What We're Eating - A Food & Recipe Blog » bread

Kickass Mexican Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing

Amanda — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:08:59 +0000

Stuffing on the plate. Tamale in your mouth!

We’re eating Mexican chorizo cornbread stuffing filled with sweet white corn kernels, roasted poblano & jalapeno peppers, cilantro and roasted garlic.

You can’t have a holiday meal without the stuffing (or dressing depending on your semantics of choice)! At least that’s my opinion. Since I wanted to play with the Mexican theme and I knew I had the frozen mole I made earlier this year, what I really wanted to do was create a cornbread dressing that, when eaten with the turkey and the mole, would remind you of a tamale. It utterly delighted me when Justin said (without me prompting!) that it reminded him of tamales! YAY! Success! The chorizo cornbread is great without the mole since it’s choked full of delicious chorizo and fresh corn but if you’ve already gone through the trouble of making the mole you should definitely try them together.

As a side note – I have to admit to eat T & I eating a little slice of the cornbread when it was fresh out of the oven the night before so maybe to keep it legit you should “sample” a small slice of bread when it’s still warm and delicious.

Recipes in this post:

Mexican Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing

Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

Amanda — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:14:55 +0000

You know you wanna rip into one & slather it with butter!

We’re eating traditional southern fluffy buttermilk biscuits that were brushed with the lovely Nicole’s homemade butter.

I know you guys don’t hear us using southern terms like “y’all” and “fixin” all that often but that doesn’t mean we aren’t born and bred (expat) southerners who get hankerin’s for some comforting Southern soul food every now and then. Both T & I love us some good, fluffy buttermilk biscuits and when we get a craving we typically have to hook ‘em up for ourselves since not too many places in San Diego do ‘em right by our standards. (Urban Solace is the one exception to this – they know how to hook a sista up!) Anywho, the next time you start craving some homemade buttermilk biscuits we hope you’ll remember this post and give our recipe a try. If you try ‘em and like ‘em as much as we do, or even if you hate ‘em, we’d love to hear how they turn out for you.

Recipes in this post:

Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

Cornbread Muffins… Bet You Can’t Eat Just 8.

Us — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 23:36:36 +0000

Some good muffs

To accompany our dinner, we made some cute little homemade corn bread muffins filled with fresh local corn, spicy roasted serrano chiles, smokey thick sliced bacon, chopped cilantro, minced garlic, sliced green onions, and sharp cheddar cheese. They were so good they didn’t even need a pat of butter!

With lots of goodies

T: how many of these muffins did you make?
A: i made 12 muffins and a huge cast iron skillet “loaf” of the corn bread.
T: how many muffins did you eat?
A: i’m thinking around 3… and half. we split one while photoing.
T: sweet. That means I ate 8.5 muffins in one sitting. that rocks. No wonder my bowels were playing games with me today.
A: heheheh too funny! these were some tasty muffins. i over cooked them to my preference by just a minute or two, but they still tasted awesome. the “loaf”, for lack of a better term, was cooked just right though.
T: I really liked these things. Haven’t tried the loaf yet, but the muffins were very good… obviously. If I were nitpicking I would say they could have used more goods on the inside such as cheese or pimentos. That’s just nitpicking though.
A: i agree they could have used a touch more pepper. i would have put more roasted serranos though, not so much red peppers. red peppers would be good… just not spicy!
T: you’re right. more green AND red peppers! I rate these little guys a 4.6/5. They were definitely tasty enough to binge on, but there is still room for improvement. Hopefully you’ll keep trying! I <3 cornbread.
A: ha ha… you said “i heart” something! who’s the myspace loving little girl now huh?
T: actually on myspace I’m a little boy, but that’s beside the point.
A: yeah, just remember what you said. i’m never going to let you live it down! i too “heart” cornbread. good cornbread, at least. there is definitely bad bad cornbread in the world… the corporate monstrosity Cracker Barrel serves some of the worst cornbread i’ve ever had the displeasure to try. these were nothing like those.
T: you just hate crack. barrel because you worked there when you were younger.
A: hmmm while that’s true… they do make good biscuits! just really really crappy cornbread. Okay, so I”m gonna give these little dudes a 4.25/5. They got a lower rating because they were just slightly over-cooked. i really meant to cook them at 350, but when i looked at the oven it read 400! oops! they still weren’t dried out, just not as moist as i would have liked them to be.
T: yeah, they were still totally delicious. They would have complimented any southern meal perfectly. The South would be proud of you, Mandy.
A: oh hell no! just because you are complimenting me doesn’t mean that you can call me mandy, tea-cakes.
T: didn’t you ever hear what that Indian guy said that time… An eye for an eye…?
A: nope. missed that one. .

* gracias Maw Maw for the cast iron muffin pan

Recipes in this post:

Spicy Cornbread Muffins

Brioche, the Coolest Thing Since Velcro

Us — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:44:07 +0000

Better than Wonderbread

We’ve been noshing on a new household favorite: fresh-baked brioche! The brioche was uber buttery, light, fluffy, herby, and best of all it had fresh jalapeno slices and shredded sharp cheddar kneaded into it for an extra zip. If you are lucky enough to have a stand mixer, brioche is a must bake.

Almost cakey

A: i have to admit something: when i first got my new kitchen aid pro-edition for my birthday in may, i was intimidated! truly! i knew that the machine would change my baking life forever, but man! was i ever intimidated. thank god i got over that and baked us some damn brioche!
T: yeah, thank god… otherwise I would have taken it back and been like “the bitch doesn’t work”… and by bitch I mean my girlfriend.
A: hehehhehehehehhehe you right, you right. that bitch don’t work! you think the kind fellow at the store would take it back with that for an excuse?
T: Hmmm.. it was an ebay mixer… i don’t know how returns work on ebay. My understanding is that once you buy it you’re stuck with it for life.
A: or until you turn around and sell it to some other fool on ebay! fortunately that will not be happening with this fine machine! my new toy isn’t leaving our kitchen unless we move!
T: or unless we go on a road trip and I force you to bring it along because I don’t want to go without fresh bread for more than 2 days.
A: you know, actually, since i made the first brioche loaf i don’t think we have been more than two days without fresh bread! wooo hooo! fresh bread rocks.
Loafing around
T: speak it sister. It does rock. This brioche that you’ve been making has been particularly nice. It’s all buttery and flakey and cheesey and jalapeno-y. If I’m not mistaken, we’ll be running out pretty soon….. umm… do you have any thoughts on that situation?
A: heheh yeah, my thoughts are you should learn to make some damn brioche fo yo self!
T: perhaps I could stand to be a bit less demanding, but it would be a tall order for me to make brioche. I know that’s not exactly a simple thing to do…
A: uh… actually… it is simple! with the help of the handy dandy standy mixer!
T: sadly the mixer comes in and does the one thing that I could have done already… stir. It’s the other crap that I’m clueless about… like breeding colonies of microorganisms, etc.
A: mmm yeasty microorganisms rock! i heart bread.
T: Microorganisms are our friends. Saying that you “heart” something, on the other hand… Ok, ok, ok. The bread. I give it a 4.65/5. It was light and rich at the same time, I loved the cheese and jalapenos. I’m so glad that you’ve been baking more lately. Can’t wait to see what you make next. What’d you think of this one?
A: i loved it! it was light, fluffy, flakey yet doughy-ish with a hint of sweetness yet the savoriness of the jalapenos and cheese! I give it a 4…… a 4….. a 4.7!/5.
T: wow the suspense was killing me while I was reading those dots. Go on…
A: a-hole. needless to say i loved it. and it really was so simple to make. the dough has to chill for at least 12 hours so it’s not something you can just whip up in one day. it takes a bit more planning than i usually have. normally when i cook, i go into the kitchen and fix some stuff. immediate gratification and all.
T: Yes, immediate gratification is/are my middle name(s). But it certainly is great when past Amanda hooks up future Amanda and we can have these exquisite treats.
A: agreed! hmmm… now i have to find new breads and such to make. Any suggestions?!?

Recipes in this post:

Herby Jalapeno & Cheese Brioche

Ooey Gooey Warm King Cake

Us — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 01:07:54 +0000

Don't eat the baby!

Christmas is over and Twelfth Night has past. That means it must be Mardi Gras season! King Cake is an integral part of every good Mardi Gras celebration and even if we can’t be in Louisiana for the festivities we can certainly eat like it! Our king cake was filled with a layer of cream cheese and a mixed berry jam made from strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Like any traditional king cake, it was iced and then coated in purple, gold and green sugar. My was it delicious.

Our King Cake, naked for the world to seeA: ho, ho, ho! haaaappy mardi gras season! you’re from louisiana, T. what does one say when celebrating mardi gras?
T: Well, you can start by screaming loudly. No words are necessary in this case. If you’re at a parade somewhere in Louisiana or perhaps elsewhere on the gulf coast you might scream “Throw me something, mister!” And, everybody’s favorite, if you’re on Bourbon Street, it is customary to yell, “show us your tits!”
A: hmmm… what if i yell, “show us your king cake!!!” instead? think that’ll work. after attending the Zulu parade i got scared to scream “throw me something, mister” due to the real coconuts they were chucking into the crowd.

Dripping with goodnessT: yeah, flying coconuts are dangerous…. but hey- survival of the fittest. If you can’t dodge large flying objects you’re going to have a tough life. Ahhhh… seriously, though. It’s a great idea to yell “Show us your king cake!” Have you had king cake this year? Email us at whatwereeating.com with a link or a photo and we will include it on the site
A: that’s a great idea! for some reason i feel like king cake is a very regional food, but i’m definitely interested in seeing what’s out there.
T: most people in the food blog world don’t even know what king cake is, which is strange to me having grown up with it. If you don’t know what it is, here’s how I would describe King Cake: it’s a big cinnamon roll, optionally filled with fruit and/or cream cheese, and coated with brightly colored (purple, gold, and green) icing. It’s always made in the shape of a ring. Amanda, would you say that’s about right?
A: yup, except the filled king cakes don’t always have cinnamon. generally all of the unfilled ones are like big cinnamon rolls and the filled ones are like huge ass danishes. this one was particularly danish-like.

Mardi Gras in your mouthT: yes it was. So, King Cakes are served between Christmas and the start of Lent (aka Mardi Gras season). Inside each king cake is a little plastic baby, about the size of a lima bean. If you’re lucky enough to get the baby in your piece, you’re expected to supply the next cake. You may also need expensive dental work, depending on how you discover that you actually have the baby.
A: ha! lucky enough! i definitely think it’s unlucky! a poor girl can’t always afford to buy a cake. out here i get particularly screwed on this end of the bargain because you can’t go to any old grocery store or bakery and pick on up on the way home! thus if we want another one, i get to make it again!
T: is that why this king cake didn’t have a baby? You gave it a hysterectomy so you wouldn’t have to make another one?
A: nope, no hysterectomies here! i just didn’t have a baby! and i only had small dried beans. for some reason it didn’t really seem like a good idea to put a lentil in the cake and hope someone found it before digesting it raw!
T: yeah, that wouldn’t be good. I thought maybe it would be a good idea to put a penny in the king cake, but then I thought, no, not a good idea. Oh well, king cakes without babies are still king cakes.
A: so, what’d you think of this particular king cake?
T: I thought it was great. I really loved the fruit and cream cheese filling, and I thought there was a good ratio of filling to bread (which seems to not always be the case with King Cakes). It was moist, delicious. I give it a 4.7/5. Compared to all the other King Cakes I’ve had, it was very very good. Waaay better than 99% of the grocery store king cakes that I’ve had. I thought it was comparable to some of the better ones that I’ve had from actual bakeries in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and New Orleans.
A: I know some new orleanian is going to roll up on to this site and say something about how it can’t possibly be as good as Mckenzie’s king cakes. they’re renowned for being the best. I thought this one was pretty good too. I give it a 4.25/5. I was a little disappointed that it didn’t turn out as good as the one i made last year, but thems the breaks, kid. it was still damn good.
T: for someone who doesn’t love sweets as much as the average joe, and for someone who didn’t live in Louisiana for too long, you make an excellent King Cake. Now if you can just impregnate the next one it will be perfect.
A: heheh thanks, T! hmmm, i’ll agree to impregnate the next one on one condition: you have to make the one after that if you get the baby!
T: ok but you might regret that!

Quick Links:

Recipes in this post:

Mixed Berry & Cream Cheese King Cake

Rosemary Clover Rolls

Us — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 00:10:36 +0000

Warm, soft, and oh-so-delicious

While there is never a way to really go wrong with fresh baked breads, these rosemary clover rolls were amazing. Crusty and chewy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.

A: soooo… whud do ya say if we start up a little posty post about the bready bread, hommes?
T: that sounds good. i don’t know what else to say but that those were some really tasty rolls.
A: well, that’s a pretty good thing to be stuck on if you ask me. I really wanted to make a new type of bread for thanksgiving dinner, since i always make variations of the same bread, but in the end… here i am. i procrastinated for too long on doing my research and making my decisions. thus the birth of the rosemary clover rolls…. they’re simply my normal crusty white with rosemary in a clover shape. none too complicated
T: they were soft, had a wonderful flavor, and a perfect salt level. they were cooked to perfection.
A: why thank ya, mister t! they were just so crusty and soft that i’m gonna have to agree with you. next time i wanna use half wheat flour, like i used to… get back into baking wheat bread.
T: wheat bread’s a good thing, for sure. It tastes almost as good as white bread- anything that I can do for my health between california burritos and carnitas and the occasional al pastor burrito or torta is a good thing.
A: absolutely. so, what would you rate this here clover roll, t?
T: i give it a 4.5/5. I thought it was extremely tasty. I can’t wait to taste the next batch!
A: it’s so rare that our ratings exactly coinside, but my rating for the rosemary clover rolls is also a 4.5/5. i’m definately going to make/eat these again in the future, but there’s still so much bread to be discovered.
T: yes, there is much to be discovered. I love your adventurous approach to cooking. I am a lucky dude.
A: and it’s all my pleasure! seriously, i’m not nearly as adventurous as i would like to be. there’s just so much i have to learn. there’s a never ending flow of information to inspire me out there. and sooooo many ingredients that i’ve still never cooked with. it’s just exciting, you know.
T: it is damn exciting. rarely do I step back and consider the amount of information coming at us in every possible micro-nitch. woooah.

Recipes in this post:

Rosemary Clover Rolls

Some really tasty Focaccia

Us — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 01:12:44 +0000

Focaccia with bleu cheese and caramelized onions

For dinner we’re eating freshly homemade focaccia topped with creamy danish bleu cheese, caramelized onions deglazed with balsamic vinegar, and cherry tomato halves.

Mmm mmm that’s some good focaccia

T: this was some fine bread… your breads never disappoint. Did the crappy oven cause any issues?
A: just the normal problems that arise from using an oven the size of a microwave…like it cooking too quickly on the bottom and not on the top. I’ve been perfecting using the broiler to finish off the job, when it comes to making bread. I want the top to have at least some color, you know?
T: yeah, totally. You got it right on this batch, for sure. I can’t think of anything that would have improved it… except perhaps a soup of sorts to go along with it. But the bread itself was delish.
A: you know, i was going to make a roasted red pepper soup or a tomato soup to serve with it, but… i just got too damn lazy. oh well! maybe next time. I definitely enjoyed it, but i’m such a bad gf – just serving my hommies bread for dinner!
T: yeah, your skills as a girlfriend are lacking Don’t you know you should have a multi-course dinner ready for me when I walk through the door? And, you should serve it to me naked.
A: hehehe i never took “how to be a good suzy homemaker” in high school or college. geez, to think all this time i was treating you like such shit by making you dinner every night with clothes on!
T: Just seems like common knowledge that any girlfriend should have. Well, now you know
A: and knowing is half the battle… if you didn’t add those silly emoticons you would have certainly been called a P I G by now. fortunately for you…
T: yeah, emoticons are great. you can get away with saying pretty much anything as long as it’s followed by a or a or a . Let’s try it. Umm… go make dinner
A: uh… i don’t know if ” ” really works… a straight face makes me just want to kick your ass, silly.
T: ok, i’ll try again… why can’t you cook like rachael ray
A: heheh OH HELL NO, YOU DIDN’T! okay… this little “play with emoticons” game is out of control. if you want to eat another dish of mine you’re gonna start using winks and smiles in these little comments!
T: Ok.
A: um. i think i’d like to shift the focus back to the bread right about now! i’m getting a little hot headed.
T: your getting hot headed? for real?
A: hehe no, not for real, but any more comments about rachel ray and i will be!
T: Ok, back to the food. Tell me this. What makes focaccia focaccia? Is it the flour or what?
A: no.. the dough used to make focaccia is actually very simple and quite similar to pizza dough. the difference is in technique. for focaccia you press the dough out onto an oiled pan and let it rise in that state for a little bit. you also add more oil on top. Generally, there are indentations poked into the dough during the second rise that absorb the oil. Basically it’s a bread-flour flat bread. i hate to be redundant with “bread” but that’s what it is.
T: So, it’s a bread with extra oil? Is that why it’s flat?
A: no, the oil isn’t in the bread. the oil is on the outside of the bread to make it crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
T: ahh, now it’s beginning to make sense. So, why is it flatter than other breads? Less yeast?
A: it’s not flatter than other bread because of the yeast. it still rises in the same fashion. the only difference is that focaccia dough is spread out over a the full length of a pan, not mounded into a loaf or anything.. thus making it flat.
T: ahh, cool. You certainly are knowledgeable Mandy.
A: actually i’m talking out my ass. i am by no means a bread authority. I just know what i know from making different breads and reading recipes.
T: I think that’s how “bread authorities” learned, too. You’re definitely the acting bread authority in this apartment.
A: well thank ya T! i guess that really just compares me to you, huh? you’ve made bread before though. you could be considered an amateur bread baker.
T: oh, heheh, no. I couldn’t. Although I could be considered an expert on eating your breads!
A: true dat! so since you’re an expert in the field, what do you rate this focaccia?
T: 4.59/5. Awesome texture. Awesome taste. Actually, I’m going to up that to 4.69/5. The only thing that I would possibly request for the next one would be no cherry tomatoes.
A: well, you can’t win them all! i know you’re not a huge tomato fan, but i really enjoyed them. I thought they added a refreshing burst of juicy yumminess to the bread. The caramelized onions deglazed in balsamic were rich in flavor, as was the danish bleu cheese, i thought it cut the flavors nicely. I give the focaccia a 4.5/5. I was quite pleased with the results.
T: if suddenly cherry tomatoes were found to cause e-coli or something, and you were making this bread, what else might you use to freshen up the rich flavors? (don’t say grape tomatoes, in this scenario they’ve been found to cause chicken pox).
A: hehehe roma tomatoes??? Just kidding! i would probably use roasted red peppers.
T: ooooh that sounds yummy.
A: uh.. why the long face?
T: we don’t have focaccia with roasted red peppers.
A: we have roasted red peppers…and we have focaccia. you could always take off the tomatoes and add some peppers.
T: you are a genius.
A: genius.
T: shut up.

Recipes in this post:

Focaccia with Bleu Cheese, Caramelized Onions, and Cherry Tomatoes

A Picnic with a View

Us — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 23:18:56 +0000

Stuffed bread with avacado, sun-dried tomatoes, and pepperoni

For dinner we picnicked at the Cove in La Jolla. We ate a spread consisting of a duo of stuffed breads, a fruit salad, and a summery veggie salad. The first bread was stuffed with mozzarella, rendered pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, sundried tomatoes, and avacado. The second bread was stuffed with habanero jack, salsa turkey, chipotle puree, and crumbled bacon. The summery veggie salad accompaning the meal was made of roasted asparagus and zucchini, grape tomatoes, artichoke hearts, feta, and a very lemony vinegarette.

Summery Veggie SaladT: your breads are one of my favorite things that you make. Definately one of your specialties.
A: well thank you mister T. i just love carbs….screw the whole low carb diet things. i did that for like two weeks and i was a total bitch without my dear sweet lovely carbs.
T: yeah that sucked. I remember you getting so angry at a bag of clothes because it didn’t respond the way you wanted it to when you tried to pick it up. Whew that was rough. If you’re considering going on a low-carb atkins type diet, think first about your loved ones. Consider this choice very carefully, because you will become very mean.
A: heheh definately. even if the thought ever crossed my mind to do it again, as soon as i let my plan out you would probably be force feeding me sugars and breads and pastas.
T: what was funny was that you never really cared for sweet things until you starved yourself of carbs for a few weeks. You haven’t been the same since.
A: i know, now i actually kind of like sweets. i went twenty some odd years without really liking sweets. Thanks Dr. Atkins, you’ve now given me diabetes!
T: oh goodness, I sure hope not. That would suck. True, though that it’s a crazy diet that is not a good idea for anyone to go on ever.
A: hehehe i know a lot of people would disagree. I just believe that we should be eating good wholesome, not overly processed foods and grains. I definately try to cook with grains and such. Although if this (and the past couple posts) are the first time you’re seeing this site, you might not believe it – considering this was made with bread flour and we ate pasta for the two previous posts.
T: true. I also believe that we should eat wholesome foods which is why I had a california burrito earlier this week. For those of you who don’t know, that’s carne asada, sour cream, cheese, and french fries, wrapped in a flour tortilla. Definately wholesome.
A: wholesomely heart clogging.
T: heart-cloggingly delicious. Unlike the bread that you made which was delicious but not too heart-clogging. I think I actually liked the one not pictured here best. What all was in that one?
A: that one consisted of salsa turkey, chipotle in adobo puree, habanero jack, and a few bits of crumbled bacon. it was supposed to have the avacado that went in to the other bread and some tomatoes, but i rolled it up and forgot about the healthy part of the bread! ooops.
T: i think you got the key ingredients in there though. I really like the adobo puree being in there. It made it nice and spicy.
A: that habanero jack is definately not too shabby in the heat department either. it’s one of the hotter cheeses i’ve found.

Our picnic spot, La Jolla Cove, CaliforniaT: These breads were awesome. We haven’t talked at all about the salad. It was tasty too. Any comments?
A: i must have loved it, i ate the rest of it for lunch the next day…and there was quite a bit left over. it was just good fresh veggies (plus roasted asparagus), a very lemony vinegarette, and feta. how can you go wrong with those ingredients?
T: I can answer that question- just let me attempt to make it.
A: if it wasn’t your Birthday soon!!! you would definately be forced to make dinner and prove yourself wrong on all these comments about screwing things up. I have no doubt that if you actually tried, you would be making some great stuff.
T: lol. What I can make are chinese dumplings. I’ll stick to that for now. Until you guide me through a meal some time, like we’ve talked about.
A: very soon T, very soon. So do you wanna give this here bread a rating?
T: I give it a 4.7/5. Usually when I rate something I compare it to all of the similar food items that I’ve had in recent history, but I’ve never had any other stuffed bread to compare this to. One thing that I like so much about your stuffed bread is the ratio of bread to ingredients. It’s bread. It’s not a meat/cheese pocket. It’s not closed up sandwich. It’s bread with some goodies in it. A good amount of goodies. A good amount of really good goodies.
A: sweet!!! I give the meal a 4.55/5. It was definately tasty. I used to make bread pretty damn frequently but then… i guess since we moved to california really…i just stopped making them. I’ve gotten rusty at the technique i used to have perfected. I nearly ruined the photoed bread with my shady technique this time. fortunately, bread is pretty forgiving, and very tasty and it all worked out in the end.
T: yeah, making bread is like raising children (not that I’ve ever raised children). You can screw it up almost completely and then it still turns into a person in the end.
A: hehehheh uh… um….. i’m nearly speechless. uh… no. not really like a child, t.
T: You don’t see the parallel?
A: uh… i’m trying not to look for the parallels. you should run this idea past laurie, she believes both bread and children should be consumed.
T: Yeah, she does. Although I don’t go nearly that far. It’s just that they’re both forgiving. And they’re both crusty.
A: mmmm… crusty children.
T: have you been talking to Laurie lately?

Kwaherini mabibi na mabwana.

Recipes in this post:

Summery Veggie Salad