Trader Joe's Chocolate Lava Cakes

Two nights ago my hero-of-a-hubby asked for a favor ... he wanted some chocolate treats in the house. Which means he wanted me to bake his favorite = brownies. But I had a full day on Friday and knew I wouldn't be able to get any baking in...


So I stopped by Trader Joe's. And I found these... Chocolate Lava Cakes!



They are packaged two to a box... already cooked, packaged and then frozen individually.



Remove the packaging, including the cup ... and then you can either cook them in the microwave (one at a time) or bake them together in the oven.



In hindsight though, I think I should have turned the cups over and so the cake was "upside down"... right? Not sure if the packaging instructed me to do so... but I seem to remember seeing them that way... right? Who knows... (admittedly, they won't taste any different)



My Friend Debbie also suggests to cook these about 3 minutes less than the box says... this will ensure that the "lava" flows freely from the center when they are broken into...



And of course she was right... the lava flowed. And my hero-of-a-hubby was happy to have chocolate.


Someday I'll bake these from scratch... but Trader Joe's version was a lifesaver last night!




enjoy your time in the kitchen...

RECIPE: Tequila Lime Chicken

Let me introduce you to a specialty from Sammy's California Woodfired Pizza... from the first bite I knew this was quickly going to become a regular in our household. The sauce is TO DIE FOR! From the pasta and chicken soaking up all that flavor to the fresh, crunchy vegetables... oh boy! This really is a treat..


Around our house we also call it "Chicken Tequila Fettuccine" or "the best rockin' pasta dish this side of the Atlantic"... and lastly, our "summer go-to dish"... it's an easy recipe to cut in half for a small dinner or GO BIG and serve at a dinner party with salad and bread and whatever else you simply can't resist!!!


But when I realized I hadn't posted about this yet I almost fell over... so I quickly made a "date" of it. I called My Friend Debbie over to enjoy the process with me. She's a great sous chef!!! Plus, she and I have history over this dish... LOTS of history over this dish. So we made a "date" of it... and planned it out for a beautiful evening on the patio, lots of laughter and had the perfect chance to catch up on life. It's unseasonably warm this time of year... I know, I know... we have perfect weather year round here in Southern California. So, we have to enjoy it, right?!


Before we start I'd like to show you a scan of the original recipe we found years ago... you can tell it was used, and reused and um... dripped on...

So, here's where we started... tequila, soy sauce, red/green bell peppers, red onion, garlic, limes, chicken and fettuccine.



Might as well start it off with the good stuff, right?! Measure out equal parts of tequila and soy sauce...

Then prep the rest of the ingredients... you know, the "mise en place". The coking starts by sauteing the veggies (2-4 minutes), then add the garlic (1 minute or so), then add the chicken...













Cook the chicken until no pink remains... tossing every minute or so to make sure it all cooks evenly.



Next add the mixture of tequila/soy sauce, stir in and bring to a simmer... allow it to simmer and reduce for about 5-8 minutes...





Oh, and add the lime juice too...



Bring it to a simmer... and while you're doing that...



... start the boiling process on the fettuccine... it all comes together pretty quickly from here on out...



The sauce will simmer and reduce... then add the heavy cream.

Here I used 1 cup of cream... but only use as much cream as you'd like. So, add a few ounces, stir it up and check out the sauce. You'll know when you find the combination you like the best.

Reduce heat to low and allow to sit until the pasta is done, the bread is ready (aka "torn into smaller pieces", aka "perfect size for dipping") and enjoy your evening!



And yes, if some of the bread accidentally "falls" into the sauce you'll certainly have to retrieve it... won't you?!

Lastly, toss the drained pasta into the sauce/veggie/chicken mixture until all of the pasta is coated with sauce and serve immediately! But don't forget to garnish... I used fresh cilantro here.

The My Friend Debbie and I headed to the patio... 'cuz we just couldn't help ourselves!

Enjoy... with spring and summer just around the corner you'll want to plan for this dish!

Tequila Lime Chicken
Recipe courtesy Chef Jeff Novak, Sammy’s California Woodfired Pizza

Ingredients
2 ounces butter
2 ounces olive oil
10-12 chicken tenders, boneless and skinless (or 4 chicken breasts)
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces gold tequila
8 ounces soy sauce
1 cup heavy cream
Juice of 3 limes
Optional: 1 teaspoon diced jalapenos
kosher salt/pepper to taste
1 package fettuccine, cooked to directions on box
garnish with 1 tablespoon cilantro, diced

Instructions
In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, sauté peppers and red onion in butter and oil until softened, 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle pinch of salt on vegetables to help pull moisture out and so they cook faster. (If you are using jalapeno add to sauted vegetables.) In the last minute stir in the diced garlic. Add chicken to vegetables and cook until no more pink remains, approximately 5-7 minutes.

Cook fettuccine according to directions on package. Drain and set aside.

Pour in the tequila/soy sauce mixture and lime juice. Allow the sauce to simmer and reduce for 5-7 minutes. Add heavy cream; stir in well. Toss pasta with sauce and serve immediately. Garnish with cilantro.

Serves 4-6.




enjoy your time in the kitchen...

blog tip...

Someone recently posted a blog on their site with tips for the home blogger. . .


The thing that stuck with me about her tips was that you should write your posts as if you're talking to your sister.


Well, I have a problem... I don't have a sister.


So, then I thought about talking with my close girlfriend.

But I think that poses another problem...

My blog would sound something like this, if it's anything like our phone calls...



Me: "Hey - did you see the weather report for the next few days?"
Her: "Yes! I'm so OVER this heat! When can we welcome Fall?!"

Me: "Do you want anything from Trader Joe's? I'm stopping by there on the way home."
Her: "Um... I just went a few days ago. Beat ya!"


::: break for her children screaming in the back ground :::


Me: "When do we get to hang out next?!"
Her: "Child of mine - when is your FATHER coming home?! He needs to keep me from strangling you!"

Me: "Like I said... when do we get to hang out next?!"
Her: "I'm not sure. It depends on whether or not you'll have to bail me out of jail."


So, I'm going to instead just keep going the way I've been going... maybe a little tweak here and there.

And that's all I've got for now... no cooking blog tonight. I didn't stop by TJ's on the way home afterall.



enjoy your time in the kitchen...

wild morel mushrooms

I have a confession... before today I was a wild mushroom virgin.




I can no longer say that about myself...



I stopped at a friend's house today for a brief visit and as she walked me out to my car she asked if I wanted some morels and we walked to her side yard. Under a pile of leaves I could see some heads of morels popping up! (They blended right in w/ the dead leaves - and I'm not even sure how she discovered them! But boy am I glad she did.)

As you can guess, I jumped at the chance of trying morels for the first time. I found a decent size mushroom and came straight home to do some internet research on what you need to know about cleaning, preparing, enjoying mushrooms... (Unfortunately I lost the stem on this morel ... and lesson learned. I did not move the soil a tad to loosen up the dirt around the stem and it broke right off. Next time, next time...)

I use mushrooms in quite a few of my dishes... but I've always been a little scared of using wild mushrooms... not anymore! So I wanted to test these in a way I know other mushrooms. Since I know, very well, the taste of sauteed mushrooms (both button/white and crimini/brown I figured I should keep it simple and just saute these morels in a bit of butter). My logic told me that would be a fair taste test... without any crazy sauce or other ingredients to mask the flavor.


So, here goes nothing...

First you start by cutting them down the middle lengthwise... the tips I read online said that if there is no sight of decay or any pests then they are generally safe. However, if you've never had wild mushrooms they advise against eating large portions as some mushrooms can still have adverse effects.

If anyone knows Lori, they know that's not going to slow me down much. So, I followed proper precautions and got to my experiment...



Next step... add a slab of butter to a hot saute pan.



Once the butter bubbles, add the mushrooms...



If the butter browns, reduce the heat and continue to saute. Toss the mushrooms around in the pan so they get coated with butter... inside and out all of those little crevices! Mmmm....



This small morel only needed about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes in the hot butter...



And with a few tosses it was ready to make it's debut in Lori Jean's kitchen.



Experiment Results
The color of the mushrooms darkened a bit, as other mushrooms do... and with butter dripping out of those crevices I couldn't even wait to pull a fork out of the drawer. I just picked it right up with my fingers...

And... I have no words.


The flavor is intense... it got a little crispy all over (my theory on this is that there is less "meat" to the morel and so it didn't need as much time to cook as "button" or "crimini" mushrooms). It also didn't taste like any other mushroom I've ever tasted.

Wow... how can I get my hands on more morels?!



I immediately called my friend Debbie to ask when would be a good time for me to harvest more of the morels from her side yard! So, stay tuned... more morel ideas to follow in the next few weeks!


What's your favorite way to enjoy morels?




enjoy your time in the kitchen...

Ode to summer... my version of bruschetta...

This is a picture of beauty... just a couple ingredients, usually a glass of wine, and memories of good times...

So, I believe that it was Debbie who came up with this idea... and it stuck. This is our version of bruschetta... it's not fancy, but it's perfect for us.

Slice up the bread... and I highly recommend fresh sourdough...

Turn on the broiler... and drizzle olive oil and sprinkle kosher salt/black pepper over your bread...

While it's heating up and while your bread is toasting, dice up the mozzarella cheese and roma tomates...

Find a nice little bowl, stir it all together and make your mix... there's no right or wrong answer to the proper amount of tomatoes vs. cheese. Just make it yours...

And once your bread is nice and toasted... we're ready to start assembling our bruschetta...



First, take a spoon full of this wonderful basil pesto (from Trader Joe's)...

... and plop it onto a half-slice of toasted bread...

... and spread it around to cover your toast...

... and top it with your tomato and cheese mix...

... doesn't that look pretty?!

oh, yeah... and it tastes good too! now kick back and enjoy... it maybe February, but summer's a-comin'!!! And in the summer, it's tradition, we eat bruschetta...

And, for a quick close-up of the star of the show...

Debbie - if we had a $1 for every time we've enjoyed bruschetta together, laughed together and cried together... well ... all I know is, I so appreciate your friendship! I cannot imagine what life would be like without you in it...

enjoy your time in the kitchen...