Chunky Chicken Chili

Believe it or not, this week has still been chili weather in Los Angeles. It's blustery and cool and does not at all feel the way springtime should time in Southern California. So on that note, I went to town on what was one really time consuming but insanely tasty chili. I don't think I've ever spent so much time chopping up meat for a chili since I'm usually lazy and go for the ground/mince meat option. But this is seriously amazing.

My warning to you is that is is spicy! The spiciness does lose it's punch after a few days, but on day one, it's fiery. Not in the horrible "I taste nothing because it's so spicy" kind of hot, but the really flavorful yet spicy kind of hot. If you're not a fan of spicy, there are definitely ways to change this and still keep that same flavors. If you're not into spicy foods, only use 1 chipotle chile and skip the jalapeno. Also keep in mind that adding sour cream or grated cheese on top will help reduce the spicy factor.

Don't disregard this recipe if you're worries about the heat. If you've never had a chili with chipotles in adobo sauce before, you're missing out. They add a semi smoky flavor that is lacking in the pre-packaged chili flavoring powders. It will take a while to make this, but it's really worth it. And maybe if you're lucky your butcher can chop up the chicken for you.

Pin It Now!

Asian Beef and Noodle Salad

Do you ever get sick and tired of pasta salad smother in mayo or bottled Italian dressing? I know that is one of my least favorite summer dishes. The weather is getting warmer in parts of the country and that means it will be picnic season really soon. I absolutely love picnics. Something about sitting on a blanket and (usually) being out in nature makes for the ideal eating experience. So here's a delicious Asian noodle salad that will add some flavor to your summer menu.

It's made with beef, but I would make it vegetarian for a picnic dish (something about cold beef has never gone over well with me). If you're making this at home for dinner, throw in the meat and you have all of the food groups in one dish. It holds up pretty well on day 2, but if you want to make it ahead of time, just keep the dressing separate until you're going to serve it. There's a lot of dressing on this, but it's pretty healthy and has a really good flavor.
Pin It Now!

Challah French Toast with Chocolate

As a kid, it wasn't uncommon for my mom to make us Challah french toast on Saturday mornings. We almost always had leftover Challah from Friday night, and french toast was one of the best way to use it up, especially in the eyes of a little kid. This weekend, I decided to make this french toast again, after not having had any variety of french toast in years.

My little twist to traditional french toast is that I cut slits into the side of the bread and add some chocolate squares that end up melting on the inside. As you can imagine, this is amazing. It's not something I eat often since it really is not the healthiest way to start your day, but seeing as how it's the weekend and it's still mysteriously cold in Los Angeles, chocolate stuffed french toast sounded perfect. If you're really not into having chocolate in the morning, just skip this step. You can spice up the otherwise standard challah french toast with different flavors in the egg and milk combination (orange zest, vanilla, etc...) or by adding some fruit sauce or compote on the finished french toast.

If you cannot find challah, you can also use brioche. I used a mini challah that had been partially eaten (that's what we had leftover) and it gave me about 10 small pieces of french toast. With the mini challah, I was only able to stuff chocolate in 1 side, but with a larger challah or brioche, you can stuff all 4 sides or just 2 sides.
Pin It Now!

Almond Poppy Seed Cake

I've been wanting to make this cake for a a few months now. It all started with a search for a very specific poppy seed cake that is wrapped in a pastry (I never found a good one by the way), but while looking everywhere, I stumbled upon this recipe. It sounded pretty delicious, and it did not fail at all.

My parents recently returned from a trip overseas and brought me a silicone cake form (this was my first attempt at using one), so I decided it would be the perfect time to try this recipe. In terms of the cakes flavor, have you ever eaten one of those massive Costco poppy seed muffins? Think of those, but lots better. I made this cake Thursday night, and by Saturday evening it still did not dry out. I absolutely love it, as does my family. Three of us managed to finish half of this cake in 1 day. So I hope you all give this a try. It's actually really easy to make and even though I oh-so-slightly over-baked it, it still came out being very moist. And it stayed moist for 3 days. The original recipe is made in a 9" bundt or tube form, but having neither of these on hand, and a new adorable form to try out, I made one brioche-style cake. Baking time will vary based on cake form.
Pin It Now!

Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli

I'm sure most of you are over recipes involving squash, pumpkin, or any of the other delicious autumn/winter flavors. But now that it's not 100 degrees every day, I am so excited and actually want to use these things. So if you have room for one more butternut squash recipe before summer rolls around, give this a try.

I wasn't even going to make these ravioli until early today, when a batch of butternut squash/feta muffins turned out being a total bust, leaving me with 3/4 of the squash untouched. I wasn't in the mood for a soup, nor am I a skilled risotto maker, so these ravioli were perfect. To save some time, you can roast the butternut squash a day ahead and just puree it when needed.

I have to admit that I cheated and used wonton wrappers instead of making fresh pasta. But that cheat saves tons of time and seeing as how I have never owned a pasta machine, it's the next best bet. This ravioli has a really rich, and creamy filling that you have to love! I loaded up on the Parmesan (why wouldn't I) and added a little bit more butternut squash than in the original recipe, but aside from that, everything else was perfect.

I'm sitting here in a food coma, wondering why I decided to have half of this recipe for lunch. Seriously, I think you could feed 3 hungry, or 4 moderately hungry people with this recipe. But it was so delicious and heavenly that I couldn't stop. It is time consuming, and if you're anything like me, you nibble as you work. So if you're ready to indulge in some sinful ravioli, here you go...
Pin It Now!