Poblano Dogs

How was everyone's weekend?  I hate the fact that it's Monday, but I guess we've got to get through Monday to get through the rest of the days of the week to get to the weekend! 

Blood Orange Vodka Martini won Friday's poll, so check back later on this week for a recipe!  It was mighty tasty!

I'm super excited because tomorrow we get to check out our venue and potentially book it!  I've decided to go with an "Asian" theme for the decor.  My sister is the super creative one, so I'm leaving most of the design up to her!  I trust her, so I'm sure she'll bang out something great.  And plus... less stress on my part, right?

Anyway, we had a super lazy weekend.  Saturday actually marked one year from when we got engaged!  I'm just amazed how fast time flies and I know I'm just extremely antsy to be a Mrs!  One step at a time though.

But let's get to the food, why don't we?!  These dogs are different from your average ketchup and mustard dog.  These have a little Latin flare to them, and I'm definitely lovin' it!  And hey, keep these in mind for your upcoming Superbowl parties, too!

Ingredients:

Couldn't help it, I just needed a bite.

Adapted from Bon Appetit's recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 poblano chile, seeded and cut into small strips
1 onion, sliced thinly
4 angus hot dogs
1/2 cup salsa verde
small handful cilantro, chopped
4 hot dogs buns 
shredded Pepperjack cheese
crumbled Cotija cheese

Heat olive oil in a large skillet under medium high heat.  Add poblano peppers and onions.  Cook until the peppers start to soften, about 10 minutes or so.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In same skillet, add hot dogs and 1 cup of water.  Cover pan and cook dogs for about 5 minutes, or until heated through.

Turn oven broiler to high and move rack to middle position. (If you've got an in-oven broiler, that is.  If you've got the average below the oven broiler, this is not necessary).

In a small bowl, mix cilantro and salsa verde until combined. 

Place hot dogs in buns and sprinkle pepperjack cheese on top.  Place each hot dog on a baking sheet and broil until the cheese is melted and slightly golden, about 2-3 minutes.

Top hot dogs with pepper and onion mixture, cotija cheese, and salsa verde.

These were quick and easy, just my kind of lazy meal.  And different enough to make you think that a hot dog can be somewhat classy.  If you've got kids, this is a good way to introduce them to new and interesting flavors, and if you've got no kids, not to worry... we don't and we loved them!  Definitely thinking about coming up with a mini version to serve at our Superbowl party (where we'll be cheering for neither team, of course).  Have a great Monday guys!

Mediterranean Sandwich

To be honest, this was supposed to be a hot dog. But after trying to brown the damn things, they fell apart. So I had to think on the fly and work with what I had. So I just broke apart the meat and just had it just ground up and it turned out to be just fantastic!

It's only 1 week into being engaged and I'm already stressed out with the planning. Go figure. I'm just one of those people that has to be organized, neat, and thought out. So I thought I'd do a max spending budget on things for the wedding this week and guess what? I'm already over my $10,000 budget. Looks like it's been bumped up to $15,000 and now spring of 2013 is the unofficial date. But... I do know that Glassworks here in Louisville will be the site of my choice. They're pretty popular so I figure I'll have to book that soon because last time someone mentioned about booking something there, they had like a 2 year wait. But anyway, check out the site... the actual ceremony will be on the roof (trust me, me and mother nature will have a talk to make sure it'll be a nice sunny day) and the reception on the 1st floor.

Anywho, on to the food...

Ingredients:

2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 lb. andouille sausage
1/2 lb. hot italian sausage
7 oz. jar of roasted red peppers, drained and diced
4 oz. goat cheese crumbles
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 small zucchini, cut into thin slices lengthwise
1 tablespoon basil paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
small baguettes/buns
sriracha sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 F.

If your sausage is in casing, cut them out of the casing and dump contents into food processor. I bought mine just ground up so I didn't have to fool with any casing. Then add red peppers and goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Pulse a few times until everything is well combined.

In a large skillet, brown the sausage mixture under medium high heat for about 8-10 minutes, but not cooked all the way. Then bake in oven for 10 minutes.

While the sausage is in the oven, in a separate skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Add zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, basil paste, and remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. This is like a quick bruschetta that sets the sandwich off, in my opinion. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut your baguettes in half and brush cut side with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toast in oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and start building your sandwich. Bottom baguette, sausage mixture, zucchini, tomato mixture, and top with top of baguette. Return to oven for about 5 minutes to crisp bread more.

Serve hot and with sriracha sauce!

This was absolutely delicious. The sriracha sauce adds a kick along with the spiciness of the sausage. Everything about this was just great! Enjoy!