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Recipe Time! Chipotle Brownies

As some of you may know, I’m on a continuing quest to find ways to use up leftover chipotle peppers (the canned ones in adobo sauce).  Even after using them in the original dish I needed them for, making chipotle butter, and chipotle ranch, I still had some left.  It was time to expand my thinking.  Since the combination of chocolate and spicy is a popular thing now, I turned my mind to dessert. Now, I may have mentioned before (though I’m too lazy to actually go back and check) that I’m not the biggest fan of brownies.  I know, I know…I don’t know what’s wrong with me.  But in this case brownies seemed like the perfect subject to turn to for my chipotle experiments.  Actually considering I’m kind of a weenie when it comes to spicy it’s somewhat surprising that I’m the one who came up with these brownies.  And that I actually like them!  But the chipotle adds a nice subtle, smoky kick without setting your mouth on fire.  So I guess the point you should take away from this is that if someone who isn’t a huge fan of brownies or spicy likes these brownies they must be really good. DSCF6338 Read the rest of this entry

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Cheat Codes: How to Make Homemade Chipotle Ranch

Chipotle ranch is a great condiment.  It’s delicious as spread on sandwiches, in burritos, and even as a dipping sauce (especially for onion rings).  Yet despite its rising popularity over the past few years, it can sometimes be annoyingly difficult to find chipotle ranch in stores.  And then even when you find it, it can sometimes be stupidly expensive.  So what are those of us on a budget supposed to do when we crave that smoky, tangy goodness?  Make our own of course!

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Mix these together…

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…and you get magic.

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Quick Recipe: Chipotle Butter

Every time I make a recipe that calls for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce I always have a bunch leftover, since I usually only use one or two at a time.  This time instead of just immediately handing the rest to Erik to use in some flames-shooting-out-of-your-mouth dish for him to make for himself I decided to be thrifty and figure out some other things I could use them in.

One of the things I came up with was a chipotle compound butter.  This butter will be good on anything you’d use regular butter on that you want to give a bit of kick to.

Chipotle butter is really good on a bagel.

Chipotle butter is really good on a bagel.

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Spices 101: What is chipotle?

Chipotle peppers have really taken off in the past decade. I never really saw them in many dishes outside of Mexican cuisine when I was younger, but holy crap are they popular now. I’m not sure who was responsible for it but boy are they happy. Perhaps part of it is tributed to the rise of the burrito franchise Chipotle’s, but I dunno… no offense to them, but they kinda suck. Or rather the food is good there, but the prices are unnecessarily high. But forget them, we’re here to talk about real-ass chipotle peppers and what to do with them.

Chipotle pepper

Origin: Mexico
Appearance: Dark-red flakes / wrinkly, dark-red peppers
Scent: Smokey
Taste: Smokey, Spicy
Foods:
Mexican and many other Latino cuisines
Rareness: Common

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Quick Recipe: Easy Chipotle Chicken Club

Sandwiches are a magical food. They’re delicious and handy. Yet they come in every variety possible, limited only by your imagination. I consider myself a sandwich connoisseur of sorts and am always crafting new ones for lunch. This one was inspired by one I eat frequently at a local restaurant. I took my own spin on it and was pleased with the results enough to share the recipe.

Chipotle ranch is slowly growing in popularity. It’s nothing new, but it’s certainly hit it big over the past decade thanks to its pairing with sandwiches and onion rings. This particular chicken sandwich is relatively smooth thanks to the addition of french fries, however don’t think that that means it’s bland. Chipotle ranch and cheddar are an awesome combination, and form something with formidable tang, without being too in your face. Your choice of chicken depends on personal preference, but I recommend using breaded cutlets since the breading adds some more flavor. Best of all, this sandwich in general can be made with mostly things lying around the house. Nothing too luxurious. That makes it perfect for throwing together as a quick lunch or even dinner!

 

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