Roasted Tomato & Jalapeno Salsa

Mr. Vittles and I have grown our own veggies almost every year since we met.

Some years have definitely been more successful than others.  Before we owned a home, we would plant everything in containers on our deck, but last summer was our first time having a "real" garden space.

Interestingly enough, it was our worst crop to date.

Thankfully, this year we redeemed ourselves, and I think next year will be even better now that we've had two growing seasons in our home to learn from our mistakes.

One thing I learned this summer was to let Mr. Vittles do all the harvesting.  He got rather prickly when I picked a bell pepper before it was apparently 'ready.'  Jeez... do NOT mess with a man and his peppers.  Just sayin'.

Anyway, our jalapeno and tomato plants were going crazy toward the end of summer, and I could not keep up.  I love a good caprese salad, but we were getting tired of that, and there is only so much one can do with fresh tomatoes!  And I was really at a loss with the jalapenos, because even if I would use a sprinkling here & there in various dishes, there was always a bunch still left.

So I made this slightly time-consuming salsa, and it killed two birds with one stone... used up our veggies, and tasted amazing.  Totally worth the extra time and effort of roasting.

In fact, I'm not gonna lie - I basically had a dinner of chips and salsa a couple nights after I made it.

And even the Mini enjoyed it!  My dad & stepmom were over a little while after it was finished, and we were all hanging out on our deck.  I put the salsa out with some chips, and my dad (her Poppa) was breaking off chips for her - naturally, she wanted to dunk them in the salsa, too.  He was a little skeptical that it would be too hot, but I knew she likes other spicy things, so I figured we should let her try it.  Lo and behold, she loved it.

The next day, just Mini and I were sitting on the deck in the very same place.  She got a far-off look in her eye and said "Poppa.  Chips.  Hot."

Dreaming of food - that's mommy's girl.

And that's how memorable the salsa was!

Roasted Tomato & Jalapeno Salsa

• 1 1/2 lb. ripe whole tomatoes (about 10 medium), preferably plum
• 2-3 fresh jalapeño peppers, stemmed (amount depends on your preference for spicy & also size of the peppers)
• Half of a small white onion, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rings
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/3 C. chopped fresh cilantro, loosely packed
• 1 t. salt
• 1 1/2 t. cider vinegar

Preheat the broiler on high. Lay the whole tomatoes and jalapeños out on a broiler pan or baking sheet. Set the pan 4 inches below the flame and broil for about 6 minutes, until darkly roasted on one side.  The tomatoes may split and lose some juices. Using a pair of tongs, flip over the tomatoes and chiles and roast the other side for approximately 6 more minutes. The tomatoes may get charred on the outside, but the idea is to cook them through. Set aside to cool.

Turn off broiler, and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place onion rings & garlic on another baking sheet, and roast in the oven, stirring every couple minutes, until the onions are browned and wilted and the garlic is soft and browned in spots (approximately 15 minutes). Cool to room temperature.

Peel the cooled tomatoes with your fingers and cut out the cores, working over your baking sheet to keep all the juices. Place whole jalapenos with the onion and garlic in food processor and process until finely chopped, scraping everything down with a spatula as needed. Place jalapeno mixture into a large bowl.  Without washing the processor, coarsely puree the tomatoes & excess juice from baking sheet.  Then add them to the bowl with cilantro, and stir to combine.  If needed, stir in some water to achieve a spoonable consistency.  Add salt & vinegar to taste, using ingredient amounts as guidelines.  Can be eaten immediately, or covered & refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Recipe Slightly Adapted from Rick Bayless with JeanMarie Brownson and Deann Groen Bayless, as found on Epicurious

Mexican Mocha Iced Coffee

So after the last two weeks, I’m kinda thinking I might want to crawl under a rock and never come back out. 

It’s been hectic, and just plain old weird.

Exactly two weeks ago my 80 year-old grandmother had a dizzy spell & took a tumble in the middle of the night. She fell and hit her head.

Badly.

Poor Grammy Vittles suffered from a broken nose, two black eyes (one eye was completely closed), a lot of bruising, and above all - a serious scare.

Well let me tell you. So did I.

My stepdad & I spent most of the weekend helping her until my aunt was able to get there Sunday afternoon.  I even had to call in the big guns (my dad) to convince her to get checked out at the emergency room.

Needless to say, it was a stressful weekend... and I was pretty freaked-out over those events alone.

But the freaking-out was actually just getting started.

A week later, Mr. Vittles and I were watching some TV in the living room.  We had crazy thunderstorms that night with a ton of rain (some towns in the area had serious flooding) and I was thinking how happy I was to be inside when I saw something flying out of the corner of my eye.

Initially I didn’t think much of it since, after all, we do have a bird that makes a habit of flapping around the house.  But when I noticed my husband was holding the bird next to me, I realized we had a little problem on our hands.

Yep.  It was a bat.

...in the house...

...zooming around our living room.

Thank goodness for my husband, who put on some gloves, got a fishing net & a headlamp, and (about 10 minutes later) was able to capture the bat and let him loose back outside.

After the bat was out we had a pretty good laugh over the whole thing.  I was still shaken up though.

But the shaking-up was actually just getting started.

Tuesday I was out driving for work, and I wanted to run some errands on lunch so I decided to just grab a quick sandwich at a convenience store & eat in the parking lot.

As I was sitting there, listening to the radio, the car started shaking so noticeably that I thought something was wrong with it.

So I turned it off, but the car was still shaking. I heard the fluids inside sloshing around, and could not figure out what in the world was going on.

It stopped as suddenly as it started, so I turned the car back on & went about my munching. But via the radio I quickly learned that there had been a 5.8 earthquake in Virginia, and there were reports of people feeling the rumblings all the way up to Canada.

Now I know there are probably many of you who have experienced much more than a brief rumbling.

But guess what.  I live in New Jersey.

We don’t have earthquakes here.

So I was a little shocked.

But the shocking was actually just getting started.

There have been numerous mandatory evacuations of coastal & low-lying locations in NJ, including my town, due to Hurricane Irene - which (as of now) is supposedly heading right for us as at least a Category 1.

Now while our house is about 6 blocks from the beach, we also live very close to a lake.  So even if this just ends up coming through as a tropical storm, surges could pose a very serious threat to us - not to mention the effects of heavy rain and sustained high winds. 

And this month has already been one of the top ten wettest Augusts New Jersey has seen since the 19th century.

Umm... seriously?

I’ve lived on the Gulf Coast of Florida and also the Outer Banks of North Carolina, so as you can imagine I’m no stranger to hurricane threats.

But again… this is New Jersey.

New Jerseyans having to evacuate for a hurricane is about as likely as the Governor temporarily suspending the collection of tolls along the southern half of the Garden State Parkway (the North/South main artery of the state). 

Which he did starting at 8AM today, to help lessen the burden of evacuation.

In fact, in just a couple hours they are completely closing the southbound lanes of the parkway altogether, starting about 10 miles south of here.  No one will be able to travel south on that road after 8PM tonight.

So.  Now I’m waiting for a mudslide or tornado to happen next.  

Who knows, perhaps that's what awaits Mr. Vittles and me as we head west to my in-law's house!

Or, maybe all those wackos that thought the world was going to end a couple months back were actually on to something. 

(Side note:  I just Googled that out of curiosity, and in case you were wondering we are still on track for doomsday - it's now scheduled for October 21, 2011.  Which is conveniently my best friend Lauren's birthday! Guess we better celebrate early :))

But in any case, I’ve been too busy securing all my outdoor furniture, placing all the boxes in our basement on raised plywood platforms, removing air conditioning units from our windows, and reading news updates to make any new recipes.

So I went with the one recipe that I had already written in Blogger - Mexican Mocha Iced Coffee.

It's good.

And… that is all.

Wish me luck!

Mexican Mocha Iced Coffee

• 1 T. chocolate syrup (if you want to make your own, try this one)
• ice cubes
• 1/2 C.cold café de olla (recipe below)
• 1 T. heavy cream or half-and-half
• pinch cinnamon

Drizzle some chocolate syrup on the bottom of a glass.  Add ice cubes, the shot of coffee liquor and café de olla.  If you'd like to create a floating layer or cream, carefully pour the cream over the back of a spoon on top of the drink (otherwise pour on top to mix it all together).  Sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon.  Makes one drink.

Serves one.

Café de Olla

• 4 C. water
• 1/4 C. packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 t. molasses
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2/3 cup whole or coarsely ground coffee beans (not espresso)

Bring water, brown sugar, molasses, and cinnamon sticks to a boil in a large saucepan or pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Stir in coffee and boil 5 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof pitcher or clean pot, discarding coffee beans and cinnamon stick.  Serve hot or chill to make iced coffee recipe above.  Makes about 4 cups.

Iced Coffee Recipe Addapted from Girl Cooks World (who adapted from Amor y Tacos); Cafe de Olla Recipe Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, via Epicurious

Mango Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole

Sometimes I wonder if the best preparation for having kids isn't having a husband.

They do messy things that result in getting very dirty.

They don’t much like to pick up after themselves.  

They take great joy in pestering you.

They look at you with pleading puppy-dog eyes to fix them a sandwich because "you make is so much better, though."

And they don’t like to eat their vegetables.

Or wait... maybe this is just my husband? 

In any case, Mr. Vittles has a rather short list of acceptable veggies, especially when it comes to the cooked variety.

So for that very reason, I tried to sneak the zucchini into this dish before he got home from work.  But as luck would have it, he walked in just as I as I grating it.

Warily eyeballing the pile of vegetables, he demanded, “What’s all that green stuff?”

“Just bell peppers,” I said (knowing full well that was definitely not the green stuff he was referring to).

“No," he persisted, "the other green stuff.”

Argh!  Caught red-handed.

(Or green-handed, as it may be?)

“It’s zucchini,” I admitted, and the look on his face told me that no matter how delicious this meal might end up being, for him it would be completely tainted by the thought of this foreign ‘green’ vegetable lurking in every bite.

But during dinner, I still asked my usual - "How is it?"

And he replied, “Alright."

Then, "It tastes kind of weird though.”

(Wait for it...)

“I think the zucchini is ruining it.”

Right. 

Lastly, he threw in "And I don't like mango."

Ok, ok!  I get it.  I'm waving the white flag,  'Don't ever make this again,' is what you're really trying to say.

Which is a shame, because I rather liked it.

To his credit, he did eat it that night, and also for lunch the next day… but quite begrudgingly.

Thankfully, however, the recipe is easily adaptable.  So if any of your family members don't like certain ingredients, or if you prefer a more 'standard' enchilada sauce, then by all means - do some experimenting.

But I bet that as long as they don't see that 'green stuff' go in, they will never even know it's there :)

Mango Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole

• 1 1/3 C. enchilada sauce (see recipe below for Mango Enchilada sauce)
• 1 lb. thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 medium zucchini, grated
• 1/2 C. diced bell pepper (whatever color you choose)
• 14 oz. can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 10 oz. can diced tomatoes & chiles, drained
• 1 C. corn, frozen (thawed) or fresh
• 1/4 t. ground cumin
• 1/4 t. salt
• 8 8” whole wheat tortillas, cut in 1” strips
• 1 1/2 C. shredded Mexican cheese

Prepare Mango Enchilada sauce, if using.  Preheat oven 400 degrees.

Slice a stack of 4 tortillas in half, then 3 slices the other way (to create 8 strips).  Peel them apart then repeat with remaining 4 tortillas.  Keep piles separate from each other.  

Slice chicken into 1” strips and toss with 1/3 C. enchilada sauce.  Place mixture in a large, nonstick frying pan over medium heat and cook until chicken is no longer pink (about 3-5 minutes, depending on how small your chicken pieces are).   Remove chicken from pan & set aside.

Return pan to stove (you can wipe clean with a paper towel first) and add grated zucchini, bell pepper, black beans, diced tomatoes, corn, cumin, and salt.  Stir to combine, and cook 3-5 minutes over medium heat until mixture is heated through.  Set aside.

Grease a 9x13” casserole dish, and scatter half of tortilla strips to loosely cover bottom of pan.  Scatter half the vegetable mixture over tortillas, then half the chicken, then half the remaining enchilada sauce, then half the cheese.  Repeat the same 4 layers, ending with cheese, and bake in preheated oven 10 minutes.  Serve immediately.  Serves 8-10.

Recipe Adapted from Eating Well

Mango Enchilada Sauce

• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 large tomato, quartered
• 1 t. canola oil
• 1 t. minced garlic
• 1/8 t. dried chile flakes
• 1/2 C. water
• 1 t. chili powder
• 1/4 t. cumin
• 1/4  C. cilantro leaves
• 1/2 t. kosher salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 mango, diced
• squeeze of lime

Place large, nonstick fry pan over medium to medium-high heat and add quartered tomato & onion, cut sides down.  As the vegetables brown, turn to other cut side.  Once each is roasted, add to a blender and blend about 30 seconds until fairly smooth.

Briefly clean & dry pan, then return to stove over medium-low heat.  Add canola oil, then garlic & chile flakes and sauté about 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Then add blender mixture back into your pan, along with water, chili powder, cumin, cilantro leaves, kosher salt, and diced mango.  Bring to a gentle simmer, increasing heat if necessary, and cook 3-5 minutes until mango is soft.

Pour the entire mixture back into the blender and blend until smooth.  Strain through a sieve to catch any large solids.  Return to the pan, add in the lime, and stir to combine.  Use immediately or refrigerate up to 2 days.

Recipe Adapted from Fat & Happy

Chipotle Chicken Tostadas

Ok so... seriously?

With this heat?

I can't even even.

I have no idea how Mr. Vittles works outside on days like this.  Although he must be a glutton for punishment because he just got home from work... and decided to go for a run.

Isn't that what everyone does when it's 96 degrees out?

But hey, the longer he's out of the house the longer I have to finish watching last night's episode of the Bachelorette on the DVR.

Er... I mean... who watches that garbage?

As you can probably imagine, Mr. V is not a fan of the show. 

I know he's right, it's hardly 'reality' and the couples never even stay together.  But that doesn't stop me from watching every silly episode of every silly season.

I just have to do it by myself.

Similarly, my husband's surprising distaste for these tostadas probably will not dissuade me from making them again. 

For myself.

He thought the chipotle was too much, I thought it was absolutely delicious.  But he also prefers more Americanized Mexican dishes and while I love me some sour cream and loads of shredded cheese, these were good in a totally different way.

Ah well.  We can't like all the same things.

Chipotle Chicken Tostadas

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken (about 2 breasts)
• 2 small yellow onions, divided
• 1/2 C. + 1 C. diced fire-roasted tomatoes in a can (14.5 oz), drained
• 2 garlic cloves, divided
• 1/2 one 7-oz. can chipotle chiles in adobo
• 1 t. salt
• 8 prepared tostada shells
• queso fresco, for sprinkling (I used feta)

Cut one of the small onions in half.  Place one half in the bottom of a medium stockpot, and add 3 C. water, 1 t. salt, 1.2 t. minced garlic (or 1 garlic clove, cut in half) and chicken breasts.  Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Simmer 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove chicken, but reserve stock for later.  Cool the chicken and shred.

In a blender, combine other half of onion, 1/2 C. fire-roasted diced tomatoes, chipotle chiles, and another 1/2 t. garlic.  Add 1/2 C. reserved chicken stock, and blend until smooth.  Set aside chipotle sauce.

Dice remaining onion.  In a large saucepan/skillet, heat 2 T. canola oil over medium heat.   Add onions and saute about 5 minutes until translucent.  Reduce heat if necessary, and add remainder of drained tomatoes.  Saute 5 minutes over medium-low.

Add shredded chicken and chipotle sauce, and increase temperature enough to bring to a boil.   Then reduce heat back to medium-low and cook 7-10 minutes until most of liquid is absorbed.

Serve on tostada shells with sprinkled queso fresco.  Serves 4 (2 tostadas each).

Recipe Adapted form Muy Bueno Cookbook

Mexican-Style Creamed Corn

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!

I have been craving creamed corn a la Rosa Mexicano for a while now, and I found a recipe on this fabulous blog Muy Bueno Cookbook that seemed very similar.

It's not quite the same, but it's absolutely delicious nonetheless!

I did not have some of the ingredients so I had to make some substitutions... not to mention corn is not in season yet.  But when it is, I will definitely make this again with fresh corn from the cob.

In other news... I went to my second boot camp class still sore from the first.

And I am still sore.

And that was last night. 

Ahh!  Ok so creamed corn probably isn't helping.

Good thing I only ate a little.

Mexican-Style Creamed Corn

• 2 C. good-quality frozen sweet corn (I used Trader Joe's Roasted Corn - you can also slice kernels from 4 freshly husked cobs)
• 1/2 t. salt
• 4 T. butter, cut in tablespoons
• 4 T. lime juice (from about 4 medium limes)
• 1/4 C. crema mexicana (I used sour cream)
• 2 T. cotija cheese (I used finely crumbled feta), or to taste
• chile powder, for sprinkling
• hot sauce, to taste (optional)

Place corn in medium saucepan, and cover with water and 1/2 t. salt.  Bring to a boil, and boil about 2 minutes.  Drain and place corn back in saucepan.

Add butter to hot corn, and mix until melted.  Add lime juice and sour cream- mix to coat.  Divide corn amongst 4 serving bowls and top with hot sauce (if using).  Sprinkle with chile powder and crumbled cheese.

Serves 4.

Recipe Adapted from Muy Bueno Cookbook

Queso Dip

While Mr. Vittles and I were watching football yesterday, I got a hankering for some queso dip.

But a quick search online led me to much disappointment... most of the recipes required Velveeta.

I don't know about you, but I don't really get down with processed cheese.

So I got to thinking... what other kind of soupy cheeses did I have experience with?

This led me to the sauce you would make for macaroni and cheese (like my Pepperjack Bacon Mac & Cheese), so I decided to try a queso dip with a roux base.  And, I must say, we both thought it was pretty awesome.

Nonetheless, I asked Mr. V what he would change about it, and he said less tomatoes and more cheese.

Personally, I liked the amount of tomatoes in it -  but you can feel free to use half a can of Rotel if you'd prefer less.

I did, however, agree that it would benefit from a stronger cheese flavor- so I doubled the amount of cheese for you below.

Leaves you plenty of time to experiment to your taste before the Superbowl in a couple weeks!

On another note... are you excited for me that I'm back in the kitchen?  First brownies, then queso... and wait til you see what I made last night!

You're gonna like it.  That's all I'll say for now.

Queso Dip

• 2 T. butter
• 2 T. flour
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1/4 t. onion powder
• 1/8 t. chili powder
• pinch cayenne (or more or less to your taste)
• 1 C. milk
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2 C. grated Mexican cheese (I used a blend of jack & asadero)
• 1 10-oz. can Rotel diced tomatoes & chilis, drained but with some of juice reserved

In small bowl, combine flour, garlic, onion & chili powders, and cayenne (if using).  Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming.  Add flour mixture and whisk until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add milk and whisk until boiling.  Reduce heat and continue whisking about 3-5 minutes until mixture thickens (mixture should resemble heavy cream).

Remove saucepan from heat and add salt & half of grated cheese.  Whisk until melted, then add remaining cheese.  Add Rotel and mix.  If mixture is too thick, add some of reserved juice from Rotel until desired consistency is reached.  Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Original Recipe

Taco Mac & Cheese Bake

Ok so I'm a little bit conflicted about sharing this recipe with you.

It's one largely of my own creation (very loosely based on the same Cooks' Illustrated recipe I used to craft Mr. Vittles favorite Pepperjack Bacon Mac & Cheese) and while the general idea was a good one, I'm not so sure the execution was top notch.

Not that it's inedible or anything.  It's just a little weird.

As I was stirring the meat into the pasta & cheese (one of the final steps of the recipe) a lightbulb went off in my head - this is like a made-from-scratch Hamburger Helper.

Not that I really know what Hamburger Helper even is.  Momma Vittles strictly forbade the helping of any hamburgers in her household, so I've only seen it in commercials. But this is what I imagine it to be like.

So like any self-respecting cook, when I had this epiphany, I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at my creation in horror.

What had I done?  

Surely this was a culinary abomination.  I was perhaps the Dr. Frankenstein of cooking. 

But I had come this far, and it was too late to turn back.  So I slapped the mixture in a dish, sprinkled some tortilla chip crumbs over the top, and sent it into the oven with my fingers crossed.

All in all, it was not so bad.  FYI- I think it would be a little more substantial if you used an entire pound of macaroni instead of 8 ounces.

But the only reason I even considered posting the recipe is because Mr. V gave it a solid thumbs up.

I asked him again, before I typed this post, just to make sure. "What did you really think about that taco thing the other night?"

"It was good," he said.

"You really liked it?" I asked, just for good measure.  "I'm a little conflicted about posting it."

"I LIKED IT."

Well then.  I guess he liked it. 

You'll have to decide for yourself.

Taco Mac & Cheese Bake 

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 T. canola or olive oil
• 1 t. garlic, minced
• 1 lb. lean (93%) ground beef or turkey
• 1 10-oz. can Rotel diced tomato & chiles, undrained
• 1 packet (or 1/4 C.) taco seasoning
• 8 oz. elbow or other small macaroni (I used radiatore, what I had in the house)
• 3 T. butter
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 3 T. flour
• 1/4 t. chili powder
• 2 1/2 C. milk
• 1/2 t. salt
• 8 oz. grated Mexican cheese (I used Pepperjack for you-know-who!)
• 1 C. crushed tortilla chips

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water until tender (just past al dente stage).  While macaroni is cooking, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion & cook 2-3 minutes until softened.  Then add garlic and saute 30 seconds more.

Add ground beef to the pan and cook until no longer pink.  Drain fat (being careful not to drain out the garlic & onion in the pan.)  Add can of Rotel and taco seasoning, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer 10 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Set aside.

Preheat broiler and adjust rack to mid-low position.  

When macaroni is cooked to tender, drain and reserve in colander.  Return now-empty pot to stove over medium heat & melt butter until foaming.

Add flour, garlic & chili powders and whisk mixture constantly for 1 minute.  Gradually whisk in milk, then bring mixture to a boil while whisking constantly, to thicken.  Reduce heat to med-low and simmer, whisking occasionally, until consistency becomes that of heavy cream (3-5 minutes).

Remove pot from heat, and whisk in cheese and salt.  Add drained pasta and beef mixture, and return pot to med-low burner.  Stir occasionally until heated through, another 3-5 minutes. 

Transfer to greased 13x9 baking dish, and sprinkle crushed chips over top.  Place in broiler for 3-5 minutes until tortilla chips are browned.  Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe very loosely based on Cooks' Illustrated Classic Mac & Cheese

Black Bean Tostadas

Do you ever have one of those days where you just want to run around screaming like a maniac, out of sheer frustration with the world?

To say that I "woke up on the wrong side of the bed" today is a definite understatement.

First of all, I'm pretty sure that in order to wake up, it is first necessary to fall asleep.

After a whole night of listening to Mr. Vittles snore away happily, I did finally manage to do this around 5 AM this morning...

...until I woke up in a panic at 6:54 AM thinking for some reason that it was 9:54 AM and that I was horribly late to pick my partner up for work.

I'm not entirely sure why it was so difficult for me to fall asleep last night, but the longer it went on the more frustrated I got... and the more frustrated I got, the more awake I felt.

And the more awake I felt, the more I thought about how silly it was for me to devote 3 hours of my life to watching Bachelorette Ali give away her final rose to Roberto and talk about how 'in looove' they are, even though only 2 out of like 700 couples have actually stayed together.

And the more I thought about how my neighbor, who only speaks to me when he has a proverbial 'bone to pick,' is undoubtedly Beelzebub disguised as a crotchety old man and his minions are the chipmunks and squirrels that like to take big bites out of my garden tomatoes as soon as they turn ripe enough to eat.

And the more I thought about how odd it was that our bird was banging around in her cage and munching her seed in the middle of the night, when I finally decided to get up and investigate and realized it was actually a mouse doing the nibbling.

And the more I thought about how bad it would have sucked if I really did catch my pointer finger in one of the mouse traps I decided to set at 3:15AM and almost detonated on myself because I was so @#^$ tired.

And the more I thought about how great it would be if I could only fall asleep and stop watching the minutes on the clock tick by.

Argh.

As you can probably guess, an hour and 50-some-odd minutes of sleep is really not enough to sustain a person through the entire day.

And so I have been lumbering my way through it like some flesh-hungry zombie since The 6:54 AM Panic - or at least I was until I bent down to pick something up and cracked the side of my cranium on the pointy edge of a wooden table and decided enough was enough.

Ok, Life, you win.  Maggie - 0,  Beelzebub - 1.

On days like this, I turn to my old friend The Black Bean Tostada.

He is simple and wise.  He knows that some days we do not have the time nor the energy to 'whip up' Panzanella salads and sweet & sour chicken, but we still deserve a delicious meal that we don't have to order from a Chinese restaurant or pizza parlor.

He knows that some days we can only use our outstretched zombie arms to open a can of refried black beans and a jar of salsa.

And that's ok.  He loves us anyway.

Black Bean Tostadas

*Note: this is more of a meal suggestion than a recipe, so use your discretion as to how much of each ingredient you want to use- if you even want to use it at all!  (But I would definitely do, at the bare minimum: beans, cheese, salsa & lettuce.)  Mr. V usually eats 3 tostadas with "the works" and I usually eat 2.

• Sleeve of store-bought tostadas**
• 15-oz can of refried black beans
• Shredded lettuce
• Cheddar or Mexican Cheese
• Store-bought salsa (or if you're feeling bold - try a recipe for pico de gallo, or salsa verde)
• Diced tomatoes
• Store-bought Guacamole (or if you're feeling extra bold - try this recipe for a fresh version)
• Sour Cream

Lay out the tostadas on a microwave-safe dish (or dishes).  Spread each one with a layer of refried beans, then sprinkle with cheese.  Microwave 10-20 seconds until warm and cheese is melted.  Drizzle with salsa, and sprinkle with lettuce and diced tomatoes.  Add a few dollops of sour cream and/or guacamole, or whatever ingredients you prefer to taste.  Serve.

**You can also make your own tostadas using corn tortillas- brush each side lightly with canola oil, sprinkle with a little salt, and bake in 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes (flip halfway through).

Original 'Recipe'

Salsa Verde

Ok so this has nothing to do with cooking - but I am totally freaked out right now.  And unfortunately Mr. Vittles is not home tonight, meaning I have no one else to share this with but all of you.

So I think by now you know how much I despise moths.

I had them on the brain earlier today because Mr. Vittles showed me a picture he snapped of a moth at the golf course, which spanned the length of a Bic pen.

I know this because there was a pen next to it in the picture.

Naturally my first thought was, Eww, he got close enough to that thing to put a pen next to it??

But now that I think of it - man, what a jerk my husband is.

"Hey I know you're deathly afraid of these things, but I saw this mammoth moth and thought of you."

Gee, thanks.

(Reminds me of when my college "friends" Nat and Flav Vittles brought me back a giant, framed moth from their summer trip to Spain, and then insisted we hang it on the wall of our apartment.)

So then on Graphics Fairy, a vintage clip art blog I like to look at, I see a recent post of this moth drawing:

Which I am sure to some people is very... lovely?  But to me it is positively revolting.  This image will probably give me nightmares, and sadly I'm not joking.

The caption says that it's from an early natural history book, and the moth is called a "Death's Head Hawk Moth."

See, Moth = Death.  I knew it.

Anyway, the most disturbing part is a comment that a reader left, saying that they are native to Europe & Asia (thank goodness) and they have a strange ability to squeak when irritated.

Umm... first of all, I'm not sure what constitutes moth "irritation".  Second of all... squeaking?  I don't really know what that means, but regardless it's creepy.

So then as I was doing some internet research on this filthy creature (rule #1 - know thy enemy!) I actually SAW a moth fluttering out of the corner of my eye.

And... I dropped my laptop.

The last time I did that I broke the power cord - thankfully, this time no damage was done.

Which is especially good since it was actually just a feather from our little parrot that got swept up in a breeze from the fan, and not a moth at all.

Our Senegal Parrot, C.J.

Ok!  Well on that note... I guess you're probably looking for a recipe.

I really have no good 'story' for this salsa so this is probably as good a time to post it as any.  I just felt like trying out a green salsa recipe because I always enjoy it at restaurants.  This one isn't quite as good, but it's pretty darn close.

So, uh, that's it.  End of story.

If you need me, I'll be in bed with the covers pulled over my head.

Salsa Verde

• 8 tomatillos, husked & chopped into large chunks
• 3 shallots (or, 1 medium onion), chopped into large chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 4 oz. can chopped chiles
• 1/4 C. fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno, seeded
• salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor.  Using pulse setting, coarsely chop.  Cover & chill in refrigerator.

Recipe from AllRecipes.com

*Note: For anyone who has never worked with tomatillos - they come in a papery husk that you have to peel off and then you'll want to wash them thoroughly (they have a sticky exterior).  Otherwise, they are basically like a green tomato, just with more seeds.

 tomatillos

Spicy Black Bean Enchiladas

I was lucky enough to spend this past Father's Day with two amazing dads - stepdad Chris Vittles, and father-in-law Douggy Vittles.

And let me tell you - what a day it was.  It involved milkshakes and go karts and arcade games and mechanical bull riding.... just to name a few.

But my own dad was on a trip to Las Vegas, as Candi Vittles was participating in her second annual World Series of Poker event (yay!).

So while I know it's a little late for a Father's Day post, I figure I should get a pass since my celebration with Pappy Vittles will be a bit late as well.

Not to mention the fact that my internet has been broken at home since Friday morning, and I am actually posting this at work.  (Shhh...)

So... let's just pretend it's last Sunday.  Isn't time travel fun?

So now that it's Father's Day again, my first order of business is to wish my dad a very happy day - he is truly one in a million, and I'd hardly be the person I am today if it wasn't for him.

Like... I might gamble, or forget to be careful, or not take my vitamins. 

I might be bashful at the dinner table and starve.

I might forget to "do the right thing," or "go easy" (whatever that means.)

Heck, I might not even sleep tight, or worse - let The Zipperumpazoos bite!

Me, Pappy Vittles, and Chocolate The Bunny in 1986

Flexing his Dad Muscles for Mr. Vittles in 2008

Now as I've already explained, my father does the cooking at his house - and what usually comes with that territory is the grocery shopping.

(Like, as much as I would love to pass on the dreaded grocery duties to Mr. Vittles, it would be silly to have him buying the food when I'm the one planning and executing the meals.)

But before grocery shopping became the chore it is today, I used to love accompanying my dad to the store.

This was for a couple of reasons.

One was the obvious: father-daughter bonding time.  Yep, always was Daddy's Little Girl!

And there was a ritual - first, the reading of circular flyers, as well as the clipping and organizing of coupons before departure.  Then the excursion itself, followed by the post-trip celebration of how much money we saved. 

But to be honest, the "bonding" during shop time was few & far between, leading to my second reason for taking these trips with him - to get a laugh.

My dad was so focused on the products and the prices- on getting not only the right thing but the best deal - that I could literally tell him I was abducted by aliens the night before and his only response would be "Uh huh."

Not to mention, we always had a running joke that you could look in his cabinet at any given time and find at least 5-6 cans of baked beans.  Random, but I guess this was an item frequently on sale- and Lord knows the Vittles family cannot resist a good sale!

So he would buy a can or two, and before you knew it, he had enough baked beans stockpiled to survive for a week in a blizzard.

Well.  You know what they say.

The nut doesn't fall far from the tree.

First of all, the Celebration of Savings is alive & well in my household and can take one of two forms - either "Guess How Much I Saved On The Bill" (most grocery stores are kind enough to print this on the receipt for your enjoyment):

....or the equally popular "Guess How Little I Paid For This Normally Expensive Item".

(I'm not sure which game Mr. Vittles likes more.  Probably neither.)

Secondly, as I am pretty jam-packed into our apartment kitchen, I tend to have things stored in odd places.  Well, between three different cabinets, I recently discovered my own stockpiling of 7 cans of diced tomatoes.

Which would have actually been nine cans, if I hadn't just made a double batch of black bean enchiladas for Mr. Vittles and my brothers-in-law.

Yikes.  Apparently... Pappy V's baked bean is my diced tomato.

Just goes to show that we all forget to "go easy" every now and again!

And FYI - your parents' OCD is not quite as funny when you're looking in the mirror.
 
But oh well.  The more diced tomatoes I have on hand the more black bean enchiladas I can make!

Love you, Dad :)

Spicy Black Bean Enchiladas

• 1 T. olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 t. garlic
• 1 15.5 oz. can black beans, undrained
• 1 10.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with chiles (Rotel)
• 1 t. chili powder (I like to use chipotle chili powder to give them a smokey flavor, but regular is fine)
• 1/2 t. cumin
• 1 T. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 t. dried oregano
• 1 C. cooked rice
• 1/2 C. enchilada sauce or your favorite salsa
• 8 flour tortillas
• 3/4 C. cheddar, jack or any kind of Mexican shredded cheese

In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onions until tender.  Add garlic and saute another 30 seconds until fragrant. Add black beans, diced tomatoes/chiles, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, and oregano.  Stir and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to med-low and simmer gently until thickened, about 7-8 minutes.  Add rice and stir until heated through, 1-2 minutes more.  Remove skillet from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and coat a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In 10-15 second increments, heat flour tortillas in microwave (this makes them more pliable).  Spoon 1/3 C. of bean & rice mixture down the center of each tortilla, then fold in the sides and roll to form an enchilada.

Place each enchilada in baking dish, seam side down, and spoon sauce/enchilada over the top.  Cover pan tightly with foil and bake 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, uncover, and top with cheese.  Bake an additional 7 minutes, or until cheese is melted to your liking.

Recipe Source Unknown
**I remember finding a recipe somewhere online, and I adapted it into the above - but I never wrote the source down.  If you recognize this recipe, leave me a comment or email me and I will be happy to give credit!

Fresh Guacamole

If you don't already know, I won't bother telling you what I do for a living.

It's not a popular profession and you probably won't like me anymore.  It gets a reaction that's similar to that of "I'm a cop."

Not that I have anything against cops, but for whatever reason its one of those things that people usually react negatively to?

Like one time, in a Spanish class I took with my work partner and very good friend Joe Vittles, we were learning how to say different professions.  We had to go around the room and say what we do for a living, and the teacher would translate it into Spanish.

Joe V went first, and lied about our job.  I went next and, feeling bold, I told the teacher what I really do.

The entire class booed me. 

And... I shall leave it at that.

However, I will say that I usually spend more time out of the office than in it...which is good since, as I already mentioned to you, my cubicle at our new office is practically inside the Men's Restroom.

I will also say that I have seen more of the state of New Jersey in the past 3 years than I have my entire life.

And, with that much time on the road, I have also seen more idiotic driving than I have my entire life.

But one good thing about driving all over the place is that we get to see fun destinations that are far from home without wasting our free time or gas.  And we can even make a stop here & there.

On our lunch break, of course.

For instance, the closest Rosa Mexicano is almost an hour and a half away from where I live.  But since Joe V and I were not 5 minutes from there for work, we were able to stop there for lunch. 

Now if you've never eaten at Rosa Mexicano, they are famous for making guacamole fresh right next to your table.

They literally peel the avocado and add all the chopped up ingredients, mixing everything in an authentic molcajete.

And let me tell you - it is heavenly.

Joe V and I were talking about how, even though they were making it right in front of our very eyes, we could probably never make it as good.

Which I figured was probably true... but that didn't stop me from trying.

I did a Google search to see if I could find the recipe anywhere and, lo and behold, I found it on none other than the Rosa Mexicano website!

I guess since they make it right in front of you, they figure there's no use in keeping it under lock & key?  Especially since they have a whole cookbook now of their recipes they are selling.

So I did give it a try, and while I don't have a molcajete and it probably will never be as good anyway (maybe it's just the fact that someone is preparing it for you?) its one of the best home-made guacamole recipes I've ever tried.

Let me know if you agree!

Fresh Guacamole 

Chile Paste Ingredients

• 1 T finely chopped white onion
• 1 firmly packed T. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 t. finely chopped jalapeño, or more to taste
• 1 t. salt, or as needed

Additional Ingredients

• 3 medium, ripe but firm, Hass avocados (about 8 ounces each)
• 3 T. diced tomato
• 2 firmly packed T. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 T. finely chopped white onion

Make the chile paste: Grind the onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and salt together in a molcajete until all the ingredients are very finely ground.  Alternatively, use the back of a spoon to mash all the ingredients to a paste in a wide hardwood bowl.

Cut each avocado in half, working the knife blade around the pit. Twist the halves to separate them and flick out the pit with the tip of the knife. Fold a kitchen towel in quarters and hold it in the palm of your “non-knife” hand. Rest an avocado half cut side up in your palm and make 3 or 4 evenly spaced lengthwise cuts through the avocado flesh down to the skin, without cutting through it. Make 4 crosswise cuts in the same way. Scoop the diced avocado flesh into the molcajete. Repeat with the remaining avocado halves.

Using a spatula, gently fold all ingredients together and season with additional salt if necessary.  Serve with fresh tortillas or tortilla chips.


Recipe from Rosa Mexicano

Oven-Crisp Black Bean Flautas

So I think I already made it clear that I was a horribly picky eater as a kid.

And while I got a little better with each passing year, it wasn't until I went to college that I truly broadened my culinary horizons.

Part of the reason for that was the fact that my two best friends there were both vegetarians.  Nat and Flav Vittles taught me that tofu can actually be delicious (except when its in the form of a Thanksgiving "tofurky"...ick!) and that you don't have to have meat to have a meal.

Not that this was totally news to me, or that I was some kind of meat freak before.  However, it did make me think outside the box and adapt some of my go-to recipes to be more vegetarian friendly.

You know, eggplant parm instead of chicken parm... meatless chili... Italian wedding soup minus the mini meatballs, and with VEGETABLE broth instead of chicken broth (yes I made that mistake, unfortunately.)

But I have especially embraced vegetarian Mexican by replacing chicken and beef with black beans. 

Oh my.  Let's talk about black beans.

Not only are they super tasty, they are also full of good-for-you things like fiber and protein.  And usually my favorite foods are not very healthy, so this is a welcome change for me :)

Now thankfully Mr. Vittles enjoys black beans as much as I do...  Although I don't really enjoy the after-effects of black beans when it comes to Mr. V, if you catch my drift.

Sadly, I often catch a drift as well.  Eww.

But anyway, we eat a lot of Mexican around here and I get sick of making everything with chicken and beef.

Or... sometimes I'm just out of meat and I'm too lazy to go to the grocery store :)

Which was the case when I got inspired the other night to try my hand at making flautas.  So, I was on the hunt not only for a meatless recipe, but also one that could be baked instead of fried (as we have not eaten so great the past few days).

My search led me to vegetariantimes.com (which seems like a pretty cool website, by the way) where I found a recipe for Oven-Crisp Black Bean Flautas.

Bingo!  And just in time for Cinco de Mayo :)

But of course, I couldn't let the recipe be too healthy.  So I took out the corn (didn't have any of that either), added a little shredded cheese & salt, and lightly brushed the tops of the flautas with canola oil before baking.

Don't you dare try to burst my 'healthy' bubble, people.  At least I'm not frying them in 1/4 inch of oil!

Anyway, since it's just the two of us and I didn't think these would be great as leftovers, I halved the recipe.  It made 5 flautas for me, but I like to load in the filling so you could probably make 6 if you're frugal.

Also, just a general FYI for you - I often substitute onion powder for minced onions because onions do very bad things to my eyes and sinuses!  I know it's not uncommon to get teary when cutting onions, but trust me when I say I am more sensitive to the little devils than most.  I'm surprised I haven't lost a finger yet.

Well, let's not lie, that's partially due to my klutziness :(  But seriously, my eyeballs & onions are just not friends.

So ... I generally try to avoid them, unless they are one of the main features of the recipe (ie Fresh Pico de Gallo Salsa).

But if you prefer fresh (or if you have these sweet onion cutting goggles & can chop away unaffected!) then you can mince half a medium onion instead of using the powder, and cook it along with the garlic.

Oven-Crisp Black Bean Flautas

• 1 t. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1/2 t. onion powder
  
• 1 t. chili powder
• 1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 10 oz. can mild Rotel diced tomatoes & chiles, drained
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/2 C. Monterey Jack cheese (or whatever type you prefer)
• 5 10" flour tortillas
• canola oil, for brushing

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook about 1 minute until fragrant.

Add 1/2 C. water along with beans, onion powder, chili powder and cilantro.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer about 10 minutes until most of water is evaporated.

Remove pan from heat and smash beans with back of spoon or immersion blender until mixture is thickened but still chunky, with some whole beans left.  Stir in salt & Rotel, and allow mixture to cool.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Coat baking sheet with cooking spray, or line with nonstick foil.

Microwave tortillas in 10 second intervals until soft & pliable.  Spoon a heaping 1/3 C. mixture in a line down center of each tortilla and sprinkle cheese on top.

Fold in sides on either end of the line, and then roll tortilla tightly around filling.  Secure end with a toothpick and set on baking sheet with seam side down.

Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the tops of the flautas with oil and place baking sheet in oven until crisp, about 10 minutes.  Serve with guacamole, sour cream, and/or salsa.  (I would also recommend cutting them in half to let them cool... the filling stays really hot in the enclosed tortilla!)

Recipe Adapted from Vegetarian Times

Fresh Pico de Gallo Salsa

Following an unbelievably fun (but extraordinarily busy) holiday weekend, I decided after work today that it was time to relax and enjoy the weather.

At least just for a little while.

So I got myself some lemon water (which I looove) and settled down on the back deck with my Kindle, which was a Christmas present from Mr. Vittles (that I also looove).

In case you care, I am currently reading The White Queen by Philippa Gregory (who, for those of you that don't know, also wrote The Other Boleyn Girl).  I'll admit I typically don't like "girly" books/movies - I'm more about thrillers, mysteries, and death & destruction.  But Philippa Gregory's books are super scandalous, and I like to indulge in them every now & again :)

So after reading several chapters, sipping my ice water, and overall enjoying the sun, I got to thinking about the next task at hand- dinner.

I was envisioning something light and fresh to go with the mood of the weather.  But unfortunately anything too fresh would require me going to the grocery store... Yucky.

I will put that one off until tomorrow. 

In the meantime, "Hmm, let's see what we're working with..."

Umm... Operation Fridge Recon was pretty disheartening, particularly in the "fresh" category.

The "nearly-bad lettuce" used to make Thursday's Honeyed Bacon BLTs was now officially bad.  Otherwise, there was a half an onion, a few potatoes, a few small tomatoes, and a lonely lime.

Yikes.  What to do, what to do?

Then I got to thinking about my Easter present from Pammy & Douggy Vittles ... which was a planter full of fresh herbs, YAY!  

Don't worry, it also had Reese's chocolate peanut butter eggs on top for Mr. V :)

But one of the herbs that was included in this glorious gift is CILANTRO.

By the way, I am also attempting to grow my own cilantro from seed.  But I am thinking it's not entirely ready to be used in a recipe yet ...

Yeah... not so much.

But anyway ... onion + tomato + lime + cilantro can only mean one thing in this house - fresh pico de gallo!

I noted that we also have flour tortillas, so with the canned goods I always keep on hand (for just such a lazy occasion), I can either make black bean enchiladas or refried bean & cheese quesadillas to go with.  I will see if Mr. Vittles has a preference when he gets home from work.

Not that I should bother, since his response 99% of the time is "Whichever.  They are both good."

So in the meantime, I'll share with you this very special recipe handed down from generation to generation in the Vittles family.

Its also extremely long and complicated.  So brace yourself.

...ready?  I hope you have at least 2 pieces of paper handy... 

Totally kidding. It's so easy you won't even believe it.  And sadly it's not a treasured family recipe - its based on one in a favorite cookbook that was a gift from my good friend Natalie Vittles, How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.

So if you, too, are in the mood for something fresh, I suggest you get to choppin'.

Fresh Pico de Gallo Salsa

• 2 large (or 3 smallish) ripe tomatoes, seeded & chopped
• 1/2 large onion (white or red works- I used white today)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic (or one clove garlic, minced)
• 1/4 C. fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• Juice from half of a lime
• 2 t. white vinegar
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 1/4 t. chili powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• freshly ground pepper, to taste
• optional: minced jalapeno or cayenne pepper, to taste (if you like spicy)

Combine tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and white vinegar in a bowl.  Season with garlic & chili powders, salt, and pepper.  Add jalapeno/cayenne pepper if desired.  Stir and taste to adjust seasoning if necessary.

Let sit 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Serve within a couple hours of preparing with tortilla chips, or as a garnish to your favorite Mexican recipes.

Recipe adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman