Salad Days

Before things get weird around here today,

 Danni over at Silo Hill Farm

 has written a review on yours truly and company that makes us sound more like

we're the Petersiks at Young House Love.

If John and Sherry were warped of course, which they're not.

That's our job. 

Danni also does crafts, lots of features, and is an all around good read,

so when you're done here, please, go check her out!

Or do that first.

Go ahead.

We can wait.

 Ahhhhhhhh, the Salad Days of Summer.

Okay, so it's Summer here all the time.

Touche'.

Even more of a reason to have a cold, simple dinner up your sleeve

that can be throw together in a post-beach jiff.

You can also disguise your leftovers as real food.

Intrigued?

Good.

 Because the Minions appear to be hungry.

Nothing tastes as good as a cold beer after a day of salt water,
so that's my suggested pairing for today.
O'Doul's is crisp. bubbly, and doesn't make me imagine David Boreanaz is
on my roof when it's mixed with my meds.
Everyone wins.

As usual, we're doing a version for the carnivores and one for the pescetarians.
Raid the pantry for 2 boxes of tri-color rotini.

Grab two cans of large pitted black olives.
Slice 'em up.
Don't get the kind with pits.
You'll be here all day.

A can of mixed veg for each batch, or a 14oz bag of frozen veggies, divided.
Yes, I know, I usually use fresh vegetables, but were going for handy and fast with this.

2 cans of corn.
Hey, we like corn.

1 bottle of Ranch or fat free Ranch dressing.

An orange pepper, seeded and chopped.

Since you have your handy propagation tower right there,
turn around and plant those seeds right away.

Cook the pasta according to directions and put it in two bowls.
Add half of the veggies to each bowl.
If anyone comes in the kitchen, look exhausted.
When they leave, chortle gleefully and swill your
I Can't Believe It's Not Beer!

Add 1/4 of the bottle of dressing (no exact measuring today, guys),
and mix until you have a nice moist salad.
For vegetarians or those of you thinking "pot luck" or "side dish,"
you can garnish and walk away.
But we're making this into dinner.

We keep these in the freezer as a staple.
They thaw in 30 seconds, and a handful in ramen noodles
with some frozen peas and carrots makes me not shudder as much
when the kids snack on it.
Put two cups of this in the seafood salad.

Shred and add three cups of imitation crab.

For the carnivore side, we're using cubed leftover chicken breast,
but deli ham, salami, turkey, or any meat you enjoy cold will do.

Mix in your stuff.

Note the color coded bowls.
Thom and Savannah will eat only seafood, and very little of that.
Samwow would rather die than eat fish, and prefers to take down his kills personally.
This way, there's no mistakes.

Garnish with some pear tomatoes and parsley from the garden.

Hungry yet?

Biscuits, a green salad, and some sliced watermelon round out this
refreshing Summer dinner.
Pry everyone off the sofa, turn off The Princess Bride, and let's eat!

Yo Quiero Lasagna

Mexican Food.

I think everyone loves some form of it.

Whether you love chili rellenos so much that like us you grow your own poblano peppers,

or you just like a bag of Santitos Tortilla Chips and a jar of Pace Salsa,

this is an ethnic cuisine we've all grown to embrace.

And these little amigos love a good cheesy mess of spice,
so when they were elementary school starving poquitos,
I came up with the following as a quick way to get a satisfying
Mexican style feast on the table.
Now my lazy invention is a family favorite.
This recipe is so easy, you can put together your own custom version easily.
We're partial to a vegetarian dish, but you can add shredded chicken, last night's

leftover pork chops, or sauteed ground beef to make the carnivores
in your life ecstatic.
Gather the following ingredients:

Mexican Lasagna

1 large jar of salsa; judge the heat for yourself. We use mild for Mom and have hot sauce handy

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 package of 8" flour tortillas

2 cans or 12 ounces of frozen Mexicali corn

16 ounces of Mexican 4 cheese shredded blend

2 cans of green chilis, drained (don't be scared, they're tasty, not hot) 

2 cans of pitted black olives, sliced

1 box of Goya yellow rice, prepared according to the recipe

1 large can of vegetarian refried beans (you'll never even miss the lard, I swear)

Sour cream, 1 large tomato, chopped and lettuce to serve. Grab some guacamole if you're so inclined

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Got the rice cooked?

Good, let's make dinner.

Nab a 13x9 inch glass baking dish and spritz it liberally with cooking spray.
Mix the salsa and taco seasoning in a bowl with 1 cup of water.

Ladel and spread a little of the sauce on the bottom of the dish.

Layer over that with flour tortillas, tearing one to fill in any gaps.
Don't be obsessive, this is easy.
You won't even need the recipe next time.

Spoon the rice over the tortillas and spread it out level.

Sprinkle a layer of cheese over this, then some sauce,
and then another layer of tortillas.

Add the refried beans next, pressing it flat with a fork.

Dump (official chef term) the corn on top of that.
Note the careful measuring and delicate technique thus far.
Note I said "thus."
Sprinkle this with more cheese...

...and then more tortillas...

...and THEN more sauce.
This is slightly out of the usual order for a reason, I assure you.

Top the sauce with the remaining cheese.

Sprinkle the olives, then the green chilis, over the top of the whole mess
and pop it in the oven for 35 minutes until it's gooey and bubbly.
While you're waiting, slice up some watermelon as a great counterpoint,
and go ahead...

 ...make a couple of Mockaritas while you're at it.

Those of you who aren't on a med cocktail can even add tequila,
but you'll never miss it.
Now serve up your delicioso concoction, light the candles, slap on some Flamenco music, and
have a little fiesta with the family.
Repeat after me:
OLE'!

Chicken a Little?

I'm not just an off balance redhead with a circular saw and hot glue.

 Around here, I'm Momma, Southern Cook Extraordinaire.

 So when my little boy, Samwow, brought his girlfriend here to meet the family,

he had a few culinary requests for the menu, 

one of them being my famous Buttermilk Fried Chicken.

There's nothing healthy or low fat about the following dish, but it IS unapologetically delicious

And life isn't worth living without the occasional bad girl moment, is it?

Grab your apron and follow me for Sunday Dinner, Southern style.

This is the only fried chicken recipe you'll ever need.

And it will feed an army of hungry friends and family.

2 whole chickens, cut up

1 quart of buttermilk

4 eggs

2 tbsp Adobo seasoning or seasoning salt

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp Lawry's Roasted Garlic Chicken Seasoning

Place the chicken in a gallon ziplock bag.

Pour in buttermilk to coat and refrigerate the chicken to marinate,

turning it every so often, for 8 hours or over night.

The enzymes in the buttermilk will break down the muscle and make

your chicken the tenderest bird EVER.

 

 Ready to make some magic?

Pour yourself a glass of wine, or in my case, a glass of

I Can't Believe It's Not Cabernet!

Mix the flour and seasonings with a fork in a flat bottomed casserole.

This may sound a little weird, but I sprinkle a pinch of the flour mixture onto my tongue

to test the flavor.

If you like your chicken a little spicier, add more cayenne.

Break the eggs into a casserole and beat them lightly.

add 3 cups of buttermilk and whip with a fork until you have this

bizarre curdled looking stuff.

In a deep saute pan (I use my wok), heat some canola oil until a few drops of water

flicked from your fingers onto the surface sizzles.

Remove the chicken from the bag and set it on a plate.

Dip each piece in the egg stuff to coat, then dredge it in the flour,

making sure you coat it well.

Set it in the oil carefully and turn after about 10 minutes.

This is the gorgeous golden we're going for.

THIS is why hush puppies, which is fried dough scraped off of your fingers

into the oil, were invented; to ward off orbiting chicken snatchers.

Slice into the deepest part of the chicken and make sure you see no pink.

I usually use a breast as my litmus test.

Now you have a feel for how long to cook the bird.

Set each piece on a rack over paper towels to drain so it's just crispy morsels of delectability.

(By the way, this is also fantastic with shrimp!)

While this is frying, how about some perfect side dishes?

Get some fresh corn boiling in water with a splash of regular milk,

which will draw out the natural sugars and make it extra tender.

Simmer at a gentle boil until a fork goes in easily.

Some simple fresh room temperature tomatoes sliced thickly are a 

great accompaniment.

And some okra?

Don't mind if I do!

Start with 5 cups of frozen or fresh veggie, cut bite size.

You'll need 2 cups lightly seasoned (salt, pepper, and garlic; let the vegetables shine through) flour,

 2 eggs beaten with a cup of regular milk, 

and a cup and a half of corn meal, set up in that order.

Dredge the okra in the flour first.

Dip it in the egg and allow it to drain a bit.

Plop the okra in the cornmeal to coat.

Fry it until golden brown in some sizzling canola oil and then drain it on

a rack for 5 minutes.

Light some candles, Guys.

This dinner is inexpensive, but seriously special.

Enjoy your guilty pleasure in the privacy of your own home.

Ya'll start eatin' before it gets cold!