Recipe to Reality: Pork Tacos with Guacamole

I will admit that this was my first time cooking pork, but I'm positive that it was the most delicious and simplest recipe I have ever made!

I adapted this one from Food & Wine Fast magazine, and the flavor of the pork was simply incredible.

I'm telling you, spice up Taco Tuesday with this one! (nudge nudge Joe)

Serves 4
Time: 15 mins

Here's What You'll Need!

• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbs. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasonings
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Pinch of allspice
• 1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 2 tbs. white vinegar
• A handful of minced cilantro
• Fixings! You could use salsa, sour cream, shredded lettuce, etc. I used Mexican cheese blend and guac.

Put it All Together! 

1) In a large bowl, mix the chili powder, salt, Italian seasonings, cumin, pepper, cinnamon, and allspice.

2) Add the pork, onion, vinegar, and cilantro.

3) Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the pork and stir fry over medium high heat until browned outside and just cooked through.

(For my guac, I mashed 2 Hass Avocados, some onion, lime juice, cilantro, salt, pepper, and called it a day. Delish! If you haven't yet, check out my post on Frontera's Guacamole Mix which is also delicious)

4) Assemble and DIG IN!

Like I said before, these tacos were incredible. I may have to make them once a week.

Also, here is my adorable cat, Ollie, who also loves tacos.

No, I do not feed him tacos!

Stay Savory,

Recipe to Reality: Inside Out Chicken Cordon Bleu

 Between all the season premieres (anyone watch How I Met Your Mother last night?!) and paper grading I've been doing, I haven't had much time to post! I'm still cooking, but have a queue of recipes that are just waiting to be discussed!

This Inside Out Chicken Cordon Bleu from the Food Network Magazine had all of the flavors associated with the traditional dish, without the extra carbs of breading. The nutty gruyere cheese paired with the sweet black forest ham really put this chicken on a pedestal!

Serves 4
Total Time: 35 mins

Here's what You'll Need!

• 3 tbs. fig jam
• 1/4 tsp. ground thyme
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 package thinly sliced chicken breasts
• 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
• 1/4 lb. black forest ham
• 5 tbs. olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 tbs. red wine vinegar
• 4 stalks of broccoli

Put it All Together!

1) Mix the jam, thyme, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl.

2). Trim your chicken breasts and paint each breast with some of the fig jam mixture. You should only have used half the jam mixture after painting each breast.

3) Next, place a handful of the gruyere cheese on top of each breast.

4) Wrap a slice or two of ham around the chicken and cheese.

5) Heat 2 tbs. of olive oil over medium high heat in a medium sized nonstick skillet. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Then flip the chicken and cook for another 3-4 minutes on the other side.

6) Cut broccoli florets off the stalks and blanch in boiling water for about 2-3 minutes. Drain and rise with cold water to stop the cooking process. Mix the leftover jam with the shallot and vinegar and drizzle on chicken and broccoli.

Enjoy a healthy (but fancy!) weeknight meal at home!

Stay Savory,

Recipe to Reality: Pillsbury Biscuit Pizzas

After a long work week, Friday evening screams, "TAKE OUT!" but instead I tried out this super easy and fast Pillsbury Biscuit Pizza recipe.

Here's What You'll Need! (Adapted from Pillsbury.com)

• 1 can of Grands Homestyle Biscuits
• Pizza sauce (I used premade, but feel free to make your own)
• Sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
• Turkey pepperoni

Put it All Together!

1) Open your biscuits and roll out / flatten the biscuits.

2) Spoon your designated amount of sauce on each biscuit.

3) Add cheese and toppings of your choice. I also like to season with garlic powder and oregano.

4) Bake for at least 15 minutes until bottoms are golden brown and cheese is bubbly.

I made the mistake of underbaking mine and the crusts were not fully cooked...we had to put them back in for a bit ;)

Although these were super fast, I think I prefer the taste of regular pizza dough more. 

These would be really fun to make with kids though!!

Stay Savory,

Product: Kraft Fresh Take

Back to School week has kicked my butt!

While I don't have children of my own yet, I'm a 6th grade teacher at a middle school. While all my students are proving to be quite well behaved so far, bring a mom to 40 kids daily wears you out! Even though this only marks the end of week two, I'm exhausted! So when I'm leaving work after a long day, I have no desire to cook for hours.

I wanted to share my opinions on a relatively new Kraft product called Fresh Take. It's a mixture of breadcrumbs, shredded cheese, and spices that you coat a protein in and then bake in the oven. It retails for about $4 and can be found in the refrigerated aisle of your supermarket next to the cheese.

This product is incredibly tasty, and so simple! The amount of flavor that is packed into the breadcrumb/cheese mixture is actually hard to believe! This is a perfect weeknight meal to pair with a quick salad or a veggie with about 5 minutes of prep time and 25 minutes in the oven.

There are many different flavor combinations to choose from and the Kraft site also suggests a wide variety of recipes to use their Fresh Take product with.

If anyone has been toying with the idea of trying this out, I highly recommend it!

Recipe to Reality: Rigatoni with Roasted Butternut Squash & Sweet Italian Sausage

I am a huge butternut squash fan.

I'm also a die-hard pasta lover.

I know that it's only September, and I could have waited a little longer to jump into winter squashes, but since my Curried Chicken and Vegetable Pan Roast, featuring butternut squash went over so well with my husband, I decided to continue to change his opinion on this sweet, buttery, squash!

This recipe comes from the February 2012 edition of Food & Wine Magazine. It's a recipe from Emeril Lagasse, but I improvised a bit while cooking.

Here's What You'll Need:

2 butternut squashes -- peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tbs. of extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Allspice
About 20 whole sage leaves
3 tbs. unsalted butter
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1/4 cup of white wine
1 lb. rigatoni
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Put it All Together!

1) Preheat your over to 400 degrees and break down your squash. As I mentioned in my  Curried Chicken and Vegetable Pan Roast post, I like to buy the pre-cut butternut squash cubes to bypass the hassle, but alas, the supermarket was out. I used this video by GoodHousekeepingMag via YouTube to help me effectively break down the squash.

2) Put the squash cubes on a foil lined baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tbs. of the olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and allspice, bake for 30 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork.

3) Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the 3 tbs. of butter and add the whole sage leaves for about 2 minutes, turning once, until crispy. Remove the leaves and store on a plate, remove the butter and save in a bowl for later.

4) In the same skillet, add the last tbs. of oil, and the sausage over medium high heat. Break up the sausage as best you can with a wooden spoon while it's cooking until the meat is no longer pink-about 8 minutes. Add the 1/4 cup of white wine and let simmer for a few minutes. 

5) Boil a large pot of water for the pasta. Add salt once the water comes to a boil. Cook the rigatoni until al dente, about 14 minutes. Reserve one cup of the cooking water before draining the rest of the pasta.

6) Return the pasta to the empty pot and add the sausage and melted butter while gradually stirring in the cup of reserved starchy water. Next add the squash and 1/4 cup of Parm. Garnish with more cheese and the crispy sage leaves!

We really found this to be a light pasta dish despite the rich flavors of the sausage and squash. 

We have two tupperwares in the fridge for leftovers and can't wait!


Stay Savory,

Recipe to Reality: Mexican Lasagna

I have to admit that even though my heritage is practically 100% Italian, I'm not a big traditional lasagna fan due to the ricotta cheese involved.

Ever since I was young, I have been repulsed by white condiments. This includes, but is not limited to, mayonnaise, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, and many white salad dressings (ranch, blue cheese, etc.)

It's a completely irrational fear, and to be honest, I haven't even tried 90% of those items, so for me to say, "I don't like it" is really not fair...

But the one time I did try mayonnaise I was at a friend's house and she had made sandwiches and I didn't want to be rude or offend her, so I sucked up my superficial craziness and ate the sandwich...needless to say, I had a "stomach ache" for the rest of the night. All in my head? Perhaps.

I blame my father who started this absurd hatred for white condiments.

I have a feeling that as I was growing up a scene like this was stuck into my consciousness...

Mom:  Jasmine, have some potato salad.
Me:     Daddy, are you having any?
Dad:   Oh no, I don't touch that stuff. That's gross...but you can have it if you want

He's never admitted to brainwashing me, lol, but I've always been a Daddy's Girl.

OKAY! BACK TO THE FOOD!

Basically, I was trying to say that I don't really like Italian lasagna, but this Mexican Lasagna as per Rachael Ray is fabulous!

Here's What You'll Need!

• 3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 lbs ground chicken 

• 2 tbs chili powder

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/2 red onion, chopped

• 1 can fire roasted tomatoes

• 1 can black beans, drained

• 1 cup frozen corn kernels

• Salt

• Pepper

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

• 4-5 wheat tortillas

• 2 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

• 2 scallions, chopped

Put It All Together!

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees,

2. Start by browning the ground chicken in a skillet with 2 tbs of the oil.

3. Season the ground chicken with the chili powder, cumin, and red onion. 

4. Once the meat the coated in the spice mixture, add the tomatoes, beans, and corn.

5. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

6. Use the leftover tbs of olive oil to grease the bottom of a 7" x 11" glass pan.

7. Start by cutting the tortillas in halves (or quarters) and put a layer on the bottom of the dish.

8. Next, spoon on a layer of the meat and beans.

9. Cover again with a layer of tortillas, and then a layer of cheese.

10. Repeat steps 7-9 as necessary, leaving the cheese layer on top.

11. Put assembled lasagna into the oven for about 13-14 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the entire meal is heated through.

12. Garnish with chopped scallions and enjoy your Mexican treat!!

Completely ricotta free, and absolutely scrumptious!

Stay Savory,

Recipe to Reality: Breakfast Muffins

   These aren't your typical muffins! These are delicious, easy, and adorable muffins that wrap up all your favorite breakfast foods!

Bacon, Egg, Cheese, what more do you need?

  My husband and I had one of our best friends over so I wanted to make him something unique for breakfast! When I saw these interesting muffins from YummyMummyClub, I knew these were what I was looking for!

   The ingredients are very simple: 1 can of Pillsbury biscuits, 6-7 strips of bacon cut into chunks, 4 eggs scrambled, and about 3-4 slices of American cheese.

   You will also need a greased muffin tin, and a roller of some sort.

   First, I started by frying my bacon strips on about medium flame until crispy.

   Then, I scrambled 4 eggs (with a splash of milk for fluffiness) in a bit of the bacon grease with a dash of salt and pepper.

   Once you have the bacon and eggs cooked, you are ready to assemble! I used Pillsbury Grands Homestyle Reduced Fat biscuits, but you can use any kind you'd like. I don't own a rolling pin to roll out my biscuit dough with, so my genius friend "Cup of Joe" suggested to use the side of a ceramic bowl to roll out the dough. Totally worked!

   Once you have your biscuit rolled out, you scoop a bit of scrambled eggs into the middle, add 3-4 pieces of the chopped bacon, and top with 1/2 a slice of American cheese. Feel free to substitute your favorite cheese!

Egg

Egg w/ Bacon

Egg w/Bacon & Cheese

   Next comes the fun part! Stretch the biscuit around your filling and pinch the sides to make a completely sealed biscuit full of breakfasty goodness!

   Place the biscuits seam side down into your muffin tin and brush with an eggwash (an egg whisked with some water). The eggwash will make the tops of your muffins brown and give them a little flavor. It also helps keep the salt and pepper from falling off the biscuit while baking. 

Artistic Placement!

   Bake at 375 for 13-15 minutes and they are ready for breakfast! We used a little ketchup as a dipping sauce, but hot sauce would have paired nicely as well. These would be great as an on-the-go meal as well.

   As I was making these, I couldn't help but think about all the other possibilities there are for these biscuit muffins! Here are some I'd like to try - tomato sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni for pizza bites, apples, butter, and cinnamon for apple pie bites, and my friend Cup of Joe's suggestion - Nutella, fluff, and banana!

YUM!

   A combination of a short prep time, virtually no cleanup, and the fun involved pinching these yummy muffins together lead me to believe I will be experimenting with these biscuit muffins in the near future!

They look like perfect little pillows!

Stay Savory,
Jasmine