Taco Rice Bowl with Seasoned Black Beans

Build our own Taco Rice Bowl! This is a super simple recipe to make for any weeknight or weekend if you just want something easy. Plus, you can add to it what you do and do not like.

A few weeks back, John had dental work done - I think I mentioned it. Anyway, he was ordered to eat softer foods for at least a week. He was craving tacos, but obviously could not have crunchy shells so I decided to throw together all the elements of a standard taco - sans shell.

Taco Rice Bowl
Serves 4

Ingredients (you have a lot of flexibility here):

• 1 pound taco meat cooked (ground meat with taco seasoning)
• 1 can black or refried beans prepared (black bean recipe to follow)
• 1 package Mexican or Spanish style rice prepared (buy boxed or make the equivalent of 1 cup uncooked rice from scratch)
• Toppings of your choice (lettuce, tomato, avocado, cheese, jalapeno, onion, sour cream, ranch, tortilla chips if you haven't just had dental work, etc.)

How to Assemble Taco Rice Bowls:

1. Layer your ingredients in a bowl. That was easy :) Here is the order I used - taco meat, black beans, rice, lettuce, then all the other toppings. 

Here is a bonus! For the black beans, I do not just open up the can and heat them up because that would be pretty gross. For me, everything has to have flavor. 

Seasoned Black Beans Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans with juice
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1/4" onion diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced

How to Make Seasoned Black Beans:

1. Combine all of your ingredients in a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat until done. your onion should be translucent and your beans soft. This takes about 15-20 minutes. 

Seasoned black beans

Rice

Taco meat

All the toppings

Enjoy!

- H

Sausage Kale Potato Soup

Soup again? Well, as the weather continues to be abnormally cold in San Diego I am taking full advantage of it. I could eat soup for every meal - and sometimes I do - but John could not. He is definitely one of those seasonal soup eaters...which, I will just never understand.

Sausage kale potato soup happens to be a favorite for both of us.  It is packed with Italian sausage, potatoes, and kale (hence the name of the soup) then finished off with a little bit of cream. It is hearty, delicious, creamy, and the kale really holds up and adds a nice earthy element.

Sausage Kale Potato Soup

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

• 1 - 1.5 pounds Italian Sausage, pork, turkey, or chicken - if you like it spicy then get hot
• .25 pounds pancetta or bacon diced
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled, cut in half, then cut into 1/4" slices
• 1 bunch kale removed from the stem and ripped into 1-2" pieces
• 1 medium onion diced
• 4-5 cloves of garlic minced
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 boxes chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make Sausage Kale Potato Soup:

1. Drizzle a large stock pot with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil. Add your Italian sausage and saute over medium high heat until it is brown. Break the sausage up into smaller chunks as you saute it. If you are going to drain and rinse your sausage do it at this point, then add it back into the stock pot. 
2. In the meantime, in a small saute pan over medium heat, cook your pancetta or bacon until it is crisp and brown. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. 
3. Reduce your stock pot to medium heat and add your onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to your sausage mixture. Cook until your onion starts to become translucent. Make sure you continually stir so your garlic doesn't' burn. 
4. Add in your crispy pancetta or bacon and your chicken stock. Bring the soup to a boil then turn down to a simmer for 1 hour. 
5. Add in your potatoes and cook for 30 minutes more at a simmer. When your potatoes have cooked for about 20 minutes, recheck your seasoning because they have a tendency to soak up all your salt. Add additional salt and pepper as needed. 
6. Add in your kale and cream and return to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes more so all flavors are combined. 

I like to serve this up with some delicious garlic bread. It is so good when you dunk it in the soup! 

Enjoy!

-H

Double Fried French Fries

I love fries! Who am I kidding, everyone loves fries! I read an article a few weeks back from a French physician and he recommended that you should only eat six fries for a serving - let's just say I think the guy is nuts.

These homemade french fries are super delicious. Crispy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside - just the perfect little fry!

Double Fried French Fries
Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 extra large or 2 large russet potatoes
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 quarts vegetable oil

How to make double fried french fries:

1. Wash your potato and cut it into 1/3" sticks. Cut your potato into 1/3" slices, then cut the slices into sticks. 
2. Place in a bowl and cover with water for several hours. 
3. 30 minutes before frying, drain your potatoes and pat them dry. 
4. In a large dutch oven or deep fryer, heat your oil to 300 degrees.
5. Place your cut potatoes in the oil and cook until just tender, but not brown. This usually takes 8-12 minutes. Note: you may have to do this in batches depending upon how big your dutch oven or fryer is. 
6. Remove the potatoes and let drain on some paper towels. 
7. Bring your oil temperature up to 375 degrees. 
8. Drop your par cooked potatoes into the oil two handfuls at a time and let them get crispy and gold brown. This will take 3-4 minutes.
9. Remove the potatoes and drain. Immediately toss with salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. 

Par cooked. 

Bubbling away. 

Finished product! Yum!

These are super easy to make and will definitely elevate your meal.

Enjoy!

-H

Reverse Seared Tri Tip

Continuing our week on with the beef theme, let's talk about reverse seared tri tip! John and I really did not eat a lot of tri tip until the past couple of years. I am not sure why, but I think it was because I was under the impression that it is super hard to make and is a tough cut of meat. Boy, was I wrong on both accounts. It is super easy to make, is really quite forgiving, and is definitely tender. It isn't ribeye or filet mignon tender - it definitely has more bite to it than that - but it is tender none the less.

One of my favorite ways to cook trip tip is to reverse sear it. What is reverse searing you ask? Exactly what it sounds like! You cook your meat low and slow until it is almost to the internal temperature that you like then you take it off, let it rest to the point that the temperature stops rising (about 20 minutes), then finally crank the heat up on your grill to inferno level hot (okay, okay 500 degrees ish) and sear on all sides for a few minutes until you get a nice crust on the meat. The result is a super tender inside with an awesome crust on the outside!

Reverse Sear Tri Tip
Plan on .5 pounds per person - I had a 2 pound trip tip so it served 4

Ingredients:
1 tri tip seasoned to your liking

How to Make Reverse Sear Tri Tip (rare):

1. Set your smoker for indirect cooking at 250 degrees. For the BGE, that is with the convEGGtor in.
2. Season your tri tip and let it rest for about 30 minutes while your smoker/grill comes up to temperature.
3. Place the tri tip on your smoker and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 115 degrees. Remove and cover with foil to let it rest for about 15-20 minutes. If you leave a thermometer in your meat, you will know it is ready to go on when the temperature stops rising.
4. Switch to a direct heat. For the BGE this means removing the convEGGtor. Open up all your vents and let the smoker heat up to 500 degrees. 
5. Sear the tri tip on high heat for 2-3 minutes per side.
6. Remove and let rest for another 10 minutes. Slice against the grain. 

Letting the tri tip rest before searing.

After searing just waiting to be cut. 

If you don't like your meat rare, here is a handy little guide to help you with your cooking temp. You will remove from the grill (before searing) about 10 degrees below your desired doneness level.

• 120-125 rare
• 130-135 medium rare
• 140-145 medium
• Tri tip is not great well done, so don't cook it beyond this point :)

Hope you enjoy this method of cooking!

-H & J

Beef and Barley Stew

This week is all about beef! John and I traveled to Ireland this past fall and the Irish are all about their stews. To be honest though, who doesn't love a good stew? They are just so thick and warm and comfort in a bowl. At every pub we went to, they had a beef or lamb stew on the menu served with their traditional Irish soda bread and it was oh so delicious.

Since it has been so cold in San Diego lately- seriously though, it was in the high 30s last night - I have been making a lot of soups and stews. This is a pretty basic beef stew recipe, but it is kicked up a notch with some barley. The barley adds an extra layer of texture and all around yummy-ness to this simple stew! I also like to use Guinness in my beef stew as it adds an extra layer of flavor and it is what the Irish would do, but if you are opposed to the idea of Guinness then just add in additional beef stock. Your stew will be just as tasty!

Beef and Barley Stew
Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds beef stew meat cubed
• 1 medium onion diced
• 4-5 stalks of celery diced
• 3 carrots diced
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 2 russet potatoes diced
• 1 cup barley
• 2 bottles of Guinness (optional - if you don't want to use Guinness, just add more beef stock)
• 2 boxes of beef stock
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
• 1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh or dried rosemary minced

How to Make Beef and Barley Stew:

1. Drizzle a large stock pot with extra virgin olive oil. Add your stew meat and saute over medium high heat until your meat is brown. Salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add in the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic and cook until your onions are translucent. Season the entire mix with your red pepper flakes, thyme and rosemary. Stir to combine and cook for a few minutes more. 
3. Add in your beer and 1.5 boxes/quarts of beef stock. 
4. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 1 hour. 
5. Add in your potatoes and bring back to a simmer. 
6. In the meantime, cook your barley by adding the barley and .5 box of beef stock in a medium sauce pan. Basically, you will combine your ingredients (don't forget to season with salt and pepper), bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes until the barley is soft. 
7. Add the cooked barley to your beef stew mix. 
8. Simmer for an additional 30 minutes so all flavors meld together and combine. 

Enjoy!

-H

Beer and BBQ Sauce Brisket Burnt Ends

A few weeks ago, I posted a recipe for smoked brisket. Well, turns out that 5 lb point cut brisket yielded A LOT and we were left with a ton of leftovers! Enter - Beer and BBQ Sauce Brisket Burnt Ends! Even better, I made a delicious spicy slaw for John so he could make a Brisket Burnt End sandwich. Let's just say that he loved it.

For reference, here is my recipe for the smoked point cut brisket. Again, I just used the leftovers that we had, but you could easily make this recipe from the get go if you are a big fan of burnt ends.

Beer and BBQ Sauce Brisket Burnt Ends
Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

• Leftover point cut beef brisket 3-4 pounds cut into 1" cubes
• 1/2-3/4 bottle Stubbs Spicy BBQ Sauce
• 1/2 can bud light or light beer

How to Make Brisket Burnt Ends:

Starting the grill:

1. 30 minutes before placing your brisket on the smoker, remove it from the refrigerator and cut into cubes. 
2. 15 minutes before placing your brisket on the smoker, light your smoker. When lighting your charcoal, I like to make sure the vents are open and the daisy wheel is off. 
3. When you are ready to place your burnt ends on, put in your plate setter (this allows for indirect heat) and place your grill on top.  
4. Close the lid and adjust your vents, daisy wheel, etc. so you can get up to a cooking temp/smoking temp of 250 degrees. 

Making your Beer and BBQ Sauce Brisket Burnt Ends:

1. In a disposable pan, combine your brisket, BBQ sauce, and beer. 
2. Place in your preheated smoker and let them smoke until they turn into crispy, little burnt end nuggets (2-2.5 hours).

There is no need to season your brisket again (other than your bbq sauce and beer) since it is already seasoned and smoked. You can eat these plain or serve them up on a sandwich! Either way they are super yummy! You can also make burnt ends right after you are done smoking your brisket initially. You basically just leave your grill lit then cut up your brisket and combine with sauce. 

Here is a peak at the process of making the burnt ends, so you can see the stages of getting them to burnt ends. 

John is very happy!

Enjoy!

- H & J

Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

I have not always been a big baker, but the last few months I have learned to like it. I think I was hesitant because you do not get to have a ton of creativity with baking - meaning you actually do need to use precise measurements. I know some people get really into baking and they weigh their ingredients...let's just say that I am not there yet. I will stick to my good ole measuring cups and spoons!

These peanut butter cookies are super soft and packed with that delicious peanut butter flavor. John prefers his peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips, so you get a two for one today. Plain and with chocolate.

Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes 24-30 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1.5 cups of peanut butter (chunky or smooth - you choose)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed tight
• 1 egg, room temp
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 cups flour
• 1-2 cups chocolate chips (optional)

How to make soft peanut butter cookies:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. In a stand mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter, and both sugars. 
3. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to mix.
4. In a small bowl, combine the salt, baking soda, and flour. 
5. Turn your mixer on low and slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into your wet ingredients. 
6. If you plan to add chocolate chips, add them at this point. 
7. Shape the dough into 1 to 1.5" balls and arrange on your baking sheet. 
8. Flatten each ball by making an "x" with a fork. Don't smash them, just flatten a bit. 
9. Bake for 9-11 minutes. If you put two trays in at once, rotate them halfway through. 
10. Let rest on your baking sheet for 3-4 minutes before moving to a cooking rack. 

Well, I am off to Viva Las Vegas for the weekend, so i'll catch up next week.

Enjoy!

-H

Tamale Tuesday

When John and I first moved to California we lived in Santa Monica about a block away from the Saturday Farmer's Market. It was the best - you could walk over and get all your fruits, veggies, bread, etc. for the week - AND they had this amazing tamale stand. I mean, these tamales were so good! I could never do them justice describing them, but just know they were so yummy! Nice and fluffy, full of flavor, and definitely made with love! As we would walk by, the little old lady who made and sold the tamales used to sing a catchy little tune "two tamales for five dollars, two tamales for five dollars." AND hook, line, and sinker we bought them every weekend!

Now that we live in San Diego, we have yet to find some amazing tamales, so I had to learn to make them from scratch. I have been working on this recipe - tweaking it - changing a little of this or a little of that - for several years. This is one of the more complex recipes I will share on the blog. It takes a lot of time. In fact, it takes two days - so be patient!

Pork Tamales
Makes about 20 large tamales

Ingredients:
Day 1

• 2 lb bone in pork butt
• 10 cloves garlic
• 1 sweet onion 
• Salt and Pepper
• 3 boxes chicken stock
• 5-6 California Chili’s (dry)
• 8-10 Chile de Arbol
• 3 cups broth from porkGarlic and onion from pork
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp cuminSalt and pepper to taste.

How to make tamales day 1:

1. Season the pork roast with salt and pepper. Add oil to a large stock pot and sear the pork roast on all sides. Add the onion (peeled and cut in half) and garlic to the pan. Add the chicken stock. Cover and simmer for 6-7 hours. Remove the pork from the stock, remove the bone, and shred. Strain the broth (save for day two and your chili sauce) and reserve the onion and garlic for the chili sauce. 
2. De-stem and de-seed your chili’s. Add chili’s, onion, garlic, seasoning, and 2-3 cups of broth from the pork to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 mins with the lid on. Once chili’s are soft, transfer to a blender along with liquid. Blend until smooth. Strain to remove seeds. 
3. Add just over a cup of the chili sauce to your pork mixture and mix well. It should not be soupy, just nicely coated in sauce. Save the rest for day two. Refrigerate everything overnight.

Ingredients
Day 2

• 5 cups maseca
• 5 cups reserved broth
• 3/4 cup chili sauce
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp salt2
•  cups lard
• Corn husks

How to make tamales day 2:

1. Soak your corn husks in hot water for a minimum of one hour. You can do this, while you make the masa. 
2. Place 5 cups maseca, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Skim the fat off your reserved broth (this is easy to do when it’s been refrigerated overnight). Add reserved broth from pork and chili sauce. Mix well until everything is combined. In a separate bowl, add the lard. Mix the lard on medium high speed for about two minutes. You want it light and fluffy. Now, add your prepared maseca mix to the lard and continue to blend for 3-4 mins until everything is combined. Should be like a hummus/peanut butter texture. 
3. To assemble, spread a scoop of masa on a corn husk that you’ve dried with a paper towel. Should be about 1/4 inch thick. Add a scoop of meat (1 - 2 tbsp). Fold the edges of the corn husk over, then fold the bottom up. Leave the top exposed. 
4. Steam tamales standing up right for an hour and fifteen minutes. Unwrap and serve with the chili sauce or top with Chile verde.

I added roasted jalapenos to some of these for a little extra kick!

You can serve these plain, with some hot sauce, or with some yummy chile verde on top. They also freeze really well too and can be popped in the microwave for a few minutes to heat up. Since they take so long to make, I recommend making extra, so you have them on hand.

Enjoy!

- H

Smoked Turkey, Potato, and Corn Chowder

Poor John had some dental work done this past week and his mouth is super sore. Turns out, he needs three crowns and a root canal. Let's just say they started the process of getting his teeth ready for the crowns and that involved some bone drilling! Yikes! I won't give you anymore of the details, but you can imagine how sore his mouth is.

He has strict orders to eat soft foods for a  while. Do you know how hard that is? Well, it is hard! I decided to whip up a batch of chowder and purposefully over cook the potatoes, so they were super soft. This actually worked out well because I got a really creamy effect and great texture without having to add a slurry of any sorts or cream.

I found the smoked turkey legs pre-smoked. They really taste like a smoked pork shank, but obviously have less fat. If you can't find pre-smoked turkey legs, you could smoke your own or just use regular turkey breast or chicken breast. I make this soup all the time with cut up chicken breast and it is super yummy. This is also a one pot meal, so hardly any clean up!

Smoked Turkey, Potato, and Corn Chowder
Makes 6 large bowls

Ingredients:

• 2 large smoked turkey legs - skin removed and meat shredded (alternately use 1 pound chicken or turkey breast cut into chunks)
• 3 carrots diced
• 5 celery stalks diced
• 1/2 onion diced
• 2 potatoes diced
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 can of corn
• 2 boxes chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

How to Make Smoked Turkey, Potato, and Corn Chowder

1. Drizzle a large stock pot with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil. Add the turkey, carrots, celery, and onion and saute over medium high heat until your vegetables just start to get soft.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
3. Add in the potatoes and garlic and saute for 1-2 more minutes. 
4. Add in the can of corn and the chicken stock. 
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so you have a nice simmer going on. 
6. Adjust your seasoning - your potatoes will suck up a good deal of salt, so you will most likely need to add more. Just taste as you add to assure it is to your liking. 
7. Simmer for 2-3 hours until your chowder becomes nice and thick due to the starch in the potatoes. 

This is a super comforting soup and is also very filing. 

Enjoy!

- H

Corned Beef Hash - not from a can!

John's favorite meal is breakfast. Not just any breakfast...He loves a nice, hearty breakfast that holds you over until dinner. Well, this corned beef hash that is not from a can gives you exactly that!

This is such a super easy recipe to make because I just use the store bought corned beef from the deli. I mean, you could use leftover corned beef if you have some on hand, which I do...once a year...the day after St. Patty's! The key is to have the deli slice your corned beef super thick (1/2") so you get nice big chunks. This seems simple enough, but for some reason it takes 2 or 3 tries for the deli to get it right. If you are like me, you just keep eating their mistake pieces until they get it right! :)

Top this off with an over easy egg, some hot sauce, and some green onions and just call it a day!

Corned Beef Hash
Makes 5 hefty servings

Ingredients:

• 1 bag frozen hash browns
• 1/2 an onion diced
• 1-2 jalapeños sliced (optional)
• 1 pound corned beef from the deli cut into chunks (1/2" to 1")
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Sliced green onions

How to make Corned Beef Hash:

1. Melt your butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
2. Add in your hash browns and season to taste. 
3. Cook your hash browns until they are about 3/4 of the way done - starting to get brown and crispy. 
4. Slide the hash browns to one side of the pan and add in the onion and jalapeno. Saute for 4-5 minutes continually stirring so they don't get burned. Also, remember to watch your hash browns so they do not get burned. 
5. Combine the hash browns and your veggie mixture. Slide this over to one half of the pan and add in your corned beef. Saute the corned beef until it starts to brown. 
6. Combine the hash browns with the corned beef and continue to brown until you have the right level of crispiness for you. This usually takes 2-3 minutes. 

Super hearty, super delicious, and just down right yummy! Here are some additional pics:

Look at all that meat!

Just enjoying Saturday and patiently waiting for breakfast. 

This is how we weekend!

I do not like eggs, so here is the hash sans the egg!

He is so happy :)

This is a great recipe to try out going into the weekend!

Enjoy!

- H