Mexican Food

A lot of things we associate we Mexican Food actually started out as "poor man's food".

Being a quater Mexican myself, and born into a not-well-to-do family of eleven children, Mexican food, or rather an American take on Mexican food has become a cuisine I associate with comfort and flavor and satisfaction.

Today my memory is drifting back to the Sundays that my beautiful but over-worked half-Mexican Madre would drive all of us kids for a two hour drive to the Tridentine Mass (for those of you who do not know, the Old Mass or "The Latin Mass" is very beautiful!) Mi Madre loved it so much that she drove all her kids in this big blue dinosaur of a van (12 seater). We loved the mass but sometimes we would have to go hungry during much of the afternoon because 1-The Mass was very long, 2-The drive was very long, 3-The drive back was very long.

Every Sunday in a while, though, we would persudae our Madre to stop through the drivethrough at Taco Bell.

(Static. Buzzing, pleasent voice) Taco Bell worker: Welcom to Taco Bell may I take your order?

Madre: Yes, please. Could I please get...12 of your 99 cent bean and chesse burritos...

My brothers wailing: Mama! We are REALLY hungry right now! We need at least two each!

Madre: Quiet hombre! I'm sorry, could you please make that 20 of those 99 cent bean and cheese burritos?

(Pause)

(Buzz)

Taco Bell Worker: Ma'am, I am sorry, could you repeat that?

Madre: (very loud and clear) 20 bean and cheese burritos, please, for 99 cents each.

Taco Bell Worker: Ma'am, did you just say 20 bean and cheese burritos?

Madre: Yes, 20.

(pause)

(Buzz)

Taco Bell: Would you like a drink with that?

My brothers in unison: YES!

Madre: NO!!!!

Taco Bell: Um...I'm sorry Ma'am do you need another minute?

Madre: One second, please...(to my brothers) If I spend any more I won't have enough money for the gas!

(Everybody groans and fans themselves with latin missalettes from the 99 degree, Southern California Summer heat)

Madre: Just the burritos, please.

(order runs through)


So you see what I mean. Mexican cuisine was invented by people who were poor who needed energy to work hard. That is why so many of the ingredients are easy to come by.

Today...I have no tortillas or tostadas but I feel like something that reminds me of the happier parts of my childhood.

Rice! I have rice, fresh salsa and some guacamole and cheese! Perfect! This is actually perfect to use as a side dish if you happed to have refried beans, or just boiled pintos handy. You know the ground beef is actually an American inovation, but it is one that I do not mind when it is handy.

When I was a little girl mi Mama used to say, "You have it much easier, Maria. Now the tortillas come in bags. I used to have to make them myself when I was your age!"

So now I guess if I have a little girl I will say to her, "Love, you have it much easier, than I did. I used to have to grate my own cheese...for a household of 13!"

Tator Tot Cassarole

As I mentioned before, I love spuds in all forms! Tator Tots is no exception. Imagine my delight, when having dinner with a young mother and her seven children, she served a tator tot cassarole. Here is the recipe.

Brown some ground beef in a pan. Put browned ground beef in an oven safe pan.
Pour some frozen green beans on top.
Pour some Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup on top (unheated, out of the can).
Tear some bits of bacon and sprinkle it in.
Top it all off decoratively with tator tots.
Heat in the oven for a half an hour (Darn I forgot at one temperature!) until hot and cooked.

Lenten Soup

I know I am not even in Advent yet, but the other day I discovered by accident (as usual) a soup that I think captures the flavor of lent. It is hot, nourishing, and bitter in a comforting way.

Ingredients:

Water

Plenty of Fresh Dill

Potatoes

Turnip

Onions

Radishes

Salt to taste

Chicken buillion cubes


Not only is it mealy, but it is meat free. Enjoy!

A new way to eat Rice

I had some leftover cobb salad that had almost no lettuce in it. I also had some rice. You guessed it. Adding the white rice went perfectly with all the other colors and harmonized with all the other flavors.

Something Soup

Tonight I wanted something hot and filling. So I perused my cupboards in search of something to make into soup. I put some water on the stove with a single chicken bouilion cube.
(Yes, I do not always have everything planned in advance.)

Then I chopped up two potatoes very small so that they would cook in it. Then I took left-over rice from the fridge and hurled it in.

(Yes, I am aware that those are both starches.)

Then I chopped onions and garlic and threw that in two. Now I had a broth with onions, garlic, rice and potatoes. Now what?

Then, I remembered that I still had lots of American cheese that a friend gave me! And pre-cooked meatballs. Did I mention that I do not like American Cheese and that I love meatballs?

So, if I threw the fake cheese in the soup...I would get a nice oily base with an appetizing color, and if I added the meatballs. The broth would turn into a soup!

Now I am eating it! It tastes even better than it looked.

I have just discovered that I love...

EGGPLANTS!

I never liked them as a kid. My mother seldom made it. Now...It is the most amazing discovery since my palatte's reconciliation with mayonaisse!

Thank you to my friends Teri and Kathryn for letting me taste their awesome cooking of aforemention plant!

Now all that remains is for me to try and cook it myself. Doh Doh Doh!

Sylviateri

Last night was my friend Sylvia's birthday. So, my friend Teri created a dessert based upon some of our mutual, healthy friend's tastes. The result was miraculous.

Start with slices of mango put into small dessert bowls.

Add some mango sorbet and blackberries. Top it off with freshly whipped cream with no sugar added.

I am going to call this dessert Sylviateri. Named after its creator, and the lady who inspired it.

A new way to eat hot dogs

I have a confession to make. I do not like hot dog buns. I do not like mustard. I do not like ketchup. I do not like pickle relish. I do not like them, Sam I Am.

Joking aside, what I really love is some lovely French baguette or some fresh italian bread with a bratwurst or any sausage, with mayonaise! I know, that is very European and not very American, but that is what I love. Besides, where do you think American cuisine somes from?(And in matters of food, I generally do prefer the European tastes.)

Today, I had some hotdogs, that I had saved in the freezer. And today, I wanted them. I get these weird cravings and ideas sometimes. I put flavors together that might not neccessarily occur to everybody. No, I am not pregnant. I wanted meat of some kind, because I can not often afford it.

But I had no bread left and not much mayonaise. Besides, I wanted vegetables too. I wanted rice! I wanted something...sizzling!

You guessed it. I chopped up the hot dogs, threw them in the frying pan with some butter. Sizzle sizzle sizzle. I chopped up some broccoli, celery and carrots that a friend gave me. Sizzle pop pop. Then I took about a cup of rice, leftover from the night before, from the fridge, and scooped that in too. When it was all hot, I added some fage and just the faintest smidge of seasoned salt.

I am eating it now, and let me tell you...This is delicious.

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