Friday, January 10, 2014

Enchiladas step by step

How about some enchiladas rancheras?

Saute a small onion until soft. Grate your sharp cheddar.

Add meat and brown with the spices and salt and pepper

Heat enchilada sauce (I used Rick Bayless here)

Preheat oven and griddle or fry your corn tortillas

on an ovenproof plate, start stacking

Sauce, then tortilla, sauce, meat and cheese. Do it again until it's the size you want.

Stick plate on a cookie sheet and stick it into the oven until cheese melts

this is important

Cook an egg over easy for each plate. This is part of the sauce!

Boom. Garnish with tomato and chopped onion.

A taste of my New Mexico childhood

XXOO

Julia

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Gluten Free Lasagne Noodle Review

Hey y'all!

Last week, we made this:

My mom, Betty, made lasagne using her leftover spaghetti sauce, so I made up a batch of her classic meat sauce (I'll do a post on it, I swear) and threw together a gluten free lasagne.

Yum. This was the best one I'd made in awhile, and I forgot to do a step by step picture taking, so I thought I'd do a review of the noodles we used this time.

Gluten free lasagne noodles can be a crap shoot. The fact is, lasagne needs to be eaten leftover, and GF noodles can become quite mushy after more than one cooking. This time we used Tinkyada rice noodles, and I have to say they lived up to the slogan on the box, which says their texture can withstand quite a bit of overcooking.

The second day we heated leftovers up in the microwave. Not as successful as the first serving. everything got a little creamy. So the last set of leftovers on day three I tossed in a couple of single serve casserole boats and heated them in the oven instead. This is the way to go. Firmed the noodles right back up and got the cheese cripsy once more.

All in all, I was glad we took a chance on the Tinkyada noodles.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Posole and Our First New Mexico Christmas

So, Miss Lorna tells me that there’s a standard NM Christmas meal — posole, tamales, and biscochitos. 

Now, being the faithful Texan that I am, tamales were easy, but I’d never made posole before and GF biscochitos? Wow. Posole is a hominy and pork stew with chiles. It’s usually served with onions and radishes, so that’s what we did. Biscochitos are the most amazing slice of anise-y, cinnamon-y heaven ever and I’m mad about them. Also, I made bear-shaped ones.

That’s right. Bearcochitos. :D

So, I made our supper and they was a huge success. I’m not sharing either recipe, yet, because I’m still playing with them, but I took pictures and I’m refining the biscochito recipe to share soon.

Yay cookes!

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Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Back to a happy new year!

We had a hectic year in 2013, and the blog suffered for it. Hopefully this year will see us posting three or more days a week! We have a lot of yummy ideas to try, playing with a food we've never made every week, looking to improve the texture and taste of baked goods and pasta, and playing with concepts like Paleo and Primal, as well as ancient grains like chia, millet and quinoa.

Right now we have leftovers and munchies for New Year's Day, along with our black eyed peas. We have posts about lasagne and enchiladas, which are comfort food staples in our house, and BA has baking to experiment with.

Stick with us, y'all! Happy New Year

XXOO

Julia

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Comfort Food: Tortilla Espanola

We went to Spain in the late fall of 2008. We were on one of those cruises, you know, the sixteen day trans-Atlantic extravaganzas. We started in Rome, and on day three we were in Barcelona.

Barcelona is a weird mix of fairy tale Gothic and modern. It looks almost like a Disney version of a medieval city. People tell me that happened during the Olympics, when they were scrubbing up the city's image. Still, the Ramblas and the Boqueria market are stunning and wonderful, and I had my first Tortilla espanola at a cafe on Las Ramblas.

That was when I decided to make tortilla at home. My first few were just okay. My potatoes were too starchy, my eggs not quite right...

Then I got it. I like my tortilla cooked medium well, with no runniness to the egg. If you like yours less done, just adjust your cooking time.

So. You'll need onion or shallot and garlic. Chop it up and toss it in a good non-stick pan with some butter and olive oil. Seriously, I have a tortilla pan set I only use for this.

Sautee on medium high until tender. Then you add the potatoes. I like to par-cook, and I usually boil fingerlings and cut them in pieces. This time I used the mandolin to cut 3-4 Yukon golds, and parcooked them in the microwave in a bowl of water. This hugely reduces cooking time. Stir to coat with butter, oil and onion, then cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. (if using the fingerlings, half a bag or so is about right)

This tortilla also had diced proscuitto and green chiles. I added them during the potato phase, cooking them along with the potatoes.

Once the potatoes are tender, remove lid and crank heat up to medium high again. Crisp the potatoes for a few minutes.

While the potatoes get golden, crack 6-8 eggs in a large bowl. It has to be big enough to hold all the potatoes, because you'll temper the eggs before putting them in the pan.

Then you whisk the eggs together with salt, pepper, and your choice of seasonings. I love cayenne and a little oregano, but if you were doing more traditional, you could use some thyme and sage or some paprika and sea salt. You dump the hot potatoes into the eggs, mix them well, and put them back in the pan. Lower the heat and cook until eggs are set. Then turn heat back to medium high to cook a nice crust on the eggs.

If you have a tortilla set like I do, this is where you slide the locking top pan onto the bottom pan and flip. if not, you do it like I used to. Take a large, heat safe plate. Flip tortilla onto it. Then slide it back into the pan, wet side down. Cook on medium high until egg is cooked on the second side. Then remove to a plate.

BA and I like ours lightly brown. In Spain, I saw tortilla that ranged from barely cooked in the egg area, to brown like mine.

We serve with creme fraiche or Mexican crema, a sprinkle of cheese, and some tomatoes or salsa. In Spain? Mostly served plain. :D

Either way, it's comfort food at its yummiest, and naturally gluten free.

Yummy!

Julia

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year!

I have my blackeyed peas in the Crockpot, cornbread at the ready, and a lovely mix of baby spinach and kale for my greens. :D

I'm ready for good luck in the new year. You?

Monday, December 10, 2012

Jello Cookies!

I did it!

I reinvented the Jello cookie! :D

So, before you ask, my mother used to make me Jello cookies every year for xmas. I love them. Like genuinely.

I hadn't had them in 20 years until last night. 

:D

before you start: these need a cookie press. I love mine. They're expensive, you can make cheese straws with them, and they're fun. :D This is the one I have: http://www.lnt.com/product/cookie-presses/171318-450/kuhn-rikon-kuhn-rikon-clear-barrel-cookie-press-with-storage-case-2461-cbl.html?utm_source=googleproductads&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term={keyword}

Preheat your oven to 375.

Sift together in a bowl:

4 c. all-purpose gluten free flour

2 1/2  t. xantham gum

1/2 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

Then, using a mixer, blend

1 1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1 3 oz package of regular Jello (I used cranberry)

Once that's light and fluffy add:

2 eggs, one at a time

then 

2 t. vanilla and

1/2 c. heavy cream

Add your flour mixture slowly. When this is done, the texture is very much like really well played with PlayDoh. No, really.

Now use your cookie press and make cookies.

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Now, let me tell you. Cookie presses take a little patience.

Patience, and a cold, ungreased cookie sheet.

If the cookies won't stick, wet your dough with a little more water. Try pressing harder. Try wiping off your cookie sheet with a paper towel. It's a process.

You cook these babies at 375 for 10 minutes. Take them off the pan immediately and onto a rack to cool.

They're yummy. Trust me.

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Here they are with my spritz cookies (that recipe is for tomorrow). 

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