Kim's version of Chex Party Mix

This is the simplest of recipes.  It is made by me every holiday under threat of death by my family!  I have spent years tweaking until I think it is about perfect. 

It is lower calorie than the original printed version and I have what I feel is the perfect blend of snacks to mix with the spices.

In case anyone out these is looking for an update of the original recipe, here is mine!

Kim's version of Chex Party Mix

4 cups Corn Chex
4 cups Wheat Chex
2 cups Cheez-it crackers
2 cups garlic flavor bagel chips or Gardettos
4 T butter
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 t seasoned salt
3/4 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder

In large microwavable bowl, mix cereals, nuts, pretzels and bagel chips; set aside. In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in seasonings. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated.

Microwave uncovered on Medium (50%) 5 to 6 minutes, thoroughly stirring every 2 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.

Christmas Cookies - the recipes

Peanut Butter Bars

As promised, here are the recipes for the rest of the holiday treats I made this year.  They all went over very well, but the Mexican Wedding Cookies (Polvorones) seemed the biggest hit!

Bourbon Balls

 

 

Hazelnut Shortbread Sticks

  

Polvorones: Ground Walnut Cookies (Recipe courtesy Marcela Valladolid)

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup ground walnuts
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for serving

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until well blended. Beat in the flour, and then the ground and chopped walnuts. Divide the dough in half, forming each half into a ball. Wrap separately in plastic and chill until cold, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Working with half of the chilled dough at a time while keeping the rest in the fridge, roll the dough by 2 teaspoonfuls between your palms into balls. Arrange the balls on a large baking sheet, spacing them 1/2-inch apart.


Bake the cookies until golden brown on the bottom and just pale golden on top, about 18 minutes. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Toss the warm cookies in the powdered sugar. Transfer the sugar-coated cookies to a rack to cool completely. (The cookies can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature). Sift additional powdered sugar over the cookies, if desired, before serving.

Hazelnut Shortbread Sticks (Recipe from Bon Appetite)

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup finely ground husked toasted hazelnuts (about 2 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 ounces high-quality milk chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped 
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped husked toasted hazelnuts 

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Beat in 1/2 cup finely ground hazelnuts and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture until just combined.

 

Shape dough by tablespoonfuls into 3-inch-long logs. Place on prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies until light golden brown around edges, about 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool cookies completely.

Stir milk chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Place 1/3 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts in small bowl. Dip 1 end of cookie into melted chocolate, then into coarsely chopped hazelnuts. Return to rack. Repeat with remaining cookies. Let stand until chocolate is set, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD Cookies can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

 

Yum-Rum Balls (Recipe by Southern Living)


1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3 cups semisweet chocolate morsels
3 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Cook sweetened condensed milk and chocolate morsels in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until chocolate morsels melt.

Remove from heat, and stir in rum. Pour into a lightly greased 8-inch square pan. Cover and chill 3 hours or until firm.

Shape mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls; roll in chocolate cookie crumbs and then in powdered sugar. Place balls in miniature paper baking cups, if desired. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week.


Cinnamon-Chocolate Fudge (Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis)

• Butter, for greasing the pan
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pound (about 2 cups) bittersweet (60 percent cacao) chocolate chips (recommended: Ghiradelli) see Cook's Note
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
• Kosher or flake salt, optional

Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8-inch baking pan. Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper, about 14-inches long and 7-inches wide, allowing the excess to overhang the sides. Set aside

In a medium glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the condensed milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips and butter. Put the bowl on a saucepan of barely simmering water and mix until the chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth, about 6 to 8 minutes (mixture will be thick). Using a spatula, scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm.

Run a warm knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the fudge. Remove the fudge to a cutting board. Peel off the parchment paper and cut the fudge into 1-inch pieces. Store refrigerated in an airtight container or freeze.

Cook's Note: The fudge can also be made using 1 pound (about 2 1/2 cups) of semisweet chocolate chips.

Merry Christmas - a bit early

We are traveling so blogging will be on hold, but I do get to cook at my mom's, so lots of recipes to come!

 photo by nigul2002

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

Egg in a Spinach Nest

Like a lot of things I cook, the picture just doesn't do the food justice.  I was watching reruns of Molto Mario and saw him saute some spinach then poach eggs in small pockets.  That was something I needed to make!

Because of the ease of  the dish, I didn't search for his recipe.  Instead I took fate in my hands and decided to wing it.  So, in lieu of a recipe, this is what I did:

1. I washed and dried one head of curly lettuce then tore it into pieces. 
2. Minced 4 cloves of garlic.
3. Twirled a saute pan with olive oil and sauteed the garlic for 30 seconds on medium low.
4. Added the spinach , sea salt and pepper and tossed around to slightly wilt.
5. Cracked 4 eggs into small saucers. (I did this one at a time)  Made 4 "dents" in the spinach and added an egg to each dent.
6. Turned the heat to low, covered the pan and cooked until the egg whites were cooked but the yolk was still soft (cook longer if you don't like your eggs this way)
7. Grated parmesan cheese over the top then scooped out each egg with lots of the surrounding spinach onto plates.  

We ate this with crusty bread.  Yummy dinner!

Cooking for Christmas - The sugary gifts

Last year I had an open house.  It was so much fun, but lots of work, so this year I decided to make sugary gifts to give.

Step one:  Research - does that really surprise you?  I love the research step!
Step two:  A list of the receipants
Step three:  Math - how many of each kind of cookie do I need?
Step four:  Grocery lists and a few grocery trips
Step five:  A marathon day of baking, cooling, prepping, and packaging.

First of all please forgive picture quality - at the end of all of this, creativity and lighting were the last things on my mind!

I decided on a variation of buckeyes and made peanut butter bars.  Also on the list was bourbon balls, shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate, Polvorones (Mexican wedding cookies), Cinnamon Fudge, and chocolate dipped pretzel sticks.

Lots of work went into this project (about 10 hours), but also lots of love as these treats go to friends and family.

 Somehow I missed out of taking a fudge picture, so that is the recipe I will share first.

This fudge is basically foolproof, and is incredibly tasty and unique with the addition of cinnamon.  I used a particularly strong cinnamon from Penzeys, so these bad boys have a beautiful punch!

Cinnamon-Chocolate Fudge (Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis)

• Butter, for greasing the pan
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pound (about 2 cups) bittersweet (60 percent cacao) chocolate chips (recommended: Ghiradelli) see Cook's Note
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
• Kosher or flake salt, optional

Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8-inch baking pan. Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper, about 14-inches long and 7-inches wide, allowing the excess to overhang the sides. Set aside.



In a medium glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the condensed milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips and butter. Put the bowl on a saucepan of barely simmering water and mix until the chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth, about 6 to 8 minutes (mixture will be thick). Using a spatula, scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm.


Run a warm knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the fudge. Remove the fudge to a cutting board. Peel off the parchment paper and cut the fudge into 1-inch pieces. Store refrigerated in an airtight container or freeze.


Cook's Note: The fudge can also be made using 1 pound (about 2 1/2 cups) of semisweet chocolate chips.

Cooking for Christmas - Gingerbread Cake

I have always wanted to make a gingerbread cake. I just hadn't gotten around to it.  So when the chance to bring a cake to a potluck came my way, I knew the time had come.

Now to find the right recipe.

"No big deal?", you say - if you are foodie crazy researching recipes,comparing and contrasting, asking your foodie friends - all part of the process.  I knew I wanted to make a cream cheese frosting so that helped a bit and when I saw this recipe, I knew it was the one!

The biggest issue I had was getting the cake to set without overcooking - and I think I missed the mark by about 3-5 minutes.  It was a tiny bit dry, although I was the only one to think so.  It makes a great presentation having being cooked in a pretty bundt pan, then cutting in and seeing the beautiful creamy ring in the center.  It was the perfect level of ginger and spice to cake.  My only change was to make a drizzles containing cream cheese for the top instead of the one printed.

Cheese Filled Gingerbread Bundt Cake (Taste of Home Magazine)

• 8 oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 egg

• CAKE
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ginger 
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1/2 cup molasses

• GLAZE
• 1 cup icing sugar (confectioners, powdered,10 X)
• 1 - 2 Tbls milk 

Beat together filling ingredients till smooth. Set aside.  

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and ginger. In another bowl beat the eggs, milk, oil and molasses until smooth.  Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened.

Spoon 1/3 of the batter into a greased and floured 10" bundt pan.  Top with cheese mixture.  Carefully spoon remaining batter over top and spread carefully.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Mix together the icing sugar and enough milk to achieve desired consistency.  Drizzle over bread and store in the fridge.
 

Fake Minstrone

I call this Minestrone "fake" because of the absence of a noodle of some sort.  I usually adapt soup recipes if they call for noodles or potatoes for two reasons:  I like to freeze soups and potatoes especially don't freeze well, and I love to serve soups with crusty bread so prefer not to have pasta in them.  

That being said, I LOVE the flavor of minestrone!  It has an underlying sweetness that blends beautifully with the rich tomatoey flavor and saltiness from the pancetta.  Don't want meat in your soup?  No worries.  You will never miss the panchetta so just leave it out!  Bo loves his soup served over brown rice so that is the photo seen above.  Serve with a grating of fresh Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of thick balsamic vinegar for an elegant starter or to kick it up as a main dish.  

The recipe below is cobbled together from inspiration of several recipes.  Enjoy!

Fake Minestrone
4 cups chicken stock
1 head garlic, halved
Extra virgin olive oil
8 fresh sage leaves
3 sprigs rosemary
3 oz pancetta, coarsely chopped
3 medium carrots, large dice
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
2 14 oz cans navy beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and Pepper

Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar and a good crusty bread

Combine the broth and halved garlic head in a saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes to give the stock a nice, garlicky taste.  Remove the garlic. Keep warm.

Pour 2-3 T olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the sage and rosemary and warm the oil over medium-low heat 2-3 minutes. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp, 3-4 minutes.  Add the onion and carrots and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes, then add the tomatoes, bay leaf, beans and chicken stock.  Bring to boil over medium them turn to simmer for 30 minute.  Remove the large herbs and add salt and pepper to taste. 

Cinnamon Apple Cake

And to continue with this week's theme of "I make this every fall" in comes Cinnamon Apple Cake.  Now in the interest of full disclosure, this was published in Cooking Light about 13 years ago as a Hanukkah cake.  But the apples in it make me think of fall, so it is my go-to for the leaf-peeping time of year.   

It is light, it is moist and it is amazing.  I try something new with it almost every year and this  year I decided to use Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese and it turned out perfectly!

The other thing I did this year was to use gala apples instead of my usual granny smith.  That will not happen again as I missed the slight tart note playing with the sweetness.  This is easy to make and I highly recommend it!


Cinnamon-Apple Cake (Adapted from Cooking Light)


1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup stick butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened (about 3/4 cup) (I used Greek yogurt)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups chopped peeled Rome apple (about 2 large) (I prefer Granny Smith and I have never peeled them!)
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, margarine, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.

Note: You can also make this cake in a 9-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan; just reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes.

Chile Chicken with Jasmie Rice

My Chinese cooking classes continue. For this class Bo and I worked together, I followed the recipe and he made suggested changes based on his experience.    

As with  the first dish I made, the flavor was good, but nothing to toss you off your chair.  So we have decided this particular Chinese chef is not for us.  Instead Bo wants to begin using a cookbook already in our midst.   

 So for awhile, the above book will be our reference of choice.

Chile Chicken with Jasmine Rice (Recipe courtesy Ching-He Huang, 2008)

Basic Jasmine Rice

• 12 ounces jasmine or basmati rice, washed until the water runs clear (We used brown rice because we love it so much!)
• 2 cups boiling water

Sauce

• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled, sliced and finely chopped
• 1 medium red chile, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• 5 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar

Chile Chicken

• 1 tablespoon groundnut oil (peanut)
• 9 ounces skinless chicken breasts, sliced
• 1 zucchini, sliced into strips
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 large spring onions (green), sliced lengthwise

For the rice:
Place the rice in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and add the boiling water. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then cover it with a tight-fitting lid, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
Uncover the pan, and remove it from the heat. Fluff up the rice grains with a fork, and serve immediately.

For the sauce:
In a blender, puree the garlic, tomatoes, ginger, chopped chile, red pepper, water, ketchup, and brown sugar.

For the chicken:
Heat a wok over a high heat, and add the groundnut oil. Add the chicken to the hot pan, and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the pieces start to turn brown. Add the zucchini, and red peppers and stir-fry together for another 1 minute. Pour in the sauce, and bring everything to a boil.
Season the dish with the soy sauce and garnish with the spring onions, and serve immediately with the jasmine rice.

Butternut Squash and Ale Soup

This is one my my favorite "it's the beginning of soup season" soups.  I have made it every year for numerous years, until last year.  I mentioned the title to Bo, and my "I eat most anything" husband turned up his nose, so I didn't make it.  So this year the urge was even stronger and I decided I was gong to make it and see what happened.  And do you know what happened?  He loved it!  The moral?  Don't mention ahead of time when you make something new.  Sometimes the title will put a negative picture in the brain.  Just make and serve it!

Lesson over, the recipe you see below is a half of a recipe.  Simply double the ingredients if you want more.  This soup is a perfect blend of  beer and cheese with the butternut squash adding a dimension you won't find from a restaurant soup.  I didn't have any notes on the kind of beer I have used in the past and I would definitely use a brown ale of some sort!  And one final note, I did a very un-foodie thing.  I used frozen winter squash instead of doing the roasting, scooping thing.  Oh, ans PUHLEASE shred or grate your own cheese.  It really makes a difference in the texture!

Butternut Squash and Ale Soup

1 12 oz box frozen squash

1/2 head of roasted garlic (optional)

1 T olive oil

1/2 cup Spanish onions, finely diced

2 cups chicken stock 

1/3-1/2 cup half and half  (Tip bring the half and half to room temp before using - it will blend better.)
1/2- 1 cup grated aged farmhouse sharp cheddar 

1/2 12-oz bottle good quality brown ale
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes or until transparent. Add butternut squash and stock and garlic - bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes. 

2. Remove from boil and cool a bit.  Add cream and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low and then, while whisking, add cheddar cheese and whisk until melted. Add ale to taste. Stir together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chopped green onions are a great garnish, tobasco is fabulous if you like it hot, and sourdough bread is a perfect accompaniment. 

Blue Corn Crab Cake with Smoked Red Pepper Sauce

Don't adjust your computer.  The title says blue but you ARE seeing yellow.  I didn't have any blue and didn't want to purchase for just this recipe, so I used yellow.  Same flavor, different visual.

This was a last minute addition to our Mesa Grill Dinner.  I had a can of crab meat I wanted to use so I made these.  Yes, the texture was slightly different from uncooked crab.  Yes, the flavor wasn't quite as brilliant.  However, a crab cake is a crab cake and they made a great started with a glass of red wine.  Don't skip the sauce - it is a show stopper!

So in case you were keeping score our Mesa Grill Dinner consisted of:
Blue Corn Crab Cake with Smoked Red Pepper Sauce
Coffee Rubbed Rib-Eye
Roasted Garlic Green Onion Smashed Potatoes
Roasted Green Bean and Mushroom Salad

Blue Corn Crab Cake with Smoked Red Pepper Sauce (Adapted from Bobby Flay)

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 jalapeño chiles, diced

1/4 cup sour cream or crème fraîche

1/4 cup prepared horseradish, drained

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 pounds lump crabmeat

3 tablespoons Wondra flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups blue cornmeal

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeños and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, horseradish, mustard, and onion mixture until combined. Pick over the crabmeat to remove any bits of shell. Add the crab and the flour to the bowl and gently fold to combine; season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate, covered, for 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

Divide the chilled crab mixture into 8 patties about 1/2 inch thick. Dredge each cake in the cornmeal and tap off any excess.

Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick saute pan over high heat and fry the cakes until crusty and lightly golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side.

Place 2 crab cakes on each of 4 dinner plates and top each cake with mango-green onion relish and red pepper sauce. Garnish with chives.

Smoked Red Pepper Sauce

4 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 small red onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves roasted garlic, peeled
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chipotle chile purée (I took a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and pureed them.  I used 1T here and froze the rest in 1T spoonfuls on waxed paper.  One they are frozen I put them in a freezer bag until needed)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup canola oil

Combine the red peppers, onion, garlic, vinegar, honey, mustard, and chipotle purée in a blender, season with salt and pepper, and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified.  This sauce can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated.

Roasted Green Bean and Mushroom Salad

  

And now, even MORE from our Mesa Grill night - the veggie part.  I again did a make over of a recipe from Mesa Grill Cookbook, but not much.  My main sub was green beans for the asparagus - it just didn't sit pretty on the grocery store shelves!

This was incredible!  Easy to make, the roasted veggies were fabulous over the greens which were wilted just a bit.  The recipe calls for pecans but because this was already a calorie heavy meal, I left them out.  You know what?  We didn't need them.  I also just used a hint of blue cheese crumbles. My greens were a mixture of leafy lettuce, spinach leaves and peppery arugula.  Below find the recipe as originally written.(As I made it I call it Roasted Green Bean and Mushroom Salad)

Grilled Asparagus and Roasted Mushroom Salad with Toasted Pecans, Blue Cheese and Red Chile Mustard Vinaigrette (Bobby Flay)

• 1 pound asparagus, grilled (I used green beans and roasted them)
• 1 pound assorted mushrooms (portobello, cremini, shiitake) coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup toasted pecans
• 8 ounces American blue cheese

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Add thyme and season with salt and pepper. Toss asparagus with a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Arrange 1/4 of the mushrooms in the center of each plate. Arrange asparagus around the mushrooms. Sprinkle pecans and blue cheese around the edge of the plate. Drizzle with more of the dressing.

Red Chile Mustard Vinaigrette:

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
• Salt
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Whisk together mustard, ancho powder, salt and vinegar, slowly whisk in oil until emulsified. Season with more salt, to taste.