Greg's Famous Green Chile Stew

My husband went to college in New Mexico.  And that means one thing:  A sincere love for all things Green Chile.  There used to be a restaurant in town, modeled after The Shed in Santa Fe.  This was Mr. DD's favorite restaurant until sadly they went out of business.  They were famous far and wide for their Green Chile Stew.  In a quest to duplicate their savory stew, Mr. DD like Dr. Frankenstein, has spent years in his lab concocting the perfect recipe.  It isn't quite like the traditional New Mexico-style stew.  This version uses beef instead of pork.  But equally mouth watering!  I would definitely call this Mr. DD's signature dish.  It's taken him 15+ years to perfect, but it was definitely worth the trial and effort.  Thankfully, he agreed to let me post what he called, "A very sanitized version" of the recipe.  I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do.

Here it is!
Mr. DD's Famous Green Chile Stew...
Can't believe he's sharing his Precious.

Glazed Donut Muffins

I grew up with chicken fried steak, beans & cornbread or fried pork chops for dinner.  Well I grew up with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or tomato soup for dinner because I didn't like chicken fried steak, beans & cornbread or fried pork chops.  My dad was one of those meat and potatoes guys, so my mom fixed that type of thing often.  Every once in a while she would do breakfast for dinner and that was one night I didn't have tomato soup!  I love breakfast for dinner.  Mainly because I'm not a morning person so I rarely eat breakfast.  It's pretty comforting.  Yesterday was a chilly, rainy day and Mr. Devilish and I were busy all day at the golf course volunteering at a tournament.  (I know, I know...Who plays golf in the rain?!?) so when we came home I knew we needed something cozy for dinner.  The weather put me in the baking mood, so I decided to try the Glazed Donut Muffins and prepare breakfast for dinner.  Mr. Devilish loved them.  They are light and airy, with just a hint of spiced flavor.  They aren't too sweet, except for the glaze, which makes them perfect for breakfast.  And yes, I had one this morning. 

Glazed Donut Muffins
Perfect for breakfast. 
Perfect for dinner.

PMS Cookies

So last night during the St. Louis Cardinals Play Offs, I asked Mr. Devilish Dish if he would do me a favor.  His usual response, "Depends on what it is."  So I asked him, "Can you please make the 45 minute drive to PF Chang's and get me a piece of their Great Wall of Cake to go???"  Of course he did not comply.  There was absolutely nothing rich or satisfying, or CHOCOLAT-EY in this house to eat.  I was forced to eat a couple of fun-sized Snickers that had been in the candy dish since Easter.  By the way, who ever decided to call them "fun-sized" has obviously never had any fun.  You know how they say never go to the store hungry?  Well word of advice.  Don't go when you have PMS either.  Because you may have a serious case of buyer's remorse later.  Or a serious case of my cute jeans are too tight remorse.  What you need to do, is try these cookies.  Salty, rich, buttery, peanut buttery, marshmallow-ey and to top it all off:  CHOCOLATE-EY.  These cookies saved the day.  I got called in for jury duty.  Seriously these cookies may just keep me in the jury box and not behind the defense table. 

Don't Judge.  Seriously.  Don't.

Never ever go to the store hungry.
More importantly,
NEVER go when you are suffering
from PMS.

To be honest, the Heath Bars and Rolos
are for the candy dish.  Everyone
that comes through our door expects
something good in the candy dish.
And yes Hostess, while I sincerely appreciate your
"Sweetest Comeback Ever," I will not consider
it a true comeback until you bring back Ding Dongs.
I saw that empty place on the shelf for them.
Get With It!

Here's the real Line-Up for the PMS Cookies!
Just 4 ingredients.
The faster to chocolate-relief the better!

Enjoy!
Laugh, Cry, Eat.
REPEAT.

Sweet Potato Chipotle Soup

Most nights I have a recipe.  Or at least a pretty good idea of what I'm doing about dinner.  Every once in a while, I'll stumble across a recipe or at least inspiration for one.  Somewhere I saw the flavors "Sweet Potato Chipotle" together and thought that was a great idea.  Rich, creamy sweet potatoes meet spicy, smoky chipotle pepper?  What's not to love.  So last night I sat out to create a soup with no direction really.  I just started cooking.  And adding.  And trying to write everything down.  I said to Mr. Devilish Dish, "You know, usually we are busy entertaining, cooking for tailgate or teaching a cooking class where we use our tried and true recipes.  Sometimes it's pretty fun to just get in the kitchen and taste and create something new."  He agreed.  We were both pretty happy with the result, and I hope you are too! 

Sweet Potato Chipotle Soup:
Colorful, sweet, smoky and spicy!

The Line-Up, including the garnish...

Here's the chili lime seasoning I used.
It's from a company called Urban Accents. 
I found it at Central Market in Texas.
www.urbanaccents.com

Enjoy!
Don't be afraid to get in your kitchen
and play around with some ingredients.
Sometimes you discover something delicious!

Cowboy Beans

I come from a long line of good 'ol boys.  Cowboy boot wearin', beans & cornbread eatin' good 'ol boys.  So when it came time to get married...Who did I wind up with?  The bull rider from the rodeo?  No way.  The cutest, preppiest guy in town.  Polar opposite of the good 'ol boys I grew up with.  I even tried to buy him cowboy boots as soon as we got married.  That did not work.  He would not trade in the golf shoes for the boots.  The closest he will ever be to a cowboy is the time he wore a sheriff's badge to Little Devil's cowgirl birthday party when she turned 4.  Last night when I was making this recipe, I told Mr. Devilish Dish: "Maybe we should call these Golfer Beans."  Come to think of it I don't really know what cowboys truly eat.  I like to think it's chicken fried steak, biscuits and beef jerky.  I do know what golfers eat, or at least the golfer at my house.  He LOVES these beans.  You won't believe how much flavor you can get using canned pinto beans and canned fire-roasted tomatoes.  A very simple side dish that packs tons of flavor.  Whip them up for your golfer.  Or cowboy.  Or bull rider.   

Cowboy Beans!  Good For your Good Ol' Boys!

Homemade Ranchero Sauce

When I was a kid I would always order chimichangas when we dined out at Mexican restaurants.  That's when you could eat whatever you wanted and the no one, including your favorite jeans would give you any grief about what you ate, how much cheese it had on it, or whether or not it was fried.  I always picked the beef chimichangas with the Ranchero Sauce.  That was my fave.  I noticed sometime back, when looking over the menu, that the chimichangas came with the option or queso or chili sauce.  No mention of the beloved, red ranchero sauce.  I asked Mr. Devilish Dish if he could work on that.  I said, "I'll come up with a somewhat healthier option for a chimichanga if you can come up with a ranchero sauce that I like."  Game On!  This is one of my favorite recipes that he makes.  I think it would be great served on just about anything from enchiladas to burritos, but my favorite is serving it on top of his famous BAKED CHIMICHANGAS.

One of my favorite sauces.  It is especially
good served atop Baked Chimichangas.

The ingredients. It's one pot cooking after
you get the chiles roasted and peeled.
(You can grill them or roast them in the oven)

Once the onion and garlic are
sautéed, the sauce comes together
quickly and easily.

If you have an immersion blender
you can puree the sauce right in the pot.
If not you can carefully transfer to a blender.

Now you have a smooth, vibrant red, delicious sauce.

This is so good on tacos, burritos, enchiladas,
or my favorite way: 
BAKED CHIMICHANGAS!

Jalapeno Creamed Spinach

There is nothing I love more than dinner at an old school steakhouse.  You know the kind of place with dark wood paneled walls?  Big overstuffed red leather chairs.  Blue cheese salad dressing.  (With real blue cheese in it?)  And creamed spinach as a side dish.  That's my kind of place.  Preferably with some swanky lighting and decor.  Since Mr. DD can grill one heck of a steak just like any steakhouse, I figure I can keep up in the side dish department.  What's better than creamed spinach?  Jalapeno creamed spinach.  Rich and creamy with a little kick.  An excellent accompaniment to a ribeye steak. 

Jalapeno Creamed Spinach,
The kicked-up steakhouse classic...

The Jalapeno Creamed Spinach Line-Up

Combine flour and melted butter.
Stir in chopped onion.

Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add reserved spinach liquid.

Add evaporated milk.

Stir in pepperjack cheese.

Add chopped jalapeno.

Season with celery salt, salt and pepper.

Add spinach.

Place in a greased casserole dish.

Melt butter and add bread crumbs.

Place on top of spinach mixture.

Bake until bubbly and lightly browned.

Enjoy with a steak of course!