Oh man, you guys are in for a treat! These may not be one-hundred percent authentic Mexican but dang are they good. You will NOT be disappointed. This recipe originally comes from my sister so I have to give her credit for the basic rub …
In an attempt to eat more fish and make it fun for the kids, I tried my hand at forming fish cakes, which are basically a hamburger patty but made with fish. They are not as difficult as one might think. These pretty little patties are full …
This morning, I broke out my mini-greenhouse and got my garden seedlings planted! That means that spring is here (along with allergies, ugh…) and now I’m patiently waiting for the real weather warm-up to happen so I can play in the dirt everyday and enjoy harvesting all that my garden has to offer. I just can’t wait!!! In the meantime, I’ll make fancy fun recipes, like this olive feta chicken roulade, that get me equally excited!
Roulade is just fancy way of saying a flat piece of meat or pastry, spread with filling and rolled up in a pretty spiral and sliced for delicious eating. I ended up making a large batch of this awesome kalamata green olive tapenade so decided to use that as a filling. Using a meat mallet, I pounded the chicken breast to be about 1/4 inch thick. Then, I spread on the tapenade and topped that with feta and baby spinach. Rolled up and sprinkled with a touch of poultry seasoning was all it needed to become this beautiful olive feta chicken roulade. This filling also works well as a stuffed chicken breast instead of pounding them flat and rolling up as roulade. Just make a large slit to form a pocket in each chicken breast and stuff with filling. Once roulade is cooked, cut it into slices for a pretty presentation!
Apparently, enchilasagna is an actual word. Well, at least it is on the interwebs. It’s simply the combo of enchilada fixings layered in a pan just like a lasagna. That word seems strange so I’m sticking with easy and uncomplicated and just calling this an …
Over the river and through the woods, a lovely deer made it’s way into my kitchen, complements of my hunter husband. Every fall my man goes on multi-day excursion to hunt with a group of five other fellas, all of which are my immediate family or …
The first snow of the season (happening now!) always makes me a bit giddy. This can only mean one thing…that the holidays are approaching and spending lots of meaningful time with family is just around the corner. The hubby and I have been hosting his family for Thanksgiving for the past 8 years and we love it! It gives us a chance to create a wholesome meal with a heaping helping of nostalgia. Though each of us has our “must-have’s” as part of the main meal, there’s always room for a little improvisation in flavors like in these Cajun herb roasted Cornish hens.
Cajun herb roasted Cornish hens are much faster to prepare than roasting a turkey and look SO adorable on your table! After marinating overnight, these little fellas roast up in just over an hour which is a far cry from the multi-hour event that roasted turkey takes. If you prefer the big bird, this seasoning combination would also work great for turkey though you’ll have to double or triple it depending on the size of your bird. Our favorite side dishes are easily prepped either in advance or can be prepped while the Cornish hens are roasting.
My daughter’s (and my) favorite side dish is mashed potatoes and gravy. I usually make these ahead of time so I can enjoy a more relaxed kitchen during the big day. I’ll also be preparing a seasoned sweet corn and a modified version of this tart and tangy cranberry sauce that I think will go wonderfully well with the Cajun flavor in these roasted Cornish hens. Other side dish options to try are a simple mushroom green beans, a holiday salad or a Brussels sprouts sauté. For dessert, this pretty pumpkin pie is clean eating comfort in every slice. Bring these beautiful roasted Cornish hens to your Thanksgiving dinner and it’s bound to be a winner!
If I had to survive on only one cuisine for the rest of ever, it would be Mexican. Or maybe Thai. It’s a tossup. They both have one thing in common. Mexican and Thai flavors are both very cohesive and flavorful through the entire dish and have …
I can’t believe I’m constructing a rooster tail out of chicken wire and feather boas right now. The hubby has a work trip next week which includes attending a costume party so in true form, he wants to go as a giant, ahem, “rooster” except …
I walked into the kitchen last night expecting to start dinner late since I had been outside enjoying the early evening with my neighbor. What I found was a delightful surprise. My husband was deep in the trenches of chopping vegetables and spiralizing a zucchini for our stir-fry. My jaw dropped. After I regained my composure, I refilled my red solo cup and went back outside. I didn’t want to disturb this precious moment by stepping in to help. I let him be the king of the kitchen for the night and it turned out amazingly delicious. I’ll have to let him cook more often! Most of the produce used in his stir-fry came straight from our garden of wonders. This recipe for chorizo stuffed peppers also uses peppers picked minutes before and combines a touch of sweet corn and fresh tomatoes to use the last of my garden’s abundance.
Getting the produce out of my garden and using or preserving it all has been quite the challenge. I’m happy to use the ingredients fresh as often as I can in recipes like these chorizo stuffed peppers. Chorizo is a Spanish style sausage that you can purchase ground or as links. If you can only get it in links, simply remove the casing and remove the ground chorizo. The filling starts with an easy skillet mix of chorizo browned with onions. Add pre-cooked quinoa, black beans, corn and diced tomato for a south of the border twist. Stuff each half of the peppers with a generous amount of filling and bake. You can top with cheese and cilantro if desired. These are flavorful, filling and mild enough in the spice department for kids to enjoy them too. If you want to kick up the heat, add a minced hot pepper (like serrano or jalepeno) to the filling while it’s cooking to meld the flavors or use a hot salsa in place of the diced tomatoes!
Ahhhhh. That’s the sound of a happy mom who’s getting a little bit of a break! My two daughters are away for the week spending time with their grandparents on the farm. They will be showing goats and exhibiting their culinary and artistic creations at the …
