Pineapple Salsa

This is everything that's good about summer.















































Fresh juicy pineapple paired with the spicy bite of jalapeno and the sweet crisp of red onion. Lime juice and cilantro.

It's simple, right? I know! But I feel like people just don't know about the greatness that is this salsa. 

And I want them to! 
























































All it requires is some dicing along with some mid-prep pineapple snackage.

The pineapple is sweet and tart and bursts in your mouth, and the jalapeno adds a nice contrasting heat and crunch. Red onions make all things better. And though I used to think that cilantro tasted like wet rag, I do enjoy it in salsas and other Mexican inspired recipes.

I welcome the cilantro in this keeper!
 

 



Pineapple Salsa
from the kitchen of SteakNPotatoesKindaGurl

• 2 cups fresh pineapple, diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and toss together. Salsa can be served immediately or covered and chilled until ready to use.


Printable Recipe

























































This salsa is perfect as a dip or appetizer with chips or tortillas. Or most definitely as a topping on fish, pork, chicken, or anything else you can think of.

Or just served straight up on a spoon. Whatever floats your boat! 



Linking up here.


Peace, and bacon grease!

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Chipotle Butter

Mmmm.... butter.

Not just any butter though. Butter loaded with tons of flavor. We've got Irish butter which is all fancy, some chives or green onions, and the star of the show... chipotle peppers! It really gives it a nice heat.

No that there below is not an ear of corn. But it was about to be melted and poured atop some of that corn in the background (I'll write up a separate post for that). And in the future, really anything that I can get my hands on that requires butter. Or is better with butter. Which is pretty much everything. Ok, I guess you can't use this butter in baked goods, that would be a bit odd. But pretty much any kind of savory dish that calls for butter mmk?


 
Chipotle Butter

• 1 stick salted butter (we used Irish butter)
• 1-2 chipotle pepper(s) in Adobo sauce, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chives or green onions, finely chopped

Set butter out at room temperature to soften. In a bowl, add butter, chopped chipotles, and chopped chives/green onions. Mix well. Put in fridge to harden, and melt when ready to serve.


Printable Recipe

It's so easy too. Just chop up some chipotle peppers... you can even do that in your food processor! Slice some chives or green onions... you can just snip away using scissors. And voila, you're good to go and you've got delicious butter to last you a few meals... hopefully it can last that long :)

Linking up here.


Peace, and bacon grease!

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Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce + Chocolate Dipped Potato Chips with Caramel

Hey there friends.

Did you guys have a nice weekend? Mine was pretty uneventful. I like those sometimes though.

It's time for this month's Secret Recipe Club. I was assigned Danielle's blog, Hugs & CookiesXOXO, you know... the one with all the to-die-for creative treats! It was so hard to choose a recipe! But I was sold when I saw homemade salted caramel. You guys know about my love of salted caramel by now. 

 





















I did have some probs with the salted caramel sauce. But I tend to have problems lol. The sugar did melt when over heat, but when I removed it from heat like the recipe says, it got all clumpy and hard as a rock. I really thought my sauce was doomed. But I decided to just go with it and added the heavy cream and put it back over the heat to get that hardened sugar soft again. Not sure if I messed something up along the way, but I'd say don't remove it from heat. She also recommends adding the cream drop by drop... I added in a little at a time but more than a drop, stirring here and there. You can add it drop by drop if you like.

 






















Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce 
slightly adapted from Hugs & CookiesXOXO

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 and 2/3 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt   

Spread the sugar in an even layer in a large metal pot, at least 6 quarts. Set over a moderate heat and cook without stirring, until the sugar near the edge just starts to liquefy. 

Use a wooden spoon and begin stirring, encouraging the melted sugar around the edges toward the center, delicately stirring up any sugar melting on the bottom as well. The sugar will start to look pebbly as it cooks, but keep going until it is melted completely and an amber color. If you think it is cooking too fast, lower the heat and keep stirring. Be patient. Continue to cook until the sugar turns deep brown. 

Add the heavy cream, stirring in a little at a time. Once smooth, add butter and sea salt. Remove from heat and let cool. Will store in fridge up to one month.

Printable Recipe

 























And then what to do with that caramel? (besides slurp it up by the spoonful).

 























Well, one thing I did with it was use it to top some chocolate-dipped potato chips, also from Danielle's blog. Another sweet and salty win. Ever since I tried some chocolate covered potato chips from Sweeties Jumbo Chocolates, I've been hooked.

Chocolate Dipped Potato Chips with Caramel
from Hugs & CookiesXOXO 

• thick, wavy potato chips (like Lay's)
• melting chocolates (I used Wilton's candy melts)
• Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe above)
• coarse sea salt

Melt chocolate, dip potato chips in chocolate. Sprinkle with sea salt. Allow to set at room temperature or in fridge. Drizzle with caramel.

Printable Recipe 

 























This is sweet and salty heaven. So much better than I was expecting. I think I'm gonna turn that whole bag of chips into chocolate and caramel-covered chips. Nothing wrong with that. Actually, it would be wrong if I didn't.

Don't EVEN try to doubt the goodness. 


Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

October's Secret Recipe Club - Black Bean Corn Salsa

It's that time of the month again.

Time for The Secret Recipe Club.

This month I was assigned to Denise's blog, Creative Kitchen. There were some yummies for sure, but I decided on something simple yet sounded so good. Her black bean corn salsa.

I made a few modifications... only one can of black beans, and a little more red onion and lime. I seasoned generously too. 

Do you guys like the orange and black tortillas for Halloween? I couldn't pass them up at Meijer.

Black Bean Corn Salsa
adapted from Creative Kitchen

• 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can mexican rotel
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• Juice of 1 lime
• Dash or two or three of sea salt 

Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Make the day before to allow flavors to mix together. Serve with tortilla chips.

Printable Recipe



















We really loved this quick and easy salsa! PJ was sure that it wouldn't be anything special because we were using canned ingredients, but he and I both were surprised at how much we enjoyed it! So much flavor, and a spicy kick from the rotel.

I will definitely be taking the rest of this for lunch this week.


Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Grilled Filets with Bourbon Butter, and a Guest Post

 
Hey friends!

I'm doing a guest post over at Christine's Kitchen Chronicles today! I was honored to be asked by my fellow Cincinnati food blogger and jumped at the chance.

I don't post nearly enough steak recipes, you know, me being a steaknpotatoes kinda gurl and all.

So head on over to Christine's blog to see what delicious steak recipe I'll be sharing. Here's a little hint...

Oh, and while you're there be sure to check out Christine's delicious recipes... so many! I'm eyeing that S'mores Pizza with Graham Cracker Cookie Crust.


Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

May's Secret Recipe Club - Bechamel Sauce

Yo.

I'm suffering, people. I can't eat anything! Well, I can eat some things, but nothing that is satisfying me! I got my wisdom teeth removed the other day and have been eating soup, ice cream, and yogurt for the past 2 days. I'm over it.

So when the time came to select a Secret Recipe Club recipe, I knew my options were limited. Tandy has some great recipes on her site... if only I could eat them! Maybe I should have made something earlier so I'd have more options and would be able to eat some of her yummy recipes, especially ones that are on my (not-yet-finished) 30 by 30 recipe list. I wanted to make her savory souffle, eclairs, and creme brulee. But I ended up picking her bechamel sauce. I was intrigued because I've heard of this sauce before, and she recommended it with scallops and I figured I could eat scallops since they are soft.

Bechamel is a basic white sauce. You guys know I'm all about the sauces. So I couldn't pass up an opportunity to try a new sauce, plus eat some beloved scallops which sounded so much better than yogurt or soup. 

Not gonna lie, I tasted the sauce by itself and I wasn't a fan. It didn't really have much taste or flavor. But with the scallops it was better, but still not very much flavor. I learned that it is really more of a base for other sauces, like mornay, or as a base in lasagnas, mac and cheese, or gratins. 

Bechamel Sauce

from Lavender and Lime

• 2 cups milk
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 thick slice of white onion
• a dash or two of nutmeg + more for seasoning, if desired
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning
• salt, for seasoning

In a pot, gently heat milk, bay leaf, onion, and dash or two of nutmeg. Remove from heat just before it comes to boil. Cover and set aside to infuse for 30 minutes. Strain the milk into a bowl or container and discard the bay leaf and onions. In the same pot, add butter and melt over low heat. Add the flour and stir briskly until smooth to form a roux. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil and whisk to prevent lumps. Season with pepper, salt, and more nutmeg if desired. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Printable Recipe


I did have to convert measurements, so hopefully my google searching was accurate.

I will definitely be trying this bechamel sauce base in some lasagnas and macaroni and cheese recipes soon! 

Annnnnnnd now I think I have pieces of scallop in my teeth  :(


Peace, and bacon grease!

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Chicken and Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo

I'll take any excuse to use some delicious but fatty alfredo sauce.

And this recipe was a great reason.

We just kinda came up with this recipe because we had chicken, leftover alfredo sauce, and we love mushrooms. No other explanation needed, eh?

I like to buy the Miller Brand Amish Chicken from our local grocery store. They have way less fatty extra skin on them and I don't have to cut off much fat. Plus they  just make me feel better about myself that I'm getting healthier chicken.

Chicken and Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo

from the kitchen of SteakNPotatoesKindaGurl

• 1 lb fettuccine


• 4 oz mushrooms, sliced


• 2 tbsp butter, divided


• 2 or 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and diced


• salt


• freshly ground black pepper


• garlic powder


• 1 garlic clove, minced 


• leftover Alfredo Sauce


• 3 tbsp green onions, chopped

In a large pot, cook pasta according to directions on package.

Saute mushrooms in 1 tbsp butter. Season with salt while mushrooms are cooking, stir.

Season chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In a skillet, melt the other 1 tbsp butter and minced garlic and saute the chicken until done.

Reheat the alfredo sauce in a small pot.

Serve by topping the pasta with alfredo sauce, chicken, mushroom, and green onions. Or you can mix the alfredo sauce in with the pasta, or mix it all together.

Printable Recipe

I could eat this very often. But I probably shouldn't... that danged high-calorie alfredo sauce! But please indulge once in awhile and make this delicious meal. The extra calories are well worth it.

Peace, and bacon grease!

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Parmesan Meatballs with Fettuccine and Alfredo Sauce

How can you make beef infused with parmesan and garlic even better? By drenching it in alfredo sauce, that's how! That's also how you can add an outrageous amount of calories. I don't think that would be anyone's goal, but if you don't mind the added calories then definitely make it like this!  :)

 

Is it bad when I have more sauce on my plate than anything else?

I combined two different recipes to make this dish - Laurie's Parmesan Meatballs, and Jenn's Alfredo Sauce. As soon as I saw that meat-a-ball (in my fake Italian accent) recipe, with only four ingredients, I knew I had to make it! And I was also instantly drawn to Jenn's alfredo sauce because, to put it simply, I love any kind of sauce. While we did make her whole recipe for the Chicken Braciole with Alfredo Sauce once before, I wasn't too successful with the stuffed chicken part. While it tasted good, it definitely didn't look like it was supposed to. But that's another story. However, I knew that I would be making that alfredo sauce again and again. And these meatballs seemed like the perfect opportunity to use that sauce again.

 

So I figured that meatballs go well with pasta, and we had some fettuccine in the cabinet, and fettuccine is often used with alfredo sauce. So there we had it. Parmesan Meatballs with Fettuccine and Alfredo Sauce.

I wish I had more of a clever name for this. Parmesan Meatballs with Fettuccine Alfredo? Parmesan Meatball Afredo? Alfredo Parmesan Meatballs? Parmesan Alfredo Meatballs? It could be called so many things, but scrumptious is definitely one of them.

This homemade alfredo sauce puts the store-bought jarred to shame. And I know because I cooked another casserole last night that called for jarred alfredo sauce and it's just not the same. I just kept thinking the whole time how a homemade alfredo would have knocked it outta the park! Particularly this alfredo sauce! And it's not even difficult to make.

 

As you can see, we served this with some garlic bread for a quick and easy side.

Parmesan Meatballs with Fettuccine and Alfredo Sauce

• 1/2 a package of fettuccine, cooked according to instructions on package

for the meatballs - adapted from Cookin Up North

• 3/4 lb ground beef


• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese


• 1 egg, beaten


• 1 garlic clove, minced

Mix and shape into 10 meatballs. Spray a greased pan with cooking spray and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until cooked through.

for the alfredo sauce - adapted from Jenn's Food Journey

• 1 stick of butter


• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour


• 1 pint heavy whipping cream


• 2 cups grated parmesan cheese


• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt


• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the flour and stir to combine. Let cook for one minute. Slowly whisk in the heavy whipping cream. Sprinkle in cheese a bit at a time until melted and smooth. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Let simmer on very low heat until thickened. Do not let it boil!

To serve, put some cooked fettuccine on a plate, top with meatballs, and then pour sauce over top. Or you can mix some sauce in with the pasta first then top with meatballs and pour more sauce over top.

Printable Recipe

And it's been way too long since I've linked up at any parties lately, so I'm back to it!

 
Linking to:

What's Cooking Wednesday 

Recipes I Can't Wait to Try

Show Off Your Stuff
Real Food Wednesday 
What's On The Menu Wednesday
What I Whipped Up Wednesday
Cast Party Wednesday
Foodie Wednesday

Wow Me Wednesday 

Drooling yet?


Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Creamy Lime Cilantro Ranch Dressing

That's a long name for something so simple! This just may be my new favorite dressing. I already gushed about my newfound love of this sauce on a previous post. It is so versatile! Like I said, I originally made it as a dipping sauce for some Chicken Flautas, then as a dressing on a salad, and I also drizzled some on our Chicken Fajitas the following day!

Or if you are a sauce kinda gurl or guy, you can just slurp it off of your fingers... straight up, like me. Yes, I did test it out for you guys like that.

It is THAT good!

The ladies over at Our Best Bites used 1 lime to get about 2 tablespoons. I dunno how they dun it. Cuz 1 lime didn't even get me 1 tablespoon! And I had only bought one lime. So in a pinch, I used my lime juice that comes in a mini bottle. If you want to use only fresh lime juice, be sure to buy at least 3 limes to yield 2 tablespoons of juice, maybe even more! I would have definitely bought more limes if I had known. Next time I will know better, and there will be a thousand more next times!

Creamy Lime Cilantro Ranch Dressing

from Our Best Bites

• 1 (1-oz) packet of Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
• 1 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons lime juice (may need at least 3 limes, or you can just use bottle lime juice)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup La Costena medium green salsa 
• hot sauce, to taste

Blend mayo, milk, and ranch mix in a blender. Add lime juice, then garlic, cilantro, and salsa. Blend well. Add hot sauce to taste. Refrigerate and let thicken.

Printable Recipe

Please go make this now. No matter what you do with it, your meal will be a better one because of it. And that's a promise.

Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad