spicy Chicken Nachos, Verde Seasoned Sour Cream
- Great Day Cafe’s Cranberry Pecan Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
  
  Posted at 9:02 am by NativeNM, on November 18, 2014
  Great Day Cafe is one of our favorite little cafe’s in the heart of downtown Overland Park. It’s a quirky little cafe with a cool menu of sandwiches and panini’s with vegetarian and gluten free choices, a new soup for each day of the week, quiches, and my favorite, this Cranberry and Nut salad which comes with your choice of pecans or walnuts. You can’t beat the charming staff or the black board specials where you might find something new to tempt your palate! A very tiny space with an outdoor patio featuring artwork and a small band in house for a unique experience. Located next door to the Farmer’s Market, Penzey’s and The Tasteful Olive, it’s safe to say I’ve been there a few times. After my last visit I came home and made a Cranberry and Pecan salad at home with a homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette. I don’t have a house band to entertain you but the salad is great!
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  Posted in Condiments and Sauces, Entree, Recipes, Side Dishes | 0 Comments | Tagged Cranberry and Nut Salad, Cranberry and Pecan Salad, Grapefruit Balsamic Vinegar, Great Day Cafe, Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar, Raspberry Vinaigrette
- Cajun Shrimp and Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce
  
  Posted at 8:28 am by NativeNM, on November 11, 2014
  Times are changing, my nest has recently become empty and I now only need to make meals for two. My boys have both tested their independence at different times but also returned for a while. This time feels more permanent somehow. While Josh moved across town to his own place, Cameron made a move across country leaving me with a range of emotions. With only having two to cook for, my habits will have to change. I’m going to try to cut down my recipes to fit two people and also try to create more simple and frugal recipes that Josh and Cam can make. This shrimp pasta is a good recipe to start with. It makes a great meal for 2 – 3 people. And if shrimp is a little pricey for your wallet, boneless chicken breast or thighs would be a good alternative. In the time it takes to boil pasta, you can make a lemon cream sauce that tastes just like you ordered it from a restaurant. Serve alongside a garden salad and a hunk of french artisan bread and you’ve got a complete and flavorful meal!
  
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  Posted in Condiments and Sauces, Dutch Oven and Cast Iron, Entree, Recipes | 0 Comments | Tagged Cajun Shrimp and Pasta, Lemon Cream Sauce, Pan Seared Shrimp, Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
- “French Laundry’s” Apple Kuchen with Vanilla Cream Sauce
  
  Posted at 8:35 am by NativeNM, on November 4, 2014
  The first time I saw this Apple Kuchen from “The French Laundry” I was pretty much in love. Such a pretty cake decorated with apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. This cake has a delicate moist texture within a crisp outer crust. The cake itself is not overly sweet but melts in your mouth when you drizzle a bit of warm Vanilla Cream Sauce over top. A simple dessert that looks like you fussed for hours. But once you find how easy it is to prepare, you’ll want to make it again and again!
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  Posted in Cakes, Cupcakes and Muffins, Recipes | 2 Comments | Tagged Apple Cake, Apple Kuchen, Cinnamon Sugar, French Laundry Apple Kuchen, Vanilla Cream Sauce
- Detroit Red Wing Jersey Cookies with Royal Icing
  
  Posted at 8:55 am by NativeNM, on October 9, 2014
  Hockey season is back! Finally. . . after a long summer break, the Wings are about the hit the ice for another year of Red Wings Hockey. I can’t wait until tonight when they open the season full of excitement and high expectations for a successful season. For 23 years straight my Red Wings have made the playoffs, gone to the finals 6 times and won the Stanley Cup 4 times in 17 years. Last year I watched HBO’s 24/7 which featured behind the scenes with the Red Wings organization and players leading up to the outdoor Winter Classic on New Years Day. There was a scene where the Wings were flying to a road game and while on the plane the guys were served sugar cookies with their jersey names and numbers. They were so COOL!! I searched online and found a jersey cookie cutter then sent off for some winged wheel edible icing images to decorate the white jerseys. I used icing tips to write their name and numbers on the home red jerseys. They were so much fun to make, a lot of work but worth every minute. I’m especially looking forward to this season because we are flying to Detroit in January to see the Wings play at Joe Louis Arena!! I can’t wait!
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  Posted in Cookies, Recipes | 0 Comments | Tagged Detroit Red Wing Jersey Cookies, Detroit Red Wings, Edible Images, Royal Icing, Sugar Cookies, Winged Wheel Edible Images
- Lime Ice Cream with Candied Hatch Green Chiles
  
  Posted at 9:35 am by NativeNM, on August 29, 2014
  It’s Hatch season and I just picked up my first green chiles of the season. I’ve had this recipe in mind for such a long time and waiting on chile season to try it out. I have a cookbook from The Museum of New Mexico Foundation, “Dulce, Desserts from Santa Fe Kitchens”. In it there is a recipe for lime ice cream with caramelized green chiles. Every time I flip through it I wonder how this combination will taste. You might think it sounds like an odd combination but I can vouch that it’s really quite tasty. Think of candied jalapenos paired with cream cheese. . . yummy huh! Well, this sweet and hot combination tastes like frozen key lime pie with some chile jelly on top. It’s sweet with a back heat that tempts your taste buds and leaves you satisfied. Now you could go with a mild green chile, but the hot chile is tamed considerably by the sweet syrup. And to top it off I added some crystallized lime zest which added another layer of sweetness. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
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  Posted in Dessert, Recipes, Red or Green | 7 Comments | Tagged Candied Hatch Green Chile, Crystallized Lime Zest, Hatch Green Chile, ice cream, Lime Ice Cream
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