August Dinner Party

Pueblo Bonito Guacamole (from Pueblo Bonito Bed and Breakfast Inn, Santa Fe, NM, p. 65)
Wild Mushroom Quesadilla (from Furnace Creek Inn, Death Valley National Park, CA, p. 71)



How can you not enjoy guacamole and a quesadilla? This was a great basic guacamole recipe and the quesadilla was also super simple- just mushrooms and Gouda, but was oh so yummy!

Gazpacho Float (from House of Tricks in Tempe, AZ, p. 89)



Ok- back to a soup I was not so crazy about. It was a chilled tomato soup with a scoop of honey-mustard ice cream. I personally do not like cold soups, or mustard, so this one had nothing good going for it in my book. Out of the 5 of us, only 1 person actually liked it. The soup was really, really strong in spicy/ savory flavor, but the ice cream did help it out and tame it with mildness and some sweetness. One bite was all I could do though.

Chicken with Citrus, Prickly Pear and Chipotle (from Sous Chef in Tucson, AZ, p. 130)
Southwestern Succotash (from Enchantment Resort in Sedona, AZ, p/ 207)



The chicken was really delicious- chicken thighs (which I normally do not cook with) were marinated, then brushed in a mustard/ prickly pear/ spices paste and baked, then served with a prickly pear syrup sauce. As with the pork dish that had a prickly pear sauce earlier this year, it is a little odd to have something so sweet on a savory dish. The flavors were good though and the chicken was really moist.

The Succotash was refreshing- I reread the ingredients several times- it was basically just vegetables (corn, onion peppers, tomatoes and black beans) without spices or extra ingredients. The flavor was really pure and fresh- a perfect end of summer dish.

Velvet Moussellini (from Velvet Elvis Pizza Company in Patagonia, AZ, p. 228)



This recipe had me raiding the liquor cabinet. It was a Kahlua and brandy ice cream with a cognac chocolate sauce, topped with brandied cherries. None of our dinner guests drink, so I cut the alcohol in at least half, but their flavors were still really pronounced. It was a rich, decadent dessert, and a chilled, refreshing way to end the meal.

Camping Food Ideas!

Last month we went camping up in Utah. It was my first time actually “setting up a tent and sleeping outdoors” kind of camping. I tend to like roughing it in a nicely furnished cabin. However, anytime there are s’mores involved, you can always count me in!



What I learned about camping is you really have to plan ahead, as far as food is concerned. I was out of my element, but I did find a neat recipe (Paula Deen, no less) for these make-ahead packs to grill over the campfire. Really simple hamburger patties (that I stuffed with cheese) and potato and onion slices, topped with butter and wrapped in foil. I was really proud of myself until Andrew and his brother Brian informed me they are commonly known as “Hobo Packs” in the boy scouts and not anything new or exciting. I was glad that I had jazzed them up a bit with the stuffed cheese, some Southwestern spices and I brought an avocado to eat with them, which was really well received. I will definitely make them again for the next trip- they are easy to make ahead, freeze and just throw in the cooler. (Did the same thing with some spicy breakfast burritos and everyone loved it!)





Here is the basic recipe:
1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 large baking potato, thinly sliced
Margarine or butter
Form the meet into 4 ½ inch think patties. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Lay each patty on a large square of aluminum foil. Top each with a few slices of onion and potato. Top with a generous Tablespoon of margarine or butter and add more salt and pepper. Wrap tightly in the foil, rolling ends to seal the package. Freeze or refrigerate. Pack in coolers.
When ready to eat, place packages directly in coals and cook for about 15- 20 minutes. Check to see if meat is cooked through: rewrap and cook longer if necessary.



What is great about this recipe is you are able to really jazz it up with any kind of seasonings or additional toppings (maybe sun dried tomatoes, basil and prosciutto) that can really give the packs some extra flavor and still be super simple to take with you. Enjoy!

July Dinner Party

I do realize that I have not posted in a few weeks and that I am posting the July party in mid-August. I am sorry- I have been neglectful, and I will try my best to be a better blogger! Now back to the food…

Appetizer- Anasaazi Bean Dip Boats (p. 51 Tall Timber Resort Durango, CO)


I had assumed when I saw the title that this would be a mashed bean dip, but when I got ready to make it I was surprised to see that it would be whole beans (I guess I was imagining it very 7-layer dip style). The beans were combined with onion, peppers and spices and then topped with a lime sour cream and that was topped with a homemade red chile pesto. The pesto was quite interesting (a nice way for saying odd- it was spices blended with some brandy- really odd for a pesto) but when you put all 3 components together it was really good. Perhaps not quite as good as Mom’s traditional 7 layer Tex-Mex dip, but pretty close.

Soup- Cream of Green Chile Soup (p. 87 Café Central in El Paso, TX)


With this soup, we were back to phenomenal flavors. Andrew says that I just set the bar so high with that first black bean soup, others have had a hard time measuring up. But this one did. It had a really mellow green chile and garlic flavor- so delicious! And it was so thick and smooth!

Entrée- Stuffed Chicken Mole (p. 127, from Coyote Grill in Scottsdale, AZ)
Side- Corn Risotto (p. 201, from Terra Cotta in Tucson, AZ)


This chicken was really good. It was a little unusual in that it was stuffed with things that I normally think of as Italian ingredients- prosciutto, basil, roasted red peppers, but also pepper jack cheese. That was all baked in the middle of the chicken breast, slathered in a (semi) homemade mole sauce. There were many ingredients in the sauce, but one of them was a jar of prepared red mole sauce, hence the (semi) homemade label. It was good. It was also a very pretty presentation when sliced and fanned out on rice with extra sauce.

The corn risotto was one of the best recipes that we have had this whole year. It was not what I expected- when I saw risotto I did not expext it to be covered in cheese and baked until bubbly. But the creamy corn under that delicious layer of cheese was so creamy and flavorful. This one will be seen again soon in the kitchen.

Dessert- Peach, Chile and Basil Tart (p. 215, from Roaring Fork in Scottsdale, AZ)


This was an interesting one. Clearly- peaches basil and hot chills are not normally what you would imagine going together well. But they do! Not sure if I did anything wrong, but my tart was a little too juicy, so it did not hold together well and kinda oozed on the plate, but it was still really yummy! Oh, and the vanilla ice cream really brought it together.