Holy Hot Tequila, Batman!

I found this recipe online and have changed it up just a bit. Was too sweet for me the way it was originally made

http://cooktobang.com/2010/05/07/i-feel-ya-tequila/

DAYUM good! Gets yer attention!

2 cups white sugar
2 cups water
4 jalapenos or serranos
2 to 4 shots tequila (I prefer gold but as you like)
Whole limes or lime juice

Pour sugar and water into a pan to make a simple syrup. Roughly chop two of the peppers and add to the simple syrup. Bring to a rolling boil and cook til sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

Let cool for about 30 minutes, then strain peppers out of simple syrup. Refrigerate until chilled.

Once chilled, fill two glasses with ice. Add two shots of lime juice, one to two shots of tequila and two shots of simple syrup to each glass, stir well. Garnish each glass with another pepper if you really wanna get someone's attention.

Sounds weird, tastes good!

Mexican Rice

3 cups rice
1 can El Pato
Chicken broth to fill to 3-cup line
1 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, mince
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp Adobo
1 tbls oil

Cook vegetables in oil until soft. In the meantime, add rice, cumin, El Pato, broth and Adobo to ricer cooker. Once vegetables are cooked, add to rice mixture. Stir well and cook according to rice cooker directions.

Shoppin' List

Amazingly, I am having trouble finding some things I think are pretty basic. Hoping I will have more luck once I move up to the city, but that remains to be seen. In the mean time, for my own amusement (and, more importantly, so I can find what I want), this is my online shopping list for the things I use frequently and can't find around here.

Anasazi Beans

Dehydrated Refrieds

Daily Detox

Crest Vanilla Mint Toothpaste

Pico Pica Taco Sauce

Etouffee

This makes a LOT, but it's better the next day and really freezes well.

Start with a roux.

One cup flour
One stick butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
One medium onion, finely chopped
One bell pepper, finely chopped
Two to three cloves garlic, finely minced
Shrimp or chicken stock
Approx one pound uncooked shrimp, shelled
Approx one pound crawfish tails
Approx one pound cooked shredded chicken
One to two tablespoons Cajun seasoning
One tablespoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco (or to taste)

Slowly start to brown the flour in a heavy skillet or dutch oven. (I have a big enameled cast iron braiser). Watch that it does not burn. If it does, throw it out and start over.

Once it is a light nutty brown, add the butter and oil to make a paste. Continue to cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently. The vegetables can be added at this point, cook until they are softened. The roux should be a light to medium brown.

Add shrimp or chicken stock to make a thick gravy. Add Cajun seasoning and Tabasco. Add chicken and crawfish and let simmer for about 30 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for another 10 minutes, until shrimp are pink and opaque.

Serve over steamed rice. Sprinkle on additional Cajun seasoning or Tabasco as desired.

Dig in!

I used the shrimp shells to make a stock. I cooked the chicken breasts in chicken stock until the meat shredded up. These are the stocks I used to add to the roux. I also used some canned low-sodium chicken broth to add since I didn't end up with enough shrimp and chicken broth while cooking. I then used the canned broth to cook the rice for a richer flavor and so I didn't have leftover stock.

Kitchen Wish List

In no particular order…

BlendTec Blender
Indoor grill
Small outdoor gas grill (cuz all I have are charcoal grills, can’t use them at an apartment)
A cupboard full of Penzey’s spices
That really cool ice cream maker like Brad has
A NICE set of All Clad pots and pans
Le Creuset Dutch oven and a small variety of other enameled cast iron
A nice food processor (Cuisinart)
A nice mixer (Kitchen-Aid)
A mandolin
Toaster/convection oven with rotisserie
Good salt/pepper mills
Coffee bean grinder for grinding spices
A beautiful tagine (this really has to be near the bottom of the wish list. Kind of a one-trick pony, but they are just so pretty)

I am sure I will think of more as I go along. Like pretty nearly anything from Williams-Sonoma. And truth is, I have a very well-appointed kitchen. Some day I will have my lovely kitchen stuff back. I so miss my knives...

Crockpot Chicken and Sausage

This was a happy experiment. I needed to get dinner together for everyone and had no idea what to do. Had some chicken, some smoked sausage, started looking online for ideas. This is what I ended up with.

Four chicken quarters, skin and extra fat cut off
One pound smoked polish sausage, sliced lengthwise, then sliced into bite-sized pieces
One bell pepper, seeded and chopped
One large onion, chopped
One package fresh sliced mushrooms
One can low=fat cream of mushroom soup
One package low-fat cream cheese
One tablespoon Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning
Three to four cups cooked white or brown rice

I used a large 5-quart crock pot.

Chicken in first, then seasoning, then all other ingredients piled in on top. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Can also be made in large pot on top of the stove or in the oven.

Cook until chicken is done. Serve over rice.

This would also be quite good with about half the chicken and a can of white beans (rinsed and drained) added instead.

Crawfish Bread

Haven't actually made this but don' dat look purdy! :)

Crawfish Bread
From Crawfish.com

Ingredients:

* 1 lb Louisiana crawfish tails
* 1 loaf French bread
* 1/2 stick butter
* 1/2 cup onions, diced
* 1/4 cup red bell peppers, diced
* 1/2 cup celery, diced
* 1 tbsp garlic, minced
* 1/2 tsp Creole or brown mustard
* 1/2 tsp paprika
* 1/2 tsp cayenne
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 1/3 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
* 1/3 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

Slice French bread loaf lengthwise into halves, then scoop out the inside of the loaf. Set aside. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic for 5-7 minutes. Add the crawfish tails, and sauté for 3 more minutes. Lower the heat, then stir in mustard and mayonnaise. Add the cheeses and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Spread this mixture inside the bread then put halves back together. Butter the top of the loaf, wrap it in foil and bake on a hot grill or in a 350°F oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven or grill, cut into slices and serve while hot.