Arroz con Pollo

Now that it's finally getting a little cooler (or at least rainier) in Austin, all I want to do is throw as many ingredients as possible into a pot and watch it simmer as the kitchen fills with a decidedly fall-ish aroma. Chili, braised basically anything, beef stew, chicken and dumplings, and now this first-time-knocked-it-out-of-the-park arroz con pollo.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

Salt and pepper, to taste

6 chicken thighs

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1 garlic glove, minced

1 small jalapeño pepper, minced

1 1/2 cups of rice

1 15-ounce can tomato puree

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup frozen peas

3/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Rub spice mixture on both sides of the chicken. In a large (oven-safe) pot, cook chicken in vegetable oil over medium-high heat until browned. Transfer cooked chicken to a bowl.

Add onion, garlic, jalapeño, and cook for a few minutes over medium-low heat. Add rice, turn up the heat to medium-high, and cook for a few more minutes. Then add the tomato puree, broth, peas, tomatoes, and chicken. Bring to a simmer, then cover and put in the oven. Bake 30 minutes.

(Adapted from D: ALS)

Etsy Finds: Ferris Bueller's Day Off Edition

Love all of these so much.

Quote print via Lily & Val.

Illustration print via SEMillustrations.

Classic Save Ferris T-shirt from ThatShirtRocks.

Abe Froman hoodie from HoodieLovers.

Oktoberfest with Real Ale and Dai Due

Scenes from this weekend's Oktoberfest at the Real Ale Brewery in Blanco.

Oktoberfest beer

 Apple cider braised pork belly

 Beef knackwurst

This and That: Halloween Edition

Ten simple masks to make.

DIY striped Halloween candlestick.

No-carve pumpkin decorating.

Gingersnaps and pumpkin ice cream sandwiches.

Fashion icon halloween costumes for kids. (The Grace Coddington one is adorbs.)

Pumpkin pie smoothie.

Temporary tattoos for Halloween.

Printable Halloween party invitations.

(Image via Pinterest)

Monogrammed Midi Rings

These lovely monogrammed rings from Leif have just been wishlisted. So gorgeous.

(Image via Leif)

Back to the Future Cake (aka Jailbird Joey Cake)

My friend was throwing a Back to the Future viewing party and asked me to recreate the cake featured at the beginning of the movie. You know, the Jailbird Joey cake?

I did my best:

I used the delicious recipe that's below and my own sub-par art skills. Which were oddly perfect for this particular task.

Vanilla Cake

2 sticks unsalted butter (at room temperature) (plus more for pan)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for pan)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup low-fat buttermilk

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour your 13-by-9-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
-Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until fluffy. Then beat in eggs and yolks one at a time, then the vanilla. Next, take turns adding and beating in flour mixture and buttermilk. Mix until all the ingredients are combined.
-Pour batter into pan and smooth top. Bake 25 to 35 minutes until cake pulls away from the side of the pan. Let cool for 10 minutes. Run knife around edge and invert cake onto a wire rack. Cover with desired frosting.

(Recipe via Martha Stewart)

Ampersand Love

Love (& love & love) all of this.

Ampersand table.

Members of the Ampersand Club.

Ampersand iPhone case.

Ampersand necklace.

Easy Lemon Tart

At first glance, this recipe seemed really odd to me, basically because of the adding an entire lemon, rind and all part. But I am a sucker for any recipe of under ten ingredients that looks like it might brighten an otherwise dessert-free weekday night. And then after making it, I realized that the odd part is actually the brilliantly simple part. Lesson here: Never judge a recipe by its ingredients, y'all. It just might surprise you.

Ingredients
1 large Meyer lemon, cut into 8 pieces
1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
Pie crust (your choice) (This would work though.)

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the first five ingredients (everything but the crust) into a blender. Blend until you have pulverized all the lemon pieces.
2. Pour into pre-baked crust.
3. Bake 35 minutes, and then cool on a wire rack.

(Adapted very slightly from The Food52 Cookbook)