Chambord Vampire Kiss Martini

This drink is perfect to entertain your ghoulish guests this Halloween!

1 1/2 oz. Vodka

1 1/2 oz. Champagne

3/4 oz. Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur

Rim a martini glass with red sugar or a sticky red candy gel. Pour vodka in bottom of glass and top with champagne. Then pour chambord over the back of a spoon slowly into the glass to float liqueur on top. This will give you a unique layering effect in the glass. If you want you can also drop gummy vampire teeth into the bottom of the glass before you start layering or hang them off the side of the glass. Enjoy and Happy Halloween!

Hearty Beef Stew

2 lbs. Beef Stew Meet Cut Into Bite Size Pieces
3 Cups Beef Stock
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Ground Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary
1/8 Teaspoon All Spice
1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/2 lb. Button Mushrooms, Sliced Thinly
1 lb. Potatoes Cut Into Bite Sized Pieces
1 Cup Diced Carrots
1 Cup Chopped Celery
3 Tablespoons Flour

Heat large stock pot over medium heat and coat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place stew meat in a large mixing bowl and add salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, rosemary, and all spice. Toss until all the meat is evenly coated. Put seasoned meat in single layer in stock pot and sear all sides of beef. Remove once browned and continue in batches until all stew meat is browned. In the same stock pot add butter and heat until melted then add flour and whisk until a smooth and golden brown paste forms. Then add beef stock and cocoa powder slowly while continuing to whisk in order to avoid lumps. Add browned stew meat back into stock pot with liquid, cover, and cook for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes of cooking add vegetables and continue cooking over medium high heat for 1 hour or until all vegetables are tender. If consistency appears too thick then add 1 cup water. Remove from heat and serve hot.

I like serving this along side a warm and buttery croissant however feel free to serve your favorite bread because I can guarantee you will want to mop every bit of rich goodness out of your bowl. A perfect remedy for a cool autumn night.

Rustic Roasted Tomato Soup with Homemade Garlic Butter Croutons

The weather is changing and nothing warms the body and soul like a homemade pot of soup. My favorite is a smooth and velvety roasted tomato soup served with warm garlic butter croutons. This recipe is a definite pleaser on a cold night.


5 Tomatoes Rough Chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper Rough Chopped
1 Large Yellow Onion Peeled and Rough Chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 Cloves of Garlic Peeled
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
2 Cups Vegetable Stock
4 Slices Day Old Bread
3 Tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and garlic on foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt over top and toss to evenly coat. Place in oven and bake 20-30 minutes or until the skin on the bell pepper starts to pull away.

Take slices of bread and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Place in medium bowl and pour melted butter over top. Add garlic powder and 1 teaspoon salt and toss to evenly coat. Place bread on foil lined baking sheet in one layer. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and crunchy. Set aside.

Place roasted vegetables into blender and begin to puree. As vegetables begin to breakdown slowly add vegetable stock while blending until desired consistency is reached (I prefer a smooth and velvety texture). Add cayenne pepper and more salt if needed and blend 10 more seconds.

Serve in favorite soup bowls and sprinkle garlic croutons over top. Enjoy!!!

Easy Tacos and Spanish Rice

Tacos Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground Beef
2 large diced potatoes
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 Tbsp black pepper
1 tsp. chili powder

Directions:

In large skillet brown ground beef with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Once meat is browned add diced potatoes and cook for another 3 minutes then add enough water to cover meat and potato mixture. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until potatoes are tender. If there is still water left in the pan add a teaspoon of flour and cook for another 2 minutes. I like to add the flour to help bind the mixture and keep it from falling out of the taco shells. Serve with your choice of hard shells or soft shells as well as lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, and hot sauce.

Spanish Rice Ingredients:

2 Cups White Rice
4 Cups Chicken Stock
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 tsp Oregano

1. In a large skillet brown rice in olive oil, medium/high heat. Add onion powder and garlic. Cook  rice mixture about 4 minutes stirring frequently.

2.. In a separate sauce pan bring stock to a simmer. Add tomato sauce, oregano, and salt. Add rice to broth. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Lower heat and cook 15-25 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

Rich Rum Chocolate Trifle

Prepare chocolate cake mix as directed in a rectangular baking pan. Set aside and let cool. In a small sauce pot bring prepared instant coffee to a boil. Reduce heat to low and remove pan from heat. Add rum to the coffee and place back on heat and cook for another 10 minutes. Using a basting brush, brush coffee and rum onto entire sheet cake. Prepare instant pudding according to directions and set aside. In a small bowl fold cocoa powder into whipped cream. Cut chocolate cake into small cubes and place in a single layer into the bottom of a martini glass. Then layer chocolate pudding and whipped topping repeating process until glass is full, ending with whipped topping. If desired top with chocolate shavings. Enjoy!

Smoky Chicken Flautas

Take whole cooked rotisserie chicken and pull meat off the bone shredding it into bite size pieces. Place shredded chicken in a medium size bowl and mix with chili powder, paprika, and cumin. Spoon mixture down the center of a flour tortilla and roll up as tight as possible. Continue this process and place the roll ups into rectangular baking dish. Set aside. In a medium stock pot melt 2 Tbsp of butter. Whisk in 2 Tbsp of flour to make a rue and cook until flour is a light brown color. Slowly whisk in chicken stock until mixture has thinned out but still coats the back of a spoon. Reduce heat to low, add chopped green chili and monterey jack cheese reserving some for topping. Once cheese has melted remove from heat. Pour green chili cheese sauce over the prepared flautas and sprinkle remaining monterey jack cheese over top. Place in oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until sauce is bubbling. Enjoy!

Spicy Jalapeno Poppers

In a medium sized skillet brown chorizo sausage breaking it up during cooking similar to ground beef. Drain excess grease and set aside to cool. Cut jalapeno peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds then set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, and cooled chorizo. With a spoon fill the halved jalapenos with the cheese and chorizo mixture. Then cut the bacon slices in half lengthwise. Take the bacon slice and wrap around the stuffed jalapeno covering as much of the stuffing as possible. Continue this process with all the peppers. Place the completed peppers on a wire baking rack on top of a cookie sheet to catch the drippings from the bacon. Place in oven and bake at 400 degrees until bacon is fully cooked and crispy. Let cool for at least 10 minutes and serve.

Launch Day Arriving!!!

Good day fellow bloggers and readers!!! I just wanted to share with you that Joey's Bites will have the very first recipe posted on Monday October 18th!!! I have been working hard to open my blog with a bang and will be opening my blog with recipes for a full meal from appetizers to dessert. I hope you all log in Monday to discover what's in store. I hope everyone is having a great weekend and we will be blogging soon!