Left Over Pot Roast? Chimichunga Night!

I  usually buy a bigger roast than my family will eat because I like to have leftovers handy. These Chimichungas are one of my favorite things to do with those leftovers.

Ingredients
1-2 cups Canola oil (enough to cover half of a chimi in a frying pan)
10 flour tortillas
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups cooked and shredded beef
1 cup diced red oinion
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced or 1/2 tsp pre-cut garlic
1/4 cup chicken broth (or water and bullion)
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a saucepan, saute onions, pepper and garlic in a Tbs of oil until softened. Add in shredded beef, broth, tomatoes and seasonings and simmer on low for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

2.Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat. Test oil readiness with a tortilla strip. You should immediately see little bubbles around the tortilla strip, and it should brown up quickly.

3. Microwave tortillas for 30 seconds so they will be warm and pliable.

4. With a slotted spoon, scoop out a portion of the beef mixture, making sure to drain as much of the water off as possible. It will spit when you add it to the oil, so the drier the better. Lay it down the middle of the tortilla in a strip and add a sprinkle of cheddar.

5. Fold burrito style (two opposite sides folded 1/4 of the way in and then rolled) and gently place in the oil with tongs. Be careful! Oil burns hurt. A lot. Fry chimi on one side until it is golden brown, approximately 30 seconds depending on how hot your oil is, and then flip and do the same with the other side. Drain on paper towel.

6. Top with sour cream and shredded cheese. Serve with rice and beans and a side of red grapes.

The Perfect Mallow

My dad taught me how to love science fiction, flip rubber bands, solve quadratic equations and most importantly, how to roast the most perfect marshmallow. I'm sure this was an act of self preservation, since I was the kid who stuck the mallow in the hottest flame and flung it around in a panic when it caught fire, but I'm still grateful for his tutelage. So, what's the secret?

Low and slow.

Find a hot coal, no flames allowed, and plant your roasting stick directly over it. Don't let the mallow touch it (unless you like cinder flavor) and rotate it S-l-o-w-l-y until all sides are golden puffy.

Thanks, Dad.

Bacon Baking

Frying bacon spits hot balls of greasy vengeance at you the whole time you cook it (take that, you callous carnivore!). I much preffer this hands off method. It takes a little more prep than just dumping it in a pan, but the cleanup is easy peasy and the bacon is crisp.

Preheat your oven to 425 or 450
Line a baking sheet with foil
Top with an oven safe cooling rack (No coatings or paint! Bare metal only!)
Lay bacon down like so:

Bake for 20-25 minutes until desired crispiness is achieved.
Drain on paper towel and enjoy!

 

That dark stuff is black pepper, I swear. I've never burned bacon. My smoke detector is just sensitive.Can someone crack a window? Please?

If you love a totally-bad-for-you-but-absolutely-delicious-pancake, pour the drippings into a cup and save  them in the fridge. Next time you make pancakes, coat your pan with a small amount of bacon fat instead of butter. They will turn out fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside with a slight hint of bacon flavor. Your tongue will thank you; your arteries will sue you. Otherwise, just wait for the drippings to cool and throw the foil away.

Chicken Oriental Salad

About once a month I put an entire chicken in the crock pot and roast it until the meat falls off the bones. I then shred the chicken and freeze it in zip lock bags so I have it on hand for quick meal preparation. This is one of my favorite ways to use it:

Chicken Oriental Salad

Preparation: Wash cabbage in water and vinegar, then slice thinly. If you are using frozen chicken, pull it out of the freezer the night before you need it.

Ingredients

½ head cabbage, sliced thinly

2 cups cooked chicken (boiled, roasted or grilled) cubed or shredded

½ c slivered almonds

1 package chicken top ramen, broken into pieces

3 T sesame seeds (optional)

Broil or saute ramen, sesame seeds and almonds until golden.

Dressing

½ C vegetable oil

3  T vinegar

1 ts salt

1 ts pepper

1 package top ramen seasoning

1 T sugar (optional)

Mix all dressing ingredients together. Add to salad.

Edamame

Never tried edamame? Now's a good time to start. They are a good source of fiber, protein, folic acid and, if Wikipedia is to believed, can ease a woman through menopause. If those reasons aren't enough for you, consider this: they taste good. With a bit of salt, steamed edamame is delicious. It has a mild fresh flavor and a nutty texture. I prefer the shelled edamame, but cracking open the pods is a fun textural experience, especially for kids who like to play with their food. Ready to dive in? Most grocery stores carry it in the frozen vegetable section.

I found the original recipe here. I've altered it to fit my cooking style and one pan.
 
Edamame Hash
1/2 package diced ham
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon olive oil  
2 sweet potatoes, diced  
1 garlic clove, minced 
  1/2  package uncooked frozen, shelled edamame (about 6 ounces)  
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn   
1/4 cup chicken broth (or 1/4 cup water mixed with 1/2 tsp chicken bullion)  
Thyme, salt and pepper to taste

Preparation: peel and dice the sweet potato and onion (keep separate) and set aside. Leave edamame and corn in the freezer until needed.

In a warm skillet saute ham onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until onions soften. Stir in sweet potatoes and saute for 5 minutes. 

While that is cooking, heat up another skillet and fry the eggs, one per serving. 

Add the rest of the ingredients and cover. Stir occasionally and cook until potatoes are softened, about ten minutes. Serve with fried egg and a side of toast.

Chop Chop

This olive slurry is hanging out in my fridge with no purpose. I wanted to put it on a pizza, but the wrapper and the contents don't resemble each other. Plant matter parsed that finely is only good for soups and smoothies. Olive breakfast delight, anyone? Opening this can was like going to the hair dresser expecting to get a bob and leaving with a mullet. Nobody's happy except for the person with the snippers. They got paid.

Highly Scientific Dicing Definitions:
Coarse Chop- one inch pieces
Chop- nickle sized
Fine chop- thumb nail sized
Diced- raisin sized
Mince- rice sized

Dough is Dough is Dough

I know a person who uses the same dough recipe for pizza dough, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, and bread loaves. He says that doughs are all the same. He's right, to a point. They all call for flour, water, yeast, sugar, salt and oil. The basic ingredients are the same, but the way you handle the dough makes a huge difference in the end product.

Pizza
Do not let pizza dough rise. You want a dense chewy crust. You let the dough rest for just a few minutes after mixing and then you shape it and put it in the oven for a few minutes before pulling out and topping. This is for two reasons. 1) the bottom doesn't cook as well once all the good stuff is on it so it needs a little prep and 2) the temporary heat kills off the yeast. It stops the dough from rising because if you let the dough rise you will get Oakwood Elementary's signature dish: Barf on a Sponge. Okay, so maybe I'm the only one that called it that, but there was always plenty of it in the garbage on the way out to recess, so I know I'm not the only one who hated it.

Bread
Most breads have two rises. This allows the gluten to form long strands that make delightful, fluffy air pockets when the moisture escapes during baking. Also different to a bread recipe will be the water to flour ratio. The more water the lighter the bread. The more flour the denser the bread. If it doesn't stick to your fingers a little while kneading it, most likley it will be pretty heavy when you bake it. Also, the more you knead it the more you develop the gluten strands. Under kneading won't allow for a full rise, and over kneading will make your creation tough. Follow your recipe! 

Dinner Rolls and Dessert Rolls
These recipes differ from the others because they often call for eggs. This makes them softer and chewier and lighter. And delicious. Yay for rolls! Eggs cook easily, so make sure you follow your recipe and don't dump the warm water and the eggs together before mixing them with other ingredients first. Unless you like egg flecks in your cinnamon rolls. I won't judge you if you do. I just won't eat them with you, that's all.

Cheesy Pizza Crust

Cheesy Pizza Crust

2-1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoons Italian seasoning

2 1/4 tsp yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons cornmeal

4 string cheese sticks

Directions: In a bowl, combine 2-1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, yeast, sugar and salt. In a saucepan, heat water and oil to 120°-130°*. Add to the dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Let rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle cornmeal over a greased 14-in. pizza pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 15-in. circle. Transfer to prepared pan, letting dough drape over the edge. Cut string cheese in fourths lengthwise; place around edge of pan. Fold dough over string cheese; pinch to seal. Prick dough thoroughly with a fork. Bake at 375° for 5 minutes. Top as desired and bake 18-20 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Yield: 8 slices. 

*I skip this step. My tap water is always warm enough to get the yeast going. But you may want to use a thermometer to make sure your water heater gets the water warm enough before you dump.

Cooking for the Clueless: Do I have a Meal?

How do you know when you've created a certifiable, bona-fide, balanced meal? When you can fill this plate:

So, you if you fill your plate with fish, croutons and rice you will not have a meal. If you serve turnips, pasta and a scoop of peanut butter, you do. No one will eat it, but you will have a meal.

So here's some ideas to mix and match with:

Carbohydrates
Rice
Bread
Spaghetti
Oatmeal
Couscous
Potatoes

Protein
Fish
Chicken
Hamburger
Bacon
Eggs
Tofu
Beans
Nuts

Veggie/Fruit
Peas
Spinach
Cucumbers
Carrots
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Watermelon
Grapes
Bannanas

Note: Yes, I know it is Protein and not Protien. "I" before "e" except after "c" betrayed me.
Note 2: No, the dry erase marker did not erase dryly. Or completely. I have a new hot-glue gun plate.

To the College Bound

When you fill your fridge & cabinets for the first time, make sure these items are in it:

Fridge Fillers:
Eggs
Bread
Milk
Buttermilk
Butter
Cheddar
Ketchup
Mustard
Mayo
Frozen Chicken
Frozen Tilapia
frozen peas & carrots
ham cubes
Fresh fruit of your choice- I prefer apples.

Pantry Must-haves:
Flour
Sugar (granulated and brown)
Baking powder
Baking Soda
Rice
Salt
Pepper
olive oil
onions
potatoes
garlic
syrup
Vanilla
Chocolate Chips
Oatmeal
Diced tomatoes
Spaghetti

Using just these items I can make 12 different meals: Egg-in-a hole, Chicken Pot Pie, Tilapia & Rice, Baked Potatoes, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Ham Fried Rice, Omelets, Spaghetti, pancakes, Oatmeal, baked chicken, chocolate chip cookies (and yes, they do count as a meal, but only while you're in college! If your future children ask you about it, you shall deny it vehemently). Recipes for the dirty dozen to follow.