Steak and Olives

When I was a kid, one of my favorite meals was something my mom cooked in the electric skillet called “Steak N Olives”. She served it over rice, although I prefer egg noodles today.

I don’t have an electric skillet, so I’ve had to make some changes to the recipe, but this is so good, it’s worth the wait.

Green Enchiladas, Las Cruces Style

I grew up on the Mexican border, and so for me enchiladas are a certain thing: They consist of three or more tortillas dipped in red chile (enchilada sauce), laid flat on a plate, with cheese and onion sprinkled between each layer and on top. Enchiladas are not a casserole. Only gringos eat them with meat in them.

So I was never a big fan of the “green chile chicken enchilada” which I feel came from somewhere NOT along the border (outer space, perhaps?). Then I had lunch at My Brother’s Place, a crazy good Mexican food restaurant in Las Cruces. I went to school with one of the brothers’ kids. She always said he was a good cook. She was right!

His green enchiladas were just what I had always wanted, and my version is worth going out and buying the kinds of chile I need to make it work.

Every Day is Earth Day

Originally posted on Creation's Song:

I can remember being pretty little–four, five maybe. Digging my fingers into the dirt in my mother’s garden, my sisters pudgy hands playing right next to mine, her face (and likely mine as well) covered in streaks of mud. We “helped”, you know. Helped with the planting, helped with the weeding, with the harvest.

In those days, the farm was about 40 acres of horses, steers, cotton, and alfalfa with a little garden patch. As multi-generational agriculturists, my family was somewhat offended by the idea of Earth Day. In our world, where the land and the animals were a sacred trust, every day was earth day.

People who live in cities think they know more about how to protect the world than farmers and I will admit that the two or three corporate farms in America are not really doing their part. But the real farmers and ranchers, the men…

Read the rest here

More Blogroll

I’m adding to my blogroll–more food, some fun, and some of the stuff that turns my brain on. Enjoy.

Buffalo Wings

This was so simple, it was almost criminal. I didn’t have everything an online recipe called for, so I made this up from what I actually had in the kitchen. Through trial and error, I also discovered that one coat of the breading cooked up nicer and tasted better than two coats (as I would do for fried chicken).

Experiments in Gardening for the Green Thumb Impaired

We’ve reached stage 2 of the gardening experiment and I am thrilled to report there has been movement and change! Which, considering it’s a garden, seems to be the point.

Peanut Butter Drops or Bars

I have tried to steer clear of white sugar and corn syrup for nearly 10 years now (having been diagnosed with chronic fatigue, it’s the only thing I’ve found that helps me keep my energy levels up). But sometimes I really crave something sweet!

So when we were kids, we had this great peanut butter candy recipe that used tons of sugar AND corn syrup, and then added already sweetened peanut butter. But I don’t have any of those things in my house. What I have is…

Homemade Hamburger Help...er, Packaged Dinner

I never remember to buy those expensive package meals, but I bet I can come up with something just as good (better?) on my own. So what’s in the kitchen?

Bringing up Baby--Carrots, That Is!

No new food today–lunch was pretty boring: a leftover hamburger patty mixed in with some mac and cheese.

Instead, I’m bringing pix of the soon to be vegetable garden!

The Great Easter Hamburger

I wish I remembered to take a picture when I concocted this afternoon’s non-traditional but totally delectable Great Easter Hamburger.

Whatever was in the kitchen was not enough, so I actually headed out to the produce department for some extras. I’ve been craving a great burger and today I got exactly what I wanted!

A Word About Gravy

Gravy. Mmmmmm….one of the centerpieces of my cooking repertoire. Good “white” gravy is a thing of beauty, but most gravy is a sad reminder that most people and restaurants would rather just use a mix.

Since I pretty much always have the stuff you need for gravy in the house, it’s a go-to when I am going to be a lazy cook. Fry up some bacon? Make gravy. Fried chicken? Make gravy. Have extra bread? Make gravy.

And, if I might crow for a moment: I make DANG GOOD GRAVY!! So what’s the secret? Rue.

No, not the character in The Hunger Games. Rue is a really basic cooking trick that can serve as a base for lots of good stuff (like homemade mac & cheese). Here’s what you need:

Italian Sausage with Tomato Sauce and Linguini

The other night we scoured the cabinets and freezer, and came up with the following: