Chicken and Chorizo Paella

PhotobucketI seriously love Spanish food.  For me, Spanish food is comfort food, like someone’s else mac and cheese.  Throw a bunch of ingredients together and it’s like a latino’s version of a casserole.  Not to mention, there’s just something about the saffron that just makes me happy.

I’m just mad about Saffron. 

So when I found this easy, low-fat version of a Spanish classic, I had to give it a whirl.  Thankfully, my family loved it and now this meal is a regular on our weekly dinner menu.

Now, if I was a better latina, I would go to the bodega to buy my chorizo, but I’m too lazy for that, which is just sad really because there’s a bodega on every corner in Tampa.  However, there is really no need for me to make an extra trip to the bodega, except to support small business owners which I really should instead of giving money to big corporation.

But in one weekly shopping trip to my local Target, I can buy MSG-free Archer Farms Chorizo Sausage as well as pick up a allergy medication, tampons, a cute sundress, some new sandals for my kids and deeply discounted running clothes.  See how I save money shopping at Target?

But this post is about paella not summer deals at Target.

Chicken and Chorizo Paella (Pollo y Chorizo Paella)

(Borrowed from So Easy by Ellie Krieger)

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 chorizo sausage links

1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups low-sodium free range chicken broth

½ cup frozen peas

1 cup uncooked white rice

1 ripe tomato, chopped

¼ sliced green Spanish olives with pimentos

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp turmeric

Pinch of Saffron threads

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.

Using a large, heavy skillet with lid, heat olive oil in skillet on a medium heat.  Add chorizo links and cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until brown.  Remove links from skillet and slice into ½ inch round slices.  Return chorizo to skillet and add chicken.  Cook both meats together for about 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink on outside.  Transfer chicken and chorizo to a plate.

Add onions to skillet and cook, stirring often until softened, about 3-5 minutes.  (There should be enough oil in the pan left from the chorizo, but if need be, add 1 Tbsp olive oil to skillet.)  Add garlic and cook for about a minute.  Return chicken and chorizo to skillet and add chicken broth, peas, rice, tomato, olives, salt, pepper, turmeric and saffron.  Bring to a boil, cover and transfer to oven.  Cook until rice is tender and the liquid is completely absorbed, 25-45 minutes*.

*Time may vary depending on oven.  This dish takes closer to 45 minutes in my oven.

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!



*Also submitted at*

Denise Mestanza-Taylor+

Mexican Wedding Cakes for Cinco de Mayo

PhotobucketMy family and I are participating in a Mexican-themed race today called the Crazy Sombrero.  Afterwards, one of our friends is hosting a post-race party where all the guests were asked to being a snack to share for the fiesta.

What to bring?  What to bring?  MargaritasMexican Lasagna?  

As I flipped through the Mexican-flare recipe cards in my mind, I recalled the potluck luncheons from my early teaching days. Back then, I taught in a very rural community of Dade City with a large population of migrant workers, mostly Mexican and some were part of our school’s staff.  Thanks to the lovely senoras on staff, Mexican Wedding Cakes were always part of the potluck and they were delicious.  Similar in texture to a shortbread (Scottish, not Martha’s), they were a tasty light, flaky buttery cookie.

So, to pay homage to my Mexican homies, I tried my hand at Mexican Wedding Cakes like the senoras used to bake.  Traditionally, these cookies are made with pecans or walnuts, but due to my nut allergy, I chose to use almonds instead.

Before beginning the cookie batter, I roasted the almonds on an ungreased baking sheet at 325° for about 10 minutes for a rich fragrance but not burnt.

I let the roasted almonds cool completely before I chopped them in a food processor for a fine, almost mealy texture.

Using a standing electric mixer, I combined the butter, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, ground nuts and flour.  Then, I rolled them into 2-inch balls and baked them for about 15 minutes until the edges were golden brown.

I let the cookies set and cool for a few minutes before rolling them in powdered sugar.  Once coated with a light layer of confectioners’ sugar, I returned them to the cooling rack.

Honestly, Mexican Wedding Cakes are so easy to make and I think the senoras would be quite pleased with my cookies.  They tasted just like I remembered.  It’s funny how one small taste can send you back in time.

Me gustan mucho.

Mexican Wedding Cakes

(Adapted from The Joy of Cooking)

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

½ cup confectioners’ (powdered) sugar

¼ tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup nuts (pecans, walnuts or almonds), toasted and finely ground (See above.)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup confectioners’ sugar for topping

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Grease or line two cookie baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat liners.

Using a standing electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, salt and vanilla until well combined.  Then, add finely ground nuts and mix on a low setting for about 15 seconds.  Add flour and mix on a low setting until well combined.

Shape into 1-2 inch balls and arrange about 1 ¼ inch apart on the baking sheets.  Bake one at a time until edges are golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Remove sheet from oven and cool on a wired rack for about 5 minutes.

While still warm but cool enough to handle, roll each cookie in confectioners’ sugar and return to cooling rack.  Just before serving, sift additional confectioners’ sugar over cookies.

Yields about 2 dozen

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!



*Also submitted at*

Sweet Tooth Friday

Denise Mestanza-Taylor+

Leap Into Spring Photo Challenge: Eggs

This week’s Leap Into Spring Photo Challenge is Easter/Eggs.  Given that Easter was just a few weeks ago and I still haven’t shared those photos, I hopped on it.

Like most , our Easter our was full of eggs from decorating and dying…

…to four different egg hunts.  There was one egg hunt with Emmalynn’s class.  Chugging along with a train basket in tow, Little Lion Man tried to keep up with the big kids.

We always love our annual egg hunt with our Moms on the Go friends.

On Easter morning, the Easter bunny left some jellybean-filled eggs in the yard.  Did you know that dump trucks make better Easter baskets?

Then later that day, Grandma hid some eggs in her gorgeous garden, which is perfect for eggs hunts and wanna-be photographers.

After a long, “eggs”hausting hunt run in Grandma’s huge yard, we rewarded ourselves with the Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes I baked for dessert.

Yep, it was a truly “eggs”elent Easter.

spring photography challenge, kristi live and love out loud photo challenge, project alicia photo challenge, bumbles and light photo challenge,

PhotoStory Fridaythe hollie rogue Look whooooo’s snapping Unknown Mami

Denise Mestanza-Taylor+

Green is the Colour

Green was the colour that I wore from morning to night on St. Patrick’s Day.  For the Spring 5K, I ran in my green tutu and a little leprechaun hat to match.  It’s important to accessorize.

*Photo provided by Suncoast Running.*

For the nighttime festivities, I wore green hair to coordinate with my green top and eye shadow.  The secret is you have to coordinate.  Most people don’t coordinate.  You got to coordinate.

Honestly, it was fun to make a spectacle of myself and quite easy to be green for a day. Funny though, even after several pints of cider, I didn’t feel at all green the next morning and that’s a good thing.


Visit Xmas Dolly , Hairbows & Guitar Picks and Royalegacy for more Music Monday fun.

Denise Mestanza-Taylor+

Irish Drinking Songs and Going Out In {green} Style

I am ridiculously excited about St. Patrick’s Day falling on a Saturday this year because there’s no work or after school activities to get in the way of our Irish beer consumption.  Although my girls and I do have a 5K race in the morning, it won’t be long before I’m finishing off a green beer after crossing the finish line.

Before we head out that evening, Allan and I will line our bellies with some Guinness corned beef and potatoes and then get onto to the drinking.  It won’t be too long before we look like this.

 

I’ll probably wear the same green top I always wear, but I love this shirt from Urban Outfitters.

I’m thinking about buying a green hair wig too just to change it up this year and go out full on green style.

 

 What are your plans for St. Patrick’s Day?  Will you be going out in style?



Merriest Christmas Moments

Beautifully set tables with a bit of bokeh ready for loved ones to gather ’round.

Hubby preparing Christmas dinner while wearing his presents.

Grandma Mestanza proudly posing with her almost-as-tall-as-her grandchildren

Little Lion Man giggling on his granny’s knee.

One tired little boy tucking into Grandpa to sleep.

Cousins cuddling.

Sisters striking a pose.

Happy children loving most of their presents…

and exclaiming, “This was the best Christmas ever!”

Live, Love, TRAVEL

A Christmas Calm (with a little Pink Martini)

On Christmas Eve, a calm feeling came over me.  Although I still had the entire house to clean for company while Allan prepared a huge Italian feat for my family, I felt like it was no big deal.

Since Halloween, life has been pretty chaotic from birthday celebrations, school projects, races and then the holidays came.  For months, I’ve felt like I was drowning.  But for the first time in months, I felt like I could finally catch my breath and I enjoyed the moment with a few more cleansing breaths while I cleaned.

I suppose I felt calm because this was it.  The last big thing I had been stressing over was now coming to a close.  The presents had been bought and wrapped.  Most of my Christmas cards had been mailed.  All that was left was to enjoy Christmas and I was truly enjoying it, ironically while I scrubbed toilets.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were perfect.  The kids were so excited about all of their presents.  The food was fantastic and we shared lots of laughs and good cheer with our families.  And it felt so good not to worry about anything (school projects, races, blogging) for a little while.


 
With today being Boxing Day, we’ll spend a quiet day at home cleaning out closets and cupboards to find space for all our lovely new things we received from Christmas and then we’ll donate all our old gently used toys and clothes to charity in the spirit of Boxing Day.  Today could be another calming, therapeutic cleansing day for me in many ways.  At least that’s what I’m hoping it to be.

Although I’m enjoying my Christmas calming and cleansing moments, it leaves room for some new goals and plans for the New Year.  But that’s another post.


 
What are your plans and goals for the New Year?   

Next week for Music Monday, I would love for you to share a song that captures your plans for the New Year. Will 2012 be more of the same or are you taking on new endeavors? Tell us your thoughts with a tune.


Visit Xmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.

A Northern Sky, a Cool Yule and a Miracle

Does any else feel like Christmas threw up on them?  That’s the ugly metaphor I’m choosing to describe the Christmas chaos I’m feeling.  You should see the state of my house.  I think the tree is finally decorated, but I still have a gazillion cards to post and a pile of last minute gifts still yet to buy and of course, tons of wrapping to do.

However, all of that will be put on hold, because today I am chaperoning a field trip to Legoland with Allana’s class.  I plan to write some cards on the bus on the way, but with how car sick I get, I could literally puke Christmas.  I may need to rethink that plan.

Anyhow, this Music Monday post will be a little light today because I’ve got so much to do, like blog about our anniversary date in the midst of the Christmas madness.  Yesterday, Allan and I had a fabulously fun Serendipity-style date, but I’ll explain all that in great lengths in another blog post.

While you wait for all the details, I’ll tease you with a movie clip from Serendipity set to Nick Drake’s Northern Sky.

If you didn’t know already, I have this thing for movie soundtracks and I absolutely LOVE the Serendipity soundtrack, so I have to include the song even though it’s not a Christmas song.  It’s a very fitting song for our anniversary because my Allan comes from a northern town in England and of course, like I said, a perfect way to tie in a tease about our Serendipity-style date.

But Christmas music has been the Music Monday (and Xmas Dolly’s Monday’s Music Moves Me) theme for the past month, so I’ll share a Christmas song from Serendipity.

And since tomorrow night is the first night of Hanukkah, I’ll leave you with some Matisyahu.  Besides, it will take nothing short of miracle to help me with all this Christmas chaos.



Visit Xmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.

Holiday Inn Captured My Heart

I took my best girl to the cinema yesterday.  Just me and my gal catching a show and we had a swell time, see.  A real swank time, I tell you.

It’s hard to shake the circa 1940s slang after being immersed in it for a couple hours.  As an early Christmas present, I bought tickets for Holiday Inn for my sister since it’s her favorite Christmas movie.  She was surprised to learn that I had never seen it so she asked me to join her rather than her hubby.

With its old world charm, the Tampa Theatre is the perfect cinema for a showing of a classic film and I loved watching the movie for the first time on the big screen as it was intended.  The larger than life dance numbers and set designs help your appreciate the art of film-making in a time before CGI and green screens.

 

Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby’s characters were delightful and endearing, like the way you want to remember these classic Hollywood film stars.  Although as beloved as they are, it’s the songs and the dancing that truly steal the show, of course.

The song, White Christmas, makes its debut in Holiday Inn, however, most people know it as the theme song for White Christmas, which will also be showing this holiday season at the Tampa Theatre on December 23.

Much like my sister, Holiday Inn captured my heart with singing and dancing.  I enjoyed watching this classic Christmas movie on the big screen so much that I plan to make this a new holiday tradition for us.

That’d be swell, I tell ya.  A real hot dog!


 

Visit Xmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.

A Christmas Flop

Our Christmas tree is up.  Well, it’s standing.  The lights have been hung and the garland has been festooned.  That’s it.

Our Christmas tree enthusiasm and skills seem to be lacking this year.  Typically, our tree is up before Thanksgiving, but not this year which just goes to show you how crazy busy we’ve been.  There is some serious Christmas procrastination going on in this house.

But a busy schedule and a missing tree didn’t stop me from ornament shopping because I bought this ornament just before Thanksgiving.  Originally I bought it for my online Xmas Ornament Xchange, but I found a better one so I decided to keep it.  Besides, flip-flops are so me since I wear them all the time outside of my running shoes.  It’s a Florida thing.

I suppose I should hang it on the tree instead of snapping bokeh photos and blogging about it.

I’ll do it later.  First, I have run.

Don’t miss out on this ornament exchange!  The linky party closes Sunday!

Photobucket

“Have you decorated your Christmas tree? Share a favorite Christmas ornament.”

Mama's Losin' Itholiday bokeh party 2011 my3boybarians.comPhotography

Live, Love, TRAVEL