Spicy Buffalo Salmon

You know you have been using a plentiful amount of hot peppers in your cooking when you begin receiving concerned emails regarding the state of your stomach lining. I'm not worried in the least about my stomach's lining, but I am worried that I might be addicted to hot peppers! They make everything better, don't they?! 

Before I get to the recipe, I feel I should share that I laid my tired post-workout body on the sunny and very warm ground this afternoon in the very spot where a giant Yard Glacier stood mere weeks ago. Spring is finally here and I absolutely could not be happier about that. Spring is finally here! 

Onto the salmon! This was seriously yummy and it could easily be grilled instead of baked. May as well grill while the grilling season is here!

Place a 1-pound salmon fillet into a shallow baking dish. 

Add:

2 tablespoons hot sauce

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 jalapeño pepper, diced

1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Stir the marinade ingredients around and heap everything on top of the salmon fillet.

Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (or light your grill).

Pour the marinade into a small saucepan, leaving the salmon fillet in the baking dish. Bake the salmon in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.

Bring the contents of the saucepan to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 10 minutes.

Drizzle the warm glaze over the cooked salmon and serve! Soooo good! I'm off to enjoy a little bit o' spring with my cuties!

Printable recipe: Spicy buffalo salmon

Spicy chicken enchiladas

We have our first snow day of the year today, which has made accomplishing work and home tasks a little tricky. On the other hand, I have had a tea party with my boys, played in the snow with them and watched them slurp down freshly juiced kale-spinach-apple juice (shhh, I tell them it's green because of the apple peel). It has been a totally unproductive, pajama-wearing, wonderful day! I'm wishing I wouldn't have polished off my recent batch of spicy enchiladas last night because they would be a great addition to this day. I'm going to sneak in a quick blog post and get back to playing "castle" in the living room!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat.

Add to the skillet:

1/2 large yellow or white onion, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook, stirring often, for 5 to 7 minutes or until the onions are soft and the peppers and garlic are fragrant.

Add to the skillet:

10-oz. can diced tomatoes

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

Meat from 1 Rotisserie chicken, shredded

Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until mixture is creamy.

Divide the mixture between 8 large (burrito size) flour tortillas.

Wrap up the tortillas and place next to each other in the prepared baking dish. 

Pour a 10-ounce can of enchilada sauce over the top, followed by 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and 2 tablespoons of chopped flat-leaf chopped parsley.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. 

Serve with sour cream or salsa. OR, you can do like Dan and I do and pour hot taco sauce over the top. Isn't that stuff good? 

Printable recipe: Spicy chicken enchiladas

Creamy vegetable dip

2012 brought a strangely mild winter, and I longingly think back to what a gift that was.

Our current reality:

Barely making it down the driveway in one piece while walking my kindergartener to the bus.

Sliding backwards down the driveway while the occupants of my son's school bus watch me make a fool of myself.

Being unable to wear mittens that I have left in the car because that is far colder than bare-knuckling the freezing cold steering wheel.

Not ever being able to fully warm up my very old yet reliable car and curling my toes for added warmth everywhere I drive.

Wearing the following items of clothing everywhere I go: knee-high socks, leggings, jeans, knee-high winter boots, 2 long-sleeved shirts, scarf, winter coat, mittens.

At least the Super Bowl is just around the corner! We can stay in our warm home, eating comforting food with friends. Comfort at its best! Here is another party staple for your own Super Bowl party. Dan and I thought up this dip last week and we both adore the texture and flavor that the veggies add to the creamy base. We will make this again and again!

In the bowl of a food processor, combine:

2 large carrots, cut into chunks

1/2 of a red bell pepper, seeded, stem removed and cut into chunks

1/2 of a cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks

3 stalks celery, cut into chunks

1 cup broccoli florets

3 serrano peppers, stems removed and cut in half (optional)

Pulse until the vegetables are finely chopped.

In a large mixing bowl, combine:

1 cup sour cream

8-oz. package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Juice from 1/2 of a lemon

Salt and pepper, to taste

Stir until creamy. Add the vegetables to the sour cream mixture and stir until combined.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with fresh vegetables or crackers.

Enjoy! I hope you are warmer than I am right now!

Printable recipe: Creamy vegetable dip

Chili paste

Dan and I found ourselves sitting across the table from one another a few nights ago at one of our favorite restaurants. Alone. Without children. It was surreal and delightful. We have not been on an official date in months. As we took turns reaching for the chili paste that sat upon our table, we began to wonder out loud about why we had never made chili paste of our own. At restaurants, we devour it like the apocalypse is tomorrow, so imagine what it must be like to have it in our very own kitchen!

So we formulated a recipe and gave it a whirl. It is deLICIOUS. I cannot wait to throw it in some scrambled eggs tomorrow morning!

If you are a spice freak like I am, then you will not be dissapointed in this chili paste. Go to your local grocery store and go crazy picking out the prettiest hot peppers you can find. The peppers I have in my ingredient list are merely suggestions. Cater them to your spicy desires!

Again, these are just suggestions, but here are the peppers I used:

2 Serrano chili peppers

3 red chili peppers

1 Thai chili pepper

1 Habanero chili pepper

Remove the stems (not the seeds!) and cut the peppers into chunks.

Add the following to the bowl of a food processor:

The pepper chunks

2 shallots, cut into chunks

3 cloves garlic, cut in half

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Juice from 1 lime

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Splash or two of Worcestershire sauce

Pulse until a chunky paste forms.

Transfer the paste to a small skillet or saucepan.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Let simmer for 7 minutes, or until the aroma of garlic is noticeable.

Remove from the heat and let cool. Store covered in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator. Serve with.. well, what wouldn't you serve it with? Pasta, chicken, sandwiches, burgers..

This recipe makes about 1 cup, which will last you a while unless you are my husband who immediately started eating it as if it WERE SALSA. I know it's good, but please leave some for me!

Enjoy, my spice-loving friends!

Printable recipe: Chili paste

Spicy ginger sugar cookies

There isn't much that tastes like Christmas to me more than an old-fashioned sugar cookie. I have posted a few other sugar cookie recipes on this blog, so I wanted to do something a bit different this time. As I flipped through a holiday-themed recipe magazine in the check-out line a few days ago, I spotted something intriguing. Ginger in a sugar cookie?! Fun! And I refuse to make a sugar cookie without at least a little bit of almond extract. There is another ingredient I added that leaves a hint of spice on your tongue after all the tasty crumbs have been washed into your belly. Read on to find out what it is!

This is Day #6 of Twelve Days of Christmas Treats! Halfway done (not that I want to be).

In a medium bowl, combine:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper (adds just a teeny bit of spice)

Mix well and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Using a hand-held mixer, beat on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing after each addition until just combined.

Using your hands, form a large ball of dough and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Place half of the dough between two sheets of wax paper (my favorite way of rolling dough - no scraping dried dough off my kitchen table). Using a rolling pin, roll the dough so that it is 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. 

Remove the top sheet of wax paper and press cookie cutters into the dough. Remove excess and put in a pile.

Repeat this process with the other half of the ball of dough.

Place cookie cut-outs onto the prepared baking sheets and decorate, if desired.

Re-roll the excess dough and repeat the process.

Bake in the preheated oven for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to get very slightly brown.

Instead of repeating the same process with my excess dough, I formed little balls and rolled those in sprinkles. I baked them for the same amount of time, and they came out great! My boys thought they were way tastier, only because they were prettier.

Printable recipe: Spicy ginger sugar cookies