While traveling cross-country for any reason, even moving, we’re always looking for new dining establishments to try. Sure, Bowling Green isn’t that far from Cincinnati, but when your moving truck only moves at 35 mph through the hills of Kentucky, it is easy to get hungry in a hurry. Besides, by the time we got there, we’d been on the road a while. Read more of this post
We deconstruct flavors found in traditional tamales to create a meal that stretches ground beef, vegetables and spices, then tops them with a cheesy cornbread crust.
One way to stay within your grocery budget is to find ways to stretch inexpensive meats, like a whole chicken or a pound of ground beef, to feed a family. As is often the case, we turn to Mexican inspired recipes to fill the bill, because they have a way of stretching every ingredient for maximum flavor. This is certainly true with our Tamale Pie, which deconstructs the flavors found in traditional tamales and turns them into a one skillet meal where we sauté ground chuck, veggies, and spices to create a filling that is topped by a cheesy cornbread crust. Serve this dish directly from the pan for easy cleanup. Garnish with our Corn, Tomato & Black Bean Salsa, sour cream, and our Chunky Guacamole with Serrano Peppers to complement this yummy dish.
Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle position and preheat a 10-inch cast-iron pan over medium-high heat.
Heat oil in pan. When oil shimmers, add onions, bell pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until vegetables are soft and golden in places, about 5 minutes.
Add black pepper, oregano, cumin, and ground beef to pan and continue cooking just until beef is cooked through, 3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 more minute. Add tomatoes and simmer mixture until thickened slightly, 5 minutes.
Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in cornmeal and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and cook until thick and creamy, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese, jalapeno, and corn. Spread evenly over beef mixture.
Transfer pan to oven and bake until top is golden and filling bubbles along the sides of pan, 40-45 minutes. Let stand 20 minutes before serving.
TIPS: Chihuahua cheese is a great melting cheese and is used in many authentic Mexican restaurants. However, if it is unavailable, Monterey Jack cheese may be used instead.
Huge pumpkins and beautiful mums announce the arrival of fall with big, bold color.
October 2011
Dear Friends,
Recently we dropped in on one of our favorite people and caught up on life, sharing our challenges, triumphs, and dreams. It was one of those philosophical conversations we all have at times that was filled with what Oprah always calls, “Aha!” moments. By the end of the afternoon, we walked away with a pocketful of little epiphanies, but one stood out more than all the rest: If we put aside judgments and live with an open heart, we rise toward greatness and make great strides toward finding peace and ultimately, happiness.
We loved that thought, for it was so profound, and yet really quite simple. Leave judgments in God’s hands, and simply love one another. Perhaps British novelist C.S. Lewis put it best when he said, “Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives.”
With that thought in mind, we decided to make a concerted effort to simply enjoy the people that populate our lives and demonstrate affection for them in whatever way we can. For an elderly housebound couple, we baked a cake and delivered it to their home. When we accepted a last-minute invitation to share a garden-fresh meal with friends and neighbors at their tiny cottage, we prepared our favorite Bread with Herb Butter and a tossed salad to share with everyone there.
Yesterday, we hosted our Fall Fiesta and served some of our signature Mexican and Tex-Mex inspired dishes like Toasted Flautas, Janet’s Chilaquiles, Spanish Rice, Chicken Enchiladas Salsa Verde, Seven-Layer Dip, Chunky Guacamole with Serrano Peppers, and more. The addition of libations like Margaritas, Strawberry Daiquiris and Pina Coladas rounded out the meal. But it wasn’t just the food and alcohol that everyone enjoyed, for all of us embraced the opportunity to gather together, make new friends and laugh with old ones. Happiness ricocheted through our house like a lightning bolt in a thunderstorm, striking all of us to the point that we thought folks were going to spend the night. We love parties like that! Nothing makes us happier than when everyone has a good time and asks to be invited again soon.
This month, we’re also taking pleasure in the tasks of the season, like planting mums, buying pumpkins, going to college football games, and canning and freezing the last of summer’s veggies. We also begin planning our big parties for later in the year, including our annual Fall Feast, Winter Brunch and Game Day, and a new celebration, our First Feast. It is a lot to do, but we love this time of year with cooler, crisper weather, tons of color, and reasons to indulge in seasonal treats like caramel apples, hot cider and yummy pumpkin pie.
We hope you have the opportunity to make special memories with good friends this month too. Take a group of your best pals to a local festival like the 42nd Annual Ohio Sauerkraut Festival in Waynesville, Ohio or meet some of your favorite authors at Books by the Bank, a local book festival here in Cincinnati. (If you go, be sure to visit our friends Brock Clarke and Michael Griffith and pick up one of their latest books!) Or you can simply host your own little soirée or movie night and hang out with good friends. Whatever you do, great people make for special memories and many more chances to add a little more happiness to your life. Live well!
With love, Jathan & Heather
p.s. We love Dolly Parton‘s new song, “Together You and I.” We feel that it really embodies the epiphany we talked about earlier. Watch the fun video for this tune below.
Our Seared Spicy Fajitas are a quick and easy way to get the South-of-the-border flavor you crave.
One of the fastest, easiest and tastiest ways to get that South-of-the-border flavor you crave is to make up a batch of our spicy fajitas. Here crisp veggies and spice-rubbed meat are wrapped in a warm tortilla. Top with a dollop of sour cream, guacamole or pico de gallo to complete the meal.
PREP: 10 minutes COOK: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Kosher salt and ground pepper
1 pound skirt steak or flank steak, cut crosswise into 2 equal parts (if too large for skillet, cut into smaller parts)
2 bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), very thinly sliced lengthwise
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 jalapeno or serrano peppers (ribs and seeds removed), very thinly sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
8 flour tortillas (6-inch)
Sour cream, lime wedges, guacamole and pico de gallo, for serving
DIRECTIONS
If meat is refrigerated, temper meat (bring it to room temperature) for 30 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine cumin, coriander, 2 teaspoons kosher salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Rub steaks all over with spice mixture.
Heat a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat; add meat (if crowded, cook in two batches). Cook 2 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board. Tent steaks with aluminum foil; let rest at least 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, reduce heat to medium; add bell peppers, onion and jalapenos or serrano peppers; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add lime juice and stir, scraping up browned bits in skillet. Transfer vegetables to a serving bowl.
Stack tortillas and wrap in a damp paper towel or kitchen towel. Microwave on high 1 minute. Thinly slice steaks crosswise. If steaks are too rare, place back in skillet and cook until desired result is achieved. Remove from heat, transfer to a serving bowl.
Place steak strips, vegetable medley, tortillas, sour cream, lime wedges, guacamole and pico de gallo on table so guests can assemble fajitas as desired.
TIP: While any bell peppers or onions can be used, try using red and yellow bell peppers and a red onion for bold color and richer flavor.
Savor the sweetness of summer with this tempting, creamy treat filled with cheese, onions and jalapenos.
When I was 19, I moved to New York City where I quickly made tons of friends, each hailing from a different corner of the globe. Life in the big city was fast, caught as we were on an electric current where everything forges more quickly than anywhere else I’ve ever been. Those friendships were no different, and most weekends we found excuses to do things together, including shopping in vintage clothing stores, catching sales at Barneys or Bergdorf Goodman, exploring used bookshops where volumes were stacked to the ceiling, and sometimes getting lost in labyrinthine museums like the Met, MoMA or the Guggenheim. As fun as those times were, however, our favorite things to do were simple, like taking picnics in Central Park or driving out to the Hamptons, leaving behind the chaos and noise of our concrete jungle and seeking refuge at a friend’s summerhouse along the sandy shores of the Atlantic. There we could lose ourselves in the tranquil beauty of Long Island, where farmers markets and tiny roadside food stands dished up delicious treats and we could buy fresh produce to conjure up some of our favorite recipes in a spacious kitchen, unlike anything we had in the city. Our Jalapeno Creamed Corn is like one of the many dishes we prepared back then, packed with nutritious goodness, a touch of heat, and the sweet flavors of summer.
Melt butter in a heated large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add onion and jalapeno. Saute for 2 minutes.
Puree 1 cup corn or ½ bag of corn in food processor or blender. Add pureed corn and remaining corn to pan, cook 5 minutes. Add cream, water, and cheese. Stir and cook until cheese is melted, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and serve warm.
