Blood Orange Margaritas

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There aren’t too many good things I can say for this time of the year. We’re still got a few more weeks of winter left, and cabin fever set in 2 months ago. One thing that always brightens  my spirits is the abundance of gorgeous citrus fruits. Even out here on the Eastern Shore, in my local mega-mart, I have been able to find prized citrus varieties like meyer lemons and blood oranges. Now, that not may seem like a big deal to most of you “city slickers”, but when I find specialty items like this in the store it’s all I can do to contain my excitement. I usually buy several bags to enjoy for the next couple weeks, then what I don’t use – I’ll juice and freeze for use throughout the year.

Another thing that brightens my spirits this time of year (well, ALL times of year, actually) is booze! While I’ve been enjoying lots of great home brew, courtesy of the Mister, I’ve been enjoying the occasional margarita here and there too. It’s so much fun to play with the flavor profiles of margaritas, with whatever fruits are in season. When I saw a blood orange margarita pop up on Shawnda’s site (the Queen of flavored margs!), it was love at first sight. Blood oranges are more orange-y than their Navel cousin, so I knew the flavor had to be divine. And, the color. That deep, dark red is just to die for!

The first night I made them, I made them for just myself, and they went down far too easy. Needless to say, pictures were not captured. I was too busy shaking my tailfeather to old school tunes upstairs (yea, alone!). Sigh, I *really* need a night out! I’ve made them several times since then for company, and they’re always very well received. A great change of pace from the standard margarita. Blood oranges are already gone from my local store, but I’m already looking forward to next year when I’ll be able to make these again. If you can track down a bag, do yourself a favor and make these margaritas this weekend!

Blood Orange Margaritas

3 oz tequila
2 oz Triple Sec
2 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
4 oz fresh-squeezed blood orange juice (~3-4 oranges)
1 oz agave nectar
kosher salt on plate, for rim
Blood orange slices, for garnish

Run slice of orange around rim of glass. Dip the rim of two small glasses into the salt, fill with ice, and set aside.

Mix tequila, Triple Sec, lime, and orange juices well. Taste for sweetness and add agave if desired.

Pour into glasses. Garnish with slices of orange.

Source:  adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Shrimp Enchiladas

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We love Mexican food. In fact we love it so much, we eat it at least twice a week in our house. It’s always fairly cheap, quick, and always delicious and filling. While we love my notorious chicken enchiladas, or beef tacos in a crispy fried shell, sometimes you just want something a little lighter and different. Which, can be hard to come by in Mexican cuisine. Enter these shrimp enchiladas. Now, I’m always a fan of anything shrimp – because we can get them so fresh, for a great price. But, to then cover them cheese sauce an wrap it in a tortilla? Sign me up!

These have become my new favorite meal. We’ve already had it twice in two weeks, and that’s not like us. They come together so quickly, with minimal effort. The most painstaking part was peeling and deveining the shrimp, which I’ve become pretty proficient with in all these years of practice. I used Pepper Jack, and I liked the hint of spice that it lent to the dish. I’ll admin, I was a little bit hesitant that the enchiladas had no sauce on the top. Believe me when I say this, you won’t miss it! The filling is so gooey and delicious, I think that sauce on the top would just be overkill. I did have some leftover cheese that I sprinkled on before baking. If you’re looking at a few blanks on your menu plan next week, fill one of them in with these delicious enchiladas. I’d bet they’ll become a new favorite for you too!

Shrimp Enchiladas

3 tbsp. butter, divided
1 lb. medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 red bell pepper, diced
¾ cup onion, diced
¼ tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. salt
Dash garlic powder
Dash cayenne pepper
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
6 tbsp. heavy cream or half-and-half
¼ cup sour cream
8 oz. shredded cheese (such as Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, etc.), divided
1 cup tomatoes, seeded and diced
8-10 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Cooking spray

In a large sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat.  Add the shrimp to the pan in an even layer and let cook without moving, about 1 minute.  Flip the shrimp over and continue to cook until just pink and opaque, 30-60 seconds longer.  Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.  When the shrimp is cool enough to handle, roughly chop into bite sized pieces, if desired.

Melt the remaining butter in the pan.  Add the diced bell pepper and onion, and cook until just tender, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the oregano, salt, garlic powder, cayenne and flour to the pan; stir well and cook briefly until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.  Lower the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream to the pan, stirring to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Cook just until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat.  Stir in the sour cream, half of the shredded cheese, and the tomatoes.  Return the shrimp to the pan as well, and mix everything together until the sauce is well blended and the cheese is melted.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.  Scoop 1/3 cup of the filling and sauce mixture down the center of a tortilla.  Sprinkle lightly with some of the reserved cheese.  Roll the tortilla tightly around the filling and place seam side-down in the  prepared baking dish.  Repeat with the remaining filling, tortillas and cheese.  Spray the tops of the finished assembled tortillas lightly with cooking spray.  Bake uncovered for about 30-35 minutes, until lightly browned.  Let cool at least 5-10 minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from My Kitchen Cafe, via Annie’s Eats

Red Velvet Cupcakes

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I know I’m kind of a day late and a dollar short with these cupcakes, but it’s Valentine’s Day, and I wanted to share something sweet with you guys. What’s more classic for the special day than red velvet cake? Behold them, in all their color saturated glory. Andrew and I had a great time baking them yesterday afternoon. Hard to believe that next year I’ll be shipping cupcakes off to school with him for a Valentine party – yikes!

I’ve been using this recipe for several years now, and they always come out perfect every time. Some might think that 2 ounces of food coloring is excessive. And it is, kind of. But the full, rich color it gives these cupcakes can’t be had with any less. In the olden’ days, you would have to rely on a chemical reaction between the cocoa and vinegar to produce a mottled brownish-red color.  Now, I’m all for doing things the natural way as much as possible. Buuut, thank goodness for my industrial sized bottle of red food coloring (purchased at my local restaurant supply shop – much love to Sysco) to give the that punchy color I so adore. Share them with someone you love!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. red food coloring (two bottles)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.  In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes.

Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go.  Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda.  Yes, it will fizz!  Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake cups with cake batter (they should be 2/3 – 3/4 full).  You may not fill all the cups, I ended up with 20 cupcakes.  Place muffin tins on the middle rack of a preheated 350 degree oven.  Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check early and don’t over bake!

Cool the cupcakes in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before frosting. For garnish I like to process one cupcake in a food processor, and use the crumbs to sprinkle onto cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces butter
3 3/4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Cream the butter, cheese and salt in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar until incorporated, then add the vanilla.

Source: cupcakes from Pinch My Salt; frosting from Sprinkles

Elly’s World Famous Black Beans

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I’m sure I’ve mentioned it here before, but we’ve been incorporating more beans into our menu plans. I just can’t get enough of them. I’ve wanted to try the lovely Elly’s recipe forever now, as anyone who has ever made them raves and raves. After finally getting around to making them, I can see why. Creamy and delicious, with a huge punch of flavor from the seasonings. And, the kicker? They only took 20 minutes! You’d swear they’d been cooking all day…

I thought about doubling the recipe, but it was just enough for all of us to have with supper as well as a couple spoonfuls for another plate of leftovers. Next time I probably will, as I would like to enjoy them on top of some rice for a lunch or two during the week. It’s the perfect side dish for any Tex-Mex that comes out of your kitchen. I’d been in kind of a rut with Spanish rice, but it’s nice to have something new to switch things up with. Will definitely be making this one again and again. World famous, indeed!

Elly’s World Famous Black  Beans

2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 – 2/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
squeeze of fresh lime juice (optional)
sliced scallions or chopped cilantro (optional)

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat, and add the vegetable oil.  Once shimmering, cook the onion until translucent.  Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, and bay leaf until the garlic is fragrant and the tomato paste has cooked off a bit, about 30-60 seconds.

Add the beans to the pan and using a wooden spatula, smash about half of the beans.  Stir in the chicken broth (start with 1/2 cup and you can always add a little more if necessary), chili powder, cumin, and oregano.  Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld and most of the broth has been absorbed, about 10-15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper as needed.

If desired, squeeze a little fresh lime juice over the top and sprinkle with scallions or cilantro.

Source: Elly Says Opa!