(Mis)Adventures

It has been an interesting couple of days in my kitchen. First of all, let me list a few things I have learned recently:

1. Pumpkin Seeds Taste like Hay. Not good. How do I know what hay tastes like? I grew up around horses and that’s all I’m saying. I’ve got to figure out a better way to eat this ‘healthy little snack’ or it’s out! If you have suggestions, let me know in the comments.

2. When cooking Spanish rice, do NOT use the whole can of tomato paste! It will not all absorb and it will be disgusting. I made a re-batch using just a couple tablespoons of tomato sauce and it turned out good, but still not exactly like I wanted. I want to learn at the feet of a true Nana Mexicana.

3. Also, to prevent a rice cooker from bubbling up and spouting water all over the counter, rinse the rice before you put it in there. Apparently it’s the loose starch that makes that happen. Hmm.

4. If you are looking for Cooking Sherry, It is not at Wal-Mart, it is not at Sunflower market, it is on the very bottom shelf of the vinegar display at Fry’s. (but cooking sherry is NOT the same as sherry vinegar.)

Yesterday I made taco salad with aforementioned gringa rice and tried my hand at homemade horchata. I used whole wheat tortillas, but they didn’t seem to crisp as nicely as flour ones in the oven, so I don’t think I’ll be using them again. (I did use one to make a breakfast burrito this morning though and it was delicious.) Yesterday was the first time I used my new rice cooker. I was unsure about buying one; wasn’t sure if it was worth it…but it totally is! If you’re thinking about getting one, I would. They are actually not that expensive. I got just a really simple one for about $15. Anyway, I already mentioned the Spanish rice debacle. I dumped a whole pot full of soaking stinking rice in the trash before take two came out right. Then the horchata. Oh dear sweet delicious horchata! I thought I’d make a fun desert to go with the Mexican food. I made it, it turned out beautifully. I’m staying with my grandma for a few weeks, so a packed a little thermos to take over with me. Well, I forgot about it. Then I took it out of the fridge to take it with me and FORGOT IT AGAIN. Thought maybe I would just have it tonight. Nope, still sitting out on the counter when I got back to my grandma’s. Dear sweet delicious horchata, ruined before ever touching my lips. Defeat.

Today I decided to try out a tomato soup recipe that I found online. I fell in love with Paradise Bakery’s fire roasted tomato a few weeks ago and have been wanting to try making my own. It turned out ok…the taste is delicious, but I think I maybe need a more powerful blender? It was just really thick. I looked at two different stores and couldn’t find the fire roasted CRUSHED tomatoes it called for, so I just used two cans of the diced. I think that probably made it thicker than it should have been too. I kinda felt like I was eating marinara sauce instead of drinking soup. (I know, that sounds nasty) but I’m not going to give up on this recipe; I’ll try again if I can ever find the right tomatoes. Here’s a link if you want to try it out.

A small victory I am taking away from the past couple days is that I roasted garlic for the first time. It smells so good cooking. And it looks like some kind of beautifully creepy Nintendo flower when it’s done. All you do is peel the out skin off, cut a little off the tops of the cloves, cover with a little olive oil then cover with foil. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 35 min. When it's soft to the touch, pop the cloves out of their skins and use as you like!

I’ll leave you with a quote from Bill from the show Freaks and Geeks. it's on as a write this post. A group of scrawny high school geeks are about to order from an all you can eat Chinese buffet before it closes:

“My mom says it takes a little while for your stomach to tell your head it’s full. So you should eat really fast!”

Classic.