Guac me up!

feeling very cooking inspired these days. maybe b/c it's in the mid 90s and feels like the 100s so turning on the oven sounds like the last thing i want to do. 

anyway, it's a mexican kind of layout w/ variations on the taco and i think one of my all-time favorite breakfasts-huevos rancheros. these dishes are super quick and easy once you have all your ingredients. and you can make it more homemade or less time consuming based on your preference.

yes i know, i got too lazy to crop out all the background stuff, but really, i was too focused on getting the food ideas to you! this was the spread for make-your-own fish tacos (homemade guacamole, coleslaw, baked cod, corn tortillas and store bought salsa...this i wish i had made myself, but it was cheaper and easier, so i'll take some short cuts).

on the left is the fish taco, on the right is the tofu taco

guacamole (i just sliced the avocado and placed it on top of the taco)
2 ripe avocado (chopped, but not pureed, i like mine chunky)
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 steamed corn (slice down the side of the cob to get the corn kernels)
1/2 jalapeno pepper, diced
salt and pepper to taste
i forgot to buy a lime and my parents don't like cilantro, both of which i would have loved

coleslaw for the fish tacos
3 c shredded green and purple cabbage
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
~1/2 tsp salt
~1/2 T sugar
~ 2 T white vinegar
Toss everything together and let it marinate for as many hours as possible

coleslaw for the tofu tacos (which everyone agreed they liked better) was from pioneer woman cooks (of course)

other ingredients to top with: raw onions, black beans, salsa, etc. the great thing about tacos is that they are so versatile and whatever ingredients you like

btw, i baked the cod for about 15 minutes after lightly coating in cumin. tofu was pan "fried" with cumin and chili powder

so now that you have all these wonderful ingredients prepped and leftover, what to do with all the yummy ingredients- make huevos rancheros. slight detour with this one. it is a corn tortilla topped w/ a runny egg (a must!), black beans and salsa, i also added hash browns, leftover guacamole and raw onions. enjoy!

oh, and i almost forgot, this blog/show/recipe person i stumbled upon today, everything looks absolutely delicious and easy (my two requirements of any recipe), check out pati's mexican table. the great thing is she breaks down all her Mexican foods and the ingredients along with a dash of history and culture. i think the first thing i'll try to make is an adaptation her empanadas.

easy cooking: mac 'n cheese

i'll tell you a secret, I absolutely love the boxed macaroni and cheese mix. the day before I flew out for india I made myself a box. it'd been years since I had it as a child and it still tasted as good as I remember. maybe it's a childhood thing, but I much prefer the box mix over homemade. the inner processed child in me :)

this recipe is as easy as it gets and as great way to throw in vegetable produce in the fridge or freezer that's been hanging around too long. plus, if you make extras, perfect for lunch the next day at work! this can be modified to your taste so if you love sausage or ham or peas and squash feel free to cook it up and toss it in. if you want cheesey goodness throw in shredded cheese while the macaroni is still hot and melt it in all nice and oozy.

Everything in the kitchen mac 'n cheese

Serves 4

1 box macaroni and cheese mix

2 c broccoli, chopped

2 handfuls kale, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

handful grape tomatoes (throw these in last to sauté briefly)

1/4 c fat free milk
1/2 c ricotta cheese
1 can tuna, drained
some cannellini beans
1 tsp red pepper flakes
olive oil
garlic
salt and pepper to taste
any other spices you might like (I added sriracha to my bowl)

This is very much an add what you have/what you like recipe. Bring a pot of water to boil and toss in macaroni noodles and cook as directed on the box (usually around 7-10 minutes). While the noodles cook, sauté the veggies with garlic and olive oil. When the noodles are cooked, drain, toss back into the pot you boiled them in, pour in milk, cheese powder pouch (if processed powdered cheese makes you squeamish feel free to make a rue and cheese sauce) and at this point I threw in the ricotta. If you put in any other shredded cheeses you can also keep the pot on low heat to get it all to melty goodness. Mix in red chili pepper flakes, the tuna and the veggies. Spice as you wish and serve!

 

other great add ins: onions, frozen peas, zucchini, ham, more beans, pureed cauliflower, spinach, etc.

 

 

let's do some honky tonky

just got back from nashville, tn last night after taking a look at Vandy (what the locals call Vanderbilt). here's the low-down on the city

(10.5 hours from Central MD to Nashville)

Itinerary

Day 1 (arrival)

·        arrived early in the morning, went to Hermitage Café (71 Hermitage Ave, 24 hours); food was so-so, but watching locals and getting entertained by staff is worth it. Got great recommendations on where to eat in town

·         explored Vandy

·         shopped at Pangea (eclectic mix of clothes, jewelry, postcards, etc. bohemian kind of fun)

·         lunch at Provence Breads & Café (1705 21^st Ave South) right by Vandy campus. We were still waiting for check-in time to start at our hotel (Knights Inn in East Nashville, ~$45/night for the two of us including taxes, breakfast and HBO). Got a picnic spread of their Tuscan bread (good, get their smaller loaf), mild cheddar, and their artichoke pesto spread (be warned, this stuff is garlicky, like kill vampires just by breathing)

·         walked to and around Centennial Park (2500 West End Ave) to see the Parthenon (to scale)

·         picked up Cuban food at Calypso café at Vandy location (2424 Elliston Pl)

o   got the beans and 3 option- w/ bean and corn salad, coleslaw and cornbread muffin w/ coconut (best part of the meal! Really tasty)

Day 2

·         morning spent at Vandy open house

·         lunch- provence leftovers

·         The Hermitage- Andrew Jackson’s home (4580 Rachel’s Ln); free day, tour house and grounds w/ museum

·         Lunch: Swett’s (2725 Clifton Ave) for southern food

o   Fried chicken very good

o   Baked cornbread good

o   Chess pie very sweet

o   Candied yams really sweet

o   Banana pudding good if you like bananas and the now-and-later kind of taste

·         To listen to live music, Commodore Grille (2613 West End Ave) in the Holiday Inn has singer-songwriter night Tues- (we got there at 8, perfect timing, try to find a table with a view); spinach and artichoke dip not that great, but drinks are a good deal; stayed through open mic

Day 3

·         Shopping

·         Lunch at PM (2017 Belmont Ave) (http://www.pmnashville.com/), which is asian inspired cuisine. Heard good things about the veggie burger from the guy who worked at pangea. We split:

o   coconut calamari w/ cucumber salad: very good, comes w/ a hot sauce and a sweet and sour sauce, the breading is nicely fried and crispy

o   veggie burger with a wasabi mayo and with sweet potato fries: the burger was marinated in a teriyaki kind of sauce, best veggie burger I’ve ever had

·         walked around downtown Nashville, The District and explored the state capitol building (free)

·         dinner: La Hacienda Taqueria (2615 Nolensville Rd); got the fish taco (not impressed at all), and a vegetarian combination platter (the rice was really good, beans were pretty good, chalupa and enchilada were so-so); didn’t get to take endless chips up to use; would not recommend except for the fact that it is cheap- so to make up for a kind of crummy dinner got mcflurrys at the mcdonalds down the road from the restaurant (it was icy and perfect)

Day 4 (departure day)

·         left around 4:30 am

·         stopped at a Cracker Barrel in TN (it was originally founded in TN!), everyone was really nice and friendly; split

o   Country Morning Breakfast- two eggs over easy (this is important, if you like your eggs like this of course), sawmill gravy and homemade buttermilk biscuits (dip your biscuit in the runny yolk, it cuts back a bit on the saltiness and is just plain delicious!)

o   Buttermilk pancakes with Montmorency cherry topping and whipped cream: don’t bother with the whipped cream, it’ll just get too melted from the warm pancakes and slide off, the cherry topping made the top pancake too sweet so see if they will put it on the side. The middle pancake (there were 3) actually tasted the best

cooking is still going strong (and i made chocolate hummus today! i want a vitamix, but that's a whole different story)

salmon cooking. oy vey. will not be doing again anytime soon. but i marinated it in a sort of take on the tamari-ginger recipe from gmfr. i didn't have quite the same ingredients so mine came out salty (note to self, apple cider vinegar is much more acidic/salty compared to rice wine vinegar). then a tomato feta and onion salad, with a mixed greens salad and quinoa cooked with garlic. yum! 

i also played with the chickpea saute from gmfr (getting a trend, haha) which i loved when i was there. i used kale instead of spinach (the frozen kale needs to go!) and i didn't have any tomatoes or lemon (i really really want some lemons in my life)

yesterday at the museum mikel paris from OAR wanted to do some acoustic recording in an old building so we closed up the car house for him. after he finished he asked what we were doing that night and that he would try to get us some tickets for his show at merriweather. and wha-la!

i took laura and we ended up about 7 rows from the mosh pit (felt very cool to go up to the will call box and say "sooyoung and guest")! first concert and got totally spoiled. they had this awesome brass section of three guys who mainly played trombone, tuba/trumpet, and saxophone/guitar. i didn't even realize how much of their music i knew, but it was def an awesome night.

pillsbury speed dinner

it's the last day of spring break and i realized i didn't cook once this entire week. for being "off" i never took the time to bake or cook! but i'm remedying that right this instant by doing some pseudo cooking that fills my tummy with tastiness.

these are the pillsbury refrigerated buttermilk biscuits. i sort of stretched them out a bit, topped them w/ tomato sauce, yellow peppers, onions and some oregano and baked at 350 for about 15 minutes (check the bottoms of the biscuits to make sure they are pretty cooked). then i topped it with a mozzarella/provolone shredded cheese and baked for another 5 minutes (or until melted goodness).

 i used the refrigerated butter tastin ones for the cinnamon rolls. i placed two of the biscuits side by side and rolled them out so they connected. with just a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon i spread that over and then rolled the bad boy up. it worked the best with cutting the "sushi" roll into 4 pieces and then putting them in the buttered dish, baking at 350 until golden brown.

mix some powdered sugar and some milk until you get a good icing consistency and gobble away! happy quick cooking:)