Homemade Chipotle

Who doesn't LOVE Chipotle? I think I love their water as much as the buritos. I always get water with lemon and lime in it. And their sour cream.......did you know they whip it to get it to that wonderful drinkable texture? We've been trying to perfect Chipotle's at home now for several years. I had a pretty good chicken recipe that I found on a Chipotle Tabasco Sauce bottle, and then this Christmas my brother found a really good chicken recipe that tasted excellent. But today's recipe is for carnitas. When I go to Chipotle this is what I order: carnitas burrito, rice, black beans, corn salsa, lots of sour cream and cheese. I get the carnitas because it's less spicy than the chicken or barbacoa. So any way, after years of tweaking here's what we have so far.


Carnitas
4-5 lb pork shoulder
1 onion
1 T corriander seed
1 T cumin
1 T oregano
1 T thyme
1 T juniper berries
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
8 oz can of tomato sauce

Salt and pepper the roast. Sear on all sides. Put in crock pot.
In same skillet, cook onion until soft (5 min) Add garlic and spices. Cook for 1 min more.
Add chipotles and tomato sauce to deglaze pan.
Pour on top of roast. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred roast and return to sauce.



Corn Salsa
1 pkg frozen corn
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper
juice of 1 lime
1/4c cilantro, chopped

Thaw corn. Combine and enjoy.



Cilantro Lime Rice

1 T oil or butter
2 c basmatti rice
3 1/2 c water
1/2 c lime juice
1/2 t salt
4 T cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in saucepan. Add rice and cook over med-high heat until rice turns opaque white. Don't brown.
Add lime juice, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 min.
Fluff with fork and add cilantro.

Basic Muffin Recipe

This is a good blueberry muffin recipe that works well with any fruit. Tonight it was raspberries, and they tasted really good! If you squinted, the batter looked like frozen custard with raspberries. Now I'm hungry for Culvers!

Muffins

1/2 c sugar
1/4 c butter, softened
1 egg
2 1/3 c flour
4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c milk
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c berries or fruit (fresh or frozen)

Cream butter and sugar.
Add egg.
Combine dry ingredients.
Add to creamed mixture, alternating with milk and vanilla.
Fold in fruit.

Fill 12 muffin cups and top with raw sugar.
Bake at 375 for 25-30 min.

Honey-Lemon-Rosemary Chicken

Here is a great crock pot recipe that tastes amazing! It makes this great sauce that has a savory sweetness about it. And the potatoes soak up all the good flavor.


1 whole chicken cut-up (or equivalent)
1 T olive oil
5-6 medium potatoes, cut up
1 small onion, cut up
4 cloves garlic, chopped

Sauce:
1/4c honey
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 T cornstarch
1 T rosemary
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper



Put oil in skillet and brown chicken on both sides.
In bottom of crock pot combine potatoes, onions, and garlic.



Place browned chicken on top.
Whisk sauce ingredients together and pour over chicken.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Ayuda Me!

Everyday Addie asks me if she can put makeup on me....and pretty much everyday I say "no".

This is why....




I must say she did a pretty good job with the eyeliner around the eye, but I'm not quite sure what happened on the forehead or around the mouth.

Menu Monday

Can it be Monday again? ...already?
Well, here's what I have planned for the week, but my van won't start so we'll see if I can make it to the store. If not, I guess you can fill in each day with PB&J sandwiches!

honey-lemon-rosemary chicken/potatoes/carrots
julie's potato soup/bread & cheese
falafel/pitas/fruit
eggbake/muffins/oranges
carnitas burritos

BBQ Sauce

Several months ago we wanted some BBQ sauce, but didn't want to make a special trip to the store for it, so we decided to make our own. We found a recipe off of the allrecipes.com website and tweaked it a bit here and there and came up with this. Since then, I haven't bought another bottle of sauce. Nothing else seems to be as good! It has a lot of ingredients, but don't let that scare you. It's really easy to make.



BBQ Sauce

2 c ketchup
2 c tomato sauce
1 1/4 c brown sugar
1 1/4 c red wine vinegar
1/2 c molasses
4 t liquid smoke
2 T butter
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t chili powder
1 t paprika
1/2 t celery seed
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 t salt
1 t black pepper

In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix first 7 ingredients. Season with last 8 ingredients.
Reduce to low heat and simmer for 20 min.

Green Chicken Curry

I love anything with coconut milk, basil, and lime juice paired together. This dish is no exception. The heat of the green curry and the tender crunch of the green beans are great compliments to the dish.

Green Chicken Curry

adapted from Everyday Food

1 T cornstarch

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth

3-4 cups green beans

1 med onion, 1/2" slices

1 t Thai green curry paste

4 chicken breasts

1 can (14.5 oz)coconut milk

1 cup torn basil leaves

juice from 1/2 a lime

sea salt

Mix cornstarch and 2 T chicken broth in a small bowl. Set aside.

Cut chicken into thin slices. Cook in oiled skillet until opaque. Set aside, leaving juices in skillet.

Add green beans and onion to skillet. Cook, tossing frequently, until they begin to soften, 5-7 min.

Add curry paste, scraping bottom of skillet, until paste is slightly darkened, 3-4 min.

Add chicken, coconut milk, cornstarch mixture, and reserved chicken broth.

Simmer until vegetables are tender and sauce is slightly thickened, 5-8 min.

Add basil and lime juice. Season with salt.

Serve over rice.