Flamin' Hot Pupusas

One of the great things about my trip (years ago) to Honduras was all of the amazing food.  There were mountains of avocados, mangos, cheeses, beans, plantains, and countless other yummies.

Do you see the white rectangles on the lower right?  At most vegetarian friendly restaurants in the US, geometric white blocks equal tofu.  In Honduras, white blocks equal fried cheese.  I can still taste it!

However, one of the most memorable things I ate (several times) were pupusas.  Pupusas are stuffed tortillas.  Kind of like a quesadilla, but thinner, not as dressed up, and one single tortilla.  Sometimes I think of it as a Latin calzone.  The important thing to take away from this is that they are delicious.

Now, chances are unless you are in a Honduran or El Salvadoran restaurant, you will not find pupusas on the menu.  This is exactly why I have made multiple attempts to learn how to make them at home.  I would like to dedicate this recipe to my dear friend Douglas who was my wonderful guide around Honduras.  In honor of him, I would like to name the following dish "Siguatepeque Pankeke."

Fast Forward to This Evening... As I was checking out at my local hardware store I was confronted by a display of snacks.  I try to avoid ever looking at these, because if I ever lock eyes with a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos, chances are that we are going home together.  This was one of those days.

Driving home, I decided I wanted to incorporate the Flamin' Hot Cheetos.  A quick spin in the food processor and this is what it looked like.

I mixed together:
     1/3C crushed Flamin' Hot Cheetos
     1 2/3C Whole Wheat Flour
     1 1/2t Baking Powder
     2t Oil
*I did not add any salt because of the Cheetos, could have used maybe a tiny pinch

To this I added:
     3/4C of Milk that has been warmed up

Knead the dough until it is nice and pliable and sticks together; you will end up with an unnaturally red lump of dough.

I covered this for awhile as I cleaned up my dishes thus far (I'm thinking Laura would mind coming home to stained red counters, bowls, and cutting boards) and decided what to put in the middle.

Dividing the dough into eight equal pieces, I rolled each one out.  *It is very important to get the dough as thin as possible.  There is only a thin layer of filling between the two tortillas.  If the dough ends up thick, the finished product is like taking a big bite of flour.*

Here is one tortilla rolled out.  I added refried beans and some jalapenos for the middle.  Normally, you would fill the entire center and put another tortilla on top.  Being lazy, and wanting smaller pupusas, I just filled half and folded the other side over.

After folding over or adding another tortilla on top, you want to flatten it down again.  You can use your hands or rolling pin gently.  From my dough I made four pupusas like the one above, and left four unfilled to make plain tortillas.

Use a dry pan on medium heat to cook.  The tortillas only take about 30-50 seconds for each side, the pupusas take just a little longer.

Here is the bounty, and below is something I like to call "dinner."

I topped off the final product with mild salsa, roasted yellow & red peppers, and cilantro.  The tortilla was not very spicy at all.  Next time I would add spices like cayenne, tabasco, or pepper flakes instead of the Cheetos.  The mild salsa and sweet peppers were a nice balance for the spicy jalapenos.  The beans were a smooth and rich filler tying it all together.

Honduras, I miss you.  Hope to see you soon (and also Douglas & Michele and your tiny one!).

Adios.

I Heart Weekends Because...

Lu: What do you want for breakfast?

La: Why don't you hard boil some eggs?

Lu: But, I was really wanting something with sausage (vegetarian variety of course).

Lu's Brain: These two things can combine their powers to become something greater!  Like when all of the Planeteers used their rings together to summon Captain Planet! 

Breakfast Deviled Eggs

First - Hard boil the eggs.   

1. place eggs in pan with enough water to just cover them 

2. put pan on high heat 

3. bring water to boil 

4. soon as water is boiling turn off heat and cover pan 

5. let sit for 10-12 minutes

6. put eggs in cold water

Second - Assemble the eggs

1. peel egg shells

2. cut eggs in half and scoop out yolk

3. brown some sausage

4. melt in some cheese (used Irish cheddar from St. Pat's day)

5. mix sausage and cheese with some mayo, Dijon, Tabasco, salt, pepper, and egg yolk

6. put spoonfuls of filling back onto egg halves

7. top with paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, and tomato

Third - Enjoy!

Home Alone

Laura is gone this weekend which means two things: 1) I'm going to get a little bit bored, and 2) I'm either going to eat really well, or have ramen noodles four times a day.  After debating this later fact, I eventually voted down the case of oriental flavored Maruchan.  However, the first fact remains that I am a little bit bored, so whatever I make has to keep me interested and productive for a good part of the evening.

Here is where my new best friend enters the picture, my fireplace.  During the first big storm this winter we all sat huddled around the fireplace and thought, "What would happen if we lost power?"  The answer my friends is, "We would eat like kings!"  And it was here that the idea of being able to cook with my fireplace was born.

Like I said, this meal had to occupy me for a good chunk of the night which equals I get dinner AND dessert!  To help ease my way into cooking with my fireplace I decided I should somewhat follow a recipe.  Turns out that the good people over at Reynold's Aluminum Foil have an entire recipe section of their website dedicated to cooking with foil packets.  I was going to make a Curried Cauliflower.  I chopped the cauliflower, added a tomato, half a red pepper, curry powder,  and salt to my foil packet.

Is this a Chipotle ad?

 I cleared a spot in the fireplace surrounded by coals and put the packet in for 15 minutes.

I carefully took out the packet, opened it up and the steam came pouring out.  I added some yogurt, sriracha, and raisins to complete the dish.

Fresh from the fire.

Yummers!

With the main course complete, it was time for dessert... and I seriously wanted some cookies.  So, in doing just a little bit of research I discovered many a person who had "grilled" cookies.  I figured the top of my fireplace is hot, why not cook there?  So, whipping up a basic chocolate chip cookie dough and placing some more fabulous Reynold's Aluminum Foil on top of the fireplace, I formed very thin cookies figuring they would burn fast.

(Sorry for the photo quality - phone camera)

With how fast they were cooking I needed to flip them half way through, sort of like cooking a pancake. They got a little dark on the outside, but they tasted fabulous!  The kind of fresh soft cookie that reminds me of Sweet Martha's (I miss you Minnesota state fair).  I paired them with some mint ice cream and the evening was complete.

I hope Laura is eating as well as I am!  I guess I'll save her a few of the cookies... maybe.

I Can Gather all the News I Need on the Weather Report

Kudos weathermen, you have done it!  You have accurately predicted how crazy this winter will be!  It is amazing how fast an entire state can go from, "Look at the pretty snow, it feels like Christmas!" to, "I'm done with all this white garbage!!!"  We are once again in the middle of a storm that has closed schools and businesses and made life a little bit more difficult.

At this point my goal to enjoy the winter is becoming one that takes some effort.  Currently, there are new healthy eating guidelines coming out and a renewed emphasis on living an active lifestyle.  This is all well and good, but I think my outlook on life is mostly going to stay rosy by eating and drinking through each storm.  And as we have heard so many times, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  One of my favorite breakfast comfort foods is french toast. 

Yesterday, foreseeing this breakfast need I made a loaf of brioche.  It is light and porous and doesn't have a ton of flavor so it works well for soaking up the batter and picking up that flavor along with the syrup and anything else.

This recipe was the first that I have ever tried from this cookbook, I'm happy with how it came out.  Waking up the next morning I was ready for a seriously delicious breakfast.  Having lived across the street from IHOP for three years, I became introduced to the idea of "stuffed french toast."  Given that I didn't make a special trip to the store for this I was confined to what was in the pantry, but I think it came out pretty well.

I stuffed the brioche french toast with dried apricots and cranberries, added a side of fake sausage, warm Vermont maple syrup, a cup of oranges and banana, and to wash it all down a cranberry and seltzer.  Take that winter!!!

Every good start of the day also deserves a good end.  For this I turn to my new favorite drink.  When visiting Laura's family in Australia I was first introduced to ginger beer (think ginger ale made with lots of actual ginger).  Lately, I have seen it pop up more and more in grocery stores and restaurants.  The last few bars I have been at have had this on the menu, and recently we were gifted the 2 items necessary to make a "Dark and Stormy."

1 part dark rum, 4 part ginger beer.  Add lime if you like.

With a good morning and good night it will be spring in no time!  Stay warm (unless you are in the middle of the heatwave in Australia, then I hope you cool down!)!

Winter Joy Joy

Snow has been falling almost all day and it is freeeeezing cold outside; it is expected to start raining this evening and create lots of ice.  It looks beautiful, but it is a beauty best enjoyed through a window from a cozy perch.

Looks like Bessie might need more than just her scarf!

After closing work a little early and getting back home, it was time to hunker down.  There are a few things that say snow day for me: 1-pajamas, 2-roaring fire, 3-movie, 4-nap, 5-board game, 6-baked goods.  I wasn't really concerned about items 1-5, these are no brainers, so the question was what to bake.  With the holidays recently over I'm not really craving any cookies or sweets, but a nice loaf of bread sounds just right.  I grabbed a recipe for focaccia that I had used before and got mixing.  It is from a cookbook that came from one of my all time favorite restaurants.

Proofing yeast (1.25t),
water (1C), & honey(1t)

Yummy Christmas present honey

1.White/Wheat Flour (1.5C each)
2.Salt (.75t) & Rosemary (1T)
3.Olive Oil (1.5T)

In the mixer for a few minutes

This winter I have fallen in love with our fireplace.  Yes, I'm sure that some day I will be tired of lugging around logs and putting in the time of getting a fire going and heating the place up slowly, but I am loving it for now.  Also, it works great for getting the dough to rise!

I lost...

Rising by the fire

1 hour of rising

Punched down & another hour of rising

Now, for whatever reason, I decided to roll the dough much thinner than usual.  I think maybe I wanted a big loaf of bread even though I halved the recipe. 

20min at 400F

Focaccia bread with vegi burger,
mozzarella, roast yellow pepper

Well, with some PJs, a raging fire, some fresh bread, and being with someone I love, I would say that this storm has been weathered quite well.  Of course, having a snowblower that looks like it came from Mad Max doesn't hurt either.

Big City

We were in New York this weekend and were able to visit the Museum of Modern Art.  There was a wonderful exhibit called "Design and the Modern Kitchen."  It was all about the evolution of the kitchen and how modernization has taken place in this specific area of the home.  From original tupperware, to posters telling you how good butter is, to videos explaining how washing dishes by hand promotes "the dead soul of the housewife," this exhibit was exceptional.

If Paula Dean had a tattoo that covered her entire back....

Since moving out to the boonies I think I have made more observations about how it differs from being in the city than how it is similar.  Food, however, is one the great equalizers, and the pursuit to eat well and obtain quality food is a common goal of those living in a city of millions and those living in a town of a few thousand.  It is a little ironic that leaving the fields and farms that surround me and heading into Manhattan is something that revamped my desire to start gardening.

I think my favorite part of this exhibit were the posters encouraging good food practices.  I especially enjoyed the following poster which appeared to encourage healthy eating...

...when really it is more about saving the really tasty foods for our troops.  War can be hell, but at least you can have a steady diet of wheat, meat, sugar and fat!  Here are a few other foodie posters to enjoy:

What will I say when he eats my rations?
"I always knew."

Mommy, I want a bunny!
45lbs of delicious bunny!

Message: Mice are terrible and rabbits are delicious.

A little extreme, but I enjoy the sentiment.

"Rabbit in Casserole"

Message: Grow your own food (and have you tried the rabbit yet?).

I'm going to end it with our favorite poster from the exhibit.  As vegetarians, we couldn't help but love the "Vegetabull"!

*Still love the "Vegetabull" even though he contains a tomato which is a fruit and not a vegetabull