I’ve been having some intense cravings lately. Before you start in on the “you must be pregnant” jokes (which are ALWAYS funny, btw), let me remind you that it is LATE March and Minnesota has been having high temperatures in the teens. If that’s not an excuse to treat myself to yummy comfort food, then I don’t know what is.
The hardest craving to ignore? Mexican. The salty, cheesy, and rich combinations just hunker down and warm you up, no matter how frigid it may be outdoors.
The blustery weather has resulted in many-a-Mexican meal for The Beast and I as of late. A few weeks ago we made a Mexican casserole, and then many enchilada experiments followed. In my new favorite variation, I keep things healthy and filling with veggies, thick and creamy Greek yogurt, and a ridiculously easy homemade sauce.
Little-known fact on enchilada sauce: deciding on a store-bought variety can prove to be a tricky task. The first one we tried tasted metallic and full of chemicals (even though the ingredient label looked only moderately offensive). The second option we bought tasted fine, but included red food coloring, because apparently tomatoes aren’t red enough on their own. Finally I took things into my own hands and made it from scratch, and I will never go back. The sauce comes together in 20 minutes, and it is DEEEELICIOUS.
To make our homemade Mexican even better, we always serve it with the simplest and yummiest side ever: Spanish quinoa. I’ve discussed spanish quinoa before (try not to judge my early-blog photography too harshly), but it would be a shame if it were forgotten or ignored, so I must mention it again today. You’ll thank me.
When I was growing up, my mom always steered me away from desserts that included any kind of booze. She didn’t do this to keep her youngest daughter off the sauce, but because she thought alcohol added nothing to desserts, and therefore should be avoided.
Ever since my first lick of dark chocolate liquor ice cream many years ago, it became clear that she and I disagreed on this very, very important issue.
The week of beer is here!…Or that’s what I’m calling it, at least. I cook with wine all the time, but I hardly ever think to cook or bake with beer. With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, what better excuse to stock your fridge with beer and see what happens, yes?
YES.
I’m more of a wine drinker than a beer drinker, but I like a good brewski every now and then (wow that made me sound like a frat boy…sorry). I can’t handle anything too hoppy, and I usually like the lightest colored beer I can find (beer enthusiasts are hating me right now…again, sorry), with the exception of oatmeal stout, of course, which we’ll get to later this week.
For the time being, I want to talk about Hoegaarden: a white wheat beer with just the slightest hint of orange/citrus flavor. I love love love it. It doesn’t linger in my stomach and make me feel full and gross like other beer, and it has much more flavor than a light beer, like Corona Light…although I like that too, cause I’m shamelessly girly when it comes to beer.
In the back of my mind, I’ve had this urge to make beer bread for the past several months. I blame Pinterest, where I’ve seen countless beer bread recipes pop up, particularly one that looked jaw-dropping speeeectacular. I knew I’d found the perfect beer bread recipe to adapt for my Hoegaarden love.
The simplicity of this recipe makes it even more appealing. In fact, don’t even worry about making the dough smooth before dumping it in the pan; those peaks and valleys make for an almost streusel-like topping that you’ll be picking at all day. The flavors here are great on their own, but together they’re need-it-now delicious: sharp and salty white cheddar, slightly sweet wheat beer with a hint of orange, nutty wheat flour, and savory rosemary, all soaked top-to-bottom in rich brown butter. It’s dangerously irresistible.
