Buttermilk Syrup

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cups buttermilk (or 3/4 cups milk + 1 Tbsp of lemon juice, mix and let sit for 5 min. before adding to recipe)
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbsp corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla

Combine all but vanilla in a large sauce pan.  Bring to boil over medium low heat.  Don't boil hard or it will go brown.  Simmer for 7 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla.  Serve over pancakes or waffles or even over ice cream!  Stores in the fridge for a couple weeks.

Chocolate Lava Cake

Plain and simple....and absolutely DELICIOUS!

INGREDIENTS:

6 tbsp butter

3 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips or baking squares (cut into pieces if using squares)

1/2 c sugar

6 tbsp flour

pinch of salt

3 eggs

1/4 tsp vanilla

Confectioners' sugar to decorate

This recipe makes enough for two large ramekins. Line bottom of ramekins with waxed or parchment paper, then grease; set aside.

Place chocolate chips and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds or until chocolate is melted; stir until smooth. Using a whisk, beat in the sugar, flour and salt until blended. Add eggs and vanilla. Pour mixture into prepared ramekins. Refrigerate them for 1 hour or until ready to bake.

Bake 13 minutes (at 425 degrees Fahrenheit) or until edges are firm but centers are slightly soft. Make sure you don't overbake them. Cool for 5 minutes and carefully run sharp knife or thin spatula around cake edges. Unmold onto serving plates, remove waxed paper. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately. Enjoy!!!

Note: You can use 12 cup muffin pan instead, bake for 9 minutes instead (I've only made them in the ramekins though)

Chipotle Ranch Chicken Sandwich

Not too long ago I tried a chicken sandwich that was just plain delicious!! I told my husband that I was going to try and figure out the sauce and make the sandwich at home. I was in luck! The sandwich turned out just as good and we loved it!

To make the sauce you will need Chipotle Peppers. You will be able to find these in small cans at your local grocery store. There are many different brands, I just happened to buy this one. You won't use all of the peppers so you can freeze the rest and use them with other recipes.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb chicken breast/tenders

adobo from chipotle peppers

garlic salt

cooked bacon strips

1 large onion, sliced

Pepper Jack cheese

Cibatta bread

Chipotle Ranch sauce (see recipe below)

Put a little bit of olive oil on a skillet. Season the chicken with garlic salt and cook on medium heat on the skillet. Add a little bit of adobo sauce on top of the chicken. While chicken is cooking, sautee the onions. When the chicken, onions,chipotle ranch sauce and bacon are ready, you can begin making your sandwich.

Spread some chipotle ranch on the cibatta bread and then place on a hot griddle just for a little bit to help soften the bread and toast it at the same time. Add more sauce to your bread, add the chicken, cheese, bacon and finally the sauteed onions, place the top slice of bread and enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS for SAUCE:

1 cup sour cream
1 can of Nestle's Media Crema (Table cream) or add another cup of sour cream if you can't find this ingredient
1 cilantro bunch
1 pkg Ranch dressing mix
2 chipotle peppers

Place all ingredients for sauce in the blender and voila! The sauce is done!

White Chicken Enchiladas

This is a super yummy enchilada recipe I found at the Pioneer Woman Website. It's not your typical enchilada recipe, or at least not the ones I had in Mexico anyway. I really like the fact that she uses corn tortillas rather than flour because that's what we use when making enchiladas. I think flour tortillas get extra soggy. Anyway, I made some changes to her recipe and that's what I'll post here. To get her original recipe and of course many other yummy ones click here.

Some of the changes that I made was to replace a few ingredients such as fresh peppers rather than canned (fresh is always best) and also used a rotisserie chicken rather than cook one, among other things. Again, visit her site if you would like to see her original recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 2- 1/2 cups)

2 c chicken broth

1 tbsp canola oil

corn tortillas

1 large onion, diced

6-7 Anaheim peppers, diced

2-3 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced

1 tsp paprika

1/2 c heavy cream (you can use Nestle Table cream/Media crema instead)

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1 c sour cream

2- 1/2 c monterey jack cheese, grated

salt and pepper to taste

cilantro, chopped

PREPARATION:

Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and saute for a minute or so. Add chicken and half of the Anaheim peppers, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot, Mix in the cilantro (reserve some to garnish enchiladas when done). Turn off the heat and set aside.

In a separate pan, melt butter and sprinkle four. Whisk together and cook for about a minute. Add in one and a half cups of chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for a minute or two. Add the rest of the Anaheim peppers. Reduce heat, then add in sour cream and some cheese to melt (about a cup or so). Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Soften tortillas on a griddle. You don't need to cook them too long, all you need is for them to be soft enough to roll.

To assemble: spoon chicken mixture on top of a tortilla, add some cheese and roll up. Place in a 9x13 casserole dish seam side down. Continue to do the same with the rest of the tortillas.

Pour cheese mixture over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if you'd like but I don't think it's necessary at all cause they are plenty cheesy. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Grilled Tilapia with [Bing] Cherry Salsa

SERVES 4 - Prep. Time: 15 min - Total Time: 20 min

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for grates
1/2 pd. (2 cups) Bing cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno chile (ribs and seeds removed), minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
4 Tilapia fillets (4 to 6 oz each)

1. Heat grill to high; lightly oil grates. In a medium bowl, combine cherries, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine; set salsa aside.

2. In a small bowl, stir together coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Rub tiapia all over with oil; sprinkle with spice mixture.

3. Grill tilapia until opaque around the edges and underside loosens easily from grill, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a metal spatula with a thin blade, flip fish; continue to cook until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve tilapia topped with cherry salsa.

Brazilian Stuffed Bread

In Brazil, when you have visitors over, it's pretty much tradition to sit down and "tomar um lanche", which is literally translated to "take a lunch", but it's a way to say eat a snack, or have some tea (if you're from Europe).

And this bread is just perfect for that. I would say, in a typical Brazilian home, you would have as an afternoon snack: some bread (from french bread to cheese bread), cake, and Coca-Cola (okay, maybe Guaraná). Just kidding, but it is very common.



This recipe is so easy, the hardest part really is just waiting patiently for the dough to rise. AND you may just have all the ingredients in your pantry.

Ingredients:

- 3 to 3 1/2 C Flour (Start with 3 and keep adding until it doesn't stick to your fingers anymore)

- 4 tbsp. Oil (I think I used canola)

- 2 tbsp. Sugar

- 2 Eggs

- 1 tsp. Salt

- 1 C water

- 1 tbsp. Yeast

- Mayo

- Shredded Parmesan Cheese

You can use anything to put inside the bread, here are some suggestions:

- Muzzarella chesse, diced tomatoes, and basil

- Pepperoni and cheese

- Just Cheese

- Ham, cheese, tomato, onions, and oregano (I made this one and it turned out delish, except I used some left-over salsa fresca since I didn't have any more onions and it turned out pretty good)

You can also use any kind of meat like salami, turkey, hot dogs (this would need to be chopped)...Just use your imagination!

Put all of the ingredients in a large bowl, except for the water and yeast. In a small bowl, add water and yeast and let it sit for a few minutes (while you mix everything else in the large bowl).
Add the water and yeast to the large bowl and mix it all up with your hands.
Flour a flat surface and knead the dough for a few minutes.
Cover and let it rise for at least 30 minutes (I would do about 45 minutes).
While the dough rises, you can prepare your toppings. Make sure to chop everything up, except the cheese, if it's already grated.
Separate the dough into two equal pieces. Open one in a rectangle, spread the mayo, add chesse and other toppings. Roll it up lengthwise. It doesn't need to be rolled up super well, I usually only do it a couple times. Spread some more mayo on top of the bread and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. You can also add parsley on top to make it look prettier, or, in my case, to differentiate from the other bread, which had a different topping. Make sure you pinch the ends so the cheese doesn't run out. Repeat everything with the other piece of dough and put it in a floured (spread butter first, and then the flour) cookie sheet.

Bake for aproximately 40 minutes at 350 F.

Carne Molida con Papas

In need of an easy meal??? Well, look no further! This is one of the easiest meals to make. I tend to make this often...specially when I run out of ideas. You can make this and eat it with tortillas like a burrito. You can use this as the meat dish for tostadas, or some delicious sopes (post to come)! It can also be the perfect filling for fried empanadas.

Anyway, the list goes on.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 tomatoes, diced
4 potatoes, diced (it really depends on the size of the potatoes, so as many as you want)
2-3 fresh jalapenos, diced
cilantro, chopped (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
Mozarella or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (optional)

In a skillet begin to cook the meat, add salt and pepper. When the meat is practically done, add the remaining ingredients (except for the cheese), add more salt and pepper if necessary (I usually do). Cook on medium heat (mix when needed) until potatoes are tender. When potatoes are ready, add cheese, and serve when cheese has melted. Enjoy!!

Note: I once added fresh chopped spinach to it and it was great. So if you are in the need of using spinach...here is a great dish.