Recipe Swap: Spicy Taco Chili

Time for a WC Recipe Swap!

The theme for this swap was blogger's choice and I received Mary Ellen's blog Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations.  Mary Ellen has tons of awesome recipes and I had a really hard time picking one! She has a recipe for grilled chicken with cilantro crema that looked delicious, but I ultimately decided on making a big pot of Spicy Taco Chili.  Wisconsin has gone back to being chilly and a warm pot of chili sounded fantastic.  Ron and I are both chili and taco lovers and the idea of marrying the two flavors sounded delicious. I made a few adjustments to the original recipe by adding green chilies, beef stock and taco seasoning.  Ron and I loved this chili and thought it was the perfect balance of flavors for our tastes.  I loved that this was served over rice and don't skim on the cilantro- it give the chili great flavor! Thank you Mary Ellen for a delicious recipe and thank you to Sarah of A Taste of Home Cooking for hosting our swaps!

Ingredients

1 1/4 lb ground beef or turkey

1 small onion, chopped

Chopped bell peppers - I used 1 yellow, 1 red, and 1 orange

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

1 Poblano pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic

20 oz crushed tomatoes

14 oz can dark red kidney beans

1 4 oz can diced green chilies

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp coriander

2 Tbl taco seasoning 

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

 1/2 tsp adobo seasoning

1 cup beef stock

Juice from of 1 lime
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, shredded cheese (I used cheddar) and sour cream

Brown Rice

 

Instructions

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add meat and cook until browned.  Add onions and peppers, saute till tender.  Add chilies and garlic and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Add all spices, tomatoes and beans. Stir well. Add beef stock and bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low and let simmer for 45-60 minutes. Add lime juice and season with salt and pepper (if needed).  Serve over rice and top with cilantro, cheese, and sour cream

Red Velvet Cheesecake

My sister's 25th birthday was on Monday and I wanted to make a special treat for her. Rachel has been really busy lately because she is a full time student, works full time and is a single mom to a 4 1/2 year old little boy. I found her a lovely little necklace from Etsy, but I wanted to plan a nice dinner for our family. I made Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches and Ron made potato salad.  We usually will make a dutch apple pie, but I wanted to try something new. I saw this recipe for Red Velvet Cheesecake on Cassie's blog Cassie Craves and knew it was prefect for the occasion. I made a change to the preparation of the crust and removed the buttermilk from the cheesecake, but other than that I stayed pretty close to the original recipe. My family and I loved the cheesecake! We especially loved the rich layer of cream cheese frosting on top. I cant' wait to try out this recipe again.... I was actually thinking it might be fun to try a green or blue velvet depending on the occasion!

Ingredients

For the crust:

18 Oreo cookies

2 Tbl butter, melted

For the filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
2 (1-ounce) bottles red food coloring

For the frosting:
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish: chocolate chips

Instructions

Position oven rack to middle of oven and preheat to 375 degrees.  

Place the Oreo cookies in a gallon-sized zip-top plastic bag, and crush finely with a rolling pin. Pour in melted butter, and mix until crumbs are coated. Press into the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely.

 For the filling, beat 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar at medium-low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute. Add eggs and next 5 ingredients, mixing on low speed just until fully combined. Pour batter into prepared crust.

 Bake at 325° for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 300°, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is firm. Run knife along outer edge of cheesecake. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. Cover and chill 8 hours.

For the frosting, beat 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese and 1/4 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth. Spread evenly over top of cheesecake. Remove sides of  9-inch springform pan. Garnish, if desired.

Warm Roasted Red Pepper, Feta and Basil Dip

I am a sucker for a warm gooey dip. I had a few roasted red peppers left from a roasted red pepper pasta I made a few days ago and thought it would make a lovely dip for our get together with our friends. I decided on a different combination of flavors: roasted red pepper, feta and fresh basil.  I love these ingredients and I was excited to taste the finished product. My guests, Ron and I loved this dip. I served it hot and bubbly from the oven with tortilla chips (bread would be great too) and it was gone pretty quick.  This is a really simple recipe, but the flavors are awesome!

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese, softened

6 oz crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers (I used jarred)

3 Tbl chopped fresh basil

Tortilla chips and Bread, for dipping

Instructions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Gently combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Lightly spray a small oven safe baking dish with cooking spray and spread the dip into the dish. Bake 25-30 minutes or until bubbly throughout. 

Creamy Curry Chicken Pasta Salad

I have a pesto chicken pasta salad that I absolutely love, but I have wanted to try a curry version for awhile.  Since the weather has started to warm up Ron and I tend to get in the mood for cold pasta salad. I quickly put together this pasta salad for work lunches and we both loved it! I added a little cinnamon and ginger to go with the curry powder and it provided a nice zing to the salad. I also really liked the sweet raisins with the rich curry flavor.  A perfect salad to kick start the pleasant weather!

Ingredients

3 cups uncooked shaped pasta

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 cup mayo

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 Tbl curry powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbl diced white onions

2 ribs celery, chopped

1/3 cup golden raisins

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Mix sour cream, mayo, and spice together. Stir in veggies and chicken. Gently fold in the pasta. Allow the salad to be refrigerated for at least an hour before serving.

Chili Spiced Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes

It is Surprise Recipe Swap reveal day! This month I received Heather's blog Sugar Dish Me. Heather has tones of delicious sounding recipes on her blog. I am holding on to her recipe for Strawberry Lemonade Loaf when strawberry season hits. Ultimately, I decided on Chili Spiced Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes to pair with our grilled pork chops. I have seen different recipes for various hasselback potatoes and these sounded delicious. The potatoes are very easy to make and the flavor is great! My potatoes must have been a bit on the large side because I thought they could have used about 10 more minutes to get the super crispy exterior, but the pork chops were done and hot.  Ron and I both enjoyed a different twist on a potatoes. I also love that there are tons of different variations you could create with a hasselback style potato! Thank you Heather for a great new recipe!

If you are interested please visit Jutta at Hungry Little Girl and join the #surpriserecipeswap

Ingredients

4 good baking potatoes, thoroughly scrubbed

4 1/2 tsp olive oil (for rubbing the skin of each potato)

4 teaspoons cornstarch

4 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes to taste

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp spicy seasoning salt

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, divided (1/8 cup per potato)

Sour Cream and Green Onions, to garnish

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 400.

Use a sharp knife and slice each potato crosswise, making 1/4-inch apart slices, cutting down vertically. Do not cut completely through. You need to leave 1/4-inch of the bottom of the potato intact.

Rub the potatoes all over with olive oil and use your fingers to rub in between the slices, while doing your best not to break the potatoes. Mix together the cornstarch, chili powder, red pepper flakes, cumin, seasoning salt and garlic powder.

Drizzle just a little more olive oil over each potato so they’ll brown and crisp at the edges.

Place the potatoes on a baking sheet or baking dish. Bake for about 40 minutes.

Take the potatoes out of the oven, sprinkle them with the cheese, and then put them back in the oven for 3-5 more minutes, just long enough to melt the cheese.

Garnish with the green onion slices and sour cream.

Weekly Meal Plan 5/20 - 5/26

Happy Monday!

The weekend went by too fast....again. Kellen is all over the place these days. He rolls all around and has started "rolling after" toys and people. It is so much fun to watch him grow. We had a bonfire last night and the little guy was enamoured by the different colors and movement.  Kellen is getting to be so grown up and sometimes I feel like we just left the hospital (I am told this feeling never stops).

This week is quiter than last week and we will be in Madison for the weekend for my cousin's wedding. I lived in Madison for 4 years and miss it all the time...needless to say any chance I have to go back I take!

Monday: Happy Birthday to my Sister! Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches, Potato Salad and Grilled Asparagus Tuesday: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Wednesday: Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Crema, Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus
Thursday: Slow Cooker Balsamic Shredded Beef, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
Friday: Madison
Saturday: Madison
Sunday: 7-Up Pork Chops, Wild Rice and Broccoli

Treats: Red Velvet Cheesecake

Grilled Chipotle Beer Pork Chops

I am so happy the warmer (warmer...still not warm) is starting to hit Wisconsin! Ron and I like to play around with different marinades for grilling. I had a few chipotle pepers left from a different recipe and I wanted to try and create a new marinade. This is a really easy marinade to put together and the flavor is great! Ron and I both loved the spicy sweet flavors of the pork chops. I think this would be fantasic on beef, chicken or even shrimp.  Hope everyone has a fantasic weekend!

Ingredients

4-6 pork chops

3 chipotle peppers in adobo

2 Tbl adobo sauce

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 Tbl brown sugar

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup beer

Instructions

Place all ingredients (besides the pork chops and beer) into a food processor or blender.  Pulse till all ingredients are blended together.

Place pork chops into a ziplock. Add marinade and beer. Gently rotate bag to mix ingredients.

Allow pork chops to marinate for at least 6 hours, but overnight is best.

Remove pork chops from bag. Grill 4-5 minutes per side (7-8 if it is a thick chop) and serve immediately.