Down South Comfort (Barbacoa)

Good morning bloggers! In honor of this upcoming 4th of July, I have chosen a special dish that hits home for me. I am a Texas gal by heart and nothing screams down South more than this spectacular dish. It's a taco favorite for many people here and I'm sure you all will dig it. We will be making...

Southern Texas-Style Barbacoa

You will need:

• 1.5 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1.5 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1.5 teaspoons chili powder
• 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 (3 pound) boneless beef chuck roast
• 1 bag of tortillas

Ready?

1. Prepare a smoker with dampened hickory wood charcoal.
2. The heat inside your grill or smoker should be around 180 to 200 degrees. Combine the black pepper, oregano, cayenne pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and seasoned salt in a small bowl until thoroughly mixed.
3. Place the chuck roast into a mixing bowl, and rub all over with the spice mixture.
4. Place the meat into the smoker, and smoke for 1.5 hours, turning about every half hour.
5. The meat should be a dark red color, and the edges should be darkened. Place the meat into a roasting pan, and seal tightly with aluminum foil.
6. Preheat an oven to 325 degrees.
7. Bake the barbacoa in the preheated oven for 1.5 hours until very tender. Uncover the beef, and shred with two forks while still hot.
8. Place the meat into tortillas to serve.
9. Enjoy!

There you go! A down South staple that's easy to make. I hope to see you all tomorrow. Enjoy your 4th of July weekend and don't get too blitzed! See you on the flip side.

Entering the World of Etouffe

Good morning amazing bloggers! I have managed to weasel my way onto a computer for a little recipe time with my favorite people. This pleases me, which means I may be able to weasel online tomorrow as well. Today we are going to be making a seafood etouffe. An etouffe, pronounced e.tu.fe, is a Cajun dish normally served with chicken or seafood. It can be compared to gumbo if you must compare it to something. This dish is very popular in the bayou country and Louisiana. The meaning of etouffe means "smothered" or "suffocated". Okay, I'm sure I have filled your heads with a little knowledge this morning, so enough of this idle chatter. Let's see our recipe for today!

Cajun Crawfish and Shrimp Etouffe

You will need:

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 small green bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Louisiana-style hot sauce
• 1/3 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons seafood seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup fish stock
• 1 pound crawfish tails
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.
2. Gradually pour in the flour, making sure to stir constantly until the mixture turns a tan brown or darker, at least 15 or 20 minutes.
3. Once the roux is browned, add the onions, garlic, celery and bell pepper to the skillet, and saute for about 5 minutes to soften.
4. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and fish stock, then season with the seafood seasoning.
5. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Season the sauce with hot pepper sauce and cayenne pepper, and add the crawfish and shrimp.
7. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque.
8. Enjoy!

I hope you all have a fun and extremely hot Summer's day. Go enjoy the food and the pool. I will try my hardest to be back tomorrow. I send my blogging love through the internet to you all! See you on the flip side.

Aye Carumba! Jalepeno Chicken!

Hola amigos y amigas! Welcome to another exciting entry to Everyday Meals. Today, we are diving deep into Mexican cuisine. We are taking plain old chicken and kicking it up 100%. Today's dish is called Jalapeno Chicken. Yes, it's flavorful, spicy, and will probably leave you with heartburn later on tonight. But trust me when I say it will be worth it! Let's meet in the kitchen and make us some dinner!

Jalapeno Chicken

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 6 jalapeno peppers, or to taste, seeded and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon chicken seasoning blend, or to taste
• 1/2 (10 ounce) can pina colada mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 can or bottle bock beer

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
2. Cook and stir the jalapeno peppers and onion until tender, about 8 minutes.
3. Remove the vegetables from the skillet and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the hot skillet.
4. Sprinkle the chicken tenders with chicken seasoning.
5. Cook the chicken and stir in the olive oil until slightly golden brown and no longer pink inside, about 10 minutes.
6. Transfer the chicken to a bowl.
7. Return the jalapeno peppers and onions to the skillet, and stir in the pina colada mix and sour cream.
8. Bring the mixture to a simmer, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes; stir in the chicken, and mix in the bock beer.
9. Simmer until the flavors have blended and the sauce has slightly thickened, 15 to 30 more minutes.
10. Enjoy!

Well, enjoy your night folks. I will try my hardest to come back tomorrow and post for you all. Remember, Thursdays and Fridays are my toughest time to be online. I will catch you on the flip side though. Adios!

Moussaka!

Good afternoon bloggers! Welcome to another enticing entry to Everyday Meals! Today, we are diving into Greek culture for a little moussaka. Moussaka is an eggplant or potato based dish from the Middle East, the Balkans, and Eastern Mediterranean. There are many variations of this dish, but it's best known from the Greek version. So, enough learning about the background of this dish. Why don't we go ahead and make it for ourselves? Let's go!

Grilled Eggplant Moussaka

You will need:

• 3 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 3 large potatoes, thinly sliced
• 3 large zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 cups milk
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• salt to taste
• 1 egg yolk, beaten  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1.5 pounds ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 5 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
2. Brush the eggplant, potatoes, and zucchini lightly with extra-virgin olive oil.
3. Grill the vegetables until just tender and golden brown.
4. Layer the potatoes into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
5. Next layer in the eggplant, followed by the zucchini and set aside.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
7. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
8. Whisk in the flour, and cook until the flour smells slightly toasted, about 5 minutes.
9. Whisk in milk, nutmeg, and salt.
10. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
11. Place the egg yolk into a bowl, and quickly whisk in 1/4 cup of the thickened milk, a tablespoon at a time.
12. Quickly stir the egg yolk mixture into the thickened milk until smooth, then set aside.
13. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
14. Stir in the ground beef and onion, and cook until the beef is crumbly and no longer pink.
15. Drain off any excess grease, then stir in the oregano, parsley, tomatoes, salt, and pepper.
16. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
17. To assemble, spread the meat mixture over the vegetables, and sprinkle with the feta cheese.
18. Pour the white sauce over top, and smooth with a spatula.
19. Bake moussaka in preheated oven until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes.
20. Enjoy!

I hope you all get your fill of this funny sounding dish. Go ahead, make a few jokes, but enjoy it none the less. Have a great evening and I will see you all tomorrow! Happy blogging everyone.

A Curry Classic

Good afternoon my amazing bloggers! We are going to start this entry with a brief cultural background of the dish we will be preparing today. We are making what is called Vindaloo. It is an Indian curry dish from the region of Goa. It is often a staple of curry House menus. It is a spicy dish. The dish is derived from the Portuguese dish "Carne De Vinha d'Alhos" which is made of pork, wine, and garlic. So, now that we have some background on this dish, let's get cooking!

Beef Vindaloo

You will need:

• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 cup garlic paste
• 3 tablespoons ginger paste
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground red pepper
• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 onion, chopped
• 4 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Are you still with me?

1. Whisk the vinegar, garlic paste, ginger paste, yogurt, salt, black pepper, and red pepper together in a mixing bowl.
2. Mix in the beef cubes until evenly coated.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight (or at least 30 minutes).
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat.
5. Cook and stir the onions in the hot oil until they soften, turn translucent, and begin turning golden brown, about 10 minutes.
6. Add the beef cubes, and cook, stirring frequently until the meat is no longer pink on the outside, about 10 minutes more.
7. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
8. Pour in the water, and bring to a simmer.
9. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the beef is tender, about 40 minutes.
10. Sprinkle with cilantro.
11. Enjoy!

Well, I will see you all tomorrow. Excellent job preparing this dish everyone! Keep up the good work and happy blogging.

Who Loves Italian Food? You Do!

Good evening bloggers! I have a brand new dish ready for you all to conquer  tonight. This dish is pure Italian. It took me a very long time trying to figure out what would appeal to you all, and I'm certain that this dish is the bomb. Yes, I went there. ^_^
This is just a little side note to you all, but on Thursdays and Fridays, I may not be able to post like I have usually been doing. My laptop finally died on me today. I am working on finding a quick solution, however. If I am lucky, I *might* make Thursdays and Fridays, but I promise nothing because I don't want to let anyone down. But with that being said, let's get into the kitchen and make something wonderful!

Veal Scaloppini with Lemon Cream Sauce

You will need:

• 8 pieces of veal scaloppini
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1.5 cups Italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 (15 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream

Ready?

1. Dip the veal into the beaten egg, then press into the bread crumbs.
2. Gently shake off any excess, and set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add the breaded scaloppini, and cook until golden brown on both sides, and no longer pink on the inside, about 4 minutes per side.
5. Move them to a paper towel lined plate, and keep warm.
6. Pour the lemon juice and white wine into a skillet.
7. Increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil, and boil for 1 minute. Dissolve the cornstarch in about 2 tablespoons of chicken broth, and set aside.
8. Pour the remaining chicken broth into the skillet, season with garlic pepper and lemon pepper, and bring to a boil.
9. Once the sauce is boiling, stir in the dissolved cornstarch, and cook until thickened and clear, about 1 minute.
10. Remove the sauce from the heat, then whisk in the heavy cream.
11. Place the veal on a serving platter, and pour the sauce over to serve.
12. Enjoy!

 

I hope you all enjoy this lovely night. I will do my best to be around as much as possible. I might just have to double up on recipes come Wednesday and Thursday, just for you all. I'll catch you all tomorrow! Good night.

A First Class Meal

Good afternoon my lovely bloggers! Today s a great day. I have no plans except to finish the movie, Titanic. I love this movie. As a matter of fact, I can quote it very well. I have always been fascinated by the Titanic and it's disasterous incident. In honor of the movie, I have gathered a recipe that could have been served on board the ship during that era. So, with that being said, let's get in the kitchen and make something scrumptious! Oh, just a little shout out to my best friend and sister, Jessica. Today is her birthday, so let's send her some birthday wishes via the comment box below this blog!

Sauteed Duck Breast with Figs and Port

You will need:

• 2 large duck breast halves, boned (bones reserved)
• Olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or dried, crumbled
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1.75 pounds chicken backs or wings
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 cup beef stock or canned unsalted broth
• 1 cup chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
• Salt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 cup Port
• 6 dried Calimyrna figs, stemmed and quartered
• 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried, crumbled

1. Remove any excess fat from the duck breasts. 
2. Brush the breasts with oil, then sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon thyme and pepper. Cover and let stand for 1 hour.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the duck bones, chicken backs and onion, then cook until brown, turning occasionally, for about 12 minutes. 
4. Add both stocks and bring to a boil. 
5. Reduce the heat and simmer until reduced to 3/4 cup liquid, about 1 hour. 
6. Strain and de-grease the duck stock.
7. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy, large skillet over medium-high heat. 
8. Season the duck breasts with salt, then add to skillet skin side down and cook for 4 minutes. 
9. Turn and cook about 2 minutes longer for medium-rare (or longer for your preferred style). 
10. Transfer the duck breasts to a heated platter and tent with foil to keep warm. 
11. Pour off the fat from the skillet. 
12. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet and melt over medium heat. 
13. Add the shallot and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. 
14. Add the Port and figs. 
15. Increase the heat and boil until the liquid is reduced to a glaze, scraping up any browned bits, for about 4 minutes. 
16. Add the duck stock to the skillet and boil until syrupy, adding any juices accumulated on the duck platter, for about 6 minutes. 
17. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, then season with salt and pepper. 
18. Thinly slice the duck diagonally and arrange on plates.
19. Spoon the sauce over and sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon thyme.
20. Enjoy!

I know, this recipe is a bit exstensive, but it's worth all the work. Anything that was worth a first class meal in the early 1900's is surely good enough now. Enjoy your meal and I will see you all tomorrow!