May 3, 2009

BigSis and I had hoped that BigT could make his Jalapeno Poppers for our Cinco de Mayo appetizer. He would have loved to make these for us, but he moved out of our hacienda on May 1st (again; fingers crossed) so he was very busy getting situated this weekend.

Recently, BigT and I went to one of our favorite Mexican Food dives for lunch.  I ordered my favorite ground beef crispy quesadilla. It's really more like a humongous nacho because all the amazing cheese and meat are on top of one crispy tortilla and broiled until bubbly and golden brown. (I obviously wasn't being too disciplined.)

But BigT was being very disciplined, so he ordered the ceviche. I NEVER would have ordered ceviche from that particular restaurant, but I tried a few bites of his and it was really good. In their particular recipe, they used a white fish. We're going to use Ahi tuna for ours.

I have made a gazillion appetizers over the years but I have to admit, I was always a little afraid of ceviche. Luckily, since living here in CA, we've ventured outside our little box. We've actually been eating Sashimi Tartare and Carpaccio!

This ceviche recipe is a pretty traditional version, except that the fish in Mexico would likely be mackerel or kingfish, it would typically be marinated long enough to cook through and it would be served in a glass bowl or on a tostada. I really like serving this on the bed of butter lettuce.

Ceviche Salad with Avocado, Cilantro and Green Chile
(adapted from Rick Bayless Mexican Everyday)

1 cup fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup (loosely packed) roughly chopped cilantro
Fresh green chiles to taste, stemmed and roughly chopped
(I only used one Serrano and roasted it before peeling and chopping)
Salt, to taste
1 1/4 pound sashimi-grade boneless, skinless fish (I used Ahi)
1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 diced tomato
1 large head butter lettuce

In a blender or food processor, combine the lime juice, garlic, cilantro, chiles and 1 tsp salt. Process until smooth.

Put the diced fish into a large bowl. Pour the lime marinade over it and let it “cook” in the lime juice to suit your own taste: you can eat it right away (Peruvian-style) if you like raw fish, or let it “cook” for an hour or two if you like it more well-done. It takes about four hours to “cook” fish well-done in lime juice; if that is your desire, add the cilantro, chopped, just before serving to preserve its fresh color.

Pour off half the marinating liquid and set aside. Toss the avocado and the tomato with the fish, then taste and season with additional salt if you think necessary.

Divide the lettuce among four dinner plates. Scoop a portion of the ceviche into the center of each arrangement. Sprinkle with a little chopped cilantro, drizzle some of the reserved lime marinade over the salad and you're ready to serve.

I marinated mine for exactly two hours and the fish was perfect!  If you really do not like the idea of semi-rare fish, marinate for the full four hours OR you can substitute 1 pound of cooked shrimp. In that case, you would only marinate the shrimp for a few minutes to soak up the flavors.

If you've never made ceviche, maybe this has inspired you to give it a try this Cinco de Mayo!

~LilSis

May 3, 2009

You can't have a Cinco de Mayo meal without guacamole, or any mexican meal, for that matter. LilSis and I make our guacamole pretty much the same way, and it's super simple. We don't like onion in our guac since it dominates the flavor, and we don't like tomato since it gets yukky and watery if there's any left over. We do like lots of lemon and garlic! The extra lemon will help keep the guac from getting too brown, besides giving it a great bright flavor  Here's how we do it.

Ole!

Super Simple Guacamole

3 avocados
Juice of 1 to 1-1/2 lemons (at least 4 tablespoons of juice)
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp shallot pepper (or plain pepper if that's what you have)
1/2 tsp minced dried garlic or garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Frank's Red Hot Sauce

Mash avocados with all other ingredients. Adjust seasonings to your taste.  Refrigerate any leftovers, with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface of the guacamole to keep air out and reduce browning.  Enjoy!

~BigSis

May 3, 2009

Hola!  Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner, so oh darn, LilSis and I have an excuse to make Mexican food.  Our favorite!  With one sister in California and one in Texas, you KNOW we love our Mexican food!  The swine flu has postponed or cancelled the Cinco de Mayo festivities here in Texas, so it's a good thing that we have our own throwdown fiesta planned!

Here's our menu for this year:

• Ceviche Salad with Avocado, Cilantro and Green Chilis
• Guacamole
• Classic Tortilla Soup
• Spinach Mushroom Enchiladas
• Mexican Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

We're busy in our cocinas, so check back later for our first recipe.  Ole!

~BigSis

April 30, 2009

One of my favorite spots for Sunday Brunch used to be Charlie's by the Sea.  It was one of the most beautiful spots right on the sandy beach in Cardiff. We used to go there quite often. We would let HayHay surf right out in front where we could watch him while we leisurely enjoyed our brunch on the patio. And, we always took our out of town guests there. Unfortunately, they closed their doors last year. I haven't found another spot like it since.

One of my favorite things to order from their Brunch menu was their Garden Omelet. I was really craving one this past Sunday, so I decided to make one for myself. Since the guys were golfing,  I actually got to make something for just me, myself, and I!

I must admit that it turned out pretty darn good. It was very similar to the one that they used to serve at Charlie's by the Sea, except I think I used more veggies!

Since I used three eggs, I cut the omelet in half and hid the other half in the fridge for my breakfast the next day. (At my house, if you want to guarantee that your leftovers are still around the next day, you have to hide them.)

Here's what the yummy inside looked like as I dug into it.

The quantities of  the ingredients in this omelet are approximate. You could add more or less of any of these ingredients or substitute any one of them for your own favorite veggie! (That's why I'm better at cooking than I am at baking. I really do NOT enjoy having to measure every ingredient and I have no clue when you can and can't substitute in baking.)

Garden Omelet

1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 c. asparagus, cut into pieces
1/2 c. baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c. fresh spinach, torn into pieces
1/4 c. petite diced tomatoes
3 large eggs, beaten (I put a dash of Frank's Red Hot in the eggs)
1/4 c. shredded cheese (I used Sargentos 4 Cheese Mexican)
salt and pepper, to taste
a few snips of chives
Frank's Red Hot, to taste

I start off my omelet like a frittata because I like my veggies all mixed into the eggs, not just tucked inside the omelet. Begin by sauteing the asparagus tips and the mushrooms in the olive oil for about 5 minutes or until the asparagus softens a little. Then toss in the spinach until it wilts. Next, add the tomatoes and stir just until blended in with other veggies. Now, pour the eggs over all the veggies. Cook until the egg sets well enough to flip the omelet. Once flipped, I sprinkle on the cheese and fold over. Sometimes, I might flip it again, if I want to brown both sides a little.  Slide onto a plate, add a dash of salt, pepper, a few snips of chives and top off with some Frank's Red Hot, to taste.

I hope you enjoy this omelet recipe or your own version of it.  I change mine up almost every time I make one. I think I enjoy making them so much because they are quick, easy, and can be pretty healthy as long as you don't load them up with massive quantities of bacon and cheese. (which I also love, by the way.)

I'm also entering this recipe in the BlOg yOur Omelete event.

You can read more about this fun blog event here on Spanish Recipes. Nuria from Spanish Recipes will be accepting omelet recipes until May 15th so it's not too late to get your recipe entered! The full roundup will be published on May 18th.

~LilSis

April 29, 2009

My friend SAA left for an awesome trip to France this week for a wedding.  The bride is Cambodian and the groom is German, so of course they're getting married in Paris! Can you imagine a more unique wedding ceremony?  I can't wait to see the pictures.

I don't need much reason to bake, so to wish SAA bon voyage, I made a pastry called Danish Puff.  It's essentially pate a choux, a dough that is used to make beignets, cream puffs and eclairs.  Not that I could compete with French pastry; I just thought this was an appropriate adios treat, or should I say au revoir treat!  I got this recipe from a coworker almost 20 years ago and I still love it.  You'll notice there isn't any sugar in the whole recipe except for the glaze, which I really like.  It's easier than the results might indicate, so just pretend you slaved all day on this dessert!  Let's make this baby!

Besides being easy, this recipe is cheap.  These are all the ingredients you'll need.

You probably have these items on hand already.

Danish Puff

Pastry:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons water

Topping:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs

Glaze:
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 3 tablespoons warm water
3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

For the pastry, cut the butter into flour using 2 knives or a pastry blender. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of water over, and stir with a fork until dough comes together. Divide into two balls. Pat dough into two long strips on an ungreased baking sheet, about 12 inches long and 3 inches wide.  Strips should be around 3 inches apart.  Set aside.

The crust strips patted out...don't stress about making them perfect!

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter and water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add almond extract and flour.  Stir vigorously over low heat for about 1 minute, until the mixture forms a ball. Beat in the eggs (all at once) until smooth and glossy. Divide in half and spread over the strips on the baking sheet.

After the topping is added to the unbaked crust layer.

Bake for about 1 hour, or until topping is brown and crisp.

Halfway through the baking time...getting puffy and pretty!

Cool. Topping will shrink and fall, forming the custardy top of the puff.

Out of the oven and cooling. How easy was that?

Mix all glaze ingredients together with an electric mixer until smooth, adding water by tablespoons until a good spreading consistency is achieved.  Frost the puffs and sprinkle with the almonds.

Voila!

Next time I'm trying this with a dark chocolate glaze, and toasted pecans on top!

~BigSis

April 27, 2009

I got home from California to find hairballs on the carpet, but I found ZERO food in the house.  You know how you try to let your perishables all run out before you leave for on vacation?  That's what I did, which makes sense, but I haven't had anything to eat for dinner all week except random crackers, string cheese and scrambled eggs.  Sad, huh?

So tonight on the way home from work I stopped at Sam's Club for a few things.  Did you know that you can get some great deals on produce there?  The first time I seriously browsed their produce department I was shocked.  I guess I expected to find tired old stuff that was past it's prime, but I've never seen that to be the case.  I do find great deals and good quality.

Here's what I got tonight for under $35.

• Baby spinach – beautiful tiny leaves, triple washed (1 lb)
• Shredded romaine – triple washed (2 lbs)
• Whole button mushrooms (1-1/2 lbs)
• Cherub grape tomatoes (2 lbs)
• Avocados – a perfectly ripe bag of 5
• Frozen sliced strawberries for smoothies (5 lbs)
• Frozen tiny broccoli florets, not the hard yukky stems (4 lbs)

That's a heck of a lot of food that will make me salads, sides and smoothies for at least a week. If I'd picked that all up at a regular grocery store, I would have expected to pay more than double that price.  The strawberries alone would have cost me more than half of that total amount.  Target has a 12 ounce bag of berries on sale for $3, so 5 pounds at that rate would be $20.  I got 5 pounds for $8.76!  Sam's also had some gorgeous phaleonopsis orchids, geraniums and ferns today – all at fabulous prices!

The next time you're at Sam's Club picking up a prescription or waiting for your new tires to be put on, wander through the produce department.  You might be pleasantly surprised to save some money on your family's food bill! Oh, and you get 30% off on all the magazines they carry, and you KNOW how LilSis and I love magazines!   If you've saved some dough on your food, you can justify a magazine or two!

~BigSis

April 13, 2009

Anyone who knows us knows how much we love pink, so does it come as a surprise that our Potato Ho Down entry this month is a Pink Potatotini?

Pink Potatotini

We served the Pink Potatotinis for Easter Sunday, and had tons of pink fun with them.  We started with our Make-Ahead Potato recipe, and just added a touch of red food coloring.  We then piped them into martini glasses, added a sprinkle of chives and a couple of olives. Viola!  Pink Potatotini!

Dlyn is the host for this month's Ho Down, so be sure to visit her site on April 15th to see all of the Potato Hos and their recipes!  Thanks for hosting, Dlyn!

~BigSis

April 11, 2009

Oh no, Mr. Bunny! (Something about this is just wrong). This little pink bunny is just too cute to eat!  He looks like he's all tucked into his cozy little graham cracker bed for the night, but little does he know he's about to be liquified!  Oh nooooo……

But if you really get a kick out of this, check out CakeSpy for some fun ideas for leftover Easter Candy. I love this Malted Milk Shake.  It reminds me of a Peeps hot tub.

For all the cupcake fanatics, Baking Bites does some crazy cute Peeps cupcakes.

And if this just leaves you wanting more, check out the Peeps: Recipes and Crafts to make with your favorite Marshmallow Treats.

As for me, I'm about “peeped out”!

~LilSis

April 10, 2009

Why eat just yellow peeps when you have this selection?

Have you ever thought about how all those little Peeps come to be? Wonder no more. The Chicago Tribune has provided a Peeps slide show that reveals all of the secrets about the sugary little guys.

Freshly Hatched Peeps

The Washington Post got in the Peeps Game too.  They have an annual contest called the Peep Show, that features the creative work that folks do with Peeps.  You have to check this out.  I love the Peeps in bikinis, Project Peepway, Peeps Idol, and SpongeBob SquarePants Peeps!

Personally, I'm a chocolate bunny or Cadbury Egg kind of a girl, since only chocolate is worthy of the calories spent on candy in my opinion, but to each his own!  Enjoy the Peep Show!

~BigSis

April 9, 2009

Flickr Photo by Barefoot Kitchen Witch

If you haven't seen The Barefoot Kitchen Witch's twist on Coloring Easter Eggs, you've gotta check it out! I love these! She used a method similar to making Chinese Tea Eggs and they turned out awesome!

She even made deviled eggs out of one batch. You can read how to make these crazy colored deviled eggs here.

I bet the kids would have a blast making and eating these!  I hope I have time to make these or my pastel colored eggs are going to look awfully boring in comparison!

~LilSis