Gourmet Food on a Budget — Ever Forward, Ever Flavorful
Many, many moons ago, my friend, Chef John Farion introduced me to Machaca and Eggs. I fell in love – with the dish – not him! If you have never heard of Machaca, it is traditionally dried meat, either beef or pork, that has been rehydrated and used in local dishes in Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. It’s kind of like a very well seasoned stew, often served with eggs. Next time you see a Mexican food truck, ask if they have Machaca and try it. You’ll be hooked, too.
A quesadilla with cabbage and jalapeno is tasty and good for you, Cabbage gives a little crunch and a bunch of nutrients.
These cheesy Quick Chili Rellenos are great for a weeknight and a good way to use up leftover mashed potatoes.
I see people doing silly, rather dangerous things with avocados and I thought it was high time I set the record straight. I want you to know how to safely work with avocado, and make really good guacamole. You might want to head on over and get my recipe for Boswell Seasoned Salt. Feel free to visit my YouTube channel and don’t forget to subscribe!
Chili Colorado really is a winter staple because it really warms you up on a cold day. There’s nothing like warming your hands on a bowl of hot chili. Enjoy!
This was intended to be a Toastada with a beautiful shell, but, you know, you come home from work, you’re hungry, and that high falutin fiesta shell goes out the window. No problem, this was actually better because you could eat some, then pick it up and eat it like a burrito. Of course, you could put anything you want in here, chicken, beef, tongue, fish, or completely meatless.
I really like what I call Whole Meal Salads in the summer. It means usually not having to turn your oven on at all. If you want meat, you can get meat already cooked, like rotisserie chicken that I used in my Curried Chicken Salad. Have you noticed, it’s been a real summer of salads. That’s good, salads are healthy, depending on what you put in them. I try to keep high-end salads that have blue cheese dressing for special occasions, and keep everyone else with a little oil and vinegar, if anything.
Have the famous Street Dogs at home – jumbo franks wrapped in bacon with sauted jalapeno, onions and bell peppers. Have them with corn!
A few days ago, I made a roast chicken and we only ate a little of it. The thing sat in my refrigerator like a giant elephant mocking me because I couldn’t think what to do with it. We had tacos from it on Cinco de Mayo, but that didn’t use up all the chicken. I also had some left-over charred Anaheim chilis and some charred Italian tomatoes sitting in the refrigerator. It seemed I had the ingredients for enchiladas.
When we went to the store, I bought extra tortillas and extra sauce for my enchiladas. Yes, I buy canned sauce. It’s good and I don’t have to make it from scratch – but sometimes I do, like when I make Enchiladas with Three Pepper Sauce. But, I didn’t want to spend Mother’s Day in front of a hot stove, so I got the canned sauce. I also didn’t feel like burning my fingers rolling up hot tortillas. A layered casserole would be appealing and a lot easier.
Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread with Creamed Corn is rich, moist, and flavorful. Have it with chili, or just by itself.
This is a very versatile recipe because you can make it on the stovetop or you can make it in the Instant Pot. It’s also perfect for a Dutch oven, and you can use both methods together depending on how you like to cook. You can also add spice to make it spicier, or delete if you don’t like spicy.