There’s a great restaurant in Old Town Torrance called the Depot.  It’s an upscale, classy joint right on the edge of downtown that’s celebrating its 20th anniversary.  My husband and I have been a few times, as it’s nearby and they have some of the best Mac & Cheese I’ve ever had.  But all the food’s amazing and the chef, Michael Shafer, can often be seen in the dining room greeting and chatting up his guests.  In case you couldn’t tell, I’m a huge fan.  

So you can imagine how excited I was when I discovered that Chef Shafer also gives cooking classes once a month.  Well, as soon as I found out about the classes, I knew I just had to attend.  I mean, the chance to learn the secrets behind some of the dishes I’ve enjoyed, wasn’t an opportunity I was going to pass up.  

I love cooking with garlic.  Whenever a recipe calls for it, I usually double the dose.  So, considering my obsession with garlic, I knew I had to attend Chef Shafer’s garlic class.  I left the class with four new recipes that all revolve around this awesome ingredient.  While all four recipes are delicious, I thought I’d share the garlic salsa with you so you’ll be all set for your Halloween parties this weekend.  You’ll also be able to ward off those evil vampires and other creepy monsters who might be ringing your doorbells. 

What’s great about this recipe, is that you can make it as garlicky or as spicy as you want.  If you’re like me and not a big fan of super spicy foods you only need to add 1 or 2 jalapenos.  But if you’re going to be a dragon this year for Halloween and really want to breathe fire as part of your costume, feel free to use 4 or 5.  This salsa also doesn’t have to be reserved for chips.  I spooned it over my chicken breasts last night for a nice little zing and I’m sure it would be great on swordfish or shrimp.  And there’s so much of it, you’ll have plenty of leftovers that chef Shafer says could last up to a month (if you can leave it in the  fridge that long). 

Toss everything together

So grab your chips, dig in, and have a Happy Halloween! 

Jalapeno Garlic Salsa 

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 10-15 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2-4 jalapenos, chopped
• 1 whole onion, chopped
• 2 ears of corn, cut off the cob
• 4-5 tomatoes, diced
• 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Chop up all the ingredients before you start cooking because once the oil’s ready, the process goes very quickly. 

Warm the oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the garlic, onion, and jalepenos and saute until just tender, about 2 minutes.  Add the corn and saute another minute.  Add the salt and pepper. 

In a separate bowl mix together the cilantro and tomatoes. 

Add the cooked garlic/corn mixture to the tomatoes and cilantro and mix together.  Serve immediately with chips.

It’s been cold and rainy here the last few days and that means one thing.  Comfort food.  There’s nothing better on cold, blustery days than chili.  Well, maybe macaroni and cheese or beef stew.  But I’d have to say, my favorite cold day meal has got to be chili.  It only takes about an hour to make and the smells that fill the kitchen scream winter to me.  I always have a couple extra cans of kidney beans and diced tomatoes in the cupboard just so I can whip up a pot on days like these.

What I love about this recipe is all the different variations you can make.  I always start with my mom’s basic recipe and then I start tweaking.  Sometimes I add more garlic or chili powder, sometimes I add a bottle of beer to give it a more rich flavor.  Sometimes I make it with ground pork.  Then there are other times I use ground turkey.  It just depends on what kind of mood I’m in. 

Add the juice from the tomatoes, the tomatoes and all the spices.

There is one thing that never changes however, I always, always make a double batch.  That way I have plenty of leftovers.  While it’s usually nice and warm here in Los Angeles, when it does turn cold, those blustery days tend to stick around awhile.  And although the chili’s always yummy right out of the pot, it’s even better a day or two later.

So today I’m gonna give you my mom’s basic chili recipe.  But as always, feel free to spice it up any way you like.  And remember, you might want to make a double batch.

Chili  (serves 4)

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 1 lb of ground hamburger
• 1 6 oz can of tomato paste
• 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp of chili powder
• 2 tsp of ground cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1-2 tsp of Kosher salt to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and onions and saute until soft. 

Add and brown the hamburger. 

Stir in the tomato paste.  Stir in the juice from the can of tomatoes.  Stir in the diced tomatoes. 

Stir in the chili powder, cumin, oregano, basil, and salt, and bring to a boil. 

Simmer over a low flame for an hour.  Serve piping hot with shredded cheddar cheese and some warm french bread.

It’s October and that means two things in my house – football and Oktoberfest.  I live in the South Bay of Los Angeles County and every year from the end of September through the end of October Alpine Village holds their version of Oktoberfest which includes mediocre beer and lukewarm brats.  As you can tell, I’ve never been a big fan.  I mean, there are so many great breweries around the South Bay, I’ve never understood, why they don’t get a bunch of those restaurants together, bring their brews and have a real party.  It makes no sense to me. My husband on the other hand, doesn’t seem to care how bad the beer and brats are.  He’s been going with friends every year since we moved here.  

Everything you'll need

Well, last year around this time, I and several new friends had babies who were all around five months old.  Since we were all still breast feeding and hadn’t had any real alcohol in over a year, all of us were dying for a drink. Nothing big, just a beer or a margarita, or a glass of wine with dinner.  Someone mentioned the Oktoberfest at Alpine village and and I gave my not-so-warm review and suggested we hold our own instead.  Everyone could make a dish that had a German ilk, they could bring their favorite beer, German or otherwise and since it’s football season, we could have football playing on the big screen.  It was so much fun, we did it again this year. 

Whisky to intoxicate your "sailors"

This year, I wanted to make something more than a main dish of brats and saurkraut.  I also wanted an easy appetizer that would keep with the German theme, but didn’t require a knife and fork.  I found the perfect solution thanks to the Blogher Food Pity Party.  

If you’ve visited my blog in the past couple weeks, you saw these White Russian Brownies I found at Allrecipes.com for the sad menu contest.  Well, this yummy little appetizer was also part of my sad menu for the Pity Party and since the recipe called for Kielbasa, I thought they’d be perfect for our Oktoberfest.  And I was right, they were.  These little “sailors” were such a hit and so easy to make, they’ll definitely be appearing at future parties, even if there isn’t a German theme. 

Drunken Sailors 

• 1 (20 oz) bottle of ketchup
• 1 (20 oz) bottle of BBQ sauce
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 3/4 cup of whiskey
• 2 lbs of Kielbasa (or Bratwurst) sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

Pour the ketchup and BBQ sauce into a 5 qt. slow cooker.  Stir in the brown sugar and whiskey.  Add the sliced sausages and stir to coat.  Cook on Low for 6 hours.  Serve hot with toothpicks.

A few months ago, Barbara of Vino Luci Style tweeted she was making roasted chicken with strawberries, caramelized pecans and balsamic dressing.  She sent out a picture and I was immediately hooked.  But since she hadn’t posted the recipe yet, I was forced to imagine how wonderful it tasted. 

Although I didn’t get to taste her scrumtious-looking dish, it got me to thinking how yummy strawberries and balsamic are together and I immediately ran to the refrigerator to see if I had any strawberries.  I did.  I also had some mixed baby greens and goat cheese. And just like that the idea came to me.  If I couldn’t have Barbara’s chicken, I could at least have a salad.  And I gotta tell you, the salad was delicious.  I’ve made it several times since then for family and friends and it’s always a big hit.

So, I want to thank Barbara for inspiring me to make this quick, easy and scrumtious salad.  Check out her wonderful blog, maybe it’ll inspire you too.

Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad

Serves 4

• 1 12 oz bag of mixed baby greens
• 6-10 large strawberries, sliced
• 2 oz of plain goat cheese, crumbled
• 2-3Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Rinse and dry the baby greens.  Place them into a large salad bowl.  Sprinkle the sliced strawberries and crumbled goat cheese over the baby greens.  Toss with balsamic vinegar and serve.

I hate to admit it, but sometimes there are days when I just don’t want to cook.  You know the days I’m talking about: the ones where you’re running around like a chicken with your head cut off and you still aren’t able to get everything done on your “to do” list. These are the days when the idea of prepping, stirring and turning on the stove just turn me off.  Instead, all I really want to do is put my feet up and have my fully trained kitchen staff whip me up whatever I desire and serve it to me while I watch the most recent episode of The Vampire Diaries. But since I don’t have a fully staffed kitchen just yet, what I used to do instead was grab a couple slices of bread, some cheese and whatever deli meat was in the fridge and slap together a mediocre sandwich. 

Unfortunately now that I have a toddler, making myself an unsatisfying sandwich isn’t really an option.  He needs a decent meal.  Three to be exact.  These are the days I scour the internet, my cookbooks and/or my brain for a quick and easy option that will not only provide a nice meal for the family, but have enough for leftovers the next day. 

Cooking the chicken, peppers, onions, corn and salsa

This Enchilada Bake is one such option.  It’s super easy to make, takes only about 40 minutes to cook and the only preparation needed is to buy the ingredients at the grocery store, whip them together, throw them in a casserole dish and bake it in the oven.  And the turn out – deee-licious.  My 17-month-old son even wanted seconds. 

Another awesome thing about this entree, since it’s Mexican, you can make it as mild or as spicy as you like.  You can add whatever vegetables you have in the fridge and while I used chicken for my version, you could just as easily substitiute carne asada or even skirt steak.

Covered with cheese and ready for the oven.

So the next time you want a simple meal that’s really filling and the whole family will love, give this Enchilada Bake a try. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Easy Enchilada Bake

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large green or yellow pepper, diced
• 1 package of frozen corn, thawed and drained (I used fresh corn that I just sliced off the cob)
• 2 cups of salsa (as mild or as spicy as you like)
• 4 flour tortillas
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded jack and cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cook the chicken, onion, and pepper in a large skillet over a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.  Stir in the salsa and corn and cook for another two minutes.

Arrange 4 tortillas on the bottom of a 13×9-inch baking dish.  Layer half each of the chicken mixture, sour cream and cheese over the tortillas. Repeat  the layers so that you have at least 2 layers of chicken, sour cream and cheese. 

Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes.  When the timer goes off, remove the tin foil and bake for another 10 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes and serve.