Chiles en nogada

A Frida Kahlo inspired birthday party! 
I have a cookbook Frida's Fiestas written by Diego Rivera's daughter, Guadalupe Rivera about life with Frida and her recipes.  It goes through different celebrations throughout the year and the foods that Frida would make for each occasion.

Flower headbands for the women and mini bottles of patron for the men!

Frida would have approved of the colorful paper banners and flowers!  The beautiful serving dishes were a gift from my parents!

Stuffed Chayotes

Green, white, and red rice- colors of the Mexican flag!

Chiles en nogada- a dish also inspired by the colors of the Mexican flag!  I have eaten this dish several times in restaurants, but have always wanted to try to make the recipe myself.  It is a poblano chile, roasted, and stuffed with the mixture of ground pork and fruit.  It is then topped with a creamy walnut sauce and garnished with pomegranate seeds.

Mason's beans- This was a recipe of pinto beans flavored with bacon and chorizo.

A plate of deliciousness (and hours of hard work!)

I went with the theme and had my sister draw a unibrow to complete the look.

Thanks to my mom and sister for all their help in making this delicious feast and also for preparing and decorating for the fiesta!

Eggplant Parmesan

This recipe was inspired by an excess of cheese acquired at a pizza making party!  I decided to put the ricotta and mozzarella to good work in this easy and delicious casserole.

In my dealings with eggplant I have had both good and bad experiences trying to prepare it.  I think that for success the eggplant just needs a little extra time and love to bring out its deliciousness!

 In traditional Eggplant Parmesan recipes the eggplant is breaded and fried.  In this easier and more healthful version the eggplant is roasted, and crunch is added by topping the dish with panko bread crumbs. 
Recipe found on this blog: http://lickmyspoon.com/recipes/ridiculously-good-baked-eggplant-parm/

Eggplant is brushed with oil and salted and then baked at 450 degrees for 30 minutes.  Flip eggplant halfway through baking time.  Be forewarned that the eggplant shrinks down a lot when you bake it.

Layer tomato sauce, eggplant, ricotta and mozzarella, more eggplant, more sauce, and more cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees covered for 25 minutes.  Then uncover, add panko bread crumbs, and bake another 20 minutes.

This is the second time that I have made this recipe with success!  The eggplant shrunk down a lot when I roasted it so I think that next time I make it I would use even more eggplant!

Best tacos: A delicious debate...

Best Tacos Ever!
I've eaten many tacos in my day and these are some of the best...

Las Cuatro Milpas- This Barrio Logan eatery always has a line out the door and trust me, it's well worth the wait!  I can't eat there unless it's my day off because it's only open during the daytime 9-3:00, and it's closed on Sundays.  The plentiful serving of meat inside these tacos is delicious- juicy and flavorful!  One of the most delicious things I have ever tasted!  Tacos and tamales are $1.50 each.

TJ Tacos!  It requires going to Mexico, which is always an adventure, but the price is right!
My latest taco obsession is adobada or al pastor.  I used to be frightened by the bright red spinning rotisserie of meat, but after tasting it I quickly came to my senses!  The seasoning is so flavorful and interesting and the meat is so tender... So last time I went to Mexico 6 tacos, 2 margaritas, 1 beer and 1 tequila shot= $10! (I think the tacos were 2 for $1)  The best tacos I have ever had in TJ were at Tacos El Franc, but that's a story for another time.  Pictured below are tacos from a random taco shop along the walk to Revolucion.

On a side note also bought this delicious heaping cup of mango ice with chili stuff for only $1.50! So Good!

TJ style tacos can be found on this side of the border if you know where to look..

May I present to you Tacos El Gordo!

Definitely some of the best tacos I have ever had!  I would rate it even better than most TJ tacos I have tried (Except for Tacos El Franc!)  Just looking at these pictures is making me drool!  I am pretty obsessed with the adobada right now, but Tacos El Gordo also makes a pretty mean Carne Asada taco if that's what you're into.  Muy Delicioso!

Hoppin' John

I've always wanted to try this New Years recipe.  It is a Southern tradition and is supposed to bring good luck for the new year. 
First cook the bacon, onion, celery and green bell pepper.

Black Eyed Peas!

Add the black eyed peas, broth and seasoning and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2- 2 hours.

I was interested in other lucky foods for the new year and supposedly fish is good luck too, so I baked some salmon to go along with the hoppin' john.

New Years eve meal!  Hope 2013 will be a lucky year!

Orzo salad

This Mediterranean orzo salad is inspired by the food served at one of my favorite restaurants: Mama's Lebanese Bakery!

I have a slight obsession with orzo pasta lately...and goat cheese as always.

It only takes 9 minutes to cook to al dente perfection.

While the orzo is cooking you can prepare and chop your vegetables.  I just used some things that I had on hand.  I've also made a version where I used sundried tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes and mint instead of basil.

After rinsing the orzo with cold water and draining it I just added in all the ingredients, some red wine vinegar and a little olive oil and then seasoned with freshly ground pepper and some oregano.

And this is what I eat for lunch! Blah blah blah

Rosemary pork chops

So, yet another recipe I found on the Gawker:

http://www.erinnish.com/2011/11/pork-chops-with-balsamic-mushrooms.html

This recipe is ridiculously easy and delicious. 

In the original recipe the lady used canned mushrooms-NASTY!!!

So you will need:

Pork chops

Mushrooms

Rosemary

Garlic

Olive oil

You marinate the pork chops in garlic/rosemary/olive oil for 10 or 20 minutes.  Then you cook them until browned on both sides and cooked through.  This will depend on the thickness of the pork chops you chose.  I am not usually a big fan of pork chops so I went with a very thin cut.

After you cook the pork chops set them aside.  In the same pan cook the mushrooms and they will absorb the browned bits and cooking juices from the pork chops.

I served with mashed potatoes, but any vegetable side would work nicely.

Loon Sugar Cookies

The Hungry Oryx is back by popular demand!  More recipes for distaster and other random stuff!

My excuse for not posting all summer is that it's been too hot to cook or bake anything.

On the hottest of days, I would compare the temperature inside of my apartment to being trapped inside of a robotic rhino... 

I decided to turn on my oven for the first time in many months to make my coworkers some classic sugar cookies in the shape of loons- inspired by my recent trip to Minnesota, and the purchase of a loon shaped cookie cutter at the infamous Mall of America!

(See my Dia de Los Muertos cookie post for sugar cookie recipe: http://lauramanthei.blogspot.com/2011/11/skull-sugar-cookies.html)

These came of suprisingly well, considering how drunk I was when I decorated them! lol

Hear the eerie call of this magestic bird:

One of my aunts and I searched the lake by canoe in search of the elusive loon...

No loons were sighted, but we had the lake to ourselves and it was a beautiful day!

The loon remained ever elusive... but I did see some other fascinating wildlife on my trip.

Behold the albino squirrel!

Words can't describe the excitement I felt when my eyes caught sight of this beautiful freak of nature! 

Not much could top that regal rodent, but I got pretty excited when I spotted this fresh road kill being hauled away.  I guess it doesn't take much to impress this city girl