Add butter and it kinda of tastes like popeyes...

I'm incapable of making the same thing twice.

Red Beans

3 c dried red beans, soaked overnight
3 serranos
2 heads of garlic (about 20 cloves)
1 onion
2 slices of bacon fat
olive oil
2 qts stock


Mince serranos, garlic, onion and bacon fat in the food processer. Heat oil over medium-high heat, add mixture from food processor and cook for a few minutes. Add red bean and stock, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 1h-1.5h or until softened. Puree 1/3 of the bean mixture.

Testing Pot

I've been looking for an excuse to use the big pot my brother got me for Christmas. So I made some chili to test my new pot.

Chili
2 onions, chopped
4 serrano peppers, chopped
1 Ancho Chile, chopped
20 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb ground chuck
3 28oz cans of fire roasted tomatoes
4c dried kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
2-6c stock or water
1/4c Fresh Oregano, chopped
2T cumin, ground
Salt to taste


Saute onions, garlic, serrano, ancho, and ground meat until the ground meat stays separated into crumb sized clumps. Add tomatoes, kidney beans, and stock. Add just enough stock or water to cover the beans with an inch of liquid. Simmer chili covered for 1h. Add oregano, cumin, and salt. Boil chili uncovered for 30m. Add salt to taste again (the beans will have absorbed some of the salt).

Teff Experiment

I bought some teff flour a while back and have been trying to decide what to test it on.

Spinach Pie with Teff Crust

4 Tbs Butter
1.5 c Teff Flour or All-Purpose Flour
Ice Water

8 Garlic, cloves
1/4lb Tofu
1/2 c Feta, crumbled
1/2 c Parmesan, grated
8 c Spinach, cooked and chopped
Salt
Pepper


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut butter, with pastry cutter, into Flour until the butter becomes crumb-sized. Stir in water, teaspoons at a time, until dough comes together. Roll to desired thickness and place in a greased pie plate.
Puree Garlic, Tofu, and Feta. Stir Garlic Mixture with spinach and half of the Parmesan cheese until combined. Plop Spinach Mixture into pie shell and even out in the shell. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan on top of the pie. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Grilled Cheese

I was flipping through a Cooking Light Stacey let me look through and saw a recipe for a Sun-dried Tomato, Roasted Garlic, and White bean dip. I thought it would make a good soup instead.

1 recipe Heidi's Tomato Sauce:
[3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 olive oil
1 28oz can Crushed tomatoes
1 Lemon Zest] <--Heidi's Sauce ingredients
1 cup dried Navy Beans
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 Onion, quatered
1 head Garlic
Salt
Pepper

Soak the beans overnight. Then cook in water with Smashed Garlic Cloves and Quatered Onion for 1h-1.5h. Save about 2 cups of the Bean cooking water and drain the beans.

Spray the Garlic Head with Pam or rub with oil. Wrap the Garlic Head in foil and roast the Garlic Head @ 400 degrees for 1h.

Put the 1/4 cup of oil in a small (~2 qt) saucepan. Add the red pepper flakes, salt and garlic to the oil. Turn the stove to medium-high heat for ~45sec - 1m. Add the canned tomatoes, stir and heat throughly. When the Sauce is hot zest the lemon into the sauce, stir and remove from heat.

Puree the Beans and roasted garlic cloves (removing the papery skin), using the bean water to thin to your liking. When thinned, stir in the tomato sauce. Serve with Grilled Cheese.

Grilled Cheese

Mozzarella, sliced
Parmesan, grated
Bread
Butter
Fresh Basil Leaves

Lay mozzarella slices on one slice of bread; top Mozzarella with Basil Leaves. Melt butter in skillet. Place Mozzarella Bread in skillet, bread side down. Place Parmesan on second slice of bread. Broil Parmesan Bread, bread side down. [Watch the Parmesan bread closely and don't burn them like I did] Once the Mozzarella starts to melt add the Parmesan Bread, leaving the Parmesan up:

Parmesan
Bread
Basil
Mozzarella
Bread

Bean Enchiladas

Beans
2 c dried Pinto Beans
1 Onion, chopped
6 cloves Garlic, minced
1 slice Smoked Bacon
1 Beer
1 T fresh Oregano, chopped
1 T Paprika
1 T Cumin
1 Bay Leaf
1/4 t Cayenne Pepper
1 T Salt
8 oz Sour Cream

Cream Sauce
3/4 c Onion, chopped
1/4 c Carrots, chopped
1 Tbs Garlic, chopped
2 Tbs Water
2 Tbs Chicken Glaze/Bullion
1/4 c Flour
1.5 c Heavy Cream
4 oz Mushrooms, sliced


1.5 c Cheddar Cheese, grated
8 Tortillas

Soak the Beans overnight. Boil the beans with the Onion, Garlic, Bacon, Beer, Oregano, Paprika, Cumin, Bay leaf, and Pepper for 1.5h-2h. Add the salt and let sit for 15 minutes. Add Sour Cream to Beans.

Cook the Oil, Onion, Carrots and Garlic over medium-high heat until softened. Add water and Chicken Glaze; stir until combined. Add Flour and stir to combine. Add Heavy Cream and cook until heated. Put the Cream Mixture in the blender and blend until smooth. Add the Sour Cream and Sliced Mushrooms to the Cream Mixture. Cook the Cream Mixture until heated. Add the 1 cup of cream mixture to the beans.

For each tortilla, place some of the bean mixture on the tortilla, add cheese, and roll. Place tortillas in a baking pan (13x9x2). When all the tortillas are rolled, pour cream sauce on top of rolled tortillas. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes (You're just melting the cheese)