Bloody Mary Enchiladas

 

I love supporting local businesses, and recently I did just that when I collaborated with Amazing Hazel's to develop a recipe using their products. Amazing Hazel's makes chili sauce, hot sauce, Bloody Mary mix, and seasoning blends. It is a small batch, artisan company that uses recipes passed down from several generations.

You can find their products online, at many central Indiana farmers markets, and at Kroger stores in the Indianapolis area. They also have a brick and mortar store at 15 E. City Center Drive in Carmel.

Bloody Mary Enchiladas

Yield: 8 enchiladas

Ingredients

• 2 pounds chicken breast
• 1 cup Amazing Hazel’s Premium Bloody Mary Mix
• 1 teaspoon Amazing Hazel’s Bloody Mary Seasoning Mix
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 16 ounces Amazing Hazel's Gourmet Chili Sauce, divided
• 2 jalapeños, seeds removed, minced
• 8 ounces cotija cheese, shredded, divided 
• 8 corn or flour tortillas
• 4 ounces sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice (juice from 1 lime)
• Optional toppings: Cilantro, avocado, lime slices, green onion

Directions

1. Marinate chicken breast in Amazing Hazel’s Premium Bloody Mary Mix at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray baking dish with nonstick spray.
3. Place chicken breasts in single layer in baking dish. 
4. Season with Amazing Hazel’s Bloody Mary Seasoning Mix, cumin, and chili powder.
5. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Remove from oven and shred chicken.
7. Sauté or microwave jalapeños until softened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Mix with shredded chicken.
8. Spread 4 ounces Amazing Hazel's Gourmet Chili Sauce on bottom of 13-by-9-inch baking dish.
9. Add 2 Tablespoons cotija cheese and 1/3 cup chicken mixture in center of one tortilla and roll up. Place tortilla seam side down in baking dish. Repeat until you run out of chicken or space in baking dish.
10. Mix remaining 12 ounces Amazing Hazel's Gourmet Chili Sauce with 4 ounces sour cream and lime juice. Spread sauce over tortillas and top with remaining cotija cheese.
11. Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and tortillas are light golden brown.
12. Serve with optional toppings.

Colts playoff snacks

 

The Colts are in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, so I wanted to share some fun team-inspired snack ideas you could serve during the big game on Saturday.

The first recipe involves one of my favorite treats: puppy chow. If you’re not familiar with puppy chow, it’s Chex cereal coated in peanut butter and chocolate and then showered with powdered sugar.

In order to make the snack more appropriate for a Colts viewing party, I separated the cereal into two bowls, and I used half blue candy melts and half white chocolate chips. I didn’t add as much powdered sugar to the blue Chex pieces because I wanted them to remain blue. I also turned almonds into little footballs by using melted white chocolate to draw “laces” onto the almonds.

Going along with the Colts theme, I used my leftover blue candy melts and white chocolate to make Colts players out of Nutter Butter cookies. I was inspired to make the football players after seeing a pin on Pinterest that showed 40 different treats you could make using Nutter Butters. Who knew these little cookies could be so versatile?!

The last recipe I made is a savory addition to the sweet treat offerings. I cut a football shape out of a sheet of puff pastry, and then I used a pizza cutter to cut strips all along the football, taking care to not cut through the center so it remained intact. I then spread my favorite spinach artichoke dip onto each of the strips and twisted them. I baked the puff pastry until it was golden brown before using cream cheese and sour cream to draw the football laces. The little strips reminded me of the parmesan twists I made in culinary school. It’s so tasty! For a sweet option, you could coat the strips in melted butter and cinnamon sugar or spread Nutella on them. You can’t go wrong with puff pastry. My favorite brand of puff pastry is Wewalka. I promise this isn't an ad—I just really love it. I can't taste a difference between Wewalka and the homemade puff pastry I made in culinary school. Look for it in the refrigerated section, not frozen!

Horseshoe chow

Ingredients

• 6 cups cereal
• 1/2 cup blue candy melts
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips + 2 Tablespoons
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup whole roasted almonds

Directions

1. Separate cereal into two large bowls. Set aside.
2. Melt blue candy melts and 1/2 cup peanut butter together in medium microwave-safe bowl. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
3. Melt white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter together in medium microwave-safe bowl. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
4. Pour blue mixture over 1 bowl of Chex cereal and stir gently with spatula until cereal is evenly coated.
5. Pour whit chocolate mixture over the other bowl of Chex cereal and stir gently with spatula until cereal is evenly coated.
6. Let the mixtures cool to room temperature, about 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Add 1 cup powdered sugar to each bowl and mix until evenly coated.
8. Let cool another 15 minutes and add more powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, to each of the mixtures until it’s coated to your liking.
9. Melt 2 Tablespoons white chocolate and pour into sandwich bag. Cut very, very small corner of bag and draw football laces on almonds. Allow white chocolate to dry before adding to the rest of the mix.

Recipe inspired by The First Year Blog

Colts Player Cookies

Ingredients

• 6 ounces blue candy melts
• 12 Nutter Butter cookies
• 2 Tablespoons white chocolate
• 24 mini candy eyes
• 2 Tablespoons dark chocolate

Directions

1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick aluminum foil and set aside.
2. Melt blue candy melts in small microwave-safe bowl.
3. Dip the bottom half of each of the cookies in the blue candy melts, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl. 
4. Place cookies on baking sheet to harden.
5. Repeat with the other end of the cookie, taking care to only dip the cookie about halfway toward the center. 
6. Place cookies back on baking sheet to harden.
7. Melt white chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl. Pour into plastic bag and cut small piece off one bottom corner of bag. Use bag to pipe helmet line, collar line, and numbers onto cookies. Also, make two small dots where the eyeballs should go, and adhere the mini candy eyes onto the cookies.
8. Melt dark chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl. Pour into plastic bag and cut small piece off one bottom corner of bag. Use bag to pipe 2 horizontal lines and 2 vertical lines in empty space to resemble face masks.

Recipe inspired by Snack Works

Spinach Artichoke Puff Pastry Football

Ingredients

For the spinach artichoke dip

• 2 cups baby spinach
• 7 ounces artichoke hearts, drained
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dill
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce

For the football

• 1 sheet puff pastry (I only use Wewalka. It's very high quality, and it's refrigerated, not frozen.)
• Egg wash (1 egg + 1 Tablespoon water)
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

For the spinach artichoke dip

1. Place spinach in bowl with 1 Tablespoon water and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
2. Microwave on high for 1 minute; leave covered 15 minutes to cool. Drain spinach well and add to medium bowl.
3. Chop artichoke hearts and add to bowl.
4. Add remaining dip ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

For the football

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Remove puff pastry sheet from packaging and place on parchment paper.
3. Cut corners of puff pastry with pizza cutter to resemble football.
4. Use pizza cutter to make 12 cuts (about 1 inch apart) across football. Repeat on the other side. Important note: Do not cut all the way through the center. Leave at least 1 inch in the center so everything stays together.
5. Spread spinach artichoke dip on each of the strips.
6. Twist the strips in the same direction.
7. Brush egg wash over the entire football. Bake for 15 minutes.
8. While it’s baking, beat cream cheese with sour cream until smooth. Place mixture into plastic bag and cut medium piece off one bottom corner of bag.
9. Remove football from oven and use bag to pipe on football laces.
10. Return to oven and bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes, or until puff pastry is golden brown.
11. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to platter to serve.

Recipe inspired by It’s Always Autumn

Lemon cardamom bars + food trends for 2021

 

This is a sponsored post by Challenge, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

And just like that, it's 2021! Happy New Year! Somehow 2020 both dragged on and flew by. Regardless, I am ready to kiss it goodbye! Or should I say quiche it goodbye? (Bad pun!) As we enter the new year, I'm sharing some food trends we can expect to see, as well as some recipes for incorporating the trends into your cooking at home. 

1. Bigger emphasis on breakfast: As more people continue to work from home and no longer have to worry about a long commute, they're finding they have extra time in the morning to focus on breakfast. So long are the days of grabbing a piece of toast or a bagel "to go." Pancakes, waffles, and omelets are no longer just for the weekends. 

2. Kicking up home cooking with gourmet condiments: As more people prepare meals at home and try to replicate restaurant experiences, cooking with gourmet condiments will be a big trend. Condiments are an easy way to add flavor to simple ingredients, plus they have a long shelf life. You can buy the condiments or find a way to make it yourself.

A recipe that combines the first two trends is this southwestern quiche with hot honey!

3. Coffee beyond the mug: Coffee-flavored products will pop up more and more in 2021. You will soon be able to get your coffee fix in the form of granolas, yogurt, and even alcohol. You'll find the flavoring in both sweet and savory treats.

4. Global flavor exploration: International travel is still a no-go, so more home cooks will experiment with global flavors at home. Eastern Mediterranean, North African, East/Southeast Asian, and Indian cuisines are the top influencers for trending ingredients. Personally, I've seen cardamom popping up more and more in the past month. Cardamom is an ancient spice native to Southern India. It's made from the seed pods of various plants in the ginger family. It's incredibly diverse and used in both sweet and savory dishes.

This recipe for coffee cardamom nuts combines the previous two trends!

I also wanted to showcase a sweet option for using cardamom. My mom used to always make cardamom bars to give out to neighbors during the holiday season, and they were so good and unique. Recently, I tried a lemon cardamom roll from my new favorite Indianapolis bakery, Leviathan Bakehouse, and the flavor was combination was heavenly! Cardamom is a high-impact ingredient that brings a level of warmth and earthiness to the sweet-tart notes of the lemon. The pastry inspired me to incorporate lemon juice and zest into my mom's cardamom bar recipe, and I'm so glad I did. 

Lemon cardamom bars

Ingredients

For the bars

• 1 cup (2 sticks) Challenge unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar
• 1 egg, white and yolk separated
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped raw pecans

For the glaze

• 2 Tablespoons Challenge unsalted butter
• 1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• Lemon zest for topping, if desired

Directions 

For the bars

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cream butter and sugars together. Add egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.
3. In separate bowl, combine flour, cardamom, and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix until combined.
4. Spread mixture evenly in 7-by-11-inch baking dish.
5. Brush mixture with beaten egg white and sprinkle pecans on top.
6. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.

For the glaze

1. While the bars are baking, melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Continue to heat the butter until you notice light brown specks at bottom of pan. This should take around 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar, milk, and lemon juice.
3. Glaze should be drizzling consistency. If it is too thick, add more milk.
4. Immediately after removing bars from oven, drizzle glaze over top.
5. Allow to cool before cutting. Top with lemon zest before serving.

Southwestern quiche with hot honey

This is a sponsored post by Challenge, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Quiche may very well be the most underrated breakfast food. I don’t understand why more people don’t get jazzed about quiche. The rich, custardy filling encased in a flaky pie crust is exactly what my dreams are made of. If I was a politician, I’d run on a platform of more quiche for America.

One of the things I love about quiche is that it can be as complex or as simple as you want it to be. The first quiche I fell in love with was quiche lorraine. It consists of bacon, onion, gruyere cheese, eggs, and heavy cream. It sounds simple enough, but the flavor combination is nothing short of heavenly.

Using quiche lorraine as my muse, I wanted to create a quiche recipe with both savory and sweet elements. My answer was to make a southwestern quiche with sweet corn kernels and jalapeños in the filling and hot honey drizzled on top.

I even added a little cornmeal to my pie crust recipe to bring out the corn flavor, but it’s just as easy to leave it out if you don’t have cornmeal on hand. I only use Challenge butter when making pie crust. Superior ingredients make superior products, and you can really tell a difference when making the crusts how much better Challenge butter is than its competitors.

The hot honey really takes the quiche from tasty to incredible. You can certainly buy hot honey, but it’s awfully expensive considering how easy it is to make. All you need is honey, hot sauce, vinegar, and red pepper flakes.

Even though quiche is considered a “breakfast food,” don’t let that stop you from eating quiche for lunch and dinner as well!

Southwestern quiche with hot honey

Ingredients

For the pie crust

• 1 3/8 cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (40 grams) cornmeal (if you don’t have cornmeal, use an additional 40 grams flour)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 stick (154 grams) Challenge unsalted butter
• 4.5 Tablespoons (66 grams) cold water

For the custard

• 4 ounces bacon, medium dice
• 3 ounces sweet onion, medium dice
• 8 ounces corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
• 1 jalapeño, small dice
• 4 large eggs
• 6 fluid ounces heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup (4 ounces) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

For the hot honey

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 Tablespoon hot sauce
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

For the pie crust 

1. Mix flour, cornmeal, salt, and butter until pieces of butter are very small.
2. Add water to flour mixture 1 tablespoon at a time and mix just until dough comes together.
3. Shape dough into disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before baking.
4. Preheat oven to 385 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Roll out dough to 12-inch circle and transfer to 9-inch pie pan. Trim and crimp edges. 
6. Line pie shel with parchment paper and pie weights.
7. Bake until edges turn pale gold in color, about 10 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and remove paper and weights. Bake an additional 5 minutes, or until bottom of crust turns light gold in color.

For the custard

1. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cook bacon over medium heat in skillet. Use slotted spoon to transfer bacon to paper-towel-lined plate. Leave fat in skillet.
3. Saute onion, corn, and jalapeno in bacon fat until onion is translucent and corn is tender, about 5 minutes.
4. In bowl, combine and whisk eggs, heavy cream, salt, and pepper.
5. Place grated cheese, bacon pieces, onion, corn, and jalapeño in pie shell. Pour egg mixture over everything.
6. Bake until quiche is just set, about 35 to 45 minutes.

For the hot honey

1. Add all ingredients to small saucepan on stove over medium heat.
2. Allow mixture to come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, allow it to continue boiling for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Remove from heat and carefully pour mixture into mason jar.
4. Allow to cool completely before topping with lid.

Coffee cardamom mixed nuts

If you're looking for something tasty to snack on while your family gathers around to play games and work on puzzles this winter, look no further than these cocoa cardamom nuts.

Cardamom is my newest "spice obsession" that I've seen pop up more and more in bakeries and restaurant menus. Cardamom brings a level of earthiness and warmth that really complements the cocoa to deliver savory-sweetness.

I also added espresso powder to the nuts. Espresso powder is known to enhance and intensify chocolate flavors.

You can use whatever nuts you like! I used a mixture of almonds, walnuts, and cashews because that's what I had at home. But feel free to use just almonds, or you could even use pecans and peanuts.

What I really like about these nuts is they'll satisfy your sweet tooth without sending you on a sugar rush. Also, they're extremely easy to make. I only used one bowl! 

Coffee cardamom mixed nuts

Ingredients

• 1 egg white
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 pound mixed nuts
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl, beat egg white and vanilla extract together until frothy.
3. Add nuts to mixture and stir to coat evenly.
4. Add sugar to bowl and stir until nuts are evenly coated. Repeat with cocoa powder, espresso powder, cardamom, and salt.
5. Transfer nuts to baking sheet and spread in even layer.
6. Roast about 40 minutes, making sure to stir nuts every 10 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet.

Puff pastry snowflakes

This is a sponsored post by Challenge, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Christmas morning is the most magical morning of the year, and I think it's deserving of an extra special breakfast. I think using puff pastry is a great way to make really easy but impressive-looking recipes. 

I made puff pastry in culinary school, and it was a very long and tedious process. And you know what—I didn't think it tasted any different from store-bought puff pastry. So that's what I used to make these pastry snowflakes, and I really think they look beautiful. My husband also pointed out that the center looks like a cross—a good reminder of the real reason for the season.

The first step in making the snowflakes is to cut your puff pastry into 6 rectangles. I like to use a pizza cutter for this. Then use a paring knife to cut "L" shapes into the 4 corners of each of the rectangles. The cuts should be made about a half inch from the edge.

You can customize these snowflakes with whatever fillings you like. I made two different flavors: cherry and lemon cream cheese. For the cherry snowflakes, I just put a little cherry preserves in the center. Raspberry preserves would be really tasty too. 

The lemon cream cheese snowflakes were my favorite. They're sweet and tart at the same time. I sweetened Challenge cream cheese with a little powdered sugar and a little vanilla, and I spread that on the center of each pastry square. I only use Challenge brand cream cheese because it's rich and tangy with no greasy aftertaste. Also, their products are 100% natural, without the use of the synthetic hormone rBST. After spreading the cream cheese, I added a tablespoon of lemon curd on top. I happened to have homemade lemon curd, but you could also use store-bought lemon curd. And if you don't have lemon curd, just add a little lemon juice and lemon zest to the cream cheese mixture. It will still be really tasty.

Once your filling is in the center, fold each of the 4 corners to the center. It should look like a bow. Then brush each of the pastry squares with egg wash. This will make the pastries shiny and golden brown.

After the pastries finish baking, dust them with powdered sugar for a finishing touch!

Puff Pastry Cherry Snowflakes

Yield: 6

Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed (Wewalka is my favorite because it's refrigerated, not frozen)
• 6 Tablespoons of cherry preserves
• Egg wash (1 egg + 1 Tablespoon water, mixed together)
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Cut sheet of puff pastry into 6 equal pieces
3. Cut "L" shape into the 4 corners of each puff pastry piece 
4. Add 1 Tablespoon of cherry preserves to center of each puff pastry square
5. Fold the outer corners of each puff pastry square to the center
6. Brush edges of puff pastry with egg wash 
7. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until puff pastry starts to turn golden brown
8. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before dusting with powdered sugar

Lemon Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Snowflakes

Yield: 6

Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
• 4 ounces Challenge cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 /2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 Tablespoons of Lemon curd
• Egg wash (1 egg + 1 Tablespoon water, mixed together)
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Cut sheet of puff pastry into 6 equal pieces
3. Cut "L" shape into the 4 corners of each puff pastry piece 
4. Mix cream cheese and vanilla extract together and spread onto each of the puff pastry squares
5. Add 1 Tablespoon of lemon curd to center of cream cheese mixture
6. Fold the outer corners of each puff pastry square to the center
7. Brush edges of puff pastry with egg wash 
8. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until puff pastry turns golden brown
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before dusting with powdered sugar