Search Results for: sauce

One of the things we love to do when we travel is to eat all of the local food that we can. It really doesn’t matter to us if it’s a super fancy place or a hole in the wall, we just like to eat whatever the people who live there eat. A few months ago I had the opportunity to travel to Houston, which is a culinary delight. Houston has some FINE food! And the fact that they have many nationalities and ethnicities represented in their population lends to a wonderful variety of restaurants and styles of eating. And of course, their Tex-Mex is like no other! We ate at every Mexican joint we could find, and boy, was it ever incredible. One of the dishes we had that I came home wanting to try was Breakfast Tacos.

I’d heard about breakfast tacos before, but couldn’t really imagine that they would be good. I mean, Mexican food for breakfast just didn’t sound appetizing. But once I tried good, authentic breakfast tacos, I was hooked. Once I returned home, I couldn’t wait to make them for my family. But you know we couldn’t just make plain breakfast tacos, we had to make them ALABAMA STYLE.

The first step is to lay out your tortillas on individual pieces of aluminum foil because you will later wrap them to let them steam. This recipe is enough for 6-8- breakfast tacos.

For Alabama Style Breakfast Tacos, put about three tablespoons of butter in a skillet on medium heat.

Dice a half pound of Conecuh sausage, hot or mild, and throw in a half of a diced onion. Let them cook until the potatoes are tender – about 20-25 minutes.

In a separate bowl, scramble five eggs. Pour over skillet and season with house seasoning. Scramble it all together until eggs are cooked – about three minutes.

Spoon enough egg mixture on tortilla to cover half. Top with grated cheese if desired. Fold tortilla in half.

Wrap breakfast tacos in foil and let sit about two minutes to steam.

Open foil and add fresh pico de gallo or salsa to tacos. I usually make my own, but this time I tried out a new brand we found at Cosco. It was delicious!

You are ready to devour!

Breakfast Tacos are very versatile, and you can use any combo of your favorite breakfast meats, veggies, and cheeses. You can also add sour cream or a favorite sauce like jalapeno dip. I give you permission to make the recipe your own! 🙂

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Can you believe 2015 has come to a close and 2016 is here?!? I hope you and yours are off to a terrific start. The beginning of a new year is a great time to reflect on the victories and challenges of the previous tear. The Hill Hangout has a transition year in 2015, as I took on a full-time job outside of the blog world. As a result, you have seen far fewer posts from me this year. That’s something I’d like to work on in 2016. However, you remained faithful and 2015 was a year full of good food, good travel, and good spiritual growth for us. And you, dear readers, must have been cooking, traveling, and growing right along with us because you viewed some of our posts over and over again. In fact, here’s a little glimpse into the top 2015 recipes from The Hill Hangout…

#10. Creole Seasoning

#9. Cheesy Smoked Sausage Dip

#8. Cornbread Dressing

#7. Perfect Pound Cake

#6. Chicken and Dumplings

#5. Peanut Butter Pie

#4. Fiesta Corn Dip

#3. Greek Seasoning

#2. Loaded Cornbread

#1. Creamy Sriracha Dipping Sauce

Hope your 2016 brings you more and more of the things you love!

There is nothing better in this world than a pan of piping hot roasted oven fries with sea salt. And there is nothing better on those oven fries than a good sauce. Last night we’d had enough of the meat and three meals, so I roasted a pan of sweet potatoes and a pan of sliced red potatoes, both coated in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. I made a batch of Creamy Sriracha Dipping Sauce for the sweet potatoes and a bowl of Lemon Dill Aioli for the red potatoes. My stars, I think it was the best meal we’ve had in ages.

This was the first time I’ve made aioli, and it was super easy and so, so delicious. The lemon and dill work perfectly together, and they set off the taste of the roasted oven fries in a way that might bring a tear to your eye.

All you’ll need is about a cup of mayonnaise, 1/4 cup of lemon juice (I used bottled this time around, but fresh-squeezed would be great, too), 1 tablespoon grainy mustard, 1 tablespoon dried dill, and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. Mix them together, let it sit for a minute so the flavors get to know each other, and serve it up. So easy. So delicious.

Lemon Dill Aioli is also commonly served on grilled fish like salmon, but it would also be terrific on chicken or beef. It’s a good all-purpose sauce.

Hope you guys enjoy it!

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Chicken Piccata has always been one of my husband’s favorite dishes. The tart lemon, salty capers, butter, and white wine are the perfect combination of flavors. We typically serve it over pasta, but you can also serve it with homemade mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes.

One thing to remember about Chicken Piccata is that it cooks quickly. It really helps to have all of your ingredients laid out, and even have it measured out if you can.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
Salt and Pepper
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 3 lemons
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 box pasta
2 tablespoons capers
1 tablespoon dried chopped parsley

Boil water for noodles.

Melt butter and olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet. Mix flour, salt, and pepper together and dredge chicken in flour mixture.

When butter is melted and sizzling, reduce heat to medium and fry chicken for about 5 minutes on each side. (Frying time for chicken will vary depending on thickness. Be sure to cook chicken thoroughly.)
One thing to remember about Chicken Piccata is that it cooks quickly. It really helps to have all of your ingredients laid out, and even have it measured out if you can.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
Salt and Pepper
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 3 lemons
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 box pasta
2 tablespoons capers
1 tablespoon dried chopped parsley

Boil water for noodles.

Melt butter and olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet. Mix flour, salt, and pepper together and dredge chicken in flour mixture.

When butter is melted and sizzling, reduce heat to medium and fry chicken for about 5 minutes on each side. (Frying time for chicken will vary depending on thickness. Be sure to cook chicken thoroughly.)

When chicken is cooked through, remove from pan and put on plate.

Boil noodles.

Deglaze pan with white wine. Add lemon juice and capers.

Return chicken to pan and simmer for about 5 more minutes.

Drain and plate pasta.

Place chicken over pasta and spoon extra sauce over the top. Sprinkle parsley as garnish.

This is one of those dishes that will make your family want to gather around your dinner table and hang out a while. Make it for them often. Talk about life with them. Dream big dreams with them. Enjoy your time with them.

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It only takes one trip to the local specialty grocery store to see that flavored cooking oils can be quite expensive. Not long ago, a recipe I was making called for garlic-infused olive oil. It was about $12 at my corner market, which I consider to be highway robbery. I’m a work-at-home mom who has to be careful about where to save and where to splurge, and this was definitely NOT a splurge item for me. So I made my own. It was super easy, and you can make your own flavored cooking oil with any of your favorite herbs and spices. You can even mix flavors and create wonderfully flavored combinations. You can use flavored cooking oil to sauté fish, veggies, or chicken. Substitute it in any recipe that calls for olive oil. You can also use it with your favorite vinegar for salad dressing, and it is to-die-for as a dipping sauce for bread!

Choosing Your Oil

To make your own flavored cooking oil, the first step is to choose your oil. Most any cooking oil will work, so there is no need to purchase the most expensive oil on the shelf. Besides, you are adding flavor to the oil, so it will be delicious. To get a flavor that is closest to the herb or spice you are using, use a more flavorless oil like peanut, corn, vegetable, or canola oil. My personal preference, though, is to use olive oil. While the olive oil has its own distinct flavor which will infuse with the herbs and spices, I actually prefer this blending of flavors because I want the flavor of the olive oil to shine through.

Choosing Your Herbs and Spices

Hands down, my favorite herbs to use to make your own flavored cooking oil are ones that come from my herb garden. Basil and rosemary are my go-to herbs, but I also love to use green onion. Fresh roasted garlic and whole peppercorns are terrific spices to add, and you can adjust the level of punch to your liking. Don’t be afraid to mix herbs and spices together in oils. For an Italian flavored oil, you can combine basil, oregano, and garlic. Another favorite combo is lemon and garlic. When using fresh herbs, I typically add about 15 leaves of basin, about 5 garlic cloves, around 15 peppercorns, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and/or about 5 long sprigs of rosemary.

Choosing Your Container

Most discount stores like Walmart and Target carry olive oil dispensers. They are found in the kitchen section, and they are pretty inexpensive, usually around $5. You can order the Tablecraft Olive Oil Dispenser from Amazon, and I believe it is the one I used when I made this basil oil:

A couple of things to note:

• Flavored cooking oils will last around ten days in the cabinet or around a month in the fridge. If you refrigerate, give the oil about 20 minutes to come to room temperature before using.
• Using dried herbs can make the oil last longer, but be aware that chopped herbs can clog up the spout.
• Flavored cooking oils make a fun gift for your friends and family. Who doesn’t love a handmade gift, especially one that is as useful and thoughtful as this!