So when I read a Twitter about a Tatcho plate in Portland, I had to have some.  Lucky for me, I read the tweet on a weekend day, so I was able to satiate my immediate and primal hunger right then!

Tatchos

1 package tator tots

1 cup canned pinto beans

1/2 lb ground meat

1 small onion

Taco seasoning

Shredded Cheese (colby jack blend)

Add favorite traditional nacho or baked potato toppings.

Prepare ground meat with taco seasoning and saute the onion, set aside. Heat pinto beans.

Place tator tots in oven and season generously with taco seasoning.

1/2 through heating tots, top with beans, meat/onion mixture and lots of cheese.

My tips is to use more of the seasoning an d cheese than you think may be necessary. The potatoes really absorb the flavors.

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I read Stefanie’s Cupcake Project post on how to infuse stronger tea flavor into baking and thought if it works for tea, it should work for dried herbs and spices. I followed the same method in her post and substituted lavender for tea in the heated butter mixture. The aroma was pronounced which gave me confidence that the lavender flavor would be stronger in the cake.

Infused Butter Method from Cupcake Project

* Slightly more butter than your recipe calls for. When you make the tea-infused butter, some of the butter will get stuck on the tea leaves and you’ll end up with less usable butter than you started with. How much more butter should you use? You’ll have to experiment. It will vary depending on the type of tea that you use and how good you are at pressing the butter out of the wet tea leaves. I found that I needed 1 cup of butter to end up with 3/4 cup of butter.

* 2 grams (or approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons) of whole-leaf tea per tablespoon of butter. As Robert says, “The key to flavor is freshness so be sure that you are using only tea that is highly aromatic and butter that has no off aromas or flavors.”

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter until just liquid.

2. Add the tea leaves.

3. Continue heating the mixture for about 5 minutes on low heat.

4. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for another 5 minutes or until the butter is discernibly tinted by the tea leaves.

5. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve, pressing hard on the tea leaves and then discarding them. This is the part where you will undoubtedly end up with some butter that you can’t get off of the leaves. I encourage you to press as hard as you can, but not to obsess about lost butter – it’s for a good cause.

6. Let the butter come to room temperature and then use it as you would regular butter in your baked goods.

via Baking with Tea – How To Get the Flavor of Tea Into Your Baked Goods ~ Cupcake Project.

Frosting

* 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

* 1 cup powdered sugar

* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

* 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

* 3/4 cup lavender honey (purchased at Williams Sonoma)

via Pear Cake with Lemon-Honey Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe at Epicurious.com.

Lemon Cupcakes

Ingredients

Makes 24

* 3 cups all-purpose flour

* 1 tablespoon baking powder

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted lavender infused butter, room temperature

* 2 cups sugar

* 4 large eggs, room temperature

* Finely grated zest of 3 lemons (about 3 tablespoons), plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

* 1 cup buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in zest and vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk and lemon juice, and beating until just combined after each.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

4. To finish, spread 1 tablespoon lemon curd onto middle of each cupcake. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large open-star tip (Ateco #828 or Wilton #8B) with frosting. Pipe frosting onto each cupcake, swirling tip slightly and releasing as you pull up to form a peak. Hold a small kitchen torch 3 to 4 inches from surface of frosting, and wave it back and forth until frosting is lightly browned all over. Serve immediately.

From Martha Stewart Cupcakes, May 2009

via Lemon Meringue Cupcakes and more delicious recipes, smart cooking tips, and video demonstrations on marthastewart.com.

via PrissyCook » Blog Archive » Lemon Mergingue Cupcakes.

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For this dish, I started with spinach, cilantro, onion and zucchini. Optional toppers: tomatoes and avocados. My task was to figure out how they could all go together.

Spinach-Cilantro Sauce

1 cup cilantro, packed

1 cup spinach, packed

2 cloves garlic

1 t crushed red pepper

1/2 juice from one lime

2 T olive oil, plus more for saute

salt and pepper

Saute cilantro, spinach, garlic and red pepper in garlic to help the flavors come out. Add saute to blender, with lime juice and olive oil. Puree so that a sauce forms.

Vegetables and Beans

2 zucchini chopped

1 small onion chopped

1 can black beans drained

Saute zucchini and onions in olive oil. Add drained black beans to heat through.

Pasta

Cook 2 cups spiral pasta. Drain

Spinach Cilantro Pasta Salad

Place pasta in a large bowl. Add Spinach Cilantro Sauce, sauteed vegetables. Combine and serve warm or cold.

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The co-op pools money from their members and leverages the money for better, bulk deals on produce in this case. So, it’s not a Farmer’s Market, it’s not a grocery store, but in my opinion, it’s snuggled right in the middle. Heck, we picked up our first co-op basket at local park.

We opted for the standard basket ($15) and the Mexican pack add-on ($8). For $23, here’s what we were able to bring home:

Here’s a quick retail calculation of what I estimate retail would have cost for everything in our basket:

8 Gala apples .80 6.40
8 Kiwi
2 bunches bananas .45 90
4 avacado .33 x 4 1.32
5 limes .69 3.45
7 tomatoes .59 4.13
8 tomatillos 4.13
3 containers blackberries .99 3.98
1 cantaloupe 4.39
1 honeydew 4.39
1 onion 1.00
1 head garlic 1.00
2 scallions 1.39 2.78
2 cilantro .99 1.98
1 bag radishes 1.39
3 small squash
2 cucumber 1.00
4 artichoke 1.50 6
1 spinach 2.19
1 green lettuce 2.19

Overall I think it would have cost us close to $60 at the grocery store. Here’s another view:

To make it all worth it, I’ve got to plan out how we’re going to use all these ingredients this week. The goal: Minimize Waste!

You can check out the program here, BountifulBaskets.org. Thanks @wconeybeer and @cconeybeer for the info.

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A few years ago, my kitchen mini-prep food processor was on the chopping block. I was inventorying my kitchen appliances and was on the fence on weather or not to donate it. Why not, I had a larger higher duty food processor.

I’m happy I hung onto it.

This salsa has some kick to it. I recommend having a refreshing beverage close by. For some reason, I think a horchata is the right cooling agent.

Crunchy Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa

Salsa Verde Crujiente con Aguacate

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

Recipe from Season 7 of Mexico – One Plate at a Time

Ingredients

8 ounces (about 4 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed

1/2 cup (loosely packed) coarsely chopped cilantro

Hot green chiles to taste (roughly 2 small serranos or 1 small jalapeño), stemmed and roughly chopped

1 ripe avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin

1 small white onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Salt

Directions

Roughly chop half of the tomatillos and scoop them into a food processor with the cilantro and green chiles. Measure in 1/4 cup water and process to a slushy, coarse puree. Roughly chop half the avocado, add it to the processor and pulse until it is incorporated into the salsa. Scrape into a serving dish. Scoop the onion into a small strainer and rinse under cold water. Add to the salsa. Finely chop the remaining tomatillos and add them, too. Finally, chop the remaining avocado into 1/4-inch pieces and stir them into the salsa. Taste and season with salt, usually about 3/4 teaspoon.

Alternative Method: Put all the tomatillos (quartered), cilantro and chiles through a meat grinder to chop them (no water necessary), then stir in finely chopped avocado and rinsed onion.

via Recipes from Chef Rick Bayless – Rick Bayless | Frontera.

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Herbes de Napa:

6 tablespoons dried thyme leaves

3 tablespoons fennel seed

2 1/2 tablespoons dried summer savory leaves

1 1/2 tablespoons dried rosemary leaves

1 1/2 tablespoons crumbled bay leaves

1 1/2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers

Combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container away from light and heat for up to 4 months.

Yield: 3/4 cup

via Lemon Braised Artichokes over Pasta Recipe : Michael Chiarello : Food Network.

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I’m not a Blue Bell Ice Cream expert, but I’m not an amateur either. As a displaced Texan in Arizona, there are a few areas of expertise that because of propinquity or birth-right that I just happen to know more about than others; brisket, Tex-Mex and Blue Bell happen to be three such topics.

I’ve noticed a spike in questions on my blog regarding locations, availability and general questions regarding Blue Bell Ice Cream. I thought I’d answer some of them here for you.

1. Where can I find flavor X?

When buying Blue Bell Ice Cream, pay attention to the color of the rim. See this one has a gold one. That indicates that the flavor is seasonal. Each time you buy a flavor you cast a vote for it. Blue Bell tallies the votes to determine if the flavor will have a longer run or if it’ll be put into rotation next year.

2. What flavors can I get today?

Brown rims of Blue Bell indicate their staple flavors. Just because they’re available year round, doesn’t mean your store has a large quantity or ordered a specific flavor.  I’m sure you could ask your local supplier for a flavor in the next shipment. Year round flavors as of 2010 are:

Banana Split
Buttered Pecan
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Cookies ‘n Cream
Dutch Chocolate
French Vanilla
Homemade Vanilla
Milk Chocolate
Mint Chocolate Chip
Moo-llennium Crunch
Natural Vanilla Bean
Orange Swirl (pint only)
Pecan Pralines ‘n Cream
Rocky Road
Southern Blackberry Cobbler
Strawberries & Homemade Vanilla
Strawberry
The Great Divide
Ultimate Neapolitan

3. Is Blue Bell available in my hometown?

Blue Bell is available in all or part of 17 states. Blue Bell is available in all of the following states: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Blue Bell is also available in some parts of the following states: Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina and Florida.

via Untitled Page.

4. What flavors of Blue Bell have I tried?

A lot my friends.

Banana Split
Buttered Pecan
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Cookies ‘n Cream
Dutch Chocolate
French Vanilla
Homemade Vanilla
Milk Chocolate
Mint Chocolate Chip
Moo-llennium Crunch
Natural Vanilla Bean
Orange Swirl (pint only)
Pecan Pralines ‘n Cream
Rocky Road
Southern Blackberry Cobbler
Strawberries & Homemade Vanilla
Strawberry
The Great Divide
Ultimate Neapolitan
Banana Pudding*
Birthday Cake
Black Walnut*
Butter Crunch*
Cake and Ice Cream*
Candy Jar
Caramel Sundae Crunch
Caramel Turtle Fudge
Century Sundae
Cherry Cheesecake
Cherry Vanilla
Chocolate Chip
Chocolate Moo-llennium Crunch
Coffee
Fruit Special
Fudge Brownie Nut
Groom’s Cake
Happy Tracks
Mocha Almond Fudge
Mocha Madness
Nutty Chocolate
Peaches & Homemade Vanilla
Peppermint
Pineapples & Homemade Vanilla
Pistachio Almond
Snickerdoodle
Southern Hospitality
Strawberry Cheesecake
Tin Roof
Triple Caramel
White Chocolate Almond

5. What’s the best way to eat Blue Bell?

Santa brought me these official Blue Bell ice cream bowls for Christmas. You can order them from bluebell.com.

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My grandmother had a lot of amazing qualities. Many of my most cherished memories are rooted in family dinners. I was lucky  that every Sunday lunch after church was at her home. And, the meals she prepared were always easy, delicious and  beautiful.

One thing for certain is that she had a good eye for simplicity. I’m pretty sure the year Pillsbury came out with ready made pie crusts that she never made one again. More on that in a different post.

Lemon Mousse was a dessert staple at her table for years. Her recipe differs from traditional mousse in that there are no eggs. Her recipe leans more towards fluffy and light, opposed to creamy and thick.

MooMoo’s Lemon Mousse

2 lemons or 3 T. bottled lemon juice
1/2 lb. cream cheese room temperature. Don’t substitute with reduced fat. You’ll compromise the texture.
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 t. vanilla
1 cup whipping cream

1 c. fruit berries of your choice

Grate 2 tsp. lemon zest from lemons and squeeze 3 T juice.

With mixer set at medium speed, beat the cream cheese, zest, juice, sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Bean whipping cream until it holds soft speaks. Gradually fold cream into cream cheese mixture.

Spoon into individual glasses, smooth top, cover and chill several hours or overnight.

Top with berries before serving.

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I do recognize that most people LOVE the stuff however and when I bring anything chocolate to work or to friends it’s devoured quickly. As I was reading this month’s Cook’s Illustrated, I saw a recipe for the perfect chocolate brownies and thought they’d make a perfect addition to Valentine’s goodie bags I was putting together.

Characteristics we’re looking for in this brownie are: smooth chocolate texture, chewy center and glossy crisp top. I think we got there with gems.

I loaded these bags with brownies, marshmallows and candies and cupid made special deliveries. I’m not going to post the recipe for the brownies, I think Cook’s Illustrated has a strong copyright on their articles. I only subscribe to one magazine and this one is it.

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Who dat think they goin to beat dem Saints?

Typically I watch enough football to weather pop football quizzes from my Dad. I love a good sports story and when they do those behind the scenes rags to riches over coming diversity stories, I well up with the best of them. But lets be serious, I bake cupcakes and knit and that doesn’t really fit into the football culture.

But on Super Bowl Sunday, I’ll watch the game and do all the fanfare and treat it just like Forth of July or Thanksgiving.

Suppose it’s obvious who I’ll be cheering on for this year’s game.

Don’t worry Cowboys. Next year for sure!

King Cake is a lemon, nutmeg flavored yeast bread cake typically filled with cream cheese. For these cupcakes, I took the lemon, nutmeg and cream cheese and incorporated them into a traditional white cake.

King Cake Cupcakes

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1 t nutmeg

3 large egg whites

3/4 cup milk at room temperature

1 stick butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 t lemon juice

Cream cheese cut into 1/2″ squares

Preheat oven to 350. Place paper liners in all wells of one 12 cup tin.

Whisk flour baking powder, nutmeg and salt together in a small bowl to aerate and combine, set aside.

Whisk egg whites and milk together in a small bowl to combine, set aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Beat in lemon. Add the flour mixture in 4 additions, alternately with the egg white-milk mixture. Begin and end with the flour mixture, and beat briefly until smooth on low medium speed after each addition.

Divide batter evenly among cupcake wells. Insert cream cheese square into center. Bake for 20 minutes, or until edges turn golden brown.

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