Homemade Taco Seasoning

We are huge fans of Mexican and Tex-Mex in our house — even the little one! It brings a tear to my eye when I boldly decide not to "dumb down" the spice and she still gobbles it up. Win!

I used to buy packets of taco seasoning. But then I looked at the ingredients. Here's the list for Old El Paso brand: Chili Pepper, Salt, Maltodextrin, Spice, Onion Powder, Corn Starch, Yellow Corn Flour, Contains 2% or Less of: Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Silicon Dioxide (Anticaking Agent), Sunflower and/or Cottonseed Oil, Natural Flavor, Ethoxyquin (Preservative).

It's hard to fantasize that I'm on the shores of Puerto Vallarta when I know I'm consuming things like maltodextrin, "spice" (come on, is that really specific enough for a label??), starches, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, silicon dioxide, and — my favorite — "natural flavor". Ahem.

So I upgraded to Penzey's Bold Taco Seasoning, which is super delicious and very convenient. But some time over the past year, I got a little bothered by the high salt content too...it was listed as the first ingredient and that didn't seem right! So I decided that I would try homemade and see if the husband complained.

Crickets.

Another win.

I buy individual spices in bulk from Penzey's still, and it's super easy to mix together a container of this taco seasoning and leave it in the pantry for whenever the Mexi-mood strikes.

Try it. It's yummy. And it's free of things like malto-you-shouldn't-eat-this-dextrin.

Homemade Taco Seasoning
Makes about 3 tablespoons

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. chili powder
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you like)
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. kosher salt (or sea salt)
1 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions:
Mix together all ingredients. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

If you are making taco meat, brown your beef and drain off fat. Add about 2 tbsp. of seasoning per 1 lb. of beef (or to taste) and about 1/3 cup water. Over medium heat, simmer until mixture thickens.


Click here for a printable recipe!

Poached Chicken = Lunch for a Week

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." Said by my fellow Philadelphian Benjamin Franklin. Okay, so he's THE Philadelphian. At any rate, I dig his advice.

For the past several months, I've made time to plan my lunches for the upcoming work week. This has helped me to 1) save money, 2) save time each night trying to throw something together for lunch the next day, and 3) eat healthier. All desirable things!

One of the most efficient ways I've found to get a week's worth of lunch is to cook a large portion of something. Recently I began making a whole poached chicken on the weekend, and it's been a great source of easy meals during the week!

Poaching a whole chicken is low maintenance, so easy, and inexpensive (you can even splurge on an organic chicken). And it leaves me with a ton of healthy meal options for the week and a couple quarts of flavorful chicken stock that can be used for soups, cooking rice/quinoa, or braising veggies.

Once the chicken is cooked, you just pull all of the meat off the bones and store it in an airtight container (I like to scoop a few spoonfuls of the broth over top to keep it moist). There are a lot of things you can do with the shredded chicken:

• Add to a salad of mixed greens and veggies to make it a meal. 
• Make a chicken sandwich or wrap (the husband enjoys this). You can dress it up with whatever you like: avocado, mustards, roasted red peppers, arugula, etc. 
• Add to a quesadilla or a burrito (so easy to whip up one of these on a griddle!).
• Use in soups or casseroles.
• Mix it with your fav BBQ sauce, heat, and serve on top of a salt/peppered baked potato with a little cilantro sprinkled on top (seriously, this is so good).
• Add to stuffed peppers.
• Add at the very end to a stir-fry or noodle dish.
• Make chicken salad.

I'm sure there are more ideas — share if you have them!

Even though I have a recipe posted below, keep in mind that this is less of a recipe and more of a concept. If you don't have certain ingredients, don't fret! I tend to use what I have on hand. What you really want to be sure to add is things that will impart flavor: aromatics, herbs, spices. And as for the measurements, they are estimates. I tend to just toss stuff in and trust my gut on how much to add.


Whole Poached Chicken (makes about 1 cup shredded chicken per pound)

Ingredients:
4-6 lb. whole chicken (preferably free range, organic, or both)
1 tsp. peppercorns (or a good pinch)
2 tsp. kosher salt
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, sliced into thick chunks
1 lemon, sliced
Several stems of parsley, whole
2 slices ginger (adds a lovely fragrance, totally optional)

Directions:
Rinse your chicken and remove any parts from inside. Trim the skin around the opening of the chicken to reduce the amount of fat in your broth. Place the chicken in a very large stockpot and add all ingredients. Fill the pot with water, about an inch above the surface of the chicken, and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 75-90 minutes (on the longer end if your chicken is on the large side).

Then turn off the heat and allow your chicken to mellow in its stock. You want the chicken/stock to cool somewhat so that it's not scorching hot. This may take a couple of hours and is a very important step — it's what keeps the chicken moist and yummy.

Once cool enough to handle, carefully remove the chicken from the stock and place on a cutting board with a well. Remove all of the skin and discard. Pull the chicken off the bones and shred the meat into bite-size pieces.

Place in an airtight container and spoon about 1/2 cup of the stock on top (skim the fat first so you're not adding any to your healthy chicken).

If you plan to use the broth, you can store it in airtight containers. Either skim the fat before storing, or refrigerate the broth and remove the fat that rises to the top once chilled.


Print this recipe! 

Amazing Beef Barbacoa

A-brisket a-tasket
A green and yellow basket…

Isn't that how it goes?

We know the Superbowl can make us do crazy things. People splurge on ginormous TVs. Companies pay $4 million for a 30-second commercial. Americans eat 10 million pounds of guacamole. Danielle buys a brisket (gasp!).

It was my very first brisket. I saw a recipe for barbacoa nachos, which I decided must be our Superbowl grub. The nachos were complete with tender, tangy brisket, homemade cheese sauce, pickled red onions, and more. And even after the nachos we had several pounds of barbacoa leftover to make dinners throughout the week. You can use the meat in quesadillas, wraps, tacos, over polenta, etc.  Or you can eat it cold with a fork like my husband!

A before shot of my $20 slab of brisket bathing in its marinade:

An after shot, ready to be pulled:

Cooking meat like this (low and slow) is as easy as it can get — and you can eat for a week off of it! A little work goes a long way on this one...


Beef Barbacoa (makes a LOT — how's that for exact?!)
Adapted from Serious Eats

Ingredients:
3-4 pounds beef brisket, trimmed of fat and shiny silver sinew
16 oz. diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. ancho chile powder
1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 whole chipotle chile en adobo
1 tbsp. adobo sauce
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
2 bay leaves

Directions:
The night before: Place brisket in a large resealable bag. In a blender, combine tomatoes with juice, cumin, chile powder, cocoa powder, oregano, vinegar, chipotle chile, adobo sauce, salt, and pepper. Puree until smooth. Pour marinade into the bag over brisket, making sure that all sides are coated. Seal bag tightly, removing as much air as possible, and place it in a baking dish (in case anything leaks). Place in the refrigerator overnight, turning at least once.

The next day: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place brisket and marinade in a Dutch oven. Add bay leaves. On the stove, bring just to a simmer over high heat. Then cover and place in the oven. Cook for about 4 hours, until meat is fork tender and shreds easily.

Remove meat from the cooking liquid (reserve), discard bay leaves, and allow meat to cool for about 15 minutes. Shred the brisket with two forks, and transfer to a bowl. Skim any fat off of the top of the cooking liquid and then pour about 1 cup of the cooking liquid over the meat to keep it moist.

Click here for a printable recipe!

Baked Brown Sugar Wings

The Superbowl. It's Sunday! It's the 49ers vs. the Ray Lewises!

Fact: Last year's game was a little more exciting for me. My team was in it (and won...ahem!).
Fact: This year I have no stake in either team and will use the game as an excuse to eat delicious, sporty finger food.
Fact: I've had a cold that has overstayed its welcome by about 4 days. It has striped me of my sense of taste! Sad trombone. It turns out that I eat strictly for pleasure.

If you like wings (and I mean wings where you can actually taste chicken, not just...fried), please make these! You will be astonished that they are so tender and full of flavor. And baked! So you're leaving behind all of the calories that oil adds.

White Bean Turkey Chili

Not only is there the momentum of the New Year, but I also have a serious desire to lose my remaining "baby weight." You know how there are those lucky b!$%*es women who seem to lose all of their baby weight without trying? Well, I am definitely not one of those women!

As a result, this mama is on a mission. I have been on the prowl for recipes that meet the following criteria: calorie conscious, WW-friendly, easily transportable and reheatable, and flavorful. This recipe for White Bean Turkey Chili is one of the healthy lunch recipes that I recently added to my repertoire.

I liked the list of ingredients and appreciated a chili that wasn't tomato-based. It also reheats nicely and tastes great with a spoonful of sour cream and a little fresh lime.

Chicken Tikka Masala

I absolutely love Indian food. I love fancy Indian restaurants. I love Philadelphia's self-serve Indian buffets. I loved when my college roommate used to come back from holiday breaks with homemade roti and curry from her Guyanese grandmother. I loved the Indian food from the hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Madras, India that our auto-rickshaw driver took us to for lunch.

I still love to look at my photos from that amazing trip — wish I blogged then so I would have thought to photograph the grub!

Back to the food! Indian food has such depth of flavor between all of the spices, chutneys, and sauces. And I also find the variety of vegetarian options quite appealing.

And naan. Oh, the naan!

Classic Beef Meatballs

The weekend before last, it finally felt fall-ish. It was chilly and gray, the NY Giants were winning, and I could smell fireplaces from other houses in our neighborhood. The kind of fall day that makes you want to cuddle up in a hoodie and watch a movie (if you want to be entertained, watch Game Change — Julianne Moore does a killer Sarah Palin!).

The thought of spaghetti and meatballs crept into my head. We never make pasta for dinner, but I found myself wanting some old-school Italian goodness. The husband was agreeable, although he says he eats "meatballs and spaghetti" rather than the other way around. Definitely a carnivore. Note that these are delicious (and very healthy!) with spaghetti squash too!

Anyway, this was the first time I made meatballs with just beef — I really wanted to go traditional. You can use a meat combo (e.g., pork, veal), but I wanted to stay simple. I started with a Martha Stewart recipe and adapted from there. Sadly I forgot to take a picture of our finished dishes, but here's a good "before" shot.

Panko-Crusted Salmon

If the idea of cooking salmon makes you nervous, wait! Don't touch that dial! Keep reading! You really should give this one a try. I love making salmon this way...it might actually be my favorite way to prepare it. It's fast, easy, and so tasty. And don't forget healthy — that's important too!

I even taught Brad how to make this dish. Typically, I'm the cook of the family (though Brad mans the grill), but he nailed this one! Here's a dimly lit cell phone shot of him in action!

Perfect Pulled Pork

These days, I'm all for making food on the weekend that will feed us during the week. It's just smart! It's also cost-effective, efficient, and gives us back time otherwise spent making dinner and cleaning it up. Pulled pork is a great for this purpose.

Here's the thing about pulled pork. It's completely low-maintenance. But yet it tastes like you spent hours caressing it, massaging it, and willing it to be tender.

Before trying this recipe, you should ask yourself a few questions:

• Can you order a Boston/pork butt from your butcher? I'll be honest, it feels a little silly to say to a grown man, but it pays off. Note that while it's called "pork butt", it's really a shoulder cut of meat.
• Can you mix spices and brown sugar together and rub them into the meat? 
• Can you place the pork in a low temp oven and not touch it for 8 hours? 
• Can you take a fork and shred the meat in a totally imperfect, and even haphazard, way?  

Homemade Pretzel Dogs

I have news. I am the proud new owner of a "real" camera, and I am amazed at the quality of the photos. And I don't even know how to use it yet! I'm really looking forward to the challenge of learning how to use it, and I'm acutely aware that I haven't even scratched the surface! So, there's that.

Then there is the whole homemade pretzel dog thing. I made these for Superbowl Sunday. Please know that I'm a lifelong fan of the NY Giants. And that having pretzel dogs as the fuel to get me through that nail-biter was perfection!

You take half a hot dog, sandwich it in homemade soft pretzel dough, and cook up a delicious and simple treat.

Just look at those delicious pigs in their cozy, pretzel blanket.

Fancy Hasselback Potatoes

Elegant. Fancy. Downright classy.

No, I'm not describing the Real Housewives of New Jersey.

What's with all of these horrible Jersey shows anyway? I lived there for the first 18 years of my life and never met people who looked or acted like any of those broads! (For the record, I shamelessly DVR RHONJ each week.) Okay, and Jerseylicious too. Ahem.

By now you may have guessed that I was describing Hasselback Potatoes. These hot little numbers fulfill the potato's role as a reliable side dish, but also add a little panache to your plate. They're crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and full of flavor.

But don't thank me for this one. Thank the Swedes instead! Apparently this is an old Swedish recipe — their version of the baked potato. Leave it to the Swedes to gussy up a starch.

Slightly Sweet Cornbread

In my last post I promised you a cornbread recipe. I know — the suspense has been killing you, right? Well take a deep sign of relief because the time has come. 

Oh, and I want you to know that every time I type "cornbread", I'm actually thinking "caaawnbread." Ya'll.

I don't know about you, but I like texture in my cornbread — gimme some corn, jalapenos, bacon, whatever! This is a simple, sweet cornbread recipe that you can add mix-ins to as desired — I made it with spicy ribs, so I kept it simple. And delicious (duh).

Dr. Pepper Ribs

In an effort to send my husband into age 32 with a smile on his face and a happy belly, I made him a "birthday feast" last night (this is just what I like to call it — I thought it sounded more fun than "birthday dinner"). I try to mix it up from year to year, even though I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't complain if I made him a rib-eye and mashed potatoes each birthday. A simple man, Brad is. I, however, am less simple — typical. So for this year's feast I wanted to try something different.

At about the same time that I was looking for inspiration, I came across a recipe for Dr. Pepper Ribs on a blog called Homesick Texan. Never having made ribs before, I said "yes please!" and decided to go for it, adapting my recipe from HT's.

As always, I'm a firm believer in starting with high-quality, fresh, and local (when possible) ingredients. I buy most of my non-poultry meat at Martin's in the Reading Terminal Market — great prices, knowledgeable butchers, and I have never once been disappointed with a purchase!

Lowfat Baked Potato Soup

Fall has arrived, friends! And in its honor, I decided to start making some of the seasonal recipes that I've been printing and stacking. Excitement! For some reason Because I would be insane to heat up the house with my oven with any frequency in the summertime, I tend to eat very simply when it's warm out. Lots of fresh protein and veggies, often cooked outside on the roofdeck grill — which means not too much in the way of recipe experimentation.

But I'm back, baby. The windows are open and I can preheat the oven without sweating. Definitely a big part of why it's my favorite time of year.

Taking my wifely duties very seriously (ha!) I wanted to experiment with potato soup, which my husband loves. His mom, who is truly a champ at making delicious hot lunches, makes a potato soup that he loves. So I decided to work towards making one myself, and hopefully one that was low in fat — read: guilt-free!

This soup is also very economical, with potatoes running at around $0.69/pound. Throw in some aromatics, bacon slices, milk, and toppings, and you have yourself a hearty lunch or dinner that pairs great with a nice field greens salad with some kind of vinaigrette (I whisked together a fresh balsamic dressing).

Pickled Cucumber Salad

During the work week, there's little that's more enjoyable than having dinner on the roof deck as the sun sets for the evening. For nights like these, we love to make something simple on the grill with a refreshing salad on the side. Easy, and it all fits on a tray that I can carry upstairs to the deck.

This pickled cucumber salad is a great summer alternative to a traditional green salad. And it's so easy that you can throw it together in minutes while the grill heats up.

And lately our favorite way to enjoy this salad is on the side of a delicious delmonico steak from Martin's in Reading Terminal. We share the steak and get our salad on — a super-easy meal in a snap!

We recently had a furry houseguest for a couple of weeks — Rosie agreed that this meal was fab!

Lime Cilantro Quinoa Salad

Let's just say that if cranberries are the ninja fruit, then quinoa (keen-wah) is the ninja grain! Oh, except it's not a grain — it's actually a seed. But it sure seems like a grain. Anyway, it's a great base for making salads that you can either serve as a main or side dish. For breakfast, lunch, or dinner, in fact!

Quinoa is great for vegans and vegetarians because it packs a lot of nutritional punch (protein, manganese, magnesium, iron, copper, and phosphorus). It's also a nice change of pace for carnivores like me, and you can take a lot of liberty with the dressing you use and ingredients you add. It's a very customizable base for whatever you can think up!

I adapted a recipe I saw on RadMegan's blog. It has nice flavor and will be a great salad for summer, when the herbs and tomatoes are growing in the garden and corn is fresh and local at farm stands! Furthermore, this recipe is quick to make and keeps nicely in the fridge for a few days.

Sesame Orange Shrimp

This technique is a must try if you like shrimp. It is a pretty healthful dish, speedy quick to make, and most importantly so tasty! It's even worth me suffering through one of my least favorite cooking chores — peeling and deveining shrimp.

Usually I grill shrimp or add them to a stir fry, but I was in the mood for something new. After some thoughtful Googling, I came across a few recipes (one from Martha, another from Eating Well) that used similar ingredients and techniques. And it's surprisingly light for how fried the shrimp taste!

Serve this shrimp over brown or white rice with a nice side of something green to get a little veg in. Brad and I both loved this dish — B said that it tasted like really high-quality Chinese food (i.e., from a good restaurant). And you don't have to worry about consuming any excess oil a la deep-fry, breading the shrimp, or any of that mess. Eat up, people! 

Pasta Bake Time

My Italian side came out a little this weekend, so I decided that our Sunday dinner would be a nice baked pasta. Ever notice how the Italians (as an Italian, I can say this!) love to describe food as "nice"?

"I got a nice steak at the butcher."

"I made a nice salad with dinner."

"That's-a nice-a meat-a ball-a!"

But I digress. Back to the pasta bake.

The beauty of making such a dish is that it's very flexible and can be modified according to your preferences. By adding a lot of veggies and using reduced fat cheese, it's also pretty healthful! You could even sub in half whole wheat pasta if you wanted to up your fiber ante.

Chilly Charlie's Chili

Year after year, my (very awesome) dad (whose birthday happens to be today — happy birthday Dad!) would throw together a ginormous batch of chili and cornbread before Christmas to bring into work as his holiday gesture to his co-workers.

I can still picture the huge white stock pot on the stove with delicious splatters everywhere. And we had dinner out of the pot the night before the rest of the chili made its way to his office.

Over the years I've modified his base recipe to make my own version. It's surprisingly healthy, very tasty, and simple to boot — a perfect recipe to put together on a Sunday morning. Just throw everything in the slow cooker, let it all percolate for a few hours, and it'll be ready in time for the Playoff games Sunday afternoon!

The line-up of ingredients is pretty long, but everything is flexible depending on your personal preferences and the audience that you're feeding.

Updated! Lemon Rosemary Roasted Chicken

Growing up, a staple in my mom's dinner repertoire for school/work nights was roasted chicken — and it also happened to be my best friend Jen's favorite night to come over for dinner! Even though it's a simple meal to put together, it looks and tastes impressive! And it's a healthy dinner option.

If you have about 15 minutes to put it together and about an hour to let it cook, you're in for a great dinner!

This post isn't so much a recipe but a concept. You can choose from a variety of herbs (I used rosemary and thyme, but you can also use tarragon) and citrus fruits (lemon is my favorite, but oranges give a more delicate citrus flavor and pair nicely with rosemary). Experiment and see what your favorite combination is! Here's my attempt at putting this "concept" into a recipe format.