Taco Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday...

Growing up in Southern California, I took making Mexican food for granted. Now married to a 'New Englander' I realize not everyone ate fajitas, enchiladas, tostadas, tacos and tamales on a weekly basis. In fact, from what I hear, there were not even any Mexican restaurants in CT - the horror. Well, now living in Colorado for the last 16+ years, I realize this isn't just an east coast challenge - it's much more widespread. In fact, I was asked recently by a friend who shall remain nameless, how to make Tacos. I was aghast, but then realized, she wasn't alone. So for you foodies, this post won't do it for you. For the rest of you, please don't deprive your families, for the love of God serve Mexican food.

Below you will find instructions and ingredients to make: Soft and hard shell tacos with toppings, quesadillas, recommended side dishes and guacamole.

Tacos
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 # Ground beef (or one package)
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, pressed
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tChipotle Tabasco
• 1 T Green taco sauce
• Corn and/or flour tortillas (your preference)
• Vegetable oil (if you like your shells crispy)

Toppings:

• Chopped Tomatoes
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Chopped cilantro
• Shredded lettuce
• Sour cream
• Various hot sauces

Directions:
Making Taco Meat:

• Pour 1T vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat.
• Add chopped onion and pressed garlic. Cook for a minute.
• Add ground beef. Cook until brown (about 5-7 min ish)
• Season to your taste by adding salt, pepper, Tabasco/Chalulah and green taco sauce.

Frying Hard Shells:

• Heat 1 C vegetable oil in skillet over medium/high heat - it's gotta be HOTUse tongs to place flour or corn tortillas into the oil.
• For tostadas leave the tortilla flat and crisp each side. For tacos place the tortilla in the oil for 15 seconds then using the tongs fold into a shell and brown on each sideOnce the shell is to your liking place upside down on a paper towel. This will allow the excess oil to drip off and the shell to crisp up.
• If you like the tortillas soft, simply place a mixture of tortillas in foil, place in 300 degree oven for 15 min.

Make it to your liking:
Using various bowls display your toppings. The kids may only like cheese, others may like their tacos over loaded.
What else to serve:

Can't go wrong with serving a side of Mexican rice, apple sauce and refried black beans. Sweet, salty and spicy - all my favorites. It should go without saying that chips, salsa and guacamole should be served well ahead of time. And the kids love Quesadillas. Now, I again ASSumed everyone knows how to make these, but when I learned some folks were just 'nuk'n' them to a rubbery, chewy disaster, I knew I needed to set the record straight.

Cheese Quesadillas (No you cannot microwave these)
Ingredients:

• Shredded cheddar cheese (Shredding it yourself will result in better flavor)
• Flour Tortillas
• Butter

Directions:

• Heat 1 T butter in skillet over medium heat
• Butter one-side of the flour tortilla and place in skillet
• Cover tortilla with shredded cheddar cheese
• Butter another tortilla and place on top
• Flip the quesadilla when bottom tortilla is brown and do the same for the other side
• When both tortillas are brown and the cheese is melted, place on cutting board
• Slice into triangles and serve

Guacamole
Ingredients:
Four large, ripe avocados (not hard and not too soft)

• 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic
• Cholulah (or whatever hot sauce you like)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 bag tortilla chips

Directions:

• Remove skin and seed from avocados and place in mixing bowl
• Using a fork press the avocado into a chunky paste (if you like your guac smooth, press away
• Squeeze the juice from 1/2 lemon
• Add remaining ingredients (minus the chips!)
• Mix and season to taste - dice a jalepeno for extra spice
• Serve with chips and top the guac with cilantro, shredded cheese and tomato for garnish.

Adios mi amigos!

The New Freezer Pantry

Our resident pastry chef, Rob Palmer sent a link to a recent blog post from Michael Ruhlman - Notes from the Food World. This post briefly discusses the concept of the 'new pantry', a reflection on how our staple items might be changing or should be, because of our focus on cooking great food sensibly and efficiently. No more bullion cubes, canned stocks and a great idea on how you can actually make the most of a can of tomato paste after you open it. Short, sweet and helpful. Hope you enjoy as much as I did. Thanks for sharing Rob.

Get more tips: http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2009/01/the-freezer-pan.html

Chicken Piccata

Tender, Tangy and Tasty
So my mom is the first to admit that in the early days she was a woman with limited culinary talents. However, there were a few things she always rocked in the kitchen and still does. Her scrambled eggs are still the best on the planet. Chocolate chip cookies are to DIE for. Fried chicken is a gut bomb, but perfectly crunchy, salty and delicious. And her Chicken Piccata is melt in your mouth, holy cow, FABULOUS.

Perfect Piccata (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or two whole chicken breasts)
• 1 extra large egg
• 1 T water
• 1 C flour
• Kosher salt and coarse pepper
• 3 T unsalted butter (divided)
• 1 T good olive oil
• 1/2 C white wine
• 1/2 C chicken stock
• 1/3 C fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 2 Lemons sliced (for serving)
• 1/2 C Italian parsley, chopped (for serving)

Directions:

• Place each boneless, skinless chicken breast between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap
• Using a kitchen mallet, pound chicken until thin
• Beat egg and water in small bowl
• Mix flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or plate
• In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat
• Place egg/floured chicken breasts in pan
• Cook 5 min. per side (or until cooked through and brown)
• Remove chicken from the pan and place on a side plate (until you finish making the sauce)
• Over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter
• Add the lemon juice, wine, chicken stock, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Boil over high heat until reduced, about 2 minutes.
• Turn off the burner and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter - stir.
• Return the chicken breasts to the pan
• Place sliced lemon round and chopped parsley on top of the chicken
• Simmer for 3 min and serve!

Herbed new potatoes and steamed asparagus are always a lovely accompaniment to this family favorite. Enjoy!

Jill's Peanut Butter Buckeye Balls

If you like Reece's Peanut Butter cups, you are going to LOVE these babies. This fantastic little recipe comes to you from my dear friend and co-worker Jill Huselton. In fact, the infamous pastry chef Rob Palmer even refered these gems as 'truffles'. This recipe is done in steps, but the end result is a smooth, savory ball of heaven.

Peanut Butter Buckeye Balls - 60 pieces

Ingredients:

• 1 pound powdered sugar
• 1 stick butter
• 1 t vanilla
• 12 oz jar creamy peanut butter
• 12 oz chocolate chips
• 2 T Crisco (yep, I said Crisco)

Directions:

• Combine powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and peanut butter
• Form small balls with the mixture
• Place balls in freezer (dang, that doesn't read well) for two hours
• Once the peanut butter balls are frozen, melt chocolate chips and Crisco in a slow cooker or double boiler.
• Using a toothpick, dip each peanut butter ball into the melted chocolate mixture.
• Once dipped, use another toothpick to place the dipped ball on wax paper.
• Refreeze the dipped peanut butter balls
• Serve chilled or at room temperature

Magic Bars

This decadent little treat goes by many names...Magic Bars, Stack Cookies, Hello Dollies, etc. No matter what name you use, they all deliver the same over the top, fantastically decadent taste. These are quick, easy and amazing.

Magic Bars
Ingredients

• 1 Cube butter
• 1 C Graham crackers
• 1 C Chocolate chips
• 1 C Coconut
• 1 C Chopped walnuts
• 1 C Sweetened condensed milk

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees
• Using a casserole or Pyrex dish, place ingredients in order
• Bake 20 min
• Cool 10-15 min
• Cut into small squares - a little goes a long way.

Traditional Prime Rib with All the Fix'ns

Groat, Dozier, Vaccaro, Vaughan Christmas Dinner
My family is nothing but traditional...well, at the holidays that is! In fact, our traditional Christmas meal reflects the today's truly blended family. Many times my little brother, Bryson and I would have the exact same meal Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. While Mom and Dad were not still married, both agreed they still loved the meal ...and couldn't give it up. What's even better, is that we've added an improved Yorkshire Pudding recipe ... compliments of Aunt Gayle...OK, follow me here - Aunt Gayle is my step-mom's ex-sister-in-law - How's that for blended?

This meal is really what the holidays are all about - something old, something new, something rich, something lovely and everything tasty. I love knowing that while my family lives in many homes our bellies are sharing the same traditions. It pulls us all together and reminds us that whatever paths we travel, we are forever connected.

With this being said, the below recipes are from Gulliver's Prime Rib House (Newport Beach, CA), Five Crowns (Corona Del Mar, CA), Third Ave Grill (Longmont, CO) and good old Aunt Gayle...I don't even know where she lives...but love her recipe! From our home to yours...enjoy.

Succulent Prime Rib (serves 6-ish)

Ingredients

• 7 # roast or a four-bone prime rib
• Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Garlic cloves
• Coarse black pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Let roast stand at room temperature for 45 minutes prior to cooking
• Score the fat side of the roast (Scoring = using a knife to lightly cut the fat side of the roast)
• Salt, pepper and garlic (heavily) the entire roast. Drizzle with olive oil and massage the beef (the least you can do before you toss it in the oven don't you think?)
• Place roasting rack in large roasting pan and sear meat to seal in juices (you will know the meat is seared when it is brown and fat starts to blacken - about 15 min.)
• Turn oven temperature down to 225 degrees and continue to cook 20-25 min/pound or until the roast reads 120 degrees.
• Remove roast from oven and let stand 15 min. The roast will continue cooking.
• Using a carving knife, slice each serving to your desired thickness

Five Crown's Creamed Spinach
Ingredients:

• 2-10 oz frozen leaf spinach
• 3 slices of bacon
• 1 yellow onion
• 3 T flour
• 1 1/4 C milk
• 2 t Kosher salt
• 1 t coarse pepper

Directions:

• Thaw spinach and squeeze all excess water
• Place uncooked bacon and onion in food processor. Grind until fine.
• Saute onion and bacon puree until bacon is cooked (8 min)
• Stir in flour to make a paste
• Gradually add milk and bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 min over low heat
• Add salt and pepper
• Place thawed spinach in food processor. Grind until fine.
• Add spinach to cream mixture on stove
• Heat through and serve. I make this up to a day ahead of time and place in the oven to warm before serving.

Gulliver's Creamed Corn
Ingredients:

• Large bag of frozen corn
• 1 C whipping cream
• 2 t salt
• 2 t sugar
• butter
• 2 t flour
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Place frozen corn in saucepan with cream.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Stir in salt and sugar.
• In a separate saucepan, melt butter and stir in the flour to create a roux.
• Stir roux into corn and continue stirring until slightly thickened.
• Pour corn mixture into oven proof dish. Sprinkle the top of the corn with lots of Parmesan cheese. Dot with butter.
• Brown under broiler until Parmesan turns golden brown.
• I also make this a day ahead and warm for 30 min at 325 and then broil to perfection!

Aunt Gayle's Yorkshire Pudding
Ingredients

• 1 C Flour
• 1 C Milk
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 t Kosher Salt

Directions

• Combine all ingredients and beat well
• Chill all day in a metal bowl (if you are just now reading this and need to bake it right away, place bowl in freezer for 30 min - don't panic...it will be just fab)
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Pour batter into the prime roast pan (yep, in the grease...mmm)
• Bake 20-30 minutes until bubbly and brown
• Note: You can also pour the batter into muffin tins if you prefer.

Shrimp and Orzo

The Perfect Combination

Who didn't love Jennifer Garner in Alias? How hot is she? Well, guess the gal can cook in addition to her fabulous smile and bod (hate her)! My wonderful Boulder friend, Liz Mohan, shared this with me years ago and I was recently reminded how quick, fantastic and flavorful this pasta dish is.

You know the drill... add a sprig of rosemary, serve with a mixed green salad, warm baguette, bubbly Pelligrino and crisp Italian Red and you are entertaining baby...

Jennifer Garner and Liz Mohan's Shrimp Orzo

Ingredients:

• 1 # medium, shelled and deveined uncooked shrimp
• 1 C dry orzo pasta
• 2 t. olive oil
• 1C chopped onion
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1/4 C white wine
• 1 28-oz can of whole, peeled and drained tomatoes (reserve 1/2 C of the juice)
• 2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1T capers
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 1/4 t. dried basil
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1/4 t red pepper flakes
• 1/2 C feta cheese

Directions:

• Cook pasta in boiling water according to box instructions.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook stirring for three minutes or until onion is translucent.
• Add white wine and cook for a minute.
• Then toss in the canned, drained tomatoes (reserve 1/2C for juice). Break tomatoes into chunks.
• Add reserved juice, chopped parsley, capers, oregano, basil, black and red pepper flakes. Simmer for five minutes.
• Add shrimp and cook for another few minutes or until shrimp becomes opaque.
• Add cooked orzo to the skillet.
• Mix well.
• When pasta is thoroughly heated, stir in feta cheese.
• Serve immediately.