Tag Archives: Southwest Cuisine

Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Guacamole Salad

March 29, 2012 By in Recipe Experimentation, Snackin' with Sarah Sellers Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

You know that moment when you see yourself about to do something that not only you’ll regret, but it’s like you see yourself in slow motion, doing it, yet you do nothing to stop it. It was like I was having an out of body experience when I decided to not just sprinkle, but DUMP chile powder and cumin all over my beautiful green guacamole. As soon as I did it my heart stopped as I watched it turn from a beautiful shade of green to putrid brown. FAIL!

Don’t worry, I didn’t make that mistake while writing this recipe. You can sprinkle in the small amount of spices into your guac with confidence that you will not defile it like I did. Of course I still ate it, and it was quite good, but it was like having a bite of guac with a pound of spices. I will definitely NOT be making that mistake again.

Moving on…

This week I’m cooking up recipes from my culinary inspirations in honor of the top 9 American Idol contestants singing songs from their idols. All year long I’ve been providing tasty (catastrophe aside you can eat this with confidence) treats for Lyndsey Parker and her Reality Rocks blog. Last night i took some inspiration from Mario Batali with my Lasagna Cups with Spicy Ground Turkey. Tonight, I’m taking a cue from my ultimate culinary Idol, Bobby Flay.

Bobby Flay just speaks my language. Peppers – check! Spices – check! Southwest cuisine – my fuel! So for this recipe it was a no brainer. My favorite snack besides chips and salsa combined with some sauteed peppers and crispy romaine. Damn I’m hungry again.

Check out tonight’s feature on Reality Rocks HERE!

Happy Eating!

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Spicy Fire Roasted Salsa [Recipe Upgrade]

January 14, 2012 By in Recipe Experimentation Tags: , , , , 2 Comments

Fire Roasted Salsa

My grandpa’s salsa is famous in my family, but it’s almost impossible to get him to spill his secrets….until now. Over the holidays I was gorging on his yummy creation when I started asking for bits and pieces of the recipe. I doubt I got it down 100% but I think I did a pretty good job re-creating the family favorite.

A few years ago I posted my salsa recipe and it hasn’t changed much over the years. Once I made my grandfather’s salsa I was hooked. The addition of the tomato sauce and dried oregano took it to the next level.

Ingredients

  • 28oz can fire roasted tomatoes
  • 4oz tomato sauce
  • 1/2 yellow onion (1/2 a cup), cut in large chunks
  • small handful of cilantro (around 1/2 a cup)
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper, cut in large pieces
  • 2 serrano peppers, remove the seeds for a milder salsa, chopped
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Fire Roasted Salsa

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender.

Blend until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning.

I like it to have a little bit of texture, not too blended. If you mix it in a food processor use the chop/pulse setting to get a good chunky salsa.

Bon Appetit!

Quick & Easy Snacking – American Idol Finale Recipe 3

May 25, 2011 By in Recipe Experimentation, Snackin' with Sarah Sellers Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Tonight is the big night and I’m serving up some delicious treats for your Idol viewing party.

All season long I’ve had the pleasure of posting my recipes on Reality Rocks, by the fabulous, Lyndsey Parker. Today I’m proud to announce my finale recipes were featured on Yahoo! Music’s home page! So take a look at recipe number three, Flautas with Adobo Chile Crema! Give these recipes a try, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Who do you think will take home the Idol crown tonight?

Happy Eating!

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Quick & Easy Snacking – American Idol Finale Recipe 2

May 25, 2011 By in Recipe Experimentation, Snackin' with Sarah Sellers Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Tonight is the big night and I’m serving up some delicious treats for your Idol viewing party.

All season long I’ve had the pleasure of posting my recipes on Reality Rocks, by the fabulous, Lyndsey Parker. Today I’m proud to announce my finale recipes were featured on Yahoo! Music’s home page!  So take a look at recipe number two, Hatch Chile Boats with Avocado Puree! I’ll be posting the last recipe soon so check back!

Happy Eating!

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Quick & Easy Snacking – American Idol Finale Recipe 1

May 25, 2011 By in Recipe Experimentation, Snackin' with Sarah Sellers Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Tonight is the big night and I’m serving up some delicious treats for your Idol viewing party.

All season long I’ve had the pleasure of posting my recipes on Reality Rocks, by the hip rocker herself, Lyndsey Parker. Today I’m proud to announce my finale recipes were featured on Yahoo! Music’s home page!  So take a look at recipe number one, Southwest Chicken Pinwheels! I’ll be posting the other two recipes shortly so check back!

Happy Eating!

Continue reading →

A Culinary Masterpiece

February 18, 2010 By in Restaurants Tags: , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Sunday night Matt and I had the pleasure of dining at Stephan Pyles in downtown Dallas and it was absolutely decadent. For those of you who have followed my posts I’m sure it doesn’t come as a huge surprise that Southwest and Mexican Cuisine are my absolute favs. So what better way to spend Valentine’s Day then with one of the founding fathers of Southwest Cuisine!

We usually reserve either Valentine’s Day or our Anniversary to spend at an ultra swanky restaurant that we’ve always wanted to try. Stephan Pyles was definitely one of those places. I’ve been to quite a few 5 star steak houses and they have been absolutely delicious, but this was my first true culinary experience. The creativity in the food was so exceptional that I was literally left speechless. Continue reading →