Yum!

These look good enough to eat! Too bad I can't share them with you through the internet! :)

Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes with Ganache Frosting I added the heart-shaped sprinkles on top, and think they turned out perfectly! These are for our women's group gathering tomorrow.

From "Winter" 2010

Orange-Cranberry-Pecan Bread (from America's Test Kitchen). These definitely have a good orange flavor. These are also for the women's group tomorrow. I didn't want to overdo it, but I did want to make something that lives up to the high standards the group has set (we've got some awesome cooks in the group)

From "Winter" 2010

Our windowsill-microgreens continue to grow. We'll be able to harvest them soon:

From "Winter" 2010

Culinary gardending adventures

These little lettuce seedlings appeared on our windowsill yesterday. Soon, we'll be eating home-grown microgreens!

From Blog Photos

I'm using the technique described here.

Goal update

Just over two weeks into our fitness goals for January, here's where we stand:

• Matt has done 9 of 14 workouts for January.
• I have completed two weeks of 60 minutes of workouts, and am 30 minutes into this week's goal. I slipped a little bit on stretching last week, but caught up over the weekend. Remembering to my stretching every day is what I need to focus on now.

So, that's good progress! There's a pedicure (for me) and a trip to Mi Tierra in San Antonio (for us both, plus friends) if we achieve our goals this month.

Other goal updates:

• I wrote a letter to our Compassion child in Nicaragua. I didn't have a lot to say, but hope I was friendly & encouraging. It seems like he's doing well in school and has gotten to do some fun things as part of our sponsorship (he wrote to us about going camping). It's always fun to think up flat objects that I can send in the envelope to him (can't send anything of real value or weight, since it will either be stolen or will be too heavy to mail). Last time, I sent Spider Man band-aids (I haven't heard if he got them yet). This time, I got some stickers. I don't think 13-year-old boys in the US really get fired up about stickers, but Jose Luis adheres various stickers to each letter he gives us, so I figure stickers work for him!
  
• I am almost half done with my very difficult Hawaiian applique block, where I'm learning valuable skills I can take into the larger quilt that's on my goals for the year. (see previous post)

What else is new around Matt & Becky's world... Let's see:

• We drove out to Llano (about 90 minutes from here) to Cooper's BBQ on Saturday. Cooper's is always one of our favorite BBQ spots (regardless what Texas Monthly said recently, in dropping them out of the top 5).
• We got tickets to see two favorite bands together in Houston in February: Switchfoot and Seabird.
• I had lunch last week with Shan Reed, a family friend from growing up in Madison, SD. She was in town while on home-assignment from her role as a missionary in Japan.
• I'm still having trouble with my feet, but I'm able to stand up a lot more. I'm able to cook dinner from scratch most nights without my feet suffering too badly.
• Matt continues to work hard, on all kinds of project to make the internet a safer & better place to live (or something like that!)
• Oh, and I'm also now blogging for work. It's a mix of behind-the-scenes info, random inspiration, and some spiritual content. Check it out if those things interest you: Etcetera. Whatever.
  

Family Fun

My parents are visiting us for a few days, from Connecticut. We've had fun going shopping, watching Nebraska win their bowl game, and eating BBQ & Tex-Mex together.

Here's mom, making corn tortillas, from scratch. This was the first time she had ever made them. We ate them with homemade posole and green-chile-chicken-breasts on Tuesday night. Last night, we fried the leftovers to make home-made chips.

I just had to take the picture, since I don't think you'd expect someone who grew up in Minnesota and now lives in Connecticut to be making corn tortillas from scratch!

Here's dad, singing along to Rock Band. We play via XBox live and connected our group in Austin to a friend who lives in Atlanta. Dad played guitar a few times and then sang on several songs -- having to sort the songs by decade to find some he knew! He did quite well! We may have him try drums later today, and have mom try the guitar.

We've also done a mini tour of central Texas BBQ joints, visiting the Green Mesquite in Austin (for baked potatoes w/ BBQ), Rudy's near our house (for breakfast tacos) and Kreuz Market in Lockhart (for the whole experience of BBQ served without forks or sauce).

Today, family tradition dictates that we'll have to go to Chuy's! (and I'm definitely not about to change that tradition!)

Tomorrow, they'll head up to Nebraska to visit my brother & sister-in-law. We'll miss my parents, but we're always so glad when they visit!

Desserts!

I took the day off and did a little baking & cleaning yesterday. The baking was far more successful and rewarding than the cleaning!

This picture shows some of the chocolate cookies I made. My favorites are probably the one on top: dark chocolate candy cane cookies. The recipe comes from the Wisconsin Dairy Board and is oh so delicious! (I chop my candy canes with the food processor and leave them finer than the recipe calls for, which laces the entire cookie with pepperminty goodness.)

From Christmas 2009

I also made chocolate pixies, peanut brittle, chocolate-coconut macaroons (a no-bake cookie) and O Henry Bars (all of those are from family recipes, which I can share if anybody wants). I still want to make Spritz, but plan to wait until we have our new stove (since those cookies are prone to burning). Did I say new stove? Yes! We bought a new convection oven which comes on Friday, to replace the model we have now, which literally came with the house (as in when the house was built - around 1982!)

Prompted by "Shan in Japan" (long-time family friend who is a church planting missionary in Japan) here's the recipe for Pumpkin Smash (which I mentioned in one of the Thanksgiving posts):

1 32 oz can of Libby's pumpkin pie filling
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger
1 box yellow cake mix (use the cheapest kind you can get)
1 stick salted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350
Mix pie filling, eggs, cinnamon and ginger. Pour into an ungreased 9x13 glass baking dish
Pour cake mix on top of filling (yes, just dump the powder on there).
Try and get it even, else you'll wind up with nasty bites of just cake-mix, which is not good.
Pour melted butter over the top of all of it. If the butter doesn't cover too well, mix just the top part (cake mix & butter) a bit.

Bake 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Top with whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Our favorite restaurants

Last night, Matt and I tried to come up with a list of our favorite 10 restaurants in the world (alas, we couldn't think of any outside the US worth putting on the list). Here's roughly what we came up with: (order is approximate)

1. Frontera Grill - Chicago
2. Alan Wong's - Honolulu
3. Chuy's - Austin
4. Pepe's - New Haven, Connecticut
5. Royer's Round Top Cafe - Round Top, Texas
6. Portillo's - Schaumburg, Illinois (or other locations, but that's the one I've been to)
7. Cooper's - Llano, Texas
8. Mi Nidito - Tuscon Artizona (Matt) - Daniel's Bagels, NYC (Becky, just because I've never been to Tuscon)
9. The Flatbread Company - Paia (Maui) Hawaii
10. Kreutz Market - Lockhart, Texas
    

These restaurants range from places that are about 3 miles from our house (Chuy's) to things that are across half an ocean (Wong's). They contrast real Mexican (Frontera) with tex-mex (Chuy's) and Sonoran (Mi Nidito). They contrast beautiful interiors with professional wait-staff and places you order at a counter or don't get any forks. Pizza is represented twice (Pepe's & Flatbread) and BBQ twice (Cooper's & Kreutz). We came up with this list after an excellent meal at Royer's Round Top Cafe, which serves up amazing gourmet comfort food in a town of only 77 residents.

These are all places that unconsciously make us smile. :)

Runners up would be:

• Mi Tierra at Market Square in San Antonio. Yes, I believe there's a place for cheese-covered, gloppy Tex-Mex (said by someone who really likes true Mexican cuisine). Mi Tierra satisfies my classic Tex-Mex-tooth better than any other place we've found.
  
• Chef Lupe's in New Mexico, but mostly because it's filled with happy memories of eating with family. (though the New Mexican style food is amazing)
  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's Matt holding one of the pies we made for Thanksgiving dinner this year: buttermilk delight. It has a buttermilk interior with a coconut-chocolate-pecan topping. We also made an apple pie (or, as our friend Robert put it a "brown sugar pie") - it turned out way too sweet. And, if that weren't enough desserts, we threw together a pumpkin "dump" cake (one where you just dump ingredients together). Matt also made cornbread stuffing.

We're thankful for many things today, most of which don't remotely include pies. :) But, pies are easier to photograph than other things we're thankful for, so that's what you get!

Much love to you & yours this Thanksgiving, from Matt & Becky.

Italian Beef

This weekend, we made Chicago-style Italian Beef sandwiches from scratch (roughly following this recipe). It's quite the process!

Didn't turn out quite like Portillo's, but it was still pretty good. The picture looks like a blob of meat, I know, but it tastes much better!

Can you get a good bagel in Austin?

Shortly after we got married, Matt did something both wonderful & horrible: he took me to New York City and while there, we visited Daniel's Bagels (not far from Grand Central Station). Since that fantastic trip, I have been forever spoiled on finding a quality bagel in Austin.

As I learned in a very influential video (ha! check it out below - it's the band The Newsboys, believe it or not) during my formative years, if a bagel is "not boiled in water, it's just a roll with a hole."



While I can't say exactly that local places DON'T boil their bagels, I can tell you that there's something that's not quite right about bagels from Einstein's or Panera, and most definitely something not right among those sold in bags in the bread section, or individually in the donut section at the grocery store. If you ever had a real NY bagel, I think you'd see the difference. A real bagel has a dense, chewy interior and a crisp exterior (and no need to be toasted). The things you get at most places in Austin have soft bread-like interiors and flimsy crusts.

The best bagels I've found at a restaurant in Austin, believe it or not, are from Dunkin' Donuts, and only then if they're toasted (otherwise they're WAY too bready). These don't begin to compare to the joy that is a real bagel, but they'll do in a pinch, as a platform for cream cheese, if nothing else.

Runner-up is frozen Lender's bagels, microwaved a few seconds to thaw then toasted at home. These, also, aren't quite right, but do the job fairly well (and are darn cheap!).

Maybe I need to search out more locally-owned non-chains to find good bagels around Austin. We've found great bagels in Ruidoso, NM last fall (place is closed now, though - boo). Just last weekend, we got fantastic bagels at almost 8,000 feet in elevation, in Avon, CO.

If you know where I might find a good bagel in Austin, please let me know! If you recommend something good and worth visiting again, I just might buy you one to celebrate!

*By the way, I think Austin has a similiar lack of a good baguette. Maybe I'll comment on that hard-hitting topic sometime soon!

Happy Labor Day!

I know I'm not the only person who had to work this Labor Day (just listened to my brother anchor the evening news, for instance). But, despite putting in hours answering emails and planning for the huge event I'm coordinating next weekend, we got out of town twice this long weekend.

Our first trip was on Sunday. After the early church service we drove to San Antonio to Mi Tierra restaurant at Market Square. We first went to this place many years ago once when my parents were visiting. We've been back several times, and have come to appreciate the unique mix of tourists & locals who come there and Mi Tierra's brand of classic tex-mex.

Now, this isn't fancy food, nor is it authentic mexican, but it is very authentic tex-mex. Yeah, in some circles tex-mex is frowned upon, but I think it's a genre worth celebrating for what it is. Get past the globs of cheese (embrace them, in fact!) and see this cuisine as something far more interesting. Tex-mex really is a fusion cuisine - not a modern fusion, but fusion nonetheless -- combining mexican flavors, some cowboy cooking ideas, local ingredients, and more. Mi Tierra has been around since the 1940s and serves up some of the best classic tex-mex I know. If you have to go to San Antonio for a convention or something, do yourself a favor and get off the Riverwalk for at least one meal - take a trolley to Market Square (just south of downtown) and get the Mexican Dinner combo or enchiladas from Mi Tierra.

The food is delicious, but some parts of the interior of the restaurant are downright scary - see the photo with Matt posing for an example of what I mean. That particular room felt a bit like an after Christmas sale had blown up - lights, ribbons, ornaments, colors everywhere (covering up what would otherwise be a fairly bland 1970's era room with a cafeteria counter and booths). The room closer to the hostess station is decorated far more tastefully in comparison (though it's still rather bright with pinatas and lights everywhere).

Mi Tierra also has an incredibly popular bakery. We tried a few things - the leche quemada was excellent, but the churros weren't as fresh as we would have liked. Still, it was a fun trip.

See more pictures here.


Our second trip out of town was today with friends and some of their out-of-town guests to Lockhart, TX - BBQ Capital of the World. We went to Black's, which was open. I like their sides (something Kreutz market in Lockhart doesn't begin to compare with!). The brisket wasn't as great as always, but it's always good to get out of town and enjoy some Texas BBQ with friends.

The week ahead will be insane for me, so even though I had to work a bit this Labor Day, it was still nice to have a mostly-lazy weekend filled with good food.

Everything Hatch

For someone who grew up in "the land of extra mild salsa"* my tastes in recent years have definitely grown hotter. I buy some kind of pepper on almost every trip to the grocery store, often to make guacamole (serrano or jalapeno for that), but also often to throw in other dishes (pasilla, guajillo, poblano, anaheim, and even sometimes habanero). This time of year, in particular, our home becomes a celebration of hot foods - especially those which feature the Hatch green chile.

Hatch Chiles come from one particular area (Hatch) in New Mexico. I don't know what it is about their green chiles, but they really are better. They're only available a few weeks a year, but thanks to people like Central Market (and increasingly HEB as well) and Chuy's, it's easy to get Hatch Chiles in Austin in late August & early September.

Hatch chiles are a lot like anaheim chiles (I imagine some purists would get upset over me saying that, but hey, it's basically true). They're fairly long and pointed, with a thick outer layer that's not so edible. You have to roast the chile (with an open flame, on a grill, in the broiler, etc.) and let the chile steam, then peel off the thicker skin. Typically, you then seed the chile. We buy several pounds each year and keep them in the feezer. In the past, we've prepped the chiles with skins removed, then diced into different quantities. This year, since standing up in the ktichen is almost guaranteed to cause me pain and Matt's got enough else to do filling in for me, we threw them into the freezer after roasting, but before the skins were removed.

For those of you who might live some place where you can get fresh hatch green peppers (or substitute an anaheim if you just can't get hatch), I thought I'd blog about a few of our favorite uses for them, when cooking at home.

• Green Chile Cheeseburger. Add green chiles (and some granulated or minced garlic, or even roasted garlic) to your favorite cheeseburger. At McDonald's in New Mexico, you can get this (minus the garlic, I think) on the 99 cent menu!
  
• Green Chile Grilled Cheese. Add a few slices of roasted, peeled & seeded green chile in with your favorite grilled cheese. A pinch of chile powder (red ground chile or standard chile powder) over the top makes it even better.
• Green Chile Mashed Potatoes. Add some roasted, peeled & seeded green chiles to mashed potatoes when you're mixing them. Yum.
• Green Chile Posole (which is mexican pork stew, basically). That recipe is long, but it basically involves hominy (a variant of corn), stock, pork, chiles, onion and seasonings.
  
• Green Chile Bagels, as mentioned previously
• Roasted green chiles served alongside some roasted onions & grilled chicken in tacos.
• Green Chile Rellenos (stuffed chiles which are usually battered and fried or baked)
• Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole. Layer corn tortillas, green chiles, cheese, and cream of chicken soup (with some seasonsings, of course) in your favorite casserole pan, bake & enjoy.
• Green Chile stuffed chicken breasts. Stuff cheese (gureyre for example) and green chiles into slits cut in chicken breasts. Coat with masa & ground nuts, or panko crumbs. Saute, then bake to finish.
• Green Chile Fries. I haven't perfected this yet, but there's a nugget of a good idea here. Long strips of green chile coated with a light egg-batter, then deep fried. Serve with my favorite sauce ever.

It's hard to believe that I was once the kind of person who ordered my potato oles at Taco Johns "NS" (no seasoning) because I thought they were too spicy!

*I joke that my hometown is the "land of extra mild salsa" though you do have to admit that the culinary scene in middle America (particularly midwest America, from my perspective) has really improved in the past 10-15 years. The mere idea that you can walk into Target and find their house-brand incorporating more unique flavors is pretty impressive. It's rare to go to any grocery store these days and not find whole-bean coffee, specialty cheeses, and various ethnic options. I like living in the future.

2nd place!

We just got home from Central Market's Hatch Green Chile Cooking Contest. Matt took 2nd place with his green chile cheese bagels!

Check out some pictures here.

I'm so proud of him. :)

We think he got 2nd primarily because "creativity" was one of the judging factors -- and a green chile cheese bagel is fantastic, but maybe not as creative as some other things. We tasted the winning item, green-chile stuffed french toast, and it was great. Everything we saw or tried was excellent! Other finalists included wontons, chocolate icebox pie, squash soup, and gnocci (like mac & cheese -- that item tied with Matt).

So, we didn't win 75 lbs of chiles. But, Matt will tell you that he's happy because one of the celeb chefs went back for seconds of his bagel. The chefs also liked how they looked "rustic."

We're already thinking about ideas for next year!

Cheer for Matt!

Matt entered Central Market's Hatch Green Chile recipe contest, and was selected as a finalist! Woot! Good thing we went there this weekend and bought a bunch more chiles. :)

He'll be preparing his dish (more info on that to come) for the judges this coming Sunday. The winner gets a Central Market gift card and a huge pile of Hatch Green Chiles. Judges include (arguably) Austin's two best chefs, local food bloggers, and others. (Hmmm, come to think of it, maybe the food bloggers will come by my blog. Nah, nobody actually reads my blog!)

We love Hatch season -- so this is just awesome! I'm so proud of him! He thought carefully about his recipe options and tested everything. Even if he doesn't win, this is a lot of fun (and I get to eat the results -- not bad).

Austin vs. Maui - Food

Almost every time we met somebody in Maui and they asked where we were from, they'd say something like "Wow, Austin's such a great town!" or "I hear that's the best town in Texas" or just get all dreamy and say "Austin..."

Inspired by those comments, and with much love for my adopted home town, I offer this un-inclusive comparison between Austin & Maui, specifically the food options in each area.

Austin vs. Maui: Fancy Restaurants

Yeah, it's not a surprise that Austin wins this hands down. It is probably a matter of population size, but Austin offers so many good choices for fancier dining. Maui puts up a good fight (with some celebrity chefs in resort areas), and admittedly we've only tried two "fancy" restaurants (at the Hotel Hana Maui, and also Mala, which is at least locally-based rather than a concept by an outside chef) but I'd say Austin wins. Austin has a remarkably good scene for foodies, featuring excellent fine-dining restaurants of both of the home-grown and imported varieties.

Austin vs. Maui: Local-Cuisines

Austin wins this hands down as well. There's just no doubt that the local cuisines of Austin (BBQ & Tex Mex) are better than those of Maui (Spam & Loco Moco). I think that the fact that we've had some competent Mexican (not quite Tex-Mex) in Maui (Cilantro in Lahaina was pretty good and Maui Tacos is affordable and can be quite nice when the staff is following the recipes) and have seen several supposedly Texas-style BBQ places proves in Maui this fact. Plus, I can't think of anyplace in Austin that features Spam Mosubi.

This entree alone puts Austin in the lead: (Chicka-Chicka-Boom-Boom enchiladas from Chuy's). That's better than poi any day!

From Home from Hawaiian Vacation

Austin vs. Maui: Pizza

Sorry friends, this one goes to Maui. While Austin puts up a good fight with the likes of Saccones (my favorite local place - New Jersey style), Maui beats Austin with the Flatbread Company (located in Pa'ia). Tasty pizzas with fresh ingredients cooked in a super hot oven.

My brother Steve took a picture of the Flatbread Company's pizza with kalua pig, goat cheese, and other yummy ingredients.

Austin vs. Maui: Fresh Fish

Obviously Maui. It's an island. Enough said. :)

Austin vs. Maui: Fresh Pineapple

Edge to Maui but Austin isn't that bad. I think a whole fresh ripe pineapple in Austin (keep in mind - whole pineapple, not those that are pre-cored at HEB) compares quite favorably to those found in grocery stores in Maui. Ok, I haven't gone to the pineapple plantation to pick my own or anything, but overall, the pineapples we get here are actually quite like those on Maui. I think that it might just be the general tropical vibe that makes them taste better on Maui. (And, I fully understand that my husband & friends probably disagree with me here.)

Austin vs. Maui: Prices in Grocery Stores

Obviously Austin. It's probably not fair to compare an island to a city in the heart of Texas in this way, but I have photographic proof, so I had to include this category.

Comparison of what Stubb's BBQ marinades cost in Maui vs Austin.


$6.75 on sale in Maui.














$2.55 on sale in Austin.


Yes, Stubb's is local to Austin, so this isn't quite a fair comparison. But, again, I had pictures so I had to post them. :) It was mostly just fun to be in Maui and notice that they sold a product from home!








Austin vs. Maui: Shave Ice

Maui knows how to make it. There's a reason it's often called Hawaiian shave ice. Hawaiians know how to make it properly: Start with good quality ice. Then shave it (don't crush it or grind it). Then, use fresh flavorings that have been kept COLD. That last point is really the key. Even if you have bad ice that's not too finely shaved, if the flavor is cold, you'll be far better off. When you put the flavor on at room-temperature, it melts the ice a bit, creating nasty chunks. Hawaiian Shave Ice places know how to avoid that. And, using flavorings that are fresh (or at least hand-made) seems to improve the flavor - somehow more pure fruit flavors without having to resort to just sugary sweetness. They also know how to put in things like ice cream to enhance the experience (which most places in the mainland wouldn't even try, let alone get right). Too bad Austin doesn't get this, since good Shave Ice would be mighty nice come August! (There are a few competent local places, notably Sno Beach, but it's just not the same.)

Here's one example of good shave ice on Maui. This was from a road-side stand in the middle of nowhere, and they still get it better than anyplace in Austin! I think this was cherry-pineapple. Notice the huge serving, straw & spoon.

From Sunday in Maui: Road to Hana

A more productive day

I had a hard time being productive a few days last week, so I made myself a few goals for today:

• I'd post something thoughtful on my sabbatical blog. DONE!
  
• I'd finish a sewing project. DONE!
  
• I'd make a big batch of some kind of food to put into the freezer. SIMMERING!
  
• I'd make some Mexican food, from scratch, for dinner for Cinco de Mayo. WILL DO THAT IN THE NEXT HOUR!
• I'd do some laundry! DONE!
  

The sewing project was a bag from a recent special edition magazine from Better Homes & Gardens Creative line - Bags, Pillows & Pincushions. The bag I made was featured on page 46. I was looking for a larger bag that I could take on trips, or use to hold books/etc. while going to the office. This bag looked like it might work. I modified it in a few ways:

• I used medium-weight canvas as a stabilizer, rather than heavy-weight interfacing.
• I used cotton webbing inside the handle, to make it easier on my shoulder.
  
• I added a zipper pocket inside (following these directions). The written pattern has just two open pockets inside.
  
• I added a zipper-top. I made the bag without a zipper on the top and it was just too floppy. You couldn't use this bag for much; everything would have fallen out! It only had a single clasp in the middle, which is not enough for a bag that's roughly 13 X 3. So, I improvised a zipper-closure. It's not perfect, but I'm quite happy with it, considering I don't really know what I'm doing!

The outside fabrics are from Amy Butler, purchased at a shop in New Braunfels, TX. The bag is sitting over my antique rocking chair. In front of the bag are two small pouches - one with velcro (rough directions here) and one with a zipper (better directions here).




The first cooking project is simmering away on the stove presently. I'm making the classic ragu bolognese recipe from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. Prep took about 45 minutes (I tripled the recipe, to make sure there was enough to freeze), and it's now been simmering for about 3 hours. I think it has at least another hour, or maybe two to go before it's finished. From that description, maybe you can tell why this isn't a recipe we make often! Matt made it once before, and it was yummy. This is a gift to myself, really - one night in June, I'll come home from work exhausted, but will be able to pull off a home-made meal thanks to a container of bolognese in the freezer!

The second cooking project will be Green Chile & Chicken soft tacos from Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday. It will have grilled poblano peppers and onions, along with chicken. I think I'll top it with our favorite avocado-tomatillo sauce (which I pulled out of the freezer - I love little rubbermaid containers!) It winds up tasting a bit like my favorite item at Taco Deli, the chicken frontera fundito (not entirely, but close). I figured the ragu would need more time to simmer, and it's also Cinco de Mayo, so tacos seemed like a good choice.

The Marcella Hazan cookbook is probably only for those who want to spend a lot of time cooking (though the food is good, the recipes are time-consuming). But, I'd happily recommend the Rick Bayless cookbook (that title, or others) to anybody! The recipes are actually doable on a weeknight, are very tasty, and are usually fairly healthy. If you want to try his dishes before buying the book, you can find quite a few on the Frontera website, or check out the show on PBS.

Links: Random Things I'm Liking

Just a few random things I've been appreciating over the past few days:

• Brother's All-natural freeze dried fruit. Available at Costco. No sugar added, just real fruit that's been freeze-dried. The apples are a bit sweeter than I'd really like, but they are tasty. Pears & the combo pack of bananas & apples are better. Good as a snack.
• Sock-pig pattern. I think I need to go buy a water-football and some chenille stems so I can make one of these.
• Great video about living our dreams, etc. (not preachy at all - just a great story). This was shown at the conference I attended last week.
• Chick-Fil-A. They were a sponsor at the conference. I'm bummed that I misunderstood the guy handing out the lunch options and didn't take the chance to try the new spicy chicken sandwich. I may have to stop by a Chick-Fil-A here in Austin this week to see if this new item has hit our market yet.

Links: Food

Recipes and techniques I want to try:

• Pan-Crisped Potatoes (from Mark Bittman at the NY Times)
• Roasted chicken breast (cooked with two pans - from The Cooking Loft on FoodTV)
• While I'm mentioning The Cooking Loft, I also want to try her Mac & Cheese.
• Chicken & Green Sauce (with tomatillos - this is more concept than receipe - found via Mario Batali)
• Enchiladas Suizas (Rick Baylee recipe, from Sur La Table; now that I know I can get what looks to be authentic creama at HEB, I should try this one)
• Lava Cookies (like molten chocolate cakes)
• Lasagna rolls from Giada on Food TV. I tried these once before and liked it overall. I think I want to review how America's Test Kitchen did manicotti recently and combine that technique with the flavors in this dish. Might work (or might not).
• Piquillo Pepper Pesto from Bobby Flay for HGTV Dream Home (skip to middle of page). Matt used this recipe as a jumping-off-point for our a sauce for our Valentines's Day dinner. He substituted Anaheim peppers, and it was delicious.
  

I can't get a link to show up, alas, but we are taking a class on Thursday at Central Market. It's another Tex-Mex class (we don't really need these for technique anymore, but it's a fun date-night for us). This one will be: Tacos al Pastor, Carnitas, Posole con Puerco, Refried Beans, Guacamole & Salsa, and Mexican Pralines. YUM!

Restaurants:

• So happy that Saccones has re-opened in our part of Austin (we've been driving out to Round Rock since the old location burned). Our verdict (after visting on Thursday - during their "soft open" stage) is that the oven isn't quite hot enough and staff not fully trained yet. But, my mouth was happy as I bit into our meatball-and-pepperoni pie. The new restaurant, located just south of Anderson Mill on 620, looks more high class than the old 183 location (nicer looking finishes, not many Jersey-themed-items or license plates). Not sure if that's good or bad, though. :)
• Continuing to enjoy Cupprimo. I admit I haven't gone all-out on the cupcake fad (or has it passed out of fad status by now?). But, among the places I've tried, Cupprimo is the best. Their carrot cake (special on Saturdays) is excellent -- good cream cheese frosting that's not super-sweet.
  

Living in the future: Part 2A: Our Tivo got better

Last night, I realized there's even more to love about our Tivo. We can now download (or stream?) movies from Amazon (for a fee), and can get to a bunch of free programs, too.

The free programs we watched were from Mark Bittman (we've enjoyed his cookbooks, occasional television show, blog, and appearances on Spain: on the Road Again). We watched him make chocolate souffle last night. His style of cooking (minimalist, using good ingredients, and making tasty food) is good for me. (Tivo users can learn more here.)

We only watched one episode from Bittman -then moved on to Battlestar Galactica. We had 2 episodes on the Tivo at the start of the night - and added a third. We were recording the live episode while watching the prior ones, which by itself, is pretty amazing. I won't give any spoilers, but this season of BSG is really suspenseful. The entire series will be worth watching again someday, I think. (and hopefully by then, we'll be able to download episodes straight to our television)

Best. Sauce. Ever.

I made this sauce for the second time tonight. Matt declared it to be "even better than your tortilla soup" which is high praise in our household. Great on tacos or rellenos, and would probably also be great on enchiladas, or perhaps also just as a dip.

I modified this from several versions I found online. I made it first last summer - in some small way inspired by an avocado sauce we had while at Frontera Grill in Chicago.

Avocado Tomatillo Sauce:
Ingredients:

• 3 to 5 tomatillos (3 if they're big, 5 if they're small).
• Small handful of cilantro (don't bother chopping it)
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup of onion, roughly chopped
• One serrano pepper, seeded and stemmed, then chopped pretty small (in case your blender doesn't chop it enough, you should start with this in smaller pieces)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 of a small container of sour cream. I think that's a 1/4 cup.
• 1 large avocado or 2 small ones
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 (or maybe 2) cloves of garlic, roughly chopped (your blender will do the rest)

Process:

1. Remove tomatillo husks and rinse thoroughly (these are so sticky!). Put in a small pan, cover with water, then boil until they first turn a bit brighter green, then turn darker green. Allow to cool a bit, while you cut other ingredients. Then, drain off the water (but don't puncture the tomatillos) and put into the blender.
2. Put all ingredients into the blender and blend until quite smooth.
3. Divide into several of your tiniest storage containers (1/2 cup size are great). Keep one container out for this week, and the rest go into the freezer for later.
   

Tastes great when fresh (and still slightly warm) or also good cold (when unfrozen). A spoonful or two over grilled chicken in hot flour tortillas is most excellent.