Beef Fajitas

Fajitas. Fajitas are this great little food that just so happens to be an absolute cinch to make! Living here in New Mexico they are pretty common, but I haven't really cared for them until recently. So, for today I give you my recipe for Beef Fajitas and later I will give you my recipe for Shrimp Fajitas.

Beef Fajitas

2 Chuck Steaks

1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder

1/2 Tbsp. Season Salt

1/2 Tbsp. Fajita Seasoning

1/2 Tbsp. Lemon Pepper

5 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

3 Tbsp. Liquid Smoke

1/2 Large Red Onion, sliced

2 Bell Peppers any color (I used a orange, half a yellow and half a red)

1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

Pinch of Kosher Salt

Fajita Tortillas

In a large bag place the first seven ingredients, seal the bag, shake and set in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours. Remove from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Remove from the bag and pat dry with paper towels. On a grill cook for about 5 minutes on each side. If you don't want to use a grill you can pan fry them as well, they just taste better on the grill. Once steaks are done cooking place on a platter and allow them to rest for at least 10 minutes. This will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. 

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. Once the pan is heated, add the bell peppers and saute for about 5 minutes, then add the onions and saute until the onions are translucent and peppers are as tender as you desire. I like mine with a little crunch so I only saute them for an additional 3 minutes. 

Once everything is done, place meat on a cutting board and cut against the grain. That means find the way the lines run and cut the meat the opposite way. Imagine it looks like a piece of wood. This helps ensure the meat is tender. Make sure the slices are thin so they are easier to eat. Then place some meat, peppers and onions, tortillas, cheese, sour cream, guacamole and whatever else you like with your fajitas on a plate and eat it up!!! 

"Devouring worlds, one book and recipe at a time."

Chinese Soup

You all know I love to experiment with cupcakes and I am sure that most of you know that I also like to just flat out experiment in the kitchen. This recipe is just one of those lovely little experiments. The first time I made this, I didn't know if it would turn out the way I imagined it in my head so I didn't bother to write it down or take pictures, and boy am I kicking myself in the butt for that one! It was amazing! The picture above is attempt number 2, still good, but I think I might have missed something. Lesson learned, never cook without my notebook....NEVER!

So, here it is......

Chinese Soup

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 Bunch Chives, roughly chopped (as you can see I didn't in this picture, but in the original recipe I did)

64 oz. Chicken Broth

6 Cups Water

6 Beef Bouillon Cubes

6 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

6 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 tsp. Ground Mustard

1 tsp. Powdered Ginger

2 tsp. Kosher Salt

1 tsp. Ground Pepper

1 Cup Shredded Carrots

2 Cups Fresh Bean Sprouts

2 8 oz. Pkg. of Chinese Noodles

In a large stock pot, place chicken broth, water, beef bouillon, chives, garlic, Worcestershire Sauce, and soy sauce (first 7 ingredients) and place over medium heat. Stir occasionally and smash the bouillon cubes every once in a while. Bring to a boil, add the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the noodles! Cook until the sprouts and carrots are hot. Fill another large stock pot with water and place over high heat, bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add both packages of Chinese noodles and cook for 3 minutes, drain and rinse. To assemble your soup, take a tong full of noodles (however much you want) place in the bottom of the bowl and then ladle broth over the noodles. This will allow you to control the amount of broth and noodles each serving gets. The chicken I made for my potsticker recipe, which can be found here: Potsticker Perfection was also used in the soup. Feel free to put any meat you choose or go meatless!!! 

Another super simple recipe! Enjoy! 

Super Easy Guacamole

Okay, I know it has been a while since I have posted anything on this blog, and for that I am truly sorry. Life was crazy as I was studying for finals and writing papers for what was the last couple of weeks of Graduate School, but I am happy to report that school is now over, so I now have a little free time. This should mean more food blogging....I hope.

For my first day blog on the food blog, I have decided to keep things simple and easy.

Guacamole

3 Avocados, chopped

1/2 Cup Red Onion, diced

1 Garlic Clove, minced

1/2 Cup Sliced Jalapenos

3/4 Cup Diced Tomatoes, seeded

Juice of 2 Limes

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

1 tsp. Jalapeno Juice

In a medium bowl combine the above ingredients and mix with a fork. I like my guacamole with chunks of avocado, so I do not mash my guacamole, but if you like your's smooth then feel free to use your fork and mash the mixture as you mix it. Note: as you mix it, a majority of the avocado's will smash anyways. Then all you do is taste it and check for spice. Add more salt, jalapeno or lime juice if needed. Serve it with your favorite chips, or with Fajitas, like I did. To store your guacamole, place the seed of the avocado in the middle of the guacamole, cover and refrigerate, in order to prevent browning. Or cover it with plastic wrap making sure to push the plastic wrap down on top of the guacamole and up the sides of the bowl. The key here is to keep out the air to prevent it from browning. Note: the lime juice will not prevent it from browning.

What do you think? Simple, huh?

Potsticker Perfection

This weekend was international house of food at my house! Saturday I celebrated all things Chinese with homemade potstickers and Chinese noodle soup, while Sunday I celebrated Mexican by making homemade Beef and Shrimp Fajitas! So we traveled far this weekend, well our taste buds did anyway. And I am going to share all these lovely little recipes with you! I know, I'm nice right?! Well don't tell anybody. 

So here's the deal with these potstickers.....

Potstickers

2 Chicken Breasts, small dice

1 1/2 tsp. Season Salt

1 1/2 tsp. Ginger (powdered)

1 Garlic Cloves, minced

1/4 tsp. Ground Mustard

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire 

1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp. Canola Oil

3/4 Cup Carrots, shredded

3/4 Cup Cabbage, shredded

Wonton Wrappers

2 Tbsp. Oil for frying

In a large skillet heat canola oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add chicken and all the seasonings, and cook until the chicken starts to turn white. Then add the Worcestershire and soy sauce and continue to cook until the chicken is fully cooked. The chicken will be white in the middle or an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Then add in the shredded carrots and cabbage, saute for another minute and then remove from the heat. 

Fill a large pan with water, just like you are going to boil pasta, and bring to a boil. Fill a small bowl with water and set near your potsticker assembly station. Spoon about a tablespoon of the mixture in the middle of a wonton wrapper, dip your finger in the water and run your finger around all four outer edges of the wrapper. Then fold in half like a triangle and crimp closed. Repeat about 100 times....okay so not quite 100 but it will feel like it by the time you are done. I made 24 before I gave up and we all grubbed on the leftover mix. Once the potstickers are done, place about 6 in the boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from the water and place aside. Continue until all the potstickers have been boiled. At this point you can eat them, but I like mine crunchy, so I pan fry them. In the skillet you saute'd the chicken, place 2 Tbsp. canola oil, place about 8 potstickers in the pan, if you can, and cook until the side is golden brown, then turn on another side and cook until it is golden brown. Repeat until all sides are golden brown. Remove from the pan and place on some paper towels. Repeat until all the potstickers are fried. 

They should look something like this.....

Don't they look yummy??? Well they are and now you get to do the fun part, EAT THEM!!! Enjoy! 

Toffee Crunch Cheesecake

This weekend, I was a baking and cooking fool! Just one of the things I made this weekend was this little number. Now it has been over 10 years since I have made a cheesecake and it was never something that I really perfected. But after growing into something of a baker I decided to give the elusive cheesecake another try. But as you all know, I don't post recipes on this blog that aren't original to me so naturally I had to create my own cheesecake recipe too. (The real reason I created my own was because I couldn't bear the thought of putting sour cream in my cheesecake).

So here is my version of the cheesecake!

Graham Cracker Crust

Yield: 2 9 inch cakes

16 Graham Crackers, crushed

4 1/2 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar

8 Tbsp. Butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Take two 9 inch round cake pans, grease and coat with powdered sugar. In a medium bowl mix together the above ingredients with your hands. Mixture should feel slightly wet and should clump together. Take mixture and divide it in two. Place half of the mixture in each of the cake pans. Then using your hands press the graham cracker mixture down, until it completely covers the bottom of each cake pan. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and place to the side.

Toffee Crunch Cheesecake

Yield: 2 9inch cakes

3 8oz. Packages of Cream Cheese (at room temperature)

3 Eggs 

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 Milka Toffee Crunch Candy Bar, chopped (Can use any candy bar you want)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream cream cheese. Then add the sugar and cream together until the sugar is incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add vanilla and one egg, mix thoroughly. Then add another egg, again mixing thoroughly. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add the remaining egg and mix again. Add in candy bar and mix with a rubber spatula. Pour half the mixture over on graham cracker crust and the other half in the other pan. If you want a thick cheesecake just pour the entire batter in one pan. Place in the oven and cook for 35-40 minutes, or until the middle of the cheesecake has set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before eating.

What do you think? Do you like cheesecake?

"Devouring worlds, one book and recipe at a time."

S'more Cupcakes with Swirled Chocolate Buttercream and Whipped Cream Frosting

Okay, about two weeks ago I promised you a recipe for these beautiful cupcakes right up there, and of course things got crazy and I slacked on my food blogging duty! And I am sorry, as I sit here hanging my head in shame and eating my last S'more cupcake, I want you to know that today I am blogging a bunch of recipes, just for you lovely little people!!

Graham Cracker Crust

Yield: 18 cupcakes

5 Graham Crackers Crushed

4 Tbsp. Butter, melted

2 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar

Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl combine the above ingredients and mix with your hand. The mixture should feel slightly wet and you should be able to clump the mixture together. Then take your cupcake liners and place a small handful of the mixture in the bottom of each liner. Using your fingers, press the mixture down until the bottom of the liner is covered. If you would like you can press some of the mixture up the sides of the liner, but you don't have to. This will add a nice crunch on the bottom of your cupcake. Plus it acts as that graham cracker element! Place in the oven and cook about 8 minutes or until they start to turn a nice golden brown color, remove from the oven and set aside.

S'more Cupcake Recipe

1 Cup Milk chocolate chips

1 Cup Milk + 1 Tbsp. Lemon juice (This will make buttermilk)

1 3/4 Cup Flour

1 tsp. Baking soda

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

1/4 Cup Vegetable oil

3 Eggs
1 Bag of Large Marshmallows 

Heat oven 325 degrees. In a medium sauce pan melt chocolate and milk mixture and heat over medium heat, until the chocolate is completely melted, whisk together. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt. In small bowl combine eggs, and oil. Once the chocolate is cool add a little to the flour mixture and combine. Then add the egg mixture and mix thoroughly. Slowly add chocolate into mixture, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Mixture will be a little runny. Fill liners about 3/4 of the way; I like to use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to fill my liners, bake for 20 minutes, until cupcakes are just about done, then place half a large marshmallow in the middle of each cupcake. Place back in the oven and allow the cupcakes to cook for another 5 minutes. *Note* The marshmallow's will melt into the cupcakes, so don't freak out when you pull the cupcakes out and the marshmallows disappear! Remove from the oven, place on a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream

1 Cup Milk chocolate chips

2 Sticks Butter (salted or unsalted)

1 Cup Butter flavor Crisco

1 tsp. Vanilla

3 1/2 Cups Powdered sugar

In medium saucepan, combine chocolate and 1 stick of butter, place over medium heat and melt chocolate; whisk until butter and chocolate combine. Remove from the heat and allow chocolate to cool completely, you don't want your buttercream to melt! In a large bowl, or in your stand mixer cream together Butter Flavor Crisco and the other stick of butter. Add vanilla and 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and mix on medium speed. Add another 1/2 a cup of powdered sugar and mix thoroughly. Once chocolate is cool pour some chocolate into the creamed mixture and mix together. (Make sure you scrap the bowl before you add the next ingredient). Now continue to add 1/2 a cup of powdered sugar and chocolate until both ingredients have been completely used. Mixture should be thick enough to not fall off a spoon and easy enough to pipe. If the mixture is too soft add another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. If the mixture is too thick, add 1 Tbsp. of water, until the mixture reaches the desired thickness. Keep in mind that the temperature and humidity in your kitchen will effect the amount of powdered sugar needed to reach your desired thickness.

Whipped Cream Frosting

2 Cups Heavy whipping cream
1/2 Cup Powdered sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Cream bouquet emulsion (optional)

Place stainless steel bowl and whisk (beaters) in freezer for 5 minutes. Remove from the freezer and pour in the heavy whipping cream, vanilla and cream bouquet emulsion (if you have it, don't worry if you don't, it can be hard to find), on medium speed whip mixture for about 2 minutes. Then add sugar 1/4 cup at a time. Making sure to whip well after each addition. At this point, taste the mixture, if it is not sweet enough add another 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue to whip mixture until the cream stands up when you remove the beaters.

This is where I cheat. I have piping bags that have two compartments so that I can pipe with two different frosting's at once. I got mine at Hobby Lobby, but I am sure you can find them other places. They come with a special coupler. Fill your bag with both frosting's and then pipe away! But if you don't want to buy the bags, just pick a frosting and go with it! Then top with some crushed graham crackers! (I forgot them for the picture!)

There you go! Eat and enjoy!! Let me know what you think, sound like something you would enjoy???

"Devouring worlds, one book and recipe at a time."

Apple Pie Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream

As you know from my post titled Cupcake Mania I have had a lot of cupcake inspiration lately. And one of my latest inspiration came from apples. Before my little cupcake obsession, probably a year or so ago, I had this obsession with perfecting the apple pie. And when I say obsession, I mean obsession, I am pretty sure I made apple pie every weekend until I felt that I had the recipe just right. So when I see apples I have a tendency to think apple pie! And well nothing quite goes with apple pie like caramel! And considering my cupcakes obsession as of late, when I saw the apples sitting on my table, I immediately jumped to the idea of an apple pie cupcake! 

And let me tell you, that was the best idea I have ever had! Seriously, these were the best cupcakes I have ever eaten, my husband had 5 and tried to convince me to let him eat my childrens! That is how good they are. In fact as I am sitting here typing this blog post I am thinking about the possibility of making them tomorrow.

And now I am going to pass this little recipe to all of you! 

Apple Pie Cupcakes

Yield: 18 Cupcakes

Apple Pie Mix

2 Gala Apples, cored and cubed

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Tbsp. Corn Starch

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

Cake

1 Pillsbury Classic Yellow Cake Mix

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/8 tsp. Nutmeg

1 Cup Water

3 Eggs

1/4 Cup Flour

1/4 Cup Oil

In a medium sauce pan, combine: apples, brown sugar, corn starch, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg and heat over medium heat, mixing every once in a while. Cook until apples are just fork tender. Remove from heat, set aside and allow to completely cool. In a large mixing bowl combine, cake mix, flour, eggs, water, oil, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix thoroughly. Then add the apple pie mixture and mix it a couple of times. You don't want to mix it too much and smash the apples. Fill cupcake liners a little more than 3/4 of the way, the fruit will prevent it from overflowing. Cook according to directions on the box. Once the cupcakes spring back or a toothpick comes out clean, remove from the oven, place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Caramel Buttercream

Caramel

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

2 Tbsp. Butter

1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

In medium, heavy sauce pan, heat the sugar over medium heat, until the sugar liquefies. Do not stir, once the sugar turns to liquid swirl the sugar around the pan and cook until the sugar turns a nice amber color. *Warning: this next part can be very dangerous. It is always a good idea to wear oven mitts for the next part. Once the sugar has turned a nice amber color, add in 1 Tbsp. of butter and whisk. Then slowly add in the cream, make sure you lean back from the pan for this, it will be extremely hot! Don't worry, the sugar will solidify, then add the last tablespoon of butter and whisk. Continue to cook, whisking constantly until the sugar has remelted. Remove from heat and allow to cool, completely, otherwise you will melt your buttercream.

Caramel Buttercream

1 Cup Butter or 2 Sticks Butter at room temperature

1 Cup Butter Flavor Crisco (can use regular Crisco if can't find butter flavor)

1/4 tsp. Vanilla

Caramel

~2 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar

In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, cream together butter and crsico. Once they have been creamed together add vanilla and 1/2 cup of sugar, mix thoroughly. Then add another 1/2 cup of sugar, mix again. Scrape the side of the bowl  and add a quarter of the caramel, mix thoroughly. Then add another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and more caramel, mix completely. Continue to do this until the caramel has been incorporated and/or the frosting has reached the desired consistency and flavor. You want a frosting that will not fall off a spoon and one that is soft, if you add too much sugar it get's harder. If the buttercream is not thick enough add more sugar. Remember that the humidity and heat in your house will directly effect the amount of sugar you will need to add to your buttercream. Then add to a large ziploc bag, cut off a small tip and pipe onto your cupcakes! To push these right over the edge of awesome drizzle a little caramel over the top! 

There you have it folks, my favorite cupcakes thus far! Now I dare you to eat just one! 

So, what do you think? Sound like something you might want to try?

"Devouring worlds, one book and recipe at a time."