Enchiladas

There's a quote in Nichols' "One Day" that includes the word "enchilada" (but not "the whole enchilada") and I can't remember exactly what it was...it's driving me crazy!!!

Anyway, after seeing A's taco pics I was seriously craving tacos. But I refuse to pay $6 for ground turkey, so I ended up making enchiladas. Since I could only fit 8 in the baking dish, there was quite a bit of extra filling, which then of course ended up in my stomach while the enchiladas were baking... So now I haven't tasted my own enchiladas bc I'm too stuffed to even think about it!

On to the method:

In a big bowl, combine 1 can drained corn, 1 can drained diced tomatoes, 1 can drained & rinsed black beans, 1/2 can enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup salsa, 2 cups shredded chicken (cooked), and 1-2 tsp cumin. Spoon filling onto 6-8 tortillas, sprinkle shredded cheese (Mexican mix) over each, then roll and place in greased baking dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the rolls, then sprinkle w/ remaining cheese and bake uncovered at 375F for 20-25 min. Voila!

I think I was probably supposed to use a different type of tortilla, but then I wasn't sure when I bought them whether I'd be making tacos or enchiladas. Next time!

[UPDATE] The flour tortillas were fine -- YUM! I'm sure I could've sliced and diced and done everything freshly (including the "enchilada sauce"), but for a quick meal, this method definitely delivers.

Fall is my favorite season!

I remember posting bentos on this blog last Fall. Very few bentos these days -- more likely to find the traditional American sandwich (slices of processed deli meat and a little mayo between machine-sliced processed bread) or a thermos of soup. Much easier/faster, albeit less nutritious...

But that's not the reason I'm posting. I'm posting bc I am SUPER excited! Sometime this winter, A & I and possibly D and M may put together a big holiday multi-course dinner topped off with a dessert spread. I don't know why I'm so excited about the prospect, but I am. A bonafide dinner party!!!! <-- SUPER excited. Not kidding!

Cantonese-style steamed eggplant

Today I ate an entire eggplant. By myself, lol. I also ate it so quickly that I never got a photo of it! But here's how it went down: I took this simple recipe (http://chinesefood.about.com/od/vegetablesrecipes/r/steamedeggplant.htm) and made it even simpler:

Ingredients:
1 eggplant (maybe 10"x5"?)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1 tsp light soy sauce or to taste
1/2 tsp sugar or to taste

Method:
Cut the eggplant into pieces (I did 4"x0.5") and place them in your steamer (I used the steaming tray of our rice cooker). Depending on your steamer, the timing may vary. I'll include an approximate cooktime next time I make it; this time it was slightly overcooked (thought still tasted great). Transfer eggplant to a big bowl. Whisk the remaining ingredients together and pour over the steamed eggplant in a big bowl, stirring to ensure the sugar dissolved.

Then, eat it all! YUM! :P

PS. Adding garlic would probably be more authentic.

An early birthday gift from A+D!

A+D were in town for a wedding this weekend, and surprised me with an early birthday gift! The neatly wrapped package was rectangular, and fairly heavy, but bendy. The bendiness threw me off of the trail...usually books of this size and weight are hardcover. So I didn't immediately think "book" (note: I tend to get inordinately excited about books of any kind :P).

But, voila!! THE FOOD OF THAILAND: A JOURNEY FOR FOOD LOVERS. These two could not have selected a better book for me!

This book is a party for the senses!

First of all, the photography is GORGEOUS. I may love books, pictures or no, but cook books without photos?? Well, this one has it in spades -- every recipe is paired w/ at least 1 glorious full-page photo. The photographer traveled to Thailand to capture each dish in its authentic clime. Also, the recipes are given w/ both UK and US measurements (the author is Thai but lives in England), which is great -- no conversions necessary. The food selections are fantastic -- from standards to street fare to regional dishes -- "I love this dish. And this dish. And this one. Wait, I love all of them!" There's additionally background about regional differences in Thai food, which is where I'll start. AND the book stays open on its own.

Reviewers have applauded the book as inspirational, and I quite agree. Can't wait to try some recipes out and compare w/ my dad! Thanks A+D!!! My future taste testers :P

The poached eggsperiment!

I used to eat poached eggs w/ Maggi seasoning pretty often for breakfast, but we made them in the microwave with a plastic egg poacher. They had an unfortunate tendency to explode if you didn't do it just right.

The authentic way of cooking poached eggs is on the stove, over boiling water. Today's turned out much better than my last attempt a few years ago. I used this recipe:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/PoachEgg.htm

Unfortunately, I ate my serving before I remembered to take a photo, but here are more eggs sans toast (waiting on the toast bc the eater is still asleep!):

3 poached eggs and some turkey sausage, getting cold on the counter.

Carb city: inarizushi & onigiri

I should probably also make a vegetable and a chicken dish to go with this...but I'm too lazy. 

The 2 onigiri w/ gomashio are filled w/ Momoya gohan desu yo, which went directly into my belly. The 3 onigiri w/ umeboshi in the center were wrapped and put into the freezer. The inarizushi will be headed into M's maw!

Strawberry Shortcake

So yesterday was M's birthday, and initially I had planned to make Boston Cream Pie/Cake (I recently purchased round cake tins and a cake leveller, and I figured it'd be a good opportunity to give them a try). But since we were going to a friend's for dinner, I thought I'd take suggestions. The final outcome was this strawberry shortcake:

The recipe was surprisingly quick and easy, and the strawberry sauce so simple and divine...just sliced/mashed strawberries with a bit of sugar. However, the scones, while flaky and aromatic with a hint of sweet, failed to rise properly, so I'll need to look into tweaking the recipe or my method to improve the look and texture. We may just need to purchase a new canister of baking powder...

Recipe from: http://www.joyofbaking.com/printpages/StrawberryShortcakeprint.html

[UPDATE: Tried a new scone recipe and found to be much preferred: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/worlds-best-scones-from-scotland-to-the-savoy-to-the-us/detail.aspx]

SCONE INGREDIENTS

2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (76 grams) cold unsalted butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) cream, half and half, or milk

STRAWBERRY SAUCE

2 pounds (900 grams) fresh strawberries
1/4 cup - 1/3 cup (50 - 65 grams) granulated white sugar (or to taste)

TOPPING

1 cup (240 ml) cold heavy whipping cream (double cream) (35-40% butterfat)
1 - 2 tablespoons (15-30 grams) granulated white sugar (or to taste)

SCONE METHOD: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.  Whisk together the egg, cream and vanilla extract and add to the flour mixture, mixing just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat or roll the dough into a 7 inch (18 cm) round. With a 3 inch (7 cm) round cookie cutter, cut out rounds and place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with a little cream. Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a scone comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack.

STRAWBERRY SAUCE: Wash, hull, and slice the strawberries. Place about one third of the strawberries in a large bowl and crush them with a potato masher or fork. Add the remaining sliced strawberries, along with the sugar. (The amount of sugar used will depend on how sweet the berries are.) Set aside to macerate at room temperature for about 30 to 60 minutes.

TOPPING: Chill the bowl and whisk in the freezer for about 15 - 30 minutes. Place the cream and sugar in the bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. The whipped cream can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for a few hours.

To Serve: Cut the scones in half and place the bottom half of the scone (soft side up) on a dessert plate. Top with some of the strawberries and whipped cream. Place the top half of the scone on the strawberries. Top with whipped cream and a few more strawberries. If there is any juice from the strawberries, drizzle a little over the top of the scone. Serve immediately.

Serves about 6-8 people.