Presley's Pantry

Have you ever been so consumed with an event you start to pick out your outfit days in advance?  This is my life right now thinking about THE TASTE this weekend.  I need clothes I could float in because I plan on eating my way through this epicurean heaven.  Are you kidding?  You know how many amazing chefs are going to be dishing out their specialties?  In case you don’t know this is a 4 day extravaganza taking place in 3 different locations with a total of 9 events.  Celebrity chefs (to name a few: Ricardo Zarate, Roy Choi, Giada De Laurentiis, Celestino Drago, Duff Goldman, Ludovic Ludo Lefebvre, Aarti Sequeira, John Rivera Sedlar, and Marcella Valladolid) are holding panels and demonstrations during this culinary spectacular.  All you can eat and drink from some of the most celebrated restaurants in Los Angeles.  Do I need to say more?  I’m beside myself this is a food event I would not miss!!!!  How do you even manage to taste everything?  I have no idea but I’m going to try!

Wanna go?  Buy tickets here.  Input the code “YUM” for a 40% discount.

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Thanks to Melissa’s Produce I’m on a hatch chile kick.  All sorts of chile dishes have been made in my kitchen this week.  Some traditional, others experimental.  No one is complaining, just devouring dish after dish.  I’ve brought a few friends through my door with the mere mention of hatch chile….. Oh the power they have over us chile lovers.  I decided to highlight this rendition of Chicken Cordon Bleu, minus the ham, insert the HATCH.  It turned out to be a hit.  I’m glad I made a few, because there would have been several frowns around my house if there were none left over for tomorrow.

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

Ingredients for chicken hatch en blu:

5 – hot hatch chiles (roasted, peeled, deseed, and sliced)

2 – chicken breast (sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices) (each breast should make 3 slices)

6 – blue granite jack slices or a cup of crumbled blue cheese

salt and pepper to taste

2 – eggs beaten

2 cups panko

3 – tablespoons olive oil

toothpicks

Let’s start with basic 101 of roasting chiles. Place hatch chiles over an open flame. Then once skin is charred place in a ziplock bag and let steam for an hour. Remove from bag, and peel off charred skin under a slow stream of water. Then remove stem and seeds from chile. Cut into long strips.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then line a cookie sheet with foil and set to the side.

Slice your chicken into 1/4 inches.

Get all your ingredients ready to roll.

Take a chicken slice and place roasted chile on top then layer with blue granite jack.

Then slowly roll, and close with a toothpick.

Once you get all your chickens in a roll…. season with salt and pepper.

Prepare panko crumbs by pouring olive oil over the top and mixing evenly.  This will help your panko crumbs to brown.  Take a chicken hatch roll and dip in beaten eggs.  Next dip into prepared panko.  Place on cookie sheet.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is not pink. Your chicken hatch en bleu will be spilling over with cheese.  Just the way I like it!  Spicy, crunchy, blue cheesy, and yummy.

No compensation was received for this post. I was provided with a sample of  Melissa’s Produce hatch chiles to aid this recipe. The recipe and opinions are my own. Thank you Melissa’s Produce for the wonderful batch of hatch!

Who doesn’t need a “pick me up” in the morning?  I know I sure do, sometimes I need one mid-day too!  I attended a Got Milk event not too long ago and learned all these fancy ways of combining coffee in appetizing drinks by none other then Heather Perry the two time national champion barista.  She got me thinking about my coffee and how I choose to enjoy it every morning.  This is what I call “a morning pick me up” here in my house, we love it and insist on having it.  Coffee brewed with cinnamon tea, a touch of Ibarra chocolate, a big wet kiss of piloncillo, and a lovely splash of creamy milk.  Cheers to you and your loved ones….  Now go out with a bounce in your step and face a brand new day!

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

Ingredients for easy cafe de olla:

16 – ounces of water

1 – cinnamon stick

2 – tablespoons coffee

1 – tablespoon crushed mexican chocolate (I use Ibarra)

1 – teaspoon crushed piloncillo

a splash of milk

In a small saucepan over a medium flame add water and cinnamon stick. Let it come to a boil.

In a 16 ounce french press add 2 tablespoons of coffee.

Then add mexican crushed chocolate

Then pour hot cinnamon tea into french press and let brew for 5 to 10 minutes.

While waiting for coffee to brew, grab your favorite mug and add piloncillo.

Then pour brewed cinnamon coffee into cup.

Then swirl in a splash of milk. Enjoy anytime of the day!

Can’t wait for tomorrow morning to do it all over again.

I get home Tuesday night to a big Fed-Ex box waiting at my doorstep.  Immediately I act like it’s Christmas, I tell Mando “Grab some scissors so I could pop this box open.”   I spy to see the return address is Melissa’s Produce, this sets excitement to my creative mood.  Pulling the flap up to the box  a crowd of HATCH CHILES reveal themselves.  I see the chiles have decided to group into cliques labeled “HOT” and “MILD”…. Who do I want to enjoy first?  I know,  I will test the waters with the mild chiles initially and work my tolerance up to the hot…. Sounds like a plan.  Here’s what happened next:  Brainstorming, market run, roasting chiles over an open flame, and peeling all the charred skin away. Corn bread strata is what I came up with for the mild hatch chiles, wait a couple of days and I’ll deliver what kind of dance the hot hatch chiles did for me! Thank you again Melissa’s Produce!

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

Ingredients for hatch chile corn bread:

3/4 – cup milk

1 – cup grilled corn

1/2 -cup melted butter

2 – beaten eggs

3/4 – cup mild hatch chile (roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped) (about 3 chiles)

1 1/2 – cups yellow cornmeal plus 1/4 cup

1/4 – cup flour

1 – teaspoon baking powder

1/2 – teaspoon baking soda

1 – teaspoon sugar

1 -teaspoon salt

1 – cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

First start by roasting hatch chiles over an open flame. Then once skin is charred place in a ziplock bag and let steam for an hour. Remove from bag, and peel off charred skin under a slow stream of water. Then remove stem and seeds from chile. Lastly cut into long strips then chop into small pieces.

Next take your grilled corn on the cob and remove kernels.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Then take a 9×13 metal cake pan and grease with butter and shake with 1/4 cup of cornmeal. This will ensure your corn bread does not stick.

In a mixing bowl add milk, grilled corn, butter, eggs, and mild hatch chiles. Mix well.

In a large mixing bowl add cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Whisk together. Then add wet mixture to dry mixture and mix until combined.

Pour into prepared metal cake pan, and spread evenly. Then top with 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Corn bread is done!

Ingredients for strata:

1 – pan of hatch chile corn bread

1 – cup grilled corn

4 – mild hatch chiles (roasted, peeled, seeded, and butterflied)

5 – ounces artichoke hearts (chopped)

1/2 – cup pepitas

2 – cups grated jack cheese

1/2 – cup chopped green onion

1/2 – tablespoon dried chili flakes

1 – teaspoon black pepper

1 – teaspoon Lawry’s

2 – cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 – tablespoon spicy brown mustard

8 – eggs

1 – cup milk

1 – cup 1/2 & 1/2

Butter a 9×13 glass baking dish. Then take corn bread and cut into small pieces. Then line glass baking dish with corn bread pieces. Make sure to leave 1/8 of corn bread behind for a later use.

Then sprinkle with grilled corn.

Then add butterflied mild hatch chiles to the next layer.

Now add the artichoke hearts and pepitas.

Now for the jack cheese, chopped green onion, dried chili flakes, black pepper, and Lawry’s.

Now take the remaining cornbread (that 1/8 you saved), and break it up over the top.

Let’s be fair and sprinkle in some sharp cheddar cheese to the top.

In a bowl beat mustard, eggs, milk, and 1/2 & 1/2.  Then pour mixture over the top of the strata.  It should look like this from the side.

Now cover the strata and place in the refrigerator for 12 hours or over night. This is the hard part. Waiting.

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.  Bake strata for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean!

Enjoy!  Serve for breakfast with some sausage on the side or with a side of black beans and sour cream.  I’ll take both. 🙂

No compensation was received for this post. I was provided with a sample of  Melissa’s Produce hatch chiles to aid this recipe. The recipe and opinions are my own.

Did I ever mention that I LOVE Disneyland?  It’s true.  When I was younger I would go several times a year, but now I get out there on special occasions which usually fall under the guidelines of my birthday, my fiance’s birthday, and now my son’s birthday too!  Of course I get uber excited knowing I’ll hop on all my favorite classic rides…. The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, and Peter Pan.  What really makes the thrill of visiting the happiest place on earth worthwhile are all the snacks.  I live to nosh and drink my way through the day.  Stopping along the way from each ride to the next to see what I could get my grubby little hands on. Today was no different then any of my other Disneyland visits, I had my fair share of all snacks Disney has to offer! Thank you for another beautiful memory!

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley and Mando Lopez

What we snacked on: Mickey Mouse Pretzel, Mint Julep,  Fresh Strawberries, Frozen Lemonade, Disney Lollipops,  Mickey Mouse Rice Krispy Treat Pop, Peanut Brittle,  and Ice Cream in a Waffle Cone.

No compensation was received for this post. Just a wonderful day spent celebrating my son’s birthday. These are my personal opinions and views of Disneyland.

I recently went to a Yoplait Light event, and it couldn’t have happened to me at a better time.  You see, I’m about to film my first webisode for this blog and to be quite honest I am beyond busy with everything.  When I find my time is limited I also find that I grab whatever is available to me and gobble it down quickly, so this was a great refresher course on how to stay on track and make smarter healthier choices for my body.  Yoplait Light is launching a new campaign asking people to swap out an unhealthy snack for a yogurt instead and see the difference.  Yoplait made this idea seem like a no brainer when a delicious Apple Turn-Over Smoothie was served to me in a martini glass, because not only was it refreshing and tasty….. It’s good for me too.  Plus I liked the fact that they used apple in a smoothie, what a clever move.  Next time you are about to reach for a big greasy sloppy snack think LIGHT and shave those unwanted calories away.

Apple Turnover Smoothies

Prep Time: 10 Min

Start to Finish: 10 Min

• 2 containers (6 oz each) Yoplait® Light Fat Free apple turnover yogurt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup chopped apple
• Apple pie spice
• Apple slices

1. In blender, place yogurt, applesauce and chopped apple. Cover; blend on medium speed until smooth.

2. Pour into 2 glasses; top with apple pie spice and apple slice.

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

No compensation was received for this post.

In the words of Annabella from Bow Wow Wow…. “I Want Candy!” Aside from wanting candy all the time, I also want my favorite nut, pistachios. Why not combine the two for a perfect pairing and take my sweet nutty cravings to a new level of BIG LOVE.

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley and Mando Lopez

Ingredients for pistachio toffee:

1 – cup butter (melted)

1 1/3 – cups sugar

1 – tablespoon corn syrup

2 – tablespoons cold water

1/2 – teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 – cup salted Wonderful Pistachios

12 – ounces chocolate chips (melted)

First line a cookie sheet with a non- stick baking mat or wax paper. I use both, but I’m a freak… One method is good enough.

Then take your bag of Wonderful Pistachios, cut it open and GET CRACKIN! I like to shuck my pistachios before I start making the toffee.  Once done removing shells place 1 cup of pistachios to the side, and with the remaining 1/4 cup coarsely chop.

Let’s get the toffee rockin and rollin…. In a big pot over a medium flame with a candy thermometer attached to the side, drop in butter and allow to melt. Mix with rubber spatula.

Then add in sugar, and mix in completely before adding in corn syrup and water. From this point forward you will be mixing constantly.

Keep stirring your buttery sugar mixture until your candy thermometer reads 300 degrees fahrenheit.  This will take about 15 to 20 minutes and your mixture will go from pale brown to deep golden brown. Then remove from flame and add vanilla. Your mixture will bubble and pop. This is good news!

Add 1 cup of Wonderful Pistachios, and mix well.

Then pour onto prepared cookie sheet and top with melted chocolate.

Spread chocolate carefully over top of toffee to coat it!

Then if your anything like me…. you’ll run off and hide somewhere and eat the chocolate off the spatula.

Okay back to work…. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup pistachios on top of chocolate, and place in the fridge overnight or for at least an hour.

When ready to eat. Break it into pieces or eat the whole slab! Enjoy!

No compensation was received for this post. I was provided with a sample of  Wonderful Pistachios to aid this recipe. The recipe and opinions are my own.

Makes my mouth water.