New Mexico Red Chile Sauce (Chile Colorado)

My friend Jessica sent me dried red Hatch chiles from The Hatch Chile Store. Her favorite red chile sauce recipe is from The Sunset Cookbook. Lightly toasting the dried chile peppers in a hot pan for a few minutes loosens the oils in the skins, which adds more flavor. You can use this sauce for enchiladas, soups, stews or as a condiment. It's so good and definitely worth the extra effort. The sauce can be frozen.

By Leslie Blythe

Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

My daughter Zoe surprised me for my birthday and flew out from New Hampshire with her boyfriend Pierce. It involved a lot of planning with my other daughter Grace so I didn't find out. It was the best birthday present of all time for me since I haven't seen her since January 1, 2020.

Anyway, Zoe is working at a very well known bakery in Kittery Maine. She is learning pretty advanced baking skills in large quantities. She made these Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats. The brown butter is a brilliant addition and takes it to a whole new level.

By Leslie Blythe

Spicy Sausage Ragout

When we lived in London, I used to love food shopping at Sainsbury’s. They had these wonderfully simple adverts on the telly (sorry, I had to do that), showing you how to make a quick and easy meal. It always started out by saying “Simply take….” Anyway they would have these cards in market. I would collect them and make all the recipes. Here is one I found in my collection. I love how the recipe is called Spicy when there is nothing spicy in it!

By Leslie Blythe

Chicken Paillard

I had this divine Chicken Paillard in the desert last weekend at a French/Japanese fusion restaurant. It was absolutely delicious. Paillard is a French term for a boneless piece of meat that has been pounded thin or butterflied. The process of pounding the meat tenderizes the chicken and it cooks faster with less moisture loss.

By Leslie Blythe

New Mexico Stacked Enchiladas

Jessica here, guest-blogging for Leslie.

This is a photo of our tasty New Mexico-style stacked enchilada. It’s a family favorite, especially during this dark pandemic winter.

How to make it? Well, as we lawyers say, it depends. There’s an easy way and a hard way.

The easy way? Buy everything: shred a roast chicken, open a can of refried beans and another of enchilada sauce; layer it all evenly between three corn tortillas, bake at 400° F for 10-15 minutes, top with a fried egg – and there you have it.

The hard way is what you see in this photo. But it was actually a collaborative effort. My husband made green chile using Hatch chiles that he’d roasted, frozen, and defrosted.

I poached chicken breasts in white wine, water, and some aromatics (black and pink peppercorns, chile powder) and shredded them.

Then, I realized I had no canned refried beans. What to do? Well, I had a can of pinto beans, so I made my own. And may never use canned ones again, because these were so delicious.

By Leslie Blythe

Eggplant Smothered with Charmoula Marinade

Charmoula is a Moroccan spice blend, is best known as a tart marinade for fish. Here, its fresh taste is a perfect complement to the warm creaminess of eggplant. This dish should be prepared ahead, to give the eggplant time to absorb the charmoula.

By Leslie Blythe

Cloud Eggs

My brother David made these Cloud Eggs, which my mother used to make. Because he lives over 2,400 miles away, I didn't have these lovely eggs. Though, I do not happen to like runny yolk eggs. I remember as a kid being horrified and deeply disappointed that the egg whites didn't taste like whipped cream!

Cloud eggs got their start in 17th century France. The recipe for oeufs a la Neige, translated to “eggs in the snow,” was published in Le Cuisinier Francois in 1651.

By Leslie Blythe

Hot Brown Turkey Casserole

My Dad grew up in Pittsburgh and one of his favorite things a called The Turkey Devonshire Sandwich, which is a hot open-faced sandwich on toasted bread with hot turkey, bacon, tomatoes, and a cheese sauce. This sandwich was first served at The Stratford Club in Pittsburgh's Shadyside neighborhood in 1930.
I decided to make him (actually, I had my husband make it!) a Hot Brown Turkey Casserole. This also originated as a sandwich called the Hot Brown and was invented in 1926 at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky to absorb the bourbon that guests had the night before. The 2 sandwiches are very similar, though I think the chef in Pittsburgh obviously copied it and changed the name!. Anyway, this is the casserole version, which is much easier to make and feeds a hungry or hungover crowd!

By Leslie Blythe

Marinated Chickpea and Feta Salad with Spring Vegetables

This Marinated Chickpea and Feta Salad with Spring Vegetables makes a great lunch. It also has farro, which is a food composed of the grains of certain wheat species. Because it contains more fiber than other popular grains like rice or even quinoa, farro might have even more positive benefits when it comes to digestion and cardiovascular health. It's also exceptionally high in protein for a grain and supplies more than 10 different vitamins and minerals. Trader Joe's sells 10 Minute Farros, which is fast and easy to make.

By Leslie Blythe

Za’atar Chicken Cutlets with Cabbage Salad

I happened to have all the ingredients to make this Za’atar Chicken Cutlets with Cabbage Salad. The Za'atar coating on the chicken is excellent. The leftovers, if there are any, would be great to serve in pita bread with the cabbage salad.

By Leslie Blythe