Easy Tortilla Soup

Posted on April 8, 2011 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

This easy and great recipe for home made Tortilla Soup was provided by our friend Julie.  By putting this recipe in my blog, you now have 2/3 of my wife’s entire cookbook (see beef bourguignon).  At the end of a long work day, or adventure in the great outdoors, this easy chicken meal is a super flavorful and filling dish that you can  put together in no time.

Thanks Julie!

photo-12

Ingredients and Preparation

1 15 oz can of whole kernel corn – drained

2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth

1 15 oz can black beans

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

1  4 oz can diced green chiles

1 tsp cumin

salt to taste

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast boiled, and then chopped/shredded

tortilla chips or corn tortillas

shredded chedder cheese

Pour corn, broth, beans, tomatoes, and chilis into large sauce pan.  Add cumin, salt and chicken.  Bring to boil and then simmer for at least 15 minutes.

If you want an even spicier soup, while simmering the soup add 2 tsp of chili powder.

When serving the soup top each bowl with a little cheese and do not forget the tortilla chips.

AND STUFF

As you know, from my perspective, a great vacation idea usually invovles a jet. But, an even better vacation involves a road trip after the jet lands. We took such a vacation last year, right about this time.  My brother-in-law Tom and his wife Madeline suggested, and then made all the land arrangements, for an Easter trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Sue, our son, and I, along with E & T flew to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where we rented a car for the drive to Santa Fe.

Santa Fe is a very old city with Spanish influence commencing around 1607. Prior to that it was the site of a Puebloan village. Santa Fe is a beautiful quilt of culture including Pueblo, Spanish, and contemporary culture as represented by artists such as Georgia O’Keefe and others. You can even find an Irish pub in the town.

The grassy center of Old Santa Fe is surrounded by wonderful southwest architectural styled buildings, and endless tables and rugs upon which locals offer their crafts, jewelry and art.

There are so many wonderful elements to the town that I could go on for quite some time describing them.  Perhaps I will in future AND STUFF editions. For now, I want to tell you about two very special aspects of the area that Tom and Madeline pointed out to us.

One of the things that stood out for me on the trip was The Loretto Chapel. While walking away from the market area, and passing the Cathedral, I turned a corner and saw a beautiful soaring chapel made of stone blocks.  As I got closer I noticed the huge ornate wooden doors topped by stained glass. And looking further up the face of the chapel I saw a wonderful circular glass window framed by the stark stone blocks.

Upon entering the The Loretto Chapel it became apparent that not only is the chapel beautiful it is also a time capsule. The Loretto Chapel’s construction was completed in 1878. The interior is both ornate and colorful. Viewed from inside the circular glass window high above the floor is a breathtakingly beautiful stained glass window.

There are many significant elements to examine in The Lorreto Chapel; the stained glass everywehere, the hand made wood pews, the supporting wood beams, the ornate altar, and the detailed statues. And then Tom drew my attention to the wooden spiral staircase. Oh boy.  Let’s see.  Without getting all mystical on you, and just reporting the facts, there is quite a story to the spiral staircase.

When the Loretto Chapel was completed, it did not include an interior stairway to the choir loft below the circular stained glass window.  Many local contractors were called in to propose a stair system, but all agreed there was no room for a stair system.  The story goes that the nuns of the chapel made a novena to Saint Joseph the Patron Saint of Carpenters (no, that is not the name of a trade union).  Nine days later a white haired stranger on a mule showed up at the chapel looking for work. The stranger had a small tool box which contained a few simple tools.  The nuns told the stranger of their need for access to the choir loft.

The stranger made measurements and started working.  When finished he had created a double 360 degree wooden spiral staircase, without the use of nails and with no visible means of support. His job completed, the stranger left before the nuns could pay him, and he was never seen again.

Ok, I know what you are thinking.  But truth is, the double 360 degree wood spiral staircase is still in the chapel, still has no nails, and no visible support (except for modern retrofit).  You can examine the staircase from literally an arms length away and ponder how it could have been designed without a CAD program, and with only a saw and hammer.  No matter what, or who the stranger was, I think we can agree on one thing, he was a serious carpenter.  To see picutures of the spiral staircase and learn more go to http://www.lorettochapel.com/staircase.html

Well, since I am on this journey of mystery, I will tell you of another profoundly unique event.  Tom took us to the El Santuario de Chimayo’ shrine which is north of Santa Fe.  As we drove to the shrine we travelled many miles through somewhat barren and hilly terrain. As we drove, we passed a man walking along the side of the road, and then a woman, and than others.  There were many men and women walking along the road, in the middle of nowhere. I was told that because it was Easter Sunday, there were fewer walkers than earlier in the weekend, as most of the walkers had started out on Good Friday and had already completed their Chimayo’ Easter Pilgrimage.

Ok, hold on, here we go. So, the story goes, in 1810 a Chimayo friar saw a bright light coming from the hillside.  He dug into the ground and found a small box containing a crucifix. The crucifix was taken to Santa Cruz.  But it disappeared. The friar went back to the hillside and found the crucifix lying in the hole he had dug.  The crucifix was taken back to Santa Cruz again, and once again it disappeared only to again be found in the same hole.  This happened three times.  It was eventually concluded the crucifix, El Santuario de Chimayo’, should not be removed from the area it had been found. It was also concluded that the dirt in the hole was blessed.  As a result, a shrine was constructed on top of the hole dug by the friar. Each year thousands walk the Chimayo’ Easter Pilgrimage.

As we left the highway, we drove a short distance on a small country road, and then down a dirt road to a gravel parking lot. As soon as we got out of the car we heard the drums, and very loud voices. We walked along a path, up a hill, and then saw all the pilgrams in the courtyard adjacent to the small chapel taking part in a very colorful and energetic ritual.  After the ritual  concluded, we went into the chapel.  The chapel is very, very unique.  The interior decor is quite violent, along the lines of “The Passion”.

On the side of the chapel was a very low door.  We passed through the doorway and found ourselves in a small room with a dirt floor. In the middle of the dirt floor was a hole in the ground. This is where the crucifix had been found, and to this day, the pilgrims come to gather by hand, a small bit of the healing soil.

I have got to tell you, regardless of your belief system, should you ever find yourself in Santa Fe on Easter weekend, you absolutely, positively, must travel to the El Santuario de Chimayo’ shrine to observe, in a respectful manner, the outdoor ritual that is performed at the shrine. Out of respect, I will not attempt to describe the ritual as I am certain I would not do it justice, and could even describe it in an improper manner. Let me just say the colorful and energetic ritual weaves between cultures and traditions. To learn more go to http://www.newmexico.org/experience/holidays/chimayo.php

There you go, I started with a quilt metaphor and brought it home with a weave metaphor.  My work is done here.

While enjoying your meal, why not recall places and events that have impacted you.  Perhaps, it was what you felt the first time you saw a giant sequoia tree, Niagara Falls, the Rocky Mountains, or an architecturally wonderful structure.  Such great momments should be shared.

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

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LOBSTER THERMIDOR

Posted on April 1, 2011 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

For over 50 years our community enjoyed a classic beach front seafood and steak restaurant known as Millie Riera’s Seafood Grotto. The restaurant was loved by the locals as well as the occasional celebrity.  You never knew who might walk through the piano bar on the way to the ocean view dining room.  I recall one night my wife yelled out, “hi Don King”, and he actually came over to our table and chatted with us for a minute.

During the fever pitched housing boom, Millie Riera’s Seafood Grotto was demolished to make way for 4 or so ocean view condos. 

Their take on Lobster Thermidor was tremendous.  Perhaps Lobster Thermidor sounds fancy and difficult to make, but the Millie Riera’s recipe is straightforward and easy to follow.  This recipe, along with a great story detailing the history of the restaurant, was published in the October 31, 1996 edition of the Los Angeles Times.

This recipe would be the absolute perfect meal for that special occasion. The recipe serves 2, but can be easily multiplied to make more servings.

2 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp minced onion

6 ounces uncooked lobster meat, cut in bite sized pieces (I buy lobster tails, remove the meat, and boil the shells to clean them for later use)

2 mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp diced red pepper

1 cup Sherry

Pinch salt

Pinch white pepper

2 ½ Tbsp floor

1 cup milk

2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Step 1: Melt butter in skillet and saute’ onion until tender, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add lobster meat and cook 2 more minutes.

Step 2: Add mushrooms, red pepper, Sherry, salt and white pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until alcohol is driven off, about 5 minutes.

Step 3: Stir in flour and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.  Add milk slowly, stirring constantly, and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 1 minute.

Step 4:  Put the mixture into the cleaned lobster shell(s) or small oven safe casserole dish. Top with cheese.  Broil until cheese melts and browns slightly, about 2 minutes.        

AND STUFF

I occasionally enjoy throwing the bones.

When Sue and I first went to Las Vegas, for a post Thanksgiving outing, we stayed at The Sands.  Because we were newbies to gaming we went next door to Casino Royale to learn the various games as that casino had lower minimum bet requirements.  It was early evening so the casino was not too busy.  After looking around, and while nursing a beer, I decided to look into playing craps.  Sue decided to try other games.

I walked up to a craps table where the pit boss and crew were just standing and talking to each other.  I told them I was new to the game, and wondered if one person could play.  They undoubtedly sensed that this would not take long, so they informed me that a person could play the game alone.  They instructed me where to place chips on the table to start, and they provided some very  basics craps concepts and off I went.  Time passed at the table, and I was having fun.

Sue had been spending time playing video poker, when all of a sudden her attention was drawn by a huge cheering crowd surrounding a table.  Sue decided to find out what was going on.  She approached the area of the crowd, and to her surprise, saw me throwing dice at a packed craps table.  I had beginners luck that night, and threw the dice for what seemed like forever.  Unfortunately, those who knew how to place proper bets accumulated a lot more chips than I did using my basic betting knowledge. But, boy was that fun.

Later that night we moved up to The Sands casino, and I was doing ok.  Every now and then Sue would come by, say hi, and take a few chips to hold for me.  At the end of the evening she had a nice little stash of chips which we traded in.  On an hourly basis the winnings were not too impressive, but what fun we had.     

The years passed, and one November we were in the Bellagio Casino (minimum bets were just a tad higher then old Vegas).  As had become our traditon, we were  enjoying drinks in the bar which overlooks the Bellagio Fountains.  While the drinks were expensive, the bang for the buck was huge when you add the value of a great rock band performing live, and every half hour or so a perfect view of the water in the lake outside erupting into huge dancing fountains.   

Well, I decided to play craps, and Sue was off to the video poker games.  Time passed, and I was holding my own. All of a sudden Sue came up to me at the table, obviously in a hurry, and asked how I was doing.  I said, “I am doing ok, but I can quit if you want”.  Sue informed me that we had to go, now! She sounded like a squad leader in a movie telling troops to go, go go! Turned out, Tiffany’s was going to be closing in a few minutes, and the little lady had won some mula on video poker. We walked quickly  through the casino, and down the corridor of shops. In no time we were standing inside Tiffany’s just pror to midnight, each of us holding a Corona.  While sipping my Corona, I watched Sue picking out her ring, and buy it wth Bellagio’s money! (free money, at least until the next night’s gaming payback).  

You just have to love Vegas.  I am guessing that in most Tiffany’s one does not barge into the store toting a Corona without anyone even batting an eye.  Now that was fun.

I think most people will agree that over time, unless you are truly lucky or skilled in gaming you will end up making more deposits than withdrawals at the “casino bank”. But, if you look at gaming as budgeted entertainment, and have the philosophy that we all have to occasionally foot the bill for the eye-popping lights and décor, Vegas is fun, win or lose.     

I bet many of you have a great tale of your big casino win.  Why not share your story while enjoying your Lobster Thermidore meal.          

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

 

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EASY BEEF BOURGUIGNON

Posted on March 24, 2011 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

My wife got the following recipe for Beef Bourguignon from her Dad, who in turn got it from his friend in 1992!  The recipe is “typed” on three ring binder paper, and has hand written notes and revisions from start to end. I do not know if the recipe was entirely original or extensively revised in 1991 through 1992 (revisions are dated by hand). 

Early in our courtship, my wife made this meal for me. I was very impressed by her cooking skills.  Over the years she has prepared other great meals. By sharing this recipe with you, I will be giving away 1/3 of her recipes.  I hope, for my sake, she does not see this blog.

By the way, once you put this in the oven, you will have nothing to do for about 3 hours, so watch a football game or have a good book handy.

This fun family meal serves 6, and you will need a clay pot (such as Romertopf) for cooking.  [If you prefer you can forget the oven and cook it in a crock pot for between 6 to 8 hours depending on setting]. 

 2 lbs stew meat trimmed of fat

2 cups Burgundy red wine

2 envelopes Lipton Onion Soup mix

2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

2 – 8 oz cans of mushrooms (including the liquid) (mushrooms can be buttons, stem, or pieces, whatever you like) 

Stir all the above ingredients together into the clay pot, put on the lid and put it into a 425 degree preheated oven for 3 hours.   After 2 hours you can sneak a peak and if it is “quite dry add ½ cup of water”.  

Prepare egg noodle pasta (per package instructions) for 6 plates, and serve the prepared Beef Bourguignon stew over the noodles.           

One final suggestion on the recipe was to double it, and freeze ½ for later use.  Good idea!  

AND STUFF

Everyone is familiar with Napa and Sonoma Valley wines, and for good reason.  Touring the Napa and Sonoma Valley area is a must when visiting Northern California.  But, if you find yourself in Southern California, and you want to think outside the theme park box, a great vacation idea is to visit the wine country near Santa Barbara. And what could be better than spending a day or two shopping and eating in Santa Barbara, followed by a wine tour through the Santa Ynez Valley.    

My wife and I spent two nights in Santa Barbara and did just that, touring and dining in the city, and then taking a guided tour of the Santa Ynez Valley. There are many fine resorts, hotels, and motels to fit all budgets and tastes in Santa Barbara.  If you do not need to be on, or within walking distance of the beach, I have a lodging recommendation for you.  Near State Street, known for shopping, restaurants, and nightlife, there is a fine small boutique hotel called The Inn of The Spanish Garden. I am probably violating an oath of secrecy I made to the friend who told me of The Inn by telling you about it, but what the heck, trust me, for special occasions it is a gem. The rooms are suite sized, and as far as I can tell they all have fireplaces. To learn more about The Inn of The Spanish Garden click http://www.spanishgardeninn.com.

When you have satisfied your sightseeing goals around town, it is time to go to the wine country of Santa Ynez Valley. For a listing of all the wineries and a great map of the area follow this link to, http://www.santaynezwinecountry.com.

 If, in addition to touring the beautiful valley, you plan to sample the wines, you should consider taking a door to door guided tour. We chose Cloud Climbers Jeep Tours for our wine country guide (http://www.ccjeeps.com/index-alt.php). If you have any serious back issues, a jeep tour might not be for you, but rest assured there are other options.  If you can handle a slightly bumpy ride, and want to ride in an open vehicle with unobstructed views, and wind in your hair, the jeep tour is for you.

Due to our lodging being last on the way of town, we were the last to be picked up by Cloud Climbers Jeep Tours. The driver came into the lobby to get us, escorted us out, and opened up the rear side of the extended seating area of the Jeep. After being introduced to our wine tasting companions, the guide handed my wife a wool blanket, and off we went driving up the canyon, and into a thick fog bank.  The wool blanket was just what we needed until we eventually broke out of the fog and into the sunny and warm valley.

After a beautiful drive in the country, we arrived at our first stop, Bridlewood Winery. Our guide provided each of us with a wine glass adorned with a marker (for later identification) and off we went.  After each tasting the wine glasses were cleaned and stowed for the drive to the next winery. The tour price includes the cost of wine tasting at 4 to 6 wineries, depending on time, and a picnic lunch on the deck of the last winery, which in our case, overlooked the vineyard and the valley beyond.

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable of the wineries, and invited our thoughts after each tasting.  At just about each winery, wine was purchased by someone in the group (ok, it was usually me). It was amazing how much wine can be stowed away in a jeep.

My wife’s favorite winery was Lincourt Vineyards (http://www.LINCOURTWINES.COM) because she is fond of white wine and they had many to choose from.  My favorite winery was Sunstone Vineyards & Winery (http://www.sunstonewinery.com). I loved their rich red wines, and their beautiful Tuscany style chateau which even had an underground cavern for its tasting room.  

After a great day of wine tasting, we were driven to the door of The Inn, carried our purchased wine to the room, lit the fireplace, and began to relax after our perfect day in wine country.  I am the kind of guy who can’t stay still too long.  So, not long after we settled in the room, I began to set up the wine bottles for viewing. While I could not be certain, as it had been a full day of seemingly endless wines that demanded sampling, just as I began thinking I had bought more wine, there was a knock on the door, and there stood our guide with another box of wine.  Talk about a great guide!  We were his last stop, he had gone back to his business to check the jeep in, was probably ready to go home, saw our wine, and rather than simply calling us to tell us to pick the wine up the next day,  he jumped back into the jeep, drove to The Inn and brought the wine to our door!

That was a great trip.  From the various wine and cooking magazines I read, it seems that just about every state has a wine region these days.  So, while enjoying your dinner of Beef Bourguignon why not strike up a conversation about the vineyards you have visited and the wines you sampled.

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

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The Killer Shrimp “fix”

Posted on March 20, 2011 by easyrecipesandstuffc

Back in the 90’s through 2000 we had a restaurant in SoCal that served killer shrimp. Literally, that was the name of the restaurant, Killer Shrimp, and that is all they served.  The restaurant chain has closed; and ironically my wife and I used to discuss how we loved the shrimp but wished they would offer a salad and some other things.  Well, they are gone, but you can make a salad, so lets make the absolute best shrimp dish on this or any other planet.

I make no claim to the following recipe.  When our local Killer Shrimp shut down I began searching the internet for the recipe.  I found it first in 2002 on Recipe Circus,  and prior to writing this blog I found the same recipe on Copycat Recipes.  It is out there, and I doubt anyone can claim it as theirs.  Except, maybe you, if your friends are not scouring the internet looking for recipes you are about to become the man or woman of your hood.  This is the absolute best shrimp meal that you will have ever eaten, unless you were lucky enough to eat at Killer Shrimp. Below is the step by step recipe for killer shrimp.

EASY RECIPE  

Before we start, make sure you have lots and lots of french bread beacuse you are going to need it.  This recipe serves 4 easily.  But, there is plenty of sauce, so if you have more people coming for dinner just throw in another 1/2 pound of shrimp or so.

2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

2 tsps thyme

1 tsp black pepper

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1/2 tsp fennel seed

1 tsp celery seed

1 tsp crushed red pepper

2 qts. clam broth (Better Than Boullon makes a great Clam Base, if that is not available you can use their Lobster Base, and if all else fails you could use chicken stock, but I wouldn’t).

3 oz tomato paste

1 stick butter

1 lb shelled shrimp

lot and lots of french bread (you will be dipping the bread in the broth and you will be loving it)

Make the clam broth per directions on whatever provider you use, add the stick of butter, tomato paste and all other ingredients except the shrimp.  Bring to high simmer and reduce to low simmer.

Call me crazy, but while waiting for the family to get home or the guests to arrive, make a salad.

When you are about to serve dinner, bring the sauce to a boil, drop the shelled shrimp into the pot, bring back to a boil,  and then reduce heat and cook at high simmer for about 5 minutes.

If you do not tell your guests how you got this recipe, soon your neighborhood will be calling the dish your killer shrimp meal.                 

 AND STUFF

When I was a kid the only organized sports available to me were baseball, basketball, and football.  Because of my limited sports background, when my son started playing soccer a few years ago, I had absolutely no idea what was going on. But, watching the little kids running around with no apparent purpose in mind, was about as funny as watching a T-baller run to first base and keep going straight ahead instead of rounding first and going to second. 

The one thing I knew about soccer was, although a player’s arms and hands worked perfectly well, all but the goalie were forbidden to use them. 

Eventually, like all parents, I got roped into assistant coaching, and then refereeing. I attended the ref class, and although I passed it, I still had very little feel for the game.  So, prior to my first game as a ref, I bought the book “Soccer For Dummies”.  The book was as thick as a textbook.  One reason for the size of the book was the numerous diagrams and examples through which I began to grasp the nuance of the often explained, but never quite in the same way, all critical off sides rule.

I was never entirely comfortable cavorting around in the knee high ref socks and shirt that would be a bit too loud even for a bowler. But, I am told, if anyone could carry off the look it was me (not sure if such comments were a dis or not [no, I am pretty sure the comments were a dis] ).  Oh well, one must do what one is called upon to do because …….all together now…… “its for the kids”.

Truth be told, soccer was great.  It is a tremendous game, and a great vehicle for improving the child’s strength, coordination, field vision, and understanding of strategy.  I get its popularity.     

Eventually my boy’s self awareness evolved to the point where not only was he aware the he had arms and hands, he wanted to use them.  Off we went to flag football.

I liked flag football, as it was not too different from tackle football.  I especially liked how in our league the kids were recruited, not drafted.  My son’s team had more, and better coaches than many high schools. In fact, the headcoach had been a  USC star and NFL player.  What followed was 4 seasons of flag football, three of which my son’s team was in the championship game. 

Eventually, my boy wanted to be a little more aggressive than was acceptable in flag. He heard the call of the helmet and padding.  Again, our European friends came to the rescue, this time with lacrosse.

Prior to the first game, our lacrosse coach e-mailed the parents a copy of the rules to  review.  Unlike soccer, the rules can be pretty well set out in a 9 page booklet.  Sweet. 

Lacrosse rules in short: only three players on each team can roam the field end to end; a player cannot strike another player on the head with the stick; strike an unprotected part of the arm with the stick; hit a player from behind, or tackle too excessively.  When smacking the opposing player with the stick or tackling him, the player being smacked must either have, or be within 5 feet of the ball. Oh, and only the goalie can touch the ball with his hands (what is it with those Euro’s and hands?). Finally, like hockey you can play from behind the net.  

When we were buying the lacrosse gear, the salesperson quized my son to make sure he understood that he was going to be hit with a stick and slammed around  roughly.  My son said he understood, and was looking forward to smacking others with his stick.    

So, it was with some humor I recall eveasdropping on an ex-soccer mom at the last game, who kept asking her friend how come the other boy (mine [note: proud moment] ) could hit her boy with the stick, and smash him to the ground without penalty, because all her son was trying to do was run with the ball.  The friend of the mom advised her that the moves were legal in lacrosse (apparently the salesperson who sold her the club, er I mean stick, forgot to advise her about the rough play).   

Lacrosse is a fast, tough, and exciting game. The experience is further enhanced by the fact that minimal rules mean minimal meddling by the ref. The kids wear helmets, faceguards, shoulder pads, and padded gloves.  And they need all the protection they can get, as they flail away with their swords, er I mean, sticks trying to capture the ball way from the opponent and fling it to a teammate nearer the opposing goal for a score.   

My boy has discovered that he likes this new level of play, but he wants to go the the next level, tackle football. I’ll get back to you on that  one. 

If you have kids or younger siblings you no doubt have great sports stories to share with your Killer Shrimp.

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

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