tres leches cake

Hola!

Hope everyone who celebrates had a fabulous christmas, and everyone else is having a fabulous weekend!

our christmas dinner was amazing, and featured our family's traditional christmas enchiladas, brownies and blondies made by my very talented aunt, tamales, and homemade fruitcake. what we really need to talk about, though, is the tres leches cake.

unfortunately, i forgot to take pictures on christmas, and the cake, while still delicious, is a bit mangled from being stuffed in a tupperware in our very crowded fridge. so i borrowed the above image from myrecipes, but you should really look at Ree's (the pioneer woman) photos too.

Click here to read the original post on thepioneerwoman.com

Tres Leches Cake, from thepioneerwoman.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 5 whole Eggs
• 1 cup Sugar, Divided
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• ⅓ cups Milk
• 1 can Evaporated Milk
• 1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
• ¼ cups Heavy Cream
• _____
• FOR THE ICING:
• 1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.

Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.

Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.

Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.
Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

-Lola

pasta with chickpeas and parmesan cheese

I made this back when we were at home, but it was so easy and cheap it would make great dorm food. I wanted to try Trader Joe's lemon papardelle pasta and since the pasta itself is already lemon flavored, I went without sauce and just tossed it in a little olive oil and cooked garlic. Then I added chickpeas, shaved paremesan, and a little salt and pepper. It was delicious, and the perfect light lunch for a hot day.

-Rita

easy tuna melt

tuna mixed with artichoke hearts (in oil) and dijon mustard. on wheat bread with tomato slices, then topped with irish cheddar cheese and microwaved until cheese is melted.
thats all i have time to write right now! bye!
-Lola

spinach salad with mango and candied macadamias

with this hot weather, all i've been craving is salad. more specifically, salad with fruit, nuts, and cheese. its just so refreshing. this is the last part of our "last time cooking at home meal" (which also included the corn soup and the bread pudding). we used a recipe from cooking light, but eliminated the scallops and served it with french bread, goat cheese, and smoked salmon on the side. smoked salmon+goat cheese (or butter, or cream cheese)+baguette=amazing-ness, btw.
spinach salad with mango and candied macadamia nuts
from cooking light. serves 4
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons water, divided
• 1/4 cup macadamia nuts or pecans
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 cups diced peeled mango (about 1 large), divided
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
• 1 pound sea scallops
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 8 cups packaged spinach
• 1 cup vertically sliced red onion
  

[if, like us, you skip the scallops, you don't need the scallops, obviously, or the salt, pepper, or oil. and for any vegans, without the scallops the salad is vegan.]

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in nuts. Spread nut mixture onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Immediately scrape onto a sheet of foil coated with cooking spray. Spread evenly; cool completely. Lightly chop; set aside.

Combine 2 tablespoons water, 1/2 cup mango, juice, ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Stir in poppy seeds; set dressing aside.

Sprinkle scallops with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat oil in a grill pan or medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops; sauté 2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan.

Arrange 2 cups spinach on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 3 ounces scallops, 1/4 cup mango, and 1/4 cup onion. Drizzle each serving with 3 tablespoons dressing; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon nut mixture.

-lola

sweet corn soup

we've finally made it to nyc, and are all unpacked and ready to start the school year. get ready for some exciting dorm meals! but first, we have some more food from home to show you......like delicious sweet corn soup.
while we were in seattle, we had the most amazing corn soup at poppy, our splurge restaurant for the trip (well that and pok pok in portland, which is amazing. go there and get the chicken wings. right now!). it was like the freshest, sweetest ear of corn you've ever had, in soup form. when we cooked our final home meal of the summer, i knew we had to include corn soup. we found a good recipe in alice waters' the art of simple food. it was quite tasty, although it looked a little grayish. the recipe was also super simple and fast.
-Lola

berry brioche bread pudding

so, we're heading off to the east coast tomorrow, then back to school! we're finally all packed (ok, not all done. but 95% packed). i think we deserve some bread pudding!

we used a recipe from food and wine magazine but subbed blackberries (fresh from a park down the street!) for the blueberries and raspberries. we also added more sugar. we'll say it was to account for the fact that blackberries are less sweet, and not because we weren't paying attention when we halved the recipe. it worked, and was not overly sweet. also, although half the recipe should have been four servings, i was able to cut it into 6 big slices.
i think everybody liked it.
original recipe, with my notes in brackets:
berry brioche bread pudding from food and wine magazine
serves 8 [to 12]

Ingredients

• 1. Unsalted butter, for greasing the dish
  2. 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
  3. 2 cups heavy cream
  4. 2 cups whole milk [we used 2%]
     
  5. 2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  6. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  7. 4 large eggs
  8. 4 large egg yolks
  9. 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  10. 2 cups blueberries and raspberries, plus more for serving [or blackberries, and if using blackberries add 1/3 cup more sugar to the cream mixture and 1-2 T more sugar to your berries]
      
  11. One 1-pound loaf of brioche, cut into 1/2-inch dice
      
  12. Whipped cream for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter an 8-by-11-inch baking dish and coat the dish with the turbinado sugar.
2. In a large saucepan, bring the cream, milk, 2/3 cup of the granulated sugar and the salt to a simmer over moderately high heat, then remove from the heat.
3. In a bowl, whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks and vanilla. Gradually whisk in the hot cream until blended. Strain the custard through a fine strainer into a large bowl.
4. In a small bowl, toss the blueberries and raspberries with 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar. Using a fork, coarsely mash the berries. Let stand until juicy, about 5 minutes.
5. Mix the brioche into the custard. Fold in the mashed berries. Transfer the pudding to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, until set in the center. Remove the foil and bake in the top third of the oven for 20 minutes longer, until lightly golden.
6. Preheat the broiler. Broil the pudding for 1 minute, until golden brown [be careful! we burnt the top of ours]. Transfer to a rack [we just let stand in the pan on a counter, not a rack] and let stand for 30 minutes, until cooled slightly. Cut the bread pudding into squares and serve with blueberries, raspberries and whipped cream.

-lola

easy vegetable soup

this is one of our quick lunch staples. just saute whatever veggies you want in olive oil, then move them to a pot and add a can of diced tomatoes with their juices plus a can of beans (whatever kind you like) with their juices. heat, stirring, until hot and add italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste. this makes enough for a satisfying, healthy lunch for 2.
-Lola

the great empanada adventure

another example of how rita and i fail at making pretty food. but it sure tasted delicious!we found 2 recipes la madre had printed out for us years ago, mushroom and butternut squash empanadas, and chicken empanada with chorizo, raisins, and and olives. since we had one of these (image courtesy of google):handy dandy (but not so much for uncoordinated people like us) pot sticker/empanada presses, we decided to make the second recipe as small empanadas instead of one big one. we also used pizza crust for both the doughs. because we're lazy like that.

as you can see, we became frustrated with the press system and ended up just rolling the ingredients in balls or dough. it worked. we also ran out of dough halfway through, hence the chicken, chorizo, raisin, and olive filling you see above, un-empanada-ed. we told everyone it was a stew.
Mushroom and Butternut Squash Empañadas
Gourmet | October 2002
chef Claire Archibald
Cafe Azul, Portland, OR
yield: Makes 8 first-course servings

For empanada filling

* 1 cup diced (1/4-inch) butternut squash
* 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
* 6 small garlic cloves, minced
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 (2- to 3-inch) fresh jalapeño chiles, seeds and ribs discarded and chiles finely chopped
* 1 pound fresh exotic mushrooms such as chanterelles, porcini, or hedgehogs (all one kind, not a mixture), trimmed and coarsely chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/3 cup chicken broth

For sauce

* 1 dried pasilla de Oaxaca chile*
* 3 garlic cloves, left unpeeled
* 1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks discarded and tomatillos rinsed and quartered
* 1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
* 1/4 cup water
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

For empanada crust

* 1/3 Café Azul's pastry dough (1 pound)
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water
* 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt

Preparation

Make empanada filling:
Cook squash in a small saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes, then drain in a sieve.

Cook onion and garlic in oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add jalapeños and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms, salt, and broth and simmer, covered, until mushrooms are tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated, about 3 minutes, then stir in squash and salt to taste. Cool filling completely.

Make sauce:
Heat a dry griddle or heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) over moderately low heat until hot, then toast pasilla de Oaxaca chile, pressing down with tongs, 15 to 20 seconds on each side. Halve chile lengthwise and discard stem, ribs, and seeds.

Heat griddle over moderately high heat until hot, then toast garlic until lightly blackened, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Cool garlic slightly and peel.

Simmer tomatillos, onion, water, chile, garlic, and salt in a large saucepan, covered, until tomatillos are very tender, about 20 minutes, and cool slightly. Remove 1 chile half and reserve, then purée sauce in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), adding as much of reserved chile half as necessary to achieve desired spiciness. Return sauce to pan and season with salt.

Form and bake empanadas:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Divide dough into 8 equal pieces (2 ounces each) and form each into a disk. Roll out 1 piece on a lightly floured surface into a 6- to 7-inch round (1/8 inch thick). Spoon about 1/3 cup filling onto center and brush edge of pastry lightly with egg wash. Fold dough in half to form a half-moon, enclosing filling, and press edges together to seal. Crimp edge decoratively and transfer empanada with a spatula to a large baking sheet. Make 7 more empanadas in same manner.

Lightly brush empanadas all over with some of remaining egg wash and sprinkle each with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Bake in middle of oven until golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

While empanadas are baking, reheat sauce. Cut each empanada in half with a serrated knife and serve with about 3 tablespoons sauce spooned around it.

* Available at Latino markets and Kitchen/Market (888-468-4433).
add your own note

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mushroom-and-Butternut-Squash-Empanadas-107182#ixzz0xS1TMVhG

cafe azul's pastry dough (which we didn't make. but you can!)

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4 sticks (2 cups) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar
• About 3/4 cup ice water

Preparation

Sift flour with salt into a large bowl and blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.

Beat egg with vinegar in a 1-cup measure using a fork, then add enough ice water to measure 1 cup total. Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until incorporated.

Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently with heel of your hand just enough to bring dough together. Roll out or pat into a 15- by 9-inch rectangle. Arrange dough with short side nearest you, then fold into thirds like a letter to form a roughly 5- by 9-inch rectangle. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour and up to 6 (do not chill longer or dough will discolor).

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cafe-Azuls-Pastry-Dough-107241#ixzz0xS2HKyBH

and, finally, chicken empanada [or empanadas, or stew] with chorizo, raisins, and olives
serves 12, as a tapa

• 3 whole chicken legs, including thighs (2 to 2 1/4 pounds total)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large onions, halved lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
• 1/3 cup finely diced Spanish chorizo (cured spiced pork sausage; 1 1/2 oz; casings discarded if desired)
• 1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (not hot)
• 1/4 cup chopped pitted green olives
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 pound frozen pizza dough, thawed

Preparation

Make filling:
Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken, turning over once, about 6 minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Sauté onions, garlic, and bay leaves in fat remaining in skillet, stirring frequently, until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add chorizo and paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add olives, raisins, wine, and broth and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Return chicken to skillet along with any juices accumulated on plate, then reduce heat to moderately low and simmer chicken, covered, turning over once, until tender, 25 to 30 minutes total.

Transfer chicken to a clean plate. (Sauce in skillet should be the consistency of heavy cream; if it's not, briskly simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.) When chicken is cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones and coarsely chop meat. Stir chicken into sauce and discard bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, then cool filling, uncovered, about 30 minutes.

Form and bake empanada:
Form dough into a ball, then wrap in oiled plastic wrap (oiled side in) and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 15- by 10-inch shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) with 1 tablespoon oil.

Divide dough in half, then roll out 1 half (keep remaining dough covered with plastic wrap) on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 15- by 10-inch rectangle and transfer to baking pan. Spread filling evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border, and moisten border with water. Roll out remaining dough in same manner, then arrange over filling and press edges together to seal. Roll edges in and press to form a decorative rim. Make a 1-inch hole (a steam vent) in center of empanada.

Bake empanada 15 minutes, then brush crust with 3/4 tablespoon oil and bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes more. Remove from oven and brush empanada with remaining 3/4 tablespoon oil. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a rack, then slide empanada onto rack using a wide metal spatula and cool to warm.

Cut empanada into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-Empanada-with-Chorizo-Raisins-and-Olives-231377#ixzz0xS2iyL32

phew, all done!
-Lola

jalapeno corn bread

And now, the thrilling conclusion of the corn bread and chili saga!We used a recipe from Bon Appetit and added whole corn kernels and diced jalapenos. It would probably be great with shredded cheese too. We had a ton left over, although with four people in the house it goes pretty fast. Definitely not as excessive as the time me and Lola made cornbread back in NY and had to eat it with breakfast, lunch, and dinner for days afterwards.





Buttermilk cornbread. Recipe from Bon Appitit via Epicurious.com. Serves 12
2 cups white cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted, cooled


Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter 9x9x2-inch baking pan. Mix first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, eggs and butter in medium bowl to blend. Stir buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients to blend (do not overmix). Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean and top is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool in pan. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)
-Rita

vegetarian chili

happy august everybody! we celebrated the end of july with some homemade chili (not that july was a bad month or anything. but i am excited to be only a month away from heading back to new york.)who doesn't love chili? its warm, comforting, and hearty. its also simple to make, the kind of thing that you could make a big pot of on sunday and save portions in the fridge for easy lunches the rest of the week (i wish i was the kind of organized, put together person who actually did things like that. instead of the kind of person who regularly makes a peanut butter sandwich in 4 seconds and eats it on the way to class while dripping jelly all over myself. but i did heat up the leftover chili for lunch today.)

recipe from bon appetit, via epicurious, with some changes by the twins
vegetarian chili

makes 4-5 main course servings

* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 cups chopped onions
* 2 medium coarsely chopped bell peppers (we used yellow)
* 6 garlic cloves, chopped
* 2 tablespoons chili powder + more to taste
* 2 teaspoons dried oregano
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin + more to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 2 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans plus 1 15-16 oz can kidney beans, drained, 1/2 cup liquid reserved
* 1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juices
* small pinch chipotle chili powder (optional)
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon + more to taste

possible toppings (we used green onions and shredded mexican cheese):
* Chopped fresh cilantro
* Sour cream
* Grated Monterey Jack cheese
* Chopped green onions

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté until onions soften, about 10 minutes. Mix in chili powder, oregano, cumin, and cayenne; stir 2 minutes. Mix in beans, 1/2 cup reserved bean liquid, and tomato sauce. Bring chili to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors blend and chili thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and extra chili powder, cumin, anc cinnamon if desired.

Ladle chili into bowls. Pass chopped cilantro, sour cream, grated cheese, and green onions separately.

stay tuned for the exciting conclusion (aka the cornbread recipe) in our next post!
-Lola

moroccan lamb stew

when we came home for the summer, we found out that our parents had purchased a lamb. or, more specifically, every cut of a lamb, wrapped in paper and taking up our entire freezer. the family slowly worked our way through each parcel, until all we had left was 4 packages of stew meat. so of course, we had to make lamb stew.
i'll be honest, this was not my favorite recipe. it was perfectly fine, but nothing i'd make again. i'm picky about stews, they have to be cooked forever and have the meat falling apart for me to like them, because i HATE (ooh, you know its serious when caps lock is involved) chewy meat, especially if its boiled. i also think this would have been way better if we'd used the called for blood oranges, but we couldn't find any. i don't think they're in season right now? and i'd up all the spices, because it really just tasted like orange juice to me.
and with that ringing endorsement, the recipe:
Moroccan Lamb Stew from bon appetit, via epicurious

yield: Serves 4

This fragrant stew is great over couscous.

Ingredients

• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3 1/2 pounds o-bone (round-bone) lamb shoulder chops, well trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces, or 2 pounds lamb stew meat
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 1/3 cups water

• 2 large blood oranges
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon honey

Preparation

Mix salt, pepper, cinnamon and allspice in medium bowl. Add lamb and toss to coat with spice mixture. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add lamb to pot and sauté until brown on all sides, about 4 minutes per batch. Return all lamb to pot. Add onion, garlic and ginger to pot and sauté 5 minutes. Add 1 1/3 cups water and bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until lamb is almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, grate peel from blood oranges and reserve. Cut all remaining peel and white pith from oranges and discard. Coarsely chop oranges. Add oranges and grated peel to lamb. Cover and simmer until lamb is very tender, about 20 minutes longer. Stir in parsley and honey. Season with salt and pepper.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Moroccan-Lamb-Stew-101388#ixzz0vIkOahAe
-Lola
p.s. in the spirit of being positive, because i wasn't in love with the stew (and because i'm bored), i thought i'd share some things i do love...
1.

my new boots! madden girl zoiie boots, photo (and my pair) courtesy of amazon.com
2.jogging by the beach this morning. look at that fog! typical san fran beach weather.
3. the fact that i am currently importing a britney spears cd onto my itunes. don't judge me and my love for 90s pop =)

mixed berry compote

pictured with plain greek yogurt. it was way prettier in person, trust me.

our family really loves chocolate. it is practically blasphemy to serve a dessert without any chocolate. however, when making dessert for a recent dinner party, we were craving some birite vanilla ice cream so we decided to risk it. we made a warm mixed berry compote to serve over. i think we were forgiven for the lack of chocolate.

mixed berry compote, from gourmet via epicurious
*3 cups mixed berries (we used blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries)
*3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
*1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
*2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Melt butter in a skillet over moderate heat. Stir in brown sugar and lemon juice until sugar is dissolved. Add berries and cook, tossing gently (try to keep most of them from breaking up), until berries are warm and juices begin to be released, 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

-Lola

black bean burgers

Even though me and Lola don't like burgers much, we both love veggie burgers. Actually, I prefer the ones that don't even try to taste like meat burgers and instead just taste like a delicious thing that just happens to be shaped like a burger. This black bean burger recipe falls into the second category, although the beans do give it a nice meatiness that also helps hold it together. Me and Lola both consistently fail with hamburgers, pancakes, crab cakes, and other things that need to be formed into circles, but even we managed to turn out fairly succesful patties with this recipe, although they did crumble a little bit at the edges.

Here's the recipe from The San Francisco Chronicle:

Black Bean Burgers
Serves 4

You can also make these as sliders. Decrease cooking time slightly, and use smaller buns or dinner rolls. These can also be baked at 350° for 15-20 minutes.

•3 tablespoons vegetable oil
•1 small onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
•2 teaspoons minced garlic
•1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
•1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
•-- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
•1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
•-- Juice and grated zest of 1 lime
•1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
•1 teaspoon dried oregano
•1/3 cup chopped cilantro
•2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
•3 tablespoons mayonnaise + more for buns
•1 egg, lightly beaten
•3 to 4 hamburger buns
•-- Avocado, thinly sliced
•-- Salsa and creme fraiche, for serving
Instructions: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium-size skillet; add the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and remove from heat to cool.

In a large bowl, mix breadcrumbs, lime zest, cumin, oregano and cilantro. Pulse 3/4 of the beans in a food processor with lime juice, mayonnaise and egg until combined. Stir into breadcrumb mixture, and add onion mixture and remaining whole beans. Shape bean mixture into patties about the size of the rolls, and 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook burgers until outsides are crisp and lightly browned, turning once, about 5 to 8 minutes per side, or until cooked through.

Split buns, and thinly spread cut sides with mayonnaise. In a large saute pan over medium heat, cook buns, cut side down, until crisp and golden brown. Place one patty on each bun, top with avocado, salsa and creme fraiche. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 443 calories, 14 g protein, 47 g carbohydrate, 23 g fat (3 g saturated), 61 mg cholesterol, 810 mg sodium, 10 g fiber.

-Rita

Chinese Barbequed Pork with Garlic Sauce

We had a ton of pork left over from the pulled pork we made earlier, so me and Lola looked for ways to use it without having to buy anything (and therefore avoiding generating more leftovers). We both love Chinese barbequed pork (the red kind that's in pork buns), but all the recipes for that required ginger, which we didn't have, so we ended up making a different variation on Chinese barbequed pork using this recipe from Gourmet. We managed to make the pork and the side (rice vermicelli with cabbage, edamame, and peanut sauce) without buying any ingredients. We did momentarily think we would have to buy hoisin sauce, but that was averted when we realized we could make our own using this recipe.
Although our pork wasn't red, it was still very good. We tried to make it pretty by lining it up, but as you can see from the second picture the prettiness was lost as soon as it got on the plate.
-Rita

coleslaw

with pulled pork sandwiches, sweet potatoes, and mom's arm in the background. hi mom!

of course we needed coleslaw to go with our pulled pork. so we made our own.


carrots and red cabbage. look, how pretty:

this recipe was delicious, but made a ton of coleslaw. i could probably open up my own kfc franchise to get rid of it all (of course, it is a million times better than the soupy coleslaw you get in styrofoam cups at kfc).

artsy photo of the cabbage.

coleslaw makes alot of servings. only half of it filled that big glass bowl you see above.
recipe from smitten kitchen, who adapted it from Ina Garten
the only changes we made were to use slightly less mayonnaise (if you've been reading for a while, you know we are not huge mayo fans. but of course you have to have some mayonnaise or it wouldn't be coleslaw) and less parsley (we only had a small handful left).
dressing
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
slaw
1/2 small head green cabbage
1/2 small head red cabbage
4 large carrots, scrubbed or peeled and shredded
1 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves (or 1/4 cup if you're me and too lazy/cheap to go to the store and buy more parsley. it was good this way, but probably better with the full 1 cup)
1. half the cabbage halves and slice very thinly. toss cabbage and carrots together in a large bowl. add parsley and stir/toss until everything is combined.
2. combine dressing ingredients and stir until combined.
3. toss dressing with slaw to taste (i used about 4 tablespoons dressing for 1/2 my batch of slaw). stir until combined. store in refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.
-Lola

pulled pork sandwiches

Last weekend, while me and Lola were off in Arizona visiting our cousin and getting sunburnt (before the trip we asked our cousin how hot it was there. "Well, it was 110 degrees today", she said, "but don't worry, it'll cool off and only be 106 by the time you get here." As native San Franciscans we are not prepared for anything over 80), our parents went to the Fillmore street jazz festival and had some pulled pork sandwiches that my mom raved about. Hearing her description of them, me and Lola knew we had to make some of our own. Our mom's verdict: "They're not as good as the ones from the street fair, but only because the buns aren't very good." I guess next time we will have to make our own buns too.

We served them with sweet potatoe fries and coleslaw, the recipe for which we will share with you next post.

Pulled pork adapted from "Cooking Light"

serves 4-6
PORK

*1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

*1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika

*1/2 tablespoon chili powder

*1/2 teaspoon salt

*1 teaspoon ground cumin

*1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

*1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

*1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle

*about 3 lbs boneless pork shoulder or sirloin, trimmed

SAUCE

*3/8 cup apple cider vinegar

*1/4 cup ketchup

*1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

*1 teaspoon smoked paprika

* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

.

Cut the pork up into chunks. Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub evenly over pork
and let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Put pork into a crockpot with 1/2 cup chicken broth or water and cook at low temperature for 8 hours.

To prepare sauce, combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasinally with a whisk. Boil five minutes or until thick.

Add the sauce to the pork and cook in the crockpot for another hour. Pull the pork apart with a fork and serve on hamburger buns with coleslaw. If you like, you can also make some extra sauce to serve with the sandwiches.
-Rita

salmon burger sandwich

i had made it down the hill and was headed towards the subway station when my friend called me.
"so did you call susana?" she asked.
"no, i thought you did", i said.
this was bad news. susana was the friend whose birthday we were supposed to be meeting up for in half an hour. except no one told susana this. planning fail. anyway, after several back and fourth phone calls, we figured it out and arranged to meet an hour later.
in the meantime, i got hungry for lunch and, not wanting to walk back up the hill to my house, stopped at the local bagel place. i got the Mediterranean sandwich, which was hummus, sun-dried tomato paste, and a bunch of veggies on a bagel. it was insanely satisfying. you know when a meal manages to be exactly what you wanted at that moment? this was one of those moments.
which doesn't have much to do with my lunch today, except that it reminded me how good hummus is with sun-dried tomatoes. and my lunch today was also very satisfying.
le sandwich:
salmon burger (from costco), cooked in a nonstick pan with pam spray + 2 slices toasted wheat bread + trader joe's roasted red pepper hummus + sun-dried tomatoes + 1/4 of an avocado.
simple and delicious! if i had them, i would have served it with sweet potato fries.
-Lola

lunch time!

rita and i both had delicious lunches yesterday during half time of the spain vs. germany game (viva espana!). unfortunately, we did not photograph either of them. because the camera was all the way upstairs. you understand.
i do have this photo from a few weeks ago, of rita's super simple lunch of black and blue steak. i didn't taste it, but according to rita, it was quite yummy (i was eating apple cinnamon oatmeal. true story: i would eat breakfast foods for every meal if i could). all she did for the steak was take some leftover slices of cooked steak, heat them up, then added onion, sliced and cooked in a little olive oil for about 10 minutes, and topped with crumbled blue cheese.
our lunches yesterday were...
me: 2 egg omelette with sun-dried tomatoes and gorgonzola plus 1 slice toasted multigrain bread spread with 1/4 of an avocado and topped with sriracha (see what i mean about the breakfast foods?)
she: grilled cheese on multigrain bread with manchego cheese, prosciutto and avocado (we love being at home with a fridge filled with gourmet ingredients!) plus trader joe's tomato and roasted red pepper soup (so good! you should buy it).
-Lola

african ground nut stew

yo! i hope you all had a fabulous fourth of july weekend. we spent ours in arizona, rafting down a river in 106 degree heat. then we got home to san francisco, where it is foggy and grey, just the way we like it. also, perfect stew weather!
from cooking light. the only change we made was to sub plain greek yogurt for the sour cream. because sour cream is gross.
African ground nut stew with sour cream [or greek yogurt] and chive topping (i accidentally left off the g when i first typed that. you can call it toppin' if you're hip like me)

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1/4 cup minced fresh chives
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 1/4 cups thinly sliced yellow onion
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 4 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 1/2 cups quartered small red potatoes (about 1 pound)
• 2 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

Preparation

Combine sour cream and chives in a small bowl; cover. Refrigerate 2 hours.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in peanuts, salt, and crushed red pepper; sauté 2 minutes. Add potatoes, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Place 1 2/3 cups stew into each of 6 bowls; top each serving with about 2 1/2 tablespoons sour cream mixture.

Mark Scarbrough, Cooking Light, MAY 2007
-Lola

spanish tortilla with artichokes and roasted peppers

with greens + nasturtiums (i had to google "edible flowers to find out how to spell that. my original spelling was so far off, i didn't even get any spell check suggestions) and sauteed shrimp. yum! also with rita's owl mug, which she wanted to show off.

this is another recipe from a wonderful cookbook, The New Spanish Table.

innards.

a spanish tortilla is basically an omelet made with thinly sliced potatoes, except instead of folding the omelet in half, you dramatically flip it over mid-cooking then finish cooking until you get a big cake like omelet that you can slice into pieces. the flip is difficult...you top the tortilla pan with a plate, turn the whole apparatus upside down, then slide the plated tortilla back into the pan. the only plate we had that fit over the pan weighed approximately 10 pounds (not really, but i have no arm strength and that thing was heavy) so i ended up with egg running all over my stove. still, knowing me, the process could have gone way worse. i managed to conserve most of the egg and ended up with a successful tortilla.
-Lola