sweet potatoes and jalapenos???

I was looking through my kitchen for something to make the other day, and I realized I had some sweet potatoes and some jalapenos that needed to be used before too long or they would end up in the trash. So, I got online and browsed recipes containing both ingredients. Much to my surprise, there were several, but most of them were soups. As hot as it has been lately, I decided to try to veer away from a soup. Two recipes stood out.

The first was mashed jalapeno-cilantro sweet potatoes. They turned out pretty good, but i think next time I might leave out the orange juice or use milk instead. I also didn't use any walnuts, because my husband may have refused to try them if I had. Here's the recipe (from allrecipes.com):

2 sweet potatoes
1 whole jalapeno
1/4 c softened butter
1/4 c orange juice
1 T chopped fresh cilantro
sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
2 T melted butter
1/4 c walnut pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sweet potatoes in the preheated oven until tender, 45 min to an hour (I forked them and stuck them in the microwave for about 3 min before I put them in the oven, and they were tender in about 20-25 min). Once tender, peel and place into a mixing bowl. While potatoes are baking, place the jalapeno in the oven, and bake until the skin loosens, about 20 min. Peel, mince, and place into the bowl with the potatoes (I didn't find any reason to peel the jalapeno, and I think what I did would be considered dicing instead of mincing). Add softened butter, o.j., and cilantro (I used dried cilantro because I didn't have any fresh); mix with an electric mixer (I used the trusty whisk because I don't have a mixer either) until smooth and creamy. Season to taste, then transfer to a 1 qt baking dish. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with walnut pieces. Bake until hot in the center, about 20 min (they were already cooked, and I was hungry, so I think I left them about 12 min).

I served them with chicken breast tenderloins that I cooked in a skillet with a bit of olive oil and seasoned with Tony Chachere's original seasoning.

The second was a braised chicken with black beans and sweet potato (found via google search on www.cookthink.com). Once again, I didn't have all the right ingredients, so I modified it to fit my kitchen's contents. I served it by itself (with a fruit salad for dessert, I think), but it recommends serving it with a side of brown rice. Here's the recipe as it was written:

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 T olive oil
1 T ground cumin
1 T ground coriander
1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and draines
1 t lime zest
2 T fresh lime juice
1/2 c fresh cilantro

Prep all ingredients and season both sides of the chicken with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over med-high heat. When hot (I test it by flicking a little water in the pan to see if it sizzles), add the chicken thighs (I used chicken breast tenderloins) to the pan. Leave them alone to brown deeply (I prefer browned less than deeply), about 4 min. Turn and brown them on the other side for a couple min, then remove to a plate. Reduce heat to med and add onions (I used about 2/3 of an onion, and I'm almost positive it was white instead of yellow) , jalapeno, cumin (I never measure spices unless I'm baking, so I have no idea if I put 1 tablespoon or not), and coriander (if your coriander is not ground, I recommend a coffee grinder over the back of a spoon for grinding it - I tried both). You may need to add a little oil. Saute until the onions are soft, about 5 min. Put the chicken back in the pan ans scatter the sweet potatoes (again, I forked and microwaved them for a couple minutes to make them easier to peel and cube) and black beans around the chicken. Pour the broth in the pan, then cover and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chicken reaches an internal temp of 160 deg (I don't use a thermometer either, but make sure the chicken juices run clear and the potatoes are soft), 15-20 min. Just before you serve the chicken, stir the zest (optional in my opinion), juice, and cilantro (again, no fresh cilantro at my place) into the pan.

I think the only thing I might do differently is add a bit more chicken broth. It was just a slight bit dry to me. But it had such a natural, earthy taste, and it is definitely one of my new favorites.

why did I create this blog?

over the past few months, my husband has been bugging me to share the pictures i take with my camera. my camera, as many people know, lives in my purse. i by no means claim to be a photographer, and i actually know very little about photography, but i enjoy taking pictures and love to capture life's little moments. i always carry my camera with me just in case i see something i like. sometimes we will be standing in a parking lot about to enter a store, and i will get out my camera to catch a shot of something as simple as a large butterfly on the bushes or an interesting cloud formation in the sky.

recently, a couple of people have asked me to share the recipes i try at home. again, i in no way see myself as a great cook. in fact, when i married a little less than 2 years ago, i really only made 4 or 5 things (aside from the simple things like spaghetti, mac and cheese, salads, and sandwiches), and they were ALL chicken dishes. one day, shortly after our wedding, my husband asked me if i ever cooked anything that didn't have chicken in it, and i couldn't name one thing i made that wasn't chicken or meatless. through that, i have branched out to try pork, ground turkey, beef, fish, and even buffalo! i have very much enjoyed this journey, and i get excited when i try something new that my husband and i both like. although i have tried cooking without a recipe, that still scares me, and most of the meals i make come from a cookbook or an online recipe site.

with these things in mind, i have decided to create this blog to share the moments i capture with my camera, making sure to include pictures of successful new recipes. hope you enjoy it!