What’s a great day in front of the TV without a great snack?  Whether it’s movie night, game day or just an evening of watching TV with the kids (every Saturday they get to pick the shows), a snack is called for and in my opinion it’s hard to beat a good homemade bean dip.

Aside from being a lot healthier than sour cream based dips, bean dip tends to hold up better to serious snacking, especially when there are two pre-teen boys or a group of men involved.  it’s more filling, far more savory and suited as a condiment for a slew of different applications, including burritos.

This is a simple recipe that tastes best if allowed to sit for a few hours before serving.  The flavors never seem to come together unless it has a chance to rest.  When ready to serve just sprinkle with some cheese, bake for a few minutes and enjoy!  You’ll be glad you did.

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Popularity: 4% [?]

If you’re looking for ways to put more fish on your weekly menu at something like a reasonable price, you’ve probably considered Tilapia. It’s a good choice.  Tilapia is a mild fish, fairly firm and easy to deal with when cooking.  It is farmed around the world and can be bought for less than your first-born child, even if you have plans to feed an small army. And let’s face it, if cooked properly it’s just plain good.

Unfortunately, most of my kids very much dislike fish that hasn’t been through a processing plant and turned into a stick of some kind. To this I say to bad for them!  I can still get my fish fix at lunchtime when they are at school. It also allows me to be more creative in trying to find other things they might like.

I think this relish (or perhaps it’s more of a hot salsa?) is something I might be able to get them to eat on the side. It’s phenomenal in both flavor and simplicity, definitely something I recommend giving a shot and applying your own twists to.

In all I’d give this dish about a 6 out of 10. I have another Tilapia recipe that might have gone better with the relish.  I’ll be trying that one out soon.

What’s your favorite Tilapia recipe?  We’d love to know.

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Popularity: 3% [?]

I may have been born and raised in California, but my family in its entirety hails from the Midwest and the South.  The comfort foods that I grew up with were definitely not the same as those my friends were eating, since for a majority of them, their families had either lived in California for generations, or had roots on the East coast or in Italy.  Needless to say, they thought I was a bit strange.

For them, comfort foods were Mac n’ Cheese, Spaghetti, Lasagne, Some unnamed casserole or Mom’s Sunday Roast. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with these things, they simply don’t say “comfort food” to me.  They are all things that I enjoy, but when it’s time for me to feel warm, loved and safe in a world that throws far too many curves my way, I’m thinking about some good ol’ country staples.  I’m thinking fried potatoes, beans and hocks, greens and cornbread.

The world has been throwing our family a lot of curves lately.  There’s stresses from my wife’s job(s), the stresses of trying to keep a steady income flowing from my Internet ventures and to top it all off, there’s the news that our son, who just turned two, is very likely learning disabled and will be undergoing a fairly comprehensive evaluation and course of action very soon.  Add all of that up and you have one foodie who could do nothing else but dig in the pantry for some beans and cornmeal.  It was time for some comfort, and I wanted all of it as fast as I could get it.

Did it help?  Of course it did.  For just a few moments at least, while the house filled slowly with the aromas of slow-simmering beans, cornbread baking in the oven and potatoes sizzling in their traditional cast-iron skillet I didn’t have to worry about anything more than whether or not I needed more seasoning, or if the heat was too high.  At the end I sank into bed full and content, just as warm and cozy as I would have been when my mother still tucked me off to sleep at night.  All-in-all, it was a good day, and the stress of the world could wait for the morning.

This is more a collection of variations than a set of recipes, but I’m pretty confident that at least a few of you will enjoy some of the differences from the originals.  I’ll link to the original basic recipe, then list the changes for each dish in turn. You may just find that one of these recipes ends up on your permanent list of comfort foods as well.

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Popularity: 1% [?]

Sometimes when you’re making something new, you run into a snag or two.  This Daring Bakers Challenge was one of those times. It was an evening of crushed hopes and dissapointment, tempered with elation and extreme satisfaction. How is that possible, you ask? Let me tell you.

After coming off a very long hiatus from participation is the Daring Bakers, I decided that I’d dive back in this month when I heard that the challenge was to make crackers and a topping.  I may not be much of a baker, but crackers definitely seemed to be up my alley.  The biggest challenge for me was that the topping had to be both gluten free and vegan. Definitely a challenge for a cook who still has bacon grease neatly stored in his ice box just waiting for the next time he makes potatoes or collard greens.

I’d chosen to make the regular glutenous crackers, because I have no need of gluten free ingredients, which would summarily go to waste. The experiment started off well enough.  I followed the instructions for the dough with a bit of help with substitutions from fellow Daring Bakers.  All went together smoothly, the dough smelled wonderful, rose nicely, rolled perfectly and went into the oven with a sprinkle of paprika and a bit of salt as a topper.  All was fine until it was time to pull out the crackers.

They weren’t done.  Not even close.  According to the instructions, I was to “Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).” but at 20 minutes the dough was still soft and had not browned at all.  At 30 minutes it had browned just a tiny bit, and was pulled anyway.  It was also as hard as a rock and completely inedible, though perhaps useful as a croûton in soup.

I don’t know if it was my oven, if I overworked the dough, or if my skills at noticing “browning” are not up to par.  Whatever the reason, I cannot comment on the crackers because mine failed.  As a matter of fact, I did nothing special at all with them, so I’m not even going to post a recipe here.  Just go check out the Daring Bakers blogroll for a few people that actually got them to work!

NOTE: My wife just told me I was full of it.  She loves these crackers.  As a matter of fact, she’s munching them right now.  Apparently it has more to do with my dental work than my baking skills. YAY!

The topping was a different story altogether.  After having read this post by my friend Jenn, I knew I had to do something with the three sisters again. My roots are Native American and the combination of corn, beans and squash is something that I grew up on, but one I have not had in some time.  It sounded like the perfect combination for a spread, and it oh, but it was! The result was creamy and crunchy, sweet and bitter, just a bit spicy and perfect for anything from crackers to lamb.  Give it a shot, I think you’ll like it!

So, dear readers, I give you both triumph and failure today, but the triumph is worth it. Read more…

Popularity: 2% [?]

Sometimes it’s the simplest things that taste the best, and that is definitely the case here. My wife demanded hinted that she wanted more rice in her diet to help with her fitness program, and while her Puerto Rican rice is wonderful, I was in the mood for something a bit different, and this dish is the result of that.

By this point you’re probably wanting to know where the food in this food blog has gone. I’d like to give a hundred great reasons as to why I’ve been posting food related topics rather than recipes, but it really boils down to just one thing.

We’re just finishing getting moved in, and until yesterday, I didn’t have a single clean flat surface to take a picture on! That problem has been remedied, and the recipes will commence as scheduled from this point. (Believe me, I’m just as happy about that as you are!) Of course, I’m still going to be posting frequent food related topics, but I’m also going to do my absolute level-best to get a recipe per day out as well.

Back to the business at hand…

Red beans and rice is one of those dishes I’ve loved for a very long time, but never attempted myself. It was simple to either order it as a side at a restaurant or to open a box (Gasp!, Say it ain’t so, Jerry!) and follow the instructions. For some reason, I thought it would take quite a few tries to get it right, but I couldn’t have been more wrong! It’s fairly simple, and can be adapted to fit nearly any taste, from serious carnivore (just add the flesh of yer favorite mammal), to the complete vegan (use water or veggie broth instead of the chicken broth I used, maybe toss in a mushroom or two for body, and you’re there!)

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Popularity: 2% [?]

Summer has finally rolled into our part of Texas, hopefully leaving the thunderstorms and driving rain that have been our constant companions since March behind us for a while. With the mercury rising rapidly, it was a perfect excuse to fire up the grill and go with a side dish that was on the cool side, perfect for a lazy 90 degree summer evening.

In this edition of Your Pantry or Mine, I’m highlighting the contents of tommiea’s pantry and what a list it was! I sat and thought for quite a while about this entry, both because dietary needs have shifted on my part, and because I wanted to give tommiea, who is also a military spouse, something inspiring and a bit special for the first of my forays into her larder.

This dish is perfect for a summertime get together or a warm night for two. The salad is made without any mayonnaise, so it travels well, and is best served slightly chilled or at room temperature. The shrimp take just moments to cook and can be prepped and waiting up to five hours in advance, so prep can be spread out over the course of two days if desired, and if you’re going to take them along for a BBQ or other outdoor event, they can easily travel for several hours inside a zip top bag placed inside another zip top filled with ice. Just be sure that the inner bag is sealed very well or the marinade will dilute.

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Popularity: 1% [?]

If you say beans in the southwest, it’s taken for granted that you mean pinto beans. In Tex-Mex cooking they serve ‘em up refrito, or refried, you get ‘em in the stores with or without jalapeños, or kick ‘em up a bit with some chili powder and cumin and call ‘em Ranch Style.

Up in Oklahoma where my family hails from, you serve ‘em with ham hocks or bacon, with cornbread and fried potatoes on the side. Of course, you can serve what you’d like, but I’ll stick with my old standby. Read more…

Popularity: 4% [?]