Better know a Trader Joes item(s) #1

Traditional Carnitas and Corn Wheat Tortillas!

 

These 2 items will make carnitas tacos in no time.  The meat is well seasoned and hands down these are the perfect (store bought) tortillas, they are moist, soft, and filling.  You can add the carnitas meat to eggs, nachos, salsas for a dip, or slap it on a french roll for a sandwich.

 

For tacos I like to add the usual fixings plus Trader Joes Corn Salsa.....its down right heaven.

 

 





Extra Tomatoes - Add it to Pasta!

I'm always looking for more ways to convince Lucas that we need to be eating more pasta and this recipe worked!! I had random items in the fridge and tossed them together.  The picture doesn't do the meal justice, it tasted it really good.

Ingredients

• 7 roma tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
• spinach
• trader joes turkey kielbasa ( I used about half the package)
• goat cheese - give cows a break, eat goat cheese
• Pinch of salt, oregano, and sugar

Directions

• Add sliced onions and garlic and in a large pan or pot with a pinch of sugar and saute until onions become translucent
• Add sliced mushrooms and sliced kielbasa, saute until lightly brown (2-3mins)
• Add diced tomatoes - Simmer for 20 mins
• Boil water and cook pasta of choice
• Drain cooked pasta, add pasta to tomato sauce and continue simmering for 5-10 mins
• Serve pasta over spinach (to make it feel healthier)
• Sprinkle goat cheese on top
• enjoy!

*I added cooked pasta to the sauce instead of serving it separately because some guy at Lucas's work told him it makes the pasta taste better and Lucas believes him......anything to get pasta in my tummy - it also works pretty well 
**If you dice the tomatoes too fine (like I did), the sauce will be more watery then chunky.

Coq Au Vin - French For Rich Purple Chicken Dish

 

This recipe usually requires a bunch time but I found a little short cut recipe online and gave it a try. To quote Lucas, "that shit smelln' gooood" while it was cooking and be prepared for a heavy, rich, and tasty meal. 

The recipe is for 6-8 servings and I have to admit since the chicken and sauce is so rich, its been a chore eating the leftovers.  After eating the leftovers for a couple meals now, I probably wouldn't make this again unless a large army or a really fat kid requested it.  Its great for a single serving but if you overdo it, your tummy will send you hate mail. I recommend only when feeding bunch of people.

Ingredients

• 1 - 3lb pkg bone in/skin on chicken pieces
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 3 cups red wine (pinot noir, zin, or red blend - we used a red blend)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 parsley and a couple extra springs for garnish
• 1 (10oz) white mushrooms
• 10 slices of bacon
• 1-1.5lbs of red potatoes - can use curly pasta too

Directions

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt (I like to rinse my chicken first - but I don't think you have to)
2. Cook bacon in a separate pan
3. Heat oil in a large pot or deep braising pan. Add chicken skin side down.
4. Add onion and garlic while chicken is browning (2-3mins)
5. Add wine, broth, herbs, and mushrooms
6. Add cooked bacon - cut into 1/2inch pieces, add to pot.  Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Skim surface of any oil
7. While chicken is simmering, boil potatoes until tender (about 20mins).  We roughly mashed potatoes
8. Serve chicken and potatoes together, sprinkle with parsley.

* We used a flour thickener to make a gravy from the chicken broth and it was good!
**Because of the wine, the outside of the chicken was dyed purple and it kinda freaked me out - if serving a blind person, spare them, don't tell them their chicken is purple.

Pumpkin Curry Empanadas with Mint Cilantro Chutney

Lucas found this recipe in the sunset magazine and we gave it a try. These empanadas are incredibly easy to make and so tasty you'll think they're full of unicorns and rainbows.  To make the chutney, you do need a food processor but I'm sure there is a way around that.  The turmeric in this recipe will stain clothes - be careful

I did a couple substitutions - I used store bought Pillsbury pie crust and butternut squash since it was hard to find pumpkin.  Also, Trader Joe's is nice enough to sell pre-cut butternut sqaush, which made this even easier.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 12 ounces cubed peeled baking pumpkin or butternut or kabocha squash
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 cup currants, softened 10 minutes in hot water to cover
• Pie dough - I used 2 packages of Pillsbury pie crust (4 total pie crusts)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Rub a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tbsp. oil. Spread pumpkin on sheet and roast, uncovered, turning once, till tender when pierced, 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tbsp. oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in spices and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3. Transfer onion to a medium mixing bowl. Drain currants and stir into bowl. Add warm pumpkin and mix well, mashing with back of a spoon to create a slightly chunky mixture.
4. Working with one pie-dough disk at a time, roll dough on a lightly floured surface into a 1/8-in.-thick round. Using a 4-in. ring cutter, cut out 20 circles, rerolling scraps.
5. Mix 1 tbsp. water into egg and brush onto dough rounds. Spoon 1 tbsp. pumpkin mixture into center of each round, fold over, and seal edges with tines of a fork.
6. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Arrange empanadas on sheets, spaced slightly apart.
7. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with chutney.

Tip!!! Make ahead: Follow recipe through step 5. Freeze in an airtight container. Then bake from frozen, 25 to 30 minutes at 375°.

Cilantro - Mint Chutney

Ingredients

• 1 serrano chile, stemmed ( Didn't use since I'm a wimp and can't handle spicy foods)
• 12 large fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

(actually directions)

In a food processor, pulse chile, cilantro, and mint until reduced in volume by half. Add 2 tbsp. water, the oil, lemon juice, and salt. Whirl until smooth, adding 1 more tbsp. water if needed.

(what we did)
tossed everything into the food processor at once and blended until we were happy

 

We Moved...Again!

The KoJos have officially moved to Santa Cruz for the next few months!

 

I'm finally out of school and in the process of learning the ins and outs of being an adult and business woman. I started this blog years ago but promptly forgot about it a few short weeks later.  Now with more time on my hands, I'm hoping to regularly post on daily adventures, favorite quotes from conversations I've eavesdropped on at coffee shops, and food!!

 

First order of business, learning how to cook more than spaghetti!  Over the next couple months I will post recipe successes, failures, and cooking tips.  

 

Enjoy!