Roasted Poblano Gravy

Whenever I think of homemade gravy I think of the same childhood memory. My beautiful mother, standing over the stove, sprinkling the turkey drippings with a little bit of flour, and whisking feverishly until a beautifully silky gravy was made. We won't mention the year that she accidentally splattered me with the boiling gravy, burning my arm. No, we definitely won't mention that time. This gravy is not my mom's smooth gravy, and not in a bad way, but I just wanted to try something different this year, if you can't tell by my list of Southwestern themed recipes for this year's holiday dinner. This gravy has got texture, flavor, and a whole lot of warm spice to it. Serve it alongside my Southwestern Roasted Turkey and drizzle it over some Chipotle Corn Mashed Potatoes, and call it a party!

Roasted Poblano Gravy

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• 2 celery stalks, halved lengthwise
• turkey neck and giblets
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup reserved butter mixture from Southwestern Roast Turkey recipe
• 3 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped*
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups chicken/vegetable broth

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the onion, celery, neck, and giblets with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 40 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Meanwhile, melt the butter mixture in a medium to large saucepan. Add in the poblanos and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the flour, cooking until well combined, creating a roux. 

Remove the pan from the oven and add 1 cup of the broth to the hot pan. Use a sturdy wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the pan. Pour the pan contents through a fine mesh sieve into the saucepan with the roux. Discard the roasted vegetables, neck, and giblets.

Whisk well to combine, working out any lumps in the mixture. Once the mixture has thickened slightly, slowly whisk in the remaining 2 cups of broth. Simmer until thickened, about 45 minutes. Serve hot. 

Cheeseburger Stuffed Meatballs with Sriracha Ketchup

I have a confession to make. I am not a huge ketchup fan. Like french fries only. But my fiance on the other hand is a ketchup fanatic. Like has asked restaurants what they put in their ketchup so he can try to re-create it at home. So when the amazingly talented (and stunning to boot) Joanie Simon asked me if I wanted to try out some of Traina Foods' sun-dried tomato ketchup, I knew I had to bite the bullet and try it out for myself. I had to swallow my pride and admit, that this was some damn good ketchup! We especially enjoyed their Sriracha flavored version, which added a spicy kick to the not overly sweet taste of the sun-dried tomatoes. Plus, anything stuffed with cheese, like these meatballs, can only be enhanced with such a fine condiment. 

Cheeseburger Stuffed Meatballs with Sriracha Ketchup

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. 85/15 grass-fed ground beef
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/8 tsp. paprika
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• pinch of salt & ground black pepper
• block of medium cheddar cheese
• Traina Sriracha Ketchup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

In a bowl, mix together the beef, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper with your hands. For 6-8 flattened disks out of the beef mixture (depending on how big or small you want them).

Cut the cheese into 1/2-inch squares, and place in the middle of each disk.

Then form the meat around the cheese and seal, to form a meatball.

Place the meatballs into a muffin pan, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes until the beef is cooked and the cheese has melted.

Serve hot and topped with Traina Sriracha Ketchup. 

*While I was provided with ketchup from Traina, I was not paid. Recipe and reviews are my own. 

Roasted Poblano Pico de Gallo

I. Can't. Get. Enough. Poblanos. It's like every time I see them, I have to buy at least 3 or 4. Then I rush straight home and throw them on the grill to roast. Meanwhile, brainstorming anything and everything that I can make with them once they are shed of their charred skin, leaving behind the most savory roasted pepper ever! Last weekend we had the best man in our {future} wedding and his fiance over for dinner, and we made a simple spread of guac and chips with carne asada tacos, complete with this roasted poblano pico. And man, it did not disappoint. What would you pair this homemade poblano pico with?

Roasted Poblano Pico de Gallo

Ingredients :

• 2 large poblano peppers
• 3 tomatoes, finely diced 
• 1 garlic clove,  minced 
• 1/4 cup finely diced red onion 
• 1/2 lime, juiced 
• 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
• salt & pepper to taste

Preheat grill to high or turn on your broiler. Roast the poblano peppers until charred black on all sides. Remove the poblanos from the heat and put into a ziplock bag. Close and let steam for 20 minutes. Once they have steamed, the charred skin will easily peel off. Discard the charred skin, stem, and seeds. Chop the roasted peppers.

In a medium bowl add together the tomatoes, garlic, onion, lime juice, and chopped poblanos. Season with salt and pepper and place in the fridge to chill. Just before serving, stir in the chopped cilantro.

Serve it upon tacos, eggs, chips, you name it!

Okra Corn Cakes with Lime Cilantro Yogurt Dip

Hi, my name is Rhea, and I am brand new to the okra scene. I have been seeing it for weeks now at the farmer's market, and slowly popping up in the grocery stores. But I had yet to get my hands on it, nor did I really know what to do with it? Until now. Next time I will be brave enough to cook it on it's own and let the flavor really come out, but I had to start out with something safe. Breaded and pan-fried is usually safe in this house. I have to say, I really enjoyed these corn cakes, but I felt that they were a little low on salt, so I upped the salt in the recipe, just fyi. Plus, anything with a yogurt dipping sauce is a winner to me. So next time you see a new ingredients, don't be afraid to try something new, you might really enjoy it! 

Okra Corn Cakes:

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 small jalapeno, minced
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups sliced okra rounds
• 1 cup corn meal
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp. high-heat oil for frying

Lime Cilantro Yogurt Dip:

• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 lime, juiced
• handful fresh cilantro, chopped

In a medium bowl, add the garlic, jalapeno, bell pepper, and okra. Season well with salt and pepper and set aside. In another medium bowl, whisk together the corn meal, baking powder, egg, and water. Add to the bowl with the veggies, and mix well. Add more water, a tbsp. at a time as needed if they aren't wet enough. 

Heat up the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Form the batter into small- or medium-sized patties. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, until cooked through and crispy on the outsides. Remove form the oil and drain on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil.

Whisk together the yogurt, lime juice, and cilantro. Serve the cakes hot with the dipping sauce. 

Tortilla Chip Crusted Chicken Strips with a Dip Trio

What do you do when you have a half a bag of tortilla chips that you forgot to close in your pantry, thus becoming stale and flavorless? Why, you make a delicious chicken breading, of course! After discovering the opened bag I couldn't bring myself to just throw it away, and so I sat and brainstormed ideas for the cardboard like chips. But trust me, after they have been pulverized and spiced with some homemade taco seasoning, you'll never know they were one step away from the garbage truck. As if that wasn't good enough, I served the crispy chicken strips with a trio of my favorite dips (I mean, you can never have enough dip). I think I might have just taken my taco obsession to the next level.

Tortilla Chip Crusted Chicken Strips with a Dip Trio

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. chicken strips
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups tortilla chips
• 1 tsp. taco seasoning
• salt and pepper
• non-stick cooking spray
• guacamole, sour cream + sriracha, salsa for dipping

In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs with salt and pepper until foamy. Set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the chips with the taco seasoning until resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Place in another shallow bowl. Place next to the bowl with the eggs.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet. 

Dip the chicken strips, one at a time, in the egg and then covering the chicken with the crushed tortilla chips. Place onto the wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken strips.

Spray the tops with non-stick coking spray and place into the oven for 12 minutes. Flip the chicken over, spraying with some more non-stick cooking spray and finish cooking for 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat.

Serve with guacamole, sriracha sour cream, and salsa. 

Roasted Carrot White Bean Dip

We all know that I have a love affair with hummus. And, well, white bean dip is basically hummus' half-sibling. To be honest, I just didn't have any garbanzo beans/chickpeas on hand, but I did have a can of northern beans, so I saved myself a trip to the store, and still got my weekly fix of homemade dip. The first thing I did was make the most refreshing cucumber sandwich by spreading both pieces of bread with the carrot dip and smashed a whole cup of sliced cucumbers in between. I also devoured half of it using chia seed tortilla chips as the main vehicle between the tupperware and my mouth. Sorry for the visual. What I am trying to say is that you should make this. Over and out. 

Roasted Carrot White Bean Dip

Ingredients:

• 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup olive oil + 1 tbsp.
• 1 can white northern beans. rinsed and drained
• 2 tbsp. tahini
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Drizzle the carrots and garlic with 1 tbsp. olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic cloves in a small tin foil packet, and place on the baking sheet with the carrots. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes, flipping the carrots at 15 minutes.

Remove the roasted veggies from the oven and allow to cool slightly while you prep the dip. 

Add the beans, tahini, paprika, cumin, and lemon juice to a food processor. Pulse until the beans are broken down. Add in the carrots and garlic, and continue to pulse until the carrots are broken down slightly. 

Turn the food processor on, and slowly add the 1/4 cup of olive oil in a steady stream. Scrape down the sides and continue to process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper as needed and pulse again to combine. 

Keep the dip in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Serve with your favorite veggies, chips, or as a spread on sandwiches. 

Grilled Artichoke Appetizer with Creamy Lemon Dip

One of Andrew and I's favorite places to go out on a date to is Hillstone. There you can find the best dirty martinis (extra cold with 3 olives please!), as well as the most ridiculously addicting ice cream sundae that comes with it's own gravy boat full of chocolate fudge.  What you can also find there during the summer months when available is the most sinful grilled artichoke appetizer. Well worth the price of an entree for 3 artichoke halves and a creamy lemon herb dip; these things are a hot commodity. I tried to make my very own commoner version at home, doing my best to re-create their infamous app, and I admittedly did a great job, but like they always say, if it ain't broke, don't expect it to come out the same as a top-tier restaurant with professional chefs. Try your hand at this for your next dinner party, or as a quick snack to be had between lunch and dinner. Cheers!

Grilled Artichoke Appetizer with Lemon Dip

Ingredients:

• 2 large artichokes, halved lengthwise
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tbsp. mayo
• 2 tbsp. plain Greek yogurt
• 1 garlic clove, grated or pressed
• salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Lower heat to a rolling boil and add in the halved artichokes,. Cook for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the lemon dip. Whisk together 1/2 of the lemon juice, mayo, yogurt, garlic, salt, and pepper. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

During the last 5 minutes of boiling, preheat our grill over high heat. Once the artichokes are done cooking, remove them from the water, drizzle with olive oil on the cut side and place onto the direst heat of the grill. Grill for 3-5 minutes until charred. Remove from the heat and serve with lemon dip.

Fig & Bacon Jam Pizza with Goat Cheese and Crispy Prosciutto

Yesterday I showed you how to make this insanely grown-up gourmet version of jam using figs and bacon.  Now I am going to show you how to throw it on some pizza and call it dinner. While I know that this recipe is far from difficult, and you probably don't need me rambling on an on about how to throw a ball of flattened dough topped with minimal ingredients onto the grill and serve, but this pizza was just too good not to share with you. Sometimes less means more in terms of ingredients, allowing them all to shine. Small steps like shredding a ball of mozzarella instead of buying pre-shredded/bagged cheese can make all the difference. 5 ingredients is all you need (assuming you already made the jam) to have dinner on the table on your family asking for seconds and thirds.

 Fig & Bacon Jam Pizza with Goat Cheese and Crispy Prosciutto

Ingredients:

• 1 ball pizza dough
• 2-3 tbsp. cornmeal for dusting
• 1 cup freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup Fig & Bacon Jam
•  3-4 strips of prosciutto, torn into 2-inch pieces
• 3 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
• sliced basil for garnish (optional)

Preheat grill to 400 degrees. Stretch your pizza dough out into a large circle. Sprinkle corn meal onto a pizza stone and place the dough on top.  Sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella and place the stone with the pizza onto the grill. Cook for 5 minutes until the cheese has melted and the crust has begun to turn golden.

Using the back of a large spoon, spread the jam out to cover the entire pizza. Top with the torn prosciutto and crumbled goat cheese. Close the lid and cook for another 5-8 minutes until the pizza toppings are warmed through and the prosciutto is crispy.

Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before you slice and serve.

Fig & Bacon Jam

I am a lover of all things fig. And bacon. So I thought, why not put those two loves of mine together to make one totally awesome spread. And it tastes, well, for lack of better words, totally awesome! This jam is the perfect addition to any chef's board, or a grown-up grilled cheese, or my personal favorite, pizza! I used about half of the jar and spread it on a pizza in place of classic marinara sauce. I've gotta say, it's gonna be hard to beat that from here on out.

Fig & Bacon Jam

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. bacon, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1/2 lb. whole figs, stems removed, then halved
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 cup brewed coffee
• 3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. chile powder

In a large stock pot, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove the bacon and allow to drain on a paper towel. Discard all of the bacon fat from the pot except for about 1 tbsp.

Add the onion and garlic to the bacon fat and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. After the onions are cooked, add in the remaining ingredients. Lower heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 45 minutes.

Allow the mixture to cool slightly before transferring to a food processor. Pulse until combined and you come to your desired texture (I like my jam to have a little texture).

Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Bahn Mi Hot Dogs

It's hard to believe that after all of these years of blogging, and my obsession with hots dogs, that this is my first actual hot dog recipe. Hot dogs are kind of like one of those things that always taste better when someone else makes them for you. You know, like when you go home and your mom makes you a sandwich. It may just be a simple turkey sandwich, but it tastes so much better when she makes it. Hot dags are the same. It's so much better when someone else steams the buns, grills the dog, and adds all of those delicious toppings. But not today. Today I am making my own. I'm all about a good mash-up recipe. Taco pizza, fajita burger, turkey parm sandwiches, and now, these bahn mi hot dogs. I took 2 of may favorite flavors out there, and cohesively brought them together to make 1 meal. SO fire up that grill and get to mashing!

 Bahn Mi Hot Dogs

Ingredients:

• 4 nitrate-free all-beef hot dogs
• 4 potato hot dog buns
• 1 jalapeno, sliced
• 1/4 mayo
• 1 tbsp. sriracha hot sauce
• 1/2 cucumber, seeded and cut into spears
• 1 carrot, julienne
• vinegar
• sugar
• fresh cilantro for garnish

Begin by pickling your carrots a few hours or even a day ahead. Place the sugar and the vinegar into a shallow bowl. Toss in the carrots and allow to sit in the fridge until softened, 4 hours up to 1 day. 

Preheat grill to 400 degrees and grill, turning hot dogs occasionally until grill marks appear on all sides. 

Meanwhile, mix together the mayo and sriracha and set aside. During the last minute of grilling, add the hot dog buns to the grill to get a little toasty.

Remove the buns and the hot dogs from the grill. Slather the sriracha mayo on one half of each bun. Then layer the cucumber and jalapeno on the other half of the buns. Place the grilled dog in the middle and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce Slathered Spare Ribs

The second that peach season came to be this year, all Andrew kept saying was, "let's grill peaches", or "we should grill some peaches". Well, this isn't that, but I did marinate a rack of ribs in this satiating sauce and then finished them off on the grill, with you guessed it, even more sauce! So technically, I put peaches on the grill. But instead of in raw fruit form, I cooked them up with some delicious bourbon, molasses, and brown sugar, to make a perfectly smoky and sweet BBQ sauce. That's the same, right? These ribs are tender and delicious, so much so, that 1 rack just wasn't enough for 2 people. I mean it was, but my stomach is an endless foodie trap, so make sure to make plenty if you are entertaining for a crowd! 

Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. avocado oil
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 chipotle in adobo, chopped
• 1 tbsp. dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup pitted peaches, chopped
• 1/3 cup bourbon
• 3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add in the onions and season with salt and pepper. Lower heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 12 minutes. 

Add in the garlic and chipotle and cook for another minute or so until fragrant. Now add in the mustard, sugar, peaches, bourbon, vinegar, and molasses. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until fragrant and thick, about 20-25 minutes. 

Carefully transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Be careful for the mixture will be extremely hot. Allow to cool to room temperature before placing into an airtight container. Keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Peach Bourbon BBQ Spare Ribs

Ingredients:

• 1 rack St. Louis style spare ribs
• salt and pepper
• 1 batch Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce

Season the ribs all over with salt and pepper. Place into your slow cooker and pour in enough BBQ sauce to cover the ribs, then turn over to coat the other side. Turn you slow cooker on low and cook for 6 hours, until extremely tender.

To finish the ribs off, preheat grill to medium-high heat and place the rack of ribs onto the hot grill. Slather with some more BBQ sauce, before turning over to the other side, coating them in more sauce. Cut each individual rib and serve hot. 

Grilled Peach Caprese Pizza

This is a big week of recipe domination from the HDFB kitchen. I finally found my perfect vanilla ice cream base and now, I have perfected my pizza crust. I like my crust to be thin and extremely crispy throughout, until you get to the very end of the crust, and there awaits a slightly thicker, pillowy edge. I also like when the cheese is one massively thin layer, instead of large portions throughout. I found the secret to the perfect cheese layer is to buy one of those large mozzarella balls and then pop it into the freezer for about 15 minutes, allowing it to harden enough that you can slice it super thin with a knife without it crumbling in your hands. And while you are waiting for your cheese to harden, you can roll out your dough. I like to hand toss mine back and forth, stretching it as I rotate it around and around, making the circle large enough to cover my entire pizza stone. Rip a hole in your dough while stretching it? No worries! Just pinch it closed and keep stretching. The golden success to this pizza though is hands down the peaches. Sliced thin, you get the saltiness from the cheese and the sweetness from the peaches, creating the ultimate summer pizza. 

 Grilled Peach Caprese Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 pizza dough ball
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 peach, pitted and thinly sliced
• 5 oz. mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup pesto

Preheat grill to 400 degrees. Roll out the pizza dough to create a 12-inch round. Place a pizza stone down  and sprinkle it with the cornmeal so the dough doesn't stick. Place the dough on top of the prepared stone and put onto the grill. Brush the dough all over with the olive oil and close the grill, allowing the dough to crisp up for 5 minutes.

Open the grill and place the sliced peaches on the top rack, allowing them to warm and crisp up just slightly. Layer on the thinly sliced cheese and close the grill again. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the peaches on top of the melted cheese and then drizzle the pesto with a spoon over the top. Close the grill and cook for another 2-5 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the pesto has warmed through.

Carefully remove the pizza from the grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Sautéed Asparagus with Hollandaise and Arugula Blossoms

We kicked summer off with this indulgent Nasturtium Risotto recipe, all in thanks to Malori from Hoot & Holler's creative mind! Now we are back this month with another mash-up of food and flowers, a seriously cool series if you ask me! This time I created a breakfast for asparagus lovers. Tender spears topped with a homemade hollandaise sauce and arugula blossoms. Arugula blossoms are both sweet and spicy {like me} with a hint of pepper flavor. They add an extra depth of flavor to any dish, and I love how well they worked here.  Be sure to head on over to Hoot & Holler and check out the recipe, and to see what else Malori has up her sleeve this summer!

Sautéed Asparagus with Hollandaise and Arugula Blossoms recipe here.

Pineapple Sriracha BBQ Sauce

With Memorial Day weekend behind us, we are full-fledged into the summer season. For me, this means going from my air-conditioned house, to my air-conditioned car, to my air-conditioned office, and back again.  These 100+ temps in AZ are no joke, so we do what we can to battle the heat. One place I do not avoid heat is in my kitchen. I love ordering pad thai from our favorite take-out restaurant, because they always ask us what heat index we want, and for Andrew it's around the 3 range (sorry for the call out!) , and for me it's a 9-10, every time. I've probably burnt my taste buds at this point, and that's why I just keep spicing everything up, because I need to feel the heat. But I don't care. That's why I made this BBQ sauce. It's hot, but the pineapple cools down the palate. Making it consumable by both 3 and 10 lovers on the heat scale.

Pineapple Sriracha BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tbsp. coconut oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup pineapple chunks
• 1 cup bbq sauce
• 1 tbsp. sriracha
• 1 lime, juiced

Add the coconut oil to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add in the chopped pineapple and garlic. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add in the bbq sauce, sriracha, and lime juice, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Carefully pour the mixture into a blender or food processor. Caution: mixture will be hot so handle with care! Blend until smooth, and keep in an airtight container for up 1 week. Use it as a marinade or dipping sauce. Grilled chicken, burgers, and onion rings come to mind first!

Roasted Garlic Salsa

If you've been living under a rock, then I'm here to tell you that Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow!! A day full of tacos, margaritas, and most of all, SALSA! What better way to celebrate than to make a large batch of homemade salsa. Whether it's for a group, or just you at home in your pajamas eating take-out with you fiance and shoveling large chip-fuls of this salsa into your mouth (no, definitely not talking about myself), this salsa is sure to please the palate. The roasted garlic makes this salsa a bit sweet, evening out the heat from the jalapeno. Best of both worlds. Just be sure to have plenty of chips on hand!

Roasted Garlic Salsa

Ingredients:

• 1 head garlic
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 medium tomatoes, seeds discarded, then finely diced
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno, minced (remove seeds and ribs for less heat)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 3/4 tsp. cumin
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cut the top 1/4-inch or so off of the head of garlic, exposing the cloves. Place the garlic into a piece of tin foil, drizzle with olive oil and salt, then wrap lossely in the tin foil, sealing the edges. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, until the garlic is roasted and golden brown. Remove and let cool to touch,

Meanwhile, Add the chopped tomato, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, oregano, and cumin into a bowl and toss to mix season with salt and pepper. 

Once the garlic is cooled to the touch, squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the skin and chop them. Add the chopped roasted garlic to the salsa and season with salt and pepper. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

Plus, how cute is this margarita chip and dip bowl. I'd say I got the winning gift at the white elephant gift exchange last year!

Blackberry Honey Mustard

 Mustard has always held a special place in my heart as far as condiments go. Growing up I was an extremely picky eater (cue your freak out when I remind you that I did not eat cheese until the age of 25), but even though almost all of my food was ordered or made "plain", I slowly began putting mustard on things. It was just about the only thing my parents could get me not to scrape off of my hamburger. As I got older my taste changed, but yellow mustard was still the topping of choice, specifically on hot dogs. Then came dijon, whole grain, spicy, honey. Basically, give me all the mustard, is what I am trying to say. As I was flipping through yet another magazine, seeing as I am basically a hoarder, I came across a blackberry honey mustard and I knew I had to try it. It's tangy. It's sweet. And it paid great compliment to our brown sugar pulled pork sandwiches (recipe will be posted tomorrow). 


Blackberry Honey Mustard

Ingredients :

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 6-oz. package fresh blackberries 
• 1/4 cup honey 
• 3 tbsp. dijon mustard 
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice 
• pinch of salt 
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Place the sugar and blackberries in a small sauce pan and cook, mashing with a wooden spoon or potato masher,  for about 3 minutes.

Strain the blackberries through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the seeds and pour the juice into a blender or food processor.

Add the rest of the ingredients except the olive oil. Turn on the blender and puree, slowly drizzle the olive oil in a steady stream.

Once the olive oil has been combined, cover tightly and place the mustard in the fridge for at least an hour, or over night, until ready to serve.