I had sweet potatoes, cabbage, chestnuts, one homemade turkey chorizo link and chimayo chili powder that needed to be used so this is what it became. It did come out delicious……I’m so glad I thought of using the chimayo chili powder…..It has a unique delicious taste. It’s almost raisin-ee and also almost chocolate-ee.It is also smoky, and has a mild delicious heat. Chimayo chili powder is hard to find. You have to look it up on-line and find it. Serving size is always difficult to judge. I’d say that this makes either 4 small side orders or two meals…..so I’ll round it to three servings.

Ingredients for around three servings

1 lb sweet potatoes – peeled, diced (around 3/4 inch I used two different types of sweet potatoes but it doesn’t matter)

1/2 medium cabbage – core removed, diced (around 1 inch)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

sea salt – to taste

fresh ground black pepper – to taste

2 1/2 oz chorizo

3.5 oz packaged cooked peeled chestnuts – slightly chopped

1 lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice

1 Tablespoon chimayo chili powder

Directions

Set oven to 400 degrees F.

Sweet potato cubes and cabbage cubes go on sheet pans. Spray or sprinkle generously with olive oil. Then salt and pepper them to taste.

This goes on the middle rack of your pre-heated 400F oven until the cabbage is crispy and the sweet potatoes start to brown. In my oven this took around 25 minutes but all ovens differ.

While the vegetables are roasting heat up your chorizo in a fry pan on medium-high heat. If yours has casing squeeze it out of the casing and cook it up. Then toss in the chestnuts. Take off heat and set to the side.

In a small mixing bowl combine the lemon juice, honey, and chimayo chili powder.

In a large bowl toss the cooked sweet potatoes, cabbage, with the chorizo, chestnuts, and small bowl of lemon hot honey with chimayo chili.

Serve and ENJOY!!!!!

This recipe method was adapted from Food Network Magazine. I cut out the coffee, cut back a little on the sugar, and added more chocolate, rounded some things. This was my latest spin on this recipe. This is a recipe that is not to skip. It’s one of the biggest crowd pleasers ever.

In case you didn’t know….Pots de Creme is the ultimate chocolate pudding. If you like chocolate pudding then you will LOVE chocolate pots de creme. I tried this dessert for the first time at a small French Bistro Restaurant that used to be in business called Amuse Bouche. As soon as I tasted it I had to learn how to make this dessert. Most methods require a hot water bath in your oven that can be dangerous. The Food Network method is brilliant. On the stovetop you thicken your milk, cream and yolk mixture and then add your chocolate and blend till smooth. This is best done with a stick blender. You pour into cups. Chill over night and you have incredibly rich, smooth, chocolaty, FORKING AMAZING pots de creme. You can top with a little whipped cream if you desire. I do very small servings for this because it is very rich and satisfying……but you might want larger servings. For me this made 20 small servings. For you this might make 10 servings if you do them in coffee cups like they are normally done…..so I will round the servings to 15. This freezes perfect. When you thaw from frozen it still seems fresh made.

Ingredients for around 15 servings

12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

12 oz 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips

4 oz milk chocolate chips

3 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

12 egg yolks – beaten

10 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

In a sauce pot on medium-ish heat (just slightly more than medium) add the milk, cream, beaten yolks, sugar, and sea salt. Whisk or blend. Occasionally whisk until thickened and then take off the heat and add the chocolate. Blend till smooth and pour in cups. When they cool down to room temperature refrigerate over night.

You might want to serve with a dab of whipped cream. (1/2 cup heavy cream blended with 1 Tablespoon 10x sugar is very good for whipped cream but I find that for a crowd people enjoy playing with the canned stuff more)

It’s so rich and so smooth and so CHOCOLATEY!

A Special THANKS!! to Food Network Magazine so I could come up with what I got here.

ENJOY!!!!!

Our local supermarket often has specials on ground turkey. I also happen to have lots of turkey stock in my freezer. I was reading a Vietnamese watercress soup recipe………Then I got the idea to do something Vietnamese Inspired…… So then I read a few Vietnamese meatball recipes. This came out to be a mishmash of my thoughts and what I read. it’s different from the way I’d normally make a meatball. I do note that the meatball raw meat mixture comes out very loose and is impossible to roll into balls. I used my small scooper and didn’t even worry about rolling them. This recipe makes 4 servings.

Ingredient for around 4 servings

1 lb 93% lean ground turkey – meatballs

1/2 cup scallions – sliced thin – meatballs

1 egg beaten – meatballs

1 Tablespoon fish sauce (preferably Red Boat Brand) – meatballs

2 teaspoons ginger – grated – meatballs

1 Tablespoon sugar – meatballs

1 garlic – ground to paste – meatballs

1 Tablespoon lemongrass powder (fresh is better but it’s always rotten at the stores near me. Powdered lemongrass is easy to buy on-line) – meatballs

3/4 teaspoon sea salt – meatballs

1 teaspoon ground white pepper – meatballs

neutral non-stick spray

2 Tablespoons canola oil – soup

1 onion – chopped – soup

4 garlic cloves – ground to paste – soup

6 1/2 cups stock (I used home made turkey but you can use what you want or have) – soup

1/2 small cabbage – chopped – soup

1 Tablespoon sugar – soup

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar – soup

1 teaspoon lemongrass powder – soup

2 teaspoon ginger – grated – soup

1 teaspoon fish sauce – soup

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper (or to taste) – soup

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste) – soup

Lime wedges for serving (1/2-one lime)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

Set oven to 350 F degrees.

Spray a sheet pan with non stick spray and set to the side.

Put a sauce pot on medium high heat and add the canola oil. When the oil is hot add the onions and cabbage. Lightly cover with foil. Stir occasionally. Cook till vegetables are moist. Add the garlic. Cook till you smell it (around a minute). Then you can add the stock, sugar, vinegar, lemongrass, ginger, fish sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer.

Make the meatballs. In a large mixing bowl combine the ground turkey, scallions, egg, fish sauce, ginger, sugar, garlic, lemongrass, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Scoop out 16 balls. This goes on your middle rack of a 360 F preheated oven for 15 minutes or until done.

Serve 4 meatballs per person with soup. Add a lime wedge or two. Top with some fresh cilantro.

ENJOY!!!

Recently Robin Miller’s recipe for crispy parmesan garlic potatoes was in our local newspaper and I thought it looked good and sounded really tasty. Safeway had some really great sales on russet potatoes so I have a bunch of them to cook with. I had to make some changes to Robin Miller’s recipe in a few different ways. One I’m using russet potatoes instead of small red skin potatoes because that is what I have. I also added the seasonings and the cheese to the tops of the potatoes instead of all the seasoning and cheese on one side because that little Emeril Lagasse quote just kept rolling threw my head…….”I dunno where you get your (insert ingredient) ……”Where I get mine it don’t come seasoned on both sides.” So I thought that the potatoes might be a little better if I seasoned them the same on both sides. I also have a fully packed spice cabinet and I make up my own blends of spices so I had to change up the spices since I used my Italian spice blend. In the end this did come out delicious and it is a variation of Robin Miller’s recipe so I have to give her credit. My Italian spice blend makes around twice the amount of seasoning that you need for the recipe. But it is amazing in sauces and on chicken.

Ingredients for around 6 servings

1 Tablespoon sea salt – Italian seasoning

1/2 Tablespoon granulated garlic – Italian seasoning

1/2 Tablespoon granulated onion – Italian seasoning

1 Tablespoon dried basil – Italian seasoning

1 Tablespoon dried oregano – Italian seasoning

1 Tablespoon fennel seeds – Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons ground black pepper – Italian seasoning

1 small Calabrian chili – crushed – Italian seasoning

4 oz unsalted butter

2 pounds potatoes – If using russets Cut Diagonal in thirds and score one side 1/8-1/4 inch deep like a hash mark.

3/4 cup parmesan cheese – grated or shredded (divided in 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup) (it will stick better if grated fine)

2 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup scallions – sliced thin

Directions

Set oven to 400 degrees F.

Make the Italian seasoning. In a small bowl combine the sea salt, garlic, onion, basil, oregano, fennel seeds, black pepper, and Calabrian chili. Mix well and set to the side.

The 4oz of butter goes on a baking dish or pan with sides. This goes in the preheated oven until it’s melted and bubbling then take it out.

In a small bowl mix together the parmesan cheese with a heaping Tablespoon of the Italian seasoning. Put at least half on the pan.

Potatoes go on pan score side down. Spray or brush the tops of the potatoes with oil. Add the rest of the seasoned parmesan on top.

This goes on the middle rack for around 40 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked and soft.

Someone thinks they smell very good.

You should let them cool a little before you scrap them off.

A special THANKS!!!! To Robin Miller for her scrumptious recipe so I could make what I got here!

This is just an easy marinated chicken thigh recipe. I was inspired by restaurant that I go to in Carefree AZ called Confluence. They make delicious fried chicken and serve it with a Chiltepin Mustard Sauce that really makes it POP! Chiltepin pepper is hard to find if you don’t go to Mexican Markets. It’s an extra delicious but very HOT heat. The chiltepin are around the size of black peppercorns and should be a reddish pink. You can find them on-line but I haven’t seen reasonable pricing for them on-line. Try a Mexican market first. This recipe makes around 6 servings.

3 lbs chicken thighs (I used boneless skinless but it really doesn’t matter)

1/2 cup honey – marinade

4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil – marinade

1/4 cup dijon mustard – marinade

2 Tablespoons whole grain mustard – marinade

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice – marinade

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt – marinade

4 Tablespoons dijon mustard – sauce

2 Tablespoons whole grain mustard – sauce

2 Tablespoons honey or date syrup – sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice – sauce

5 chiltepin – or to taste (you might want less or more hot….start with three and taste) crushed with fingers – sauce

non stick spray

optional splash chicken stock – heated – sauce

Directions

In a medium mixing bowl mix together the honey, olive oil, mustards, allspice, and salt. Pour it into a gallon ziplock bag and add the chicken *****NOTE if you are doing chicken with bones you might want to split the sauce and chicken into TWO bags. Give the chicken a good massage in the bag with the sauce and be sure to spread the sauce all around the chicken. Squeeze out all the air and then ziplock the bag(s) shut. refrigerate over night.

The next day it doesn’t really matter how you cook the chicken as long as you bring the thigh meat to at least 165F degrees. I did mine on the oven because I felt that this might make a great mess on the grill. I did mine on non stick sprayed grill pan in the oven preheated at 400F degrees. My chicken was done in around 25-30 minutes. I browned one in the pan for the picture because mine didn’t brown much.

The sauce mixes up fast in a bowl. Just add the mustards, honey or date syrup, allspice, and do the chiltepin to taste….Start by trying three of them…I did 5. Add a splash of heated chicken broth if you happen to have any around.

SERVE

ENJOY!!!!!

This is pretty easy and fun to prepare. I saw someone on Pinterest made potato cannoli shells. Their recipe sounded like a great idea but when I tried it it didn’t work. I had to figure out on how to make it work. I experimented a little. I had to roll it the other way and mine needed almost twice as long in the oven to get done. I also tried this with different sized cannoli tubes. It really didn’t make a difference on what size tube I used…they came out about the same. I do NOTE that a few of the potato “cannoli” shells do not come out because a few will unwind in the oven….and become a really tasty potato chip. I note that you do need a mandolin to slice the potatoes “POTATO CHIP THIN” or they will be too thick to roll around the cannoli shell tubes. Then the fun part was coming up with a filling. I thought something like a real cannoli would be perfect….So I mashed the potato with home made ricotta, some shredded parmesan, and one small dried Calabrian chile. Serving size is difficult to judge because I don’t know if you want a small or large serving. I’d guesstimate around 7-8 smaller servings.

Ingredients for around 6 servings

neutral non stick spray

4 oz unsalted butter – melted in a small tub

2 potatoes – sliced very thin on a mandolin…if you don’t slice thin enough the potato won’t wrap around the cannoli tube)

sea salt – to taste

fresh ground black pepper – to taste

1 pound potatoes – boiled till soft with salted water

1/4 cup parmesan – grated

1/2 cup ricotta – drained well and preferably home made – (Adding the ricotta is like adding the milk and butter to regular mashed potatoes……you might need slightly more or less depending on how well drained the cheese is)

1 Calabrian short pepper – crushed or any pepper you like to taste…………crushed red pepper is hotter with less flavor than Calabrian pepper so my second choice for this would be 1/4 teaspoon of ground white pepper with a small pinch of nutmeg..

Directions

Peel and rough cut up the pound of potatoes. Boil them in salted water until they are soft and then drain them. (around 10 minutes but timing can differ.

Set your oven to 400 degrees F.

Spray your cannoli tubes and a baking sheet with non stick spray.

Put the sliced potatoes one at a time in your tub of melted butter so they can soak the butter up a little.

The potato slices get wrapped around the cannoli tubes that you might want to put seam side down to try to hold them together.

When I did this with my mini tubes I had to rest the tubes against each other so they wouldn’t roll around.

You need to watch them because the timing could differ. I don’t know if you sliced yours as thin. Mine took around 12 minutes on the middle rack at 400 degrees F and salt and peppered them.

I let them cool enough so the tubes didn’t burn my fingers. The potatoes slid off easily.

When the boiled potatoes were done they got drained. I mashed them with the parmesan and ricotta. Added the crushed short Calabrian chile. I thought that the seasoning was perfect but you might want to adjust to your liking.

Then I used a pastry bag and got them done.

These were garnished with fresh basil, home made traditional pesto, and cherry pepper slices.

ENJOY!!!

This recipe is based on Ottolenghi Test Kitchen’s “Charred Green Beans with Anchovy Dressing and Seed Dukkah Recipe. I didn’t have green beans so I used a cauliflower. I also used my own pickled baby bells instead since I had them. Mine are pickled in the brine from my home made pickled jalapeños but I’ll give you the Ottolenghi pickled pepper way because it is far less complicated. This came out delicious. I bet you can use this same recipe on many different vegetables. This makes around 4 servings.

Ingredients for around 4 servings

1 red chile pepper – cut in thin slices (pickled pepper)

2 lemons – just the juice (pickled pepper)

1/2 teaspoon sugar (pickled pepper)

1/2 teaspoon salt (pickled pepper)

2 sprigs fresh oregano (pickled pepper)

1 cauliflower – break down to florets

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

sea salt – to taste

ground black pepper – to taste

1 Tablespoon of anchovies and include the oil (dressing)

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (dressing)

2 garlic cloves – ground to paste (dressing)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (dressing)

2 Tablespoons of pepper brine (from the pickled peppers) (dressing)

2 teaspoons whole coriander – toasted (seed dukkah)

2 teaspoons sesame seeds – toasted (seed dukkah)

1 teaspoon nigella seeds (also called black cumin) (seed dukkah)

1/4 teaspoon sugar (seed dukkah)

1/4 teaspoon flake sea salt (seed dukkah)

1 teaspoon Alepo pepper (seed dukkah)

1/4 c fresh basil torn or chopped (fresh oregano is also suggested but I didn’t use)

Directions

Set oven to 400 degrees F.

Make pickled peppers. Combine in a small bowl the red Chile slices, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and oregano. Set this to the side.

Cook the cauliflower. Spread out the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet. Give them a good spray of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place them in the preheated oven on the middle rack. They need to stay in till slightly charred. Timing may differ….(mine took 35 minutes) *****I toasted my coriander (for the seed dukkah) for 5 minutes on a sheet tray when I put in the cauliflower.

While the cauliflower is in the oven make the anchovy dressing. In a small sauce pan on medium high heat….heat up the anchovies, oils, oregano and garlic for 2 or three minutes. Take off heat and add the two tablespoons of pepper brine.

Make the seed dukkah. Combine the coriander, sesame seeds, and nigella seeds in a mortar and break them down a little with a pestle. Then add the sugar, salt and Alepo pepper.

SERVE

Plate the cauliflower, sauce over or under the cauliflower. Top with a sprinkle of seed dukkah, pickled peppers, and fresh herbs.

A SPECIAL THANKS!!!!!! To the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen so I could do what you see here!