Pinterest.

Oh hey, look!  A blog!  Hmmm...I should probably cross out "daily" from my header, huh?

Pinterest.  My favorite thing to use it for is food pictures, of course, which I pin to a board with the claims that I will make these things.  Amazingly, I did make a few pinned recipes, so I thought I'd share them all in one spot.

Bean and Kale Soup

This was really good!  I could eat this every day.

Here's the pinned recipe: Tuscan Style Bean and Kale Soup

I didn't have fresh tomatoes, so I used a can of tomatoes w/ green chiles (Rotel), which gave a Mexican flair to the Italian-ish dish.  I also used chicken stock instead of vegetable.

Yummy for the Tummy.

Sweet Potato Skewers with Cilantro Sauce

This recipe made me realize that I do NOT have the patience it takes to make one's own mayonnaise.  I am a mustard girl, so I don't usually keep mayo or miracle whip or anything of the sort in my fridge, so when this recipe for a jalapeño/cilantro aioli caught my eye, I decided it must be done with homemade mayonnaise.  I was so almost there, but after dripping 90% of the oil into the egg mixture drop by drop, I got a little impatient and rushed it....and promptly ruined it.  Ooooh colloids, why must you be so difficult?  So, after momentarily losing my will to cook (and a few choice cuss words), I decided to wing it and create a yogurt sauce instead.  It was good, but thinner than I would have liked.

Here's the recipe I pinned: Roasted Sweet Potato Skewers with Jalapeño-Cilantro Aioli

Mac & Cheese-style Cauliflower

Cauliflower = Potentially Boring OR a way to make me eat too much ranch dressing.

Homestyle Mac and Cheese Style Cauliflower = solution to the above.  

Cause eating too much cheese is so much better than ranch dressing.

I used a local Chipotle Cheddar Cheese for this.  It really was pretty good, but yes, it is still Cauliflower.  But it's Cauliflower covered with CHEESE.

Here's the original: Mac & Cheese Style Cauliflower

Tomato Soup.

Tomato Soup

• Onion (I used about 1/4 of a medium sized red onion)
• Garlic (I was always taught at least 1 clove per person)
• Grape Tomatoes (About 1/2 pint)
• Salt and Pepper
• Chicken or Vegetable Broth (1 cup)
• Milk (3/4 cup)
• Butter (a couple of Tablespoons)
• Sugar (a pinch, only if needed)

1. Saute the onion and garlic until in butter or olive oil until the onions begin to get translucent 
2. Add the Grape tomatoes whole
3. Continue to heat until the tomatoes burst and wither (if you get impatient you can help them along with a little smashing)
4. Add salt and pepper
5. Add the chicken stock, and then blend with an immersion blender
6. Taste it - adjust the salt and pepper; if needed add a pinch of sugar
7. Stir in the milk (or cream!)
8. If it tastes a little flat, add a teeny bit of butter...it works wonders

Grilled Chipotle Cheddar Sandwiches

I served it with Grilled Cheese, but to spice things up, I spread on a thin layer of Chipotle yumminess.
I just blended the contents of a can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce and added it inside with thick chunks of local cheddar.

Burning.

Burn a Hole in your Esophagus Chili

Mark had made jerky several weeks ago, and using his "Barbecue Bible," found a recipe for a Chipotle Adobo marinade for the meat.  It was really good, so when we had some stew meat from naturalfarms, we decided to make a steaky chili with some of the same chipotle adobo flavors.

Jalapeño, Red Onion, Garlic

We started pretty simply, with chopping a pepper, an onion, and a few cloves of garlic.  Then browned the meat, added our spices and veggies, and once the meat was cooked through and the vegetables were getting tender, we added the beans and sauces.  One of the sauces was blended chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.  It's a delicious, smoky flavor...but it's made out of smoked jalapeños.  I don't think we considered just how hot it might make our chili.  Holy Moly, the flavor was great, but let me just say, the fresh jalapeño might not have been needed.

• Beef Stew Meat, or cut-up Steak (about 1 lb)
• Oregano
• Cumin
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, chopped, ribs and seeds removed
• Orange Zest (about 1/2 an orange)
• Orange Juice (1/2 an orange)
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• Red Wine Vinegar (just a splash or two)
• 1/2 can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, blended (or you could chop the peppers)
• 1/2 cup of Tomato Sauce
• Lots of milk (to drink to ease the burning)

1. Brown the steak in your chili pot, and add salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin
2. Add jalapeño (really, this jalapeño is probably overkill), onion, and garlic
3. Once vegetables are beginning to get tender, add the zest and juice, stir around for another minute
4. Lower the heat a bit, and add the beans and liquids
5. Let it simmer for as long as you're willing....then eat!  

Say goodbye to all feeling on your tongue.