Potluck for the Win!

I LOVE THIS SALAD. There, I said it. Monthly themed potlucks sometimes get my panties in a bunch because if I don't respond fast enough, someone else picks similar things that I was thinking, then I have to actually do some homework...this one one of those. They even had TWO themes....2 birthdays in one month resulted in "Lemon" and "Tacos". My first thought was lemon swig cookies, because I have been dying to try them but without an event, I will eat them all and will then be shaped like a decidely humongous lemon (already there.....). So I Pinterested, cookbooked, and even looked at online menus for inspiration, but success was elusive. My next step was to check the fridge, freezer, and pantry....the wheels were squeaky at first, but boxes were being ticked, reference recipes triple checked, and finally I realized I had everything to make this salad - OK, I had to buy a lime and some sour cream this morning, but close enough. I LOVE CORN....it's late this year, and I'm starting to twitch a bit from cob withdrawal...my brother/sister in law's farm fb page is compulsively checked multiple times a day, and I am buying extra butter and some new elastic for my fat pants in drooling anticipation....HURRY UP, CORN!! But frozen will work, so into the fray I went! It's not quite half and half pasta/corn, but almost - I would have liked more corn, so don't be afraid to throw in extra; I like it freshly cut off the cob, but frozen is good, and I had some that I froze myself last year for even more corny flavor(If you use canned we cannot be friends). When you saute it in butter until it just starts to brown, it sticks to the pan when the sugars start to burn - it's no wonder they make corn syrup outta this stuff! Add some acid, some heat, some creamy, and the funk of the cheese and cilantro and UUUU-MAMI that's good eats! I had to invent all the quantities because I didn't measure, but as long as you don't overseason it you can't go wrong....be free, toss in a handful/a few scoops, a clump....no one will care! OK, Handsome Stranger will, he hates onions and says that anything that touches raw ones make the whole bowl taste bad. Then he kissed me and I was proclaimed nasty....maybe it was the onions....maybe NOT. Street Corn Pasta Salad 1/2 lb. Ditalini or small pasta 1 bag frozen super sweet corn 1 large jalapeño, diced small (seeded!) 2-3 T butter 1/3 cup diced red onion 1 large Roma, cut off outside and discard seeds, dice 1/4 c chopped cilantro 1/2 cab black beans, drained and rinsed 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese, divided 1/2 cup each mayo and sour cream Juice of 1 lime (do half at a time and taste) Hot chili powder, salt and garlic powder to taste Cook pasta according to directions, drain and run cold water over until cool. While cooking pasta, put butter, corn and jalapeño in large skillet and cook over med high heat, stirring often. When it just starts to brown, remove and let cool a bit. In large bowl, put onion, Roma, cilantro, beans and lime juice, dump cooled pasta on top, then corn mixture and toss. Add mayo and sour cream, then 2/3 of cheese and seasonings to taste...remember to check before salting because mayo and pasta water have salt! Mix well and refrigerate...if it seems dry when you serve, add a couple T of warm water to loosen it up, then garnish w rest of cheese and a sprinkle of hot chili powder. Enjoy...I could eat this every day! ps, Deb, is corn ready YET???

Simply the BEST!

Awwwww yeah....Tina belted it out but I bet you didn't know she was talkin' bout biscuits and gravy; better than all the rest is no joke! It's Thursday after Christmas, I am off all this week too and today is my last day home where I feel like I can lounge in my PJ's watching trash TV and not adulting - the melted/refrozen snow outside has me locked up anyway, so why fight it? Today was the day I would say YES to the carbs, not count a gram of anything, and just enjoy a couple of my favorites from one Mother to another - Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro hits alllll the marks so I'm sharing her finest with you!

I received my "Mother's Best" cookbook in a basket raffle, not directly, but from a co-worker who won it but wasn't feeling Lisa Schroeder's mojo; she knew I wanted to win the basket for the cookbook alone,so she gifted it to me - still bowled over by her generosity, and she would be pleased to know that several pages are stuck together signifying a recipe that's a keeper....there are a couple stuck together for these two alone! I made a few adjustments, one because the biscuit recipe makes a sh**load in it's full glory, the other because I had a package of breakfast sausage from my local grocery store and it wasn't quite as much as her recipe calls for. Other than that it is 100% Mother's, let me know if you've dined on this in her bistro because I have not and would love to know if this measures up! 

 Handsome Stranger loves him a good biscuit, but his go-to is the standard butter Crisco, buttermilk, and baked until the top AND bottom are crispy golden brown....good? Yes. My fave? Nope. Lisa's biscuit is like a crusty pillow, so tender inside, but with a crispy bottom, a craggy top with the sheen of melted butter brushed over, and the flavor and texture that says "This has butter AND cream in it!" The gravy is flat out amazing, and you can taste the cream there as well....use a nice flavorful sausage and the herbs and spices added perfectly complement that meaty goodness. And keep in mind this is utter indulgence, and I only make it a couple times a year and suggest you follow suit - your heart and your cardiologist will thank you. 

MOTHER'S BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

3 C. flour 
4.5 tsp. baking powder 
1.5 tsp. table salt 1 tsp. and a pinch of kosher salt 
3 T. sugar 
3/4 of a stick of cold butter (cut in half, then cut one of the halves in half and only use one small half), cut in small cubes 
1-1/4 C. buttermilk (I use whole buttermilk) 
1-1/4 C. heavy cream
 3/4 C. flour for dredging 
2 T. butter, melted 

Heat oven to 450, spray square pan with spray and set aside. 

In large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salts and sugar, add butter cubes and cut or smash in with your fingers until pea sized. Make a well and pour in buttermilk and cream, stir with fork until a shaggy wet dough forms with no dry pockets. Put 3/4 C. flour in another bowl, then using a 1/2 cup scoop if you got one, scoop one biscuit at a time into flour, roll around with your hands and toss back and forth to knock off excess flour, then place in greased pan. Repeat until you have 9 biscuits in pan. Place in oven and bake 10 minutes; turn pan and turn oven down to 375; cook 20-30 minutes, turning once more until golden brown (if you stick the point of a sharp knife under the edge of the center biscuit and pull up a little, you can see if the dough in the center is done). Remove from oven, brush with melted butter and let stand 20 minutes (hahahaha....that never happens here) 

MOTHER'S COUNTRY SAUSAGE GRAVY 

1 lb. bulk pork breakfast sausage (I use Jims Supermarket, they make their own sausages and it's soooo much better than JD!) 
Butter or bacon fat if needed (I had to add 2 T. of butter because it's so friggen lean!) 
1/4 C. flour 
1.5 C. milk 
1.5 C. heavy cream 
1 tsp. garlic salt 
1/2 tsp. onion salt 
fresh ground black pepper 
1/2 plus pinch of dried thyme 
pinch of cayenne 

Brown sausage in large skillet, breaking into small chunks; add additional butter or bacon fat until you have 2-3 T. in with sausage; add flour and stir, cook until flour starts to brown. Add seasonings and milk and stir until it starts to bubble and thicken; add cream and whisk until it starts to bubble and thicken. Turn down to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. 

 Mother's splits her biscuits and pops them cut side down on a buttered griddle before serving with gravy; you could also put in toaster oven or broiler cut side up...I like them soft and squishy so I just split/ladle/enjoy! The parsley on top is simply frippery...but I lovelovelove my new Fiesta bowl plates and adding that little pop of color DO makes for a nice presentation.  The other plate was my second fave - BRAVO to whoever produced that blackberry jam that I bought at St. Edwards Christmas Bazaar this year, holy Catholic Gramma that stuff is Heaven on a biscuit!

Love at First Bite

Sunset from inside my church

 Easter was sort of weird this year....I think because my lovely and far too independent daughter moved to Massachusetts last August, and took my grandson hostage so he wasn't here to do the whole Easter Bunny thing.  Not that he was falling for it anyway....altho the beard at 14 may LOOK mature, he's probably only a few years past getting suckered by his crafty granny to believe a giant and scary rabbit was sneaking into the house and pooping a bunch of candy in a basket.  And I totally missed his A personality when it comes to such tasks, and how he lined up all the completed eggs in a perfect rainbow for all to admire.  Gramma just threw eggs into the cups, then wandered off and watched a movie or something, completely forgetting until the dye had gone through the shell so our Polish Dish looked like it had confetti in it. And also missed getting up and finding Ethan watching netflix with a nearly empty basket because he'd been up since 6 and had his pre-breakfast snack of 4.5 lbs of candy stuffed into his basket.  And he STILL ate breakfast.....

I wasn't going to make baskets for the "kids"....in July they will ALL be over 30, so maybe that should be my guilt free cut-off age to stop doing that??  Ended up putting it all in a "platter basket", and for all my good intentions of NOT overdoing it, I thought I was going to need Walt's engine lift to get it into the kitchen. And even at that, it was mostly gone this morning....nothing but a few Twix, a couple snack bags of Almond M&M's, and a bag of pistachios that someone has yet to claim.  If the boys are still in bed when I get home, I should probably sneak into their rooms and give them each a shot of insulin.  I had a FEW.....still haven't learned to not buy candy I love, so those stupid sour watermelon gummies kept calling my name.  Which is apparently "Hey, you....yeah, the one with your pants unbuttoned"....

Breakfast was the Easter Absolute....cannot celebrate the Risen Lord without Polish Dish (another post, look it up), and some lovely asiago roasted garlic bread toast dripping with butter.  We went to bed late (Saturday Vigil Mass takes FOREVER), got up  late, but apparently the kids were hibernating so we finally stood between their bedroom doors and said LOUDLY "We are eating breakfast in 5 minutes, with or without you", so 10 minutes later they got up.  Which was good, because I decided that we had to have some kind of sweet bread after all, did a speed scan of Pinterest, then whipped up my version of the offering "Best Ever Cinnamon Roll Bites".  Everyone LOVED them....they are sweet, and petite, and tender, and super-duper yummy ESPECIALLY if you smear some butter on them, and SO much faster than cinnamon rolls.  I also tweaked the recipe because biscuits need buttermilk, and buttermilk makes things more tender and with a pleasant tang....you could probably use Bisquick for this, but you know how I feel about that so don't tell me if you do.  Enjoy.....your first bite will not be your last!

Better Cinnamon Bites

I will admit I cranked up the recipe a bit, and perhaps the pan could have been less full, but what the heck....you could probably pile some on top, or use a small oven proof dish or put them in cupcake tins or whatever....just make them and I think you'll discover no one cares, and it's hard to complain when your mouth is full.

Dough:
2.1/3 Cups flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 Cup cold butter (1 cube)
1 C. buttermilk

Topping:
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup white sugar
2 T. cinnamon

2 T. melted butter

Icing:
1 T. butter, melted
1 C. powdered sugar
Milk 

Preheat oven to 350, grease or spray a large pie plate or tin, or an 8x8 square glass pan, or maybe a 8 or 10 inch spring form pan and set aside.

Mix topping ingredients in medium sized bowl and set aside.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt and soda in large bowl, cut in cold butter with pastry blender, a fork, or your fingers until small pea sized chunks.  Stir in buttermilk with a fork, adding more if needed to get a rough shaggy ball, and don't over work or they'll be tough.  Once you have the sides scraped, grab a cookie scoop or two teaspoons and start making rough balls about an inch diameter, and drop each into the cinnamon sugar.  roll around and put in baking dish, continuing until you've used all the dough.  Squeeze them in, or put some in another container if you feel like there's too many - I ate a fair amount of dough so that helped me, lol.

Melt butter and drizzle over top, then bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until you can stick a knife tip in between two center balls and check to ensure they are no longer doughy.  Put on trivet and let cool for maybe 10 minutes.  While waiting to cool, melt icing butter, add powdered sugar and whisk, adding enough milk to get a creamy but thing icing.  Drizzle on top of balls and serve warm.  With butter on the side.....I will add a picture of the recipe next time I make them, but never thought about it yesterday because I was too busy stuffing my face, so you get one of my church I thought was beautiful and more Easter appropriate.  But come to think of it, I wonder how I get ANY food pictures on here since I'm forever stuffing my face....

He's the Apple of my Eye

*taptaptap*....is this thing on??  Heheheh....yes, I'm still alive, I am just without a home computer and writing full-fledged posts on a smart phone belies it's name.  I have posted several new offerings on my facebook page (bitchinvittles of course), so you can look there since I haven't figured our if I can link the two of the accounts together and don't feel like it right now.  And that's how I roll....except at my real job, THAT I take super seriously and I'm not saying that just because this is out there in cyber "everyone can read it* land.  REALLY.

I really am a bit of a mess....wicked bad arthritis in one knee, plantar fasciitis in one foot, Achilles tendinitis in the other, and bone spurs aplenty in all of them.  No matter what I wear I am sporting New Balance walking shoes, white for casual and gray for more formal attire....they cost dang near as much as Manolo's, so if you see me in a cocktail dress cut down/up to there, remember that my walking shoes look far better with it than me belly crawling across the floor.  I graduated to a pair of "engineered" sandals, and they're pretty cute....but the jury's still out, I wore them today to Ikea so whether I sleep tonight without lightning bolts in my heel or not will determine if they're good enough support until my healing is complete.  I hope so...spending the summer in walking shoes is not my idea of fun....my toes need their freedom!!

Last fall Handsome Stranger and I drove alllllll the way to Hood River, Oregon to pick our favorite apples right off beautifully manicured and well taken care of trees at Kiyokawa Family Farms, and got a little carried away....I think we had in the realm of 70 POUNDS of apples just for us, but it was SO MUCH FUN picking it was hard to stop.  My favorite is the Pink Lady (or Cripp's Pink), and they were not u-picking them, but as they were in season, we were able to get them out of the stand, but my honey's pick is always Cameo's, and they were thick and heavy on those trees, just screaming to be picked!  It didn't take long to load up our wagon, and it is truly amazing how good an apple is you just picked off the tree yourself....they are my second favorite, and we bought so many it brought the price down so it was fine by me.

We eat a LOT of apples on WW....it's free, they are filling, conquer the sweet cravings, and have tons of fiber and bulk - but maybe not 70 lbs. worth.  After a couple months, HS decided that they were starting to soften just a tad, so he would cull out the ones that were aging and whip out a batch of applesauce, no sugar added.  I have to tell you, that is the best damn applesauce I have EVER had....it was velvety smooth, sweet and tart, and be darned if a thick layer of it on top of demon oatmeal made me think I was eating apple not-so-crisp.  I already miss it, but next year we may have to up the tally to 150 lbs and he can make half into sauce!

I can also find other uses for these beauties....they made great pie, fantastic apple sour cream coffee cake (recipe is in here somewhere), and one my new favorites, Apple German Cake from the good folks at Bob's Red Mill.  They have a store in Milwaukie, and I visited there today....I walked over to the goody case they sell their baked goods from, and didn't see it there, but there was an empty shelf with a blank tag.  I turned the tag around and sure enough "Apple German Cake" was written on it, and a lady who was hovering said "Apple cake, huh?"  I said "HOW can they be OUT??", and she says "Yeah, I know...." and we both walked away with tears in our eyes...oh BOB, how COULD you??

Neither one of us trusts ourselves enough to make it because we know it's kryptonite, but maybe for Easter??  Here it is....I'm not putting it in there, but the recipe does call for some of Bob's products, feel free to use those or whatever you have on hand :-)

Bob's Red Mill Apple German Cake

This cake is not fancy; it's very dark when baked, and has no topping at all....do NOT let that fool you.  It packs and apple punch like you won't believe, and it's sweet, dense, and moist as all get-out....the most I think I would attempt to fancy it up is put a pretty stencil on top and sprinkle with powdered sugar, but trust me when I say no one will care while they are stuffing it in their face.  And it's RIDICULOUSLY easy...

2 C. Unbleached white flour
2 C. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
4 cups peeled apple, chopped in 1/2-3/4" cubes
1 C. walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 350, grease 9x13 pan.

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in large mixing bowl, set aside.  In medium mixing bowl combine eggs, apple, walnuts, oil, and vanilla; stir together until well mixed, then pour into dry mix and stir until combined.  Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 40-45 minutes; cool and serve plain, with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Enjoy the apple-y and spicy goodness, and think of green orchards against a backdrop of a beautiful snow-capped mountain rising into the bluest of skies....it was a pretty awesome experience, you should do it at least once before your knees and feet give out completely!

Let Us Wrap Chicken....BBBBOK, BOK!

Growing up in a family with 5 kids and one income makes life interesting.  Not like “My summer vacation to Egypt/Hawaii/Scotland was SUCH a wonderful adventure”, or “I got a whole new wardrobe and I can't WAIT to show my gold plated mary janes to Mary Jane!", but more like “We went camping and my little brother didn’t even drown”, or “my gramma made me a new dickey to wear on the first day of school, now I just need a sweater and pants to wear with it” kind of interesting..  But I didn’t feel all that poor, just thought some people were really rich – and we were resourceful, so we made poor look good (just don’t look at my childhood photos).

We ate pretty basic foods, it was the 60’s/70’s and although the women’s lib movement was gaining speed and depth like a tsunami of bra-less, mini skirted, and free from the shackles of housewifery WOMEN, my mom still stayed home, wore aprons, and talked on the dial phone that was soooooo modern because it was olive green and not black and had a cord so long she could go anywhere in the house save the basement which is where we hid from her to avoid a spontaneous cleaning jag.  She oven fried chicken, made spaghetti, hamburger creole,  and sloppy joes, occasionally nodding begrudgingly to the feminists alternative to real meals and throwing tv dinners or pot pies in the oven.  Which we loved all of….I still have a fondness for instant mashed potatoes and that delicious apple cobbler that you had to pick the peas out of first.

I have a love/hate relationship with restaurants.  I love that they make the food for me/hate that they make me pay for something I know I can make at home.  Love that I can eat a different country’s cuisine every day of the week/hate that I can’t GO there to eat it.  Love that I can get a decadent meal with zero prep or clean up/hate that if I start counting points I will need to remove mine, my guests, and at least one nearby table occupants shoes to have enough digits to calculate why my Weight Watchers leader will do a double take and blow a long, low whistle under her breath at the scale readout when I weigh in next.  Such is life…..you want it, you’re gonna pay for it, which is why I love this next recipe.  Not only do I not have to pay for it literally or figuratively, I can actually feel good about myself when I enjoy the heck out of it – hell, I’ll leave MYSELF a tip!

BETTER Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Better is only in nutrition….the real ones at you-know-where are not to be sneezed at, I love them and will continue to order when I go to that place, I just wanted a DIY version that I knew exactly what went into it.  And that I’m cheating them out of 8.95….

1 chicken breast, ground in processor/finely chopped (or 6 oz. of ground bird)

2 t. olive oil

1 t. sesame oil

4-6 mushrooms, diced small

1 can water chestnuts, diced small

2-3 green onions, sliced thinly

1 clove garlic, minced

2-4 T. oyster sauce

1 t. rice vinegar

1 t. cornstarch

Sugar to taste

¼ tsp. ginger

Iceberg, butter lettuce, or romaine

Cooked brown rice - you could fry noodles, but brown rice is healthier and gives it texture and protein J

Special sauce:

½ C. hot water

¼ C. sugar

2 T. soy

2 T. rice vinegar

2 T. ketchup

1 T. lemon juice

1/8 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. to 1 Tbsp. hot mustard

1-2 tsp. garlic red chili paste

Heat olive oil until smoking hot, add garlic, chicken and sesame oil and toss/break up chicken until no longer pink.  Add mushrooms, onion, and water chestnuts and continue to stir fry on high until mushrooms are cooked, mix oyster sauce, vinegar, and cornstarch until dissolved and add, cook and stir one minute until sauce has coated everything and is nice and glossy.

Special Sauce: Dissolve sugar in hot water, then whisk in remaining ingredients and adjust to hot/sweet/sour/more hot taste.

Serve with iceberg lettuce (cut in half and wash, taking off large outer leaves), butter lettuce (OH COSTCO I LOVE YOU), just remove core and rinse, or romaine (remove outer large leaves and use like a lettuce boat) – I serve a plate with a pile of lettuce leaves, a pile of brown rice, and a pile of the chicken with a little cup in the middle with the sauce (MUST have!) and let the assembling begin!

Enjoy….I realize some of you are going to say “Who has garlic red chili paste, hot mustard and sesame oil in their fridge?”….that would be those of us who lovelovelove flavor!!  All can be purchased at your grocery store in the Asian food section, and will last FOREVER – and once you try these you’ll make them all the time, and your grocer will notice the uptick in Asian condiment sales and start carrying black bean paste and pot sticker wrappers and I'll give you MORE yummy recipes!

Meant to Be...

36 years is a long time to do anything.  Really….if someone told you that you had to drive the same car for 36 years, you’d probably think they were crazy.  All those dings and dents, layers of paint, worn out upholstery, sagging springs, cloudy windshield, the MILES….not to mention the strange noises, weird smells, and all the little defects you finally gave up on fixing and just pretend not to notice anymore.  But then again, it’s COMFORTABLE….you have your butt-print in the seat, the stations programed just how you like em, and you know exactly what to do if you really need to make it go – it’s like a part of you.  As long as it never leaves you stranded, it’s been there for you rain or shine, why break in an unknown?

So yeah…..my 36^th wedding anniversary is coming up in May, and it’s hard to believe neither of us has wrapped the other around a tree or launched into a ravine.  I kid…sort of.  As I get older (and I’m fairly certain it has to do with hormone depletion) I’m much more mellow about the man bringing home another lawnmower he found in the dumpster at work, or when I stumble across a stash of shiny new tools bought on the sly at Harbor Freight and put away in the garage immediately rather than on the dining room table to grow cobwebs until he is directed to remove them or dig them out of the recycling bin.  I try to save my righteous indignation for work - peeps should be paid to fear me.

As for the wear and tear, at least we are a matched pair….he has the crinkle between his eyebrows and he HATES that I point it out when he’s mad about something, I have the “mad mouth” wrinkle that makes me look like my mom/gramma in their golden years, and we have matching aches, pains, and titanium stents – we really do believe in togetherness.  But there is nothing wrong with comfortable....I like that I don’t have to suck in my gut all the time, and if I need to, hell, there’s underwear for that.

Speaking of comfort, again with the soup….it’s a warm cozy hug in a bowl, and like a fuzzy blanket will relax you, fill your tummy, and put you to sleep.  Must be old people food….we eat more and more soup as we move through life, I’m thinking it’s the geezer version of baby food.  Easy to digest, not a lot of chewing, and plenty of veggies to keep you regular – it’s geriatric genius!  This recipe came about because I’ve always wanted to make it, but didn’t know where to find the little pasta balls.  I think there is a specific pasta for this, but found Israeli couscous to look suspiciously similar in size, so I got my hands on some, then started googling and came up with my own recipe – it is a new fave, and I use kale instead of spinach, which I recently found is very good for your eyes…anything that helps avoid growing more squinty lines is awesome in my book! 

  

Italian Wedding Soup

I read that this is a common offering at Italian restaurants everywhere, but I’ve never seen it…wait, is Pizza Hut Italian?  I have, however, seen it at my local grocery store, in a large pot by cardboard cups, and most likely poured out of a gigantic waxed milk type carton and heated to temp so that random people can stick their fingers in it or double dip with the inevitable tasting spoons nearby.  I prefer to make my own, thank you very much, where I control the germ content, know exactly what’s in it, and don’t have to pay $3.99 for a container that won’t even fill one of my special soup cups.  If you don’t like to chop, stir, brown, season, and be creative, there are a few cheats, otherwise you can get yours at the store…it’s like having a close personal relationship with your entire community!

Meatballs

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1-2” chunks (or about 12 oz. ground chicken or turkey)

½ tsp. garlic salt

¼ c. panko (or bread crumbs, or make your own by grating a piece of soft bread but use a little more)

1 egg white (just do it, you don’t need the yolk)

Soup

1 T. olive oil (or whatever oil, just not motor)

2 Carrots, peeled and cut in half (large ends in quarters) and sliced thickish

3 stalks celery, split and cut in chunklets (I like the middle part…use the leaves)

I small onion, chopped

1-2 tsp. dried thyme

½ bunch of kale, as much of the stem cut off as possible and chopped

2 quarts of chicken broth (use water and a good chicken base if you don’t make your own (wuss) or  buy the stuff in cartons/cans (what’s THAT like??)

1 C. hot water

½ C. Israeli couscous (Not an easy find, but Fred Meyer has in bulk - you can use any small pasta instead)

Salt and pepper to taste

You can pan fry or roast the meatballs, so if you prefer the low maintenance method, heat the oven to 375 and spray a cookie sheet.  If you went boneless skinless, you need to either throw the chunks of raw chicken breast in a food processor, then pulse until it’s all ground up…poke around in there with a spatula (not while it’s running), and pulse again to make sure there are no chunks left.  Scrape into bowl, and add the other ingredients and mix, then shape into teeny, tiny meatballs.  Soooooo cute!!  Put on cookie sheet and bake in oven for about 10 minutes….should get a little golden on the bottom.  Remove and let cool on sheet.  You can also spray a big fry pan and cook them that way….just keep moving them so they roll around, and then let them cool in the pan until you’re ready.

(Feeling extra lazy??  Put meat mixture on a piece of wax paper, and use your hands to flatten and shape into a square about ½” thick.  Use a big knife to cut through it both directions in a ½” square grid, then flop the whole thing, meat side down, into an oiled (sprayed) heated large skillet big enough to accommodate the square.  Let brown, then peel off the wax paper, flip it over, and brown on the other side.  Once they’re browned, you can use the edge of your spatula to separate them all, and voila!  Tiny square meatballs!)

In large stock pot, add oil and heat to medium high, then add carrot, celery and onion and saute until onion is translucent.  Add thyme and stir a minute or so (I hear this toasts the herbs and makes them more flavorful), then add kale and stir in (fresh spinach is the norm, and it’s added at the end – my son in law ate all the spinach so I subbed kale and really liked it).  Pour in the chicken broth and turn up to high and add the meatballs.  Pour the 1 cup hot water into the pan you cooked the meatballs in, and make sure you scrape up every bit of lovely fond, then pour that into the soup….colors it beautifully!

Now, on another burner, heat a skillet until hot and dry.  Add the couscous and shake, shake, shake that pan!  Keep those balls moving, and when a delicate golden brown, dump them into the soup and listen to the sizzle!  When the pot boils, turn down to simmer and let cook about 10 minutes, or until couscous is tender.  Salt and pepper to taste, add fresh grated Parmesan to the top when serving if you like, and have at it….only thing that makes this better is a second bowl!

The other thing about a 36 year commitment is that eventually it becomes, as our grandson points out, a “classic”….that does not necessarily denote great value or desirability, but sure feels like home to me – here’s to another 36 years, HS – you are priceless to me!

Passport to Pudge

WHERE IS MY FORK...

I love how foods have traveled around the world, and wormed its way into places where you would never imagine it could get a foothold.  Sure you can expect to find a veritable UN of cuisines in the big city, but when you come across a thriving Greek restaurant in a Podunk little community that doesn’t even have a moving picture screen, THAT impresses me.  Blue House in Vernonia, OR would rank right up there…..a lovely Greek family that shares its love of their heritage in a town probably most notable for having a swimmin’ hole in the middle of downtown.

Mexican food is a fave – its just so earthy and unpretentious, and the flavors from a handful of ingredients can blow your mind….makes me wonder who figure out dried chili peppers were even edible.  I’ve learned to love peppers, which for many, MANY years I would not touch with a 10 foot pole if they were cooked.  Handsome Stranger is not quite as evolved, but he has been known to eat them recently, and without shouts of “NO FAIR!!” and lengthy bouts of pouting.  I still have so much to learn about what all the countries regions have to offer, but because Google will take me places I have never been, it is my tour guide to the treasures our southern neighbors have to offer.

I go through cycles,  and will master/mess with one dish, then move on to another – tamales?  Check. (what a pain in the arse…I know why even Mexicans only make this a couple times a year at most)  Carnitas?  Check.  (If you do it right it should come with a stent….fatty pork DEEP FRIED??)  Pork Verde?  Check.  I’m throwing that in too, because it’s what I use to top the following wonder….

SOPITOS

These are a lovely little item that I first had at my favorite (long gone) Mexican establishment….one of the many things I have to live without since I have never found their equal.  Think of the base as a corn tortilla on steroids, but with a tender side….you'll have to trust me.  Toppings can be as varied as your tastes, I just like nice tender meat in a piquant sauce, so you can go wild with that.  As always….eat what you like, not what someone says you should….well, except this, THIS you should eat!

Sopes (the base of Sopitos)

1 C. masa harina (look in Mexican aisle….4# bag I think is the smallest container)

¾ C. warm water

¼ C. vegetable oil (I use light olive oil in everything)

½ tsp. salt (it’s just dough, no raw eggs, so taste it for salt…I LOVE it raw!)

Put masa in bowl, make a well and mix in water and oil with your hands until it forms a moist dough.  It should be soft, and not too sticky….if it’s too dry, it will be hard to form the discs without them cracking.  More water if dry, more masa if too wet….easy peasy.  Divide dough into 4 equal pieces  and roll each into a ball, then put under a towel or in a plastic bag to keep them from drying out.  Roll out each ball with rolling pin or wine bottle (see me for an empty one…) to about ¼” thick - I do them thicker, build up the edge a bit, then put them in a hot oil bath, but I am not right in the head, but this is Aaron Sanchez’s recipe and he’s the MAN.  I have put the ball on the bottom of a plate, then pressed with the bottom of a same size plate to good success as well:

Pinch ridge along edge

Form into ball....

Flatten with bottom of plate...

Heat a skillet over medium to medium high heat, brush with a little oil or use pan spray and carefully put sope in.  Cook until little brown blisters appear on the bottom, about 45 seconds (a bit longer if the heat is lower, same for the other side).  Flip carefully and cool other side another 30-45 seconds, flip one more time, count to 10, and transfer to a towel or parchment lined cookie sheet.  Keep warm in 300 degree oven.   Now for toppings:

Pork verde

If you are lazy or don’t eat pork (you live a sad existence, my friend), rotisserie chicken meat warmed with a little green salsa makes a quick and light substitution)

1 lb. pork butt or pork steaks, remove large chunks of fat and cube 1”

1 T. oil

1-3 jalepenos or serrano peppers, chopped (seed and devein?  Your choice….how hot you like it?)

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped

4-6 tomatillos, husk removed, cored and coarsely chopped

½ onion, chopped

Salt, pepper, and cumin to taste

Heat skillet or large saucepan over medium high, add oil and bring to smoking point, then add pork that you have sprinkled with a little salt and pepper.  Let  sit for a minute or two so it can get nice and brown, then stir a bit and let sit while it comes back up to temp.  Continue to stir and brown most sides of the meat, then add garlic, onion and peppers, cook and stir a couple more minutes, then add tomatillos, salt, pepper and cumin to taste.  Tomatillos have a lot of water, so you shouldn’t need to add any, but keep an eye on it as it simmer and add a little if it threatens to stick.  Bring to boil, cover and simmer for about an hour or until pork is fork tender and try not to burn the skin off your tongue trying it.  It should be enrobed in a beautiful tart/spicy/savory sauce, not runny…if it is, just cook a bit longer with no lid.

Sopitos Assembly:

Sopes
Refried beans, warmed (optional, but REALLY FILLING and adds a creamy element)
Pork verde

Queso fresco, crumbled, or Mexican blend cheese

Thinly shaved lettuce

Diced tomato

Sour cream

To assemble Sopitos, put your warm sopes on a platter, then top each with a smear of beans, a healthy scoop of pork verde, then top with crumbled queso or Mexican cheese, shaved lettuce, and diced tomatoes, then a dollop of sour cream and a little sprig of cilantro if you wanna get all fancy.  I think you could make twice as many with this verde recipe, or just eat half of it while you’re assembling and pretend you eat like a supermodel at dinner and save your portion for lunch the next day.  

Enjoy, and all I ask is that you not burst my bubble and tell me that some dude in a greasy spoon in the Midwest originally invented this with a corn muffin mix and a can of Dinty Moore beef stew….it would break my fat little Corazon. (I forget how to make that little doohickey above the o….my apologies to my Mexican friends)