TURKEY MEATBALLS IN A SPICY, CHIPOTLE BEER BROTH

We adore Mexican food. Frankly, we adore it too much. It doesn't need to be terribly authentic or gourmet, often times the simple and "gringo-friendly" fare at one of our local haunts is just as satisfying as the more authentic, regional dishes at a more upscale restaurant. WHO CARES!!! Slow cooked, shredded pork, tomatillo sauces, chilies...it's all good.

We've been on a bit of a south of the border food spree this week. We began Saturday night at Mexico City on Hillhurst, which segued into flaming margaritas at El Compadre on Sunset Boulevard, which will all be capped by donning our disguises and sneaking into the back door of El Coyote for our traditional Thursday night out with da' boys. I thought it would be unfitting to break the pattern tonight so I set out to make something with the Mexican flair, that wouldn't make our midsections flare.




I "winged" this recipe and found myself unable to stop eating the meatballs! LOVED IT! Ed wasn't quite so pleased as he tends to not enjoy ground turkey (no matter how well seasoned or disguised). Sorry Ed! Hey, if you are not gonna eat those, roll that meatball my way, would ya? Thanks babe!



TURKEY MEATBALLS IN A SPICY, CHIPOTLE BEER BROTH

1.25 lbs Lean ground turkey
1/2 sweet yellow onion, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 large bunch cilantro, chopped (tops only)
6 large garlic cloves, minced
salt (2 tsp) & cracked pepper (lots!) to taste
1 tsp cumin
pinch cinnamon
5 TBS olive oil (total)
2 eggs, lightly beaten

6 cups chicken stock (low-sodium if using canned)
1 bottle Mexican beer, such as Corona
1 cup diced, canned tomatoes
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (use more sauce from can if you want more spice!)
1 cup corn kernels


Place turkey, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, 2 TBS olive oil, and eggs in mixing bowl. Combine using hands (yay, fun!), mixing just until ingredients are evenly incorporated. Pick out a small mound of meat mixture and roll into 1 1/2" meatballs, setting each aside on a cold plate when formed.




Pour about 2 TBS olive oil into a large skillet and heat over medium high flame. Add meatballs to skillet and cook, turning frequently, until well browned. You will most likely need to cook meatballs in two batches to avoid over-crowding the pan. Set cooked meatballs aside. When finished, deglaze skillet by pouring 2 cups of the chicken stock into skillet and scrape up all bits of leftover meat from skillet. Reserve stock.

Place tomatoes, carrot, minced chipotle, and beer in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Add reserved chicken stock from pan along with remaining 4 cups stock. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until carrots are crisp tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully add meatballs to pot and continue cooking for 5 to ten minutes, or until you can no longer resist the urge to slurp the entire pot down. But, try to avoid slurping the entire pot down until you let it cool slightly as the resulting burns would be unsightly and painful.

I'M BRINGIN' SEXY BACK ...

...IN THE FORM OF A RERUN.

It appears that a certain food blogger hasn't been fogging up his kitchen windows lately! I've been overly occupied with things that don't involve food and wouldn't be terribly fun to write about. So I'm dusting off this chocolaty tid-bit that is so apropos this time of year. It's from an old submission to Sugar High Friday. Forget buying commercial chocolates for your sweetie/lover/one night stand this Valentine's Day. Trust me, this is way more fun!

Welcome to Acme Instant Food and my submission to Sugar High Friday. Have we met before? It's my pleasure to have you here. Please, let me take your jacket. Now have a seat on the couch and make yourself comfortable. May I pour you a drink? Do you like Champagne? Mmmmm..good. Now I'd like to get to know you a bit better. You'll probably want to know me a little bit too because this particular entry is...well... it's a little bit intimate.

Don't be scared.

Are you still with me?

Good.

Sugar.




High.




Friday.

Three great words either on their own, or strung together.

Chocolate is the theme for this month's Sugar High Friday. Oh I'm sorry, I forgot to mention that we are not alone! Do you know David? Of course you do. Everyone knows David. David is the ONLY person who could be up to this task. He's hosting this sweet little event. Oh, but don't worry, he's just watching. You don't mind, do you?

Do you like Valentine's Day? I do. I love...love. And loving. But don't worry, because it's okay if you don't. In fact, some think it's better not to...

Did you already finish your Champagne? Here...let me pour you another glass. Hang on a second while I put on this CD. It's Barry White.

You like Barry? Don't worry if you don't know the music, just relax into it. Okay now, lower the lights. That's good. Maybe light some candles. Excellent. Am I making you nervous? It's okay. Don't worry. Get close to your monitor and make sure nobody is watching. A little closer. Mmmmmm good. I'm ready to share this with you. Just you right now, okay?

Don't worry. It's chocolate! You like chocolate, right? And, it's warm. Just a little. Let me show you...give me your hand.




It's delicious. And you've never had chocolate quite like this before. What's that? Oh, I see. You have, haven't you? Mmmmmm... I get it now: you are playing coy. Maybe you are ready for this after all...


Uh-oh, wait a minute. I think some other people are here. I feel eyes...watching us.


We have to wait a little bit longer. Just a little bit. These people here, you know, the ones watching us? They want some too. I don't have enough for everyone.

I have to show everybody now. Wait for me. Okay? Please wait.

I chose Dagoba Latte chocolate for this. For lots of reasons. Let me tell you...



1. Dagoba chocolate is organic. Uh, no, that's not what I said. I said 'organic'. We only want to share pure, sacred, organic chocolate ingredients.

2. Coffee--Provides stimulation. Prolongs the experience.

3. Cinnamon. Excites and arouses the senses. Intensifies your exotic charms.

4. Frederick Schilling (of Dagoba Chocolate).

Enough said about Frederick. You get the point.

ORGANIC CHOCOLATE BODY PAINT

2, 2 oz Dagoba Latte organic chocolate bars
1/4 cup heavy organic cream
1 tsp vegetable oil
*optional* tiny pinch of chili powder

Lower your kitchen lights and wear something comfortable. Break up the Dagoba Latte chocolate bars into small chunks and sprinkle with 1 tsp vegetable oil. Heat cream until hot--but not scorched or boiling. Pour cream over chocolate and let sit for 3 minutes. Then slowly and deliberately take charge, stirring mixture with a firm hand. Chocolate should slowly yield to you and give way to your gentle pressure. Don't stop until chocolate has given way and produces a smooth, velvety sauce.





For an extra exotic treat and sensation, add tiny pinch of chili powder and stir until blended. If chocolate is too thick to use as paint you may thin slightly with a small amount of warm cream or vegetable oil.

Okay, I have to go now. I have somebody waiting for me. I really love tattoos! But you know what to do with this now, right? This is one recipe that you will most definitely enjoy cleaning up.

Every.


Last.


Drop.

SUNDAY, BLOODY SUNDAY!

Move over Sweeney Todd, the Phantom Mixologist of Hollywood is here!

The fact that any of the blood orange juice made it into the margaritas is a miracle. Each press of my juicer handle yielded rivulets of gorgeously perfumed, ruby juice that was simply just too tempting!

I squeezed.

I sipped.

And then I sipped some more.

I generally like margaritas to be on the tart and tough side. You know the kind I'm talking about; your first sip demonstrates with a spreading warmth that this drink is going to happily kick you in the ass! But the addition of blood oranges produces a beverage just sweet enough to beguile unrestrained refills from your guests. I enjoy serving stealth drinks. Since I'm not a football fan, I needed something to amuse myself on Superbowl Sunday, right?




If you've never bought blood oranges, you might be slightly put off by their appearance. They are smaller than regular oranges. Also, they have a thin and often unevenly colored skin which can give the appearance of being overripe and past their ideal. Cut one open and try the intensely flavored flesh and juice that has a sweet berry overtone. Buy enough some extra blood oranges to provide slices for garnishes and ample snacking. They are just too delicious to resist!

I've become a bit of a margarita snob lately. To make good margaritas you need to first know what NOT to use. Get rid of pre-made margarita mixes, triple-sec, and crappy tequila. Mixes simply add fake flavor and excess sugar to your drinks. Triple-sec adds a weird, overly-sweet metallic taste and should be nixed as well. Buy only quality 100% agave tequila. Please note that Jose Cuervo "Gold" is NOT 100% agave! I've become very fond of Cazadores and Herradura. Blanco (white or silver) tequilas work very well with their fresh and somewhat peppery flavors. Invest in some quality tequila and you'll be happy you did on "the morning after."


BLOOD ORANGE MARGARITAS

Mix together 2 parts tequila, 1 part Cointreau (or Grand Marnier), 1 part lime juice, 1 (scant) part simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar) and a few healthy splashes of blood orange juice to taste. Mix well and serve over lots of ice!