Friday, May 29, 2009

Happy Brithday to me

Today is my birthday. Birthdays for me are kinda like New Years or Yom Kippur. They get me thinkin', well almost everything does, but birthdays do even more than I normal (which if you know me is a lot). I turn 34 today (shhhhh...). 34 is one year away from 35, or better yet 5 years away from 40. Wrinkles, yup, some. Do I look my age. Uh...yeah I think so, especially after two kiddos. Do I act it? On occasion it depends on how adventureous or petulant I feel at a given moment. Any regrets yet? None, thank goodness. Oh, and I still fit in to my Lenny Kravitz, black bell bottom pants with the gold buttons, though they are a bit tight around the middle. I had those suckers since I was in high school.
My 34th year will be a good one. It is the year where I will start working again (though very part-time). The year I will fit back in to a size 6 (though this may be too resolutiony).
This will be the year of the garden. I want to build an organic veggie garden right in the middle of the yard. We will grow green beans, tomatos, okra, eggplants, bright colored chard. Perhaps this willl be the year I can convince Erik to get some chickens. The neighbors may not be so keen on the idea (with roosters and all), but I would love to turn our shed into a chicken coop. Fresh eggs every day. The gals and I can learn about where our food comes from. The chickadees can roam in our small little yard. Ahhhh...has Texas turned me into a hick?
I have this vision of large, red, fruit ripened tomatos falling in to baskets, gals picking lemon balm and sage, crushing basil in their hands. Lemons picked off or trees.
My 34th year will be a year of bursting creativity and life.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Enchiladas

I do not have regular meals that I make each week. Actually, there is not many recipes that I cook a second time, aside from roast chicken time and time again (do vegies count?). I want to be a cook that has certain foods that I know how to make by heart. Ones that I tweak and can call my own. I get so caught up in experimenting, and what looks good in all the different food magazines that I forget about this notion of mine. Lately I have tried to cook what seems easy. Meals that we can eat twice a week, and meals that will stretch our dollars that use seasonal vegetables from the local farmer's market. This week I made some killer enchiladas using this month's recipe from Bon Appetit. I think enchiladas are fabulous comfort food. Plus, you can tweak the recipe (once there is a foundation) to include fresh veggies or different proteins. Enchiladas will be what I make before my cilantro dies, or when it is most plentiful because I need a lot of it. I actually memorized the recipe. Now that I am writing it out I will make it again and again, especially when all we have to eat in hot Houston is different types of summer squashes. This recipe was so good. I cannot wait to eat it again.

Enchiladas: Serves 6
About 2.5 pounds of tomatillos rinsed and husked
4 unpeeled garlics
4 poblano peppers cored and seeded
2 cups of cilantro chopped
1 cup of chopped red onion (or 1 onion)
1 cup of chopped scallions (or about 1 bunch)
2 tablespoons of whatever herb you want (the original called for oregano, but I used sage because it was what I had in my garden)
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 cup of feta or cotija cheese crumbled
a pound of protein (I used flank steak, but you can use shrimp, shredded chicken or even a combo of squash, zucchini, and spinach)
Corn tortillas (or whole wheat if you like)

Foil a rimmed baking pan. Brush pan with oil. Broil tomatillos, poblanos (cut side down), and garlic for about 10 minutes until peppers are charred in places. Let rest for about 15 minutes while you cut the onions, chop the onions and scallions, and herb, and put your protein out to rest or marinade (if you want totally up to you). Peel the charred parts of the peppers off. Coarsely chop the peppers. Add about 1/3 a cup to food processor, along with the tomatillos and the cilantro. Pulse it and add the onions and scallions. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Preheat your oven to 350
Wrap about 8 tortilla in damp paper towel and microwave for about a minute. Meanwhile saute the red onion and peppers for about 2 minutes, add the cumin, herb, and salt and pepper. Prep your protein. I just sauted some flank steak for about 5-6 minutes a side, let it rest for 5 minutes, then sliced it up nice and thin. Make a bowl of the salsa verde that the tortillas can easily fit into. Dip the tortillas in the salsa on each side. Also, spread about a half a cup of salsa verde on the bottom of a lasagna dish or glass baking dish. Lay the tortillas in the dish. Spread the pepper onion mixture, some protein, and about a tablespoon of cheese on each tortilla. Roll it up. Do this with all 8 tortillas. Pour two cups of salsa verde on the enchiladas. Bake for 20 minutes. Garnish with some onions or avocado if you like. Drink margaritas. Yum.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Momma Week

This past week I was on my own with the gals. Erik was on business in Florida. He was away on Mother's Day, which sucked. The first day or so he was gone I became depressed. Being home is amazing, but can be isolating as well. I talk to my daughters, and my other momma friend down the block, but that is it.
I am a talker. I mean if you know me or have known me I am a really big talker. I like being around people. When Erik is home we talk, a lot. Having him be away made me realize how important it is for me to talk, review, discuss the day and everything else under the sun. When Mother's Day hit I was so sad. It only felt like Mother's Day because my neighbor was gleefully sipping a glass of wine during the day as she strolled along with her husband and son. I know, I know Mother's Day is a hallmark holiday created for marketing purposes, and yes I am totally a sucker for it. I want breakfast in bed or a fancy brunch (though I hate pre-fix menus), spa gift certificates, potted plants, and jewelry with my daughters' birth stones. And, yes, I am a total sappy sucker.
Even though Erik was away he still made it special for me. He had me do a Treaure hunt of cards through out the house. I cried. The rest of the time Erik was away I decieded I'd stop being sad and really be with Maya and Amara. Insanely enough it worked. I even enjoyed bath time and was not remotely annoyed when one of them shat in the tub. Really. We fed ducks, went to the park, and strolled our street countless times. The three of us had fun together. It was kinda like I got Mommy Week because I made it that way. It is nice to have a computer back though...and I think Erik can change some diapers while he is home too...

Monday, May 4, 2009

Home Now

I just got back from Philly yesterday. Everyone survived. I had a wonderful time, though at some points it was riddled with guilt. As usual, I ate my way through my vacation. About three pounds later I am currently on detox! My body just ain't made the way it used to be. A hangover usually lasts about a day, now it takes two or three. While in Philly I hit a few great restaurants.
My wonderful friend Keith treated me to a FABULOUS meal at James. James is actually across the street from my old apartment, so going back to the hood was nostalgic and fun. Everything was perfect. James got best new chef 2008 from Food and Wine magazine. It is one of the hottest places in Philly to eat. We had wild ivory salmon poached in olive oil topped with trout caviar. It was silky butter with a hint of salt. I will dream about this dish. We also ate mullet (not Amara's hair, but the fish) which was in a chicken consomme. The outside of the fish was crispy good. The dish reminded me of the ocean, which is what I believe it was supposed to do. We also at ricotta gnudi with braised pork belly. Gnudi is a large, cloudy puff of gnocchi. There was a fresh pea rissotto with bacon ice cream that was a salty, fresh tasting, bite of creamy goodness. My absolute favorite dish was actually a side dish of tortelli topped with crispy chick peas--I wish I knew more, so I could somehow replicate this dish. The pasta was cooked perfectly, the chick peas added great texture. Wow.
My trip has me feeling refreshed. It was not just the sheer laziness, or seeing old friends, but even though it was a short trip, it brought me a new sense of self. I have not been an "I" in a long time. I am a "we" now. I like "we", but it is nice to remember the "me" in all of it...not sure if that made sense, but it sounded good to me.
My trip reminded me of how blessed I am. My trip reminded me of just how much I love Erik, Maya, Amara, Harry, and Leo. My trip also reminded me of my history, of my friends. It is nice to have history, to be loved, and to love. I miss Philly. I miss living in a city, but most of all I miss sharing in my friend's lives. It was so great to be able to be there. I also realize that even though I miss Philly and my dear friends I like the life I lead in Houston. I am creating new stories, new history.