Carne Asada Tacos with Roasted Butternut Squash

Published on January 13, 2015January 12, 2015 by T.W.O.2 Comments

Taco Tuesday! Today we are featuring carne asada tacos with roasted butternut squash. It’s a simple, flavorful and hearty meal that will have your audience asking for seconds. Don’t be nervous about using squash in your dish – it makes the tacos sweeter! Happy cooking!

Carne Asada Tacos with Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredients:
– 3 lbs carne asada
– 1 meyer lemon
– 2 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
– 2 Tablespoon onion powder
– 1/2 chopped cilantro
– 2 avocados
– Salsa
– corn tortillas
– 1 butternut squash, cubed
– 1 Tablespoon olive oil
– Krazy Salt
– Sea Salt
– Pepper
– Cilantro (for garnish)

Directions:
1. Marinate carne asada with lemon, cayenne pepper, onion powder and cilantro. Set aside.
2. On a lined baking sheet (parchment paper), toss cubed butternut squash with olive oil, Krazy Salt and Pepper. Once the oven is at 415 degrees, place sheet in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. At the halfway point, flip the squash.
3. When the squash is about 15 minutes away from being done, put the carne asada on the bbq. Cook until done, but be careful not to overcook. Carne asada cooks fast.
4. Once done, remove and assemble your tacos. Add some tapatio and some salsa and you have your self a delicious dish!

Cheers,

Risotto with Meyer Lemons

Published on January 8, 2015December 23, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

With the holidays being over, cooking sounds like the last thing to do. Well not for T.W.O.! We are excited to share recipes with you and this year we are kicking off the Recipe of the Day with Meyer Lemon Risotto. A co-worker gifted this fabulous Buvette cookbook during a Christmas exchange. It is one of her favorite restaurants in New York (also in Paris) and we can’t wait to go to Buvette after making this fabulous dish. T.W.O. added mushrooms to our dish to step it up. Flavor not needed though if you don’t like mushrooms. Enjoy!

Meyer Lemon Risotto

(as seen in the Buvette cookbook)

Ingredients:
– 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
– 1 shallot, chopped
– 1 cup risotto rice (or Arborio)
– 1/4 cup dry white wine
– 3-4 cups boiling water
– 2 Meyer lemons
– 1 sprig fresh basil
– 1 small box of crimnini mushrooms, sliced
– 1 cup finely grated pecorino romano
– Salt

Directions:
1. Warm 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high-heat. Add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it turns opaque and starts to make a popping noise. (1-2 minutes)
3. Add the white wine and pinch of salt. Cook until the wine has nearly evaporated. (about 2 minutes)
4. Add a cup of boiling water and cook, stirring continuously, until the water has nearly evaporated. Add more water when the surface of the rice is coated with small bubbles. Repeat with the second cup of water and add the lemon zest and mushrooms.
5. Add a third cup of water and the basil sprig and cook until the liquid is almost gone. Test the rice and make sure it is cooked. If not, add some more water. This process should take about 20 minutes.
6. Once the rice is cooked, remove from heat and add the cheese. Season the risotto with salt and pepper and serve!

Merry Christmas!

Published on December 25, 2014December 23, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Cheers,

Spinach Artichoke Dip with Greek Yogurt

Published on December 18, 2014December 18, 2014 by T.W.O.6 Comments

Everyone loves a good artichoke dip! Whether it be at a dinner party, football tailgate, holiday party or Superbowl – it is usually a top crowd pleaser. As the holidays are coming our way, the calories increase and so does appetites! So we decided to put a little spin to the traditional Spinach Artichoke dip and make it with Greek yogurt! This is a much healthier option, but don’t be alarmed – the flavor has not been lost! Try it at your next get together!

Spinach Artichoke Dip with Greek Yogurt

Ingredients:
– 8 cups fresh spinach
– 2 clove garlic, minced
– 2 (14-ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
– 1 ½ – 2 cups mozzarella, shredded
– 1 cup Chobani Greek yogurt
– 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
– Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375⁰ F. Spray 1 1/2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside.
2. Blanch spinach. Squeeze excess water.
3. In a bowl, mix together spinach and garlic. Add artichoke hearts, 1-cup mozzarella, Greek yogurt, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Mix well.
4. Place mixture into prepared casserole dish, layering in the cheese. Make sure to keep some for the top – it’s the best part! Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Serve hot or cold along with your choice of dipper.

Cheers,

Cranberry Orange Bread

Published on December 16, 2014December 15, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

This past weekend was filled with baking and holiday cheer! One of the items we baked was Cranberry Orange bread. It is an easy recipe that will have your guests in awe and wanting more. The orange zest and juice gives this bread a moist texture as well as a refreshing flavor. Its the perfect holiday gift or treat this season!

Cranberry Orange Bread

Ingredients
-2 cups flour
-1 cup sugar
-1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
– 1 teaspoon salt
– ½ teaspoon baking soda
– ¾ cup orange juice
– 1 Tablespoon grated orange peel
– 2 Tablespoons shortening
– 1 egg,
– 1 ½ cups fresh Cranberries, coarsely chopped

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Mix together orange juice, orange peel, shortening and egg using a KitchenAid mixer or handmixer. Mix well. Stir flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread evenly in loaf pan. (T.W.O. used a food processor to chop the cranberries.)
3. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely.

Orange Rosemary Fish en papillote

Published on December 11, 2014December 10, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Orange Rosemary Fish en papillote

Ingredients:
-⅓ cup orange preserves
– 1 cup white wine
– ⅓ cup water
– 4-5 sprigs of fresh rosemary
– 1 orange, peeled & sliced into wedges
– 3 large fish fillets*, cut in half
– Salt & Pepper
– Rotisserie twine
– Parchment paper
*T.W.O. used rockfish

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350⁰F.
2. Season fish with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Combine orange preserves, wine, water, 2-3 springs of rosemary and ½ of the orange slices in a sauté or sauce pan over medium heat and stir.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half. Meanwhile, cut 3 large squares of parchment paper.
5. Place the fish (2 halves/paper) onto the parchment paper. Add a spring of rosemary and 1-2 slices of oranges. Baste the fish with the orange glaze. Wrap the fish up in the parchment paper and secure with rotisserie twine. Repeat process for the 2 other filets.
6. Place the fish into the oven. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Plate and serve while hot!

Guinness Pot Roast

Published on December 9, 2014December 6, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Pot Roast…doesn’t sound that exciting, but it can be when you add Guinness to the ingredients and slow cook it for a couple hours! T.W.O. made this dish for the UCLA vs USC game a couple weeks back. Go Bruins! Check out how to make this easy and one-pot recipe.

Guinness Pot Roast

Ingredients:
– 1 medium size boneless pot roast
– 3 14.9 oz cans Guinness (the extra one in the pack is for you!)
– 1 16 oz can pepperoncini
– 4 cups water
– 2 packages Lipton Onion Soup Mix
– Montreal Steak Seasoning

Directions:
1. Season the pot roast with Montreal Steak Seasoning on both sides.
2. In a large pot, sear each side of the roast for 6-8 minutes on medium-high heat.
3. Once the roast is seared, add the onion soup mix, 3 cans Guinness, water and peperoncinis.
4. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cook for 3 hours and watch the liquid level. If it starts to get low, add more water or Guinness.
5. After a couple of hours of cooking, turn heat off and serve with your favorite dish. Mashed potatoes would be highly suggested!

Cheers,

Tuscan Kale Soup

Published on December 4, 2014November 30, 2014 by T.W.O.2 Comments

Tuscan Kale Soup

Ingredients:
– 1 Tablespoon olive oil
– 1 medium sweet yellow onion, diced
– 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
– 1 (32 oz) box low-sodium chicken broth or homemade broth*
– 4-5 cups kale, chopped and packed
– 2 (14.5 oz) cans fire roasted canned tomatoes
– 1 (14.5 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
– 1 – 1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced

Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 4 minutes.
2. Add broth, kale, tomatoes and carrots and cover. Cook about 10 minutes.
3. Add beans and cook on low for 30 minutes.
4. Serve hot.

* Homemade broth – we hard boiled a chicken carcass for 45 minutes with bay leaves, celery, sweet onions, garlic cloves, salt pepper and 8 cups of water. Reduce heat to low and cook for up to 3 hours.

Thanksgiving Recap

Published on December 2, 2014December 2, 2014 by T.W.O.3 Comments

Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays since it’s always filled with family, friends, great food and adventures. This year we also had amazing weather, so we got to go to the beach and take advantage of the outdoors. Here are some photos that capture our fun 5 days at home with our family. (Video trailer included at the bottom)

VIDEO HERE

Name that Apple

Published on November 25, 2014November 24, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

With Thanksgiving this week everyone is scrambling to get their grocery shopping done and the house ready for the guests. Forget anything….I am sure you did. What about name cards? If you did, don’t stress. T.W.O. has the perfect and affordable name cards you can use on your Thanksgiving table. You can even pick up some of the supplies while at the grocery store. Check out how we made these fabulous gold apple name cards.