Green Chile Chowder

All hyperbole aside, Green Chile Chowder is — without question — our all-time favorite soup.  This is another recipe adapted from the El Paso Junior League cookbook “Seasoned with Sun.”   The original recipe calls for several complicated steps, but Dan simplified it into a great weeknight soup that can be prepared in about 40 minutes.  It’s also an excellent use of leftover chicken.  If you like soup, you won’t be disappointed.  Continue reading “Green Chile Chowder”

Rustic Grilled Pizza

A few weeks ago we posted Grilled Veggie Pizza, and I caught some grief for using a pre-made pizza crust – even being accused of “cheating.”  So we decided to give homemade pizza dough a try, and we were thrilled at how delicious it was.  The end result was not necessarily very photogenic, but by calling this pizza “rustic,” it makes it appear that we intended it to be so mis-shaped.  And it tasted amazing, which matters most. Continue reading “Rustic Grilled Pizza”

Roasted Veggies

We adapted this recipe from one of Ina Garten’s wonderful cookbooks, “Barefoot Contessa – Back to Basics.”  This dish not only tastes delicious, but it combines the starch and vegetable sides all into one dish, cooked on a single cookie sheet.  Through trial and error (probably more error than trial), we determined what we think are the best cooking times for each element of the dish to ensure that the potatoes cook fully and none of the veggies get over-cooked. Continue reading “Roasted Veggies”

Grilled Smoked Tri-Tip

Tri-tip is a cut of beef from the bottom sirloin that became popular as a local specialty in Santa Maria, California (according to Wikipedia).  According to us, it is really good, quality steak.  We grilled it this night by adapting the recipe “Smoked Santa Maria Tri-Tip” from one of our favorite grilling cookbooks.  Adding hickory smoke while the beef grills is a great way to layer another level of flavor to the dish.  The garnish of fresh salsa with tomato, green chiles, green onions, cilantro, etc. adds even more flavor. Continue reading “Grilled Smoked Tri-Tip”

Weekly Menu (September 25)

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Saturday

  • Grilled Pizza with Proscuitto and Olives, Salad

Sunday

  • Grilled Spatchcocked Whole Chicken with “DTM” Rub, Roasted Veggies

Monday

  • Ravioli with Quick Tomato Sauce, Salad

Tuesday

  • Take-Out

Wednesday

  • Green Chile Chowder (with Leftover Chicken)
Thursday
  • Dinner Out

Friday

  • Sauteed Tilapia in White Wine Sauce, Quick Risotto, Baby Zucchini

Special Occasion Fruit Kabobs (And Balloons!)

We work at an office where people love to celebrate birthdays, usually with food.  Someone almost always brings in cake, brownies and/or cookies in honor of their co-worker’s special day.  A friend at work got creative for one birthday celebration and brought fruit, artfully arranged on wooden skewers.  I have been copying her Fruit Kabob idea ever since.

Continue reading “Special Occasion Fruit Kabobs (And Balloons!)”

Grill-Pan Chicken Tacos

We are big grilling fans here at FoodieLawyer, and in Texas you can easily grill 12 months out of the year.  But not everyone has year-round grilling weather, or the space for a full-size outdoor grill, in which case the grill pan can often be an acceptable substitute.  For example, you can use a grill pan on the stove to cook chicken tenders flavored with Tex-Mex spices, served on flour tortillas with cheese and a quick pico de gallo. Continue reading “Grill-Pan Chicken Tacos”

Crushed Potatoes

We recently came across a side dish called “Crash-Hot Potatoes,” and we were intrigued enough by the name to try them.  This recipe is so simple — small red potatoes boiled until fork-tender, then “crashed” and coated in a bit of olive oil for roasting in a hot oven until crispy and delicious.  We love the flavors of garlic and basil with olive oil, so we switched up this recipe by using a garlic-infused olive oil and dried basil (instead of thyme or rosemary) which added a very subtle Italian flair that was fantastic.  These may be the current number one potato dish in our rotation.  Try them — we promise that you will not be disappointed!

Update: We followed friend and commenter Carrie’s tip to crush the potatoes using the bottom of a dry measuring cup wrapped in plastic, and it worked like a charm.  We also boiled the potatoes a little longer before crushing them.

Continue reading “Crushed Potatoes”

Homemade Noodles with Two Sauces

We are always looking for interesting new cookbooks.  I saw a reference to a book called “The Frankies Spuntino:  Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual,” and knew Dan would like it.  The authors have a couple of restaurants in Brooklyn, and their book includes all kinds of useful cooking tips.  We were particularly inspired by their suggestion that making fresh pasta if you have a stand mixer “is practically painless and almost entirely automatic.”  So, on a recent weekend when we had family in town, we decided to try homemade pasta using the mixer.  To go along with the pasta, we cooked two different quick pan sauces — one with pancetta, white wine and tomato sauce, and the other with pecorino cheese and pepper.  Everything was amazing. Continue reading “Homemade Noodles with Two Sauces”