Erika Ray Makes

Robyn's Tuna Burgers.

2010-07-25T15:44:00.006-05:00

I suppose I should begin with an apology for the long absence. The reasons are many, and none of them are all that interesting. So, let's just leave it at I'm sorry, and I'll try to be better. Sound okay?

The catalyst for this return to the blog is my friend Robyn's amazing tuna burgers. These take their inspiration from a Rachael Ray recipe, but Robyn has an absolute inability to follow a recipe to the letter. All of her food is better off for it, and I would know since I am a frequent beneficiary of this blatantly rebellious behavior.

Let's get to it.

Robyn’s Tuna Burgers

(serves 4)

3 fresh tuna steaks, think ¾ a steak per person

3 or 4 cloves garlic, chopped

ginger root to taste, minced or grated ( a couple of teaspoons)

3 tablespoons tamari (dark soy sauce)

2 scallions, chopped

2 teaspoons sesame oil

Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning (as much or as little as you want)

Alspaugh’s Secret Seasoning (as much or as little as you want)

1 tablespoon peanut oil

Coarse salt

Black pepper

Garlic powder to taste

2 tablespoons Asian sweet-hot mustard

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

4 rolls, split

Cube tuna into bite size pieces and place in a food processor. Pulse the processor to coarse-grind the tuna; it should take on the consistency of ground beef or turkey. Transfer tuna to a bowl. Combine ground tuna with garlic, ginger, dark soy sauce, scallions, sesame oil, seasoning blend, mustards, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Form 4 large patties, 1 1/2 inches thick. Drizzle patties on both sides with peanut oil. Cook tuna burgers 3 minutes on each side for rare, up to 6 minutes each side for well done. We ate these with alpha sprouts and vinegar marinated cucumbers and red onions. And of course, generous slatherings of both mustards.

Cubed tuna. Looks delicious already, right?

All ground up.

Garlic and scallions.

Reppin' Robyn's southern home: Tony Chachere's Cerole Seasoning.

And reppin' Robyn's midwest upbringing: Alspaugh's Secret Seasoning.

More ingredients.

Grating ginger into the tuna mixture. Tip from Robyn: you can peel ginger root and keep it for months in your freezer. I didn't know, did you?

Ready to mix.

Patties formed.

Indoor grilling.

Ready for dinner!

That's avocado tomato salad on the side. Which is friggin' delicious as well. It's kinda hard to mess up, so just go for it. Toss some avocado, tomato, lemon juice, and seasoning together.

Also notice the cans of Miller Lite on the table. That was my contribution to the meal. Nothing but class.

The Year of the New: March 2010

2010-04-04T10:09:00.017-05:00

The year of the new continues! For those of you that don't know, I promised myself that I would try one new thing a week for an entire year. By the end of the year, I should have 52 new experiences, and know Houston a tiny bit better. So far, I'm kinda kicking ass.

Week of March 1: BBQ Cook Off at the Houston Rodeo, Max's Wine Dive, Warren's Inn, Barbecue Inn

I've been to the Houston Rodeo before, and my favorite part has always been the carnival. Fried foods, scary rides, overpriced booze, twinkly lights and the fashions...my god, the fashions. But this year, I was fortunate enough to have a ticket to the BBQ Cook Off via my friends Mandy and Adam. To say we had a good time would be a vast understatement. The barbecue was great, the free booze was even better, and the people watching was incredible.

Entrance to the tent. Now, what is happening with the lady on the left and her special sparkle...I don't know.

Goodies were tossed and then donned.

Topping a beer can tower with empty jello shot containers? Yes. Don't judge.

Burger Tour stopped off at Max's Wine Dive, which you can read about below.

My friend Ole recently had a birthday. Actually, I think this was his second birthday celebration this year, but never mind that. A small group of friends went to Barbecue Inn for Ole's birthday dinner. This place is a time warp in the truest sense of the word. I'm pretty sure NOTHING has changed in this place during the last forty years, and thank god for that. I loved the cream and chocolate interior, the cute waitress uniforms, and the fact that you could tell the place was packed with regulars.

I went with the chicken fried steak, which seems to be what most people love about the Barbecue Inn. It wasn't the best CFS I've ever had, but it was damn good. Ole ordered the fried chicken and seemed to enjoy it. Overall, a good birthday dinner.

Also, that pool of butter in the baked potato made me pretty happy, even though it looks kinda gross.

Ole's big plate of fried chicken.

The next stop was Warren's Inn, where we met up with a group of friends to celebrate Ole, Christine and Cindi's respective birthdays. The pictures below are before the UT baseball team, a bridal party, and our raucous (read: drunk) group of friends showed up. Needless to say, good time had by all.

Week of March 7: Mexico City

This is a bit unfair, because I've been to Mexico City before. But work led me to Mexico City again for a quick two day trip, and I did manage a few new experiences.

This is by no means my first pastor torta, but it was my first pastor torta at this particular taco shop. It tasted as good as it looks.

This is the Museo Palacio de Bellas Artes, where I worked while in Mexico City. It's a lovely museum. The interior is the craziest mash up of baroque meets art deco meets neoclassical meets Mexican murals. If you are down there, it's worth seeing.

Tacos de trompo = happy.

That's a big pile of marinated pork. And it's insanely good.

Breakfast on the terrace overlooking the Zócalo.

Week of March 14: Dip Off

What's a Dip Off, you say? A Dip Off is when a bunch of friends get together to drink beer and eat dips. And in the end, there is a winner. (And yes, this was an idea born at a happy hour that bled into the wee hours of the night.) The most amazing thing about dip off was that no two people made the same dip. And there was no guacamole, which still strikes me as odd. The winner of Dip Off was Adrienne was took home the prize with her warm cheesey, bacony, creamy deliciousness. (I can't remember the actual name of it.)

My personal favorite was Ole's Reuben Dip, which you see in the crock pot in the lower right. It tasted exactly like a warm reuben sandwich, on a Ritz. Awesome.

Week of March 21: Shade

This is the perfect example of why this whole "year of the new" project is happening. Shade is a restaurant I've wanted to go to for about, oh, maybe, FIVE years now. So, thankfully, my friends Ben and Anthony crossed this one off the list when they took Robyn and I to lunch. I had the fried shrimp and cheese grits with kale.

There was a ring of spicy buffalo sauce around the edge, which was fantastic. I almost licked the plate.

I had a chocolate torte for dessert, though I was jealous of the root beer floats that Ben and Robyn ordered. I'll know better next time!

Week of March 28: Yelapa

Megan and I went to Yelapa for lunch on one of those absolutely beautiful spring days in Houston, before the humidity settles in, and all you want to do is be outside. Yelapa has an open porch area, surrounded by windows, that was just perfect. We took advantage of the "nooner menu," which allows you to order two menu items for $10. How great is that? I went with the half enchilada and guacamole. Actually, I think the half enchilada increases the bill to $13, but it's so worth it. Yelapa is known for their inventive menu and this didn't disappoint. I've felt a serious pull towards this place ever since we had this lunch. I just want to try everything on the menu!

The red mole sauce on this enchilada was amazing. We almost had another plate licking incident.

And this is the guacamole. It doesn't look or taste like any guac you've ever had, which is why it's great.

Next month, my goal is to do SOMETHING outside. It's hard to break out of my indoor habits, but I'll find a way. Wish me luck!

Burger Tour: Max's Wine Dive

2010-03-28T11:55:00.009-05:00

Burger Tour headed out to try our most expensive burger yet at Max's Wine Dive. Max’s serves an $18 kobe burger, topped with triple cream brie, pickled jalapenos, lettuce, tomato and mustard. I was actually the only person who ordered the burger last Friday, because everyone else ordered less expensive, and as it turns out, more delicious, options.

Here's the burger. I asked for the burger to be cooked medium, but sadly there wasn’t an ounce of pink in the patty. I also ended up taking the jalapenos off because they were overwhelming the taste of the beef. The bun was delicious and overall this is a good burger. But worth $18? Not so much. Not jucy enough. Not flavorful enough. It just didn’t live up to the price. That being said, the fries were absolutely amazing. Salty, peppery, a little sweet, and fried to perfection. I didn’t think anyone would beat Little Bigs in the french fry battle, but Max’s certainly did. I‘d go back just to eat the fries.

Maggie ordered the grouper po boy, which was a special of the day. As you can see we shared our sandwiches and I'm so glad we did! The po boy was excellent, with large chunks of fried grouper, crunchy veggies, mayo and a soft baguette. It kicked the burger’s ass all over the place.

Ole braved the Texas Haute Dog. It’s a huge beef hot dog, served on a mountain of fries. I think every person at our table was jealous that we didn’t order this. It looked incredible and Ole had nothing but praise for this gorgeous creation.

What you see is a gigantic hot dog, covered with chili, jalapenos, cotija cheese and fried onions. Amazing and easily a meal for two.

Elspeth, Brittany and Russ went with the egg sandwich, and all seemed pleased with their order. The image above looks rather boring, but what you can’t see under the sourdough are three fried eggs, truffle oil, bacon, gruyere, lettuce, tomato, black truffle aioli and sea salt. A win overall.

So, I can’t wait to go back to Max’s and order off their daily special menu or get one of those beastly haute dogs, but I won’t be ordering the burger again. If I'm in the mood for an upscale kobe burger, I'll probably go back to Mockingbird Bistro, where the kobe burger and fries sell for $9. But let me be clear, Max's is great, just not the star of our burger tour so far.

Smoked Salmon and Black Bean Tostadas, cheater style.

2010-03-14T11:31:00.018-05:00

Last week I was craving fish and Mexican food, so I turned to the Rick Bayless cookbook my friend Robyn gave me for Christmas. And lo and behold, the solution appeared on page 66 of Mexico: One Plate at a Time. Smoked Salmon and Black Bean Tostadas. His version involves frying the tortillas, but I was feeling lazy, so I decided to toast them instead. Tostadas really do require fried tortillas, which is why I am referring to these as "cheater style." So, here is my easy version of this recipe. It's meant as an appetizer, but can easily be made into a dinner for two, if you toss in a soup or salad or whatever you like to eat with cheater style tostadas.

Smoked Salmon and Black Bean Tostadas

flour or corn tortillas, toasted
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 small white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 can cooked black beans, liquid drained and reserved
salt
5 ounces smoked salmon, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/3 cup finely chopped tomato
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 serrano or 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
black pepper
1/2 cup cream, or crème fraîche or sour cream thinned with a little milk

Set a medium skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir for about a minute, and then scrape into food processor. Process until smooth. Return to skillet and stir in some bean liquid (water) to achieve a soft consistency. Season with salt. Cover and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the smoked salmon, tomato, green onions, chopped cilantro, chile and black pepper. Taste and season with salt if necessary. Refrigerate covered for about 30 minutes.

Toast tortillas in a skillet; cut into triangles; layer beans, salmon mixture, and sour cream on top of tortillas.

I ate these with slices of avocado on the side and it was delicious!

The Year of the New: 2010.

2010-02-26T09:45:00.014-06:00

Houston: I often find myself a bit overwhelmed by all there is to do here. I've lived here for eight years and I'm not even close to feeling like I "know" Houston. I barely feel like I know my neighborhood at this point. In my defense, it is the fourth largest city in the nation and Houston's dynamic population means things are constantly changing. So, I decided that this year, I would try one new thing a week. It can be a restaurant, bar, park, shop...anything goes really. So far, my experiences have been largely food based. No surprise there for those who know me. Here's the round up so far.

Week of Jan 4: Jeannine's Bistro

I didn't have the mussels, which is really what you should order here, but I went for lunch with my friend Megan and we were in a sandwich kind of mood. I had the Croque Madame, which is a Croque Monsieur with a fried egg. Delicious, but not as delicious at the frites and homemade mayonnaise. Good god, insanely fantastic.

We finished it off with the apple crepe. These people know their crepes, so it's impossible to go wrong. But I now understand why the apple crepe is a favorite.

Week of Jan 11: Dolce Vita / Stag's Head

Doesn't it seem absolutely crazy that I've never been to Dolce Vita? I know. Thankfully my friend Robyn helped me rectify this situation.

We went for Sunday afternoon lunch and drank prosecco, and ordered two pizzas, the Tallegio (foreground) and the Zucca (background). I'll go ahead and give this place 5 of 5 stars, which shouldn't be news to anyone who likes pizza in this town.

Stag's Head was one of those places I've avoided because I was once told it was "really cool" by someone who is most decidedly Not. Cool. Turns out it was a decent place to drink some beers with a group of friends on a Saturday night. Not highly recommended, but I won't avoid it like the plague anymore.

Week of Jan 18: Fail. But I make up for it below.

Week of Jan 25: Petrol Station / Byrd's Market & Cafe

Petrol Station was a chance to meet up with some friends at a 29-95 happy hour. This place is fantastic.
If you are a beer drinker, and are looking for more than Bud Light, head to the Petrol Station. Their beer selection is mostly microbrews, and everything I tried was great. They also have large patios and (from what I hear) good food.

Bryd's Cafe was a stop on our Burger Tour. See previous entry for the down low.

Week of Feb 1: The Chimes / Louie's Cafe

My friend Maggie hooked myself and some friends up with University of Kentucky vs. LSU basketball tickets this week. It was an extremely fun weekend, many details of which shall (hopefully) never see the light of day. I think this is a pretty typical result from a weekend spent in Louisiana. God bless that lawless state.

The Chimes is directly across from the LSU campus and highly praised by everyone who has ever spent any time in Baton Rouge. Thankfully, this place lived up to it's reputation. Best. Boudin Balls. EVER. Seriously, I think it ruined the idea of eating boudin balls in Texas. It just can't be done now that I've had the real thing.

We headed to Louie's for a hangover breakfast, another recommendation from our friend Michael. This turned out to be a home run for four people in desperate need of breakfast grease. Fluffiest biscuits I've ever had and the Seafood Louie omelette was exactly what my tummy needed. It's crawfish, shrimp, cheese and mushrooms in the omelette, which is then topped with an herbed cream sauce. Hell. Yes.

Week of Feb 8: El Rey

Again, how is it possible I've lived here this long and never been to El Rey? Pathetic, really. I have no excuse.
Above is a terrible picture of the perfect tortilla soup I had there. It's what they are known for, and there is a reason for that. It's just exactly what tortilla soup should be. And cheap as hell.

Week of Feb 15: Amsterdam

I'm extraordinarily lucky to travel for work, and this week brought me to Amsterdam. I'd never been before and just loved it. Here are some pictures. Every single thing I did was new, so it's impossible to narrow it down to one experience.

Feb 22 - Mary's Lebanese Cuisine

I owe this discovery to my friend Michael. He claimed to know where the best falafel in town was, and damn if he wasn't right! The falafel was damn near perfect, as was everything on our table.

We ordered the Mezza Combination and a Mixed Grill sampler, which we split between four people. And we really did need all four of us to finish off all the deliciousness. Also, we went for lunch and I'm pretty sure we were the only people in there. So go for lunch and avoid the crowds! It's hard to say what my favorite thing was on the table, but it might be a tie between the labne and the fried meat pie. (drooling....)

So far, I'm feeling pretty good about this project. I'm well on my way to 52 new experiences by the end of the year. Suggestions always welcome!!

Burger Tour: Byrd's Market & Cafe

2010-02-13T14:17:00.008-06:00

The Burger Tourians first stop in 2010 was Byrd's Market & Cafe downtown. And I'm happy to report that 2010 is starting off on a good note. Byrd's had nine burgers on the menu including a salmon burger and a portobello burger. But our crowd is rather beef-centric, so what you'll see below is not vegetarian friendly, but don't let that deter you from going to Byrd's.

Alright, I ordered the Burger. Straight up, because I'm the control in this whole experiment, remember? The burger is described as house ground beef, tomato, arugula, house made bacon, caramelized onions and apple molasses aioli and sells for $8.50. It also came with cheddar, which was nice. I asked for my burger to be cooked medium rare, but it was more like medium well. But that's being nit picky. This is a good cheeseburger, but I think the strength of Byrd's really resides with the more specialized burgers.

Of all the burgers ordered, this was truly the star. The Breakfast Burger. What we have here is house ground beef, topped with bacon, sliced ham, country gravy, caramelized onion and a fried egg. That's right...just take it in. Russ, Maggie and Ole ordered this beast and all were highly satisfied.

Michael went with the Fancy Burger, which was a solid choice. Toppings include pancetta, greens, apple butter and goat cheese. I ordered this the first time I went to Byrd's and it looked almost exactly like this. Points for consistency, but I wish there were a little more generous with the goat cheese. That being said, this is a stand out burger and truly delicious. Don't be deterred by the apple butter, it's a good thing.

Adam and Chris chose the Stuffed Burger. The burger is stuffed with cheddar cheese and then topped with caramelized onion, tomato and arugula. Both seemed pleased with their choices, although if you are a cheese lover, you might not want to order this one. I'm a big fan a solid slice of cheese on my burger and the cheese inside the beef cooks down, so it isn't as prominent as it might be otherwise. But overall this received thumbs up from both burger tourians who ordered it.

This is a blurry picture of the stuffed burger with some cheese ooze. Forgive my inability to not move while taking a picture!

It was unanimously decided that the sweet potato fries were excellent. They were hand cut, sprinkled with kosher salt, and thin. The regular french fries were fine, though nothing to write home about.

Overall, it was a good start to 2010. I've got high hopes. I know there are so many delicious burgers yet to be eaten in this town, and I can't wait to find them.

Double Wedding Ring Quilt: The Final Post.

2010-01-18T13:07:00.009-06:00

Well, here we are. About 15 months after I started working on it, I finally delivered the double wedding ring quilt to my sister. I actually gave it to her at Christmas, and I'm happy to report, she loves it! So, if you've wondered why there aren't more crafts on this blog, this is why. This has been my sole focus for over a year, and hopefully you can see why! (The first two posts on this project are under the Craftiness heading in the right side bar.)

So, to pick up where we left off, I hand quilted the entire blanket. Then I cut the excess fabric and batting off from the edges.

Using my sewing gauge, I measured out a four inch border around the quilt. I then folded the backing fabric around, to create a one inch binding on the edge. The fabric was ironed flat and pinned.

I used one of my mom's old quilting templates to mark the pattern on the grey border. I figured a simple pattern would be best, considering there is so much going on with this quilt already! I marked it with a chalk pencil and then started the work of quilting it.

Before I quilted the edge down, I embroidered this little message for my sister in the corner. My mom usually "signed" her quilts and it's something that I absolutely cherish now. I truly did sew every stitch of this quilt with love in my heart for my incredible sister, so leaving this little note in the corner seemed appropriate.

Now, it's hard to tell from a distance, but this thing is full of mistakes. Little patches like this are all over the quilt where the fabric didn't quite come together correctly. But I have to say, I love these little moments in the quilt.

This was the first time I had made a quilt from a pattern. It was fun, but I think I'm definitely more of a "free hand" quilter. I might try another pattern in the future, but it will be awhile!

Of course, Diego had to get some loving in on the quilt before it departed for the west coast. This quilt is now residing on my sister's bed and I couldn't be happier about it.

Next up: some knitting!

Buttermilk Pie

2009-12-29T11:35:00.006-06:00

This pie is a holiday tradition for our family and the recipe comes from my great grandmother, Annie Laurie Baylor. Annie Laurie grew up on a ranch in south Texas in the late 1800s and I doubt this recipe has changed much since then.

The top of the pie is layer of pecans and the filling is a sweet buttery custard. It's extremely easy to make and always a crowd pleaser. I will say that this usually turns out better when you are using large oily Texas pecans. It's the high oil content in the pecan that makes them better for baking.

Grandma Baylor's Buttermilk Pie

1 cup or so of pecan halves
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line dish with pie crust. Arrange pecan halves on the bottom of the pie. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together well, until there are no lumps. Pour mixture into pie dish. Some of the pecans will float and others will remain at the bottom. Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours. As the pie cooks in the oven, the pecans will float to the to top and become the crust.

Lining the bottom of the pie with pecans. You don't need to be this precise, but it's kinda fun.

Pecans are finished.

Mixing together buttermilk filling.

Pouring mixture on top of pecans.

Some of the pecans came to the surface, which is fine.

Popping pie in the oven.

Ta-da!!

Cocktail: The Christmas Punk

2009-12-21T18:24:00.007-06:00

I'm developing a relationship with this cocktail. And it's pretty serious. My friends Cindi and Chris threw a lovely Christmas cocktail hour last week, and I had the privilege of enjoying Chris' mixology skillz. He made several fantastic drinks, but this was my favorite. The recipe comes from Imbibe magazine.

Christmas Punk

2 oz Laird's AppleJack
1 oz Domaine de Canton
.75 oz ruby port
3 dashes Fee Bros. whiskey-barrel aged bitters

Stir with cracked ice. Strain into chilled martini glass. Express orange peel oils into the drink and add peel.

As you can see, I used Angostura bitters, because that's what I had in the liquor cabinet. It's just as good.

And if you love ginger, please pick up a bottle of Domaine de Canton. It's a ginger liqueur and just smelling it makes me happy. Try Domain de Canton, tonic and lime. It's simple and will make the ginger lover in your life a happy camper.

I hope this recipe serves you well in the Season of Drinking. Cheers.

Burger Tour: Five Guys

2009-12-11T13:09:00.004-06:00

Five Guys Burgers and Fries is a chain based out of Arlington, Virginia. They've opened eight Houston area locations, ranging from Montgomery to Rosenberg. For some reason, not a single location is inside the loop? I'm not sure why that is, but it's certainly the reason it took us so long to get to one. We visited the location at 1645 South Voss, and though the drive was long, it turned out to be a nice stop for the Burger Tourians.

The staff at Five Guys could not have been friendlier, and the restaurant was immaculately clean. We were very hungry upon arrival, so the free peanuts were welcomed with open arms. I think I ate two peanuts before my number was called. Seriously. The service was insanely fast.

Orders come in a brown paper bag complete with grease stains.

Maggie made the excellent decision to order cajun fries instead of normal fries. When given the option of more flavor, how can you deny it? These fries were very good and one order can be easily shared between two people. They weren't over or under fried, which usually ends up being a problem for burger chains.

And behold the cheeseburger. This is two quarter pound fresh beef patties with cheese, mustard, pickles and lettuce. I somehow missed out on the tomato. The half pound of beef was juicy even though they were cooked well done. I usually perfer my burger cooked medium, but the juiciness made up for the lack of pink. The bun is nothing to write home about.

Our expectations for Five Guys weren't that high. I mean, it is a national burger chain. But I have to say they did better than expected. We were all happy and stuffed with burger goodness by the time we left.

Ken ventured out to try one of their all beef hot dogs. Not so great. Basically, there's a reason why it's not called Five Guys Burgers Fries and Hot Dogs.

Happy burger tourians.

They also earned points on french fry generosity.

I'd be happy to return to a Five Guys, though I would much perfer a 10 minute drive to a 25 minute drive. It's hard to convince me to get on a highway for a burger, when so many good burger options exist in the loop. Five Guys, take some advice from another burger chain, Smashburger, and open a location inside the loop!

Thanksgiving 2009: Pork and Fruit Stuffed Chiles

2009-12-06T11:38:00.009-06:00

A few years ago, my dad and I decided that we didn't feel like making a large, traditional Thanksgiving feast. Solution: tamale dinner. This year I decided to add another dish to the table. I wanted something Mexican, but also something that had a Thanksgiving kind of feeling to it. Rick Bayless' recipe for Fruit and Pork Stuffed Chiles sounded perfect. And it was. These chiles rellenos were bursting with sweet and salty flavors. The walnut sauce was a perfect compliment for the chiles...creamy, nutty and just slightly sweet. I'm telling you, I could eat this every day of the week. I took a few short cuts and liberties with the recipe, so what you see below is slightly different from his version. This is still a labor intensive dish, but well worth it.

Pork-and-Fruit Stuffed Chiles in White Walnut Sauce
Makes 4 large servings or 8 small ones, with 6 cups of filling and 2 generous cups of sauce.

Chiles and Pork-and-Fruit Stuffing
1 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 small white onion, diced
8 very large (about 2 pounds) fresh poblano chiles, choose good-looking chiles with their stems intact if possible
3 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 generous tablespoons raisins
2 generous tablespoons dried mango, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 small pear, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 small McIntosh apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 large slices of dried peaches, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 ripe, medium-small tomato, seeded and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, preferably freshly ground Mexican canela
Salt, about 1 generous teaspoon
1/3 cup (about 1 3/4 ounces) silvered blanched almonds
1 ripe, medium-size plantain, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

Walnut Sauce
1 to 1 1/2 cups milk
1 slice firm white bread, crusts removed
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt, about 1/2 generous teaspoon
1 teaspoon dry sherry
2 cups (7 ounces) walnut halves and pieces
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream or Mexican crema

Garnish
1 pomegranate
8 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

Place the pork in a medium saucepan, cover with heavily salted water, add the garlic and half of the onion. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, skim off any grayish foam that rises to the surface, partially cover and simmer over medium-low until the meat is thoroughly tender, about 1 1/2 hours. If time permits, let the meat cool in the broth, then remove it with tongs or a slotted spoon and shred it between you fingers or with two forks held back to back. (There will be about 2 cups of meat). Reserve the broth.

Roast the chiles. The open flame method: Place chiles directly over the gas flame or on a medium hot charcoal or gas grill. Roast, turning occasionally, until blistered and blackened on all sides but not soft, about 5 minutes. The broiler method: Lay chiles on a baking sheet set about 4 inches below a preheated broiler. Roast, turning occasionally until blistered and blackened on all sides but not soft, about 10 minutes. Peel the charred skin off the chiles and rinse them if necessary. Make a long slit in the side of each chile and carefully remove the seeds and veins.

The stuffing. Before you start cooking, complete all the initial peeling, coring, chopping and so forth of the stuffing ingredients (a little oxidizing of the apples and pears won’t spoil the appearance of the dish.) Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in a very large (12 inch) skillet over medium-high. When quite hot, add the remaining half of the onion and shredded pork in a thin layer and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off any excess fat. Stir in the raisins, candied fruit, pear, apple, the tomato, herbs and cinnamon. Measure in 1/4 cup of the reserved broth, mix well, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet and simmer until the apple and pear are tender (but not mushy) and the flavors are blended, about 10 minutes. Season with salt, usually a generous teaspoon.

While the meat mixture is simmering, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium-small skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and fry, stirring nearly constantly, until they are a deep golden color, about 3 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon and cool. Add the diced plantain to the skillet and stir it frequently until nicely browned and sweet, 3 or 4 minutes. Add to the meat mixture along with the almonds. Remove the filling from the heat and let cool uncovered.

Stuff the chiles with cooled filling, packing it in well and re-forming them in their original shape. Place on a baking sheet and cover with foil.

Within a couple of hours of serving, prepare the sauce. Put the walnuts into a blender jar along with 1 cup of milk, the bread, sugar, salt, sherry and ground cinnamon. Blend until a drop of the puree no longer feels gritty when rubbed between your fingers; if the mixture should clog in the machine or if only the mixture at the bottom is moving through the blades, add more milk a little at a time, until all the mixture is moving through the blades again. Finally add the cream and blend for just a few seconds; add additional milk if necessary to achieve a medium consistency. Taste for salt and sugar; the sauce should have a slightly sweet edge with just enough salt to bring up the flavor of the walnuts. Set aside at room temperature.

Half an hour before serving, place the chiles in a 250-degree oven to heat through. Break the pomegranate apart, pick out all the seeds and place them in a small dish. When you are ready to serve, add a little mike or cream to the sauce if it is thicker than a medium-consistency custard sauce. Place 1 or 2 chiles (depending on how you have chosen to serve them) on each warm dinner plate. Spoon the room-temperature sauce over the warm chiles, generously covering them half away from the stem. Sprinkle the sauce generously with the pomegranate seeds, garnish with the parsley, and serve at once.

Pork shoulder.

Pork, onions and garlic cooking in water.

Fruits for the stuffing: apple, pear, raisins, dried peaches, dried mango.

Thyme, marjoram, and cinnamon.

Fruit mixture.

Walnut sauce.

Roasted poblanos from the grill.

Pork and onion mixture.

Stuffing coming together.

Working and drinking.

Carmelizing the plantain.

Poblanos seeded, deveined and peeled.

It was a messy day.

Ready to go into the oven.

After being warmed in the oven.

I got WAY too carried away with the sauce. Thankfully it tasted good with rice and beans too!

Cranberry Jalapeño Relish.

2009-11-28T13:19:00.003-06:00

This is my family's staple Thanksgiving dish. No matter what else is on the table, the cranberry jalapeño relish is a must. My sister and I attempted this without a recipe or guidance one year....disaster. It was absolutely inedible. So, now we take guidance from one of Emril's recipes. Below is his recipe with a few tiny adjustments. (I'm not a huge Emril fan, but this one is good.)

Cranberry Jalapeño Relish

2 medium oranges, peeled, sectioned, and roughly chopped
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 cup sugar
1 pound fresh (or frozen, thawed) cranberries
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
seeds from 1/2 a pomegranate
squeeze of lime

Place half of the orange segments, the zest, and the jalapenos in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the sugar and pulse 3 to 4 more times. Add the cranberries and continue to pulse until berries are roughly chopped. Adjust seasonings with sugar, if needed. Transfer cranberry mixture to a bowl and toss with the remaining half of chopped orange segments, pomegranate seeds and the mint. Allow relish to chill for at least an hour, and up to 2 days. Overnight is really best. Serve relish chilled or at room temperature.

It's Casserole Time!

2009-11-24T19:08:00.005-06:00

First of all, my apologies for the long absence. I won't bore you with the ups and downs of the past month, mostly because it's not that interesting. And this isn't a "I feel blah blah blah" blog. It's a blog about making stuff. So let's get to the casserole!

I adore casseroles. I don't think I've ever met a casserole I didn't like. It's classic comfort food and they tend to be pretty much idiot proof. This recipe for ham casserole came from a Cooking Light article about six or seven years ago. Of course, I took all of the "light" out of it, because there's nothing fun about "light" food. At least in casserole form.

Creamy Ham Casserole

4 1/2 cups uncooked medium egg noodles
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 cup milk
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups of cheddar, shredded
1 (6 oz) container of chive and onion cream cheese
2 cups ham, diced
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup crushed croutons

Preheat oven to 350. Cook noodles in 2 quarts of boiling water for 2 minutes. Add broccoli; cook an additional 3 minutes. Drain. Combine milk, soup, 1 cup of cheese and cream cheese in a large bowl, stir well with whisk. Add noodle mixture, ham, and carrot, and stir mixture well. Divide evenly between 2 square 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking dishes with cooking spray.

Combine remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese and crushed croutons. Toss. Sprinkle evenly over each casserole. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Chopped the carrots in the food processor, because I'm rather lazy.

Love having these giant hunks of ham in the house. It looks like cartoon ham!

Wet stuff.

Wet stuff with carrots and ham.

Mixture combined and ready to go into the baking dishes!

Cheese and croutons mixed for topping.

Before going into the oven.

Seconds before eating.

Burger Tour: Little Bitty Burger Barn.

2009-10-21T20:35:00.009-05:00

Burger Tour ventured outside the loop this week and stopped in at Little Bitty Burger Barn off of Antoine and Pinemont. This has been on our list for quite awhile, and we felt justified in our choice when we rolled up and the employees were delivering burgers to shaded picnic tables in floppy burger hats. It's hard not to immediately love a place that doesn't take itself too seriously, and nothing says old school burger joint like this little red and white double wide, decorated like a used car lot and located next to a saloon.

Order your burger inside at the walk up counter manned by the friendly staff. Seating is available inside for the sweltering months, and outside for the kinder, gentler months in Houston. Thank god that time, the lovely combination of autumn and spring, that Houston will experience for the next six months or so, is finally here. We ordered inside, headed out back to enjoy the cool weather and eagerly awaited our burgers.

First up, the Cheeze Burger. This is the quarter pound cheeseburger with mustard, mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle. Your classic set up around these parts. This burger cost me $4.70, but I wish I had upgraded to half pound. That's right, I said it. I figure if I'm going to gorge myself on a burger lunch, I might as well go all the way. The beef was fresh and well seasoned but in the end, that patty was very thin. The burgers are cooked medium, but it's hard to cook a patty that thin, medium. Overall, this was a good cheeseburger...fresh ingredients and no one element dominated the taste.

Ole ordered the quarter pound Western burger. This was topped with cheddar, bacon, BBQ sauce, mayo and an onion ring. A great combination. I mean, it's pretty hard to go wrong once you've thrown in bacon and fried treats!

Here we have Adam's Ultimate Jalapeno burger. It comes on a sweet and sour jalapeno bun, and is topped with jack cheese, jalapenos, lettuce, onion, mayo and mustard. Adam gave his burger a positive review, and yes, those are cheese tots in the back ground.

A close up of the quarter pound burger patty. You get what you ask for! If you want more meat, you'll need to upgrade to the half pound.

These are Cathy's sliders and Parmesan fries. The sliders were packed with flavor (and grilled onions) and were pretty delicious, even without cheese. The Parmesan fries earned a thumbs up from the whole table. Though they came in second to the Cajun fries I ordered. The fries here are fresh cut and they taste like it. Cajun fries just means fries with Old Bay, but I loved it. Well seasoned, fried potatoes have to be one of the greatest things humanity has ever done. The fries were so good that they almost stole the show.

Good burgers, nice burger shack atmosphere, lots of fun fried options and employees with a sense of fashion, or humor, or humorous fashion and we are sold. The gummi burgers that come with each order are just a bonus.

I suppose I should also mention that if you are feeling adventurous, you can order the Double Dare Burger, which contains two pounds of meat, cheese and jalapenos for a mere $19.95. Check out their website for the awesome T-shirt or plate you'll receive for finishing the burger.

Little Bitty Burger Barn
5503 Pinemont Drive
Houston, TX 77092

Burger Tour: Beck's Prime.

2009-10-11T17:22:00.009-05:00

Burger Tour decided to stop by Beck's Prime to see what all the fuss was about. They were recently highly rated on Texas Monthly's list of 50 Greatest Burgers, so we could no longer ignore this burger joint in our on backyard. But could it live up to the hype?

Beck's Prime mainly focuses on burgers, with overtones of fast food, such as a drive thru and menus on the wall, but don't expect fast food prices.

As usual, I had the cheeseburger, as it is the control in our burger experiment. The cheery man behind the cash register asked me how I wanted my burger cooked, which immediately made me happy. This isn't something you always get asked. I ordered my burger medium and added fries and a chocolate shake. Now the tough part...my bill came to almost $15.00. I handed over the dough, but I must admit that my expectations were raised for such a pricey burger lunch. Keep in mind, excellent burger lunches can be had all over town for less than $10.00.

My burger arrived quickly and I am pleased to say it was good. The beef patty was a little overcooked for medium, but it was still surprisingly juicy. I loved that there were two thick slices of cheddar on the burger. It also came with shredded lettuce, tomato and mustard.

Here is Michael's Prime Burger. It's a pretty minimal set up: prime sauce (mayo based), lettuce and tomatoes.

Chris had the Hickory Cheeseburger which also comes with the Prime sauce, shredded cheddar, and a thick slice of tomato.

The french fries were seasoned and still tasted like potatoes, but just didn't have the extra "umph" that really good fries have. I'd skip them.

Michael was intrigued by the Parmesan Crisps on the menu and ordered some for the table. If you are going to skip the fries, don't even consider these. They were basically really dry pieces of toast. Not sure where the Parmesan comes in?

We also shared a small chocolate shake between four people and couldn't finish it. It's definitely made with real ice cream, but tasted like a Frosty. I like Frosties, but I was hoping for a more chocolaty taste.

Overall, Beck's Prime is a good place to stop and have a burger, but I'm not sure if it's worth the price tag when so many great places in Houston offer equal or better burgers for less. I'm happy a burger joint in Houston cracked Texas Monthly's top 10, but I know I've had better burgers in this town. Hopefully next time Texas Monthly will dig a little deeper into Houston's thriving and lively burger scene.

Spicy Tortellini Soup.

2009-10-07T17:33:00.004-05:00

I first had this as a child, when my Aunt Genell made it for Easter Sunday. Not exactly traditional Easter food, but our family really enjoyed it. With fall on the way, I decided it was time to make a soup, and this immediately came to mind.

Spicy Tortellini Soup

2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 small white onion, diced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 can beef or vegetable broth
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 cup hot salsa
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 pkg fresh tortellini

In a medium saucepan, saute mushrooms and onion in olive oil on low heat. Once onions start to become translucent, add garlic and saute a few minutes more. Add tomatoes, broth, tomato sauce, salsa, basil and tortellini and increase heat to medium. Stir occasionally and let cook until tortellinis and plump and cooked through (about 10 minutes).

Mushrooms and onions getting to know each other.

Adding in the rest of the ingredients. I used tortellini stuffed with provolone and prosciutto.

Done!

Pizza Dough Throw Down: Deborah vs. Betty.

2009-09-26T13:06:00.010-05:00

I've been craving homemade pizza recently...a lot. It probably has something to do with being able to use the oven again without overheating the house. My first attempt at pizza dough was using Deborah Madison's recipe from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Unsatisfied with the results, I implored my friend Robyn for advice and she sent over the ever reliable Betty Crocker recipe. Betty wins this battle hands down.

First up, Deborah Madison's recipe:

Pizza Dough

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 to 1 cup whole-wheat flour, to taste
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour

Pour 1/2 cup of the water into a mixing bowl, stir in the yeast, and set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining water, olive oil, and salt, then beat in the whole wheat flour followed by enough white flour to form a shaggy dough. Turn it out onto the counter and knead until smooth, adding more flour as needed to keep it from sticking. For a crisp, light crust, pizza dough should be on the moist side, which means it will be slightly tacky.

Put the dough into an oiled bowl, turn it once to coat, then cover with a towel and set aside to rise until doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes. Turn the dough onto the counter and divide into the number of pizzas you want. Shape each piece into a ball, set on a lightly floured counter, cover with a towel, and let rise for another 20 to 30 minutes.

Taking one ball at a time, flatten it into a disk, pushing it outward with your palm. Working from the middle, push the dough out with your fingers until it's about 1/4 inch thick and fairly even, thickening slightly at the edge. Or roll the dough into a circle, then push up the sides to make a slight rim. Dust the peel or pan with semolina, fine cornmeal, or flour, set the dough on top, cover with a towel, and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before you add the toppings.

Preheat the oven to 500 F, allowing 30 minutes rather than the usual 10. Adjust your rack to the center or top third of the oven. Bake about 10 minutes.

Deborah Madison's recipe has two things that I don't like: fussiness and wheat flour. I figured it was fine to use the wheat flour, because the ratio is .5:3, wheat to white flour. But in the end, it really did taste like a wheat crust, and I just happen to prefer a white crust. Also, my dough never rose the way it was supposed to and therefore the dough ended up being more dense than it should have been. I'm sure it was my fault, but I didn't like the taste of the crust enough to try it again and figure out the issue.

Here are my four balls of dough, resting.

One ball rolled into a 10" circle...or as close as I could get it to look like a circle.

I put the dough in my iron skillet, which I had dusted with cornmeal. The toppings for pizza #1 are smoked mozzarella, green olives, two kinds of mushrooms, yellow bell peppers and prosciutto. Smoked mozzarella is such a great pizza cheese - try it. Also, you may have noticed the lack of sauce. I just brushed the dough with olive oil before I added the toppings. Sauceless pizza is the way to go in my opinion. It makes the pizza all about the dough and toppings without the interference of a tomato sauce.

Here it is after it came out of the oven. I should have left it in there longer to crisp up at the edges, but I was impatient (read: hungry). Overall it was still a good pizza, but it wasn't great. And it wasn't worth the insane amount of time it took me to make this.

I knew there had to be a simpler solution, and Betty Crocker had it. Here is her recipe with a few modifications:

Pizza Dough for Thin Crust

2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package regular or quick active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 cup very warm water

In large bowl, mix 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast. Add oil and warm water. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour until dough is soft and leaves sides of bowl. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead 5 to 8 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 425 F. Grease 2 cookie sheets or 12-inch pizza pans with oil, or cover the bottom of your iron skillet with a little olive oil and a dusting of cornmeal. Divide dough in as many pizzas as you want and roll into circles about 1/4" thick. Brush top of dough with olive oil. Partially bake 7 to 8 minutes or until crust just begins to brown. Add toppings and bake for 8 to 10 more minutes.

Here is the light, fluffy, pillowy, springy ball of dough. At this point, I already knew this pizza was going to be better. I divided this into four balls for four pizzas.

First ball, rolled out on floured surface with floured rolling pin.

Pizza dough, brushed with olive oil and ready for the oven.

The toppings for pizza #2: goat feta, caramelized onions, kalamata olives and garlic-stuffed green olives.

Ta-da!
Toppings for pizza #3: kalamata olives, peppadew goat cheese, roasted red peppers, rosemary and caramelized onions.

Pizza #3 out of the oven!

Seeing these two together made me really happy. It's gonna be a pizza party around here much more often thanks to Betty C. Shout out to Robyn for sending that recipe along!

If you have a pizza dough recipe that you love, please send it my way....I expect the experimentation to last through the winter!

Special Treat Sour Cream Waffles

2009-09-15T12:38:00.008-05:00

Pancakes were a regular feature around our house on Saturday mornings. Easy to whip up and always pleasing, pancakes are a perfect staple for lazy weekend breakfasts. But you knew something special was happening if the waffle iron was out. Waffles, specifically sour cream waffles, were served up for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, house guests or Christmas morning. Occasionally though, we would have them for no other reason than we really wanted waffles. And that was my reason for making some last weekend.

These do take a bit of prep time, but you probably have all of these ingredients in your kitchen already, and what better way to spend a Sunday morning? Besides, it's worth it.

This recipe has been in the family for so many years that I have no idea where it came from. I would certainly credit the author if I knew who they were!

Sour Cream Waffles

3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk (I use skim)
3/4 cup sour cream (I use light)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted

Melt the butter and set aside to cool. Separate egg yolks from egg whites into two different bowls. Beat egg yolks in a large bowl. Add milk, melted butter, vanilla, and sour cream to the egg yolks and beat together. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients and beat well. Beat egg whites until stiff and white. Fold egg whites into batter. Bake and serve.

Egg whites whipped to stiffness. Egg white peaks are always so pretty. Like little snowy mountains.

Dry ingredients all mixed up.

Wet and dry ingredients combined; egg whites ready to be folded in.

Okay, so you might be wondering...what the hell is that? Well, I'll tell you. It's Banana Mush and my family's staple for waffles or pancake toppings. It's just one ripe banana smashed with a tablespoon of honey. I don't know why we called it Banana Mush, but that is the name that stuck.

Yum.So I usually scoop about a 1/2 cup of batter into the waffle iron. This recipe ends up making six large waffles.

Here is the waffle fort I made.

And what to do if you are cooking for one? Bag up those extra waffles and pop them into the toaster oven or toaster before you go to work for the rest of the week. Your Sunday labor becomes the waffle gift that keeps on giving....for a little while at least.

Burger Tour: Mockingbird Bistro.

2009-09-11T22:00:00.004-05:00

Burger Tour went all high-falootin last week and stopped at Mockingbird Bistro for their incredible lunch special: a kobe beef burger and fries for $9.00. There is a lot of hype surrounding this burger, which made me nervous. Could it be as good as I had heard? The answer: yes. And then some.

Okay, so the tomato-pepper-pickle-stick is a bit silly, but this place has a wine list that reads like a phone book, so this kind of thing is to be expected.

I asked for my burger to be cooked medium. Three choices of cheese were mentioned: stilton, gruyere and.....I'm forgetting the other one. I went with the stilton after being reassured it was used in moderation, and didn't overpower the rest of the burger.

I also asked for the BACON MARMALADE to be served on the side, so that I could control how much I put on the burger. I'll repeat that: bacon. marmalade.

This burger was truly fantastic. It was well balanced, included only a few ingredients, and frankly, knocked my socks off.

It was the juiciest burger on the Burger Tour so far, as is evidenced by this photo.

And my god, the truffle fries. Now, if you upgrade to truffle fries, it will cost you an extra $3.00, but it's so worth it. Fries with yummy truffle oil goodness, chunks of parmesan, and sprinkles of salt and chives. Such decadence.

It was fun for Burger Tour to class it up for a week. But don't worry, it won't become a habit.

Tomatillo salsa, two ways.

2009-09-09T10:00:00.002-05:00

I've been wanting to make more of my own salsas. It is a bit ridiculous considering the average salsa aisle in a Houston grocery store is an embarrassment of riches. (I'm not counting Pace Picante sauce as salsa....that's weird flavorless tomato water and is no longer owned by the Pace family in San Antonio, so I don't have to feel bad about talking smack about it.) It's always more fun to make your own salsa anyway, right? And I will say that you can make about three or four times the amount of homemade salsa for the same price as one jar bought at the grocery store.

Since I had never made tomatillo salsa before, I decided to follow Rick Bayless' recipe that I found online. I rarely follow a recipe to the letter, but I did in this case. I will say this made much more than two cups and was spicy as hell. Seriously...if you aren't into spicy foods, I would use less serrano chiles, or seed them before you put them in the food processor. Here's the recipe:

Rick Bayless' Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

1 pound (about 7 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
4 to 5 fresh serrano chiles, stemmed
1 small white onion, sliced ¼-inch thick
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup of water
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, loosely packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

1. Heat the broiler. Lay the whole tomatillos and serranos on a broiler pan or baking sheet (line it with heavy-duty foil for the greatest ease in cleaning and collecting the juices). Set the pan 4 inches below the broiler and let roast until the tomatillos are softened and splotchy black in places (the skins will split), about 5 minutes; your goal is to cook the tomatillos through while they roast, which means they'll have begun their transition from light bright green to olive color on the top side. With a pair of tongs, flip over the tomatillos and chiles and roast the other side for another 4 or 5 minutes or so. Set aside to cool.

2. Turn the oven down to 425 degrees. Separate the onion into rings and, on a similar pan or baking sheet, combine them with the garlic. Set in the oven. Stir carefully every couple of minutes, until the onions are beautifully roasted (they're going to look rather wilted and translucent, even have a touch of char on some of the edges); the garlic should feel soft and look browned in spots. Total roasting time will be about 15 minutes. (If you like smoky flavors in your salsa, try roasting the onion and garlic on a perforated grilling pan over a moderately low charcoal fire.) Cool to room temperature.

3. In a food processor, pulse the serranos (no need to peel or seed them) with the onion-garlic mixture until moderately finely chopped, scraping everything down with a spatula as needed to keep it all moving. Scoop into a big bowl, then, without washing the processor, coarsely puree the tomatillos and their juice. Stir them into the bowl. (If you're making the largest quantity, you'll have to do the tomatillos in two batches.) Stir in enough water to give the salsa an easily spoonable consistency-in Mexico they like this salsa spicy and pretty runny, the kind of salsa you dribble on rather than scoop up with chips. Stir in the cilantro.

4. Taste and season highly with salt. Taste again and, if you wish, add just enough sugar to take the edge off the tomatillos' very bright tanginess.

Here are the pretty tomatillos, after being husked.

Tomatillos and serranos after coming out of the oven.

Round one in the food processor.

And ta da! I added at least a cup, maybe a cup and a half, of water. And I did add the optional sugar as well.

But even with water and sugar, this salsa was still pretty damn hot. Here is a picture of my solution: 1 small avocado, 1 tablespoon of salsa smashed together. This was great on chips as well as tacos. The avocado had the cooling effect I was hoping for - and needed!

And really, I'll take just about any excuse to eat avocados. So here we have it. My first tomatillo salsa and it was a breeze. I loved having large quantities of this in the fridge. My favorite after school snack is salsa and warm tortillas. I think I toast tortillas in my iron skillet almost everyday. In fact, I think I'm headed to the kitchen to do just that....

Canino's Produce/ El Bolillo/ Lone Star Culinary Spice Market

2009-09-06T11:49:00.015-05:00

My friend Jon and I recently took a trip up to the farmer's market on Airline and I've been going back regularly ever since. Canino's Produce is the face of the this place, but the stalls of fresh produce seem to just keep going and going and going.

This is the interior of Canino's. The produce was extremely fresh and cheap. I bought bags of produce for what felt like pennies.

My favorite purchase was this bottle of Cucuzza Blossom honey from Louisiana. It is absolutely delicious; sweet and earthy. But this might make you wonder, as I did, what the hell is a cucuzza?
No problem, Canino's has you covered there as well. The cucuzzas you see above are long, lean squashes. Just one of many curiosities this farmer's market has to offer.

Like these spiky avocado type things. They look cute and fuzzy, but actually hurt to touch. Anyone know what these are?

Need some gigantic cushaw? You got it.

The show keeps going once you've exited the back of Canino's. Stalls upon stalls of fruits, veggies, plants, and spices await.

Presentation is meticulous at most of the stalls.

It's so fun to see and smell gigantic piles of dried chilies.

Here is Jon in a jalapeno picking contest. His jalapeno jelly quickly followed this trip.
Trucks of fresh south Texas watermelons.

And if being around all of this amazing food has made you peckish, there is no lack of taco trucks ready to serve up deliciousness to satisfy your needs.

El Bolillo is across the street and a must for people with a sweet tooth. Houston is brimming with Mexican bakeries, but this convenient location is perfect. You can pick up your produce for your tortas at the farmer's market and then walk across the street for your bolillo.

Fresh bolillos.
If you have ever been to a Mexican bakery, you know that the variation of sweets will pretty much blow your mind. We both bought a few treats, though it was difficult to practice restraint.

I really wanted this custard explosion, but I settled for an incredibly yummy churro instead.

Lone Star Culinary Spice Market is located directly next door to El Bolillo. I'm pretty sure there isn't a spice that they don't have. My picture really doesn't do the place justice. They also have plenty of custom blends for preparing any kind of meat. If you are looking to spice up your BBQ, Mexican or creole dishes, it would be worth a trip to this spice market.

The Lone Star Culinary Spice Market is also stacked with pinatas....just in case you needed one of those as well.

The restaurant supply shops on Airline don't disappoint either. Let's say you needed a machete, a large supply of Kranky and a few ceramic pigs. Done.

My first trip here inspired some tomatillo salsa, so expect a post on that in a few days!

Burger Tour: In-N-Out

2009-08-28T10:18:00.006-05:00

Find your copy of "Oye Como Va" by Santana and hit play. Those of you Big Lebowski fans will know why that song is appropriate to listen to while reading this post. This is the first Burger Tour stop that isn't in Houston. But how could I go to the west coast and NOT have an In-N-Out burger? Impossible. I don't really feel like I need to say much, because just about everything that could be said about In-N-Out is already out there. My first trip to an In-N-Out was several years ago in LA. I loved it immediately. This experience in Santa Rosa was pretty much an exact repeat of my earlier experiences, just with less sunshine.

A minimalist menu. Gorgeous. And are you seeing those prices?

Here is our order. My sister ordered the off-menu grilled cheese. It's the exact same thing as my burger, just minus the beef. My cheeseburger is on the right. It comes with onions (the only question asked at the counter when you order) lettuce, tomato, cheese and "spread."

The spread is basically their version of Thousand Island dressing. I do have to say...this burger is the crowning achievement of fast food. Cheap, quick and not gross. I had to tell myself to slow down as I was eating it.

Fries: very good. I would say the fries at Little Big's in Houston are still my favorite, but this is fast food, and that's really not a fair comparison.

In conclusion, my plea to In-N-Out:

Dear In-N-Out Burger,

I've noticed that you have recently expanded your business along the west coast, and even as far east as Utah. Please come to Texas, specifically Houston. This is a burger town if there ever was one, and we will treat you right. You won't regret it. I promise.

Love,

Erikaburger

Travels: San Francisco and Wine Country

2009-08-25T09:59:00.008-05:00

Last week I had the absolute joy of taking a real vacation. It was everything a vacation should be: relaxing, fun, stimulating and rejuvenating. A complete lack of obligations didn't hurt either. We did what we wanted to, when we wanted to. Life should really be like that all the time. Or at least more often. My sister served as my traveling companion / wine country tour guide / partner in crime. She taught me a lot about wine, calmly put up with my car dancing, and introduced me to the best oysters I've ever had. So let's start there.

This is a kumamoto oyster from Hog Island Oysters in the Ferry Building. They are tiny and tasted like sea butter. With a squeeze of lime (said in Johnny 5 voice) and the minionette sauce, it was like heaven.

Then we left the fog of San Francisco for the sunny hills and valleys of the wine country.

We stayed at the Dawn Ranch Lodge in Guerneville for a couple of nights. I can't tell you how much I loved this place. It was Twin Peaks meets camp meets 70s horror film. In other words, perfection.

We stayed in a tiny one room cabin that had no phone or TV. There was a redwood directly in front of our room, which made me infinitely happy.

The DRL also had a swimming pool, a meadow, paths down to the Russian River, a volleyball court and lots of friendly dogs. For $99 a night, it's an absolute steal.

Here is my sister, successfully skipping rocks, on the Russian River.

And here I am making out with a redwood. I couldn't help myself. I adore trees of all kinds, but these were truly majestic. It was love at first sight.

Okay, so we did go to some wineries as well. These gorgeous grapes are from my favorite winery: Porter Creek Vineyards in the Russian River Valley. There were pumpkins growing next to the parking spaces and roses blooming all around us. The tasting room was a converted one car garage. And that's what I liked about it the most - it was so comfortable. It truly did feel like you were just hanging out with friends in a garage. I mean, there was a dusty, fluffy dog lazing about on the ground next to us. I bought a bottle of the Viognier here and we drank it before I got on the plane back to Texas.

This is myself wandering around the vineyards at the Chateau Montelena Winery in Napa. The grounds were gorgeous and we did a library tasting here. Neither my sister or I had ever done a library tasting before, and it was pretty interesting. The highlight was tasting from a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon that cost over $1000. Guess what: not worth it, my mind wasn't blown. It was lovely, but not worth more than my rent. Which kinda made me feel good...like I'm not missing out on much by insanely pricey wines like that.

The second day we had lunch on the patio of Rochioli Winery in the Russian River Valley with a bottle of their Sauvignon Blanc. My sister packed this adorable picnic of cheeses, herb bread, almonds, dried apples, dried figs and dried cranberries. We sat and enjoyed the view for over an hour. It was tough to leave this place.

This is my sister, gazing out at Unti Vineyards in the Dry Creek region. I liked this place as well, because it was laid back and calm. And the tasting room had the feel of an art storage building. Barrels of wine were stacked up in a windowless room with fluorescent lighting. I felt at home.

Other highlights of the trip included beers at the Russian River Brewery, a cheeseburger from In N Out, and just hanging out with my family in SF. I couldn't have asked for a better vacation, and now I'm ready to start planning the next one.

Burger Tour: Miller's Cafe.

2009-08-16T10:17:00.011-05:00

If you live in Houston, you know that good things can come in the form of strip malls. Miller's Cafe, with it's non-descript exterior, is a perfect example of not judging the book by its cover. The complete lack of personality on the outside is more than made up for once you walk through the doors. I really loved this place. At 12:30 on a Thursday afternoon, I felt like I had walked into an indoor ice house (oxymoron, I know) and returning to work wasn't easy.

Several types of beer are available in the two large coolers at the front of the restaurant. Fishing my beer of choice out from an icey cooler was totally fun. It doesn't take much to please me.

Here is the burger menu. I had to stick to the cheeseburger, as that is the control in this whole burger experiment. My friend Maggie ordered a bacon cheeseburger with bbq sauce.

Here is my cheeseburger. It comes with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard and mayo on a poppy seed bun. I loved this burger. It was juicy, well seasoned and most importantly, well balanced. Neither the bun nor the meat was overwhelming. It layered together beautifully and I enjoyed every bite of this burger.

Here is Maggie's bacon cheeseburger. Between bites, Maggie smiled and professed her love for this burger. We were happy campers.

Fries, good, but faded into the background in comparison with the burgers. A nice accompaniment, but not the star of the show.

See what I mean about the ice house feeling this place has? There is also a long bar that you can sit at that overlooks the kitchen. I suppose I should mention that there are four Miller's Cafe locations in Houston, but this one is on North Shepherd. A few people had told me that Miller's was their favorite burger place, and all of them specifically mentioned the N. Shepherd location. Overall, thumbs way up for Miller's Cafe. I think it's in my top five Houston burgers now! Thanks goes to Katy and Trent for being the first to tell me that Miller's had to be on burger tour.

Yum.

2009-08-13T19:30:00.004-05:00

Sweet baby Jesus, Gifford's Peppermint Stick Ice Cream is so good. Bits of peppermint candy swirled in with the delicious peppermint ice cream. But it's more than that. It's summer happiness in a pint. Usually, I'm a Blue Bell loyalist, but this is just too good to pass up. Go get some. Now.

Oh, I picked it up at Central Market. Not sure who else carries it in town.

Peach Tomato Salad.

2009-08-12T17:53:00.005-05:00

Can you tell I'm rather obsessed with summer salads right now? Yeah, I know...eventually I'll start making other things again. But these are just so delicious and inexpensive and summer won't last forever! Again, thanks goes to the NYT 101 salads list.

Peach Tomato Salad

peach wedges
tomato wedges
cilantro leaves
red onion slivers
olive oil
lime juice
sprinkle of red pepper flakes

Toss and eat!

Burger Tour: Goode Co. Taqueria

2009-08-09T11:22:00.015-05:00

Goode Co. is a Houston institution and not to be ignored. Burger Tour hit up Goode Co. Taqueria this week, nestled in the Goode Co. District of Kirby, between Goode Co. Seafood and Goode Co. BBQ. Lots of Goode Co. going down at Kirby & Westpark. The taqueria is laid back, smells of mesquite smoke and is known for burgers and tacos. That's kinda my idea of heaven.

I started with the chips and smokey salsa. Yum.

The list of burger options at Goode Co. is short. You can get the 1/3 lb. mesquite burger for $5.50 or the 2/3 lb. mesquite burger for $6.95. Cheddar, mozzarella, chili con carne, mushrooms, bacon, guacamole and sour cream cost extra, but most additions are under a dollar. I chose to go with cheddar and then used the burger fixins bar for the rest. My burger is pictured above and probably doesn't look that great. But it's got the things I love, cheese, shredded lettuce, pico, pickles and mustard. As Shelby pointed out, the beauty of the fixins bar is condiment control. You are guaranteed to get the exactly what you want in the quantity you want it.

Here is Michael's burger, which does bring up the point that some were disappointed in the bun. Just felt like there was "too much" bun. Overall, the feelings were positive as everyone enjoyed their burgers and felt like the meat was well seasoned. The mesquite wood in the kitchen could be spied from the cash register when you order.

And they are serious about the wood here.

Fries were crispy and well seasoned and got a thumbs up from everyone.

But they were overshadowed by the onion rings, which were really great. Crispy, tasty and not too greasy. The batter seemed to have some kind of cornmeal in it, which makes them unique so far on the burger tour. Enthusiastic praise all around for the onion rings.

Geoffrey went with the Two Crispy Taco Dinner and was certainly pleased. I promise there are tacos under the salad you see pictured.

And for the art lover in need of a Dan Flavin fix, Good Co. Taqueria has you covered there as well. Overall, a strong showing from the burger/taco division of Goode Co.

Carrot Blueberry Salad

2009-08-05T20:23:00.005-05:00

Another fresh salad for the summer, inspired by the 101 salad list from the New York Times. (Go to nytimes.com and search 101 salads) I used the grating disk on my food processor for the carrot and it makes this so easy.

For one serving:
1 large carrot, grated
handful of blueberries
a squeeze of lemon or lime juice (go easy on this)
a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
a sprinkle of toasted sunflower seeds
black pepper

Toss and eat. Repeat if necessary!

Drinks, with Gin.

2009-08-02T20:45:00.011-05:00

Here are a few drinks I've tried out recently, two of which were inspired by the purchase of a bottle of St. Germain. It was so pretty, I just couldn't resist. I'm fully aware that buying booze based on the bottle is a terrible idea. But I had also read that it makes nice cocktails, so I had a tiny bit of knowledge behind the purchase.

Getting set up:

First up, the St. Germain signature cocktail. Here it is before I stirred it.

Their recipe looks like this:
2 shots Sauvignon Blanc wine
2 shots St. Germain liqueur
Top up with Soda water (or champagne)

Pour wine and then St. Germain into ice-filled glass. Top with soda (or champagne), lightly stir and serve with straws.

I used club soda instead of champagne and this version was way too sweet for me. Reducing the St. Germain to one shot instead of two worked much better.

Next, a Left Bank, which I liked much more.

2 shots Plymouth gin
1 shot Sauvignon Blanc wine
1 shot St. Germain liqueur

Shake all ingredients with ice and fine strain into chilled glass. Garnish with lime zest. (I used lemon zest, because it's what I had.)

Leaving the St. Germain and sticking with the gin, I made this drink, which is as yet unnamed. I'm sure it already exists in many a cocktail recipe book, but I'm feeling too lazy to research it. I was inspired by this drink recipe from Gourmet for a Gin Daisy. (Thanks Dana for the link!) I didn't have the ingredients needed to make a Gin Daisy, but I wanted something pink and pretty. So I made this:

Pink Daisy? Maybe?

2 shots Plymouth gin (Hendrick's works as well)
2 teaspoons Campari
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 shot simple syrup

Shake, pour over cracked ice, garnish with a cherry and half a slice of lemon.

That's it for booze this week! Maybe....

Farm Tour: Froberg Farm.

2009-07-26T12:45:00.013-05:00

My friend Jon and I visited Froberg Farm in Alvin last weekend to pick up some goodies. It was so much fun and such a great Saturday morning activity. I hope this is the first of many farm visits.

Tomatoes for red salad.

Strawberries for red salad.

Dill pickles. Picked up a jar of these for a pickle obsessed friend.Lots and lots of candies.

I loved these dividers between the fried pies. Kept warm by a heat lamp and absolutely delicious.

For lunch we bought some sausages from Greak's Smoke House, a few steps away from the main building.

This is my jalapeno cheese sausage with BBQ sauce on a bun. SO. GOOD.

And for dessert, an apricot cream fried pie. Heavenly. The cream tasted like donut glaze.

We ate our yummy lunch under this giant live oak. It's hard not to love a giant, twisty live oak. I'll definitely be back!

(Mostly) Red Salad.

2009-07-22T20:37:00.003-05:00

Inspired by the 101 salad list in the New York Times, I made this strawberry, tomato, basil salad tonight. Refreshing, delicious, and perfect for summer.

Red Salad

Tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
Strawberries, sliced
Fresh basil, chiffonade
Drizzle with honey balsamic vinaigrette

For the vinaigrette:
2 parts olive oil
1 part balsamic vinegar
honey to taste
salt to taste
a few grinds of pepper

Enjoy!

Taco Toppings.

2009-07-20T10:31:00.008-05:00

One of my favorite things to eat at home is tacos. They are easy, cheap and delicious. Pico de Gallo and guacamole are two toppings that always make for a happy taco. Of course, pico is great for topping fish and chicken as well. Sometimes I just eat it by itself as a little side salad. But that's just me.

Pico de Gallo

3 Roma tomatoes
1/2 red onion
2 jalapenos
fresh cilantro
juice from 1/2 a lime
1 clove of garlic
kosher salt

Cut tomatoes around the equator. Scoop out seeds and then chop. Seed and chop jalapenos. Dice red onion and garlic. Add a handful of cilantro, juice of 1/2 a lime and salt to taste.

Pico veggies.

Seeded tomato.

All the pico de gallo a girl could want for.

Awesome Guac (at least that is how we refer to it in my family)
recipe credit: my sister, an amazing cook, funny lady and queso addict

1 avocado
1 slice white onion
fresh cilantro (about a handful)
kosher salt
juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 roma tomato

Blend avocado, onion, cilantro, salt, lemon juice, and half of the Roma tomato in a food processor until mixture is fairly smooth. Remove guacamole from food processor and mix in other half of chopped Roma tomato.

Pre-blend.

Post-blend.

Burger Tour: Lucky Burger.

2009-07-17T11:18:00.016-05:00

photo courtsey of Adam Baker

If you have lived in/worked in/or driven though the Montrose neighborhood, at some point you probably saw this barrel shaped curiosity. Welcome to Lucky Burger. When I first moved to Houston Lucky Burger was one of my favorite places on earth. It was the first burger place I had lived near that delivered. Delivering a warm cheeseburger and fries to my door equals love. I got to know the nice family that runs the place and came to love their tater tots and krinkle fries. It is an easy going burger joint and that's just the kind of place I love. It's the kind of place where you can sit for a long time, consume your burger and tots, and write haikus with your friend. (That happened.) It's the kind of place you seek when you've had one too many at the bar next door. Lucky Burger isn't the best burger in Houston, but it certainly has a place in my heart. Long live Lucky Burger.

This is my cheeseburger all-the-way. The bun is toasted and it comes with lettuce, tomato, pickle, mustard, mayo and cheese. My friend Maggie noted that the burgers are "heavy on the lettuce, light on the meat" and this is true. But it still makes for a solid burger.

Classic krinkle cut fries.

The bacon cheeseburger stands a bit taller.

photo courtesy of Adam Baker

Adam ordered a mushroom-centric meal of the fried mushroom balls and the mushroom burger. Both received positive reviews.

photo courtesy of Adam Baker

A few more points about this place.

1. They are perhaps best known for the Chinese food/Burger fusion thing they have going on. You can order your burger with a side of delicious fried rice or egg rolls. They have chow mein on the menu. Try to count the number of Chinese/Burger fusion places you know. My guess is Lucky Burger is the only one on your list.

2. The veggie burger is infamous amongst my friends. We refer to it as the "veggie mélange" because it is unlike any kind of veggie burger I've ever tasted. There is no patty involved, just sliced, grilled vegetables. Tossed with teriyaki sauce and served on a toasted bun. Sounds strange, I know, but try it!

To quote my friend Robyn, "Lucky Burger's veggie burger, though the strangest and most confusing "veggie burger" in the history of the world, is Houston's best veggie burger. Hands down. Who knew teriyaki seasoned zucchini, onions, and whatever the else they stick in there would be excellent with cheese in a regular white hamburger bun? It's a must try for us who can't, for whatever reason, enjoy the pleasures of the flesh."

3. Burgers on a budget. My meal of a cheeseburger, tots and a lemonade came in under $8.

4. The television in the tiny dining room only plays soap operas.

5. I'll warn you...Lucky Burger doesn't have much in the way of air conditioning. I think the window unit on the side of the building is attempting to keep up with heat and it's a struggle. Probably best to wait for a cooler day or to get your burger and egg rolls to go.

Burger Tour: Smashburger.

2009-07-10T09:37:00.005-05:00

Burger Tour went corporate this week. After hearing so much buzz for so long, we finally headed to Smashburger. Currently, the only location in Houston is off of Kirby and Main, a kind of strange area, not really known for restaurants. No wonder it's so crowded! The picture above, of the line almost reaching the door, was taken at 12:15. The place is small, so seating is at a premium. The parking lot is small as well, so you might have to park at the Kroger across the street. Enough of the logistics, let's get to the yumminess.

Above is my All American Smashburger sans ketchup. I'm just not a fan of ketchup on burgers. I have to say, the burger was really good. As you can see the lettuce, tomato and onions were fresh and I loved the thick pickle chips. The beef was well seasoned and my patty had a crust from the griddle. Overall, high points for the smashburger.

Ole ordered the Baja Burger, which is set apart by the pepper jack cheese, a generous amount of guacamole and fresh jalapenos. Ole didn't feel up to the jalapenos that day, so this picture isn't an exact representation of the Baja Burger, but it's pretty close. He liked his burger, though he said the chipolte bun just tastes like a whole wheat bun.

The side orders really do deserve some attention as well. These are the smashfries, which are tossed with rosemary, garlic and olive oil. They were so wonderfully good. I kept eating them long after I was full...I just couldn't resist!

And these are the Haystack Onions which were terrific as well and served with a remoulade dipping sauce. The batter was a little sweet and the rings were light and crispy. They earned a solid A+.

And here is the chicken sandwich, which kinda cracked me up. It's the flattest piece of chicken I've ever seen in my life, but Leeandra gave it a thumbs up.

The good news is that there are three new locations scheduled to open in Houston this month. So hopefully there is one opening in your neck of the woods in the near future!

Greek pita.

2009-07-08T17:48:00.010-05:00

It's too hot to eat much of anything these days, but I keep getting hungry. This is one of my favorite summer recipes. The Ultimate Greek Salad recipe comes from Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer book. It's such a fantastic recipe because of the marinated red onions, fennel and sugary tomatoes. I'm using most of her recipe, but making a few adjustments and adding grilled chicken.

Greek Pita

1 package boneless, skinless chicken breast (and salt and sugar if you are brining the chicken breasts)
1 package of pita bread
1 red onion
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
black pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
tomatoes of your choice
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
pinch of kosher salt
1 head of romaine lettuce
1 bulb fennel
1/2 cup kalamata olive spread or kalamata olives
1 container crumbled feta cheese
juice of half lemon

Grill the chicken breasts in your preferred method. I brine the chicken breasts for 2 hours and then cook in my iron skillet in the kitchen. I would grill outside, if I had the option, but I don't. Let the chicken breasts rest before slicing.

From Nigella's recipe for greek salad: "Peel and finely slice the red onion then sprinkle over the oregano and grind over some pepper. Pour in the vinegar and oil and toss well, cover with plastic wrap and leave to steep for a good 2 hours; longer's fine." This is the key to the whole thing, so definitely take the time to do this.
Cut the tomatoes into fine segments, lengthwise. Sprinkle with sugar and kosher salt and let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad. Tear the lettuce into rough pieces. Chop as much fennel as you like.
In a bowl, toss the romaine lettuce, fennel, tomatoes, feta, lemon juice and red onion/dressing combination.
Toast your pita, if desired. Cut in half and spread the kalamata olive spread on the inside of the bread. Stuff the chicken slices and salad inside the pita. Eat up!

Olive spread, so yummy.

The onions after steeping for a few hours. The onions turn from pale pink to bright purple.

Sugary Danish Pearl tomatoes.

Double Wedding Ring Quilt: Part 2

2009-07-03T16:28:00.014-05:00

The quilt saga continues! (Click here to see Part 1 of this post.) So if you want to baste your quilt quickly, it's best to recruit your friends for a basting party. It also really helps to have some large tables to spread the quilt out on. Here are my friends Brooke and Michael in an undisclosed location.

Basting is the process of pinning or sewing the layers of the quilt together. Some people prefer to sew large basting stitches across the quilt, but I am lazier than that. I like to pin the quilt together with safety pins. The first layer that goes down is your backing fabric, face down. This is followed by the batting and then your quilt top, face up.

Here is a picture of the backing fabric, since you can't really tell what it looks like in the picture above. Of course, Diego is inspecting the fabric, as always.

John was kind enough to aid me in the basting process. Here he is smoothing out the cotton batting. I choose to use Hobb's Heirloom Cotton batting. I like this brand because the cotton is dense and flat. I don't like the fluffy poly blend batting; just a personal preference. John also kindly used his washing machine to soak the batting in warm water, before we embarked on the basting. This step is supposed to prevent shrinkage and puckering down the road.

The pins should be about a hands width apart. My are a little further apart, but I don't think it matters all that much.

A detail of the basting:

I bought this inexpensive quilting frame at HoLo (Hobby Lobby). It's a bit wobbly, but it does the trick. Most importantly, the wood of the frame grips the fabric and keeps it taut while I'm sewing.

I cannot tell you how excited I was to start the actual QUILTING. Sewing the quilt together is my favorite part of the process. I love how completely insane it is to sew a queen size quilt together by hand. I imagine I'll be sewing this together for the next couple of months.

I started the quilting in the middle of the quilt, and I'll work my way around in a clockwise fashion. I chose to sew with a cream colored quilting thread. It disappears against the backing fabric, which was important to me. I love the idea of one side of the quilt having a handmade look and the other side being a solid, polished looking blanket.

I'm using a white cloth marker to draw the quilting lines on the gray fabric. I thought of making a template and marking all the gray areas at once, and I'm sure that would have been easier. But I like free handing it. I feel like it is more appropriate for the aesthetic of the quilt.

As you can see, the hand drawn lines are far from perfect.

Now I just have to figure out how to convince Diego that the quilting frame was not set up as his own personal fort. I already know this is a battle I'm going to lose.

Grapefruit Avocado Salad

2009-06-28T18:16:00.003-05:00

Every summer I see grapefruit and avocado salads in food magazines and on TV. I love grapefruit and I could pretty much eat a ripe avocado for every meal of the day. So I have no idea why it's taken me so long to try this out, but I'm glad I finally did. If you google "grapefruit avocado salad" you'll find several versions. I basically just combined the elements I liked from a few recipes. This is so simple, refreshing and delicious. This pairs well with 100+ temperatures, so eat up my fellow southerns!

Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

1 ruby red grapefruit
1 large Haas avocado
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon honey, the darker the better
pinch of kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Cut the avocado in half and toss out the seed. Slice the avocado vertically while still in the skin. Using a spoon, separate the fruit from the skin. Cut the skin off of the grapefruit, including the pith. Separate the grapefruit sections with your knife. Reserve two sections of grapefruit for the vinaigrette.

Whisk together the white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and the juice of two segments of grapefruit.

Arrange the grapefruit and avocado slices on a plate and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper if desired.

The sliced avocado before being scooped out of the skin:

A terrible shot of the vinaigrette:

Moments before consumption:

Curtains.

2009-06-25T21:20:00.011-05:00

My kitchen desperately needed new curtains. The old curtains (pictured below) were a thin yellow/green cotton that gave the kitchen a sick glow. They had to go. Seeing my friend Megan's cute new fabric from IKEA was all the inspiration I needed.

I went to IKEA on a Friday morning and NO ONE was there. When I drove up at 10:30 I thought the place was closed. I guess I shouldn't let the secret out, but Houstonians: if you have to go there, do it on a week day morning. I think most people who have walked through the doors of an IKEA, have also left an IKEA with blood lust and a serious need to never see another human again. I don't think that's just me? Anyway, week day mornings are the way to go. I picked up this great fabric for $7.99 yard and I left with a my belief in basic human decency intact.

Here is a close up:

Curtains are really the easiest thing you can make. I sewed a 5/8" inch hem on three sides and a made a 2" loop at the top. Done.

And now I have these lovely curtains that look like stained glass during the day.

Right now, with this horrific heat wave, all I'm concerned about is keeping as much light out of my apartment as possible. I'm going for a winter cave kinda thing right now. Feels appropriate. Maybe when it cools down I'll make a pair of sheer curtains for the winter. For now though, the dark curtains are my newest form of battling the summer heat.

Burger Tour: Adrian's Local Cafe

2009-06-21T16:20:00.010-05:00

Burger Tour was lured to Adrian's Local Cafe after Robb Walsh recently crowned it best burger in Texas. Adrian's Burger Bar was previously located in the Fifth Ward. After shutting down, the operation moved over to the Communication Workers of America building on Jefferson in downtown Houston. After seeing images of their ginormous burgers, we absolutely had to try it.

And GINORMOUS they were! Several of my fellow diners attempted to order the "Big Adrian," which is a burger with a pound of beef. All who tried to order this burger were denied. The woman behind the counter - a combination of kind and tough - refused to give these guys the "Big Adrian" because she knew better. Some of us ordered the "Big Adrian" and others the "Little Adrian," but all seven of us received the same size burger, which was more than enough. Here is a shot of my burger about half way through the journey. And when you eat a burger this size, it is a journey.

The fries were cheap, but nothing to speak of. They clearly come frozen in a bag, and you don't need them anyway. Lesson learned: skip the fries if you are trying to consume this much meat.

A special shout out goes to Michael, Shelby, Adam, Ole and Maggie for eating their entire burgers. I wish I could say the same, but I had to bow out about three quarters of the way. Overall, I liked this burger. I loved the crust formed on meat from the griddle, but I wish it had been juicier. Don't get me wrong, I think this burger is something to be experienced, but it's not at the top of my list. The next time I go back to Adrian's, I will probably have to order some of their soul food selections, which looked amazing. I'm really glad we all experienced this burger, because I kinda feel like we earned some kind of burger badge. Hey, there's an idea....burger badges........

Making Pork Tamales with Linda.

2009-06-13T14:57:00.026-05:00

Learning how to make tamales has been a goal of mine for a long time. Like many families in Texas, one of our traditions is to have a tamale dinner on Christmas Eve. We've always purchased the tamales from others, until last Christmas when we had the joy of sharing the holidays with my sister's soon-to-be-in-laws. The matriarch, Linda, made two incredible batches of tamales; one pork and one black bean and cheese for the vegetarians. I am not exaggerating when I tell you they were incredible. Not only is Linda an amazing person on so many levels, she is also an incredible chef. So a few weekends ago, I trekked out to Wimberley to learn from her and soak up as much information as I could.

I learned that the rumors are true: tamales are a ton of work and require time and patience. So you just have to give in to the fact that there is nothing quick about this. On the other hand, you are making enough food to feed several families for days. I asked if we could make pork tamales, because I pretty much love anything pork-related.

Okay, here is the recipe:

Pork Tamales
Serving Size : 8 – 10 dozen

Ingredients:
Filling:
5 pounds pork roast
2 teaspoons shortening
3 ½ oz dried chili pods
4 pods garlic, chopped fine
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon whole oregano

Masa:
4 pounds wet masa
2 cups melted shortening
1 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoons powdered garlic
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon powdered garlic
2/3 cups of chili pod gravy
half of the meat drippings you collected from the cooked meat

The Day Before:
Cook Pork: Lightly salt and pepper pork roast, sauté in oil and then cook pork in a low oven for four hours. We used an oven bag to help the pork stay juicy. When tender remove meat and save the drippings.

Chili Pods: Stem and seed the chili pods. If you pull off the stem and tear open the pods down one side rinsing under running water, the seeds will easily fall out. Simmer the pods in a covered pot of water for about 45 minutes then remove from heat and let cool. They should be a bright red color. Scrape the pulp from the skin, chop the pulp and set aside. Also save the water gravy, but discard the skins as they tend to be bitter.

Prepare the Filling: Peel and chop the heads of garlic and sauté in a couple of spoons of the lard or shortening. Combine and mix well: cooked meat, sauteed garlic, chili pod pulp, 2 tablespoons ground cumin, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoons ground black pepper, a pinch of whole oregano and refrigerate overnight. This overnight setting allows all the flavorings to completely permeate the meat for better taste.

Day of Assembly:
3 Hours Before:
Corn Shucks: Put all the corn shucks in the sink and fill with warm water. They are inclined to float so you will have to weigh them down into the water. Soak for about 2 hours minimum - the longer, the better.
Remove the meat from refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature.

Masa: In a large bowl, place 4 pounds wet masa. Gradually add 2 cups melted pure lard, sprinkle with 1 tablespoons chili powder, 3 tablespoons paprika, about 2 tablespoons salt, 2/3 cups of chili pod gravy, and 1 tablespoons powdered garlic, and half of the meat drippings you collected from the cooked meat. Work mixture with a heavy duty electric mixer.
Test the masa by dropping a small piece in a glass of water. It if doesn't float, add a little melted lard, remix, and test again. The main idea here is to work air into the masa until it is greasy and fluffy (it impossible to over mix).

Assembling Tamales: Begin separating the corn shucks one by one until you have a large stack ready. Put about 2" of the broken shucks in the bottom of your large cooking pot or can and soak with water. This will keep the tamales from sticking and help to generate steam when it is time to cook them. Take an unbroken shuck and place it on flat surface, small end up, opening toward you. Using a butter knife or spatula, dip into the bowl of masa and take out approximately one heaping tablespoon of masa. Spread it on the shuck in such a way that it covers the lower 2/3 rds of the right 4 inches of the shuck. The masa should be thick enough so that you cannot see through the shuck. Next spread some filling on the middle of the masa. The thickness of the masa and filling is strictly personal preference. The tamale is then rolled over starting from this side with the masa and meat. The un-spread side covers the outside and holds it together. The unfilled end is then folded over to the middle. As you roll up the tamale, stand them shoulder to shoulder, open end up around the bottom of the pot with the shucks in it. After filling the pot, add 1 cup or more of water and put a lid on it, steam for about 2 hours or until the masa peels away from the shuck. You may have to occasionally add water in order to keep the pot from boiling dry. Be sure to let the tamales cool for 10-15 minutes so they become firm before eating. Tamales can be stored in foil and frozen for future consumption. Reheat by defrosting and then steaming. Here are plenty of pictures and notes on the process:

Pork shoulder, cut up and ready to go.

Pretty, no?

Browning the pork.

Pork in the oven bag!

We used Don Chano's chilies. He is such a pimp.

Cooked pork.

Here are the chilies after cooking. They turn a gorgeous red.

Scraping the chilies.

Pork mixture.

Corn husks separated and and soaking.

Masa mixture mid-whip.

Masa and husks ready to go!

Working with the masa spreader. This little piece of plastic is genius. It makes the process of spreading the masa quick and easy. Here is a link to a rather hypnotic demonstration video.

Corn husks spread with masa.

Pork filling goes right down the middle.

There should be about an inch of empty space at the top of the tamale.

We improvised some vegetarian tamales. Linda tied a little strip of corn husk around these, so that we could tell them apart.

Husks line the bottom of steamer in order to keep the tamales from drying out.

Tamales arranged in the pot.

Taking the tamales out of the pot.

Many thanks to Linda and Scott for putting up with me for a weekend. I loved learning how to make these and hopefully you will be inspired to make some as well. Trust me, you will definitely feel like a badass when you are eating tamales that you made yourself!

Burger Tour: Lankford's Grocery

2009-06-10T19:23:00.018-05:00

Today's stop on the burger tour lead us to a Houston favorite, Lankford's Grocery. I love that this old building has been hanging around in Montrose for - well, more years than I've been alive. When I first moved to Houston, I was completely charmed by Lankford's. I loved the juicy burgers and yummy fries.

Ole ordered up the Soldier Burger which is a burger with a fried egg on top. He enjoyed it, though it was a complete mess. The burgers are served in a paper wrapper, which helps with the messiness, but the soldier burger proved too much for the paper!

Michael braved the double burger. There are two patties in there, making this quite a formidable burger. He was down about the lack of pink in the beef, but was pleased with the "pickle generosity."

I had the single cheeseburger and I'm a little sad to say that the burger wasn't as good as I remember. The bun wasn't great and the burger wasn't as juicy as I would have liked. It was swimming in a mayo/mustard combo, and I'm not a fan of that. All of that being said, I ate the whole burger and I did enjoy it. It just wasn't as great as I recall.

Orders of onion rings and tater tots got enthusiastic thumbs up all around. And I really enjoyed the Tex Mex side, which my friend Adam recommended. It's basically just fried strips of onion and jalapeno. A nice alternative to fries or onion rings.

Today was H-O-T-T hot, so I could not have been more grateful for the Abita root beer. I like Abita beers, but had never tried one of their kid-friendly options. It was delicious! The gigantic fan next to our picnic table didn't hurt either. I'll be back to Lankford's when it's a bit cooler (November) and hopefully it will be just as fantastic as it was the first time.

Muffaletta paninis.

2009-06-06T17:58:00.009-05:00

I had the joy of spending a weekend with family in Wimberley. It was an incredible weekend that involved a lot of cooking, laughing, eating, drinking, talking, and a few minor injuries. Beer was brewed (future post) and tamales were made (another future post), so with all the hard work going on, we deserved a fun poolside lunch. I was honored to serve as Linda's sous chef for the weekend, so I helped in the assembly of our muffaletta paninis.

This recipe was adapted from Sean Rembold of Brooklyn's Marlow and Sons and serves about four people.

Muffaletta Panini

Olive Salad - (you can make your own or pick some up from your grocery store; we used Boscoli Family Italian Olive Salad)

1 loaf of cibatta or foccacia bread, halved lengthwise

4 ounces sliced mortadella

2 1/2 ounces sliced hot sopressata

2 ounces sliced finocchiona salami

2 ounces sliced coppa

4 ounces sliced provolone or fontina cheese

Preheat a panini press to high heat. Spread olive salad over one half of the bread. On the other half, layer the mortadella, sopressata, salami, coppa, and fontina cheese. Sandwich second half of bread over meats and cheeses and transfer to panini press. Press until heated through, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove sandwich from press and cut into manageable pieces. Serve immediately.

Here is the meat and cheese assembly. We started with one layer of cheese, then all the gorgeous meats and topped it with one last layer of cheese.

Here is it before going into the panini press:

Lunch is served:

Burger Tour: Little Big's.

2009-06-02T12:38:00.019-05:00

Burger Tour took a slight detour last week and downsized to sliders. Sliders have been all the rage for the past couple of years, and I totally get it. Who doesn't love eating several little burgers in one sitting?

I love eating out for under $10 and this place is definitely on my list. You can get three sliders for $5, fries cost $1.62 and my can of Lone Star cost $1.80. They have three slider options: a beef slider, a fried chicken slider and a fried crimini mushroom and cheese slider. I had been before and I did not care for the chicken slider, so I ordered two beef sliders and one crimini mushroom slider.

The little cheeseburgers were great. The beef was fresh and juicy. It was topped with two of my favorite things in the world: cheese and caramelized onions. There is a bar inside where you can add lettuce, tomato and their "special sauce" which is the Sriracha remoulade.

Most of us ending up using the remoulade as a dipping sauce for the fries, though it is good on the burgers as well. Not everyone was impressed with the remoulade, and there was some sadness over the lack of pickles, but overall these tiny burgers earned a thumbs up from our group.

The fries really deserve a shout out all of their own. They were so fantastic. So far, these are the best fries we've had on Burger Tour. Crispy, seasoned with kosher salt, not over or under cooked, and still tasted like potatoes. You can easily split this basket of fries between two or three people. They were delicious!!

The outdoor seating was a great addition as well. I'm looking forward to enjoying that patio with a sangria slushie that was on the menu. Doesn't that sound like just the perfect drink for Houston in June? Or July, or August...or September for that matter. They also have a White Russian milkshake called "The Dude" which is supposed to be pretty yummy as well. Speaking of booze, they are open until 3:00 a.m. on the weekends. This is a great addition to Houston's late night food scene, because there really isn't much of one that I am aware of.

And my final praise to Little Big's goes to the VEGETARIAN OPTION!! I know that being a lover of burgers and the Burger Tour that I shouldn't really care about our veggie friends, but I do. I have so many vegetarian friends and family members and it always makes me happy to see options beyond french fries and milkshakes at burger joints. My friend Jon ordered these three crimini mushroom and cheese sliders and appeared very satisfied. They are a bit messy as the cheese and mushroom combo tends to ooze out of the panko fried shell, but that's alright with me. I've never shied away from oozing cheese in my life! Overall, I would say Little Big's definitely earned their spot on the Burger Tour and I can't wait to go back and get my hands on one of those slushies!

Organization Project: Hooks, Hoops, Needles…and some jewelry.

2009-05-29T10:45:00.006-05:00

I was very lucky to have a few days off of work this week. Besides working on the Double Wedding Ring quilt and re-watching the first season of the OC, I did a little organization. And man, does it feel good.

First organization project: this drawer of knitting needles, embroidery hoops and crochet hooks.

I tackled this project with some rubber bands and a knitting needle gauge checker.

The circular knitting needles went into their individual bags if I had them, if not, they went into the large Ziploc with the embroidery hoops. The straight needles were bundled into pairs. I inherited most of these needles from my grandmothers and my mom, so I loved the chance to sit down with them and just remember for a moment that I am absolutely a product of the women in my family. I love the colors of the vintage aluminum needles and the smoothness of the bamboo. Nowadays, I prefer Addi Turbo needles, but it’s hard to justify buying new needles when you have a drawer like this in your house. After about 45 minutes, I had this group below.

Don’t you love those vampire slaying needles on the right? Just in case. Also, having a basket with knitting needles comes in handy in case of home invasion, as we all learned in the Chevy Chase / Goldie Hawn classic: Foul Play. Just sayin’. Anyway, here is the drawer in it's organized form!

My knitting/sewing notions were organized into this rather boring “hobby box.” Hobby box sounds so dumb, but I guess that’s what it is. I do have to say that I like having all of my sewing stuff in one place.

And the organization didn’t stop there! I’ve been putting off the organization of my jewelry table for…..ever. For some reason, today was the day. Can you believe I’ve been living with this disaster/jewelry explosion for so long?

I’ve had this old chalk box for about four years, sitting on my kitchen table, empty. And now, though still in need of some cleaning, it’s a functioning jewelry box.

The great part of taking on an organization project is that it gives you an excuse to finger all of the little objects that you might have forgotten about. I found this wedding band in my mess of jewelry, which I assume came from my Dad’s side of the family. It’s a fun little mystery.

I also found this vintage sewing kit that certainly belonged to my Grandma Annie. It has "Bettison Pier, Fisherman's Paradise, Galveston, Texas" engraved on the side.

And here it is open. Neato, huh?

Now, if I could just get my kitchen utensils organized, and my closet, and my sewing room……

Crepe Night.

2009-05-26T18:21:00.012-05:00

Crepes are so easy. If you can make pancakes, you can make crepes. And then you get to top them or fill them with whatever you want! Henry and I had “crepe night” this week, which involved popping a bottle of champagne and whipping up some crepes and fillings. There was also a dance party, but I see no reason to humiliate myself by posting those pictures here! Okay, first things first: the crepes.

Easy Crepes

3 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 cups milk
¼ cup butter

Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend it up. Refrigerate for one hour. Spray pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into pan and bake over medium heat. Flip when lightly browned. How’s that for easy?

Here’s the batter:

Here’s the batter going into the fridge for an hour. We actually left it in there for an hour and a half while we watched Switchblade Sisters.

When I make crepes I just pour batter directly from the blender into the pan and give the pan a turn until I have a thin coat of batter. You definitely want the layer of batter to be thin, so if you have extra, just pour it back into the blender. No harm, no foul.

Once the crepe starts to cook the edges will pull away from the side of the pan. I use these edges to pick up the crepe and flip it to the other side. I’m sure there is a fancier way of doing this, but I find this method easy.

So now you have your crepes….let’s talk filling!
Henry made the first course, which was an absolutely out-of-this-world Morel Mushroom Cream Sauce.

We were so excited about cooking with these mushrooms. Don’t they look like little sea creatures? Anyway, this sauce was stunningly good. I almost licked the plate. No joke.

Morel Mushroom Cream Sauce

3 medium sized morel mushrooms
½ shallot, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cognac
¼ cup heavy cream
Fresh chopped chives for sprinkling

Melt butter over medium high heat. Add minced shallots. Stir until shallots are soft. Add mushrooms, sauté until mushroom release their liquid. Remove pan from flame, add cognac. Put back on flame, ignite if desired. You don’t have to light it if you aren’t into pyrotechnics, but it is totally fun. Cook until cognac reduces and then stir in cream. Continue stirring until cream thickens to your likening. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over folded crepe and get ready to freak out.

Here's the butter, shallots and mushrooms in action:

Fun with fire:

Adding the cream:

Yumminess:

Up next were good old ham and cheese crepes. Once you have flipped the crepe, sprinkle some Swiss or Gruyere cheese. We used Gruyere. And then throw on some ham and pepper. Once the cheese is melted and the crepe is cooked through, transfer to a plate, fold crepe and sprinkle with chives. We ate this with leftover pickled shallots from Feast.

And finally, dessert!

We slathered some chestnut spread inside the crepe, folded it and topped it with whipped cream and a sprinkle of confectioner’s sugar. A sugar bomb? Yes, but so worth it.

Crepe night is so much fun and there is no need to be intimidated by making crepes. You don’t need a special crepe pan. And the ingredients are cheap….so there is no excuse not to have a crepe night in your near future!

Burger Tour: Sparkle's Hamburger Spot (or Sparkle Shack)

2009-05-19T23:11:00.030-05:00

My friend Brooke first introduced me to Sparkle's Hamburger Spot when she moved to the East End. When I asked her about places to eat in her new neighborhood, she immediately responded with "Sparkle Shack!" So, to this day, I still call it Sparkle Shack, although as you can see above, that is not the proper name. Alright, now that we have that out of the way, let's get to the burgers.

Helllllllllooooooo Sparkle Cheeseburger! Look at this thing! Is it a mess? Yes. Was it too big for me to finish? Yes. But most importantly, was it sparkle magic? Yes. It was. As you can see, the hand formed giant patty of fresh beef is what this burger is all about. It was juicy and perfectly seasoned. It was a joy to smash this thing down and get it into my mouth.

Ole went for the Hickory Burger. A classic in the burger world and this one had everything you would expect: bacon, cheese, onion, BBQ sauce. This burger got an A from Ole, which is saying a lot because he was pretty nauseous from the previous evenings culinary adventures involving a pizza burger. I'll go no further with the description than that. Back to the hickory burger, don't you just love how that burger patty looks like the kind you ate your backyard growing up?

Other reasons to love Sparkle Shack:

1. There is Kool-Aid on the menu. I've only had Kool-Aid a handful of times in my life, but my cup of Tropical Punch Kool-Aid with crushed ice was a an absolute godsend in last Friday's heat. And though I have said it in the past, I will say it again: all ice should be crushed.

2. Recession prices. Though I think their prices haven't changed since the recession in the 80s! My cheeseburger, onion rings and Kool-Aid cost a little over $5. And they do accept cards, which is nice.

3. The Pork Chop and Waffle. Though Michael loves a burger, I've heard him refer to himself as a "porkatarian" on more than one occasion. So it's not surprising that he felt the calling of this southern classic. Having tasted it myself and I can honestly say "Goddamn." It's the only response that feels appropriate.

A few things to note if you are headed to Sparkle Shack:

1. It's busy and they don't hurry. So get there early if you want to beat the crowd.

2. It's a good idea to go before it gets too hot outside. There are a few picnic tables around the building, but there are no shade trees to be had. During the summer months in Houston, this means taking your order away to a place that has AC.

3. I believe they are open on Sunday's, but I love this reference to the Lord's Day.