Delicious Dozen Bite 13 – Mexican

It’s the final count down!! Dela dah, dela dah dah (Trying to recreate the famous song...you could listen to it here instead).

Hello loyal blog loving friends, so this is it, the final bite of my Delicious Dozen Challenge, where did 2014 disappear to huh?? This past year has been action packed for me between learning to cook one bite at a time, working with the most amazing people on the best ever Commonwealth Games, starting my training to become a massage therapist, setting up Auburn Cakes and getting a new job it’s been non-stop. It has been hectic but wonderful all at the same time.

When I started the Delicious Dozen challenge in January I knew I wanted to learn to cook authentic Mexican food because it is hands down my favourite cuisine EVER! However, I made the very foolish mistake of saving the best till last, stupidly forgetting that eating in December is like no other time of year... it’s Christmas so all the rules of cooking (and quite frankly sanity) go out of the window! I honestly think it is justifiable to eat every two hours in December. There is always a cheeky mince pie, slice of Yule log or Cadbury’s rose with your name on it and every actual meal involves vast quantities of roasted things... turkey, ham, veggies, potatoes... which you of course over indulge in first time round and then again when you squash it all together with some cranberry sauce and a couple of sprouts into the ultimate leftover sandwich. Was it just me or did anyone else not have time to feel hungry during the whole of December?? 

This gluttony combined with Auburn Cakes' busiest month to date (I made my usual weekly delivery of cakes for Caffe La Ronda throughout the festive season, but I also made a birthday cake for my lovely new colleague Wendy as well as being commissioned to cater a toddlers' Christmas party) means I have been flat out and generally bloated.  

Baked goodies for the little ones Christmas Party. Thank you for the business Lorna!

Happy Birthday Wendy x

So, now you see my problem blog reading buddies, there was hardly any time to whip up Mexican delights. With my lack of time I thought I would just focus on my ultimate Mexican dish, fajitas. I love love love fajitas, they are delicious and fun because you get to play with your food at the table, how much fun is that?! 

For years I, like I suspect millions of others have been trusting my Mexican dishes to the good people from Old El Paso. I think their packs of seasoning and various Mexican meal kits are great so I thought I would do a taste test to see if it is worth investing the time in making it all from scratch.

Old El Paso Fajitas

As expected these were great, super tasty, messy to eat and reliably filling. 

 http://www.oldelpaso.co.uk/mexican-recipes/smoky-bbq-chicken-fajitas

Not the most glamorous photo but they tasted sooooo goooood!

Real Fajitas

Amazing!! This recipe really was excellent, the flavour was smoky, the peppers crunchy and the chicken was tender. It smelled just like when you get fajitas in a restaurant on one of those amazing smoking, spitting, skillet things. I would say it wasn’t super spicy, just flavoursome which suited me just fine but for those of you who like things to be hot hot hot then add those optional chilli flakes and maybe up the seasoning in general. One thing I had to leave out were the green onions, I have no idea what they are, maybe one of my American friends can help explain seeing as this recipe is on a US website?

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/flavorful-chicken-fajitas

Lovely spread!

Real Guacamole

Fresh, zesty and seriously moreish. This really was sooo much better than shop bought guacamole which I think tastes a bit artificial even when it’s meant to be fresh, it looks a bit too green! I think shop bought is also a bit over processed, it’s too smooth, I quite like a few chunks of avocado in my guacamole.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/9088/bestever-chunky-guacamole

We initially tried the guacamole as directed by the recipe but then I added two secret ingredients which transformed it from being great to being outstanding! We had some of our close friends visiting for New Year and for blog research purposes (of course) we ate at a new Mexican restaurant in Edinburgh. The owners also run the well known and highly rated Bon Vivant restaurants and have recently taken over TexMex on Thistle Street and turned it into El Cartel. They have a tiny menu focusing on authentic homecooked Mexican food and it is delicious. They served their guacamole with crumbled feta cheese and pomegranate seeds sprinkled on top. I’m not sure if I believe they are super authentic additions (sounds a bit more middle class, Edinburgh/ Waitrose-esque to me) but I am glad they did because I copied their idea and it was brilliant. I will not be buying guacamole readymade ever again. If you try this recipe please also try it with the two extra special additions, you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you El Cartel

My version...not bad huh!

*Sadly I have just read on Facebook that El Cartel had a fire at the restaurant on the 5^th of January so will be closed for a while. When they re-open you must promise me to get down there sharpish, it is well worth it.*

http://elcartelmexicana.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/elcartelmexicana

Real Salsa

Again I was pleasantly surprised by how good this tasted. With my mild palette I was cautious on the amount of chilli I put in but you can vary that according to your own tastes. I just chucked all of this in my little food processor and it turned out just right, a bit chunky but still smooth enough to spread inside our the fajita wraps.

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=297224

Real tortilla chips

This is something I saw on Pinterest and thought would be a fun, easy addition to the table and basically just another vehicle for eating as much guacamole and salsa as possible. I did have a tiny little fire in the kitchen while making these (I put the tray of chips on the hob while it was left on...ooops...I shouldn’t have made so many jokes about fire blankets in my last post) but don’t let that put you off, I know none of you are that stupid! Anyway they were a yummy extra and looked quite impressive despite being super easy.

http://www.erinharner.com/whole-food-recipes/homemade-tortilla-chips/

So how does real Mexican food compare to Old El Paso... real Mexican wins hands down. I know, it’s annoying isn’t it, you wanted me to say the packet was better so you could stick to what you know but you should seriously try these recipes. You know me, I don’t do anything complicated so it won’t take you much longer than sprinkling the packet mix.

Well, that’s it folks! The Delicious Dozen challenge is complete. It’s sometimes been a struggle (cooking is so much harder than baking!), I’ve had a couple of truly spectacular disasters, a small fire and my cupboards are now full of a vast array of herbs, spices and random ingredients which I may never use again but I can now proudly say that I can cook (and not just bake)!! We are saved... we do not need to live on cake for the rest of our lives!!

Now I know you are all on the edge of your seats wondering what cooking/baking wonders 2015 will bring.......well you (hopefully) be pleased to hear that I am setting yet another challenge for myself....round of applause for the 30 with 30 Challenge.

Yes folks, I am turning 30 in a few months!!!!! Arrrrggghhhh how did I get that old?!?! 

How can I be turning 30!!?? Hand me the wrinkle cream immediately! 

In order to embrace my entrance into a new decade my challenge this year is to have thirty new eating experiences, (whether that be making a new dish at home, taking a cooking class, eating at a different restaurant or just tasting something exotic for the first time) with thirty different people. I have loved my cooking and baking challenges over the past two years but I have always had more fun when I have been sharing my tasty treats with friends, family and sometimes complete strangers. 

So this coming year is all about you guys, it's sharing my love of cakes, curries and culinary adventures with friends old and new, near and far. I will of course keep you all updated by sharing my recipe tips, restaurant reviews and anecdotes about those lovely people I am sharing meals with. I’m hoping this year of turning the big 3 0 will be give me the chance to spend time with people I don’t see very often and maybe make some new friends and food loves along the way. So if you would like to help me embrace my thirties get in touch. You may have to help me apply my anti-wrinkle cream, and teach me how to wear lipstick (real, gown up ladies wear lipstick right?) in between our eating adventures but hopefully that won’t put you off!!

Thank you for reading friends.

Happy 2015 y’all, wishing you health and happiness and delicious eating for the year ahead!

X Linds x

Happy New Year from Dave (my editor and better half) and me xx

P.S My beautiful, talented friend Lydia, AKA blogger extraordinaire is also doing a 30 related challenge, her NYC 30 before 30. If you do one new thing this year is should be to read her blog, it is AMAZEBALLS xx Love you Lyds xx 

http://todaysthedayi.com/2015/01/07/my-nyc-30-before-30/

Delicious Dozen bite 12 – Deep South USA

Hey y’all! How ya doing? Yet again I must apologise for how late this post is, I know it is becoming something of a habit lately but I had two VERY good reasons for not getting it out to all of you in November... firstly, I have been away on a super fun trip to St Andrews to be reunited with my amazing university friends, we had such a good time. Please can I go back to being a student? Secondly, I have moved on from the world of funemployment and got myself a job! Woopwoop!!

All these activities haven’t left much time for blogging but thankfully I did manage to whip up some Southern delicacies with mixed success... let me just warn you now that there was almost the need for a fire blanket which was tricky seeing as though we don’t have one... note to self, buy fire blanket!

Now this blog post is best served with a side of Country music, it’s not the South without Country!! So go ahead and pop on some classic Dolly Parton or something newer like Lady Antebellum and tuck in.

Meatloaf

Have you ever had meatloaf? I haven’t but it is great! It takes a bit like a squidgy burger which may not sound very appetising but believe me it really is tasty. I really should have chopped the onions finely instead of my usual rough, haphazard fashion but other than that I thought it was good. The texture might not be to everyone's taste but it is definitely worth a go.

http://www.food.com/recipe/yes-virginia-there-is-a-great-meatloaf-54257

Don't let the texture put you off, it is super tasty!

Pulled Pork

I seriously love pulled pork and anything done in the slow cooker gets my vote because it is just so easy! It is also unbelievably satisfying to come home from work to find your tasty dinner is ready and practically on the table waiting for you. Like many other slow cooker dishes I’ve made, the seasoning needs to be ramped up a notch (I doubled all the spices) and I did add the BBQ sauce. The only thing that gets me a bit about pulled pork is that it goes cold quickly once you have shredded the meat but all the more reason to eat it as quick as possible!

http://www.chow.com/recipes/30356-easy-slow-cooker-pulled-pork

I can't get enough of this pulled pork!

Southern Fried Chicken

Well folks, this is a contender for biggest cooking disaster of the year! It is of course up against the Arabic Bread disaster in bite four which was spectacular but that one didn’t involve us looking around to see if we had a fire extinguisher in the house while smoke billowed from the pan and the smoke alarm chirped!

Needless to say folks this was not a culinary triumph. Dave was kindly helping me with this dish because we were having 10 people over for lunch and I was making lots of other Southern dishes at the same time. We didn’t have a thermometer for the pan and I stupidly suggested me need to get the oil really hot first then turn it down before we could fry the chicken... this was a mistake! The oil did not cool down at all and when we started putting the chicken pieces in the oil bubbled ferociously and the chicken turned black. There was a genuine moment of panic as the smoke started to pour out of the pan. I quickly ushered our friends from the kitchen, and when I turned back round I found Dave looking frankly terrified!! So we quickly rushed the pan outside and left it to cool down on the patio for several hours. 

Needless to say we did not serve fried chicken for that lunch and as much as I enjoy eating it I will NEVER be serving it for breakfast, lunch or dinner! I am sure that if we had a thermometer or even a mini deep fat fryer then the chicken could have been delicious but I don’t think mine or Dave’s nerves could handle another try!

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mamas-fried-chicken

It should have looked something like this... It DID NOT! The results were too awful to photograph!

Fried pickles

I never got close to making these after the fried chicken disaster but I’m sure they are delicious! Please feel free to try them out but only if you have a fire blanket and the emergency services on speed dial.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/almost-famous-fried-pickles-recipe.html

Peach cobbler

Cobbler is sort of the American equivalent of crumble but it is more cakey in consistency. Peaches are a classic southern fruit, sweet, juicy and the state fruit of Georgia, where I lived for a year. I chose this recipe because it is quintessentially southern and it is by the iconic southern chef Paula Deen. She is known for using as many high fat, artery clogging ingredients as possible in her recipes and this one is no exception. It should be noted that while I love Paula and her recipes she does now have Type 2 Diabetes so I wouldn’t encourage you to eat her dishes too often. The cobbler was soooooo easy to make and it was a real crowd pleaser with our lunch guests. Dave loved it so much he requested it as his birthday cake!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/peach-cobbler-recipe.html

Cobbler, Hummingbird Cake and Biscuits... mmmm delicious!

Hummingbird cake

Despite my love of all things cake related I had never actually tried Hummingbird cake before but as I was reliably informed that it was commonplace in the South (thank you Wikipedia!) then I thought I would give it a go. It was really tasty, sort of tropical and spicy, it reminded me of Caribbean food. The cake itself is quite dense and the cake to icing ratio was a little light on the icing front but otherwise it was tasty. Remember that the three layers make it a HUGE cake so invite plenty of friends over before you make it.

http://www.marthastewart.com/350178/hummingbird-cake

Biscuits

My favourite restaurant from my time living in Atlanta is the Flying Biscuit. It is a quirky, eclectic little place which serves up an amazing variety of breakfast/brunch items all day every day. Mmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it. They are famous for miles around for their light, fluffy, cloud like biscuits. Oh before we go any further I should just explain that I am not talking about a hob-nob, digestive type biscuit here.  American biscuits are like a slightly savoury (but still quite sweet) version of a scone. They are served as a savoury on the side of main dishes, a bit like a bread roll. 

I used the recipe from the Flying Biscuit cookbook hoping to try and recreate their little clouds of yumminess and while they were great they lacked something... I can’t quite put my finger on it... I think they must sprinkle some southern flying magic powder on them before they bake them!

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (plain flour to you and me)
• 1 tbsp double acting baking powder (I couldn’t find out if this is different to our usual baking powder so I just put in a bit more baking powder, maybe one of my American friends can help me out??)
• ¾ tsp salt
• 4 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups of light cream (Again I couldn’t be sure exactly what the equivalent for this is so I just used single cream)
• 1/3 cup half-and-half (I also used single cream for this)

Method

1)    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2)    Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and 3 tbsp of sugar in a large mixing bowl. Cut butter into bits and add to flour. Using your hands work the butter into the dry ingredients – don’t hold back! I suggest closing your eyes, turning the music up, and enjoying the texture of the flour mixing with butter. Mix until butter is the size of small peas.

3)    Max a well in the centre of the flour and then pour in the light cream. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet by using your hand in a circular fashion, knocking the flour mixture into the liquid. Stir just until dough comes together in a sticky ball.

4)    Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead three times. Do not overwork the dough. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough to a thickness of 1 inch. The correct thickness is the key to making your biscuits fly (maybe this is where I went wrong, I don’t think my biscuits were able to fly anywhere).

5)    Dip a 2 ½ inch diameter cutter in flour and then cut the dough. Repeat until all the dough has been cut. Do not twist the cutter – apply pressure straight down then pull back evenly.

6)    Place the biscuits on the baking tray leaving about ¼ inch between them. Brush the tops of the biscuits with half-and-half and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake for 20-23 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown on top and flaky in the centre.

So just like the Deep South this bite of the Delicious Dozen has been sweet, often hot and sometimes smoky but overall delicious! I do not want to repeat the anxiety inducing fried chicken incident but Southern foods will definitely be part of my repertoire from now on. If nothing else if gives me the excuse to turn up the Country music and dance around the kitchen!!

The final bite of the Delicious Dozen and the end of this year’s challenge is upon me! Gosh where has the year gone?? But I have saved one of my fave cuisines for last... Mexican! Roll on the guacamole and margaritas!!

Happy eating (and dancing round the kitchen) xx Linds xx

P.S On a totally unrelated food subject I learnt an AMAZING tip this month that I MUST share. Do you ever buy expensive bags of salad leaves that go soggy really quickly? Well my friends you will have never have a soggy salad again because if you line a Tupperware box with kitchen roll and then pop your salad in there with the lid on nice and tight then the leaves stay crunchy and delicious for weeks!