PINEAPPLE VINAIGRETTE

These days you can get vinegars in a multitude of flavors.  Each new flavor opens the door for more and more possibilities.  We love this recipe when we’re craving a tropical edge.

1/3 cup peanut oil
3 tablespoons pineapple vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 green onion, minced
  • Mix together well.
  • Chill overnight.

Seafood Enchiladas Ala My Year on the Grill



It’s been 3 weeks in the making, but today I am finally going to finish telling the tale of my Mexican influenced meal of Spanish Rice, Fresh Caribbean Tomato Salsa and these beauties… Cheesy, Spicy, Rich Seafood Enchiladas…





While it has taken 3 weeks to explain the single meal, I am learning that cooking is not about following a recipe, it is about building on the skills and knowledge you have.  Without being able to make chicken stock, I could not have made the Spanish Rice as rich.  Without making my own herb mixture of “not your Grandmother’s HERBES de PROVENCE“, my Caribbean Tomato Salsa would not have such a depth of flavors.


And if I did not make my own Cajun Spiced Rub Mix, I could not make the Blackened Tilapia that I used to stuff the enchiladas with.  It sounds all complicated and time consuming.  Click on all of those blue lettered links and you will see hours worth prep time and many dollars worth of ingredients.  But my Herbe and Cajun mixtures, as well as my chicken stock are all made in advance (and are all multi recipe ingredients, so having them on hand for months cuts the prep time per recipe down considerably.  The salsa can be cut up while the rice is boiling, and the tilapia cooks so fast, it practically cooks itself.  Everything comes together in a complicated sounding recipe, when in reality, a series of small easy steps makes an outstanding meal…


But I am ahead of myself… 


First the seafood stuffing…


Click HERE for the details of how I make Blackened Tilapia.  



Fried in butter, with seared spices makes this a flavorful fish.  The cooking method insures a moist tender fish. Overcooked rubbery fish is my personal buggaboo.  By cooking a thin piece of Tilapia, it takes only 5 minutes start to finish to make this.  Once it is done, remove the fish, but add some of the small salad size popcorn shrimp to the remaining butter sauce to add another taste to the enchiladas.


Cut the fish into small pieces (about the same size as the shrimp).


While that is cooling, I worked on the cream sauce…



In the same pan that I blackened the fish in (don’t want to waste the spiced butter in the pan), add…


1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Whole Milk
1 cup White Cheddar Cheese
2 TBS “not your Grandmother’s HERBES de PROVENCE“
1 cup Caribbean Tomato Salsa


Heat the Cream and Milk, add the cheese and stir till well mixed and the cheese is melted.  Add the Salsa and spices.


And now we are ready to assemble our enchiladas (finally)…

  1. Take a 9X12 baking dish, spray with Pam
  2. Set up an assembly line of Tortillas. Spanish Rice, mixture of the fish and shrimp, and some of the Caribbean Tomato Salsa.
  3. Lay out a tortilla, add 1/2 cup of the fish, 1/4 cup each of the rice and salsa.
  4. Roll up the tortilla and place in the pan
  5. Repeat and make 8 tortillas, stuffed into the pan side to side
  6. Pour all of the sauce over the tortillas… it will sink into the bottom of the pan, coating as it sinks.
  7. Top the enchiladas with a cup of grated yellow Cheddar Cheese and 1/4 cup of the Caribbean Tomato Salsa.
  8. Bake in pre-heated oven, 350 degrees for 30 minutes.



It sounds so much more complicated than it is.  Remember, a series of small steps to make something better than the pieces.


Well worth the effort!


Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. Plan ahead, be a cook and you to can say…  

 … I CAN COOK THAT! 

And so can you!…


Serve the whole meal (Seafood Enchiladas, Spanish Rice and Caribbean Salsa with a Pina Colada…


Come visit my site for an amazing recipe for this classic…



Paula’s Smashed Potato Pancakes

I had blueberry pancakes, the other day, and they were delicious which brought me to thinking of making June, pancake month at Cooking with Chaya.  Everyone loves pancakes and there are so many variations on the simple pancake.
I am starting with Paula Deen’s Smashed Potato Pancakes.
Smashed Potato Cake Paula Deen About 14 cakes
6 cups cubed (1-inch) Yukon gold potatoes
1/2 cups panko, divided I used about one cup of corn meal
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar
1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon not kosher
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup butter was not necessary for us
1/4 cup sour cream
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Method:
In a large pot, combine potatoes and add water to cover.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 12 minutes, or until tender.
Drain well and mash.
In a large bowl, combine potatoes, cornmeal, egg, cheese, onion, butter, sour cream, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Form potatoes into 3-inch patties; dredge in remaining panko.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
Add potato patties, and cook, 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until brown and crisp.
Serve immediately.

Chicken Cacciatorre

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
4 tablespoons light olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons minced jar garlic
1 cup white Zinfandel wine
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons Classico spicy tomato pesto*
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon marjoram

*if this is not available use 1 can Contadina Italian tomato paste

Dissolve the tomato paste into the wine and chicken broth. Sift together the flour, salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Brown chicken, turning regularly until browned on both sides, for 5-10 minutes. Add the onion and garlic while browning the chicken. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer, stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thickened. Serve over prepared pasta**.
**I prepare the pasta in chicken broth for added flavor.

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3PM

“The National Moment of Remembrance, established by Congress, asks Americans wherever they are at 3 p.m., local time, on Memorial Day to pause in an act of national unity (duration: one minute).The time 3 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday. The Moment does not replace traditional Memorial Day events; rather it is an act of national unity in which all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died for our freedom. It will help to reclaim Memorial Day as the sacred and noble holiday it was meant to be. In this shared remembrance, we connect as Americans.”

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For all my teacher friends… I love this email.

After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said,  “Let me see if I’ve got this right.  
  • You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.  
  • You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.  
  • You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.   
  • You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams. 
  • You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.  
  • You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.   
  • You want me to do all this and then you tell me. . . I CAN’T PRAY?“

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The Greatest Brownies EVER – Save Room for Dessert

Hello, everyone! Welcome to yet another trip to the land where all things are sweet…Save Room for Dessert!

Today I bring you a brownie recipe that fulfills what are, for me, the two most important rules for brownies:

1) Easy to make
2) Fudgy as all get-out

Yep, these brownies fit the bill and then some. 

The recipe is a snap!

You’ll need:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
  • 3 cups white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 pan.

Microwave the butter in a large bowl and add the sugar, stirring well to combine.

Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.  Once all the eggs are added, stir in the vanilla.

In another bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.  Then add the dry ingredients to the wet.

Time to break out the old elbow grease, my friends.  Unless you’re smarter than me and you use your stand mixer, if you have one.  I didn’t use mine.  And as we all know, brownie batter is thick!!

Finally, time for the best part:

Mmmmm…a cup of semisweet chocolate chips.

Just use them.  It’s your duty.  You’ll thank me later.

All of this gets spread around your pan…

And gets baked for 35-40 minutes.  I lean towards 35 because I love the fudginess – but it’s up to you!

Either way you’ll end up with gooey, yummy, decadent, fragrant and all-around wonderful brownies.  They’re pretty much to die for.  I’m serious.

Try them yourself!

Always remember and never forget!

It is the 
VETERAN,  not the preacher,   
who has given us freedom of religion. 

It is the 
VETERAN,  not the reporter,    
who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the 
VETERAN,  not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
   
It is the 
VETERAN,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.    
 
It is the 
 VETERAN,  not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.  
 
It is the 
VETERAN,  not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote. 
It is the
VETERAN 
who salutes the Flag, 
It is the
VETERAN 
who serves under the Flag.

Always remember and never forget!

    
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