I’ve always been a fan of a great at-home bar. I strongly believe it’s a must-learn life skill to mix up classic cocktails, and as an avid host, it’s important to provide an array...
Looking back on Easter as a child, I remember how excited I was to dig through my Easter basket. Full of chocolate bunnies, malt ball Easter eggs, Peeps, golden coins, and my favorite Cadbury...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
So about this Manzarita, apple margarita business (“manzana” is apple in Spanish…see what we did there?!). Yes, it’s as good as it sounds. And yes, it will be your new cold weather cocktail. And yes, it’s the ideal, SUPER EASY, adult beverage for your upcoming Halloween party this weekend…forget the food coloring and dry ice this year.
If you’re still not convinced let me just paint the picture for this cocktail: a fine (oh so fine) pairing of smooth, belly-warming tequila (I love Casamigos) and crisp apple juice, a hint of agave to sweeten, a squeeze of lime juice for bite, and a sprinkle of cinnamon for warmth. Amazing, right?!
I first discovered a rendition of the Manzarita on Food & Wine, and since then it’s been all I can think about. The Manzarita is incredibly simple to make as you’ll see from the recipe below, and this play on an apple margarita is my new favorite excuse to dust off the tequila bottle that’s usually left sad and lonley during this time of year. So tell me friends, will you be pouring yourself a Manzarita this weekend? Truly, MKR
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When it comes to nachos, lets just say I take my nachos very seriously (you may remember my queso drenched vegetarian nachos, an ultimate lesson in layering and loading). They’re simply the easiest food to dress up, get creative with and full-out nosh on. So in the spirit of mixing it up, today I give you my latest nacho creation: warm and cozy fall nachos (because you know I love all things fall).
Spicy sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, cremini mushrooms and Great Northern beans come together on top of hearty, whole-grain chips for a simple, yet incredibly satisfying crunch in every bite. A perfect blend of savory, salty and a hint of sweetness make these sweet potato nachos a true crowd-pleaser—and needless to say—an elevated take on your run-of-the-mill chips and cheese. Plus you can prep the majority of the ingredients up to two days before, so when you go to actually build the nachos and bake them, it should only take about 20 minutes.
I have a few tricks up my sleeve, however, when it comes to these fall sweet potato nachos. See, the secret is in blending your sweet potatoes in a blender for a mashed potato consistency. I also douse the sweet potatoes with cayenne to give them a subtle heat, blending and seasoning with cayenne, salt and pepper as I go. Once blended, I use a spatula and spread the spicy mashed sweet potatoes onto every few chips (I like to use the really intense, thick 12-seed kind of chips to hold the weight of the toppings), along with a layer of Great Northern white beans, cremini mushrooms (always wiped clean with a dish rag, never rinsed with water), caramelized onions and a MIX of shredded Monterrey Jack and cheddar cheese. Lastly, while the cheese is melting, I flash fry sage (it takes about 30 seconds!) for a delightful addition with the fresh arugula to top it all off.
While I’m pretty set on this winning combo for fall, I do love that the beauty of nachos is the opportunity to switch it up and choose whatever toppings you desire. So try these fall sweet potato nachos as is but, then go ahead and have a little fun with your own renditions too. Enjoy! Truly, MKR
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Fall Nachos with Sweet Potatoes, Great Northern Beans, Cremini Mushrooms & Caramelized Onions with Fried Sage & Fresh Arugula
1 cup cremini mushrooms, roughly cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 block white cheddar cheese, shredded
1 block Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Hearty chips (look for thick, heavy and whole grain)
cayenne, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh arugula, to garnish
fresh sage, to fry and garnish
For the caramelized onions
6 giant onions, chopped into 1/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons water
salt, to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large pot, boil sweet potatoes until tender.
Blend sweet potatoes in a blender to create a mashed potato consistency.
Place chips onto baking sheet, spreading with sweet potatoes, a layer of beans, caramelized onions* and mushrooms.
Cook nachos without cheese for 10 minutes.
Take nachos out, sprinkle shredded cheeses on top, and cook for another 10 minutes, or until melted.
While the cheese is melting, fry the fresh sage in about an inch of oil in a small saute pan. Be sure to wait until the oil is hot before flash-frying the sage. It will take only about 30 seconds to fry.
Top nachos with fried sage and fresh arugula, and serve!
For the caramelized onions
Remove skins of onions and slice them into 1/4 inch slices.
Melt the butter in your skillet on medium heat.
Add onions to your pan and stir them, making sure to coat them with butter.
Stir onions and scrape the skillet every 5-10 minutes.
After about an hour of cooking, your onions will be properly caramelized.
Once cooked through, pour the water into the pan, scraping all of the bits. Season the onions with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
To cut down on prep time, you can make your sweet potato mash and caramelized onions the night before. When blending the sweet potatoes, add a tiny bit of water to the bender if it seems too dry. Season and taste as you go, adding more water if need be.
I usually put half to 3/4 of my caramelized onions on my nachos, and save the rest. They keep well up to 2-3 days.
By Mandy Kellogg Rye @ Waiting on Martha
Welcome by Waiting on Martha https://waitingonmartha.com/
It’s safe to say that we just had the summer of the rosé slushie. The refreshing—and quite genius—libation basically proved that everything tasted better in frozen form. And lucky for us, there’s no reason to wait until next summer to enjoy another. This boozy bourbon apple cider slushie makes a case for a frozen sip that’s perfect for fall.
I first saw this recipe by Chef Kelly Fields, and I knew I wanted to put my own spin on this fun way to enjoy one of my favorite seasonal flavors. See, with my love for fall, comes my love for cider. And when it comes to cider, I like it hot, I like it cold and I like it boozy. To my delight, this bourbon apple cider slushie goes down easy while it’s still a tad hot here in the A, all while getting me all too excited for sweater season.
Whenever I make apple cider (hot or cold), I always make it from Williams Sonoma’s five apple cider concentrate for the most intense, and best flavor. I’ve been drinking it for years and I promise it’s so worth the splurge . For the slushie itself it’s pretty simple after that; freeze your apple cider concerntrate with apple juice (50/50) in large ice cube trays for at least 8-10 hours. Once frozen, toss your cider ice cubes into a blender, add your favorite bourbon and blend for that slushie consistency. Pour the slushies into mason jars to serve, and enjoy! That’s it! I mean how easy is that? So tell me, will you be happening on the cider slushie train? Truly, MKR
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