Holé Molé! Tamales!

 WOW! These tamales were SO good...

Step 1: Soak the Husks in water for about 30 minutes

Step 2: Prepare the carnitas and combine the masa mixture

Carnita from Trader Joe's

Masa Mixture

Step 3: Combine the meat + masa mixture in any shape you want and roll them into the corn husks.

Tamales before cooking

Step 4: Steam on stove top for 1 1/2 hours

Waiting to be steamed

Steamed Tamales

Step 5: Take the husks off and dig in!

Add caption

The tamales could have stood alone but the best part about them were the two sauces that my dad made. He made a red & green sauce. 

The red sauce was his version of enchilada sauce, because I am not a huge fan of enchilada sauce, I like  to think of it as mole sauce( with no cocoa). 

The green sauce was a combination of green chiles+poblano peppers.

We almost had too much fun!

Mojitos, please!

In Scottsdale Cole and I had some of the best mojitos I have ever had. Some of my famous words have become, "You know, we could make this at home!" and that is just what we decided to do. 

Here's how we made them at home... 

Ingredients: Rum, tonic water, lime, mint leaves (crushed & whole),  simple syrup and ice

Squeeze two lime slices 

Crush the mint
Disclaimer:crushing the mint up too much will result in a swampy looking drink and mint all over your teeth and mouth

Measure out about a shot and a half of rum

Add about 1 tablespoon of simple syrup

To make simple syrup....Combine 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water on stove. Bring to a boil, make sure all sugar dissolves in water, and cool in refrigerator.

After all ingredients are added (minus the tonic water) SHAKE IT! 

Pour in glass, add tonic water and anymore lime or mint leaves  you want as a garnish

...and enjoy! 

Aftermath of the mojito making station.

 Only thing that would have made these mojitos even better would have been warmer weather, a tall skinny glass & a sugar cane used a stirrer in the drink.

Homemade Gnocchi & Saltimbocca

One of my favorite things to do when I go home is cook with my dad. My parents had made this dinner at a friends house a couple weeks before I came home. 

They enjoyed it so much that my dad remade the gnocchi for him and my mom and the next night when I was home, we all made the meal all over again!

Rolling out the gnocchi dough, cutting it into pieces and rolling it along the back of a fork to give it texture

Cooking the Gnocchi

Gnocchi waiting to be cooked

Saltimbocca- chicken instead of veal, prosciutto, with a sage leaf

In Italian, Saltimbocca translates into "jump in your mouth".

Finished product! Gnocchi drizzled with a basil butter sauce and pan seared saltimbocca.

In the Sloan household, the entrees are usually made by dad, and the salad or desert is left up to my mom(if we are lucky and tonight we were!)

This is a favorite of my parents, and it is slowly growing on me. 

Butter lettuce dressed with a little bit of olive oil, thinly sliced lemon, walnuts, and topped with blue cheese. 

If there is one thing my mom never fails to compliment the meal with is flowers. We may be looking forward to a salad afterwards and be disappointed but we are never eating without some sort of my moms creativeness in the middle of the table!

Braised Pulled Pork

Braising is a process that obviously requires time, not only is it a long cooking process but a planning process as well. One Saturday afternoon, around 1:00, juicy tender pulled pork was going to be on the menu for dinner . Surprisingly, I was able to pull a recipe and grocery list together fast enough to get to the store and put the pork in the oven for it be ready just in time for an 8:00 dinner. 

< a movie while the pork was braising!>

After googling recipes for pulled BBQ pork, I finally decided that I would combine a couple recipes and I came up with a braising recipe....a)because I do not have a smoker and  b)it fit in my time frame. 

It turned out much better than I expected, especially since it was my first time cooking anything like this.

Here is the recipe I put together...

Braised Pork Butt

4 to 5 pound pork butt, bone-in

1 tbs brown sugar

2 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tbs salt

1tsp pepper

1 tbs olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, peeled & cut into wedges

4 gloves of garlic, peeled

1 7 oz. can diced tomatoes

1/2 can of beer

1 can of tomato juice

1/4 cup Worcestershire

1 bottle of favorite BBQ sauce

Combine the brown sugar,cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, & pepper. Rub on pork and let sit for 30 minutes.

Heat olive oil in large dutch oven pot or large pasta pot, brown pork on all sides. Remove from pot.

Add onions, garlic, tomatoes, beer, tomato juice, Worcestershire, & BBQ sauce. Bring to a simmer, while scraping bottom to pick up any browned bits.

Return the pork to pot and cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours in a 325 degrees oven, checking once or twice, until meat is extremely tender and pulls away from bone.

After removing the bone, it is easy to pull the pork using 2 forks (if cooked with fat on, make sure to remove fat before pulling)

After all pork is pulled, pour some of the remaining braising liquid over meat to ensure juiciness and prevent from drying out.

Tamale Making Time!

Today at City Grocery Myra and I made tamales....! I usually do not have my phone while working, but this was something that needed to be documented. It was a two hour process total. After lunch service had ended and the line chefs had left, Myra and I had the kitchen all to ourselves! We turned the pandora station to Myra's favorite, spanish Shakeria, and we were jamming-it was a little too much fun!

Masa mix

1 oz. portioned lamb meat

roasted corn, diced red onion, masa 

combining everything 

Once the roasted corn, onion, and added salt to the masa mixture were combined, we portioned out 3.5 oz of masa. Rolled the masa around the lamb meat and then wrapped with a corn husk.

Myra!

and Violia!

A Time For Celebration!

The end of September marked a special day for my family; my moms birthday! My grandmother always told me that a woman should never reveal her age....... but I will say that this was birthday worth celebrating!


My dad, brother, and I planned a "surprise" party for my mom at one of the coolest places in Nashville, Peter Nappi. About 45 of our nearest and dearest friends enjoyed hors d'oeuvres by Danny Cates and music by the Gypsy Hombres.

(sorry for the blurriness)

A toast to my wonderful mom!

We came home and enjoyed Birthday cake while rehashing the events of night...too much fun!

And continued to enjoy the cake and left over champagne all weekend!

Chili: 2 Ways

 Some people think of chili as something to eat only when it is cold outside, but I love chili year round. Not only is it fun to make, but its a meal that will continue to give in quantity & flavor.

The first chili is recipe from The Silver Palate. My brother seems to think this is the best chili recipe found yet. 

I also have a chili recipe that I think is the best. This chili is a little less invasive in your pocket book and spice cabinet, but still manages to be the dish that keeps giving.  

Shredded cheddar and fritos are my favorite toppings!