Tag: sauce

Easy Ratatouille (with Jarred Sauce)

The Wild Gems1 Comment

Sometimes the best meals aren’t complicated—they’re just made with what you already have, a little intention, and a whole lot of ease. This ratatouille is exactly that. Simple, nourishing, and quietly beautiful.

What You Need:

  • 1 jar marinara sauce
  • 2 green zucchini
  • 2 yellow squash
  • 1 small eggplant (optional)
  • 2–3 tomatoes (optional)
  • 2–3 cloves garlic (jarred minced garlic works)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt + pepper
  • Italian seasoning
  • Optional: parmesan or mozzarella

And:

  • A ceramic pie dish (or any baking dish you have)
  • A knife + cutting board
  • A little time to slow down

Steps:

  1. Start with your base
    Pour your jarred marinara into a sauce pan and mix in:
  • Garlic
  • A splash of olive oil
  • Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning

This is where you quietly turn something store-bought into something that feels like your own.

  1. Slice your vegetables
    Thinly slice:
  • Zucchini
  • Squash
  • Eggplant
  • Tomatoes

There’s no rush here. Let this part feel calm.

  1. Build your dish
  • Spread a layer of sauce on the bottom of your dish
  • Arrange your veggies in a spiral or rows
  • Sprinkle a little seasoning on top
  • Drizzle with olive oil

It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.

  1. Bake
  • Cover with foil
  • Bake at 375°F for 40–45 minutes
  • Remove foil and bake another 10–15 minutes

Your kitchen will start to smell like comfort.

  1. Finish with intention
  • Add a little more olive oil
  • Sprinkle fresh herbs or cheese if you’d like
  • Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving

This is where everything comes together.

A gentle reminder:

This dish isn’t about perfection—it’s about creating something warm, simple, and nourishing with what you already have.

Just like most things in life.

Easy Poblano Green Creamy Sauce (Culichi Sauce)

The Wild Gems4 Comments

What You Need:

3 poblano peppers

2 teaspoons of minced garlic

A handful of cilantro

2 cups of hot water

1 tablespoon of chicken bullion seasoning

1/3 cup of Mexican cream

1/3 of a block of cream cheese

1 small onion chopped

Steps:

  1. Place the poblanos on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Broil each side for about 5-7 minutes or until they are nice and charred.
  2. Once the poblanos are roasted immediately place in a ziplock bag, seal, and allow to steam for 10 minutes.
  3. When the peppers are down steaming place in a blender with the remaining ingredients and hot water (except the onion) and blend well.
  4. Sauté chopped onion with a little bit of olive oil until soft and translucent. Pour sauce into skillet and simmer for 5-8 minutes.

That’s it!

My favorite way to enjoy this sauce is with some cooked shrimp and rice on the side. Mix the shrimp with the sauce and then scatter shredded Monterey cheese and broil until nice and melted.

OR, this taste great with some spaghetti noodles and shredded rotisserie chicken. Top with cilantro!

Enjoy!

Homemade MILD Red Sauce For Enchiladas, Chilaquiles, Or Pozole

The Wild GemsLeave a comment

Makes 2 1/2 cups of sauce

Note: Use this recipe as a guide as well. Feel free to use different peppers or try different seasonings. This is a mild sauce but it’s delicious! If you want to increase the spice add more of the Chile de arbol peppers.

What You Need:

6 Chili Colorado Entero

4 Chile de arbol

1/4 of a yellow onion

4 garlic cloves peeled

2 teaspoons of chicken seasoning

2 tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil

Steps:

1. In a medium pot, add your peppers, onion, and garlic. Cover with water and bring to a low boil. Cover partially with lid and allow to simmer until peppers are completely soft. (About 15 mins)

2. Once veggies are soft, add to a blender with about 1-2 cups of water from which the chiles were boiling.

3. Once completely blended, strain the sauce through a strainer. Discarding the paste.

4. Rinse the pot you used for boiling the peppers and place on stove at a medium low heat. Add the oil, then the sauce, then the seasoning. Allow to simmer for about ten minutes.

That’s it! Seems intimidating, but it’s really not.

Enjoy!

Add more of these for more spice. Be mindful though!
You can boil the garlic with the skin on, just don’t forget to remove it when it’s all down boiling.
Simmering.
A beautiful red. There are other peppers out there though that you can use that will provide a darker red.
Doesn’t have to be a fancy strainer. This is what I used.
Yummy red sauce after simmering on the stove. (The sauce is not done once blended. It needs to be cooked on the stove.)

Easy Alfredo Sauce

The Wild GemsLeave a comment

This Alfredo sauce is so yummy! Enjoy!

What You Need:

2 cups of Parmesan Cheese

1 (8 tablespoons) stick of unsalted butter

1 cup of heavy cream (8oz)

A few dashes of salt and pepper

1 teaspoon of fresh parsley finely chopped and a little extra chopped for garnish

Steps:

1. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan on medium heat, once butter is melted add heavy cream. Allow to simmer while mixing for 2 minutes seasoning with salt and pepper.

2. Add Parmesan cheese and parsley. Add a few dashes of milk or pasta water to thin sauce out a little. Allow to cook and very low heat until ready to serve.

Enjoy!