Corn Soufflé

Another one of my favorite dishes, passed on from Aunt Susan. Although we normally eat it in the winter because it's heavier and made in the oven, tonight it hung out with Mom's baby back ribs and Memphis cole slaw, making a great summer side.

We normally make this dish for Thanksgiving, as it yields a ton of food and is a total crowd pleaser. It can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to serve, making it great for guests.

Corn Soufflé
Ingredients
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 (8 oz) Jiffy corn bread muffin mix
1 (14 3/4 oz) can cream-style corn
1 (14 3/4 oz) can white corn, not drained
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
Cheddar or Swiss cheese, shredded

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Combine all but the cheese in a large bowl
3. Place in a buttered 2-qt casserole dish
4. Sprinkle or lay cheese on top.
5. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes. You don't want it wobbly in the middle. If it's starting to brown too much, place aluminum foil over the top. 

Spicy Mango-Ginger Chicken Salad

Michelle & Dan Fusion cooking at its finest!

Asian-inspired including some of my cooking favorites (cilantro, mint, mango) and Dan's soy, sriracha, rice this dish is amazing. Try it. SO GOOD

Spicy Mango-Ginger Chicken Salad
Commandeered from the lovely Kristin at Smokin Chestnut
Ingredients
Couple of chicken breasts - however much you & friends will eat
1 large Napa/Savoy cabbage, thinly sliced
4 medium carrots, peeled & thinly sliced
2 ripe mangos, peeled & thinly sliced
2 vine tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
4 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted (*to toast, heat oven to 350 and bake a few minutes)
Handful of fresh mint, chopped
Handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Handful roasted peanuts, roughly chopped - or hammered, in our case

Spicy Ginger Dressing:
4 teaspoons freshly-grated ginger OR 1 teaspoons dried ginger
2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients, begin sure to scrape dry ingredients from the bottom. 
2. Cook chicken in a skillet with a touch of olive oil. 
3. Add all ingredients to the bowl with the dressing, tossing to combine. 
4. We served over rice with soy or sriracha. 

Slammin' Pizza Sauce

Sweet and spicy, this sauce is perfect for a fun night in with the crew. Its flavors are layered and many, yet as complex as the taste, it's incredibly easy to make! Add premade pizza dough (I've had one try at making pizza dough from scratch and boy did that go south! The penguins would even spit that one out hahaha) and your favorite toppings and cheese and your good to go. 

When Dan and I made this with friends we did our bizarre version of supreme - peppers, onions, pineapple, bacon, sausage, tomatoes, and lord knows what else. Tasty and fun for a pizza bar! 

Slammin' Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
6 fl oz warm water
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic (1 - 2 cloves)
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
Salt to taste

1. In a medium sized bowl, blend all ingredients, being sure to scramble any parm chunks. 
2. Allow to sit in the fridge at least 30 minutes before using - this helps all the flavors to blend & pop, bend & snap!
3. Spread on your favorite dough, smother with cheese & toppings, bake, and enjoy!

Mom's Bad Ass Baby Back Ribs

Favorite grill item ever. Hands down glory.

Mom makes the world's best ribs. Slow cooked in Coke so until they cannot wait to fall off the bone and then crisped up on the grill and loaded with Sweet Baby Ray's. Wonderfully simple; utterly divine. Hello summer!

Mom's Bad Ass Baby Back Ribs
Ingredients
Baby back ribs (pork)
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
Coke & Ketchup (Ratio: 2L bottle coke - 1g ketchup)

1. Cut ribs to 3 - 4 ribs pieces.
2. In a large simmer pan, place cut ribs in coke, ketchup, adding water if needed. 
3. Bring to boil and simmer for approximately two hours.
4. Once the grill is ready, grill over medium-high heat for a couple minutes to crisp them up. Baste with BBQ sauce.
5. Enjoy hot off the grill!

Moqueca, Brazilian Fish Stew

Moqueca is a traditional fish stew from Brazil. It's light yet filling, tropical and all over tasty. Everyone loves it. It takes roughly an hour to make but is hard to mess up. (Trust me, because I can mess up any dish, and I've yet to ruin a moqueca haha.) Perfect for that warmer fall day, when your ready for hot, comfort food but not looking to feel stuffed. 

Try it. Delight in it. Trust me you'll love it.

Moqueca, Brazilian Fish Stew
Serves 5, adapted from Simply Recipes
Ingredients
2 lbs firm white fish (cod, halibut, swordfish)
Juice from 4 limes
3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red pepper, seeds removed and chopped
1 yellow pepper, seeds removed and chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 - 5 Roma tomatoes, chopped (about 2 cups)

1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper
1 bunch cilantro, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 (14 oz) can light coconut milk

Loaf of french bread!

1. Prepare your fish: Cut the white fish into bite-size chunks, and then place in a marinating pan. Season with salt and pepper, then squeeze the juice of four limes over the fish. Sprinkle with 3 cloves garlic, minced. Place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the soup.
2. In a dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for several minutes until softened. 
3. Then add your peppers, paprika and red pepper flakes. Season with at least pepper and at least 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until the peppers begin to soften, a few more minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and green onions. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for five minutes. When timer goes off, stir in the cilantro.
5. Use a spoon to remove half of the vegetable mixture. Spread the remaining vegetables into an even layer, then add the fish and season with salt and pepper. Next, replace the removed vegetables over the fish. (You'll have three layers: veggies, fish, veggies.)
6. Pour the coconut milk over the contents of the pot. Bring to a violent simmer and then reduce the heat to simmer, covered for 15 minutes.
7. Adjust the spices, adding salt, lime juice, paprika or pepper flakes as you like. 
8. Garnish with cilantro and serve over freshly toasted french bread. Yum! 

Bourbon Cider

The title says it all. Celebrating the start of fall break with Kyle, Dad, and Makers.

I'm a fan of spiked ciders, both with rum or bourbon. If I'm out at a bonfire, I prefer rum cider, hot. But inside I like a bourbon cider cold. I like this cocktail because the OJ compliments the bourbon and makes it a bit sweeter. Sounds odd, but it's delicious. Even Dad approved of the mixing of Makers for this.

Bourbon Cider
Ingredients
Makers Mark, or other bourbon
Apple Cider
Orange juice
Orange slices, for garnish, if you're fancy

1. Fill a glass all the way with ice cubes.
2. Pour bourbon into the glass until about 1/3 full. Adjust according to how strong you like your drinks.
3. Fill with apple cider, leaving about 1/2" rim. 
4. Top with OJ. Use a spoon or straw to blend.
5. Garnish with an orange wedge and enjoy!

Blackberry Mandarin Cocktail

After months of blog neglect and many nights of "research", I've got a brand spanking new cocktail recipe. And quite frankly, all of the nights spent drinking were for nothing, because I simply stumbled upon this mix. And I'm naming it my new household drink. Light, low calorie, and slightly sweet, this cocktail isn't too strong but makesa good night cap.

Mom and I sipped these tonight after I spent a long day serving alcohol at the bar. And I drank mine too fast to remember to snap a picture. Sorry, I'm a little out of blogging practice. Here goes:

Ingedients
Fresca
Blackberry brandy
ABSOLUT Mandarin

1. Fill a tall glass with cubed ice. Pour 1/2 can cold Fresca over the ice.
2. Add two splashes of blackberry brandy. (This alone is good, but sweet.)
3. Pour in roughly one shot of ABSOLUT Mandarin. This will help cut the sweetness and returns the drink to a Fresca-ish taste.

The mix should come out a fizzy, light pink color. Adjust the amount of blackberry brandy to control the sweetness. Obviously, the more vodka you add the stronger it will taste. Although, I drink ABSOLUT Mandarin over ice; it's just sweet enough to go down easy without additives. Anyway, you'll figure it out. Enjoy!