What is an Elote?

Elotes, also known as grilled Elote Mexicano, Mexican street corn, or Mexican grilled corn, is a popular Mexican street food. “Elote” means “corn on the cob” in Spanish, and the recipe consists of corn on the cob that has been grilled and slathered with a mayo or crema sauce, topped with Cotija cheese, and dusted with chili powder.

In Mexico, it is sold to locals and tourists from street carts much like pretzels or hot dogs in New York. Once you try elotes for the first time you'll be wondering "Where has this been all my life?!"

It's perfectly juicy and crisp, it has a delicious balance of sweet and spicy heat, the creamy coating with a zip of lime and chili powder perfectly compliments it's mellow flavor, and the cheese finish makes it amazingly crave-worthy.

This is a side dish you do not want to miss out on! I'd dare say it's a summer staple and should regularly be added to the dinner rotation.

What is Beef Shawarma?

If you’ve never had beef shawarma, you’re in for a treat.! A famous Middle Eastern street food, shawarma is made with chicken or beef that is heavily marinated in oil, lemon juice, and warm spices. Then, it is placed on a vertical rotisserie or spit and slow-roasted for days until it is unbelievably tender. 

Most commonly, it is shaved off and served stuffed into bread with fresh toppings and a drizzle of tahini or tzatziki. However, you can also find it presented as part of a platter along with sides like tabbouleh and hummus. No matter how it’s plated, it’s always incredible and is guaranteed to leave you coming back for more. 

Don’t worry, though. You don’t need a fancy spit to make your own beef shawarma at home. I’ll show you how to create the same bold flavor and tender texture by searing on the stovetop instead! 

Creamy Chicken and Corn Chowder

This is the coziest of soups! It’s loaded to the max with delicious, fresh ingredients and it’s that creamy broth and salty bacon that will keep you craving more.

It has a handy shortcut of pre-cooked chicken, which can be from a rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken.

From there it’s just a bit of chopping, sautéing and allowing enough time on the stovetop to simmer to perfection.

Serve it with cornbread or 1-hour dinner rolls for an ideally comforting meal.

Cajun Seasoning to Taste

The great thing about making your own homemade cajun seasoning is that you can control the heat and the sodium, simply by adjusting the cayenne pepper and the salt to taste.

It's also handy if you are ready to make a recipe but you are out of your go-to store-bought option. Plus, if you buy spices in bulk this is a great inexpensive option.

You'll find it has the perfect blend of sweet and vibrant spices and flavor enhancing herbs.

It's easy enough it can be thrown together in minutes so you might as well try it out. Homemade spice blends are such a great way to go!

Bold Blackened Salmon

Blackened salmon is made using a cooking technique where fish fillets are liberally seasoned with a cajun spice rub then pan seared in a hot skillet until fairly well darkened (or blackened) on the exterior.

A beautiful crisp crust is formed and it has a nice hint of a charred flavor which highlight its more mellow interior.

Then with this specific recipe you also get a welcome final upgrade of a butter based honey and lime sauce to take it to a whole new level of delicious!

So much flavor in every tender bite!

Here as far as heat goes you can control just how spicy (or mild) you'd like it by adjusting the cayenne pepper to taste. That's part of the beauty of cooking at home, making things to taste.

On a side note don't shy away from the recipe just because there appears to be a daunting list of ingredients. Most of it is just spices you likely already have on hand.

And if you even insist you could skip the sauce and still have an incredibly satisfying seafood dinner.

About This Crockpot BBQ Chicken Recipe

Sweet, savory, salty, smokey, tangy and with great depth of flavor. Here you get all the things you are looking for in homestyle BBQ pulled chicken and then some.

But no need to break out the grill or smoker. Here the crockpot does most of the work!

At the end you just shred (or in other words "pull") the chicken into pieces and pile over (optionally) buttered and toasted hamburger buns. And if you want to make it extra delicious mound on the easiest coleslaw as well (with blue cheese if you'd like!).

To finish, pair it with a side of buttered corn (on the cob is best!), crisp potato chips, and sweet apple slices or fruit salad for a super easy summer inspired meal!

Chickpea Coconut Curry

This Chickpea curry is such a hearty and flavorful Indian dish that really packs in that crave-able flavor! It's made without any meat and you won't even miss it in the slightest!

The best part, in my opinion, really is the sauce with it's vibrant taste and perfect smoothness (no chunks thanks to a quick blend).

Though it may seem like an incredibly long list of ingredients here, don't be alarmed because the majority of it is spices you likely already have on hand (plus I've even included a few as optional).

Some of you may be thinking, but wait, there's no curry? Here we make our own curry spice blend which gives us far more overall control in flavor and heat level.

And this recipe uses plenty of them for an exciting, rich depth of well rounded flavor.

Serving suggestions are of course the classic basmati rice or cauliflower rice, but if you really want to go all out serve with warm buttery naan bread. Roasted vegetables are a great side to it as well just ditch the Italian seasoning and use spices like those here instead.

Oven Baked Pork Tenderloin

A no fuss way to prepare pork tenderloin! Just season, place in a hot skillet and let the oven do the rest.

Then for a little extra something, finish it with basic pan sauce. Because you can't go wrong with a little something over the top.

Serve it with your favorite sides and make it a small and simple feast. Great things here would be the classics (think meat and potatoes). Below are some ideas.

What to Serve With

• Classic Mashed Potatoes or Twice Baked Potatoes
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Roasted Vegetable Blend with Garlic and Herbs (or this colorful seasonal blend)
• Dinner Rolls or Cornbread

Quick and Easy Chicken Tacos

These will quickly become a favorite weeknight dinner recipe! And they make great leftovers too, that is of course if there happens to be a single bite size piece left.

You'll love these tacos because not only are they super fast and incredibly flavorful, but no grill is required and they are brimming with delicious, fresh Mexican flavor!

And the way the chicken perfectly browns up (even blackens a little) and get's nice crispy edges in a hot skillet is completely satisfying.

Then for serving, you've got options. You can serve with just the staples - onion, cilantro and lime. Like a street taco.

Or you can go all out and pile them up with lettuce, queso fresco (or other Mexican cheese), pico de gallo, guacamole or avocado, grilled corn, pickled onions or jalapeños, or loads of Mexican hot sauce.

I usually like to add the works when I've got time. But really this chicken is so good you could eat it all on it's own with a side of Mexican rice and you'd still have an amazing dinner!

The perfect easy brunch side dish or holiday appetizer. A nostalgic recipe that should never be forgotten!

What are Deviled Eggs?

Deviled eggs are hard boiled eggs that have been halved, then the yolks are removed and mashed and mixed with various ingredients such as mayonnaise, mustard and seasonings. Yolk mixture is then stuffed back into the egg white cavity.

They also go by the names stuffed eggs, dressed eggs or Russian eggs. For me they are something like 90's eggs. They just totally take me back to my childhood.

My mom made these all the time, I don't know why I don't make them more often. Every time I do I'm love their creamy texture and unique yet simplistic taste.

Just going back to basic ingredients making a simple dish that stands the test of time.

For me I'm all about including the bacon but it's completely optional. These are actually so versatile and pretty forgiving.

Add a little of this, a pinch of that, a few small chops of this, and a dash of that. A fun recipe to switch up. Continue reading and I've listed some ideas to get you thinking so you can use up what you've got.