Popovers: from the Kitchen of Patty

I’ve had a popover pan for years. Literally years.

 

I received the pan as a gift from one of our favorite people after he’d spent a summer “nannying” his niece and nephew on the East Coast. They’d made a trip to Acadia National Park where they supposedly serve world-famous popovers - or at least make some extra cash selling popover pans as the perfect souvenir. Of course, I LOVED the gift (if I recall, this particular friend also brought some high-quality, uber crafty beer, a gift we were pleased to receive, yet an area of indulgence we’d yet to foster - a foreshadow of beer love to come I suppose). I was certain I’d be busting out the best popovers in a matter of weeks.

 

However, as time often does, time for my goals/plans/desires eluded me. I found a home for the pan, read over the attached recipe and then forgot all about them or relegated them to the “some-day” pile.

 

Before “some-day” arrived, life was calling us overseas, implying that many of our beloved belongings were to be boxed up, stored and saved for another, yet undetermined life. Fast forward through the Korea years and the settling into business owning life as a Burlington-ites, where this ever-present popover pan sits in my awkward pantry, reminding me of the things I once planned to conquer in the culinary world.

 

A little pantry re-organizing brought the Popover pan back to the forefront of my mind and soon the Popover pan weaseled it’s way into the Culinary Goals of year 2016.

 

I did a bit of Pinterest searching and read up on Popovers. But THEN, I was on the hunt for a recipe box recipe to prepare in January and came across of recipe for Popovers from the kitchen of my dear mother-in-law. I eventually learned that Mike would frequently request Popovers as a reward for good grades, important moments, etc. Thus, with great anticipation I set about preparing the Popovers of Mike’s youth.

 

Fortunately, I’d read up on enough recipes to realize that the recipe, as recorded on the recipe card I had on hand, was short on ingredients and could surely not produce the fluffy, airy, custard-y cup I desired. I compared the recipe card to the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens and quickly realized the missing ingredient was milk, an easy add-in and an easy enough ingredient to add to the recipe card. With ingredients and motivation confirmed, I set about making popovers for the first time.

 

The results were simply perfect. Served hot with melty butter, boysenberry jam and hard chai lattes I understood completely the perks and allure of this simple breakfast item and will not hesitate to throw a batch of these together on future brunch occasions.

 

Ingredients:

 

2 Eggs

1 C. Flour

1 C. Milk

½ tsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. Oil

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 450* F. Generally grease a popover pan or 8-tins of a muffin pan. Beat eggs slightly - add in flour, milk, salt and oil. Fill cups ¾ full and bake for 20 minutes, decrease the oven temperature to 350* F and bake an additional 20 minutes until the custard pops over the tin. Serve warm with butter, jam and/or honey (or plain, because they are simply delicious no matter what!)

 

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White Chocolate Lemon Scones

I always schedule doctor appointments on Tuesdays. Even if I could work half a day, I enjoy the opportunity of lounging around my house and pretending it’s a weekend. So, when I had a late, Tuesday afternoon eye appointment, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to pretend like it was a Saturday. I woke up early enough to indulge in coffee and the joy of baking with fresh lemon juice and zest.

Side note: since living in Laramie and attending the Farmer’s Market there every late spring and summer, I grew a strong affinity for the combination of Lemon and White Chocolate, particularly in bread (if I can throw in a bit of mint, all the better!). One of my favorite indulgences of the Farmer's Market and an eating experience that made my heart do a double heel click was an Artisan Loaf of bread studded with white chocolate chunks, lemon zest and fresh mint. Bread, to me, is the body of Jesus, and White Chocolate Mint bread is nothing short of heavenly.

Thus, when the opportunity to combine these flavors presents itself, I answer with enthusiasm and anticipate the joy that will soon be mine and that of my tastebuds.

My only regret in putting these scones together was the lack of fresh mint I had on hand (I’d recently trimmed off some dead leaves and was awaiting regrowth from my window sill “garden”) Thus, I shall have to schedule yet another doctor's appointment so that I can pack these already delicious morsels with even more delicious goodness.

Recipe adapted from: Ashlee Marie

Ingredients:

4 ½ C. Flour

⅔ C. Sugar

2 Tbsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Salt

Finely grated zest of 2 Lemons (I LOVE using my Pampered Chef Microplane for this!)

6 Tbsp cold Butter, cut into ¼ inch pieces

1 ½ C. Heavy Cream

1 Egg Yolk, beaten slightly

10 Tbsp freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400* F. Sift/Mix together Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder and Salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the Lemon Zest and mix again. Cut in the Butter until mix resembles fine crumbs. Pour in cream, yolk and lemon juice; blend together until the dough holds together. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, knead gently three-to-four times. Create four equal sized balls. Flatten each ball into a disk about ¾ inches thick, then cut into 6 wedges (24 scones in total). Bake in the center of the oven until golden brown, fluffy and delicious, about 16-18 minutes. Enjoy!

 

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Grocery Aisle Challenge: Canned Kadota Figs

I'm not sure if it's fair for my first Grocery Aisle Challenge to make use of an item I definitely purchased in 2015, however, it was an item I'd never used but for which I was forming big plans.

I love figs. Or, everytime I've had something with figs, I've enjoyed it - Newton's, fancy pizza, appetizers, etc. But, truth be told, Wyoming is not a bustling environment for fresh figs - neither the climate nor the population lend themselves to the availability of such delicacies. Thus, the local Albertson's provides them in canned form. I imagine there are some strong opinions on this front, but I'm just here, working with what I've got...

I didn't know that canned figs were an option, but I'm not going to kid you, I was excited to see that I could play around with this seemingly exotic fruit at my own convenience. I conducted numerous searches on Pinterest and Allrecipes until I had determined some of the best foods to pair with these sweet little morsels. Since I had originally purchased the canned figs in hopes of using them on a pizza I continued forth on that path of thinking and opted to create a pizza special which would feature what I had deemed would be the perfect combination of flavors to compliment these Kadota Figs canned in light syrup.

 

The result? The Perfect FIGure. A pizza built on our signature garlic olive oil topped with a five-cheese blend, bacon, caramelized onion, feta cheese, sliced kadota fig and finished with a rich drizzle of balsamic glaze. As we served this particular pizza for a week, I found myself comparing the creation to a super-gussied up version of the beloved Hawaiian style pizza - the sweetness of fruit, saltiness of cured meat and then all the gussiness of deep, rich, classy flavors - for me, it was absolutely impossible to go wrong!

I've never been afraid to experiment with new recipes or ingredients, but it is definitely fun to go to the store with the distinct task of seeking out a new item to be used in a new recipe or a play on a classic recipe. My most recent trip had me gazing at the fresh herb section and lighting up upon seeing lemongrass in a convenient squeeze container...right in the middle of nowhere, Wyoming!

 

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Culinary Goals for 2016

I'm a sucker for goals and to-do lists. I love the process of recording down hopes and goals and going back to look over those lists and seeing what was accomplished, what remains and what no longer captures my fancy.

 

I'm also a sucker for food. I love cooking. Even with a restaurant to manage on a daily basis, I look forward to nothing more than finding the perfect pockets of time to cook at home. Whether that's frequent meals at home on a Tuesday night or the ever lovely Sunday Brunch prior to work at The Burlington Place; I love plotting out new menu items, relying on old favorites, or improving on a concept that I simply enjoy.

 

As the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year began, I was able to put into place a few food routines: menu planning, Tuesday lunches, Tuesday dinner, Sunday Brunch and a weekly crock-pot meal that will feed us in between all of the pizza and beer.

 

So, having conquered a few things to make Abode 212 Kitchen feel a little more reflective of 519 Kitchen, I began plotting some Culinary Goals for 2016. These can be broken down into a few sections:

 

Things I've Never Made, but Want to...

Ever have those moments where you realize you've never made this or that, but you have no good excuse. It's not something intimidating, others have conquered the item numerous times, you yourself just haven't gotten around to it...yeah, I have that moment a lot and sometimes it's embarassing. These are the things I'm looking forward to making for, surprisingly, the first time in my culinary career:

 

• Meatballs
• Mustard
• Ketchup
• Stuffed Shells
• Prime Rib
• Leg of Lamb
• Popovers
• Skillet Cookie
• Lattice/Decorative Pie Crusts
• Bagels

 

Recurring "challenges" to Hone my Skills and Bring me Joy...

 

I like the idea of throwing in some new ingredients to my regular cooking routine, a la Chopped. There are also some items that I know can be done numerous ways and I simply want to master the basics and then go crazy playing around with flavor variations. In particular, I'm hoping to attempt:

 

• A monthly brûlée, in part, I just want to own a torch. But, I also think Creme Brûlée is 100% decadent and has so many variations that make me swoon, so I think I'm going to focus some energy in that direction
• Grocery Aisle Challenge. Every grocery trip will be much more exciting if I challenge myself to grab one new item each visit. I'll choose from a different aisle every time and let my imagination or hearts desires lead me to the next greatest meal.
• Montly Recipe/Menu Planning Check List: One recipe per month will be from the following; a magazine, a cook book, Pinterest and my recipe box

 

Embrace Being "Green" and Retro...

 

A few kitchen goals are among those things which I've wanted to do for a long time and I'm feeling like this just might be the year to do them, they all seem a bit reflective of "green" trends and the things grandparents did, so green and retro, here we go!:

 

• Compost! I really, REALLY want to beg my husband to build a composter or buy one, it's just time to get something of the sort going
• Grow/Maintain more herbs and greens for regular use in recipes; things that can be grown inside all year as well as a few good garden concepts
• Conquer some new preserves --- specifically Wine Jelly. Also, consider submitting something (such as preserves) into the county fair, because that is clearly retro!

 

Research and Development...

 

• The research (and purchase) of a grill is on the list of priorities so that as spring rolls around and summer sets in we can eat the best foods outside, perfectly cooked and easily shared. We have a dreamy backyard space and a decent stock pile of beef, two reasons we need to hone in our grilling skills.
• I very distinctly remember eating a Chocolate Cake in Daejeon, South Korea that was consistenly perfect, left me on the verge of tears and never disappointed. I need to have a comparable go-to in my repertoire, because if food is so good it brings you near tears, that's a sign of a life being well lived.
• In leiu of discovering the perfect Chcoolate Cake, I want to organize a list/recipe collection of my "go-to" items. A couple Thanksgivings ago I mastered a Rumchata Cheesecake that's delectable! It's a go-to holiday dessert, but I'd love to have a few other go-to items for those potluck situations that don't have me eager to try something new, sometimes, I just want the tried-and-true stand-by (but in my world of hyper-food-creativitiy, that's a bit tricky).

 

 

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Lombardy Risotto with Zucchini

I feel I have too much experience in the kitchen to not have tried out a Risotto until I was 27 years old...but the truth is, I had never made a Risotto until this very year.

And there's always been a lot of hype regarding Risottos.

And now I get it.
I totally get it!

Freaking. Delicious. Nuff. Said.

Confession:

Growing up, a common weeknight meal centered around pan-fried meat, a canned veggie and box of either Rice-A-Roni or Pasta-Roni.

Risotto is like Rice-A-Roni. On steroids. With pizzazz. And without preservatives.

Every bite was a heavenly reminder of what childhood family dinner was...or could have been.

(Honestly, not complaining - I had the luxury of consistent meals, AT HOME...WITH MY FAMILY, that's pretty awesome and my parents actually taught me a lot about cooking and loving food, so more power to a box of Rice-A-Roni!)

Ingredients/Directions: 
From  Cuisine of the Alps

Remove stems from 3 small Zucchini and slice thinly. In a large skillet melt 2 Tbsp. Butter over medium high heat. Add the zucchini slices, saute 2-3 minutes until golden. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add 2 more Tbsp. Butter and saute 1/2 cup minced Onions and 1-2 cloves of crushed Garlic for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup short-grain Rice, saute until grains become golden. Pour in 2 cups of Broth. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Add 1 more cup of Broth, the zuchini, and 1 cup finely chopped Parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until all the liquid is absorbed. Add remaining 1 cup of Broth. Continue cooking a little longer, until the rice is just tender. Stir in the remaining 1 Tbsp. Butter and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese. Serve while still moist and creamy.

Avocado Salad with Bacon Dressing

So, something I wanted to do with all of our foods this year was include foods with aphrodisiac qualities - I apologize if you didn't really want to know that about me or us, but it's the truth of how I went about planning this meal. So I conducted some research and discovered loads of great recipes, including this recipe for Avocado Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing.

Interestingly enough, we had filled up on all the other dishes of the night and didn't have room for this one one top of stuffed peppers, slices of bread topped with apples and brie, stuffed figs and wrapped asparagus. So, it became the following days lunch. And it was oh-so-delicious.

Ingredients/Directions: 

The Avocado salad is easy, just thickly slice an Avocado.

For the dressing, you'll need to cook 1/3 lb. Bacon in a large skillet and let cool/drain on paper towels. This isn't the time for soft, chewy bacon, you definitely want it to be a bit crisp. Now, you'll need to save at least 2 Tbsp. of Bacon Fat for the dressing, although, if you just pour it all into a glass jar or tin can, you could save it up and make delicious things like Tortillas...or even cookies, but that's up to you.

Heat the bacon grease in a small sauce pan and add 1-3 cloves of minced Garlic (three is REALLY strong, but that's what the original recipe calls for - so adjust as desired), 1/4 cup Water, 2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice (or Homemade Vinegar...or not homemade) and 1 Tbsp. Sugar, simmer until sugar is dissolved.

Season with Salt and Pepper and stir in 2 Tbsp. of chopped Parsley.

Drizzle over Avocados and ENJOY!

Pancetta and Puff Pastry Wrapped Asparagus

And then we made these.

And they were DELICIOUS.

Step 1: Steam the Asparagus
Step 2: Roll our Puff Pastry, sprinkle with salt, pepper and Parmesan. Slice. (enough strips per stalk of Asparagus.

Step 3: Wrap Asparagus in Pancetta.
Step 4: Wrap Pancetta wrapped Asparagus in Puff Pastry.
Step 5: Brush with Egg Wash and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Step 6: Bake at 325 (or whatever is recommended by the puff pastry package) until golden.
Step 7: Enjoy...there's no other choice.

Feta Stuffed Figs Wrapped in Bacon

So...if you haven't caught on yet, out annual Valentine's Meal was a showcase of appetizers which we ate in various courses starting with the Apple Brie Bread and Feta Stuffed Peppers.

Next, we started on some meaty, bacon-wrapped dishes such as these delicious morsels.

Figs, stuffed with Feta, wrapped in Bacon - easy as it sounds.

Bake at 425 until the bacon is fully cooked.

Feta Stuffed Cherry Peppers

For one of our first "Valentine Dinner Extravaganza's" we made these spicy, flavorful little morsels and were not, at all, bummed to make them a second time.

They're vinegary, pickly, not-to-spicy, refreshing and creamy.

They are easy.

The original recipe suggests Peppadews, but our lack of grocer options have lead to our using Cherry Peppers.

Once you have your pickled peppers there are just a few steps:

Step 1: Remove seeds from peppers.
Step 2: Remove seeds from one cucumber and dice.
Step 3: Place 2-3 cucumber cubes in the shell of each pepper.
Step 4: Stuff remaining space of the pepper with Feta cheese.
Step 5: Place in mouth, bite down and enjoy!

Apple and Brie Toasts

One of our all time favorite food combinations is Apples + Brie.

Occassionally, we'll buy a round of brie, dice up some apples, sprinkle the apples with cinnamon and nutmeg, surround the brie by the seasoned apples - bake and dig in with a baguette.

Want something that required an ounce less chopping but held the same flavors - we put this together for annual "Valentine's Dinner Cooking Extravaganza".

Sliced bread.
Topped with sliced apples.
Sprinkled with Cinnamon.
Topped with sliced brie.
Baked for 10-ish minutes until cheese is melty.

Easy Peasy and Absolutely delicious!

Refried Chili

Extended Shelf Life: Avocado

Because sometimes, even when you take crappy photos, the dish was worth documenting and making a little reminder to yourself that quick meals can be delicious and can even incorporate canned foods you'd rather not admit are in your pantry ;)

So, if you find yourself hungry with a pile of tomatoes, a few ripe avocados, a can of refried beans, a block of bream cheese, a can of tomato sauce and a ice cube of roasted jalapenos, rest assured that cooked together, served on top of Fritos with cheese and fresh avocado - it will yield a meal that you can easily enjoy.

Orange Liquor

Extended Shelf Life: Oranges (peels specifically)

Remember how we dived a bunch of oranges?

It's lead to exciting creations such as Orange Marmalade and Tangerine Salsa.

But this round of dumpster diving and experimenting has lead me to explore the art of using the entire fruit or vegetable. To find ways to use peels and scraps, pulp and cores. 

Vinegar has been a life saver for this.

So is making home-made stock.

But, obviously, in our house, we also enjoy a good Alcohol experiment or two what with the brewing and all.

So, with more peels than I could handle, I figured it was time to soak some in Vodka and see what I could create.

Based on this recipe, I went forth with a simple experiment which basically involved soaking a large handful of tangerine peels in the Vodka from one 750 ml bottle for a couple of weeks. I think made a simple syrup with water and sugar, added it to the tangerine Vodka and we ended up with a sickly sweet bottle of Orange Liquor which turns out makes a fabulous drink when poured over lime ice cubes.

So there you have it! Just another way to use up things you'd otherwise trash, candy or compost!

Pizza Experiment #6: Kimchi Pizza with Bacon on a Beer Bread Crust

This is a dearly beloved brain-child of mine which I believe will have only a handful of lovers, yet for me, it is worth it!

I've lived in South Korea. I've mastered the art of making and fermenting Kimchi. And now I'm bringing the two worlds - East and West - together in a truly delectable fashion.

I was pleased with this pizza experiment. And truth be told, so were our guests (all family...who did visit us in South Korea). Definitely something that has potential to be a 'signature' dish.

And, I tried out another Beer Crust, with much success!

Raised Beer Bread Pizza Crust:

You can either throw these ingredients into your bread machine per bread machine directions (our machine requires wet ingredients on bottom). Or you can follow these simple directions:

Mix together 4 cups Flour, 2 1/2 tsp. Active Yeast, 1 tsp. Baking Powder, and 1 1/2 tsp. Salt. Add to these dry ingredients 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil and 1 1/2 cups Beer, mix together.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead about 10-15 minutes.

Place in lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise until about doubled 2-3 hours. Proceed as with other crusts.

For the 'sauce', I heated up a bit of Sesame Oil before tossing in some fermented Kimchi, Soy Sauce and Go-ju-chang (Korean red pepper paste). This was then spread on the crust, topped with Mozzarella Cheese and Green Onions.

Definitely unique and ultimately, delicious!

Pizza Experiment #7: Bacon, Mushroom and Green Onion on a Quick Beer Bread Crust

Extended Shelf Life for: Bacon, Tomato, Mushrooms

Interesting piece of information: On Facebook I follow a few different Pizzeria's. On the day I set out to create this pizza, one of these pizzeria's posted that the daily special was...you guessed it! A Bacon, Mushroom and Green Onion Pizza - with RED SAUCE! Unbelievable!

Anyway, I made the sauce from scratch, using the same recipe as did for Pizza Experiment #2.

I placed that sauce on top a new crust:

Quick Beer Bread Crust:

Preheat oven to 450.

Mix together 3 cups Flour, 1 Tbsp. Baking Powder and 1/2 tsp. Salt.

Slowly mix in 12 oz. Flat Beer, dough will be sticky.

Knead the dough on a floured surface. Split dough for thin crust or use as one thick crust pizza, roll out, top and bake!

From there, all I had to do was add the Toppings:

Bacon, Mushrooms, Green Onion and Mozzarella Cheese!

Easy-peasy and delicious to boot!

Detox Juice: Carrot and Apple

Just another week of trying out the juice detox. We've enjoyed the detox...kind of, more like, the day after a detox is quite nice, but the actual day of detox leaves us with a headache and ready to retire to bed early and STARVING the next day.

Regardless, Carrots and Apples are a good juice combination whether your detoxing or just want a fresh cup of juice.

Pizza Experiment #5: Spinach Artichoke Dip Inspired

If you're going to choose to experimenting with one thing or another, you really can't go wrong with Pizza! We've enjoyed loads of pizza experiments and I think I'm getting better and coming up with ideas as well as critiquing each pizza.

I didn't love this sauce, but also knew from the beginning that I wouldn't recreate in the exact same way, ever again. I would have liked to use only Cream Cheese for the 'sauce', but I had some plain yogurt that need to be moved out of the refrigerator, therefore, it went into the mix...and then I had to pile it on, not entirely ideal. Regardless of all the small things I would change given the opportunity, I truly enjoyed this pizza pie and will continue to work with this concept.

Pizza Crust: Bread Machine

Using the bread machine to prepare the dough for pizza crust is an easy way to ensure proper rising, etc.

According to manufacturer recommendation place the following items into your bread machine:

1 1/2 cups Water, 1/4 cup Olive Oil, 3 1/2 cups Flour, 1 Tbsp. Sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. Salt and 2 tsp. Yeast.

Set to dough cycle. Upon cycle completion divide dough based on number of desired pizzas. Flatten each ball and knead a few times, cover with a damp towel for 30 minutes until dough has increased by 20 percent. Roll out and prepare as desire

Toppings: Spinach Artichoke Inspired

Spread crust with a whipped, softened Cream Cheese. Top with Pan Cooked Chicken, Artichoke Hearts, Spinach, Mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake at 450 for 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbly. Enjoy as part of a budding Family Pizza Night tradition.

White Chocolate Orange No-Bake Cookies

Extended Shelf Life for: Oranges

With the raging success of my Cookies and Cream No-Bake Cookies, and my undying love with kitchen experiments AND the open field for experimenting with No-Bake cookies (seriously, why aren't there more variations?) I'm on the go with new and exciting ways to enjoy a no-bake cookie which, excitedly are gluten free, making them a great go-to for potlucks and other events where all my dear GF friends may be present.

These White Chocolate Orange No-Bake Cookies are, without a doubt, delectable and delicious and a variation on no-bakes that will please many a palate, especially if you happen to have a non-chocolate loving friend, such as I do.

If you have happened by these cookies after already enjoying the Cookies and Cream No-Bake, I hope you'll find this variation just as enjoyable!

Ingredients/Directions:

In a medium saucepan melt 1/2 cup Butter, 1/2 cup Milk and 1 3/4 cups Sugar together. Once mixture has come together remove from heat and stir in 1 bag of White Chocolate Chips until melted. Stir in 3 Tbsp. Orange Marmalade, 1 Tbsp. Fresh Orange Zest and 1 tsp. Vanilla. Add about 3 cups of Rolled Oats, add additional oats until mixture is thick and each oat is covered. Drop by the teaspoon or tablespoon full onto wax paper covered cookie sheets, refrigerate overnight or for 1-2 hours. Enjoy!

Cheese and Onion Enchiladas

Extended Shelf Life for: Onions

With fresh, Bacon Fat Tortillas, ready to go, it was time to kick a Mexican food craving in the rear and enjoy some home-made enchiladas. These guys were not even close to being a disappointment! Only bummer of the whole meal was not having enough Chile Powder to make this enchilada sauce correctly, regardless, a few extra shakes of Cayenne Pepper and a short prayer were all that was needed to thoroughly enjoy this weeknight meal.

Ingredients/Directions:

Spread a bit of Enchilada Sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan (or have two square pans ready to go) then begin filling each tortilla with a small handful of Onions (sauteed if that's your preference - we're not opposed to raw, so I left them that way), Cheese and a touch of Enchilada Sauce. Arrange tortillas in the pan, once it's full spread remaining Enchilada Sauce over the top, sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cheese is melty and sauce is bubbly. Enjoy!

Bacon Fat Tortillas

Extended Shelf Life for: Bacon Fat

When the Bacon Delivery-Man had the misfortune of dumping his good near Laramie and the towns people enjoyed the gift of free bacon, I decided it was 100% necessary to look into saving bacon fat and what possibilities may be had.

There were many recommendations to use the delicious fat to fry up eggs, add flavor to beans and grease various pans depending on the dish.

Knowing that the best tortillas are in fact made with lard, I opted to throw some of my refrigerated bacon grease into a double batch of tortillas and quite satisfied with the results!

Ingredients/Directions:
From The Joy of Cooking

This recipe is for a single batch, although I doubled my batch with no problems.

Mix together 2 cups Flour, 1 tsp. Baking Powder, 1 tsp. Salt, 1/4 cup Bacon Fat and 3/4 cups Hot Water. Knead (or mix with dough hook) until  dough is smooth. Divide dough into 8 equal parts, let set for 20 minutes, covered.

Roll out each dough ball into a 6-8 inch tortilla.

Heat a large non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Cook about 30 seconds on the first side, 15 seconds on second side until bubbly, browned and delicious looking! Enjoy as is or with your favorite filling.

Tangerine Salsa

Extended Shelf Life for: Tangerines, Tomatoes, Onions, Jalapenos

We've been eating tangerines, cuties, oranges with great frequency.

I've begun a major research project regarding what to do with all of the peels and have made dishes such as Avocado-Orange Pasta, pints of Orange Marmalade, Candied Orange Peels and of course Fresh Orange Juice (with a few other veggies and fruits thrown in).

But after all of these dishes...I still had fruit to use up.

So, with a taco night in the works for church, I decided to do up a batch of tangerine salsa and the results were quite tasty indeed!

Ingredients/Directions:
Adapted from Appetite for China

Roughly chop 8-10 Tangerines, 2-3 Roma Tomatoes, 1 Red Onion and 1 Jalapeno. Mix together, toss in the juice of 1 Lime. Season with Salt and Cumin.