craving Mexican food

I have been craving Mexican food.  I have actually had food made by people from different regions of Mexico so going for Mexican food in the US is just not the same.  My area of the world is very TexMex, heavy on the meeat and cheese.  Going out for Mexican just does not really fit the bill.  I decided to make tostadas like I had made them for me by a lovely lady from Nothern Mexico.  

Tostada

oil for frying (I used olive oil.  It is what I had on hand)

corn tortillas (I used five for two people)

your favorite refried beans (I realized my recipe is not on my blog so I will post it tomorrow) My recipe

shredded lettuce

diced tomato

grated cheese, optional (we were out).  Cotija or chihuahua are excellent but a good cheddar works.

cooked meat, diced or shredded, optional

other fruits and vegetables you may wish, raw or grilled, optional

your favorite salsa

Put your oil in a small pan.  I put about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of oil in a cast iron skillet.  Heat over medium high heat until it sizzles when a crumb of tortilla is put in the oil.  Place a corn tortilla in the oil and let cook for 10-30 seconds per side.  You want a bit of golden.  Remove and place on a plate.

Heat your refried beans.

Smear on the fried tortilla.  My refried beans still had whole beans in it so it was not as thin a smear as I was taught.

Add a sprinkle of meat, if you are using.

Top with shredded lettuce.

Top with tomatoes, cheese, and salsa.  Munch to your hearts content.

The tostadas were very simple today.  We were out of most cheese and we rarely have meat bits leftover.  I only every really cook meat in little bits so we eat it all up at the time I make it.  These really fulfilled my craving and my Beloved said we could definitely have them again.  All is good.  Much better then going out.

black bottom shortbread

I thought I was not going to have anything to blog about tonight but then my Beloved asked for cookies.  I had been reading about black bottom shortbread earlier today and thought, why not?  Shortbread are a standard in this house so easy peasy.

Black Bottom Shortbread

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

4 ounces melted semi sweet or dark chocolate

Dredging sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and cream together.  Mix in the vanilla.  Mix in the flour.  The dough may be a bit crumbly but it will all come together with a bit of hand mashing.  Remove half the dough and set aside.  To the remaining half of dough, mix in the melted chocolate.

On a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or a silpat, take small balls (about a half a teaspoon) of the chocolate dough and flatten.

Place a similar small ball of vanilla on top of the flattened chocolate dough.

Flatten the vanlla dough and then pick the cookie up and dredge in sugar.  Back for 15 minutes or lightly golden.  Let cool for at least 15 minutes before trying to take off the cookie sheet.  They have a tendency to break if you do not wait.  Guess how I know (grin)!

Enjoy.  

I do not know if these even resemble the recipe I heard about today but I know they are sure yummy and easy.

roasted eggplant and white bean spread

It was another quiet evening.  I got more nine square squares made.  I listen to audiobooks while I do this in the evening so you could say that I read at the same time.  And I drink much tea.

But for quiet evenings I like simple dinners.  I picked an eggplant up at the farmer's market  I chose to roast it and make a spread with it by adding white beans.

Roasted Eggplant and White Bean Spread

1 eggplant, chopped

1 head roasted garlic

1/2 onion

olive oil

salt and pepper

16 ounces cooked white beans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Put the eggplant and onion in an oven proof pan.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Put in oven and roast for 45 minutes to an hour.

Cover the bottom of another ovenproof pan with olive oil.  Slice the head of a garlic in half.  Put cut end down into the olive oil.  Roast for 30 minutes to an hour (will depend on the size of your garlic).

Put the roasted eggplant and onion in a bowl.  Take the roasted cloves of garlic out of their papers and put in the bowl with the eggplant.  Mush it together.

Add the white beans and mush them in as well.

Serve on toast or with fresh chips.

Simple soothing food.  It is really good.  Perfect for a quiet evening at home.

lady's chocolate peanut butter cups

When I made the peanut butter chocolate ice cream, I told you that I was going to try to make a Moosetracks ice cream.  It is one of my favorites.  I have to admit that I started from scratch.  I decided to make my own peanut butter cups.  I started with the peanut butter ball recipe and covered them in chocolate.  My Beloved thought they were lovely.  This is something that if you need them, do not tell anybody in the house they are there or they will disappear!

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

2/3 cup old fashioned peanut butter

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 to 1 cup Enjoy life chocolate chips (these are allergen free)

Mix the peanut butter and powdered sugar together.  Shape in balls like the picture above.  Put in the freezer until firm.

Once the peanut butter balls are firm, melt the chocolate.  My father would have fussed something terrible with how I melted the chocolate but I figured that nobody was really going to see the sheen of the chocolate.

I put a handful of the peanut butter balls in the chocolate and cover.  I use a spoon but fingers work too.  I have had a lot of tutelage under my father which I know most people do not have.

Put the covered balls on a piece of parchment paper until the chocolate hardens.  

My kitchen is currently so warm, they went back into the freezer.  Again, I would get fussed out.  My Dad is very particular about how the chocolate turns out on his candies.  My Beloved head nodded when he tasted these. 

Vanilla ice cream and fudge ripple left to make for the moosetracks ice cream.  Wahoo!

The Tall Short Person's brownie birthday cake

My Tall Short Person's birthday was last week.  She had plans so I made her a birthday cake this weekend.  i always expect her to ask for Tres Leches which I had made for her once but I came across a recipe for a brownie cake and she requested that.  I did not realize how much she enjoyed brownies.

This cake is intense.  Part of it is my homemade brownies.  We like intense chocolate.  You could do the same with any thing with any brownie recipe.  Just bake three layers of brownie in any circle shape.  I used a nine inch springform pan.

Brownie cake

3/4 cup cocoa (the best you can find)

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 400.  Line the bottom of a nine inch springform pan with parchment paper.  Butter and flour the sides of the pan.

Put the butter a in a medium to large saucepan.  Melt the butter.  Take off the heat and mix in the cocoa, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix in the eggs.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

The above ingredients are for one brownie.  I did this three times.  Let the brownies cool.

Mascarpone frosting

1 pound mascarpone, room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Put the mascarpone in a bowl.  Add the sugar and mix well.

This is really creamy.  If you put this on the brownies while they are still warm, it will melt.

Put the first brownie on a plate or cake stand.  Cover with a third of the mascarpone icing.  Place the second on top of it.  Spread another third of the mascarpone icing on top.  Put the last brownie on top.  Use the last of the icing on it.  I found, because I rushed it and my kitchen was hot (not warm, hot), that  I needed to put the cake in the freezer at this point or it would melt.

Add strawberries to the top.

Like I said, this is intense using my brownie recipe.  Dark chocolate intense.  The Tall Short Person only wanted strawberries on top but I think they would have also been good sliced between layers.  This cake made her happy.

My Tall Short Person's birthday was last week.  She had plans so I made her a birthday cake this weekend.  i always expect her to ask for Tres Leches which I had made for her once but I came across a recipe for a brownie cake and she requested that.  I did not realize how much she enjoyed brownies.

This cake is intense.  Part of it is my homemade brownies.  We like intense chocolate.  You could do the same with any thing with any brownie recipe.  Just bake three layers of brownie in any circle shape.  I used a nine inch springform pan.

Brownie cake

3/4 cup cocoa (the best you can find)

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 400.  Line the bottom of a nine inch springform pan with parchment paper.  Butter and flour the sides of the pan.

Put the butter a in a medium to large saucepan.  Melt the butter.  Take off the heat and mix in the cocoa, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix in the eggs.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

The above ingredients are for one brownie.  I did this three times.  Let the brownies cool.

Mascarpone frosting

1 pound mascarpone, room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Put the mascarpone in a bowl.  Add the sugar and mix well.

This is really creamy.  If you put this on the brownies while they are still warm, it will melt.

Put the first brownie on a plate or cake stand.  Cover with a third of the mascarpone icing.  Place the second on top of it.  Spread another third of the mascarpone icing on top.  Put the last brownie on top.  Use the last of the icing on it.  I found, because I rushed it and my kitchen was hot (not warm, hot), that  I needed to put the cake in the freezer at this point or it would melt.

Add strawberries to the top.

Like I said, this is intense using my brownie recipe.  Dark chocolate intense.  The Tall Short Person only wanted strawberries on top but I think they would have also been good sliced between layers.  This cake made her happy.