Pepperoni Quesadillas with Marinara

Recently, while watching football and multitasking (drinking a fabulous craft brew and browsing online for all things Pinterestingly edible), I saw a photo of pepperoni quesadillas. I have been known to stuff a tortilla with many a flavorful combination in my years, but somehow this one escaped me. And the beauty of a tasty marinara as the perfect accompaniment…my mind began to wander to things I would do to take this concept over the top.

I don’t know about you, but I love the pepperonis on top of the pizza that have flown too close to the fire (not buried under ingredients that suffocate them, rendering them unable to reach their beautifully crispy potential). To me, one of the best things about a pepperoni pizza is pulling one of those bad boys off the the pizza, a gooey string of cheese trying unsuccessfully to tether it to the mothership. Crunch, crunch crunch.  For this recipe, I decided to pre-crisp my pepperonis. I also experimented with another quesadilla with pepperoni straight out of the package and it was quite yummy as well. So I guess this boils down to personal preference. And, convenience. But I did discover, in the process, that pre-crisped pepperonis make a nice crunchy snack, and they may be reincarnated in future recipes.

These are truly easy if you take the shortest shortcuts (simple cheese, tortillas and pepperonis), but I enjoyed the flavor boost from the extra steps. Whichever way you make them, they are still quick and easy. These would make a great football snack, too!

Marinara

1 14 ½ oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 small can tomato sauce

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp. basil

¼ tsp. oregano

½ tsp. parsley

¼ cup white wine (mild, not overly sweet)

½ cup finely chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or crushed)

1 tbsp. olive oil

¼ tsp. cayenne if you want to spice it up

Heat olive oil, add onions and garlic. Sautee until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

Pepperoni Quesadillas

1 package pepperonis

8 tortillas (4 meal-sized servings, 8 snacks)

2 cups shredded mozzarella and provolone blended (you can use just provolone, but the mix is better)

Parmesan, if you wish

2 tbsp. butter

½ tsp. granulated garlic

1 tsp. parsley

To crisp the pepperonis (If you choose to do this step):

Line a baking sheet with foil, turned up on the edges, as pepperoni can get a bit greasy when it cooks. Arrange pepperonis close together. Cook in 400 degree oven or toaster oven for 5-10 minutes. Some pepperonis are thinner than others and crisp up quickly. Watch closely! Remove from heat when finished.

Melt butter in a small bowl, add 1 tsp. parsley and ½ tsp. garlic. Stir to combine.

Heat skillet or griddle to medium. Brush a tortilla on one side with garlic butter mixture. Place tortilla butter side down on the skillet. Cover the tortilla with cheese (1/8 of your total amount) and ¼ of the pepperonis. 

Sprinkle another 1/8 of the cheese on the pepperonis, and top with a tortilla. Lightly brush that tortilla with garlic butter. Flip the quesadilla when it is golden on the bottom, and remove when the other side is golden. Set aside, sprinkle with parmesan if you wish. Repeat process. (I normally use the "cover half a tortilla with ingredients and fold it over" method, as pictured, and sometimes leave it whole.)

Cut each quesadilla into 6-8 slices.

 You can use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter for this. Serve with warm marinara, and ENJOY!

Pork Steaks in Mustard Sauce + Asparagus with Fresh Tomato Dressing

There are a few go-to dinners I have kept in my repertoire through the years … not the ones I could make in my sleep because I cook them so frequently, but the ones that pop back up when I am in the mood for something a bit different. These dishes are from a couple of recipes I found (and tweaked, of course!) many years ago, and they just seem to go well together. As a plus, the preparation is fairly simple, straightforward and quick. As another bonus, it plates well.

Asparagus with Fresh Tomato Dressing

Fresh asparagus stalks –Since asparagus does not really change form when you cook it, you can visually gauge approximately how much you will want to prepare.  For quality control, I buy asparagus when I can find the smaller, thinner stalks. I do not cut the bottoms off, I snap them – I find that if a stalk will not snap, it will be chewy when it cooks (not in a good way like brownie chewy or caramel chewy).

Dressing (4 servings):

¼ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup finely chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp. chopped green onions

1 tbsp. lemon juice

¼  tsp. salt

½ tsp. white pepper

Combine ingredients to make dressing. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pork Steaks in Mustard Sauce

1 lb. Pork Steaks, ½ inch thick (4 servings)

Seasoning Blend:

½ tsp. thyme

½ tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. lemon pepper

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 small can chicken broth

2 tbsp. spicy brown mustard

1 tbsp. corn starch

2 tbsp. chopped green onions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on high. Season pork steaks evenly with the seasoning blend on both sides. I would normally add salt to the blend, but broth is typically salty enough. Place steaks in heated skillet, and sear until a golden brown crust begins to form on the bottom side. Flip, and sear for another 1-2 minutes.

Add the broth to the skillet, and heat to boiling. Move the steaks around to help dislodge the yummy pork bits from the bottom of the skillet. Reduce heat to simmer, and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the asparagus. Snap the bottoms of the stalks off, and rinse the spears well.  Place in a shallow saucepan, and just cover with water. Heat to a medium boil, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Simmer for only a couple of minutes; test a stalk by either snapping the end or cutting through it with a fork. Once it is tender with a bit of resistance in the center, it is done. Pull the pan from the heat, drain the water, and quickly rinse with cold water – this will stop the cooking process. Set aside.

Back to the chops! At 30 minutes, your pork steaks should be tender. Mix the corn starch with a tbsp. of water. Remove the steaks from the skillet and set aside. Add the spicy brown mustard to the skillet. Mix/whisk the corn starch in. The sauce should start to thicken quickly. If for some reason it is too thick, add water a tbsp. at a time. Once blended, return the pork steaks to the skillet, dredge in the sauce, and sprinkle the green onions on top. Cover and simmer on low for another 10 minutes.

Place your pan of asparagus back on the stove on low heat to reheat before serving. Serve your pork steaks on a bed of sauce, and your asparagus with the dressing spooned across the center. 

ENJOY!

Sausage, Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo

I love gumbo.  Correction: I love really great gumbo.  I find the dark, savory, indescribable goodness almost addicting. Gumbo is subjective, like pizza – some prefer crunchy, thin crispy crust, and others crave thick, doughy deep dish. Gumbo has many variables, such as the darkness of the roux, fine or chunky veggies, and a combination of meats and seafood.  To okra, or not to okra?  

I have sampled many gumbos, finding that the most popular Cajun or Creole restaurants do not necessarily make the best. As a matter of fact, I had some of (what I considered to be) the best gumbo ever at a tiny Tex-Mex seafood shack in Austin years ago. But the BEST gumbo is the tried and true recipe that you personally fine-tune to your own preference. 

So many variables, so many decisions… Do you like okra? It’s a great addition if you do. Gumbo z’herbes incorporates various assorted greens. Hate seafood? Leave it out – stick with chicken and sausage. Sometimes I add 2-3 different types of sausage just for fun.  True seafood lovers like to toss in every piece of seafood they can find, from crab legs in the shell, to oysters to chunks of fish. I have even seen bone-in hunks of chicken wing in a gumbo. I understand the premise of cooking all the natural shell and bone goodness into the dish but - um, no thanks. I don’t want to slow down to crack crabs and debone chicken; either I’m just a lazy gumbo eater, or these are like speed bumps in my bowl. My energy is best expended savoring the dish.

This is my own recipe that I came up with years ago, spawned by an innocent remark that I took as a challenge (“I don’t know if you can make a dark enough roux to make really good gumbo”.  Hmmph. A leisurely stroll through several Cajun cookbooks, a lingering haze of smoke throughout the house, and a deep mahogany/chocolate roux later, a star was born. This makes a large batch of 8 or so generous servings.

Sausage, Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo

2 lbs. Andouille, ¼-inch sliced (or smoked sausage, or spicy sausage – use your favorite)

2 lbs. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb. smoked chicken, chopped (or you can grill or pan cook chicken breast)

1 large onion, chopped

1 large bell pepper, chopped (I used red bells this time, for coolness factor)

3 celery stalks, chopped

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

½ cup chopped green onions

2 cups okra (optional)

2 quarts chicken stock

Louisiana/Cajun seasoning, such as Tony Cachere’s or Zatarain’s.

ROUX (roo!) If you can find a jar of pre-made roux, this will save you some time and effort. For this recipe I use half of a 16 oz. jar, making sure to use half of the separated oil as well. If your grocer does not carry roux, it is easy albeit time-consuming to make, and you will need a half cup of oil (I prefer peanut oil) and a half cup of flour.

File (fee-lay) - in your spices and seasonings aisle – ground sassafras leaves that give the gumbo a nice earthy flavor (it’s optional, as you may not be able to find it just everywhere)

Rice (a batch of your favorite – I prefer popcorn rice – YUM!)

Begin by chopping the onion, bell pepper and celery, either by hand or food processor. You may prefer larger chunks or tiny bits or somewhere in between. Combine into one bowl, and blend.

Slice your sausages into ¼-inch slices. Make sure the shrimp are peeled and deveined, clean, gently dried with paper towels, and ready to go. Chop your chicken into cubes. Set these aside.

If you choose to use okra, chop it up and sauté it in a non-stick skillet until the sticky little threads are gone. What is that stuff anyway, okra spit? Set aside for later, to add with the sausage.

Time to make the roux. Either scoop half the jar of roux into your pot and start from there, or start from scratch. Heat to medium, and stir. You will want to stir pretty much constantly until the roux is a nice brown, somewhere around milk chocolate or mahogany. If you started with a jar of roux, this makes for a quicker job. If you started from scratch, it will probably take about 40-45 minutes. Do not use a plastic spoon! This stuff gets really hot and will literally melt it. I usually use a wooden spoon or spatula. Do not turn the heat up and try to rush the process, do not walk away. If your roux burns, you need to start over as it will ruin the dish. (That jar of premade is sounding really good right now…)

Once your roux is the right color it is time to add “the trinity”, your peppers, onions and celery. I tell you – if you have never smelled the point in time when the trinity hits the blazing hot roux, you have no idea what you are missing. It is the most amazing aroma, like nothing else in the world. Stir the trinity and roux until thoroughly blended. 

Cook for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the 2 quarts of broth, blend well, bring to a boil, and cut to simmer.

While this is simmering, heat a large skillet on high. Dump the sliced sausage in. If you like really spicy sausage, feel free to shake some cayenne pepper over the slices. Cook until it begins to caramelize the edges, and then flip the slices. They will probably curl up – this is fine, it’s not a beauty contest.  Once the sausage is good and seared, remove with a slotted spoon and toss it into the gumbo pot (along with the okra, if you wish). Don’t touch that dirty sausage skillet! Cover and simmer the gumbo for another 30 minutes.

Time to make a batch of rice. And you know what else is awesome with gumbo? Garlic bread.

After 30 minutes, reheat your filthy sausage-stained skilled to medium, and bring on the shrimp. Oh yes. Dump those bad boys in. Do you have your Tony Cachere’s handy? Season the shrimp generously as they cook. Once they begin to turn white/pink, it is time to flip them. Cook for only a minute more, and cut the heat.  Scrape the pan of shrimp and sausage clingers into the pot with the rest of the gumbo gang. Add the chopped chicken as well. This is starting to smell RIDICULOUS. Stir the pot, and make sure it is only simmering, as we don’t want to overcook the shrimp. 

Chop your parsley and green onions.  Add, and stir.

Spoon a serving of rice into each bowl and generously ladle the steaming gumbo over it. Some folks like to add a bit of file’, and of course Tabasco is a close friend of this dish.

ENJOY!

Spicy Cheddar Crusted Avocado Patty Melt with Chipotle Mayo

When I got home today, I was hungry. REALLY hungry. Armed with a pound of quality ground beef, I set about making mozzarella-stuffed meatballs. But somehow that wasn’t decadent enough. Rummaging through the fridge, pawing around in the pantry, scanning the countertops – there it was – the onion. I said to the onion, "oh how lovely you would be, all caramelized with you little friends, the Serrano peppers"... Spicy patty melt it is.

I love a fantastic burger. Usually I would rather be relaxing, enjoying a fabulous microbrew or three with my burger expertly prepared by…someone else. But sometimes I just need to create.

Spicy Cheddar Crusted Avocado Patty Melt with Chipotle Mayo

For these 2 burgers, I used 2 thin quarter pound patties each.

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 avocado, sliced

1 or 2 Serrano peppers, very thinly sliced (how hot do you like it?)

2 tbsp. Butter

Your favorite meat seasoning

Bread

2 cheeses, your choice (I like to use a good melty American cheese for one and something with more bite for the other)

Chipotle Mayo (mayonnaise mixed with adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chiles, mixed to taste)

1 oz shredded cheddar

It is best to have everything prepared before the meat hits the griddle or grill, because the whole process moves quickly from there. So fist, caramelize the onions with the butter over low-medium heat until they reach your desired done-ness. If you do not like your onions overly sweet, you will leave them golden, just past translucent. If you like them sweetly caramelized, continue until they are almost the color of brown sugar, and nearly as sweet. Add the serrano peppers and saute for another couple of minutes. 

While the onions are caramelizing, slice the avocado, gather the cheeses, butter one side of each slice of bread, and make the chipotle mayo.

Once your onions are finished and set aside, it's burger time! You may choose to cook your patties on a griddle, on the grill, whatever works for you. 

When you flip the patties, season with your favorite beef or steak seasoning. Salt and pepper? Tony Cachere's? I love Johnny's seasoning...

Set aside the cooked patties on paper towels to drain. Heat your griddle or skillet. As it is heating, sprinkle finely shredded cheese over spaces about equal to the size of the slices of bread you are using. Now you see it...

Now you don't! Place one side of each sandwich butter side down on the cheese. Next, spread some onions on the bread in the skillet. A patty, a slice of cheese, a patty, a slice of cheese, and then top it with the next slice of bread, butter side out.

Cook over medium heat...it will take patience not to disturb the cheddar that is crusting onto the bread. If you try to flip the sandwich too soon, it will be sticky and resistant to the spatula. Once crusty, it will be must easier to handle. When it reaches optimum crustiness, lightly sprinkle more cheddar where you will be flipping the other slice of bread to. Repeat process.

When your sandwich is gooey and melty, remove from heat. Lift the onion side, and smear generously with chipotle mayo. 

Lay avocado strips across the patty, and put the lid back on. When you cut through that crunchy cheddar crust, you know that you are in for a treat! 

Savory Coleslaw

To carb, or not to carb? That is the question. For the month of October, I have promised myself that I will go low-carb. With the upcoming season of eats and treats and awesome seasonal beers, I am trying to do some pre-emptive damage control. Between this and cycling around and around (and around) the neighborhood, maybe I will be in a happier place when I start flinging those holiday recipes.  But for now, I am dreaming of warm, gooey walnut brownies topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream with caramel syrup (with a pinch of sea salt, of course). 

Back to reality, I was going to talk coleslaw before I was mentally derailed by chocolate. I don’t typically like coleslaw. So why would I blog about it? The thing is…I don’t like most of the coleslaw I have had from various restaurants and fast food joints, but I love a really good coleslaw. I don’t like the bland sweetness that tastes like cabbage and Miracle Whip. My mother’s coleslaw was different, savory rather than sweet, and it was the only slaw I would eat when I was a kid. I found a recipe a few years back that I fell in love with – it was like Mom’s but with a kick. If you are cutting carbs, or just looking for a savory coleslaw – give this recipe a try. I also tossed in some spicy shrimp for fun (and protein), another of Mom’s tricks.

Savory Coleslaw

Coleslaw dressing (this should make 4-6 servings and can easily be doubled):

½ cup mayo

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. horseradish

½ tsp honey

Slaw mix: – 1 bag (or 1 small head of cabbage thinly sliced and chopped, plus 1 shredded carrot). Some folks like to chop their cabbage into smithereens, but I prefer nice thin shards.

½ cup finely diced (or shredded) onions – My preference is finely diced red onions, but you can use any onion… Grated onion blends better than diced. For a more delicate flavor, you can use green onions instead (but I would add the finely chopped bulbs as well).

Blend all dressing ingredients and chill in an airtight container in the refrigerator (for at least a couple of hours, preferably overnight). When you get ready to serve the coleslaw, stir the dressing. Toss with slaw mix and shredded onions. Enjoy!

Creamy Angel Hair with Spicy Shrimp and Mushrooms

Shrimp, shrimp…I love you so. Shrimp was my favorite food from the time I was old enough to pronounce the word. Living near the coast growing up (well, near the gulf anyway), I was knee-deep in shrimp. Most of our local restaurants had fried shrimp, fresh from the gulf. I remember the days when people commonly bought shrimp from panel vans parked at intersections hawking their wares with simple hand-printed signs. These days, we would call this one giant red flag (on wheels). 

I have been known to buy pounds of shrimp and prepare them several ways for the same meal. Spicy boiled shrimp, fried shrimp, shrimp scampi, grilled Cajun shrimp… just call me Bubba Gump.

Creamy Angel Hair with Spicy Shrimp and Mushrooms

(4 servings)

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

½  cup finely diced onions

¼ cup chopped green onions (optional)

4 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup heavy cream

12 oz. angel hair pasta

Parmesan

Seasoning blend:

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cayenne

½ tsp. thyme

¼ tsp. celery seed

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. onion powder

For the seasoning blend, you can use all powdered/granulated, or toss it in a mortar and pestle and grind it down if you have the whole versions.

First, make your seasoning blend and set it aside in a small bowl.

Next, take your clean shrimp and place them on paper towels and gently pat dry.

Heat a LARGE skillet on the stove with 2 tbsp. olive oil, over med-hi heat.  (The large skillet gives you more room to work with when mixing your pasta later.) Boil water for your pasta.

Remove the paper towels from the shrimp and sprinkle with the seasoning blend, tossing to coat evenly. 

Once the skillet is ready, add the shrimp, distributing them evenly with a spatula. When the shrimp begin to turn pink, turn them and sauté, gently pushing them around in the skillet for another minute or so. 

Turn the heat off and spoon the shrimp into a separate bowl. While we do want to be sure our shrimp are cooked, we do not want to overcook them as they become tough. (Do not clean the skillet! We are saving the spicy bits of goodness that are stuck in there waiting to be released.)

Add a bit of olive oil and a couple of pinches of salt to your boiling water, and cook your Angel hair pasta according to instructions, al dente. When you bite into it and there is still the slightest resistance at the core of the pasta, it is perfect. Feel free to take a bite here and there to see if your pasta is ready – it’s so much better when not overcooked! Drain and set aside.

Reheat the skillet to med-hi heat. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil and the finely diced onions; sauté until translucent. Add the mushrooms and sauté for another minute. Add the heavy cream to the skillet, and simmer until it begins to thicken, scraping the bottom with a spatula. Add the pasta and shrimp. Using tongs, toss and mix until well-blended and thickened. Remove from heat.

Top with green onions and Parmesan, and serve!

Tis the season! Well, almost...

What happens about this time of year, every year? I don’t know about you, but I start to get overly excited about the much-anticipated cool-down. While this means little to you folks in the northern regions (I openly envy you, by the way), to those of us in the humid hotbox we call the South, anticipating that first major drop in temps is like waiting up for Santa. When those nighttime temps finally dip below 50, it’s all I can do to keep from tearing through the house like my butt is on fire (the cats do this – we call it “the rips”).

As the seasons change, I daydream of sitting beside a fire, snuggled in a cozy sweater with my favorite craft brew. I look forward to the culinary adventures Fall and Winter will bring…Which regional flavors will we weave into the Thanksgiving spread this year? Cajun? Southwest? Mexican? Southern? So many cookies and treats I would like to make… not enough friends and family to eat them all! What better time of year to finally launch…a blog.

Bacon Breasted Turkey - Ah. Mazing.

About me: I am a foodie. When I travel, I research the local restaurants to make sure I take full advantage of the local flavor. I have been cooking for a very long time. How long, you ask? Please don't...we don't know each other that well yet. :)  I am self-taught, from much research, observation, and personal culinary challenges. If I fall madly in love with a dish at a restaurant, I challenge myself to duplicate it. I rarely follow a recipe to the letter; I usually take a recipe or two and combine them, adding my own twists and tweaks. I have learned many useful tips and tricks I will share along my blogging journey. I used to be a food snob! Seriously, when you willfully embark upon an intricate 4-course meal, that literally takes two days to complete because you insist upon creating every scintilla from scratch... you may be a food snob. When you shun all forms of prefab, processed or packaged food...(you got it). Food. Snob. But, I somehow managed to overcome,even without professional therapy. It's called life balance. I have so many hobbies and interests, not to mention that full-time job thing, that I simply could not allow myself such purist luxuries as dicing every last onion, grinding my own home-grown, dehydrated, roasted peppers. If I could be guaranteed to live a full, active, healthy 200 years, then maybe... As it is, I have learned to take shortcuts when I need to. I have learned to relax more, and utilize quicker, and easier methods (ssshhh...don't tell anyone!). And one more thing - I have bacon. And I'm not afraid to use it.

Food can be defined as anything that nourishes, sustains or supplies (thank you, Merriam-Webster). I hope that somewhere in my musings, recipes, tips and foodistry, you will find something truly delicious, and nourishing as well.