Since today marks the start of Labor Day weekend, I wanted to share a recipe that would showcase all of my favorite summer flavors but also something that was super easy to put together.  These stuffed avocados are just that. A quick home made pico de gallo made with perfectly ripe tomatoes is stuffed into creamy avocados and then the whole thing is drizzled with lime juice for a burst of citrus flavor. It’s the perfect way to celebrate Labor Day.

When I was a little one I used to think that Labor Day was the day that all pregnant women went into labor. It makes total sense to a kid. However, as I sit here a little more round then I usually am, I can say that I am glad that that is not the case. Not that I’m not ready to meet our little man. I certainly am. We’re just not quite ready to bring him home yet, AKA the nursery isn’t done. We haven’t even started. It is still a guest room/office/Christmas decoration storage room. So this Labor Day, I think I will begin preparing for my upcoming labor day by getting the nursery ready. However, I do suppose I will make time for a few of these stuffed avocados. Judging by all the dancing around he does after I eat one, baby boy seems to like them.

Serves 4

You will need:

• 3 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced small
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced small
• 1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 avocados, pits removed
• juice of 1 lime

1. Combine tomatoes, jalapeno, onion, cilantro and koshers salt in a bowl. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. When ready to serve, scoop the pico de gallo into the hole where the pit was in the avocados. Squeeze lime juice over the top. Sprinkle with a little kosher salt if desired. Serve.

Enjoy!

With it being game week and all, I’ve got a couple game worthy recipes to share with you just in time. I figured that there wasn’t a a better way to start off Super Bowl week, or any week for that matter, than with this hot, cheesy, spicy dip. It’s full of all kinds of goodies: chorizo, onions, jalapenos, refried beans and cheese. Then to give it that extra oomph it’s topped with a little more cheese and broiled until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Your guests are sure to love it, that is…if you can share it.

I just developed this recipe a week ago and have already made this dip twice. All in the name of recipe testing of course. The first go around I put the cheese into the dip as it was cooking and served it like that. This time around I decided that, while I do like the cheese mixed in throughout it could really use a good layer of bubbly cheesy goodness over the top. Good choice I think.

Serves 4 as an appetizer

You will need:

• 12 ounces chorizo
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1 cup refried beans
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 green onions, diced

1. Turn on the oven broiler.
2. In a pan cook chorizo until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Reserve 1 tablespoon of pan drippings.
3. In the same pan that you cooked the chorizo in cook the onion and jalapenos just until softened, 2 – 3 minutes. Return chorizo to the pan and stir in refried beans, ground cumin and 1/2 of the cheddar cheese. Cook until the beans are warmed through and the cheese has melted. Transfer dip to a oven safe small baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and place under the broiler for 3 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
4. Remove from oven sprinkle with green onions. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Continuing my quest to find the perfect holiday appetizer I started asking people what they like to see at their holiday parties. Aside from Holiday sweaters of course. According to the majority of the people I talk to, it just isn’t a holiday cocktail party without meatballs. There were suggestions of sweet n’ sour meatballs, BBQ meatballs,  sausage meatballs, Swedish meatballs. It seemed like just about every corner of the world was covered. But I decided to tackle a Mexican inspired one since it was the one flavor profile that no one mentioned. What can I say, I like a challenge.

It wasn’t until this year that I started using chipotle in every dish that I could. I don’t know what took me so long to embrace this smoky, spicy pepper but now that I have I cannot get enough of it. You don’t need a lot to kick up a dish. In this recipe I only use one chipotle pepper for 1 pound of turkey. The meatballs were a little spicy but nothing that most people couldn’t handle. If you want to add a little more spice feel free to add one more chipotle pepper. If you’re a glutton for punishment then add 3 more. At least maybe the dipping sauce will help cool you off.

Makes about 20 meatballs

For the meatballs you will need:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
• 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from chipotle pepper can
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• canola oil

For the dipping sauce you will need:

• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of the adobo sauce from the chipotle peppers
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs, except canola oil, in a bowl. Mix well.  Roll into about 20 meatballs.
3. Heat a thin layer of canola oil in a pan over medium heat. Once hot, fry meatballs until browned on all sides. Fry in batches if necessary. Transfer browned meatballs to a baking dish and finish baking in the oven until cooked through. About 10 – 15 minutes.
4. While the meatballs are cooking combine all of the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a bowl. Mix well.
5. Once meatballs are cooked through, place toothpicks in the top (if desired) transfer to a serving platter and serve with dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

When someone asked me if I had a recipe for Chicken Tortilla soup a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised that my answer was no. Chicken tortilla is one of my favorite soups. The flavors are warm and the chicken and corn make it hearty. It is perfect for those days in late November when Mother Nature decides to blast you with a blizzard.  Of course a blizzard in Seattle terms means about 2 inches of snow, but that is besides the point.

The week of Thanksgiving, Mother Nature slapped Seattle upside the head. The snow. Would. Not. Stop. It turned our freeway into a parking lot. Hills into a bus driver’s nightmare and sidewalks to ice rinks. It took people hours upon hours to get home. Buses were stranded. By the time that I got home, 2 hours after I had left work,  I was frozen, my nose was cold, my feet were cold. It took Ryan another 1 1/2 hours to get home and he had to walk an extra 10 blocks because his bus couldn’t make it to the stop. Needless to say when it came time for dinner I just wanted to make something quick and something to warm us up.

Soup was the first thing that came to mind. And because someone asked me about chicken tortilla soup I decided to make that. All of the ingredients are staples in my home so it was pretty easy to throw it together. If you have access and aren’t trapped in your house due to 2 inches of snow, make this soup really easy by using one of those roasted chickens you can buy at the grocery store.

Serves 4

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 (15 ounce can) fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can tri-bean blend, drained and rinsed (or a can of kidney, black or pinto beans)
• 1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 cups shredded chicken
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 4 small corn tortillas
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and jalapenos. Cook 3 – 4 minutes or until slightly softened. Stir in cumin, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Cook 1 more minute.
2. Pour in roasted tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low to simmer. Stir in beans, kosher salt, chicken, corn, lime juice and lime zest. Allow to simmer 10 – 15 more minutes. While the soup is simmering prepare your tortilla strips.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drizzle remaining olive oil over the corn tortillas, cut into strips and bake for 5 – 7 minutes or until crispy.
4. Ladle soup into bowls, top with corn tortilla strips and cilantro.

Enjoy!

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure to meet cookbook author Pam Anderson and her daughter Maggy. Pam talked about her newest book and her career. It was inspiring to listen to her talk about taking a job at Cook’s Illustrated with a salary of about 14k a year and working hard to get where she is today. Equally interesting was my chat with her during which she suggested that on Fridays I post a recipe that would be make a great Sunday dinner. I must say that I rather liked that idea. I liked it because I think its very easy for dinners to become a quick meal in between TV commercial breaks. But I think it’s important to take at least one day a week to gather around the table to enjoy eachothers company and delicious, comforting meal.  And when I say delicious and comforting, I mean something like this super cheesy lasagna with a Mexican twist.

There are a couple things that make this different than your traditional lasagna. First instead of your traditional ground beef and tomato sauce, I kick things up a bit with a chorizo and fire roasted tomato sauce. Instead of mozzarella I use pepper jack and cojita cheese. Then instead of pasta noodles, the layers of meaty cheesy goodness are separated by corn tortillas. Hungry yet?

Serves 4

You will need:

• 12 ounces chorizo
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 6 corn tortillas
• 8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup crumbled cojita cheese
• 2 green onions, diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1. Brown chorizo in a pan over medium heat. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
2. In the same pan that you cooked the chorizo in reserve the pan drippings and add olive oil. Cook onions and jalapeno until softened, 3- 4 minutes. Stir in fire roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, cumin, chili powder and cayenne pepper (if using). Bring to a bowl, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Return the chorizo to the sauce.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Spoon a little bit of the sauce onto the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place 3 tortillas lengthwise in the pan to cover most of the bottom of the pan. Spoon half of the sauce over the top. Top with half of the pepper jack cheese. Place remaining three tortillas on top of the cheese. Then the remaining sauce and the remaining pepper jack cheese. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until edges are bubbly. Remove from oven sprinkle with cojita cheese, green onions and cilantro. Cook for 10 more minutes or until cojita cheese has melted slightly.
5. Remove from oven and allow too cool several minutes. Slice and serve.

Enjoy!

I will be the first to admit that I’m not really a breakfast fan. I never really have been. I didn’t eat it much while I was growing up and that bad habit followed me into adulthood. When I do make breakfast it is usually the same ol’ same ol’: eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast. Frankly it was getting a tad bit boring. I felt I need to burst out of my boring breakfast shell a little bit and try something with a little more flavor, something with a little kick, something like these huevos rancheros with chorizo refried beans.

For the record, I know that usually huevos rancheros does not involve chorizo and in its purest form doesn’t even have refried beans. But I felt like shaking things up a bit. It was a little bit of a risk but what can I say, I live on the edge. OK maybe not really, but I do like experimenting in the kitchen and unlike my apple pie (more about that in a couple weeks), this experiment actually turned out really really good. I was eating the chorizo refried mixture by the spoonful as Ryan was taking pictures.

You will notice that this recipe calls for 4 – 8 eggs. Some people like 1 egg on their huevos rancheros and some people like 2. Do what ever suits your fancy.

Serves 4

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 12 ounces ground chorizo
• 1 (15 ounce) can refried beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 corn tortillas
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 – 8 eggs

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 of the diced onion and cook just until softened. Stir in chorizo. Cook 5-7 minutes or until chorizo is cooked through. Stir in refried beans. Cook 5 more minutes. Reduce heat to low and let simmer.
2. In another skillet heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Add in remaining onions and cook just until softened. Stir in fire roasted tomatoes and kosher salt. Allow to cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and let simmer.
3. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in another skillet. Cook tortillas 30 seconds on each side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
4. In the same skillet that you cooked the tortillas, melt butter over medium heat. Cook eggs 3 – 4 minutes or until yolk is set and white is cooked.
5. To assemble: place 2 tortillas on a plate. Spread chorizo refried beans on tortillas. Place one egg on the top and spoon tomatoes over plate.
6. Serve.

Enjoy!

Before the blog my chicken wing world was dark. Well bright red is more like it. I thought the only kind of chicken wings were those slathered in a neon red spicy butter sauce and dunked in ranch (never blue cheese for me). But since I began blogging and experimenting with various recipes, my chicken wing world has brightened. So far I have tried Sweet Thai Chili Wings, Cajun Chicken Wings, Garlic Pepper Chicken Wings and now these Spiced Chicken Wings with Chipotle Lime Dipping Sauce. With all this experimenting I think I might change my name from Des to “Chicken wing Queen.” Whaddya think?

Like a couple of my other chicken wing recipes, these wings are baked. The difference this time is that I decided to use a combination of plain dry and panko bread crumbs for a coating. The mixture made for a crispy wing without having to fry them, which make these quite a bit healthier than your regular fried butter sauce slathered chicken wing. Not that those aren’t good of course ;-)

Along with my chicken wing world expansion, my chicken wing dip world has also grown. While ranch might be good with these, I wanted to add a little kick so I made a quick chipotle dipping sauce. It was so good I may have dunked my finger in it a couple of times once I ran out of wings.

Serves 2 – 4

You will need:

• 1 1/2 pound chicken wings, cut at the joint and tips trimmed
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Rinse and pat dry the chicken wings.
2. In a bowl combine garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt and olive oil in a bowl. Sprinkle over the chicken wings and toss to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. After the wings have marinated, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. Mix panko and plain dry bread crumbs in a bowl. Press marinated wings into the bread crumbs to coat completely.
5. Place on a baking sheet and bake 20 minutes. Turn and bake for 20 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bread crumbs are golden brown. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.
6. While chicken wings are baking, combine mayonnaise, chipotle peppers, lime juice, vinegar and kosher salt in a food processor. Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Serve.

Enjoy!

Guess what! Pork shoulder was on sale this weekend! Why do I get so excited you ask? Well because when pork shoulder is on sale that means that I get to make pulled pork and in case you are not aware, pulled pork is one of the most delicious things ever. When cooked right its succulent, flavorful and melts in your mouth. Another one of the wonderful things about pulled pork is that is so versatile, you can make tacos, appetizers, BBQ sandwiches and Asian sandwiches. And if that wasn’t enough, you can also make these chili pork quesadillas with green chilies, Asadero cheese and fresh guacamole.

This is a pretty budget friendly recipe but it does take a little pre-planning because it requires already prepared pulled pork. Below I’ve included a link to a recipe that I posted a little while back. I always prepare a rather large batch of it when I do make pulled pork for one very simple reason: Ryan and I usually get at least 2 dinners and a few lunches out of it. And when you can get that many meals out of one cut of meat that costs less than $10 I’d say its a pretty good thing.

Serves 4

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for cooking quesadilla
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cups pulled pork
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Asadero cheese (you can substitute monterey jack if you prefer)
• 1  cup guacamole
• 4 burrito size flour tortillas

1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook just until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in pork and green chilies. Cook just until warmed through. Reduce heat to low.
3. In a large skillet heat enough olive oil just to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.
4. While oil is heating, assemble the quesadilla. Place one tortilla on a flat surface, layer half of the cheese, half of the pork mixture and half of the guacamole and place another tortilla on top. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
5. Cook in the heated skillet until flour tortillas have browned and cheese has melted. About 2 minutes per side.
6. Slice and serve.

I also served these with a chipotle dipping sauce. Give it a go if you want to give this dish a kick.

• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 2 – 3 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped
• kosher salt

1. Combine sour cream, mayonnaise and chipotle peppers in a bowl. Chill for 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Enjoy!

With Cinco de Mayo a couple of days away I thought I’d take the opportunity to share a recipe that would make a great addition to any excuse to drink excessive amounts of Corona Cinco de Mayo party. If you like spicy food and guacamole then this is the best of both worlds. Creamy avocado is mixed with spicy, smoky chipotle peppers and a little adobo sauce for an extra kick.

Since Ryan and I are such huge fans of spicy food, I’ve been trying to find a way to spice up guacamole for a little while. I tried adding a regular jalapeno but it just didn’t add the flavor I was looking for. Chipotle on the other hand, added the heat and a nice smoky flavor to the guacamole that made it really quite addicting. I would be lying if I told you that Ryan and I didn’t eat the entire batch in one sitting.

Makes 2 cups

You will need:

• 2 large avocados
• 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped small
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• kosher salt to taste

1. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the pit. Scoop the flesh of the avocado into a bowl. Mash the avocado with a fork, until mostly smooth.
2. Mix in remaining ingredients. Chill for 30 minutes to give the flavors a chance to meld.

If you prefer a non-spicy version of guacamole check out this recipe.

Enjoy!

The other day Ryan spent the day helping our friends move into their new place. I on the other hand was doing what I do best, grocery shopping, cooking and catching up on some Lifetime movies while Ryan was out of the house. I knew by the time that he was done he was going to want some “man food” if you will. And to me nothing says that more than throwing something on the grill. This sweet and spicy chipotle chicken was perfect.

I’m not gonna lie this is a little spicy. Chipotle peppers are, after all, smoked jalapenos. However, the addition of honey makes the sauce on this chicken both spicy and sweet. It’s the best of both worlds. Want it a little sweeter? Add a little more honey. And don’t forget, the longer the chicken marinades, the tastier it will be.

Serves 2 – 4

You will need:

• 6 chicken drumsticks
• 1 (7 ounce) can chipotle peppers in adobo
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 garlic clove
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning chicken

1. Rinse and pat dry the chicken.
2. Combine chipotle peppers, honey, vinegar, garlic, lime and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Process until it becomes a paste.
3. Place chicken in a glass dish, lightly season with salt. Transfer 1/4 cup of the marinade to a bowl and set aside. Spread remaining marinade over chicken and turn to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
4. When ready to cook. Heat grill over medium heat. Grill chicken until browned on all sides, turning once and brushing with reserved marinade. Cooking time is about 25 – 30 minutes depending on the size of the chicken legs. Chicken is done when it is punctured and juices run clear.
5. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot.

Enjoy!