Chile Rellenos

Chile Rellenos

I've written before about my friends' mom in Tampa, Florida, who first introduced me to Mexican cooking. They were an Air Force family who came to Tampa by way of California. In Cali, they had an Hispanic maid, who taught them her way of cooking. My friends' mom taught me at the tender age of 14, because I was SO taken with this way of cooking. I've been cooking the dishes she showed me ever since, and they are always a big hit!

When she first taught me how to make chile rellenos, there was no great abundance of fresh peppers in the markets like there are now. Over the years, I've tried this dish with different kinds of fresh peppers, but I always come back to the original canned peppers. They are peeled, ready to use and just the right size for an appetizer or a side dish! If you want a bigger version, like the ones sold in so many Mexican Restaurants, you can try a poblano pepper or any that you like, but this is what I've used for many years:

Canned Chilies for Chile Rellenos

Whole Chilies draining on paper towels

First, you need to lay the chilies out on a paper towel and drain them, like this:
Next, mix up the batter:

1/2 c. Bisquick

1 large egg

1/4 c. beer

Mix this well, pressing a fork into the mixture to get rid of all the lumps. You will have enough batter for about 6 of these smaller sized chilies. Most cans have 3 to 5 chilies in them, so if you need more, you'll have to buy 2 cans. I made four and discarded the rest of my batter. (NOTE: this batter is good for onion rings too!!)

Now, stuff your chilies:

1/4 med. onion, finely minced

about 2 ounces of white cheddar cheese, cut into rectangles and slightly tapered at the bottom

Put a few pieces of onion into the bottom of the chile, then slide in the cheese and stuff in a little more onion. Make sure to cut the onion VERY finely and slice the cheese into a shape that will fit your chilies!

Preheat about half an inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet. The oil is ready when a drop of the batter sizzles and floats to the top when dripped into the skillet. If the the oil starts to smoke or the drop to burn your oil is too hot.

While the oil is preheating, put the chilies carefully into the batter and turn them over until they are completely coated, including the open tops. Plenty of batter will prevent your cheese from melting out of the chile.

Place them carefully into the hot cooking oil, and drizzle a little more batter on the side facing up ( a small tsp. works well for this, just be careful so the oil does not pop and splatter). Let them fry for a minute or 2 and turn them over, keeping the oil hot enough to sizzle but not burn. Cook them until they are golden brown. Serve with a little salsa if desired. Enjoy!

Yummy Chile Rellenos, topped with salsa and cheese oozing out!

The Joys of Baking Bread

Rustic Italian Bread, with a pesto swirl in the middle

Ever since I received my first bread machine as a birthday gift, way back in the early '90's, I have loved making bread. I ALWAYS loved eating homemade bread, but never had the patience for all the kneading and rising and more kneading and waiting. The bread machine takes the dull part out and leaves you free to enjoy the satisfying part. You get to pick the type of ingredients you want to use, flour, herbs, amount and types of oil and salt and the machine does most of the work, or even all of it, if you so choose. And the aroma of baking bread is probably the most appetizing and welcoming of cooking aromas to come home to.

When my kids were little, I knew that no matter what I was serving for dinner, if I made bread, they would eat dinner! You know the trick, eat a bite of everything on your plate and you can have another piece of bread...

I am now on my second bread machine -- I wore the first one out! -- and I still love making homemade breads, pizza dough and rolls. The way I do it these days is to make the dough in the machine and finish the loaf in the oven. That way, I get to choose a more natural attractive shape and get the option of some last minute additions to my dough. Lately, since I have so much basil in my garden, I've been adding pesto to my dough and rolling it up into an Italian style loaf, so that each slice has a swirl of pesto in the middle. Really yummy and looks pretty also! Here's one way I make bread. This is great served with any full bodied pasta with red sauce, or a grilled meat dish.

Rustic Italian Bread with Pesto

1 cup water
3 T. olive oil

3 cups bread flour

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. dry yeast

Simple Pesto (recipe below)

Put your ingredients into your bread machine in the order your manufacturer recommends. Mine calls for wet ingredients first, with dry on top. So, water, olive oil, flour, salt, sugar and yeast (the pesto comes later!). if not using a bread machine, soften the yeast in warmed water, then mix in your flour, salt and sugar.

Choose the dough setting on the bread machine, or get to kneading if you aren't going to use one! After the final rise, when the machine goes beep, beep, beep, turn the dough out on a floured, dry surface and shape into a rough rectangle. Spread on the pesto sauce, about 1 -2 tablespoons, leaving about 1.5 inches at the top and an inch at each end with no sauce. Begin to roll up the bread dough, jelly roll style, at the end with the pesto. Roll it into a long cylinder and let it rise about 45 more minutes, covered, in a warm dry place (I use my oven with the light turned on and the door closed.)
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and bake the loaf for 25 - 30 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing. (Don't forget to take the bread OUT of the oven before turning it on to preheat!!)

Simple Pesto

1/4 c. packed clean basil leaves

1 clove garlic

1 T. Parmesan

1 tsp. toasted pine nuts or walnuts

2 T. olive oil

Blend this together in a mini food processor or food chopper until nice and smooth. Use to fill the bread or serve over pasta, on pizza, or grilled fish or chicken.
I've posted a slightly more complicated recipe for pasta earlier but this one is quick and easy.

Hurricane Irene and Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos, Refried Beans, Guacamole and Chips -- Yum!

Hurricane Irene is ON TOP of us, here in Midlothian, VA -- winds are blowing, and the rain is coming in sideways! What to do? COOK of course!

I love fish tacos in the restaurants, but was hesitant to try them here at home. I really don't know why, except that I'd never made a fish taco before, and I want everything I cook to turn out delicious! I am sometimes unwilling to try something new out of fear that it might not be THAT good, but what a silly attitude.

We must try new things in order to grow, right?? !! ??
So, here's my take on Fish Tacos. They are measured against Cabo Fish Tacos in Blacksburg VA, where I have never eaten, but where my family keeps RAVING about and sets the standard as far as Fish Tacos go. I hope you enjoy them, we did! I think, after about 4 tries, I nailed it!

I like to make the slaw for the tacos earlier in the day, so that the flavors can meld.

Tilapia Fish Tacos with Jalapeno Slaw
4 tilapia fillets
2 limes
soft, fresh corn tortillas
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
dash cayenne
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Lay your fillets side by side and squeeze 1/2 of one of the limes over them. Spray the fish lightly with a little more cooking spray and sprinkle on your spices evenly. Be careful with the cayenne pepper if you are not a fan of spicy! (You could even substitute paprika to get the color without the heat, but it will change the taste a little.)
Bake them for about 20 minutes. Squeeze a little more lime juice over the fish and chop it all up -- no knife really required with tilapia -- and put it into a bowl for serving. Warm your tortillas up just a little, wrapped in a damp towel.

Jalapeno Slaw
1/2 of a small to medium green cabbage ( you need about 2+ cups shredded)
1 T. finely minced onion
1 jalapeno, seeds mostly removed, finely minced
1 small bunch cilantro, stems removed and chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 rounded T. light mayo (I like Dukes)
1/2 tsp. sugar
salt to taste
1 T. cider vinegar
zest of 1/2 lime
First, make your dressing:
In a small bowl, combine mayo, lime juice, sugar, vinegar, lime zest and a pinch of salt. If your lime is not juicy and the dressing looks too thick, add a little more vinegar until it thins out.
Next, thinly shred your cabbage until you have 2 heaping cups. Add the onion cilantro and jalapeno and toss until well combined. Pour your dressing over and mix well. At this point I put the slaw into the refrigerator and stir it a few times to let it all come together.

To serve your tacos, put a few spoonfuls of fish on a warm corn tortilla and top with a little slaw. We like this with jazzed up, fat free re fried beans and some guacamole! Oh, guacamole!! See the recipe below:

Fantastic guacamole
2 ripe avocados
juice of one lime
a little garlic salt
2 T. of your favorite salsa
1 heaping T. light sour cream
a few dashed of hot sauce or 1/2 minced jalapeno
Put your avocado into a nonreactive bowl (not metal). Squeeze your lime juice all over it and sprinkle with garlic salt. Mash this with the back of fork or mince up with a knife. Mix in the salsa and sour cream and either the hot sauce or the minced jalapeno. If not serving immediately, place some clear plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole. This will help to keep it from turning brown.

Jambalaya -- Fabulous one skillet meal!

Assorted Peppers from my garden, cayenne and jalapenos

I've got peppers coming in, am loaded up with tomatoes and herbs, so I decided to make a pot of jambalaya. My nice neighbor gave me a bunch of green and orange banana peppers, and I've been growing these!

I always begin my jambalaya with by chopping up some veggies -- 3 cloves of minced garlic and the trifecta of taste, peppers, onions and celery, about a cup of each, diced like below.

Always remember the trinity, here's the garlic, onions and celery ready for the pot

The picture only shows the green pepper, but I used 1 each of the orange and green banana peppers, as well as a minced cayenne and a finely chopped jalapeno (seeds removed).

Next, slice your favorite smoked sausage (1 12 - 16 oz. portion). For this dish, I used low fat polksa kielbasa. Put a little olive oil in the bottom of a deep, heavy skillet and cook your sliced sausageit till it starts to brown along the edges. Remove it until a little later. Next, saute' your veggies, in a BIG skillet, with a about a T. each of butter and olive oil. That seems like a lot, but you are going to be making a lot! When the veggies start to soften, add one cup of rice ( I like a mixture of 2/3 c. white to 1/3 c. brown) and stir this around with the vegetables, coating the grains, with the oil and butter mixture. Sprinkle the rice with 1 T. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. celery salt and 1 T. fresh thyme and a pinch of saffron if you have it or can afford some! I did not have any, so I substituted 1 1/2 tsp. of smoked paprika and 1/2 tsp. of cumin. The flavor profile is different, but you'll get some smokey flavor and the orange color, like you would from the saffron. Next, add one can of diced tomatoes or 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved.

Stir in 2 cups of chicken stock, and 1/2 cup of dry white wine and bring this to a boil. Lower to a simmer and put on the lid. Sprinkle in a little salt, maybe 1/2 tsp. and some freshly ground black pepper. Let this mixture cook for at least 30 minutes, stirring periodically to make sure nothing sticks. If it starts to dry out, as mine did, add more stock, 1/2 cup at a time. After 30 to 45 minutes add the sausage back into the mixture along with 1 - 2 cups of your favorite seafood, or whatever you have in your freezer. I used 1 cup of raw, peeled and deveined shrimp and 1 cup of frozen bay scallops. Here's a picture of my big, ol' skillet of yumminess!

Big ol' pan of Jambalaya!

The only thing left to do, is dig in! This will make 5 adult sized portions. We had it with a green salad and some crusty bread for sopping up the spicy drippins! Laissez les bon temps rollons! (Pardon my french, very rusty!)

Sure wish you could taste it! Yummy Jambalaya!

Here's a list of ingredients to help you shop:

1 32 oz. box chicken stock
1 smoked sausage or polska kielbasa
rice
1 large onion
1 medium green pepper, plus a few other assorted ones for color and texture
fresh garlic cloves
seafood - 1 1/2 cups asst. such as shrimp, scallops or clams
dry white wine
1 can diced tomatoes or 1 pint cherry tomatoes
Fresh thyme, celery salt, chili powder, saffron if you feel rich, otherwise use smoked paprika and cumin

Sweeeet Corn and Other Vegetables...plus a little family wisdom!

The other day I was in the grocery store shucking some corn over the trash bin, and a lady asked me how I cooked corn. She said, "You boil it, I guess? I've been grilling it and I don't have much luck with that." I replied that no, I don't grill it or boil it, I microwave it....and she looked so puzzled that I had to explain. After doing so she asked me HOW to pick out the best cobs, so that the corn would be sweet and tender, and not tough and stringy. After that conversation, I thought that maybe I ought to blog these simple cooking and selecting tips, because maybe not everyone knows about this stuff.



I was blessed to grow up in a family with 2 grandmothers who were wonderful cooks, who had raised their families during the depression (the one in the 1930's, not the more recent "recessions"). Having done that gave an added dimension to their cooking: Both of them could turn out a delicious meal at almost no cost. Picking out the very best of the season was second nature to them. Both Bessie and Rosie had it down to a science! Here's a picture of the two fabulous ladies, at the my parents wedding reception. That's Rosie on the right and Bessie on the left, flanked by my parents:

Notice the champagne! This was a party all the way! And don't my parents look young and glamorous?? However, I digress....Here is the first rule of thumb that the ladies passed on to me, regarding fresh veggies and fruit: The heavier the fruit, the better, the lighter the vegetable, the better. Now, remember, technically tomatoes are fruit, so the heavier the better, and this rule does not really include starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, beans, and corn. "Lighter is better" especially applies to leafy green vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, kale etc. If you think about it, it actually makes a lot of sense. A light apple would probably mean it did not have much moisture in it, so therefore not too juicy. A heavy head of lettuce would mean it has a big center core, and not as many tender leaves.

Back to corn...for the best tasting corn, you want smaller rather than larger kernels on the cob, with no visible sign of drying. I like to cook it in the microwave, in about an inch of water with a little sugar sprinkled into the water. Adding salt at this point will toughen it. Pick a wide shallow dish with a glass lid, preferably.
Put the lid on and microwave it for 6 minutes. Remove the pan, rotate the corn so the other side is immersed and cook for about 3 - 6 minutes more, depending on how much corn you have in your pan and how strong your microwave is. I promise you will produce sweet, juicy delicious corn on the cob, just the way grandma used to serve it. Hey, and before you think, NO WAY did her grandmothers have a microwave, YOU ARE RIGHT, but hey, we all grow and learn, don't we? And what they did teach me was how to cook!

Making Homemade Onion Rings

Onion Rings?? REALLY??!!?? I know, not exactly healthy eating, but OK once in a while, in limited amounts. My family loves onion rings and often bake up a few frozen ones for eating alongside burgers and such. My mom used to fry up homemade ones every now and then, and I've always remembered them fondly, so I decided to try some myself. I did this YEARS ago and decided it was more trouble than it was worth, but forged ahead out of motherly love. The results were absolutely delish, and only a little trouble. Halfway through the frying process, dear husband came in to man the frying pan, because, Baby, IT'S HOT standing over one, dipping and turning! I even remembered to take some pictures along the way so you could see exactly how to do them!!

Homemade Onion Rings

First, start slicing some onions. Slice them about 1/4' thick and separate them into rings. Discard the very center of the onions and save them for another dish in a baggie. Lay them out in a single layer on paper towels and let them dry out a little while you prepare the batter. I tried to take a picture of them laid out on paper towels, but you could not see the onions against the white towels, so here is a representation for size.

Cut the onions kind of thick, like this.

The batter:

2/3 cup Bisquick

1 small egg

a few ounces of beer

Break the egg into the bottom of a shallow dish, wide enough to put a few of your rings into. A pie plate will work for this. Add the Bisquick and then drizzle in a little beer, whisking together until you get a thick batter. The batter should be thicker than pancake batter but not like dough.

Preheat a large skillet with an inch of vegetable oil in it. The oil is ready for frying when a drop of batter sizzles and rises immediately to the top. Begin frying your onion rings in a single layer, without crowding the pan.

Don't crowd the pan while cooking!

Turn them once as they begin to brown. Watch them closely so they don't burn. As they are done, drain them on some more paper towels. This takes a little time, but it's worth the extra work. We had them alongside some sloppy joes, a few french fries and marinated cucumbers from my neighbors garden. YUMMY!

Ther's nothing like Homemade Onion Rings!

Perfect burger?

This is my sons' idea of HIS perfect burger, complete with cheddar cheese, mayo, juicy tomato and a FRIED EGG! He toasted his bun on the outside grill and then loaded it up. I don't know what I think of the fried egg on top, but I must admit it LOOKED tasty. See how cute the egg is? We attended a family party over the weekend, and one of my many cousins brought tiny little chicken eggs, from her "teenage" chickens, as she called them. They were organic, free range, happy chickens too, with little speckles on their tiny eggs. They fried up into a perfect size for burger topping.

Prior to cooking our burgers on the grill, there ensued a major, rather loud discussion, about how to form the patties. My husband likes to make the patties, and he forms them into roughly the shape of a fat flying saucer, with a big hump in the middle. After many hours spent watching the Food Network, I think they should be slightly hollowed out in the center, with uniform edges. Dear hubs taper off at the edges, resulting in overcooked edges and almost raw middles. I won last night, and the burgers were perfect, if I do say so myself. Cudos to Bobby Flay and Rachel Ray for the shaping lessons!!