End of the summer = pesto

So easy, so good.

1 cup basil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup parmigiana reggianno
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
salt/pepper

Mix in blender/chopper type thing.

1 package of tortellini and/or any other pasta you like. Mix with pesto. The end.



Was originally going to include tomato and zucchini but decided that nothing needs to be added to pesto.



Can always double the recipe if you want to make more, but you know a little pesto goes a long way. I've still got some leftover after mixing in with my pasta. And you can freeze it too. My friends back home planted 60 basil plants in their garden and no I am not kidding. I'm sure they're making batches of pesto for the winter right about now.

Orzo-licious

In honor of it being almost summer and because I wanted to cook, here's a recipe for an orzo summer salad that I'm making right now.

1 cup orzo
1 red pepper - diced
2-3 sun dried tomatoes
minced parsley
diced green onion
handful toasted pine nuts
olive oil
feta cheese
salt/pepper

Boil orzo with diced peppers in the water to cook (because I like my peppers cooked vs raw - sue me!). Toast pine nuts in tiny bit of olive oil while orzo is cooking (watch those nuts carefully, they will burn in a heartbeat, FYI).

Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Toss in pine nuts, diced sun-dried tomatoes, minced parsley, diced green onions and dress with good olive oil. Salt/pepper to taste. Put crumbled feta on top and mix. Cover and put in fridge for an hour. Very tasty cold summer salad and easy to make potluck dish for all you potlucking lesbians/other people out there.

Do it, you know you want to.

ETA: Finished product (sans feta cheese since I discovered my stash of feta had gone bad, so I added a bit of parmeggiano reggiano instead, but I assume the feta would be just as yummy):



ETA ps: This would be a perfect dish if one were still on a farm in Kansas (or pretending to still be there) or if one were coming off a 10-day lemon water cleansing thing or if one were hosting a house full of Orzonians as one is wont to do in these troubled times. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore, time to dig in!

Beef Bourguignon Liveblog II: Electric bugaloo

Hi friends, it is Saturday night and I am in the mood to cook. Last night I had plans and intentions and motivations, but instead I made Kraft Dinner (as they call it in Canada -- but they also call a wool winter hat a touque up there so who knows what's up north of the border I say). Tonight, however, I am in the mood for full-fledged cooking, hello.

So I am making beef bourguingnon, even though it is not snowing here or that cold - there is a promise of a dab of freezing rain in the DC area which means of course that you may as well forget about going out because traffic will be snarled even in your driveway and/or apartment complex parking lot and/or life. So thus, it is time for a little relaxing slow cooking situation with beer and red wine and beef and french influence.

And I will be liveblogging the whole situation! What could be more fascinating? Will someone from Australia be refreshing their screens at work to follow along? (Like isn't it 2pm last Friday there or something? Who knows). Anyway. Oh and FYI, this will take a few hours to cook so if you want a fast dish, this is not it.

ps. If you are meat-squeamish, you will want to fast-forward to someplace else. I will be taking pictures of beef cooking. I know, sorry Bossie.

On with the show. First a pix of the necessary ingredients (and a confession that I am stealing this recipe from Jacques Pepin - I'm kinda doing a little cut/paste here to be honest):



# 2 pounds lean beef chuck
# 1 tablespoon butter
# 2 tablespoons olive oil
# Salt
# Pepper
# 1 cup finely chopped onion
# 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
# 1 tablespoon flour
# 1 bottle of red wine
# 2 bay leaves
# 1 sprig fresh thyme
# 15 cipollini or pearl onions
# 15 cremini mushrooms
# 15 baby carrots
# 1/4 cup water
# Dash of sugar
# Chopped fresh parsley

Please note: You will also need several Magic Hat #9 beers and music to assist you otherwise you will fail. I'm sorry.

More to come...

1. Cut the meat into 8 pieces.Preheat the oven to 350°. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a cast-iron pot that is attractive enough for the table (Ed: My pot is neither attractive enough for the table nor is it cast-iron. I shall, however, call it black because I am a kettle and that's what we do). Arrange the meat in one layer in the pot, and season it with salt and pepper. Cook on top of the stove over high heat for about 8 minutes, browning the meat on all sides.

Looks like this:



2. Add 1 cup of finely chopped onion and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic. Cook over moderate heat for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 tablespoon of flour. Mix in well so that the flour doesn’t form lumps.

Looks like this:



3. Stir in 3/4 bottle of red wine, 1.5 cups beef broth. Add 2 bay leaves, a sprig of fresh thyme, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir well and cover.

Looks like this:



More to come...

4. Place the pot in the oven and continue to cook for about 1 1/2 hours; the meat should be soft and tender and the liquid properly reduced. At this point, you may want a little snack and another beer while you check your email and the weather channel for the next 1.5 hours.

Looks like this:



More to come..

20 more minutes to go. Did you know that every Magic Hat bottlecap has a little saying underneath it?

Looks like this:



More to come..

5. Combine the onions, mushrooms, carrots in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 cup of water and a good dash each of sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes; at this point, there should be practically no water left. Uncover and cook over high heat, sautéing the vegetables until nicely browned on all sides, about 4 minutes.

Looks like this:



More to come..

And because I cannot deny my Midwestern heritage, I am serving this over some egg noodles. Yes this is probably French blaspheme, but life sometimes asks you to improvise a little and my mom was of French Acadian descent in Louisiana (who I did not know were Greatly Expulsed from Canada in 1775! Those bastards!) so I think I should be given special dispensation to blend my culture. I thank you not to oppress my people, Jacques Pepin!

Here is what the finished product looks like - and with that I bid you adieu!

Hot tamales

So I made a batch of tamales today and thought I would share the recipe + px. It was nice to do some cooking, have a beer, some music. Plus hello I know of no one who does not like tamales and if you don't, do not tell me b/c we may have to step down our friendship. Serious.

The filling recipe will make enough for three dozen or so good-sized tamales. The masa recipe I'll give you here will make a dozen tamales. I decided to only make 12ish b/c I ran out of cheese (hello w/o cheese is there a point? answer = no) and the first batch of masa. I decided to not to make another batch of dough so I froze the leftover filling for another time. You can also freeze your tamales if you want to make a whole dang big batch, just undercook them a tad.

I went to the store to pick up the following ingredients:

1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
2 jalopeno peppers
1 white onion
1 can corn
1 can black beans
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 bag of Maseca (easy to make masa)
1 box of chicken stock
1 package of corn husks
1 six pack of Blue Moon Honeymoon summer ale

See below:



First thing I did was separate and soak the dried corn husks in warm water so they'd be all soft and pliable (like I like 'em) when I was ready. About 30 mins or so. I then diced up the peppers and onions and two cloves of garlic and sauted them in oil until it was all tender. It smelled like a carnival where the street venders cook up the peppers and onions for sandwiches or whatever. I did this all in my beloved cast iron skillet (which I will marry in California now that it is legal). See below:



Then I added the corn and black beans and tomatoes and spiced it with cumin and cayenne and chili powder and black pepper. I let that all simmer until everything was soft and gooey and good. In the meantime, I made up a batch of masa according to these directions:

4 cups of Maseca flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup oil (olive or veg)
2 1/2 cups of chicken stock

Put all the dry ingredients in a big bowl and mix it up a bit. Then add the oil and mix with your hands. It will be still a bit dry and crumbly. Then add 1/2 cup of chicken stock at a time, mixing with your hands all the way. In the end, it will all be a solid mass sorta like cookie dough.

Now you're ready to assemble. Take a corn husk and pull strips of it length-wise so you'll have ties, keep all the husks soaking or covered with a wet paper towel to keep them moist. Heh. Moist. 12 years old. Carry on. Take a corn husk and unfold it and grab a mid-sized handful of masa. You'll just have to experiment with quantity. I used a spatula to spread it out in the corn husk, leaving the pointed bottom half uncovered so I could fold it up. Put the filling in, I added some chicken I had already cooked up and said cheese. See below:



FYI: during this entire process, you should be consuming beer. Now what you'll want to do is fold the husk over so that the edges of the masa come together and the filling stays inside. Trial and error here, you'll get it. Then you'll have a sorta roll of corn husk. Take a strip of the corn husk you pulled apart and, after folding up the bottom pointed edge of the husk, tie it to the roll. I'll trust you generally know what a tamale is supposed to look like rather than trying to get any more descriptive. Rinse and repeat. Soon you'll have a bunch like this:



You'll have to rig a steaming device or use one you already have. I ended up putting them all in a metal strainer I had and putting that inside a large double broiler type thing with a small amt of water at the bottom and the strainer resting on the lip of the pan (not touching the water). I covered it and am letting it steam cook for about an hour or so. This is kinda the tricky part b/c I have read different times. My friend J said she does it by touch or 30-45mins, some recipes I've seen say 1.5 hours. So who knows. I'm going to do the trial and error method again and check on them and the water every 15 mins after the first 30 mins. Go crazy and live dangerously! Follow no man's limits! Cook your tamales by your own rules, I say.

(ETA: 1 hour and 15 minutes is the right amt of time)

They're cooking now and I'll probably post a pix of the final product, but you know, it will generally look like this pix I took in Houston. Actually, I'll just take a pix if it doesn't look like what a tamale is supposed to look like. That might be more fun.

ETA: Nah, had to take a picture of perfection so here it is, they are yummy:




Anyway, there you go, your own private tamale. Kinda like your own private Idaho. But not. At all, actually.

+ kitchen sink

Here is the thing: I have had a headache constantly since Tuesday morning and I have muscle knots the size of my own breasts on my shoulders/back so I'm feeling a little bit like Rocky Dennis looks. Maybe? Anyway, point being I have no intention of whining beyond the above. Instead I will tell you that I am getting like a full 1.5 hour massage (with release!) tomorow and this makes me so happy I could cry. I'm self-medicating this evening, clearly. And Bob's your uncle.

Second thing is I bought myself an early Xmas present with a hard-won bonus from Robotech, Inc which is the fictitious name of my workplace from this point forth. [As an aside, this is the first 'corporate' job I've had - I reluctantly had to leave the cushy (but low paying) academic world behind. As such, I totally thought that the concept of a "bonus" was made up shit for movies about corporate life. Who knew they actually exist and people get them? I say bring on the bonuses!] Where was I? Oh yes, early Xmas present = brand new Blackberry Pearl. I love it almost more than is healthy. I will marry it in Massachusetts in the spring, we will do the hokey pokey and honeymoon in Poughkeepsie. Sorry ladies, I'm now off the market.

Third thing is Skype. Whoever invented this deserves the Nobel Peace Prize and I am only half kidding. Where was this like 15 years ago when my phone bill to long distance girlfriend #1 was $300? Though I guess the webcam itself had to be invented. And a connection faster than dialup 2400 baud had to exist. This was in the day when wireless meant etching your email in stone and throwing it to your neighbor in the next cubicle. Man I love Skype so much I think I will designate it as my Other Woman. Don't tell my new wife but hello, free calls to any computer in the world?? With video?? I'm so there. Anyone from Tehran wanna holla at me? We can discuss something nippy fucky live! Or resolve the apparent misunderstanding that exists between us. Whatever, it's cool. And free! Who are we to pass that up?

It is clear that this post is going nowhere fast so I will end it on a serious note. Can I tell you something? I made the best fried pasta dish in the entire world and I feel it's only right to share the recipe with you. It's for your own good and I worry about you.

(ps. I stole this recipe from my crazy Alg friend, if you recall, stayed in New Orleans during Katrina and coped with it by drinking three bottles that night)

Pasta du Fool

Ingreds:
1. 1/2 of a red pepper and a green pepper, diced
2. finely chopped fresh basil, oregano, thyme
3. Spaghetti
3. olive oil
4. soy sauce
5. salt/pepper
6. romano cheese
7. cayenne pepper or a dab of hot sauce if you like it spicy

Process:
Boil the spaghetti with the fresh diced peppers added to the water. When finished, drain and put in bowl. Toss in herbs, enough olive oil to coat the pasta, and a couple of tablespoons or so of soy sauce. Mix this all up with salt/pepper.

In a hot non-stick skillet (or cast iron!) with a bit of olive oil in it, put pasta in and let fry. Don't stir it, let it get crispy on one side then turn the mixture over. If you've got the right skillet, you could flip it like a pancake but I do not advise this if you are drinking by the way. Fry the pasta up on that side as well until it crisps up too and at the last minute, sprinkle fresh romano on top of the pasta and put a lid on it. Let the cheese melt a bit. Eat and try denying that it is the best thing you've ever had and maybe start making your plans now to have a civil union with it in New Jersey or something.

Goodnight!

Sunday walk

So for some reason, I'm all about the pictures and the video and not so much the words. Show/no tell. Speak no evil. Or whatever. Point being, I'm gearing up to take the dogs for another weekend walk in the woods.They both need to get out, I need to get out, the leaves on the ground are calling. Gonna take my camera and take you with me, show you our secret get-away. It's gonna be a bit cold and wet and overcast, the dogs don't care, there are squirrels to chase and things to investigate. Stay tuned for footage with no words.











ps. Today is a perfect day for a big pot of Muncie Chili and that is just what I'm gonna make and let simmer this evening. Football and chili, sound good?

Rigatoni + Asparagus = Heaven!

Hi friends!

So I am recovering from a curious ailment that involves fever and throat stuff and body aches/pains. How I acquired this is between me and the source, but I think I am turning a corner and all will be well soon. Fevers are fun things anyway, you get to feel like you are on drugs without the drugs! ("I feel funky" *fingersnap* -- holla to the 16 Candles fans out there!) Also, dreaming is X 100 weirder. To the folks on that plane ride we were on last night, sorry for all the screaming!

In the meantime, it's becoming asparagus season it seems and thus, I wanted to share with you my favorite asparagus recipe. I could have sworn I already posted this, but alas, it wasn't under my handy 'recipe' tag and therefore, if I did post it, it's dead to me now. I don't have time running it down and I'm much rather just post it properly and be done with it. Plus, I have an asparagus story that is dying to be retold.

[Imagine me circa 1992, youthful grad student newly arrived to the Great Plains but suffering a unidimensional palette regarding food. We were a meat/potato family, few other veggies, and nothing too spicy or weird. I literally took PB&J to elementary school every day. In other words: Typical Midwestern Indiana Hoosier upbringing. Seriously. I had never literally seen asparagus in my world growing up. So, during the 90's, I hung out a lot with my previously mentioned friend M and her boyfriend/now husband P. We did lots and lots of cooking and wine drinking and drugs. Whoops. I mean of the legal variety like Tylenol for the wine hang overs and such. You know what I'm saying? Anyway, M&P introduced me to a Whole New World in more ways than one. P taught me how to play guitar, I went camping for the first time with them, and we cooked the shit out of stuff. I spent more time at their place than mine and we'd never really eat until 9 or 10. Cooking was a leisurely event, it was social, we'd have music going, it is what cooking is meant to be with friends. It was good. So one time, probably right around now, springish or something, we were going to grill out. M handed me a bunch of asparagus and told me to prep it to steam on the grill. You know how you're supposed to bend it a bit and let it break naturally and discard the ends? So I am doing that and I have two piles, the big ends and the frondy tips. I just figure that bigger is better and that we would be eating those ends. So I dump out the frondy tip ends in the garbage. This is a story that is oft-repeated with much mockery TO THIS DAY. I am reclaiming the shame now by repeating it myself. I now own it. Yes, I was naive, yes I did not know better. Now I do. So after instant mockery and much laughing at me, we rescued the best parts of asparagus from the garbage, gave them a good rinse and went about the business of cooking/drinking/whatevs. And that, my friend, is the story of how I learned to stop hating veggies and love the asparagus. True, dat]

Which brings me to this delicious recipe that is fast and easy and tasty and spring-like and for which I trust you will try because you know it's gonna be good and takes very little effort and I worry when you don't eat.

Rigatoni with Asparagus and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Ingrediants:

1. Rigatoni (1 1/2 cup or two, enough to fill a rectangle baking dish)
2. Asparagus (the frondy bits! the frondy bits! and actually most of it except the very big ends..cut in bite sized pieces)
3. Medium white onion (cut in bite sized pieces)
4. hydrated sun-dried tomatoes
5. Olive oil
6. Balsamic vinegar
7. Parmesan cheese
8. Seasoned bread crumbs
9. Black pepper


Prep:

Heat oven to 350 and boil water to cook the rigatoni while you are prepping the other stuff. Cut up onion, asparagus, and SD tomatoes. In a pyrex baking dish (8 X 11 or whatever), add a good amt of olive oil..maybe half a cup for now. Add in the onions and coat them all up. Put in oven and let them cook by themselves for about 5-7 minutes. Pour yourself another glass of wine and turn up the music a little more. Grate the parmesan cheese if needed. If you're all fancy, use some of that parmigiano reggiano. Pull out the pan and mix in the asparagi (as we like to call it..aspara-guy) and SD toms. Make sure they are well coated in olive oil, add more if needed. Put back in oven for 5-7 more minutes. This is not exact science. Have some wine, is it good? How you doing? Drain the rigantoni and rinse it well. Pull out the pan and mix in the pasta (or pass-ta as they say in other places). Maybe add a bit more olive oil, you decide. Be generous now with your balsamic vinegar, more if you like it lots, less if you just want a hint. Crushed black pepper over it all. Mix it up good. Now put in the parmesan. Do not be shy about cheese, really. So go at it. Mix it well. Now sprinkle the bread crumbs on top and if you mixed up some more cheese in the breadcrumbs, I will not tell anyone. Put this back in the oven and let bake for oh..10-15 minutes? See the thing is, you are just melting the cheese, but you can't ruin it if you cook it a little longer while you are selecting a new CD or opening another bottle of wine. Of course, do not forget about it because you are engaged in a conversation about time/space and let it bake for 30 minutes or some such, it will dry out and you will be sad. Maybe you could spend that time putting together a nice salad. Maybe you are prepping some garlic butter bread to put in with it. All is good. Does that not sound tasty? Are you not hungry now? It's asparagus season, knock yourself out. Just don't throw away the good bits!

Mom's Beef and Noodle

In which I discuss cooking and go on and on and on...

So I made a big batch of beef and noodles tonight because it's that time of year - chilly and dark early. It turned out exceptionally well due in part, I think, to using a cast iron skillet. Have I rhapsodized about cast iron skillets? Now, growing up, my mom never had cast iron, but my dad and stepmom did. And as any child of divorce will tell you, each parent had their own way of cooking and if you're lucky, you pick up a thing or two. I only recently purchased a cast iron skillet and I have no idea why it took me so long. They aren't great for cooking everything, but let me tell you, it is worth the investment for the things that are made better by cooking in cast iron. And the beef and noodle recipe I used tonight is a very good example.

My mom was from Louisiana and you don't cook anything down there without a decent roux. Whether it's gumbo or crawfish etouffee, it all starts off with a roux. The cajuns have their holy trinity (bell pepper, onion, and celery), but this particular recipe uses a more French style roux with onion, celery, and carrots. And it uses Crisco instead of butter as the fat in which you brown the flour. It is completely worth it take your time and expect to spend a good 30-40 minutes just stirring and cooking the roux to a nice dark brown. Otherwise, I can't guarantee the results. And by stirring, I mean constantly hovering over the skillet for that whole time, only letting it sit maybe 20-30 seconds at the most. The flour will burn otherwise. You should also prep your veggies ahead of time by mincing them and have your meat cut up because you can't take time away from your precious roux to deal with that kind of shit. This is a labor of love, very hands on, and will take a while to make, but it's perfect for nights like this and a beverage of your choice while cooking (aside: It has now been 6 whole weeks since I last had a drop of alcohol - thank you Betty Ford ;)

So here are the ingrediants and then I'll give the steps:

Mom's Beef and Noodles

Roux

4Tbs Crisco
6Tbs flour
1 medium onion (minced)
2 stalks celery (minced)
1-2 carrots (minced)

Beef:

1-1.5lb or so of chuck roast, arm roast (cubed in bite size pieces)

Broth:

1 can beef broth
1 can water
salt
pepper
dab or two of worchestershire sauce

Method:

1. Prepare roux by putting Crisco in cast iron skillet on med-low heat and let melt fully. When melted, add the flour and start stirring. Keep an eye on the heat, turn it down low once the skillet and roux get warm enough. You'll know by whether the flour starts sticking to the bottom of the pan. It will do this as you cook it so just keep stirring and mixing that up. The cast iron will keep the heat very well which will help brown and cook the roux to a nice dark brown color. As I mentioned, expect to spend at least 30-40 minutes on this.

2. After that time, put in the minced veggies and mix. It will become a gloppy roux mixture, all of it sticking together with very little liquid. This is ok. Just keep stirring it and turning it over for about 10 minutes to get the veggies cooked and tender.

3. Next add the beef and mix that whole glob togther. If you make this, you'll know what I mean when I say glob :) You can turn up the heat a bit to medium so you can brown the meat faster. Don't turn it up too high. You'll again be constantly stirring, but not as much on this step b/c the meat will release juices and keep everything lubricated. This step will last about 10-15 minutes or so.

4. When the beef loses its red color, you will then add the beef broth, the water, the seasonings and cover the skillet and turn down low. Ideally, you'll want to let this mixture simmer for as long as you can to break down the beef and blend all the tasty goodness together. If you can, an hour would be great, occasionally stirring. Just test the beef and see how tender it is and let that be your guide.

5. Serve over cooked egg noodles (or The Agent likes it over rice). Either way, it's hearty, good Midwestern stick to your ribs stuff and it's my Mom's recipe and I only share her stuff with people I like.

Longest Day of the Year

Couple of things:

1) Someone apparently wants a little piece of our suburban existence - we've got an offer on the house. No more daily cleaning and dog shaving! Downside: Now we really need to find a place. I dread if we have to go with the month-month apt contingency plan. However, selling is a weight off and that's all that matters.

2) I am now hooked on that show South of Nowhere. Lordy, it's on some kids network or something and I can't help but feel a bit pervy..BUT, hello, teen lesbian angst?! I'm there. Luckily, the two cute gals are 20-somethings in real life so that makes it a little better. Catch it on the "N" network! (No, I don't think it's Nickolodean, but I do know they show Dora the Explorer in the mornings..scary?! You bet).

3) Been watching as much WNBA as possible, of course cheering for my Storm. Their season so far is a bit up/down, but I'm hoping for some consistency. They're going to need it since the West is looking tough this year. I have also found a new favorite player to follow: The Chicago Sky's Candice Dupree. Girl's got skill for a rookie. Played for Dawn Staley at Temple and has got a sweet shot. I like to have a favorite player on each team, makes watching non-Storm games interesting. Whatever gets you through the day, I say.

4) I made chicken quesadillas the other day - to die for.

- chicken breast
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 red pepper (roasted if you got time/inclination)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 1 diced hot pepper
- can of corn
- can of blackbeans
- taco seasoning

- Cut up one or two chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and saute with onions and peppers in oil. Drain corn, blackbeans, and tom, add to chicken and peppers. Season to taste. Simmer on low for 5-10 min. Put mixture in warmed tortilla, add lots of cheese, and brown in skillet both sides. Add lettuce/sour cream/salsa if you want.

5) Other new music I've been listening to is: Panic! At the Disco. I sometimes wonder if as I age, some of my tastes are regressing. I found myself thinking about purchasing a Kelly Clarkson cd. Kelly Clarkson, ya'll. Cute, sure, but I think some of her music is actually good. What is happening to me? Once again, the corporate American machine is insidious and evil. Give in..give in.

That be it for now.

Red beans and rice

So tonight, we went over to a friend's place for dinner and I decided to make red beans and rice. The gal hosting it is from Louisiana so she was all over it and I have our cajun family recipe. Here you go:

Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

1 lb of Camilla brand red kidney beans (dry beans)
2 Tbs bacon grease (yes, I know)
1 medium yellow onion
1 sm can of diced green chilies
1/2 lb of pork tasso (or you can substitute andouille sausage b/c tasso is hard to find)
Tony Chachere's seasoning to taste

Thoroughly wash beans, then place in big pot and add water until it's about 2 inches above the beans. Add bacon grease and bring to a boil. Add in pork and Tony's seasoning to taste (be careful b/c it's very salty, a few shakes is all you need) and turn to low, cover and let simmer 1.5 hours. Then add the onions and chilies, cook on low another 1.5 hours. Serve over cooked white rice with buttered and toasted french bread sprinkled with garlic salt. Le Bon Temps Roule!

Not Dead (Yet)

Still here!

How times flies though, it's the middle of Jan already and I barely feel like I've started my time off. But it's been quite nice, sleeping in, reading the paper every morning, letting the day take me where it wants. Lots of trips to the dog park, cooking, and reading*. I've also been working on my second Adirondack chair after a bit of a hiatus. It's not coming along as smoothly as the previous one, but I think it will come out fine. So, all in all, I've been busy, but not busy (in the traditional sense). It's great feel unencumbered; I know it won't last and who knows if I'll get another opportunity, so I'm going to enjoy it for as long as needed. I figure I'll know when the right time is to go back into the workforce (and I do feel lucky/privileged to be financially able to do this; most people can't).

Finally, here is the recipe for the black been enchilada/quesadilla casserole I made last night. Great for taking your time and enjoying a glass of red wine while cooking:

----------------
1 can black beans
2 cans enchilada sauce
1 small can corn
1 tomato
1 medium onion
1 green pepper (red also if they aren't $$)
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup green onions
Flour or wheat tortillas
Enough cheddar/jack cheese to make you happy
Oven 350 degrees

Saute the diced onions, peppers, and garlic in a skillet w/ olive oil. When onions turn translucent, add diced tomatoes, black beans, and corn. Simmer on low, stirring occasionally. Add cayenne or chili powder as desired. After about 10 minutes, add a small pat of butter to melt in and thicken bean mix. Meanwhile, heat up the enchilada sauce in a separate pot. After the black bean mix is soft and thick, prepare to layer. In the bottom of a casserole dish, spoon enough enchilada sauce to cover bottom. Cut or tear tortillas to make a layer. Then add a layer of beans, then enchilada sauce, then cheese. Repeat as needed. Pop in oven and allow to cook about 20 minutes or so. You'll know when it's done, bubbly and melted. Great for leftovers.

--------------------

*I'm really enjoying The Self-Aware Universe..I'm still processing the info, but I picked up some interesting insights into spirituality/mysticism/science that seem to gel with some of my own thoughts/experiences. (Renee, I want to catch up with you when I've read more and have had some time to let it soak in and make sense). It's definitely a good read, but is one of those kind of books that need reflection/contemplation. I've been thinking of it on and off in quiet moments and chit-chatting about it with some friends so the ideas are there on the stove, slow-cooking.

Muncie Chili

Quick post and recipe for you all before I have to go back to work. I spent last night after I got home enjoying myself, cooking up a nice big pot of Muncie Chili* because there was the slightest hint of possible cool weather outside (it was 78 yesterday) and because my KC Chiefs were on MNF. I was ready for some football is all I gotta say. And then the Chiefs completely fell apart against hated rival Denver and were humiliated up and down the field all the while John Madden (who I think is a closet case) talked about how beefy and big those defensive linemen were. I actually turned off the game and went to bed before it was over and I never do that with my Chiefs. It was too hard to watch. The only good thing about yesterday was my batch of chili was the best yet so I'm gonna share the recipe with you now and forget last night ever happened:

Muncie Chili*

1-1.5lbs of ground beef
1 green pepper
1 onion
1 red pepper
1-2 jalopeno peppers

Saute the onion and peppers in a bit of olive oil in a large deep pot, add the ground beef after about 5 minutes. Brown the beef, then add:

2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans Bush's chili beans (1 hot, 1 mild)
2-3 cans of water
8 good shakes of chili powder (don't be skimpy here)
1/4 cup brown sugar
a little salt, a little pepper

Stir that shit up! Bring to a low boil. If there is not about a half an inch of water/juice above the mixture, add some more water but don't overdo it! When it's bubbling, add:

1 small to medium handful of angel hair pasta, snapped into small 2 inch sections

Stir the pasta down into the mixture and let it cook on low about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. It will be thick and clumpy, not some wussy runny soupy shit.

When it's done, it must be eaten with:

shredded cheddar cheese
crushed saltine crackers

in the bowl! Served with beer!

I cannot gaurantee the taste or quality of your chili if you deviate in the slightest from this recipe. Do so at your own risk!


*Called Muncie Chili because it's a bastardized version of Cincinnati-style chili with the spaghetti, except farther north and a little to the west of O-HI-O. More around Muncie, IN. And because I stole this recipe from my sister who went to Ball State.