a sauce for cinco de mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo, a day that gives us an excuse to eat Mexican food to our heart's content! (Did we really need an excuse for that?  Well, we don't in our household.)  But, nonetheless, Mandi and I chose this week's recipe mostly for its Mexican-y flair, but also for its simplicity and flexibility.  Whip up this easy and tasty sauce and you can wrap just about anything in a tortilla and turn it into an enchilada. 

I wish I had some witty story or engaging thoughts to accompany this recipe, but the truth is that it's been a very long Cinco de Mayo (filled, oddly enough, with very little, if any, Mexican-ness).  So, this mama and enchilada-maker has little energy left for wit.  Hopefully the fact that you are obtaining such a versatile recipe will more than make up for it.  As for me, I'm off to dream of tacos and hat dances and other Cinco-de-Mayo-appropriate dreams.

The Recipe: Red Enchilada Sauce

from One Lovely Life

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/2-1 canned chipotle chili (packed in adobo), rinsed and minced

1/2tsp cumin

1/4tsp garlic powder

1/4tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 (8oz) can tomato sauce

2 cups water

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and chili powder. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often.

Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

Bring sauce to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer about 10 minutes.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups sauce.

summer days

When I was a little kid, I remember loving the orange juice pops that my mom would make us. There was something soothing, summery, and lip-smacking good about a juice pop. There are certain foods that send me back to those carefree childhood days. Juice pops, bubble tape, ants on a log, anything made into a smiley face on my dinner plate. Those were the days...food was fun! I know it's not quite summer yet, but the thought of making a homemade popsicle was a great way to think back to being a kid on a hot summer day. I thought it'd be fun to each make a different flavor. Being a coffee lover, I was drawn to the mocha pops. Of course the fruity ones appeal to me too, but I knew that Heather wouldn't go for the mocha, so I knew that was for me. Popsicles don't just have to be made out of juice. Why not coffee and cocoa powder and sweetened condensed milk! Make it sugary and sweet! Make it MOCHA!

The Recipe: Mocha Popsicles

Mocha Popsicles

Vanilla ‘Whip’ Tip
1/3 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mocha Popsicle
1 3/4 cups strongly brewed coffee
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Pour about 1 tablespoon of the white tip mixture into each popsicle mold and freeze until solid.

When mixing the mocha ingredients, taste test it and adjust for sweetness or chocolate flavor. Add mocha mixture to the molds, filling to 1/2″ from the top or according to your popsicle mold directions. Freeze until solid. Makes 6 popsicles.

for the love of popsicles

Last week's mission: Popsicles (in an effort to beckon Spring to return to us)

The twist: Mandi and I decided to veer from the norm and tackle two different popsicle recipes.  Mandi on mocha.  Heather on fruit.  (If you know us, you know this suits us to a tee.)

The bonus: You, dear readers, get two recipes for the price of one.

The verdict: I took on Raspberry Yogurt Popsicles after finding a recipe that got excellent reviews.  If the photo above is any indication of the general consensus in this household, then you're bound to know that we adored them.  Our little guy was most certainly in love.  These pops beat any store-bought version.  They are satisfying, refreshing, fresh-tasting, easy-to-make, tangy, and messy (but that's half the fun of a popsicle, right?)  I foresee a summer full of these popsicles and others like them.  In the meantime, we'll keep trying to lure the warm weather back with these icy treats.

The Recipe: Raspberry Yogurt Popsicles

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz

(found on orangette.blogspot.com)

2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt (recommended over low-fat or non-fat yogurt)

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

¾ cup sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in the jar of a blender, and process until smooth. Set a strainer over a bowl (or other vessel) with a pour spout. Press the mixture through the strainer to remove seeds. Divide mixture among popsicle molds of your choosing. Freeze for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the mixture begins to set; then insert popsicle sticks. Freeze until very hard.

To serve, briefly run the sides of the mold under tepid water to loosen the popsicle, and gently twist or wiggle the popsicle stick as you lift.

Yield: depends on your molds

mystery muffin

"Hmm...they sound odd, but I'm up for giving them a try!" That was my response to Heather after she emailed me her idea for our recipe this week. What I really wanted to say was, "Wait a minute. We're putting what in the muffins? Feta cheese and red peppers? And and...spinach?" Only, Heather would suggest such an odd combination and then surprise me when it actually tastes good!

I realize that I have a hard time actually making a complete meal sometimes. You see, I made these muffins having no idea what I would eat them with. Heather had suggested a soup of some sort, but I didn't get myself together enough to have all the ingredients for that. I had all I could do to concentrate on making these mysterious vegetable muffins, let alone make a soup too! Surprisingly though, this muffin isn't bad just eaten alone as a little snack. It's definitely savory and very unique. It's one odd muffin that makes it onto my list of successes! As you can guess, I have a load of muffins leftover and I'm not sure what to do with them! Curious to taste one? Stop over. I have a basket full of what? That's right, mysterious vegetable muffins!