Mexican BLTs

I didn't say it wasn't messy.

I've been making a lot of sandwiches lately.  I blame it on my new found love (and New Year's resolution) of making our own bread.  There's just something about a freshly made loaf that makes a sandwich better, don't you think?

So the other day, I came home to a box from Foodbuzz.  Inside was some Pace Picante Sauce, thanks to Foodbuzz's Tastemakers program.  I'll be honest, I don't usually buy salsa at the grocery.  I prefer mine chunky and fresh.  But Pace is different.  It reminds me of being at a Mexican restaurant.  The salsa is usually thin and packs some heat.

I pondered what I would make with the sauce.  Should I stick with a Mexican theme since it made me nostalgic?  Or should I go a different route?  If you know me, I don't like to go with the obvious, so of course, I had to do something out of the box.  And so ties in my love for sandwiches.  BLT's in particular.


Ingredients:
Adapted from Mommy Cooks!'s recipe

Fresh baked bread, sliced
olive oil
pinch of cumin powder
pinch of chipotle chili powder  
8 slices of thick-cut bacon
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Pace Picante Sauce
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
1 tomato, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 F.




Place bacon a rack over a baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 15-20 minutes.  Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Brush the olive oil over the top of the pieces of bread.  Sprinkle cumin and chipotle chili powder over top of bread slices.

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, Pace Picante sauce, and the chopped poblano pepper.

Spread the mixture over the top of your bread slices.

Top bread slices with pepper jack cheese (you can do one slice if you want, but I like the cheese coming at me from both ends!)



Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and bake for about 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is nice and melted.  You could always broil it also if you want the cheese to brown and crunch up a bit.

My bacon slices were pretty long so I just snapped them in half.  Place about 4-6 pieces of bacon (and of course, you could get buck wild and go with more if you're so inclined) on top of one slice of bread.  Top with a tomato slice and finally some romaine lettuce.  Close sandwich with another slice of bread.

This was one hell of a BLT.  It comes mighty close to beating my ultimate favorite BLATE (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Tomato, Egg - of the poached variety, of course).  I loved the salsa/mayo mixture, which is odd because I usually stray away from mayo at all costs.  This was new to me, this was fresh, and it was a different way to use up some Pace Picante!  Definitely give it a go if you're in the mood for a delicious BLT!

* The Pace Picante Sauce was provided to me by Foodbuzz's Tastemakers program and no additional compensation was given.  The opinions of this post are strictly my own.

* This post was also entered to take part in Foodbuzz & Denny's BACONALIA challenge for a chance to win.

Poblano Dogs

How was everyone's weekend?  I hate the fact that it's Monday, but I guess we've got to get through Monday to get through the rest of the days of the week to get to the weekend! 

Blood Orange Vodka Martini won Friday's poll, so check back later on this week for a recipe!  It was mighty tasty!

I'm super excited because tomorrow we get to check out our venue and potentially book it!  I've decided to go with an "Asian" theme for the decor.  My sister is the super creative one, so I'm leaving most of the design up to her!  I trust her, so I'm sure she'll bang out something great.  And plus... less stress on my part, right?

Anyway, we had a super lazy weekend.  Saturday actually marked one year from when we got engaged!  I'm just amazed how fast time flies and I know I'm just extremely antsy to be a Mrs!  One step at a time though.

But let's get to the food, why don't we?!  These dogs are different from your average ketchup and mustard dog.  These have a little Latin flare to them, and I'm definitely lovin' it!  And hey, keep these in mind for your upcoming Superbowl parties, too!

Ingredients:

Couldn't help it, I just needed a bite.

Adapted from Bon Appetit's recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 poblano chile, seeded and cut into small strips
1 onion, sliced thinly
4 angus hot dogs
1/2 cup salsa verde
small handful cilantro, chopped
4 hot dogs buns 
shredded Pepperjack cheese
crumbled Cotija cheese

Heat olive oil in a large skillet under medium high heat.  Add poblano peppers and onions.  Cook until the peppers start to soften, about 10 minutes or so.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In same skillet, add hot dogs and 1 cup of water.  Cover pan and cook dogs for about 5 minutes, or until heated through.

Turn oven broiler to high and move rack to middle position. (If you've got an in-oven broiler, that is.  If you've got the average below the oven broiler, this is not necessary).

In a small bowl, mix cilantro and salsa verde until combined. 

Place hot dogs in buns and sprinkle pepperjack cheese on top.  Place each hot dog on a baking sheet and broil until the cheese is melted and slightly golden, about 2-3 minutes.

Top hot dogs with pepper and onion mixture, cotija cheese, and salsa verde.

These were quick and easy, just my kind of lazy meal.  And different enough to make you think that a hot dog can be somewhat classy.  If you've got kids, this is a good way to introduce them to new and interesting flavors, and if you've got no kids, not to worry... we don't and we loved them!  Definitely thinking about coming up with a mini version to serve at our Superbowl party (where we'll be cheering for neither team, of course).  Have a great Monday guys!