Recipe #84 - Spicy Blackened Salmon Tacos w/ Cilantro Aioli and Charred Corn Salsa

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For the Spicy Blackened Salmon Tacos:

Heat oil in heavy-bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium high heat until smoking.

Meanwhile, mix chili powder, cayenne, sugar and salt with the flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge salmon in flour mixture and transfer to hot skillet.

Cook until very brown, then flip. Continue cooking till flesh is just opaque. Set aside to cool.

Once the fish has cooled, tear it into small chunks.

Wipe oil from skillet, and throw in tortillas to warm. Arrange the fish, flanked into chunks, Charred Corn Salsa, and desired toppings on one half of a warmed tortilla and drizzle aioli. Fold in half to serve.

For the Charred Corn Salsa:

Preheat broiler and put oven rack in highest position. Toss corn, tomatoes, onion and jalapeno with olive oil in a zip lock bag. Salt to taste. Shake to combine.

Transfer corn mixture to a shallow baking pan. Broil until tomatoes are soft and corn is charred, 5-8 minutes.

For the Cilantro Aioli: 

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Keep chilled until ready to serve (can be made ahead). Top tacos with generous spoonfuls.

Rating: 10
Time: 2 hours
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
Spicy Blackened Salmon Tacos:
1 pound of salmon, or other firm-fleshed fish
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Large flour tortillas
Avocado, cilantro, and green onions for topping
Lime wedges
Charred Corn Salsa
Cilantro Aioli

For the Charred Corn Salsa:
1 cup corn kernels (I used frozen)
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup red onions, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, to taste

For the Cilantro Aioli:
1/2 cup sour cream
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced

Recipe #83 - Chipotle's Cilantro Lime Rice

My sister, Teresa, and I have the craziest obsession with Chipotle's burritos. We make a 40 minute drive to get burrito once a week. It may seem a little redic, until you taste their rice. So here is how you make it:

Sautee the rice in oil until almost translucent (as if you are making a risotto).

Add water, bring to a boil. As soon as the water begins to boil, turn the heat down low. 

Simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes, or until all water is absorbed. 

Turn off heat. DON'T PEEK. LEAVE IT COVERED for 30 minutes (this is the "streaming" part... Chipotle steams rice every hour). This is what makes the rice fluffy. You won't be happy with yourself if you don't do this. Be patient. Good things come to those who wait. 

Remove lid, let some of the steam out. I just mixed every thing in the pot for the next step (some might think I mixing bowl would be easier).

Mix salt and lime juice together until salt is dissolved. I had to heat the juice in the microwave for 25 seconds to fully dissolve the salt. 

Pour the lime mixture over the rice a little at a time. Taste as you go. Mine turned out a little too limey. Then fluff with a fork. Sprinkle in cilantro, and toss well to evenly coat with cilantro and the lime mixture.

I served the rice with the Recipe #84 - Blackened Fish Tacos. 

Rating: 6

Time: 55 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil (canola/vegetable)

2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped fine

1 fresh lime 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 cup  long grain white rice

2 cups water

Recipe #82 - Easy Beef Pot Roast

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This is a quick and easy recipe my mother has made for my family ever since I can remember. When there were 6 of us youngins running around all of the time, she needed something that didn't require a lot of attention. This crock pot recipe fit the bill.

Rinse beef then heavily salt and pepper.

Coat each piece of beef in the flour. Drizzle a large skillet with oil, add beef and brown on all edges, but don't cook all of the way through. Remove beef and place in the crock pot.

In the same skillet, saute onions until they are transparent.

Add the onions and beef broth to the crock pot and turn on high heat. Let simmer for 6 hours.

Add carrots, potatoes, celery and bay leaves. Simmer for another 2 hours.

And you're finished! Very easy. Very tasty. And the portions are extremely flexible. Just add more of which ever you like best. Just make sure you have enough beef broth to keep it moist enough. 

Rating: 8

Time: 8 hours

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

2 pounds beef stew meat

Baby carrots

Baby potatoes

Celery, chopped

2 onions, chopped

3 bay leaves

4 cups beef broth

1 cup flour

Salt and pepper

Recipe #81 - Lobster Bisque

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After my father had a lobster bisque as an appetizer at Flight on Main Street, he suggested (several times) that I try and make a bisque of my own. So here is my attempt!

In a saute pan heat a little oil over medium-high heat and saute shallots, onions, and garlic for one minutes. Then deglaze the pan with the white wine. 

Add Worcestershire, tabasco, and thyme and saute for another minute. Then deglaze the pan with the sherry.

Add paprika, hot water and lobster base and combine well. Stir in tomato paste and add the bay leaves. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Whisk in heavy cream and the butter and bring to a boil. Add the lobster and simmer until cooked through.

Serve with crusty garlic bread. 

This actually turned out really well. It had a little more spice than any one I've tasted before (but not in a bad way, just different). I would definitely make this again. 

Rating: 9

Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Serves: 6 

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 pounds lobster meat, cut into small chunks

6 tablespoons minced shallots

6 tablespoons chopped green onions

9 garlic cloves, crushed

3/4 cups white wine

6 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

6 teaspoons Tabasco sauce

3 teaspoons dried thyme

1 1/8 tablespoons dry sherry

3 teaspoons paprika

3 cups hot water

3 teaspoons lobster base (I used seafood stock.)

12 ounces tomato paste

6 bay leaves

6 cups heavy whipping cream

12 tablespoons butter

Recipe #80 - Super Bowl Snacks: Hot Bacon-Blue Cheese Dip

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I originally bought the ingredients to this recipe for a football game. A kinda of tail gating dip if you will. However, I got behind so I made it as an appetizer for one of my entrees.

In a large skillet, fry the bacon over moderate over moderate heat till almost crisp, drain on paper towels, and crumble coarsely. 

Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat from the skillet, add the onion, and stir 3 minutes. 

Add the flour and stir 3 minutes longer. Whisking, add the milk and beer, then add the Worcestershire and cayenne. Bring mixture to a low boil, whisking, cook for 2 minutes, and remove from the heat. 

Add the bacon and blue cheese and stir till the cheese is melted. 

Transfer the dip to a small bowl and serve with pita chips or bread sticks. 

Now I'm not the biggest blue cheese fan (unless it's in an olive). Teresa was the one that convinced me to make this recipe. I couldn't get over how overwhelming the taste of the blue cheese was. I couldn't even get past the second chip, so I'm not the the best to one to judge this recipe. However, everyone else inhaled it. For me the only redeeming quality was the bacon!

Rating: I would say 3, but the blue cheese lovers would say a lot higher. 

Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

6 thick slices lean smoked bacon

1 small onion, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup lager beer

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Cayenne pepper to taster

1/2 pound blue cheese, crumbled

Your favorite breadsticks

Recipe #79 - Chicken Spaghetti

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Our house keeper's assistant, Morgan, recommended this recipe to me. She is a college student and made this recipe for group of her friends. They all loved it. Listening to her explain it reminded me of my college cooking experience and thought this would be a fun way to relive a few of those moments.

Heat a little oil in a cooking skillet. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink.

Add onions and cook until transparent.

Stir in cheese, rotel, and cream of mushroom until cheese is thoroughly melted.

Serve over a bed of thin spaghetti noodles. You may add a little water if the sauce is too thick.

Rating: 7
Time: 15 mins
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds chicken
1 large onion
2 cans rotel
1 10-ounce can cream of mushroom
1 block Velveeta
Thin Spaghetti nooodles

Recipe #78 - Pumpkin Bars

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Though I try to stay away from Paula Dean recipes, this one looked too good pass up! (Cook's note: double your exercise routine for the day before consuming.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Be sure to set out the butter and cream cheese to soften. 

To make the bars:

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. 

Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. 

Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing:

Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bar. 

It almost goes without saying that these were amazing. I mean, really, what's a good Paula recipe with out lots of butter, sugar and oil?! Yum.

Rating: 10

Time: 45 mins

Serves: 48 small bars or 24 large bars

Ingredients:

For the bars:

4 eggs

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

15-ounce can pumpkin 

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

For the icing:

8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract