ChinDeep

riviera maya guacamole

Melissa — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:44:49 +0000

~ riviera maya guacamole ~

This is a recipe for guacamole that was inspired by the simple, wonderful guac we had while visiting Mexico’s Riviera Maya. I think the key to a good guacamole recipe is to keep it short and sweet.

2 ripe avocados, peeled and mashed

1 diced, ripe Roma tomato

2 Tablespoons grated onion

2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce

Mash the avocados with a fork, place in a little mixing bowl along with the other ingredients. Mix. Serve with your favorite corn chips, quesadillas or on tacos or burritos.

Enjoy!

~Melissa

the best garlic bread on the planet

Melissa — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:04:55 +0000

~ garlic bread ~

The first time I had this amazing garlic bread I was still living in my little apartment in White Bear Lake. My friend Amy and I would make weekly “craft” dates when we’d get together, create, and cook.

One of those days she came armed with the ingredients for this. It’s unlike any other garlic bread I’ve ever had. It’s creamy and garlicy and wonderful…and definitely not diet food. I once watched Jeff and his friend demolish an entire loaf in one sitting, but I don’t recommend it. One piece is usually my limit.

one long loaf of French or Italian bread (not a skinny baguette)

1 cup real mayonnaise

2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/3 cup black olives, chopped fine

3 large garlic cloves, minced

2 Tablespoons onion, chopped fine or grated

freshly ground black pepper

Split loaf lengthwise. Place each half, crust side down, on a large baking sheet. Combine the other ingredients and spread the cheesy mayo mixture evenly over both halves of the bread. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges and all of the topping is heated through and bubbly. Slice and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

~Melissa

trattoria meatballs

Melissa — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:49:22 +0000

~ trattoria meatballs ~

So a couple days ago I was making spaghetti and talking to our cat (yes, I did just say that… and sometimes she talks back too. She says “mama” when she’s hungry for a treat. Which is about 2,000 times a day. We have created a little furry striped monster.) Anyhoo, I was talking to the cat. I asked her if I should just chop up some meat for the spaghetti sauce or…if I should go through the sort of drawn out production that is making meatballs from scratch. She just blinked at me in that slow, bored way that cats do, which is their way of saying you could put an armadillo in the damn spaghetti sauce for all they care.

I turned the volume up on the Dean Martin and I decided to make the meatballs. They turned out really good. They’re always worth the trouble, aren’t they?

1 lb ground beef, or a combination of beef and pork

1 teaspoon salt

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 teaspoon garlic powder, or one large minced garlic clove

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1 egg

2 dashes cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon Sriracha

1 and 1/2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

Place all in a large mixing bowl and mix with your hands until evenly and thoroughly combined. Form into 24 golf ball-sized meatballs. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle.

Serve on top of your favorite spaghetti, or make meatball subs on toasted french rolls… with some of THIS sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese melted over the top and a few chopped kalamata olives….mmmmm!

Enjoy!

~Melissa

watermelon green tea fresca

Melissa — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:45:14 +0000

~ watermelon green tea fresca ~

You may have heard of the popular Latin beverage agua fresca, a refreshing drink that can be made by combining water and any number of fresh fruits. Well, I decided to expound on this idea, and instead of using water as the base of my drink, I used green tea. I am so excited to share this recipe with you. It’s wonderful, and so good for you.

for 2 servings:

1 and 1/2 cups sweet, seedless watermelon chunks

1 cup cold green tea

juice of 1/2 lime

3 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup ice cubes

4 large mint leaves

ginger ale or ginger beer

Place all ingredients, except the ginger ale, in the bowl of a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and top off with a splash of ginger ale. Enjoy immediately.

Happy TeaTime Tuesday!

~Melissa

herb garden salad dressing

Melissa — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:57:02 +0000

What a lovely weekend. A little day trip to Pepin, long walks, and lots of time spent in the fresh air, working on yard projects and getting our herbs and flowers planted. I hope you had a beautiful Mother’s Day.

Here’s a special salad dressing recipe using lots of fresh herbs from your garden… I made up a jar for our dinner last night.

~ herb garden salad dressing ~

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream or greek yogurt

juice of one lemon

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped, fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped, fresh oregano

2 Tablespoons chopped, fresh chives

1 clove garlic

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place all in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. This dressing will keep in the refrigerator for a week.

Enjoy!

~Melissa

six senses saturday ~ the harbor view cafe

Melissa — Sun, 13 May 2012 00:35:41 +0000

Italian bread

salad with homemade dressings : creamy french and blue cheese vinaigrette

linguini papalina ~ proscuitto, mushrooms, garlic, cream and parmesan

mixed grill ~ pork sausage, lamb, beef, kidney, chicken and liver with chutney

coq au vin ~ red wine braised chicken

wine tasting notes :

Nimbus Sauvignon Blanc ~ mineral, fresh herbs, citrus and hay

Sycamore Lane Pinot Grigio ~ Sweet aromas of pears, melon, and tropical fruits are accented with pleasant floral notes

…both were lovely wines

feeling :: warm sunshine

hearing :: trains rushing by the lovely Harbor View Cafe in Pepin Wisconsin (I did a review a few years ago, which you can read HERE if you like.)…clinking glass, laughter and happy conversation

seeing :: sailboats on the lake…beautiful flowers…and THIS MOVIE… which was AMAZING. Totally worth the hype.

smelling :: fresh air and freshly cut grass

tasting :: linguini papalina…. Italian bread, good wine and a beautiful salad (pictured above… mmmmmm!)

knowing :: that this is just the beginning or a beautiful weekend.

~Melissa

ceviche

Melissa — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:35:19 +0000

~ ceviche ~

Ceviche is a cold, refreshing dish that is made by soaking fish in cirtus juice to cook it. The acid from the citrus turns the fish white and firm, and lends a beautiful, bright flavor that is unlike any other fish I have ever tasted. We had this as often as possible when we were vacationing in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, and are excited to try other types of fish like scallops and shrimp in the future.

Yesterday we used a simple whitefish, and it turned out pretty darn good.

Here’s how we did it…

1 lb. whitefish (like tilapia, swai, sea bass or red snapper)

Juice of 3 large lemons and 4 limes

1 seeded, chopped Roma tomato

1/4 cup chopped purple onion

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped fine

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

salt and pepper

sriracha

avocado

corn chips

Cut fish into small, uniform chunks. Place in a bowl and pour the citrus juice over the fish. The fish should be completely covered. You may have to add more citrus juice at this point. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. Chill until the fish is white and firm throughout…there shouldn’t be any pink parts. (We just made this in the morning so it would be ready for dinner…you can’t really “overcook” it.)

Remove from fridge. Drain off the citrus juice and gently squeeze it to remove excess moisture. Add the tomatoes, onion, jalapenos. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with cilantro, Sriracha, avocado chunks and corn chips.

Enjoy!

~Melissa

crispy kale chips

Melissa — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:34:34 +0000

~ crispy kale chips ~

Looking for a healthy alternative to potato chips? I LOVE potato chips with sandwiches, and somehow the little baby carrots just don’t make a good substitute. These crispy kale chips are just the thing. Good for you, crispy, and a little garlicy. Sprinkle on a little salt, and mmmmm! Only make what you are going to eat the same day, these don’t keep well, and tend to lose their crispiness over night.

1 lb curly kale, washed patted dry and de-ribbed

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Toss kale with the olive oil, and garlic. Spread on two baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15 minutes or until chips are crisp. Serve with THIS dressing for dipping!

Enjoy

luau meatballs

Melissa — Wed, 09 May 2012 20:51:15 +0000

~ luau meatballs ~

My friend Lisa over at Lisa’s Dinnertime Dish made a “retro” meal a few days ago, Chowmein Casserole. It looked and sounded so yummy, it got me thinking about some of my favorite retro meals…the ones that sort of take me back in time to when I was a kid. Among these are: my grandma Darling’s potato chip chicken , her chicken cacciatore, and her Swiss steak…homemade French dressing, my Papa’s potato salad, my mom’s spaghetti sauce, chicken and dumplings and porcupine meatballs…and this recipe for Hawaiian Meatballs. I actually can’t remember the first time I ate this or where I was…but it does take me back to my childhood. The little meatballs are pork, they’re fried, and using brown rice in this recipe would just wreck it. So, yeah. NOT health food. But make it and just take a bite…the time travel is worth it.

1/2 onion chopped

1 lb. ground pork

1 lb. ground chuck

1 egg

1/2 cup panko or dried bread crumbs

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup flour

peanut oil

2 cups beef broth

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

sweet bell peppers in a variety of colors, coarse chopped

1 whole, fresh pineapple, cut into chunks

Sriracha

Combine the onion, pork, beef, egg, panko, salt and pepper until evenly and well mixed. Form into meatballs, place on a baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes. Dredge in flour and fry in peanut oil until brown and crisp. Remove to a plate, and drain oil from pan. Fry up the peppers for a minute. Add the pineapple. Cook for one or two minutes more. Combine broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and cornstarch well and add to the pan. Stir, simmering gently, for five minutes. Add a little Sriracha and serve over rice or egg noodles.

Enjoy!

~Melissa

carrot cheddar curry tea sandwiches

Melissa — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:23:16 +0000

~ carrot cheddar curry tea sandwiches ~

Today I made some of our favorite tea sandwiches for teatime. Carrot cheddar curry. We made these little sammies at both of the tearooms where I was employed, and everyone loved them! The mincemeat is my addition, and I think it makes these sandwiches even more wonderful. If you don’t have mincemeat, leave it out…or substitute a little chopped green apple and some raisins or sultanas. These little treats are creamy-crunchy, sweet and tangy, with just a hint of curry. They are wonderful with any black tea, but particularly good with a cup of Darjeeling.

10-12 slices of white or wheat sandwich bread

2 large carrots, peeled and grated

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 heaping Tablespoon mincemeat pie filling

2 heaping Tablespoons real mayonnaise

1 teaspoon sweet curry powder

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients for the filling, and adjust seasonings if needed. Make sandwiches. Cut off the crusts and cut into finger sandwiches or triangles. Arrange on a pretty platter or tiered sandwich server with other teatime treats. Garnish with edible flowers or fresh herbs if you wish.

Enjoy!

Happy TeaTime Tuesday!

~Melissa