Playing Catch Up

Yesterday I finally shared an update about our Thanksgiving and how tasty it was. Today is the rest of the highlights from the past month....

I made a yummy meatloaf. Except I think I over cooked it. I was trying to get the bacon crispy, but in the process, the actual meatloaf dried out! Bummer. I used a ground beef/ground pork blend. I also added some yummy to it. I sauted some onions and chopped bacon the meatloaf mixture, along with herbs and spices. Mmmm, not only did I drape the meatloaf in bacon, it was inside too!

Here's the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and corn. Lots of gravy help with the dryness!

This was a delicious quiche. Sauted potatoes, a French herb pork sausage and Havarti and dill. So tasty and satisfying.

Here's the quiche just as it was about to come out of the oven. Yes, I used a pre-fabbed crust. It was a quick to do. All good.

Here was a thrown together Asian style stir fry with green beans and pork tenderloin medallions. I coated the pork with cornstarch and Asian 5-spice. The sauce was soy, ginger, garlic and oyster sauce.

I found hangar steak for cheap! It had been in the freezer for awhile and one night when I had no idea what was for dinner, I pulled it out, thawed and rubbed it down with a spicy blend of herbs and spices. Paprika, a few types of chiles, garlic, cumin...salt and pepper. Cooked until medium raw, sliced and tossed with sauted peppers and onions. A fast delicious dinner!

20 day break? Sorry!

There comes a point in your blogging career when blogging becomes work. Not work as in this is is so painful and I don't want to do it. But work as in I'm exhausted from a long day and all I want to do is take a nap. I've been pooped out! My only really hobby right now is going home and vegging. So I have been. I'll continue to blog when I can and hopefully the time will come when I'm not so tired and get back into blogging on a regular basis.

In the meantime, I have a few things to share...

Channa Masala! This is an incredible budget meal. Chickpeas simmered in a spicy (you decide how spicy), curry sauce and then served over rice. Very tasty. I made a big batch so we'd have some food for lunches.

Penne with tomato vodka cream sauce. How do I love you, let me count the ways: 1) Penne. 2) Vodka!! 3) Cream! 4)Tomato. And 5) Sauce! Love. Simple, rich. Super rich. Very tasty!

Chicken quesadilla with corn, shallots, jalapeno and lime. Season a chicken breast with salt & pepper. Saute until cooked through. Dice. Saute some shallots and jalapeno in the same pan. Add the corn and diced chicken. Squeeze some lime. Stir. Good. Good as is. Better when smushed with cheese between a large tortilla!

Pides! A Turkish style pizza with chicken, cheese, tomatoes in a delicious crust. Filling! At the Mediterranean restaurant, Cafe 8 on 8th Street SE, Washington, DC. It's the only thing I've had there, in the 4-5 times I've been. Check them out.

Trial and Error...

A few weeks ago we went to a taco hut down the road affectionately called Obama Taco--due to the large mural of President Obama outside. The food was amazing. Soft, pliable corn tortillas. Amazing carnitas. Avocado sauce. Spicy pico. Just amazing. Well, amazing always leads to cravings on my part. So, I had to try my hand at making corn tortillas. First batch, m'eh. Second batch, much better. The difference...FAT!

Before we begin:

Tacos 5 De Mayo
7201 Annapolis Rd
Landover, MD
(301) 306-2074

GO. Try! Enjoy...

Ok, back to tortillas.

The basic recipe is corn meal/masa flour, water and salt. That was ok. Needed something extra though. So I spiced it up with some chipotle chile powder, a little extra salt and some pepper. Better. But the tortillas were dry and nearly crumbled. For a standard size batch (16 tortillas), I added 1 tablespoon of vegetable shortening. I also substituted in 1/2 a cup of regular white flour, to replace a 1/2 cup of corn meal. Next time, I might add a squige more shortening, regardless but the changes made a huge difference. The tortillas were pliable, had a little nice chew and weren't completely dry. To make them, mix everything together until combined and slightly tacky. Divide the dough into equal sized balls and press flat. I did buy a tortilla press, so that makes nice super easy. Toss in a dry pan or griddle on medium/medium-high for one minute per side. Keep warm and covered with a barely damp towel until ready to serve.

This is the first batch. Not too bad. The one on the bottom left...I was trying to make a pupusa with chicken and cheese...very messy.

I served my tortillas with grilled chicken thighs I marinated in orange juice, lime juice, salt, pepper, Ancho chili powder and cilantro for about an hour. A longer marinade time for next time, but still tasty.

The Chipotle chile powder adds a hint of redness to the tortillas. Two very hungry boys ate 8 tortillas before being stuffed to the gills.

And my favorite part of the night. Putting it together. On the tortilla, I spread on some mashed avocado and lime juice. Then some diced tomato, chunks of the grilled chicken, cilantro and the fun part...totally unexpected, but it worked...was diced green apple! I wanted some jicama for crunch, but my store hasn't been selling any, so I thought I would sub in a tart, crisp apple. The sweetness of the apple was awesome against the smoky chicken and Chipotle chile in the tortilla and the texture was a nice treat with the creamy avocado and chewy tortilla.

Very Happy!

I will do this again, many times over the coming summer I know...but I'm still going back to Obama Taco!

Yum

I know the photo isn't much, but damn! Last night's dinner is/was so good. Cilantro-Lime Chicken Tacos. Take some chicken, leftover if you have it. Toss it with some sauteed shallots, jalapeno if you like, chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Cheesy

A quick dinner during one of the snowstorms this past week. Chicken & cheese quesadillas.

Enchiladas

The other evening I made a quick batch of rich mole sauce which I applied to some enchiladas filled with chicken, peppers and onions. All very tasty. A nice fast meal.

The Hot Tamale Pie

Last night's dinner was a simple, tasty one. Tamale Pie. This is a throwback to the days when I was cooking Rachel Ray on a regular basis. I think this was a Rachel Ray recipe, anyway. If it was, I feel it's a strong example of what she does right and where there could be improvement. As is, the recipe is easy, fast, anyone can try it and make it work. Dinner in a snap. Prep, toss in the oven, clean up, serve and enjoy. Where there is room for improvement is in the flavor department. The recipe can come off as a little bland, at least for me. So, you will need to start experimenting with flavors to bring the dish up a notch of two. Add some additional spices to base. Last night I added some shallot, coriander and chipotle chile powder. Combined with the onions, garlic, peppers and cumin, we now have a great base. The cornmeal topping, well, that is really bland if you don't play around. I cooked my topping with cream, chicken broth, Adobe seasoning, plenty of black pepper and at the end, stirred in some cheese. Now we're talking!

Of the few times I've made this, last night was spot on. We were very pleased.

You'll notice in the photos, I made the Tamale Pies in individual ramekins. With half the recipe I had 6 individual pies. I do this more as a convenience for saving extras for lunch. Just cover, reheat and go. It is also helpful with portion control. Except we each ate TWO instead of one! We didn't have a side, give us a break! Anyway, you have beef, tomatoes, corn, onions, peppers and lots of good, rich spices. Basically, a solid chili, without the soupy base.

Top the pies with cooked cornmeal/grits and sprinkle a little extra cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until golden and bubbly.

Enjoy.

Weekend Catch Up

Let's play catch up on what we've been eating at Eat With Me shall we?

Sesame Noodles with Chicken. Very tasty, filling and easy when using a roasted chicken from the store!


Friday night was a night for wine and friends. This was a very satisfying bottle of Sauvignon Blanc!


Really great taco fillings. Skirt Steak and Pork Tenderloin with...Roasted Corn with Chipotle & Lime, Sauteed Peppers and Onions, Avocado and Lime, Roasted Tomato Salsa.

Skirt Steak was seasoned using this recipe.
(Roasted Tomato Salsa recipe is in this link as well)

Pork Tenderloin was mostly jerk seasoning with a plethora of spices thrown in the mix for fun.


Inn-effing-credible. Totally satisfying on all accounts!!!!


A pork roast hash. Leftover pork, potatoes, onions and red peppers.

Crispy Carnitas Tacos

Mmmm, fried roast pork!


Dinner on Wednesday night was a quick one using leftovers. I took the leftover pork roast from Labor Day and chopped it into large bite size pieces and fried it in olive oil until hot and crispy. Ad the end I tossed in some shallots, cilantro and lime juice. Season with a little salt and pepper and done. Add to a taco shell and top with some sauted peppers and onions. The pork becomes chewy and crispy from the frying process. A great texture and fun flavors. Of course lime and cilantro and best buds and they love to play with pork. All in all, a very yummy meal!

More wrappin'

On Tuesday night, we continued our wrappin' dinners. This time I was going to make a braised chicken/Mexican-style wrap.

I started by sauteing some boneless/skinless chicken thighs in a Dutch oven. The chicken was seasoned with salt & pepper and cooked in olive oil, just until crispy, but not cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate.

,Add in 1 medium red onion, sliced. Give the onions about five minutes to dance around.

After the onions have softened add some veg. I thought I had a few bell peppers I planned to use. Wrong! I had one sweet Hungarian pepper, so I used that. If I had more, I would have used more. Let those move around a bit, then add some minced garlic and the spices. In this case I used some ground cumin and chipotle chile powder. The recipe I used called for using two chipotle en adobe, I recommend caution with chipotle, I think the flavors can go from nice to overpowering and bratty way to quickly.

Stir in a can of diced tomatoes and some addition water. Stir in some uncooked rice and return the chicken to the pot. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 20-25 minutes. The chicken will finish cooking, as will the rice. Now we wrap...

Scoop in some rice and vegetables. I roughly chopped the chicken and put some ontop of the rice. Add some avocado and maybe some cheese (used up some mozzeralla). If you have some black beans, you could add that, as well as some salsa.

Roll up and enjoy...very filling, totally satisfying and full of subtle flavors. The only thing missing for me, some more peppers, perhaps sauted instead of braised with the chicken and rice, so they would retain some of their crunch. And perhaps a little squirt of lime juice and some cilantro. But all and all, very good!

Recipe from Everyday Food.

Chipotle Chicken & Rice

2 TB vegetable oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds total)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, minced
2 large tomatoes, diced large
1 cup long-grain white rice
Lime wedges, for serving
Chopped cilantro leaves, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken on both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Working in batches, brown chicken on both sides, about 6 minutes total; transfer to a plate.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot (if necessary, add a bit of water to release browned bits).
3. Add garlic, cumin, and chiles; cook until garlic is soft and fragrant, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices, 3 minutes. Stir in 1 cup water and return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook 25 minutes.
4. Remove several pieces of chicken and stir in rice, making sure it is completely submerged in liquid. Replace chicken, cover, and cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes more. Serve with lime wedges and cilantro if desired.

Brisket leftovers

So, on the Fourth, we had Grilled Brisket Fajitas. There was a lot of brisket leftover. So I have to be creative with ways to use it up. Last night's dinner...Brisket Quesadillas. Tasty and simple. Start by chopping the brisket.

Lay some cheese on a tortilla, then the chopped brisket. If you have beans or veggies, add those at this point.

Layer more cheese on top of the meat or veg. Cover with another tortilla and place in a medium high heat pan.

I love quesadillas. I order them at a variety of restaurants. What I can't stand it when the chef sees fit to add oil to the pan to make the tortillas crisp up. There is enough lard in the tortillas, that extra fat isn't needed...the quesadillas just end up tasting oily. I always cook mine in a dry pan and end up with beautifully browned and crisp tortillas.

Slice and serve with salsa, sour cream and guacomole. This salsa is a variation on this recipe. I cut tomatoes into quarters and seeded them. Placed them on a baking sheet and placed under the broiler. After about 30 minutes, the tomatoes had shriveled and lost a good portion of their moisture. I also had garlic, jalapeno and onions on the baking sheet. The whole mess goes into a food processor and is whizzed together with some lime juice, salt, pepper and a handful of cilantro. This was one of our favorite salsas! ...When it's fresh. The salsa didn't seem to like sitting in the fridge for two days. The onions got a little to funky with the garlic and made something nasty. So lesson learned...make the salsa and devour it...then toss the leftovers...

Catch Up

Sorry for the lack of postings this week. First week back to work after vacation takes a lot out of you. Then a night with no power severely limits what you can do. So far this week...

Quesadillas made with some of Sunday's left-over chicken, roasted peppers and great tortillas from the Cheverly Community Market.

There was also some curry. Here, I've sauted some onions, garlic cloves and ginger slices in olive oil, then added the curry spices, which I allowed to toast in the pan for a minute. Add broth, coconut milk, rice and some chicken...

...allow to cook for awhile, then add some veggies during the last 5-8 minutes, they will steam on top of the rice & chicken...

...creating a warm bowl of coconut chicken casserole! Creamy, spicy, easy and filling!

On Sunday, I made a braised pork roast. I allowed it to cook for 3 hours in beer, tomatoes and onions. I used some of the pork in the quesadillas we had on Monday. Here we had some of the roast, sliced, with mashed potatoes. And later, we'll have the pork a 3rd way! Woo hoo. Cook on the weekend for great meals thru the week. All different!

Swine Carnitas

Outbreak! Pandemic! Swine Flu! All scary stuff. Make sure to wash your hands, stay home if you or your family are sick. And if you get sick, go to the doctor. Common sense right? Right!

All that being said, please note that pork is still safe to eat when cooked properly! So please, eat pork. It's the other white meat!

Again, from the recent issue of Everyday Food, I made Pork Carnitas for dinner. Very tasty, Very easy, Great mild flavor, a wee touch dry and a really funky recipe...don't let it wig you out.

The pork is cooked in water, with garlic. Drain it, then add to a pot with some olive oil and a combination of milk and orange juice. Well, surprise, the milk curdles. GROSS!!!!! I wasn't totally freaked out because I have cooked meat with milk before and it works, it's just funky as all get out. Allow the pork to cook in this liquid combo until reduced. I re-worked one part of the recipe, using the same pot I boiled the pork in, for the simmering with milk/OJ step. If you have a non-stick pan, use it!!! I should have.


The pork is served in tortillas with avocado, sliced white onion, lime juice and cilantro (if you have it! I didn't).

Very filling and very satisfying. Give it a try. Next time I might add some more spice to the pork, furthering the depth of flavors.

Pork Carnitas
from Everyday Food

Serves 6

2 lb boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, smashed
Salt/Pepper
1 TB olive oil
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup milk

For serving:
Tortillas
Cilantro leaves
Thinly sliced onion
Diced avocado
Lime wedges

1) In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, combine pork, garlic and 8 cups water and season with salt & pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until pork is tender, 40-45 minutes. Drain well.

2) In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add pork, orange juice and milk and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and pork is browned, 8-12 minutes.

Serve in tortillas with accompaniments.

Same Ingredients, Part 2

The other day, I talked about buying ingredients with the plans to make two meals with the same ingredients. This is meal two. Sure, they are the exact same ingredients and virtually the same meal, but they are different enough to be two meals. Saturday we have Beef Tacos with sauteed peppers and onions. Last night we had Steak and Pepper Quesadillas.

The main reason I think this is a great deal is the shopping and cooking. I had to shop for these ingredients once and cook them once. Here we have the leftover steak. On Saturday, I had it sliced. For the quesadillas, I chopped it up into more manageable pieces. I don't like biting into my food, not grinding all the way through, then pulling away and having the filling flop out. The smaller pieces will prevent that.

The same goes for the peppers and onions. The previous meal, they were sliced. Here, chopped into bite size pieces.

Load your tortilla with some cheese and peppers. If you want, you can use a low-fat cheese of your choice. And since the peppers are sauted in a bit of olive oil, you could stop here and have a nice veggie friendly meal (if you didn't use the same pan as cooking the steak, like I did.) But still, just peppers, onions and cheese would make a lovely meal.

Add the chopped steak and follow that up with a little more cheese, which serves as the glue to bind this all together. I like to cook the quesadillas in a dry skillet. Some restaurants will use everything from butter, oil and cooking spray to speed the cooking and to facilitate more browning. Personally, I don't like to do that and I don't think it's necessary.

See, these have a little color. I will admit that I had bad tortillas, they weren't that good. They were very dry and fragile. Their flavor, what little there is in a store bought tortilla, as also very lacking! Regardless, cook the quesadillas over medium heat in a dry skillet until you have some color, crispness and the filling is warm and the cheese melted. Serve with sour cream, salsa and/or guacomole.

Stay Tuned, I'm going to have another Two from One at the end of this week when I use thin cut pork chops in two, uniquely different meals!

Same Ingredients, Part 1

I'm trying to be a bit more economical with my shopping and menu planning. Here is one example of the planning. Saturday's dinner was beef soft tacos with peppers and onions. The beef was flavored with the spice rub from this recipe. I was hoping for a skirt steak or flank steak, but my store's beef section was in a sorry state, so I wasn't able to get what I wanted. I ended up with a very thin piece of beef, less than a 1/4 inch thick. Let's get started.

One red pepper, one green pepper and one medium onion; all sliced to about the same size. After I cook the beef, I rinse the pan out with a little water. Add a tablespoon of oil, when hot, add the peppers and season with salt/pepper. Saute until tender.

Again, I used the dry spice blend from this recipe. Let the meat rest for a few minutes with the spices so the flavors make their way into the meat. As mentioned, the beef was very thin, so you're going to want searing hot meat to quickly cook, without turning the cut into shoe leather. These pieces cooked for a max of two minutes per side. When they are done, return them to a clean cutting board and let rest for a few more minutes, which allows the juice to redistribute in the meat. If you cut the meat immediately, the juice will pour out, leaving you with dry beef.

Here's dinner. Tasty beef soft tacos with peppers and onions. I have a little cheese in there. You can also dress it up with sour cream and salsa if you have it. Very tasty. The spice rub brings a lot of great flavor to this quick dish.

There. I cooked up all the peppers and beef. Half was for this dinner...the other half is for the next dinner. Stay tuned for part two of using the same ingredients for Monday's dinner.