Last week,  I was at the grocery store and I was watching this couple in their 30's carry on an argument by the checkstands that was worthy of a TV reality show. Man, there was a river of tears, tons of yelling, gesticulating of mass proportions and it all culminated in the gal stomping away in a dramatic huff, yelling obscenities over her shoulder. Looking around at the other shoppers, I noticed everyone was watching the spectacle. I'm pretty sure like me- they had thought this women was going to throw herself down on the ground, kicking and screaming at any given moment, to throw a full blown temper tantrum. I'm not sure what the couple's tiff was about but it did make me glad that Mr.S and I aren't the type of couple to behave like that in public. Sure we have disagreements from time to time. In fact, he has this crazy idea that I have an issue with never admitting to being wrong ( as if!), but neither of us are screamers or drama queens.



In fact, I told him when we started dating- preschoolers scream, we're adults. We discuss. So far, that's worked well for us. Sure sometimes, we have to agree to disagree...but isn't that what mature adults do? I couldn't imagine pitching a hissy fit in a grocery store at my age or dating a guy who would engage in such jackassery as screaming at me on the street. Anyhow, I thanked my lucky stars and continued my grocery shopping and that's when I stumbled on some Hatch chiles! I'm pretty sure it was the universe's way of thanking me for not acting like an idiot. :)

Hatch chiles are quite delicious and are around only for a short while (typically August and September). So get them while you can. They're grown in the Hatch Valley in Southwestern NM and look like an Anaheim chile but have a distinct difference in taste from the other chiles available at the markets. The heat levels on the Hatch can vary, so make sure you check to see which kind you have before purchasing. Mr.S. was kind enough to roast a few pounds of them for me at his house and in the process perfuming his entire neighborhood with its strong, delicious peppery scent. We took the dark, blistered chiles from the grill and placed them in Ziploc bags and let them steam in their own heat. Once they cooled, I slipped off the skins, seeded the chiles, wrapped them in Ziploc again and popped them in the freezer. Until this week- when I was ready to get my enchilada on. I decided to make some spicy Hatch chile chicken enchiladas by modifying this recipe from Sunset Magazine with a few ingredients from my local Mexican mercado. The enchiladas came out wonderful. The ones I used were medium-hot, so Kidlet #2 pulled them all out (*sigh* he hates spicy) but I thought they lent a nice smoky, spicy flavor to the enchiladas.


Spicy Hatch Chile Chicken Enchiladas
(based on Sunset Magazine's Green Chile Enchiladas recipe)

Ingredients

1 lb. roasted peeled, seeded Hatch chiles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
5 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon each , salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups chicken broth, divided
10 corn tortillas (7-8 inches wide)
1 cup Queso Blanco, grated
1 cup + 3 tablespoons sharp cheddar, grated
3/4 lb. Queso Oaxaca, shredded or sliced
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
sour cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Heat olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add your chopped garlic and cook until fragrant. Add Hatch chiles, salt, and pepper. Cook, giving it a good stir once in awhile. After about 3-4 minutes add 1 cup of broth. Let the mixture simmer until it reduces by a third, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile in a small pan, bring the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth to a nice simmer. Quickly dip each tortilla into the broth to soften it and then transfer it to a baking sheet. You have to do it FAST or the tortilla will fall apart in the broth- so dip and skooch. Place the dipped tortilla on the baking sheet so that it is not touching any of the other tortillas (I used 2 baking sheets). You don't want any overlapping because they will stick together.

4. Place equal amounts of Queso Oaxaca, (1 cup) cheddar and chicken on each tortilla. Wrap tortilla around each filling and transfer, seam side down to a 9- by 13-in baking dish.

5. Evenly distribute the Hatch chile sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with Queso Blanco plus the 3 tablespoons of cheddar. Bake until cheese is bubbling and browned, 15-20 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

Several years ago, I dated a guy that had gone to cooking school. He constantly raved about how great of a cook he was especially when it came to Southern cooking. He went on and on (and on...) about how his red beans and rice was soooooo wonderful that I finally had to ask to taste it. Ugh, it tasted a lot like a cross between refried beans from a can and what I imagine Alpo to taste like. I ended up dumping it down the garbage disposal and just went on with life thinking I wasn't a fan of red beans and rice. That is until I had it at Taylor's Kitchen one night...I LOVED their red beans and rice and couldn't get enough of it! Since then I've had red beans and rice on numerous occasions- sometimes where it's been fantastic, sometimes when it's been mediocre but never as bad as that batch my date made for me. The lesson I learned from the "Red Beans Fiasco of 2008" is to always give food another chance before condemning it. It could be that you came across a bad batch, a bad recipe or just a bad cook. So in the spirit of my "Give It Another Chance" mantra I decided to give bean salad another whirl as well. I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant. My experiences with bean salad were mostly of the supermarket deli variety- a strong vinegar smell, overcooked mushy beans and lack of anything resembling flavor. Yuck! So imagine my surprise when I prepared a batch of this Mexican Bean Salad from Allrecipes.com for a party and I really liked it. It's colorful, flavorful and it works great as a salad or as a dip. I made a few adjustments in the ingredients' list to cater to my personal taste preferences but it was still simple to make. I liked how the corn kernels gave it some crunch, the hot sauce and chili powder added a bit of a spicy kick and the lemon juice offered up some fresh zing to balance the dish out. This salad can be thrown together pretty quickly after work, making it a great choice to bring to a potluck. You can make it even easier to put together by doing all your chopping the night before.


Mexican Bean Salad

Ingredients

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz.) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 orange bell pepper, chopped

1 (10oz.) package frozen corn*

1 small red onion, chopped

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 tablespoon sea salt

1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

1.2 tablespoon ground black pepper

1-2 dashes hot pepper sauce (I used Crystal)

1/2 teaspoon chili powder


Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix the beans, peppers, corn and red onion together.

2. In another bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Whisk dressing thoroughly.

3. Pour dressing over the vegetables. Mix together well.

4. Place in refrigerator to chill, giving the flavors some time to meld.


* Stick with using frozen corn which stays crisp when it thaws,  the canned stuff is a bit on the mushy side.

Every year, Mr.S. and I usually throw a big summer BBQ. This summer, however, somehow time got away before we could get one planned. So since the weather was still warm and my birthday was coming up, we decided to host a birthday fiesta. We obtained 20 lbs. of delicious carnitas from La Esperanza and served it up with rice, beans, various dips and fun finger foods. It was a food extravaganza! My friend Cate made an amazing orange-chocolate cake (that was to die for) and we toasted with sangria, hibiscus margaritas and beer. I'm pretty sure everyone had a grand time- kidlets were running amuck, old friends were catching up and new friends were getting to know each other. I couldn't think of a better way to bring in the next year of my life.

Amongst the multitude of tasty eats covering the tables was some Texas Love Dip.  Love Dip...I'm sure most of you are scratching your heads right about now, but if you've ever been to Texas' Central Market, you know exactly what dip I'm taking about. Central Market's Love Dip is unforgettable...and addicting. It's a creamy-tomato concoction with a spicy afterkick that'll make you swoon and become a lifetime convert after just one taste. Give it a go, I think you'll LOVE it   ;)


Texas Love Dip

Ingredients

12 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup chunky fresh tomato salsa (I buy mine premade-a simple salsa of chopped tomatoes, white onions, cilantro and jalapenos at La Superior Market on Franklin)

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

dash of white pepper


Instructions

1. Place the cream cheese, salsa, garlic, salt, tarragon and white pepper in food proccesor.

2. Process until it's mixed well and creamy.

3. Add in lemon juice, give the processor another whiz or two.

4. Transfer to a serving bowl. Place in fridge and allow flavors to meld for at least an hour.  Serve with tortilla chips, bread bites or your favorite veggies.

5. Tip: If you have a little leftover the next day, it works great as a sandwich spread also.

3754 J Street, Sacramento, 95816. (916) 452-7551

Sometimes when you food blog you get so hyped up about the new eateries that open up or a cool new delish dish that's popped up that you forget all about your trusty standby joints. For the past several years, Mr. S. and I have frequented Midtown Taqueria on J Street. The staff's always been friendly, the food's served up fresh and fast and it doesn't do too much damage to our wallets. Now I'm not going to get in a pissing contest with you over whether this place is the most authentic Mexican place in town, whether it cooks their dishes like your abuela used to or if it only uses locally grown veggies and grass-fed meats...because in all likelihood it doesn't. And quite frankly, I could care less. I've never had a bad meal there, left hungry or had awful service so they must be doing something right. Plus nine out of ten times we run into someone we know on the patio so we must not be the only Sacramentans who think Midtown Taqueria's servin' up some consistently good eats.

When I first started going there, I was all about their shrimp burrito, I wouldn't deviate. I think I ate my weight in their shrimp burritos at one point. Their shrimp burritos consist of medium-sized grilled prawns mixed with rice, beans, guac, salsa, cheese and a hefty dollop of sour cream all wrapped up tightly in a flour tortilla then encased in aluminum foil. The burrito was usually the size of my forearm. I never did finish the whole thing in one sitting. But then Mr. S. got me hooked on their carnitas plate and it quickly became my go to dish. I love how they cook their carnitas, it kind of reminds me of the vaca frita I've had at Cuban restaurants. I always have them leave off the refried beans (which Mr. S. loves, I'm just not a bean girl) and go all rice. Eating this with a basket of (free) homemade chips and salsas, drinking a Pacifico on their little "tiki" patio while we people watch...it doesn't get more relaxing in East Sac. By the way, if carnitas aren't your thing, the taqueria also offers street tacos (mmm...try the lengua tacos), fajitas, chimichangas, tamales, tostadas, and various seafood plates (mariscos). They also serve up pozole daily and menudo on the weekends (I've heard mixed reviews on their menudo). Best of all, if the patio's too crowded or you just feel like chowing at home, Midtown Taqueria does to-go orders---Olé!

Yesterday, I blogged about attending the Avett Brothers concert on Sunday night and it got me thinking about how I love to listen to music while I'm cooking. Am I alone in this or do you like to have some tunes going while you bustle about in the kitchen? Oftentimes I just put my iPhone on shuffle, dock it to the speaker system and just listen to whatever comes up in the rotation but if I'm doing a lot of cooking I like to listen to my playlists...yes, I have "cooking playlists." They're just bands/songs I like to listen to while prepping, cooking and cleaning. Lately I've been listening to Mumford & Sons, We Are Augustines and Middle East while puttering in the kitchen. Pretty mellow. What have you been listening to?

These potato and chorizo empanadas, however, required me to put on some Gaslight Anthem to make the monotonous task of filling, folding and crimping go a little faster. The empanadas turned out flaky, spicy and delicious! We even had some filling leftover, so we mixed it with some egg for breakfast the next morning. 2-meals-in-one. Gotta love it!



Potato & Chorizo Empanadas (inspired by Red Shallot Kitchen)

Ingredients

3 white potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 pkg. (17.3 ounces each) Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets (4 sheets), thawed
1 lb Mexican chorizo, casing removed (longaniza or Soyrizo can be substituted)
1 tbsp canola oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Thaw puff pastry.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add canola oil, chopped onion and minced garlic into the pan, cook until fragrant. Add potatoes and cook until they are tender.

4. Add chorizo. Cook for another 5 minutes, until it's well browned.

5. Reduce the heat  and add seasonings, stir well. Cook for another 4-5 minutes and then remove pan from heat.

6. The puff pastry dough should be chilly when you start. Open it up/unfold it on a lightly floured surface. Place a large piece of Saran Wrap over the dough and use your rolling pin to roll it out to.

7. Remove Saran Wrap. Using a drinking glass or biscuit cutter, cut out your 2 1/2-inch pastry rounds.

8. Place a small bit of filling on each pastry round. Enough to make a small mound but not so much that it's spilling out. Brush the edges of the pastry with water, fold the pastry over the filling and crimp with a fork to seal. 

9. In a small bowl, mix the egg with one tablespoon of water. Mix well. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the empanadas with the egg wash. This will give the empanadas a nice golden color.

10. Slice a small vent on the top of each empanada so that the steam has a way to escape.

11. Place the empanadas on a Silpat. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden.

2324 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA 95825. (916)924-3571
http://www.kicosmexicanfood.com

Last night after we exited the movies, Mr.S. and I were starving. We were a bit tired and didn't want to haul butt back down to the Grid for carnitas so we decided to live on the edge and grab Mexican food in (gasp!) the 'burbs. I drew the line at hitting up a Chevy's, El Toritos or anything else of that ilk and we settled on a place around the bend called Kico's. Lucky us, we were able to score a spot in the teeny parking lot off of Arden and waltzed into the joint. We were met at the entryway by several smiling faces and a cheerful host. We were seated immediately in a comfy leather booth and while we were taking in the sportbar-like atmosphere; we were given menus, water, chips, salsa and refried beans- Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Talk about lightening fast service. I ended up ordering the carnitas dinner, hold the beans, extra rice please. The carnitas were nice big, juicy chunks of beef and the meal was served with a side of warm homemade tortillas. Now Mr.S. tends to like what I call (in very un-PC-like terms) "Gringo-Mexican food," (which this essentially was) and he really liked his meal. I liked it too. It was tasty but nothing mindblowing. A good solid meal for the non-adventurous eater. I could see this being a great place to host a family meal, as the kidlets would enjoy it--nothing weird or too spicy, the portion sizes are quite generous and the prices are reasonable. Also, the service was very friendly and attentive. Now I won't be giving up all my taquerias in South Sac or the Grid anytime soon, but next time we take his kidlets to a kiddie flick we just may have to pop by Kico's and order them some enchiladas.

5045 Franklin Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95820. (916) 452-0126.

Sometimes I wonder what the heck is going through my brain when I go chasing after good grub, like the other day when I got a hankering for a juicy torta. I had heard about a place called El Abuelo from a friend quite awhile back that was supposedly located out on Franklin and I figured I'd ventured out there. Well, the "what the heck was I thinking" part came when I pulled up into this teeny-tiny parking lot that only had one parking spot open and it was next to a cluster of hobos. Yep, that's right a cluster of hobos...drinking 40's, yelling stuff I couldn't quite make out at me (although I think it was complimentary) and one was playing a harmonica-- I kid you not. Since I was by myself, I scooted quickly into the small building sporting bright banana yellow colored paint, a weathered shake roof and a thickly barred security door. Inside, I was greeted with Halloween orange walls, 2 TV's showcasing the afternoon's futbol games, and several families sitting in booths happily munching on a late afternoon lunch. I headed toward the back counter where I was greeted by a friendly young man who handed me a menu. Since the menu was entirely in spanish (it did have photos), I asked a few questions and eventually settled on the Cubana, with everything on it. This puppy came with pretty much everything and the ding-dang kitchen sink- beef, smoked ham, mozzarella cheese, sliced hot dogs, American cheese, egg, ham, tomatoes, avocado, jalapenos and onions...all sandwiched between a warm, soft telera. Did I forget to mention that this thing was also as big as my head? I took it home and made it through half of it, gave up and ended up wrapped up the other half to eat later for dinner. The torta was fabulous (although I might skip the hot dogs on it next time- they just didn't do it for me). The only thing missing from my Torta-Fest was a nice cold horchata...next time I'll have to remember to order one.

Crazy, drunk, musical hobos or no hobos, I plan on going back to my new torta heaven. It does a terrific job of quelling my grease fix. Next time though I'll be prepared, I'll make sure to be extra hungry when I go in there- maybe I can skip a meal, or two, or three in preparation....

Did you spend the first Saturday of December raking leaves?


We didn't! We were busy eating korean tacos from Seoul on Wheels at SactoMoFo #3. Mmmm! (Both Mr. S. and I loved the meat in the tacos but agreed there should have been less lettuce...I would have preferred to have seen some kimichi or asian slaw in it's place but they were quite good nevertheless.)


Hope you too were able to stop by and catch some of the tasty delights offered at the mobile truck festival located under the W Street freeway yesterday.

This weekend Mr. S. and I attended a friend's birthday party that had an interesting theme- Día de los Muertos. I made several standard appetizers but wanted to make at least one appetizer that went along with the theme of the party so I decided to try my hand at some mini spiced corn empanadas from my  "In The Small Kitchen" cookbook (by Cara Eisenpress & Phoebe Lapine). They turned out to be pretty easy to make although my pastry crimping skills left a bit to be desired (next time I just might use a gyoza press so it looks a bit more polished). Anyhow, the empanadas turned out tasty and we had a fab time at the party. The guests' costumes were fantastic and the hostesses did a great job decorating the house with colorful flores de papel, altars for the deceased, sugar skulls and miniature skeletons. What a night!

Spiced Corn Filling

Ingredients

2 T unsalted butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

One 15-ounce can corn kernels, rinsed & drained

1 t ground cumin

1 t salt

dash cayenne pepper


Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and the shallot and cook until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic. 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Add the corn, cumin, salt and cayenne. Sauté gently until the corn is hot and the flavors are melded. 3 to 5 minutes.


Empanada Dough

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t salt

8 T ( 1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 egg

1/3 cup very cold water

1 T white wine vinegar

1 egg, beaten


Instructions

1. Make the dough: In a large bowl, stir the flour and salt together with a fork. Add the butter cubes, and with your fingers, rub the butter into the dry ingredients. The mixture will start to look like crumbs. (Try to touch the dough as little as possible.)

2. In a small bowl, beat together the egg, cold water, and vinegar with a fork. Add this to the flour mixture, stirring until just incorporated.

3. Lightly flour your cutting board or countertop, and transfer the dough to the work surface. Knead the dough with heel of your hand until it comes together. Form it into a flat disk and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in fridge for at least 2 hours.

4. When you are ready to use the dough, roll it out on a floured surface until it is about 1/2 inch thick, and cut it into 6 sections. Roll each section until it is very thin (about 1/8-inch thick) and using a 3-inch round cutter, cut the dough into rounds.

5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

6. Place a little less than 1 tablespoon of the filling in the middle of each pastry round and fold in half. Seal with a fork, then crimp the edges with your fingers. Arrange the empanadas on a cookie sheet. Combine the egg and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl, and brush the empanadas with this egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until browned on top.

Need a tasty vegetarian appetizer for an upcoming party or potluck? Look no further! Mexican Wontons to the rescue! This weekend I had some pull double duty for me. Saturday afternoon, I made one batch of the filling then refrigerated half of it. I then whipped up a batch of wontons for a fun filled ladies night I was attending on Saturday night and then another platter for a double-birthday party/get-together on Sunday evening. They're easy to put together, healthy (baked, not fried) and the ingredients aren't expensive.

[*Note try and pop them in the oven right before you plan to serve them, if they sit around too long and get cold they get kind of gummy.]

Mexican Wontons (from Leslie Sarna)

Ingredients

1 package of wonton wrappers

8 oz. black beans, rinsed

8 oz. can or 1 ear corn, cooked and zipped

1 tomato, diced and de-seeded

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

a handful of cilantro, chopped

a handful Mexican blend cheese, shredded

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. kosher salt


Instructions

- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

- Mix all the ingredients (minus the wrappers) in a bowl.

- Place a small amount of mixture on the center of a wrapper. Wet your finger in water and run it along one corner of the wrapper. Fold the corner to the other and press down forming a triangle shape. Pull the two opposite corners together and seal with water. Place on a greased cookie sheet and repeat till the sheet is full.

- Spray the top of the finished wontons with cooking spray and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until they are golden.

- Serve warm with your favorite salsa or dip.