Let’s go on vacation without leaving the East Valley. Just north of the 202 San Tan off of Val Vista is a hidden gem that can transport your taste buds to a Mexican beach resort without leaving the Metro Phoenix area. El Pescado Borracho (translates to the Drunken Fish) has an amazing costal Mexican menu. The name sake dish (pictured above) is a stellar representation of the fried fish that I’ve had ocean side under a hut on a Mexican beach. The red snapper was crispy on the outside and cooked to perfection on the inside. The fish is served with your choice of flour or corn tortillas, black or pinto beans, Mexican rice, and a side of repollo y rabanos (cabbage and radishes). My favorite part of the dish? Taking the meat directly off the fish, and making my own self-serve tacos. But you don’t need to make tacos out of the fish. You can eat it anyway you like, I just always want to turn everything into a taco. :)
Not into the whole fish? Not to worry. El Pescado Borracho has an amazing taco selection as well. From grilled octopus to braised beef there’s something for everyone on the menu. My favorite taco was probably the Baja taco, lightly battered fish, served with cabbage, lime crema, and pico de Gallo. Feeling a little adventurous? Try the grilled octopus, you won’t be disappointed. :)
Looking to imbibe? The restaurant has a full bar and serves up some of the most refreshing margaritas in the valley. The Cucumber lime margarita was refreshing and a great addition to our meal. Don’t have plans on Monday? Guess what? They have Margarita Monday- House Margaritas are $ 4 all day, not just during happy hour.
I’ve been to El Pescado Borracho before, the food is always on-point and the service is stellar. It’s definitely one of my favorite places to eat in Phoenix. :)
Baja fish taco
Carnitas Taco
Sometimes I struggle with meal ideas during the week. I constantly try to make new things, or make a recipe I haven’t made in a while to avoid meal fatigue. I ran out of options this week and I’m just too tired to make something creative. My go to when this happens is breakfast for dinner. I know Its a lame substitute for a real dinner but there’s something about having breakfast at the end of the day just makes me and the rest of the family happy.
This is my go to waffle recipe on weekends that is fast enough to make for a week night dinner as well. So change it up this week and make some waffles for dinner. We can call it #WaffleWednesday.
Ingredients-
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 pint strawberries- sliced
1 cup vanilla whipped cream
Maple Syrup
Method -
Preheat waffle iron.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg with the milk, butter and vanilla bean paste.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder, sugar and the salt.
Gradually stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture.
Bake in your waffle iron until browned, about 4-5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Top the waffle with strawberries, whipped cream, and maple syrup and serve.
For those of you that know me… You know that I don’t like rice. I know, I know… how could I NOT like rice??? Well, let me clarify… If I can avoid white rice I will. I just don’t like the flavor. I think its a useless carb. Blasphemy!!! I know.
Funny story about rice. My husband loves it. He pretty much expects it at every meal. I however, try to avoid it as much as possible or substitute it with brown or black rice, which in his book… isn’t rice. So it’s a constant battle in the kitchen. He wants white rice, I push for the brown or black. Sometimes I give in and I make up for my stubbornness with rice based dishes like this one. It’s my own little way of saying sorry for depriving him of his beloved white rice. ;)
I will say this… for someone that doesn’t like rice, this arroz con pollo was absolutely amazing. It was so good that I snuck in a few extra bites when he wasn’t looking. If you guys can do me a big favor? Please don’t tell him I said I like rice, because he’ll jump at the chance to tell me “Ha Ha, told you so.”
Shhhh….This will be our little secret.
Ingredients:
8 bone in chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper- cored, seeded, and diced
3 roasted red peppers, diced
3 garlic cloves
2 large roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 cup basmati rice
1-¼ teaspoon of Goya seasoning
½ teaspoon of Spanish saffron
3 cups of chicken stock
1 teaspoon of Cholula hot sauce
Garnish-
Freshly chopped parsley and cilantro
Method:
Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken thighs until golden brown- about 8 min per side. Remove from the skillet, and set aside.
Drain about half of the oil from the pan return the pan to the heat. Add the diced onion, bell pepper, roasted red peppers, garlic, tomatoes, smoked paprika, and bay leaves. Cook and stir until the onion begins to brown- about 6 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste, continue to stir until caramelized- about 3 minutes.
Add the basmati rice, sazon, and saffron, and stir to coat the rice with the mixture. Pour in the chicken stock and re-season with salt and pepper. Add the Cholula, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, but maintain a simmer. Return the chicken thighs to the pan skin side up. Cook partially covered until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and the chicken is cooked through- about 25 minutes.
Right before serving make the chicken skin crispy by placing the skillet under a hot broiler- keep an eye on it, depending on your oven this can be quick or a few minutes. Don’t leave the oven’s side during this process. You don’t want to ruin your dish at this point. I mean you’re practically DONE!!.
Sprinkle cilantro and parsley over the rice and serve.
On Saturday we can slow down a bit. We don’t need to rush out of the house to make it on time to school or work. Since I feel I have been neglecting the family since I went back to work… I decided to make something special this Saturday morning. What can be more special then a batch of homemade cake doughnuts?
The key to making these doughnuts at home early (but not too early) on a Saturday morning is prepping the dough the night before. That way the morning of, you can roll out the dough and fry up your delicious breakfast treat.
Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1-¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2/3 cup buttermilk
¼ cup melted butter
Vegetable oil for frying
Glaze- recipe below*
Toppings- Sprinkles
Special Equipment: Fryer Thermometer
Method:
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix to combine and set aside.
In another bowl combine the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. In a third bowl, combine the buttermilk and the melted butter, whisk to combine.
Add the egg mixture and the milk mixture into the flour and beat on low. The dough will be too stiff to mix, finish mixing by hand to pull in all the left over flour in the bowl. Make a ball of dough and place in a large ziplock bag.
Chill dough for a minimum of 2 hours. I like to make the dough the night before, that way I can make a fresh batch of doughnuts in the morning. There’s nothing worse than a bunch of hangry kids in the morning. So save yourself a step, and make the dough the night before. :)
Before you pull out the dough from the fridge and start to fry your doughnuts, make your donut glaze. This way, you’re ready for them once they cool off a bit.
Chocolate Glaze: In a small saucepan melt 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate and 3 tablespoons butter over low heat and keep warm to achieve a better glaze on the doughnuts.
Powdered Sugar Icing: In a small bowl combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk and ¼ teaspoon vanilla.
Once you’re ready to get going… roll out the dough on a well floured surface. You want to make sure that your dough is 1/2” thick. Use a 2” biscuit cutter to cut out the doughnuts. I like to use a smaller star cutter to cut out the donut hole. Cut out as many doughnuts as you can, then re-roll the scraps and repeat the process.
Using a thermometer, heat your oil to 365 degrees. Drop the doughnut into the heated oil and fry until golden brown about 2 - 3 minutes on each side.
Allow doughnuts to drain on a cooling racker 1 - 2 minutes, then proceed to glaze and add sprinkles.
It’s summer and that can only mean one thing. Summer cookouts!
It’s the perfect time of year for coming together around the heat of a Weber grill in anticipation of some delicious smoked brisket, or a classic burger.
However, no summer cookout is complete without dessert. Yes, you can have ice cream. Yes, you can have your classic summer fruit pies. Let me tell you, nothing beats the simplicity and deliciousness of a homemade cobbler.
The warm fluffy biscuits floating delicately over the bubbly fruit filling is the perfect end to summer cookout. The best thing about the cobbler? It comes together quickly, and It travels well. So pack up the kids, and head over to your neighbors with this cobbler. I guarantee you’ll be invited back… along with your cobbler. ;)
Ingredients:
For the dough-
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 1⁄2 tsp. baking powder
1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
1⁄2 cup milk
3 tablespoons of butter, plus 1 tablespoon to butter your dish
For fruit filling-
¾ cups of sugar
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
2 cups fresh strawberries, halved
2 cups pitted cherries
½ teaspoons of lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Method:
Heat oven to 400°
Grease an 8" x 8" baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon of sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. With your fingers, work in remaining 3 tablespoons butter into flour until pea-size lumps form. Stir in milk to form a dough, knead to combine into a ball of dough.
Whisk ¾ cup of sugar, and cornstarch in a medium sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Add strawberries and cherries; cook until thickened, about 7 minutes.
Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and vanilla extract.
Pour filling into baking dish.
Portion dough into 8 balls. Place dough evenly over the fruit filling, and bake until golden brown and bubbling, about 35 minutes.
YUM!!
On my first day of school at Le Cordon Bleu we learned how to make two recipes. The first dish was fish provencal en papillote. The second was this cherry clafoutis that I’m going to share with you.
I will admit, I had absolutely no idea how to even say clafoutis (cla-fou-tee); much less how to make one.
Having never heard of a clafoutis, and it being my first day made me feel a little bit VERY intimidated of making food for a culinary instructor for the first time. Thinking back… my classmates were probably just as scared and intimidated as I was.
After some quick introductions we jumped right into the demo. Watching our Chef whip up this dessert in less than 45 minutes (prep and bake time) was mesmerizing. He made it look so easy; pit, mix, whip, pour, bake… wha-la! A beautiful dessert was pulled out of the oven after 30 minutes of baking. But now it was our turn, and watching a pro is very different than having me, a first time student in a commercial kitchen execute the dish with the exact precision and grace as a culinary pro. Did I fumble? Yes. But the beauty of this dish is that it’s very forgiving, and you really can’t screw it up. Don’t believe me? Give it a try, I’m sure you’ll knock it out of the park. After-all, you’re not going to be graded on your end product, you my friend get to enjoy this delicious dish without the stress of passing class.
Cherry Clafoutis-
Ingredients:
1 pound of cherries, pitted
½ cup of flour
½ cup of granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1-½ cups of milk
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 eggs, slightly beaten
For the baking dish:
2 tablespoons of butter
¼ cup of granulated sugar
Garnish:
¼ cup of powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Sift flour into a large bowl, add the sugar and the pinch of salt.
Stir in the milk, vanilla, and eggs- whisk to combine.
Butter and sugar your baking dish, spread the cherries evenly over the bottom of the baking dish and pour the batter over the mixture.
Bake for 30 - 40 minutes until or until the center of the clafoutis is set and the edges have begun to brown.
Once the clafoutis has cooled a bit, sprinkle the powdered sugar on top.
Serve warm or at room temperature
My daughter loves chocolate chip muffins for breakfast. I know there are healthier and better options I should be giving her, BUT when you’re trying to get out the door to make it to work on time, fighting over what she’ll eat for breakfast is the absolute last thing I want to do.
In the past I would purchase muffins from the store, and she would have them before heading off to school. However, after reading the amount of chemicals that are baked into the store bought muffins, I started making my own. Here’s the recipe I use. It’s not a healthy version, or a version that sneaks veggies into the batter. It’s a straight up muffin that makes my morning easier and gets me to work on time.
Ingredients:
3 cups All-purpose flour
4 teaspoons Baking powder
½ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
2 Eggs
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Almond milk ( or regular milk)
½ cup Canola Oil
1 teaspoon Almond extract
1 and ½ cups Dark chocolate chips
¼ cup Demerara sugar for sprinkling on muffins (optional)
Directions:
Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.
Spray your muffin tin with non-stick spray, or add muffin (cupcake) liners to the tin. Set aside until ready to use.
In a large bowl combine; flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
In another bowl, combine the eggs and sugar and whisk until combined. Add the almond milk, canola oil, and almond extract.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and whisk by hand until combined. Be sure to scrape the sides of bowl to get any of the dry flour at the bottom of the bowl.
Once all the flour has been incorporated fold in 1 and ¼ cups of chocolate chips. Reserve the last ¼ cup for the top of the muffins.
Fill the prepared muffin tin until the muffin cups are three-quarters full. Top the muffin batter with the remaining chocolate chips.
Sprinkle the Demerara sugar over the muffin tops. (optional)
Bake the muffins at 375 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden and the centers are set.
Remove the muffins from the oven and cool for 5 - 10 minutes over a wire rack.
The muffins are best the day of the bake, but will hold in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For muffins that have been stored in the fridge. Warm the muffins in the microwave for 5 -10 seconds to soften and make the chocolate chips melty and gooey.
Have you seen the new Chef’s Table on Netflix? I love that series; it always makes me hangry hungry. The latest season is dedicated to desserts and showcased Chef Christina Tosi from The Milk Bar. Having been to the Milk Bar in Las Vegas, I remember having the Cereal Milk soft serve and thinking… I wish this were ice cream. Not that it was bad, not by any means. The soft serve was absolutely delicious. I’m just more of an ice cream person.
Many months went by and I forgot about the soft serve. That is, until I saw it pop up on Netflix a few days ago and was inspired to turn it into an ice cream. (I know, I’m late to the game, but I’ve been catching up on shows while the girls are visiting their grandparents in CA.)
So here we are. Cereal Milk Ice Cream made with love and lots of full fat milk.
Ps. I was going to use Fruity Pebbles, but my nephew ate my box of cereal before I could get to making the ice cream. So Cocoa Krispies were the star of the show.
Ingredients-
3 cups Frosted Flakes cereal
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cups half and half
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup Cocoa Krispies cereal for garnish
Special equipment: Ice cream maker
Instructions-
Preheat the oven to 300° F.
Spread the cereal on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Cool completely.
Combine cooled Corn Flakes and whole milk in a bowl.
Steep for 20 minutes. Strain the mixture through a mesh sieve, pushing the soggy cornflakes against the sides with a spatula to get all the milk, set aside.
In a small pot over low heat, stir together milk, cream, sugar, and salt until the sugar dissolves.
In a separate bowl, whisk the yolks. Add a splash of the warm milk mixture into the yolks, whisk to mix. Pour the yolks into the pot with the milk, and put the whole thing over medium-low heat.
Cook, stirring constantly, for about five minutes, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. You’ve just made a custard! You Go! :)
Strain the mixture through a mesh sieve into a plastic container.
After your custard has chilled in the fridge for at least 4 hours, you’re ready to churn your ice cream.
It took about 15 minutes to churn my custard into ice cream with my KitchenAid attachment. You know when its ready when you hear the churn attachment struggling to turn.
Add a cup of cereal to the ice cream and fold in with a spatula to keep the cereal intact. (I used Cocoa Krispies, but you can use your cereal of choice.)
Transfer your ice cream to a plastic container and allow it to set, or you can enjoy it straight out of the ice cream maker. No judgement.
Scoop your ice cream into a cone, or cup and top with more cereal, or not… Its really up to you.
We’re back in action after a fun filled weekend in San Diego. This time around we stayed in the heart of downtown and enjoyed all the great eats the city has to offer. Our first stop was breakfast at The Donut Bar, a local favorite that has been named “The Best Donut” by USA Today. But I’m not here to talk about the donuts that we had, although they were amazing, I’m here to show you how to make the French Toast Donut (inspired by our visit to the Donut Bar). First off, let me tell you, it’s super easy. Don’t believe me? Let me ask you a simple question. Can you make French Toast? Yes? then you can rock this French Toast Donut. :-)
Ingredients
4 sugar coated donuts, with tops removed (bottoms are optional- but I find that if you keep the bottom part on it gives the donut better structure)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons of milk
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons of butter separated into one tablespoon portions for cooking toast
*Powdered sugar, strawberries, and maple syrup for toppings
Method
Beat the egg, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of butter.
Dunk the donut in egg mixture soaking both sides. Place in hot pan with butter, and cook on both sides until golden. Repeat the process with the remaining donuts.
Sprinkle the Donut French toast with powdered sugar, add some fresh strawberries, and drizzle with maple syrup.
See… Easy Peezy. The hardest part is getting out of bed to go purchase the donuts.
Enjoy.
I’m always looking for a way to incorporate booze into my life. I may, or may not have a problem. For the time being, and for the sake of this post… let’s say I don’t. :P
Here’s a recipe that will help you use up that left over watermelon from that weekend party you had, or maybe you bought a watermelon specifically for this purpose. Either way… you’re in for a treat. :)
P.S. It’s hot here in AZ. Please send sunblock and more vodka. We’re almost out. ;)
Ingredients
1 cup simple syrup
8 cups cubed seedless watermelon
1 tablespoon of fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 ounces vodka
Special Equipment-
Ice cream maker*
Instructions
Blend the watermelon in a food processor until smooth. Add in the lime juice, vodka, and simple syrup. Blend again just to make sure the ingredients are mixed. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn until slushy. You can have it as a slushy at this point, or package into a plastic container and freeze until solid. ( I had some empty Talenti Gelato containers that I repurposed).
When ready to serve, scoop into a glass. For an added kick, pour a 1oz shot of vodka over the sorbet.
*not really a deal breaker if you don’t have an ice cream maker. You can pour the contents of the blender into a cookie sheet (might need more than one cookie sheet for the amount made) and freeze a thin layer of sorbet. When the sorbet has set, scrape with a fork, and make your own slushy.