Fiesta! Fiesta!



Mexican food is a weekly occurance in our house. A lot of times I must admit that we got out to eat but I have decided that making it at home can be just as good if not better. Plus it is an excuse to have a get together. You can make a lot of mexican food for very inexpensive. My husband, Travis got a new grill for Christmas so this started the idea of what to grill for his first use. He also got some agave marinade for Christmas so this triggered the fiesta idea. I usually am the one that cooks in the house so now that he gets to take on the main course I had to begin brainstorming the rest of the meal that was still tasty enough to stand out. Here is what I came up with. We served all of these things with grilled Chicken Fajitas and all the fixins. The menu was as follows; Blackberry Margaritas, Chicken Empanadas, Jenna's Queso and fresh salsas.

So I love margaritas. I recently had a baby and I did not miss drinking all that much during the pregnancy but I did miss a big salty, tangy magarita occasionally. Here is my twist on this tasty traditional margarita.

Blackberry Margaritas - makes 4 servings

1 cup fresh margarita mix (I used Williams Sonoma - DO NOT use sweet and sour, make sure it is something with fresh lime juice)
2/3 cup white tequila
1/3 cup contreau or other orange liquor
The juice of half an orange
The juice of half a lime
2 cups ice
1 pint blackberries
1/2 t. sugar



Blackberry Margaritas

 Blend all besides the blackberries and sugar together. In a seperate bowl combine blackberries and sugar together and muddle until you have a blackberry puree. Wet margarita glass with lime juice and rim with sugar. Pour margarita in glass and stir in desired amount of puree.

















All mexican food needs a good appetizer and great dip. These empanadas and queso are perfect.

Empanadas are a super flaky, crispy, half moon shaped bundle. Let me say, they are delish! These are not only super tasty but they are also really easy.

Chicken Empanadas - makes 6 servings

2 large chicken breasts ( I used rotisserie)
1 box refrigerated pie dough, use large biscuit cutter to cut out circles out of both crusts
1/4 block cream cheese, softened
1/2 - 1 cup of grated cheddar
1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup canned corn
1 t. fajita seasoning
1/2 t. pepper
oil to fry
sea salt to finish

1. Preheat your oil to 360 degrees. You can also bake these at 350 for about 12 minutes

2. roll your 2 pie crusts out a little bit to make larger. Using a large biscuit cutter cut circles out with all of the dough, you will have to combine leftovers and reroll to get more circles.



Pie discs



3. Cut the chicken breast in bite size cubes, almost shredded pieces and place in large bowl

4. Add the soften cream cheese and stir into the chicken

5. Add the cheese, bell pepper, corn and seasonings. Stir all to combine into one mixture

6. Place about a tablespoon of mixture into each of your pie discs and using a fork seal edges together to make a half moon shape.

7. After all empanadas are made, fry in batches for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.

8. Let drain on paper towels and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with Queso or your favorite dip. 

Ok so Queso is my weakness at mexican food restaurants. If we order some before the meal then pretty much I am full before the meal gets there plus I will have to order another side of it to have with my food. I love it! This is my take on the traditional Velveeta and Rotel combination. This version kicks the traditional version out of the water.

Jenna's Queso

1. Large block pepper jack American cheese

2. 2 cans of rotel tomatoes, I use one hot and one with lime and cilantro

3. 1 garlic clove, minced

4. 1 T. unsalted butter

5. 1 T olive oil

6. 1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

7. 1 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese

8. 1 Jalapeno or Serrano diced

9. Handful of cilantro, chopped

1. Combine American cheese and cans or rotel in large microwaveable bowl. Microwave for about 4 minutes until partially melted.

2. While queso is melting melt butter and olive oil in a small skillet and add garlic until the buter and oil mixture smell like garlic.

3. Add the garlic butter mixture to the partially melted queso and microwave for another 2 minutes.

4. Add the cheeses and jalapeno and continue to cook until all is melted.

5. Stir in cilantro and enjoy!







MISSION: Mozzarella Sticks

So anyone that knows me knows that I love mozzarella sticks. I mean LOVE!!! I have actually been a picky eater most of my life until about 6 years ago when I fell in love with Food Network and decided to start trying different foods and recipes. One thing that never changed in my new palette was cheese. Let alone fried cheese! How can you go wrong with that? I seriously don't think it is possible. Since I started cooking I have searched for the best recipe for these at home so I can match Chilis and Sonic (these are the two best in my opinion). Recently I decided to stop searching for recipes and come up with my own. I have been through dozens and they never were quite right. As much as I love Food Network, their recipes never quite compared to that greasy, melty, crispy sticks I love. Well, tonight - I have come to an end to this search. I am telling you this is the BEST mozzarella stick recipe out there. It is better than Chilis or Sonic or any other restaurant you can imagine. Not to mention super easy. You will never look again. If you are like me and love that deep fried salty cheese, this is the recipe for you. I will warn you this recipe is my own and as of right now I am not great at giving exact measurements - to be honest, this first recipe for the blog I meant to measure things but just forgot.....but if you make these pretty close to the instructions you will be pleased. Guaranteed!

Recipe

String Cheese ( cut in half according to how many mozzarella sticks you want)

All Purpose Flour

Cornstarch (this is KEY)

Eggs, beaten

Panko Breadcrumbs

Italian Breadcrumbs

Garlic Powder

Salt

Italian Seasoning (I did mine seperately and used basil, thyme, oregano and rosemary)

Parsley

Olive Oil to fry

Salt to finish (I used Sea Salt)

Fresh Parmesan to finish

Use 3 small pie pans or plates and divide flour and about 2 tablespoons of Cornstarach into the first, beaten eggs into the second and panko and breadcrumbs into the third. Use the 2:1 ratio panko being the 2.

Season every step. Season the flour with a little salt and pepper, the eggs with a little salt and add the italian seasoning and garlic powder to the panko/breadcrumb mixture. I used a big pinch of each. Maybe a little more garlic powder to add flavor.

Take each piece of cheese and dip in the flour/cornstarch mixture coating evenly followed by the egg and then coat well with the breadcrumbs.

Transfer to a plate that you can fit in the freezer and freeze all the sticks for at least 20 minutes.

Fry in Olive Oil and 350 degrees until golden brown and melty.

Sprinkle with sea salt and freshy grated parmesan cheese.

ENJOY!!!!!!!

Hello Friends!

So this is my first blog. I am a wife, new mommy and home cook connoisseur. I love everything about all three of these things. This is my first Christmas being married and being a mom. However,  juggling all of these tasks has taken some getting used to..... We finally put our tree up last Thursday. Yes, we put one up this late. We actually didn't even have one, ours is courtesy of the our wonderful neighbors and to makes things even better after I decorated the entire thing I realized that there was a big gap up top that was missing lights all together. Instead of fixing this problem I left the gap and to be honest, I still love our tree! It is our first one as a family and lights missing and all - it is perfect. So being a mommy so far to this little man is an adventure. He is 7, almost 8 weeks old now and I am still learning everyday. I have realized that I can read every book, article and Iphone update in the universe and there is no possible way of knowing is all or being prepared for what is going on with our little man. Lane is his own species as I am sure most moms in the world feel.... He started smiling a couple weeks ago and I will honestly say that alone made every tear and uncertainty worth it. I am cherishing every second of his life. I actually cried when he grew out of his newborn clothes. Pathetic, I know.........I already hate how quickly he is growing up but can't wait for every step! As we begin the holidays and our brand new life as a family I am happy to share these moments and memories with all of you! Stay tuned for fun stories, great home recipes and much more!



Little man's semi-smile from the first day!