Cake In A Mug

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Deborah

I had a craving the other day. A chocolate craving. I didn’t feel like raiding the bag of mini chipits in the fridge, so I went hunting on-line for something chocolatey and gooey that I could make from said mini chipits.

That was when I stumbled on this thing called Cake in a Mug.

Really? Cake in a Mug? Ready to eat in under 2 minutes?

I was sold.

There are actually plenty of recipes to choose from and I am beside myself that I haven’t found this type of crazy dessert sooner. So I reviewed a few and decided … Read more...

Rajas con Crema

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Deborah

The other day I hosted a luncheon with some real estate associates and the theme was Mexican (what else?!). One of the side dishes featured was Rajas con Crema (Rajas is pronounced “Ra-Has”) which translates to “Strips with Cream”, a luscious Mexican side dish that doesn’t look very appetizing, but the flavour more than makes up for it.

I first tasted this dish in Mexico when I attended a one day cooking class with a Mexican Chef at The Little Mexican Cooking School in Puerto Morelos a few years ago. It was a fantastic experience where I came away with … Read more...

Cornbread Update

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Deborah

After a couple years of trying to find a *from scratch* cornbread recipe that always ended in complete failure (and seriously giving me a complex that I couldn’t make a decent one), I finally hit on one that I can truly call *My Own*.

I took a recipe from The Food Network and after the first run through, tweaked it slightly with the following changes:

Added 2 Tbsp Gluten Flour
Added 1/2 Cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Reduced Sugar to 1/4 Cup

Hubby actually liked it!!! Thank heavens. I can finally move on to another challenge…one that perhaps isn’t as … Read more...

Chicken Enchiladas in Green Chile Sauce

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Deborah

Yup. Still in Mexican mode. How about I am always in Mexican mode. I could eat Mexican cuisine every day for a year and never get sick of it. There is so much variety that I highly doubt I will ever get bored with it.

Today we are making enchiladas verdes con pollo. A super simple and super tasty dish that will impress your significant other, your kids, even your fussy MIL.

Ingredients

2 Cups shredded, cooked chicken *
1 Cup onion, diced
1 Cup diced poblano peppers
3 Cloves garlic, minced
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 Tbsp Flour… Read more...

Cornbread Attempt # 145,986

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Deborah

Or something like that. I may have exaggerated a tich, but it certainly seems like I have tried a million times to make cornbread from a myriad of different recipes.

There is one really, really good one that I like, but it isn’t plain cornbread. I had come across the recipe a few years ago and it is definitely different. Not for everyone (specifically my hubby), but if you want to give it a try, click here for the recipe.

But back to my quest for a plain cornbread recipe. I have tried so many that have promised to be … Read more...

Pickled Onion Salsa

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Deborah

Also known as Cebollas Curtidas or Escabeche Salsa de Cebollas, it is a S-P-I-C-Y pickled onion salsa that will blow the roof of your mouth off. I first tried it several years ago in Mexico and have been hunting for the recipe ever since. Two years ago I tried bribing the waiter in one of the restaurants at the resort….no go. I then asked our beach mesero whom we befriended if he could get the recipe from the Chef…nope, still a no go. Grrr….so I spent several months afterwards looking on-line for a similar recipe and still could not come … Read more...

Running on Empty

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Deborah

Almost running on empty….It has been a very busy week here at the Southern Homestead, hmmm… maybe I will call it the Southern Plantation…seeing as the house here is about double the size of the Northern Homestead….anyway, it has been very busy with work, house, knitting, sewing, weaving and cooking.

So busy that I haven’t had time to get into regular posts, but I figured I would toss out a quickie for Friday while my ginormous batch of meatballs is cooking in the oven after having pulled out a small dish of yellow beets that were finished roasting.

I have … Read more...

How To Make Enchilada Sauce

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Deborah

Yup…You guessed it. I am still on my Gotta-Have-Mexican-Flavour-Fetish, and today we are making Authentic Enchilada Sauce. Not the stuff you buy in the grocery store or the ‘Americanized’ recipe versions I have seen on-line, but real, authentic enchilada sauce made by many a Mexican Abuela (grandma) using only 4 main ingredients. The flavour can’t be beat and it is really simple to make.

Start off with 4 dried guajillo (gwah-hee-yo) peppers and 2 dried ancho pasilla (pa-see-ya) peppers. These can be purchased in the Mexican aisle of your local grocery store.

Step 1 ~ Toast the peppers in a … Read more...

Tropical Breezes

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Deborah

Polar Vortex is so far removed from Tropical Breezes that it seems incongruous to use the two in the same sentence. But when you arrive back from vacation and are promptly greeted by a cold snap cold enough for Jack Frost to lose an appendage, you really begin to appreciate (even if you mildly did while away) just exactly where you were a few short hours ago.

This was going to be our 6th trip down to Mexico in about the last 10 yrs and is one of those places where you begin to feel like it is a second … Read more...

Happy Experiments

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Deborah

Ever have one of those ‘AHA!’ moments out of the blue? I had one this past Monday.

After coming home from our trip to an empty fridge, I headed out to load up on produce and other staples, all the while, mentally planning what I was going to be making for dinners this week. Seeing as I was still immersed in the sabores (flavours) of Mexican cuisine, I was itching to keep my tastebuds south of the border(s) and trying to figure out what to make for dinner that night.

I ended up making nothing to do with Mexican cuisine. … Read more...