I have a strong sweet tooth. I love cookies, candies, and more cookies. But, that’s not so great for my teeth and my health, so sometimes I gotta pick something slightly healthier. So today, here’s a recipe that highlights two of my favorite savory flavors.

I’m originally from Maryland, the home of Old Bay. If you’re not familiar, Old Bay is a spice seasoning usually put on crabs and other seafood. But I think it’s good on everything. I always put it on broccoli and roasted potatoes. It’s good in bloody Mary’s and on popcorn. Old Bay will do the trick for any recipe where you want a little salt and a little zing. I’ve even read about Old Bay in sweet recipes. In Maryland there is Old Bay ice cream and Old Bay chocolates! When I’m in DC next month, I’m going to have to see if I can get my hands on some of those. But, all of that gushing is to say that Old Bay is a really important flavor for me, and when in doubt, Old Bay is my secret ingredient.

My family is also from Puerto Rico so I grew up with that Caribbean flavor palate. Rice, beans, and plantains are my comfort foods. Seriously, when I was homesick in college I would go home and ask my parents to make me rice and beans. There’s something about the way they make beans that’s better than how I make beans. They say, “I just added sofrito,” but I think they are holding out on me. I especially love plantains. If you haven’t had a plantain before they look like bananas but are larger, starchier, and you don’t eat them raw. Plantains are delicious when soft and sweet, but also really great as chips when they are crispy and savory.

So, today’s recipe is a love child between the flavors of my youth. It’s Maryland-Puerto Rican fusion. I wonder if that exists already? Also, I wonder what a whole Maryland-Puerto Rican fusion restaurant would look like? I’m getting off topic. This love child, to me seems almost like an obvious combination. Crab chips flavored with Old Bay already exist and are delicious. Plantain Chips already exist and are delicious. So why shouldn’t the two be combined. Well now they are. You’re welcome world. Make these, eat, share them, and be happy.

Before diving in. There are a few things you should know about plantain prep. First, they don’t peel like regular bananas. Take a sharp paring knife and cut the ends of the plantain. Then, score the plantain on four sides. You should now be able to peel the skin off. If the skin is being difficult use your knife to help you. Scrap off any skin that is being stubborn and staying stuck to the fruit. Also, don’t worry about cutting these two thin. If you’ve ever tried to make baked potato or beet chips, you have to make paper thin cuts. Not necessary here! Cut of about 1/8″ will work well and you’ll have perfectly crunchy chips.

Messy level: One spoon! Three ingredients that you mix in a bowl. What could be easier? 

Old Bay Plantain Chips

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Ingredients

• 1 plantain
• 2-3 teaspoons olive oil
• 2-3 teaspoons Old Bay

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C.
3. Peel the plantain and cut it into ⅛" coins. Don't worry about cutting everything perfectly, just cut them pretty thin.
4. Put the plantains in a medium bowl. Pour in the olive oil. Start with 2 teaspoons then stir to coat. If you feel like the plantains aren't well coated, add the third teaspoon. Sometimes I felt like 3 teaspoons (which equals 1 tablespoon) was too much, but sometimes 2 wasn't enough. Go with your gut.
5. Once everything is coated, then sprinkle on the Old Bay. Stir again until everything is nicely coated.
6. Lay them on a single layer on the baking sheet. If you feel like the plantains need more Old Bay, go ahead and sprinkle some more on.
7. Cook for 20-25 minutes, and turn them halfway through.

3.2.2925

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One of the things I wanted to eat while in the US was nachos. You might be thinking to yourself, “Mariel, they have to have good nachos somewhere in the UK.” And they probably do, but I was burned – and burned bad. So I’ve only had nachos once in London and didn’t want to risk it again.

Here’s what happened: Ryan and I went to a pub to watch the Arsenal match. We had a few pints and started to feel hungry and we thought, “What kind of bar food do we want? Oh, nachos sounds good!” So we ordered them, not thinking about where we were. Because in the US you can have satisfying nachos pretty much anywhere.

When our plate arrived there were some chips, a smattering of cheese, and big dollops of sour cream and watery salsa. No meat, no beans, no veg, no gooey-ness. I mean, we ate it of course, but I was disappointed. Since then I’ve stuck to homemade nachos.

In Colorado, Katy (my sister-in-law) suggested we make nachos for when we watched the Broncos football game. Boden was our adorable little helper who let us dress him as a football. Isn’t he freaking cute? I made a photo of him the background on my phone and it makes me so happy! Ok but I’m digressing, let’s get back to nachos.

So the thing is, you don’t really need a recipe for nachos because there’s plenty of room for improvisation. We used bison meat which I’d never cooked before this! It’s leaner than beef and has a really delicious flavor. We didn’t add much to it in terms of seasoning, but it was so flavorful!  I know you can get bison meat all over the United States, but being at the edge of Plains and having bison meat somehow felt authentically Colorado. Maybe it’s not authentically Colorado, but that’s how it felt. Anyway, instead of bison, you can use ground beef or turkey, sliced chicken breasts, or beans. In fact, go bigger and make a combo and use both meat and beans!

You can also make nachos really homemade or somewhere in between. We bought jarred salsa but we made guacamole. However, instead of chopping up tomatoes, onions, cilantro and jalapenos we bought pre-made pico de gallo. You can find pico de gallo in the refrigerated section on the produce department. Or, if you want to make your own here’s a recipe from the Pioneer Woman. So find your perfect balance and make what you want or buy what you want.

The key to good nachos is layering. Katy’s secret to good nachos is two layers of cheese. First, a layer of chips, then cheese, then meat, then toppings, then cheese, then salsas. Double cheese layers add extra deliciousness and work as a glue to hold all your nachos fillings together. Genius right?

Last thing, Katy is responsible for the beautiful sour cream piping. Those clouds of sour cream are gorgeous! What’s great about nachos is you can make them your own, and so we decided to make them beautiful.(I alternated in the spoonfuls of guac and salsa) But, it needs to be said that I am so impressed with Katy’s piping as I’m terrible with a piping bag. We decided we would be a perfect team in a bakery – I prefer the baking and she prefers the decorating. Win-win baby. Anyway, presentation is important to making tasty food look even more desirable so artfully dollop on your salsas and once you serve people will be dying to dig in.

Messy level: One spoon. Nachos are so easy! For preparation we only needed one skillet and a bowl to make the guacamole. Everything else just gets layers on the main serving platter. Easy and clean – that is until you start eating.

Bison Nachos

 

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A recipe for hearty bison nachos with guacamole. You will have extra guacamole at the end!

Author: Mariel & Katy

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1 pound ground bison meat (or substitute ground beef or turkey)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thick matchsticks
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into thick matchsticks
• 2-3 ripe avocados
• 1 cup pico de gallo
• 1 lime, sliced in half
• salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• 1 bag of your favorite tortilla chips (we used Scoops)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (you might not need it all)
• ½ cup salsa
• ½ cup sour cream

Instructions

1. Heat a splash of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and ground bison. When 75% of the meat is browned add in the bell pepper. I like adding it here to soften the peppers up a bit and give them some more flavor. Remove from the heat once the meat is completely browned. Set to the side.
3. Cut the avocado lengthwise around the pit. Now you'll have the avocado broken apart into two halves.
4. Using a spoon, scoop out the pit and set it aside.
5. Scoop out the avocado flesh into a medium bowl. Using a fork, mash up the avocado until it is smoother but still with some chunks.
6. Add the pico de gallo to the avocado. Mix thoroughly.
7. Add garlic powder, chili powder, and salt (to your taste) to the avocado mixture. Squeeze half the lime in too. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add the other half of the lime if you like it, add more garlic and chili powder if you want more "pop." Now you've got guacamole. Add the avocado pits back in to the guacamole. This keeps it from getting immediately brown.
8. Arrange the tortilla chips onto a large serving tray.
9. Sprinkle half the shredded cheese over the chips.
10. Spoon the ground bison and bell pepper mixture evenly over the cheese.
11. Sprinkle the other half of the cheese over the meat.
12. Put the serving tray in the microwave and heat on high for 1 minute at a time, until the cheese is melted.
13. Artfully dollop the sour cream, salsa, and guacamole evenly on top of the cheese.
14. If you have more cheese left over, sprinkle a little more on top.
15. Serve while hot and gooey!

3.2.2925

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Throughout the flight I was excited and ready to arrive, but once I landed I was filled with fear. First, I live here now. This is where we live! This is real. It hit me all at once. And second, I got scared that maybe I wouldn’t be able to find Ryan at the airport. I know that seems small, but we had a rough go at an airport before. I had flashbacks to seven years earlier when Ryan and I were supposed to meet in Madrid. Weather had gotten in the way, things went horribly wrong, and we did not meet each other. Luckily, Ryan and I saw each other immediately and I had no reason to be afraid. He had gotten there early and was ready and waiting to meet me. Everything is going to be all right. We took the tube home to our new flat, it was pleasant and easy. And that was that, I now live in London. 

Our current flat is cute but very tiny. Here’s a picture of the temporary home of cooking is messy. It has a sink, a refrigerator (bottom right cabinet) and two burners. Oh and of course, an electric kettle. I am in England after all. The kitchen also came with a knife block, some dishes, cups, and utensils. In one of my giant suitcases, I brought some additional kitchen items like oven mitts, spatulas, and cookbooks. With all that, I think I’ll be able to make at least a few things for the blog. We’re going to try spaghetti today, but I’ll work on being fancier in the future. But I can’t get too crazy, there’s a little sign that says there’s a £200 fine for setting the fire alarm off for “heavy cooking.” Eep. So I better be careful.

In general news, Ryan and I spent the day walking around our area of London. We bought breakfast at a local shop then ate in a park. We went to King’s Cross where I got to push the cart at Platform 9 3/4. I love Harry Potter and was really excited for this! We also went to lunch in a pub where we had what we knew to be traditional pub food. Each of us had a pint, Ryan had fish and chips, and I had bangers & mash. I gotta say, I’m no Brit because one pint at 2:00pm made me flushed. But it was all a really tasty meal. We then walked around the British Museum until we were overheated and exhausted. All in all, a great first day in London.

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