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Slow Cooker Beef & Chile Stew

Marianne Sundquist · November 17, 2023 · Leave a Comment

The last few weeks I’ve been feeling the pace of life speed up. Between school, work, and shorter days, I knew it was time to pull out my crock pot and make a big pot of something warm that would feed us throughout the week. This Slow Cooker Beef & Chile Stew is a nourishing, hearty, and deeply flavorful recipe that brought a hefty dose of warmth and ease to our meal times lately.

Save some for a snow day

Whenever I make a big pot of something, I usually try to squirrel away a quart in the freezer to share or for a rainy day. I put two quarts in the freezer this time, and we ate the rest for multiple breakfasts and dinners. This stew is particularly good for breakfast with an egg on top and a warm tortilla on the side. If you don’t have a slow cooker, keep reading! You can easily make this in a Dutch oven by braising it at 300 F. for three-ish hours.

Choosing a cut of meat

You’ll notice the recipe calls for beef stew meat, which is easy to find in most grocery stores. In general, the best stew meat is cuts with collagen-rich connective tissues that slowly melt and tenderize in a low heat and slow cooking environment. Chuck, Round, Sirloin, and Brisket are perfect candidates for this type of stew-making, while more tender cuts are best enjoyed by searing, grilling, or roasting. Also, it’s important to remember that other meats like lamb, bison, elk, and pork can also be used interchangeably.

As with many recipes that turn out to be family favorites, I started with what I had. I had butternut squash, onion, a head of cauliflower, a tub of mild red chile and chopped green chile in the freezer, bacon, and an open bottle of red wine. I then picked up mushrooms, beef, and broth, heading home with everything I needed to put this one-pot meal together in the slow cooker.

Flexible veggies

As you look at the ingredients, remember that you can swap out other vegetables, if, for example, you don’t love mushrooms. Potato, pea, pearl onion, cabbage, parsnip, turnip, celery root, and carrot are just some of the vegetables that could be substituted for the ones used here. And if you want to add greens I would recommend adding them towards the end of the cooking process.

New Mexico-Inspired Thumbprint Cookies with Pecans and Raspberry Jam

Marianne Sundquist · November 10, 2023 · 2 Comments

We are entering the time of year when the smell of cookies baking in the oven just feels right. Yesterday I started making these New Mexico-Inspired Thumbprint Cookies as my husband and kids were getting ready to run some errands around town. The dough came together so quickly that by the time I put it in the fridge to rest, the kids were still getting dressed. Those of you with kids will understand when I say that thirty minutes later the cookie dough was fully rested and ready for rolling into balls, and my kids were looking for their socks and shoes.

All of this is to say that making these cookies is easier than you might expect and takes less time than it takes some people to get dressed. I did notice both my husband and the kids keeping an eye on the kitchen timer, so maybe they were carefully planning the timing the whole time. After all, they all were able to grab a warm cookie on their way out the door.

An Unexpected Love for Thumbprint Cookies

I’ve been thinking about thumbprint cookies for a long time. I never really thought about how much I love these buttery, jam-filled cookies until I had one of Dolina’s Polish Tea Cookies filled with either orange marmalade or raspberry jam. As with many food (and life) discoveries, sometimes it takes one extraordinary moment of noticing to change how you see something forever. I know this sounds dramatic but it’s true. Since I do not have much of a sweet tooth, my mind doesn’t gravitate toward desserts the way it does to cheese, fresh bread, popcorn, or butter. Before tasting this cookie at Dolina, I had never given this style of cookie a second thought. But since then, a new room in my mind went under construction and recently opened, dedicated entirely to this delightful cookie.

I learned that while many people call them Thumbprints, they are also referred to as Polish Tea Cakes, Jam Drops, Butter Balls, Hallongrotta (Swedish for “raspberry caves”), and Niçois Suns, a French version made with almond paste, apricot jam, and pistachios.

The version here touches on the classic approach to a shortbread-esque type of cookie but we handle it a bit differently and include an egg yolk for stability and a very slight textural chew.

The Importance of Precision: Weighing Ingredients for Baking

You’ll notice that I include the weight measurement in grams for both the flour and the pecans. So if you happen to have a scale, I encourage you to use it. If not, don’t worry. Weighing ingredients is the most accurate method of measuring and this is particularly important in baking. If you use a measuring cup for the flour, just be sure to scoop a heaping amount into your measuring spoon and scrape off the excess with a butter knife.

Infusing New Mexico Flavors

I had lots of fun thinking about the flavors of New Mexico and this specific time of year. I used pecans from CLC Pecans grown in Lovington, New Mexico, and filled each cookie with a small spoonful of Heidi’s Raspberry Jam, both of which I purchased at The Santa Fe Farmers Market. I added cinnamon, anise (inspired by the beloved biscochito cookie), and a touch of lavender to the dough. The final result might be my new favorite holiday cookie.

Thumbprint Cookies - with a jar of Heidi's Raspberry Jam

This particular recipe is relatively small. The cookies I made were on the bigger side and the recipe yielded 16 cookies. I could have made them smaller and the yield could have easily jumped to around 20. This is entirely up to you. The size of the cookies you make will directly influence the time it takes to bake. So I would say that 15-25 minutes is the window. Keep an eye on them and trust your instincts. You want to look for golden brown bottom edges and remember—they will firm up as they cool.

Chorizo Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates: A Taste of Avec in Your Kitchen

Marianne Sundquist · November 1, 2023 · Leave a Comment

This recipe for chorizo stuffed bacon wrapped dates is close to my heart. One of my favorite places of all time is a sweet little restaurant in Chicago called Avec. For most of the twelve years, I lived in the windy city, I celebrated my birthday (and too many other special occasions to count) with family and friends at this single communal table west loop spot, noshing on simple but expertly prepared Mediterranean dishes with wines from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece.

By the end of the evening, our table would inevitably have the feel of a still-life painting— a slightly disheveled array of wine and water glasses, kitchen towel napkins, wooden boards, and shareable plates, like bright lemony salads and wood-fired focaccia with the insides spread with farmers cheese and brushed with truffle oil. However, my favorite dish to order was their signature dish: chorizo stuffed bacon wrapped dates roasted until the bacon was crisp and the dates melted like caramel in your mouth.

A delightful appetizer

With the beginning of fall sports season, I thought it was the perfect time to share the version of this dish that I make when I feel nostalgic for my twenties. Or, when the time calls for a perfectly balanced and delightful appetizer that can pass as the perfect game-day snack just as easily as a complete meal, especially with a simple green salad on the side.

Vegetarian variation

If you wanted to make a vegetarian version of the stuffed dates. I would consider stuffing the dates with fresh goat cheese instead of the chorizo. I love to combine tomato and chile for the sauce, but mole or a straightforward New Mexican-style red (or green) chile sauce would be wonderful too.

Level it up

When serving these delectable morsels as an appetizer, don’t hesitate to enhance the experience with a selection of Marcona almonds and olives on the table nearby. Their complementary flavors and textures elevate the entire spread, ensuring an unforgettable dining experience reminiscent of the cherished moments at Avec.

Mouthwatering Marinated Chicken Tacos: Discover the Secret to Taco Night

Marianne Sundquist · October 18, 2023 · Leave a Comment

Taco night in our house happens pretty much every week. Sometimes it feels like a miracle dinner because it’s a night when an array of toppings on the table work for everyone. We have a stack of white ramekins on the shelf. Usually, I fill all of them with small things that fit into tacos with ease—shredded cheese, avocado, onion, cilantro, sour cream, cucumbers, and blueberries (the kid’s favorite). I love to heat a large skillet, add a bit of butter and make “smashed tacos”, searing our filled tacos on each side until the tortilla gets crisp and the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Sometimes a rotisserie chicken, beans, or avocado work perfectly as the main taco filling. But when I have time, marinated chicken breasts and/or thighs are one of our favorites. When I was thinking about this recipe, I went to the grocery store planning on getting a dozen chicken thighs to marinate. Chicken thighs are a fattier cut of chicken, and are juicy and full of flavor. But when I arrived, chicken breasts were on sale and so I thought, why not test this marinade on what tends to be the driest cut of chicken? Standing in the middle of the store, I decided to go for it and I’m so glad I did. You can use chicken breasts, thighs, beef skirts, or flank steak.

Now, I don’t want to perpetuate chicken breasts’ dry reputation, so it’s important to take note of a few details. In this recipe, I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts because they are easy to grill, slice, and fill tacos with. But this is certainly the driest avenue to go when it comes to choosing what chicken to use. Bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts retain more moisture and don’t dry out nearly as fast. This marinade will work with any cut of chicken you want to try it with and various cooking methods.

Trust the marinade

One small detail that often gets overlooked is trusting the marinade has done its job. After marinating and before cooking, it’s a good idea to dry off the chicken with clean paper towels. This prevents grill flare-ups and burned areas and encourages a nice, even sear.

Something’s fishy

You’ll notice that this recipe calls for fish sauce, which might have you scratching your head, but this Southeast Asian condiment adds a subtle, umami seasoning punch to the marinade in the best of ways. The recipe also calls for an overnight marinade, but a few hours will still impart significant flavor benefits if you’re short on time. Here, I marinate six chicken breasts which is more than enough for a family of four, but it leaves some for leftovers over the next couple of days.

Marinated Chicken Taco Night

Marinated Chicken grilled and ready for Taco Night

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Elevate your taco night with this flavorful marinated chicken tacos recipe. Learn tips for grilling juicy chicken breasts and discover the secret ingredient, fish sauce, for an umami punch.

Author: Marianne Sundquist
Prep Time: 12 hours
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 12.5 hours
Yield: 6-8 servings
Category: dinner
Method: marinate
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Units

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 T. coriander seeds, lightly toasted
2 limes, zested and juiced
5 garlic cloves, peeled
2 T. olive oil
2 T. fish sauce
2 T. honey
1 c. cilantro leaves and stems, sliced though

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Instructions

fresh ingredients ready for Chicken Taco Night

The chicken marinade

Place chicken breasts in a large bowl or container that is easy to cover. In a very dry blender place the lightly toasted coriander seeds and blend just until they are crushed but not completely pulverized. To the blender, add the lime zest and juice, garlic cloves, olive oil, fish sauce, honey, and cilantro. Blend this marinade until smooth and pour over the chicken, making sure to get the exterior of all the chicken breasts evenly coated. Cover the chicken, and place it on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator.

Let the chicken marinate for 3-12 hours.

Tip for safely storing marinating chicken

It’s super important to keep your hands and surfaces clean throughout the entire process when working with raw chicken. Placing raw chicken on the bottom shelf is important because if for any reason some raw chicken liquid spills or drips out, it eliminates the danger of it spilling on any food below it.

Grilling the chicken

Carefully pat the chicken breasts dry with clean paper towels and cook on a hot grill until the chicken is cooked to 165 F. Remove the chicken from the grill, cover, and let rest for ten minutes before slicing and serving.

Marinated Chicken on the grill — Marinated Chicken
on the grill

Nutrition

Calories: 3450

High Altitude Pumpkin Spice & Olive Oil Bundt Cake

Marianne Sundquist · October 14, 2023 · Leave a Comment

This weekend I went on a hike with a friend and saw the first cluster of leaves turning gold. I stopped at the store, picked up a can of pumpkin puree, and headed home, knowing that I’d have all of the other ingredients I needed to whip up this hearty dose of pumpkin and spice.

It’s true, the basic components for this recipe are foods you probably already have hanging around. But over the past couple of years, after a few too many sitcom-worthy basking fiascos, I have taken a deep dive into baking at high altitude.

High elevation technique

Santa Fe sits at just over 7,000 feet at its lowest points. And since baking is affected as low as 3,000 feet in elevation, there is no way of getting around it here. The first thing I learned is that as we travel higher in elevation, air pressure decreases. And air pressure is what makes our understanding of general baking rules, proportions, time, and temperatures what it is. Low air pressure is what causes water to boil at lower temperatures (at 7000 feet, 198.9 F. to be exact) and in baking it does two main things: it causes liquids to evaporate faster and makes baked goods rise faster and easier. I now understand that my exploding cakes were the result of high pressure rising so quickly that the cell walls inflated and burst.

To remedy this I employ a few well-known high elevation techniques: I decrease leavening agents (here the baking powder and baking soda) and sugar a bit, I increase liquid, and just for added cellular structure, I usually add an extra egg. Then I send the cakes into the oven with hope and good wishes and try my very best not to open the oven door to take a peek until it’s time.

Weighing ingredients

A good pastry chef almost always weighs their ingredients instead of measuring them since this is the most accurate way to bake. I love the idea of this and agree that it’s undoubtedly the best way to ensure consistent bakes. I approach a hybrid version, where I weigh the ingredients that are most likely to vary between weighing and measuring. Here, it’s the flour. It doesn’t take much for flour to settle into a measuring cup and significantly alter the final amount being used. I keep a small digital scale in a drawer and pull it out for this very reason. Other baking ingredients like cane sugar and even packed brown sugar are more measuring cup friendly.

No bundt, no problem

I’m happy to report that this Pumpkin and olive Oil Cake responded well and finished baking at exactly the one-hour mark. If you don’t have a bundt cake pan, it’s ok! A loaf pan, two regular cake pans, or even a 9×13 baking dish will work. A number of years ago, my mother-in-law gifted me this heavy-duty bundt pan, so I love any excuse to put it to use.

An autumn glaze

For the glaze, I keep it simple with brown butter and pumpkin spice, but if I’m honest, I wanted to add some red chile powder. I didn’t want my kids’ noses to turn up at “mama’s spicy cake” so I left it out this time. Another addition that would be lovely, is a light sprinkling of pumpkin seeds, pinon nuts, or pecans on top of the glaze right after it’s poured and before it’s had a chance to dry.

I’ll leave these important decisions up to you.

Slow Cooker Beef & Chile Stew

Save some for a snow day

Choosing a cut of meat

Flexible veggies