Record Time

Last night, I cranked out dinner in record time! We had somewhere to go, and we weren't going to eat until late if I didn't get something on the table before we had to go. I had defrosted burgers, but a plain burger on a plain bun wasn't all that appealing to me at the time...so I worked somethin' out!!

I started by throwing some bacon slices into a cast iron pan, allowing them to start cooking while I gathered some other ingredients from around my kitchen! I pulled out a bag of chopped cabbage slaw mix, some very ripe (over-ripe? maybe.) avocados, a shallot, and two rogue slices of provolone cheese that I had left over from the Cubano I made last week. While I was gathering these things, my husband went outside and harvested some arugula from our garden! Okay, that's what I've got. Here's what I made:

I crumbled some of the bacon into the mixture of cabbage slaw and tossed it with a light ranch dressing - instant side dish of flavorful cole slaw! I put the burgers in the pan that I cooked the bacon in, allowing the meat to soak up some of that bacon flavor while it cooked. Meanwhile, I placed the buns under the broiler to toast, and mashed up those "very ripe" avocados with a minced shallot. I used the avocado mixture on each side of the bun, topping it with the burger (topped with melted Provolone), bacon slices and arugula leaves. 

The prep was minimal, the idea was simple, and the outcome was delicious! There's always something to be made with what you've got lying around the house, so put your thinkin' caps on and get cookin'! Dinner was literally on the table in under 15 minutes, and I have to say, I think I even impressed my husband. "Dinner's ready...already???" he yelled from the garden in our backyard. Haha, yup!

A Mexican Fiesta ... in the Dark

Well, Irene really came through this weekend! I would have written yesterday, and also worked on the website, but we didn't have internet for most of the day! So, while we did take an imaginary journey across the border to Mexico, there was no internet to relay it to you, my faithful readers. But the internet is back, the power is back, and ... I'm back! My thoughts go out to all who are still recovering from the storm, and fingers crossed that everyone gets their power back as soon as possible!

While the power was out yesterday afternoon, I made some guacamole to start off our fiesta. You don't need any heat to make this, and it was a nice snack to munch on while we did a crossword puzzle in the most well-lit room of our home. Guacamole is totally easy to make and I have a few secrets that you won't find in many recipes. Most recipes call for avocados, tomatoes, onions, garlic, lime juice, some salt, and optionally, some cilantro and jalapenos. A few weeks ago, we had friends over for some grillin', and I didn't have an onion for guacamole, so I used a shallot. Oh my goodness, what a wonderful addition of flavor. Shallots are a sweeter, more mild form of onion, and I loved the way it changed the flavor of the dish. That's my new secret, I will always use shallots instead of regular white onions in my guacamole from now on! I have a flavored salt that has red chili pepper flakes mixed into it, so I used that to season the guacamole because I love the spice that it adds, without having to chop up a jalapeno. Once all of the ingredients are in a bowl, just mash 'em together with a fork...just mash it all up until it's a consistency that you like. I tend to like mine a bit more on the chunky side. If you want it totally smooth, put it into a food processor for a minute!

I waited a bit to cook the main course since I wanted to have light to cook. We do have a gas stove, and I could have cooked in the dark, but...I figured I'd give it a little time and hope that the lights came on...and they did! I got down to work cleaning my shrimp. I bought them with the heads on because they were $5 cheaper per pound than the cleaned shrimp, and I really don't mind the little bit of extra work. I was making a shrimp dish with a creamy almond sauce, accompanied by some jasmine rice. I squeezed some lime juice into the water I added to the rice cooker to give it a little zing, and set the rice to cook. Meanwhile, I had some onions, and garlic sweating in a pan. Once they were softened, I added tomatoes that I had peeled, seeded and chopped, as well as some minced jalapeno to the pan. After it had cooked for about 10 minutes, I pureed the mixture in a food processor, and returned it to the skillet. I added some ground almonds, and then stirred in some creme fraiche. My cooked shrimp was then stirred into the mix and I heated everything through together.

from Flickr - by kyle tsui

This was a very good representation of traditional Mexican food. It wasn't the greasy, Americanized version of Mexican food, but a really hearty, filling and flavorful meal that didn't leave me feeling heavy and gross. I served it with the lime-infused rice, and topped it all off with a bunch of yummy, crunchy scallions. I think I would have benefited from making a nice salad of some sort. Something with corn kernels would have complimented nicely. While the menu mentions a Cafe con Leche for dessert, it was a bit late for coffee by the time dinner made it to the table, so I opted to skip it this time around.