Chicken Tacos

Located in the neighborhood of Pilsen in Chicago, there is a deliciously wonderful Mexican restaurant called Nuevo Leon. And now that I am writing this, I am realizing that out of all the times that we have been there, I have yet to take a single picture! Anyway, one of the things that makes Nuevo Leon so fabulous is that before you even order or get your food, you get unlimited chips and salsa and a "platito" of whatever they are featuring that night...think of it as a little, free "appetizer" that is made with the same loving care and delectable flavors as their entrees.

Anyway, the reason why I am telling you this is because the first time that we went to Nuevo Leon, we had no idea about the chips, salsa, and platitos..and what was on the platito that night was some of the best Mexican chicken we (Brad, my Tia Rosie, my Abuelita, and myself) have ever had. Weeks later I was still craving it so I decided to see if I could find a recipe that I could recreate it at home. And though it isn't a perfect match, it does come pretty close. I introduce to you "Michael Chiarello Chicken Taco Filling" a la food network.

Now  this recipe calls for diced chicken so I didn't take the time to slow cook the chicken to shred it like Nuevo Leon had it but I thought it still turned out well. Also, the recipe calls for both sweet and smoked paprika..so I'm sure you can guess what I did...I just used that jar that is simply labeled "paprika" in my spice cabinet for both. Now if you go to the linked website, Michael will go on to give a recipe for "toppings" and what not but we just ate these plain. I also made our own corn tortillas but store bought tortillas would obviously be okay.



Michael Chiarello Chicken Taco Filling
Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 10 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 yellow onions minced
• 4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into 1/2-inch chunks
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 serrano chiles, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 4 to 5 cups chicken stock or water

Directions

1. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and pour in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and onions and cook until soft and nicely caramelized, about 10 to 12 minutes.
   
   
2. In the meantime, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour over the chicken and toss to coat. Heat another large saute pan over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook the chicken until it is lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes.
   
   
3. Once the onion mixture is caramelized and softened, add the serranos, paprikas, cumin, and oregano.
   
   When the chicken is done, transfer it to the pan with the onions. Pour in the broth or water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce is thick and delicious, approximately 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
   

Stargazer Pie

About a week or two ago, Brad and I had the opportunity to host our beloved small group at our apartment. Well little did we know that we would also have severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings that night. Anyway, when I had gotten home from work, I had plenty of time to throw together this little diddy...'bout Jack and Di-a-nne...just kidding ;o) Anyway, I had plenty of time to bake up a couple of goodies and set up the rest of the snacks before people started to show up. And everything was going so smoothly went the Severe Weather Alert came on the radio..and the we turned on the T.V. and saw Tom Skilling and my friend Mark Suppelsa along with his co-anchor (sorry I don't remember your name!) looking somewhat concerned and serious...and then the air raid sirens went off. So we grabbed our keys, flashlights and a couple of folding chairs and headed down to the basement with our weather radio.

(this is NOT my picture, but rather Scott Strazzante, Chicago Tribune / June 23, 2010. I just wanted to include this picture to show you some of the intense clouds since U.S. Cellular is literally blocks from our apartment)

 

Well fortunately nothing ever came of the storm in our neck of the woods..er, city...besides some pretty intense lightening, high winds, and flooding...however it did eat into my prep time. So by the time everything started to calm down, we only had a few moments before people started to show. Luckily, we have some pretty awesome people in our group that totally understood (and who braved the weather to make it out to our place!) and helped me finish setting up. But I am telling you all of this not only because it ended up being a crazy night but rather that in all of the commotion, corners were cut and a slight mistake was made. Okay, enough of the weather talk.

I'm not even sure when or how I came across this but my goodness am I sure glad I did (as are the others who got to taste this treat!). Dozen Flours, in a time crunch, came up with this fairly easy recipe for a delicious and delectable dessert, Stargazer Pie. What compromises did I have to make? Well the truffle layer wasn't able to set for the given time due to the whole tornado siren episode (nor did I cream the butter and cream cheese entirely...I had some tiny lumps). Also, in my running around trying to make sure everything was get for snacks, I did the unforgivable and stepped away from the mixer..while I was making whipped cream. So yeah, the peaks came and almost went before I realized my error. Whoops. So needless to say, the rest of the items that I was supposed to mix into the whipped cream didn't get mixed in when they were supposed to but hey, it still worked. How do I know this? Because everyone said they loved it! Yes, it was rich but oh so delicious. Just next time, I'm going to need to watch that mixer a little more closely. ;o) BTW. I have removed some of the detailed instructions just to pare down the reading but you can still have success without the added details.

Stargazer Pie
created by Dozen Flours

Crust
1 16.5 oz tube of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough, softened

Brownie Layer
1 box of Brownie Mix
1/2 cup of cocoa powder, sifted
3 tablespoons of lukewarm water
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon of almond extract or vanilla

Cream Cheese Truffle Layer
1 cup of milk semisweet chips
4 oz of cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick of unsalted butter

Whipped Cream Layer
2 cups of whipping cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 cup of powdered sugar, sifted
1/3 cup (give or take) of chocolate curls or other garnish, optional

• Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9 or 9 1/2 inch springform pan with butter.
• Spread the cookie dough into the bottom of the pan, making one big even cookie. It may be a little on the thin side. Stick it in the freezer.
  
  
• Mix the brownie mix and the cocoa powder together in big bowl with a whisk or large fork. Add the water, oil, eggs, and extract and mix together just until the dry ingredients are absorbed. Be careful not to over mix! The batter will be somewhat lumpy. 
• Remove the springform pan from the freezer and add the brownie batter right over the top. Bake for 34-38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownie comes out *almost* clean. You basically want it to where it's not raw in the center and doesn't jiggle when you shake the pan a bit, a tad bit less baked than you would a normal brownie.
• Remove it from the oven and promptly sprinkle about a 1/3 cup of chocolate chips (from the 1 cup of chips listed above) over the top. Let it sit for a minute or two and once the chocolate chips are soft, evenly spread them over the top of brownie's surface. Allow it to cool on the counter. 
  
  
  

forgive the bluriness of the photo..there was a lot going on that night as you can imagine and apparently I didn't take the time to pay attention as to whether or not I was actually getting "good" pictures 

• While the pie is cooling, microwave the remaining chocolate chips on low power on 30 second intervals until the chips are melted, stirring well each time. Set aside. Cream the butter, and cream cheese together for 1 minute. Add the vanilla and stir again. Add the melted chocolate, one big teaspoonful at a time until it's incorporated into the cream cheese. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the top of the pie and store it uncovered in the refrigerator for an hour.
  
  
  
• About an hour or two before you're ready to serve the pie, whisk the whipping cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar and mix again until combined. Spread evenly over the top of the pie. Grate chocolate directly over the top, sprinkle chocolate curls, or embellish with chocolate sprinkles. Cover and put it back in the refrigerator for at least 1/2 an hour.
• When you're ready to serve, Gently remove the ring and serve let it come to room temperature at least a half an hour before serving.
  
  

Grilled Corn

Summer and grilling go hand in hand..which includes corn on the cob! I had tried grilling corn last summer and it turned out okay, but nothing extraordinary. But then Cook's Country (America's Test Kitchen's country version) featured a "recipe" or rather method of grilling perfectly sweet and juicy corn. Cook's Country stated, "If your corn isn't as sweet as you'd like, stir 1/2 cup of sugar into the water along with the salt. Avoid soaking the corn for more than 8 hours, or it will become overly salty."

What's the best way to tell if your corn is sweet enough? Well taste it of course (uncooked that is)! This is something that I had always seen my Abuelita do whenever I would go shopping with her. She also "taught" me to always open the corn before buying it to make sure the kernels were still good, plump and not dried out. I have to admit though, since moving to Chicago, it is rare that I see someone open up the cobs to check out the kernels (in fact, the only other time that I have seen someone join me in the good corn hunt was at a Mexican grocery store and it was a "little old lady" as my abuelita to say, someone else's abuelita). But this hasn't stopped me from doing so. I would much rather look "picky" at the grocery store then come home and be greeted with wilted and sickly looking corn.

(now this is some good looking corn if I say so myself)

Anyway, back to the recipe/method. I saw this episode and decided to try it out that week. Without telling Brad what I was doing, I followed the directions and then handed it off to Brad later on that evening to stick it on the grill to compliment our meal for that evening. When it came time to eat, both Brad and Jacob said it was some of the juiciest and sweetest corn they had ever tasted. I then shared with them my little secret and decided that this will now be our go to method for cooking corn when we have the time/foresight.

Grilled Corn on the Cob
from Cook's Country (America's Test Kitchen)

"If your corn isn't as sweet as you'd like, stir 1/2 cup of sugar into the water along with the salt. Avoid soaking the corn for more than 8 hours, or it will become overly salty."

Ingredients

	Salt and pepper
8	ears corn , husks and silks removed
8	tablespoons unsalted butter , softened, or 1 recipe flavored butter (see related recipes)

Instructions

1. In large pot, stir 1/2 cup salt into 4 quarts cold water until dissolved. Add corn and let soak for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.

2. Grill corn over hot fire, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until kernels are lightly charred all over, 10 to 14 minutes.

Remove corn from grill, brush with softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Peanut Butter Marshmallow Krispie Topped Brownies

So I have started this thing about making treats for my coworkers periodically and for their birthdays. Hannah's birthday was coming up and she mentioned that she had once saw a brownie topped with a rice krispie treat and that she would LOVE it if I could make them for her birthday.

Well I went searching on the internet but couldn't really find what she was looking for. I know, I know, brownie topped with rice krispie treat, you need a recipe for that? It wasn't that I was needing a recipe necessarily but rather wanted to know if there was any special technique or variation that someone had come up with. More particularly, how do the two concoctions stick together?

After a bit I finally found something that looked promising. Cookie Madness had posted a recipe two years ago for "Peanut Butter Marshmallow Krispie Topped Brownie". I asked Hannah for the go ahead since it was a Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie mixture and then the plan was set in motion.

So the last shift we worked together for her birthday I brought the brownies/rice krispies. The kids and the staff all sang happy birthday and candles were blown out. And what did Hannah say after the first bite "Oh my Goodness...No words can describe this awesomeness". As far as the kids response, not a single crumb went in the trash though on boy said that there was a little too much peanut butter. I thought they were pretty tasty too with that rich chocolately peanut butter marshmellowey taste. Plus, there were pretty easy to put together as well. Definitely something you could make for a family reunion, party, or whatever

Peanut Butter Marshmallow Krispie Topped Brownies
Cookie Madness


1 box (18.3 to 21 oz) brownie mix plus eggs & oil (or whatever box calls for)
4 cups marshmallows (small ones)
1 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup creamy peanut butter – regular type
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups crispy rice cereal

• Preheat oven to temperature directed on brownie package (mine said 350 degrees F.).
• Line the pan with non-stick foil (I use “Release” foil). Parchment should work too.
• Prepare brownies using amount of oil, eggs, water called for on box. Two minutes before they are supposed to be done, pull brownies from the oven and sprinkle marshmallows across top. Return to oven for 2 minutes to soften marshmallows. Remove from oven and spread soft marshmallows over top of brownies. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
  
  
• Prepare topping. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until chocolate is melted and mixtue is smooth.
  
  
  Add cereal and stir to coat. 
  
  Drop spoonfuls of chocolate mixture over marshmallow layer, spreading as evenly as possible. Things will look gooey at this point, so don’t even think about cutting. Put the brownies in the refrigerator for a few hours to chill.
  
  
  
• Lift from pan and score into squares (about 16 or 20).
  
  
  

Taste of Chicago, 2010

Taste of Chicago has been over for a week now, but let me just give you a peek of some of the deliciousness that was found there...

Our first stop...

Fried plantains. I believe I ordered these from Las Tablas Colombian Steakhouse. Try as I may, I still have not perfected frying my own plantains. They are never as sweet as when you get them in the restaurant.

Next stop, Star of Siam. First we saw the name, then we smelled the dish, then we saw the dish, then we just had to have it.

Grilled Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Salad. It was some of the juiciest chicken I have ever had. Perfectly moist, perfectly seasoned, perfectly delicious.

Who can pass up a Fire Grilled Steak Taco? The Carne Asada was tender and flavorful and something had a bit of a kick to it. I'm thinking it was the sauce, but neither my dad or I took much time to fully deconstruct this taco...we just knew it was delicious. You better believe Carbon is on my list to check out very soon.

Next stop, Garlic Mozzarella Cheese Bread! This is from Polo Cafe & Catering Bridgeport U.S.A, again very flavorful (but a tad greasy but was forgivable on my end). I would love to try this place out too. I haven't checked it out too much to see what their cafe menu consists of.

And now, time for dessert!

Coconut Macaroon from Lovely, A Bakeshop. Very good.

Mashed Potato stuffed Chocolate Cupcake anyone? Also from Polo Cafe & Catering Bridgeport U.S.A. By this time I was getting full so I thought I would wait for another time to eat this. Not that Mashed Potatoes and Chocolate Cupcake sounds like an amazing combination but I got it more for the experience. I'm glad I tried it but I wouldn't order it again. It wasn't horrible, the texture of the two weren't too different but it wasn't good either.

Another dessert I wanted to try just for the experience...

Banana and Chocolate egg roll from Tamarind. Super hot when I got it, the egg roll itself was pretty crispy but yeah I wasn't terribly impressed. I would be interested in playing with this idea though in the future.

And what food festival is complete without a Man vs. Food Challenge. These guys are seeing who can eat four Chicago-style hot dogs in two minutes...

Great times in Sweet Home Chicago! It's no wonder we are well known for our foods.