Garnaches Tacos...A Twist on the Belizean Appetizer

This past winter break, a friend from Belize stayed with us, and introduced me to these: Garnaches!
So SIMPLE!
So Yummy!
So worth it!

Let me begin by saying that I am not usually a fan of refried beans, but in moderation they do provide good nutrition and enhance flavor when spread on a tortilla, which is exactly what you do to make garnaches. It's as easy as 1-2-3!

1. Lay tortillas on a cookie sheet

2. Spread a thin layer of pre-cooked refried bean over them

3. Add shredded mozzarella like you are making a pizza.

Broil on LOW for about 10 minutes...keep checking till they look like this...

This is where I add my own twist. Normally, garnaches have a cabbage, carrot dressing mixture on top, but on this particular day I didn't have those ingredients, so here's what came out of it. Take the simple delightful previously posted "Salad to Love" of tomato, cucumber diced with olive oil and other seasonings and spread it on the tortilla with...now this is the BEST part...a slice of Queso Blancha...Mmmmm...the flavor and texture that results is what makes these babies addicting.

Then fold over like tacos, that's why these are called granache tacos and eat with fresh fruit for a pretty balanced and extremely tasty meal.

I promise, you can't eat just one!

Five Minute Hummus

I just saw this, and this happens to be the same recipe I've used before...I can testify, it is DELICIOUS!

Framed Cooks: Five Minute Hummus: Check out the site for awesome photos and recipies!

Five Minute Hummus

• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
• 1 clove garlic
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil, plus more for serving
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste; optional)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

1. In a food processor, puree the chickpeas and garlic with the olive oil, lemon juice, tahini (if using), cumin, and ¾ teaspoon salt until smooth and creamy. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water as necessary to achieve the desired consistency.
2. Transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the paprika before serving.

Original source: Real Simple Magazine

Here a Little...There a Little: A Salad to Love

Here a Little...There a Little: A Salad to Love: "On nights when my hubby offers to grill his magnificent mouthwatering BBQ chicken, I like to throw together this flavorful blend of veggies ..."

Fried Plaintains, Tostones and Chicken Fingers

How to Bake a Turkey in 3 Easy Steps!

I'm not exaggerating!
3 Easy Steps!

I've always been a little intimidated by the thought of cooking the Thanksgiving turkey and consequently I never had to because our family gatherings or Thanksgivings with friends always involved someone who wanted to do it while I was asked to bring my hot artichoke spinach dip, sweet potatoes and caramel corn, my traditional Thanksgiving favorites. But this year, it was actually a little later in December, after the Turkey Day had passed and I had once again evaded having to cook the bird, when a friend thoughtfully gave me a 20 pound frozen turkey. I'm serious, she asked if I wanted it, saying she had been given an extra as a gift that wouldn't fit in her freezer, and she had thought of me. Little did she know that I had a personal secret goal of one day conquering my fear of cooking the turkey.
It looked like the time had come for the challenge to be faced.
And so I set to work to find the most simple recipe online at ehow.com

How to Bake a Turkey in Three Easy Steps
By Randall Shatto, eHow Contributor

A turkey is not difficult to cook.
Difficulty:Easy (That's encouraging, right!)

Instructions:

things you'll need:
•Turkey
•Baking pan at least 3 to 4 inches deep
•Lid or foil
•Butter
•Spices
•Turkey baster

1
Choose the correct pan for the turkey. The meat will need to be placed in a cooking pan at least 3 to 4 inches deep. This will hold the turkey juice effectively. Then preheat the oven at 325 degrees. The cooking time for the turkey needs to be approximately 15 minutes for each pound. A 20 lb. turkey will need to cook for about five hours.
2
Clean the turkey. You will need to remember to remove the plastic bag that the giblets and the neck are in. Sometimes, they do not come in a plastic bag. Place the turkey inside the pan. A lid or loose fitting tin foil should be placed over the turkey. In the last hour, remove the lid to brown the turkey.
3
Dress the turkey. For a golden brown skin, rub some butter evenly. Then add salt and pepper to taste. Other spices may be added, also. You may wish to use a dab of garlic, rosemary or seasoning salt. If adding other spices that contain salt, you may want to omit the plain salt. The flavor may be overpowering. Place the turkey into the preheated oven. Every hour use a turkey baster to keep the bird moist.

My turkey BEFORE:

At the time I wasn't planning on blogging the process, so I opted not to take photos of the cleaning. It was grimy and to tell you the truth I had a little help from someone braver than I pulling out the gizard and guts and prepping the raw, bloody turkey for it's grand placement in the pan. Now that I've been through it though, I think I can handle it alone next time. Just think it's got to be done, and it will soon be over, and picture that moist, tender cooked meat that's coming at the end of your labor!

Tips & Warnings
•When stuffing the turkey, add about an hour more to the cooking time.

•Always cover the turkey initially. This will keep the meat moist.

•A small cup or measuring cup could be used instead of the turkey baster.

•It is vital to remember to wash your hands and countertops thoroughly after handling the turkey. Bacterium is always a problem with poultry.

•Cooking times may vary in different ovens.

•Use a temperature thermometer to be sure the turkey is completely done. The temperature should be at least 180 degrees in the deepest dark meat area.

My turkey AFTER: A Beautiful golden brown and so moist. I faithful basted every hour as the directions said. It was not as laborious as it seemed.

Taking the turkey broth and making a gravy thickened with corn starch.

I did it! My first turkey that I baked in just 3 easy steps!

And you can do it too! :)

From Milk to Cottage Cheese

I had a problem...extra milk cartons equalling gallons of unused milk were taking over our fridge. Why do we have milk we're not drinking, you may ask. Well, the milk was given to us for free, but we soon realized that we couldn't use it all. Plus, my baby's reacting to my drinking cow's and milk through breastfeeding, so I switched to soy recently and all the 2 percent milk in the fridge was just sitting there. Until...I decided to do something about it. Why not make cottage cheese? My mother-in-law does it, she uses buttermilk to make a special dry cottage cheese to make wrenatgi (also known as pierogies)...aw, I thought, my next project! So, as I type, I have some milk mingled with buttermilk setting in an unheated crockpot, and it's fascinating that the enzymes in the buttermilk preserve and harden or least gelify (made more like a gel) the liquid in just 3 days time. Check back later and maybe I'll post a pic. Warning though, I'm kind of slow about getting the pics from my camera to the computer and up for show, but I'll do my best. :) I also used 1 gallon of milk heated on the stove to make a creamy wet cottage cheese last Wednesday. Then I used that homemade cottage cheese in pancakes this morning for the tasty Saturday morning breakfast treat of cottage cheese pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream...mmmm delish! :) Recipies see below!

Mix vs. From Scratch

It cracks me up these days when people highly compliment something like a cake or other dessert that was thrown together in 5 minutes using one those all too convenient box mixes, which by the way I LOVE. So, I'm not against using a mix, but it depends on the occasion and need for which the dessert or food item was created. For example, someone calls me the day of an event and we need dessert for say...20. MIX by all means. Walah! Instant brownies! However, there's also a time and place for making things "from scratch" that familiar coined phrase that when uttered has people shocked or impressed that "whoa, you MADE this...from scratch?!" And that's what I call a good project! When I'm in the mood, and believe me, only when the inspiration strikes, I like to make things the old fashioned way. Benefits include being able to monitor the ingredients and even make substitutions to make the item healthier, or if that's not a concern, it's nice to know I'm making something of value and a little sacrifice for the future consumers to enjoy. Of course if making it from scratch ends up being more expensive and taking an exhorbant amount of time compared to a cost effective faster approach, then by all means...I'll ditch the details and reduce the cooking mess. Unless of course it's one of those tested, tried and true absolutely-must-do-it-from-scratch-for-the-optimal-results type of recipies, but that's a given. Or another exception is if it's something where the process is key to the enjoyment of that item, like my baking fest I embrace each November to deal with my homesickness for the NW...except I have a confession to make...I've been using canned pumpkin...gasp! Well, with little ones under foot and naptimes not lasting the whole day, I cut myself some slack in that department. So, I absolutely do not pass any judgment on anyone,
(including myself at times) who grabs the box over the barage of ingredients, because I know it takes extra time and effort, but some of the time, that extra-ness is what brings joy and fulfillment in creating something "from scratch" that I can be proud of.

In other areas though, I've been more motivated to try to make things from scratch. My current project (please do not laugh) is turning milk into cottage cheese... yeah, I know that sounds random, but I'll explain why I'm doing it in the next post. I also figure why not learn to make things from scratch while the resources are available, and we had a ton of leftover milk that was not getting drunk...drinken?...drank?...oh dear, and I'm an English teacher too. ;) That was a joke...the word just looks funny, but so does curdled milk before it becomes cottage cheese, so I recently learned with my new attempt.