Still here...still not unpacked

Okay, I really want to know where I got all the crap that I have.  I think fairies and brownies have been stockpiling stuff in my old basement, and I just moved it, thinking it was mine.

You aren't buying that, are you?  It was worth a shot.

Just a quick update on what's going on, so you won't think I forgot you, the blog, or the idiotic project/task that I set myself.  (Did you forget?  Good!  That means I have more time to work out the particulars.)

I've got the kitchen mostly unpacked, but I seem to be missing an entire box of Fiestaware bowls--think cereal and chili--that I'd dearly love to have back.  I have a feeling they are somewhere in the middle of the mountain of boxes in the garage, and it may take me until I move again to find them.

I've found the odd cookbook or two jammed into a box--you know, the ones that appeared after all the others had been corralled in a box labeled "cookbooks" and sealed?  And, when I flipped one open, the first recipe I saw was for "Turnip Flapjacks."  I guess the old "open it at random and cook the first recipe you see" method is not exactly the best way to do it...especially if I want to eat what I cook!

I'm getting off to an auspicious start of cooking for myself, because it's possible that I've given myself a nice little dose of food poisoning this evening.  I had a couple of nice looking pork chops that I threw on the grill, with a little salt, pepper, and olive oil.  I sauteed up some kale with onions and smoked paprika, and sat down to have myself a nice little feast after a hard day of furniture shopping.  I had 2 or 3 bites of the pork chop and something just seemed a little odd.  I had a couple more bites, and then just decided to go with my gut (ha!) feeling that something was awry.  I looked at the package label, and the sell by date was on the 18th.  Today is the 20th, but they have been under refrigeration the whole time, so I would think they would be okay.  They looked okay when I took them out of the package--no grayish spots or anything--and no off odor that I could smell.  Granted, my head is a little stuffy today, but if they'd been really bad, I'm sure I would have smelled rotting pork chop, don't you?  Even so, I decided I would stop eating the pork chop and just eat the rest of the kale.  I tossed the other one, which had been destined for lunch.  It's probably nothing, but my stomach has just let off a strange gurgling noise, and I'm thinking uh oh...and then again, maybe if you eat just an entire bag of kale for dinner, that might also wreak havoc with your digestive tract.

Which kind of brings up eating for one...when you're dining solo, there's nothing that says you can't eat a can of peas for dinner...or an entire bag of kale.  It's like the Lean Cuisine commercial where all the women talk about consuming the oddest stuff for dinner--a bag of M&Ms, a jar of olives, the bathroom rug, etc.  The one oddball person says she had the equivalent of a 3-course dinner and when her companions stare in disbelief, she says "it's Lean Cuisine!"

It would be easy to just eat Lean Cuisines or other frozen meals...no mess, no fuss, no pots to wash.  And no leftovers, no joy of cooking, no experimentation with ingredients like smoked paprika or fresh sardines (well, I could cheerfully eat a non-stop diet of Lean Cuisine if the other option was fresh sardines, but at least I gave it a whirl!), or techniques like spatchcocking.  And, that's what makes it fun.  Eating is fun and makes you feel good, but the preparation should be fun and make you feel good, too.  It's hard to get excited about peeling the plastic film off half way and cooking on low power for 2 minutes, stir, and cook for 2 more minutes on high, isn't it?  (Although, if my stomach makes that rumbling noise one more time, I'm probably going to wish I zapped that package of Stouffer's mac and cheese languishing in my freezer.)

So, as Gene Kelly said in Singing in the Rain, "Gotta dance!," I guess I "gotta cook," no matter if it's for me or 2 or 10.  But, I'm not eating a whole bag of kale for dinner ever again!

Am Not Dead...Just Stir-Frying

I know, I know...I've been extremely lax with the blogging. But, in my own defense, I'm not sure I've done anything interesting enough to actually blog about...however, I shall endeavor to be better.

So...how about some whack-a-doo pork stir fry for starters?

I just can't seem to get the basics of stir frying. Seriously, how hard should it be? I can saute, can't I? (Went to school for that!) I can pan fry and braise, et cetera, et cetera. But, every time I try this stir fry business, I feel like it goes all to hell in a wok basket. But, I won't give up...because, while it may not be picture-perfect stir fry, it doesn't usually taste bad.

So, I've conglomerated up this lo mein-ish recipe from several different sources, and let's just see how it works.

Whack-a-Doo Pork Lo Mein

1 - 1-1/2 lbs thin pork chops

3 vegetable oil

2 Tbs sesame oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder (you know you've always wanted to try it)

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

1 package fresh stir fry veggies (broccoli, snow peas, carrots, broccoli slaw or whack up whatever your little heart so desires in the way of veggies...the key is whack thinly and into small pieces)

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/3 to 1/2 cup soy sauce

1 package soba, udon, fettucine, whatever long noodle shape you like

Procedure (or what should happen vs. what actually happens when *I* stir fry...)

1. In a large, deep nonstick skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil over high heat. Season the pork with salt, pepper and the five-spice powder; add to the pan and stir-fry for 2 minutes; add garlic and stir fry for 1 more minute. Transfer to a plate.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the skillet, then add the eggs and scramble for 2 minutes. Push the eggs to the side of the pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and lower the heat to medium. (This is where things started going horribly awry, because my eggs did not scramble nicely. I think the wok was too hot, and they started to scorch, so I scrambled faster. Not a pretty sight. I ended up dumping them out onto a paper plate, then I had to scrape down the wok before I started with the veggies.)

3. (Remember you've added that last 2 tablespoons of oil; 1 sesame, 1 vegetable.) Add the mushrooms and the stir-fry veggies and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and reserved pork, making sure the pork is heated through.

While I was cooking the pork, I threw the package of soba noodles in a pot of boiling water. I drained those, rinsed with cold water, then I threw them in after the pork--see, it's sort of a lo mein-ey dish.

As you may have noted in Step 2 above, the eggs started to go south, which totally threw my stir-fry game off. I had even mise en placed all my ingredients, which I only do about half the time when I cook anything else. Yet, it seemed that I was just running about 3 steps behind where I should be, hence the funked up scrambled eggs...which, by the way, I threw in anyway.
The Man ate it, I ate, and we survived. See, not very exciting or interesting at all. Now, if I had decided to stir fry a poodle, that might have amped this post up a little bit.

Right now, I'd be more than happy to stir fry The Goldfish, since he managed to unroll an entire, brand-new roll of bathroom tissue out into the hallway. Why do they want to eat paper? What important vitamin or mineral are the little demons missing that make them crave paper? I suppose I should be thankful that they don't crave gasoline and aren't out trying to siphon my tank to quench their unholy thirst.

So, maybe I'll get a little more adventurous during this holiday weekend...I'm taking off on Friday to have a 4-day weekend, so surely I can cook something halfway interesting, can't I?

The New Favorite Vegetable

"I think Brussels sprouts might be my new favorite vegetable," says The Man. I am still on the fence about this, because macaroni and cheese is my favorite vegetable...wait, are you saying that mac and cheese is NOT a vegetable? Ha! Tell that to generations of Southern cooks and purveyors of the classic "meat and 3" cafe offerings...mac and cheese are always on the vegetable side of the menu.

(Actually, I'm not sure I have a favorite vegetable...one that I prize above all others. I like just about all veggies, especially vine-ripened tomatoes...which aren't really vegetables, but fruit, so go figure.)

To recover from the trauma of the sardines, I sort of went all out in the comfort food direction for Tuesday night's dinner. Those lovely Berkshire pork chops, a creamy Parmesan risotto (yes, it was from a box, but it was still good!), and the baby Brussels sprouts sauteed with butter and bacon. I even gave Mark Bittman the chance to redeem himself with the pork chops...still not forgiving him for the vinegar pork roast.

The problem with grilled pork chops, as my buddy Mr. Bittman says, is that they get dry, and it's because American pork has been bred to be leaner, yadda, yadda. Hence the whole brining thing. But, he says no matter that they have the propensity to get dry, he likes the taste of grilled pork chops and makes and eats them anyway. He's come up with some tips and tricks to try and keep them moist and flavorful...the foremost trick is to get a pork chop that's at least 1-inch thick, because the thinner ones will cook fast and are more prone to dryness.

Behold the Berkshire pork chops from the farmer's market...the $11.99/pound pork chops from the farmers market, which were worth every single penny we paid for them. They were like small pork roasts, and the flavor was amazing. (I forgot to take before shots, but the after shot is pretty sweet, don't you think?)

Bittman suggested that you bring the pork to room temp as you preheat the grill. Then, generously season your chops with salt and pepper, slather them with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and throw a tablespoon or so of lemon juice on them right before putting them on the grill.

Sear them on the hottest part of the grill for about 2 minutes on both sides, then move to a cooler section and cook for about 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of the chops. After they have finished cooking (use a meat thermometer to test the temperature--needs to be about 140 degrees F for medium--pull them off, drizzle a little olive oil over them, and let them rest for a few minutes before serving.

Back to the sprouts...Brussels sprouts have never been high on my list of things to eat. Many times, while on the road, I was asked by my project team what I wanted for lunch. My standard answer was "I eat anything except canned tuna, liver, and Brussels sprouts, so if we could avoid the All Canned Tuna-Liver-Brussels Sprouts Cafe, I'll be fine."

It's not that I don't want to like Brussels sprouts, because I do...they are such wee tiny cute veggies--sort of the Pop'ables of the vegetable food group. (Unfortunately, it seems that Pop'ables have been discontinued...I really liked the Reese's Peanut Butter ones.) But, I've never been able to get past the bitter, overcooked cabbagey taste of them...probably because most of the ones I've ever had have been old and overcooked.

(I also feel the same way about kumquats. They're cute, so they should be tasty. I've not had one in decades, but I vividly remember NOT liking them at all, and feeling very duped when I tried them. Because, they look like miniature oranges and should taste like miniature oranges, is probably what my child mind was thinking, and it was a cruel, cruel joke that they did not. Damn the universe for being so unfair!!)

Enter the bacon. Just about everything on the planet is better with bacon, and what's not better with bacon just needs cheese or chocolate. We have about a half pound of Nueske's bacon left in the freezer from an extremely thoughtful holiday gift that The Man received from my friend Tessa. It is some damn fine bacon.

I chopped 3-4 slices up and sauteed them to render the fat and get them crispy. I put the bits on paper towels to drain, and set the pan with the bacon fat aside while I worked on the sprouts. While the bacon was cooking, I put a small pot of water on to boil. Then, I pared off the tough bottom core of the sprouts and removed the outer couple of leaves, which sort of came off when I cut off the core. Then, with my paring knife, I made an "X" in the bottom of each one, not going all the way through, to facilitate the blanching. I popped them into the boiling water for 5-6 minutes, then pulled them out and plopped them into an ice water bath to "shock" them and stop the cooking.

After they had cooled, I patted them dry and cut them in half. I heated the bacon fat back up and added a tablespoon of unsalted butter, then sauteed the Brussels sprout halves until they started to caramelize a little bit. And, you know what? They weren't bitter and were darn tasty, if I do say so myself. I'm wondering now if I can use the bigger fresh ones and get the same result by blanching and then sauteeing, or if it really has more to do with the size. I'll keep you posted.

Here's a cool blog post with pictures of Brussels sprouts in progress--very interesting--plus a recipe for Brussels sprouts with lemon-mustard sauce, which I think I might try in the next week or so.

I'm still wary of the kumquats, though...but, maybe, just maybe they will surprise my adult self, and we'll find out they aren't Satan's Citrus after all.

The Sardines & I

Or, the things we do for love...

Food Network is simultaneously one of the best and the worst things in my life. The best things about it include introducing the masses to folks like Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain, along with some fun shows like Iron Chef. Some of the worst are anything with that Guy Fieri dude (OMG--the hair! the "dudeness!"...it boggles the mind) and of course, Semi-Ho-made Sandra Lee.

Now, I love, love, love Mario. Notwithstanding that he sort of looks like someone who I'd cross an ocean not to ever see again...but, still, I like him. I admire his passion for food, which was very evident during Molto Mario and the show where he ate his way across Italy (lucky bastard!), and he really introduced us to the joys of Italian food that weren't all meatballs and red sauce. (Note: am in no way knocking meatballs or red sauce!)

Once or twice, he's mentioned fresh sardines grilled with a little olive oil, and he made them look and sound like they would be the best things on earth...if you were only sitting in his studio kitchen.

Sunday afternoon, after gallivanting around ye olde Renaissance Festival, we swing by our old stomping grounds at the international farmer's market to pick up some fresh veggies, spices, cheese, and cured Italian meats.

We're looking at the fish cases, and The Man spies fresh sardines and gets a wild hair that he wants to try them. I start rueing the day Molto Mario ever hit the airwaves. Sure, Honey, I think...I want to try them too, but IN ITALY! And, prepared by someone else...that goes without saying, doesn't it?

He makes noises like he will assist me with "dealing with the fishies," but we all know who is going to "deal," don't we? (Yes, you did...you know you did, dear.)

And, did I mention that I really hated the days we cleaned fish in class? I'm sure I did.

So, I spent part of that evening researching how to cook the damnthings. Mario is no help. In both the books I have, Molto Mario and Simple Italian Food, he wants me to whack up a bunch of colored peppers and make a pepperonada to go with the silvery little demon fish. Like I'm wasting perfectly good peppers and onions on this experiment...ha!

I even consulted Mark "How to Cook Everything, even though I made you ruin a perfectly good pork roast" Bittman, and he fared no better than Mario.

So, as I type now, trying to recover from the trauma of actually severing their little fish heads and scooping out their little fish guts, I am torn. Torn between thinking that these damn things better be the best dish I've ever made, and if they really are that great, The Man will want them again. Oh, the agony.

(You know I have back-up dinner, don't you? Some nice grilled Italian sausages and my new favorite pasta. Someone's cuisine is gonna "reign supreme" here.)

At the best of times, I want to stay as far away from sardines as I possibly can. They really aren't for me, period. I'm working my way into anchovydom, because I like the depth that anchovy paste can give to certain dishes. I just cannot feel the love for sardines...can't do it.
(I'm reserving the right to rescind my dislike for sardines if I 1) find myself in Italy, dining at a seaside cafe; or 2) am sitting in front of Mario Batali, who is cooking for me...I would probably try damn near anything he put on a plate, a skewer, etc.)

The good news is that I managed to successfully skewer and grill the sardines, with only a few minor mishaps...one of them did not want to leave the grill intact. Nothing quite like the smell of burning sardine, let me tell you.

The even better news is that they were kinda so-so, and I'm thinking they won't be in my regular dinner rotation during this decade or the next. Whew!

But, I am (maybe) a wee bit saddened, since sardines are chock full of nutrients, protein, omega-3 fatty acid, and they were cheap! Like .99/pound cheap. But, cheap just can't cut the taste for me. Plus, I was really having a hard time cleaning the little buggers. I'm not usually grossed out by food preparation, but this was just plain yucky, with a capital "Y."

I shall make up for the indignities of this evening with tonight's dinner. The farmer's market carries Berkshire pork products, and we scored some lovely pork chops that looked good enough to eat straight from the meat case.

And, in a radical, radical departure for us, I am going to make Brussel sprouts as the side dish. When we were at Epcot in December, we had a meal somewhere that included the tiniest Brussel sprouts, which were so very good that we started to change our minds about sprouts...they were probably sauteed in bacon, which contributed to their tastiness, but whatever!

The farmer's market had some of these cute little beasties, so I picked out the tiniest ones and am gonna give it a whirl. I will admit that no matter what, I will probably like the sprouts waaaaay better than I like sardines...way better.

With some fava beans...

...and a nice Chianti.

Well, I subbed in chardonnay, because that was what I had on hand, but we did have the fava beans. First time I have ever tried them, and you know what? They tasted a lot like lima or butter beans…just browner, if that makes sense.

I had this can of them knocking around in the pantry, just waiting for the perfect dish, and seeing as how I hate liver, it wasn’t going to be that dish.

I decided to use the fava beans along with some canellini (white kidney) beans in this recipe--Tuscan-Style Chicken with Italian Sautéed Beans, which I swiped from the Publix Aprons recipes and made a few minor adjustments.

Tuscan-Style Chicken

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded to an even thickness.
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1 bag fresh baby spinach leaves (5–6 oz)
1 cup fresh pre-sliced mushrooms (rinsed)
1 (14.5-ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes (undrained)
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese


Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place chicken between 2 pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap and gently pound to an even thickness.

2. Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.

3. Place oil in pan; swirl to coat. Arrange chicken in pan; cook 3–4 minutes on one side or until lightly browned.

4. Remove chicken to an ovenproof dish and place in oven to finish cooking. Sauté mushrooms until browned, and add remaining ingredients to pan (except cheese). Cover and cook 4–5 minutes or until spinach wilts. Meanwhile, slice mozzarella thinly.

5. Add chicken back to pan, and remove pan from heat. Top chicken with cheese slices; cover and let stand 2–3 minutes or until cheese melts.

Italian Sautéed Beans

Ingredients

1/2 cup roasted red peppers
5 fresh garlic cloves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 (19-ounce) cans cannellini beans (drained and rinsed), (or a combination of beans—white and dark red kidney or fava)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 fresh basil leaves (rinsed)

Procedure

1. Cut peppers into 1/4-inch slices. Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Chop garlic coarsely.

2. Place oil in pan; swirl to coat. Add garlic, peppers, and remaining ingredients (except basil); cook 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until beans are thoroughly heated. While beans cook, stack basil leaves and roll tightly; slice thinly into fine ribbons (chiffonade).

3. Stir in basil; cook 1–2 more minutes or until fragrant. Serve.

The original recipe called for using chicken cutlets and sort of cooking the chicken and other ingredients all together. I had the breasts on hand, so I pounded them out, but I still felt they were too thick to completely cook in the pan...possible pan overcrowding, but hey, why not use the oven to finish? It wasn't busy...

This dish also got better the next day, because we had it for leftovers with a salad, plus I had a portion the day after that for lunch. The flavors really melded together well, and even though I'm not a big lima bean fan, the favas weren't bad. And, you know you've always been curious about them since you saw Silence of the Lambs. I thought this was an interesting tidbit from the SotL Trivia section on IMDB:

Note Lecter's mention of having consumed a victim's liver with, specifically, fava beans and chianti. Liver, fava beans, and wine all contain a substance called tyramine, which can kill you if you're talking a certain class of antidepressant drugs known as MAO inhibitors. MAO inhibitors were the first antidepressant drugs developed, and were used primarily on patients in mental institutions... and Lecter both worked in, and was committed to, a mental institution.

Nothing like eating things that can kill you, or at least drive you crazy. All the creepy stuff aside, try this dish--it's quick and tasty, and best of all, it can be served to census takers!

“I do wish we could blog longer, but... I'm having an old friend for dinner.”

Deep in the heart of Texas...or maybe it's the Kidney of Texas

Spent the last week back in Texas, about an hour north of Austin. Road construction around the area I was in made it prohibitive to try and go back to Austin to explore after a hard day of wearing dress shoes and training software, so I stuck around town and ate local.

So, what does one eat while in a small Texas town? Well, gotta have some Mexican food or Tex-Mex, for sure. You can't get away from it. And, there's always Chicken Fried Steak, which may be the Texas State Dish, or pretty close to it. Of course, when you are training, there's always a trip to a Chinese buffet of dubious nature. Luckily, this one was small and not the 1,000 item extravaganzas with weird, non-Chinese food things...like chicken fingers and weird Jell-o concoctions. This place replenished their offerings often, and never put too many items out at a time. I did go to a little cafe and had the Chicken Fried Steak lunch special, and where I got a piece of lattice-crusted apricot pie. That was definitely a "worth the calories" day.

And then, after a long hard day of yakking my fool head off, I needed a beer and these things: White Wings. Looks like a tennis ball wrapped in bacon and deep-fried, doesn't it? That was about the size of the thing, but it was most definitely NOT a tennis ball.

These bacony delights were chicken breast that had been pounded thin, sprinkled with Monterey Jack cheese and diced jalapenos, then rolled up, wrapped in bacon, and deep fried to a crispy, molten center goodness. The ladies that I was with said they made their own at home, all the time, and grilled them. They made them smaller...more like golf ball sized...and used fresh jalapenos instead. That sounds pretty awesome, and I'll be throwing that on the list for summer grilling.

Okay, I must tell you about my new favorite pasta. It's from the March 2007 issue of Bon Appetit, which I have and the "why I didn't see it there to begin with," I'm just going to ignore. Anyway, it popped up on this Epicurious recipe gadget that I have on my iGoogle page, and I clicked on it to have a look. It's seems pretty healthy, and I made some modifications to it, pretty much based on what I happened to have in the house at the time, and it's now my new favorite thing to eat. Heck, I had it for breakfast this morning...yes, The Man is out of town to visit his mom and step-dad, who had surgery today. He's fine, but will probably be pretty achy and sore for the next couple of weeks. So, as usual, when left to fend for myself, I tend to make a large batch of something and eat off it for days. And, I'm thinking that this is also a good summer grilling side dish, too.

Campanelle with Tomatoes and Feta

Adapted from Bon Appétit | March 2007

8 ounces campanelle (trumpet-shaped pasta) or fusilli (spiral-shaped pasta)

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3-6 green onions, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1-2 pint whole grape tomatoes

1 10-oz bag fresh spinach

1 container (~4 oz) crumbled feta cheese

Procedure:

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, while the pasta cooks, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large skillet over high
heat. Add green onions, garlic, and all tomatoes; sauté until tomatoes begin to soften and collapse, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Drain pasta. Return to pot. Add tomato mixture, spinach, and remaining 3
tablespoons olive oil; toss until spinach begins to wilt. Add feta cheese and stir until it starts to get creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to plates and serve.

The first time I made this, I had a quart-sized container of grape tomatoes that were starting to get a little wrinkly, which made them sweeter, and really rocked this dish. The feta also gives it enough cheesy creaminess that makes me not miss throwing a ton of Parmesan in, and I think the 4 oz is enough--the original recipe calls for 7, which I think is too much. (I know, pick your collective jaws up off the floor...I actually said something about there being too much cheese...I can hardly believe it myself.

I had grilled some chicken breasts to serve with it during one meal, and The Man was helping me get stuff off the grill while I was juggling something else...I think the washer was trying to overflow. He cut up the chicken, because he thought I was going to be adding it to the pasta, and what the heck--it worked out great, too.

Tonight though, I had asparagus...grilled asparagus. The Man doesn't like asparagus, so I don't usually make as a side dish...but it was on sale at Publix for $1.99/lb and that's just hard to pass up. I tossed it with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and grilled it. Fire is a great and wonderful thing, don't you know! I had visions of taking the leftover grilled asparagus and adding it to the above pasta dish for tomorrow's breakfast, but alas, there were no leftovers.

(Someday, we'll have a whole discussion on my penchant for eating non-traditional breakfast foods for breakfast, but now, I've finally gotten sleepy enough to actually sleep...which is good, since I have to get up in 5 hours!)

Hola Taqueria, Batman!

The Man and I have been attempting to expand our local eating out options by trying a couple of local taquerias. With the large influx of Hispanics in the Southern U.S., it’s hard not to find a least 1 or 2 of these little places hanging out in strip shopping centers in every town.

Being the curious type, I’ve sort of been warily circling these places…like some sort of great gringo shark, I guess…and trying to find out what the deal is and the whole "etiquette," if you will, of eating in one of these places.

I know that tacquerias serve more authentic food that your local Big Gaudy Mexican chain restaurant (BGMCR), even if your BGMCR is sort of a locally owned chain, owned by actual Hispanic peoples. And, I’m not totally knocking the BGMCR, because I truly loved Rio Bravo, even though they were once owned by the hated Applebee's. They had this little corn soufflé garnish thing that was to die for!, and I was most sad when they pulled up stakes and moved out of the ATL. It looks like they are totally gone now...sniff.

In my Previous Life, i.e., the job from which I was “downsized,” I had the opportunity to travel to Puerto Rico to work with a customer. The Man went with me, and we had a really grand time roaming around the “other side” of Puerto Rico, i.e., the part that was not San Juan.

The first day I was on site with the customer, we were preparing to go to lunch. The head of the project on their side, a woman named Norma, offered up Quiznos, KFC, Subway, etc….all these franchise options. Who the hell would want to eat that, when I was essentially in a foreign country (foreign to me, at least, since I had never been to PR before)?

In no uncertain terms—well, I was polite about it—I told her that I wanted to eat local. That I wanted to eat what she would have eaten for lunch today, provided it wasn’t Quiznos, KFC, etc. She sort of reluctantly agreed, probably thinking it was a BAD IDEA, and that I would hate whatever we had to eat.

Norma took me to the PR equivalent of a “meat and three,” meaning a little local café that had a lunch menu that offered several entrees and a list of vegetables. If you are unfamiliar with this type of eatery, it’s usually found in small Southern towns and has the words “down home cooking” as part of their signage. You select one meat offering and 3 vegetables, and the meal usually comes with either a drink or dessert, or sometimes both.

The menu of course is in Spanish, of which I do not speak, much to my chagrin. I told Norma that I wanted pork, rice, and beans in some combination. She helped me puzzle out the many words for the pork preparations that were on the menu, and I essentially ended up with carnitas and rice with pigeon peas…and flan! After I had essentially licked the plate at the end of our meal, I think Norma decided that I was serious about eating local and would be worthy of a meal at a bigger and better café the next day, AND directions to a great place near the water for dinner.

So, the whole point of that story was the guidance I received from Norma in ordering in places where English is not the first language spoken, which is pretty normal in the tacquerias. You need to be armed with a smattering of knowledge about what “pastor” means (usually pork roasted on a spit), and know that if you order a torta, you are getting a sandwich, etc.

A couple of Saturdays ago, on our way out of town for the infamous Easter Brunch and Peep Spitting Contest, we stopped at a place that was highly recommended by some folks on our local online dining forum. It's part supermercado (super market) and part tacqueria, with a butcher counter and produce bins, along with many shelves of neatly arranged Hispanic products.

We each got a couple of tacos (I got the al pastor and the carne asada, and The Man got the al pastor and the pork skin (cuertos, I think...). They were great! And about a million light years away from Taco Hell (Bell). Little chunks of meat on small corn tortillas, with grilled onions a nd jalapenos, and an addition of a little fresh cilantro and some salsa from the salsa bar.

We sat on the tacqueria side, at a little bar that runs the length of the grill area. There were some fine looking chickens on a side grill, which had been spatchcocked and were slowly being roasted.

And, we got Mexican Coke! No, not *that* kind, but Coca Cola that had been bottled in Mexico and imported into the U.S. What makes this so "speshul," you ask? Pull up a chair and let me tell you. This Coke is made with cane sugar, like the Coke of my youth...none of that nasty corn syrup business, but pure, honest, refined cane sugar! (ha!!)

Here's an article with a little insight to the practice of "importing" Coke...you can also get Coke with sugar and not corn syrup around Passover. For some reason, high fructose corn syrup doesn't seem to be kosher. And, this article seems to say that high fructose corn syrup is way bad for you...just like everything else that tastes good.

We also tried another place last week. I got the Carne Asada plate to sort of compare the difference between it and what was offered at my favorite local family chain restaurant. It came with a generous helping of meat, some sort of nondescript scoop of rice and some pinto-ish beans. The beans had defnitely been cooked with lard, and it gave them a weird flavor. Not that I'm knocking the pork fat, but these beans were just blah. I know--whodathunkit? The carne asada was good, but the best part was the tortillas, which were made to order with my meal. Not just heated up for my meal, but actually pressed and cooked. These, my dears, were awesome. I'm usually not a big corn tortilla fan--probably based on all those years of consuming Old El Paso products.

This weekend, we went back to the first taqueria and had tacos for lunch. There were a couple of families and other folks who had big steaming bowls of a red soup that looked and smell scrumptious. I was dying to know what it was, and when I looked at the menu, it noted that the regular weekend specials were menudo and borrego. I know what menudo is--tripe soup with hominy, and I'm kind of up for trying it, but that big bowl is sort of daunting for a beginner.

I had The Man google up what borrego meant, and it means barbecued lamb, which piqued The Man's interest, but we stuck with the tacos. We're trying to be better on portion control and calorie counting, and I know I could have eat 6 of the tacos we had without blinking, because they were so good. I am going to work up the culinary courage to try the menudo soon, and I'll let you know how it goes. I'll learn the word for "smaller portion" and see if I can get a cup instead of a bowl.

There's a couple more places in town still left to try, and I'll let you know if we find anything truly noteworthy. So, if you have a little taqueria in your hometown, be brave and give it a whirl. Your tastebuds will thank you.

It's a matter of taste...or tasting

The Man and I sort of did a little post-Valentine's Day celebration on Friday night. We made reservations at our little chi-chi chef-owned joint and set out to have a verrrrry nice dinner. This place is one of those little gems that, while expensive, has been worth it. The staff have been well trained in the art of table service, and they seem to be rather knowledgeable about their menu and the ingredients.

It's been awhile since we ate there, and I remember that I was really pleased with our meal the last time, so I was really looking forward to dinner. Now, before you settle in with the popcorn and Coke in anticipation of a spiraling downward experience that ends badly for everyone, that's not really this post. This post is going to be more of me harping about perceptions and value. It's nowhere near the scale of the un-grilled vegetable grilled vegetable panini, but it's just something that's sort of stayed with me for the last few days.

The menu was small, which I like--we can kvetch about the size of the Cheesecake Factory's menu later--and there was an option to have a 5-course tasting menu for $55/person; $85/person with wine pairings. Which sounds like a lotta moola for a meal, but is also darn cheap for a tasting menu, not to mention a tasting menu with wine. We won't even talk about how much a tasting menu at The French Laundry will run you...like $240 for 9 courses...and no, that does not include wine pairings--that be extra.

But, even though I've never eaten at TFL, and may not ever, it's just sort of always held that penultimate place in my tiny pea brain that it would be the end all, be all of tasting menus, and by golly, it should set the standard for all other tasting menus...even though I've never tasted any of it. (I never said this was going to be a logical and rational post, but I'm hoping it sort of makes sense.)

I guess what I'm trying to get across is that I expect that a "tasting menu" will reflect the chef's philosophy on food and showcase some of the best ingredients and his or her best techniques. And, then there's the whole "you get what you pay for" idea, too.

Anyway, the food was good, but overall, it wasn't a phenomenal meal. I don't think it held a candle to the meal we had the last time we were there...I remember a phenomenal Veal Osso Buco with a blue cheese risotto that had me practically licked the plate while finishing it.

We started with Billi Bi, a lovely seafood soup, so hope was high. It was creamy, loaded with mussels, and most tasty, and came with a lovely champagne pour. It's really hard not to like champagne, and I just always feel very decadent when I drink it...it's like the onomatopoeia for celebration. (Yeah, that was a stretch, but how often do you get to use onomatopoeia outside of an English class?)

The next course was the salad, which was nothing spectacular. Some baby greens, a few pine nuts, and a shallot-bacon dressing. Nothing memorable...just a salad.

The fish course was a roasted tilapia over some creamy grits, and it was very tasty. Tilapia always seems to be the tofu of fish--it's white, mild, and pairs well with just about any flavoring, seasoning, and cooking method. It was crispy yet flaky and moist...and the grits were divine. I love grits...I like them with a ton of butter for breakfast. Add a little bacon and cheese, and I'm in heaven. Shrimp and grits is a fine and wonderful Low Country dish, and I'm always happy to see any sort of cheesy grits as a side dish in any restaurant. I swear that I had the best breakfast grits in a Colorado Springs hotel--they were perfectly cooked, salted, and buttered. I figured they had some displaced Southern chained up in the kitchen.

The entree was pork loin....which was good, and one of the things that The Man was considering ordering to begin with, but I guess my problem with it as the entree was that it wasn't anything different from what was on the regular menu. It was one of the less expensive items on the menu, as well, so I don't feel like it was something created special for the tasting menu. And, it did not help that as the intermezzo, to cleanse the ol' palate, we were served a scoop of mango sorbet that was Haagen Daaz. Not knocking the HD, but please...how hard is it to make your own sorbet? It was too sweet to be a palate cleanser, which is why I know darn well it was HD.

I guess I should have listened more carefully when our waiter said that they had created this tasting menu as a Valentine's special the day before. It just seemed to me that it was the tasting menu for the masses, if you know what I mean. If I had shown up on VD and gotten this as a "special" for the day, that would have been fine. I know that VD is a day that servers hate the most, because it brings everyone out of the woodwork, and they all want the mostest speshulest dining experience. Which is one of the reasons we went with the day after for our little celebration. Just a little disappointed...but it's not like I've never experienced a disappointing Valentine's holiday before...comes with the gender, I guess.

The thing that saved the evening was dessert. We got a rectangular plate of 3 mini-desserts, which is something I wish more restaurants would do. Sometimes, I want a little something sweet at the end of the meal, but I don't want to commit to the Chocolate Hurricane Avalanche Overload Surprise with 2 scoops of ice cream. Sometimes, I just want a wee tiny bite of somethin'-somethin' that's not an Andes mint. So, there was 2-3 truffles, something in the middle that I, for the life of me, cannot remember, and this little miniature Pavlova with some fresh fruit.

At the beginning of the meal, the waiter had asked if there was anything we did not like (Brussels sprouts are high on that list), and if we had any allergies. The Man is allergic to almonds and peanuts. He can eat other nuts, as in don't get in the way of him and a bag of pistachios, but those 2 give him some issues. Waiter says that he will note it on the ticket.

The Man eats the truffles, and says, "that one had peanut butter in it." I'm thinking that this might actually be the one that does send him over the edge and into an anaphylactic reaction, but thank goodness no. He does mention it to the waiter, who apologizes all over himself, but seriously, if The Man had been a person who was highly reactive, we would have finished dessert in an ambulance. And, I guess I thought that the chef or pastry chef would have come out to apologize as well.

The little individual Pavlova was a work of dessert art. It was a little meringue crown filled with whipped cream and blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries that had been macerated in something. It was sweet, crispy, and melt-in-your mouth. Quite a different experience from those goofy meringue cookies that were the fat-free rage over the last 3-4 years.

The funniest thing that happened was one of the wait staff cleared our table after the fish course...I mean completely cleared it as in the "you're done with dinner and have opted not to take dessert" kind of cleared. It was amusing to watch them scramble around to reset us for the last 2 courses.

Anyway, this has degenerated in some rambling crap now, and I think I might have totally lost the whole point of this diatribe, to boot. Oh, the kicker--we figured out that we would have been much better off ordering full apps, entrees, and desserts, price-wise. Isn't that a hoot?

100 Drumsticks

Of the chicken, 100 calorie variety.

Yep, giving the old 100 calorie cookbook another whirl tonight...I know, I know, it's Valentine's Day, so I should be doing something a little more decadent.

Except that The Man is taking a class, which meets tonight, so he won't be home until around 10. So, that means uninterrupted viewing of Lost, and that I already ate an Italian sausage, some cheese, pretzel chips, some hummus, and 2 Ladybugs...just call me The Snackmaster, or maybe the Snack Mistress?

You know, I'm not sure who this Nikki chick is, or why she makes cookies,

and why she thought "Ladybugs" was a good name for this cookie, but I don't care. These cookies come straight from Satan's workshop, and I'm glad I only had 2. Otherwise, you might find me too large to actually fit through the front door.

(Okay, Nikki's bio just kills me...she's baking cookies in a log cabin in the Wisconsin woods...too damn artisanal for words. Makes me want to start scouring the real estate ads for Vermont farmland where I can have some wee tiny goats and cute little cows and produce fantastic cheeses, while stomping around in homespun and Birkenstocks. I am in no way knocking this lifestyle, because I am extremely jealous of this lifestyle and the courage it takes to chuck it all and go do it. And, then there's the recipe for a cheesecake made with these Ladybug cookies...not that I'm sure I could sacrifice 8 of these cookies for the cheesecake.)

So, back to the chicken... The "sauce" is rather odd and very thin. The picture in the cookbook shows some skinless drumsticks that look vaguely glazed with something, but not a lot of "something." And, they look browner than what I'm seeing in my oven...there's a lot of liquid that goes over this chicken.

Barbecued Chicken

4 servings, ~99 calories

4 chicken drumsticks, about 3.5 oz each, skinned

1 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley

Lemon wedges

For the sauce:

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp tomato paste

2/3 cup water

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp prepared mustard (I used a spicy deli-style one)

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Procedure

1. Whisk the tomato paste into the water, then add the shallot, garlic, red wine vinegar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk until well blended.

2. Rinse the drumsticks and pat dry with paper towels. Place the drumsticks in a large ovenproof dish (I used a small retangular Pyrex baking dish and sprayed it with a little cooking spray). Pour the sauce over the drumsticks and let stand for at least 2 hours, occasionally spooning sauce over the chicken. (I did this in the fridge, even though the book doesn't mention that part...no salmonella for this chick.)

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cook the chicken drumsticks in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. Spoon sauce over chicken or turn drumsticks over during cooking.

4. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with parsley, garnish with lemon wedges. Serve with a tossed salad.

(Okay, some whack stuff is happening on Lost...these flash forwards/backwards are really getting to me...especially the one that has Sayid in a tuxedo...and play golf. Who would have thunk that a man could look so damned hot while playing golf? I think I need a fan and another cookie.)

Chicken? What chicken? Oh, alright...I'll try and stay on topic. The drumsticks were okay...not anything to really write home about, but I'm betting you can get picky eaters and children to eat them. I thought they needed salt, so I'd add a little salt and pepper to the sauce or the chicken itself before saucing and baking.

(And, don't think I didn't notice that it's 99 calories per drumstick...that seems a little misleading, don'tcha think? Although, if you eat 4, then it's only 400 calories...still better than a Big Mac.)

I came home with the great intentions of baking a cake, too...and not just any cake, but a Red Velvet Pound Cake...Red. Velvet. Pound Cake. I'm thinking this will literally be a slice of heaven that goes straight to your "problem areas." But, I got all involved in Sayid and his tuxedo and the weirdness that is the Island and these drumsticks, so I punted it for the evening. I am planning on an attempt this weekend, so I'll let you know how that goes...especially since I've never actually made a pound cake. Oughta be fun, don't ya think?!

The Butterfly Chicken Dance

Lately, I've not really been cooking in a challenging way. I've been slacking off in meal preparation, preferring to take the easy route and do the bare minimum. Which, of course, gives me NO blog fodder at all, so I guess I'd better step back up to the plate or at least to the cutting board.

The February issue of Bon Appétit appeared in my mailbox, and I finally get around to perusing through it. (Look--it's the "Green Issue"! but, we're going to pack it with some "feel good" food as well. I'm still getting used to the new, "hipper" format of the magazine, so I'm not going to pass judgement on that for a couple more issues. As long as they keep the RSVP column, where readers request restaurant recipes, I'll be happy. Plus, this issue has Pierce Brosnan on the back page. Now, that is what I call "yumm-o"!)

"The Earth Friendly Dinner Party" sort of catches my eye, but the pictures of Fennel and Turnip Crudites with Fennel Salt, Butternut Squash and Sage Soup with Sage Breadcrumbs turn me right off. Seriously, who the hell has time to make something with 15 words in the title? And, it's just the first course.

The Sautéed Kale with Smoked Paprika does catch my eye, because I'm always looking for ways to use that smoked paprika that I lurve so much. That might be a good thing, so I dog-ear that page.

I think no more about this dinner article until I get to a new section, entitled Prep School. The first illustration is of how to properly butterfly a whole chicken. Hmm, I think to myself, *this* is interesting...I'd never thought about butterflying a whole chicken for roasting...not that it's a totally uncommon thing, but it really had never crossed my little pea brain. I read a little more and discover that this technique goes with the Roast Chicken with Rosemary-Garlic Paste from the Earth Friendly Dinner...which I had totally missed, because the recipe was tucked away on the inner colum of the page, close to the staple.

Flipping back to page 98, I read the recipe, which involves making a paste of fresh rosemary, garlic, and olive oil and rubbing under the skin and over the entire chicken. Well now, not sure why this is "earth friendly," but it sounds pretty Poodlevania friendly.

For all my angst over cutting up a whole chicken, butterflying one gave me no problems. Got out the handy dandy kitchen shears and followed the directions:

Butterflying a Chicken

1. Put the chicken, breast side down, on your cutting board. Starting at one end, cut down one side of the backbone, staying as close to the bone as possible. It may take a little effort to cut through the ribs, so good kitchen shears are essential. Don't try this with a regular chef knife, because I sense that method to be just fraught, fraught I tell you, with danger. A trip to the emergency room would possibly be in your future.

2. Cut along the other side of the back bone and remove it. You could do the responsible thing and freeze it to use at another time for soup or stock...which is what I'm doing with the best of intentions of actually using it, but it may not happen. And, I'm okay with that.

3. Splay (don't you just love that word!) the chicken open like a book, and then flip it over so that it is skin side up.

4. Flatten the chicken with the heels of both hands, using your body weight to bear down on the breastbone and ribs.


Pretty darn easy, if I do say so myself. This technique should allow the chicken to cook faster and more evenly. I whipped up the rosemary-garlic paste...which I modified somewhat, because I had no juniper berries, and I added some fresh thyme, because I had it. And doubled the garlic, because...well, why not? A little extra garlic never hurt a roasted chicken.

(Here's a link to a YouTube video on butterflying or spatchcocking (another great word!) a whole chicken The guy doing the demo goes into a little more depth with his butterflying than I did--I didn't remove that cartilage piece or tuck the wings and it worked out just fine.)

I decided to serve it with some skin-on mashed potatoes and the Sautéed Kale with Smoked Paprika. The chicken cooked in about 5o minutes, which is less time than it normally takes, so that was good. And, all of the skin got crispy, which is most definitely a good thing. Unfortunately, we were pretty hungry, so I forgot to take a picture of it when it came out of the oven. It was a thing of poultry beauty, though.

The Sautéed Kale with Smoked Paprika rocked! It was the star of the meal and stole the show from the chicken. Heating up the smoked paprika unleashed even more of its smoky goodness, which is never a bad thing. I highly recommend finding some if you can. If you can't, let me know and maybe I can score some for you. : )

The Rosemary-Garlic paste for the chicken had a little too much rosemary for my taste. And, that was probably my fault, because I just stripped leaves until I thought I had the amount that the recipe listed. Rosemary is one of those herbs that can be a little overpowering to my palate, and a little goes a long way. I added some fresh thyme to the mix as well, and I'm thinking that when I do this again (and I most definitely will), I'll forego the rosemary and just use thyme. That's what's cool about about this type of recipe--the tweakability of it. Rosemary, no rosemary. Add some thyme, use all thyme. This would be great as the the 40 Cloves of Garlic Chicken, too.

Sautéed Kale with Smoked Paprika
(adapted from Bon Appétit, February 2008)

8 cups (packed) kale, center ribs and stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped (from about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sweet or hot smoked paprika*
Generous pinch of dried crushed red pepper

Procedure:

1. Cook kale in large pot of boiling salted water until wilted, about 5 minutes. Transfer to colander and drain.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika and crushed red pepper; sprinkle with salt. Add kale and sauté until heated through, about 4 minutes.

3. Season to taste with salt and pepper and more smoked paprika, if desired. Transfer to serving bowl; drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and serve.

Now, go forth and cook something!

Real Men Do Love Quiche...

At least the one in my house does. I've never seen anyone get as excited about quiche as The Man does. He specifically asked me if we were having quiche on Wednesday, after I had mentioned making it this week while scratching out the grocery list on Sunday in my plague-induced fog. (Yes, what is there to love about a sinus infection? Especially one that affects your equilibrium so much that you are pretty much a spot-on Captain Jack Sparrow impersonator.)

It was weird not going to the grocery store for myself. I felt very incomplete and uncomfortable at the thought of not doing my own shopping...but I wasn't moving off the couch for love nor produce at that point. Besides, who likes to follow someone through the market who is sneezing and snorting and generally making all sort of icky liquidy sounds? Anyway, I got over it, even though it seems I need to give The Man a lesson herb identification. I asked for some fresh thyme and got sage, but it didn't really matter, because the dish turned out kind of icky anyway. (And, I know, I 'm weird because I adore grocery shopping...it's my favorite kind of shopping, even surpassing shoes, and I will cheerfully go multiple times in the week if necessary. Besides, if you haven't figured out by now that I'm weird, you might need to read some older posts!)

We have sort of resolved to eat better (i.e. healthier) this year, so I dragged out my "healthy" cookbooks to get some ideas. There was a recipe for some broiled pork chops with cooked apples that sounded good, so I put those ingredients on the list. Forgot part of the ingredients for the "with cooked apples" part (no, not the apples!), so I decided to punt the apples portion. I was sick, I didn't really care too much about what I was eating, just knew I needed to eat something besides hot Tang. (Don't laugh...it's actually kind of tasty when you are sick. And, if it's good enough for astronauts...)

The spice rub for the pork chops called for paprika, salt, pepper, dried thyme, and a little allspice. The allspice sooooo did not work with this at all, or at least to my Tanged-out tastebuds. The Man said it was fine, but to me, there was some sort of unholy wang to my beloved pig, and I just wasn't happy with the entire meal as a result. (I know, why was I cooking when I was sick? I had to do something to get off the couch that day, so cooking was it. I was starting to feel like Kirk and the tribbles, because I was comatose on the couch with poodles all on top of me for hours.)

Rambling on now to the actual topic of this post--the quiche in question. I put eggs and a pie crust on the list, because I sure as heck wasn't making my own pie crust, and The Man wanted to know if I was baking a pie. When I said "quiche," he really did get excited and wanted to know when we were having it. And, on Wednesday, he called me and asked if we were having quiche for dinner that night.

Quiche really is simple to make, and I think it's a great meal for any time--breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A few eggs, some cream, a few other ingredients, cheese, and viola! Tasty good stuff. We made Quiche Lorraine in Pantry class, which classically, is bacon, cream, and eggs--no cheese. Why the hell they left out cheese, when the French never seemed to shy away from anything with fat in it, is a mystery to me.

Our neighbors, B&G, keep a small flock of hens in their backyard. (We live in the county; they can do that. The Man is eternally afraid that I will insist on installing a goat or llama in our backyard because "we live in the county.") In the spring, they are inundated with eggs, when "the girls" get back on schedule, and G is most gracious about sharing them with us. They were so prolific last year, that I was making quiche on a weekly basis, and cobbled together this recipe from conglomeration of several different ones

Bacon-Spinach-Mushroom Quiche

Serves 4 (or 1 Man with a small slice for you, if you are lucky!) : )

6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups cream (heavy or light--your preference, or you can use half-and-half)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup shredded cheese Cheddar or Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 deep-dish pie crust

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place pie crust in pie pan.

Combine eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper (I usually just eyeball the amount of pepper) in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to blend. Add in the crumbled bacon, chopped spinach, 3/4 cup Swiss cheese, 3/4 cup other cheese (I usually use Parm), and the sliced mushrooms.

Pour egg mixture in to the pie crust and sprinkle with the reserve 1/4 cups of cheese. Bake for 34-45 minutes, or until set. Check after 30 minutes or so to make sure the edges of the crust aren't too brown. (I have a handy dandy pie crust shield to alleviate this problem...works much better than me trying to construct one out of tin foil and being increasingly frustrated because I cannot make a circle!!! Plus, my poor pie crust edges need all the help they can get. I cannot flute to save my life...I'm always making "rustic" quiches.)

Let the quiche set for 5-10 minutes and cut into wedges and serve.

This quiche doesn't exactly fall into the "eat healthier" realm, but it could very easily. You could chunk the bacon, use the half-and-half instead of cream, and more veggies. You might be able to use lower fat milk as well, but I'd probably reduce that to 1 cup and you might have to cook the quiche a little longer at a lower temp.

Anyway, I'm almost recovered from the snot monster of love, and am planning next week's meals. No more pork chops with allspice, for sure!

Why do I always pick the complicated one?

It never fails...if there is a recipe in the cookbook that takes for freakin' ever, involves a minimum of 47 steps, and I plan to do it on a weeknight, then all my carefully laid plans on getting it done will go directly out the window.

And, then I'll forget a step or two, so it's going to be a crap shoot on how it turns out. (Beats head on counter)

In case you haven't noticed, I kinda didn't make it through the whole "cook from a cookbook every day this week" phase...so, no bestselling book from a blog for me, a la Julie and Julia, but, I did finally do a recipe out of Rick Bayless' Mexico One Plate at a Time.

(Julie and Julia is pretty funny; I listened to it as an audiobook, read by the author, which I think really worked for it as an experience. IAnd, I was listening to it every morning on my way to that first quarter of culinary school. It makes me consider, every once in an extremely great while, doing something similar (like last week's postings), but then I'm not sure I have the same level of commitment...or commitability, as in to the funny farm, as she did. However, she did get a best seller, which has been optioned for a movie with Meryl Streep playing Julia Child, out of her insanity. Meryl. Streep. This is what all bloggers secretly aspire to...book deal, with the cherry on top movie deal. Hey Hollywood--call meeee!)

Without further ado, I present the craziness that is Rick Bayless and his contemporary Mexican recipe:

Chicken-and-Mushroom-Stuffed Chiles with Tomatoes and Cream

4 1/5 Tbs extra virgin olive oil, or vegetable oil
2 medium white onions, medium dice
Two 28-ounce cans good-quality whole tomatoes in juice, undrained
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups (about 4 oz) sliced stemmed flavorful mushrooms, like shiitakes
1 1/2 cups of whole kernel corn, either fresh or frozen
2 tsp cider vinegar
3 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken (can used rotisserie or smoked chicken)
1 cup, pack, thinly sliced spinach
or
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt
1 cup chicken or beef broth
8 medium (about 1 1/2 lbs) fresh poblano chiles, not twisted or deeply indented, preferably with long stems
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

(A word of advice: get your mise en place together before you start...trust me on this one.)

Procedure

1. The Sauce and Filling Base. In a medium-large (4-qt) sauce pan, heat 3 Tbs of the olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring regularly, until well browned; about 10 minutes. While onions are cooking, puree the undrained canned tomatoes in a blender or food processor, working in 2 batches if necessary.

When the onions are browned, raise heat to medium-high and add the tomato puree, cinnamon, and pepper. Stir regularly as the mixture boils, reducing to the consistency of thick tomato sauce; about 25 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. The Filling. In a large (10-12 inch) skillet, preferably non-stick, heat the remaining 1 1/2 Tbs of oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until the edges turn golden; about 5 minutes.

Stir in half of the tomato mixture, the corn, and vinegar, and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring until the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape. Stir in chicken and spinach or cilantro. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1 teaspoon. (Note from Me: I didn't find that the mixture was soupy at all, and the chicken seemed to absorb the sauce well, so I essentially just heated it up to temperature.)

3. The Tomato Sauce. Stir broth into the remaining tomato mixture. Partially cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes or so, while preparing the chiles. (Note from Me Again: This is the step that I completely forgot. I don't know where my brain was, but it completely skipped over this part. I think I was worried about getting on to the roasting of the chiles part, and I totally overlooked adding the chicken broth (and if I had poured it out earlier, it would have caught my eye, and I would have looked for it in the recipe.) So, it remains to be seen how this is going to turn out...the sauce is probably going to have a bit of a raw taste to it.)

4. Preparing the Chiles. (Yeah, I know...it's only 4 steps so far, but there's soooo many parts!!) Roast chiles directly over gas flame or on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, turning regularly, until skins have blistered and blackened on all sides. Be careful not to char the flesh, only the skin. Remove from heat and cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for 5 minutes. (Note from Me: You can also put them in a plastic bag and let them steam for a few minutes to finish loosening the skin. This charring and removing of the skin is a pain in the ass, but it is very necessary...again, trust me on this one.) Gently rub off the blackened skin, then cut an incision in the side of each one, starting 1/2 inch below the stem and going to within 1/2 inch of the tip. Work your fingers inside and carefully remove the seeds from inside the chiles, being careful not to rip the opening any wider; rinse off any stray bits of skin, and drain cut side down on paper towels. (You are wearing gloves, aren't you? You should so be wearing gloves. Yeah, yeah, poblanos are fairly mild, but go ahead, take your contacts out with those bare hands after you've been working with those chiles...I dare you.)

5. Stuffing and Baking the Chiles. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Fill each chile with about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture and reform it into its original shape, then lay seam side down in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Check the consistency of the tomato sauce; it should be medium-thick. If it is too thick, stir in a little water. If too thin, simmer briskly until thickened. Taste and season with salt; about 1 teaspoon.

Pour sauce over the chiles, covering them, then drizzle with cream. Bake until sauce is bubbling vigorously, and the cream is beginning to brown; about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve. Serves 4; 2 chiles per person.

(You can make this all in advance; refrigerate sauce, filling, and chiles separately. Stuff chiles, add sauce and cream, then bake just before ready to serve. If everything is cold, bake at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes.)

Whew! I'm worn out from just typing up the recipe...and you are thinking I am crazier by the minute as you read the recipe. When I pulled it out of the oven, I tasted the sauce, and it was a little flat...needed a little more saltiness. So, I added cheese and popped it under the broiler. I shredded some Asadero cheese, which is a good melting cheese...think of the white cheese dip at your local favorite Mexican restaurant. (Hey, when all else fails, why not add cheese?)

The overall consensus was the flavors were good, but was it worth the all the time and effort? Not really, and I don't think forgetting the chicken broth and simmering part really hurt the final product. The Man said he thought it would have worked just as well as an enchilada casserole and would have been way less work. I have to concur, and since I have some leftover filling, I'll be experimenting with the enchilada theory for lunch tomorrow...with lots of cheese.

Cheese, cheese, cheese...makes the world go round!

We'll be giving Adam or Fred his rib back now

Especially since it seems to take every damn pot and pan, not to mention colander, in the house to make braised short ribs.

They were tasty, but they were rather labor intensive.

Braised Short Ribs
from Comfort Cooking by Marian Barros

4 servings

4 lbs beef short ribs, each 2 inches square or flanken short ribs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 leek, white part only, trimmed and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 large sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 cups canned plum tomatoes, without juice from can
3/4 cup dry red wine
2 cups good quality beef stock

1. Place rack in lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

2. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Arrange bone side down in a roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Pour off fat from the pan. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F.

3. In a skillet, heat oil and saute onion over medium-high heat until it takes on color. Add carrot and leek and continue sauteing over medium heat until vegetables begin to soften.

4. Add garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and plum tomatoes, crushed in your hand before adding. Cook another couple of minutes over medium heat.

5. Add wine and cook a couple of minutes more over medium-high heat until reduced just a little. Spread the vegetable mixture over the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the ribs on top of the vegetables, bone side up. Add the hot beef stock, cover the pan with foil, and bring to a boil on top of the stove.

6. Loosen foil and place pan in the oven. Braise for about 1 1/2 hours. Ribs are done when the meat is falling off the bone. Test with a knife.

7. Drain liquid from the roasting pan and reserve. Turn the oven to 450 degrees F. Turn the ribs bone side down and return to the oven for about 10 minutes until they are dark brown.

8. Strain the vegetables, remove bay leaf, and press on the vegetables to extract all their flavor into the liquid. Allow to sit so the fat rises to th top. Skim off the fat and serve the ribs in the strained liquid.

About halfway through this "not so 30-minute meal," and since I had the wine already open, I poured myself a healthy slug, because I was going to need it to get through this mess.

I had consulted several cookbooks in my collection for recipes on how to cook these suckers, and most of them talked about "flanken" ribs, which in my mind sounds a lot like "planken," which makes me think of ribs that pirates eat. But, I digress.

Having no clue as to what "flanken" meant, I turned to the trusty Innernets and discover I do not have the flanken version, which looks like this:

Which were so not the ribs I had impulsively snatched out of the meat case on Sunday.

I thought maybe I had the English or Chuck short ribs, which are the next ones in line...

But, no, I had the plate version...you know, the ones this more fat and are therefore less desirable...damn impulse buys!






Try figuring out which way was "bone side down" versus "bone side up" on these puppies. I could have been making oxtails...which are just round instead of square, because...you know...they used to be the tail!!!

And, that step where you crush the plum tomatoes in your hand before you put them in the pan? Yeah, let's just blame it on the wine, shall we? Because no one in their right mind would grab a handful of the canned tomatoes, hold them over the saute pan and squeeze them, would they? By the end of this meal preparation, I looked like a body stand-in on CSI: Cordon Bleu.

I served these with buttered noodles and Wine-Steeped Greens ala Rachael Ray. (Hey, the wine was already opened! And, you gotta give props to a recipe that when you look it up, has the total ingredients of "alcohol, vegetables." What's not to love?)

Wine Steeped Greens

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 clove garlic, cracked from skin
1 1/4 pounds cleaned kale, 1 large bunch, trimmed and chopped
1 cup dry red wine
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons lemon zest, eyeball it

1. Heat a deep skillet over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, and garlic.

2. Cook garlic a couple of minutes while you chop kale then remove the clove. (I leave the garlic in...just don't burn it.) Crank heat up a notch them add greens to wilt them down, 2 to 3 minutes of turning is involved here. Add wine, salt, and pepper and reduce heat to simmer.

3. Steep the greens in wine 10 minutes, stir in zest then serve.

Notes: If the greens seem too bitter, I throw in a teaspoon or two of sugar. You can also use Swiss chard instead of kale, and I'm betting mustard or collard greens would be fine, too.

But, props to The Man, when he came in a looked at the mess in the strainer from "extracting all the liquid," and said, "Mirepoix, right?"

My work is done.

Too Many Cookbooks, Never Enough Time

Or, why the hell do I have all these? (Well, somewhat in my own defense, some of them were gifts.) (And don't get all excite by the picture...those really aren't mine...they're too well organized...but, I bet I have at least 1.5 of those shelves worth of cookbooks.)

I got all kinds of cookbooks--good ones, mediocre ones, probably some bad ones, some old ones (for the historical value!!), ones I had to have for a particular recipe that I saw when I flipped through the book in the bookstore and can't remember exactly which page it was...you know, all those cookbooks!

I've got books from which I've never cooked any recipes, so I'm going to try and rectify this. I'm going to try and cook a recipe each night this week from one of the cookbooks that I've never used before...starting tomorrow night, because I already blew it for tonight.

But, I did use a cookbook that I owned and not something I got online, Food Network, etc. I picked up this little cookbook in the bargain bin probably at Books-a-Million/Titles-a-Thousand, and I think I've only made this one recipe out of it, but I've made it a blue million times...it's a good cold weather starter...now that's finally gotten a little cooler around here. (But, as I flipped through it, I did see another one or two that I thought "hmm...I really should try that one...and that one, too.)

Pasta Fagioli

(from 50 Ways with Pasta by Katharine Blakemore with some modifications by me)

Serves 4-6

1 onion, diced
3 sticks celery, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
4-6 slices smoked streaky bacon, rinded and chopped
1 Tbs olive oil
5 cups beef stock
2 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 can white beans (navy or cannelloni), rinsed
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed
3-5 ounces ditalini pasta or other small pasta (I use more pasta, because I like more pasta)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedure

1. In a large sauce pot, sauté onions, celery, bacon in oil for approximately 5 minutes, until onions and celery are soft.
2. Add stock, dried oregano, bay leaves, and beans to pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Uncover and bring heat up to medium. Add pasta and cook for another 10 minutes until pasta is tender.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with the ubiquitous crusty bread.

The Man loves him some pasta fagioli, especially pasta fagioli that has bacon in it. I always put in the maximum amount of bacon I can, because more bacon = better in my book. The first time I made this recipe, I thought it was a little bland, so I kicked it up a bit and added the oregano, the bay leaf, and the garlic. I think it improved the recipe, if I do say so myself.

I promise tomorrow will be higher on the experimentation scale...I'm doing beef short ribs, which I have never cooked befores, so this should be interesting...very interesting.