food

Comedy of Errors

I should have known better. Too many things were schedueld for the same day to accomplish them all with any success. Saturday's cooking contest was set for 1:00. Bleu had his first football game at 1:30, but the coach wanted him there at 12:30. Mia's championship game was at 8:00 and her end of the season volleyball party was at 11:00. And these were just the things I planned for...

Things I didn't plan for: Mike having to work all day and not able to help, Main Street being blocked all morning for the parade (turning a fifteen minute drive into an hour), not starting to cook until a half an hour before I had to leave, slamming on my brakes and watching my enchiladas fly off the seat to the floor, having to park six blocks from the cookoff location, the nasty explosive diarrhea attack that Echo had just as we got there, forgetting wipes at home...

You get the idea.

The food I made tasted great for the time I had to prepare it. But they looked like crap. And presentation was half the score. But at least I tried. If it wasn't for my sister-in-law taking Bleu to practice and my sister taking the other kids to eat I wouldn't have even made it at all. Thanks! But I don't think it was worth it. I would much rather have stayed with Mia at her party and helped her celebrate. I don't think I will forgive myself for missing Bleu's first football game EVER.

Lessons learned:

Plan nothing else for the day of the contest. Start early and be prepared for problems. No kids! Transportation is key. Presentation is important! If you can't enjoy it, don't do it.

Alton Brown.com

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Mexican salsas and dips

This is a super easy trio of sides that I make for just about every occasion. ~anytime we eat Mexican food, have a barbeque or open a bag of chips~ The reason is that all three use basically the same ingredients (roasted green chile, tomatoes, onions) so it is quick to make. But they all turn out very different.

First, dice 4-5 roasted green chiles, 2 tomatoes and 1 onion.

Guacamole

Put 1/4 of the onion, 1/4 of the tomato, and 1/4 of the chile in a bowl. Add a pinch of minced cilantro, lots of salt and garlic powder. Mash 4 small (or 2 large) ripe avacado and mix well. Squeeze the juice of a lime over and stir to combine. Refrigerate for an hour to let the flavors mix.

Hot Green Chile Dip

In a small saucepan, melt a tbs of butter. Throw in 1/2 of the diced onion and saute til soft. Add 1/4 of the tomato and most of the remaining green chile. Add salt and garlic powder. Pour milk over to cover. When it is heated through, add 1-2 handfuls of grated cheese. An easy melting cheese such as Velveeta works best. When the cheese has melted, pour it in an overproof container and bake for 20 - 30 minutes until bubbly.

Fresh Salsa

Dump remaining tomato, onion and green chile in a bowl. Add some minced cilantro, salt and garlic powder. Optional: squeeze a bit of lime juice over it and add minced jalepeno for extra heat. Refrigerate for an hour.

That's it! If you do this an hour before dinner, everything is ready at the same time.

Almost time

The Whole Enchilada Fiesta is this weekend. I am going to be entering the cooking contest. Scary!! I am nervous because I only started making enchiladas a few years ago for Mike. I am sure I can't compare to the hometown cooks. Las Cruces is all about chile and enchiladas are one of the most popular dishes. Guess we will be eating a lot of enchiladas this week, so I can practice!

The next new thing

The past few months, Echo has had a love affair with Cheerios. This is not uncommon. In fact, Nancy posted about it not too long ago. We ran out (bad mom!) and I gave him Kix instead. He sat there and stared at the pile of cereal on the high chair. His mouth began to curve downward, so I reached over and pushed one of the pieces. Unlike his Cheerios, the little ball spun around and rolled off of the high chair. He looked at me and burst out laughing. He picked one up and inspected it carefully before putting it in his mouth. More laughs. Before his breakfast was over, he had most of it on the floor. But what a happy baby!