chicago's avec-inspired chorizo stuffed dates wrapped in bacon

rob and i had a chance to eat at avec in chicago a couple months ago.  although the food was ok, the chorizo stuffed dates were amazeballs!  for the holidays this year, i am making this recipe nonstop for everyone who comes over because it's delicious and so easy to make!

ingredients:

- 12 medjool dates

- 1 good quality mexican chorizo

- smoked bacon, 6 slices cut in half

- toothpicks

- your favorite tomato sauce

- a few basil leaves, chiffonade

directions:

- preheat oven to 375 degrees

- gently remove pit from dates and a little bit of the fruit inside (so you can add more chorizo!) with a small spoon; try not to cut the date as much as possible

- fill dates with chorizo, either via cutting the corner of a ziploc bag and using it as a filler or making mini balls out of the chorizo and filling the dates

- wrap each date with a bacon half and secure with a toothpick

- bake the dates, bacon seam down, for about 30 minutes until chorizo is cooked through and bacon is crisp

- meanwhile, gently heat your favorite tomato sauce

- assemble your plate with some sauce on the bottom, dates on top, and some basil chiffonade on top...enjoy!

xoxo,

kara

seafood and chicken paella

i fell in love with paella when i was 14 years old at a friend's backyard paella party.  as soon as i had my first bite of the toasted rice with chorizo, chicken and shrimp, i was head over heels...and i was determined to one day create an amazing paella recipe of my own.  after trying various recipes and making a number of batches over the years, here is my super delicious, easy-to-make paella recipe that will wow any crowd, trust me :) 

ingredients:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 6 chicken thighs, cut into chunks
- 2 chorizo links, cut into chunks
- 1 medium onion, chopped/cubed
- 1 green pepper, chopped/cubed
- 1 red pepper, chopped/cubed
- 2 celery stalks, chopped/cubed
- bunch of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
- 12 cloves of garlic (or 3 tablespoons), minced
- 3 tablespoons saffron
- s&p
- 3 cups chicken broth (add more if needed)
- 3 cups paella rice
- 3/4 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3/4 pound tilapia
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 2 lemons, cut into wedges

directions:
- heat olive oil in a paella pan or a le creuset wide pan over high heat until the oil is very hot
- saute and caramelize chicken thigh for 7 minutes or so; remove from pan and reserve
- saute chorizo chunks for 5 minutes or so; remove from pan and reserve
- lower the heat to medium and saute onion, carrot, green & red pepper, celery, parsley and garlic in the pan for 3 minutes
- fold in the rice and stir to coat each grain
- add chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes, gently stirring so the rice absorbs the stock evenly
- add saffron, some s&p, chicken and chorizo into the pan and mix
- cover the pan, give it a good shake, lower the heat, let everything simmer for about 15 minutes until the rice has a bite to them (aka al dente...do not overcook!)
- tuck in the shrimp, tilapia and peas into the rice.  add more chicken broth if needed
- cover and cook for an additional 5 more minutes until the shrimp is pink, rice is fluffy and the peas are cooked through
- serve with lemon wedges.  enjoy!

xoxo,
kara