Promises! Promises!

I have to say this blog thing is little harder than I thought.  Just when I thought my day was over, 'the blog' calls out and says, "uh, you promised them recipes".  I am sorry I didn't post the daily recipes. I guess I will have to construct a better plan, that takes into consideration my 'down time'.  I admit that with my assistants at work, my job is not grueling.  It isn't easy, but not like digging ditches or anything.  But usually after work, I go home and have my real family to cook for.  And for some reason I have this overwhelming feeling that I had already accomplished that duty for the day.  Anyway, they are my one and onlies, so I gotta do for them what I do for the paying folks.  Regardless, I started this thing, and I have to say I enjoy the feedback I get.  I don't always get comments, but when I check my stats, I can see that this blog is being read.  I will do better.  If you are truly looking for recipes, they will be up today.  Most of the recipes are ready to go, just require typing and uploading photos, which has been problematic.  When I was uploading photos, my trusty laptop just decided to take a nap, ie, crash! Not making my commitment any easier. I will post a couple at a time, so I don't lose anything due to laptop lament.  Hope you enjoy!

Baked Mac n Cheese in Puff Pastry ~ Sorry No Photo

1-2 sheets puff pastry

1 lb cooked pasta (elbow macaroni, rotini, penne)

1/4 cup flour

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup cream

1 lb shredded swiss

3 cups milk

1/4 cup butter

Oven 350
I make this in individual bowls that are ovenproof.  You can make it using a jumbo muffin pan or make one large pan with the pastry on top.  If making this in a casserole, skip the pastry steps. I'll explain what to do at the end of the recipe.
Let the puff pastry thaw by while making the mac n cheese mixture. Remove from the box, lay out flat.
In a bowl, add flour, salt, & pepper. Add the cream slowly while mixing. If you add it too fast, it will get lumpy. If this happens, don't worry, you can run it through a wire strainer to remove the lumps. Set aside.
Set the stove to low, in a large saucepan add milk.
Once milk is starting to bubble on the edges, add the swiss cheese.
Stir constantly until melted. If you walk away, remove the pan from heat or it will burn on the bottom.
Add some of the swiss mixture to the flour & milk mixture to thin it out to a gravy consistency.
Add that mix back into the swiss cheese mixture and cook until thickened.
Take a little taste, add salt or pepper to your taste.
Add the pasta to the pan and stir until all the pasta is coated. Set aside.
Cut puff pastry into 6 circles that are larger than the bowl/muffin pan you are using.  You will want the pastry to extend beyond the bowl/muffin cup.
For each serving, line the bowl/pan with the pastry.
Add a small dollop of butter in the bottom.
Fill each bowl or muffin cup with the mac n cheese
Fold the pastry over the top or make little flutes around the edge like a pie.
Put a dollop of butter on top of the pastry or brushe melted butter on edges
Bake until pastry is puffy and golden brown. 
If making in a casserole, cut out 6 - 4 x 4 pastry squares
Put all of the mac n cheese in a greased 9 x 13
Place the squares on top, they may overlap, brush with melted butter.
Bake until pastry is puffy and golden brown.
Serve with salad or a green veggie.



Queso Smothered Beef Burritos with Fire Roasted Corn

Filling

8-10 Flour Tortillas

1 lb browned/drained ground sirloin

1 can green chiles

1 can undrained Rotel tomatoes & green chiles

1 medium onion, fine chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp cumin powder

1 tsp salt

2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

Add all ingredients except cheese to the browned beef,
simmer on low to keep warm.

Queso

2 cups of shredded Asadero cheese or Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoon of finely chopped Onion
4 teaspoons of grounded Cumin
4 ounces of chopped Jalapenos OR

1/2 teaspoon of Salt

8 ounces of canned Green Chilies

• Heat all ingredients on medium in a double boiler.
• Stirring constantly until metlted and smooth.
• Chiles give it a distinctive Mexican flavor I guarantee you'll love.

Fire Roasted Corn

12 oz bag of frozen corn

1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1/2 cup half and half

• Pour chipotles into a small strainer set over a bowl to separate chiles from adobo.
• Pour corn into a saucepan, add milk and enough water to just cover corn.
• Add one pepper and 2 Tbsp of adobo to saucepan (add/reduce to taste)
• Cook until hot.

Assemble each burritio with a scoop of beef and monterey jack cheese. Fold in the ends, then roll.  Ladle on the cheese sauce, garnish with olives or jalapenos if you wish. 
Serve with Fire Roasted Corn, Chips & Salsa

4 oz deveined and julienned Poblanos

1/2 cup of 'half-and-half'

The Smoking Vegan



Shrimp Fajitas ~ Wednesday's Dinner


A typical day for me consists of two good rounds of cooking meals, maybe some menu planning, fraternity shenanigans, some warm comments regarding meals, and then moments such as the one I experienced this week, meeting The Smoking Vegan.
This semester we have a new pledge...Sydney. 
Our first encounter began with an introduction,  names, etc. and then the worst news I, a former bakery owner, could ever receive.  Aubrey was equally dismayed at this announcement.  Mr. Sydney is a full on vegan.  No dairy, no meat, no eggs, no no no!
I am sure the look on our faces was one of stupified bewilderment.  We felt jilted, abandoned, forsaken.  It's our life's work, the concoctions of butter, flour, cream, sugar, sprinkled with bacon that he has rejected.  Well, how can I question a young man's resolve?  How can I be the cause of his demise?  So we proceeded with a small kitchen interview to see, what in fact, this new recruit would be eating here.  We came to the conclusion that we do have some things he might enjoy, that are free of any animal products...rice, beans, rice with beans, rice and salsa, beans and chips, any fruit or veggie void of the lusciousness of a buttered saute skillet, but food nonetheless.
So as I was leaving for the day, pondering my new challenge.  I take a double take behind me to what...? What do I see, but the committed, unwavering, solid as a rock Vegan?  SMOKING!  Oh how did I want to just take that cigarette and fry it up with some good bacon and a pound of butter, topped with cheddar cheese.  Don't think I just walked away.  No. I confronted the smoking scoundrel and simply stated, "A Vegan? Right!"  Well, okay I guess he is entitled to correct part of his life, but Vegan?  I mean really! For every puff I just see that big soy dinner blow up in smoke.
I am so mean.  No, I'm sarcastic.  And if this isn't a better opportunity for sass and sarcasm, what is?  I am still a softie when it comes to my 'boys'.  So, Aubrey and I made our little grocery trip to buy the hungry pledge some Silk soy milk.  We also had enough heart to make him his own batch of chili, his very own bowl of butterless veggies, and his portion of rice which was free of any of the fajita shrimp or chicken. 
Come on, this is his home away from home.  Who else is gonna cook food for him?  It's gotta be me. Sydney, as long as you're here, we'll feed you.  And when you decide you can't stand by watching your future brothers indulging in homemade biscuits that are 3 inches tall, we won't judge, we'll just fill up your plate.

Food Crusade



I have it in my mind to change school lunch forever at my child's school.  I have done the research, and what surprised me, is when checking out the school lunch info for Kansas, there I found a full PDF recipe book for scratch made food, yet none of the schools are using any of it.  It isn't gourmet, but it sure as heck isn't a *&%$# Crispitos!  Well, guess what, the Food Crusade has begun!  My child attends a small private school, so my mountain is not quite as steep as the behemoth of the local public school.  But I am determined to get my way.  My crusade is for the greater good.  It's just not that hard to cook real food each day for hungry kids.  How did this ever become optional? I am not the only one fed up with poor food choices at schools. Check out these websites... http://www.fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com/ and http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution/petition !  And when you check out Jamie Oliver's site, wave your mouse over your state and you might be very surprised to see how many people have voted for change!  Make sure you cast your votes! Spend some time on that site, it's so worth it.   I am so impressed by his commitment to this issue.  He isn't from the US, yet he is here trying to fix probably the one thing that is a central part of our nations health breakdown.  FOOD!  SUSTENANCE! The most basic need of all humans. And the single largest element in our childen's daily life, school, is feeding them something not suitable for animals.  Can you hear me yelling?  Okay, I'm simmering down a bit.

Well, tomorrow I will be meeting with our school Lunch Lady, with high hopes that we will develop a new and beautiful relationship, changing the meals at my son't school from something that tastes and looks like cardboard to something flavorful, colorful, healthy, and made with love. It certainly is not my intention to hurt anyone's feelings, but we are all grown-ups here and I am real tired of grown-ups making excuses for doing less than their best for our children. And I don't feel bad calling the food cardboard, because no one there is cooking anything.  How can a box be insulted?
So, friends say a prayer for me.  I will let you know how it goes tomorrow! In the meantime, while your perusing over the links I mentioned, you will find that they will connect you to lots and lots of success stories.  No more excuses, it's not a question of "if it's possible", but a question of "when do we start?"

Right now!