"Alambre" Tacos or Burritos

My Dad loves a restaurant called La Parilla Suiza and they serve some delicious alambre tacos.  I tried to recreate them the other night and while they didn't taste the same as the restaurants, I think we discovered something yummy.

Bacon, diced
Onion, diced
Bell Pepper, diced
Chicken or beef, cooked and cubed or shredded

Season to taste with:
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Chipotle chili powder (I'm sure you could use regular chili powder)
Seasoning salt

Cook bacon in a frying pan until crispy, then add onion and peppers and cook in bacon grease until desired softness.  Add meat and seasonings; cook until heated.  I used home canned chicken with the juice drained and it turned out really yummy and moist.  Serve in taco shells or flour tortillas for a burrito.  Add sour cream, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, etc.

Sorry, there's a reason I don't write recipes down for my made up meals very often...I'm not a great recipe writer, but I hope it made sense. : )

Molten Lava Cakes

Discovering this recipe was a sin.  It made the perfect Father's Day treat, though, and reminded us of the delicious chocolate molten cakes on the cruise we took back in the day. : )  They are super easy to make and ridiculously rich. 

4 T  real butter
1/3 C sugar

3 large eggs
1/3 C flour
1/4 t salt
8 oz bittersweet chocolate*, melted 

*8 ounces is about 1 1/3 C of bittersweet chocolate chips.  Make the 1/3 cup a little over-full and you should be good 

Additional Ingredients:
conf. sugar for dusting
sweetened whipped cream for serving 

butter and sugar for preparing pans  

You can either bake these in a muffin tin, in ramekins, or even a oven-proof mug.  If you use a muffin tin you'll get 6 cakes and depending on the size of the ramekins you'll get 4-6.  

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.   

To prepare pans, use your fingers (or the butter wrapper) to rub butter in the muffin tins or ramekins.  Sprinkle in some granulated sugar to coat the entire inner surface and tap out any extra and discard.  

In a bowl with a mixer beat butter and sugar until fluffy.   Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.   Combine flour and salt and slowly add it into the butter mixture just until combined.   Stir in melted chocolate by hand, just until combined.  Don't over mix.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups or ramekins and then place them on a baking sheet.

Bake just until tops of cakes no longer jiggle when pan is lightly shaken, about 8-10 min for a muffin pan, and 10-12 for ramekins.   Remove from oven and let stand 10 min.   

If using muffin tins, invert the tin and place an idividual cake on each serving plate.  You can do the same with the ramekins, or just serve them as is.   Dust with powdered sugar and serve with a dallop of sweetened whipped cream.

(From ourbestbites.com)

Taco Chicken

1 lb. chicken breasts or thighs
A couple of juicy limes
A splash of red wine vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or coarsely chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Juice the limes and combine with a couple splashes of red wine vinegar. Add garlic. Pour over chicken. This will not completely cover the chicken; just turn it occasionally as needed. Marinate for at least 4 hours, no longer than 8.

Heat an outdoor grill (you can also use a grill pan inside. Or your broiler in your oven.) Combine salt, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper in a small bowl. Remove chicken from marinade and rub the spices all over the chicken.

Grill about 7 minutes per side.

Remove from heat and allow to stand a few minutes so it doesn't lose its juiciness. You can either eat the chicken as it is, maybe with Mexican rice and beans, or use slice it up and use it as you would taco meat.


(From ourbestbites.com)

Potato and Bacon Breakfast Casserole

4 c. Southern/country-style hash browns (cubes), completely thawed (if they’re not thawed, they won’t cook correctly)...I used fresh potatoes, cubed and cooked in microwave until mostly softened
1 12-oz. package bacon
1 1/2 c. pepper jack cheese (I used all cheddar because that's what I had!)
1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese
1 bunch green onions, chopped
3 eggs
1 c. milk*
about 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
about 10 turns freshly ground black pepper


Begin cooking bacon.  While the bacon is cooking, place the potatoes in a 9×13″ baking dish. Mix the cheeses together and sprinkle it over the potatoes. When the bacon is done cooking, drain it on a paper towel and reserve 2 tablespoons of the drippings. Cook the onions in the drippings for 2-3 minutes or until they’re tender and fragrant. Spread the onions over the cheese mixture and then sprinkle everything with the crumbled bacon.  Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper and, whisking constantly, pour the egg mixture evenly over the potato mixture.  Cover and refrigerate overnight or for 7-8 hours.  When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350.  Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly but not brown. Allow to stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Serve with fresh fruit.

(From ourbestbites.com)

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

SALAD:

4 c. chopped Romaine Lettuce

2 c. chopped grilled chicken

1 c. cherry or grape tomatoes, washed

1/3 c. vertically-sliced red onions

1 avocado, cubed

1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 8 3/4 oz. can corn, rinsed and drained Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

DRESSING:

1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 c. light sour cream
1 1/2 + tsp. adobo sauce from canned chipotle chilies
1 tsp. chili powder
4 tsp. fresh lime juice
¼ tsp. salt

OPTIONAL:Tortilla Strips


Make sure all salad ingredients that need to be washed or rinsed have been. Combine lettuce, chicken, beans, corn, onion, and tomatoes in a large bowl and gently mix with your hands. Set aside.

Mix dressing ingredients. Start with 1 1/2 tsp. of adobo sauce and then go from there, probably 1/4-1/2 tsp. at a time. Set dressing aside.

When you're ready to serve, add avocado, tortilla strips, and dressing. Gently combine with your hands and serve.

*We just used whatever veggies we had on hand so ours ended up without avocado (a sin, I know), but we added cucumbers, carrots, etc. and it was super yummy.

(From ourbestbites.com)

Spicey Honey Chicken

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs (yes, we used chicken breasts)
2 t vegetable oil

Rub:

2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder

Glaze:
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it’s not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well.  Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.  I’m gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It’s sugar, and it’s gonna drip. After taking chicken off the grill, then drizzle with remaining glaze.

(From ourbestbites.com)

Fresh Spinach and Tarragon Salad

1 bunch spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
5 slices bacon, cooked until brown and crumbled
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried tarragon
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Combine spinach, egg and bacon in bowl.  Whisk together oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, tarragon and pepper to make dressing.  Pour enough dressing over salad to coat.  Toss and serve immediately.

(From allrecipes.com)