Super Sauce Free Steak

Good evening everyone! Sometimes, the "culinary world' just dictates which recipes we'll try in a given week. For example, as I perused my favorites spots for inspiration last weekend, I was finding little in the way new recipes. Digging a little deeper, I stumbled across a unique steak marinade featuring vegetable juice and vodka. I tabbed the page, essentially marking it as "come back to in the future". Further browsing into another source eventually lead me to ANOTHER steak marinade recipe featuring vodka, hot sauce and vegetable juice. That settled it - the culinary world was telling me to try this marinade, and I wasn't about to ignore that message.

So, armed with two "bloody mary" marinade recipes I combined the best parts of each and set out to try this idea on my own. Here's what I came up with: 

The Recipe: 'Bloody Mary' Steak 

What You'll Need: 

(Serves 2) 

1 Large Skirt Steak (1 - 1.5 Lbs) 

1 Cup Vegetable Juice 

1/2 Cup Vodka 

1 Teaspoon Hot Sauce 

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce 

2 Garlic Cloves (Crushed) 

Salt (Pinch)
Pepper (Pinch)


Begin by combining all of the ingredients in a large 1 gallon sealable bag or in a small glass dish with a lid. (I prefer the second option, as it makes for easier cleanup and it's easier to get the steak out when the marinating process is over). Mix the ingredients well until everything is evenly combined, then add the steak to the bag / dish and seal. Place the steak in the refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours prior to cooking.

When you're ready to cook, remove the steak from the marinade and allow the excess to liquid to drip off the steak (don't pat the steak dry, however). Place the steak on a grill set to medium high heat and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, making sure to flip halfway through the cooking process. This method will produce a medium rare steak, for those who prefer things a little more done, add a few minutes per 'level' of doneness (3 more minutes for medium, 6 minutes for medium well - etc.)

Allow the steak to rest for 3 to 5 minutes before slicing it and serving. Enjoy!

The Results:

The best testament I can give to this recipe is that you don't need a steak sauce. The steak is so full of great flavor that a steak sauce would only mask what the marinade created - even those that THINK they HAVE to have a sauce with every steak may find themselves surprised. Flank steak on its own is a relatively underwhelming steak. It gets the job done, but it's not typically going to be the star of the dish. (Most flank steak recipes feature a sauce or side to help "pick up" the steak) With this marinade, the typically ho-hum flank steak shines with great, rich flavor. You have to try it to fully believe it, but this marinade is certainly one to keep close by for a summertime cookout.

That's all we have for you this evening. Maggie takes to the kitchen tomorrow night for a brand new recipe of her own, and we'll close out the week with a product review that may help those of you who aspire to be at home chefs, but feel like you can't cook enough to justify buying the fresh ingredients. Intrigued? You should be!

Until then,

~Cheers 

Delightful Delicious Cod Cakes

Good evening everyone!  It's always fascinating when one cooks to take an ingredient and mold it in such a way to make it familiar.  This is often done with fish and rightfully so.  If you are cooking for kids (and adults,) they recognize round patties and never think twice on what they are eating.  Tonight, I'm whipping up a batch of fish cakes that won't get confused with any kind of burger.

The Recipe:  Cod Cakes with Garlic-Basil Aioli
Original Recipe Found In:  America's Test Kitchen Simple Weeknight Favorites

What You'll Need:
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1/4 Cup chopped fresh Basil
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 Pound skinless Cod fillets, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs
1 large Egg
2 Scallions, finely chopped
1/4 Cup Olive Oil

To start, place the mayonnaise, basil, lemon juice, and garlic in a food processor.  Blend these ingredients until everything is smooth and lightly green, no more than 20 seconds.  Transfer this mixture to a serving bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Clean the aioli remnants out of the food processor and begin to prepare the cod.

Place half of the cod in the food processor and process until the cod pieces are finely minced, about six pulses.  Transfer the cod into a large mixing bowl and repeat the process with the other half of the cod.  Add the previously processed cod back to the food processor.  Next, add 3/4 cup panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, an egg, the scallions, and 3 tablespoons aioli.  Blend this mixture until all the ingredients are evenly mixed, between 10 to 15 pulses, depending on how well you want this mixture combined.

On a clean plate, place the remaining 3/4 cup panko and spread into a thin layer.  Reach into the food processor (with the blade out!) and form into 3 1/2 inch patties.  If there is any remaining liquid, gently squeeze out and reform the patties if necessary.  Lightly dredge the patty into the panko to adhere and place onto another plate.  Repeat this process until there are four patties.

Next, inn a nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat, until about shimmering.  Add the patties to the skillet and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about four to five minutes.  After they have cooked on the one side, carefully flip the patties over and cook for another four to five minutes.  Serve with the remaining aioli and enjoy!

The End Result:

We've said it once, we'll say it again:  cod is such a versatile fish.  It will absorb from any other flavors, mask its fishy flavor, and leave you completely surprised.  Biting into the cakes, I didn't get any overwhelming fish flavor, but instead, I got a little crunch from the panko and from the scallions.  Using the food processor to blend all the ingredients together is brilliant, because you will end up with a lifeless blob (trust me, I tried it.)  The garlic basil aioli is actually a great take on a tartar sauce.  The basil might be a bit much for those who aren't used to that basil flavor.  But it's a great topping over these delightful little cakes!

Thanks for joining us this week.  Check back again next week as we continue to explore our culinary creativity.  Until then,

~Cheers!

Sweet Potatoes + Bacon = Perfect Hash

Good evening everyone! If we had to make a short list of our favorite ingredients to use in a recipe, sweet potatoes would certainly be among the finalists. The sweet root is versatile, easily adaptable to most dishes and can even act as a sweetener and thickener for other recipes. We’ve used sweet potatoes in about every way imaginable, we’ve mashed them, baked them, cooked them into soups, paired them with chorizo, put them in pies – you name it, we’ve tried it. Or so we thought.

Last week I came across an America’s Test Kitchen recipe that paired the orange root with an ingredient I had yet to try – bacon. Following the philosophy that everything tastes better with bacon, I decided to tackle this dish and expand our sweet potato horizons. It didn’t hurt that the “star” of the dish was a variant of a maple glazed pork chop, which we’ve tried before and know to be a fantastic end result.

The Recipe: Maple Pork Chops with Sweet Potato Bacon Hash

What You’ll Need:

(Serves 4)

1 ¼ Pounds Sweet Potatoes (Peeled, cut into ½ inch chunks)

6 Slices Bacon (Chopped fine)

4 Bone-In pork chops (1 inch thick, 8 ounces)*

2 Teaspoons Minced Fresh Thyme

½ Cup Maple Syrup

1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar

2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard

* We have a large supply of boneless, thin cut pork chops that we use for most of our pork chop recipes. The instructions below are for the thicker cut chop (we’re adapting for our smaller chops, but leaving the recipe original).

Begin by placing the sweet potato in a large bowl and cover with a microwave safe lid (or use a microwave safe plate as the lid  if you don’t have a lid). Microwave for 4 to 7 minutes on high until the sweet potatoes are soft. Meanwhile, add the bacon to a large (12 inch) non stick skillet and cook over medium high heat until the bacon is golden brown. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a paper towel lined plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon fact from the skillet before wiping it clean with a paper towel.

Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and lightly season them with salt and pepper. Score the outer surface of the pork chops lightly with a knife (this prevents the chop from ‘curling’ during cooking). Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon fat to the same skillet you used before and bring it up to temperature over medium high heat. Add the pork chops to the skillet and cook for 4 minutes per side, or until the chops are golden brown and cooked through. Transfer the chops to plate and loosely tent with aluminum foil. Set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of bacon fat to the same skillet you’ve been using all along and set the temperature to medium. Add the sweet potatoes to the skillet and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they become slightly crispy and browned. Once browned, stir in the bacon and thyme and season lightly with salt and pepper. Transfer this mixture to a serving bowl.

Finally, add the maple syrup, vinegar and mustard to the skillet (yes, the very same one we’ve been using all night) and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens (make sure to stir occasionally to prevent sticking). Return the pork chops to the skillet and rotate the chops in the mixture for 2 minutes (flipping every 30 seconds or so) until the glaze begins to stick to the chops. Serve with the potato / bacon hash and enjoy!

The Results:

As I mentioned in the open, we’ve cooked a variant of this maple glazed pork chop before (it was actually our first ‘return’ to cooking with pork) so we knew the flavors here were going to be great. (Spoiler: it was)

The pork chop was great, but the sweet potato hash was something special. The perfect blend of the sweet potatoes with the rich, salty flavors of the bacon was one of those “wow!” moments of home cooking. The two ingredients blend so well, it’s hard to believe bacon / sweet potatoes aren’t mandated partners in every recipe. Okay, that may be overdoing it – but I want to convey just how good these two are together. This certainly won’t be the last time we combine these two ingredients! Do yourself a favor and give this a try at home (Oh, and at 300 calories per serving it’s easy on the diet too!)

That’s all we have for you this evening. Stop back tomorrow night for Maggie’s brand new recipe! Until then,

~Cheers

Grilling with Fruit, Take Two

Good evening everyone!  Since we have a grill, it's been delightful trying new ingredients to put on the grill to see if they stand up to the test.  So far, those ingredients haven't let us down, which is a good thing.  Tonight, we throw another ingredient on the grill, with another slice of meat heaven, to produce one sweet and savory dish.

The Recipe:  Grilled Pork and Mango with Rum Sauce
Original Recipe Found In:  Cooking Light, August 2013

What You'll Need:
1 Tablespoon Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
2 Tablespoons fresh Lime Juice, divided
1 1/2 Teaspoons Canola Oil, divided
1 (1 Pound) Pork Tenderloin, trimmed
2 ripe Mangos
1/4 Cup packed Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup golden Rum
2 Teaspoons unsalted Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

In a medium bowl, combine the jerk seasoning, one tablespoon lime juice, and one teaspoon oil.  Mix these ingredients until well combined.  Place the tenderloins on a plate and drizzle the seasoning mixture over the pork.  Rub the seasoning over the meat until everything is well coated on both sides.  Set the plate aside.  Next, peel the mangos and cut into 1/2 inch slices.  Place these slices on another plate.  Drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon of oil until all sides of the cut mango are coated with oil. 

Preheat a grill to medium high heat.  Add the pork to the grill and cook for four minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.  Take the pork off the grill and add the mango slices.  Cook for three minutes on each side, until grill marks are visible and some of the natural juice starts to come out.  Take the mango slices off the grill.

Next, on a stovetop, combine the brown sugar, rum, butter, and salt in a small saucepan.  Bring this mixture to a boil, which should take about two minutes (or shorter!)  Reduce the heat and simmer for four minutes or until thickened.  Stir in one tablespoon of lime juice to combine.  Drizzle the sauce over the pork and mangos, serve, and enjoy!

The End Result:

I expected the pork to have some out-there flavor, or have a kick of super spice, but it actually tasted very mild.  Granted the jerk seasoning has a whole lot of different flavor elements, the lime juice and the oil seemed to subdue that flavor.  Grilling the pork with that seasoned mixture was the ideal way to cook it.  The grilled mangos are quite flavorful too, although you want to be sure that you have ripe mangos, because it will make for one very chewy fruit.  The rum sauce was quite the show stopper.  Obviously, cooking the mixture to remove any of the booziness from the rum is a wise decision, but the flavor that is left behind is sweet, almost kind of nutty.  But it's perfect for this unique dish!

Thanks for joining us this week!  We will back next week, hopefully not melted, with brand new dishes for you to try at home.  Until then,

~Cheers!

The Magical (Flavor) Qualities of Pine Nuts

Good evening everyone! If you do any type of at home cooking (which, seeing as you're presently reading a cooking blog, I'd assume you'd at least dabble in) you've likely come across a recipe or two featuring pine nuts. These tasty little morsels are the main ingredient in many pesto recipes and feature as a key component in a lot of different breading dishes as well. Their flavorful, easy to work with and readily available at almost any grocery store. Their one drawback?

Those little suckers are expensive!

Our local grocery stores sell pine nuts in 4 ounce jars for $6.99. That usually results in me standing, staring at the shelf while I mumble something about checking into a career growing pine nuts, because that's clearly where the money is. I've never been able to justify $7 for such a small quantity of something, so we've used pine nuts VERY sparingly on the blog.

Enter: Trader Joes. Our newest grocery store of choice not only carries pine nuts, but they sell them in 8 ounce bags for - $6.99. Yup, twice the quantity, same price. They're still expensive, but with the small amount of pine nuts that most recipes call for, an 8 ounce bag will last you a good while.

Armed with our cost effective pine nuts, our blog will be an unstoppable culinary force!

Or...we will have some new recipes to dabble in. Same thing.


The Recipe: Pine Nut and Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Original Recipe Found In: America's Test Kitchen: Simple Weeknight Favorites

What You'll Need: 

(Serves 4) 

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (Trimmed of excess fat) 

1/3 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs 

1/3 Cup Toasted Pine Nuts 

1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese 

3 Garlic Cloves (Minced) 

3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

1/4 Cup Light Mayonnaise 

1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Basil 

Begin by preheating your oven to 450 degrees and spraying a large rimmed baking sheet with non stick spray. 

The original recipe calls for you to toss the pine nuts, bread crumbs, oil, cheese, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper together in a medium bowl until everything is homogenous. I found it was much easier to add all of the ingredients into a small food processor and simply pulse for 4 to 6 seconds until the mixture was blended nicely. This creates a more even breading as well (no large pine nut chunks or spaces where some ingredients don't appear). 

Next, combine the light mayo in a bowl with the basil. Stir until evenly blended. Pat you chicken breasts dry with a paper towel, then spread an even coating of the basil / mayo mixture over each breast (just the top). You don't need much, just a thin layer will suffice. This spread will both add flavor to the chicken breast and act as a 'food glue' to keep the breading in place. 

Speaking of the breading - it's time to spread it on! Set your chicken breasts on the baking sheet and then simply sprinkle the  mixture across all of the breasts, making sure to work it into any crevices of the chicken and making sure all the sides are covered (again, focus mainly on the top and do not bread the bottom).  

Once each breast is evenly covered, pop the baking sheet into the oven and let the chicken cook for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Serve with a side of green beans or other veggie and enjoy! 

The Results: 

This dish hits all of the 'must haves' when it comes to weeknight cooking. Flavorful? Check - the panko / pine nut breading creates a beautiful crunchy crust that blends great with the juicy chicken and surprisingly fresh basil spread. Quick and easy? Check - at roughly 30 minutes start to finish, this dish can go from concept to reality in time to feed a hungry family (or just a family of one). Healthy? Check - at just under 350 calories per serving, this dish will deliver on the flavor while keeping your healthy eating goals a reality. This dish is a must try! 

That's all we have for you this evening, we're back tomorrow night with Maggie's turn in the kitchen. Until then, 

~Cheers 

Wrapped Chicken Yields Super Delicious Results

Good evening everyone!  As Tyler mentioned earlier this week, sometimes we share simple recipes that are easily duplicated.  While elaborate recipes are mighty tasty and worth the extra effort, a quick recipe that looks simple enough can surprise with an outstanding flavor.  Tonight, I present to you a dish that fits those qualifiers and will make you want more.

The Recipe:  Prosciutto Pesto Chicken
Original Recipe Found In:  Grill This, Not That

What You'll Need:
4 boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs
1/2 Cup fresh Goat Cheese
2 Tablespoons store-bought Pesto
4 thin slices Prosciutto

To start, place the goat cheese on a clean plate.  Let the cheese soften at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or until it is easy to spread.  Add the pesto and combine until well mixed.  Set this mixture aside.  Now, if you like the freshness of just prepared pesto, you are more than welcome to create this palate pleaser.  But, if you want a quick mix, store-bought pesto is your best bet.  Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference between freshly prepared and store-bought pesto.  The choice is yours!

Next, preheat a grill to medium-high heat.  On another clean plate, season the chicken with salt and pepper.  On the underside of the chicken, place a line of the pesto/cheese mixture down the middle.  It's just as easy to spread the entire mixture over the chicken, but, just so nothing runs out while cooking, stick to the middle.  Wrap each piece of chicken with a slice of prosciutto until snug.  If one piece of prosciutto doesn't fit, another piece or two won't harm the chicken.

After the chicken is wrapped in prosciutto, place each piece of chicken on the grill.  Cook on four minutes on each side, until the prosciutto is crispy and browned.  Be careful when flipping the chicken, because it might want to separate from the chicken.  Place the chicken on a serving plate and enjoy!

The End Result:

The chicken remains super moist around the coat of the prosciutto.  Four minutes on each side is a perfect amount of cooking time.  But of course, 160 degrees is the cooked time for the chicken, if you want to be safe.  The pesto and the cheese combination is something I've never tasted before.  The pesto will be the predominant flavor, which cheese playing second fiddle, but a creamier, herby flavor is not to be missed.  And finally, the prosciutto keeps all these flavors encased is a salty wrap.  The prosciutto almost tastes like bacon, but has a deeper flavor to it.  Overall, these are tasty little chicken numbers that are so easy to create, it'll become your next weeknight dinner!

Thanks for joining us this week.  We'll continue on our culinary journey next week with brand new recipes to share with you.  Until then,

~Cheers!

Simple Yet Savory Steak

Good evening everyone! If you're a regular watcher of any cooking related TV shows ('Chopped', 'Iron Chef America', 'Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives' or the like) you've likely seen more than a few interesting culinary trends when it comes to cooking the classic steak. I tackled one of those trends a couple of weeks ago, and this week I'm looking to take on another.

Whether it's in a high end restaurant or a small diner along the roadside, chances are if someone is cooking up a high quality steak, they're topping it with a butter infused sauce or simply topping it with butter by itself. At first this seems a bit odd, why top a perfectly good steak with a rich fat like butter? The answer is surprisingly simple, the butter becomes a beautiful glaze that adds just a bit of richness to the hearty steak. Even better, you can infuse butter with other flavors, such as garlic and onion, to further enchance the steak's flavor. The key to using a butter sauce, like anything in the culinary world, is moderation. Too much butter and you'll overwhelm the final dish.

With a bit of the background out of the way, let's get to cooking our own butter enhanced steak!

The Recipe: Grilled Steak with Vegetables and Lemon Herb Butter
Original Recipe Found In: Food Network Magazine (July, August 2013)

What You'll Need:
(Serves 4)

1.5 Pounds Sirloin Steak (About 1 inch thick)
1 Red Onion (Sliced into 1/2 inch rings)
2 Large Zucchini (Cut diagonally into 3/4 inch slices)
1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce (Your choice, we have recipes HERE & HERE)
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
2 Teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (Room temperature)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley (Chopped)
1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Zest

Preheat your grill to medium high heat.

Meanwhile, add the steaks, zucchini, onion, BBQ sauce, worcestershire sauce, chili powder and a pinch of salt and pepper into a large bowl. Toss everything until all the ingredients are evenly covered. Let everything rest for 5 minutes to allow the marinade to settle in.

While your steaks are resting, mash the butter with the parsley and lemon zest. (A fork works well here). Set this mixture aside.

Remove your steaks from the bowl and transfer them to the grill. Transfer your vegetables to a grill basket and add them to the grill as well. Cook the steaks for 4 to 5 minutes per side (for medium) and then move them to a cutting board and allow them to rest for 5 minutes.

Leave the vegetables on the grill for another few minutes (making sure to toss / stir them every couple of minutes) until they're nice and crispy.

Slice the steaks into a few pieces and top with the lemon herb butter. Serve with the vegetables and enjoy!


The Results:

True to the concept, the lemon herb butter adds just a touch of richness to the steak without overwhelming the flavor. The grilled vegetables complimented the steak beautifully (you really can't top fresh veggies off the grill) and the BBQ sauce 'marinade' ties everything together remarkably well. The best part is that this entire dish clocks in just under 330 calories. Low calorie and full of flavor, that's a win - win recipe!

That's all we have for you this evening. Maggie takes to the kitchen Thursday night with a brand new recipe of her own. Until then,

~Cheers

I Swear, I'm Almost Out of Burger Recipes

Good evening everyone!  As much as I love burgers and all the different variants between the kinds of meat and toppings, I realize that some of our followers are probably burnt out on all the burger recipes we've shared.  But since we went three and a half years without a grill, I'm bound to make up for lost time.  Tonight's burger recipe is quite a unique one, but also has every component to make a great American burger.

The Recipe:  New England Turkey Burger
Original Recipe Found In:  Cooking Light, July 2013

What You'll Need:
(Serves 4)

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Cups thinly sliced Onion
3/4 Cup Samuel Adams Summer Ale
1 Pound ground Turkey
1.5 Ounces reduced-fat Vermont White Cheddar Cheese, shaved
4 Teaspoons Canola Mayonnaise
2 Teaspoons Whole-Grain Mustard
4 Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

To start, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Once the pan is heated, add the oil and swirl to coat.  Once the oil is heated, add the sliced onion and cook until the onions are tender and slightly translucent, about seven minutes.  After the onions are cooked, slowly add the beer to the skillet.  Bring the heat of the skillet to a medium-high heat.  Once at a boil, reduce the heat of the skillet to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, until the onions are golden and the liquid is nearly evaporated.  Stir occasionally to prevent the onions from sticking to the pan.  Remove the skillet from the heat and cover with a lid.

Next, preheat a grill to medium-high heat and clean with a grill brush once the grill is heated.  In a large mixing bowl, lightly toss the ground turkey to get it at a consistent mixture.  Remove 1/4 cup of onion from the skillet and finely chop the onion.  In the mixing bowl, stir the turkey and onion together until everything is well combined.  Divide the mixture into four equal parts and shape until the patties 1/2-inch thick.  Press a thumb-sized indentation in the center of each patty and season with salt and pepper.  Once the grill is heated, place each of the turkey patties in the grill.  Cook for five to eight minutes on each side.  On the second size, place a slice of the cheddar cheese on each patty.  Grill until the cheese is melted, about one minute.  By now, the turkey patties should be fully cooked, about 165 degrees.

While the burgers are cooking, combine the mayonnaise and mustard in a small bowl.  Spread the mixture evenly on the bottom half of each bun, along with the cooked burger, and reserved onions.  Top with the other halves of the buns, serve, and enjoy!

The End Result:

There are so many different flavor notes that are in this burger.  Immediately, the tang from the whole-grain mustard hits your tongue.  Although the mayonnaise cuts out almost all of the sharpness from the mustard, you can still taste it and it is delectable.  The sweetness of the caramelized onions is also very pronounced, but again, it definitely adds to this well-rounded dish.  The turkey meat isn't too heavy for the pallet (or the gut), and when cooked right, it can be very juicy.  If you want, adding a leaf or two of lettuce and a slice of tomato will only enhance the deliciousness of this burger.

That's all we have for you this evening.  Most of you will have a day off tomorrow (and possibly a long weekend.)  Enjoy our nation's holiday and remember to be safe!  Join us next week as we continue our culinary adventures.  Until then,

~Cheers!

Fish Tacos Meet a Unique Sauce

Good evening everyone! We're back after a bit of an unplanned hiatus. Maggie's birthday was last week and we took a few vacation days to celebrate. We had planned on returning to the blog on Thursday and Friday for our new recipes, but later in the week I came down with a bit of a bug (cold, sinus type thing) and that basically shut down any aspirations of cooking for the week.

One week later, we're healthy once again and ready to return to cooking. With the 4th of July nearly upon us, grilling season is in full bloom and the "grilling super bowl" is on our doorstep. Tonight's dish is a great option for those who want to grill out a nice, fresh evening meal, but don't want to rely on the usual grilling staples of burgers and hot dogs. Let's get cooking!

The Recipe: Grilled Fish Tacos with Tequila Lime Crema
Original Recipe Found On: Cacique.com

What You'll Need:
(Serves 4)

2 Tilapia Fillets
Corn tortillas (warmed)

(For the rub)

4 Tablespoons Chili Powder
2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Cumin
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

(For the tequila lime crema)

1 Cup Crema Mexicana*
Juice from 1 Lime
1/4 Premium Tequila
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

*Crema Mexicana is essentially Mexican sour cream. You may not find something labeled exactly the same, but if you search out a sour cream that lists heavy cream as an ingredient, you've effectively found the same thing. Crema Mexican is a rich, creamy sour cream that doesn't have as much bite as traditional sour cream - even a mild sour cream would do well as a substitute for this recipe.

Begin by combining all of the rub ingredients together in a small bowl. Pat your fillets dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture before rubbing each fillet thoroughly in the spice mixture. Make sure each fillet is coated evenly and that all crevices are cracks have been covered by the rub. Place the fillets on a plate and store them in the regrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes prior to cooking. This gives the rub time to penetrate into the fillets, making sure this delicious flavor is present in every last bite of the final dish.

While your fillets are marinating, you can began preparing the tequila lime crema. In a small blender, combine all of the ingredients for the crema and pulse until everything is evenly blended and the mixture is smooth. Store the mixture in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve. You can prepare this sauce up to 24 hours in advance if you'd prefer.

Once your fillets have marinated for at least 20 minutes, preheat your grill and oil the grates. Place the fillets directly over the heat and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until the fish is cooked through and the meat is opaque and flaky.

Remove the fillets from the grill and thinly slice them. Serve on the warmed tortillas with a helping of the crema and other taco toppings such as fresh salsa, cabbage and red onion. Enjoy!


The Results:

The appeal of this dish, for me, was the tequila lime crema. I was intrigued to try such a unique sauce alongside the traditional 'hot and spicy' fish taco. The crema didn't disappoint, the mild sour cream becomes a great base (and neutralizer) for the bite of the tequila, and combined the two create a fresh, citrus sauce that compliments the heat of the tilapia fillets very nicely. We topped our tacos with fresh salsa, finishing the fresh, bright flavor profile of this dish. If you're in the market for something a little more fulfilling than the standard burger fare, these delicious little tacos are worth a shot!

(No photo tonight, we had a series of technical difficulties that kept us from posting pics...sorry!)

That's all we have for you tonight, stop by tomorrow night to see what Maggie has cooking. Until then,

~Cheers