It's been a long time!

While face-booking with a dear friend of mine (from Mexico City) she asked me if I had a blog; and then I remembered my days as a blogger. I am going to give it a try again, but I cannot make any promises. I see so may people with such lovely blogs, and I wish I was one of you, but sadly I'm not. But here goes another try.

This is the week in which I return to the labor force. No I was not out of a job, I've only been enjoying the summer break ;-)

This turn into the school year is made more real with the return of the weekly menus.

This week

Monday-Pancakes and eggs for breakfast (the last of the late wake-up meals), salad and sandwiches for lunch, and Empedrada (previously seen salad) and roasted potatoes for dinner.

Tuesday-Leftover pancakes for breakfast, picnic at the park-salad wraps with ham and cotija cheese, and chicken in vinegar with white rice and veggies.

Wednesday-The last of my summer days-yogurt and granola for breakfast, chicken quesadillas for lunch, and tortilla soup and salad for dinner.

Thursday-first day back to work-yogurt and granola for breakfast (will not see this as I am due at "management seminar" at 7:30 am!, sandwiches for lunch and pasta with veggies for dinner.

Friday-Cereal for breakfast, leftover pasta for lunch, and tapas night! (with a little red wine to finish the week.)

Quite Busy

It has been so busy this week! It is very difficult to get back in the swing of things. Friday night I went with a group of people to make dolls for the Elves' Fair. It is so interesting to see and participate in all the back stage work that needs to be done in order to have a successful fair; and this is only for the doll room! It just seems so daunting. Every year it seems like we won't pull it off, but every year it seems to get better and better...at least the last 3 years that I've experienced it. I feel so honored to be surrounded by such amazingly talented people.

Yesterday was the Hoe Down. The cakes for the cake walk looked delicious and the food hit the spot. Everyone looked like they were having so much fun. It is such the community building event. The relaxed atmosphere and the catching up after a long summer is a breath of fresh air.

Here are the menu items for the week:

Grilled Skirt Stake

• Count on 6 oz. of skirt stake per person
• Salt and pepper
• Olive Oil

Heat your grill to a high temperature. In the meantime brush each piece of meat on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper on each side. Place the meat on the grill and do not move it for about 5 minutes. Once the meat has grill mark on the first side, turn it to the other side and grill for 5-8 minutes more (depending on how well done you like it.)

Alli Oli

• 1 egg
• 1 garlic clove
• olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt

You can do this either in the blender, hand held, or a mortar. The latter is much more time consuming and takes much skill, that is why I stick to the hand held. Place the egg in the blending container, have the oil ready to poor SLOWLY when you turn on the blender or hand held. Once you turn on the blender toss in the garlic clove, and slowly begin pouring in the olive oil. Keep pouring until you see that the mixture begins to get very thick (do not stop blending) and add the salt. Once the salt is well mixed in, stop the blender and taste. Add salt if necessary. Put in the refrigerator until the meat is done. Serve along with the meat.

Salmon Carpaccio

Fernando and I used to go to a restaurant in Pasadena called La Fornaretta where they made the most amazing Salmon Carpaccio. We never thought about emulating it until we went to dinner at a friend's house and they had copied the succulent appetizer. Since then we have been making it ourselves at home and are happy remember one of our favorite eateries the no longer is.

• 1 small package of smoked salmon
• 1/4 cup of diagonally sliced green onions (no greens)
• the juice of 1/4 a lemon
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp oregano
• salt
• pepper

Separate the salmon into slices and place on a shallow plate. In a bowl mix the rest of the ingredients making sure that the onion slices separate into little rings. Drizzle the dressing over the carpaccio and allow to rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Take it our of the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before serving.

Chicken and vegetables

• 1 lb of chicken tenders
• 1.5 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 head broccoli
• 1/2 head cauliflower

Wash and pat dry the chicken tenders. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet to medium high. Add the butter to the skillet. Once the butter melts and is quite hot, place the chicken in the skillet. Turn the chicken once it is nice and brown, and allow to cook on the other side until done through and through. While the chicken is cooking rinse the broccoli and cauliflower and steam until desired softness. When the chicken is done remove from the skillet and place the broccoli and cauliflower in the skillet to brown a little bit.

Pea Salad

My mother used to make this salad when we first moved to the United States. I brings very intense memories to mind. Se got it from a book called Cooking from Quilt Country. This is a long list of ingredients but well worth every one. I tend to make half the quantity, but for potlucks the full amounts are best.

• 1 lb frozen peas
• 1 cup cubed cheddar cheese
• 1 cup peanuts
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped sweet pickle pieces (not relish)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped green bell pepper
• 1 tbsp chopped red bell pepper
• 1 hard boiled egg, coarsely chopped
• 4 heaping tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp prepared mustard
• 1 tsp celery seed

In a large bowl combine all ingredients in the order given and mix lightly. Chill for several hours (I make this the night before).

Ham Quesadillas

• 8 tortillas
• Oaxaca cheese (or grated mozzarella)
• 8 slices of ham or turkey

On a tortilla place one slice of ham and then about 1 tbsp of cheese. Place in a hot skillet and cover with a second tortilla. When the cheese begins to melt, turn the quesadilla over so that the top tortilla heats up and the cheese melts completely. Do as many at a time as the size of your skillet permits. Remove from the skillet cut into quarters and serve.

Endive Salad

Yaya Patty brought this over one day, and we couldn't get enough. It is soooooo easy to make.

• 3 small endives (I use the 3-pack from TJ's)
• blue cheese (crumbled)
• pine nuts
• dry cranberries
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• Salt

Cut the endives in half lengthwise, then in half rounds, then place in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix lightly.

Cuban Rice

This is sometimes called "moros y cristianos," because of the dark beans and the white rice.

• 1.5 cup basmati rice
• 3 cup water
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chicken bullion
• 1 can black beans
• 1/2 small yellow unions cut in large wedges
• 4 eggs
• tomato sauce

Place the rice in a hot skilled, on medium high heat, along with the garlic, bay leaves and olive oil. Stir and cock until it releases a nice toasty smell. Add the salt and the bullion, and incorporate completely. Add the water. When the water begins to boil, lower the heat to low and cover the skillet. Allow to cook 20 minutes. In a small pot on medium heat add a little bit of oil and the onion. When the onion in translucent, add the entire can of black beans (including the liquid). Heat the beans through and add salt to taste. In a small and very hot, skillet; fry the eggs enough for the whites to be completely done and crispy and the yolks a bit runny. Place on a paper towel to drain the excess oil. In a little pot place the tomato sauce and add a pinch of sugar in order to make it a bit less acidic. Heat the tomato sauce through. Serve In a bowl. On one half of the bowl place the rice, on the other side the black beans with a little liquid. Over the rice place one egg and top with the tomato sauce. Eat with tortillas or bread.

Here's tomorrow's menu

I have been doing a lot of cooking lately, so I have to take a moment to post the tomorrows items, otherwise I will not be following my promise.White fish with colorful bell peppers and onion

• 4 fillets of firm white fish per person
• 1 small red bell pepper cut into strips
• 1 small yellow bell pepper cut into strips
• 1 small orange bell pepper cut into strips
• 1 small onion cut into half circles
• salt pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• olive oil

Clean the fish and season with salt and pepper. Heat up a large skillet. Drizzle in a little olive oil, when it is hot, toss in the vegetables. When the onion is translucent and the bell peppers have softened considerably, take them out of the pan. Put the butter into the same skillet and when it melts, but before it browns, toss in the fish. Do not move the fish around for about 2.5 minutes. Once it is a little brown on the first side, flip the fish to the other side and leave it until it gets a little brown. Then toss in the vegetables to reheat, and plate immediately.

Empedrada

• 1 can of small white beans (canellini)
• 1 romaine lettuce cut small
• 2 tomatoes-cut into wedges
• 1 can of tuna (preferably in olive oil)
• 1/2 small yellow onion chopped small
• 10 anchovy stuffed olives
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil
• red wine vinegar

Drain and rinse the white beans and spread them at the bottom of a salad bowl. Season with salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar. Spread the lettuce over the beans and repeat seasoning. Spread the onion over the lettuce. Spread the tuna over the onion and repeat seasoning. Place the tomato wedges around the edge and repeat the seasoning. Slice the olives into 3 rounds to decorate the salad.

Excited to help

Wow, it has been quite the first week of school. Marina has a great table mate and that makes for interesting dinner stories. As some of you know, she's quite the chatter box. She explained over dinner that while eating their lunch they are allowed to talk, but her table partner did not realize they could chat and so he said to her; "now Marina, I don't want to hear a single word from you, not a single word." "but friend (she used his name)..." she said. To what he responded "that's a single word Marina, that's a single word!"

Here are the rest of the recipes for the week. I hope you enjoy!

Tuesday

Chicken marinated in lime and garlic

• 1 breast of chicken cut into tin long slices per person
• 4 minced cloves of garlic per person
• 1 lime juice per person
• 2 tablespoons of good olive oil per person
• salt
• pepper

Place all the ingredients into a bowl making sure that the marinade covers all the chicken.
Allow to rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (the longer in marinates the better)
Cook in a medium high heat bar-b-cue.

Heirloom Tomatoes Salad

• 1 medium size heirloom tomato sliced 1/4" thick per person
• 1/4 cup of feta cheese per person
• 1 tbsp of good olive oil per person
• 1 1/2 tbsp of walnut pieces per person
• sat
• pepper

Place the tomato slices on a platter, sprinkle the feta cheese evenly over the tomatoes. Drizzle the olive oil over the feta and tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and paper to taste. Adding a few pitted olives and dry mint works well too!

Wednesday

Libritos (pork loin stuffed with cheese and turkey slices)

Now, in Barcelona, these little, beautiful morsels are served in the "menus" throughout the City. Menus are lunch meals that include a first plate, second plate, desert, coffee and soft drink for about $10. During the work week, people will typically eat out for lunch (which is their heavy meal-like our dinner). Menus are geared for the work force.

• 1 lean pork loin(you can also use thinly sliced de-boned pork chops)
• sliced cheese (any that melts well)
• sliced turkey lunch meet (low salt)
• 2-3 eggs
• fine bread crumbs
• salt and pepper
• oil (for frying-I use olive)

If you use a whole pork loin I suggest that you freeze it 2 days before, and put it in the fridge to defrost for about 8 hours. The meet should be somewhat still frozen. Cut a very thin slice-1/4"slice almost to the bottom but not quite (leaving it still attached), then cut the next slice all the way through -now you should have quite a number of little butterflied boneless pork loins. Place a small piece of the turkey and a small piece of the cheese inside the butterflied pieces and close. In a wide shallow bowl beat the eggs with salt and pepper and dip a few of the little meet "sandwiches." Then pass them to the bread crumbs and press them in order to cover them well. Fry them until golden brown on each side.

I'm so tired now, that I'm going to continue tomorrow. Have a great night.

Dinner Menu

I trust the first day of school was fantastic for everyone. We loved the Rose Ceremony. I wish I could sing as beautifully as the teachers did!

Here is week's full of delicious dinners. Enjoy!

Monday-

Pasta Salad

Any small pasta such as little shells
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 orange bell pepper
1/4 cup of peas
1/4 cup feta cheese (or cheddar cheese)
1/4 cup broccoli (in very small pieces)
Good Olive oil
Vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt

pepper
Boil pasta, mix in all ingredients and allow to rest for at least 4 hours

Gambas al Ajillo (Shrimp Scampi)

2-3 good size shell on shrimp per person (if you find them with the head on it's better)

3-4 pressed or finely chopped garlic cloves per person (I use the frozen ones from Trader Joe's)

1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley per person (I use the frozen ones from Trader Joe's)

1/2 lime per person

1 teaspoons of olive oil per person

salt to taste

In a bowl or mortar place the garlic, parsley, olive oil, and salt-mix very well.

Set a skillet (that fits half or all the shrimp flat)on medium high heat

Pour in a little olive oil and place the shrimp flat. With a spoon put a little of the garlic mix on each shrimp (you should have some left over for the other side).

After a minute, turn each shrimp to the other side and spoon the rest of the garlic mix on each shrimp. After a minute turn the shrimp over. The shrimp are done when they turn a bright pink color and they are firm to the tough. The garlic mix should be a golden color. Serve with half of the lime.

Enjoy