Chickity China the Chinese Chicken

take out chinese. yeah, there are days when you just want it. i hit New Fun Ree at 7th & Broadway to get my cheap chinese food fix. i called in my order of veg lo mein, extra spicy ($5.75), made it a complete dinner (+ $2.75) and got wonton soup, 2 deep fried chicken wings, an egg roll and a cheese wonton. it sounds like an abundance of food and it was. the unnaturally bright color of the wonton soup shouldn’t deter you, it’s good. the broth is salted just right and the pork wontons have a snap of ginger. my chicken wings were juicy and perfectly fried, not greasy (it's happened to you before, you’ve opened your to-go bag & found old, inedible, dried-out wings). instead of the traditional egg roll, i asked to substitute a vegetable roll, which they obliged. the veg roll is way better than the egg roll, it’s smaller and the wrapper is thinner and crispier, like a spring roll. the cheese wonton was freshly deep fried and delicious. new fun ree excludes the nasty fake crab meat, and i am glad. the lo mein was spicy like i requested, full of napa cabbage, sweet, snow pea pods, a few julienned carrots and lots of canned button mushrooms. all in all, for $9.35, i am happy with my take away meal. i didn’t have to cook, i didn’t have to clean up much and now i can hop on the sofa for this week’s Top Chef.

dine in, take away & delivery, 7 days a week.
10am-10pm M-TH, until 10:30pm Fri & Sat & 10:30am-10pm Sunday

New Fun Ree
418 W. 7th Street
Little Rock

501-664-6657

note: great. i now know how mbracy felt on his labor day weekend facebook post. he was all excited to watch the true blood finale and hbo skipped that weekend resulting in him looking like a complete and utter ass. this week, a new top chef didn't air, thanks bravo.

peaceful eating

heifer café. a secluded oasis. mindfully enjoy a scenic lunch on the patio. soak up the peace or people watch. littlerockbites has lunched at heifer café twice. the first time was the food photo op, but, LRB forgot the camera. this time the food was not as styled, but it was equally as good. the café is cafeteria style. you can see and take some items, such as wrapped sandwiches, salads & desserts, or you may order off of the daily printed menu. 2 different soups are served daily. menu items vary and may include stir-fry, cheeseburgers, panini, salads and desserts. place an order, pay the cashier and take a number for the table & the food is brought out. the beverages are self service, this was my first encounter with iced, sweetened, green tea, i tried it and loved it. i ordered the same sandwich both trips: the pulled pork sandwich ($5.39) with house made potato chips. the pork was tender, the sauce had just the right amount of sweetness and the chips salted just right. go. after lunch stroll through the visitor center or turtle watch at the ponds.

breakfast: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-10 a.m
hot lunch: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
to go box lunches: 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
saturday hot lunch: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. hot lunch

Heifer Café
1 World Avenue
Little Rock
501-907-8801

butternut squash soup

butternut squash. i love ‘em. i love ‘em baked. i love ‘em roasted as a side. i love ‘em puréed into a soup. i don’t add brown sugar. i don’t add cinnamon. i don’t add marshmallows. all that is intolerable. i eat them as they are, sweet & delicious. as much as i spend on these things i should grow them. puréed butternut squash soup is today’s recipe & the secret ingredient is smoked paprika. i roasted the squash first. YUM!

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons olive oil (1T to saute, the other 2T to roast squash)
1 tablespoon butter
3 leeks, washed well & cut into ½ moons
2 carrots, diced
4 cups peeled & cubed butternut squash (or mix in acorn squash)
2 quarts vegetable stock
salt & white ground pepper to taste
ground cayenne to taste
pinch of smoked paprika (not sweet paprika)
1 cup half & half cream


DIRECTIONS
preheat oven to 350℉.

peel squash. cut in half & remove seeds. cut into cubes & coat with olive oil. bake at 350℉ for 25 minutes or until fork tender.
heat the oil & melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. add leeks and salt. sauté & stir until leeks are tender.
add the carrots and sauté for 3 minutes. pour in 1 quart of vegetable stock, season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. add squash. bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender about 25 minutes.
turn off burner. puree the mixture with a stick blender until smooth.
add ¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika.
stir in the heavy cream and add the other quart of veg stock until you have a nice thick soup consistency. heat through on low, do not boil.
serve warm with a dash of smoked paprika & homemade croutons.

CROUTONS

slice a ciabatta into ½ inch slices, lightly coat both sides with olive oil & a sprinkling of salt. bake at 350℉ for 7 minutes, turn & bake for another 7 minutes until crisp & delicious.

it's getting cheesy

cheese making. littlerockbites attended the root café cheese making class and learned that making fresh white cheese is damn easy. it's made with 3 ingredients; raw milk, an acid (vinegar, citrus) and salt. make it taste way better by adding any of the following: herbs, olives, sundried tomatoes, garlic, coarse cracked pepper, the options are endless. you will need cheese cloth. all other equipment, you already own. this recipe does not use rennet which is a good thing in my book. now, the question is, where does one purchase raw milk? here’s where you friend the farmers at the market. they know.

here’s the root café recipe for queso blanco:

The typical yield is about 1.5 pounds cheese per gallon of milk. This cheese may be eaten as is, with salt, mixed with herbs or spices, diluted with milk or cream for dips or if its dry enough can be breaded and friend or stir-fried.

Warm a gallon of raw milk in a heavy bottom stock pot to 180℉, stirring frequently over indirect heat, and maintain this temperature for five minutes.

Slowly add vinegar (or other acidic liquid) while stirring slowly. It will usually take ¼ cup of vinegar. Occasionally more vinegar is required to get the complete separation of the curd & whey; this will not change the final flavor.

Pour the curd & whey mixture into a cheesecloth-lined colander. Season to taste.

Tie the cloth bag into a bag and hang to drain for 3-4 hours at room temperature or until the dripping stops.

Remove the knitted curd ball from the cloth, season, transfer into a container and refrigerate or eat it. it doesn't get better with age.

*Recipe borrowed from Global Village curriculum at the Heifer Ranch, 2006.

this was not a photo op

 

hmmm. i didn’t really want to get into giving negative restaurant reviews. ok, at first i thought bad reviews would be fun, but then realized, it wasn’t (thanks eckhart!). but this restaurant visit was so bad, it was comical. this adventure begins with me thinking i was getting a good deal. kark website offers gift certificates for ½ price. you pay $25 and you get a $50 gift certificate. so far, so good. we trekked out to Bryant to use the Gabe’s Grill gift certificate. we’d dined at a former incarnation by the same owner in NLR called Gabriel’s Steakhouse & Oyster Bar, before it went tits up. Each visit to the steakhouse was worse than the last, but, in any case, i thought we’d give Gabe’s a try. first, the format is like Pei Wei. walk in, go to the cash register, look at the menu board, order, pay, get a bonanza style number for your table, self-serve a beverage, seat yourself and the food will be delivered. ok. we did all that. we ordered homemade onion rings for our appy, they were OK. homemade, sure. delicious, no. our salads came out, mine was placed before me while the other one strangely got delivered to another table. we watched it’s entire journey and wondered if the new owner would like the raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing. he ate it, so he must've like it. after a salad inquiry, another one appeared. salads? boooooooooring. then out came my NY Strip, baked potato and sautéed mushrooms (in gelatinous au jus). the potato was rock hard. inedible. we were told this is the way they were all going to be & was offered another side. ok. how about some fried okra to replace that side. out came french fries. let’s try again, how about some fried okra to replace that side. the okra was hand battered and probably the best thing i ate that night. the goal became to spend the entire $50 gift certificate so no money would be dangling out there thus no return visit. to accomplish this, we ordered desserts to go. a peach cobbler á la mode and a piece of chocolate cake. i don’t know where that chocolate cake is right now, but my cobbler is in susieQ and wee’s garbage bin & i hope the maggots don’t come. save your pesos mi amigo.

☠

you want more more more

anne burrell. one of my girl crushes (i only have two & they are both chefs). maybe it’s the hair, i had framed posters of billy idol on my wall in the 80’s.
if you haven’t watched Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, do. this chicken cacciatore is her recipe. it is super MMMMMmmmmm. i cut my whole chicken into 4 pieces, instead of 8.

Ingredients
Olive oil, as needed
1 (4 to 5-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces Kosher salt
2 large onions, sliced
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped
1 red pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 yellow pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (i used white button)
2 cups dry white wine
2 (28-ounce) cans Italian plum tomatoes, passed through the food mill or pureed
1 bundle thyme
3 bay leaves

Directions
Coat a large, wide pot with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Season the chicken with salt and brown in the hot oil, working in batches, if needed. Once all the chicken is brown, remove to a plate and discard most of the excess fat.

If needed to coat the bottom of the pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onions and crushed red pepper, season with salt, and sweat over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the peppers and cook until they are soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and cook until they are soft. Add the white wine and reduce by half.

Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes; taste for seasoning. Add the thyme bundle and bay leaves. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Check the level of the sauce periodically during the cooking process and replenish it with water as needed; the level of liquid should be about even with the chicken.
Remove the chicken from the pot and place it on a pretty serving platter. Taste the sauce for seasoning, adjust if needed. Skim the surface of the sauce if excessively greasy. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.

this dish is so delectable, it could come with a guarantee, it’s proposal worthy. if he doesn’t propose after eating this, he probably isn’t going to.

cuchi cuchi

i was inspired by an old episode of Julia Child: Lessons with the Master Chefs. this episode featured Zarela Martinez preparing stuffed poblano peppers with dried fruit and placing the stuffed peppers on a sauced plate. ok, only half of that sounded good to me. i picked up a bag of roasted anaheim peppers from Cedar Acres booth at the argenta farmers market (CAFM) and the rest of this recipe was another clear out the fridge delight. i figure you can stuff the peppers a thousand ways and if they are swimming in this sauce, they’ll be good. i was right. below is the sauce recipe, the full recipe can be found at pbs.org.
for my stuffed anaheim peppers, i made a slit in each of the roasted peppers and rinsed out the seeds. or, you can roast peppers on the griddle or on an open gas flame via stove top, or you can fry peppers like at the pbs link above, until black, then peel. i sautéed a diced small onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until translucent. i added 1 zucchini diced and when the zucchini softened, i added 1 garlic clove squeezed through a garlic press. to finish the stuffing off, i added leftover cooked chicken that i shredded by hand, just heat the chicken through, do not overcook. or, stuff ‘em with what you have on hand, use leftover beef, pork, shrimp, rice, the options are endless. mine didn’t close because anaheim peppers are long and very narrow. stuff and place in a casserole dish then into a 450℉ oven for 10 mins. sauce the plate and top with a couple stuffed peppers. eat with some griddle heated tortillas. delicioso.




Salsa de Tomate Asado - Roasted Tomato Sauce
1 cup heavy cream

1 medium onion, unpeeled, halved
8 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 to 4 large ripe tomatoes, unpeeled
Salt
Pour cream into the saucepan & simmer over moderate heat until reduced by half.
Meanwhile, set the griddle over high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Spread the onion and garlic on the hot surface and brown on all sides, turning frequently until the garlic is softened and the onion is partly blackened & fragrant. Set them aside. Then pan-roast the tomatoes, turning several times until blistered all over. Set aside.
Peel the onion, scraping away any extremely charred bits. Cut out and discard the root and then cut the onion into chunks and drop into the blender. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins into the blender. Peel the tomatoes directly over the blender (leaving on a little of the charred skin) and drop them in, seeds and all. Puree on medium speed until smooth.

Finishing the Sauce:
 Stir the puree into the reduced cream. Season with salt and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce loses its raw taste.

good carb

spaghetti squash. i can’t believe this is my first entry about my favorite winter squash. i am addicted to the flavor & the simple preparation. i am continually awed by the fine strings that resemble spaghetti pasta. if you don’t eat this, try it. it has a hint of sweetness. it’s a meal or a side in less than 20 minutes (microwave time, you’re not doing jack shit while it steams). i top mine with a pat of butter, salt, a pinch of cayenne, a grating of parmesan cheese & fresh parsley if i have it. you can get more elaborate with it, but why?

1. cut in half lengthwise (leave seeds).
2. nuke on high for 17-20 mins depending on size.
3. remove seeds.
4. fluff.
5. season.
6. eat.

knorrmally not, but today, OK

nothing. i had nothing in the kitchen to eat for lunch, with that initial thought, i think i came out pretty well. a farm fresh egg omelet, broiled asparagus, hollandaise sauce with a shaving of parmesan cheese. ok, so i had help on the hollandaise. tasty, semi-healthy and a bit indulgent. go ahead, throw this together, it took 5 minutes and a knorr package.

fresh meat

40 cloves of garlic. the plan was to make garlic soup and eat it with a crusty baguette. but, when i found ina garten’s recipe for chicken with forty cloves of garlic and had every single ingredient in-house...i was sold. i purchased a fresh (not frozen) fryer chicken processed (nicer way of saying murdered) the day before. talk about fresh meat, i wondered if i have ever in my life eaten meat so close to his/her date of expiration. below is ina’s recipe, ripped straight from foodnetwork or as wee calls it the food porn channel. first, thank the bird for giving his/her life. next, cut the backbone out of chicken and put in freezer to make stock later. ina used 2 birds, i only used one. & if you want the garlic to remain whole, don’t whisk the sauce in the pan, the garlic is so tender after it's cooked, it is easy to incorporate it into the sauce which will result in a thick and lumpy looking gravy (see my food photo) instead of a pan sauce with garlic cloves, like ina’s photo. either way, it’s plate lick worthy.

Ingredients:
3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
2 (3 1/2-pound) chickens, cut into eighths
Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
3 tablespoons Cognac, divided (1T to finish the sauce)
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:
Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside. Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done. Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil (i used a lid) to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste; it should be very flavorful because chicken tends to be bland. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.

Stock Party

homemade chicken stock. in an effort to use all culinary scraps, i keep in the freezer all those chicken backbones, shiitake stems and parmesan cheese rinds (use parm rinds in italian style tomato sauces & soups). i had collected 4 backbones and was just about to have another one when i decided to make some homemade chicken stock. this is a time to use up all veg and herbs that are departing the edible world. use your largest pasta/stock pot. start with 6-8 quarts of water on high heat. throw in any combination of rotisserie chicken carcass, wing tips, chicken necks or chicken backbones you have on hand. (never will i use fresh whole chickens for stock, only to throw the whole chickens away when stock is made. never. too wasteful.) add the vegetables that you have. any combination of leeks, onions, parsnips, celery, carrots, garlic, mushrooms stems. wash your veg, no sand or dirt is invited to the stock party. do not peel parsnips, carrots, onions (i said don’t peel it, damn, just cut off the hairy end.) cut into large chunks & throw in pot. cut leeks, if you are using them, celery plus top leaves, 1-2 head(s) garlic, with peel intact, cut in half crosswise, toss in pot. if you kept ‘em, add shiitake mushroom stems. add 2 tablespoons salt and 2 teaspoons whole peppercorns. use fresh herbs or those aging dried ones you need to use up anyway, dried herbs, do not last forevah, sorry, i know you’re mom kept them forever, but, fortunately, you now know better. clean out the spice rack. use bay leaf, dill, parsley & thyme. bring to a boil then simmer for 4, count ‘em four hours. yes, do this on a sunday, it’s a tasty excuse to do nothing else.

let cool. strain. refrigerate. remove fat. use or freeze. you’re welcome.

stir fry

ginger. fresh harvested ginger is way more tender than what you’ll find at the supermarket. peeling isn’t required and it is less fibrous. try it if you can find it. i wok’d up shiitakes & baby bok choy with a light ginger sauce. fantastic! pictured is my souvenir ginger grater i bought near Pike Place Market in Seattle. as you can see, it does a wonderful job of keeping the crucial juices. i also grated my garlic on this wicked little thing. the recipe is simple, prep your veg & slurry before you start wok-ing.

ingredient sugestions:

• 2 garlic cloves, one smashed, one grated for slurry

• canola oil, enough to stir fry veg in, about 2 tablespoons

• 1 small onion, sliced
  

• 1 pint shiitakes, stemmed, left whole if small, cut in half if large

• 1 hot red pepper, such as tabasco pepper or ½ teaspoon of sambal oelek

• 1 bunch baby bok choy

• ¼ cup white wine or sherry

• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• ½ cup chicken or veg broth

• 1 teaspoon, grated ginger with juice

note: whisk together in liquid measuring cup; tamari, cornstarch, broth & grated ginger & grated garlic plus their juices. this is your slurry. broth must be cold or room temp. not warm or hot.

heat canola oil in wok or skillet on high and add a smashed garlic clove. add ingredients in layers according to the amount of time they require to cook. add sliced onion, the ‘shrooms & a hot red tabasco pepper for fun. when the shiitakes are soft, add the bok choy. to help the bok choy wilt add ¼ cup of white wine or sherry. use tongs to turn the bok choy. allow the alcohol burn off, about 2 mins. finally, pour in the slurry of 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce), ½ cup chicken or veg broth, grated ginger & grated garlic plus juices. bring to a boil and then back down to a simmer. if you want it thick, cook longer if you want it thin, add broth. serve over your favorite rice. eat with chopsticks.

weed

purslane. a weed. introduced to me culinarily by Sam of The Garden @ Becky Lane booth at the CAFM (Argenta Farmers Market). it was a freebie, “try this”, he said. try it, i did and i love it. according to wikipedia, purslane contains more Omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy vegetable plant. wild, huh. i prepared a mixed greens salad, the mix, put together by me, was baby kale, baby arugula and purslane. incredibly delicious! plant some.

mumbai, ok, not really

dinner. i didn’t want to make a grocery run & there seemed to be lots of ingredients in the house. there’s that boxed & foil pouched indian impulse item i purchased at whole foods a month ago...i imagined it could be a fast lunch one day, but, i never wanted to make the rice to go with it. ok, today is the day. what else? fresh spinach & bingo. a faux indian meal at home. remember the enchiladas? well, i can’t bare to throw any food away & i had some roux based sour cream sauce leftover. perfect for a super fast creamed spinach. first, in the rice cooker goes the basmati rice. next wash & spin the spinach. sauté spinach in 1 clove of pressed garlic and a tablespoon of olive oil. add spinach to wilt. add cold roux and a splash of half & half, salt, white pepper, cayenne and freshly grated nutmeg. whiz in food processor. done. now, for that foil pouched punjab eggplant, heat & eat in 90 seconds. cut pouch, pour into bowl. cover with plastic wrap and nuke. throw on a plate and snap a photo. the Tasty Bite all natural vegetarian punjab eggplant was very good. i recommend it. it was spiced right and didn’t need the doctoring i anticipated. two thumbs up on my at home indian dinner.

$2 well spent

garlic toast. come on, i always make my own, never thought about buying it until i pulled out my left over spaghetti and realized i didn’t have bread. i stopped in at o w pizza to see how theirs would stack up. this is definitely a lunch/early dinner spot, the hours at this location are 11am-7pm, m-f. i didn’t know this at my 7pm stop & initially thought the place is just really slow at night, but, now i know it was technically closed when i placed my order. the woman behind the counter radiated warm hospitality as i ordered my $2 garlic toast. she called me “babe” more times than a date trying to get laid. she asked me which kind of dipping sauce i wanted. i didn’t want any. with a southern twang, she added “marina sauce or homemade ranch dressing that i make everyday from scratch”. “i’ll take the ranch.” the garlic toast was topped with chopped garlic & oregano then toasted to perfection. she thanked me profusely for stopping in, so much so, that i will return for a full eat-in experience. back to the toast, i never imagined eating my gourmet spaghetti with garlic toast dipped in ranch dressing, but she is right, her ranch is pretty damn good. i added some salt to the toast, but never mind that, she and that garlic toast saved me from going to kroger. enough said.

O W Pizza
1706 W 3rd Street
(yes, there is another location, but this is where the friendly chick works)
Little Rock
(501) 374-5504

poor kashi

homemade granola bars. OMG. super delicious! there is literally no recipe for these, you throw in what you’ve got in the pantry and more importantly; what you like. i loosely followed ina garten’s recipe and agree with the reviewer comments: the bars fall apart. i would bitch, but i didn’t exactly follow her recipe. my honey was crystalized so i upped the brown sugar. my dried apricots were foul, so i added white chocolate chips. i will hone my recipe but until then, below is ina’s, you’ll notice, i used it as an outline. this takes less than 45 minutes total, don’t be a sidelines whore, go to your kitchen and do it. & don’t be sucked in with “healthy” or “nutritious” blarney. i seriously doubt that her recipe is either one, but homemade is better! no preservatives! these are so addictive, i don’t think you will be eating kashi mini hay bales again. (yeah, i wrote it)

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal (i used 1 ½ cups plus ½ cup of breakfast grains)
1 cup sliced almonds (i didn’t use them)
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed ( i used ½ a cup & mine was shaved)
½ cup toasted wheat germ (my wheat germ was raw, i toasted it on the sheet pan with the oatmeal)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (i used salted)
⅔ cup honey (i used ½ a cup)
¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed (i used ½ a cup)
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt (omited due to salted butter)
½ cup chopped pitted dates (nah)
½ cup chopped dried apricots (nope)
½ cup dried cranberries ( i used 1 cup dried cherries plus ½ cup of white chocolate chips)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350˚. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.
Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.
Reduce the oven temperature to 300˚.
Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan (i used the metal mixing bowl that i combined all ingredients) and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture (i added the oatmeal mixture straight from the sheet pan to the bowl). Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. (right, who could wait 2-3 hours?)

yum!

hobo joe’s snowcones & ice stop. they sell snowcones, frozen yogurt, soft serve ice cream, milkshakes & bagged ice from a separate ice machine attached to the back. i am probably missing a menu item or two. my favorite sno ball stand has been closed for last month, so, i was forced to find a replacement. this is a new building and it looks like it is here to stay, meaning it’s not on wheels. good news. i stopped in and purchased a large tiger’s blood (strawberry, piña colada and shortcake) snowcone for $2.54 and it totally filled my cold sugar thirst craving. i just finished my large and already want another. pay hobo joe a visit, hours are 11a-10p. ❄

HOBO JOE'S SNOWCONES
37th & Camp Robinson Road
in Levy

i love me enchiladas

chicken enchiladas. there are fleeting moments when i forget i love me. today, at lunch, i was reminded of how much i love me. another clear out the fridge quick lunch. i used a leftover whole foods roasted chicken and raw white cheddar cheese from the farmers market. the rest of the ingredients, you should have on hand. i will include my recipe, but, again, this is a recipe to get rid of a things you have on hand.

6 corn tortillas (softened by a quick flip in hot oil, i used a cast iron skillet)
shredded left over cooked chicken
green onions
1 cup grated cheese (your choice)
¼ cup butter/oil (to make a roux)
¼ cup flour (to make a roux)
2 cups chicken/veg broth
1 cup sour cream
1 4oz can green chiles

shred chicken. soften tortillas & stack. butter or spray oil a small casserole dish. make a roux in same pan you used to soften tortillas. mix equal parts oil/butter & flour cook off for 3 minutes on medium high heat. add broth. whisk to remove lumps and season with salt, white pepper, cayenne, garlic and onion powder. set aside. assemble enchiladas by adding shredded chicken, cheese, green onions and roll. place in buttered/oiled casserole. throw on any leftover cheese. mix sour cream and green chiles to roux/broth mixture and stir to combine. spoon over enchiladas, throw on any leftover green onions and bake at 400° for 25 minutes. eat. ♨

pears!

stolen pears. i went to my bank in nlr today and happened to see an overloaded pear tree with branches hanging near the sreet over a backyard fence. after my deposit, i circled back and put the volvo in park. i surveyed the area and felt it was safe enough to jump out and steal some pears. pictured is what i harvested, ok, stole. crisp and refreshing, you can bet i will go back with a handbasket in tow.