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”
Category: Main Courses
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”
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”
Migas (with leftover steak)
Breakfast for dinner can be a creative way to use steak leftover from earlier in the week. On this night, we decided to use our leftover steak to make “migas,” which is Tex-Mex Speak for scrambled eggs with beef, chiles (or peppers) and onion wrapped in a flour tortilla. Continue reading “Migas (with leftover steak)”
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”
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”
Orzo with Shrimp, Tomato and Feta
This Orzo with Shrimp dish is one of our comfort foods. We use a single pot to boil the orzo pasta, saute the shrimp, then cook a quick spicy garlic and tomato sauce. Combine all of these great ingredients in a baking dish with some feta and parmesan cheese, then heat it all in the oven for about 10 minutes for a delicious meal. Continue reading “Orzo with Shrimp, Tomato and Feta”
Chicken Nachos (with leftover chicken)
When Dan is out of town and I’m forced to fend for myself for dinner, I often plan ahead to turn our leftovers from earlier in the week into something different for my solo meal. For some reason, I find the need to transmogrify leftovers, otherwise I won’t eat them. Maybe it’s my way of pretending that I cook. So, here are the Chicken Nachos that I “cooked” while Dan was away. Continue reading “Chicken Nachos (with leftover chicken)”
Beer Can Chicken
Is there a more fun way to grill a whole chicken than sitting it on a can of beer? We don’t think so either. We had some loved ones over for dinner this weekend and grilled a pair of chickens. Grilling the chickens on cans of beer allows them to cook evenly, and the steaming beer keeps the chicken nice and juicy. Beer Can Chicken is pretty easy to do, especially with Dan’s perfected technique for removing the can from the chicken when it’s done. Continue reading “Beer Can Chicken”
Chicken Guadalajara
How about a recipe from West Texas? El Paso is an important place in my life — my parents met when they were students at UTEP, and I was born there. The Junior League of El Paso publishes an incredible cookbook titled Seasoned With Sun, which is full of delicious southwest recipes. My mom cooks from this book and gave my Chef Dan a copy way back when we were dating. The first dish we ever tried from this cookbook is Chicken Guadalajara — a mixture of chicken, green chiles and onion in a creamy sauce. It takes about 40 minutes to prepare and uses only a single skillet — perfect for a busy weeknight. Continue reading “Chicken Guadalajara”