Spicy Pineapple Margaritas

Perfect Pairing:  Good tequila

Since I started Perfecting the Pairing the first blog post each January is something really healthy.  It’s always a recipe to help with those New Year’s Resolutions.  In the past I have posted about a light Berries n’ Cream Dessert, the uber-healthy diet food, Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup, Sweet Sesame Green Beans, and a hearty Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole.  This year was to be no different, except life caught up with me and it just didn’t happen.  I did jump right on the healthy bandwagon, it just didn’t quite make it to the blog.

I kept telling myself to do it, but now we are well into January and the healthy resolutions post lost some luster.  Why not move onto something more inviting in these frigid temperatures?  Something that will remind you of being on a beach somewhere.  MARGARITAS.  Not just any margarita, a Spicy Pineapple Margarita with a cinnamon sugar rim.  Yes, please.  Add some guac and the Latin Heat Pandora station and you are basically on vacation. 

I made these margaritas with an incredible tequila, Hotel California Reposado.  It is hands down the best, smoothest tequila I have ever tasted.  It also comes in a gorgeous red glass bottle, which I am obsessed with.

When my parents are on vacation they tend to make friends.  They’ll chat with the staff, the person next to them by the pool, or the person next to them at a restaurant.  I love it!  They have made some wonderful friends through the years.  Last year while in Cabo my mom and I met a beautiful new friend named Paula while relaxing with an ocean view.  After chatting with her and her husband for some time we found out that they own and operate the Hotel California Tequila company.  Their tequila is award winning and highly rated.  The Reposado I used scored 93 points with The Critico Official Tequila Rating Co.  You could sip it on the rocks.  Or, make some quality margaritas.

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Creole Jicama Hash with a Sunny Side Up Egg

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Southwestern Chicken Slow Cooker Soup

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Arugula and Parmesan Stuffed Potatoes

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Lasagna Soup

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Chorizo and Potato Frittata

Perfect Pairing:  Sriracha

This recipe came to be because of a cooking accident.  Fortunately it turned into a very good thing!

I have a really good deal going when I visit my parents.  Before I head home I will send my mom some menu ideas along with a grocery list.  Usually by the time I get there everything is purchased and put away.  How fabulous is that??  My mom thinks it is a pretty good deal too because I do most of the cooking.  Everyone wins.

Recently I asked my mom to buy chorizo for an appetizer I wanted to try.  I guess I didn’t think to tell her to get Spanish chorizo instead of Mexican.  Once we realized this we were about 20 miles from the closest grocery store.  How different could they really be?  Well, it turns out they are very different.  My goal was to slice the chorizo and grill it, but you cannot do that with Mexican chorizo.  It is more of the crumbly bulk sausage variety. 

So now I had some cooked chorizo that needed to be used.   We didn’t have much else in the house, but did have eggs and potatoes.  A frittata!  There is a chance that this is actually more like a Spanish Tortilla, but honestly I don’t understand the difference, so I am calling it a frittata.  I am including this picture against my better judgment.  I know it is so far from being pretty, but it is nice to get an idea of what the entire recipe looks like.  Right?

We all loved this.  It was super hearty and great as a main course for dinner.  I used Manchego cheese but you could use whatever favorite cheese you have on hand.  The chorizo has a kick, but this dish is great topped with a little (or a lot of) sriracha sauce.  I love that stuff.

 

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Red Curry Chicken Noodle Soup and a little bit about the Chicago Bears

Perfect Pairing:  Garbage disposal cleanup          

 

Chicago was at its finest this weekend!  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and I think that puts everyone in a fabulous mood.  I had a great weekend with friends and family.  On Saturday I made my annual trip to Gethsemane, an extraordinary nursery that spans an entire block.  I have written about my garden woes in the past.  I am determined to make things grow this summer.  We took home our fair share of flowers and herbs!

Saturday night I was lucky enough to attend my 4th Chicago Bears Care Gala at Soldier Field.  This was the 18th year, and they have earned over $10 million towards cancer research.  The gala is always fantastic.   This year was certainly no exception!  Everything including the food, entertainment, and auction is flawless.  Getting solo access to the field is pretty amazing too.

 

I was lucky enough to go on a private tour of the locker rooms with some of the players.  Here are some of the highlights!

Entering hallowed ground....

Martellus Bennett was kind enough to act as our unofficial tour guide.  He was great!  He definitely had everyone laughing.

I don't think I look like a natural in these things.

I can always count on my mom to promote my cooking blog.  When Martellus talked about cooking, my mom was all over it.  He was kind enough to act interested and even asked me to email him the site!  Just another one of the highlights of my night!

I think it is safe to say we all geeked out over meeting Brandon Marshall!

I even walked away with some game gloves! 

Obviously, it was a pretty special night and I feel so honored to be a part of it.  

Anyway, back to the soup!  About a year ago I wrote about this Thai Chicken Noodle Soup. 

 

My original plan was to make that soup again but it evolved into this Red Curry Chicken Noodle Soup.  They are very similar, except this version does not use coconut milk, so it is a bit lighter.  It would be a great soup for summer.  It is spicy and full of bright flavors.

You will have a few juiced limes after making the soup, so toss them in the garbage disposal to clean it a bit.  I think this is a pretty common trick but I am always surprised at how much it freshens it up. 

The perfect pairing from the coconut version works here as well.  Use tongs to pick up the noodles after they have cooked and snip with kitchen shears to make the soup easier to eat. 

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Patatas Bravas

Perfect Pairing – Spicy Dipping Sauce

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I had a great time with my family and friends.  Now I am in full swing Christmas mode!  I finished my decorating yesterday so things feel pretty festive around my house.  I love to entertain during the holidays so I will be sharing some of my favorite party dishes over the next couple of weeks.  This particular dish is always a hit.

A lot of people ask me what type of things I like to cook or what is my favorite dish to make.  I have such a hard time with this question because I really like to make a wide variety of items.  I cannot pinpoint a genre of food or flavors that I like most.  One thing that I know for sure is that I love having dinner parties where the “meal” is a variety of appetizers.  There are always lots of flavors and things to dip.  I like to dip. 

Patatas Bravas is a great appetizer or side dish for lovers of dipping.  They are one of the most popular dishes served in tapas restaurants.  Patatas Bravas actually means “fierce potatoes” since they are usually served with a spicy dipping sauce.  I wanted to make this dish for a recent tapas dinner party but I did not want to fry the potatoes, which is the standard method.  I chose to roast them in a hot oven and it worked out really well!  They were crispy on the outside and the inside was soft.

The Perfect Pairing for my version of roasted patatas bravas is a spicy dipping sauce.  I have served these with a spicy tomato based sauce as well as a spicy roasted garlic aioli.  Both of the sauces are a cinch to make so you could put out both dips and let your guests decide which one they prefer! 

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Spicy Coconut Lentil Soup

Perfect Pairing:  Hand chopper

 

I am a huge fan of soup, especially during fall and winter.  As soon as I feel that first cool breeze of fall I start thinking of simmering pots of chili, soup and stews.  I will be sharing a lot of my favorite fall soup recipes here throughout the season.  This Spicy Coconut Lentil Soup made a great, light, mid-week dinner.  It was easy to make, full of flavor, and it made my house smell quite inviting.  It has some exotic flavors like chile peppers, coconut milk and ginger but was still very comforting.   I will say that it was a hard subject to photograph! 

The Perfect Pairing for this soup recipe is the popular hand chopper.  Mine is from Pampered Chef.  I personally enjoy chopping and dicing but sometimes I am just not in the mood, especially if I just want to move things along.  I used the hand chopper for the fresh ginger, garlic and chiles in this recipe.  I peeled the ginger and garlic and chopped them together.  I seeded the peppers, sliced into chunks, and finished them off with the hand chopper.  Chop chop!

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