Poblano Ablóndigas with Pasilla Chile Soup

MMMMMM!!! Poblano and beef meatballs in a yummy zucchini and rice soup... Yeah!!! This was a super delish recipe from Bon Appétit. On a scale of 1-10 in this house it got a 10 all around. I am going to post the link to the recipe.. I made some adjustments.. (shocking, I know!! lol) First of all, I used 3 large poblanos for the meat balls and an extra clove of garlic. Then for the soup, I used 4 cloves of garlic, and ground my own pasilla peppers to make the powder (since the store had neither ancho or pasilla chile powder. I also only used 8c of beef broth vs 9c. I added alot of extra shredded zucchini to the soup. This is a great soup, light enough for the summer! Yum!!

Poblano Abóndigas with Pasilla Chile Soup:
Here

Tequila Lime Grilled Chicken White Chili

Tequila, Lime, and Chili.. Need I say more? LOL!! Yum!! Super yummy dish that you can make year round. I served this with some beer cheese cornbread, but you could serve it with crushed tortilla chips, or corn tortillas. Whatever floats your boat. Warning: You may want to do a little more than the 2lbs of chicken to grill, because when you are cutting it up, it kinda finds it's way to your mouth and then just disappears.. Hahaha!! Seriously, chicken is excellent on its own. Super tender, juicy and flavor packed!! This makes a giant pot of chili. So if you aren't into leftovers (which for chili's and soups, they are actually better the next day) you may want to do 1/2 the recipe. I hope y'all enjoy it!

Tequila Lime Grilled Chicken White Chili:

3 limes (including zest) juiced
1/2c Tequila
2TB Cajun seasoning.. I'm a Tony Chachere's kinda gal personally
4TB butter
1/4c flour
2c half & half
6c chicken stock
3 cans great northern beans or navy beans (drained)
2lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1tsp Tabasco or more to taste
2 4oz cans chopped green chiles
1TB cumin
2tsp cayenne
1/4tsp ground cloves
1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
3c shredded Monterrey jack cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine lime zest, lime juice, Tequila and Cajun seasoning. Pour over chicken and marinate for a minimum of 3 hours, the longer the better. I did mine for 6 hours. Grill, and chop into 1" pieces.

Melt butter in a large stock pot. Whisk in the flour to make a roux. Whisk until smooth and thick, for a minute or so. Add in stock, half & half and onion while whisking to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer stirring often and cook until it thickens somewhat, at least 5 minutes.

Add in your garlic, chilies, chicken, clove, Tabasco, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Simmer over low heat for at least 30 minutes, stirring often.

Add in the drained beans, 1 1/2c of the cheese and most of the cilantro. Heat stirring often, until cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, with the remaining cheese and cilantro.

Avocado Beef & Habanero Cheese Stuffed Poblanos with Smoked Gouda Chipotle Grits

As you know by now, I love spicy food!!! I wanted some spice last night! Hehe! It was darn tasty too! You can play with the recipe for the stuffed peppers, all you want. You can change up the cheese, the meat, even use your favorite package taco seasoning, or none at all. The sky is the limit. Have fun with it!!

Avocado, Beef, Habanero Cheese Stuffed Poblanos:

1lb ground beef
4-6 poblanos (charred, skin removed, slit down the middle and seeds removed)
1 small onion, diced
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2tsp chili powder
1tsp Mexican oregano (regular would work fine as well)
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp cumin
1tsp coriander
1/2 a beer or so... ;)
1 large avocado, sliced
4oz of your favorite cheese (mine is habanero cheddar)

Preheat oven to 350°
Brown ground beef in a skillet, add in the onion and cook until onion is tender. Add in your seasonings and saute for about a minute. Add in the beer, reduce heat to simmer and let the beer cook out a bit, until the mixture is thickened somewhat.

Into your poblano, place a slice of avocado a little cheese, and fill with meat. Top with another avocado slice and more cheese. Repeat with the remaining peppers. I like to place the pepper in the baking dish first and fill while in there.(less mess) Bake for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with grits, below.

Smoked Gouda and Chipotle Grits:

2TB butter
2c fresh or frozen corn kernels (thawed if frozen)
1 medium onion, chopped
5c water
2c whole milk
1tsp salt
1tsp pepper
1 1/2c quick-cooking white hominy grits
2c coarsely grated smoked Gouda cheese about 8oz
1TB chopped canned chipotle in adobo
chopped cilantro, about a couple of tablespoons

Melt the butter in large saucepan, add in onions and corn and saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Add water, milk, salt and pepper, bring to a boil. Slowly add in your grits whisking to prevent lumps. Reduce temp to simmer and cook until grits are tender about 15 minutes. Make sure to stir often!! Stir in cheese and chipotle, mix until cheese is melted. Remove from heat, adjust seasoning and add in cilantro and serve.

Curried Macaroni & Cheese

Well, I'm back!! It's been awhile. Sorry about that, but trying to type more than a sentence or two with one hand is for the birds!! LOL! For those of you who don't know I had stitches in my right hand, so I was kinda out of commission for a bit.. Not to fear, Cat is here.. Hahaha!! I crack myself up! This is a recipe I saw on that new Cooking Channel. It sounded tasty, so I thought what the heck?? I made this the other night. It was delish!! Loved it! My son and his friend kept coming back for more as well! Don't be scared because it has Curry in it.. LOL! It is subtle and blends lovely with the provolone cheese, and asparagus. I also made the Curried Pear Slaw that was in this episode.. It was yummy too!!! Enjoy!!


Curried Mac & Cheese:
Here

Creamy Curried Pear Slaw:
Here