Multi Grain Cheese and Veggie Tortilla

You don’t really need a recipe for this but I wanted to post something and take some pictures using a mini tripod on the camera.

Use some Multi Grain Tortillas, I cooked some slightly in a large skillet, both sides. Now raid the fridge for some ingredients, this morning just veggies, I decided to skip the meat.

( I didn’t have the camera set for close ups)

It ends up chopped, red and green bell peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, American cheese. Since this is kind of bland for my taste, and I’m skipping the hot pepper by the way, garnish with herbs and seeds I utilized fresh sage, since I have an abundance, fresh oregano, some cumin seed and dried dill and celery seed.

Like I said zip it up as you wish with the ingredients. Salt and pepper is a given. roll it up !   (just an excuse to get my fat paws into the picture! must be the camera lens that make them look like that! )

 

 

Heat up the skillet to medium high and back off on the flame. In goes the tortillas and use another skillet to cover making sort of a stove top oven to bake the roll ups. About 10 minutes or so. (roll them over about 1/2 way through).

Go back to the fridge for some garnish, They really need some dipping sauce or other, I was fortunate to have some sour cream, just a dollop and a sprig of fresh parsley clipped from the countertop garden.

Coffee is the selected beverage pairing today, Since I roasted some Mexican organic last night and made some simple sugar syrup to sweeten the cup along with a spot of milk , that was the inspiration to go for something light after I drank the first cup.

Now that I’ve blogged them and eaten two, it feels like an appetizer, but unfortunately I have other things to do to keep my mind off of food, but then i have other meals to prepare later so I won’t have too cook during the week nights. 

pizza

 

pizza… diced chicken,tomatoes,a bit of salami,ham, jalapeño cheese, on a white flour/white cornmeal crust, heavy but filling supper.

pizza

Broccolli Veggie Bake

fresh broccoli florets
sweet onions
sweet peppers
mushrooms
garlic
olive oil
butter
salt
pepper
flour
cheese
milk
egg(s)
bread crumbs

in 2 oven proof rectangular dishes arrange broccoli to cover each to measure.
Line one dish with plastic wrap long enough to fold over and cover the dish when filled
butter /oil the other.
coarsely chop broccoli, blanch in boiling water for 3-4 minutes till bright and crunchy
set aside in bowl, reserve a cup or two of the blanching water.
coarsely slice vegetables, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper
oven roast about 20-30 minutes.
add the roasted veggies to the broccoli
In a pan, heat olive oil , butter , vegetable oil, etc and add flour for a roux,
planning on enough sauce to cover all the vegetables
add milk, cream, cheese etc.
thin with the reserved broccoli water so it’s not too thick.

go light on the cheese and milk for the sauce so the flavor of the veggies come through.

heat over medium heat stirring constantly to avoid lumps

temper in and egg or two,and season to taste, with herbs if desired

mix sauce together with the veggies and correct seasonings.turn into the baking dishes, and top with breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs etc

wrap the dish with the plastic wrap and freeze,
Bake the other dish about 350 for 20 minutes till bubbly.
finish cooking by broiling till crumb top is golden brown.
let sit several minutes till set up, serve.

When the other dish is frozen remove from dish return to freezer.

When ready to cook remove plastic wrap return to original dish and bake.

good side dish or main dish, and you have a spare dish frozen for future use.

Brunch Pizza

Sliced Tomatoes, Bacon, Cheese

suggested beverage: fresh squeezed orange juice

Mac and Cheese BlahBlahBlah

Mac and Cheese BlahBlahBlah….. A variation to the standard recipe of Mac and Cheese.

If you have cooked mac and cheese before you will know the measurements….

pasta (elbows)

diced bacon

diced onion

diced celery

diced garlic

diced green pepper

diced cooked chicken

olive oil

butter

flour

milk

stock

american cheese

Asiago cheese

egg

crushed crackers

cook macaroni in salted water, drain and return to a large pan.

Saute the diced bacon to render some fat add the rest of the diced vegetables and cook till tender adding olive oil as needed. Add the diced cooked chicken, heat through and season to taste. Add it to the large pan of macaroni. In the same pan that was used for saute, melt butter, add flour to make a roux. Whisk in the stock and milk and heat till it starts to thicken. While still heating add the cheese(s). Temper and add the egg to the sauce. When completed mix the sauce and pasta together.

Turn into a rectangular baking dish and top with crushed crackers. Extra mixture can be frozen for later use.

Bake in a moderate oven till bubbly and switch to broil and brown cracker topping. Let cool slightly and serve.

Cut through the mac and cheese flavor with a demitass cup of strong turkish coffee.

Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009

RING IN THE NEW WITH A PIZZA !

What better way to wash down a pizza !

It snowed in the afternnon to evening and the temps dropped making it a cold night. Renee provided transporation for lady as she didn’t want to brave the snow. I ended up watching the tube for most of the night and the others played games. Made up some dough and baked pizza. Diane made many side dishes and desserts. Champagne toast at midnight and we watched the motorcycle jump/ times square ball drop at midnight.

Diane didn’t have to work till 10 Am, I slept in and put the kitchen back in order and cleaned the office and shuffled up some paper work, yeah, tax time comming and also keeping an eye on the interest rate alerts from the mortgage company. we should be starting an on-lne app for a re fi soon. I have projects on the back burner for 2009 .Turntable sitting on the desk now and I have digitized some of the albums to harddisk/mp3 player (I have Justine’s old Zen player she has an Ipod) with many other albums in the cellar. Boxes of pictures/slides/VHS and Uncles Leos old home movies to convert “someday” (“Someday” is the new day that will be added to the week so we will be able to get everthing done!) Renee was looking at Craigs list for a DVD/VHS to tape her TV shows. She got one at Salvation Army but it wasn’t fully functional. L8tr pEtE