Tried and True | Cooking In Stilettos

Easiest Ever Homemade Tortillas

February 2, 2012 By Aly M. 1 Comment

I don’t know if you are like me at all but I always have tortillas on hand. They are great crisped up in the oven drizzled with a bit of Mojo de Ajo or just perfect for a warm gooey quesadilla for those nights that I get home way too late from the 9to9 to even think about making something complicated for dinner. Recently, I noticed that a pack of the tortillas was – shall we say “disintegrating” and maybe it was a bad batch but I tossed it out and shuddered, not wanting to know what was in those tortillas to turn them into a foul smelling mystery dust.

When I made the slow cooked carnitas, I remembered that I had no tortillas. Rather than rush out to the local grocery store and take a chance on mystery dust tortillas, I and remembered something that Rick Bayless had said – that it was so simple to make your own as the ingredients are already in the pantry. I found a recipe on Cooks.com that spells it out perfectly.

Also, I recently bought a tortilla press that has been been sitting in my “gadget cabinet” just waiting for a little love. However, you don’t need a fancy schmancy press to make a decent tortilla – just a flat surface and a rolling pin. If you do use the press, make sure to use two Ziploc bags or cling wrap to keep the dough from sticking to the surface. Great thing about this recipe – you will never find “mystery dust” in place of your tortillas when you are craving a seriously good quesadilla.

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Tried and True — Slow Cooked Carnitas

February 1, 2012 By Aly M. 2 Comments

My DVR is going to be the death of me. There are certain cooking shows it tapes religiously and Rick Bayless’ Mexico – One Plate At A Time is one of them. He recently had a show about carnitas which had me throwing dinner plans out the window. I knew that I had a nice pork roast on hand because I was going to make my favorite Pork Tinga but decided this might be a nice switch.

The easiest thing about this slow cooked carnitas recipe is that most of the work was done in one of my favorite kitchen aides – the Slow Cooker. A few minutes under the broiler was all it took to crisp up the succulent pork. With a few whirls of the immersion blender, the fire roasted tomatoes turned into a flavor packed sauce. As I didn’t have any tortillas on hand, I decided to attempt to make my own homemade tortillas and it was so simple that I won’t be buying them again if I can help it. Serve these carnitas with a side of Spanish rice and you have a perfect meal that will have everyone marveling at how you managed to do it all and not break a sweat.

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Cozy Up With A Bowl of Winter Minestrone

January 23, 2012 By Aly M. 2 Comments

Philly got a bit of a present over the weekend in the form of freezing rain and snow galore. With the freezing rain that turns the hills of Manayunk into skid central, it was a weekend in for this gal. The Sous Pug didn’t fare well with the snow as he is now officially completely blind and could only slide down the sidewalks and stand bewildered on the freezing snow banks that he bravely attempted to climb. He pretty much was ready to pack his toys and head back to Florida.The good thing about being a food blogger held captive during a snowfall is that one can play in the pantry for a bit.

One of my new favorites for winter is this comforting Winter Minestrone Soup from Giada de Laurentiis. It was lightening quick to make and perfect to take off that icy chill. The one step you can’t skip is the parmesan rind – it’s definitely one of those secret weapons. I buy them from Whole Foods and keep them in the freezer for soups like this. Grab a bowl of this soul soothing soup and curl up on the couch. It’s a recipe that you will find yourself making again and again.

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Filed Under: Comfort Food, Cooking In Stilettos, Giada de Laurentiis, Recipe, Soup, Tried and True Tagged With: Comfort Food, Cooking in Stilettos, Giada de Laurentiis, Recipes, Soup, Tried and True

Recipe Redo — Panettone Bread Pudding With A Dash Of Cherries and Rum

January 19, 2012 By Aly M. Leave a Comment

Panettone Bread Pudding Fresh From The Oven

One of my goals for 2012 is to go through some of the utterly “food blogging newbie” posts when I first started and redo the recipe with new photos and, occasionally, play with the recipe a bit. Hard to believe that it will be 4 years for Cooking In Stilettos this March.

For the holidays, one of the desserts that is often requested is Giada’s Panettone Bread Pudding with Warm Cinnamon Syrup. I originally wrote about it in 2008 and decided to document it again but add my own little twist to it.

At the beginning of the holidays, I often head to Philly’s Italian Market and pick up a box or two of some amazing Panettone Bread. This year, I decided to add to my tried and true recipe with the addition of some rum soaked cherries. In my humble opinion – this was my best panettone bread pudding that I have ever made! Friends were asking for the recipe, family headed back for seconds and thirds and, well, that bad boy didn’t last too long. A word of caution is necessary however – this dessert is rich so consider yourself advised before you dive into its puffy gloriousness with a spoon.

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Filed Under: Baking In Stilettos, Desserts, Giada de Laurentiis, Recipe, Recipe Redo, Seasonal, Tried and True Tagged With: Baking In Stilettos, Giada de Laurentiis, Recipe, Recipe Redo, Tried and True

Tried and True: Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Risotto

December 13, 2011 By Aly M. Leave a Comment

I have a habit of thinking some recipes are overcomplicated and tend to think “I can never make that” even though it might be somewhat simple. Risotto is one of those recipes. I have seen it made time and time again on various shows and never had the urge to try it until I saw this Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Risotto recipe from Giada de Laurentiis and decided to give it a whirl.

For the record, the most effort is stirring the rice constantly. I have a habit of making “crispy toasty rice” and not in a good way. I loved how the flavors came together and decided to make it in one pot, using some of the bacon fat to caramelize the onions and it really did add some great flavor. Plus – everything is better with bacon, right? When I went to gather the ingredients, I noticed that I was out of thyme and parsley but didn’t let that stop me. Another point – I rarely drink white wine in my house – just ask SL. White wine might lead to someone dancin’ on tables – I’m just sayin’… However, when I do cook with it, I tend to keep the little bottles of Pinot Grigio in the wine fridge just in case for those moments when I don’t want to open a bottle of white and have it go to waste. Don’t judge

This pumpkin goat cheese risotto is a tried and true recipe in this household. Plus, I am happy to report that I have conquered my fear of risotto – beef wellington, however – well that will take some time.

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It’s All About The Stuffing – Ciabatta Chestnut Stuffing That Is

December 7, 2011 By Aly M. 2 Comments

Holiday time always meant that when I visited my Bampa’s house, there was a strong likelihood that in addition to the typical stuffing you might find, overflowing with celery, onions, raisins, etc., there would be a small dish of chestnut stuffing for those that might enjoy it. Now, I was a snotty little kid who liked all things processed – Cool Whip, Stove Top and god knows what else and, if I had a time machine, I would go back in time and tell my Bampa I was sorry for not appreciating his culinary wisdom. I’m sure he must have shaken his head a few times at my turned up nose and exclamations along the line of “Chestnut stuffing – YUCK!” Like I said – I was a brat.

I attempted to give Chestnut stuffing a try over the holiday and, guess what, Giada had a recipe for Ciabatta Chestnut Stuffing that rocked! It’s a stuffing that even my Bampa would thoroughly enjoy. Giada’s recipe called for pancetta but I wound up using some bacon I had in the fridge. Also, as I didn’t have a 15 x 10 x 2 dish, I used two of my Le Creuset bakers. Coupled that with some great ciabatta from Whole Paychex, roasted chestnuts from Williams Sonoma and some turkey stock – it was a dish that was not only great with dinner, but better the next day. Chestnut stuffing will become a family tradition, once again.

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Filed Under: Cooking In Stilettos, From Bampas Kitchen, Giada de Laurentiis, Holiday, Recipe, Tried and True Tagged With: Cooking in Stilettos, Giada de Laurentiis, Holiday, Recipe, Tried and True

Tried and True: Turkey Chili

December 4, 2011 By Aly M. 1 Comment

You would think that after the holiday, I would be sick of turkey, right? Well, truth be told, I bought some kosher ground turkey for the Sous Pug with the intent of making him some vet approved turkey meatballs. However, the night before Thanksgiving, the lil’ guy had a pancreatitis flare-up that cursed him through the weekend and I didn’t want that ground turkey to go to waste. So, I decided that turkey chili was on the menu. Since I’m in the midst of pantry cleanout 2011 in preparation for the 2012 winter blizzard season, I saw this as an opportunity to use up some of the pantry staples.

This recipe was adapted from one of my 2011 fave releases, Betty Crocker Cookbook. It was super simple to prepare, full of flavor and is a tried and true for year ‘round. You can also adapt this with ground chicken, beef or leftover cooked chicken or turkey. If it’s pre-cooked chicken or turkey – just add them about 10 minutes before the chili is ready to serve.

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