Baked Ranchero Eggs with Blistered Jack Cheese and Lime Crema

I am the worst at blogging. This is an example. I meant to post this, after meaning to post it forever ago before that, almost a month ago. And these are really bad cell phone pictures, which aren't usually really bad, but these ones are. Believe me when I say this tastes a lot better than it looks here.

Baked Ranchero Eggs with Blistered Jack Cheese and Lime Crema via The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook:

Serves 4-6

1 jalapeno

3 c. whole tomatoes (from a 28 oz. can), fire roasted if possible

1 medium white onion, roughly chopped

1 large garlic clove, crushed and peeled

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1¾ c. cooked black beans (or from a 15 oz. can), drained (optional)

2 Tb. olive oil

4 small (6 inch) corn tortillas

Salt, to taste

12 large eggs

1¼ c. coarsely shredded jack cheese

2 Tb. freshly squeezed lime juice, from about 1 lime

1 c. crema mexicana or sour cream

¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro

Halved in 9 inch skillet or quartered and baked in 1-quart gratin dish

Make ranchero sauce first. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. First, taste your jalapeno for heat. Adjust the amount accordingly, halving or quartering the pepper, if needed, and toss into a blender. I like it spicy, so I just went for the whole thing. Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and several pinches of salt and pepper, and blend until smooth. Pout into a 12-inch ovenproof skillet, add black beans, if using them, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, or until it has reduced slightly.

Meanwhile, brush a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Cut the tortillas into ½-inch-wide strips, and arrange them on the oiled tray. Brush the tops of the tortilla strips with the remaining tablespoon of oil, and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 3 to 6 minutes, or until they are brown and crisp. Mine are a little thicker, so it needed to bake a little longer, more like 10 minutes. Turn them over once if needed. Remove the strips from the oven, then preheat broiler.

In a separate bowl, stir together the lime juice, crema, and a pinch of salt.

Once the sauce has thickened slightly, remove the pan from heat, and break the eggs across the surface of the sauce, distributing them as evenly as possible. Return to heat, cover the pan, and simmer the eggs gently in the sauce for about 10 to 12 minutes, until the whites are nearly but not completely opaque. Sprinkle the surface of the tomato-egg mixture with cheese, and broil until the cheese is bubbly and a bit blistered, just a few minutes.

Garnish with dollops of lime crema, broken-up pieces of tortilla strips, and cilantro. Serve immediately.

I ended up overcooking the eggs a bit while trying to get the whites to set. It still tasted really good, but without that unctuous yolky flavor and mouthfeel. I would definitely make this again. The sauce is awesome and it makes enough for using on another dish later on.

Potato Tacos with Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa

Apparently I like tomatillos and recipes that are really easy. Want something mid-week and fast and maybe a little different? Try this. Make mashed potatoes. Fry it up in some tortillas. Make some salsa. Bam bam bam – dinner.

Potato Tacos with Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa via Serious Eats:

Serves 4 (or 2 mega hungry people)

2 avocados

4 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered

1 large garlic clove, quartered

1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

½ c. cilantro leaves, chopped

½ tsp. salt

1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, chopped into ½-inch pieces

4 oz. queso fresco, divided, crumbled

Salt and black pepper

12 corn tortillas

¼ c. vegetable oil

½ c. Mexican crema, or sour cream

1½ c. iceberg lettuce, shredded (or better lettuce because yeah)

For the avocado salsa, cut avocados in half lengthwise, and remove large seeds. Scoop out flesh and place in blender along with tomatillos, garlic, chiles, cilantro, ¼ cup water, and salt. Process until it is a coarse puree. Set aside. The avocado sauce won’t turn brown because of the tomatillos. You can also eat a bunch of it while you're working on other stuff.

To make the potato tacos, bring large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander. Mash the potato in large bowl, or pass through potato ricer. Mix in half of the queso fresco. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon two tablespoons of potato mixture into each tortilla. Fold each over, and secure each with one tooth pick, weaving in and out to keep each in a “U” shape.

Pour oil into large 10-inch cast iron pan set over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add enough tacos as will fit in a single layer, probably three. Cook until crisp and golden on each side, about 30 seconds for each, flipping with pair of tongs. When done, remove tacos, draining as much oil as you can. Place on paper towels and repeat process until all tacos are cooked.

Serve tacos with salsa, crema, and lettuce.

So good. So fast. Did I mention how good they are?

Mint Chimichurri

What goes great with grilled burgers? Chimichurri. Lamb loves mint, so even though the original recipe does not have mint, but mint + lamb = perfection. The first chimichurri I ever had was with mint, so why not? I added in all of the optional spices and it really pops.

Mint Chimichurri Sauce modified from Closet Cooking:

Makes 2 cups

1 c. mint (packed)

¼ c. parsley (packed)

¼ c. cilantro (packed)

1 Tb. fresh oregano (chopped, optional)

4 cloves garlic (peeled)

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. cumin (optional)

¼ tsp. hot smoked paprika (optional)

¼ c. oil

2 Tb. white wine vinegar

½ lemon (juice and zest)

Salt and pepper to taste

Puree everything in a in a food processor. Put on food. This is awesome with lamb, but would be great just on toast or a veggie packed sandwich. It is full of ridiculous flavor.

Tillamook Crab and Macaroni Bake

I picked up this recipe last year when my friend Jake was visiting and we went out to the Tillamook Cheese Factory (the happiest place on Earth in my opinion). Why it’s taken me this long to make it is anybody’s guess, but I’m glad Aaron and I got this together finally. I modified it a bit, replacing the toasted white bread with panko, making my own seasoning mix instead of using Old Bay, using pepper jack instead of regular Monterey jack, taking out the bell pepper, and replacing the shallots (which I forgot to purchase) with extra onion and garlic. However, I think the general idea is still there and it tastes awesome. I did a half size recipe because the original serves 8-10 and that’s why too much for just two. Do what I did or make it full because it’ll rock for a potluck dinner.

Tillamook Crab and Macaroni Bake modified from the Tillamook Cheese Factory:

Serves 4-5

At least 1 c. panko
1 Tb. olive oil
At least 1 tsp. seasoning mix (celery seed, granulated garlic, oregano, thyme, marjoram)
5 oz. rotini pasta
1½ Tb. butter
1/8 c. flour
1 c. milk
¼ tsp. salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Granulated garlic to taste
2 oz. cream cheese
2 oz. cheddar cheese, grated (I’m a total convert to Tillamook’s white cheddar)
3 oz. pepper jack cheese, grated (also Tillamook, duh)
2 Tb. finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1½ Tb. chopped cilantro
4 oz. crabmeat

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Boil pasta in salted water until tender, drain and set aside. Take about half of the seasoning mix and mix it in with the panko. Set aside.

Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Continue stirring butter and flour mixture over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until it has a slightly nutty aroma. Pour in milk while whisking and whisk until smooth. Cook while stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes until mixture thickens. Add salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and the rest of the seasoning mix. Add cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and add the grated cheddar and pepper jack cheese. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in onion, garlic, and cilantro. Stir in pasta and gently fold in crab meat.

Spray a casserole dish (or bread pan, which is what I did) with nonstick spray. Pour in filling and spread out evenly. Sprinkle panko crumbs over top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and bubbling around the edge.

This dish rocks. Seriously, it was so good. I’ve made roux plenty of times now and I never thought to mix in cream cheese. It makes the sauce so silky smooth. I think pepper jack was a great substitution because it adds a hint of spice, which works well with the crab. This is great. End of story.

Thai Style Buffalo

I feel like I should post a warning when a new semester starts for me: WARNING! SCHOOL IN SESSION. I MIGHT FORGET I HAVE A BLOG.

It makes me sad too because I love making good food and posting about it. So here we go, back to the middle of last month when I was talking about that fun, three-course meal I made for Aaron. The entree course was Thai-style buffalo. I was going to make them into meatballs, but decided to go with it loose over rice. It as tangy and fun and I really liked it.

Thai Style Buffalo with Rice:

Serves 4

1/2 lb. ground buffalo
Zest and juice of one lime
1 Tb. garlic chili sauce
2 Tb. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. oyster sauce
1/2 c. rice vinegar
1/2 c. island soyaki
1/2 c. olive oil
1 c. cilantro, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
Zest and juice of 1/2 orange
Olive oil
1 c. cooked rice

Mix buffalo with zest and juice of lime and next 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Place in fridge and marinate for about two hours, mixing every 30 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add buffalo and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice.

It’s tangy and a little spicy and, of course, garlicky, which made it all a very satisfying main course. I’m sure you could marinate it for less time for a quicker mid-week meal.

Asian Style Ahi

Back in January, after a long in-class weekend, I went out with a few of my classmates. This is when Kirsten and I started talking and discovered that we are both really into food and food blogs and talking about food. I love her blog, A Cilantro Color and have been meaning to try something from it since its inception. One of the reasons I love it is because of cilantro. So many people hate it and that is ridiculous! Like Kirsten, I got into it when I started eating a lot of Thai food. When my parents started making it, after a trip to Kauai, I was anti-cilantro. And then I stopped being a big baby, ate my first pad thai, and fell in love with cilantro. (If you're not into it, check out Kirsten's post about cilantro haters here.)

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I finally tried one of her recipes or rather, I used her marinade, slightly modified, for ahi instead of shrimp, which she mentions as a use in the original post.

It's fabulous. You should try it too.

Asian Style Ahi modified from Spicy Asian Style Shrimp from A Cilantro Color:

Makes 2 ahi steaks

2 medium ahi steaks
4 Tb. rice vinegar
5 Tb. soy sauce
Juice of one small lime
5 Tb. grated ginger
3 dried Thai chilis, minced
2 tsp. Asian garlic chili sauce
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tb. cilantro, chopped
2 Tb. olive oil

In medium bowl add rice vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, Thai chili peppers, garlic chili sauce, garlic, and cilantro. Mix well. Add ahi to bowl. Put in refrigerator to marinate overnight. Kirsten’s original recipe has it for 30 minutes, but as I was getting ready to prepare dinner, Aaron and I were invited out by friends, so we set it off to the next day. I think the flavor would be amazing either way.

Set your grill to a medium flame. Ahi should be served seared and rare. Grill for 3-4 minutes, until edges brown, and turn once, grilling for another 2-3 minutes. Because the marinade sunk in so much, it was hard to tell when the edges were perfect, but going off of time, it ended up being cooked perfectly.

Serve with rice and vegetables. Aaron made some awesome stir fry veggies that went perfectly with the fish. The ahi itself was amazing! It was slightly spicy, a little sweet, and had an amazing depth of flavor. It was also awesome as lunch the next day. I can’t wait to try more of Kirsten’s awesome recipes!

Fish Tacos

The problem with not writing up recipes after you make them is, of course, not really remembering what you did. So, as a result, you all get to read about my delicious fish tacos and hopefully I remember correctly what was done.

One of the thing I like most about cooking is making marinades. I think it has something to do with the way it can change the scope of a meal based on the herbs and spices you use. In this case, I used snapper because rock fishes make for great tacos. So does halibut, but snapper is much cheaper. As I know you all are very smart, I don’t have exact amounts for this recipe, but I know you can figure it out. I also know that traditionally, fish tacos are served with cabbage and white sauce, but I just didn’t feel like it this time. They are still quite fantastic.

Fish Tacos:

Serves 3-4

1 lb.–ish snapper or other rock fish
Herb vinegar
Olive oil
Fresh lemon juice
Fresh lime juice
Ground cumin
Cilantro
Mexican oregano
Flour
Panko
Eggs, beaten
Corn taco shells (hard or soft)
Whatever taco accoutrements you enjoy

Cut fish into strips, about 1” wide, on an angle. In a large container with a lid, add fish, vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice, ground cumin, cilantro, and Mexican oregano. Close and shake around. Refrigerate at least overnight. Shake it up every 12 hours or so. Mine marinated for about 2 days because other dinner plans came up. It was still good.






Heat oven to 400 degrees. Dredge fish through flour, then egg, then panko. Place fish on a greased baking sheet. Drizzle fish with additional olive oil. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, turn the fish over, and cook until done, another few minutes. Stuff into tacos. We had ours with pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and homemade guacamole and served with Mexican rice.

This makes a little or a lot, depending on how much fish you have, and I ended up also making fish nachos that same week, which was also delicious. It’s so easy and with summer coming up, you’re going to want these.

Cilantro Pesto

This post will perhaps make me look a bit obsessed with a certain sauce. Yes, dear readers, it’s yet another pesto recipe (other iterations seen here and here). However, this is one I made up myself! It came about when I realized the bunch of cilantro I had was starting to look sad (ugh, did I just rhyme?). So off to the mini prep food processor it was (someday I’ll have a regular size one. Someday. *wistful sigh*) Anyway…

I didn’t measure anything, as usual, so here’s just a rough estimation of what I did:

A bunch of cilantro, minus the stems
A handful of pine nuts, toasted (as seen here)
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 roasted garlic cloves (as seen here-ish)
Zest from one lime
Juice from one lime plus a bit more (I love lime!)
Olive oil

Blend up your garlic and cilantro. Toss in the pine nuts and blend together. Add the lime zest and lime juice and blend. Add the roasted garlic and blend. Then add olive oil slowly until you reach your desired consistency. I probably used about ½ of a cup, but I’m not sure.



It is delicious! It’s definitely different from the other pestos I’ve made. Because of the heavier use of roasted garlic over fresh garlic, this has a much milder, smoother taste to it. Plus, the roasted garlic adds a nice, creamy texture. Lime and cilantro are also natural partners. I can’t wait to put this on everything!

Fruit Salsas

Just like I did for Aaron’s birthday, I made a bunch of snack for mine. However, unlike Aaron’s birthday, I didn’t want to be cooking just before or during the party, so I needed to come up with stuff that could be made ahead of time. The first thing that came to mind was salsa. Fresh, homemade salsas are delicious and taste even better if the flavors can mingle for a bit before serving. The two recipes I have listed here are more from my big old list and from my fabulous Mexican cookbook. Breaking down a pineapple isn’t the most fun thing it the world, but the results are so worth it. Plus, it’s something fabulous to snack on while making your salsa. Okay, so maybe that’s not in the official directions, but that’s how I do it. Same with the mango.

So here we got with part 1 of snacks from my birthday party!

Mango-Avocado Salsa from 1000 Mexican Recipes:

Makes about 1½ cups

1 large mango, peeled and finely diced
1 ripe avocado, peeled and finely diced
2 green onions, very finely chopped
1 jalapeño chile, finely chopped
2 Tb. fresh lime juice (I didn’t actually measure this, I just used the juice from one whole small lime)
¼ tsp. salt (kosher), or to taste
A bunch of cilantro, chopped (this is my addition)



Put all of the ingredients into a medium bowl, and stir gently to mix. Serve cold. Since I prepared this about 4 hours ahead of time, I waited to add the avocado until just before serving. This was such a delicious salsa. Oh my gosh, I never wanted to stop eating it. The flavors are clear and meld perfectly. I cannot wait to try this with fish or chicken.

Pineapple Salsa from 1000 Mexican Recipes:

Makes about 2½ cups

½ fresh pineapple, about 1½ lb.
½ medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 jalapeño chiles, seeded, veins removed, and minced
1 scallion, minced (I like that in the previous recipe, which is 2 pages away from this one, they call for green onions but in this one it’s scallion)
1 Tb. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt (kosher), or to taste
2 Tb. chopped fresh cilantro (I didn’t even eyeball this, I just put in a bunch)

Cut off both ends of the pineapple and then cut off the hard thorny skin all the way around the pineapple. Cut out the “eyes.” Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise and cut out the center core from each half. Cut the pineapple in 1/2 –inch pieces and put them in a large bowl.



Add the remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 6 hours. Serve cold.

This one was also super delicious. But what did we eat the salsa with? That, my friends, is for the next post. Ooooh! Mystery. (Not really.)