Margarita Charred Corn Confetti Salsa

Margarita Charred Corn Confetti Salsa

OMG Y'ALL, this is summer in a bowl. Fa'real here. Summer Checklist: Margaritas (check), grilled food (check), fresh corn (check), and fresh peppers, cilantro, and red onion (check). Oh and don't forget the agave syrup... that really ties in the classic margarita flavors, including the tequila, lime juice, and sea salt. And let's be honest, it looks like a party. Who wants a party in their mouth? This girl does. It's pretty much a 50/50 ratio between the charred corn and mix of peppers, just the way we like it. The salsa is full of texture (and color of course) that comes from the sweet summer corn, fire roasted peppers, raw onions, candied jalapenos, and crunchy bell pepper. So much so, that it practically sings a summer anthem to you while you eat. But to top it all off, the flavor is rounded off with real mexican tequila and you can't (and shouldn't) miss it! It's just enough to give it that "je ne sais quoi" quality. Oh and if you are feeling a little sentimental, check out my recipe for "It's Five O'clock Somewhere" Spiked Guacamole. Serve it along side some hot tortilla chips, and heck, why not some shooters of tequila as well?! Okay, well maybe a marg will be justtttttt fine as well!! Enjoy :)

party in a bowl.

For the Confetti Salsa:

6 Large Ears of Fresh Corn

2 Large Poblanos

Olive Oil, Cajun Seasoning, & Chili Powder (enough to coat the corn and poblanos)

3 Red Jalapenos, Seeded & Minced

1 Orange Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped

¼C Candied Jalapenos, Minced

Half of a Large Red Onion, Minced

3-4 Large Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1 Bunch of Fresh Cilantro, Finely Chopped

1-2 Juicy Limes, Zested & Juiced

2T Red Wine Vinegar

3-4T Agave Syrup

2T Cold Tequila

1t Cumin & Coriander

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. Grilling the Corn & Poblanos: Get your grill cranked up as high as it can go, so that you can char the corn and poblanos to achieve some color, but not overcooking the vegetables. While your grill is getting hot, rub down the ears of corn and whole poblanos with some olive oil, Cajun seasoning, and chili powder until they are completely coated and seasoned. Place the rubbed corn and poblanos onto the hot grill and cook until the corn is charred and the poblanos are blackened. Remove them from the grill and allow the corn to cool and place the peppers into a plastic bag to steam for 15 minutes. After they have sat, peel the peppers from their blackened skin, so that only the flesh remain. Remove the seeds and dice into small pieces. Using a sharp knife to cut off the kernels from the cob and place into a mixing bowl.

2. For the Salsa: Combine all of the ingredients together, seasoning the salsa to taste. Toss to combine and refrigerate until chilled. 

3. Enjoy with some tortilla chips!

Muss + Turner Inspired Burgers with Cilantro-Candied Jalapeno Mayo, Roasted Poblanos, Pepper Jack Cheese, & Red Onion on Toasted “Everything” Brioche Buns

Muss + Turner Inspired Burgers with Cilantro-Candied Jalapeno Mayo, Roasted Poblanos, 

Pepper Jack Cheese, & Red Onion on Toasted “Everything” Brioche Buns

Sorry for not posting the last couple days, I had school and then my friends and I went down to Jacksonville, Florida for the Jimmy Buffett concert. And lemme tell y'all, it was debauchery at its' finest. Here's some pictures from our drunken adventure...

Kisses for Mollie

My car was so packed, we had to sit with stuff on our laps...

My Mountain Man bought this hat off some random people for $50... totally worth it.

debauchery.

Wrong in so many ways (that's a beach ball as my pregnant belly, don't worry) 

Heading into the concert!!

Me + Mollie Tailgatin'

About to grill our burgers

He's not too good at grilling, trust me.

Our Whole Group

Bruschetta Dip. BBQ Pulled Pork Dip. Caramelized Onion Dip. 

Us with two pirates

He loved my hatttttttt :)

Wasted away again in Margaritavilleeeee

Kisses for my Cleetus

"Cheeseburger's in Paradise" that we made, um yum. 

As you can see, it was pretty crazy! We're all still recovering, but it was so worth it. Everyone should go to at least one Jimmy concert in their life, there's nothin' like it. Anywayyyyyy, back to today's recipe. For our tailgate, I made some homemade brioche buns, but to make them extra special... I topped them with a classic "everything" bagel seasoning mix. There were poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried garlic, onion flakes, salt, and pepper all gorgeously sprinkled on top of the perfectly browned buns. They were to die for. So much so, that when we had a few left over, I knew we had to make some burgers this weekend. Ultimately, I decided that I wanted to make a burger inspired by one of my favorite lunch spots in Atlanta, Muss + Turner. They have a bunch of great options, but their burger is always raved about. It's layered with roasted poblano peppers, aged cheddar, red onion, and a cilantro mayo. I mean, those are some great components y'all. It was mixed up a bit today because we used pepper jack cheese and a cilantro-candied jalapeno mayo. This burger is sweet, smoky, salty, creamy, & spicy. That sounds perfectly balanced in my book. Well, I'm happy to report it was fabulous and definitely ranks in the top five of any burger that I have made. All of the handmade components really take it over the top, especially that bun. I'm not including the bun in this recipe, but don't you worry, I'll post that recipe tomorrow afternoon. So, please check back!! Enjoy :)

Look at all those perfect layers, y'all :)

For the Cilantro-Candied Jalapeno Mayo:

½C Mayo

¼C Fresh Cilantro, Minced

2T Candied Jalapenos, Minced

1T Lime Juice

1 Small Clove of Garlic, Minced into a Paste (with a little salt)

Salt & Pepper, To Taste (a pinch of sugar, if needed)

For the Cumin Burger Seasoning:

2t Sea Salt

1t Fresh Cracked Pepper

½t Cumin

For the Muss + Turner Burger:

Homemade “Everything” Brioche Buns, Sliced & Toasted (or fried in butter)

Ground Chuck Beef Patties

Prepared Cumin Burger Seasoning

Prepared Cilantro-Candied Jalapeno Mayo

Pepper Jack Cheese Slices

Roasted Poblano Peppers (one per burger)

Thinly Sliced Red Onion

Directions:

1. For the Cilantro-Candied Jalapeno Mayo: Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until incorporated. Season the mayo with salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.

2. For the Cumin Burger Seasoning: Mix together the spices in a small bowl until thoroughly mixed. Sprinkle the seasoning mix on both sides of the burger patties.

3. Assembling the Burgers: Season the burger patties with the prepared cumin seasoning. Sear the burgers over high heat until you have reached your preferred doneness (we like ours medium to medium-rare). Toast your brioche bun in the oven or fry them in oil until golden brown & crispy. Spread a big spoonful of the Cilantro-Candied Jalapeno Mayo on both sides of the buns. Layer the burger by placing down some of roasted poblano, followed by the burger, more roasted poblano, and a slice of pepper jack cheese. Toast the cheese topped burger in the oven until it has just melted. Remove it from the oven and finish it off with some thinly sliced onion and the top piece of the bun.

4. Enjoy immediately while it’s still warm!

Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette Coleslaw, Mango de Gallo, Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa, & Roasted Poblano Tartar Sauce

Next up for our Cinco de Mayo week are my absolutely ridiculous, over-the-top fried fish tacos. Now people, these aren't your ordinary fish tacos. Because I've had those fish tacos that are fried well and served with some sauce, maybe some lettuce and jalapenos... but they were just missin' something (apparently a whole lot of somethin'). I coated some small fish filets in my favorite beer batter and fried them until they were golden brown & crispy. After that, I made a whole bunch of different toppings. Let's start with the Mango de Gallo and the Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa...

Mango de Gallo & Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa

The Mango de Gallo is sweet & fruity, which perfectly complements the fried fish. And the corn salsa is just damn good. I'm a lover of corn. Big lover. We just ate the corn salsa with chips for days. So don't leave either of these components out, they're key to fish taco greatness. I also made a coleslaw tossed in a homemade Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette for some acidity and freshness to cut through the heaviness of the beer batter and tartar sauce. I love this coleslaw... put it on every taco that you can, people. Lastly, there is the Roasted Poblano Tartar Sauce, which is personally my favorite component. It's spicy and creamy, and pretty much what dreams are made of. I will be making this again when I make homemade fish sticks... or fried shrimp. By the way, did I mention that I hate fish?! Yes, it's true. The stuff gives me the heeby-geebies. But guess what, I friggin' loved these tacos. So much so, that we will be making them again very soon. Most likely this weekend!! Enjoy :)

Always Garnish with Some Crumbled Cotija Cheese...

For the Beer Battered Fish:

2C AP Flour (plus a little extra)

Pinch of Salt

1t Baking Powder

½C + 2T Seltzer Water

½C + 2T Beer

Thin Filets of Cod Fish (or any other white, flaky fish)

Few Drops of Yellow Food Dye

1Q Canola Oil 

Salt & Pepper, For Sprinkling

For the Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette:

½C Red Wine Vinegar, Honey, & Olive Oil

2t Dijon Mustard

2t Adobo Sauce

½t Paprika

¼t Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, & Dried Oregano  

For the Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette Coleslaw:

1 ½C Coleslaw Mix

2-3 Green Onions, Chopped (depending on how much onion you like)

1 Large Jalapeno, Seeded & Diced

Prepared Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Mango de Gallo:

1C Mango, Cut into Small Cubes

1 Jalapeno, Seeded & Diced

¼C Chopped Cilantro

½C Red Onion, Finely Diced

2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1 Lime, Zested & Juiced

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa:

1 Poblano Chile Pepper, Roasted & Diced

1C Corn Kernels, Charred

1 Small Jalapeno Pepper, Seeded & Chopped

2T Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

2T Red Onion, Chopped

2T Fresh Lime Juice

2t Olive Oil

½t Sugar

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Roasted Poblano Tartar Sauce:

½C Mayo

1t Fresh Cilantro, Minced

½t Dijon Mustard

1t Capers, Roughly Chopped

1t Sweet Onion, Minced 

1 Roasted Poblano, Seeded & Diced

1 Roasted Jalapeno, Seeded & Diced

½t Lime Zest

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Fish Tacos:

Flour Tortillas

Prepared Roasted Poblano Tartar Sauce

Crispy Beer Battered Fried Fish Filets

Prepared Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette Coleslaw

Prepared Mango de Gallo

Prepared Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa

Pico de Gallo, Fresh Lime, or Cotija Cheese

Directions:

1. For the Beer Battered Fish: Heat the oil in your deep fryer to 375 degrees. Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add in the seltzer, beer, and yellow food dye. Whisk until lumps are gone. Dip the filets into some plain AP Flour, so that it is completely covered, and then shake off the excess. Dip the floured filets into the batter and gently lay into the hot oil for about 3-5 minutes or until golden brown on the outside and flaky inside. Sprinkle the fried fish with salt and pepper.

2. For the Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette: Combine all ingredients, except oil in a blender and blend on low speed for 10 seconds. Slowly drizzle the oil into the blender on low speed. Chill the finished dressing for at least an hour.

3. For the Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette Coleslaw: In a medium-mixing bowl, toss the coleslaw mix with the diced jalapenos and green onions until incorporated. Coat the coleslaw mixture with the prepared chipotle-honey vinaigrette until completely coated. Set it aside until ready to assemble the tacos.

4. For the Mango de Gallo: Add in all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve on the tacos.

5. For the Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa: Add in all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve on the tacos.

6. For the Roasted Poblano Tartar Sauce: Whisk together all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

7. Assembling the Fried Fish Tacos: Line 3 tortillas on a plate, and then spread on some of the homemade roasted poblano tartar sauce. Place 1-2 pieces of beer battered fish onto each tortilla and top with chipotle-honey vinaigrette coleslaw and mango de gallo. Garnish with a spoonful of chunky guacamole, Pico de gallo, some onion, a squeeze of lime, and crumbled Cotija cheese (optional). 

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Hello everyone, I hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving! I'm still stuffed, but of course I'm managing to do one last round of tailgate food today for the Iron Bowl. I will be posting a few Thanksgiving recipes in the next week so look forward to Salted Caramel Apple Pie with Vanilla Bean Pastry Crust, Zesty Cranberry-Cherry Sauce, and a Thanksgiving leftover sandwich. Anyway, today's recipe is Jalapeno Popper Dip. As I have obviously mentioned before, we love jalapeno poppers, and we will make just about anything inspired by this appetizer. Well this dip does NOT disappoint, I just love it. It's so creamy and has the best kick from the fresh jalapenos, roasted poblanos, and candied jalapenos. But my absolute favorite part is the thin layer of apricot-pineapple preserves on top of the dip. It is a sweet little surprise to balance out the heat. Also, I finish the dip with a crispy layer of buttery panko breadcrumbs that mimics the breading of a deep-fried jalapeno popper. Serve this dip warm with some chips, and just go to town... you won't regret it!! Enjoy :)

Crispy Panko Topping

Jalapeno Popper Dip

For the Dip:

2 8oz Packages of Cream Cheese, Softened

½C Mayo

½C Sour Cream

½t Garlic Salt, Cayenne, & Cajun Seasoning

4 Jalapenos, Diced

3 Poblano Peppers, Roasted & Diced

2T Candied Jalapenos, Diced (optional)

8 Slices of Applewood Smoked Bacon, Cut into Cubes & Fried until Crispy

1 8oz Block of Pepperjack Cheese, Shredded

½C Apricot-Pineapple Preserves (or Hot Pepper Jelly)

1C Panko Breadcrumbs

½C Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated

3T Butter, Cut into Small Cubes   

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a baking dish with Pam.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, garlic salt, and cayenne until smooth. Stir in the diced jalapenos, roasted poblano, candied jalapeno, and shredded pepperjack until well incorporated. Spoon this mixture into the prepared baking dish into a smooth layer. Spread a thin, even layer of preserves on top of the creamy dip.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the panko and Parmesan. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the preserves. Top the breadcrumbs with the cubes of butter.
4. Bake the dip for 30 minutes until the dip is hot & bubbly. Broil the dip for a few minutes to toast the breadcrumbs to golden brown.
5. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

Soup Sunday: Shrimp-Corn Chowder

We're finally back from our trip to the mountains. It was super cold, but a lot of fun! We went hiking, shopping, fishing, and ate a whole bunch (duh). But I'm glad to be back. So, it's back to posting recipes! Well, obviously it is Soup Sunday again, and this is by far my favorite soup recipe (like ever). If you have ever been to Atlanta (or plan on going in the future), then you have probably eaten at Taqueria del Sol. It is possibly the busiest taco stand downtown. Sometimes you'll have to wait 1-2 hours just to eat. It's absolutely delicious... I always order two fried chicken tacos with a shrimp-corn chowder on the side. And lemme tell you, this soup is heavenly. It is so thick and creamy that you just instantly melt as you sip it in. It's sweet, but spicy, which is my one achilles heal. And then you have chunks of sweet corn, fresh shrimp, and poblano peppers. The soup is just divine. So, I knew that I had to recreate it. And I actually succeeded. This soup was seriously amazing, and just like Taqueria's. I beg you to make this, just do it, please. It's just that good! Enjoy :)

Shrimp-Corn-Poblano Chowder with Cheddar-Bay Biscuits

For the Chowder:

4T Unsalted Butter

1-2 Poblano Peppers, Seeded & Diced
1-2 Jalapeno Peppers (leave whole if you want it more spicy)
1 Bell Pepper, Diced (red of yellow preferably)
3 Cloves of Garlic

1 Small Sweet Onion, Diced

3 Stalks of Celery, Chopped

1T Lobster Base

½t Chili Powder & Old Bay

¼t Cayenne, Paprika, & White Pepper
Freshly Grated Nutmeg (around 1/8t or a healthy pinch)

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

1/3C Sugar (you can use a little more if you want it sweeter)

1 15oz Creamed Corn

2C Sweet Corn, Charred in a Skillet (we love corn, so we started doubling it to 4C of corn)

2lbs Shrimp, Diced

8-16oz Lump Crab Meat (this is completely optional, but crab makes everything better)

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Melted

½C AP Flour (sometimes you might need 2-4T more to make it thicker)         

1Q Heavy Cream

1Q Half & Half
Seafood Stock, For Thinning (if needed, completely optional)
Handful of Chives, Minced

Directions:

1. Preparing the Vegetables: Puree the poblano peppers, jalapeno peppers, bell pepper, cloves of garlic, diced onion, & celery in a food processor. Process until the veggies are finely chopped or minced (it should look like confetti). Drain out the excess liquid. Melt the 4T of butter in a large soup pot, and add in the vegetable puree. Saute for 3-5 minutes over medium heat or until they become tender and slightly translucent. When the vegetables have softened... add in the shrimp, crab, cream, half & half, seasonings, sugar, and lobster base. Let it simmer until the roux is ready. 
2. To Make the Roux: Begin making the roux by melting the one stick of butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Once the butter is hot enough and at a liquid state, add a pinch of flour to see if it is hot enough to start making the roux. If the flour bubbles, then it is ready. Whisk the flour into the melted butter until a thick, rough paste forms. Make sure to whisk constantly until no lumps of flour remain. It becomes smooth and thinned out some. Cook the roux until it reaches the white stage, it takes about 3-5 minutes. At this point, the roux should lose its raw, uncooked smell. Set it aside until you are ready to add it into your soup.
2. Making the Chowder: Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer and add in the roux. Whisk vigorously until the roux is completely incorporated and no large roux lumps remain. Simmer until your desired thickness, roughly 15-20 minutes. Add in the creamed corn and charred/grilled/fresh corn (whatever your preference is, we like to grill our corn because it gives the soup a mild smoky flavor). Adjust the soup with salt, pepper, and sugar to your liking. If the soup has gotten too thick for your tastes, just add in some seafood stock to thin it out a bit. 
3. Serve the soup hot with a garnish of minced chives and have some warm Cheddar-Bay Biscuits on the side!