Posted at 3:25 pm by NativeNM, on October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween! Hope you all have a fun filled night. We got a pumpkin to put out on the porch and as always I wait until the last minute carve the pumpkin and roast the seeds. We waited until last minute because it’s been so warm lately and I wanted the pumpkin to last. Anyway, Joe got tired of waiting and carved the pumpkin and brought me the seeds. I love roasted pumpkin seeds so I separated them from the pulp, washed them and set them out on a newspaper to dry. Glad I did because they turned out crunchy, light and salty and now I can’t stop munching on them.
Posted at 9:31 am by NativeNM, on October 28, 2011
Are you tired of apples yet? Didn’t think so, so here’s one last recipe to share using those fall apples. There’s just something about pairing pork with apples and onions that tastes so good. It seemed like perfect timing since I already had the apples and the cider is on display in the grocery stores. So if you see the cider and want an excuse to buy some, here’s a great recipe to try. Maybe try one of the flavored ciders, that might be yummy too . . .
Posted at 9:45 am by NativeNM, on October 25, 2011
It’s apple season and since I have apples on hand I had to make apple butter. I brought out the slow cooker for this one because it’s so easy to fill it and leave it. I set it up to cook overnight and by morning the smell of apples and spices filled the kitchen. If you happen to have an apple machine that peels, cores and slices your apples, it really makes the job faster and easier because it’s consuming when doing it by hand. I made enough to put some in the freezer while keeping a couple jars in the fridge. I love it on a piece of buttered toast or a biscuit fresh from the oven.
Posted at 9:43 am by NativeNM, on October 21, 2011
Recently Joe and I got together with some of his family from Michigan and I ended up with a 1/2 bushel of Michigan apples. They are delicious apples for eating or to cook with. No, not “Delicious” apples, but rather Northern Spy apples. One of the first things I wanted to make was my Mom’s apple dumplings. This has always been my favorite apple dessert with the pastry covered apples and simple syrup. Mom always made them with biscuits but when I saw the puff pastry, I thought I would give it a try. Turns out it was a thicker dough and was easier to wrap up the apples, so that’s my contribution to Mom’s dumplings.
Posted at 9:48 am by NativeNM, on October 18, 2011
It’s been a bit chilly lately and felt like time to warm up with a bowl of one of my favorite soups. This recipe will make a stock pot full but get your spoons ready because it won’t last long, at least not at my house. When Cameron smells the soup it disappears faster than you can say “time to eat”. It’s creamy and packed with flavor and will warm your heart and make you smile. Also, it’s a Paul Prudhomme classic so it has to be good!
Posted at 9:51 am by NativeNM, on October 13, 2011
You’d better come hungry because this is the ultimate burger with 2 patties of ground beef glued together with cheese and green chile. You may not see it now but within this burger lies a volcano of cheese and green chile just waiting to erupt. I found a recipe for a stuffed burger in Chile Pepper Magazine 1996 and ever since then my family has hounded me to make them again and again. The original recipe wrapped a couple strips of bacon around the patties so if that sounds good, go for it. I know that for me, I can only eat half, between the burger itself and all the toppings that are piled on it’s a lot for any one person but it’s sure fun to try.
Posted at 10:25 am by NativeNM, on October 10, 2011
The best tacos I ever ate were at the local drive-inn in my home town called “The Westerner”. My sister and I loved these tacos and would make a “Westerner” run whenever we had a taco craving. The Westerner is no longer there anymore but Kat and I still reminisce about those tacos to this day. The tacos I made tonight might be called leftover tacos, simply because I had a little leftover ground beef and a couple odd pieces of chicken in the freezer that I didn’t know what to do with. There wasn’t enough of either one to make a meal so I compromised and made 2 small skillets, one of chicken taco meat and the other ground beef. I raided the fridge for toppings, finding a little of this, a little of that and in the end we had a taco bar going to fill your own tacos.
For those who know me well know that I am a die hard Red Wings fan. In 1990 Joe and I moved to the Detroit area, ironically just an hour or so from where he grew up. We were fortunate enough to be able to go see the Red Wings play hockey at Joe Louis arena and from that first game I was hooked. Growing up in NM, hockey wasn’t something I was used too, but I grew to love the game and the players and now after 20 years you can’t pry me away from the TV when my beloved Wings are playing. They are the most entertaining group of guys on and off the ice. I love my Swede, Russian, Canadian and American born hockey players. They play a truly amazing game that is intense and exciting. I am a superstitious fan who feels the need to give good luck in the form of wearing red and white on game day as well as having something red and white to eat. Whether it be strawberries and whip cream or a caprese salad with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella there will be something red and white. But on special occasions, such as opening day we have Wings and Oven Fries. Joe created a monster when he introduced me to hockey, but he gained some fun things to eat as well. So indulge me in my obsession and LETS GO RED WINGS!!!
Avocados are one of those foods that taste so good but are also healthy for us. They contain many nutrients plus monounsaturated fats which promotes lower cholesterol. So eat all the avocados you want guilt free, I say! If you love guacamole like I do, try it on your favorite sandwich, burger, salad and mexican foods, or hand me a bag of chips and I’m good.
Posted at 10:09 am by NativeNM, on September 30, 2011
This meal of shrimp and island rice is so easy to put together. The shrimp cooks in minutes and the rice is so flavorful with mango, clementine oranges, cilantro and a little fresno red pepper. I always make a lot and hope for leftovers because the shrimp is great the next day. Don’t even need to heat them up, just pop em in your mouth cold. Cameron was thinking shrimp tacos, so he folded rice and shrimp into a flour tortilla and added some mango sauce.
An Inspired Cook 