More Recipes and Posts from the Chili Pepper Madness Site
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Here are the posts since the last newsletter.
Homemade Thousand Island Dressing
St. Patrick's Day is on the way, and we know you're already looking for traditional recipes to prepare for the family or for your big gathering. In the U.S., St. Patrick's Day is a traditional party day, with green beer pretty much everywhere, but it's also a traditional foodie day. We're happy for that! Both Patty and I are part Irish, so we're very familiar with many of the staples you'll find this time of year - corned beef and cabbage, beef stew, shepherd's pie, pasties. Pasties! I was introduced to pasties by my father up near Iron Mountain, Michigan. Talk about traditional! I digress...
Extra Creamy Roasted Jalapeno Guacamole
This guacamole is so...darned...creamy! When you start with avocados that are so awesomely, perfectly ripe, your guacamole will turn out uber creamy anyway, but if you're looking for an extra nudge for an even CREAMIER guacamole, this recipe will nail it for you. The real key is crema. I'm talking the Mexican crema, not sour cream. I include "or sour cream" in the ingredient list below, and sour cream will work for you, but sour cream does have a, well, "sour" flavor to it, which affects the overall flavor of the resulting guacamole. I prefer crema.
Chicken and Black Bean Soup
It's time to banish the chill from this wintry air and warm the bones. The temperatures have been dropping in our area, down into single digits in the evening, and it's hard to shake that chill from your innards once it settles in. Cranking up the heat helps, but there is nothing like that blooming warmth that starts from within, from a hot homemade meal.
Easy Seared Shrimp Tacos
Get ready for a super quick lunch! And a healthy one, too, if you watch your fixin's. This is why we like to keep certain meal components on hand through the week, like Pico de Gallo, and a homemade taco seasoning. Since Patty and I work from home and have certain crazy-busy days, we need fast lunch options. This recipe is even faster than running out for a quick sandwich.
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Taco night is awesome. Whether it's Taco Tuesday, a super quick meal at the end of a long day, or simply your favorite dish, tacos are something the whole family can enjoy. If you've ever bought taco seasoning from the grocery store, I'm sure you've found that there are so many different blends. No two seasoning blends are alike. You find your favorite brands and stick to them. I used to buy seasonings, but found myself using them only as a base. I would add in a touch of this, a bit more of that, throw in some fresh herbs, garlic, whatever I felt would enhance the overall taco seasoning blend.
Seared Salmon with Spicy Avocado Sauce
These are the days we're super glad we had a garden over the summer and fall. We still have a bit of frozen fresh green tomato-pepper sauce in the freezer, and it was perfect for a quick dinner sauce. This is a typical night in the Madness household. We both love salmon and since we both work full time, I will often thaw some quickly and whip together something new and unique as either a side or for the sauce. Have you ever had those nights, staring into the refrigerator, wondering what the heck to make? I say Salmon! It's a huge go-to in our house. It is very healthy, delicious, and easy to prepare. Love that.
Bucatini Puttanesca
My father-in-law LOVES anchovies. And he LOVES olives. And he LOVES capers. I wasn’t a fan of these growing up. Over the years I have acquired a taste for many an ingredient, including the ones my father-in-law loves. Long ago when I first married his daughter, he sat me down and said I needed to try anchovies. I grimaced and kicked up a fuss but he told me you can’t really judge a food if you haven’t tried it in the proper application. Turns out he was right. I first tried the anchovy by itself and my first impression was, “Hey, it tastes like a salty piece of fish that’s been left out to go rancid”. But then I tried it on pizza. It wasn’t so bad. Actually, it was pretty good. That was years ago. I've acquired the taste for a good anchovy pizza. What can I say?
Spicy Turkey Meatballs in Chipotle Yogurt Sauce
Turkey turkey turkey. Ground turkey. Patty and I used to cook with ground beef all the time until we noticed our waistlines were growing a bit more than we liked. This was years ago, and while we still enjoy ground beef, we wind up cooking more often with ground turkey because of the calories. I thought it might be a challenge since ground turkey has a completely different flavor from beef. Beef has all that wonderful fat content which is so satisfying on its own.
Spicy Red Stew
Patty and I have at home what we call "Quick Lunch Days". You all know we hugely enjoy running Chili Pepper Madness, but we also work full time at Quist Interactive, building web sites, running ad campaigns, and I'm also a writer and I'm typically in the middle of a screenplay or some other story. Suffice it to say, some days are busier than others. This recipe is a result of one of those busy days, needing a lunch fast. We could have run out to the local taco joint or grabbed a sandwich, but why? When I look in the refrigerator and find awesome ingredients like collard greens and huge red beets, I just want to cook them up.
Sweet and Spicy Strawberry Barbecue Sauce
As Patty and I were walking through the local farmer's market the other day, we came upon a booth with a TON of chili peppers. Talk about heaven! I got to dust off some of my Spanish and picked up some gorgeous Long Red Cayenne peppers. We got a huge bag for a buck. Lucky! Check these out.
10 Spicy Recipes for Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is over, but these recipes can help for anytime you need ideas for a romantic evening. Do you have your dinner plans set? Are you making reservations? No! Stay at home and make something homemade for your lover. There is nothing more romantic than a home cooked meal. Well, maybe there are a few things, but cooking from the heart is toward the top of the list.
Roasted Jalapeno Pepper Sauce
Check out these gorgeous red and green jalapeno peppers we picked up from the market the other day. Talk about perfection. They were screaming my name, and can you believe I got all of these for a buck? Yep, jalapeno peppers are amazing, plain and simple.
Cheese and Bacon Quiche
As we're hanging out near the beach, I've been thinking about sitting on a blanket in the sand for brunch. What better way to relax than to sit in the sun and stare at the water with nothing to care about except enjoying your meal. I didn't want to make a big production out of it. It would have been difficult for us to cart out plates and toppings and meals with multiple components. I wanted something easy to prepare and eat and settled on quiche. I was originally thinking of making a cheese tart, maybe with asparagus, but I thought lighter would be better in this case.
Check out more at our Chili Pepper Madness Web Site.
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