- Home-made Southwest Spiced Chips
I love those “gourmet” chips they sell at the grocery stores these days, but the problem is that for a little sprinkle of, say, chipotle powder, they charge you 2 or 3 times the price of regular old potato chips.
So, I decided to experiment with my own spiced chips.
This is so incredibly simple that you’ll be making your own spiced chips in no time!
THIS IS THE ENTIRE RECIPE. NO, REALLY: Spread potato chips on a baking sheet in a single layer. Heat in a 400 degree oven for 2 to 3 minutes, just until chips become oily. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with spice mix of choice.
Try one of our three FFF spice blends, or whip up your own. Chef Bobby Flay has a fabulous 16-spice blend, if you’re feeling ambitious. Or, just use a favorite spice from your pantry. I love just plain smoked paprika or cumin. Yum!
Happy Summer Everyone!
– posted by Donna
Who says guacamole is the one and only southwest chip dip?
When I was having some people over a few days ago, I decided I needed a dip to go with my enchiladas. But. No avocados. =Sigh=
When I searched the pantry, I had lots of canned black beans and one can of garbanzo beans, both protein powerhouses and so yummy, but could they be yummy together? Answer: Most definitely!
The cumin and chipotle powders are fabulous together, the raw garlic adds a very nice mild bite, and the garbanzo and black beans are a perfect texture pair. I LOVE this dip, and will make it again and again. Especially when I run out of avocados!
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I’m always looking for a new mocktail recipe to serve poolside during the summer. After all, you can only drink so many diet sodas or lemonades . For some reason, I can’t get the lime sherbet punch served at summer weddings out of my mind. You know the punch I’m talking about. Just about everyone from the local Church Lady to Paula Deen has a recipe for it. We don’t have a lot of weddings in the summer here in Phoenix (like we always say, “If the wedding can’t wait until October, it’s not really love.”) So, it looks like I’m going to have to make it myself. The only problem is… I forgot to invite two hundred of my closest friends over to swim today.
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I have come up with my very own fabulous frugal food tip! I made a pesto recipe out of a wilted spinach salad. I think it is a rather brilliant way to stretch the delicious spinach salad recipe with strawberries, goat cheese and candied walnuts into another dish. Bruschetta!
I was so disappointed when I went to the refrigerator to get some left over salad for lunch and realized that I had dressed all of the spinach the night before and now, it was wilted. The spinach, goat cheese and strawberry combo from the day before (don’t forget the walnuts) sounded so good to me that I just had to figure out a way to finish them off. I decided that if pesto is made by just chopping up basil and smothering it in oil anyway, why not start out with spinach that was dressed in olive oil already?
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Ahhhhh – Mexican Chorizo. It is one of those foods that – when it’s good – can be heavenly, but . . . when it’s bad, it can be a greasy and nasty nightmare. So, I thought, how about making it at home so I could control the ingredients?
Mexican style chorizo is made from ground pork, vinegar and spices. I decided not to bother with trying to put it into casings because I always wind up removing the casings and using it like ground beef in recipes anyway.
First I did some research.
The Homesick Texan posts a fabulous chorizo with pork, vinegar, chiles and spices. Thank goodness HT agrees with me to skip the casings! The Spicie Foodie made a chorizo with less heat. Diane at The Whole Gang adds tequila to her chorizo! Wow! Must try this next time. Menu in Progress makes an Oaxacan style chorizo with five different chile powders.
And, the King of Mexican Cuisine himself, Rick Bayless, adds pork, pork fat, chiles, spices and garlic to his Chorizo Toluqueño in his book Authentic Mexican. He recommends refrigerating for 2 days before using.
Many of the recipes call for using a meat grinder, but, seriously, who has a meat grinder these days? I found that pulsing the pork in my food processor works just as well.
Chorizo is surprisingly easy to make and is very lean, depending on the cut of pork you use. I had to add oil to my pan to cook it because it was so very lean. And, I loved the flavor of my homemade version. So delicious. I have some stashed in my freezer right now for our next leisurely breakfast with chorizo and eggs!
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