Chile Relleno and Berry Picking!

There's nothing quite like waking up early on a Saturday morning to pick your own berries! Yesterday, Jose and I took a trip to Chickamaw Farm, where we picked enough berries to bake the tastiest blueberry pie we've ever eaten. Jose did most of the picking while I played the roll* of the photographer, but I did manage to sneak in a few blueberries and get a taste. Well, I shouldn't say 'sneak'; Bill, the farmer, was nice enough to let us try them.

*(It's Monday morning. I wrote this post Sunday evening. I just realized I typed roll instead of role. I read the entry before publishing it; obviously, I didn't catch the 'mistake' because my brain is now wired in such a way that I subconsciously use food terms in place of other nouns. This is what happens when your hobbies and job revolve around food. No complaints here, though :).)

Guess what the best part about Chickamaw farm is? Well, not only does it have a cool name (it means 'sacred land' in Choctaw, according to Bill) but the owners of the farm only grow organic fruits...and catfish! Catfish?! Yep! Bill and his family have a pond where they've established a mini food chain for their catfish; these fish only eat the finest foods - other fish, not the nasty fake stuff - so they get pretty large...think 11 lbs! HUGE! Sometimes, Bill and his family take a swim with the fish; imagine how fun it would be to ride a monster catfish :D! I got that image in my head as soon as he mentioned the gigantic sizes of these happy and healthy creatures. Jose asked if he could come back and fish some time, Bill said yes! We're not sure if we'll be able to do it before we leave Austin in two months, but since we plan on settling down here in the future, we'll definitely go back to fish and pick more berries!

Ok, so the berries were also huge. As soon as I popped one of these tasty berries into my mouth, I was shocked! I took a bite of half a blueberry and then a double-take at the remaining blueberry...is this really a blueberry?, I thought. It was juicy, full of more flavor than any store-bought blueberry, and it was rich - rich in blueberry goodness. It was a blueberry. In fact, it was more Blueberry than any other blueberry I'd ever tasted (note the capital 'B'). If you're ever in Texas, be sure to check out Chickamaw Farm, especially if you're craving fresh blueberries!

After a fun filled day of picking our own blueberries, grocery shopping at our favorite market, and dining at a tasty cafe here in town, we still managed to muster-up enough energy to spend a good portion of our weekend cooking. We prepare about 4 meals on the weekends because we don't have much time to cook during the week; Jose and I enjoy coming home to a nourishing dinner after a long day at work, so we really don't mind all the cooking. One of the meals we put together was my grandma's Chile Relleno. Thankfully, all our hard work paid off...and I mean, it was hard work! To make these, my grandma toasts the chilies (or peppers, I should say) over a direct flame (so that the skin wrinkles and comes off easily); she uses her gas stove to do this. Our apartment is completely electric, so I had to fry the peppers. This was a little dangerous and painful...but fun! I don't have the proper 'frying materials' so I got a little fried, too...oh, but the meal was well-worth it. It certainly wasn't perfect; the peppers could've been fried a little longer, but it was a fun first try. Initially, I was really concerned about the egg white sticking to the peppers, but, thankfully, it did! We also ate this tasty meal with some homemade rice, beans, and nopales!

From the blueberries we devoured, to the tasty peppers we inhaled, this was a very yummy weekend. Hope your week ahead is just as delicious and fun.

Apricot Chicken Tagine...and candy!

Before we even found out that we were going to be leaving Austin, Jose and I still tried to savor every bit of this city's quirkiness. But now we're trying to take it all in without being consumed by the unbearable heat! This coming week, temperatures will literally reach 100 degrees; this past weekend wasn't much cooler. So, with trickles of sweat dripping down our faces, we happily made our way to the Big Top Candy Shop. The promise of candy and too many sugary desserts to count was enough to get me out of the house, despite the blaring afternoon sun. This place was magical; with treats like old fashioned bubblegum 'cigarettes' and chocolate covered bacon, any fan of old fashioned candy and unique treats would find it hard to leave the Big Top Candy Shop.

Even though it's nearly impossible to leave room for dinner after visiting a place full of enough sweets to make an Umpa Lumpa jealous, Jose and I still managed to have an appetite for our Roast Apricot Chicken Tagine with Cilantro Couscous. Full of savory goodness from long hours of simmering, tagines are hearty North African stews named after the beautiful clay pots they're typically cooked in. Our 'quick' tagine included a few dried fruits and a variety of mouthwatering spices; we used chicken as our protein and served the stew over cilantro couscous. Cooking this meal was just as enjoyable as eating it, since the spices gave off a rich aroma that made us grateful we didn't have to wait very long to take the first bite, thanks to this quick tagine recipe from About.com.

Next week, we plan on exploring Mexico with our taste buds. Chile relleno sounds good to me; plus, I promised the hubby I'd make it for him (after making that promise, he then said he'd renew his vows to me, even though we've only been married for 5 months. It's one of his favorite dishes :)! I know the perfect person to ask for this recipe...my grandma!

Hope you all have a lovely and COOL week ahead :)!

Sweet and Savory Empanadas

Thank goodness we get an extra day off this week! You know where I'll be spending it...in the kitchen :)! Especially now that I'll be working twice as much as I used to during the week. Yay! No complaints here, though, I look forward to a busier work schedule. I love the feeling of having my hands full -- especially when they're full of dough! Even though I'll be working more, I still plan on keeping up with this blog. No excuses, I promise! Later on this week, I'll post a couple of pie recipes (and even a tasty summer cake recipe) because there's always time for baking and blogging, right?! Yes. I won't even let the 95 degree weather stop me from baking; I'll sweat my way through one dessert recipe after another while the AC is off any day! I can't decide if that makes me a dedicated baker or just plain crazy... :)


On to the post! Earlier this week, Mansi from Fun and Food invited me to join in on the Monthly Mingle event. I thought it sounded like fun, especially since I'd never put together an actual appetizer before, so I told her I'd like to do it...then, earlier today, I thought I could combine the Monthly Mingle appetizer with my Traveling the World One Plate at a Time recipe. To come up with ideas, Jose and I flipped through a few of the many half-read foodie magazines stacked up near my desk. Jose came up with a great idea after reading an inspiring recipe -- why not make empanadas, little ones? So that's what we did. I wanted to make a savory version...and because my sweet tooth has a bigger mouth than I do, I couldn't ignore it's unrelenting cry for sugar, so I gave-in and made sweet empanadas too. The savory vegetarian empanadas are stuffed with a variety of hearty ingredients (like tomatoes and portabella mushrooms), while the sweet empanadas are filled with sweet potatoes and warm spices (like cinnamon and cloves).

This is how they should be stuffed, except this one is really loaded! :)

I was inspired by Chef Jim Moffat's empanada dough recipe; as for the filling -- I decided to get creative with that. You'll find the recipe for both the sweet and savory empanadas below. Please note that there was quite a bit of filling leftover from each recipe. So, tomorrow, I plan on using the savory ingredients to make omelets for breakfast...and I might just bake up something using the mashed sweet potatoes :). The spiced sweet potatoes can be eaten on their own, though, they're so good!

Traveling the World One Plate at a Time: Karahi Chicken with Mint and Dessert!

I didn't get the chance to cook this meal last weekend, so I made it a point to make it today. Thankfully, it only took a little less than an hour to prepare and cook, which is great for a lazy Sunday evening. I feel like I need a weekend for my weekend!

Friday night, Jose and I saw the second Narnia movie at Alamo Drafthouse; it's definitely a place you should check out if you're not from around here. They serve pretty good food and even feature a special menu for some movies; Turkish Delight was on the menu for Prince Caspian :)! Of course, we ordered some. On Saturday we checked out IKEA. Jose and I think it might be best to purchase boxed, unassembled furniture instead of driving to Cambridge with a bunch of bulky furniture that can't be taken apart. (We're trying to figure out the best and cheapest way to move to Cambridge from Austin...any ideas? We did the numbers. Paying a moving company would be too expensive; if we flew there, we'd still need to figure out a way to move our stuff. So it seems driving to Cambridge in a large van with our stuff is the best idea, at least this weekend it is :)...we only have 2 more months to figure it out, though! Oh, but I can't wait :)!) As for today, we cleaned the apartment, sold a few of our many books to the folks at Half-Price, and went shopping for pants and shoes. So, as you can see, or read, it was a very busy weekend and I didn't have much time to cook dinner. Now I'm starting to feel myself catching Jose's cold; it seems my body always gets sick when I take the time to relax and slow down!

At least I got to squeeze in a bunch of baking last week. I was craving a healthy dessert earlier, so I made an apple and carrot cake that's moist, cinnamony, and milk-free. I made a blueberry peach pie too, but I'll post that recipe little later :).

Saka-Mushi (Japanese style veggie and salmon packets)

So last night I got around to making Saka-Mushi, a delicious and healthy Japanese meal that consists of fresh fish and a hearty serving of colorful vegetables. Jose and I both enjoyed the fact that this dish was simple but flavorful; it was also nice that we didn't have much to clean up after consuming every last bite! The original recipe called for only 5 ounces of salmon, but we used 8...and the original recipe also said that it would yield enough food for 4...but, between just the two of us, we ate it all! That just goes to show how tasty this meal was. I'm not a huge salmon fan, the fishiness is usually too much for me, but the flavor was a bit milder this time around; I think the sake/soy sauce marinade had something to do with it!

Anyhow, if you're tired after a long day at work, but don't feel like paying the closest fast-food joint a visit, then this is the recipe for you. The only thing you really have to do is chop a few ingredients and roll them up in a piece of foil, you don't even have to dirty many dishes! As Guy Fiere from Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives says when he's come across a tasty meal: Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner! (Ooh, how I'd love to own a fun diner similar to the ones he visits; except it'd have to be pink, of course ;). Don't all the meals featured on that show look incredibly mouthwatering?!)

Tomorrow I'm making the ice cream cupcakes! I'm so excited! I'm thinking of using a very fun ingredient for these frozen treats. I'll give you a tiny hint as to what I'll be using: What makes a warm winter drink taste even better? :)

Oooh...I bet you're thinking I forgot to post the recipe! Nope, you'll find the instructions and ingredients posted in the digital recipe card below :)!

Mini Maple Walnut Cupcakes and Caponatina

One of the best things about being an adult is getting to eat dessert before dinner without having to worry about anyone saying I'm going to spoil my appetite :P! So I'm posting the dessert before the meal ;). I found this recipe in a cheap cupcake cookbook I purchased at the pharmacy last weekend. It had such cute, delicious pictures, I assumed the recipes would be just as pleasing. Well, the mini cupcakes I made didn't turn out badly, I was just disappointed that they lacked flavor and spice. I followed the recipe for apple streusel cupcakes, but I was bummed when the crumbly part melted into the cupcake batter while it baked. I'm sure I didn't measure the topping properly, I can't imagine it was entirely the recipe's fault. When I discovered that the crumble had dissolved into the batter, I'd only used a little less than half of the topping. I didn't want to throw the rest away, so I figured I'd go ahead and make an interesting frosting with the remaining crumble. These are the ingredients that went into the crumble, followed by the ingredients I used to turn it into a frosting! I should call these Frankenstein cupcakes, because I used so many strange ingredients to make a frosting that would bring these tiny desserts to life!

Topping
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 1/2 TBSP butter

To end up with the frosting I made, you'll need to divide that recipe in half then add the following ingredients to the mix. I didn't measure, I just kept adding things until I ended up with something frosting-like in texture :) <---I know it sounds really silly, but somehow it worked and folks at work even said they were delicious! Sometimes I remind myself of Amelia-Bedelia in the kitchen! (I was a big fan of hers as a kiddo, in all honesty, I could never be as fabulous as she is :D):

Frosting with Topping
1 -2 TBSP heavy cream
a few tablespoons brown sugar
1-2 TBSP maple syrup
a few more sprinkles of cinnamon
about a cup of powdered sugar

and as for the cupcake recipe (you might want to add a few extra spices, I think I should've used apple pie spice with these)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cup apple sauce
4 TBSP butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cup self-rising flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

bake at 350 for about 12 minutes (for mini cupcakes)

As you can see, these cupcakes aren't exactly healthy. Just staring at the list of ingredients is making one of my molars hurt, can you feel a cavity developing ;)? Now that we've all had our sugar rush for the day, let's move on to dinner...

So my new friend Michele said it was ok to post the yummy Caponatina recipe she shared with me! I made this hearty Italian dish to go along with the chicken picatta I made for dinner this past weekend. It was the first time I tried both eggplant and caponatina. I was so happy to discover that it wasn't too difficult to make, despite its complex flavor. I divided the following recipe in half and didn't bother storing it in a jar because I had a feeling my husband and I would devour it in just two days -- I was right!

oops, I forgot to unpeel the eggplant! Can you believe I just noticed?! :D

Grandma Rose’s Caponatina Sicilian Style
2 lb unpeeled eggplant, cut into 1” cubes
½ cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
3 ½ oz. tomato paste
1 cup water
1 lb green olives, salted and pitted
2 oz jar of capers, unsalted and drained
salt and pepper to taste
1 heaping tsp. sugar
¼ cup wine vinegar

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and celery, cook until almost tender. Remove onions and celery and place in a bowl. In same skillet, sauté eggplant until light brown. Remove. In same pan, over med flame, cook tomato paste and water, stir until dissolved. Add olives, eggplant, capers, onion, celery, salt and pepper. Mix well. Bring to a boil over high flame. Lower flame and simmer for 5 minutes. Add sugar and vinegar. Stir and cook for ½ minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Makes 2 quarts. Sterilize jars before using. Cover tightly.
Keeps in refrigerator for 6 weeks.

I found the chicken picatta recipe in a magazine I received in the mail last week! It's called Cuisine At Home, it isn't sold in stores yet; it was a free gift I received most likely for subscribing to 3 other foodie magazines. It's really great because it offers pictures along with step-by-step instructions, and some other fun cooking tips. The recipe called for 4 chicken cutlets, but I only had 5 drumsticks so I improvised a little :).

Instructions:
Well, they say you should sprinkle the cutlets with salt and pepper then lightly cover them in flour. But just a few pages away from this recipe in the same magazine was a short article that convinced me I needed to first dip the chicken in a mix of egg whites and corn starch THEN roll them in flour (I used whole-grain, it gave it a heartier flavor) seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, and a bit of parsley. It was something new I wanted to try, so I went ahead and tried it on the chicken. I was happy with the results.

So here are the rest of the instructions:
Sautee in 2 TBSP oil (they suggest veg oil, I used olive) then once the chicken pieces are browned on all sides, set them aside. In the same pan that you used to lightly fry the chicken, add 1/4-1/2 cup white wine (depending on how much chicken you're using) and 2 minced garlic cloves. Then add 1/2 cup chicken broth, 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice, 2 TBSP butter, and 1 TBSP fresh capers. I wanted a thicker sauce, so I added a bit of flour to the mix. Since I used chicken drumsticks instead of cutlets, I went ahead and placed a few lemon slices in an oven-safe platter, then set the drumsticks on top of the slices. I then poured the "sauce" on top of each lightly fried chicken drumstick. Because I accidentally got a little more caper juice in the sauce than I wanted :D, I drizzled a bit of honey on top of the chicken before placing it in the oven to bake at 350 for about 45-50 minutes. If you're using cutlets, you can go ahead and continue cooking the chicken in the pan with the sauce until it's no longer pink. Though pink is one of my favorite colors, it's not very flattering on chicken ;).

Traveling the World, One Plate at A Time: Escalivada and Pollo A La Española

This weekend, our taste buds decided to take a trip to Spain. Using our kitchen as a vehicle for getting there, we discovered we didn't need a plane! So, a few hours ago, Jose and I put together two dishes that brought us closer to the Mediterranean than we've ever been. Our passport was a refrigerator full of delicious Spanish vegetables and ingredients, all of which we purchased earlier today at one of our favorite grocery stores, Central Market. We decided, instead of going out to eat on the weekends, we'd spend some time together in the kitchen preparing delicious, hearty meals that would give our very uneducated palates a greater appreciation for the world's many colorful flavors. It's a win-win situation: we get to spend more time together, and we actually end up saving money in the process! Even if you're on a budget, you can still travel; the kitchen is an amazing teleporter, you don't even have to ask Scotty to beam you up!

This week's dishes were Escalivada and Pollo A La Española, two very vegetable-loaded meals that will leave you feeling full and satisfied. I found these recipes in an old cookbook my husband purchased awhile ago, it's called Spanish: Over 150 Mouthwatering Step-By-Step Recipes by Pepita Aris. The chicken recipe gives the cook the option to use bacon lardons or pancetta; we thought it'd be fun to use pancetta since we've never tried it. We're so glad we did! Unlike bacon, it has a very mild, almost sweet flavor that enhanced the entire meal's flavor without taking the spotlight away from the rest of the dish. I didn't imagine it'd be this tasty! It is pretty fatty, but it actually seemed less fatty than bacon. I simmered the pancetta veggie sauce with the chicken for almost an hour. As a result, the often-dry boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces I normally use came out moist and full of flavor, even when eaten without the sauce (I didn't eat too much of the pancetta, but I noticed I still picked-up it's flavor in the chicken and I think it definitely contributed to its moistness).

So here are the ingredients for both dishes :)
Escalivada (this recipe makes enough for about 8 people, so I divided it in half and I still have leftovers for tomorrow)

2-3 zucchini
1 large fennel bulb
1 Spanish Onion
2 red bell peppers
1 butternut squash
6 whole garlic cloves
5 TBSP olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
pinch of crushed cumin seeds
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 medium tomatoes
salt and ground black pepper

Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes

Before turning on the oven, I suggest steaming the butternut squash. It didn't bake in the time it was supposed to, though all the other veggies were already soft and crisp on top. If I had to do it again, I'd bake it for 20 minutes at 375 or steam it for the same amount of time. Then I'd let it cool so that I could cut it into cubes and remove the skin. All the other vegetables get sliced long-ways; the tomatoes should be chopped, the garlic smashed (the skin stays on). The veggies need to be placed in a large-enough platter so that they're all level and not piled up too high. Basically, everything gets baked together, except for the tomatoes (those don't get added in until the rest of the veggies bake). The olive oil and lemon juice serve as a dressing for the veggies. The veggies get drizzled with olive oil/lemon juice right before the cumin gets sprinkled between the thyme sprigs and veggies. All these aromatic ingredient bake for 25 minutes. After these 25 minutes are over, remove the veggies from the oven and mix-in the chopped tomatoes, then bake all the veggies for another 15 minutes.

This is how the veggies should be chopped (I love that purple garlic, it's so tasty):


Pollo A La Española (this makes enough for 4)
1 tsp paprika
4 portions of chicken
3 TBSP olive oil
5 oz smoked bacon lardons or diced pancetta
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic olives, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced 1
4 oz can of tomatoes or 1 lb fresh
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
salt and ground black pepper

This dish could be a meal in itself and tastes great with something as simple as white rice. Even if you use chicken breast, they'll still come out moist if you simmer them over a low flame with the pancetta/veggie sauce for a good amount of time. As for the instructions: lightly lather the chicken pieces with paprika, then fry the chicken in 2 TBSP olive oil - cook covered. In another pan, cook the diced pancetta in 1 TBSP olive oil until it starts to get slightly crispy, then add the onion and garlic - mix and cook covered until the onions are soft. Add the green and red bell pepper to the chicken, continue cooking until the chicken is no longer pink. Add the tomatoes and chopped parsley to the pancetta and simmer for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the tomato/pancetta sauce to the chicken; then simmer the ingredients for at least 30 minutes, or until you're ready eat :).

Once all the ingredients simmer together, you'll get something like this...


I highly suggest using the pancetta if you've never tried it! I personally think bacon would be too strong for this dish, but the pancetta is so delicate in flavor and texture that it practically melts in your mouth :)!

Traveling the World, One Plate at A Time: Kotopita (Greek Chicken Pie)

Before I write about my next fun plan for this blog, I'd like to begin this entry by giving a special thanks to Heather of Sweet Sins 2 Share. As a result of her kindness, my Berry Vanilla Cake is now featured on TasteSpotting :). She sent me a comment a few days ago letting me know that she submitted the cake. I thought it was such a nice surprise, but I had to laugh a little at the discovery, knowing full well that I initially held-off posting that cake on the blog because I thought the picture was somewhat unyummy! To be honest, before posting the cake recipe, both Jose (my husband) and I agreed that it looked like it had some kinda growth on its surface, as in fungus-amongus! Despite the fact that it is a very tasty cake, I didn't think it was a very photogenic one, which is why I was happily surprised when it received so many positive comments :). I'm glad you all like it, and thank you, again, Heather for being so thoughtful. I only hope my little confession didn't disgust anyone...but don't judge a cake by it's frosting, or lack thereof :)!

As for my fun plan for this blog: I hope to start posting at least one new 'world dish' recipe per week, I'll title these entries Traveling the World, One Plate at A Time. Lately, I've been getting bored with eating the same old, same old, and both Jose and I are really interested in trying new flavors and foods. As a result, I've made it a point to try a new dish at least once a week. In the same way that reading a variety of fiction and poetry can play a role improving your writing skills, tasting new foods with rich ingredients can contribute to making you a better cook. So in trying these new foods from around the world, I hope to gain a better understanding of how different spices work together and how I can incorporate these new flavors into my everyday dinners. I guess you can say that I'll be giving a heavy nod to fusion cooking, but in a very informal and laid back way.

Part of what inspired me to start this new foodie adventure was last week's Caribbean stew. Until that meal, I'd never had sweet potato in a dish that wasn't sweet. I loved how the sweetness brought out the flavor of the other familiar vegetables in a way that made them taste new to me. So this week Jose and I decided to go Greek. If you're interpreting that in the literal sense, he could totally pull it off much better than I ever could - with his head of curls and greco-roman profile, he looks just like a little philosopher :). Funny thing is, he studied philosophy as an undergrad...and you know what philosophia means? Lover of Wisdom...and he is just that...he loves me, I am Sophia (my name means wisdom in Greek). It's oh so cheesy but true :)!

This is a picture I had fun with, and if you check out his blog profile you can see an unedited one...see what I mean :D!


Ok...Ok...so I'll get back to the dish. Kotopita is like a Greek chicken pot pie that kind of reminds me of a quiche, but not; it's really in a category all its own, a very tasty category. Here's the recipe...many details, I know, but I'm trying to get a little more specific when it comes to cooking instructions, because they can really make or break the recipe :). I'd also like to mention that I was inspired by a few recipes, including this one. I found a few others that included vegetables like leeks, but I didn't have any at home and I didn't want to add any veggies that would take away from the theme of the dish. I'll definitely use leeks next time, though, they're one of my favorite veggies.

Kotopita
1 1/2 pounds chicken thigh
1 tsp fresh chopped mint
1 tsp fresh chopped marjoram
¼-1/2 cup flour
2 1/2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP dehydrated bell peppers (red and green)
Pepper
Garlic salt
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp allspice
¼-1/2 cup kefalotyri cheese
3 eggs lightly scrambled
1 ½ cups chicken broth
¼ cup warm water
8 sheets of filo dough
3 large handfuls of spinach
1 small can black olives (2.25 oz)
½ large sweet onion, sliced

Sprinkle chicken thigh with pepper and garlic salt, cook covered with glass lid over low-medium flame in about 2 TBSP olive oil. Once the chicken is cooked, add 3 large handfuls of cleaned spinach and olives (with olive juice) to the chicken drippings/olive oil. Cook for about 2 minutes. Set chicken/vegetables aside in a separate bowl but keep drippings in the pan. After the chicken cools, cut it into bite-size pieces.

Add ¼ cup water to the drippings in the pan, along with the 1 ½ cups chicken broth (I buy the already prepared organic one in a box, it's a great thing to have on-hand!); also add the 2 ½ TBSP butter. Slowly add the flour while stirring broth mixture as it cooks over a low flame. Once the mixture thickens and there aren’t any flour lumps, turn off the flame and add the dehydrated bell peppers, onion slivers, nutmeg, and allspice. Allow the now-sauce to cool (it can still be warm, just not hot).

When the sauce is cool, add the cheese and 3 eggs (mix the eggs in the pan with the sauce). Line pie pan with 6 sheets of filo dough; add the chicken/veggies, then pour the sauce on top – mix the pie contents.

To avoid wasting filo dough, fold the excess filo dough that’s hanging off the pie pan edges over the pie contents (chicken/veggies/sauce). Use the last two sheets of filo dough to create a dome over the pie; tuck the excess filo dough under the pie. You can now either add some of the sauce that might still be in the pan to the filo pie cover, or brush on an egg white. Create 3 medium-sized slits over the pie.

Bake in the oven for about 40-45 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Allow to cool for five minutes, then cut and serve! After making this, you'll definitely be hungry, and it smells heavenly!

Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)

What do you all think of this new application I'm using, is it helpful? Can you please let me know in a comment/message? Thanks! :)

I think the best family heirlooms are recipes. Unlike jewelry, they can comfort us with their warmth, conjure up loving memories with their scents, and leave us both emotionally and physically satisfied. Even though jewelry can be sized to fit the person receiving the heirloom, it still doesn't compare to inheriting a recipe that each generation can add to while still keeping the main ingredient, love. On that note, a few weekends ago I gave my grandmother a call to see how she was doing and ask her for a few cooking tips. I borrowed a tiny book from the library filled with just enough classic Mexican food recipes to experiment with. My intention was to use some of these recipes as guides while attempting to get my own grandmother's recipes right. She was very detailed about what ingredients to use, even how to cook each item I wanted to make, but as far as the measurements...well, it seems over the years her fingers have developed taste buds so that she doesn't actually have to measure the exact ingredients, they know that a pinch of this and dash of that will do just fine. My fingers aren't so clever. Though they can be trusted at times, they tend to be a bit more on the clumsy side whenever I'm trying to replicate something my grandmother has already perfected.

The first recipe I asked my grandma for was that of her Capirotada dish. Capirotada is a rich bread pudding with a kick. Its sweet base is balanced out with a hearty sprinkle of salty Cotija cheese. As a kid, I had a love/hate relationship with this cheese; its pungent smell is a lot stronger than most typical cheeses used in American dishes, but its taste is also a lot more flavorful and earthy. I only sprinkled a bit on top, just enough for its saltiness to counteract the sweetness of the piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar). Here are the rest of the ingredients I used, along with the cooking/baking instructions.

1/2 of a loaf of 2 day old Challah bread cut into bite-size pieces (This is a traditional Jewish bread, but I had quite a bit leftover from earlier in the week and I didn't want to waste. I think it worked really well with this dessert. Traditionally, day old Mexican bread is used; my grandmother uses a french roll.)
1 1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 piloncillo stick
2 TBSP butter
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1 small fuji apple, chopped
1/8 cup crumbled cotija cheese
1/4 cup golden raisins

After slicing off the piloncillo (I can't think of the proper term for this job, but it was a tough one!) I put the shavings into a medium sized pot with the evaporated milk and butter. The two ingredients slowly simmered together as I mixed in the nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. I then added in the bread pieces and continued mixing the ingredients until the bread absorbed all the liquid, then I tossed in the apple pieces. I transfered the concoction to a square, 9 inch oven safe platter, then sprinkled the raisins and cheese on top. To give the pudding a bit more bite, I put it in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. I also sprinkled some nuts on top, after the baking process. The apples and nuts were not part of my grandma's recipe, she is a fan of golden raisins. I decided to add less raisins and include some apples because they always taste so good in baked goods!

Mediterranean Chicken and Rice

Photographs of food really do look better when they're larger, I'll post bigger pictures from now on :).

I haven't posted in awhile. Lately I've been focusing more on preparing fast meals for dinner that don't require me to have the stove/oven on for so so long...our last electric bill was ridiculously high, and we just discovered that our AC might've been the culprit...since it's broken and only works "sometimes". Anyway, I decided I really wanted to make something tasty for dinner tonight, even if it required me to leave the stove on for a little longer than I would've liked. I actually got the idea for it from a book I picked up at the library earlier this week. The dish that inspired me to make this is called Milanese Chicken and Rice Skillet. The thing is, I didn't use a skillet, I used different spices, and even incorporated some Mexican food elements. I actually deviated from the recipe even more by cooking the chicken in a completely different way (I boiled it instead of cooking it in the skillet). The recipe called for chicken breast, but all I had were drumsticks. Improvising was a lot of fun, though. The picture in the cookbook was beautiful and yummy looking, I think that's what drew me to make the dish in the first place. But...I didn't really measure anything, though I do remember all the ingredients I used. Here are the ingredients that were used and the steps I took when making this eclectic plate that has both Mediterranean and Mexican flair.

I used 1 1/2 pounds of chicken drumsticks
I boiled the drumsticks in about 1 pint of water mixed with 1 TBSP chicken bouillon, some garlic salt and a little bit of cilantro (the chicken cooked in about 35 minutes--there were about 5 drumsticks).

While the chicken cooked, I prepared the rice, which is similar to the Mexican rice I've made in the past...but it's been spiced up a little more.
I cooked 1 cup of rice by first lightly frying it in a few TBSPS of olive oil, one small garlic clove, and about 1/8 cup finely diced onion.
I then boiled 3 roma tomatoes, removed their skin, threw them in the blender with 1/4 cup onion, 1 1/2 tsps chicken bouillon, 1 garlic clove, 1 tsp cilantro--this all amounted to about 3/4 of a cup.
To the rice in the pan I added the tomato mixture and 1 1/4-1/2 cups water
As the rice cooked, I added a few sprinkles of garlic salt and pepper, about 1 tsp of paprika and onion powder, cilantro, and parsley. I also added about 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper, 1/2 cup frozen peas, 1/2 cup chopped carrots, and 1/2 cup celery.
When the chicken finished cooking in the boiling water, I dumped out the water then added some paprika, salt, pepper, about 1 1/2 tbsps Italian seasoning, about 2 TBSP olive oil, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1/4 cup red bell pepper, 1/4 cup green bell pepper, and 1/2 a small can of diced black olives (about 1.5 oz) along with about 1/2 the olive juice