I love Mexican food. No. That is not entirely accurate. I adore it. I'm obsessed with it. I would eat it 3 meals a day, 7 days a week for the rest of my life without hesitation.
Here in south east Texas, you can throw a rock and hit at least 3 or 4 good quality (and cheap) Mexican food restaurants. I didn't realize that this isn't a thing everywhere, until I left here in 2005. I spent 7 years away from Houston and never found even one decent place (St. Louis - your Mexican food is just embarrassing and shameful and Alabama? I suppose I should not have had high expectations there LOL). The VERY first thing I did when Scott and I moved back was take him to eat REAL tex-mex food. He spent his whole life in Topeka, KS. Again, like St. Louis and Alabama...nope. He was incredibly impressed, as I knew he would be.
I make it at home as often as possible. Tacos, burritos, enchiladas, homemade fresh salsa (which, I'll have to find my recipe and link ya to it), spanish rice, lime/cilantro rice (Chipotle whaaaaat?), ranchero sauce, huevos rancheros (I'm a huge fan of that!). About the only thing I don't mess with is tamales and home made tortillas. Making tamales and tortillas requires skill, lots of practice and a little bit of magic or witchcraft. I also make a creamy avocado sauce that is served at my favorite place down here on the table with the chips and salsa (omg, avocados, Mexican creama, sour cream, cilantro - so so good).
I found a new sauce a few weeks ago. I've always seen menu items of enchiladas with a sour cream sauce. Well. I like sour cream. I like sauce. This can't be bad! And OMG it's not. It's SUPER simple, and incredibly tasty. We had tacos and tostadas for dinner last night and I made this sauce to go on top. I had plenty left over, so I heated some up and poured it on my eggs this morning for breakfast - TO DIE FOR.
The sauce is simple if you can make a roux. And please, don't say you can't. You CAN. I promise. The trick is that when you have the fat (butter) and flour in the pan you CANNOT WALK AWAY. You cannot take your eyes off of it. Even for a moment.
This sauce takes about 5 minutes, start to finish. Please, mis-en-place your ingredients first. The sauce cooks very fast and given that you can't walk away from the roux, you can't put your spoon down to go get the next thing. Very important to get everything out, measured and ready to go.
Sour Cream Sauce
1/4 cup butter (please, for the love of Paula Deen, USE REAL BUTTER)
1/4 cup flour
15 oz of chicken stock (I didn't have stock so I used bullion last night - not ideal but in a pinch it works)
1 cup of sour cream
1 can of chopped diced green chilies
Heat your butter in a pan (I use a sauce pot, because you will add a bit of liquid) over medium heat. Once melted, pour in the flour and get your wooden spoon. This is where the constant stirring starts. Never stop stirring for a moment. Incorporate the flour completely and cook while stirring for about 1 to 2 minutes. As you cook it, the roux will get darker in color. You need to stop when its straw colored. You are cooking it JUST long enough to cook the raw flavor out of it (which omg, please do not forget that...raw flour is VILE).
Once you have the desire roux color, add all the chicken stock at once. Switch from wooden spoon to whisk and stir. Turn your heat up to hi and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, it will be as thick as it will get and you can stop the cooking. Remove from the heat.
Add the sour cream and whisk to thoroughly combine. Add the diced chilies and stir (with a spoon - the chilies just get stuck in the whisk if you use that......at least that's what I've heard. *snort*).
That is IT. Seriously. So simple. 5 minutes. We drizzled it over our tacos/tostadas last night, I poured some over my scrambled eggs this morning. Use it to dress a pan of chicken enchiladas. The possibilities might be endless with this tasty little sauce.
Mangia! Mangia!
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
A Hard Birthday
Today is Catherine's 41st birthday. She isn't here to celebrate it, but I know what she would have done.
Because she was a Pretty Pretty Princess, she didn't have a birthDAY. She had a birthMONTH. She celebrated the entire month of October every year I knew her. She would spend each weekend of the month going out with friends to celebrate, usually went out to a super nice, fancy dinner actually ON her birthday with her husband and typically used this month to be financially irresponsible, because it was her "birthday month". LOL She never shied away from a birthday, never got weird because she was getting older. Her and I had had many conversations about our age. It is at this age (I'm 5 years older than her - I'll be 46 in December) that we were both most comfortable in our skin. In your 20's, you are trying to figure out what/who you are. In your 30's you have a pretty good idea and maybe even a plan on how to get to where you want. We both felt that at this age we are now, we had finally truly realized what we planned for our lives in our 20's and 30's.
You get to an age where you stop trying to impress others and are really focused on being the best you that you can be. It is also about this same age where you begin to give absolutely zero fucks about what other people think of you and refuse to allow others impression of you and potential negativity affect you. We were there.
Were we both insecure? Sure, what human isn't? Did we allow the insecurities to ruin or control our lives? HELL NO. We held our heads high, locked our arms and skipped down the street (good GOD, we actually did that one night after too many glasses of wine at dinner and a 4 block walk back to her apartment LOL) with our heads held high. Screw the haters.
These past 4 months without her have been so strange, so surreal. It doesn't help that in my little circle of framily folks, there has been SO. MUCH. DEATH. since June, with the most recent one being the death of a friends 21 year old son just last week. 2015 is a crappy year. Super, super crappy year. So bad that I believe I AM going to organize a virtual party, maybe a Google hangout, something, so that we can all collectively give 2015 the finger as it goes out the door and hope like hell that 2016 is gentler and kinder.
So, wherever you are, stop a moment and think of Catherine. Wish her a happy birthday. She can hear you.
Happy birthday in Heaven beautiful. I miss you every single day, but I keep a small piece of you in my heart with me always.
Because she was a Pretty Pretty Princess, she didn't have a birthDAY. She had a birthMONTH. She celebrated the entire month of October every year I knew her. She would spend each weekend of the month going out with friends to celebrate, usually went out to a super nice, fancy dinner actually ON her birthday with her husband and typically used this month to be financially irresponsible, because it was her "birthday month". LOL She never shied away from a birthday, never got weird because she was getting older. Her and I had had many conversations about our age. It is at this age (I'm 5 years older than her - I'll be 46 in December) that we were both most comfortable in our skin. In your 20's, you are trying to figure out what/who you are. In your 30's you have a pretty good idea and maybe even a plan on how to get to where you want. We both felt that at this age we are now, we had finally truly realized what we planned for our lives in our 20's and 30's.
You get to an age where you stop trying to impress others and are really focused on being the best you that you can be. It is also about this same age where you begin to give absolutely zero fucks about what other people think of you and refuse to allow others impression of you and potential negativity affect you. We were there.
Were we both insecure? Sure, what human isn't? Did we allow the insecurities to ruin or control our lives? HELL NO. We held our heads high, locked our arms and skipped down the street (good GOD, we actually did that one night after too many glasses of wine at dinner and a 4 block walk back to her apartment LOL) with our heads held high. Screw the haters.
These past 4 months without her have been so strange, so surreal. It doesn't help that in my little circle of framily folks, there has been SO. MUCH. DEATH. since June, with the most recent one being the death of a friends 21 year old son just last week. 2015 is a crappy year. Super, super crappy year. So bad that I believe I AM going to organize a virtual party, maybe a Google hangout, something, so that we can all collectively give 2015 the finger as it goes out the door and hope like hell that 2016 is gentler and kinder.
So, wherever you are, stop a moment and think of Catherine. Wish her a happy birthday. She can hear you.
Happy birthday in Heaven beautiful. I miss you every single day, but I keep a small piece of you in my heart with me always.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
12 Fridays Left!
I know it's only October. It's firmly Halloween season here in the US. And I love it, I really do!
But, Christmas is coming. And it will be here before we know it. This has left me with a small conundrum and I think I have a great and fun solution.
Scott and I are alone this year for Christmas. The kid and the grandbaby lovey shmoopie Most Perfect Child In The World are not going to be here this year. There is nothing sadder to me than a Christmas tree all decorated and beautiful, with nothing beneath it. I imagine that is because for so many years, I've had a tree that was full of presents for kids. So, I can't fathom having a Christmas tree that has nothing under it. However, Scott and I are grown ups, and truly our Christmas gift to each other this year is the cruise we are taking in April, so we won't have anything under the tree.
Or will we??
I suggested, and I TOTALLY want to do, this: I want him and I to go shopping at the dollar store or a store we have here called Five Below - in which everything is under $5. It will be cheap and it will fill the tree with presents! I also firmly believe it will also be hysterical. How much weird crap can we find for under $5 each thing? The more I think about it, the more I want to do it. Maybe we'll make it a competition - who can find the weirdest thing? Haaaaa.
I had thought about taking some empty boxes and just wrapping them and putting them under the tree because that's better than nothing right? The more I thought about that, the more I realized that no, it was not better than nothing. It was far sadder than a tree with no presents.
Now, I'm excited. It's just 12 more Fridays until Christmas!
But, Christmas is coming. And it will be here before we know it. This has left me with a small conundrum and I think I have a great and fun solution.
Or will we??
I suggested, and I TOTALLY want to do, this: I want him and I to go shopping at the dollar store or a store we have here called Five Below - in which everything is under $5. It will be cheap and it will fill the tree with presents! I also firmly believe it will also be hysterical. How much weird crap can we find for under $5 each thing? The more I think about it, the more I want to do it. Maybe we'll make it a competition - who can find the weirdest thing? Haaaaa.
I had thought about taking some empty boxes and just wrapping them and putting them under the tree because that's better than nothing right? The more I thought about that, the more I realized that no, it was not better than nothing. It was far sadder than a tree with no presents.
Now, I'm excited. It's just 12 more Fridays until Christmas!
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Here Fishy, Fishy!
I am 1000% NOT a fan of fish. Actually, if it lives in the water, I hate it. Shrimp, seafood, fresh water fish, oysters, scallops, etc. **shudder** So. So. Gross. And I hate that about myself because seafood is so incredibly healthy and good for you. Very low in calories, very high in protein, fish oils, generally things good for your body.
Despite my (very strong) feelings regarding fish/seafood, Scott does NOT hate it. In fact, he loves seafood a great deal. He just never gets it at home because I don't cook it. I am a good cook and I can cook anything, given a recipe (I can follow instructions pretty well), however, I tend to cook and taste. It tells me if what I'm making tastes right, or needs more seasoning, or some additional flavor. True story - I never ever sit down and eat Thanksgiving dinner. That is because by the time the dinner is placed on the table, I've eaten a full meal while cooking it. So, since I don't like fish/seafood, and I taste while I cook, I just don't cook it.
Today is Scott's birthday. He was originally supposed to work kind of late tonight, so I decided to make him a birthday dinner last night. I decided to make seafood for him. Oy. I was nervous! I ended up making grilled salmon with a compound lemon, garlic, basil butter, roasted asparagus tips and a fresh panzanella salad. It all came out great - according to him. :) I figured I better write it down somewhere so I can do it again!! :)
SALMON
Compound Butter
4 tbsp butter, room temperature
Zest and juice from one lemon
1 tbsp minced garlic
5 to 6 basil leaves, julienned
Completely combine all the above ingredients in a small bowl.
Compound butter is a magical thing. Don't want lemon? Use oranges. Don't like basil, use oregano. The key is that you can use ANY flavor profile when making compound butters. That above is just what I used (because I have a basil plant in my backyard and have plenty on hand at all times).
I grilled the fish. Fish sticks to the grill like crazy. Try this tip to not only keep it from sticking, but infuse a ton of flavor into your fish as well. Lay your fish on a bed of sliced citrus fruit. In this case, because I believe lemon goes best with fish, and I had it in my butter, I used lemons. You could use oranges (and make your compound butter with oranges) if that is your thing.
I got a very large salmon filet with the skin on. I cut it into 3 filets (and froze one) and dried them off a bit. I liberally covered the non-skin side of the fish with the compound butter.
I turned just one burner of my grill on so that I could cook this fish on an indirect heat. That is important. You do not want flames touching this delicate meat. Medium high heat. Line the grill with your lemon slices (and the smell from them instantly beginning to sizzle is amazing!), then lay your filets on top of the lemon slices, skin side down (butter side up) and shut the lid. Do NOT flip this fish. No need. Basically, doing it this way, you are using your grill like an oven. In my case, it took about 30 minutes to get the fish cooked through. That time will be less or more depending on the thickness of your filets.
PANZANELLA
Panzanella is an old world peasant dish. It's bread salad, originating in Italy, with references to it dating back to the 1500s! People were not wasteful back then, as we are now. Every single thing was used. This dish began as a way for the people back then to use up their day old bread and whatever vegetables were laying about. Traditionally, this salad must include at least the bread and tomatoes to be considered panzanella. After that, the ingredients are up to you! I did a fairly simple one last night - not too crazy.
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1 loaf of Italian bread (I bought one from the bakery and only used about 2/3 of it)
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
Vinegrette
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup olive oil (use good olive oil here, this isn't going to be cooked, you want a flavorful oil)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes. Warm the 3 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Add the bread and kosher salt to the pan and toss to coat in the oil. At a medium low temperature, brown the bread, tossing frequently, for about 10 minutes (you may need to add more oil - eye ball it). Remove from heat.
Make the vinegrette by adding all ingredients except the 1/2 cup olive oil to a bowl. Combine with a whisk. Continue whisking while slowly drizzling the olive oil in, until all oil is incorporated and fully combined.
In a large bowl, add all the vegetables, add the bread and toss with the vinegrette. It's as simple as that. You can also add things like capers, good olives (like kalamata), anchovies (if you are into that sort of thing....ewww) and fresh herbs. Due to the above mentioned condition of too much basil at my house, this salad got some julienned basil tossed in for good measure.
You can serve right away, but wow. Let it sit for 30 minutes and get all the flavors combined? To. Die. For. It's BREAD SALAD. How can it possibly be bad???
For the asparagus tips, I simply trimmed the woody part off, coated the tips in olive oil and a little salt and pepper, and tossed them a foil lined sheet pan under the broiler for 8 to 10 minutes. Pull them out, squeeze a little fresh lemon over them, add a bit of Parmesan cheese and voila! Done.
It was a wild success, according to him. He ate every single bite on his plate. He also thanked me profusely for making him fish, since he knows I can't stand it.
I love that man to pieces. <3 <3 <3
Despite my (very strong) feelings regarding fish/seafood, Scott does NOT hate it. In fact, he loves seafood a great deal. He just never gets it at home because I don't cook it. I am a good cook and I can cook anything, given a recipe (I can follow instructions pretty well), however, I tend to cook and taste. It tells me if what I'm making tastes right, or needs more seasoning, or some additional flavor. True story - I never ever sit down and eat Thanksgiving dinner. That is because by the time the dinner is placed on the table, I've eaten a full meal while cooking it. So, since I don't like fish/seafood, and I taste while I cook, I just don't cook it.
Today is Scott's birthday. He was originally supposed to work kind of late tonight, so I decided to make him a birthday dinner last night. I decided to make seafood for him. Oy. I was nervous! I ended up making grilled salmon with a compound lemon, garlic, basil butter, roasted asparagus tips and a fresh panzanella salad. It all came out great - according to him. :) I figured I better write it down somewhere so I can do it again!! :)
SALMON
Compound Butter
4 tbsp butter, room temperature
Zest and juice from one lemon
1 tbsp minced garlic
5 to 6 basil leaves, julienned
Completely combine all the above ingredients in a small bowl.
Compound butter is a magical thing. Don't want lemon? Use oranges. Don't like basil, use oregano. The key is that you can use ANY flavor profile when making compound butters. That above is just what I used (because I have a basil plant in my backyard and have plenty on hand at all times).
I grilled the fish. Fish sticks to the grill like crazy. Try this tip to not only keep it from sticking, but infuse a ton of flavor into your fish as well. Lay your fish on a bed of sliced citrus fruit. In this case, because I believe lemon goes best with fish, and I had it in my butter, I used lemons. You could use oranges (and make your compound butter with oranges) if that is your thing.
I got a very large salmon filet with the skin on. I cut it into 3 filets (and froze one) and dried them off a bit. I liberally covered the non-skin side of the fish with the compound butter.
I turned just one burner of my grill on so that I could cook this fish on an indirect heat. That is important. You do not want flames touching this delicate meat. Medium high heat. Line the grill with your lemon slices (and the smell from them instantly beginning to sizzle is amazing!), then lay your filets on top of the lemon slices, skin side down (butter side up) and shut the lid. Do NOT flip this fish. No need. Basically, doing it this way, you are using your grill like an oven. In my case, it took about 30 minutes to get the fish cooked through. That time will be less or more depending on the thickness of your filets.
PANZANELLA
Panzanella is an old world peasant dish. It's bread salad, originating in Italy, with references to it dating back to the 1500s! People were not wasteful back then, as we are now. Every single thing was used. This dish began as a way for the people back then to use up their day old bread and whatever vegetables were laying about. Traditionally, this salad must include at least the bread and tomatoes to be considered panzanella. After that, the ingredients are up to you! I did a fairly simple one last night - not too crazy.
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1 loaf of Italian bread (I bought one from the bakery and only used about 2/3 of it)
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
Vinegrette
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup olive oil (use good olive oil here, this isn't going to be cooked, you want a flavorful oil)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes. Warm the 3 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Add the bread and kosher salt to the pan and toss to coat in the oil. At a medium low temperature, brown the bread, tossing frequently, for about 10 minutes (you may need to add more oil - eye ball it). Remove from heat.
Make the vinegrette by adding all ingredients except the 1/2 cup olive oil to a bowl. Combine with a whisk. Continue whisking while slowly drizzling the olive oil in, until all oil is incorporated and fully combined.
In a large bowl, add all the vegetables, add the bread and toss with the vinegrette. It's as simple as that. You can also add things like capers, good olives (like kalamata), anchovies (if you are into that sort of thing....ewww) and fresh herbs. Due to the above mentioned condition of too much basil at my house, this salad got some julienned basil tossed in for good measure.
You can serve right away, but wow. Let it sit for 30 minutes and get all the flavors combined? To. Die. For. It's BREAD SALAD. How can it possibly be bad???
For the asparagus tips, I simply trimmed the woody part off, coated the tips in olive oil and a little salt and pepper, and tossed them a foil lined sheet pan under the broiler for 8 to 10 minutes. Pull them out, squeeze a little fresh lemon over them, add a bit of Parmesan cheese and voila! Done.
It was a wild success, according to him. He ate every single bite on his plate. He also thanked me profusely for making him fish, since he knows I can't stand it.
I love that man to pieces. <3 <3 <3
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