Soft Pretzels with Queso Poblano Sauce

I am not sure which is better-- soft pretzels or queso. I love soft pretzels. They totally beat bagels or the hard crunchy little pretzels. But the queso sauce is awesome. I would make it again to eat with just tortilla chips ....or anything really. I am drooling just thinking about this again. Yum!

Soft Pretzels with Queso Poblano Sauce

Queso Poblano Sauce:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves
Soft Pretzels:

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons light brown muscovado sugar
1 package active dry yeast
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil
3 quarts water
3/4 cup baking soda
2 whole eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
Coarse sea salt

Queso:
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the Monterey Jack cheese, poblano chiles, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place the queso sauce into a bowl and sprinkle with chopped poblano.

Pretzel:
Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper and spray liberally with vegetable spray.

Combine the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.
Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Bring the water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and add the baking soda.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 ounces each. Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches and shape: take the right side and cross over to the left. Cross right to left again and flip up. Boil the pretzels in the water solution, 2 at a time for 30 seconds, splashing the tops with the warmed water using a spoon. Remove with a large flat slotted spatula or a spider. Place 4 pretzels on each baking sheet, brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.
Remove to a baking rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating. Dip into desired sauces.


Bobby Flay--Food Network

Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas and Spring Herbs

This recipe sounded good. It was only okay. I think it had a little too much mustard flavor and not enough vegetable flavor. I probably won't make it again though.

Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas and Spring Herbs

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon flour, divided
1 pound thin-sliced chicken breast cutlets
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces sugar snap peas, cut in half (2 cups)
1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed
1/4 cup sprouted beans, (see Note), optional
3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs, such as chives, tarragon or dill
2 teaspoons champagne vinegar, or white-wine vinegar

Whisk broth, mustard, salt, pepper and 2 teaspoons flour in a small bowl until smooth. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in two batches, adjusting heat as necessary to prevent burning, until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm. Stir the broth mixture and add to the pan along with snap peas, artichoke hearts and sprouted beans (if using). Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the snap peas are tender-crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the vegetables, and simmer until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in herbs and vinegar.

Source: Eating Well

Quick Taco Salad

Easy. Quick. Delicious. Depending on what salsa you pick, the flavor of this can really change. Of course, you can always just use taco seasoning instead.

Quick Taco Salad

12 ounces ground round
2 cups chopped yellow, red, or green bell pepper
2 cups bottled salsa
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 cups coarsely chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped plum tomato
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup crumbled baked tortilla chips (about 12 chips)
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Cook beef and bell pepper in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until beef is browned; stir to crumble. Add salsa; bring to a boil. Stir in cilantro; keep warm.

Place 1 cup lettuce on each of 4 plates; top with 1 cup meat mixture. Sprinkle each serving with 1/2 cup tomato, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/4 cup chips, and 1 tablespoon onions.

Cooking Light

Island Pork Tenderloin

I like pork tenderloin. They are lower fat and easy to make. I especially love finding spice rubs for them. This recipe has a spicy sweet crust that bakes on top. It's pretty good.

Island Pork Tenderloin

For Spice Rub:
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 pork tenderloins (2 1/4 - 2 1/2 pound total) trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
For Glaze:
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon Tabasco

Prepare the Pork:

Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Coat pork with spice rub.
Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until just beginning to smoke. Brown pork, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes total. Remove from heat; leave pork in skillet.

Make the Glaze and Roast the Pork:

Stir together brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco in a small bowl. Pat the mixture on top of the tenderloins.
Place the skillet in the oven at 350 degrees. Roast until thermometer inserted diagonally into the center of each tenderloin registers 140 degrees, about 20 minutes. Let pork stand in skillet, loosely covered with foil for 10 minutes.

Source: Pennies on the Platter

Seared Salmon with Jalapeno Ponzu

Salmon is one of my favorite fish. It is also good for you. Give you some of that good cholesterol and omegas. This recipe from Cooking Light magazine is incredibly easy and quick. Oh, and yummy.

Seared Salmon with Jalapeno Ponzu

1/4 c soy sauce
2 T orange juice
2 T mirin
1 T lemon juice
1 T dark sesame oil
4 (6 oz) salmon fillets
1 large jalapeno pepper, cut into thin slices

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, mix well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add salmon, skin side down; cook 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork or until desired doneness. Arrange 1 fillet on each plate. Top fillets evenly with jalapeno slices. Spoon about 2 T of soy sauce mixture over each serving; let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Taco Soup

This is a total quick-fix dinner from Paula Deen. Plus it is really good. It's more of a chili, and I add some tomato sauce to make it a little more soupy. We skip the green olives and I add my own black olives--hubby no likey. The sour cream and jalapenos are usually skipped as well--just cause there is so much they aren't needed. The fritos are a must. MMMM. This makes a huge batch. I have to pull out my stock pot and usually have lots of left overs. It also freezes well.

Taco Soup

2 pounds ground beef
2 cups diced onions
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles
1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional
1/2 cup green olives, sliced, optional
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
Corn chips, for serving
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheese, for garnish
Chopped green onions, for garnish
Pickled jalapenos, for garnish

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos.

Pan Roasted Cowboy Ribeye with Creamed Swiss Chard

We stumbled upon this recipe. We got our swiss chard in our basket. Don't make swiss chard much. Needed to find a recipe. After perusing the Food Network webpage, my husband stumbled across this Tyler Florence recipe. We both thought it sounded a bit unlike anything we would make, but the reviews were glowing. So we decided to try it out. It was sooooo good. It is even good layered the way the recipe says. I am a food no touchy kind of girl, but even I liked it together. Everything was very flavorful. It wasn't overly complicated and makes a great fancy dinner.

Pan Roasted Cowboy Ribeye with Creamed Swiss Chard

2 large (16 to 18-ounce) bone-in rib-eye steaks

1 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Bread crumb topping:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 to 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed
2 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed
About 1 cup panko bread crumbs
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Creamed rainbow chard:
1 large bunch Swiss chard, leafs removed from the stem and leaves chopped
2 cups heavy cream
2 fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled
Freshly grated Parmesan, to taste
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 lemon, juiced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Take a cast iron pan and set over medium-high heat. Add a 2-count of olive oil and add rosemary and thyme. The herbs will begin to crackle as the oil heats up and the oil will be infused with the flavor. Remove the herbs from the pan and place onto a paper towel lined plate. Season the rib eyes well with salt and pepper and add to pan and brown for approximately 4 minutes. Turn the rib eye over and place the whole pan into the preheated oven, on the bottom shelf, for another 12 minutes for medium-rare. Add another 2 minutes for medium.

Place a saute pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and butter. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic, thyme and rosemary leaves, and the panko and stir to combine. Once the bread crumbs are toasted, season with salt and pepper.

Place a saucepan of cream with bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and garlic over medium heat and simmer until reduced and thick. Blanch leaves in some salted boiling water until wilted. Remove the Swiss chard from the water and allow it to drain in a strainer. Push any excess water out of the Swiss chard using some paper towels. Set aside to dry at room temperature.

When ready, remove herbs and garlic from cream and fold in the Swiss chard. Add Parmesan, to taste, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Once steaks are done, remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve on a plate and top steak with creamed Swiss chard. Garnish with the toasted bread crumbs, lemon juice, and season with salt.