An Inspired Cook

- Hawaii
  
  Posted at 8:44 am by NativeNM, on March 7, 2012
  Joe and I have just returned from Hawaii where we had the most amazing two weeks. We have dreamed of the day when we could visit these beautiful islands. We spent one week on Hawaii and one week on Kauai. Both islands were unique in their own way but equally gorgeous. The people there are so friendly and upbeat, who wouldn’t be living in such a beautiful place. They are proud people and enjoy sharing their culture much like my fellow New Mexicans do. Hawaii had all the things Joe and I love. . . sand, water, tropical flowers and trees, amazing fruit and vegetables, color, color and more color. What more can I say, it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever encountered. This picture was from Waipi’o Valley. It is my favorite picture and favorite place. After a steep hike down there is an amazing black sand beach that we both fell in love with. Here are some pictures from week one in Hawaii. Enjoy!
  
  Continue reading →
  Share this:
  Pinterest
  Facebook
  Reddit
  Tumblr
  Print
  Email
  X
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Hawaii, The Big Island
- Toasted Ravioli
  
  Posted at 9:33 am by NativeNM, on February 10, 2012
  I hinted that I had another idea for the ravioli and what do you know, it was “oh my gosh” good! Joe said I’ve made these before with frozen ravioli, but I don’t remember. I think I would remember if they tasted this good. Anyway, getting back on track . . . I googled ravioli recipes to see what everyone else was doing with them and came across several toasted ravioli that looked so tempting. I already had the ravioli and sauce made so it made sense to try and see if I could make these like those pretty photos I had been looking at. Since my ravioli was made with won ton wrappers they fried up light and crisp. So tell me, which way you prefer ravioli? Toasted or steamed . . .
  
  Continue reading →
  Share this:
  Pinterest
  Facebook
  Reddit
  Tumblr
  Print
  Email
  X
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Entree, Recipes, Side Dishes | 0 Comments | Tagged Four Cheese Ravioli, Spicy Italian Sauce, Toasted Ravioli
- Four Cheese Ravioli with Spicy Italian Sauce
  
  Posted at 9:12 am by NativeNM, on February 7, 2012
  One of my favorite things to make is ravioli. And you would be surprised at how easy they are to make if you have a little time. I had a day when everyone was gone, the sun was shining, and I had hours to kill. So I made a quick trip to the store, picked up won ton wrappers, 4 different cheeses, some spinach and I was ready to go. I knew these would go fast so I doubled the recipe so that I could put some aside for another meal. I thought a spicy sauce would go great with the ravioli and decided on Italian sausage and crushed red pepper to spice it up. The guys were so hungry when they got home and the ravioli disappeared quickly, but I had the best day. It was so much fun putting these together, sort of like a craft project. It tasted so good and was pretty on the plate. I love it when that happens!
  Continue reading →
  Share this:
  Pinterest
  Facebook
  Reddit
  Tumblr
  Print
  Email
  X
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Condiments and Sauces, Entree, Recipes | 0 Comments | Tagged Four Cheese Ravioli, Home Made Ravioli, Spicy Italian Sauce
- Verde Wings with Cilantro Dipping Sauce
  
  Posted at 8:38 am by NativeNM, on February 3, 2012
  There are numerous recipes for wings that include different spices and flavor blends. In the back of my mind I’ve always wanted to try a seasoning using green chile. Could I come up with a recipe that would taste as good as it sounded in my head? I’ve never seen Green Chile Wings on any restaurant menu but the thought has always crossed my mind, why not? Red Hot Sauce is the base for Buffalo Wings so why not use Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce as a base for Verde Wings. I’ve searched the web looking for a recipe but frankly there’s not much out there and what I did find wasn’t what I had in mind. So once again, I turned to my spice blend guru, Chef Paul Prudhomme, for inspiration. His Buffalo Wing seasoning is to die for so I used that as my guide and traded out the red spices for green chile powder. This seasoning mix was instrumental in the dry rub for my wings, the verde wing sauce and also making a cilantro dipping sauce. I made a small batch just to see how they would turn out just in case they were a bust. I don’t always get the response I’m hoping for but these Verde Wings turned out way better than I could have hoped for. I got some “Wow’s” but mostly the response was “Oh My Gosh”. I shouldn’t have worried so much because the guys couldn’t stop raving about them until they were completely gone. These would be the perfect finger food for your Super Bowl party! Continue reading →
  Share this:
  Pinterest
  Facebook
  Reddit
  Tumblr
  Print
  Email
  X
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Entree, Recipes, Red or Green | 3 Comments | Tagged Cilantro Dipping Sauce, Green Chile Wings, Verde Seasoning, Verde Wing Sauce, Verde Wings
- Chili with Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread
  
  Posted at 9:12 am by NativeNM, on January 31, 2012
  Chili is one of those versatile foods that goes beyond your hearty bowl of chili. You can make a number of meals just by changing it up. Add some beans and it’s easy to make a Taco Salad, top your favorite hot dog with cheese and onion and you have a Coney Dog, bake some tater tots or oven fries and you could have Chili Cheese Fries and don’t forget the Frito Pie. There are just so many good things to do with chili. And everyone seems to have a preference when it comes to spice and whether to add beans or not. I like beans in my chili but Joe does not, so I usually don’t put them in the pot of chili, but rather have some on hand to add to my own bowl. This chili is flavorful but not a hot spicy chili. If you need the heat, add some hotter chili powder and it will definitely spice it up. And lets not forget the sweet cornbread with ancho honey butter. I’m one of those girls who has to have her cornbread, it’s just not the same without it.
  
  Continue reading →
  Share this:
  Pinterest
  Facebook
  Reddit
  Tumblr
  Print
  Email
  X
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Bread, Dutch Oven and Cast Iron, Entree, Recipes, Red or Green, Soups, Stews and Chili | 0 Comments | Tagged Ancho Honey Butter, Chili, Chili with Cornbread, Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread
- Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce
  
  Posted at 10:05 am by NativeNM, on January 27, 2012
  Breakfast again . . . actually it’s pancake night at the Cook house. It’s been a long week and I needed quick go to meal that was easy but filling. What’s not to like about a big stack of buttermilk pancakes with some warm blueberry sauce drizzled over the top. I have Kat to thank for the buttermilk pancake recipe, it’s the best! And the blueberry sauce is lightly sweetened with a hint of lemon in the background. Continue reading →
  Share this:
  Pinterest
  Facebook
  Reddit
  Tumblr
  Print
  Email
  X
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Breakfast, Condiments and Sauces, Recipes | 0 Comments | Tagged Blueberry Sauce, Buttermilk Pancakes
- Breakfast Burritos for Two
  
  Posted at 8:51 am by NativeNM, on January 24, 2012
  Breakfast burritos are my favorite thing for lunch believe it or not. Since I don’t do breakfast when normal people do, I sometimes treat Joe and myself to a breakfast burrito on the weekends. We sometimes add bacon or ham, but today we had our traditional burrito with country potatoes, creamy scrambled eggs with cheddar and my homemade salsa. Come hungry, these burritos will leave you feeling full and satisfied no matter the time of day.
  
  Continue reading →
  Share this:
  Pinterest
  Facebook
  Reddit
  Tumblr
  Print
  Email
  X
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Breakfast, Recipes | 2 Comments | Tagged Breakfast Burrito, Country Potatoes, Creamy Scrambled Eggs
- Lingonberry Crepes
  
  Posted at 9:29 am by NativeNM, on January 17, 2012
  Have you ever had the Swedish Crepes at IHOP? I was hooked from the first bite of those delicate crepes topped with a lingonberry butter and lingonberry sauce. I learned they are a tart berry grown on low evergreen shrubs throughout Scandinavia’s forests. The only time I’ve ever come across Lingonberry Sauce was at World Market aka Cost Plus and I had to pick up a jar. They are dark red in color and tart like a cranberry but smaller. I would have to say these belong on a dessert menu and unlike IHOP, I chose to fill the crepes with a lemony cream cheese filling.
  
  Continue reading →
  Share this:
  Pinterest
  Facebook
  Reddit
  Tumblr
  Print
  Email
  X
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Breakfast, Condiments and Sauces, Dessert, Recipes | 15 Comments | Tagged Lemony Cream Cheese Filling, Lingonberry Butter, Lingonberry Crepes, Swedish Crepes
- Queso Shells and Cheese
  
  Posted at 9:20 am by NativeNM, on January 13, 2012
  Mac and Cheese will always be the ultimate comfort food. My Mom had a simple recipe using Velveeta cheese because it melts so creamy and tastes so good. I recently found the new Queso Blanco Velveeta and wondered how it would taste if I made it into a cheese sauce for Mac and Cheese. Since it was a Queso cheese I added some green chile. It’s the perfect side dish to a to a big juicy burger or barbecue sandwich. Continue reading →
  Share this:
  Pinterest
  Facebook
  Reddit
  Tumblr
  Print
  Email
  X
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Recipes, Side Dishes | 3 Comments | Tagged Queso Shells and Cheese, Velveeta Queso Blanco
- Caldo Tlalpeno
  
  Posted at 8:52 am by NativeNM, on January 10, 2012
  The other night Joe took me out to dinner at a place called Frida’s (named for one of my favorite artists, Frida Kahlo). It’s an authentic Mexican restaurant that we found via a Groupon, in our area but had not been to. The menu was filled with wonderful food descriptions that were new to my taste buds. They used cactus, huitlacoche (a corn fungus which grows naturally on corn), achiote paste, wrapped chicken in Hoja Santa leaves, stuffed poblano peppers with apples, plantains and castillian nuts. They prepared dishes in a different way than my traditional New Mexican cuisine. We were treated with appetizers, 4 entree samples and a dessert. They started by bringing us Caldo Tlalpeno soup. Upon the first taste we were both impressed by all the flavors and that heat of chipotle that sneaked up on us. I started taking mental notes on what I was tasting and when we returned home I immediately started looking up this soup. I found that a lot of recipes included carrots, zucchini, and garbanzo beans. Frida’s didn’t include them and we loved it so much that I didn’t include them in my version either. Besides, Joe wouldn’t touch it if I included squash or beans. They placed the shredded chicken and Mexican cheese on the bottom of the bowl, ladled a broth with garlic, onions, peppers, slices of avocado and chipotle and topped with the tiniest tortilla strips and cilantro. I added some chopped fresh tomato and a lime wedge. It was perfect!
  
  Continue reading →
  Share this:
  Pinterest
  Facebook
  Reddit
  Tumblr
  Print
  Email
  X
  Like Loading...
  Posted in Dutch Oven and Cast Iron, Recipes, Red or Green, Soups, Stews and Chili | 2 Comments | Tagged Caldo Tlalpena, Mexican Tortilla Soup, Tortilla Strips
← Older posts

Newer posts →
- February 2026
  
  S M T W T F S
  
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7
  
  8 9 10 11 12 13 14
  
  15 16 17 18 19 20 21
  
  22 23 24 25 26 27 28
  
  « Jan
- Previous Posts
  Previous Posts
- Recipe Categories
  Recipe Categories
- Search
  
  Search for:
- Follow Blog via Email
  
  Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
  
  Email Address:
- Follow me on:
- Things I Like
- An Inspired Cook