Black Bean Salsa: a summer dip for the whole year.

This is a recipe that I am surprised I haven't gotten into this blog sooner. Black Bean Salsa is one of my favorite dips ever! It is pretty healthy and is by far one of the most delicious salsa that I have ever eaten. Plus, I didn't even have to go out and find the recipe. My MiL made this one summer a long time ago when I was but a friend of my now husband. I immediately fell in love with the sweet, smoky corn, the creamy avocado, the acidity of the red onion, and the tang of the red wine vinegar with lime all stirred into one pot of yum with a great source of fiber, black beans.

While I prefer to grill the corn in this dish, if you don't have the accessible to you, just use a can or corn. That is what the recipe actually calls for, but as this is a summer dish in my mind, I normally and BBQing enough that I just buy a few extra ears (3-4 depending on size) to cook up.

This is just the best...

Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients:
2 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of corn, drained and rinsed
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 purple/red onion, diced
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1/4 cup Fresh cilantro, chopped
4 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon
Method:
Mix all ingredients together and chill. Serve with Tostada Chips.



Seriously, put this in your body! This is pretty much one of the greatest things I have every eaten. I have used it as garnish for Mexican food, on chicken, and just eaten it by the spoonful.


Until next time...Cook it up!

Pickled Onions

So you have a red onion about to turn...what do you do? 

Make pickled onions, of course! 

Not the BEST picture, but dang are they tastey! 

The recipe was super easy:

1 medium red onion, finely sliced

1 cup water

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 TBS honey

2 tsp salt

Let sit for at least 2 hours, then enjoy on samdwiches, salads, and tacos! 

Until next time...Cook it up!

Back to the Classics: Steakhouse Edition: Caesar Dressing

OK, back to the kitchen with me. I finally found something that I really wanted to make: Caesar Salad.

I took this stroke of inspiration to formulate my next posts. As Caesar Salad is a steakhouse staple, I decided to go "Back to the Classics:Steakhouse Edition". I will be starting out with Salads and Appetizers and work my way through the typical Menus options that I can't decide between every time I go to an excellent steakhouse. I apologize in advance to all my Vegetarian and Vegan readers. Check back in a few weeks.

I don't know about you all, but I LOVE a solid Caesar dressing. I don't want it creamy or even heavy on the cheese. I want it tangy and tart and with a kick of anchovy saltiness. I want my mouth to start watering when I smell it and I want the garlic to burn my nose a bit. I'm not the only one.

So after an awesome work out with KimmyG and Kris, I whipped up some dressing to dress my romaine hearts and some slow cooked shredded chicken I had made in the Crockpot early today.

Classic Caesar Dressing

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 6

The Dressing

6 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained

1 small garlic clove

Kosher salt

2 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more

¾ teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Chop together anchovy fillets, garlic, and pinch of salt. Use the side of a knife blade to mash into a paste, then scrape into a medium bowl. Whisk in egg yolks, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, and mustard. Adding drop by drop to start, gradually whisk in olive oil, then vegetable oil; whisk until dressing is thick and glossy. Whisk in Parmesan. Season with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired

I was only serving 3 people so I halved some of the ingredients, but not all of the recipe. I actually increased a few things to my tastes: Mine was more like this:

3 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained

1 large garlic clove

Kosher salt

1 large egg yolk

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Freshly ground black pepper

I didn't use Parmesan either (I know, I shouldn't really even call it Caesar then!) as I am attempting the Slow Carb Diet again.

All of these changes and exclusions considered, it was amazingly good. So good that this is how much was left from 2 hearts of romaine!

A perfect elevenses snack.

Next time I will have to try this recipe for the dressing. The addition of the Worcestershire sauce and the use of green garlic intrigue me. Also, I like her method of boiling the egg briefly.

Do it for you...The What I Made The Day Before Thanksgiving

The If you haven't figured it out yet: you should always plan to have a least half (in my opinion) of your Thanksgiving dinner made before hand. Then that other half can be what people are bringing and the Turkey, Stuffing, and (if your my Husband, cuz he is picky about them) Mashed Potatoes.

So this is what I made ahead for Thanksgiving this year: The Appetizers (well, one of them as the other takes about 2 minutes to prep), Chocolate Whiskey Pecan Pie, Cranberry Sauce, and Cocktail Hour Punch Mixers.

Onion, Apple, Brie Canapes - A Cat Bock Original

Tools:

Large Skillet

Mini Muffin Tin

Cooking Spray

Ingredients:

1 large onion, finely sliced (I decided to use red this year and give it that extra time to caramelize)

1 tablespoon salt 

2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of thyme

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup apple cider

2 tablespoons of cornstarch (last year, it was flour and I think it bulked the dish verses just thickening)

2 green apples, peeled, cored, and grated (the grating is a new twist. Since I knew I was using a mini muffin tin, the smaller the apple, the more tart like it would look)

8 oz of brie, diced *It isn't necessary, but it is take less time to cook if you take off at least some of the rind*

1 package of Puff Pastry

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, oven medium heat, melt butter.

Add onions to the butter, sprinkling the salt over then as they soften to pull out the juices.

Allow onions to cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and lightly browned.

Add thyme and apple cider to the onions. Cook until reduced and syrupy.

Add balsamic vinegar to the onions and apple cider. Cook until reduced and syrupy.

Combine enough apple cider with cornstarch to make it into a liquid form and then thoroughly stir it into the syrupy sauce and onions.

Allow the onions and sauce to reduce and thicken even more. 

Add apples to onion mix and allow to cook further until the apples are soft.

Once apples are soft, reduce heat to low and stir in brie. Stir often to encourage the cheese to melt. 

**Don't be tempted to turn up the heat, as this will increase the chance of burning the filling.**

Slow and steady wins the yummy race.

Alternatively, you can just top the cups with a small slice of brie after spooning in the onion and apple mixture. Which is what I opted to do this year.
Once all the ingredients are well combined, allow the filling to cool slightly to thicken into a manageable consistency and scoop into a mini muffin tin cup lined with puff pastry or pie crust. 
<Refrigerate now if baking on the day of. > Bake as dough instructs you too.

This is a recipe I came up with myself. Most people I tell about it look at me like I am crazy. They haven't tried it yet. Everyone who attends our Friendsgiving agree that they are excellent. This year they became an appetizer and bite size. It all started out as a pie.

Chocolate-Whiskey Pecan Pie

Ingredients

1 cup  light corn syrup                                                   

3/4  cup  light brown sugar

4  tablespoons  unsalted butter, melted                                

3  large eggs

2  tablespoons  whiskey                                                                

1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt

2  cups  pecan halves                                                     

1/2  cup  semisweet chocolate chips

9-inch basic flaky piecrust, unbaked

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Whisk together corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, eggs, whiskey, and salt; fold in pecans and chocolate chips.

Pour mixture into the pie crust and bake until the center is set but still slightly wobbly, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Gobble Gobble!

I like to save about 1/3 of the pecans out to make a fun design on top as well a bit of pie crust to make a little cookie. I allowed it to cool completely before covering and refrigerating it.

Design with Pecans!

Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

4 cups (1 12 ounce bag) cranberries

1 cup water or orange juice or apple juice

1 cup sugar

Directions

Bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the cranberries burst and the sauce starts to thicken, about 10-15 minutes.

I used a bit of apple cider and marmalade and it made a very nice version of the apple/orange cranberry sauce I like.

Sugared Cranberries

Sugared Cranberries for Garnish

2 cups sugar, divided

1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries

Directions

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 2-3 minutes which makes a simple syrup. Stir in cranberries until well coated. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to wire rack; let dry for at least 1 hour.

Working in batches, roll cranberries in remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar until well coated; let dry for at least 1 hour.

I made the simple syrup and let them sit in it for about 3 hours. Then I pulled them out to dry and coated them with granulated sugar and let them dry for another hour before refrigerating them.

So now, everything that I planned on making for Thanksgiving is prepped. On Thursday, the Canapes, Cranberry sauce, and Pie will need to be pulled out of the fridge to bring them to room temperature. I will bake the Canapes before the Turkey goes in and plate theman hour or so before cocktail hour. The Punches decided on, poured, and garnished. The Pepper Jelly Cream Cheese stacked and the crackers arranged in an attractive fashion. I will have plenty of time to transform our living room into a large dining room, set the table, apply a centerpiece, candles, and place cards, prep the sidebar as a buffet, and be MORE than ready to receive 14 people into my home.

That's how I holiday!

Until tomorrow...

Red Restaurant Salsa and the good stuff: Salsa Verde

I love me some salsa. It is known. So I attempted to make my own...

Restaurant Style Salsa by Ree Drummond 

Ingredients
Two 10-ounce cans diced tomatoes and green chiles, such as Rotel
One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves (or more to taste!)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole jalapeno, quartered and sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 whole lime, juiced
Combine the diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes, cilantro, onions, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, salt, sugar and lime juice in a blender or food processor. (This is a very large batch. I recommend using a 12-cup food processor, or you can process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.)
Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you'd like. I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.
Refrigerate the salsa for at least an hour before serving.

This salsa turned out very nicely texture wise, but I think that next time I make it, I will be using 2 Serrano peppers and roasting them first. Or I suppose I could use the Jalapenos still and keep the seeds in. Texture and look, this was a win, I just need to work on the addictiveness factor. It has a little be of a sweetness to it, which is ok, but not widely appealing.

Next up, I have a recipe I got from my coworker and friend Paul. 

Salsa Verde
Ingredients:

8 medium tomatillos (about 1 1/2 pounds total weight), husked and rinsed

1 Serrano chile

1 Jalapeno chile

1/2 white onion, halved again

2 garlic cloves

1/2 bay leaf

1 teaspoon ground Cumin

Pinch of dried oregano

Pinch of dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Preparation:

Put the tomatillos, chile, onion, and garlic in a medium pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables are soft and the tomatillos turn light brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Carefully transfer the boiled vegetables, along with the cooking water, to a blender. Puree for a few seconds to blend; be sure to hold down the lid with a kitchen towel to avoid spilling. Add the 1/2 bay leaf, oregano, thyme, salt, cumin, and broth. Continue to puree until smooth. You should have about 1 quart of salsa verde.

This turned out way more watery than I like my salsa. I ended up adding an extra half an onion, some more garlic, and a few more tomatillos. I think that I would only add 1 cup of the water the veggies are boiled in next time. To thicken it up a bit, I simmered it with the addition of 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and that thickened it enough to be pleasing to myself and Husband.

All in all, no recipe for the win in this experiment. Gotta keep looking.

Until the next condiment round up....

Was the Buffalo chicken wing invented when...

Another great choice from this past Super Bowl Sunday/Groundhog Day.

Twice Baked Buffalo Potatoes
Ingredients
8 Potatoes, Baked, Halved, and Hollowed
1 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Homemade Buffalo Sauce
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
Method:
Mash the innards of the Potatoes, and mix with Sour Cream and Buffalo Sauce.
Stuff the potatoes with the mixture and sprinkle with Cheddar Cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees to melt cheese.

Recipe for the Homemade Buffalo Sauce recipes was posted yesterday:
http://my-pinterest-board-live.blogspot.com/2014/02/he-who-eats-with-most-pleasure.html

These were described as "incredible" and "amazing" to name a few of the uttered adjectives. They are also vegetarian which is always nice for the a side dish heavy meal. There are few people in my group of friends who are vegetarian so they were very appreciative. For your next "bring something to share" party, try these.

Until the next meal...

**Today's title in full: "Was the Buffalo chicken wing invented when Teressa Bellissimo thought of splitting it in half and deep frying it and serving it with celery and blue-cheese dressing? Was it invented when John Young started using mambo sauce and thought of elevating wings into a specialty?" From Calvin Trillin, Third Helpings.**

He who eats with most pleasure...

I love sauces. 

Food is simply a vehicle for sauce to get from the plate to my mouth. 

While this is not WHOLLY accurate, it is not far from the truth. A good sauce can save dry chicken or cut of meat. A great sauce can make cooked cauliflower look yummy. All in all, I really like sauces and condiments as along as they compliment the food and not just cover up the natural flavors of the vessel. 

One of my favorite sauces, contrary to what I just wrote, can cover up any original flavor and still be amazing. an that is the vinegary spiciness of Buffalo Sauce.

Homemade Buffalo Sauce

Ingredients

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar (apple cider or white wine vinegar work as well)

1 tbs chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tbs garlic powder (I didn't have any, so I left out the regular salt and used garlic salt)

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp cayenne powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp honey

1 tbs cornstarch (I used flour)

2 tsp canola oil

Method

Add all ingredients to a pot, whisk until well combined. Cook over medium-high heat until just starting to bubble and thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Thin with water or vinegar, if desired.

Store in an air tight bottle. Keep refrigerated.

*To make chicken wings, toss the finished sauce with melted butter and then coat wings. Sauce will not keep well with butter. Combine with melted butter just prior to using.

Tomorrow, I will post what I used this spectacular (and inexpensive) sauce in. It isn't what you think.

Until the next meal...

**Today's Title is from Xenophon, a great Greek who once said something utterly incorrect: He who eats with most pleasure is he who least requires sauce.**