Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

It’s been quite the whirlwind around here at Foodie Central! School, sports, Scouts and pure craziness hasn’t left a lot of time for cooking, much less blogging!

This sandwich is for Mr. Foodie. He’s a jalapeño popper junkie and I thought this would be right up his alley. This was a yummy sandwich and we both enjoyed it. I made this both with fresh diced jalapeños and with the canned roasted diced jalapeños. Our personal take was that the canned was much better and gave a more authentic popper taste. The fresh diced did not work well for us. I do believe if you took the time to roast your own fresh ones, that would be the best bet though, so if you have the time, definitely go that route!

The ingredient list is general, do as you see fit for with the amounts per your personal taste!

JALAPEÑO POPPER GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Ingredients:

-Sliced French Bread
-Butter
-Cream Cheese
-Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
-Canned Roasted Dice Jalapeños

Directions:

1. Butter one side of each slice of bread, and spread cream cheese on the other side.

2. Place butter side down on a non-stick pan over medium heat.

3. Spread a bit of the jalapeños on one slice of bread and top with shredded cheddar cheese.

4. Continue to cook until cheddar cheese melts and then top it with the other slice, cream cheese side down.

5. Once the outside of the bread is crisp and browned to your liking, you are ready to eat!

Spaghetti with Garlic, Oil and Pepper

I thought I would stick with a pasta theme and post this very simple, almost non-recipe, for Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino (spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and pepper flakes.) This dish actually makes me think of a dear friend of mine, as it is her favorite. She is someone I consider an ‘eating buddy’ and our general rule is never to order something on the menu that is either a) so simple we can whip it up ourselves anytime or b) made from ingredients that are common and can be purchased just about anywhere. However, if this dish is on the menu, she is ordering it – going against both of our eating out rules. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk…. But, I can’t blame her, I guess, I really like it too!

This dish is pretty spicy so I would definitely adjust to your personal taste and comfort level. I had honestly never thought of the exact amounts for this recipe as I have primarily always done it by sight and/or taste. I highly suggest playing with it to your liking as well.

Mr. Foodie and I ate it as our main course, with a side of steamed broccoli but it would go well with lots of other veggies and fish, shellfish or poultry.

SPAGHETTI WITH GARLIC, OLIVE OIL AND PEPPER FLAKES

Ingredients:

~10 Oz. Spaghetti
-3 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
-1 (to 1 1/2) Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
-1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive
-3/4 Tsp Salt
-1/2 Tsp Coarsely Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Boil Spaghetti noodles in salted water until al dente. They should have a little bite and not be overlooked at all.

2. Drain spaghetti well and place in serving bowl.

3. Add all other ingredients to Spaghetti and toss until well coated.

Note: This can be served warm or at room temperature. If you choose to serve at room temp, be sure to re-toss before serving.

Hawaiian Style Macaroni Salad

If you’ve ever been to Hawaii (or a Hawaiian BBQ restaurant on the Mainland) you know that virtually everything is served with a side, or scoop of ‘mac salad’.  The Hawaiian plate lunch consists of the main entree, generally two scoops of rice and macaroni salad.  It might seem like a strange combo to some, but it’s just the way it is.  Everyone has their version of this picnic food and the folks in Hawaii are no different.  This might seem too soft (overcooked) and too mayonaisy (made that word up) to some but that is generally how it is served.  I have to say that I like macaroni salad in most forms, but Hawaiian style is my favorite.  This recipe was adapted to one I found a while back from Cook’s Country Magazine.  While writing this post, I am also imagining myself eating it in Hawaii so it is a little mental getaway for me!  Be warned this recipe makes a lot (serves 8-10) so it’s good for a potluck.  Didn’t want you to have it coming out of your ears!

HAWAIIAN STYLE MACARONI SALAD

Ingredients:

-2 Cups Whole Milk

-2 Cups Mayonaise

-1 TBS Brown Sugar

-1/2 Tsp  Plus 1 TBS Salt

-2 Tsp Black Pepper

-1 Lb. Large Elbow Macaroni

-1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar*

-1/3 Cup Shredded Carrot

*Original recipe called for 1/2 Cup Cider Vinegar but I feel that is too much.  Some don’t add it at all, so it is really up to you and your personal taste.

Directions:

1.  Make a dressing by whisking together, in a small bowl: 1 1/2 Cup Milk, 1 Cup Mayonaise, Brown Sugar, Salt and Pepper.

2.  Boil Macaroni, adding 1 TBS Salt to the water, and cook for 15 minutes.  The pasta will be very soft, this is okay.  Drain it and return to the pot.

3.  Add vinegar to the Macaroni and toss – let cool for about 10 minutes.

4.  Stir in prepared dressing and cool completely.

5.  Add the Carrot, remaining Milk and Mayonaise to the cooled Macaroni and mix well.  Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.

6.  Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving, can be chilled up to two days.

Black Truffle Oven Crisp Fries

I’m baaaaaack!  I took a little hiatus from blogging (but not from cooking) as this new year has started off as quite a doozy!  I’m hoping that the Foodie Family has a nice, peaceful remainder of 2012 – and hope I didn’t just jinx us by putting that in print!

Now, onto the matter at hand…  I made this recipe on Baby Foodie’s first birthday as he is a BIG FAN of the French Fry.  I stumbled upon a spice store on one of our little adventures and among the wonderful booty I came away with was Black Truffle Salt.  Oh.  Em.  Gee.  (Can I actually write that on a food blog?)  Anyway, I just love this stuff.  The Salt.  The Truffle.  The Togetherness.  It was love at first taste (sniff, really.)  Perfecting a crunchy oven-baked french fry has been on my to do list for a while.  I’ve played with this a lot in the past and have come up just sort of shrugging my shoulders – just okay.  Crispy, but not crispy enough.  I knew I had to get it right to use some of my truffle salt goodness on them.  And, I finally did!

Mr. Foodie really liked these and requested them again.  And again.  Foodie, Jr. was not interested in them as they did not come in a little red paper container with golden arches on them.  Baby Foodie was all over them and was a very happy ONE YEAR OLD!

BLACK TRUFFLE OVEN CRISP FRIES

Ingredients:

1 Ib. Russet Potatoes, peeled

1-2 TBS Vegetable Oil

Cooking Spray, such as Pam

Black Truffle Infused Salt, to taste

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees (ovens may vary, so you may want to play with the temp.)

2.  Slice potatoes lengthwise, making thin strips.

3.  In a bowl, toss the potatoes with the oil, be sure to coat well

4.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and spread potatoes out in a single layer.

5. Bake the fries for 15 minutes, then toss.

6.  Bake for about 10 minutes more, until you reach your desired crispness.

7.  Remove fries from oven and immediately sprinkle with Black Truffle Salt to taste.

Cranberry Jalapeno Sauce

Or ‘cranapeno’ sauce?  Whether you go with the long drawn out name in the title or the cutesy nickname I gave it, it tastes the same – good.  I’ve known a lot of people over the years who make a version of this and I generally put my feet up and let someone else make the cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving but this year, I thought I’d give it a try.  (Frankly, I did not even start eating any kind of cranberry sauce until maybe five years ago, it never did anything for me.)  And though I now love my beloved can-shaped, congealed, whatever that is that graces family tables every year (I know, I know) this kicks butt on that.  I love the sweet heat of this sauce and can’t wait to try it with my bird tomorrow.  Confession?  I can’t wait to try in on my leftover turkey sandwiches after Thanksgiving.  Even bigger confession?  I will probably dump this on cream cheese or ricotta and eat it with crackers before it even takes it’s place on the table next to that stinkin’ bird.  So, from my table to yours, I hope you have a really great Turkey day and relish is all the things you are most thankful for.  Oh, and if you need something to be thankful for – make this.

Okay, so once I threw the jalapeno in, I just loved the festive color of the dish.  It made me want to start playing Christmas carols, almost.  So, I wanted to share this photo because well, I thought it was pretty.

CRANBERRY JALAPENO SAUCE

1 12 oz Bag of Fresh Cranberries, washed

1 Cup Water

1 Cup White Sugar

1-3 Jalapeno Peppers, cleaned, seeded and chopped (This pepper amount is dependent on how big of a spicy kick you want your sauce to have.  I used one larger one and one medium one and liked it just fine.)

Juice from 1/2 a Lime

1/4 Cup of Cream Sherry

Directions:

1.  Add sugar and water to a sauce over medium-high heat and bring to a slow boil.

2.  Add cranberries and lower heat, simmer for 10-12 minutes.

3.  Add Jalepenos and lime juice and continue to simmer another 10-15 minutes, until you get the consistency you want.

4.  Add in Cream Sherry and simmer a few minutes longer.

5.  Remove from heat and serve either room temp or chilled.

Cali Roll Salad To Go

Foodie Jr. LOVES California Rolls.  He would eat them all day, every day, if I let him.  He isn’t too fond of salad though.  This was my attempt to compromise with him on a very busy night that had us on the go.  We keep a pretty busy schedule around here and being able to whip these up while he was at school for quick assembly  at dinner time was a big help.  I normally would make these with real crab but I had the surimi on hand the day I made these and no time to get to the store to buy lump crab meat.  (Shrimp would be just fine to use as well.)   Foodie Jr. will eat them either way, so I luck out there.  I do not think this is an earth shattering recipe or anything, but it might be a helpful idea to some, especially busy families.  You could easily replace the crab with tofu or simply load it with more avocado if you do not like seafood.  Mr. Foodie and I enjoy these as well and they make for a great, light meal or a quick appetizer for a gathering.  I generally make a platter of them at a time but it is fun to let your guests make their own as well.

CALIFORNIA ROLL SALAD TO GO

Ingredients:

-Lump Crab Meat (flaked) or Surimi (chopped), lightly tossed with Japanese or regular mayonaise.

-English Cucumbers, peeled, sliced thin and marinated in Mirin (or rice wine vinegar)  and black pepper for a few hours

-Avocado, chopped or slice per your preference

-Nori Komi Furikake (Japanese Rice Seasoning)

-Hearts of Romaine, broken in half to form a sort of lettuce cup to hold salad

Directions:

1. Layer ingredients onto romaine lettuce cup, I usually go crab, avocado, cucumber and top with furikake.

Grilled Grilled Cheese

Fall is here and grilling season is coming to an end.  So, I thought I’d squeeze in just one more grill recipe before we head toward all things pumpkin and soup!  A friend hit the tomato jackpot in her garden and I got to inherit a whole lotta tomatoes!  We were grilling so I decided to do a little open face grilled cheese appetizer for us to chomp on while the meat cooked.  They are kind of funny looking but, they were tasty!

GRILLED GRILLED CHEESE

Ingredients:

16 Cherry Tomatoes, halved

4 Ciabatta Rolls, halved

8 Slices Havarti Cheese

1-2 Fresh Garlic Cloves

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

1.  Fire up the grill and get those coals ready to cook!

2.  Scrape each piece of bread with the garlic clove and sprinkle with salt and pepper for flavoring.

3.  Brush top side of bread with olive oil and place top side down on the grill for a few minutes to brown and get some nice grill marks going.

4.  Flip bread pieces over and top with tomato halves (about 4 on each piece depending on the size of your tomatoes.)

5.  Top tomatoes with a slice of cheese.

6.  Heat until cheese is melted to your liking.

Elote

Elote is a Mexican street food – basically corn on the cob.  You may see it frequently being sold in some neighborhoods by people pushing little metal carts.  I really liked having my grilled corn like this, it gave it a nice creamy flavor with a little punch.  (Mr. Foodie said it was a little too creamy for his taste.)    It would be a little bit rich to have your corn this way all the time, but it was a nice addition to our little weekend BBQ feast.

ELOTE

Ingredients:

4 Ears of corn, still in husks but silk removed

1/4 Cup Melted Butter

1/4 Cup Mayonaise

Juice of 1/2 Lime

Crumbled Cotija Cheese

Hot Mexican Chile Powder

Lime Wedges

Directions:

1.  Grill corn in husks about 15-20 minutes, turning at least once during cooking time.

2.  While corn is grilling, mix melted butter, mayonaise and lime juice until well blended.

3.  Remove corn from grill, remove or pull back husks and spread butter mixture onto corn.

4.  Sprinkle with desired amount of chile powder and cotija cheese before serving with lime wedges.

KC Masterpiece Buffalo Chicken Lumpia

I recently received a bottle of the new K.C. Masterpiece Buffalo Marinade through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker  Program.  Mr. Foodie and I both love buffalo sauce so I was excited to make something with this new marinade.  One of my favorite things to do in the kitchen is to come up with fusion recipes, I love taking the unexpected and putting them together.  I decided to make some buffalo chicken lumpia, a Filipino version of the spring roll.  We generally abide by the ‘anything fried is good’ rule around here and this was no exception.  The crispiness of the lumpia wrapper collided with the creaminess of the filling and it worked.  We enjoyed it.  We used three different dipping sauces – ranch dressing, the K.C. Masterpiece Buffalo Marinade, and a combination of the two.  Mr. Foodie loved dipping them in more of the marinade and I really liked the marinade/rancho combo.  Thank you to Foodbuzz and KC Masterpiece for the opportunity!

KC MASTERPIECE BUFFALO CHICKEN LUMPIA

Ingredients:

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Bottle of KC Masterpiece Buffalo Marinade

1 Packet of Ranch Dressing Seasonings

1 8 oz. Tub of Cream Cheese

50 Lumpia Wrappers

Water, for sealing lumpia

Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

1.  Mix about 2/3 of the marinade with one packet of ranch dressing seasoning, set aside.

2.  Place chicken breasts in crockpot, cover with marinade/dressing mixture and heat on high for 5-6 hours.

3.  Once chicken is done, shred finely with forks and let cool completely.

4.  Let frozen lumpia wrappers thaw for about an hour (or per package directions, which may vary from brand to brand.)

5.  Once chicken is completely cooled, mix in cream chese.  (I did this by hand to get it mixed in really well.)

6.  Place about a tablespoon of chicken mixture on one end of the lumpia wrapper, rolling and folding in sides until formed.  Seal with water.

7.  Heat vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat.

8.  Fry lumpia in oil until golden brown, let cool slightly before serving with desired dipping sauce.

Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

I recently made this as an accompaniment for fish.  I am not a big fan of mashed potatoes in general and certainly not served with fish but both Mr. Foodie and I agreed that the mashed cauliflower went pretty well with it.  I love cauliflower so I may be a little bit biased.  If you are looking for a mashed potato substitute, I do not think this will do – it is definitely mashed cauliflower!

CREAMY MASHED CAULFLOWER

Ingredients:

1 Large Head of Cauliflower, Chopped into Florets

1/2 Chicken or Vegetable Broth

1 TBS Cornstarch

1/3 Cup Heavy Cream

1 Tsp Sugar

1/4 Tsp Each White Pepper, Garlic Powder and Onion Powder

1 Tsp Salt

More Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Steam cauliflower until it is soft enough to mash with a potato masher, about 15 minutes.

2.  Mash drained cauliflower with 1/4 Cup Chicken (or Vegetable) broth to your desired consistency, mine was fairly smooth.

3.  Add cauliflower to a saucepan over medium heat.

4.  Make a slurry with cornstarch and remaining broth then add to cauliflower mixture.

5.  Add the remaining ingredients and combine well.

6.  Keep mixture on medium heat, stirring frequently until thickened, about 10 minutes.

7.  Individuals should add salt and pepper to taste once served.