Presley's Pantry

As a rule of thumb, I surround myself with nice people. I like it better when these nice people become friends and love to eat and cook, just like me.  Sunday night my man and I headed out to an evening of eating a tasting menu inspired by Nestle hosted by Latino Foodie blog. Pamela of LatinaWineBlogger provided pairing wines…. Oh what a wonderful evening we had…..

Here is a look at the menu:

First Flight– Beef Sliders seasoned with Maggi seasoning with caramelized onions, stuffed with bleu cheese & bacon, dressed in a creamy jalapeno cilantro sauce. Served with garlic hasselback potatoes. Wine pairing: 2009 Aspaldi Rioja Cosecha. Rioja, Spain

Second Flight– Three cheese baked peruvian tallarin verde made with Carnation evaporated milk and Nestle’s Media crema. Wine Pairing: 2010 Pisano Torrontes Rio de Los Pajaros. Progreso, Uruguay

Third Flight– Sinfully spicy and nutty Abuelita Chocolate Chicken Mole Taco.         Wine Pairing: 2008 Flichman Malbec Tupungato. Mendoza, Argentina

Fourth Flight– Chile Verde seasoned with Maggi seasoning and stuffed into a pasilla pepper covered in a sweet cream (La Lechera) of corn sauce. Wine Pairing: 2o1o Chateau Los Boldos Chardonnay Cuvee Tradition. Rapel Valley, Chile

Fifth Flight– Red Hot Velvet Cake. Wine Pairing: Sant Orsola Brachetto d Acqui, Italy

All photos taken by: Mando Lopez

And many chocolate snacks…. sooooo yummy. If your mind is racing wondering how you are going to get your hands around some RED HOT VELVET CAKE…. Just click HERE and it will take you straight to Latino Foodie recipe.

A few pictures from the evening:

From L to R: Stephen Chavez and Art Rodriguez of LatinoFoodie.  Javier Cabral of The Glutster. Nicole Presley of Presley’s Pantry. Norma Vega. Pamela of Latina Wine Blogger.

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. I am simply blogging this event to celebrate Latino Foodie and their inspired Nestle tasting menu! CHEERS! 

I learned to listen to my heart long ago…. it’s just as powerful as the mind, and equally as wise.  Even if I refused to listen, it makes itself heard.  The heart wants what it wants….  it could be a MAD love affair or a kiss in the rain or simply a cup of mac and cheese.  I have a mad love and I may want to kiss in the rain if it’s not going to frizz my hair, but one thing is certain, I always want mac and cheese.  I recently had a little gathering and since valentine’s day is around the corner, I made heart shaped cups of my favorite mac and cheese.  Or maybe I made them for my demanding heart.  Which ever the case – AMOR conquers all!

Ingredients for Mac and Cheese Cups:

1 – pint cherry tomatoes (cut in half) (I saute them first in a tablespoon of olive oil)

1 – tablespoon Lawry’s seasoning salt

1 – tablespoon black pepper

1/2 – pound macaroni (cooked according to package)

6 – sliced mushrooms

1 1/2 – cups chopped ham

1/4 – cup chopped green onion (white part only)

1/4 – cup torn pieces of fresh basil

2 – cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 – cups shredded jack cheese

1 – teaspoon chili flakes

24 – heart shaped baking cups

1 – stick butter

1 – tablespoon minced garlic

1 – can 12 ounces evaporated milk ( I use Nestle)

2 – cups half and half

1 – tablespoon spicy brown mustard

3/4 – cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 fahrenheit

In a big bowl combine cherry tomatoes, Lawry’s, black pepper, macaroni, mushrooms, ham, green onion, basil, cheddar cheese, jack cheese, and chili flakes. Mix well. Then fill each heart shaped baking cup with a few tablespoons of mixture.

Line two cookie sheets with aluminum foil then place your heart shaped baking cups side by side.

In a big pan, over a medium flame, add butter and melt down.

Then add garlic to melted butter, along with evaporated milk, half and half, and spicy brown mustard. Mix well and make sure to really  mix the mustard in.

Bring butter/cream mixture to a slight boil. Then pull off flame and fill each cup with 1/8 of cup of cream mixture.

Then top each cup with a big pinch on panko crumbs.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Serve hot! 🙂

 Happy V-Day!

All photos taken by: Mando Lopez

Having a toddler really makes you appreciate your plastic ware….  I can’t tell you how many of my glass measuring cups and spoons have met their demise shattered all over my kitchen floor.  The light bulb went on and I invested in plastic ware instead.  Toddlers also make you realize how your alone time with your Valentine can almost become non-existant unless you carefully plan out an adventure for two.  Me and my honey celebrated V-day early (that’s when we could get a babysitter) with a picnic in the woods….  I of course made one of his favorite treats, Choco-Flan.  Thanks to all the stars in the sky my plastic carrier got the precious cargo from point A to point B in one piece.

Chocolate Cake Ingredients:

1/2 – cup cajeta

1 – box devils food chocolate cake mix (add water, vegetable oil, and eggs according to box directions)

1/4 – cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

In a mixer bowl, combine chocolate box mix cake water,  eggs, and vegetable oil.  Mix on medium for 2 minutes on slow, then bring the speed up to medium high for 2 more minutes.

In a 12 cup bundt pan.  Coat with a non-stick baking spray, then pour in cajeta to bottom of pan.

Then take cake batter and slowly pour over cajeta.

In a tea kettle, fill with water and place over a high flame. While waiting for water to boil, make flan blend.

Flan Ingredients:

4 – ounces cream cheese (I use Philadelphia Cream Cheese at room temperature)

1 – 12 0z. can of evaporated milk

1 – 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

1/2 – tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 – tablespoon almond extract

4 – large eggs

In a blender add cream cheese, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and eggs. Blend on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Once flan mixture is blended, slowly pour in a circle over cake batter, a little bit at a time.  Then sprinkle chocolate chips over the top.

  

Lastly, place the covered pan in hot bath in oven on middle rack and let bake for 1 hour.

Once cake is baked,  remove from hot bath and remove aluminum foil.  Let cool in the pan for 2 hours, next run a butter knife along the edge of pan to pull cake away from pan, then flip it over onto a plate.  Or on the plate of a cake carrier.

Slowly lift pan up away from plate.  There you have it….PERFECT Choco-FLAN!  Put it in the fridge for another 6 hours and eat it chilled.  If you are taking the cake to a party  top with the carrier lid and transport your choco-flan safe and sound.

 Hecho Con Amor!!

All Photos by Mando Lopez

Disclosure:  This post is part of the Plastics make it Possible for Valentine Bloggers Bake OFF campaign.  Thank you Ogilvy Public Relations for making me the featured baker.  I was provided with bakeware to aid this recipe.

Not only is February the month for sweet amor,  it’s Potato Lovers Month too.  In addition to the many potato dishes that we all know and love (e.g. baked potatoes, hash browns or mashed), let’s celebrate other courses made with delicious Idaho Potatoes too.  Let’s not forget Beef and Potato Tacos, Potato and Chorizo Enchiladas, Chile Verde with Potatoes and all the wonderful caldos (soups) made with spuds.

As you may know I like to jump outside of the box or as I say “scribble beyond the lines”, so here is a recipe called Casuelitas.  It’s a very unique recipe made of masa and left-over mashed potatoes.  For those of you who have never had the enjoyment of sinking your teeth into one…. it taste like a cross between a gordita and a potato croquette…. seriously UNFORGETTABLE.  Ever since The Idaho Potato Commission introduced these lovely delights into my life,  I’ve been craving them non- stop.  This is my homage to Casuelitas …. take a look.

Ingredients for Casuelitas:

• 2 – cups masa flour for tamales
• 2 – teaspoons table salt
• 1 – teaspoon baking soda
• 4 – tablespoons lard
• 1 – cup hot water
• 2 – cups queso quesadilla  cheese grated
• 2 – cups mashed Idaho Potatoes
• 1 – teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 – teaspoon chipotle powder
• 3/4 – teaspoon lime salt

Garnish:

• Carnitas (recipe below)
• grated cotija cheese
• salsa
• cilantro
• avocado
• crema

Ingredients for Carnitas:

 Disclosure: This post is sponsored by the Idaho Potato Commission. All opinions are my own. 

I’m thankful to be able to share this second webisode with you.  It was certainly a labor of love and we (my crew and I) are more than thrilled with the outcome.  Enjoy yourself some egg rolls!

Directors: Mando Lopez and James Ford

Producer: Lacey Reilly

Director of Photography: Tony Molina

Editor: James Ford

Set Design:  Linda Sena

Equipment: Paul Hopkins

Eggroll costume: Kristen Warren

Music: Anger Bros

Photos: Luz Gallardo

Make- up/Nails: Janine Presley

A photo of the crew and I after the webisode wrapped at 3:00 in the morning.

From Left to right: Ford, Janine, Myself, Mando, Lacey, Kristen, and Tony.

My egg roll recipe was originally featured on Nibbles and Feasts and still lives there. Click here for the printed recipe! 🙂

My english teacher in high school asked the class to write an essay describing what type of animal best describes each of our own personalities.  Based on the mere fact that I love cheese, I quickly knew I would be a mouse and could have written an encyclopedia on it.

Since then nothing has changed in the love for cheese department, except now I am familiar with many varieties and at that time I was limited to a few.  I bring my cheese love forward when it comes to pizza-making….. and let me tell you, I’ve been to many of the pizza capitals of the world, Chicago, New York,  and all over Europe to name a few, and mine (imagine me honking my own BIG OBNOXIOUS HORN here) is SUPER FRICKEN DELICIOUS!  I enjoy mixing different types of cheese together and usually the results are FAB-TACULAR!

Ingredients for pizza:

1 – batch of dough,  click here for recipe.

8 – tablespoons olive oil

corn meal

1 1/2 – cups pizza sauce (recipe below)

1 1/2 – cups grated mozzarella cheese

1 – cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 – cup grated cotija cheese

dried salami

sliced onion

basil

sliced black olives

An hour and a half prior to making your pizza,  rub a baking sheet lightly with olive oil.  Then pull dough out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature.  You will need to punch down dough and smooth into balls.  Then cover with plastic wrap while you wait for dough to come to room temp.

About 45 minutes before ready to bake, place a pizza stone on rack 3/4 of the way down from top of oven.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees fahrenheit.

Time to work the dough…  Take one of your dough balls and place on a lightly floured surfaced and shape into a disk.  Then continue to pull out into the desired size of your pie by draping it over the back of your hands, and continue to rotate dough with the back of your hands in a clockwise motion with the aid of your thumbs.

Then take your lightly olive oiled baking sheet and sprinkle it with cornmeal then place pizza dough directly on top.  Continue to go around the edges forming a slightly raised rim with the tips of your fingers by pinching and gathering the dough.

Once the dough is ready.  Place a tablespoon of olive oil on the inside of the dough and then spread it around the inside circle avoiding the rim.

Then take 1/3 cup of pizza sauce and spread on inside of dough.

Then top with 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese,  1/4 cup cheddar cheese, and 1 tablespoon of cotija cheese.

Then top with salami, onion, basil and olives.

Then sprinkle a pinch of cheese over the top salami and veggies.

Place in oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until crust is golden!  Cook each pizza one at a time.

You could always make a vegetarian option and swap out the salami for fresh sliced tomatoes instead.  Its just as delizioso!

Enjoy!

Ingredients for pizza sauce:

1 – 8 ounce can tomato sauce

1 – 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 – teaspoons red wine vinegar

1/2 – teaspoon garlic powder

1 – teaspoon dried basil

1/2 – teaspoon oregano

1/4 – teaspoon black pepper

1/2 – teaspoon salt

1/3 – cup water

How to make the pizza sauce: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  There will be a little left over for those who love extra sauce or for future pizzas. 🙂

PIZZA PIE!  PIZZA PIE!

 All photos taken by: Mando Lopez and Nicole Presley

Super Bowl is less then two weeks away…. Let the party planning begin!  Is Tom Brady your man?  Or are you Eli Manning all the way?  To be honest with you, I’m not a big football fan, but I LOVE Super Bowl.  Guess why?  You got it….. Yummy snacks all day long.  Okay, the noshing isn’t the only part I enjoy,  I take pleasure in  watching the commercials and the halftime show too.

My family is no different then all the rest of the feverish fans celebrating the big GAME! I’m sure my Tia is in a frenzy right now coming up with a perfect menu to cheer her team on with.  She asked me to bring an appetizer to her party for Super Bowl Sunday and said she wanted something slightly on the fancy side but easy to make.  I called on the help of my beloved Maseca and came up with a little nibble for people to snack on come game time.  May the best team win and I hope the commercials are good too!

Ingredients for corn blinis:

1 – cup maseca corn flour

2 – tablespoons fine ground yellow cornmeal  

4 – tablespoons corn kernels

2 – eggs

2 – tablespoons butter (melted, and cooled)

1 – cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Topping:

sour cream

smoked salmon

grated cotija cheese

chopped chives

Add Maseca corn flour and cornmeal to bowl of a stand-up mixer. Then add in corn, eggs, butter, milk, salt and pepper. Mix to combine all ingredients.

Spray a large frying pan with a non-stick cooking spray and allow to get hot.  Then take a tablespoon of batter and pour into pan.  Batter will spread.

Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side.

Repeat until all corn blinis are made. Place on a platter and top with sour cream, smoked salmon, a pinch of grated cotija cheese, and a dash of chives.

A super yummy appetizer for game day….. Easy to make!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored campaign for Maseca and Latina Bloggers Connect.  All opinions and recipe are my own.

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley