Margarita...Cupcakes?!

A few months ago, for Cinco de Mayo, we made fajitas. What goes with fajitas? Frozen margaritas! Unfortunately, I don`t have a blender, and until recently, we didn`t have enough room to even make ice, so that was out. Luckily, last year, while looking for Cinco recipes, I stumbled upon a website with the most fantastic cupcakes ever. Margarita cupcakes. Adult only. I did make the kids pinata cookies though, so no one was left out. These are fantastic. You can change the content of the tequila in the icing to make it stronger or weaker, so no worries. Also, if possible, I would buy your tequila in Germany as I ended up paying 25 chf for a small bottle. Sad, but I also needed it for a marinade, so all was not lost.

Here is where I found the original recipe. Her pictures are gorgeous. This is the second time I had made them and since it was just us this time, I was more interested in the eating of them than making them look beautiful. Check out her page. I also changed the recipe the second time, but did follow hers the first.

What you need:

1.5 cups flour

1.5 tsp of baking powder (backpulver)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup room temperature butter
1 cup sugar
2 room temperature eggs
zest and juice of 1.5 limes
2 Tbls tequila
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk + 1 tsp lemon juice OR 1/2 cup buttermilk

For the frosting:
3 Tbls powdered sugar with 1 1/2 Tbls tequila. This will make a thick icing. See the original recipe for another frosting option

For extra tequila flavor, before icing the cupcakes, brush them with some more tequila (about 1-2 Tbls total)

I used a silicon muffin pan, if you don`t have one, make sure to use cupcake or baking cups.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, backpulver and salt.

In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, mixing in between. Add the lime zest, juice, vanilla and tequila. Mix well. If it looks like curdled milk, you`ve done it right.

Add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk (or milk and lemon). Mix only lightly. Once everything is blended, stop.

Pour the batter into the muffin pan, cook at 160 C for about 25 minutes. Stick a toothpick in the muffin to tell if they are done. If it comes out wet, add another 2 or 3 minutes. If dry, you are done.

Let the cupcakes cool. If you wish, brush the tops with tequila and then add the icing once they are completely cool. If you won`t be using them all immediately, it is easier to just ice the ones you need as you can seal the rest in a bag of dish.

To ice, put the powdered sugar in a small bowl and add the tequila. Mix until incorporated. You want it to have enough liquid to spread easily, if you end up with it too runny, just add a bit more sugar. You can use a spoon/knife to spread the icing, or an icing bag if you would like it to look more decorative. Next time I make these I will do that to show you. (And take a few better pictures)

That`s it, enjoy!

Queso (Tex-Mex cheese dip)

We went to the US for a visit and  had to have all of our old favorites.  One of them (well a few of them) was going to a Mexican Restaurant that we had been to a few years before. We had an incredible queso dip for an appetizer, and of course I had to try and recreate it.

I actually spent quite a bit of time researching this one.  There are a few mays to make queso, and almost all of them involve cheeses that are not readily available here. I started off with the desire to find a good monterry jack substitute.  While researching, I did learn that the Cheese Man occasionally carries it, but that you need to contact him. He is at the Zürich HB and the Viadukt. I then took all the suggestions of cheeses that were available in the supermarkets and tried them with a cheddar base.  I tried both the British yellow-white cheddar and the more Americanized orange cheddar (available from Migros Brunaupark or Jelmoli on the Bahnhofstrasse).

Here are the types of cheese that I tried:
Manchego
Asiago
Gouda
Edam
St Paulin
Cheddar - Cathedral City
Cheddar - rot

I thought about trying the Iberico as well, but didn`t quite get around to it. The cheeses that work in the best combination to make a creamy, tasty queso are the Manchego, Asiago and Cathedral City Cheddar.

The main thing you need to do when making the queso, is have a good base. If you have a recipe for cream sauce that you love, you are basically there and just need the cheese and a few other things to make a fabulous queso.

Feel free to use whatever kind of peppers you prefer. I used the skinny, long red ones available at Migros as I did not want to use the jarred jalapenos, or travel to El Maiz (though they do ship, and it is fairly quick). My husband and I disagree on spiciness, so the first time I made this, I used one pepper, and this time (the better version of the recipe), I used 3. He thought it was perfect, and I think 2 would be. So take into consideration how spicy you want it to be. If it ends up too hot, add some more cheese.

The one other important piece of information you need to know, is make sure you do this on a low heat. I have a range from 1-9, and I stayed at about a 3. Depending on your range, you may need to adjust as we have one burner that gets super hot. I avoided that one. Also, you need to whisk constantly towards the end.

What you need:
2 Tbls butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup of flour
250 ml of whole milk.

With the following, feel free to add a bit more, or a bit less depending on your likes and dislikes, but keep in mind, if you add too much, it will be like salsa cheese, or too little and it will be cheese soup :-)

1/2 cup of diced onion
2 or more hot peppers (I used one the first time, for a very mild flavor and 3 this time for a stronger flavor. I think at least 2 should be added to get at least a hint of spice).
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup or more of cilantro, depending on how much you like it (I used an entire bag from Migros)
2 large diced tomatoes, or a drained can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup of sour cream, optional (this does thin it out a little bit, creme fraiche would be a little thicker)
200g of Manchego cheese
200g of Asiago cheese
200g of Cathedral City Cheddar cheese (the cheeses all came in packages really close to that amount).

First, put your butter in a large pan and start to melt it over low heat. Add the diced onions and peppers and cook for about 5-10 minutes. I used this time to grate my cheese.  You do not want to buy pre-shredded as I read that there is something added to it that makes it not melt as well (I don`t know for sure as I haven`t tried it, but thought I would throw that out there for you).

Add the garlic and stir.

Add the flour and then whisk the mixture till the flour is evenly mixed in.

Add the milk and whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened. Probably another 5 minutes.

Roughly chop the cilantro, and add it, along with the diced tomatoes.

Very slowly, add the cheese. About 1/4 cup at a time, and mix until it has melted before adding more.  This can take another 10-15 minutes.  After adding all your cheese, if you feel that it is too runny, slowly add flour a teaspoon at a time and wait about 3 minutes in between adding more, or you may find you have something to eat with a fork.

Add the sour cream last. (the photo with sour cream looks more orange as that was my first batch and I added a can of diced tomatoes. If you use fresh, the queso is a lot lighter)

Don`t forget the chips.  I have yet to find decent tortilla chips (or at least something without seasoning on them already), so you have a few options.
Buy the really good ones from El Maiz or Jelmoli
Buy a box of the crunchy taco shells and break them up, or
Make your own.

Making your own is very simple. All you need are flour tortillas and some vegetable oil. Heat the oil in a pan until it is very hot. Cut your tortillas into triangles (like a pizza) and put them in the pan. If you have let the oil get very very hot, you only need to cook them on one side. After they brown and bubble up, lay them on a paper towel to blot some of the grease. Sprinkle with sea salt, as desired.

These are the homemade tortillas, which taste a lot better than store bought if you have the time (see flour tortilla link above)

These are with tortillas I had found in France

Your final option is just to heat up flour tortillas and dip them in the hot queso. Simple and yummy.

I hope you enjoy, and feel free to try your own cheese combinations. Let me know if you come up with something fantastic!

The only thing that could have made this better would be a frozen Swirl or Margarita, but until I get a blender, I guess I will have to pass...

Adapted from the Brown Eyed Baker

Exciting Enchiladas

So while I love Mexican food, I am very particular about it as well. I am not a fan of super spicy things. Unfortunately my and my husband`s definition of spicy is completely different.  About 10 years ago, I thought the Taco Bell cheese sauce was on the spicy side.  I`m doing a lot better, but jalapenos still scare me.

 When my friend made this dish for me, she made it sound so incredible...I could not wait to try it.  She had forgotten one thing though. To mention that it involved jalapenos.  Fast forward a bit, and she brings this large casserole over to be cooked. All you can see is the cheese on top, and of course it looks wonderful. It goes in the oven and the smells are divine. Someone else asks what is in it, and she goes through the list. Jalapenos included. My jaw dropped. I was so sad, but she said she`d only put 1 in, and that I wouldn`t taste it.  I put the fate of my mouth and all the milk in the fridge in her and took a bite. It was delicious!
If you aren`t a fan of spice, you can leave it out, or if you are, add even more. Either way, it will turn out great.  Just don`t forget the cilantro, as it makes all the difference!

What you need:

500 g shredded chicken
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
8-10 flour tortillas
1/2 - 1 cup grated cheese, Manchego or Iberico
3 cups tomatillo sauce (recipe below)

Optional:
sour cream
avocado



For the sauce:
500 g can tomatillos (available for about 8 chf at El Maiz)
1-2 jalapenos (optional)
1/2 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic
1 cup cilantro, leaves and stems (or one package from Coop/Migros)
1/4 tsp salt

1. Prepare your chicken.  I have made this twice now, once with the sour cream option for the sauce and once without. The first time, I used store bought pre cooked chicken and shredded it. The second, I roasted my own chicken and thought that was the better way to go.  Another option is to poach the chicken by placing it in a pot with water just covering it. Bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, turn off the heat and let sit for another 10 minutes.

2. Prepare your sauce.  If using the canned tomatillos, open and drain. I used my immersion blender attachment to chop everything. Put in a bowl (blender or mixer) and then add the cilantro, garlic, salt and jalapenos.

Thinly slice the onion and cook it until it begins to brown and soften. Add to your mix. Blend until you reach a consistency you like.

3.  Spread some of the sauce in the bottom of your baking dish. You will use it to coat the tortillas.

There are 2 options for the tortillas: sprinkle a little water on them and put them in the microwave for about 15 seconds, or (my preference), quickly fry each side.  If you choose this option, heat up the pan first, then put some oil in it once it is hot.  Fry one side then the other. Make sure to blot the tortillas on a paper towel when done.

Lay in the baking dish and then flip so each side is coated with the sauce.  Add a heaping tablespoon of chicken and some cheese to the tortilla and then roll. Place at one end of the dish. Repeat until you have no more room or no more chicken.  When the dish starts to fill up, you may need to use a brush to spread on the sauce to both sides.

Once your dish is full, add the remaining sauce to the top. If you like, before doing this, add in 1/2 a cup of sour cream. Add the sprinkled cheese and bake at 180 C for about 15 minutes. 

 with sour cream sauce

out of the oven,  no sour cream sauce

Ready to enjoy

The cilantro gives it a very good flavor. Don`t forget to add it like I did the first time! :)
Oh, and it is fantastic as leftovers the next day...cold and reheated.

Salsa

I made some salsa for Cinco de Mayo and my husband thought it was fantastic.  Problem is that I kind of just added things and didn`t pay attention to the amounts.  This weekend I finally had some time to make it again, but wrote things down so that I could make it in the future. El Maiz has good salsa, but since I don`t get into the little shops so much anymore, it is nice to be able to make your own.  Eventually I will probably try preserving it so that I can just make it once in a while, but I have not gotten to that point yet.

Feel free to add more chilies and jalapenos as you desire.

What you need:

1 can of diced tomato, juice removed
1/2 can of the stewed tomatoes, no juice
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 large garlic cloves
juice from 1 1/2 lime
3/4 of a bag of koriander (cilantro - the 2 chf bags from Coop/Migros)
1/2 tsp salt
3 red chili peppers
3/4 jar of sliced jalapenos (no juice)



Optional:
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cumin

I used the food processor attachment for my immersion blender, but you could always dice everything finely as well.

If using the blender, roughly chop everything. I removed the seeds from the peppers. Blend until you reach the desired consistency. Pour into a jar and refrigerate. Quick, easy, and delicious!

Great tortillas

I've been put on a budget. Hardest. Thing. Ever.  It's the end of the month. With having had visitors most of the month, I am counting the days till the first (C'mon..hurry up!) Anyway...I wanted to make tacos, but Taco Shells and Tortillas both are way more expensive than I would like (have everything else).  Flash back to one day this summer when Coop was having a sale....

Coop website: Flour...4 1kg packages for 2 chf
me: I use flour
website: Thank you ...we will deliver tomorrow
me: WTF...what am I going to do with 8 bags of flour.... never shop online at 3am while you're feeding the baby..

Normally this wouldn't be a problem.  However living here is severely taxing my organizational skills and it's more of a Jenga game with a lot of things (working on it though!)

So today, my oldest son helped me make tortillas.  It was lots of fun. (He slept through the hard part so probably had more fun than me).  It was nice.  I remember long ago to when I was little and I would help my mom make tortillas.  They were wonderful! (This was back when she fried them afterwards...drool.....She's stopped now - which is good and sad at the same time).  I remember waiting for those tortillas to come off the stove and hoping they wouldn't be nice and round.  Those odd square shaped ones had to be eaten right away.  And if they were all round, well then, mom would give us one to try to make sure they were ok :-)  I miss living near my mom, but the visits we share are all the more special now that we don't get to spend a lot of time together.  And having my own kids and baking what my mom and I used to make is great as well!

What you need: (makes about 18 tortillas)

4 cups of flour
1 heaping tsp of salt
1 tsp baking powder
4 even Tbsp shortening (I used butter)
1 1/4 cups very warm water

Mix the flour, salt and baking powder.  Add the shortening/butter and mix well. Make a hole for the water and then add it as well. Not sure if you can see it very well - but push the flour mixture to the sides of the bowl.

Knead (I use my hands) for a couple minutes until a soft dough forms and everything is mixed together well.  Let stand for 20 minutes. Cover with a towel.  Form as many balls as you would like tortillas.  I usually start out with 15-20 and then slowly add bits to other dough balls as I get on since I don't like rolling them out. I end up with 12-15

When rolling, try to make a circle...unless you need an excuse to try one to make sure they're ok for other people (they're wonderful right off the stove with a little butter on top).  Next, it's kind of like making pancakes.  When the tortilla begins to bubble, it's time to flip it (cast-iron skillets are great for this, but I used my 7 chf Ikea pan - dry)

I usually will roll a tortilla when I put the first one in, and when I'm done rolling I flip it - seems to be about the right time.

If you leave the tortilla in longer, the brown spots get bigger. Don't worry about it - they all taste great!





Here is my finished stack...now to see if they will last to taco night!

A review

I don't know if you've ordered from Coop@Home before, but they have a freebie section.  I think it's great - little samples or packets of new items in the store, so I always click 'in basket' to all of them.

A few weeks ago, Old El Paso stuff was on sale (the only Mexican food products you can get at Coop. Migros has Pancho Villa), and they were offering a seasoning packet for 'Mexican Potatoes' and 'Crispy Chicken Fajitas'  Old El Paso is also 20% off right now, so I figured I'd give it a try.  I wouldn't say dinner was a success...but when you're expecting Fajitas...it just didn't work out. Making your own is just so much better.  This would be good for lunch though. Maybe add it to a salad or still put it in a tortilla...but don't call it fajitas.

Here's what you need:

1 package OEP crispy chicken fajitas
1 package OEP Mexican potatoes
Sour cream (sauer rahm)
Beans - refried, black, or whatever you prefer
Bell pepper
Onion
Tomato
Avocado (or guacamole - I used the Betty Bossi guacamole which tastes pretty much like mushed up avocado...will make proper guac. later)
Cheddar cheese - you can get the 'cheddar rot' at Jelmoli or Migros Brunaupark, the others are a sharp yellow)
Tortiallas
Salsa

The directions are on the packages and pretty easy. For the potatoes, you need 4 cut into french fry strips, some oil and a baking dish. Cook at 180C for 40 minutes.  This is where I had a bit of a problem...I wanted to make them for the same dinner but only have one oven. The chicken is supposed to be baked for 15 minutes as well.  Oh, and the package said 'mild' but even hubby who likes spicy food didn't think they were mild. My mouth about had a fit when I tried one.

For the chicken, cut it into strips (the smaller the quicker it will cook), put a little oil in a bag with the chicken to coat and then add the seasoning (crumbs). Seal the bag and shake.  Place the chicken on a baking sheet in the oven for about 10-15 minutes.  I will say the chicken tasted good, but like I said, it doesn't scream 'Fajitas!' at me. Oh, and I think I may have used a bit too much chicken as it didn't completely coat every piece.

While all this is cooking, I sliced my pepper and onion and sauteed them. Grated my cheese, heated up the beans and diced my tomato and put everything on the table so it was ready to go. Then when everything is done, just layer up your tortilla, roll and enjoy.  (I'd fold in at least one end so everything doesn't fall out when you try and take a bite)