French Onion Soup With Jalapeño Cheese Bread

Homemade French Onion soup with crusty jalapeño cheese bread
Makes 2 huge bowls:

1/4 cup butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3 onions (thinly sliced)
6 cups beef broth
2 tbsp dry sherry
A few sprigs of thyme
Salt and pepper
Jalapeño Cheese Bread (we got ours from @growersranch)
Lots of Swiss Cheeeeeeese

-Heat butter and olive oil in a large stock pot.
-Add onions and cook until tender (be careful not to brown them).
-Add broth, sherry, salt, pepper and thyme. Simmer for 30 min.
-Ladle into bowls, top with toasted jalapeño cheese bread and cover with slices of Swiss cheese.
-Place in the oven and broil until cheese is bubbly and starting to crisp.

Homemade Mexican Horchata

Horchata is a popular Mexican drink – sweet cinnamon rice milk, traditionally made with water, rice, sugar, cinnamon and tiger nuts. This recipes has an added twist; made with almonds and evaporated milk making it taste smooth and creamy. Another option is following the Yucatan lead and using coconut milk instead of almonds. It can be made serval ways, but this is my personal favorite. Recipe inspired by chef Rick Bayless

Ingredients
6 tbsp of white rice (soaked in 2 cups water over night)
2 more cups of filtered water for blending
1 cup almonds (blanched)
2 inch Mexican canela (cinnamon stick) or 2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup evaporated milk
2/3 cup sugar (or to taste)

Soak rice in 2 cups of water overnight. Pour the soaked rice and rice water into a blender with 2 extra cups of filtered water. Add cinnamon, almonds, evaporated milk and sugar. Blend until the almonds become fine (like powder). If you have access to a Vitamix or a high-speed blender, your results will be better. Pour horchata into a fine mesh cheesecloth and press through until the almond, rice and cinnamon grit has been removed. Refrigerate and serve cold over ice. This horchata is a million X better than the powder mix at the Mexican restaurants you’ll find here in CA! Hands down!

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One Skillet Spinach Shakshuka

It’s been cold, rainy and wildly windy for the past few days, so staying in my PJ’s until 12 and making a big shakshuka sounded like the best thing to do! It’s an easy one-skillet recipe that originated from northern Africa and is now served all over the Middle East. Lots of spicy flavors, sliced onions, peppers, tomato, feta cheese and eggs. I added some spinach for a fun twist. Serve with crusty bread or chapati style flat bread. Mmmmm. It’s the best – especially when you cook those eggs just right! And it makes the whole house smell wonderful!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion (thinly sliced)
1 red bell pepper (thinly sliced)
4 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 (28oz) can tomatoes with juices (chopped)
salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)
3 cups fresh spinach (chopped)
½ cup feta cheese (crumbled)
6 eggs
cilantro and parsley (chopped)

In a cast iron skillet, cook onions, bell peppers and garlic in a tbsp. of olive oil until browned. Add spices and tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Turn off heat. Add feta cheese and eggs. Place in preheated 350F oven for 10 min or until egg whites are cooked and the yolks are just beginning to harden around the edges. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cilantro and parsley. Serve with crusty bread or chapati style flat bread.

Smokey Cinnamon Clove Pomegranate Kirsch

Indulging in a smokey cinnamon clove pomegranate kirsch, because it’s feeling like fall around here and I’m really excited. It’s getting darker earlier and the nights are cooler. This is the perfect drink for unwinding on this Friday night. I’m planning on a walk around the neighborhood with my love and hitting up some friends later, but for now…

Smokey Cinnamon Clove Pomegranate Kirsch
Ingredients:
2 oz. Kirsch (cherry brandy)
1.5 oz. Pomegranate Powell & Mahoney
5 cloves
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
splash of cranberry juice
1 cinnamon stick

Directions:
Combine Kirsch, Pomegranate P & M, cloves, pomegranate seeds, ground cinnamon and splash of cran into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a glass with ice (or add cloves and pomegranate seeds for a fun presentation). Top with a smokey cinnamon stick.