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I had some refried beans leftover from last nights tostada and I made a little south west scramble and the breakfast quesadilla was born.

I have been craving a tostada. Crispy, creamy, fresh and crunchy. I decided I wanted something a little different. I went to my local BBQ joint and bought some pulled pork. I put a little sliced red onion in a bowl with some vinegar to pickle. I poked a few holes in a flour tortilla with a fork and sprayed it with cooking spray in the oven at 400 turning and poking any air pockets to try to keep it flat until crisp. I warmed a can of refried beans. I made a very herbaceous mojo and warmed the pork in it. I made a little salad with chopped cabbage, red pepper and radish with a lime cumin dressing. So to assemble I put some of the warm beans on my crispy tortilla, added some pork, topped that with the cabbage salad, red onion and some queso fresco.

Mojo

1/4 Cup of olive oil

3 Grated cloves of garlic

1 Tsp of cumin

1/2 Cup of fresh orange juice and the zest of the orange

1/4 Cup of lime juice and the zest of the lime

2 Tbls of chopped oregano

1 Tbls of chopped mint

Warm the oil in a sauce pan and add the garlic, cook stirring about 1 minute, stir in the cumin and cook about 20 seconds, add in your juice and zest and simmer about 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool and add the herbs.

I love this salad. I make a few versions. I blanched my beans in salted water and shocked them in an ice bath. I love Panera’s Mediterranean Lemon Vinaigrette and that is what I used today. I can only find it at Publix. Today I added diced shallot, chopped dill, toasted almonds, feta and chopped boiled egg.

As usual this recipe needed a little massage to suit me. I cooked the bacon until crisp and took it out of the pan to drain on a paper towel. I cut the tomato amount in half, so a 14 oz can. I doubled the blackeyed peas, so 2 cans. I used the ratio from the container of grits and made a portion for 2. 2 cups of liquid, 1 cup of chicken stock and 1 cup of half and half boiling and added 6 tablespoons of quick grits. At the very end I put the crisp bacon into the beans. This is the epitome of Southern comfort food. After a long week this warmed my heart. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/grits-with-bacon-and-beans-3361820

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I do not make the gorgonzola cream sauce. My sweetheart does not like stinky cheese. But, I adore it. I took a real shortcut and bought a refrigerated alfredo sauce, which I would normally make and add lemon to. I sprayed the dish with cooking spray and poured in enough sauce just to coat the bottom. I put in my rolls and poured the rest of the sauce over. I do not broil mine I bake them at 375 for 30 minutes. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/spinach-and-mushroom-lasagna-roll-ups-with-gorgonzola-cream-sauce-recipe-1940116

This a basically an Indian chili. Creamy coconut milk, cumin and curry make this so warming. I used ground chicken in place of the lamb and I leave out the water. I simmer this until thick and serve it with yogurt, cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. Some naan bread to dip if you like. https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/indian-spiced-lentils-lamb

My sweetheart loves pecan pie. But, he is allergic to corn and most places use corn syrup to make this pie. I found this great recipe that uses dark brown sugar and white sugar. And the addition of chocolate makes it perfect. https://www.delish.com/holiday-recipes/thanksgiving/recipes/a44665/dark-chocolate-bourbon-pecan-pie-recipe/

This is my comfort food. This is my go to steak meal. I leave out the bread. I like to cook my steak on the grill while everything else is cooking, if you follow the recipe the steak gets cold. I also use smoked gouda instead of gruyere in the potatoes and I cook it 1 hour or the potatoes don’t cook through. A little suateed spinach with butter and lemon on the side. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/tournedos-of-beef-mushroom-mustard-red-wine-sauce-caramelized-onion-potato-gratin-recipe-1938142

I am going through a life transition, therefore my blog is kind of spotty and my food is not on point. Those of you who follow do not be discourage. I am getting use to my new schedule and will get back on my A game.

Today’s gloom made me want warm fall comfort. I had some leftover pre-cooked new potatoes in the fridge that I was saving for a salad that I cubed. I browned a strip of bacon in a large skillet and removed it. I added a little olive oil to the bacon fat and browned the potatoes. I added some sliced smoked sausage.( I used an organic uncured beef kielbasa) and sauteed that until brown. I added in a half of a sliced green cabbage, some chicken stock, and some caraway seeds and salt, then covered the pan stirring frequently until the liquid evaporated. I whisked some spicy brown mustard, brown sugar and chicken stock together and added that to the pan. I sauteed that until most of the liquid had evaporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

After dinner a few nights ago I needed something sweet. I started thinking about what I had in the kitchen. I had some chocolate chips( for me that is a 60% cocoa chocolate chip) . I poked around and found coconut, pecans and golden raisins. I saw bark! I melted the chocolate chips in the microwave in 20 second increments and stirred until smooth. I put parchment on a baking sheet and poured the chocolate out in a rectangle and topped it with my other findings and pressed them in. I place the pan in the freezer to set. When set I broke the bark into pieces and put it in the fridge.