Spicy Chicken Tacos w/ Goat Cheese Queso

I headed to Raleigh this weekend.  I hadn't seen Lee since February and I was missing him something fierce. We spent loads of quality time together, playing outside and cooking.  

Bethany and I love to cook and we love to cook together even more.  We are constantly trying new recipes and sharing them.  We always say it would be so nice if we lived close by and could cook together more often. This weekend we tried a new taco recipe we had seen on our favorite blog. 

First, we roasted bone-in chicken thighs.  Chicken always has more flavor if you roast it on the bone; a lesson I learned years ago from The Barefoot Contessa.

This Goat Cheese Queso was a game changer.  We smothered our tacos in it and dipped tortilla chips in the queso after dinner.

Spicy Chicken Tacos 

The Ingredients:

2 lbs of chicken thighs

3 limes

1 red onion

1 yellow onion

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp of paprika

chopped tomatoes

corn or flour tortilla

olive oil

Making it happen:

Preheat oven to 425.  Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Lay sliced yellow onion on the bottom of the dish.  

Pat chicken thighs dry and cover in spice rub.  Lay thighs on top of onions.  Place lime wedges in between thighs.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45-55 minutes.  Pull from oven and let sit for 15 minutes or until thighs are cool enough to shred.  Shred chicken and combine with roasted onions.  

Assemble tacos with whatever toppings you desire, just don't forget to put this queso on top.

Spicy Goat Cheese Queso:

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 jalapeno pepper, diced

1 cove of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup milk

6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled.

Making it happen:

Melt the butter.  Saute the jalapeno and garlic in the butter until aromatic.  Add flour to create a rue.  Whisk in milk and reduce heat to med-low.  Let thicken.  Add in goat cheese and stir until melted.  Serve, on everything.

The following day we made nachos with our leftovers. 

Charleston Guide- Cooper River Bridge Run 2014

My trip to Charleston last weekend started off at Acme Grille, on Isle of Palms, where I had this epic plate of Huevos Rancheros.  Holy Moly! Don't get me wrong, I have had some tasty Huevos Rancheros before, like the ones at Poole's in Raleigh, those are pretty sensational, but these, these are better.  The crispy tortilla shells on the bottom, the jalapenos, the salsa, the perfectly fried eggs, the cheese, the low country field peas, and the homemade chorizo, which added the perfect amount of spice, made for one delectable breakfast.  If you find yourself in Charleston, wander the 15 minutes over the bridge to this hidden gem.

Saturday was the Bridge Run.  I had never ran more than 3 miles.  This 10k, which is 6.2 miles, is quite the beast.  I decided I would give it a go, if only to enjoy the scenery.  This was the start line, Wave H. The Bridge Run is pretty popular, drawing 40k people to Charleston every spring.  

I actually surprised myself by running the majority of the race.  My lack of running preparation was made up for by my consistent yoga practice. I took this photograph while walking up the bridge.  I started running again when I got to the top.  People were in great spirits.  There were bands playing all along the route, to the point that I didn't even need my own music.  Once exiting the bridge, we arrived in downtown Charleston.  Once on King St. the race slowed down a bit because it was so crowded with people.

Once back to the house, we showered and headed to the Marina Grille.  A band played while we ate and relaxed.  I was not impressed with the food, but the scenery was pleasant.

We had two great days of sunshine and warm weather, which was better than we had suspected.  The forecast had predicted storms for race day, so we were relieved that it turned out so beautiful Saturday. Sunday, the rain finally showed up.  We headed in to town for some shopping and good eats.  Our first stop was brunch at Hominy Grille.  I had read a lot about this restaurant and it did not disappoint.  We waited for an hour outside, in the rain, and I was still not disappointed.  

While waiting outside, we went to the window to order some beverages.  

A first, Beer Mimosa.  Think Blue Moon, with extra orange.

The remainder of the day was spent at the market.  I head back to Charleston in a few weeks for a wedding.  I can't wait to try out some new places.

Sea Bass w/ Pistachio Butter

Hello beautiful weather!  It is about time you arrived. After a brutal winter, I have never been more ready for spring.  I really didn't know how much more I could take.  I was heading to hot yoga four times a week just to stay warm.  This is great right.... I must be getting in awesome shape.  However, I would then go home and eat biscuits and gravy for dinner, because who wants salad when it's 30 degrees outside.  

So, the minute the sun came out and the temperatures rose above 70 degrees, I began craving lighter foods. I recently discovered this amazing food blog and found a brilliant recipe for sea bass. As she points out, the star to this recipe is really the pistachio butter.  My love for nuts of any variety runs deep: cashews, almonds, pecans, pistachios; toss them in a salad, make a pie, eat them along side a killer cocktail and I am a happy girl.  My mom used to make a pistachio birthday cake for me which was divine. But, this pistachio butter took things to a whole new level.

I bought two sea bass steaks at Motts Seafood on Wrightsville Beach.  There is something wonderful about being able to go down to the water and buy your own fish. 

Sea Bass w/ Pistachio Butter

For an appetizer, I whipped up some homemade tortilla chips and guacamole. 

Guacamole: 

2 large, ripe avocados

salt/pepper to taste

the juice of 1 lime

1 tsp cumin

1 bunch cilantro

1 glove of minced garlic

Combine all ingredients, refrigerate and serve.  

Chinese Chicken Meatballs and Quinoa Fried Rice

Prepare to be blown away.  Craving something packed with flavor, not calories?  This is the meal for you. Last year, I found this recipe for Quinoa Fried Rice.  I made it several times last spring and summer.  This weekend, while it was warm, I decided to bust it out again.  It is very simple to make, delicious to eat, and tastes just as good leftover.  I decided to take my favorite Chinese Chicken Burger Recipe and adapt it for meatballs to put on top of this awesome rice.  Here is what I did:

Ingredients:
1 lb of ground chicken
3 gloves of garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of soy sauce (low sodium)
1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon of lemongrass (paste or minced fresh)
2 scallions diced on the bias
1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs

Making it happen:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl.  Roll out into golf ball size meatballs.  Place on lined cookie sheet.  (I used aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray).  Cook for 20-25 minutes until just cooked through.  Top each meatball with Hoisin Sauce and let bake for another 3 minutes. Pull out of oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.  This will allow all the juices to settle.  Place two meatballs on top of fried rice.

Comfort Food

Comfort food- the food we eat when we are cold, hungry, nostalgic, or perhaps even sad.  I most often crave comfort food during fall and winter months or when I'm feeling homesick for my mother's kitchen.

  

It was once quoted of New Orleans:

"Winter never feels truly at home in New Orleans. An unwelcomed visitor that shows up long enough to remind us of what we're missing, then leaves us just in time for us to forget again." 

- A Love Song for Bobby Long

The same can be said of Wilmington, which is one of the reasons I love it so much.  I tolerate winter until New Years Eve, and then I am ready for spring.  This year, the cold has been brutal, making me crave comfort food more than usual.

This past weekend, I went home to Charlotte for a birthday party.  On Sunday, while the dogs and my nephew hung out by the fire, my mother and I spent some quality time cooking the ultimate "comfort food". The star of the show was fried chicken, which is the epitome of Sunday lunch at my parent's house. Over time, my sister and I have developed our own love of cooking and now when we are home, we all cook together.  

My mom and I baked pecan pies for dessert.  As a rule, pie should be enjoyed during lingering conversation at the dinner table.  This fact, this tradition of dessert, makes pie of any variety, but especially pecan, the ultimate comfort food..... the thing that is eaten during heavy conversations and accompanied with loads of laughter.

Spanish Pea Soup

This is an Ina Garten recipe.  In my experience, she rarely gets it wrong.  I've been wanting to try this forever.  I love sweet peas, but this soup is a lot less boring and has a lot more depth of flavor.  

Ingredients

2 lbs of frozen sweet peas 

2 large shallots

3 cloves of garlic

4 cups of chicken stock

Salt/pepper

Olive Oil

Thin slices of prosciutto 

Making it happen:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a large pot sauté shallots in two tablespoons of olive oil until translucent.  Add chopped garlic and sauté for one minute.  Add chicken broth and peas.  Bring to a boil. 

 Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes.  Purée with an immersion blender.  Simmer on low until ready to serve.  Place prosciutto on cookie sheet and bake for five minutes until crispy.  Ladle soup into shallow bowl, top with slice of crispy prosciutto and drizzle with olive oil. 

Christmas Highlights

I made the drive home to Charlotte the Friday before Christmas.  I was home for about two weeks and it was so nice spending time with my family and catching up with old friends. 

Bethany and I love baking together. The bourbon balls were a Southern Living recipe and amazing this year. 

Lee got golf clubs and was so sweet Christmas morning. 

The dogs got matching Wonka Wonka balls.

Now I am back in Wilmington, enjoying these beauties.