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Chipotle Dark Chocolate Chunk cookies fresh out of the oven! Oh how I love it when the house smells like freshly baked cookies!

I brought these cookies into work last week and my co-workers were surprised at how much they liked them as they were initially skeptical due of the addition of chipotle. The chipotle pepper flakes adds a nice warmth to the overall heartiness of this rich cookie. I used (3) 85% lindt dark chocolate bars and added dried cherries for a fruity finish. The dark chocolate and cherries complement each other and I guarantee you will make numerous trips back to the kitchen for seconds after these come out of the oven.

First things first, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. granulated sugar
• 3/4 c. packed brown sugar
• 1 c. stick butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/4 c. all purpose flour (not self rising)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2- 3/4 c. dried cherries
• 3 large dark chocolate bars (85% cocoa)= approximately 12 ounces, chopped into small pieces (will equal roughly 2 cups)
• pinch cinammon
• 1-2 dried chipotle peppers, chopped fine (amount depends on if you like hear or not, use one for less heat)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix sugars, butter and egg in large bowl. Next, stir in the flour, salt and baking soda. Then add in the chocolate and cherries. The batter will be very stiff!!
3. Drop dough by tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool- the center of the cookie will still be soft when you take the pan out of the oven!

The only thing missing here is a large glass of milk.

Enjoy!!! These cookies will knock your socks off!!

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Hi Everyone! I have been nominated for The Sun Sentinel’s “Best of the Blog’s” Awards and I would love it if you would click on the logo above and give me a vote! You can vote once a day everyday until the contest is over at the end of the month. Thank you for your support!!!

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Sriracha - a fiery Asian pleasure on anything you put it on!

Sriracha is the generic name for a Thai hot sauce named after the seaside city of Si Racha (according to wikipedia). This sauce has a hot yet slightly sweet nature about it that perfectly compliments seafood yet just about everything else. Key ingredients include hot chilis (Thai variety), garlic, sugar, salt, vinegar and quite often, fish sauce. When you go out for sushi and get a specialty roll with a chili sauce, here’s betting that its most likely sriracha or a homemade version. The name “Sriracha” is the generic name for the Thai red chili sauce, the most common “Sriracha” you will find in the US is made by Huy Fong Foods, the company owned by a Thai-American immigrant turned businessman.

This sauce compliments everything well- chicken, burgers, add it to your wing sauce. Give it a try and you’ll see why it’s become a household name.

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This dessert doesn’t even require a recipe- just some basic ingredient assemblage.

No campfire needed!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• shredded sweetened coconut- 8++oz.
• Dark chocolate – squares
• Ginger snaps- use these instead of graham crackers unless you prefer the latter
• Marshmallows- large size, 16 oz bag
• skewers- for roasting marshmallows

If the grill has cooled down after dinner, heat it back up- medium should be high enough for roasting the marshmallows.

In a piece of foil folded to create the shape of a small tray, lay a layer of coconut. They will start to brown and you can mix the shredded coconut around to cook evenly. When it browns, take the foil tray and move it over to indirect heat.

Meanwhile, for mass smore creation (for those not roasting their own marshmallows via skewer) put out another foil- tray (sheet of foil folded at the edges to create a “tray”).

awaiting chocoloate marshmallow-ey goodness!

Layer gingersnaps in a layer on the foil and top with marshmallows.
As the marshmallows start to roast, add a piece of dark chocolate and sandwich between another gingersnap!

Happy Smor-ing!

goo-ey goodness

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grilled fish in banana leaves, plus grilled corn and romaine

Well, it’s just not that normal to have banana leaves in your backyard. Unless, of course, you happen to live in South Florida or another place in the tropics.

So, being a rather resourceful person (or at least I would like to think of myself that way) I decided that I would try using banana leaves to cook whitefish on the grill.

One thing I forget to do was read directions, as is often the case. A lot of times I try things by trial and error and some could consider this a personality flaw because I would often make things a lot easier if I just read the directions first. But, well, that’s just not my style but I am working on it..

1) First, make a simple marinade for the fish. I used a citrus jalapeno marinade.
2) Also, go ahead and soak your skewers in water so they don’t burn on the grill.

Marinade:
1/2 cup orange or grapefruit juice
1 jalapeno diced
4 + gloves of garlic
1-2 tblsp. honey (optional)
salt to taste
3) Let the fish marinade about 30 minutes before grilling.

4) So, back to the fish. After cutting some banana leaves, warm the grill up. Place the banana leaves on the grill (on a medium setting) only for a few minutes so the banana leaves are pliable. You want them to be pliable to wrap the fish in. (this is the part I forgot to do initially)

Take the banana leaves and cut them in half; you will use half per piece of fish. If you are really good at this you may be able to wrap more fillets utilizing less leaf. I went through a lot of trial and error so I guess I am lucky I have a tree in my backyard

Wrap the fillets with the leaf piece and secure with a skewer. Do this for each filet. The packet is going to steam itself on the grill leaving you with a healthy way to eat fish without all the breading and fattening sauces to go with it. The marinade and banana leaves are what lend this light dish its flavor.

Grilling time: on a preheated grill at medium heat, cook the packets approximately 11 minutes each side, or less. You will have to be your own judge depending on the thickness of your filets- if they are thick you should go longer. We are not doing sushi here.

I put corn on the grill at the beginning of the grilling process, and then I added small heads of romaine near the end. I drizzled the romaine leaves with olive oil, sea salt and pepper first and grilled until wilted. (see recipe for grilled salad- this is awesome and super easy to make).

As I flipped all the fish on the other side, I also put frozen rolls on the grill to round out the meal. This would be a great time to put some fresh cut french or cuban bread slices with butter or olive oil on the grill. If you are a garlic fan, at the beginning of heating the grill, place garlic wrapped in foil and let it cook for the duration of the grilling process. Then, voila- you have roasted garlic to spread on your bread.

Dinner is served: Citrus grilled whitefish with corn and grilled romaine lettuce and roasted garlic cuban bread. Ay, dios mio!!

Keep the fish in the banana leaves for greater visual impact

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Oh blog, How I neglect you so. I have all these recipes I have successfully tried and yet not written about here.

Anyway, as a big fan of Real Simple’s “fake it don’t make it” and Sandra Lee’s “Semi-homemade” cooking, I like the time saving shortcuts that let you make a great dinner without a huge fuss.
So, I am going to share why these ingredients below are a God-send for me and why I have begon to stock them in the pantry.

#1) Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce.
“I put this SH** in everything.” These little peppers pack a fiery punch, but aside from their heat, they have a wonderful flavor and will make something average quite extraordinary without a lot of work. I was first turned onto these in a chili recipe out of Cottage Living about 4 years ago, and I have grown to LOVE LOVE LOVE them.

Here are some ideas on how I have used them before: seven layer dip (mixed in with the SC), spaghetti, coleslaw (yes, mixed in with SC or mayo it’s awesome), spicy mayo for fish tacos, hummus, beans and rice, burritos, there really are very few things that this ingredient does not make better!!!

2) Panko bread crumbs.
Take average baked chicken, fish or whatever from “ehhh” to “who hoo!” Panko, unlike other breadcrumbs, does not get soggy and retains it’s cruch so it is a great way to bake and retain flavor and crunchiness versus frying, which is not as healthy…

3) Mojo Marinade:
This stuff is great in a flash- no need to make your own rub/marinade, this low fat/sodium marinade is great on chicken and fish. For last minute grilling, great to have in the fridge. Publix sells this stuff in a huge bottle (exactly like the stuff sold by GOYA).

4) Aged parmesan:
The fresh, hard cheese kind, not the kraft in a bottle kind. This is good on everything- fish, veggies, chicken, almost anything you can think of.

5) Salsa fresca:
This is the homemade salsa you can buy in the produce section of your grocery store. It is FRESH, hence why it is called Salsa Fresca. I put this in sauteed spinach, it mixes well with vegetables, I’ve added it to empanadas, etc…. You can buy this and also doctor it with beans, fruit, etc for your own semi-homemade chutney/relish/salsa for chicken and fish… It’s also a healthy and flavorful alternative to butter/SC for baked potatoes.

5) White wine:
Good for cooking with and for cooking with. Ha ha!! Everything is better with this ingredient- before, during and after the meal

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There is no point to this blog, if only to say how funny life is. As I write this, I share a dog bed with three dogs.

Anyway, my ethnic food experience has reached new heights since I moved to South Florida. I am the only non Hispanic, non Latin (not the same thing you know, as I just learned the difference about 3 weeks ago) person working in my office. This has opened my eyes to many new culinary adventures as we order in take out almost everyday (the office pays for it no less!) Our repertoire consists primarily of the Cuban restaurant down the street, the Argentenian place (meat, meat, meat), the Italian place that has great lunch specials on Wednesdays, and of course, IHOP. Don’t ask me how this fits in.

As the sole gringa in the group, it makes smile to see me try these new things such as “fu-fu” (fou fou?) a Cuban Dish that is primarly unripe plantains mixed with pork fat. It’s actually much yummier than it sounds. My privy information, unknown to the average “tourista” sheds light on this whole “Cuban Sandwich” novelty that everyone ‘must try” when they come to Miami. The experience is lost on a “Cuban Sandwich” when what they should yearn for is the “Media Noche,” which is very similar to a Cuban sammy, but on much softer, sweeter bread, which is almost similar to a challab break. Individuals truly blessed will know to follow this up with a pastelles de guyaba, or a guava pastry.

But, aside from the typical Miami Hispanic experience, my culinary adventures happen at every turn of the corner as South Florida exposes itself to me in its all its rich, diverse splendid ways.

Scott and I are painting the kitchen a sea-mist blue-gray and therefor takeout was on the menu for the night. So, only in Hollywood, Florida, would you find bunch of New Yorkers-turned Native Floridians working and hanging out at the local take out, hole-in the wall Chinese restaurant. The lady who owns and runs the place is actually Chinese, in that seasoned Floridian, lived through-plenty-of-Hurricanes type of way. One of their local customers/impromptu PR person, touts in a Brooklyn accent that “the Curry Chicken is the only way to go,” and he would know, he’s been eatin’ here for ten years…” Just next door is the Jamaican grocery store, Bravo, and next to that is Daddy-O’s, our favorite liquor store, run by a group of guys from the Middle East somewhere.

So I digress, but I feel so spoiled and lucky to be exposed to the diversity in food choices and people we have here in South Florida. In thinking what we wanted for dinner tonight, our top choices consisted of “Falafel Fusion, (3 Guys from NYC, Jersey and Greece), Ricky’s Wings (former strip club; Ricky himself won the donkey kong championship of the world and they made a documentary about it), Chinese, Thai, or I guess we could order Indian for delivery.

So, for a bunch of Waspy Kids from Jersey and Atlanta by way of North Carolina, we made out okay. Need I mention that our Friday night consisted of Taverna Opa, where guest are encourage to dance on the tables to Greek disco-esque music, drinks at the Latin Bar where girls dance salsa on the bar, and then on the reggae bar, where, well, we danced to Reggae of course.

The point to all of this is, that, well, there may not actually be a point. I just love life down here and am so glad I have the opportunity to make Banana pudding (it’s a Southern Thing Yall!) out of the bananas growing in my back yard. Now, I have not yet begun making coconut preserve out of the coconuts in the backyard, but, well, don’t give me any ideas.

So, for my bloggly-metaphor for the night – let’s just say that South Florida is the gravy to my white rice. Now, has anyone seen my hotsauce?

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As an introduction to my first blog, let me just say that this is by no means only about food and cooking, but about the interconnectedness of food and life and the situations around them. Almost everything in life revolves around food. On a basic level, all organisms need it to live. Period. But, on a societal and economic level, it is OH SO MUCH more. I don’t need to digress on this subject itself anymore other than to say that life is food. Meeting with friends= food. Christmas, Hannukah, 4th of July= food. Valentines Day=chocolate. Easter=chocolate bunnies. After dinner treat on a fun night out on the town= gelato!!

So, I just gave my boyfriend a new grill for his birthday. Rather, I really gave “us” a new grill for his birthday as I have used it just as often.

Before we got the new grill, the old grill posed its many challenges. In an attempt to try something new, I invoted friends over to hang out and throw something on the grill. Little did they know what we were getting ourselves into. The night’s specialty “grilled pizza!”. I saw an article about Mario Batali’s latest cookbook where he does Italian-style grilling. The moral of this story is that cooking over a grill that is conducive to losing your eyebrows when lighting it (the ignitor no longer worked!) is risky at best, without adding 4-5 cocktails prior to said grilling experience. Long story short, the pizza came out great, in fact, Bert said it resembled the state of Alabama, and the only casualty to the grill was lower Alabama. Probably much similar to how SEaster Alabama looks after a major hurricane. Hurricane Robyn on the grill.

Post new grill, the Weber EP Genesis 310 in forest green, proves to make grilling much more of an art than neanderthal, poking-fire with-stick process. We seamlessly made steaks, chicken and even (yes, it can be done) grilled endive with no problems, in fact, everything turned out so well with so little effort that we gave ourselves a congratulatory pat on the back and said to ourselves “damn, I always knew we had it in us!”

Next endeavor: brunch. To cater to South Florida’s summertime rainy season, I decided to have people over closer to lunch so we could hang out outside and maybe get some poolside drinks in before it started to rain this past weekend. Key menu item: french toast. Grand Marnier marinated toast on the grill.

Everyone was skeptical. The jokes about my past of drinking and grilling and screwing up dinner were made. And then everyone tried it. 15 minutes of silence as everyone stuffed themselves silly and then we made a second round of bloody marys and digested poolside.
The key is to buy a loaf of bread and slice it youself, in very thick pieces. Then, make a batter of eggs, milk, (sugar, cinnamon, vanilla-duh) and then add some grand marnier (rich man’s triple sec- and if they’re not exactly the same thing then use the triple sec- that’s what I used and it turned out great!) I sandwiched the slices with a strawberry (plus sugar) mixture and it resembled breakfast time strawberry shortcake.

The skeptics apologized for their skepticism and said, “damn, that was awesome- how did you pull that off and can I have the recipe?? I was like Rocky Balboa in Rocky 1,2,3,4 and possibly 5. Everyone is skeptical at first and then after you pull it off everyone is your new BFF.

So, the recipe is as follows:

Step one: “where’s the vodka?”
step two: “light the grill”, or is it, light the grill and then look for the vodka? Light the grill with Vodka? Hell, somebody make me another bloody mary. What the hell, this french toast resembles lower alabama. Have I had too much to drink? Or not enough?”

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