Watermelon Margaritas

It's Saucy Jocey's Kitchen's 1st birthday! I can't believe it! This experience has been an absolute BLAST and I can't wait to continue experimenting with food, dirtying-up my kitchen (my fiance and I have a clutch deal going - whoever cooks doesn't clean), and showing you all what I come up with :) Although the school year leaves me pretty swamped, it's summer again, which means more free time and more blogging! I can't wait. As for the coming year, a few of my goals for my blog are:

1. Improve my food photography. Get a new camera too?

2. Post at least once a week on average. Note - that's about what I averaged this past year, but next year I will be even MORE swamped than I already am, with more school, work, and planning a wedding :) I'm DEFINITELY not complaining - I'm a lucky girl! I'm also a busy girl though, so once a week blogging is a reasonable goal I think!

3. Redesign my blog. I've dabbled a little in html (surprisingly little considering my major - computer science), so I can figure my way around some website designing I think! 

4. Cook healthier. Don't get me wrong, I love the occasional fried chicken and sugary baked good, but for every day, my goal is to eat healthier than I do now. I would like to make a not-putting-as-much-garbage-into-my-body lifestyle change. Paul and I joined an organic produce buying club recently, which keeps fresh organic produce in the house at all times, which I LOVE. 

To anyone stopping by to read my blog, thank you :) sharing recipes and stories with you all this past year has been a joy, and I look forward to many more!

To celebrate year one - a fruity summer cocktail of course! Margaritas scream summertime to me, as do watermelons. This marg is definitely a lighter cocktail as far as alcohol content goes, as opposed to Beergaritas which are more on the potent side. Feel free to add more tequila to your liking! A bit slushy and not overly sweet, this is the perfect poolside cocktail! 

Watermelon Margaritas

Makes 5 (1 cup) servings

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups chopped watermelon

1 1/2 cups limeade (simply limeade ideally)

1/2 cup tequila

salt for the rim of the glass

Puree 3 cups of chopped fresh watermelon. Mix watermelon puree, limeade, and tequila. Serve over ice with a salted rim!

It's a little baby watermelon! We got this mini guy in our organic produce share from Annie's Organic Buying Club. It's been such a nice change to have organic fresh produce always around to snack on and cook with! Paul and I get the 3/4 share, which two people can finish in a week if they put their minds to it, but it's a tiny but of a challenge. But that's good, because it forces us to eat more fruits and veggies than we used to :)

Give the watermelon a rough chop so you can measure out 3 cups, and puree in the food processor!

Mix the pureed watermelon with limeade...

... and tequila! These margs are definitely on the easy-drinking side of the cocktail spectrum. Feel free to add more tequila if you want!

Serve over ice with a salted rim, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Beergaritas

Are you longing for summertime? I know it's January, but honestly, Florida isn't very cold. And damn it, I was craving a margarita! 

My friends introduced me to beergaritas over the summer, and drinking them by the pool quickly became a weekend ritual. Let me just tell you... you get some bang for your buck with these. They're quite strong but still drinkable and refreshing due to the limeade concentrate and lime juice. 

Whip up a batch of Beergaritas, relax, and pretend it's summer!

**Thanks Laura and Dan for the recipe!**

Beergaritas

Makes about 4 servings (5 1/4 cups)

Total time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

6 fl oz tequila

12 fl oz corona beer

12 fl oz limeade frozen concentrate

12 fl oz sprite or club soda (depending on your desire for sweetness)

1 Tbsp lime juice

Mix all ingredients and serve over ice with a salted rim. Enjoy!

Salsa

Lucky me - someone gave me a bunch of organic produce this week! I saw all of the beautiful red roma tomatoes and said to myself salsa is happening. Ever since I wrestled my parents' food processor away from them (not really, it was a wedding present they never used) I've been loving trying out different kinds of fresh salsa. I made a Sweet Pepper version that was quite tasty. This recipe below is your classic tomato and jalapeño salsa, and it's delicious. I kept the seeds in the jalapeño so it's got a decent kick to it. I would say it's on the hot side of medium. Make this fresh salsa instead of eating the jarred stuff!

Salsa

Makes 2 cups of medium salsa

Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

4 roma tomatoes

1 jalapeño (2 for hot salsa)

1 clove garlic

1/4 red onion

1 Tbsp cilantro

2 tsp lime juice

1 tsp cumin

Salt to taste

Cut stems off tomatoes and jalapeño and cut into large pieces. Blend all ingredients in the food processor until smooth. Enjoy!

Beautiful vegetables. Definitely one of the big advantages of making your own salsa - you know what's in it! And this is pretty much it, just bright fresh produce (aside from seasonings). *I didn't end up using all of these romas. 

Cut the stems off the tomatoes and jalapeño, give them a rough chop, peel the garlic, and add everything to the food processor. Blend until smooth! I like my salsa smooth. Feel free to just pulse it if you like it chunky (I would recommend cutting the ingredients into smaller piece before you pulse in this case).

So simple and so fresh. You really get the flavors of each ingredient! It blows the jarred salsa out of the water and I know what's in it. And you can taste test as you go and tweak the seasonings until it tastes perfect to you. I'm in love. I think salsa will be only homemade in Saucy Jocey's kitchen from now on!

Fiesta Chicken

Who doesn't love simple, quick, cheesy, crunchy, warm comfort food? It's pictured inside tortillas for quesadillas here, but the possibilities for this Fiesta Chicken mixture are endless. I ate my leftover servings melted on top of tortilla chips for loaded nachos. Serve it cold on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes for a zesty salad. Add more beans and cilantro lime rice to the mixture and roll up in a large tortilla for a burrito. Switch up taco night... I could go on for days. I'll admit that I even ate a spoonful or two out of the fridge cold. Make this fiesta chicken and I promise - you will love it!

Fiesta Chicken Quesadillas, Nachos, Salad, etc.

Makes 4 servings

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients (( Healthier Ingredient Substitutions ))

1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped

1 bell pepper

1 clove garlic

1/2 avocado

1/2 onion

1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese (( 1 cup shredded low fat pepper jack cheese ))

3/4 cup cilantro

2/3 cup black beans

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 Tbsp lime juice

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

Salt to taste

Tortillas for quesadillas, tortilla chips for nachos, lettuce for salad, etc.

1. Pulse cilantro, avocado, garlic clove, lime juice, and 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil in the food processor until smooth. 

2. Chop bell pepper and onion. Saute bell pepper and onion in olive oil until onions become translucent, about 3 minutes.

3. Mix all ingredients together. Use as a filling for quesadillas, on top of tortilla chips as nachos, over some lettuce and tomatoes for a salad (( healthier option )), with more beans and rice for burritos, etc. Enjoy!

Blend cilantro, avocado, garlic, lime juice, and extra virgin olive oil in the food processor. I want to experiment with a sort of cilantro pesto some other time. Hmmm.... 

Zesty Goodness!

Dice the bell pepper and half onion. I'm a big texture person so these crunchy veggies are a must!

Saute the pepper and onion until the onions just become translucent.

Mix all of the ingredients together! I'm telling you - this is a hit.

As you can see above, I got a little hungry while taking these pictures. There's crunch from the vegetables, creaminess from the cheese and avocado mixture, a little kick from the pepper jack, and of course flavorful chicken and spices. It's aaaaall there. Use this as a base for your favorite Mexican dish and you will have a tasty meal on your plate in no time!  

Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

I've been DREAMING about enchiladas lately. I think I was going through Mexican food withdrawals because I haven't been to my favorite restaurant lately. But rather than going out to eat I decided to make an attempt at chicken enchiladas! I've never made them before but I looked at a million recipes online and put together my own little concoction. I personally prefer the green tomatillo sauce to the red sauce so I cleaned out my grocery store of tomatillos and made that from scratch too! I am not claiming that this recipe is authentic Mexican or anything, but I at least made everything from scratch and damn it, it tastes good!

Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

Makes 10-12 Enchiladas, 5-6 Servings

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

10-12 corn tortillas

8 tomatillos

3 cloves garlic

2 jalapeños

1 white onion

1 lime

2 1/2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded

1 cup water

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup cilantro

1/2 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Husk, rinse, and cut stem end off tomatillos. In a large saucepan bring water, tomatillos, jalapeños, and half of the onion to a boil. Covered and boil over medium high heat for 10 minutes. The tomatillos will turn a more olive green color, as opposed to lime green.

2. Place cilantro, juice of half the lime, cumin, garlic cloves, the cooked tomatillos, jalapeños, and half of the onion in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Dice and sauté the other half of the onion until it becomes translucent. Mix sautéed onions with shredded chicken, 1/3 cup Monterey jack cheese, and 1/4 cup sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 4. Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Using tongs fry the corn tortillas one at a time in the hot oil for 10 seconds on each side. Place fried tortillas on a plate lined with paper towels.

5. Spread a few spoonfuls of tomatillo sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Fill tortillas with chicken mixture and roll up. Place rolled tortilla seam side down in the baking dish and repeat until chicken mixture is gone.

6. Pour remaining tomatillo sauce on top of rolled tortillas in baking dish. Spoon remaining sour cream on top of tomatillo sauce. Sprinkle remaining Monterey jack cheese on top.

7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes and broil for an additional 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese (watch carefully!). Enjoy!

Husk, rinse, and cut the stem ends off the tomatillos. I cleaned my grocery store out of them! Boil 1 cup water with tomatillos, jalapeños, and 1/2 the onion covered for 10 minutes (ignore the poblano pepper - I didn't end up using it).

 The tomatillos will turn a kind of olive green when they're done!

Place tomatillos, jalapeños, half the onion, cilantro, juice of half the lime, cumin, and garlic cloves in the food processor. Blend until it is very smooth!

The sauce should not be chunky. Add salt and pepper to your liking. This would be great as a green salsa on its own!

Dice and saute the other half of the onion until the pieces are translucent.

Mix sauteed onions with shredded chicken, 1/3 cup Monterey jack cheese, 1/4 cup sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Using a rotisserie chicken for this recipe would be perfect! Just make sure you get a plain rotisserie chicken, not bbq or lemon pepper or whatever.

Fry the tortillas in vegetable oil over medium high heat for 10 seconds on each side. Make sure the oil it HOT or else the tortillas will just get soggy. And ONLY 10 seconds on each side! Place the fried tortillas on a plate lined with paper towels.

Spread a few spoonfuls of the tomatillo sauce in the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking pan.

Fill each tortilla with a few spoonfuls of the chicken mixture.

 Roll each tortilla and place them seam side down in the baking dish.

Here's where it gets fun... Top with the remaining tomatillo sauce!

Spoon the remaining sour cream on top of the tomatillo sauce. The sour cream and cheese balance out the spiciness of the tomatillo sauce well. I wanted to use Mexican crema but my grocery store didn't have any :(

Top with the remaining Monterey jack cheese!

Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes to melt the cheese and broil for another 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese. Look at all the cheesy goodness!

Each serving should get two enchiladas (the corn tortillas are small) and I served it with black beans and rice. This DEFINITELY fulfilled my Mexican food cravings!

Quesadillas

Who doesn't love quesadillas? Warm, cheesy, finger food... a lot of my favorite things. You can get creative with quesadillas too! I happened to have sweet peppers, onions, and chicken but you could also use bell peppers, jalapeños, or beef! Or other things! The chili powder and cumin seasonings give it a distinct Mexican flavor and the cream cheese makes the filling extra gooey and wonderful. Have fun with the fillings and serve with chips and salsa, guacamole, and sour cream and you've got an easy and delicious dinner!

Quesadillas
Makes 2 quesadillas
Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients (( Healthier Ingredient Substitutions ))
2 large tortillas (( 2 large whole wheat tortillas ))
1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped
3 sweet peppers
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (( 1 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese ))
1/4 cup onions
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened (( skip this ))
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt (( salt to taste ))


1. Dice peppers and onions.
2. Saute in 1 tsp olive oil until the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Mix chicken, peppers, onions, and seasonings to coat the ingredients evenly.
4. Mix in softened cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese. (( Skip cream cheese for healthier version ))
5. Spread chicken mixture on half a tortilla and fold the tortilla over the chicken mixture.
6. Warm over medium heat until the tortilla is golden brown and the cheese melts, about 2 minutes on each side.
7. Cut into thirds and serve with chips, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. Enjoy!

Little sweet peppers! They are my new favorite vegetable. A nice alternative to bell peppers!

Chop the peppers and onions.

Saute the peppers and onions with some olive oil until the onions become translucent.

Mix everything but the cheeses together. All of the seasonings will distribute evenly!

Aaaaah the cream cheese. It makes the texture of the cheesy inside extra gooey!

Add the cheeses and mix.

Spread the mixture of half of the tortilla and hold the tortilla over.

Warm over medium heat for a minute or two on each side to brown the outside and melt the inside.

 Flip over! Almost ready!

You'll definitely want something to dip these in. Sour cream, guacamole, or salsa... Yum!