The whole enchilada

Yeah, I said it.

When I lived in Oregon, we had a COO who owned a share of a beef ranch and liked to go elk hunting.  Both of those are more popular than you might think, because Oregon is like that (he also was part owner in a well-known and high-end goat cheese dairy, but that doesn't fit with this story).  Each year, usually late in the fall, was my favorite holiday: Elk Day.  That's when the COO would show up at our office, and fill any coolers we had with elk chops, deer chops, elk round steak, deer round steak, ground elk, ground venison, and ground beef.  I lived alone, so I could make my supply last until the next elk day.  The last of my treasured elk was marinated on a camping trip; the last of the venison was an inauguration day meal.  I tell you all of this only to explain the joke: the first time I made enchiladas, they were elkchiladas, and they were fantastic.

Now I settle for beef, but last summer I decided I had made them enough to start experimenting, and devised the following Chicken Spinach Enchiladas.  Enjoy!

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cooked and shredded
10 oz package frozen spinach, cooked and drained
1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 C sour cream
1 C shredded cheddar
2 T chopped fresh parsley*
1/4 t black pepper
1/3 C chopped bell pepper
2/3 C water
1 T chili powder
1 1/2 t chopped fresh oregano*
1/4 t cumin
1x 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles, drained
1 clove garlic, finely minced
15 oz can tomato sauce
8-12 tortillas (5-6")
shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped onions, or any other toppings you like

disclaimer: the original recipe I used as a starting point called for corn tortillas. I only used those once, and they pissed me off.  If you try to roll them around the filling, they break apart.  If you soak them in sauce to make them pliable, they shred apart.  They are horrible.  However, I once got into a heated argument with someone on Facebook over corn vs. flour tortillas, and it quickly became obvious that neither of us would ever back down from the position of "You're an insane moron with crazy, stupid opinions, and also wrong," so I just de-friended them and had a beer.  You can use whatever you want, as long as it's flour.  Because corn tortillas are horrible.  However, after the first draft of this post, I heard from someone else that if you fry the corn tortillas in oil, it makes them pliable without making them disintegrate.  I haven't tried it yet.

• Combine cooked, shredded chicken with onion, sour cream, 1 C cheese, parsley, cooked spinach, and black pepper.
• In 2 qt saucepan, combine bell pepper, water, chili powder, oregano, cumin, green chiles, garlic and tomato sauce.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat.  Simmer uncovered 5 minutes.
• Spoon a little sauce into the bottom of an 11x7 baking dish (or whatever nearby size you have handy) and spread it around to cover the bottom surface of the pan (I usually achieve this by gently shaking it side-to-side).
• Did you pre-heat the oven?  You should do that now.  350F.

• Spoon about 1/3 cup of filling into a tortilla, roll it shut, and place seam side down in the baking dish.  Repeat until you run out of filling.

• Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas.  Bake uncovered about 20 minutes, or until bubbly, and the tortillas crisp a little.  Top however you like (namely, cheese and sour cream).

*PROTIP: when using fresh herbs, you need about three times as much as you would dried herbs.  There are three teaspoons (t) in a tablespoon (T), so if you are like me and pretty much never have fresh parsley laying around, and can't see the reason in buying a big package when you only need a little bit, de-capitalize the T and used dried instead.  (or, if it calls for some amount of fresh herbs in teaspoons, just divide by three.)

Strawberry rhubarb coffee cake

We visited the Chief Taster's parents earlier last spring, while rhubarb was in season.  Her dad, who once infamously snitched the last two pieces of Thanksgiving pie while nobody was looking, had some rhubarb cut fresh from his garden (which is vast).  While I was in another room, I overheard him tell everyone else, "I have some rhubarb and fresh strawberries, so if Ryan wanted to, he could make me a pie!"  I almost laughed hard enough to spray my toothpaste out of my nose.  I told him such a feat was possible, but we would need a recipe.  The Chief Taster's mom (who missed out on pumpkin pie the previous Thanksgiving when someone filched the last piece she had saved) threw herself into the task, but we got distracted by the allure of strawberry rhubarb coffee cake (scroll down for the variation recipe).  I volunteered to make it for breakfast the next day.

fruit and sugar, bubbling away on the stove.

My only real mistake was not spending more time familiarizing myself with the recipe and hidden location of kitchen items the night before; breakfast was a little later than we wanted.  Plus, some idiot had to keep stopping his work to take silly pictures.

Batter, then fruit goo, then the rest of the batter.  The last bit of batter won't spread well over the fruit goo, so try to glop it out evenly, because it's not going anywhere.

Eventually, we got to eat breakfast.  It was pretty good.  The Chief Taster's dad even served himself a second piece before finishing his first helping.  I take that as a good sign.

morels, please!

Last year we went hiking on Mother's Day.  You may recall there were bears.  There were also morel mushrooms.  When I was a kid, my parents discovered morels and got really excited about hunting them.  For a while, there was a pretty reliable patch in our back yard, and a couple others within a ten minute walk from our house.  Admittedly, I was never that excited about them back then, but it had been over a decade since I'd had any, so I was excited to try them again.

If you go out mushroom hunting, the first thing you should do is make sure you don't pick something poisonous that just looks like morels.  If you don't know, don't eat them.  I'm not telling you how to tell the difference--find someone who's willing to take that responsibility with your life, and ask them.

Second, the forest and park services advise using a mesh bag to carry your haul so the spores can stay in the forest.

When you get your mushrooms home, clean them and soak them in salt water.  This will help drive out any bugs that might have been living inside and didn't fall out of your mesh bag.  Then, slice them lengthwise and do what you will.

On the night I cooked mine, I had also happened to cook some sausage, so I just threw the mushrooms in the pan of sausage juices and sauteed them.

Butter will also work, obviously.  There are plenty of sites that are full of recipes and suggestions.  They probably also have better presentation on the plate than I do.

They taste better than they look.  Honest!

Ii was happy to get to try them again, but I was a little disappointed once I did.  Generally speaking, I love mushrooms.  I put them in salads, pasta sauce, lasagna, pizza, whatever.  But since I had cooked these in sausage drippings, they just tasted like sausage.  None of the original mushroom flavor survived the onslaught of seasoned meat.  Oops.  But they were still very good.  The Chief Taster, however, was wary of them, despite being excited about picking them, and refused to try more than a bite.  Good thing I didn't put them on the pizza I made that night, or I would have had to eat the whole thing myself.  And wouldn't that have been sad?  (for her.)

I make an outstanding pie.  My humble pie is not as good.

El Pollo

Our grocery is usually a total madhouse at lunchtime, and again just after 5 on weekdays.  On weekends, if you don't get there first thing in the morning, it is often best to avoid it entirely.  I've gotten pretty good at finding all the things I use on a semi-regular basis, but being an adventurous sort in the kitchen means occasionally using new ingredients, which means spending a lot of time staring in aisles, trying to decode the complex and arcane methodology by which the local food mart "organizes" potables, a task regularly complicated by other people engaged in the exact same activity--or even worse, simply taking up space in the aisles while chatting with friends, poking at their phones, or staring fixedly at the bottom shelf while their cart sits abandoned twelve feet away.

I quickly reach a point where I grab jars that look right and hope for the best, which is how I ended up with whole artichoke hearts instead of those that were quartered, and didn't notice the mistake until I opened the can, and set about hacking at the vegetables with a knife, cursing my own inattention.

Spanish Chicken
1 3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken bits, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 lb turkey Italian sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 C red bell pepper, chopped
1 C chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 t dried oregano
1/2 to 1 t crushed red pepper
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 can (14 oz) artichoke heart QUARTERS, drained
1 can (4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
3 C hot cooked rice (this can be made toward the end of cooking time.  It goes in bowls, not the pot)

• Mix everything except artichoke hearts, olives and rice in slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours
• Stir in artichoke hearts and olives; heat through.  Serve with rice.

 I also messed up and put the olives in early, but it doesn't matter.

drinkable sandwich

Dad once found a recipe for Cream of Reuben Soup, which I may have mentioned in the past, but I never bothered to actually give you the recipe.  I like to leave 'em wanting more.

Cream of Reuben Soup
6 C chicken broth
3/4 lb cooked corned beef, chopped (you can use the deli meat if you can't get a real corned beef somewhere.  They're easier to find in March)
10 oz can, sauerkraut, drained
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 C chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t dried thyme
1 Bay leaf (or two.  Two works.)
1/4 t ground white pepper (I've never found white pepper, so I just use black pepper.)
1/4 t tarragon
3 T cornstarch mixed with 1/3 C water
2 C (8oz) shredded Swiss
1 C heavy whipping cream
rye bread crumbs, toasted (go with rye croutons.  Chop the bread slices into squares, and toast them in batches on baking sheets in the oven.  Only toast enough to make a meal, because you want them crisp when they top the soup)

• Combine ingredients above from broth to tarragon in large soup pot.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.  Remove bay leaf.

• Combine corn starch and water, and stir smooth.  Stir into soup and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Cook and stir 1 minute.
• Remove from heat.  Add cheese and cream.  Stir until cheese melts.
• Top each serving with toasted rye cubes.

From the very first time Dad and I made this, it has remained one of my favorite recipes.  It's only fair that you have me over to try yours.

long overdue cookies

When I mention I have a cookbook featuring 101 different chocolate chip cookie recipes, compiled from entries in a contest to find the best chocolate chip cookie, I am usually met with expressions of awe and naked greed.  Oddly enough, it wasn't until December 13 of last year (the birthday of a friend of ours) that I finally got around to making the Grand Prize Winner.

Prize-Winning Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 3/4 C flour
1/4 t baking soda
1 C butter, softened
1 t vanilla
1 C granulated sugar
1/2 C dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1/3 C unsweetened cocoa
2 T milk
1 C chopped pecans or walnuts
1 C chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Cream the butter and sugars.  Add vanilla.  Beat in the egg.  Add the cocoa, then the milk.  Beat in flour and baking soda just until blended.  Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
3. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets.  Bake 12-13 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly on sheets before removing to counter or wire rack.

It's what's stewed for dinner

This is one of the recipes the Chief Taster likes to use.  This time, when she suggested beef stew for dinner, I thought that meant I had the night off.  I was wrong.

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew (from an old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook)
2 T flour
12 oz beef stew meat, cut into 3/4" cubes (I have no idea how much beef I used, but I think it was closer to a pound)
2 T cooking oil
3 C vegetable juice
1 C water
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges (I used about half an onion, because I think these older recipes referenced smaller vegetables)
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 t beef bouillon granules
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried marjoram
1/4 t black pepper
1 bay leaf (I used my dad's rule of always adding an extra bay leaf. Nobody died.)
3 C cubed potatoes
1 1/2 C frozen cut green beans
1 C frozen whole kernel corn (instead of looking for these specific frozen vegetables, I used an equal amount of whatever frozen mixed veggies I had handy)
1 C sliced carrots

• Put the flour in a plastic bag or a bowl with a tightly sealing lid.  Add meat cubes, a few at a time, tossing to coat and removing the coated cubes to a large saucepan or Dutch oven with the oil.  You may have to add a little more flour; I did.  Brown meat, drain if necessary, and add vegetable juice, water, onion, Worcestershire sauce, bouillon, bay leaf, and seasonings.  Bring to boiling, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 1-1 1/2 hours, until meat is tender.
• Add potatoes and veggies.  Return to boiling, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer another 30 minutes, until potatoes are done.  Discard bay leaf.  Eat.

Beef stew is meant to be a hearty meal, but for some reason, when I have a hearty meal, I want bread, too.  We didn't have any dinner bread at the time, and I didn't have the time to make any, nor the ambition for biscuits, so I took the easy way out and made some libum.  Libum is one of the oldest existing bread recipes, and my personal favorite for short-notice bread baking, but it's also a post for another time.  For now, suffice to say that if you make libum with gorgonzola cheese, you get green bread.

It's greener without the flash, but it's also too dark to tell it's green with just the overhead light in my kitchen.  Just trust me on this one.