Cranberry Chipotle Glazed Ham
**UPDATE** The winner of the Microplane was #43 (as chosen by Random.org). Congratulations to Amanda from The Two Boos Who Eat! We have ham today, but first … how about a giveaway? Because it is the Holidays, and because I appreciate all my readers more than I can express, I am giving away one of my FAVORITE kitchen tools! A Classic Series Microplane! This handy tool is great for zesting, grating, and finely shaving all...
Tex-Mex Macaroni and Cheese
Make no mistake, I adore macaroni and cheese. I have posted a recipe here before and it is sublime. It is one of my favorite things to eat, and I love to tinker with my original recipe and see what new variations I can come up with. This new recipe combines macaroni and cheese with another of my culinary loves, Tex-Mex food. Trust me, this recipe really, really works! How do I know this? Well, aside from my own judgment in the...
Tex-Mex Potato Cheese Soup
I’ve established that I used to be in a potato rut. No longer, I am happy to report, and this recipe proves it. Potato soup is something I love to eat but never really make. The last recipe I tried made a large pot of what can best be described as wall paper paste. So, when I was looking at some extra potatoes that I needed to use, I decided to make some potato soup that would actually be creamy, velvety, and a delight to...
Baked Sopes with Skirt Steak and Black Beans
Living so close to the Mexican border you would think you would get more authentic Mexican food, but we really don’t. We get a lot of really yummy Tex-Mex, the fusion of Mexican flavors with Southwestern ingredients and traditional cowboy cooking methods. There are times, however, when I crave the food of Mexico. In particular the fried corn cakes called sopes. The traditional method for making these involves, as I understand...
Spicy Red Bean Soup
Sometimes you just need a good bowl of soup. The funny thing about soup is that despite how easy most soups are to make at home we, as a society, so often turn to the cans of soup that line grocery store shelves. Yes, they are easy to prepare, but for all their ease of use they lack any real flavor. So, a few weeks ago, I found myself contemplating easy, filling soups that would put some roses back in my cheeks (to find out why...
Queso Blanco
There are certain foods that I crave and am completely unable to resist. One of those foods is queso blanco. This creamy cheese dip is finding its way on to the menus of Tex-Mex restaurants next to the traditional orange chili con queso. It is made with a variety of white cheeses and spices depending on where you buy it. Of course, I decided to try making my own queso blanco, but most of the recipes I found resulted in...
