Soup!!!!

Here you go , enjoy!!!!

1 medium fresh vine ripened tomato (diced)

2 Roasted red peppers

5 red chilies ½ raw ½ roasted

handful of fresh cilantro

3 cloves garlic smash!!!!

1 12 oz. can beef or chicken broth (if you wanna make it fresh.. go ahead)

1 medium red onion diced

1 12 oz can veggie beans

1 cup rice (wild, white, brown, whatever.) pre cook.

3 cups H20 (clean & cold)

1 16 oz bag of frozen veggies.. what ever you like or have in the icebox (leftovers)

¼ cup olive oil

kosher salt and fresh black pepper

1 tsp powdered sugar

Combine onions, red peppers, tomato, garlic, chilies and cilantro in bowl, and mix thoroughly. Add 1 heavy pinch of salt, and fresh ground pepper. Let flavors mingle for 2 hours.. can be used for salsa with chips while mingling.

Sweat mixture down with olive oil. Add broth & water, bring to boil, add frozen veggies, bring to boil, add veggie beans, bring to boil.

Add rice sugar & rice, bring to boil... lower heat simmer for ½ hour. Salt & pepper to taste.

Serve with crushed tortilla strips.. jack cheese and avocado.. if desired.....

ohhh and a beer.... nothing is better than a beer with this soup...

mm mm mm mm mm mm good!

SAUCE!!!! for pasta!

Here is my made up, on the spot version of tomato sauce

5-8 vine ripe tomatoes

1 6-8oz can of tomato paste

Red pepper 1 large or 2 small roasted

2-5 red chilies (how hot you want) ½ roasted ½ raw

1 medium white onion (diced)

1 small bunch fresh basil or 4 tsp. Of dried... use fresh if at all possible

2 tsp. Dried oregano

kosher salt (at least 2 heavy pinches) and then too taste

1-2 tsp. Sugar.. to cut acidity.. to taste..

¼ cup of olive oil

Sweat the onions, raw chilies, with olive oil and 1 pinch of salt... chop the tomatoes to pulp... turns to very pulpy juice. This is the therapy part.. beat the tomatoes!! Roast the chilies and peppers with the range... gas or electric, jut burn the hell out of them. Steam them in a covered bowl, for about 10 minutes. Then take the skin and most the char off, a little char is good.. then seed and chop finely. Add to pot, add tomatoes, oregano, and 1 pinch of salt. Bring to boil, add tomato paste, basil, and simmer for 1 hour. Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste... if tart or to spicy add sugar. Very lightly... for balance...If you want add meat... ground turkey actually tastes best... but beef or pork work well too.

Chorizo Burritos!!!

here it is...

1 can canned chipolte peppers in sauce

3-5 bratwurst sausages, no flavor, just plain, as fresh as possible... ground pork can be used as a sub, but i really recommend the brats

1 can MEXICAN refried beans, no flavor, just plain

good quality tortillas... you get what you pay for

Cheese, i suggest jack and a mild to sharp cheddar mix, but hey you go crazy with your choice

½ small white onion

pinch of garlic powder

heavy pinch of kosher salt

Small pinch black pepper (fresh ground of course)

Start by getting the sausages out of their casing, just cut them down the middle take out the meat, put this in a hot pan. Get the meat a bit brown, then throw in the onion diced. Give a good pinch of salt let the onions get a little transparent. Get about a good 3-5 chipoltes out of the can and cut them coarsely. (they will break up more in the pan) Add a pinch of garlic powder, a grind or 2 of black pepper. Then finish browning the meat. Now All the liquid you can get out of the can of chipoltes, put in the pan. This will deglaze and start to simmer quick. Now bring to boil, go to lowest heat and let the liquid render out. This s should take a good 20 minutes, its worth it trust me. There will still be some liquid left, but most will evaporate. Nuke the tortillas, or warm them over fire. Cook the beans to temp, maybe a little salt. Take the meat out of the pan with a slotted spoon to drain excess liquid (grease).

Now to burrito construction. You want to make small burritos compared to the size of the tortilla. I would rather have 3 small awesome burritos, than 1 big sloppy, can't finish, ok tasting burrito. I use 9 inch standard size. I take about a tablespoon of the beans, spread them like mortar for a brick in the dead center of the tortilla. Make a good 1/8 of inch coverage in middle. Sprinkle your cheese, a little is better, less is more. Then a equal to beans amount of meat (maybe a bit more). Roll the burrito, if you do not have this talent down, i suggest you go to Taco Bell/Del taco or if your blessed with knowing some one in a real Mexican restaurant, and watch the line cooks for about 5 minutes, you'll get the hang of it after that.

This is my first real success with Mexican food, its my favorite, but i have never been able to cook it good. Today it just came to me by looking in my cupboards, and getting inspired!

French Toast Bread Pudding Toast

How about this one...
You need...
5 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup coca-cola
6-8 slices of Challah bread, egg bread works, but I like Challah best
Heavy pinch good cinamanamanamn
Pinch of Kosher Salt

Whip all that (except the bread) in a bowl, this is your batter. Now leave your SLICED bread out over night to stale up a bit. Turn the oven on 325. Get a pan hot add a little veggie oil (DO NOT USE OLIVE OIL), butter would be ok, but it burns to fast. Let the bread soak for 30 seconds on one side (very important) and just dip in batter on the other. Get a cookie pan/tray ready, lube with a little butter or oil. Now fry up the toast pieces, soaking everyone as stated before. Put them on the pan and in the oven for 15 minutes.
Slather them with butter, syrup, or whatever you like! This is some good stuff!!

Enjoy

HOT SAUCE!!!

Now, remember I am a complete amauter cook, no training, but I guarntee if you like what I am cooking, you will like the way I cook it. Here we go

Ingredients:
about 20 med size chiles: I use red chiles, but will expirement down the line with ???
2 medium roma tomatos
1 medium red onion
Zest from 1/2 of lemon
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
Kosher Salt
1/4 cup of vinegar (any type, I used a onion/tomato infused one. proly wouldn't try red wine)

The way...
You have to keep about 20% of the chiles whole, just remove stem, the rest of them seed and clean, except about 5 of them. Those you are gona roast. Just put them on your burner until they are black, doesn't matter if you have electric or gas, they will get black. Then put them in airtight container to steam for about 10 minutes. Quater the red onion.
Bring about 4 qt. of salted water to a boil. Add red pepper flakes. Add 1 whole tomato, chiles except the roasted ones, the onion and lemon zest and allow to boil for about 10-15 minutes.
Add vinegar, lemon juice and other tomato (quartered), and rest of ingredients from pot (no water), and roasted chiles to food processor or blender. Blend until a chunky like tabasco sauce consistency. Add salt to taste, if sauce comes out to thick like a salsa, add some of the water from the boil to thin.

Enjoy!!!

So now I am changing things..

From now on.. I am going to upload what I cook, I cook for my family about 4-7 times a week. Occasionally I will make something I made before, but I usually create something new. SOOOOOOO in order to comply with my families wishes on being able to re-create some of my wonderful meals, I will log them here to share with everyone! Next Post.. homemade hot sauce!