Chile Rellenos

I did one more thing that I can scratch off of my to-do list. I learned to make Chile Rellenos!

My friend Claudia R heard me talking about it one time and she said she would teach me how to make them. I took her up on it! Karen wanted to learn too, so we planned on meeting at Karen's house - which by the way, is a great place for a cooking class :) Claudia's mom, Rosario, was part of the teaching crew as well.

So here is my not-really-a-recipe for chile rellenos. Yumm!

Ingredients:
✔ Poblano Chiles (preferably with stem)
✔ Oaxaca cheese, grated (or Monterey Jack)
✔ Flour
✔ Eggs
✔ Oil

Directions:

1. Place whole chiles in a hot iron skillet turning until skin blisters on each side. Place charred chiles in a plastic bag to steam. Peel skin off of chiles, careful not to break open the flesh.
2. Make a small incision at the top of the chile and clean out seeds (about an inch and a half or two from the stem area straight down).
   
3. Stuff hollowed chili with grated cheese. If the slit opens too much, secure with a toothpick or two.
4. Use electric mixer to beat whites until they hold a stiff peak like meringue. Gently mix in eggs.
5. Pour 1-inch of oil into a heavy deep skillet over medium to medium high to heat. When you think the oil is hot, test the edge of a chile-it should sizzle vigorously.
6. Fill pie plate with flour and dredge stuffed chile on all sides. Shake excess flour. Dip flour coated chile into egg mixture, pulling out straight up by the stem.
7. Carefully lay batter coated chile into skillet and baste with spoonfuls of hot oil. When they’re golden underneath, gently turn the chiles over. Fry until the other side is richly golden.
8. Place cooked chiles on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess oil until ready to serve.

Variations:
✔ Fill with cooked chicken or ground been instead of or in addition to cheese.
✔ Smother with green chile or Tex-Mex tomato sauce.

I like rellenos smothered with green chile. Claudia is from Texas and says they don't really eat green chile there. She made a simple sauce with sauted onions and bell peppers simmered with crushed tomatoes. But they are also good just as they are.

Thanks Claudia!

Gotta love a lazy day...

I'm a planner. Seems like I always have something going on - even if it's just hanging out with the family.

Today, I was supposed to go to the Rockies game. My plans changed and I ended up not going. There were probably plenty of things that I could have done, but I didn't. I woke up, goofed around. And then took a nap! (Boy it's been a long time since I've taken one). I can't say it was a great nap... I kept tossing and turning, probably because I was feeling guilty that I wasn't doing anything. When I got up, I got comfy on the couch and watched several episodes of Food Network Last Cake Standing.

I had been telling my dad to go to the grocery store for me - not thinking for one second he would - and was surprised when he asked for a shopping list. He went and picked up some items I needed to make Biscotti and Scones.... some recipes I want to test out for Mother's Day Brunch. I'm glad he went, because since he picked up the stuff I needed, I was obligated to do something with them. I tried two new recipes and now I don't feel like the day was totally wasted, but I also feel like I got a good rest too!

And, I was happy with both recipes, which I will post below. Let me know if you try them out and what you think!


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Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

Ingredients

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 cup blanched hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
* 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and butter and flour a large baking sheet.
• In a bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until combined well. Stir in flour mixture to form a stiff dough. Stir in hazelnuts and chocolate chips.
• On prepared baking sheet with floured hands from dough into two slightly flattened logs, each 12 inches long and 2 inches wide, and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Bake logs 35 minutes, or until slightly firm to the touch. Cool biscotti on baking sheet 5 minutes.
• On a cutting board cut biscotti diagonally into 3/4-inch slices. Arrange biscotti, cut sides down, on baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Cool biscotti on a rack Biscotti keep in airtight containers 1 week and , frozen, 1 month.

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Cranberry-Orange Cream Glazed Scones

Ingredients

* 2 Cups Unbleached all-purpose flour
* 1 Tbs Baking Powder
* 3 Tbs Sugar
* ½ tsp Salt
* 4 Tbs Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into ¼ inch cubes
* 1 tsp Grated Orange Zest
* ¾ Cup Dried Cranberries
* ¾ Cup Heavy Cream
* 1 Egg, lightly beaten

Directions

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in the workbowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Whisk together or process with six 1-second pulses.
• Remove the cover and distribute the butter and orange zest evenly over the dry ingredients. Cover and process with twelve 1-second pulses. Add the cranberries and quickly mix in or pulse one more time. Transfer the dough to a large bowl.
• Stir in the egg along with the heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until the dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
• Transfer the dough and all dry flour bits to a countertop and knead the dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, slightly sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Following the directions below, cut the scones into 8 wedges. Place the wedges on an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake until the scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Glazed Scone Variation
Follow the recipe for Cream Scones, brushing the tops of the scones with 1 tablespoon heavy cream and then sprinkling them with 1 tablespoon sugar just before baking them.

Shaping Cream Scones
1. Press the dough into an 8-inch cake pan, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
2. With a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 8 wedges.

Off to sew I go...

We had our second sewing club tonight! I decided not to go home and then back to the studio, so I had to stop and get some more fabric. So, I still haven't finished my apron, but I did start and complete a new project - a bag.

I thought it was soooo cute!

Claudia is amazing. She put this group together so we could work on our own or on a group project - not to teach... but she ended up helping all of us instead of working on her own. I think I need to just go in and take a basic class so I can figure out what to do to keep myself busy without having to ask her for so much help. I don't care if it's making something simple - it's been fun just to hang out with friends, have a little wine and be creative. I'm definitely gonna put more thought into next months project!

Put my elbow where?

I wasn't sure if I wanted to write about this or not. But one of my first entries this year was talking about some things I want to try out this year. Not necessarily New Year's Resolutions, but new things. This wasn't on the list, but it is definitely new.

Last week my bookclub reviewed Breakfast with Buddha - a story of a happy-with-his-life Christian man who ends up re-evaluating his life while on a cross country road trip with a "buddha". One of my comments during our discussion was about how it made me want to try meditation. Want to try yoga. What?!? You're talking crazy Tommy. I was surprised to hear some of my friends agree - not that I was crazy, but that they felt somewhat inspired to try something "meditationy" too. And I almost fell on the floor when, by the end of that part of the conversation, Mondo and I had planned to try a yoga class.

Our friend Mary just happens to love yoga and even taught for a while. She mentioned a class she takes called Bikram Yoga. The recommended temperature for Bikram yoga is minimum 105F degrees and about 40% humidity. Mondo and I actually were aware of this when we followed through and met up with her tonight. I still can't believe it. There are twenty-six posture exercises and I admit, I had to sit and rest through more than a couple of them. I could feel my heart pounding and was sure you could see it beating right through my shirt.

I don't know exactly what I expected... To find out I am not flexible? Check! Haha! Really, although I haven't decided if I will go back yet, I am not totally opposed to it.

Busy Bee...

After my day of cooking, I was in a rush to get out of the house and go to my first sewing class. Well, it wasn't really a class - a few friends decided to get together for a sewing club. Since I don't really know anything about sewing, my dear friend Claudia gave me a quick lesson and extra attention during the evening.

For my first project, I am attempting to make an apron for my niece Sophia. I didn't use a pattern, so we'll see how well that turns out ;) but here's a picture of it in the works. I still have to add the straps and finish the edges.
The get together was a lot of fun. It was a few girls from high school and then another that Claudia knows from a class she's taught at Fancy Tiger. We each brought in some snacks to share and Claudia brought in a bottle of wine too! My kind of club! I'm looking forward to learning this new craft and already have plans for stocking stuffers!

Darren's Faves....

I was out of the house bright and early yesterday to take Mondo to the airport. The snow was coming in fast and thick, so I made a quick stop at the grocery store on my way home. Darren has been asking me to make potstickers and coconut shrimp (from my cooking class) for a while now and I thought, what the heck. So when I got home, I made the potsticker filling (which was a whole lot of filling) and used up all the wrappers I had bought. I made some right then and froze the rest (they freeze quite nicely). I told Darren he could have potstickers and coconut shrimp for lunch today.

It was a beautiful day today - the sun shining bright and the roads were nice and clear. But there was a blizzard just yesterday (welcome to Colorado) and I guess I kind of acted like I was still snowed in. I didn't mind cooking all day at all.

Anyway, Darren held me to it too. It was the first thing he asked me for this morning. But before anything, I made a batch of dough for pizza for dinner this evening. It came out really nice and I even added some herbs to the mix. The coconut shrimp was great - but I want to find a good dipping sauce to make with it next time. We had the pizza for dinner. Darren was in heaven and told me "I can't wait until you take your next cooking class!"

Dessert Crepes...

This morning I decided to give crepes a go. It's something I've been wanting to try for a long time - but have always been afraid of. They seem so delicate and precise.

The ingredient list is very basic, and I had everything on hand, so I thought "what have I got to lose". I hadn't planned on it, but I had Nutella (something I have also never tried before) and bananas, so I decided to make a sweet version.

The recipe is super easy and fast to make. On the first crepe I noticed the batter was a little bit thick and lumpy, so I added a drop more milk and mixed it another minute. The outer edges were crispy, which is an unusual texture in a crepe to me, but I don't think it was a bad thing. I noticed that as I stacked them, the moisture from the steam softened them. One small batter made about 18 crepes.

I spread a thin layer of Nutella with sliced bananas on the inside and then rolled them. I drizzled some with chocolate syrup (I preferred them without). They were a hit. Even my dad liked them, and he's not much into trying "different" food. The next time, I would like to dust with powdered sugar and top with fresh strawberries. I am also looking forward to making Bananas Foster with the extra ones I ended up storing. And, I can't wait to try savory crepes!

A Super Easy Crepe Recipe
✔ 1 1/2 Cups Milk (I added a couple more Tbs)
✔ 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
✔ 2 Eggs
✔ 1 Tbs Cooking Oil
✔ 1/4 tsp Salt (savory) -OR- 2 Tbs Sugar (dessert)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat with a rotary beater until well mixed. Heat a lightly greased (I used buttery cooking spray) 6 inch non-stick skillet to medium (almost medium-high). Remove pan from heat and (quickly) ladle 3 Tbs of batter into center of the pan. Lift and tilt the pan to evenly spread the batter. Return to heat.

The directions I have said to brown on one side only, but I turned mine. Could be why they ended up a bit crispy (and not like chip-a-tooth crispy). A spatula was more of a problem than it was a help - and they were easy enough to lift with my hand. Tip - work quickly!

To store, place a layer of waxed paper between crepes and freeze them. Let crepes thaw at room temperature for one hour before using.

The Best Pizza...

This weekend I had a go at my "to do list" by planning a cooking day with my friend Claudia. She saw my previous post and offered to tackle some of the things on it with me including taking a cooking class. We're signed up for an Hors D'Oeuvres class next month. At the same time we were discussing taking a class, she offered to host a cooking day at her home. Here's the list I sent her of some of the things I want to try this year...

✔ Risotto
✔ Shrimp & Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Caper Cream Sauce
✔ Tuscan Garlic Chicken
✔ Dessert Crepes (and/or savory crepes)
✔ Homemade Pizza
✔ Tiramasu
✔ Spicy Tangerine Beef
✔ Chicken Pot Pie
✔ Green Chile & Cheese Tamales
✔ Stuffed Chile Rellenos

Well, we decided to get together on Sunday and Claudia said she had a great easy recipe from one of her favorite cookbooks - "The New Best Recipe" by the Editors of Cook's Illustrated - for pizza! Yesssss! So simple. Yeast, Flour, Salt and Water... mixed in a food processor.

The pizzas came out perfect - exactly the way I like them (I'm not a pizza girl normally - Pizza Hut and Dominos kinda gross me out). I like a thin crust, with easy sauce, kind of New York Style....

We made a few different kinds -

* Three Cheese: Mozzarella, Parmesan and Blue Cheese
* Caramelized Onions, Sautéed Mushrooms and Bacon with Mozzarella
* Spinach, Ricotta, Mozzarella and Parmesan
* Spinach, Caramelized Onions, Sautéed Mushrooms and Bacon with Mozzarella

And probably because I mentioned I wasn't crazy about tomatoes, we made them all without sauce. Just a drizzle of Olive Oil and a Garlic rub on the crust...

Another great thing about the day was while we waited for the dough to rise, we had plenty of time to talk!

I cannot wait to try this recipe again! Thanks Claudia!

They're not really resolutions...

No, I've never been the one who makes a list of New Year's Resolutions. And this new year is no exception. But I have been thinking about some things I'd like to try to do this year...

Read more books... drink more H2O (yes, I need to actually work on this)... cook more... take some classes (dancing, cooking, sewing)... go somewhere (really, I didn't take any trips last year? yikes!)... have another amazing wine tasting party... find out what this "Habitat for Humanity" thing is all about...

Care to join me?