SALSA VERDE

Ok everyone! sorry it has taken me this long but I had to get use to my schedule and get myself back on track. The weather changing has definately helped too! Yeah! for nice long sunny days!! ok well this week I will show you how to make green salsa. You can use this for Chili Verde with fried pork cut up into cubes, beef or chicken tacos, sopes, tostadas, and it's very good just on tortilla chips.
I kept track this time of how much I put in to give you a better idea and a way to measure but in the end you can adjust anything to more or less of things you like or dislike. I tend to put alot of cilantro because I like the flavor. Not everyone like the strong pungent taste or smell but most of these foods will have a little in it.

Here is a list of what you need
2 lbs of tomatillos (remember to check under the skins of them when your shopping so you don't pay for rotten ones)
1 large red Roma tomatoe
1 small white onion
1 bunch of cilantro
2 or 3 jalapeños (more if you like it hotter)
Salt - to taste

Start by peeling all the skins off of the tomatillos and washing them very good with warm water. They will have a sticky layer on them that you will be able to feel on your hands so wash your hands with good warm soapy water after your done. Take all the tomatillos, chilis and Roma tomato and put them into a large pot. The cilantro and onion will be added to them later, do not add to the pot. Fill with warm water until there is enough to cover everything and bring to a boil on the stove.

Once boiling let them boil for about 10 minutes or
so until the tomatillos begin to turn a light yellowish green shade and just start to fall apart.








When they are at this stage pull the pot off and pour out all the water leaving about 1 cup or so in the bottom of the pot. Try not to pour out the tomato floating around if you can help it. When your done draining pour it into your blender and cut your onion up into quarters and add. I took a pic of the onion I used in my hand to give you an idea. You can use more or less as you like but you don't want so much that it takes over the flavor of everything else.

I have big hands compared to most women so I would say this onion is about the same size as a bulb of garlic. I also like white onions better than yellow for cooking foods. I think it has a better flavor and lasts better through the cooking process. Just a personal choice, you can use yellow if you like and just use a small one or about 1/3 of a large onion.





Take your cilantro and while it is still banded together run cold water over it and wash it VERY good. There is lots of dirt on cilantro and you don't want that gritty taste in your salsa. Leaving it banded together still start pulling out stems of cilantro and pulling the leaves off and adding them to your blender. 



I do not like to use the stalks of the cilantro because they are bitter to me but lots of people do. I prefer to pick off the leaves using about 1/2 cup of cilantro or a little more if you like the flavor of it. Less if you don't want it as strong. It's better to add a little at a time and taste it to make sure you don't make it to strong.

 Cilantro is an acquired taste and you either like it or you don't. It does taste different in the salsa compared to raw cilantro on tacos.

After you have everything in the blender put your lid on, if you have the center that comes out it is a good idea to remove it and start your blender very slowly. Due to the heat it expands and you will experience great pressure and salsa will splatter all over if you hold the lid down and start high. I will generally remove center and put a dish rag over to catch anything that flies out. Now the next step is blending it to a consistency that you like. Salsa (before blenders) was made in a molcajete by hand. This left a choppier salsa with larger pieces, I like to blend mine up very smooth so I don't get large chunks of onion taste or cilantro stuck in my teeth! LOL again it's up to your taste.

Here is a picture of salsa blended on chop for just a few seconds.
And this below is how I like mine. I start slow and then speed the blender up for the last 10 to 15 seconds to finish it.

Your Salsa is now ready to serve, well you do need to taste it and add salt to your liking. You will be surprised at how much salt it takes to flavor it! If you pour into a plastic container that's air tight and keep it in the fridge it will last for up to a week. Just scoop out what you need and warm up in the microwave for a few seconds and add to your food. You can also cube up pork steaks or chicken, fry until crispy in a little oil, drain and pour salsa over the meat and cook until tender. This is good with warm corn tortillas and beans and rice. Enjoy!!

NEXT WEEk.....

I will be making Salsa Verde, (green salsa). So keep checking in and let me know how I am doing!

Tomatoe Gravy

Ok well here is the 4th installment of the dinner I made last weekend. It started with the biscuits, then the rice, then what to do with the leftover biscuits and now it ends with the gravy. Tomato gravy and Brown tomato gravy are the same except with brown you burn a little flour before you pour in the tomatoes so it thickens up a bit. It also happens to be my favorite. We always ate brown in the morning and regular at night. I am not sure why but that's is how it was. I have researched this and found that it's a very common southern food. There is also lots of variations from adding onion, bell pepper to tomato sauce and sugar?! anyways here is my moms recipe which it is from my Big Mama just like the biscuits. It can be made with either canned tomatoes from the store or home canned tomatoes which is how we always had it. Its almost cheaper to just buy things at the store these days. I bought the huge can of tomatoes shown below for less than $3 at Costco last week.

I would not buy the Italian style tomatoes or tomatoes with anything else in them. These are just plain whole Roma tomatoes and they had great flavor so it made a really nice gravy.

Start by frying slices of bacon or bacon ends. Bacon ends are better because you get more fat content which yields more grease which makes more flavor! Fry the bacon until its crispy but not burnt. This will ruin your grease. Remove the bacon and set to the side in a dish until we need it later. Turn the heat off and let it sit a few minutes to cool a bit. This will keep your flour from balling up and making lumps in your gravy.

Add 3 or 4 tablespoons of flour to the bacon grease and stir with whisk making sure to get it very smooth. Now turn your heat on med and keep stirring until it starts to turn brown. You can't walk away at this point, you have to keep stirring so you don't burn it.

Your flour will look a bit like this until it starts to turn brown. Just make sure to keep it moving so it won't stick or burn to the bottom of the pan.

This is what you should have by the time your done. Don't worry about the little bits of bacon in the bottom. These only add more flavor! When it gets to this point your ready to add your tomatoes. BUT.... We first need to get the tomatoes ready so turn your heat off and let it sit for a bit. This is also good so that it won't cause lumps when you throw in the tomatoes.



Take your tomatoes, approximately 2 or 3 cans of diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes (including juice) and put them in a large bowl. Take a S style potato masher and simply crush them a little so it will break them down. You don't want them to be in chunks.

When this is done pour them into the frying pan along with your bacon. Add about 1 cup of water and turn the heat on high to get it hot and bubbling. When it starts to bubble ad your salt and pepper to taste. Turn down to medium and let it simmer until the tomatoes are soft and fall apart. You will also see that it thickens a bit from the flour. If you don't do the flour part it will be just as good, the only difference is that it is more of a watery gravy, not a thick one. Pour over your boiled white rice or over your biscuits, or both!! Enjoy

What to do with those leftover Biscuits

Ok so here is a few quick shots showing you a way to enjoy those leftover biscuits that your hopefully trying to make. Nothing is wasted! this was a rule in my father and mothers house growing up. This is something my mother has done my whole life (when there was leftovers) LOL which wasn't often unless she intentionally made to many. I hope you'll try it and enjoy

In the morning just slice your biscuits across the middle just like I have done here

Slather butter or margarine on them, as heavy or lightly as you like.

Put them butter side down on your grill or skillet that you use for frying and toast them until they turn a golden brown. You only do it on one side because that keeps them soft on the upside. I like mine a little darker than most as like I do with my toast too.

And there you go! toasted biscuits! You can eat them just like this or you can put jelly on them or even a little honey or syrup. I like mine plain just like they come off the grill. I am sitting here enjoying these as I am writing on my blog with my cup of coffee. One of life's small pleasures. Enjoy!

BOILED RICE

Do you eat white rice a lot? or do you just eat in occasionally and find it to be a sticky food? well I have never in my life served sticky rice. We have always cooked our rice by boiling ours and draining and rinsing it. If you prepare it this way you will have perfect, non-sticky rice every time. I have attached some pictures to show you steps to perfect rice. Rice is something that can be eaten many ways, you can put just about anything over it. There are at least 10 different types of gravy, we used to eat rice with fried eggs mashed up into it. You can eat it with just a little butter, salt and pepper or some people like it with sugar and a little milk. However you like to eat it when cooked correctly.....it's superb.

Start by filling a pot with water, this particular pot is a 3 Quart pot that I use to cook my rice. I can cook 1 1/2 cups or 2 cups and its really full by the time the rice is done. When the water starts to boil add salt (as the rice directions say) to the water then pour you rice in while stirring. This will keep the rice from sticking together and lumping. Cook rice for 20 minutes. All white rice cooks in 20 minutes so don't over cook or it starts to fall apart. I like long grain white rice and have found it to be the best flavor.

After you pour the rice in the pot turn the flame down to medium so that it won't boil over or the water dehydrate before the rice is done. If you do start to lose water just add a little hot tap water in to make the sure the rice doesn't dry out. Also do not put a lid on the pot, this will make it boil over for sure.  As the rice boils you will see white foam on the top. This the starch being boiled out, this is also what makes your rice sticky. Take a large spoon and simply scoop it off into a bowl or cup you can keep next to the stove while your cooking it.

After 20 minutes pour the rice in to a colander that you have in the sink and start rinsing it with the hottest water available. You will need to rinse it for 3 or 4 minutes to make sure you get all the leftover starch out. Make sure to run the water over all the top area of the colander.

Then just set your colander over the pot as I have here and let it drain for a couple minutes.

You now have a great batch of white rice to use for whatever you desire. Enjoy!!

Biscuits Just like Big Mama made

My father is one of ten children and biscuits were a staple in their home. My Big Mama made them all by hand, not by rolling them out and trying to make layers. I think the whole layer thing is something the upper society found to be important, but not the families who lived on farms and lived off of what they grew or butchered themselves. I don't think when you have ten children, a husband and probably all the workers on the farm to feed that you cared if you had flaky layered biscuits. This is just my own opinion. My Big Mama taught six daughters and several daughter in-laws to make biscuits. I know I learned from my Mom who was taught by her and my Aunt Dollis. My Aunt Dollis is amazing and can make her biscuits right out of the tin of flour (something I never conquered). It amazes me to watch her make them! I will have to try and make a video to show you, she makes a bowl in the flour and adds her shortening and milk to it then pulls in the flour as she needs it. Never even messes her tin of flour with lumps!  Anyways back to my theory.... I sincerely can't imagine my grandmother making as many biscuits as she had to by rolling them out over and over to make the layers. It would have taken three times longer to feed everyone! Well with that said lets get to the biscuits and a couple of things to know. First, Self Rising Flour people! it is a god send, why buy all purpose then have to add your baking powder, salt and baking soda? Self Rising comes with everything already in it! how much easier can it be? Two, less shortening and more milk make fluffy biscuits. These are the kind when your want biscuit and jelly or biscuit and syrup or whatever you might like fluffier biscuits for. Three, more grease and less milk make flatter crispier biscuits that are better for gravies so they don't get to soggy and fall apart or if you just don't like all the fluffy center (like my dad who used to pick it out and give it to me) LOL. I have never in 30 years since I learned to make biscuits measured anything! but I am going to try and figure it out for all of you so you can have a starting point. I have also never sifted my flower? never had biscuits that weren't good for lack of doing it either. I just am trying to point out that I don't think basic southern food had all the formality to it that a lot of the cooking shows do. Yeah you might make a couple of batches that aren't exactly what you want but they will be eatable and you will also learn what you put more of or less of as you go. All my biscuits are hand rolled and tucked and put on a cast iron flat skillet. Cast iron...the basic necessity. If you don't have any cast iron, well then you need to get you at least a few basic ones. Especially for biscuits, cornbread, and milk gravy (what most call country gravy out here).

Ok well lets get to making biscuits now. There are only three (3) ingredients to them.

Gold Medal Self Rising Flour
Crisco Shortening (I have tried other brands with bad results)
Milk ( I use whole or 2%)

Thats it! Very simple ingredients

 You will also need a large Cast iron Skillet (Flat) or a large cookie sheet. I would use a heavier cookie sheet to ensure they don't burn on the bottom before the inside gets done.

Put your oven on 400 degrees for gas or 375 for electric ovens. The rack needs to be about one up from the middle rack. This will put the heat in the top without hopefully burning the bottoms first. 

You will need to put about a cup of flour on a plate next to your bowl

Albondigas

This is one of my favorite soups! it's a very hearty soup and very filling when served with quesadillas. The one thing you will need is a bottle of Tapatio or Valentina to put on top!

This recipe will feed 6 and you can adjust as you like with the vegetables. This Recipe is from my mother inlaw in Aguascalientes, Mx. Different parts of mexico make things completely different. If you look at the second picture above you will notice that all the veggies are seperate from the meat. Many recipes are different from state to state and even house to house.



Here is a list of all the ingredients you will need.

Hamburger (80/20 works the best) about 2 lbs

1 Medium Onion (finely chopped)

1 Medium size Carrot (shredded)

1 Medium Potatoe (peeled and shredded)

1 Cup of Long Grain White Rice

1 Large Roma Tomatoe (diced small)

1 Handfull or so of Cilantro leaves (finely chopped)

1 Large Egg

1 Can of Tomatoe Sauce (add 2 tablespoons to the meat mixture) add the rest of the can to pot of water

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

1 Tsp Garlic powder (not Garlic SALT)

You will need to use a large stock pot to start the water heating up, adding a little salt to the water. I use a 11 Quart pot, filling it with water only about 1/2 way to make sure you have enough room for the meatballs when you start dropping them in.

Mix all the ingredients into a large bowl. Mix well with your hands to make sure all is incorporated completely.  When your water is hot and beginning to boil, turn the burner down to a simmer. This will prevent your meatballs from being torn apart by the boiling water. Start making 2 inch meatballs rolling them in your hands well to make sure they stay together dropping them one by one into the pot as you make them. When you have finished the last meatball you will notice some starting to float to the top, this is normal and eventually they will all be at the top. Don't stir them at all, the water boiling is enough to keep them moving around. Check your water to make sure you have enough adding some HOT water if you need more. A deep pot tends to work best for this recipe. Let the soup cook for at least twenty minutes to make sure your meat is done. Rice also takes 20 minutes to cook. Some of the rice will break loose and be floating, this is all normal. While they are cooking you may see grease from the meat on the top, just simply scoop this out with a spoon. When done carefully remove meatballs, cover with juice and enjoy. I always make quesadillas to go along with it but you can make bread or tortillas chips if you like.

After your first time making this you can adjust things to fit your likings, add jalepeños if you like or less of something that you don't like. I hope you try it and find it to be as yummy as I do!

My Goal in the Blog is....

I want to share the love of Southern and Mexican food with anyone out there who wants to try food that maybe isn't always the healthiest but is ALWAYS good. I want people to prepare these foods and enjoy the taste, the simplicity of them. To know and understand how to make things from basic ingredients. If there is anyone who knows how to make something from nothing, it would be mexican people and southern people. Both though very different in their tastes, they both can make something from what little  is available to them. I am not talking about right now, I am talking about during the depression and back when people survived on what they raise on their own farms. Back when if you didn't grow it yourself or trade something you have for what you need you just didn't get it. When people traveled from the east to the west they carried basics like flour, cornmeal, salt, bacon,and beans. They towed cows along so they were able to have milk, make butter. There is alot of food that can be made from just these simple ingredients.

No I am not trying to be like Paula Dean! haha though I do love alot of what she makes she doesn't always show southern food in the most basic sense. My mother cooked breakfast for us every single morning of my childhood. Sometimes biscuits and gravy, sometime oatmeal or biscuit and syrup but always something. There were alot of things we ate in the morning that isn't a normal breakfast food. Tomatoe gravy is one of them, or peanut butter and syrup (one of my personal favorites). I will post all of the foods that I ate as a child and alot of the foods I now prepare for my family that I have learned from my husband and Suegra (mother inlaw).

Oh where to start?! so many recipes and so much I want to tell you about the cultures of southern and of mexican food. Well I think I will start with the mexican food because I think its becoming so popular in our little town of Red Bluff and I think if more people knew what stuff was they would be a little braver and try something different. Ok so how many of you have seen the vendors sitting in front of the catholic church? or have you seen them pushing carts around town? These vendors are selling foods like Alotes (corn) and fruit cups or raspas (snowcones). This stuff is fantastic! if you ever ate the corn on a stick... you would be hooked. Its a ear of corn with mayonaise, queso seco (dried cheese which is their version of parmesan) and chili. The fruit in a cup is cubes of pineapple, watermelon, cantelope, cucumber, mango, and jicama. Their snowcones are basically the same but with some different flavors they put on them. They have the normal strawberry, raspberry, bubblegum but they also have rompope which is very sweet and rich.

And when you buy something to drink in mexico, you don't get it in a cup like up here. They put it in a plastic bag, pop a straw into it and hand it to you. Very simple and very easy to throw away.

Well I am going to end it here and start tomorrow with my first recipe for you. I think I will post my recipe for albondigas since I had such a great response to my picture of them on my facebook. It's the perfect weather for them right now and very easy and quick to make.

Please take a minute and let me know if you have any questions about anything I post on here or if there is something you want me to post the recipe for. Have a great day!