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the perfect {spicy} bloody mary.

November 30, 2011 — 1 Comment

Today, we’re bringing sexy back.

C’mon…you know a bloody mary is totally hot. Hot as in spicy. Sexy = hot = spicy. Are we on the same page? Good.

Today, I’m bringing sexy back in the form of the perfect bloody mary. This is not a new recipe to these parts, but because I make these *so* often, I felt compelled to take a shiny new picture and share it with you and remind you how awesome they are.

So you can make them. Like, this weekend. Or today. I surely wouldn’t judge you for imbibing on this fine Wednesday morning.

I love a good bloody mary for so many reasons. Most importantly, it’s usually the sign of a great weekend. This goes for both the “hell yeah, the weekend is here!” bloody mary and the “I had too much fun this weekend” hair of the dog bloody mary. I equally love that it’s considered totally normal to enjoy one (who are we kidding – several) before noon. In fact, having a bloody mary at any other time of day just seems downright wrong.

In Cocktails, Recipe Arsenal, Weekend Brunch celery, olives, spicy, tomato juice, vodka

fried green tomatoes + spicy grits.

October 25, 2011 — 1 Comment

Here’s a healthy, easy dinner idea for you.

At least, I think it’s healthy. New York Times said so. Does that count for something? And as for the creamy, cheesy grits…well, maybe not so much.

How about a semi-healthy, easy dinner? Does that work for you?

In Main Dishes green tomatoes, grits, southern recipes, spicy, weeknight fix

spicy shrimp quesadillas + fresh mango salsa.

May 1, 2011 — 2 Comments

As we finished eating these quesadillas, Dan looked at me and said, “Am I beginning to sound like the boy who cried wolf?”

That’s because, for the umpteenth time, he’d just told me this was the best thing he’d ever eaten.

I smiled, because his reaction is one that will never get old. And I have to say, these quesadillas were, in fact, some of the best I’ve ever had. The combination of the spicy shrimp, creamy melted jack cheese, lightly caramelized onions and peppers, and the vibrant mango salsa was perfect, in every sense of the word. There were layers and layers of flavor, all perfectly developed and in sync.

Rebecca Rather has become someone I trust explicitly with savory recipes as well as sweet. Even though she deserves the credit for this fabulous recipe, I know I put my own spin on it, as I never measure ingredients or follow a recipe exactly. I think that’s why I love cooking so much – you find great recipes, and then get the chance to make them your own.

{Click here for the full recipe}

In Main Dishes mango, mexican recipes, project pastry queen, quesadillas, salsas + relishes, shrimp, spicy

spicy mac ‘n cheese.

April 5, 2011 — Leave a comment

I’ve been holding out on you.

I made this macaroni what feels like an eternity ago. Which is okay in my book – because now I feel like it’s time to make it again.

Macaroni and cheese, if you didn’t know, is probably my favorite food. When people ask me what my last supper would be, mac ‘n cheese is usually part of the meal, whether it be some sort of a truffle rendition or simply classic. It amazes me how many of my absolute favorite dishes haven’t made their way to this blog yet – I need to do something about that, for sure!

And as much as I love mac ‘n cheese, I love any and everything spicy. The hotter, the better. So it’s no surprise that this combo was a total win for me.

I’m pretty sure I served this with skirt steak, which is probably a contender for Daniel’s last supper, and pretty high on my list these days as well.

The buttered croutons make this dish, though you could easily use a panko or regular breadcrumb topping. I doubled the cayenne and added jalapeño chilies for extra heat, and I also used half-and-half instead of the heavy cream in the original recipe in some kind of effort to lighten it up. It was still so crazy-rich – I can’t imagine it would have been any better with the cream.

An unusual thing about this recipe was that it called for more than half of the cheese to be cubed. I opted to change the ratio to half-cubed, half-shredded, and I was very happy with the results. The cubes melt into gooey pockets of heaven that any true cheese-lover will appreciate.

Spicy Mac ‘N Cheese

Adapted from Sunny Anderson

2 cups elbow pasta, cooked until almost al dente
16 ounces Cheddar cheese, 1/2 cubed, 1/2 shredded
8 ounces Monterey pepper jack cheese, 1/2 cubed, 1/2 shredded
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2-3 tablespoons minced jalapeño chilies, fresh or pickled
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 large egg, beaten
2 cups half-and-half
4 slices bread
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss together pasta with the cheese cubes and pour into the baking dish. In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, nutmeg, jalapeño, sour cream, egg, and half-and-half. Pour over the pasta and cover with shredded cheeses. Bake uncovered until top is just beginning to brown, about 35 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the bread into crouton-sized squares. In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter, add cubes and toast until golden. Sprinkle the bread cubes on top of the macaroni and cheese and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes more.

In Main Dishes, On the Side last supper, mac 'n cheese, pasta, spicy

mardi gras special: louisiana jambalaya.

March 8, 2011 — 6 Comments

If you can’t be cramped into the swelling streets of the French Quarter today, making this jambalaya is your next best bet.

I’ve never been to New Orleans, and I’m just about dying to go. Truth be told, Mardi Gras is likely not the time of year I’d choose to visit – I’m just not into the whole Times Square on New Year’s types of crowds. Jazz Fest seems like it would be much more my style.

I do, however, love the theme of Mardi Gras. I’m already planning to do a masquerade party for my 30th birthday (yes, I just had my 26th – and no, I don’t care about any birthday from now until then). What’s more fun than beads, massive Hurricane cocktails, and glittered/feathered/sequin masks as far as the eye can see?

New Orleans is a true foodie city, and that is probably what draws me to it most. And while they’re known for heat and spice, what they’re really all about is explosive flavor.

This jambalaya recipe is a perfect ode to the city and Fat Tuesday – which is today! I’m not sure if I’d ever had jambalaya before, but it reminded me a lot of paella. It takes a little bit of time, but it’s actually incredibly easy. I adapted the recipe I found to include celery, which is traditional in jambalaya, and I also added shrimp at the end. To build more flavor, I also browned the meat first. Just keep in mind – this is spicy! If you want to take it down a notch, feel free to omit some of the jalapeño seeds.

Have any of you been to New Orleans? I’d love to hear about your favorite things to do, see, and eat – of course!

Louisiana Jambalaya

Adapted from Bon Appétit

1 pound andouille sausage or hot Italian sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound ham, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 large onions, chopped
5 green onions, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 jalapeño chili, finely chopped with seeds
1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4-5 cups chicken broth
1 14.5-ounce can whole tomatoes, diced, with liquid
2 cups long-grain rice
1 pound jumbo shrimp

In two batches, brown sausage and ham in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove meat and set aside. Melt butter in Dutch oven and add onions, 4 green onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, bay leaves, jalapeño, Creole Seasoning, cayenne pepper, and oregano. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Mix in tomato paste. Add sausage, ham, broth, and tomatoes. Bring mixture to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rice and continue to cook for another 30-40 minutes, or until rice is just about cooked through. Add shrimp and cook for another 10 minutes. Garnish with remaining green onion and serve.

In Main Dishes cajun, mardi gras, new orleans, sausage, shrimp, spicy, Theme Lover

spicy cocktail nuts.

October 7, 2010 — 2 Comments

These are some good nuts. Good as in, if these nuts are around, you may not be able to eat dinner.

True story.

I served these with cocktails at a dinner party and no one could even fathom dessert because we were all so stuffed. And everyone blamed the nuts.

I did increase the cayenne because we all know I like it spicy, but either way you go the end result will be a perfect marriage of spicy, sweet, and crunchy. The egg white coating binds everything together, almost like candied nuts. And the greatest part is that if you have the spices on hand and a big jar of nuts laying around, you can whip these bad boys up anytime.

A danger all in itself.

Spicy Cocktail Nuts

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

1 large egg white
1 teaspoon water
4 cups assorted shelled nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, peanuts)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Emeril’s Essence
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper – this will make for easy cleanup.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg white and water until frothy. Add the nuts and toss to coat. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, Essence, cayenne, and salt. Add to the nuts and stir to coat evenly. Spread the nuts on the prepared pan and bake until dry, about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir to separate. Let cool on the baking sheet. Serve warm or at room temperature.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Fabulously Simple, Starters easy appetizers, nuts, salty + sweet, spicy

spice things up.

March 18, 2010 — 3 Comments

This is without a doubt our new favorite way to eat fish.

The best part: I think you can *honestly* do it in 30 minutes or less – start to finish (not like those other recipes that say that, yet here you are chopping, dicing, and slicing your life away for far too long, and yes – that’s just the prep). All you’re doing here is mixing up some spices, coating your fish, sautéing your fish, and then sautéing your spinach in another pan at the same time. The tartar sauce is also beyond easy – just throw some mayo and a few other ingredients in a food processor and you’re good to go. (And I wouldn’t skip it – it adds the perfect coolness to the heat of the fish). The only thing that takes a bit of time here is that you’re supposed to let the fish soak in the spices for 15 minutes – you can probably do it in 5 or 10 – but if you have the time, why not?

{Insert glass of perfectly chilled Sauvignon Blanc here}

Blackened Tilapia + Homemade Tartar Sauce with Sautéed Spinach

Recipe adapted courtesy of Aaron McCargo, Jr. via the Food Network.

Spice Mixture:

3 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried ground thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Fish:

4 tilapia fillets
2 tablespoons oil (either extra virgin olive oil or canola oil)
1/2 lemon, juiced

In a small bowl combine all of the spices. When I did this I just eye-balled them; no need to make things more complicated than necessary. The one thing to be careful with here is the cayenne pepper – this is what gives it the HEAT. So if you’re a big fan of spicy like me, feel free to use a heavy hand here. If not, just add a bit.

Press a heaping tablespoon of the spice mix onto each fillet so that both sides are liberally coated. Allow the fish to sit for 15 minutes at room temperature prior to cooking.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is almost smoking, add the fillets and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with lemon juice and transfer the fillets to serving platter.

Tartar Sauce

Courtesy of the lovely Ina Garten

1/2 cup mayonnaise ( I use light mayo)
2 tablespoons small-diced pickles
1 tablespoon Champagne or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon capers
1 teaspoon coarse-grained mustard
Pinch kosher salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Place all the ingredients in a food processor or mini chopper fitted with a steel blade and pulse several times until the pickles are finely chopped and all the ingredients are well mixed but not pureed.

It all goes perfectly with any simple vegetable. I did a spinach lightly sauteed with garlic.