Rice for 10

Christmas of 2015 was full of tamales, ghetto-rigged tables, and selfies. And alcohol and more selfies. This was my first time making a full dinner (lunch) for 10 and I had a plan. It was a bad one but a plan none the less. 

It was a bumpy ride to say the least but everything turned out well..for the most part.  The easiest and most successful dish was... well, the tamales because we bought them from Costco. But the runner up was the spanish rice.

Spanish Rice

Serves 10 with plenty of leftovers. Probably serves 15.

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 3 cups white rice
• 4 cups chicken broth, homemade like a champ
• 2 cups chunk salsa, store bought because we aren't perfect

Heat oil in a very large skillet that has a lid over medium heat.  Saute the onion until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the rice to the skillet and stir around often until the rice starts to brown.

Add the chicken broth and salsa then mix well. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the skillet, and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.  Fluff and serve.

Next time:  Don't make 6 dozen tamales for 10 people. You will never finish eating them.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara...because you better cram all those carbs in before January.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Adapted from Cuisine

Serves 3

• 1/2 pound dry spaghetti
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano, grated
• 5 slices of bacon
• 3 tablespoons onion, chopped finely
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salt water. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water then drain spaghetti.

Whisk together eggs and parmigiano-reggiano

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crispy on medium heat. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate but keep the drippings. Crumble the bacon once cool.

Cook the onion and garlic in the bacon drippings over medium heat until it begins to soften (2 to 3 minutes).  Add 1/2 of the reserved pasta water and the cooked spaghetti. Toss the pasta and cook until the water nearly evaporates (15 seconds).

Turn off the heat and immediately add the egg mixture to the pasta while stir until the eggs cook  and sauce thickens.  Add as much pasta water as needed to reach desired consistency.

Stir in pasta and crumpled bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Killer Garlic Bread

You know what's great about nice and healthy soups? Justified garlic bread. 

Killer Garlic Bread

From Shutterbean

• 1 stick salted butter
• 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• pinch cayenne pepper
• Italian bread

Microwave butter and chopped garlic for 1 minute or until the butter had melted. Add all the herbs and powders. Let the mixture sit until it hardens up.

Cut bread in half.  Smear butter on each half of the bread then put the loaf back together.  Wrap in aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 

Unwrap bread and separate halves.  Put back in the oven on broil for about 2 minutes to toast the top.

Sausage and Lentil Soup

This soup has a lot of flavor for not much seasonings. Soup is hot. Don't forget your ice cube.

Sausage and Spinach Lentil Soup

• 1/2 pound italian sausage
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 sticks of celery, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed
• 2 bay leaves
• 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
• 5 cups of water
• salt and pepper
• 3 to 4 cups spinach

Add the sausage to a large soup pot and brown, breaking it up as it cooks. 

Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and some salt to the pot.  Cook about 5 minutes until vegetables start to soften.

Add the lentils, bay leaves, tomatoes, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 45 to 60 minutes until lentils and vegetables are soft.  If the soup is too thick add some more water.  If it is too thin, you are shit out of luck. 

A few minutes before serving, add the spinach and cook until wilted (2 minutes).

Tandoori Shrimp

I'm always nervous about cooking shrimp which is the stupidest thing ever because shrimp literally CHANGE COLOR when its done. Easy. This marinade is also easy. Eating all the shrimp before you remember to take a photo is pretty easy as well. 

Tandoori Shrimp

From dinner: a love story

• 1 cup greek yogurt
• 1/4 large onion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 inch piece ginger, peeled
• juice of 1/2 of a lime
• 1 pound of large shrimp, thawed

Add all ingredients to a blender except for the shrimp and blend. Add mixture and shrimp to a plastic bag and store in refrigerator. Marinate for at least three hours.  

Grill on medium heat for 2 minutes for each side until shrimp turns pink.

Leftover Breakfast Nachos

Step one: go get Mexican food and drink ALL the margaritas.

Step two: DON'T FORGET YOUR LEFTOVERS

Step three: fall into a margarita and food coma

Step four: chips in oven, leftovers in microwave, egg in skillet.

Step five: combine!

Black Bean and Butternut Chili

Nothing beats a healthy, tasty, slow cooker meal.  This one is easily vegetarian but we added a pound of ground turkey (already browned and broken up) into the pot as well. Save yourself the heartache and buy butternut squash already cut up, it's a beast of a squash to cut yourself.

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili

Serves 6ish

From Delicious on a Dime

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
• 4 15 ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 14.5 ounce cans fire-roasted tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 4 cups butternut squash (about 2 lbs) peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch dice
• salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until tender for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add bell peppers and jalapenos and saute under tender (about 2 minutes.

Transfer pepper mixture to slow cooker. Stir in beans, tomatoes, and seasonings. Arrange the butternut squash on top.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Season chili with salt and pepper and top with sour creams, green onions, or salsa.