food

Queso Chicken Flautas

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Elevated Edibles: Queso Chicken Flautas! Are you as torn between corn tortillas and flour tortillas as I am? There are days, and certain dishes, where nothing but corn will do: tamales, taquitos, enchiladas, tacos, and chips. Corn tortillas, generally, are much smaller and easier to hold. When they are soaked in sauce, they are more pliable and suitable for baking. If you like the taste of toasted corn as well as the chewy texture, corn tortillas are for you. The same applies to flour tortillas: quesadillas, flautas, fajitas, chimichangas, and burritos. Flour tortillas are bigger, not to mention softer for folding. You already know this if you’ve ever eaten a monster burrito or ginormous chimichanga. One is baked, the latter is fried. Today’s recipe features the sturdiness of a flour tortilla to hold the juicy chicken and melted cheese filling without turning soggy or falling apart. What a delicious dilemma.

QUESO CHICKEN FLAUTAS

Ingredients for Herbed Sour Cream:

8 ounces sour cream

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons green onions, chopped

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked chicken, shredded

1 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

4.5 ounce can green chiles, drained and diced

1 envelope taco seasoning mix, less 1 tablespoon for remaining recipe

12-count flour tortillas

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

15-ounce jar queso cheese dip, warmed

Instructions:

To make the herbed sour cream, combine sour cream, honey, lime juice, and sea salt in a bowl. Stir until smooth. Gently fold in chopped cilantro leaves and green onions. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. In a medium bowl, combine shredded chicken, Mexican cheese blend, cream cheese, and diced green chilies. Sprinkle with taco seasoning mix (less 1 tablespoon of mix). Stir thoroughly. Set aside. In a small dish, whisk vegetable oil with reserved taco seasoning mix. Set aside. Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick oil. To assemble flautas, place 1/4 cup chicken mixture on bottom third of each flour tortilla. Roll up tightly, leaving ends open. Place seam-side down on prepared baking sheet. Brush filled chicken flautas with seasoned oil mixture. Repeat until all tortillas are filled. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until flautas are crispy. Serve with warmed queso cheese dip, herbed sour cream, and chunky salsa.

Table Food

Most people have pretty busy schedules nowadays, no matter what stage of life you are living. Fast food, carry-out, and dining in food joints can supplement our weekly meals, that’s for sure. Yet, if you desire a more efficient way to stretch the budget, think low-key menu planning. This segment on the food blog, entitled “Table Food”, can be another option to reduce the stress of figuring out what to eat. I tend to follow my own grocery store shopping rule as much as possible: Shop the perimeter of the store for most of my grocery list. Usually that includes produce, bakery, meat, fish, and dairy products as a top priority. It keeps me from binge-buying junk food in a moment of weakness. Obviously, pantry staples need to be replenished from time to time. Basically, I try to fuel my body with healthy options. When I slip, I’ve learned to let go of the guilt. Some of my posts have been favored by the “Food Network” on Twitter (Snapshotsincursive @DornaGail) as well as Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa, on Instagram (gail _dorna). You can even find me on Pinterest at Gail Dorna. I’d love to connect with you there as well. I also met Chef Michelle Tribble of Hell’s Kitchen reality cooking show. Fun times. Experience different flavors and textures one bite at a time. Catch a glimpse of “Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Table Food!” This remarkable journey of the palate is unique because it gives me a few moments with you. Thanks very much to all of my guests and followers on http://snapshotsincursive.com for the uplifting support, award nominations, and moving words of encouragement.

Xnipec Habanero Salsa

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Xnipec Habanero Salsa! Anyone who craves the jolt of hot tropical salsa can read on. Others who don’t….No judgement, we’ll catch you tomorrow. For those who are up to the challenge, let me give you a little background before you dive in. The word “Xnipec” translates in Mayan to “dog’s nose”, which implies you may sweat droplets like a dog’s wet nose the more bites you take. If so, wipe your forehead and walk away. You’re done. I’ve been known to ask for the “muy caliente” salsa in a Mexican restaurant. At which time, the server brings me my own special bowl usually reserved for the kitchen staff. The hubs typically laughs and tells them I can practically drink it with a straw. What can I say? I’m hopelessly addicted to habaneros.

XNIPEC HABANERO SALSA

Ingredients:

3 habanero peppers

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 red onion, finely diced

3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons orange juice

Pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

Using disposable gloves, halve habaneros. Remove stem, pith, and seeds. Dice peppers; place in a bowl. Add chopped tomatoes, finely diced red onion, chopped cilantro, lime juice, and orange juice. Add a pinch of sea salt. Toss well. Refrigerate one hour before serving.

Graze or Gobble

Are you a slow eater or a fast eater? Depends on the day. Is Time a factor that makes you practically inhale a plate of food on your way from one commitment to another? Maybe you planted yourself in front of the tv to stream the latest season of a popular series and before you knew it, dinner was gone. (Some blame it on the dog.) Me? I say, if the food didn’t look so appealing, I wouldn’t devour it. On the other hand, as a grazer, I’ve been known to be “Chatty McChat Chat” in conversation lingering over a meal. It’s a tipsy-turvy world. We all have those days when we eat too quickly. Sooooo, the next collection of recipes gives you the opportunity to graze or gobble. Only you can decide. Some of my posts have been favored by the “Food Network” on Twitter (Snapshotsincursive @DornaGail) as well as Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa, on Instagram (gail _dorna). You can even find me on Pinterest at Gail Dorna. I’d love to connect with you there as well. I also met Chef Michelle Tribble of Hell’s Kitchen reality cooking show. Fun times. Experience different flavors and textures one bite at a time. Catch a glimpse of “Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Graze or Gobble”. This remarkable journey of the palate is unique because it gives me a few moments with you. Thanks very much to all of my guests and followers on http://snapshotsincursive.com for the uplifting support, award nominations, and moving words of encouragement.

Talking Points

Social distancing can turn anyone into a creative genius by tapping into that part of us where imagination meets application. Imagination kicks into survival mode by combining thoughts, ideas, memories, and capabilities. Perhaps that is why I enjoy cooking so much. There are no set rules. Guidelines, yes. But rules? Not so much. Thankfully, I am married to a man who eagerly accepts the challenge of taste-testing new foods or simply trying our favorite foods a new way. Whenever we travel, we nose around art fairs and antique shops for interesting kitchenware. I have become a collector of “talking flatware”, which are spoons, forks, and knives with words stamped on them. I guess you could say I have a dialogue with my food, which brings me to this segment of Talking Points. Some of my posts have been favored by the “Food Network” on Twitter (Snapshotsincursive @DornaGail) as well as Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa, on Instagram (gail _dorna). You can even find me on Pinterest at Gail Dorna. I’d love to connect with you there as well. I also met Chef Michelle Tribble of Hell’s Kitchen reality cooking show. Fun times. Experience different flavors and textures one bite at a time. Catch a glimpse of “Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Talking Points!”. This remarkable journey of the palate is unique because it gives me a few moments with you. Thanks very much to all of my guests and followers on http://snapshotsincursive.com for the uplifting support, award nominations, and moving words of encouragement.

Food With Soul

Everyone has an idea of foods that satisfy inner feelings. Some cultivate fulfillment; others promote happiness. Take coffee, for instance. I look forward to my morning cuppa joe. Coffee does make me happy. I begin every day with a cold double espresso, slightly sweetened and creamy followed by a flavorful espresso shot. Then I’m done. Don’t ask me to give up my Nespresso machine because that’s not going to happen. When my husband and I lived in a hotel for nine months while our new home was being built, the Nespresso machine was my daily companion. Sure, the hotel offered a complimentary breakfast, but come on……don’t ask me to give up my soulful morning espresso. Would you? This round of recipes might give you ways to substitute foods and ingredients that appeal to your soulful lifestyle and palate. It’s all about the possibilities, ideas, and balance. I encourage you to make substitutions in the recipes I offer without sacrificing taste. I do it all the time; you can, too.

Some of my posts have been favored by the “Food Network” on Twitter (Snapshotsincursive @DornaGail) as well as Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa, on Instagram (gail _dorna). You can even find me on Pinterest at Gail Dorna. I’d love to connect with you there as well. I also met Chef Michelle Tribble of Hell’s Kitchen reality cooking show. Fun times. Experience different flavors and textures one bite at a time. Catch a glimpse of “Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Food With Soul”. This remarkable journey of the palate is unique because it gives me a few moments with you. Thanks very much to all of my guests and followers on http://snapshotsincursive.com for the uplifting support, award nominations, and moving words of encouragement.

Mexican Tarragon Turkey Breast

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Delicious Holiday Foods: Mexican Tarragon Turkey Breast! If you’re tired of the “same old, same old”, ways of preparing poultry, try something a little different. Mexican tarragon can easily catapult chicken and turkey to gourmet status. First of all, that slight hint of licorice may go unnoticed in a café chicken salad sandwich. Yet, something tastes extraordinary. If only you could put your finger on it. So, you go on with your day perhaps thinking you were hungrier than usual and would have devoured anything. Until memory flashback, in the form of a craving, stimulates the taste buds for an encore. The quest is on for the heat-loving herb with the green narrow leaves and golden flowers. Who knows, it may end up as a regular plant in your garden herb bed.

MEXICAN TARRAGON TURKEY BREAST

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Mexican tarragon leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

3-pound turkey breast, bone in

Sprigs of Mexican tarragon, for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325°. Combine chopped Mexican tarragon leaves, olive oil, poultry seasoning, seasoned salt, and white pepper. Wash turkey breast; pat dry. Using your fingers, loosen skin of turkey breast. Rub half the mixture under the skin. Secure skin to the underside of breast with toothpicks. Brush outside of turkey with remaining mixture. Place turkey breast on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast until a meat thermometer reads 170°, about two hours. Remove from oven; tent with foil. Allow to rest 15 minutes. Remove and discard turkey skin and toothpicks before carving. Transfer turkey slices to a platter. Garnish with sprigs of Mexican tarragon. Serve warm.

Palatable Possibilities

Many areas of the country offer walking tours to get acquainted with history as well as attractions, restaurants, and shopping. Culinary tours have become a popular thing, too. Think about it. Cities have always been multicultural. People move in and bring with them family customs, lifestyle traditions, and amazing comfort food. Before long festivals celebrating ethic heritage are long-established and popular. People share recipes, our sense of taste is enhanced, and cravings set in with mental appreciation. Perhaps this is why some of us eat to live and live to eat. Amirite? So many foods and ingredients can be substituted to appeal to each lifestyle and palate. It’s all about the possibilities, ideas, and balance. I encourage you to make substitutions in the recipes I offer without sacrificing taste. I do it all the time; you can, too.

Some of my posts have been favored by the “Food Network” on Twitter (Snapshotsincursive @DornaGail) as well as Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa, on Instagram (gail _dorna). You can even find me on Pinterest at Gail Dorna. I’d love to connect with you there as well. I also met Chef Michelle Tribble of Hell’s Kitchen reality cooking show. Fun times. Experience different flavors and textures one bite at a time. Catch a glimpse of “Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Palatable Possibilities!” This remarkable journey of the palate is unique because it gives me a few moments with you. Thanks very much to all of my guests and followers on http://snapshotsincursive.com for the uplifting support, award nominations, and moving words of encouragement.

Enjoyable Eats

It’s true that every living thing needs food in order to thrive. Perhaps that is my justification for being a foodie. I actually “like” planning, cooking, and serving food in wonderful ways. I believe if something looks appealing on the plate, well it kinda has to taste good, doesn’t it? After all, we devour food first with our eyes. That’s how our body signals the brain that we’re going to experience something delicious, thus making it enjoyable. Anyone can be a gourmet chef…like me. lol. Some of my posts have been favored by the “Food Network” on Twitter (Snapshotsincursive @DornaGail) as well as Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa, on Instagram (gail _dorna). You can even find me on Pinterest at Gail Dorna. I’d love to connect with you there as well. I also met Chef Michelle Tribble of Hell’s Kitchen reality cooking show. Fun times. Experience different flavors and textures one bite at a time. Catch a glimpse of “Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Enjoyable Eats!” This remarkable journey of the palate is unique because it gives me a few moments with you. Thanks very much to all of my friends and followers on http://snapshotsincursive.com for the uplifting support, award nominations, and moving words of encouragement. Food and praise are both things I find I associate with positive feelings. And I don’t intend to take either for granted.