Bradshaw Taqueria ?

Thomas bragged on these burritos for months before I finally got to try them! We first made them together about 2 months ago and while I must admit I was skeptical at first, this is now probably one of my favorite recipes. We made these together a second time while visiting my family over Christmas vacation.

The Swiss cheese was the ingredient I shied away from the most at the beginning. I love cheese, but Swiss has never been a favorite of mine. It works pretty well with the other ingredients, though, so I'd definitely recommend it. Additionally, the bean/tomato sauce process does seem kinda strange the first time. But trust me, it's worth it!!!

Thomas' Burritos

Tortilla ingredients:
1 part vegetable oil (we used 1 1/2 c oil/milk/water to make 15 tortillas)
1 part milk
1 part water
flour

1. Begin by mixing equal parts oil, milk, and water. Add flour and continue to mix until batter becomes a thick consistency.
   
   
   
2. Keep adding flour, kneading until mixture becomes doughy.
   
   
   
3. Separate dough into small balls. They should fit in your cupped hand.
   
   
   
   
4. Roll out the dough. Try for somewhat round and very thin tortillas. They shrink up and thicken a bit in the pan.
   
   
   
5. Sprinkle a bit of salt into a heated frying pan. Transfer one tortilla into the frying pan. As it cooks, the color will change slightly. Once the bottom is thicker and a more golden color, use a spatula, or if you're like Thomas, your hands, to flip it over and cook the other side.
   
   
6. Stack cooked tortillas until filling is ready!
   
   
   

Beans:
2 cans Cannellini beans (White Kidney beans)
1 small (8-0z) can tomato sauce
spices: cumin, thyme, basil, salt to taste

1. Drain beans. Combine beans and tomato sauce in a saucepan. Save one bean can; remove label and wash.
   
   
   
   
2. Drain off a bit of the tomato sauce and use the clean can to mash the beans.
   
   
   
3. Add spices to taste. Thomas likes a lot of cumin.
   
   
4. Cook bean mixture on the stovetop until heated.
   
   

Other ingredients:
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, diced
grated Swiss cheese
sour cream


To assemble:
Begin with a tortilla. Spread on a bit of the bean mixture and some sour cream. Add grated Swiss cheese and sprinkle in a few tomatoes and peppers. fold bottom up and sides around. ENJOY!!

Belated Birthday Retry

Due to popular demand (or my incessant demand), Lisa was convinced to remake the wonderful Bûche de Noël (Yule log) she made for my birthday (link), this time with pictures for all to enjoy. If you end up making it and liking it, or liking it and wanting it made, comment below (no guarantees, though). There are a lot of steps, but it's well worth the wait. Anyway, here it goes.

Bûche de Noël

Along with the other ingredients, make sure you have:
Wax/parchment paper
Flour
Cocoa powder
Powdered sugar

Cake ingredients:
4 egg yolks
6 egg whites (save the 2 extra egg yolks for the frosting)
8 T sugar (6 for the yolks, 2 for the whites)
1 T vanilla
1/8 t salt
1/4 t cream of tartar
1/2 C flour
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Grease a jelly roll pan, cover it with wax paper, then grease and flour the wax paper.
3. Separate the egg whites and yolks.
4. Beat the egg yolks until creamy, adding 6 T sugar gradually, then add 1 T vanilla.
5. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with 1/8 t salt until frothy, then add cream of tartar. Continue to beat until they hold soft peaks. Add 2 T sugar and beat until they hold stiff peaks.
6. Fold two mixtures together with 1/2 C flour and 1/4 C cocoa powder until smooth.
7. Pour mixture into jelly roll pan, spreading it evenly with a spatula.
8. Bake it for 8-10 minutes or until a toothpick test comes clean.
9. Dust the cake lightly with cocoa powder, cover with wax paper, and let it cool until warm.
10. Flip the cake, and peel off the wax paper that was originally on the bottom. Dust it with cocoa powder, cover with a new sheet of wax paper, and roll it up.
11. Set the cake aside and let it cool.

Frosting ingredients:
6 egg yolks
2/3 C sugar
1/4 C water
3 sticks (1 1/2 C) butter, softened
6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 T vanilla

1. Beat egg yolks until creamy. Have this and a mixer ready for step 3.
2. Combine water and sugar in a saucepan and boil until it reaches softball stage (238°F).
3. Immediately pour the water/sugar mixture into the egg mixture with the mixer running, and beat until cool.
4. Mix the butter, chocolate, and vanilla with the egg mixture.

Assembling the yule log:

1. Unroll cooled cake and remove the top sheet of wax paper.
2. Spread half of the frosting on the top of the cake.
3. Reroll the cake, removing the outer sheet of wax paper.
4. Cut a small diagonal piece off one of the ends of the roll (to be the branch).
5. Put the main cake on a plate and frost its outside.
6. Place the small diagonal piece perpendicular to the main cake and frost it as well.
7. Scrape the cake with the prongs of a fork to make it look like bark.
8. Dust the entire cake with powdered sugar.

Cake Pictures


(Thomas cracking. Eggs, that is.)


(Mixing cake egg portions)


(Adding cocoa powder)


(Lisa spreading the batter onto the jelly roll pan)


(Baked cake with wax paper on top)


(Cake flipped, removing wax paper)


(Cake rolled)


Frosting Pictures


(Lots of butter)


(Butter/chocolate mixture)


(Sugar/water mixture boiling)


(Adding sugar/water mixture to eggs)


(Adding butter/chocolate mixture to eggs)


Assembly Pictures


(Branch removed from log)


(Frosting the cake)


(Almost done...)


(There you go at last!)


Enjoy!

Two for One!

A special end-of-November treat for our readers: recipes for TWO delicious foods! We like to have breakfast for dinner fairly often since Thomas doesn't eat breakfast (but he does eat cereal for lunch/dinner....). Tonight was one of those nights! Please enjoy our cooking instructions (and pictures) for Banana Pancakes & Cheese Omelettes:

Banana Pancakes
2 over-ripe bananas
pancake mix and water (for our mix, 1 c mix with 1/2 c water) (or your own recipe for pancake batter)

To start, peel your bananas and place them in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Using a fork or other weapon of your choice, mash the bananas until they are the consistency of baby food or a well-mashed banana.


Next, stir together the appropriate amounts of pancake mix and water as detailed in the instructions on the package, or mix your own pancake batter, with the mashed bananas.


Turn on one burner on your stove. Place a large-sized frying pan on the corresponding burner and pour about a tablespoon of oil into it (or use cooking spray). Pour some batter into the pan once it is heated up enough. A good size for a pancake is between 3 and 5 inches in diameter.


Once the first side is adequately browned, use a spatula to flip your pancake.


After your pancakes are cooked, spot some butter on one side and enjoy with a topping of your choice.

Cheese Omelette
2 eggs
about 2 T milk
1/4 c shredded cheese of your choice


Start by cracking the eggs into a water-tight container of your choice, making sure to discard any shell pieces. Using a fork or whisk, beat the whites and yolks together. Add milk and beat some more until fully mixed.


Place a medium-sized frying pan onto a burner and turn the burner on. Pour in some oil or use cooking spray to coat the inside of the pan. Once the pan is hot, pour in your egg mixture. Ideally, you will hear the egg begin to cook as you pour it into the pan. See that the egg coats the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat to a low setting and cover the pan.


After a few minutes (be sure to check often) your egg will be mostly cooked through. There may be a bit of runny egg on the top side of what's in the pan, but that is alright. Using a spatula, VERY carefully loosen the sides of your round cooked egg mixture and flip the entire thing over in the pan. It's not the end of the world if it breaks or folds in on itself, although it will make the next step more challenging.


After flipping your cooked egg, sprinkle your shredded cheese onto one half of it. Use your spatula to fold the empty side over the cheesy side, and then cover once more. Once the cheese is melted, remove the now-finished omelette from the pan and place on a plate.



Our delicious meal: (Note: we did not eat the plant pictured on the table)


Always remember to clean up right away!!

Tonight's Supper

Today we add another entry to our arsenal, along with pictures.

Tuna and Cheese on Bread

Tho' difficult, this recipe results in culinary delight (to those that like it). Ingredients needed are as follows:

1 9x13 Pyrex® pan
6 slices of bread
3 5-ounce cans of tuna
5/16 C mayonnaise (approximately)
Cheddar cheese, sliced (enough to cover all the bread)

Note: It also helps to have an oven.

1. Combine tuna (after draining the water) with mayonnaise.
2. Lay slices of bread in 9x13 pan.
3. Spread tuna/mayo mixture over bread.
4. Lay slices of cheese over the tuna/mayo mixture.
5. Put in the oven at broil for about 3 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the bread is slightly browned.
6. Take out of the oven.
7. Dish, using a spatula, onto a plate or into a bowl.
8. Best eaten with a fork (not on the side, but to shovel it into your mouth).

For photos of the process, see below:

(Ingredients, excluding pan)

(Bread in 9x13 Pyrex® pan)

(Sliced cheese, with knife)

(Tuna/mayo mixture)

(Final product prior to being broiled)

(Final product after being fried: DO NOT try this at home)

(Final product after being broiled)

Enjoy!