Kitchen Talk

Can you believe how hot its been for so long??  Eldest left for camp today and I hope she doesn't melt! 

It seems like I could think up some cold dinner ideas but so far all I came up with was ice cream.  Is it ok to eat ice cream for supper for 4 weeks in a row??

Last week I made a new recipe.  I totally messed it up.  The flavor seemed good though so I decided to give it another shot.  Only following the directions this time. 

It's called Black Bean and Sausage Cornbread Casserole.

Only mine doesn't have sausage, which implies that I didn't really follow the directions anyway.  But here's my version...

1 onion

1/2 C. green pepper (I didn't have one.)

4 cans of black beans

1 can of rotel, drained

A handful of cilantro

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 C. self-rising cornmeal mix.

So to start with I didn't have the cornmeal mix.  So I did this...

2/3 C. flour

1/2 C. cornmeal

3 T. sugar

1 T. baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Now saute the onion on the stove.  Add the beans, cilantro, rotel and salt.  Pour all that into a 9x13.  I doubled this for my family but I didn't double the beans.  Mix the buttermilk into the cornbread mix and pour over the bean mixture.  Bake at 425 until the cornbread is done. 

Here's what it looks like before....

Serve it with Mexican Sauce.  This needs a new name.  Mexican sauce?  Way too plain. 

Really tasty though and resembles enchilada sauce.

1 28oz can of tomato puree

1/4 onion, finely chopped

1 T. oil

1 garlic clove

1/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

4 tsp chili powder

2 tsp salt.

Saute the garlic and onion in the oil.  Add everything else and simmer on the stove for while.  Maybe 20 minutes and adjust the spices. This will keep in the fridge in a jar for awhile.

Then I made this.  Not too pretty to photograph, huh? 

This is guacamole made from peas.   Cause maybe you're out of avocados, or maybe you're allergic to them, or maybe you don't want to pay the ridiculous price for them, or maybe you don't  like them.....could this even be true??  Probably not. 

Anyhow, I did this in my blender and made it just the way I would regular guac...which is different everytime depending on what I have on hand. 

And see this?  I LOVE IT!!   It's right up there with my Blendtec.  It's the new rice cooker I got for my b-day.  My old rice pot was great and I would've never guessed I wanted a different one.  But oh, this is over the top!  First of all it's bigger so it makes more rice.  But not just rice.  It heats leftovers, makes soup, browns meat, steams veggies, and can even bake a cake.   I haven't tried the cake button yet though.  Things I used to do with my crockpot are easier and faster with this rice pot. 

Do you have a rice cooker?  They are so handy.  You can throw in rice, beans, salsa, and water.  Push a button and it's dinner in one pot.   Add some chips and guacamole and voila!!  We went to FL years ago for vacation and I used it in the hotel room to make some quick meals for our family. 

Today I used it to make soup even though it was 112 outside.  Is that weird? 

Do you want to see a picture?  (Say yes.)

Can you tell I'm liking the camera on my phone?