Peanut Butter Marshmallow “Fluff” Sandwich

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Peanut Butter Marshmallow Fluff Sandwich

two slices of bread

peanut butter

marshmallow crème “fluff” (see recipe below)

On one slice of bread, smear the peanut butter. On the second slice of bread smear the marshmallow fluff. Combine the two slices together. Slice in half or keep whole.

Marshmallow Crème “Fluff”

Author note: This recipe requires a candy thermometer.

1 cup sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon water

4 egg whites

3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  1. Combine the water, sugar and corn syrup into a sauce pan. Stir to combine. Cook over high until it reaches 240 degrees (about 15 minutes). Do not stir while the corn syrup mixture is cooking.
  2. Meanwhile, with an electric mixer on high whip the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large stainless steel bowl until stiff peak forms, about 3-4 minutes.
  3. Add the vanilla extract to the egg whites.
  4. Once the corn syrup mixture has reached 240 degrees, remove it from the heat. Lower the mixer speed to low and slowly pour the corn syrup mixture into the egg white peaks. Once the syrup has been poured into the egg whites, increase the speed to medium high and continue to whip until the marshmallow crème is fluffy, about 7 to 8 minutes.
  5. Let the marshmallow crème “fluff” cool. Place in airtight containers and store in the fridge up to two weeks.

Baked Harissa Halibut

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I’m a turf kinda girl. Let me explain.

Living life in a landlocked situation, fish rarely comes up on a weekly menu. As a child fish came in the form of caned tuna (for tuna fish sandwiches with mayonnaise and pickles) OR a platter of ice cold shrimp (don’t forget the cocktail sauce!).I finally ventured to make fish my last year of college and it was a frozen tilapia variety that I had no clue how to cook. That poor frozen tilapia—I probably cooked it while trying to thaw it under piping hot water from the faucet.

Alas, we all live and learn and for me cooking has always been a trial and error kind of situation.

As the story goes, the more I dive into the sea of cooking (I couldn’t resist the pun!) the more I find myself dabbling with the notion of cooking fish for dinner.The two underwater varieties I tend to fall back on are shrimp and salmon. Occasionally I will throw in scallops if I’m feeling fancy. However, I’m not much of a surf girl and venturing into multiple types of fish is actually intimidating.

I want this to change.

While at Market Street with the kids, we were making our ritual walk by the “sea creatures” to see the king crabs. I say hello to the fish monger, as I typically do, and he asks if there was anything he could help me with.Instead of my standard reply of “no we are just wanting to see the fish with the eyeballs and look at the king crabs,” I actually did engage in fish talk.

“What’s fresh today?” I asked?

He goes on to tell me about the halibut that he had just prepared. It was a glowing review.

“I’ll take that, then” I responded.

With no intentions of making halibut that week, I departed from the weekly menu to cook what was fresh and exciting to the Market Street fish monger. I had a good feeling about it.After grabbing some organic peppers and a jar of harissa, I knew dinner was going to hit the mark and it did.

What was so great about this dish was it only took about 10 minutes of active prep time, 15 minutes of cook time and 1 minute of clean-up time (thanks to a foil lined baking sheet). And, if minimal ingredients is important to you, this recipe has that too— only 8 ingredients.

It’s time for me to be intentional with fish. I want to turn into a surf and turf kinda gal and with simple, healthy flavorful recipes like Harissa Halibut, it’s going to be a pretty tasty and easy transformation.

Baked Harissa Halibut

Author note: Fish can come in different levels of thickness. The cook time will depend upon how thick the cut of halibut is. To guarantee a perfectly cooked fish, use a thermometer.

1 ½ – 2 pounds fresh halibut

1/2- 1 tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup (or more) harrisa

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

2 jalapenos, sliced

fresh parsley, chopped (for topping)

  1. At least 30 minutes before cook time (or up to 8 hours), place the fish on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet. Add the oil and salt on to the halibut. Evenly coat the top of the halibut with the harissa. Place back into the fridge.
  2. Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
  3. 15 minutes before cook time remove the halibut from the fridge. Add the bell peppers and jalapenos on top of the halibut.
  4. Place the halibut into the oven and bake for 12-17 minutes, or until the fish is fully cooked (130-135 degrees).
  5. Top with fresh parsley and serve warm.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Market Street. All opinions are my own.

Charred Gochujang Okra

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Charred Gochujang Okra

Author note: This recipe can also be found in The Dallas Morning News along with two other okra recipes. Click here for the story and recipes.

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 pound okra, halved lengthwise

5 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons gochujang sauce, see recipe below

  1. Combine the salt and ginger into a small ramekin, set aside.
  2. Place the 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil, 1/2 tablespoon canola oil and the garlic cloves into a large non-stick skillet. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove the garlic.
  3. Increase the temperature to high heat. Once the pan is hot, add 1/2 the batch of okra to the pan, face side down. Cook for 2-3 minutes (or until the okra is charred). Flip the okra and sprinkle with half of the salt and ginger combination. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until charred. Remove the okra into a large bowl.
  4. Add the remaining oils to the pan. Once the oil is hot, cook the last 1/2 of the okra in the same manner as before.
  5. Once the okra has been cooked, toss with 2 tablespoons of gochujang sauce. Serve immediately.

for the gochujang sauce:

4 tablespoons gochujang paste

3 teaspoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

  1. Add all the ingredients together into a bowl. Stir well to combine. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Pickled Cucumbers

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Pickled Cucumbers

Author note: This recipe can be easily doubled and tripled. If you prefer the pickles to be less spicy, reduce the amount of red pepper flakes.

1 cup distilled white vinegar

2 cups water

1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon mustard seed

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup white onions, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 pound Persian cucumbers, sliced into rounds

  1. Place the vinegar, water and salt into a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium-low heat until the salt and sugar has dissolved. Stir occasionally.
  2. Place the mustard seed, red pepper flakes, onions, garlic cloves and cucumbers into a large canning jar or two canning jars. Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumbers. Bring the pickle mixture to room temperature.
  3. Cover with the lid and store in the fridge up to two months.

Hatch Pork Chili

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Hatch Pork Chili

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 Hatch chiles, seeded and halved

1 green bell pepper, seeded and quartered

2 jalapenos, seeded and quartered

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 yellow onion, diced

4 cups roasted Hatch chiles, skins and seeds removed and rough chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

12 ounce lager beer

1/2 teaspoon ground all spice

1 teaspoon dry mustard

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons cumin

5 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

sour cream, for topping

chopped fresh cilantro, for topping

lime wedges, for topping30 minutes before cooking, evenly distribute 1 1/2 teaspoons salt onto the pork. Let sit for 30 minutes.

  1. Place the 4 fresh Hatch chiles, jalapenos and bell pepper into a food processor. Puree until the vegetables are smooth. Set aside.
  2. Place the canola oil into a large Dutch oven and warm over high heat. Once the pan is hot brown the pork shoulder in two to three batches, about 3-4 minutes per side for a total of 6-8 minutes. Remove the pork and set aside.
  3. Decrease the temperature to medium and cook the onions and roasted Hatch chiles for about 8 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Add the tomato paste and brown for 3- 4 minutes.
  4. Deglaze the pan by pouring the beer into the Dutch oven. Scrape up any brown bits.
  5. Add the pureed vegetables, spices, chicken stock and pork (with all the juices) into the Dutch oven. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer half-covered for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the pork is tender.
  6. Serve warm with sour cream, cilantro and fresh lime juice.

Hatch Green Chile Grits

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Over the course of the summer, my little family of four took a road trip through the south. Needless to say, I enjoyed eating a lot of grits.

They were the most basic of grits– served as sides or a main meal. There wasn’t much to them and they were delicious.

Once home from our 14 day excursion, what was on my mind? Grits…. and more grits. This grits craving just so happened to be close to one of my favorite seasons of the year, Hatch green chile season (to read one of my favorite Hatch memories, click here) and the two seemed to be a match made in heaven.

Market Street rolled out Hatch season like a pro this year, and where was I on opening day? You guessed it, getting my annual case of Hatch chiles! I had visions of Hatch Green Chile Grits for about 2 weeks at this point and the time had come to make all my dreams come true.I wanted to stay true to the style of grits I ate over the summer, full of corn flavor. Any ingredients that would accompany it would be fresh and seasonal. Market Street had exactly what I needed: New Mexico chiles and fresh Texas summer corn.

The method of grit preparation and cooking comes from Lowcountry chef, Sean Brock. His approach is to soak the grits over night in water to not only infuse the cooking liquid with corn flavor but to also minimize cook time. Genius.A bit of butter, salt and lemon juice are the only other items needed for his grits.

However, the Hatch chile grits include a few more things: roasted hatch chiles, a bit of bacon and a sprinkling of corn and cilantro on top.

Grits and Hatch Green Chile fans rejoice– this meal is for you!

Hatch Green Chile Grits

Author note: The method of preparation of grits comes from Sean Brock’s cookbook Heritage.  The measurements of salt, lemon juice and butter have been adjusted to my own preference. There is no cheese in these grits, however, white cheddar or gruyere would be an excellent addition.

2 cups grits

8 cups water

2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups roasted Hatch green chiles (peeled, seeded and chopped)

crisp bacon, chopped, for topping

fresh corn, for topping

fresh cilantro, chopped, for topping

  1. Place the grits and water in a large pan. Cover and let sit overnight, or at least up to 6 hours.
  2. Skim the surface and remove the hulls and chaff that have floated to the top. Be sure to not disturb the water too much.
  3. Pour the grits and its water into a large pan, enough to allow the grits to double in size. Place the pan on the stovetop. Bring to a rapid boil, and stir constantly. Once it boils and water has turned opaque. Cover and remove from the heat. Let rest for 10 minutes.
  4. Place the grits back on the stovetop and cook over low heat, stirring frequently. Cook for about an hour, or until the grits are tender.
  5. Add salt, lemon juice, butter and Hatch chiles. Stir well.
  6. Top with bacon, corn and cilantro. Serve warm.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Market Street. All opinions are my own.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Hatch Chiles

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Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Hatch Chiles

  • Servings: servings vary
  • Print
8 ounce cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup onions, finely diced

1/2 cup roasted Hatch chiles, chopped

3/4 cup cheddar cheese

7 slices bacon

7-8 Hatch peppers

fresh cilantro, for topping

  1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Combine the cream cheese, cumin, salt, mayonnaise, garlic, onions, chopped Hatch chiles and cheddar cheese into a bowl. Stir well to combine.
  3. Half the chiles by slicing the Hatch chiles vertically from stem to the end of the pepper. Remove the seeds. Set the chiles onto a rimmed baking sheet.
  4. Add a few spoonfuls of cheese mixture into the chiles. Spread evenly. Set onto the baking sheet. Continue this process until all the mixture is used and all the chiles are stuffed.
  5. Take a slice of bacon and wrap it around the stuffed chiles and place back onto the baking sheet.
  6. Place into the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked and the cheese is browned.
  7. Remove from the oven and top with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve warm.

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