Browsing Tag

guacamole

Recipes

Big Game Recipes

February 1, 2017

So we all know that the “big game” ??? is coming up this weekend, and no Super Bowl watch party is complete without some delicious grub! Here are some of my favorite dishes to bring with me to watch the VICs (that’s Very Important Commercials).

Loaded Tater Tot Casserole

I love cheesy tots, so it’s no surprise that this is one of my favorite recipes. I suggest waiting until the last minute to cook it because cold tots make me sad.

Loaded Tater Tot Casserole

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 bag Ore-Ida tater tots I prefer Extra Crispy
  • 1/2 cup ranch dressing
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup swiss cheese
  • 1/2 cup bacon bits
  • green onions for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Cook tater tots according to directions on package. Mix cheese together.
  • Mix together ranch dressing, half of the cheese combo, bacon, and sour cream.
  • Remove tots from oven, but keep oven on. Toss with cheesy-ranch mixture and top with remaining cheese.
  • Bake for 5 minutes (or until cheese is melted) and sprinkle with green onion.
  • Enjoy!

New England Clam Chowder

Since it seems like the Patriots are always in the Super Bowl, you might as well get a little festive with this New England Clam Chowder. You can add more water and serve it in a bowl as an entree, or leave it nice and thicc and serve with chips and bread as a dip… either way, it’s delicious!

New England Clam Chowder

Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 LB butter unsalted
  • 1 LB All Purpose Flour
  • 5 LB Red Bliss Potato Diced ½”
  • ½ LB Bacon Raw Diced ½”
  • 3 LB Yellow Onion Diced ¼”
  • 1 LB Celery Diced ¼”
  • ½ GAL Whole Milk
  • ½ GAL Heavy Cream
  • 1 GAL Clam Juice Canned
  • 2 oz Clam Base or Clam Paste
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 TB Tabasco Sauce
  • 1 TB Fresh Thyme Chopped
  • 1 TB Garlic Chopped
  • 1 LB Corn Frozen
  • 4 LB Shucked Clam Meat
  • 1 GAL Water
  • To Taste Salt & Black Pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Slowly whisk in the flour and cook for 5 minutes until the mixture resembles wet sand. Set aside.
  • Clean potatoes and cut into ½” dice. Place in a pot, cover with water, and cook through over medium-high heat (approx. 20 minutes). Reserve.
  • In a large stock pot add the bacon then place on the stove over low heat. Render the fat and cook until crispy. Remove bacon bits and leave fat in the pot.
  • Add the onion and celery and cook until translucent. Add bacon back to pot.
  • Whisk in clam base until fully incorporated. Add milk, heavy cream, clam juice, Worcestershire, tabasco, thyme, garlic and corn. Whisk to incorporate and then bring to a simmer.
  • Once at a simmer, slowly add the roux (cooked butter and flour) in small batches, whisking after each addition before adding the next batch. Whisking often, bring to a simmer.
  • This step is optional: The soup will be very thick at this point. Using UP TO the 1 GAL of water, slowly whisk in water and thin out to desired consistency.
  • Add cooked potatoes and clams then bring to a simmer. Season to taste.

Christine-a-Lena’s Guacamole

My best friend invented (or maybe stole, I have no idea) this guacamole recipe and it is my absolute favorite and I make it all the time. It’s always a hit! You can leave it super chunky if you prefer a nice chunky guac like me, or you can stick it in a food processor and make it silky smooth. Also don’t tell her I posted this or I might get in trouble.

Christine-a-Lena's Guacamole

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients
  

  • hass avocados
  • 1 lime
  • 2 roma tomatoes
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 jalapeño
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • a boatload of cilantro optional if you're a monster who hates cilantro
  • salt & pepper

Instructions
 

  • Cut up and cube the avocado and add the garlic to a large bowl.
  • Small dice the Roma tomato, shallot, and jalapeño and add to bowl.
  • Juice the lime, cilantro, and salt & pepper to the bowl.
  • Mix well.
  • Serve with your favorite tortilla chips
Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Taco Boy

June 21, 2013

I don’t know why, but I’ve been on a serious taco kick lately. I’ve been craving them like crazy. So as such, I’ve tried pretty much every taco place in Charleston. My favorite, by far, is Taco Boy downtown. Not only are their tacos spectacular, the atmosphere is really freaking cool. The inside is all mismatched and looks like someone just put together a restaurant by stealing furniture from all of their neighbors. They also have an awesome patio that is what I see in my dreams when I think of the coolest possible patio there is. If you don’t like tacos, you should definitely come hang out just for the ambience. I also love their mismatched light fixtures and chandeliers. It’s just really cool.

I don't know why I love restaurants with mismatched furniture so much.

I don’t know why I love restaurants with mismatched furniture so much.

To start, we usually get the appetizer trio consisting of salsa, queso, and guacamole (market price). Their guac is killer. It’s so good. If you don’t want a whole trio appetizer, I definitely recommend getting the guac. Unless you’re weird and don’t like avocados. Weirdo. Their queso is also pretty darn good. Their salsa is good too, but not necessarily anything special.

Appetizer samplers are the best.

Appetizer samplers are the best.

I’ve tried pretty much all of the tacos on their taco menu. They’re delicious. I’ll highlight a few of my faves here. My number one favorite is the Fried Chicken Taco (seasoned, breaded chicken breast, lightly fried, with marinated carrots & red cabbage, jalapeño cilantro mayonnaise & chipotle bbq sauce, $3.75). It’s so yummy. Sometimes it’s really spicy, and sometimes it’s not. I think it just depends on who’s cooking. I always get it on flour, because I think it tastes better that way. I also really like the Carnitas Norteno taco (tender slow-roasted pork with poblano rajas & ancho chile sauce, $3.50). I think I like it because it tastes like a pulled pork taco. It’s so juicy and tender and delicious. I get this one on corn. I don’t know why. I just do.

Carnitas on the left, fried chicken on the right.

Carnitas on the left, fried chicken on the right.

My 3rd favorite is the Grilled Fish Taco (chipotle marinated Mahi Mahi with cilantro dijon sauce, field greens & salsa cruda, $3.95). For some reason I think this one tastes the best in the bibb-lettuce wrap (which is $0.25 extra, btw). I love the cilantro dijon sauce. It’s so good. I also really like the Chorizo & Potato taco (spicy mexican ground pork sausage & potato with green chile sauce & onion, cilantro relish, $3.95).  Sometimes I get this one on corn and sometimes on flour. It just depends on my mood. I think this one is really tasty, but if you’re not a fan of chorizo (like my mother), probably don’t order this one.

From left to right: Grilled fish on lettuce wrap, Chorizo & potato on flour, fried chicken on flour.

From left to right: Grilled fish on lettuce wrap, Chorizo & potato on flour, fried chicken on flour.

Some other tacos I’ve had:

  • Baja Fish Taco (tempura fried Mahi Mahi, thinly sliced red cabbage, cilantro & ancho chile yogurt sauce, $3.95). This one is really popular, but I don’t really love tempura, so it’s not my favorite. Ben and my Dad love it though.
  • Al Pastor (thinly shaved spitfire pork, roasted pineapple salsa & pickled red onion, $3.95). I love al pastor usually, but for some reason, this taco just doesn’t do it for me. There’s something weird with the pineapple salsa and I’m just not sure what it is.
  • Southwest Seared Tuna (Southwest seared market tuna with chipotle slaw and cilantro, Market Price). Not my favorite. I love tuna, but this taco was just a little bland and needed a little more texture.
  • Southwest Seared Swordfish (southwest market swordfish with chipotle slaw & cilantro, $3.95). Better than the tuna, but I still prefer the grilled fish.
  • Kimchi Beef (Mexican spice marinated grilled flank steak, Korean BBQ sauce, kimchi, sesame seeds & cilantro, $3.95). Ben likes this one, but I did not. Not even a little.
  • Tempura Avocado (tempura avocado topped with a sweet Thai chili glaze & a citrus, $3.95). I know people who love this taco. I’m not one of them. But I don’t like tempura, so that shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Here's a picture of Laura seducing me via taco.

Here’s a picture of Laura seducing me via taco.

I’ve also gotten the grilled chicken quesadilla, which is good. It’s kind of hard to screw up a quesadilla, though. I like that they serve the quesadillas with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole (yay! more guac!). Here’s a picture of Ben from work eating a quesadilla the British way (because he’s British).

Like a sir!

Like a sir!

They have really good (read: Strong) house margaritas, which I love. I also recently tried their pineapple-infused margarita which is really delicious. And lucky for those of us who are on a diet, they feature skinny versions of both their house and pineapple-infused margaritas.

Sorry. I tried to take a picture when it was full, but it was just too good.

Sorry. I tried to take a picture when it was full, but it was just too good.

Basically, if you’re craving tacos, Taco Boy is the way to go (but go to the downtown location. For some reason I don’t think the Folly Beach location is as good….probably because it’s all the way out on Folly Beach).

I would eat the crap out of some tacos right now.

I would eat the crap out of some tacos right now.

Taco Boy
217 Huger St
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 789-3333

Taco Boy Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

La Norteña

May 3, 2013

I have a new favorite mexican restaurant in Charleston. Technically, it’s in North Charleston, but it is 1000% worth the drive out to Rivers Avenue. Other than Real Mexico in Columbia, I think this is the freshest, most authentic tasting Mexican restaurant I’ve been to in a really long time… and I eat a lot of Mexican food.

Yeah, that's pretty accurate.

Yeah, that’s pretty accurate.

I’ve been a bunch of times, so I have a lot of pictures to share. When you first get there, they bring you chips, salsa, and a plate with 4 different kinds of sauces. Many of them are spicy, so I’d recommend waiting until you have a drink in front of you before you try any of them. I really like the thicker red one, which has a nice smoky taste to it and the green goopy one because it isn’t spicy at all and is really refreshing and helps to put out the fire that the other start in your mouth.

La Nortena Sauces

The “goopy one” is the one at the very top, by the way.

When I went there last week with my dad, he wanted to try the shrimp cocktail, which came out more like a shrimp soup. It was served cold in a tomato sauce with pico de gallo, which kind of threw me off at first. I couldn’t really get over the cold tomato soup part, but the shrimp were cooked to perfection and tasted yummy. My dad said it was “very refreshing,” and ate the entire thing.

If the words "Cold Shrimp Soup" throw you off, you might not enjoy this.

If the words “Cold Shrimp Soup” throw you off, you might not enjoy this.

We also tried the guacamole which came with 3 chicken taquitos, which was kind of cool. I liked the taquitos and ate pretty much all of them immediately. The guacamole was good, but not the best guacamole I’ve ever had. Definitely better than most mexican restaurants, though. You could tell it was pretty fresh.

Sorry for the poor quality. I was in a hurry to get to eatin'

Sorry for the poor quality. I was in a hurry to get to eatin’

We also tried some of the tacos, which ranged from your normal chicken, ground beef, and pork, to more unusual options, such as beef tongue (lengua), beef cheek (cabeza), and beef intestines (tripa). We ordered three- al pastor, cabeza, and lengua. I loved the al pastor, which ended up being my dad’s least favorite. We both really liked the beef tongue (lengua) tacos, which had the taste and consistency of pulled pork. My least favorite was the beef cheek, as it was just a little too dry for me.

I have to say, eating tongue was not as gross as I expected.

I have to say, eating tongue was not as gross as I expected.

The first time we went, my mom ordered the barbacoa platter (marinated, shredded beef served with Mexican rice, refried beans, and a small salad), which I really liked, and I don’t usually like beef.

Also, they have amazing refried beans

Also, they have amazing refried beans

Ben always gets the enchiladas verdes with chicken because those are his favorite, and I love to steal bites from his plate because they’re so yummy. They’re listed on the menu as “your choice of four enchiladas topped with green sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and queso fresco. Served with choice of salad on top or Mexican rice.” I don’t know what the green sauce is, but it’s delicious. Ben always gets the rice, which is really yummy. Lots of times Mexican rice can be really dry, but the rice at La Norteña is never dry and always very flavorful.

I promise there are enchiladas under all that sauce.

I promise there are enchiladas under all that sauce.

When Ben was visiting with his friends from Auburn, we took them to La Norteña and they each got burritos. The burritos there are huge and they have seemingly endless options on what to put in them. Everything from cheesesteak, to fajita meat, veggies, beans… you can even get a seafood one stuffed with octopus, shrimp, and scallops. They opted for the basic Burrito La Norteña (Made with refried beans, Mexican rice, lettuce, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and choice of meat filling) and raved about how delicious it was. Forgot to take a picture, so enjoy just screenshot from their menu.

Pixellated burrito!

Pixellated burrito!

I usually get the order al pastor (marinated, sliced pork and steak layered and slow-cooked on a rotisserie served with charro beans, sweet onions, cilantro, and soft tortillas). It’s my favorite thing and unlike anything I’ve eaten at other mexican restaurants. The charro beans (Delicious combination of bacon, chipotle sauce, beef franks, Mexican sausage, and onions) are like a Mexican version of beanie weenies, and are surprisingly good.

I've lost track of how many times I've ordered this.

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve ordered this.

On my most recent visit, I decided to be more adventurous and get something other than al pastor, so I decided to try enchiladas poblanas (four enchiladas with choice of grilled chicken or steak, topped with poblano sauce and cheese. Served with choice of salad on top or Mexican rice), with chicken. The poblano sauce turned out to be a mole-like sauce (savory chocolate sauce) which was pretty good. My only issue with molé sauce is that I really want to like it, but in reality I usually don’t. This one was good, but I don’t think I’d ever order it again. If you like mole sauce, then I definitely recommend you order this.

I love chocolate, so I don't understand why I don't love mole sauce.

I love chocolate, so I don’t understand why I don’t love mole sauce.

We also tried the Sopes once (specially made thick tortillas with your choice of meat with refried beans, tomato, lettuce, sour cream, and fresco cheese) with chicken, and it was good, but kind of strange. It was almost like eating a savory funnel cake.

Obviously I didn't take this picture.

Obviously I didn’t take this picture.

They also make pretty delicious margaritas. I tried a “Texana margarita” which is made with tequila and grand marnier, so it’s sweeter than your typical margarita. It was really good and they definitely give you your money’s worth of liquor.

It'll get you drunk!

It’ll get you drunk!

Basically La Norteña is fast becoming one of my favorite restaurants in Charleston. Even if I do have to drive all the way out to North Charleston to get there. Plus they have really awesome live music on Friday nights, and they have a special loyalty card where you buy 6 meals and your 7th one is free. How can you beat that?

Thank you Google Maps for being so creepy.

Thank you Google Maps for being so creepy.

La Norteña
6275 Rivers Ave
North Charleston, SC 29406
(843) 225-7055
La Nortena Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato