Roasted Tomato Salsa - Cinco de Mayo

Roasted Tomato Salsa - Cinco de Mayo

1 pound plum (roma) tomatoes
1 medium red bell pepper
1 jalapeño pepper (two if you want it hot)
2 medium garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 medium shallots, chopped
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped - (or use dry after they sit in water)
1/2 cup vegetable juice (such as V-8)
1 lime juiced and the zest taken off
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt - check salt at the end

Heat broiler rack 8 inches from flame or coil. Place tomatoes, bell pepper, jalapeño and garlic on broiler pan. Broil until evenly blackened, turning often, taking care not to burn, and removing each as it gets done. Or you can use a cast iron skillet and brown the above on the stove top. Better yet, BBQ the mix!

Peel bell pepper, jalapeño and garlic. Seed and trim ribs from bell pepper and jalapeño. Peel only some black away from tomatoes. Add broiled tomatoes, bell and jalapeño peppers and garlic, shallots and chipotle pepper to food processor. Coarsely chop by pulsing briefly. Place tomatoes and vegetables in large bowl. Swish out processor container with vegetable juice; add juice to bowl. Add lime juice, oregano and cumin to mixture. Blend well. Cover. Taste for salt. Chill at least 4 hours.

Margarita Shrimp Salad - Cinco de Mayo

Margarita Shrimp Salad - Cinco de Mayo

2 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces peeled shrimp
1/4 cup tequila
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 cups torn iceberg lettuce
2 cups torn romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1 cup chopped mango
1/2 cup chopped jicama
1/2 cup chopped avocado
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Salad dressing of choice

Coat a sauté pan with olive oil. Over medium-high heat, sauté shrimp in tequila, pineapple juice and lime juice until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes.
Drain shrimp and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients and toss well. Add shrimp to salad.

Makes 2 servings.

Red Sangria - Cinco de Mayo

Red Sangria - Cinco de Mayo

8 ounces apple juice
8 ounces mango nectar
2 ounces triple sec
24 ounces red wine
Fruit (cherries, lemons, strawberries, watermelon, lime, pears or melon)
Juice of 1 lime or to taste
Juice of 1 orange or to taste

Mix all ingredients in a container or pitcher large enough to allow stirring. Stir well and refrigerate until cold, at least two hours.
Cut several pieces of fruit, such as cherries, lemons, strawberries, watermelon, lime, pears and melon, and add desired amount before serving. Garnish pitcher with fruit and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

White Sangria - Cinco de Mayo

White Sangria

8 ounces apple juice
8 ounces mango nectar
2 ounces triple sec
2 ounces brandy
24 ounces Sauvignon Blanc (or other white wine)
Fruit (cherries, lemons, strawberries, watermelon, lime, pears or melon)
Juice of 1 lime or to taste
Juice of 1 orange or to taste

Mix all ingredients in a container or pitcher large enough to allow stirring. Stir well and refrigerate until cold, at least two hours.

Cut several pieces of fruit, such as cherries, lemons, strawberries, watermelon, lime, pears and melon, and add desired amount before serving. Garnish pitcher with fruit and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Arizona Biltmore Original Tequila Sunrise - Cinco de Mayo

Biltmore Original Tequila Sunrise

From Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa

Cracked ice
1 1/4 ounces premium tequila
3/4 ounce crème de cassis
Squeeze of fresh lime
Soda water
Orange wheel for garnish

Fill a tall glass with cracked ice. Add tequila, crème de cassis and a squeeze of lime. Fill with soda water. Garnish with orange wheel.
Makes 1 drink.

Ok
Check it out
Now as the seasons are in change we think about what fresh eatables abound and things to lighten up
Just as the first of the season give us really good tomatoes, asparagus, bright strong fresh herbs and sweet citrus. Makes a type of comfort food that almost everyone likes
Heirloom Tomatoes salad on fresh herb crisp thin pizza
**
Grab a bag of the prepared pizza or fuccasia dough available at trader Joes and whole foods as well as some gourmet markets. Or a fresh ground corn/masa based crust…
Fresh rosemary, oregano, basil, washed and ready
Whole Lemon
Olive oil sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Set the oven to bake at 425 and prep a cookie sheet, pizza stone, round pan, even a Pyrex brownie pan works when you’re in need but it’s all good –
Grind some pepper corns with one garlic clove fresh rosemary and oregano salt and a table spoon of herbes de provence with a strong ¼ to ½ cup virgin olive oil – grind well and set aside
Wash the basil and set it aside
One ball fresh mozzarella cheese let warm to room temperature before slicing
Stretch out or roll out the dough
Brush heavily with the herbs/oil mixture corner to corner
Let rest until the oven comes to temperature
When it does; bake for 15 minutes or until it’s getting very brown but not burned; turn temperature to broil
While that is in the oven quarter your tomatoes and place in a mixing dish with the sliced mozzarella cheese, all the fresh basil leaves, one scoop of the herbs/oil mix from earlier and mix really well. Probably will need some more pepper. Mine did
The above is ready so when the crust comes out; you can simply pour out the salad and get a sizzle from the crust.
Dash the pan under the broiler, now hot, and warm up the toppings and the crust sizzle but not so you brown the toppings. Pull the pizza out at that time and set on slab or other cool but cutting save surface
Slice into slightly larger than brownie size, serve without delay

Slow-Cooker Orange Chicken with Potatoes

Slow-Cooker Orange Chicken with Potatoes
Makes 6 servings
Hands-on Time: 0hr 30m
Total Time: 4hr 00m

This recipe is: Kid Friendly, One Pot

Ingredients
· 8 skinless chicken thighs
· kosher salt and pepper
· 2 onions, quartered
· 1 pound small red potatoes
· 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
· 12 cloves garlic, peeled
· 1 orange, cut into 1/4-inch rings
· 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
· 1 tablespoon honey
· 8 sprigs thyme

Directions

1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

2. In the bowl of a slow cooker, combine the chicken, onions, potatoes, squash, garlic, orange, broth, honey, and thyme.

3. Set the slow cooker to high and cook, covered, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Divide the chicken mixture into individual bowls.

4. Note: This recipe was tested in a 6-quart slow cooker. Because different models cook at different rates, the cooking time above is presented as a range. Check for doneness at the low end of the range (but not before, as the escaped heat will significantly slow the cooking). If the food is not done, cover and cook to the end of the suggested time range. If using a slow-cooker smaller than 6 quarts, the cooking time may take an additional hour or more, and results may vary.

Tip
Don't have a slow cooker? Bake in a 325° F oven, covered, until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Nutrition Per ServingCalories 328; Calories From Fat 19%; Fat 7g; Sat Fat 2g; Cholesterol 127mg; Sodium

COASTAL GOODS organic herbs rubs brines salts

One of my new year’s resolutions was to admit that I am a salt freak. Ok, so I did it. I have found an awesome source for salts and fine herbs. Not to mention they are lovely people.

Here is the link so you can buy on line:

http://www.coastalgoods.com/

The husband/wife team of Nigel and Sarah are the founders and creative impetus behind Coastal Goods. While armies are known to march on their stomachs, Nigel and Sarah tend travel the world with a keen culinary eye for those gastronomic idiosyncrasies that define their destinations. In fact, their romance as well as entrepreneurial collaboration began during a winter sailing jaunt around the islands of the French Caribbean. Inspired by the vibrant seasonings of the West Indies and the ease with which these herbs and spices infused the limited provisions of shipboard living with intense flavor complexity, the couple hatched a plan to bring a bounty of equatorial spice back to warm their wind-whipped Nantucket Island kitchen.

After over a decade of success in introducing unique seasoning concepts to specialty food markets, Nigel and Sarah sold their original company to start Coastal Goods in 2002. From the get-go, the idea behind Coastal Goods was to begin by focusing on what they had come to see as the world's most important as well as popular seasonings: salt and pepper. Indeed, Sarah's Sea Salt - one of the couple's first and best-selling seasoning creations - became both the anchor and inspiration for Coastal Goods expansion into the new product lines of Salt Sensations and Pepper Perfections.

With distribution in many of the best specialty food shops and gourmet groceries nationwide, the Coastal Goods collection has expanded over the past couple of years to include a cinnamon-infused Sweet Sensations line, three Brine Time blends for easy one-step brining, and an internationally-extensive, pantry-specific array of organic herbs and spices.

Passionately believing that both spice and living by the sea make life taste better, Nigel continues to design and develop new products from the family's home base on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Meanwhile, Sarah, a nationally known cookbook author, food writer, and enthusiastic mother, serves as Coastal Goods' resident culinarian, devising delicious new recipes with the fruits of her husband's ever-inventive labors.

Mrs. Sassard's Delights from Mount Pleasant South Carolina

Mrs. Sassard's Fig Preserves
Mrs. Sassard's Green Tomato Relish
Mrs. Sassard's Hot Pepper Jelly
Sassard's Artichoke Relish
Sassard's Blackberry Preserves
Sassard's Onion Relish
Sassard's Peach Preserves
Sassard's Pear Honey
Sassard's Pumpkin Chip Preserves
Sassard's Strawberry Preserves

All from my favorite sourthern food source when not able to shop myself while in the south and ship it home.........

Awesome addition to your pantry...Old South Products!

The Bryant Preserving Story

The time was 1947. The place was Alma, Arkansas, a small farming community nestled at the foot of the Ozark Mountains. While standing among the vegetable patches along the Arkansas River, one could still see steamboats gracefully cruising by. It was here that Philip F. Bryant began his business of canning jams and preserves. The business prospered, and Bryant Preserving Company products became nationally recognized.

Today, the business has reached its third generation. Although time and technology have changed many things, the brands principles remain the same. The people who craft Old South products are the most important ingredient of to the success of the brand. The old south employees take great pride in producing only the finest gourmet foods

With over fifty years of experience in the specialty food business, we know that the quality andvalue of the selections they offer on line or in gourmet stores is what sets them apart from most.

Cipollini Onions Caramelized and Delish

These onions are amazing.

They are packed totally clean peeled and vacuum sealed in pouches

Always pick ones that are white and firm

In a large baking dish mixed onions and a dash of olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of balsamic. Toss well and bake at 300 until they are well caramelized.

Serve with meats and eggs or in a wrap or on a salad and other items the same day as cooked or

Store them in an airtight jar with some quality olive oil and the zest of ½ a lemon and a bay leaf

My Soul Food Breakfast De jur

My Soul Food Breakfast De jur

For Two

6 Handmade corn tortillas grilled* to a hot perfection
(Good source Trader Joes)

6 regular size fresh egg whites whipped by hand with a fork really well; don’t go all nuts and get triple A+ Jumbo Eggs – Just normal fresh organic free range eggs here. (Good source Trader Joes)

A hot nonstick skillet

Add dash of whole cumin seeds, sea salt and pepper, a sprinkle of dry hot peppers and when really hot

Add a dusting of olive oil.

When the herbs crackle from the heat add the egg whites like you are making a large thin omelet.

Let the eggs settle and loosen from the side of the pan and shake and cook up until browning well on the one side. But don’t overcook it – when set and are looking good pull off heat and add one slice of light or soy Colby jack cheese and let rest until cheese melts

Serve on top of two sets of quesadillas made from the remaining tortillas, eggs and cheese on the griddle while you tend to the egg whites

Plate up with one quesadilla topped with avocado sliced thin, the egg whites as cooked above, salsa of your choosing and enjoy