Spicy hot hot hot!

This recipe and its creator Chrissy Teigen, Sports Illustrated model and inspiration behind John Legend's romantic song, "All of Me," are as evidenced by the photo and title: Spicy hot Hot HOT!  Not just John Legend's personal eye candy, Chrissy is sassy, quick-witted, and LOVES food.  Uh, hello, clearly she's also my spirit sister. Check out Chrissy's blog, for delicious eats, unfiltered hilarity, and an inside look at the fabulous life as a model and wifey to John Legend.

Not only is this recipe crazy spicy but crazy delicious and easy to make.  The smoky flavors of spicy chipotle, sweet brown sugar, tangy lime and garlic always impresses a crowd, and you'll be floored at how easy it is to make. 

Dinner for one, quick and easy enough after a long day at work.

Or even feed a crowd!

 Literally throw all of your ingredients in a food processor or blender, and a few pulses later you've got an amazing full flavored marinade.  The vodka in this recipe helps to keep this marinade at a slushy like consistency, so it keeps in the freezer ready to use at a moments notice.  Make sure to make a big batch to have on hand at all times.  It's simple enough for a quick Monday night dinner after a long day at work, and perfect to just throw in the oven while entertaining your friends for a big family style dinner.  Don't forget that everything in this recipe is to taste, so feel free to add a lil' bit of this and a lil' bit of that until it suits your palate.  Too spicy?  Add more brown sugar and ketchup.  Love garlic or cilantro?  Go for it!  You'll easily find the chipotle chiles in a can in the "Ethnic Aisle/Corner" (cue eye roll) at your local market.

Chipotle Chicken & Mashed Potato Bar: Green Onions, Roasted Garlic Cloves,
Mexican Chorizo, Sour Cream, Cheddar Cheese

I love serving this alongside Chorizo Mashed Potatoes and a spring mix salad.  Chorizo Mashed Potatoes?!  You read correctly, friends.  Swap your tired bacon bits for chorizo, and you'll never look back!  If you've never had Chorizo before, it's a mexican ground sausage with deep complex flavors of ancho chili pepper, cumin, and coriander.  It's often paired with eggs and breakfast burritos, and from now on, you'll be pairing it with these creamy mashed potatoes.  Trust me.  To cook the chorizo, simply remove the casing and pan fry for 6-8 minutes until browned.  If I'm hosting dinner for a crowd, I love to serve a Mashed Potato Bar.  Simply boil and mash the potatoes with a generous slab of butter and few splashes of milk for creaminess.  Serve in a large bowl with separate smaller bowls for the accompaniments of sour cream, green onions, cheddar cheese, roasted garlic, and chorizo (See pic above).  Your guests can cater to their own tastes by mixing in their favorite toppings.  But if you ask me... load it on up with everything.  The roasted garlic lends a mellow sweetness, chorizo gives a yummy smokiness, the sour cream will cool down all the heat from the chicken, and the bright green onion flavor rounds out all the flavors.  Easily one of my favorite recipes and a crowd favorite with my friends, try this recipe for yourselves and let me know what you think!

Chipotle Chicken 
8 chipotle chiles in adobo

3/4 cup of vodka
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup adobo sauce, from chipotle can
4 clove garlic, chopped
3 1/2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil

8 Pieces of Chicken Thigh or Drumstick (preferably skin on)

Put all of your ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree.  The texture should be slightly thick almost fluffy.  You'll want it be thick enough to cling to the drumsticks and thighs.  Simply pull your frozen marinade straight out of the freezer, generously coat all sides of the chicken with the marinade, leaving 5-6 tablespoons of marinade at the bottom for dipping into later.  No need to pre-marinade the chicken, just put it straight in the oven.  You should have a cup or two of extra marinade left over, just put it in a ziploc and save it for next time.  Bake at 400 for 45 minutes, flipping the chicken once you've gotten a deep brown on one side and coat with marinade once more.  Bake until dark and carmelized on all sides, and the juices run clear when you slice into the deepest part of the leg/thigh.  Use your extra marinade on shrimp or pork chops. Saute your shrimp or pork chops with a few heaping tablespoons and serve over a mixed green salad for a quick 5 minute dinner.

xoxo, 
   Sweets & Sass

The Best I Ever Had.... Portland Part I

So let's all just play nice and pretend that I haven't completely abandoned you.  This bi-annual blogging habit is not cutting it, and there are no excuses.  But what I can tell you is that I plan on making up for it in spades, beginning with a post about my favorite food destination to date with some of the"Best I Ever Had..."  I know, I know.  You're thinking, "This girl is totally exaggerating. She throws around the words 'Best I Ever Had' so easily." But I swear on a Magnolia Cupcake, you'll want to take my word for it when it comes to...

PORTLAND

Out of all my travels to the most food-centric cities in the US, including Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, and New York; dare I say it... Portland trumps all!  Portland is just as weird as they say and they are dang proud of it.  But I can also say about Portland natives is that I have never met people or chefs more dedicated and passionate about local, seasonal, and sustainable food than in this incredible city.  

Blue Star Donuts

1237 Southwest Washington Street, Portland, OR 97205

www.bluestardonuts.com

Blue Star features the "Best DONUT I Ever Had".  It pains me to even type it, but Blue Star is a few steps ahead of my hometown favorite, Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee!  Doughnut fiends might ask  how it compares to New York's Doughnut Plant.  Sorry folks, Doughnut Plant's got nothing on 'em.  And don't even bother  with Voodoo Donuts.  Ain't nobody got time for that.  Blue Star is the perfect example of an incredible dedication to utilizing quality ingredients in order to create quality food, and you can taste the difference.  Every morning, Blue Star makes their dough from scratch with local and sustainable ingredients.  Flour is direct from Shepard's grain, cage free eggs from Stiebrs Farm, with fillings and glazes made from organic fruits.  Stop in anytime during the day, these puffs of heaven are made fresh throughout the day. Go ahead and order a dozen, and I would recommend that you don't share.  Yeah, I'm greedy like that.

At least 12 different flavors of "The Best You Ever Had" is served every day and made fresh ALL day. Featured flavors include Blood Orange Ginger, Chocolate Mouse, Dulce De Leche Hazelnut, Passion Fruit Cocoa Nib, Blueberry Bourbon & Basil.

Blood Orange Ginger, my personal favorite tastes like pure sunshine.  The bright citrusy flavor of blood orange is accented by the sweet tanginess of candied ginger.

2 girls, 3 doughnuts.  I just couldn't walk away from the Maple Bacon.  They leave me powerless every, single, time!


Wildwood

Every bite of Executive Chef Shreiber's food was thoughtfully crafted, expertly seasoned, and served with heart.  Sadly, just days after our unforgettable culinary experience, Wildwood shuttered after 20 years of service. 

Pork Cheek, Crispy Carrots, and Roasted Beet Risotto 
Never mind the ugliness of presentation, this dish blew us away.  Not only was the pork cheek moist, flavorful, and fork tender, but Lana and I both agreed that the risotto was the "Best RISOTTO I Ever Had."   Slightly toothy in texture yet soft and creamy and delicate.  Salty and savory from the parmesan paired incredibly well with the understated sweetness of the beet.  Hearing that sad scraping of fork against clean plate, we begged the server for a second order of risotto only, and scraped the second plate clean too.

Tandoori Roasted Pork Chop, Foie, Navy Bean  
If you're not familiar with the term Tandoor, it refers to a clay or metal oven that's heat is generated by a charcoal or wood fire, burning within the tandoor itself.  This exposes the food to live-fire and smoking by the fat and juices that drip onto the charcoal.  Think of the delicious smoky char that kisses your tandoori chicken or naan.  Yeahh, the good stuff, you know what I'm talking about.  And can we address the incredible skill involved in cooking this 10 ounce bone-in pork chop to succulent smoky perfection??  Oh, I would lay a big smooch on the Chef for this one!  Lana and I couldn't even help ourselves, we threw all manners to the wind, rolled up our sleeves, and gnawed the last bits of tasty meat right off the bone.  Feel free to do the same.  

Eat: An Oyster Bar

3808 North Williams Avenue #122, Portland, OR 97227

http://www.eatoysterbar.com/

Exploring the neighboring storefronts during our 30 minute wait to be seated at the famed Tasty n Sons, Lana and I were drawn into Eat by the wafting sounds of jazz and further sold on the farm direct oysters.  All served ice cold with a housemade peppered vinegar and wedges of lemon, these Pacific Northwest oysters were crisp and briny.  Come for brunch, enjoy the live music, and DO NOT miss out on the Bloody Mary Bar.  Customize your glass with their blend of peppery spiced, fiery hot Bloody Mary mix and go to town on their amazing housemade pickled green tomatoes, okra, green beans, asparagus, and cherry peppers.  Go. To. TOWN!

Tasty n Sons

3808 North Williams Avenue #122, Portland, OR 97227

www.tastynsons.com

A Portland staple for brunch, Tasty n Sons is famous for its family style comfort food like their take on Steak and Eggs or New American updates on international classics like Korean bimbimbop updated with housemade kimchi, Korean fried chicken and eggs.

Breakfast Board: Sweet Chicken Liver Pate, House Smoked Bacon, Housemade Beef Jerky
 Easily one of the purest, creamiest, sweetest pates I've had.  The pate was the clear winner on this board.  Lana and I had a hard time pretending to be polite when it came to deciding who got the last bite.  
"No, you can have it." 
"No, it's ok, you can have it." 
"OK!! I'LL HAVE IT." 
"oh, uhhh ok...I guess you can have it."

Steak and Eggs
Aka Steak and Eggs^3 power.  This dish is amped up with thick cuts of sirloin, soft cheesy scrambled eggs, and a sweet cornbread topped with savory jalapeno butter served piping hot in a cask iron skillet creating a deep golden crust and soft moist center.

Stay tuned for Part II for more Portland food adventures.  In the meantime, leave a comment and tell me about your favorite food-centric city!

xoxo,

Sweets & Sass