Gordita Salad with Baja Sauce

It's time for a confession.

My husband and I love Taco Bell.  There, I said it.  I'm not proud.
Once every few weeks the husband will come home and we'll look at each other, silently speaking with questioning eyes.
Next thing we know, we're in the car and on our way to copious amounts of fried food and squeezable nacho cheese.
Words are not necessary.

My absolute favorite food from Taco Bell is the beef gordita.  I was heartbroken when they took the baja sauce from the menu, but they still have it if you ask and throw in a wink.  Our Taco Bell is very accommodating.

Anyway, I recently figured out a way to make gorditas at home.  If you break it down, it's fried bread, ground beef, and taco toppings.  The base of my recipe comes from an Indian Taco recipe I found on Savory Traditions.  I found that the fried bread was a little difficult to fold, so we ate them with a fork and knife.  The Baja Sauce recipe that follows is truly amazing in how fresh it tastes.  I ate the left-overs with tortilla chips.

Please be careful when frying the bread.

Gordita Salad with Baja Sauce

Adapted from Savory Traditions Indian Tacos

Ingredients:

1 lbs. ground beef

15 oz. can of pinto beans, drained

1 yellow onion, diced

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. garlic powder

Tapatío or Tabasco to taste (whichever you prefer)

2 eggs
1 cup milk
4 cups all-purpose four
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
Canola oil for frying

"Baja Sauce" (recipe below)

Grated cheddar cheese

Shredded lettuce

Chopped tomatoes or fresh salsa

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the ground beef, onion, cumin, coriander and garlic powder
2. Brown the meat, and then turn the heat to low and add a few shakes of the hot sauce and pinto beans
3. Allow to simmer while you make the bread
4. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a large bowl and whisk to aerate
5. Whisk the eggs and milk together in a separate bowl
6. Create a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour in the liquid; mix until you end up with a dough, adding a little bit of water if the dough is too dry
7. On a floured surface, roll the dough to approximately 1/8" thick
8. Cut the dough into 6" circles (I used a small plate)
9. Use a fork to poke holes through the rounds of dough to allow the oil to come through and help reduce bubbles
10. Using a cast iron Dutch oven, add enough frying oil to be 1/2" deep and add a frying thermometer
11. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches a temperature of around 350°F, making sure it doesn't go above 400°F
12. Carefully fry the circles of dough in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown, turning once halfway through cooking, and draining on paper towels
13. Top the fried bread with the meat and bean mixture, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, and "Baja Sauce"

Baja Sauce

Ingredients:

Half a red bell pepper, minced

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

2 Tbs. onion, minced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 Tbs. white vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

Chopped cilantro

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
2. Cover and chill until ready to serve

Poison Apple Pie

At one point in my past, I was a pirate.  No, really.  I worked as a pirate at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire in a big, red ship selling swords and merchandise.

Now if there is one thing about the PA faire, it's stinking hot in August when it opens, and freezing cold by the time it closes in late October.  My first year working there, I made a Snow White costume, and for Halloween I was Snow White and the Seven Pirates.  It was a blast!  Of course, I drank so much apple cider and ate so many apples that I think apple juice was probably coming out of my pores.  I didn't get sick that fall, so there's that!  I believe that the captain had also rigged up a beating heart for me to carry around as well...  Pirates really do know how to have fun.

Since pirates drink a ton of rum throughout the day, I created a spiked apple cider to enjoy in my off time called the Poison Apple.  Here is the drink recipe:

The Poison Apple

1/2 gallon apple cider

3 whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

1 star anise

1 shot of black rum for each mug!

1.  Mull the cider with the cloves, cinnamon, and anise, in a saucepan over medium heat until it's almost boiling  

2.  Reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer for 20 minutes

3.  Strain the apple cider and serve in mugs with a shot of rum to warm the bones, adding a cinnamon stick to stir

On Halloween, I decided that this drink could make for a very delicious apple pie.  I used the medieval pie dough from the Beef and Bacon Pie recipe, but you could use whatever pie dough you would prefer.  I found that using a spring-form pan was perfect for baking this pie, since I could easily take the pie out and display it on the table.  I also used an apple cookie cutter to make apple shaped dough for the top of the pie. So without further ado, I give you the Poison Apple Pie, with Rum Caramel Sauce!

Poison Apple Pie with Rum Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

1 batch pie dough, chilled (I used the medieval pie dough, but you can use your favorite)

1/2 cup of rum caramel sauce (recipe below), plus extra for serving

2 teaspoons lemon zest

Juice of two lemons

6 large granny smith apples, cored, peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

Turbinado sugar for topping

1. Put the lemon juice, lemon zest, and apples in a large bowl and toss gently so that the apples are covered with lemon juice
2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and sugar together
3. Pour the dry mixture over the apples and toss gently to combine
4. Roll out the chilled pie dough on a lightly floured surface until you have two 12" circles
5. Carefully lay one of the circles of dough in a greased spring-form pan, making sure that it's flat on the bottom and sides, with extra to hang over the edges of the pan; trim excess edges off, leaving a bit to tuck over the top of the pie
6. Fill the pie crust with the apples, tightly packing them in
7. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the apples
8. Preheat the oven to 400°F
9. With the second circle of dough, take your cookie cutter and start cutting apple shaped pieces for the top; lay them on top of the pie, working your way in from the outside
10. Roll the excess overhang over the top of the pie, securing the edges
11. Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg, with a very thin coating
12. Sprinkle the top of the pie with the turbinado sugar
13. Bake the pie for 20 minutes
14. Turn the temperature down to 375°F and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes
15. Allow the pie to cool before releasing the spring-form and cutting to serve

Rum Caramel Sauce

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse's recipe

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup hot water

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons of black rum

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons cold unsalted butter

1. Combine the sugar and hot water in a heavy saucepan 
2. Cook over high heat until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute
3. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens and turns a deep amber color, about 5-8 minutes, carefully swirling the pan occasionally but NEVER STIRRING
4. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the heavy cream, it will definitely start to bubble up
5. Return to the heat and reduce the heat to medium
6. Cook until the sauce is thick and creamy, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to mix in the cream
7. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum, vanilla, and butter
8. Allow to cool

Bruschetta

Lancaster County, PA, has the best produce.  You can disagree with me (and honestly, that is TOTALLY fine), but where I grew up, you can't beat the locally grown fruit and veggies.  There is just something about that soil and the green thumbs in the area that make magic in the marketplace.  Seriously, go visit it in the summer.  Watch out for the Amish buggies.

I love bruschetta because it is the perfect dish to showcase beautiful, ripe tomatoes.  I'm not sure when I was first exposed to it, but just looking at the picture below is making my mouth water, and I just had this dish. For as long as I can remember, my grandparents grew tomatoes in the backyard, and come summertime we had tomatoes with everything that my grandmother put on the plate.  I realize that we are well into fall, and tomatoes may not be as beautiful as they were, but we are still able to get decent ones out here in California.

Of course, I realize that there are about a million recipes out here on the interwebs for how to make a bomb bruschetta, but give mine a shot.  It stays nice and crunchy on the edges of the bread, and supple on the inside.  Try to use the best ingredients that you can for this dish, because it's all about bringing out the natural flavors of each of the elements.  Buon appetito!

Bruschetta

Ingredients:

1 baguette, cut on the diagonal 1/2" thick

1 cup balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup mayonnaise (I use the kind that has an olive oil base, but use whatever kind you want.)

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

8 roma tomatoes, sliced

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

A handful of fresh basil, shredded

12 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced

1. Add the balsamic vinegar to a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium-low heat; simmer until the vinegar has become syrupy, then remove from the heat to cool
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F
3. While the vinegar is reducing, whisk the mayonnaise, garlic, and olive oil together in a small bowl
4. Season the tomato slices with salt and pepper
5. Spread the garlic mayonnaise on the baguette slices and place the slices on a baking sheet
6. Layer the baguette slices with a slice of tomato, a few pieces of basil, and top with a slice of mozzarella
7. Generously brush the top of the mozzarella with the balsamic reduction
8. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the mozzarella has melted

Colcannon

Sorry I haven't posted in a week, Halloween was my 2nd wedding anniversary!

Colcannon is one of my absolute favorites, and it's become a staple in our house.  You can easily adapt it to fit vegetarian needs, as we did when friends came to visit from up North (and now I hear that it's a staple in their house as well!).  

This is a traditional Irish dish that I first had on St. Pat's Day a few years ago when my roommate (and friend) Esme decided to make it.  I could not believe how flavorful and ridiculously good the potatoes were, and the mustard pork that went with the potatoes were just as delicious.  I was surprised to find out that colcannon is traditionally a fall dish associated with Halloween, and would have a ring hidden in it predicting a marriage in the coming year for the person who found it.  I've always felt that hiding small things in my food that could cause choking was a bad idea, but who am I to argue with tradition?  

At it's core, colcannon is basically mashed potatoes with additional items mixed in.  Some recipes add bacon, others Canadian bacon.  Sometimes it's green cabbage, some times it's curly kale.  Chives, green onions, or yellow onion.  Really, choose what you like and run with it.  I did!

"Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream?

With the greens and scallions mingled like a picture in a dream.

Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting flake

Of the creamy, flavoured butter that your mother used to make?"

Colcannon

Ingredients:

3 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

Salt and pepper

2 Tbs. butter

1/4 cup milk

Dollop of sour cream

4 strips of bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

Half of a small red onion, sliced

3 leaves of curly kale, chopped

Hand-full of parsley (flat or curly, whatever you prefer)

1. Place potatoes in cool, salted water over medium-high heat and boil until soft, about 15-20 minutes
2. Drain the cooked potatoes and place back into the pot
3. Add the butter, milk, and sour cream, and mash the potatoes
4. Meanwhile, place a skillet over medium-high heat and add the bacon; cook until crispy and then remove and drain on a paper towel
5. Add the onion to the skillet with the bacon grease and cook until soft
6. Add the kale to the skillet and cook until wilted
7. Add the bacon, onion, and kale to the mashed potatoes and mix until well combined
8. Top with the parsley and serve

Mustard Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and silver skin

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp. dark mustard seeds

3 Tbs. brown mustard

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F
2. Place the tenderloin on a baking sheet and drizzle it with the olive oil; rub the olive oil to coat the meat
3. Rub the tenderloin with the salt and pepper, garlic, mustard seeds, and brown mustard, making sure to keep it an even coat
4. Transfer the pork to the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the tenderloin reaches 145°F
5. Remove the pork from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes before slicing