Creamy Roasted Poblano Sauce with Fried Tilapia

Roasted chile sauces may be some of the best things on the planet. I love their deep, rich, smoky flavors with the hint of spiciness that livens up many dishes. Growing up we used to grill Tri-tip, a cut of meat which my hometown of Santa Maria, CA supposedly invented. See http://www.eatmedaily.com/2010/06/top-of-the-food-chain-tri-tip/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-tip. When we grilled up some Tri-tip we would usually grill some Anaheim chiles and Linguica as an appetizer. Roasted chiles are tied up with childhood memories of barbecues and hanging out with friends and family.

The Poblano sauce I made the other night reminded me of these memories. A new twist on flavors that I had grown up with. As I peeled the roasted Poblanos I remembered putting Anaheim chiles in paper bags to steam, then peeling off the burnt skin to reveal the smoky flesh of the chiles. So delicious! This sauce captured all of those flavors and memories. I just couldn't get enough of this sauce! The following day I even made enchiladas with the leftover sauce (see later post).

Creamy Roasted Poblano Sauce 
3-4 Poblano chiles
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken stock
Salt to taste

1) Place Poblano chiles in a roasting pan and set under broil until skin has blistered and becomes slightly charred (you can hear the skin popping in the oven); do this to both sides of the chiles
2) Remove from oven and place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap so they can steam, for about 5
 minutes

3) Remove skin and stem of the chiles with your fingers then chop into large pieces
4) Place Poblanos in food processor with milk and blend until smooth

5) In a pan, make roux with butter and flour, then add the Poblano puree, lower heat and add cream

6) Stir sauce until thickened and add salt
7) Top over chicken or fish, or practically anything and enjoy!

Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

I've been wanting to try this cake ever since I saw the post on Smitten Kitchen. Thursday night I finally had a chance. We were having a quiet night at home watching movies and I thought the perfect thing to compliment the chill night would be some nice warm chocolate cake. This cake is surprisingly easy and fast to make. I think that I had started it and finished eating a piece within an hour. My kind of cake. Plus, there really isn't anything more delicious and simple than freshly whipped cream, except maybe if you add some cinnamon.

Red Wine Chocolate Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen


6 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
3/4 cup red wine
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup plus 1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1) Preheat oven to 325 F and butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan
2) Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs, red wine, and vanilla
3) Sift dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients

4) Add batter to pan and bake for 25-30 minutes

5) Cool in pan for 10 minutes then slice into pieces, top with whipped cream and enjoy!

Cinnamon Whipped Cream
This is more of a suggestion than a recipe because I just poured heavy cream into a bowl. Start whipping, then add sugar to taste and continue whipping until peaks form. Add cinnamon and place on top cake, or coffee

Athens Family Restaurant

Last night we finally tried Athens Family Restaurant, a diner with an extensive Greek menu. We've heard great things about this place, it was even featured on Diner. Drive-Ins, and Dives, so we knew it had to be good... and it was! The building looks and feels like a diner. But the menu will surprise you. They serve breakfast all day, but we decided to stay on the dinner side.

My boyfriend chose a Lamb Burger with Bacon, a perfect fusion of American classic diner with a Greek twist. The fries even came with crumbled feta on top. The burger was huge and delicious. It had that great lamb taste mixed with the familiar flavor of bacon. I wanted to try one of the Greek entrees so I ordered the Kotopita. I had never before tried this dish, but hey, it comes wrapped in phyllo. How can you go wrong? Inside the delicious, buttery phyllo wrapper were pieces of chicken, cheese, and vegetables. Yum! It was served with a mixture of vegetables in a tomato sauce, which was slightly spicy and had a great flavor. In addition it comes with Dina's Creamy Potatoes, pieces of potatoes cooked in a creamy cheesy sauce.

Athens is a great place that has a huge and diverse menu. There will be something on the menu for everyone to enjoy, whether they prefer traditional diner classics or are feeling more adventurous and want to try something Greek.

Scandinavian Meatballs

I should probably refer to these as Swedish Meatballs, but I am of Norwegian heritage and this delicious meal is known throughout Scandinavian, and not just restricted to Sweden. This dish reminds me a lot of home and has remained a favorite comfort food for me. Traditionally these meatballs are served with mashed potatoes, but I love when they are combined with egg noodles and topped with some fresh parsley. The meatballs are very tender and flavorful and compliment the rich and creamy sauce. This is a great winter meal that is filling and delicious.

Scandinavian Meatballs
1 lb ground beef
3/4 cup of bread crumbs soaked in 1/2 cup of milk
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp of nutmeg

For the sauce
4 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream

1) Preheat oven to 350
2) Combine first set of ingredients in a bowl and roll into balls about 1 inch round and place on wax paper until finished

3) In a large saucepan melt 3/4 tbsp of butter and brown meatballs, working in batches, once browned place on a sheet pan lined with foil

4) Once all meatballs are browned, but not fully cooked, place in oven and finish cooking, about 15 minutes

5) In the saucepan, remove most of fat, if there is any, and add the remaining butter, when melted add the flour and create a roux

6) Add chicken broth and reduce slightly
7) Lower heat and stir in sour cream and add meatballs

8) Serve over egg noodles or with mashed potatoes, top with parsley and enjoy!

Halloween Treats

My friends through a huge Halloween party Saturday night. So of course, I had to bring treats. I made Chocolate cookies with Candy Corn, Brown Sugar Spice Ghost Cookies, Chocolate Mini Cupcakes with Halloween Sprinkles, Pumpkin Mini Cupcakes with Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting (piped in the shape of brains), Mexican Hot Chocolate Mini Cupcakes with Spicy Ganache, and Pumpkin Cupcakes with a Chocolate Ganache filling and chocolate buttercream frosting. An epic amount of desserts for an epic party.

Piccata Style Chicken with Pesto Spaghetti Squash

Picctata is one of my favorite dishes. I love the crispiness of the thinly fried chicken (or fish) accompanied with the tangy lemony caper sauce. I found a recipe for Piccata Style Chicken roasted in the oven after browning in a pan then using the pan juices to create the sauce. I cooked these with bone-in chicken breasts instead of a half a chicken. And since I was switching things up I thought instead of my usual side dish of pesto pasta I used a roasted spaghetti squash with pesto. It was a fun twist on one of my favorite recipes.

Piccata Style Chicken
Adapted from Food and Wine Best of the Best Vol. 12


2 bone-in, with skin chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 lemon, sliced thinly
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. of butter
1/2 cup of dry white wine
t tbsp. capers

1) Preheat oven to 375 F
2) Heat an oven proof skillet or dutch oven, then add oil
3) Salt and pepper chicken breasts then add, skin side down, to heated oil and cook on both sides until crispy and brown

4) Place pan with chickens in oven and roast until cooked through
5) Remove chicken breasts and cover with foil
6) Heat pan on stove, adding sliced lemon until softened, about 1 minute

7) Add lemon juice and white wine, scraping the bits from the bottom of pan, add butter and reduce, then add capers
8) Pour sauce over chicken and enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash with Pesto
1 spaghetti squash
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Pesto of choice

1) Heat oven to 400 F
2) Slice squash in half, remove seeds, and coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper

3) Place flesh side down and roast in oven until tender, about 35 minutes
4) With a fork, scrape the flesh of the squash. It will take the form of strands of pasta
5) Place in bowl and mix with pesto until combined

Pasta e Fagioli

Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant is a recent addition to my cookbook family and has some great vegetarian recipes. Being a vegetarian through middle school, high school, and most of college probably influenced how I learned to cook as well as my fascination with food. Vegetarian meals are still some of my favorites, although I do particularly love bacon. On a chilly fall night I could think of nothing better than to make a warm one pot meal. Searching the cookbook for something delicious I found the recipe for Pasta e Fagioli, which is similar to a stewy minestrone, a lovely pasta and bean dish. Working with the ingredients I had in the house I came up with a similar version of their recipe, but I worked with the ingredients I had in the house. So feel free to experiment!

Something that I find very interesting about Italian food is how influenced it is by New World domesticates. Many of the main ingredients in this dish would not have been available in Italy prior to the European contact with the Americas. This is known as the Columbian Exchange and was the exchange and introduction of new species of plants and animals to and from the New World and the Old World. In this dish the tomatoes, zucchini, and beans are all originally from the Americas. It is almost impossible to imagine what Italian food would have been like without these crops.

Pasta a Fagioli
Adapted from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant

1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
2 cloves of garlic or granulated
2 zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 can of diced tomatoes, with juices
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 can of kidney beans  (Cannelini beans would be perfect here as well)
1 can of pinto beans
Fresh parsley
Fresh basil
Olive oil
Crushed red pepper
Dried oregano
Salt and pepper
8 oz. of pasta (I used macaroni)
Water to thin if desired
Parmesan cheese

1) Heat olive oil in dutch oven, add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, salt, pepper, and spices, cook until slightly softened

2) Add zucchini and cook until softened

3) Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beans, then taste and flavor with more seasonings if desired, also adding water to thin slightly
4) Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente
5) Simmer stew for 25 minutes, uncovered, add basil and parsley towards the end
6) Add pasta and serve into bowls, garnish with Parmesan and enjoy!