Over a month ago I got the sudden desire to make a flan for some friends.  No reason in particular. I just felt like it.  Then someone asked me if this recipe was on my blog.  I had to think about it for a little while and realized that I had never done a flan post.

What kind of self-respecting Puerto Rican am I to have never shared the joys of flan with you?

Note that I let a month pass before I made another flan.  I am a bad flan-sharer.

But you can’t hold it against me because you too will be a bad flan-sharer.  Initially you will think to yourself, “Oh, I will make some flan for my family, friends or co-workers.”  But when you get your first taste of this flan, you will end up eating the whole thing while hiding in the closet.  Trust me, you will turn into a rabid bad flan-sharer, attacking any hand that reaches out to take any of your flan.

There are many different kinds of flan. Cheese, coconut, pumpkin, vanilla, rum, coffee, chocolate–you think of it, it’s probably been done. I gravitate toward cheese, vanilla or coconut.  There are a lot of things that make a flan delicious.  The creamy texture, the caramel and for some of us it reminds us of home.  Many things can make a flan delicious but, there are just as many things that can make it bad.

Traits of a Bad Flan:

• Strong eggy flavor (So bad!)
• Cheese flan with a lumpy cheese layer
• Burnt caramel
• Grainy texture or air pockets
• Skin. Skin is bad.

I am going to show you how to avoid making a bad flan and how to make a flan that will make you a bad flan-sharer.

When making a cheese flan, you want to make sure all your ingredients are room temperature. This means your eggs and cream cheese, too.   If your cream cheese is room temperature and your eggs are cold, your cheese will lump up and make your flan miserable.  (See 2nd bullet point above.)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Have a 9-inch round cake pan standing by.

Add sugar to a small sauce pot over med-high heat.

Don’t leave the sugar unattended, but don’t mess with it for a while.  Wait until the sugar is beginning to melt and then stir.  It will clump up at first, but do not stress. Just keep stirring it.

Continue to stir and the lumps will start to melt.  If it’s getting too hot or brown, just lift it off the burner for a bit while still stirring.  When the sugar starts to melt this can go fast, so don’t walk away or it will burn. (See 3rd bullet point above.)

Continue to stir and melt the sugar until smooth and a deep golden brown color.

Immediately pour the caramel into the cake pan.  You will want to pour throughout the cake pan and not just in one spot.

You want to coat the bottom of the pan as evenly as possible.  Again, move quickly because the caramel sets pretty quickly.  Set the pan aside until ready to use.

Let’s move on to the custard.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of evaporated milk together until smooth and creamy.  Be sure to scrape down the sides as needed.

Switch the whisk to the paddle attachment. (I took the picture before making the switch.)   You do not want to use the whisk attachment because this will incorporate air, making air bubbles in your custard. (See 4th bullet point above.)  Beat in eggs one at a time until well combined.

There is a debate about how many eggs makes a good flan. Egg quantities can range from 4-8 eggs.  That is a pretty big spread.  Personally I think any more than 6 and you are begging for an eggy flan.  Eggy flans are bad…very bad. (See 1st footnote)

When your cream cheese and eggs are smooth and creamy, beat in evaporated milk, sweet condensed milk and vanilla.

Although we’ve taken steps to avoid having cream cheese lumps, I am going to suggest we take one more step to guarantee a lumpy cheese layer-free flan.  (See 2nd bullet point above.) Pour the custard mixture into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl.  This will take out any stray cheese lumps.

Pour the stained custard into the caramel coated pan.  The caramel may make a cracking sound.  That is completely normal.

Bake the flan in a water bath for 1 hour.  The flan should be set and just beginning to brown on top.  The browner it gets on top, the more skin you will end up with. And skin is bad. (See 5th bullet point above.)

Let the flan cool out of the water bath and in the pan for about 5 minutes.  Run a knife along the edge to release the flan.

Invert on to a large rimmed platter.  I say a rimmed platter to contain the caramel.  DO NOT invert this into a flat cake stand because the caramel will just run off the edge.  Not that I ever did that….

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Overnight is best.

Now take the flan that you made for your family, friends or co-workers and hide in a closet.  Trust me, this is a dessert that you will not want to share.  When you dig into it, it should be smooth, creamy, bubble, lump and skin free.  Very close to the texture of a really creamy cheesecake, but it’s better than cheesecake because it’s flan!

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Flan de Queso (Cheese Flan)

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 8 oz block of cream cheese, softened
• 1 14 oz can evaporated milk
• 1 12 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 eggs, room temperature
• 9 in round cake pan

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Have cake pan out and ready. Heat sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Let sugar sit for about 2 minutes until sugar begins to melt. Be sure to keep an eye on the sugar. Once the sugar begins to melt, stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir until sugar melts smooth, careful not to over brown the sugar. Immediately pour caramel into round cake pan, evenly coating the bottom of the pan. You will have to move quickly before the caramel sets. Set pan aside until ready to use.

Add cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of evaporated milk to the bowl of a stand mixer. With a whisk attachment, whisk the cream cheese and milk until smooth.

Changing to a paddle attachment, beat in eggs one at a time. You want to change to a paddle attachment so not to incorporate air into the batter. Mix in evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Strain flan batter into another bowl to strain out any leftover cheese lumps.

Pour batter into prepared cake round. Place flan into a large roasting pan in the oven and pour water into the roasting pan outside of the cake pan until the water covers the flan half way. Bake for 1 hour or until set.

Let flan cool in pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife along the edge of the pan and carefully invert onto a large rimmed platter. Place in refrigerator to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Notes

Be sure that all your ingredients are room temperature. If you mix cold eggs in with the cream cheese it will lump.

Taking the steps to beat the cream cheese with 2 tablespoons of milk and straining the finished custard will ensure a smooth creamy texture.

Be sure not to use a whisk when adding the eggs. If you do you will end up incorporating air into the custard and that will create air pockets in the cooked flan.

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I go through phases when it comes to coffee. I have had a caramel macchiato phase, an americano phase, a blonde brew phase and now I have cycled into a new phase. The dirty, dirty chai phase. I think I have found a new love.

Let me be more specific: my new favorite drink is a “double shot non-fat 2 pump chai tea latte”. Needless to say, OB refuses to place such an order on my behalf. He says it’s too complicated, and he ain’t got time for that. I think it just stresses him out. If he does do a coffee run for me, which is rare, he asks me to text him the order so he can show it to the barista. I firmly believe he refuses to even utter my order. He thinks it will damage his rep.

I was first introduced to this drink at a hip local coffee shop, The Coffee House on Cherry Street, which makes the best espresso in town, by the way. Seriously! The moment that drink touched my lips I was in love. I have always been a lover of chai tea. The warm bright spices in chai tea are so incredibly comforting. Then I had it with milk and a shot of espresso and my world was turned upside down. If you love chai tea as much as I do, but have always thought you could use an extra kick of caffeine, this is the drink for you.

Not all of us have hip little coffee joints nearby to grab a dirty chai. Maybe you do, but you don’t want to brush your hair and put pants on to go to that hip coffee joint for a dirty chai. Maybe you can’t get to the coffee shop because a giant skunk has decided to camp out on your doorstep and you’re trapped. If either of these scenarios apply to you, do not fret. I will show you how to make a dirty chai at home.

To make the perfect chai tea at home, you will need a few things: chai tea concentrate, milk and espresso. The espresso part can be a little tricky, but thanks to the internet and fresh ground coffee at the grocery store, it is possible. Not everyone has a super duty fancy espresso machine. Don’t fret, because you don’t need one. Just do it like grandma used to do it, with a stovetop espresso percolator, and you can’t go wrong. If you want to drop over $100 bucks on an espresso machine, go for it, but a $10 percolator can do the job.

The trick to making a good cup of espresso is the grind of the beans. You want the beans to be finely ground. The machine at the store should have an espresso grind setting. Then pack the coffee into the percolator cup as firmly as you can. Pack that sucker in! In no time, you will have a beautifully rich and frothy cup of espresso.

While the espresso is percolating, you can warm and froth the milk.  I got a nifty little frother during my last trip to Ikea. Froth the milk on the stove top while it’s warming until you get your desired amount of froth.  The trick to getting a good froth is to keep the frother is the magical space between the milk and the air, do not completely submerge the frother in the milk.

Once the milk is warm and frothy, you can add the chai concentrate and let it warm for a few more minutes. I like to do a ratio of 1 cup of milk to 1/2 cup of chai, when preparing a dirty chai, but that is your prerogative. The beauty of making your drinks at home is that you can have it any way you want it, that’s the way you need it, any way you want it. 

By now, your espresso should be ready. Pour the espresso into your cup followed by the chai milk mixture and spoon froth on top.

TA-DA! You have the perfect dirty chai. Or if you’re like me and like two shots of espresso, it’s a dirty, dirty chai, which makes it extra naughty and delicious.

Now curl up with your favorite book, tabloid magazine or an addictive game of Candy Crush. Whatever makes you happy.

Print

Dirty, Dirty Chai Latte

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chai tea concentrate
• 2 shots espresso (3 fl oz)
Equipment
• Frother
• Stovetop espresso perculator

Instructions

Prepare espresso using a stovetop percolator. Make sure your coffee is finely ground and firmly packed into the cup.

Pour milk into a sauce pan and warm over the stove one medium high heat. Froth the milk while it is warming. When the milk is warm and frothy, add the chai tea concentrate. Allow to warm for a few more minutes.

Pour prepared espresso into cup, pour chai milk mixture in and top with froth.

Enjoy!

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Hi, my name is Meseidy and I’m an addict.  I have an addiction to apps. Honestly I have an addiction to technology in general.  I hadn’t realized this til I was looking at a friend’s phone and I noticed I had an excessive amount of apps compared to her.  I thought everyone had 4 pages of apps on their phone filed by category.  I was told that this is not the case for everyone.

Some apps I keep, some I regret ever downloading, and then there are some that I love.  Let me share with you an app that I love.

Many moons ago when I was a new bride, I was very anxious to keep my house perfect.  What can I say, the newlywed love cloud can do that to a girl.   I fretted and stressed and eventually drove myself crazy.  Having been used to just taking care of myself, I was shocked with how much more work was suddenly on my plate after adding just one person.  I thought there had to be a better way to manage my home.   That is when a friend introduced me to FlyLady.com.

FlyLady.com is a brilliant home management system.   It starts with baby steps and builds on these steps until you have an easy and solid routine that keeps your house clean and chaos free.

Fast forward to current day.  I used FlyLady off and on, like I use my gym membership.  Then one day while I was checking out apps, I found Home Routine.  My life was never the same.

This nifty app helps you keep all that tedious housework easy and manageable.

There are four key routines that you customize and follow: morning routine, evening routine, weekly tasks and focus zones.

Each routine is fully customizable.  The idea is to have small, quick and simple tasks that makes your day easier.  It even lets you set a routine reminder.  When you complete a task, touch the start to fill check it off your list.

The evening routine is to set yourself up for success the next day.  I complete each of these routines in about 45 minutes, sometimes less.

If you really want to put a fire under your bottom, you can you the timer feature at the bottom of the page.

Then there are those tasks that need weekly attention.   All of these tasks are customizable and easy to edit and prioritize just by dragging and dropping.

The last key routine is the “zone” system. This system divides your house into 5 or 6 “zones” on a rotating schedule, and you spend 15 minutes of your day on a task in each zone.

Don’t let yourself be fooled by those 15 minutes. You would be amazed how much you can accomplish when you’re focused.  Again, this is fully customizable.

A final helpful addition is the To Do feature.  This is probably the feature that I use the least because I have another app that I use for my To Do list.  (Hi, my name is Meseidy and I am an addict.)  But it is still an excellent feature.

I can honestly say that I love this app and I use it on a regular basis.  Do I use it every single day?  No.  Sometimes because the routine starts to become second nature, sometimes because life gets crazy and ain’t nobody got time for that.  I do however LOVE it for when I need to get back into my routine after life gets crazy.

If you are looking for a tool to help you wrangle all the tedious housework in your life, I recommend giving Home Routines a try.

Home Routines is available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch for $4.99.  Unfortunately, it is not available for Droid.  I rarely pay for an app, but for me this one was worth the investment.

—————-

This post was not sponsored by or affiliated with Home Routines or FlyLady.com. 

These meatballs have been rolling around in my head for months. HA!!

Get it? Meatballs…rolling around.

It’s funny!

No?

Come on!

Don’t get me wrong…I know it’s not side-splitting hilarious, but can’t I at least get a chuckle, so I don’t feel like a complete doofus?

Ok, what about this one.

Where did the spaghetti go to dance?

Anyone?

THE MEATBALL!!!!

Ok, sorry. You have my permission to never speak to me again.

Ok, setting bad jokes aside, I think it is safe to say that everyone can get down with a plate of spaghetti……at the MEATBALL!!! HA!

*Tap, tap* You still there? Last time, I promise.

Personally, I have never been a huge fan of spaghetti and meatballs. There have been times that I will get a craving, but in general, it doesn’t really strike my fancy. I am sure there is some Italian grandmother rolling her eyes and saying, “That’s because you haven’t had my meat-ah-ball!”

I remember watching TV and someone was going to town on a huge plate of spaghetti and giant meatballs. I thought to myself there had to be a way to make spaghetti and meatballs more interesting. That is when I thought of the lamb meatball. I love lamb. Loooooove it, and I love anything Greek. So I thought I should do spaghetti and meatballs, Greek-style.

Lamb and mint are a classic pairing. I don’t know how they became best friends since one eats grass and the other basically is grass, but they some how came together and became the closest of friends. I love how they work in such perfect harmony. The mint complements the flavor of lamb without being overtly minty while also cutting into its gaminess. It truly is a perfect pairing, so I knew that the perfect sauce to this pasta would be a mint pesto.

The great thing about this dish is not only how awesome it tastes, but also how easy it is to make. An extra bonus is that you can make its main components ahead of time. The pesto can be kept refrigerated in a sealed container for a week; the meatballs can be frozen until ready to use. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, roll your meatballs, line them up on the sheet pan like little soldiers and freeze them.

Transfer the frozen meatballs to a resealable bag until ready to use. When you are ready for heavenly lamb meatballs, bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes–no need to thaw. Toss with pasta and pesto and enjoy with vigor. They can also be the perfect appetizer, just serve the meatballs alone with the pesto as a dipping sauce. You will be a very popular hostess.

I, of course, did not bother with freezing the meatballs. I had been dreaming of this dish for months after all. I wasn’t about to willingly prolong my yearning for a tender lamb meatball.

Print

Lamb Meatballs & Mint Pesto Linguine

Yield: 6 - 8 serving or 24 meatballs

Ingredients

Mint Pesto
• 2 cups mint leaves
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley
• 4 cloves garlic
• zest of 1 lemon, about 2 teaspoon
• juice of 1 lemon
• 4 tablespoons pine nuts
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
Meatballs
• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons mint pesto
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons semolina flour or plain breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
Pasta
• 8 oz package dry linguine (or any long noodle pasta)
• 2 8 oz jars quartered artichokes
• 2 8 oz jars roasted red peppers, sliced
• 4 tablespoons pine nuts

Instructions

In a food processor or blender combine all ingredients for pesto except for oil. With the processor or blender running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until smooth and emulsified. Transfer to small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

In a stand mixer using a paddle attachement, combine all ingredients for meatballs. Beat until well-combined. If you do not have a stand mixer, you can use your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to let flavor develop.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Roll meat into balls less than 1 inch (about 2 teaspoons or a medium scoop) and place on the lined sheet pan. Keep a bowl of cold water beside you to dampen your hands with; it helps keep your hands from getting sticky. Bake for 15 minutes.

While meatballs are in the oven, boil your pasta to al-dente. In a skillet over medium-high heat drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add pasta, artichokes, pine nuts, red pepper and mint pesto. Saute until hot and well combined. Serve pasta topped with meatballs and sprinkled with feta cheese crumbles.

Notes

MAKE AHEAD

Pesto can keep refrigerated in a sealed container for a week.

Meatballs can be frozen until ready to use. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, roll your meatballs, line up on sheet pan and freeze. Transfer the frozen meatballs to a resealable bag until ready to use. When you are ready to use, place meatballs on parchment paper lined sheet pan and bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, no need to thaw.

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I know it has been a long time since I have been here to share with you.  I never had any intention of letting so much time go by, but life has been busy.  Also I was having some major computer issues.  My wonderful 4-year-old MacBook, which I loved with all my heart had begun slowing practically to a complete stop anytime I would try to edit photos.  It got so bad I literally wanted to cry and throw it out the window.  I can have a smig of a short temper, so I have been told.  The possibility of a projectile laptop was very. I had to rectify the situation and so this week I finally got around to upgrading my laptop.  It’s beautiful, shiny and most important it is lighting fast, like Flash.

What better way for me to take my new friend for a spin then to share a new recipe with you?  Not just any recipe but a Mother’s Day breakfast recipe.

Because mother’s rock! And because mother’s (or mami’s) rock we should make them fancy little pancakes filled ricotta mousse and topped with tart cherries, in bed while giving them a foot massage.  You heard me!  Give them a foot massage…unless they are really ticklish because then she may accidentally kick you.

My mother put up with a lot from me and my sister when we were kids.  I know there were many times she wanted to pull her hair out.  I know this because she told us so, but regardless what we did there was no question she loved us.   Sometimes we forget to say thank you to Mom, sometimes we break their favorite ballerina L’ladro figuring and sometimes we just plain take them for granted.

Make this Mother’s Day really special with this lovely little Dutch pancakes and remember Mom rocks!

Here are some reasons my Mami rocks!

She loves me unconditionally.

She knows what to say and when not to say it.

She, my sister and I all share the same laugh.

She is never lost, she just doesn’t know where she is.

She makes the best pollo fricassee.

She supports me no matter what.

She clucked like a chicken out the window at a kid sitting on a soccer ball.

She sings her own Christmas carols in June. “Hark the herd of  angels sing…..”

She says “e-schedule”, “e-special”, “e-spagetti”, etc….

She loves me.

She’s my mami.

Let’s make some pancakes!

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place 2 large muffin pans (6 molds) in the oven while it preheats.

Combine cherries, honey, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a bowl, stir until the cherries are evenly coated. Heat a large skillet over med-high heat. Add cherry mixture to the skillet, cook until tender and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer or electric beater, beat the ricotta and almond extract until smooth and creamy.

In a separate bowl, using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or an electric hand mixer, whisk the cream until thick. Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until the cream holds stiff peaks, being careful not to curdle. Working in batches, gently fold the cream mixture into the ricotta mixture, set aside in refrigerator.

Whisk together eggs, vanilla paste, lemon zest and milk.

Beat in flour and granulated sugar until well combined.

Drop 1/2 tablespoon of better in each mold. Divide batter into the molds, filling less than half way.

Bake until puffed and cooked through and tops are set and brown, 15 to 18 minutes.

Serve pancakes filled with cherries, topped with a dollop ricotta mousse and garnished with toasted almonds.

Print

Dutch Pancakes with Cherries & Almond Ricotta Mousse

Yield: 12 pancakes

Ingredients

Pancake
• 6 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• 1 cup bread flour or all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Cherries
• 30 oz frozen sour cherries (1 1/2 bags)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• juice of 2 lemon
• 2 tsp vanilla paste
Mousse
• 7.5 oz whole milk ricotta cheese, cold (1/2 15 oz tub)
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1/2 cup whipping cream, cold
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• toasted sliced almonds (for garnish)

Instructions

For the cherries:

Combine cherries, honey, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a bowl, stir until the cherries are evenly coated. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cherry mixture to the skillet, cook until tender and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

For the mousse:

Using a stand mixer or electric beater, beat the ricotta and almond extract until smooth and creamy.

In a separate bowl, using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or an electric hand mixer, whisk the cream until thick. Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until the cream holds stiff peaks, being careful not to curdle. Working in batches, gently fold the cream mixture into the ricotta mixture. Once it's all combined, set aside in the refrigerator.

For the pancakes:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place 2 large muffin pans (6 molds) in the oven while it preheats.

In a large bowl whisk together eggs, vanilla paste, lemon zest and milk. Beat in flour and granulated sugar until well combined.

Drop 1/2 tablespoon of butter into each mold, let melt. Divide batter into the molds, filling each less then half way full. Bake until puffed and cooked through and tops are set and brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve pancakes filled with cherries, topped with a dollop of ricotta mousse and garnished with toasted almonds.

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Last week I ran, hiked and was doped into taking a class at the gym that I though was core and stretching.  Instead we did 1,234,244 squats, I won’t even mention the side planks.  Evil, pure evil.   I walked hobbled crawled out of that studio and dragged myself to the car.  My legs almost too weak to press the peddles.

Weak and wobbly I still needed to make dinner.  I wanted something savory and comforting to easy my pain, but I didn’t want to completely undo my torture session.

Something, with a little tang, savory and finger licking good, but not typical.

Then I thought who says you need a passport to enjoy a delicious exotic meal, or that you need some crazy unknown ingredients? Sometimes all you need are some of your everyday pantry items.  I thought I would try making some Moroccan chicken.  Now I do not claim this dish to be authentic, but I will claim it is delicious.

I started off with 4 quarters of chicken, broken down and skinned.

Season chicken with salt. Heat oil in large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken, browning on each side. Remove from pot and set aside.

Add onion, sauté until golden brown, about 8 minutes.

Add garlic and ginger, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add spices and saute another minute.

Add lemon juice to the pot, scrap up brown bits at the bottom of the pot.

Stir in prunes.  You can also use dried apricots or raisins.

Add broth, stir and scrap the bottom to be sure you got all the brown bits and goodies.

Return chicken to the pot and bring to a boil.

Add lemon wedges and 1/4 cup of olives. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes.

Transfer chicken to platter.

Add remaining olives. Increase heat to high; boil uncovered to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour sauce over chicken with olives and lemons, serve.

I served the chicken with cumin spiced roasted cauliflower, but it would be great with rice or roasted potatoes.

This dish most defiantly falls under the category of finger-licking-good.  The perfect fork full is chicken, olive, a bit of prune and just a tiny piece of lemon rind.  Sweet, savory, briny and tang all in one bite.   Guaranteed you will lick your plate.  You won’t even feel guilty about doing it in front of company.

Print

Moroccan Chicken with Lemon, Olives & Prunes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 10 prunes, chopped
• 2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 3.5 lbs chicken quarters (about 4 quarters), cut into 8 pieces, skin removed
• 1/2 cup green olives

Instructions

Season chicken with salt. Heat oil in large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken, browning on each side. Remove from pot and set aside.

Add onion, sauté until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add spices and saute another minute.

Add lemon juice to the pot, scrap up brown bits at the bottom of the pot. Stir in prunes. You can also use dried apricots or rasins.

Add broth, stir and scrap the bottom to be sure you got all the brown bits and goodies. Return chicken to the pot and bring to a boil. Add lemon wedges and 1/4 cup of olives. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter.

Add remaining olives. Increase heat to high; boil uncovered to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over chicken, serve.

Notes

Adapted from Bon Appetit 2009.

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Day two of our trip we wanted to explore Austin a little.  After grabbing some breakfast in the lobby we headed over to the Austin Zoo.  I have been to a few zoos but this little zoo has to be one of my favorites.  It’s not a city zoo it’s a non-profit animal rescue and sanctuary.  It’s small, well cared for and intimate.  All the proceeds raised go toward caring for the animals and maintaining the grounds.

We went early in the day and the attendant recommended that we go straight to the cats because they are most active in the morning.  Boy were they active.  When we came up on the pens there was an orchestra of roars and shortly after this fella came out, pacing back and forth along the fence.  I had never been this close to a large cat, it was amazing and a little scary.

Around the corner this fella was catching some rays.  Here kitty, kitty. Actually no “Here, kitty, kitty”.  Stay cat, stay…good kitty.   To think that this little kitten was in someones home.  Crazy!

They had less intimidating animals, like this sweet bird. He danced if you sang him a little tune.

 We also each had a little bag of feed for the petting zoo.  Kuzco here was eager to get some of my pellets.  He even gave me a little smile.

This his buddy Billy tried to hop the fence and snag the bag right out of my hand.  Seriously no joke, he reached over and tried to grab my bag.  Sneaky little sucker.

We also ran into Babe.  He had put on some weight.

Obed and I were standing at the fence admiring Babe and his size when he decided to say “Man that is a lot of bacon!”  Little did we know that the owners were standing right next to us and said “No, no, not a lot of bacon, he is a lot of love.”

Can you say awkward?

If you are ever in Austin I recommend you check out this charming little zoo and give Kuzco, Billy and Babe a visit.

By the time we finished at the zoo it was lunch time.  Obed said he wanted BBQ so I searched online and found The Salt Lick.   It was a little out of our way but who cares we were on vacation.

When we pulled into this place I though there was some special event going on.  It was packed to the gills and there were people everywhere.     We you walk up there is a table that said “Check in Here”.  You check in with the hostess and she give you one of those beepers for the building on the right or left.  The wait was at least an hour so we took the second option.  Behind us was a stand that said “Carry Out”.  Here you can order your food to go and sit on any out the picnic tables outside.  It was a beautiful day and there was close to no wait so we chose to do carry out.

The whole place feels like a huge BBQ festival.  There was a little wood stage with a guy playing live music, a lemonade stand, popcorn machine and on the other end was a vineyard were you can do wine tasting or even buy s 6 pack of beer.  It was crazy awesome. We hadn’t even gotten to the food yet.

I staked out a table while Obed waited for our food. Finally he arrived with our grub and just in time because I was starving.  Obed got an order of ribs and sausage with potato salad and beans.

I got a pulled pork sandwich with potato salad and beans.

The BBQ was stellar.  The sauce…the sauce….was amazing. It was a tangy BBQ mustard sauce with Habanero pepper.  Sweet, tangy, spicy and delicious.  I wanted it over everything.  The potato salad was a combination of mashed and chunky potatoes and I would bet money that they stir in some of their amazing BBQ sauce.  The only thing that was underwhelming on the plate were the beans, they were in desperate need for more seasoning.

My recommendation try everything but skip the beans.

It was such a beautiful day we didn’t want to go to the hotel yet so we went for a game of miniature golf.   Phil here guards the course.  He is real nice if you rub his belly. 

The course is Peter Pan Mini-Golf.  It has two courses, hard and easy.  We decided to try the hard course.  It even has an upside down loop.

The mini course brought an eclectic group of people and almost everyone was carrying a mini cooler.  The course is BYOB and many took advantage of this fact.  My favorite group  was a bunch of guys in full pro-golf gear with their own putters and balls.  They looked like they has just come off the country club golf course.

After taking a beating at mini-golf, we decided to head back to the hotel.

To finish off our last evening in Austin we went for dinner at TenOak.  A swanky restaurant and bar serving Southern style comfort food.  We kept it simple, I ordered the blue cheese stuffed burger, Obed got the spicy wings and we split some truffle fries.  I rolled out of there a happy camper.

The following morning we had to book it to Tulsa because some bad weather was going to be rolling in and we wanted to get to Tulsa before it hit.  Little did we know that 10:45 am, 2 1/2 hours into our drive home the pick-up decided to just shot off.  Literally like it flipped a switch.  We had to coast over to the side of the highway and big green would not turn back on.   

Thank goodness for AAA and Steve!  Steve came to the rescue, hitched us up on the truck and drove us 56 miles to the closest Ford dealership.

Once we arrived we handed over our truck to the mechanic and walked close by to grab some lunch.  Then we came back and waited, and waited, and waited.  Finally at about 5 pm the mechanic had diagnosed the problem.

Have you ever heard of a fuel bowl? Well me neither.  The only bowl I know is a mixing bowl.

What I was told was that the little round metal piece broke off internally, fell into the fuel bowl, damaging the bowl and blowing the giant fuse.  Good news was the found the problem, bad news was they wouldn’t have the part till the next day.  Needless to say we had to find a hotel.  I had wanted to extend our trip, but this was not what I had in mind. They had a courtesy shuttle take us to our hotel and there we drowned our sorrows in Chinese take out.

Finally be noon the following day, more than 24 hours since it broke down, our truck was ready to be picked up.  We saw the bill, cried and hit the road.

I had never been so glad to spend 4 hours on a bumpy road in a bouncy truck.

Where have you been?

Ok it’s more like where have I been?  Most recently I was in Austin on a mini-holiday vaca. “Mini-holiday vaca” is not really a term I use but it makes our pre-anniversary 8 hour road-trip to Austin in a Ford F-250 sound more fru-fru. Just humor me.

On the trip down to Austin we decided to split the drive and stop over in Dallas.   When we go on a “mini-holiday vaca” (Is that redundant?) we go with no itinerary, no plans and just throw caution to the wind.  We’re wild and crazy like that.   During the drive down I was fervently serving the internet for something to do that evening.  Something that didn’t require reservations or planning ahead.  I found a go-kart park called SpeedZone.   What yells romantic getaway more than a go-kart track?

I wanted to speed around at warp speed in a go-kart and since Obed and his brothers use to drag race many moons ago he insisted that we do the Top Eliminator.  So we decided on the Turbo Track and the Top Eliminator Dragster.

First I hopped into my mini-racer anticipating to shoot out at warp speed, it is the Turbo Track after all, only to sputter out and come to a stop no more than 10 seconds out the gate.  I sat there like a dork in the cold waiting for the attendant to come and check on my cart. Once he flipped some switch I was off and running.  Peddle to the metal and never on the brake. Literally skidding around the corners, until my loving husband sped up on me and rear-ended me.  He’s so sweet.

After getting my fix on the Turbo Track we headed over to the dragsters.  Between you and me I was a little nervous.  Although these little dragsters are on a track and automatically brake when you reach the finish line, I kept picturing myself flying off the track and taking out the fence and the masses ahead.  Don’t tell Obed I was stressing it, because I posing totally cool.   Granted I had my eyes close most of the time I shot out the gate but I came in second the first two times and beat Obed the third.  Not to shabby for stressing and having my eyes closed.

The following morning we got up all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, grabbed some breakfast through the drive thru and headed south to Austin.  After 4+ hours on a very bumpy road in a giant diesel pick up we arrived in Austin.  However our hotel wasn’t going to be ready to check into for a few hours so we had some time to kill.

First thing was first lunch.

I had a Groupon for EZ’s Brick Oven & Grill.  So it seemed like a good place to start.

You know that anyplace that has brick oven in the name is probably serving a killer pizza.  I ordered the margarita pizza and it did not disappoint. Pizza is my secret boyfriend.  I love pizza, but who doesn’t?  Crispy brick oven toasted crust and cheese goodness…heaven!  Bonus, it was a beautiful 72 degrees and we got to enjoy our pizza out on their patio.

With a little more time to kill we hit up some local vintage and antique stores.  Only to torture ourselves.  This GORGEOUS teal newly upholstered sofa was a modest $5,600.  Talk about sticker shock.  It was a stab in my heart.

The store was full of beautiful pieces.  All vintage, reupholstered and refurnished.  It was a room full of everything I wanted and couldn’t have. Needless to say Obed was a little anxious to get me out of this store.  If you are want to torture yourself or drop over 5 Gs on a sofa visit Uptown Modern in Austin.

Finally we were able to check into our hotel The Casulo.  Yes that is a giant window into the bathroom, nuf said.  We watch the tube for a while and took a nap in crazy comfy plush beds.

Later that night we dragged ourselves out of the über comfortable beds and went out for some grub.  We went to the Copa Bar & Grill a Latin kind of fusion restaurante.  

We noshed on a spread of appetizers and split dinner.  My favorite without a doubt were the plantain nachos.  Hello plantain + nacho, how can that be anything other than awesome!  Each plantain was perfectly thin and crisp, topped with savory braised beef, melted cheese and served with a side of sofrito sauce.  I see these in my kitchen’s future.

We walked the streets of Austin found a place for a cup of coffee and headed back to the hotel to rest for the next day of our Austin adventure. Stay tuned for part 2 of Austin or Bust.  There will be lions, tigers and lamas.  Not to mention killer BBQ, a dinosaur and  Steve.

You know the typical things you would expect on a “pre-anniversary mini-holiday vaca”.

Dogs do funny things that make little sense, but at least they’re entertaining. This is Girlie, our sweet chocolate lab.  When she wants in she looks through the window and does one single bark.    To the right is the door that we usually let her in through, but it was an unusually warm day, so I decided to leave the sliding glass door open so the pups could let themselves in and out.  Keeping me from having to get up to let them in and out.

Apparently the sliding glass door has an invisible force field when open.

Come on Girlie, the door is open.  You coming in?

Don’t bark at me! The door is open. It’s not my fault you’re a dork and choose to just sit there.  No one is stopping your from coming in.

Look your brother just walked straight in, the force field has been lifted.  Now will you come in?

You have been sitting there for over an hour just staring at me.   I promise the door is open and there is no force field.  Don’t you trust me?  What does it say about our relationship if you won’t trust me enough to walk through an open door.

Daddy’s home! Are you coming in?

Fine just stay there, you weirdo.