We Tried Trader Joe’s Chicken Mole

Let's start here. Yes, I have made mole, so I get how many ingredients and how much effort goes into it. So it's no surprise that a lot of people just default to the Doña Maria jar. And now, Trader Joe's is serving up a microwavable version for $7.99 that's almost even easier. You don't…

ByMichelleJanuary 13, 20250Comments

Speedy Chicken Posole is a Fall Favorite

It's October. Soup weather has set in. In the last few weeks, I busted out the Instant Pot and have been turning to my Dutch oven for dinner more often. One of my fall favorites is posole. Legit versions of course ask you to braise a pork shoulder and soak some dried chiles. On the…

ByMichelleOctober 1, 20180Comments

Cooking Pizza Recipes

Friday Night Slice: Peter Piper’s Pizza

I've been a little chile obsessed this week, so there's no better way to wrap up than with a red Anaheim, jalapeño and green pepper pizza. Pick a peck of peppers at your grocery or farmers market this weekend and you too, can have the Peter Piper pizza. As usual my keys to a good…

ByMichelleAugust 26, 20161Comment

Breafkast Recipes

Hatch Chile Time: Hatch Chile Masa Waffles with Bacon

It’s Hatch Chile Time. The moment to catch and enjoy them is so fleeting, chile heads across the country are grabbing them up by the case and throwing them into the freezer to last until next year. While we can get them fresh, take advantage. Don’t limit your green chile to lunch and dinner. Go beyond the usual scrambled eggs & chile and give this waffle a shot -- a Masa Waffle with Hatch Chiles, Bacon & Cinnamon Agave Syrup. (That said, this waffle has brinner written all over it, so why wait until next weekend?)

ByMichelleAugust 25, 20131Comment

Travel

California, Here I Come: San Francisco Ferry Building

Two days after being back from SF, I’m finally hungry again. When you’re trying to pack food experiences into a compressed amount of time, you’re never hungry for 3 meals, let alone afternoon snacks. But I persevered. California delivered a gorgeous week of sunshine, practically a heatwave for early October. Ahhh, vitamin D. And not only that, this past weekend happened to coincide with Fleet Week, the America’s Cup, a post-season Giants game, and a Niners game. But let's start with an appetizer, shall we? The Ferry Building ended up being a home away from home of sorts, since it was so close to the hotel.

ByMichelleOctober 10, 20120Comments

Main Course Recipes

First Day of Fall: Poblano Corn Chowder

It finally rained on Saturday morning, just briefly, but with a clap of thunder that scared the bejeezus out of H. and sent her into our shower and then downstairs to her safe spot. In California it was fireworks, here it's the occasional thunderstorm. Poor ol' girl. Skies were still overcast later in the morning,…

ByMichelleSeptember 23, 20120Comments

Main Course Recipes

Holy Mole — Oaxacan Black Mole with Chicken

I think it was seeing Rick Bayless win Top Chef Masters season 1 with his Oaxacan Black Mole that pushed me over the edge. If we go to a Mexican restaurant and they have mole, I'm definitely ordering it. It's great sometimes, and others it's a flame out. But at home, unless you're going to make it from scratch, Dona Maria mole in a jar is usually your only option. But now that I've made Bayless' mole, there's no going back.

ByMichelleNovember 30, 20116Comments

Recipes

Roasted Poblanos with Ricotta, Mint & Cilantro

Chiles roasting over an open flame is one of those scents that's a harbinger of good things to come. Like garlic and onions cooking on the stove, like banana bread baking in the oven. If there's one smell I don't mind filling the house in the summer, it's roasting chiles. When you've swapped 9 months…

ByMichelleAugust 8, 20110Comments

Main Course Recipes

Leftovers: Quick(ish) Posole Rojo

Years ago at Hop Kiln Winery we had a crockpot posole rojo with chicken that was a revelation with Marty's Big Red - a meritage that's now just called "Big Red." I later discovered posole is really meant to have pork, and should be made with dried chiles and dried hominy. So the whole thing…

ByMichelleMay 8, 20111Comment