Baker's Theory

Cheesy Baked Beef and Bean Taquitos

by

Hola, amigos, and Happy Cinco de Mayo! Did you know Cinco de Mayo is more popular in the U.S. than in Mexico? And it actually has nothing to do with Mexican Independence Day, which is September 16th. 

Personally, though, I don’t need a reason to make or consume Mexican food. I could eat it every day, even the Fourth of July, because I’m fairly certain that tacos are an essential food group. 

Jim and I like to reminisce on our favorite childhood snacks/appetizers, and we both agreed store-bought, frozen aisle taquitos were high ranking snacks, indeed. I’d also add tater tots and mozzarella sticks. 

What’s great about these taquitos is that they are baked, not fried. No screwing around with a candy thermometer or having your kitchen, clothes, and hair reeking of vegetable oil. You just brush the taquitos with corn oil and bake them for 18 minutes. 

I have a confession, by the way. I was a bit perplexed by the geometry of taquitos when I started my taquito-making venture. Taquito translates to “small taco,” right? But tacos are folded, not rolled. Yet taquitos are always rolled. 

Things got more confusing when I started rolling the taquitos because they ended up being quite large–like the size of a fat Cuban cigar. These were not “small tacos.” They were…regular-sized tacos that were rolled. I have no idea what the Spanish word for that would be. Google says it is “taco normal enrollado,” but ya don’t see that at Costco. 

These are really easy to make. You don’t even have to drain fat, and the beans cook in the same pan as the ground beef. No need to wash in between uses. 

In addition, I made my own taco seasoning blend here which is really helpful if you’re out of taco seasoning mix. This is good because if you realize half way through that, in fact, you don’t want to make taquitos anymore, at least you have a perfectly good pan of taco meat ready to go. Alternatively, if you’d rather just use a taco mix, by all means save yourself from pulling out all the spices at the back of the spice cabinet! 

The setup is really easy for this dish. Fry ground beef, add spices, place in a bowl. Fry beans, add spices, mash beans and spices, add to the same bowl. Add cheese to the bowl and mix it all up. Spoon meat into corn tortillas, roll, place in a baking dish, brush with oil, bake, and eat. Not much to them, really, but gosh they taste like my childhood! Hope you enjoy!

Cheesy BAKED Beef and Bean Taquitos

Just like the frozen food aisle kind but bigger! Great for a party or Cinco de Mayo! Ground beef sauteed in a homemade taco blend combined with refried beans and cheese is stuffed into corn tortillas, brushed with oil, and baked. Crunchy and delicious.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Bake Time 18 minutes
Total Time 43 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 16 taquitos

Ingredients
  

Taco Meat

  • 1½ lbs Ground beef 85/15
  • 1½ tsp Salt
  • ½ tsp Ground cumin
  • ½ tsp Chipotle powder Red cayenne pepper can substitute
  • ½ tsp Garlic powder
  • ½ tsp Onion powder
  • 2 tsp Chili powder
  • ½ tsp Dried oregano
  • ½ tsp Turmeric
  • 1 tbsp Tomato paste

Refried Beans

  • 15 oz Cooked pinto beans drained if from a can
  • 3 tbsp Corn oil
  • ¼ tsp Ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp Salt

Assembly

  • 1 cup Shredded Mexican-style cheese
  • 16 Corn tortillas ~6" in diameter
  • Corn oil for brushing

Instructions
 

Taco Meat

  • Place ground beef in a large skillet on medium-high heat. 85/15 Beef should have enough fat where you do not need to add oil. Break apart the meat into small, ground up pieces.
  • Combine salt, cumin, chipotle powder, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, oregano, and turmeric in a small bowl. Sprinkle all of it onto the ground beef. Add in the tomato paste and continue to stir until beef is no longer pink, about 7 minutes.
  • The beef fat will absorb the spices and there should not be anything to drain. Transfer the seasoned beef into a large bowl. Using the same skillet, prepare the refried beans.

Refried Beans

  • In the same skillet used to fry the taco meat, pour in corn oil and heat on medium heat. Dump in cooked pinto beans and mash to a paste with a fork. Sprinkle in salt and cumin and stir, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to the same bowl as the taco meat.

Assembly

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F / 205°C. Brush a 9" x 13" pan with corn oil.
  • Add cheese to the bowl of beef and beans and combine thoroughly with your hands or a spatula.
  • Take 2 tbsp of the filling and spread it onto a tortilla along the diameter. Roll the tortilla up around the filling and place in the pan. Repeat for remaining tortillas. Brush with more corn oil and bake for 18 minutes. Serve with salsa.
Keyword Cheesy Baked Beef and Bean Taquitos

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Shredded Turkey Bacon Alfredo Sliders

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Shredded turkey, creamy alfredo sauce, crisp bacon, and King’s Hawaiian rolls. Can it get any better than this? No. No, it cannot. This is sandwich nirvana.

Last Saturday was the Kentucky Derby. There is a hotel called The Brown close to Churchill Downs that invented a sandwich called the Hot Brown that is consumed on Derby Day, and it was the inspiration for these sliders, which do not need to wait for the first Saturday in May to be gobbled up.

It starts with slow-cooking turkey to the point where it shreds. Then you reduce the liquid the turkey cooked in and add it to a creamy alfredo sauce. Spread it on some buns, top it with cheese and bacon, bake until golden brown, throw on the top bun and FEAST.

Jim and Joe were pretty psyched about these sliders. I was, too, as two of these little sammies went perfectly well with my cucumber mint splash. 

I appreciate any recipe that involves slow cooking. Sure, I indulge an occasional putzy recipe, but I don’t always like to hand-hold my pots and pans. It’s nice to have a meal that involves throwing stuff in a pot and walking away for a few hours. Low maintenance. 

There is some assembly required for these sliders, but it’s really manageable. And as always, so much easier when Jim and Joe do the dishes 🙂 

Turkey Bacon Alfredo Sliders

Fondly known as Hot Browns as made famous by the Brown Hotel and always served on and around the Kentucky Derby. Slow cooked, shredded turkey in a creamy Parmesan garlic sauce on a bun topped with bacon and more cheese. Baked to golden cheesiness.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Bake Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course, Sandwich
Cuisine American
Servings 24 mini sliders

Ingredients
  

Shredded turkey

  • 2 tbsp Olive oil
  • 4 Shallots sliced
  • 2 lbs Boneless turkey breast
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 2 tsp Better than Bullion Chicken Base
  • 1 cup Water

Alfredo sauce

  • 4 tbsp Salted butter
  • 1 tbsp All-purpose flour
  • ¼ tsp Salt
  • ¼ tsp Garlic powder
  • ½ cup Half & half
  • ¼ cup Milk
  • 5 oz Grated Parmesan cheese

Assembly

  • 24 King's Hawaiian Rolls
  • Olive oil for brushing
  • Shaved Parmesan cheese for topping
  • 10 slices Bacon

Instructions
 

Shredded turkey

  • In a medium pot drizzle olive oil and drop the shallots in it. Place the turkey breasts on top of the shallots, sprinkle with salt, spoon the chicken base over the breasts, pour in water, and cover. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 3 hours.
  • Remove the breasts from the pot and shred the meat in a large bowl. Boil the remaining juices in the pot until reduced by about half. Pour over the shredded turkey.

Alfredo sauce

  • In a medium saucepan melt butter on medium heat, whisking constantly. When hot and foaming, add in flour, salt, and garlic powder. A light paste will form. Continue whisking for a minute.
  • Pour in half and half, milk, and cheese. Continue whisking until sauces thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Pour sauce over shredded turkey. Toss to combine.

Assembly

  • Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Brush a 9" x 13" pan with olive oil.
  • Break buns apart into groups of two for serving ease. Slice buns lengthwise (like a hamburger) and place the bottom buns in the pan, reserving the top buns.
  • Spread shredded turkey over the buns in the pan. Top with shaved Parmesan cheese. Bake for 12 minutes or until cheese becomes golden.
  • While baking the sandwiches, fry bacon slices. Retrieve the sandwiches from the oven and distribute bacon slices over them. Place the top buns on the bacon slices and brush them with olive oil. Sprinkle flakey salt and parsley over the buns, if desired. Then turn on the broiler and broil for one minute. Serve.
Keyword Turkey Bacon Alfredo Sliders

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Garlicky Lentils with Bacon and Sautéed Greens on Rice

by

My friend Maddie recently got her bloodwork done and it revealed that her body is intolerant to A LOT of foods. Like onions and tomatoes and cheese! CHEESE!? I felt so sad on her behalf. Fortunately she is focusing on the foods in the green column that she can eat and  that her body will not reject. 

She also challenged me to come up with a recipe for the foods on her green-light list. It was no easy task. Onions, butter, and cheese are practically food groups in their own right to me. But as I studied the list (which also omitted broccoli and Brussels sprouts to my severe displeasure) I thought of a comfort food I reach for often. Lentils and rice!

Lentils are a SUPER food. They’re high in fiber and protein and low in fat and calories, too. Plus you can literally slow cook them in water and salt and they’ll taste great. There’s not much to them.  

These little seedy legumes also work fantastically well with pork. Lentil soups are often made with a pork bone or leftover ham. Miraculously, pork had stayed on Maddie’s green list and the recipe was shaping up. 

Since onions were out, I decided to go heavy on the garlic for some alum element. The fat rendered from the bacon would easily carry great garlicky flavor into the lentils and greens. I love frying garlic until it’s golden brown and almost burned–it has a caramelized flavor at that point. 

This recipe actually reminds me of my Filipino grandma who would make me a breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, and garlic fried rice fried in bacon grease. Something about bacon with rice just works. Add to it that pork and lentils work and the friend of my friend is my…friend? 

All you need to know is this is a really delicious dish, AND it’s healthy, AND it accommodates insanely restrictive diets! Thank you, Maddie, for the fun challenge! I think I’ll take another look at that list and see what else we can come up with 🙂

Garlicky Lentils with Bacon and Sautéed Greens

Alex
A very rustic and homestyle dish, surprisingly accommodating for dietary restrictions. Tender green lentils with garlic and greens sautéed in bacon fat.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 3

Equipment

  • Cast iron skillet

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup Green lentils dried
  • 2 cups Water
  • ½ heaping tsp Salt
  • 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
  • 5 slices Bacon chopped
  • 5 cloves Garlic sliced thinly
  • 2 cups Kale or spinach
  • 2 cups Cooked rice Jasmine

Instructions
 

Lentils

  • Combine lentils, water, olive oil, and salt in a medium pot on high heat. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Bacon, garlic, and greens

  • In a cast iron skillet on medium heat, fry chopped bacon until golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.
  • In the same skillet, fry garlic slices in the bacon grease on medium-low heat and transfer it as it turns golden brown into the simmering pot of lentils. Stir and re-cover the lentil pot after all garlic has been transferred.
  • In the remaining bacon grease in the cast iron skillet, sauté the kale or spinach and add a pinch of salt.

Assembly

  • Once lentils have cooked for an hour and are tender, top with bacon pieces and arrange sautéed greens around the circumference of the pot. Serve straight from the pot with rice.
Keyword Garlicky Lentils with Bacon and Sautéed Greens

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Cucumber Mint Splash

by

Cucumber Mint Splash! It actually has lime, too, is garnished with blueberries, and is topped with lemon-flavored San Pellegrino soda water. I have been craving something fresh, sweet, and puckering but without any alcohol. I also am desperately searching for any reason to use my cute cocktail skewers. 

Fun, non-alcoholic drinks are severely underrated, and are just as fun to dress up as cocktails. Shaved cucumber peel rolls up into a nice spiral and protects a fat blueberry. It’s skewered under a lime wedge with pure panache. 

The remaining spike of the skewer impales half of a fresh cucumber spear. That’s garnish #1. There’s also a fresh sprig of mint and, of course, a fun straw!

Now there is a way to make this alcoholic, too. Gin and limoncello can get muddled up with the lime, mint, and cucumber. But trust me, it’s perfectly good without them and a heavy hand with the lime juice. 

This drink is actually a spin off of a gin sling! In the alcoholic version, it uses limoncello instead of vermouth. The lemon-flavored San Pellegrino is really yummy on its own, too, and sort of tastes like sparkling lemonade. 

Recipe

Cucumber Lime Mint Splash

A non-alcoholic beverage for a refreshing, sweet, puckering treat! Muddled mint and cucumber in lime juice, strained and topped with ice and lemon-flavored San Pellegrino. Garnished with a lime, cucumber rolled up around a blueberry, and a cucumber spear next to a sprig of mint and a fun straw!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Cucumber
  • 2 Limes
  • ½ cup Blueberries
  • 6 sprigs Fresh mint
  • 1 can Limonata San Pellegrino
  • 4 oz Gin OPTIONAL
  • 2 oz Limoncello OPTIONAL

Instructions
 

  • Take four of the sprigs of fresh mint and remove the leaves. Drop the leaves in a cocktail shaker. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the cocktail shaker. Muddle mint leaves in the lime juice.
  • Using a vegetable peeler, shave off two long pieces of cucumber. Reserve for garnish. Then cut the cucumber in half and quarter the halves. You will have eight spears of cucumber. Chop six of the spears and dump into the cocktail shaker. Save two of the spears for garnish.
  • Muddle the chopped cucumber spears with the mint and lime. If using alcohol, add in gin and limoncello and muddle further. Cover and strain into a low ball glass.
  • Make the garnish. Cut the second lime into wedges and skewer one wedge on to each skewer. Roll up the shaved cucumber around a blueberry and skewer that below the lime wedge. Then stab remaining skewer into a cucumber spear. Repeat for second drink.
  • Split remaining blueberries between the low ball glasses, top them with ice and divide the lemon-flavored San Pellegrino between them. Insert the cucumber speared garnish, the remaining two mint sprigs, and a fun straw.
Keyword cucumber lime mint cocktail with blueberries and limonata sparkling water

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Coco Chanel Martini

by

Happy Saturday! Time for another libation creation! Jim and I went to Barnes and Noble earlier this week so I could get Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, and I wound up getting two other books, too! The first one is a hilarious guide on how to pair wine with real-world food. (For context, the first wine pairing is with Cheetos.) And the second one is a bartender reference book! 

I was in the mood for something just a little sweet that could maybe go with these brown butter cookies. This led me to the chocolate section of my bartender guide, which subsequently led me to the ever-so-cool sounding “Coco Chanel” martini. 

I have no idea what the story is here–whether Mademoiselle Chanel requested this martini while she drafted sketches of tweed pencil skirts, or maybe met up with Dior and Yves Saint Laurent as they ordered a round of them and passive aggressively critiqued haute Parisian society? Regardless, I liked the idea as I dunked my cookie in a martini glass. Very posh.

The other nice thing about this drink is that I had everything on hand. No crazy ingredients like banana cream pie liqueur or organic sunglasses flavored vodka. It’s equal parts gin, Kahlúa, and half and half. I even had the chocolate curl garnish! (Could probably get away with swirling chocolate syrup into the glass if you don’t have chocolate curls.) Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. 

I highly recommend this drink with cookies, by the way. It’s a major milk upgrade. Hope you have a nice, swanky weekend!

Coco Chanel Martini

Made with fixings most households are already equipped with: gin, Kahlúa, and half and half. This is lightly sweet but not an overpowering martini garnished with chocolate curls if you please!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Drinks
Servings 1 cocktail

Equipment

  • Cocktail shaker
  • Martini glass

Ingredients
  

  • 1 oz Gin
  • 1 oz Kahlúa
  • 1 oz Half and half
  • ½ cup Ice
  • Chocolate curls for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Combine gin, Kahlúa, half and half, and ice in a cocktail shaker. Cover and shake for 30 seconds. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with chocolate curls.

Brown Butter Cookies

by

I am late to the brown butter game. Missing it is proof I am horribly oblivious and constantly in my own world because Jane makes pretty much every batch of chocolate chip cookies with it and I’ve had more than a fair number of them!

My delayed senses picked up on something last weekend, though, when she made these delicious caramel chocolate bars. I picked one up and my nose perked. Did I smell nuts? She said no. It definitely smelled nutty… And she explained: it was the brown butter.

What is browned butter?

It’s butter that is heated to be more than melted but less than burned. It is not too tricky to make and it smells marvelous. You must whisk it constantly on medium-low heat, and the second you see a bit of golden brown beyond the foam, remove it from the heat. 

I’m not a brown butter pro by any means, but I am enjoying learning. From my “research,” I’ve learned it goes with gnocchi and pasta, and I’m going to take my liberties with it for pancakes and hot buttered whiskey and coffee. It has a distinct, nutty and caramelized flavor that is just delightful and adaptive. 

Softened or Melted?

In my cookie baking experience, I learned that you soften butter and then cream it. You never melt it. Actually, I haven’t found this to be true for these brown butter cookies. 

I tried the first batch (just giant chocolate chunks, thanks to Jane for supplying them!!) with melted/browned butter and mixing it with the sugars. Because I can’t leave well enough alone, the next day I tried the second batch (M&M, chunks, chips, and peanut butter chips) by browning the butter, then cooling it back to a “softened” texture to cream with sugar.

To be honest, the texture of the cookies was the same! Nice and chewy, which is how we like it. Hope you do too!

Brown Butter Cookies

A nutty, caramelized flavor upgrade to your favorite CHEWY cookie! You can add chocolate chips, chunks, nuts, M&Ms, toffee chips, or peanut butter Reese's chips! Or just plain, ya know.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Bake Time 12 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 stick Salted butter
  • ¾ cup Brown sugar packed
  • ½ cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp Sea salt
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp Baking soda
  • 1¼ cup All-purpose flour
  • 8 oz Chocolate chunks, nuts, M&Ms, or chocolate chips or any combination that totals 8 oz
  • Flakey salt for topping

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
  • In a small saucepan, melt butter on medium heat, whisking constantly. It will foam up once or twice, but do not stop whisking. The second you see a light golden color in the center of the pot, remove from heat, continue whisking for another 30 seconds, and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  • Add brown sugar, regular sugar, and salt to the butter, mixing thoroughly with an electric mixer on medium-low speed.
  • Crack an egg into the sugar and pour vanilla extract on the egg. Continue mixing on medium-low speed.
  • Add flour slowly, a quarter cup at a time on low speed. Do not overmix. Sprinkle in your mix-in of choice (chocolate chunks are our favorite, or chunks, peanut butter chips, and M&Ms!!) and fold them in with your hands, gently squeezing the dough.
  • Spread parchment paper onto two cookie sheets. For regular-sized cookies, form 1" balls or cubes of dough, placed 2" apart. This will yield 24 regular cookies, 12 on each pan. For large cookies, form 1½" balls or cubes of dough, placed 3" apart. This will yield 12 large cookies, 6 on each pan.
  • Place the first pan for 11-13 minutes. For regular cookies, cool them in the pan, sprinkle with salt, and serve.
    For large cookies, place a towel on the counter and drop the pan on its bottom 5 times on the towel, causing the puffy cookies to collapse and flatten. Return to the oven and bake an additional 3-4 minutes. Repeat dropping the pan 5 more times. Sprinkle with flakey salt and cool slightly before serving.
Keyword brown butter cookies

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Rustic Tomato-Shallot Rotini with Bacon and Feta

by

Hi. This post is essentially “other things you can do with leftover pasta” Part 2. (Part 1 here.) Besides scrambled eggs or grilled cheese, this is one of my lazy, go-to dinners. It can be made at two speeds: fast or ultra fast (ultra fast if you’re using leftover pasta, in which case it is a one-pan meal).

We have in this pan all the essentials for happy forkfuls: pasta, salty cheese and bacon, jammy tomatoes and shallots, and greens to appeal to virtue (but not TOO many–we’re not saints). 

Rustic, humble, low maintenance, and vaguely familiar, the whole ensemble reminds me of Noodles & Company mashed with Mongolian BBQ. Just need to get Jim on board with a giant Mongolian flat top grill the size of our kitchen island. 

Now, FYI it’s not an extremely saucy pasta; you cook bacon, remove the bacon from the pan, cook tomatoes and shallots in the bacon fat with a splash of red wine vinegar, and when it’s jammy, you add in the (already cooked) pasta, spinach/kale, crumble the bacon back in, and top with feta. But you know? I grew up eating noodles with butter and cheese. This is kind of like that. Familiar. Cozy.

If you’re going out of your way to make pasta for this dish, I’d definitely reserve a half cup of pasta water and add it to the tomatoes and shallots. Pasta water has nice starches in it that thicken into a sauce when reduced. 

But honestly, it’s fine without it, and (A) I like getting rid of leftover grains/starches, especially when they are disproportionate to the amount of chicken or whatever that is also leftover and (B) cooking pasta and/or chicken in bulk at the beginning of the week opens up the doors for lots of culinary options. 

In other words, you don’t have to eat the same thing every day for dinner, leftovers after leftovers. Southwest pasta salad today is jammy tomato rotini tomorrow! 

Rustic Shallot and Tomato Rotini with Bacon and Feta

When you have leftover pasta, make this. It comes together extremely fast and you're ready to eat in 20 minutes. Add chicken or let the bacon shine solo.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 2

Equipment

  • Cast iron skillet

Ingredients
  

  • 4 slices Bacon
  • 2 Shallots sliced thinly
  • 1 cup Cherry tomatoes quartered
  • 1 tsp Red wine vinegar
  • 2 cups Pasta cooked
  • 1 tbsp Butter salted
  • 2 cups Baby kale or spinach
  • ¼ cup Feta cheese crumbled

Instructions
 

  • Fry bacon in a cast iron skillet on medium heat. When fully cooked, remove from skillet and set aside on a plate.
  • In the same pan, undrained of the grease, toss in the tomatoes and shallots and pour vinegar over. Stir constantly until tomatoes soften and become tender, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the cooked pasta and butter to the skillet with the tomatoes and shallots. Toss to combine. Cook another 2 minutes. Add in kale or spinach, stirring to facilitate the wilt, about another minute.
  • Remove from heat. Split between two pasta bowls. Top with feta and serve.

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Southwest Pasta Salad with Zesty Ranch

by

Guys, I am a leftover queen. Repurposing leftovers should be its own class of cooking and I would own it! It makes me happy to give them new life. Let’s be honest. Leftover grilled chicken isn’t great microwaved.

This pasta salad produced a GIANT serving for one. Probably could have split it. Definitely ate the whole thing. Sorry, not sorry. Homemade ranch dressing is so easy to make and make disappear. 

The Gist of it

  • Make the zesty ranch. It’s lime juice, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), and Tex-Mex spices. Always adjust the salt to your liking. 
  • Pro tip: I find it easiest to make the dressing in the same bowl that you plan to toss the salad in. It’s one less dish to wash! 
  • Chop peppers, chicken, avocado, onions, and tomatoes. Toss in the bowl with dressing and roasted corn, crumbled cheese, kale (or spinach if you prefer), and pasta. 
  • Inhale pasta salad. Don’t forget to breathe.

This salad is best made with leftover pasta, grilled chicken, and all the vegetables you are trying to rid your refrigerator of. I guess you could boil pasta for the salad and grill chicken specifically for this, but that sounds like more work. 

I had leftover pickled red onions and roasted corn on the cob, but regular red onions and plain corn from a can work just as well. The easier, the tastier. 

Southwest Pasta Salad with Zesty Ranch

Get ready to eat a big bowl of yum. Chopped bell pepper, minced jalapeño, pickled red onions, queso fresco crumbles, baby kale, rotini, avocado slices, roasted corn, chopped tomatoes, grilled chicken, and a quick, delightful southwest-themed ranch dressing.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine American, Southwest, Tex-Mex

Ingredients
  

Salad

  • 8 oz Grilled chicken chopped
  • 2 cups Rotini pasta cooked
  • ½ cup Roasted corn
  • 4 Cherry tomatoes quartered
  • 1 Orange bell pepper chopped
  • ½ Avocado skin removed, seeded, sliced
  • 2 Green onions sliced thinly
  • 2 tbsp Red onion slices optionally pickled
  • 2 oz Queso fresco crumbled
  • 1 cup Baby kale or spinach
  • 1 Jalapeño minced, seeded if sensitive to spice

Southwest Ranch Dressing

  • Juice of Lime
  • â…“ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
  • ½ tsp Onion salt
  • 1 tsp Tomato paste
  • ¼ tsp Chili powder
  • pinch Cumin
  • ¼ tsp Garlic powder
  • ½ Jalapeño small, minced

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the salad dressing in a large bowl by combining all of the ingredients and stirring thoroughly with a fork or whisk.
  • Add to the bowl all of the salad ingredients. Toss to coat in dressing. Serve.
Keyword Southwest ranch dressing, Summer salad, Tex-Mex pasta salad

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Birthday Cake Cocktails

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Not sure what has gotten into me these days, but I am becoming really interested in craft cocktails. As of late, any upcoming event that I host spurs me to do research on delicious libations. Brunch club led to the blackberry champagne mules from Half Baked Harvest. Those, in turn, inspired me to churn out Black Thai Affairs. 

Most recently, I threw my girlfriend, Lauren, a birthday party at a pottery painting place with her friends last weekend. True to form, this little soiree inspired me to bring along cute cocktails. It was a birthday party, after all, so birthday cake flavor seemed fitting. 

People. These drinks wound up being a HUGE hit. They really did taste just like birthday cake and one was just enough to unleash our inner Picassos. Birthday cake cocktails are strong. (As they should be! Birthdays are equal parts celebration and coping with the fact that you are aging.)

When I made these drinks for the party, I did a double whammy: fun straws AND a sprinkle rim. The sprinkle rim was made by twirling the cup rims in melted chocolate and then sprinkles. It was very “extra,” as they say. Having made these a second time for photographing, I have to recommend the straw for functionality. The sugar from the sprinkles throws off the balance of the drink, so don’t include it in your sip. But gosh, it sure looks cute. 

Birthday Cocktails: The gist

I seriously made these in under five minutes, and I was in the back room of some pottery painting place. It wasn’t even a proper kitchen. These come together in a jiff and are a real crowd pleaser. BUT. Make sure you get the exact ingredients. Only Absolute Vanilla vodka and only Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur. I mean it. No substitutions, ya hear? K, here’s the quick version:

  • Decorate the rim with sprinkles. Melt chocolate in a bowl large enough to accommodate the rim of your glassware. Swirl the rim in the chocolate and then swirl in a plate or sprinkles. 
  • In a cocktail shaker, combine vanilla vodka, amaretto, white chocolate liqueur, half and half OR coconut cream, and ice. Shake for 30 seconds. Pour through strainer into glass. That’s it!

By the way, marshmallows make a really fun garnish. We just tossed them in the drink. This Smash Mallow brand is pretty good–we tried the chocolate coffee and the raspberry chocolate flavors. But you could always make your own marshmallows if you’re feeling ambitious. Bigger, Bolder, Baking has a recipe for birthday cake marshmallows that has been on my list to try for a while now. If you make them, let me know how you like them!

I assure you these birthday cake cocktails are now instituted for birthdays from now on. This recipe has quickly become a favorite, and now Jim jokingly asks if I’m trying to clean out the liquor cabinet with all of my concoctions. I mean…it is getting kind of crowded. I have to do something. 😉

Birthday Cake Cocktails

Alex
It tastes just like birthday cake. This yummy concoction is perfect for throwing a birthday bash!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Sprinkle rim 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 5

Ingredients
  

For the cocktails

  • 10 oz Vanilla vodka Absolute
  • 15 oz Coconut cream OR half and half
  • 5 oz White chocolate liqueur Godiva
  • 5 oz Amaretto
  • 1 cup Ice

For the sprinkle rims

  • 1½ cups Sprinkles
  • â…“ cup Chocolate chips any flavor

Instructions
 

Sprinkle rims

  • Grab a microwavable bowl that the rim of your glasses will comfortably fit in. Melt chocolate chips in the bowl in the microwave in 30 second intervals.
  • In a separate bowl, also able to accommodate the glass size, pour in sprinkles. If it's large enough, you can also use the container the sprinkles are packaged in.
  • Turn your glasses upside down and place in the bowl of melted chocolate, twirling to get an even coat. Next, dip the glass in the bowl of sprinkles. Turn right-side up and allow to dry. Repeat with the remaining glasses.

Cocktails

  • In a cocktail shaker combine vodka, cream, white chocolate liqueur, amaretto, and ice. Cover and shake for 30 seconds. Remove cap and strain into sprinkle-rimmed glasses. Serve with a fun straw or garnish with a marshmallow or both.
Keyword Birthday cake flavored cocktail, Godiva white chocolate liqueur, sprinkle rim, vanilla vodka

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Coconut Bell Pepper Peanut Curry

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Eons ago, I wrote a post about flavor balance and by now you might have noticed I have romanticized the idea ad nauseum. What can I say? I’m obsessed. I make it a personal goal to pack as many wedges of the flavor wheel into a dish as I possibly can. Sometimes it works out. This time, it did. Introducing…Coconut vegetable curry, another Thai-inspired recipe.

I love the vibrant red and orange colors of bell peppers, sweet green sugar snap peas, and a golden coconut sauce to blend them all together. Who knew eating vegetables could be so sensory? 

Typically I’d add a protein to this dish, but my workouts these days have shifted to cardio more than weight lifting, so carbs and I are friends again. (Not that we ever weren’t.) Plus, I’m pretty sure it’s healthy to eat just vegetables every now and then, you know, since we’re not living the life of Neanderthal meat heads sitting at our kitchen table on our laptops for eight hours a day. 

I’ve been on a big Thai kick lately and just can’t get enough of these south east Asian flavors. Sweet, savory, salty, spicy, acidic, and creamy ALL IN ONE. Yeah. Big deal alert. If Guy Fierri were in our kitchen, I picture him exclaiming in delight, “That is packed with flavor!” May I also add that this dish goes swimmingly well with a Black Thai Affair cocktail if you’re looking to go all out? 

Further…have you tried scooping rice with an ice cream scooper??? I give this method 10/10 for presentation! I’ll make yet another plug for Better than Bullion and recommend that you cook all of your rice (jasmine, of course) in water with Better than Bullion Chicken Base. It adds a touch of really nice flavor without being overpowering. A good sidekick to a good curry!

So this recipe has lots of ingredients…such is the nature of southeast Asian cooking. However, it actually comes together in under 30 minutes! Faster if you have help with dishes, too! The recipe probably looks obnoxiously long, but it’s really not that complicated. I’m just trying to give more explicit instructions ever since I charged Jim with the task of making homemade pastaroni on his own. 

Here is the gist of it:

  • Get the rice going (cooking in Better Than Bullion Base, duh) so it’s ready with the rest of it. Do yourself a big favor and use a rice cooker. 
  • Caramelize onions. If you’ve done this before, you know it takes a little while, a touch of sugar, oil, and salt. 
  • Add garlic, ginger, jalapeño, lime zest, lime juice to the onions. Oh, and salt. Always salt along the way. Probably add chicken if you want some oomph. 
  • Veggie dump into the pan. Bell peps and peas. Salt again. (It’s in tiny increments, don’t worry!) And peanuts! 
  • Once that’s all pretty cooked and tender, you add a saucy mix of soy sauce, sriracha, vinegar, peanut butter, fish sauce, ground mustard, and coconut milk. Simmer and then you’re done! Garnish with basil and/or green onions. Scoop the rice with an ice cream scooper. 

Hope you and your family enjoy this immensely and get loads of flavor and nutrition from it! Feel free to share your pics and tag @bakerstheory on Instagram!

Coconut Bell Pepper Peanut Curry

Alex
Super saucy and delicious. Checks off every flavor on the wheel in a comforting and nutritious way. You can use whatever vegetables you have, too. I just like this combination.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Thai Fusion
Servings 6

Equipment

  • Rice cooker
  • Zester

Ingredients
  

Vegetable Curry

  • t tbsp Sesame seed oil
  • 1 Onion sliced thinly
  • 1 tsp Salt staggered in ¼ tsp intervals
  • 2 tbsp Brown sugar
  • ½ tsp Ginger peeled and grated
  • 5 cloves Garlic minced
  • 1 Lime, zested and juiced
  • 2 Jalapeños seeded and chopped
  • 2 Bell peppers sliced
  • 6 oz Snow peas or sugar snap peas whole
  • 4 oz Shitake mushrooms sliced
  • ¼ cup Salted peanuts plus more for topping
  • 1 tbsp Sriracha
  • 2 tbsp Seasoned rice vinegar Kikoman
  • 3 tbsp Soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp Peanut butter creamy
  • 13.5 oz Can of coconut milk
  • 1 tsp Fish sauce Red Boat
  • 1 tsp Ground mustard

Rice

  • 2 cups Jasmine rice dry
  • 4 cups Water
  • 4 tsp Better than Bullion Chicken Base optional

Instructions
 

For the rice

  • Combine rice and water in a rice cooker, pressure cooker, or pot. Add chicken base, if desired, or other spices. Cook until tender and fluffy, about 20 minutes. *Serve with an ice cream scoop for a nice, rounded serving.

For the vegetable curry

  • In a large skillet on medium heat, warm the sesame seed oil. When hot and shimmering, add onion slices and stir occasionally for 5 minutes.
  • While onions are cooking, peel and grate the ginger, crush and mince the garlic, zest and juice the lime, and seed and chop the jalapeño. Gather them all in a small bowl.
  • When onions start to brown and caramelize, add 2 tbsp of brown sugar and ¼ tsp of sea salt. Stir again, but not too often, to allow onions to caramelize further with the sugar.
  • While onions caramelize, chop bell peppers (sans seeds) and mushrooms, and gather in a bowl with the snow or snap peas.
  • Once onions look golden, limp, and browned--almost noodle-like--add to them the small bowl of ginger, garlic, zest, juice, and jalapeño. Stir and add another ¼ tsp of salt. (It's important to salt along the way rather than all at once!) Sauté this combination for 2-3 minutes. Then add the peppers, mushrooms, peas, and peanuts. Sprinkle in the remaining ½ tsp of salt.
  • Stir the contents of the pan and then allow to it cook unattended while you prepare the sauce, about 5 minutes.
  • In a small bowl (perhaps the one from the garlic-jalapeño mixture if you haven't put it in the sink yet...) whisk together sriracha, vinegar, soy sauce, peanut butter, coconut milk, fish sauce, and ground mustard. When vegetables are tender and soft, pour the sauce into the pan. Cook another 5 minutes or until sauce is thick and simmering.
  • Serve in large bowls with rice.
Keyword Bell pepper coconut curry

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