OMGSNAX!

one of the good things about staying at daniel’s house (vs mine) is that he has digital cable, which for us translates to: law & order reruns, dirty jobs on the discovery channel, & unlimited access to our hero alton brown on the food network. sometimes we also watch rachael ray, mostly b/c she just has to be 100% trashed during the course of whatever show it is that she’s filming.

last night, we watched an episode of 30 minute meals while waiting for brian potts to show up (he never did) & rachael did one of her late-night, just-gonna-throw-stuff-together meals. one of the dishes was this bread gnocchi, which looked really good — good enough to try tonight!

INGREDIENTS
8 slices day old, good quality italian bread
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 cups tomato sauce
3 small plum tomatoes, seeded & chopped
several fresh basil leaves, torn
2 cups shredded mozzarella, smoked mozzarella, or provolone cheese

METHOD
preheat broiler.

heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. chop bread into bite size pieces. add extra-virgin olive oil, butter & garlic to the skillet. melt butter into oil then add the bread. season the bread with salt & pepper. toss & cook the bread 7 to 8 minutes then add the tomato sauce & fresh tomatoes. turn to coat & warm the tomato sauce, 3 to 4 minutes. remove the bread gnocchi & tomatoes from heat and transfer to a casserole dish, top with basil then cover the dish with cheese. place the casserole under the broiler & cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese browns & bubbles. serve immediately.

DEVIATIONS & OBSERVATIONS
since we threw it all together sort of last minute, i didn’t have any fresh basil or plum tomatoes — so, those two steps were eliminated. additionally, there’s the issue of not being able to use the oven & stove at the same time (without tripping the circuit breakers), so i wound up melting the cheese right in the pot with the sauce-covered bread chunks (as rachael did during the episode). it was ok. i left the good mozz at home, sadly, & had to work with a combination of shredded mozz & romano cheeses — not nearly as satisfying.

basically, it was one of those meals where you scour the pantry looking for a few things you can put together to eat, & it worked. daniel, sarah, & i ate it while watching Payback, & we finished it all, but ok: it’s bread in tomato sauce with cheese. like, just have a pizza, ok? seriously: if it’s that late at night & you’re that lazy, order a pizza or heat up a frozen one. pretty much the same concept.

 

 

 

“Bread ‘Gnocchi’ with Tomato & Basil” from 30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray

chili was daniel’s idea for our weekly dinner at his house last night — fairly easy, good for winter, feeds a lot of people. it sounded pretty good to me, too, so we pulled a couple recipes off the internet & out of cookbooks & intended to wing it when caroline reminded me that her mom makes a delicious vegetarian chili. one phone call later, we were on our way to get the surprisingly few ingredients in this chili recipe!

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1-28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can each kidney beans, pinto beans, & black beans, drained & rinsed
1-10 oz can enchilada sauce
1 teaspoon oregano

METHOD
in a large stockpot, sauté onion & bell pepper in oil. add remaining ingredients. bring to a boil & then reduce heat to medium-low. simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes.

DEVIATONS & OBSERVATIONS
added: a second bell pepper, some carrots, a jalapeno. eliminated: all black beans (which daniel decided was somehow blasphemy). substitued: diced tomatoes for crushed (a mistake).

this is an easy recipe to double, which i did in anticipation of a larger than usual dinner crowd — most of whom were sadly no-shows. it tasted just fine, although it wasn’t spicy enough by far — i should’ve considered a spicier version of the enchilada sauce. the consistency was a little soupier than i generally like, & it didn’t reduce down despite simmering for an hour or so. my mom’s chili was always more robust, although hers was basically like eating spicy meat sauce with oyster crackers since no one in my family liked beans when i was a kid. i probably shouldn’t have subsituted out the crushed tomatoes — maybe the chili would’ve been a little less chunky/brothy, a little thicker.

we ate it with cornbread (made from a mix) & saltines, & everyone who ate it gave it top marks, so maybe i’m just nitpicking. if i make it again, though, some changes will be made.

 

 

“3-Bean Enchilada Chili” from caroline’s mom.

i didn’t start out planning to make four new recipes (plus an old favorite); i thought i’d just do enchiladas & use a jarred salsa, but then i read the fresh salsa recipe & figured i could throw it together. i also happened to have a couple avocados about to go bad, & i’d been intrigued by the cheese dip since i first saw the recipe. the brownies were a totally last-minute addition, as i realized that brian potts would eat all our newly-purchased ice cream if i didn’t come up with an alternate dessert item. he has the tendency to descend upon a refrigerator like a swarm of locusts, leaving nothing behind but a lid spinning idly in his wake.

yes, sundays have apparently become family dinner plus cartoons at daniel’s house, & i don’t object to that (although a little dish-washing help would be greatly appreciated, wieners!).

INGREDIENTS: ENCHILADAS
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or another high smoke-point oil such as peanut or canola oil)
12 corn tortillas
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup salsa (see below)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup water
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted)
olive oil
1 pound mild cheddar or longhorn or any mild yellow cheese, grated
a handful of cilantro
1 cup sour cream
half a head iceberg lettuce

METHOD
preheat oven to 350 F.

in a large fry pan at high heat add grapeseed oil. add a tortilla to the pan. cook for 2-3 seconds, lift up the tortilla with a spatula, add another tortilla underneath. cook for 2-3 seconds, lift again, both tortillas, & add another tortilla underneath. repeat the process with all the tortillas, adding a little more oil if needed. this way you can brown & soften the tortillas without using a lot of fat. you do this process to develop the flavor of the tortillas. as the tortillas brown a little, remove from the pan one by one to rest on a paper towel, which absorbs any excess fat.

sauté up the onion & garlic, then turn off the heat. add 1 cup of salsa. dissolve tomato paste into water, add to pan. add crushed tomatoes. if the sauce tastes too vinegary, add a teaspoon of sugar.

put some olive oil on the bottom of a large casserole pan. take a tortilla, cover 2/3 of it lightly with the shredded cheese, then roll up the tortilla & place it in the casserole pan. continue until all tortillas are filled & rolled. add sauce to the top of the tortillas in the the casserole pan. make sure all are covered with the sauce. if not, add a little water. cover the whole thing with the rest of the grated cheese. put the casserole in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

garnish with cilantro & sour cream. serve with sliced iceberg lettuce that has been dressed only with vinegar & salt.

INGREDIENTS: SIMPLE SALSA
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted (reserve juice)
1 7-oz can green chiles, chopped (or 1 large anaheim chile, roasted, peeled, stemmed, & seeded)
1 clove garlic, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/4 dried oregano
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
salt & pepper

METHOD
remove just the tomatoes from the can of whole tomatoes, place in a medium sized non-reactive mixing bowl. using your fingers, or a fork & a sharp small knife, shred or break up the tomatoes.

mix in chopped green chiles, green onions, garlic (or garlic salt), olive oil, & vinegar. add back in about 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce from the can of whole tomatoes. sprinkle in oregano. add cilantro, & salt & pepper to taste. refrigerate.

INGREDIENTS: PERFECT GUACAMOLE
2 ripe avocados
1/2 red onion, minced
1-2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, & minced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
a dash of freshly grated black pepper
1/2 ripe tomato, seeds & pulp removed, chopped

METHOD
cut avocados in half. remove seed. ccoop out avacado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl.

using a fork, mash the avocado. add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt, & pepper, & mash some more. chile peppers vary individually in their hotness. so, start with a half of one chile pepper & add to the guacamole to your desired degree of hotness. be careful handling the peppers; wash your hands thoroughly after handling & do not touch your eyes or the area near your eyes with your hands for several hours.

keep the tomatoes separate until ready to serve.

cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. refrigerate until ready.

just before serving, add the chopped tomato to the guacamole & mix.

INGREDIENTS: EL AZTECO CHEESE DIP
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 ounces monterey jack cheese, grated
2 ounces muenster cheese, grated
fresh garlic, crushed
2 jalapeno peppers, minced (or to taste)
2 tablespoons minced green onion

METHOD
combine cottage cheese, sour cream, & cheeses. add garlic, peppers, & green onion; mix well. refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

INGREDIENTS: AWESOME BROWNIES
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups chocolate chips
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

METHOD
preheat oven to 350F.

combine dry ingredients in a small bowl; set aside. in a medium saucepan, heat butter, water, & sugar over medium/medium-high heat till small bubbles form. remove from heat, add 1 cup of chocolate chips, stirring till smooth. add eggs & vanilla. add dry ingredients. add remaining cup of chocolate chips. pour into a well-greased 9×9″ baking pan & bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

DEVIATIONS & OBSERVATIONS
started off with the salsa. easy enough. even dealing with hot peppers barely intimidates me anymore (although, after the pimiento pepper incident of mind-boggling nose-related pain, i’m still VERY careful about what i do with my hands) (& for the record, i learned on the food network that water promotes the spread of the oils in hot peppers while dairy products help neutralize them, so putting a wet washcloth on my nose after i rubbed it with pepper fingers was probably the WORST thing to do — should’ve just smeared on a little ice cream!).

homemade salsa

moved on to the el az cheese dip, which i ganked from my friend leanna, who says, “they tried so hard to guard the recipe from piracy, but when you hire a bunch of stoners to cook your food, word is going to leak. this is seriously the best chip dip ever.” i hit a snag with the muenster cheese, which the woman at the deli counter sliced before i had a chance to ask her to give me a block of it, so i just cut it into thin strips on the cutting board & hoped for the best.

pre-mixing

post-mixing

the guacamole was next. i make guac all the time, but what that usually entails is mashed avocado, a couple tablespoons of salsa (to taste), a little chopped garlic, & a splash of whatever citrus juice i have (in order of preference: lime, lemon, orange). the avocados i already had were a little overripe, but the ones at the store were hard as rocks, so i used what i had. & by the way, the key to picking out a good avocado is one that’s got a little give to it, but not TOO much. (i learned this from a girl in the produce department at wild oats the first time i made guacamole from scratch with caroline, back when we used to do weekly family dinners with phil & laurel.) i used a jalapeno instead of a serrano chile as i was afraid no one would enjoy it if it was too spicy.

homemade guacamole

next up: brownies. i’ve made this recipe so many times that i could probably do it in my sleep. my mom used to make these when i was in middle school, & my friends janice & jennifer gave them the appelation “awesome brownies” — it’s just a standard tollhouse recipe, i think. the one innovation my mom came up with was the best way to get the brownies out of the pan. she actually greases the pan, then puts down a layer of waxed paper, then greases the waxed paper — otherwise, the brownies are pretty hard to get out. (i used parchment paper, which was a snap.)

homemade guacamole

while the brownies were in the oven & the various chip dips were in the fridge, i got started on the enchiladas. valerie & sarah grated the cheese while i made the enchilada sauce & fried up the tortillas.

enchilada sauce

val & sarah

before reading the recipe, i thought this might be kind of a challenging dish — & i bet cooking with meat adds an element of difficulty — but really? SO EASY. i didn’t bother with the garnish or the iceberg lettuce, but i’m sure that’d be fairly easy to throw together.

rolled-up enchiladas

my plate

eating at OMGSNAXFEST ‘06: daniel, brian potts, val, bart, sarah, & me. dave joined us for brownies.

bart & brian: boys with beards, eating & watching The Simpsons

the enchiladas wouldn’t have fed all six of us had the chips & dips not been available, but with all that, it was just right. the boys polished off the el az cheese dip (i think cottage cheese & sour cream are gross, but brian & daniel both said it was really good); val & i ate most of the guacamole, which would’ve been better with a little less onion (this particular red onion was very strong); there’s a fair amount of salsa left, but everything else was just toast.

A++ would make again!

 

 

“Enchiladas,” “Simple Salsa,” & “Perfect Guacamole” from Simply Recipes; “El Azteco Cheese Dip” from leanna via livejournal’s vegrecipes community; “Awesome Brownies” from my mama!