Donde esta Susana?

Esta en la cocina.  

You’ve just read some of the weighty banter in the dialogs of my early Spanish classes.  I took Spanish from 6th grade all the way through high school and ended up with it as a Minor at BYU.  And as many of you know very well, I grew up in a suburb of New York City, Norwalk, Connecticut.  There,  the highlight of each year in Spanish class was the obligatory trip to a Mexican restaurant.  Which was slightly off because back East, at the time (the 1970’s) at least, the curriculum emphasized the Castellano language.  Meaning Spanish from Spain.  I distinctly remember that our choice of restaurants hailed from nearby Westport.  And they had Mexican cuisine, not Spanish.  There, and certainly not at home, I was introduced to Mexican food. 

Most international foods weren’t tolerated in our house.  So, I had to move to Provo, Utah as a college freshman to experience a more regular diet of Mexican cuisine.   But it wasn’t really as authentic as it was ‘Southwestern,’ which is code for lots of cheese and mildly hot spices.  But, hey, I’m not ‘dissing’ the Mexican food west of the Continental Divide!  Quite the opposite, really.  I enjoy making my enchilada casseroles and tacos.  They are tasty, comforting and generally easy.  Plus, there’s cheese! 

Although I haven’t been back home for several years, I do remember the first Taco Bell arrival in the late 80s early 90s.  I believe there are now even more in the area.  So, in addition to those fancy authentic Mexican eateries, Norwalkers can enjoy Southwestern food from the ‘Taco Hell,’ just like I can here in the West.  

For you cooks, however, here’s one of my favorite, and easy, dinner recipe finds.  It  is my taco casserole, adapted from the box and can label recipe book I’ve mentioned previously.

So, now that we’re sharing regional menus all across the nation, I wonder why our country is reported to be so polarized these days?  Mexican/Southwestern food just might bring us all together.  I just want to know from the people back home, though, are there churros at your Costco food courts, too? 

Lisa’s Silverado Taco Casserole

4 cups Tostitos strip style chips, separated in half

1 lb ground beef

Taco seasoning, below, or 1 packet of your favorite

1/2 cup water

8 oz can tomato sauce

2 tbsp dried onion

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef, drain.  Return to pan with water and taco seasoning.  Simmer 8-10 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in tomato sauce and onion.

Spray sides and bottom of deep casserole dish with Pam.  Layer with half of chips, meat mixture, 1 1/2 cups of cheese, remaining chips, remaining cheese.  Garnish top with olive or tomato slices, if desired.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Taco Seasoning adapted from Make A Mix

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp crushed dried red pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Mix together and use in place of 1 packet of taco seasoning.  2 tsps dried onion may be added if onion is not already in browned meat or in recipe.

layering the ingredients

before the oven

the finished product 

Bug Juice

That’s what my husband calls soy sauce.  There’s some sick family joke about it, and I don’t really want to know.  But he also told me that when he served a mission for our church in the Philippines in the early 80’s, some of the locals used way too much of it in their cooking.  Maybe it’s like Americans using salt.  If the food isn’t particularly appetizing, salt makes a good elixir.  The more the better for some people, apparently.

terraced rice farming in the Philippines

So, then, for various and some unmentionable reasons, Curt doesn’t like to hear that it is used in a recipe and certainly doesn’t want to see it placed on the dinner table as a condiment.  But I still add soy sauce to some of my Asian dishes, but I do it stealth like, returning the jar to the pantry within seconds.  It’s the same with cream cheese.  I CAN make a dessert with cream cheese, but “someone” better not taste it outright.  Cream cheese icing, that is a no-go.  But, a complicated Jell-O pie with plenty of other flavors going on, maybe.  My son’s taboo ingredient is my beloved onion.  If he notices it within his meal, there’s a registered complaint.  If he doesn’t see it, however, he is a happy camper.

I guess the moral of the story is that “ignorance is bliss.”  “Out of sight, out of mind.”  “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”   “HIDE THE BUG JUICE!”

(Quick disclaimer:  this does not ever apply in the case of food allergies.)

With leftover ham after Christmas, I sometimes make ham fried rice.  It’s a big hit in our house, especially since Curt has developed quite a love of rice after two years straight of eating it for three meals a day.  The key to making it is to have rice premade (leftover rice works great) and cold in the fridge.  Cold rice fries much better.  Feel free to add whatever veggies that sound good to you.  I like a third cup or so of frozen peas along with almost the same amount of chopped onion.  And, yes, I do add “bug juice” to this dish!

Lisa’s Fried Rice

3 tablespoons of oil, separated

3 large eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups cooked rice, cold

1  cup cooked chopped ham (pork or chicken would work, too)

1/4 tsp dried ginger

2 tsps  reduced sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup chopped onion

have the ingredients all ready to go before starting to cook

Heat 1 tbsp oil over high heat in non-stick wok or large frying pan.  Add eggs and salt all at once and cook, stirring constantly.  Remove cooked egg and keep warm.  Add remaining oil to the same wok and heat on high-medium until hot.  Add rice and ham and cook, stirring frequently until heated through.  Add ginger and soy sauce, mix well.  Mix in vegetables and cooked eggs in gently and cook until heated through.   Serve immediately.

the soy sauce adds flavor and also darkens the rice

Added note:  Tonight, for dinner, Jack, true to form, complained about the onion.  I might have been able to fool him by sautéing the onion a bit before adding.  Since I like the crunchiness, though, next time I’ll probably dish his plate out before adding onion.