Cilantro Sour Cream Dip and Tostadas

We have been having a lot of conversations lately in our house about whether foods are finger foods or fork foods.  My 12 year old is the chief offender of eating with his hands.  In his defense, he is a great eater and his messy eating struggles really have to do with the passion with which he eats his food! (He comes by this passion honestly.)  He wants to get more in a bite than the fork sometimes can capture.  We occasionally joke about sending our family to manners classes or Cotillion… but we are not really serious about this.   We just remind them, when necessary, that "this is a fork food", or "put your other hand in your lap while you are eating to keep it out of the food".  I tell my son that, perhaps he just lives in the wrong country. "In India they eat with their hands as a normal custom.  They scoop the food with Naan and use their hands as their main utensils.  It is culturally appropriate." He nods. "In India."

A favorite meal lately in our house has been Tostadas.  People define them differently, but basically- in our home - they are a flat, open faced taco pile.  I don't know if you make them, but I like that they are a change of pace from soft tacos and burritos and yet a lot easier to fill and eat than hard shell tacos. AND they can be eaten with your hands (forks are optional).

They are so delicious, quick and made-to-order!  We made them with leftover rotisserie chicken and refried beans last week.

We make them by putting the meat or beans on a flat taco shell and top with shredded cheese

and warm on a baking sheet in the oven for a few minutes until it's warm and the cheese is melted.  

Guacamole- [My favorite way to whip up some guac is: 2 ripe avocados, smashed; 2 cloves of minced garlic; the juice of one lime; a sprinkle of coarse salt; and a large spoonful of salsa (whatever is nearby). Stir and eat. YUMMY!]

 

Then we remove it from the oven, place on plates, and top with lettuce, tomato, sour cream and guacamole.  

We typically use tostada shells that you buy in a bag (or a box) at the grocery, though sometimes we bake tortillas for a few minutes to crisp them up and use them when we don't have hard shells.  I have never fried tortillas to make my own tostada shells (because a large motivation for me to make this meal is the EASE of it), but you could.

And to add some excitement to the meal you need to try this dip!

A few weeks ago, at the Social Work department Chili supper that I wrote about, my student Bryan brought this delicious dip to share! He had asked me at class earlier in the week if the students were to bring anything.  I told him that he was free to bring anything if he wanted to, but nothing was required, or expected.  He brought a bowl of this dip and we were glad he did!

It's tangy, creamy and so flavorful.  You can alter the amount of kick it has to your liking.

It's similar to Chuy's Creamy Jalapeño dip, if you have ever had it (just a little thicker).

Cilantro Sour Cream Dip

16 oz. sour cream
1 jalapeno
1 bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
1/2 package of dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
juice of 1 lime

Seed and chop the jalapeños (You can leave in just a bit of the seeds and membrane if you like the dip to be spicier.)
Wash and trim the cilantro of thick or long sections of stem.
Chop garlic cloves
Juice lime
In a food processor or blender, add all of the ingredients.  Pulse till it is a soft and creamy constancy.
Serve with chips, on tacos, as a mexican taco salad dressing.  


Enjoy!

P.S. I asked my son's permission to write about this "eating fork food with hands situation" on my blog. He said,  "well, it's true, so yes, you have my permission". 

S'Mores Treats

Every day has highs and lows.  We usually process these at the dinner table each evening.  And at times the highs are the top stories of the night and other times the lows are more dominant themes, but both seem to always co-exist.  This week was that – a mixed bag– some good moments, some terrible ones.  And that’s okay. 

I want to move through the rough patches and learn what there is to learn from them, but then embrace the joys!  There is a quote in a piece we read for my Spirituality in Social Work class that says, “Don’t obsess about the past, or worry about the future, all you need is right here now.”   I think of this quote often.  It has become somewhat of a mantra for me.  

This week, my friend Emily, who continually inspires me, put this Emerson quote on her blog and it stirred me up.  My heart quickened as I read and it made me crave this! I don’t live like this on most days, but I earnestly desire to. 

“Write it on your heart

that every day is the best day in the year.

He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day

who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

Finish every day and be done with it.

You have done what you could.

Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.

Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;

begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit

to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear,

with its hopes and invitations,

to waste a moment on the yesterdays.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Collected Poems and Translations

This weekend, full of activities, ranged from chaos to sweet, and fun to maddening- with weather that matched-  rainy, cold days and a gorgeous sunny day on Saturday.  One of the highlights was these S'Mores Treats that I made – twice, actually.  I made them, along with Banana Pudding and Stop Light Chili for the social work chili supper on Friday night, which is always a fun time.   And then we were going to a neighbor’s house for a Super Bowl gathering and I thought I would take the leftover S'Mores Treats, when I realized there were only a couple left in the container.  Dave confessed to being the culprit and graciously offered to go pick up the ingredients to make another batch.  Which I did.  

They are ridiculously easy... I'm talking 6 minutes. Asher was going to help me make them.  I asked him to wash his hands.  He left the room to wash his hands, must have gotten distracted, came back about 5 minutes later and said, "Where are the ingredients?" And I said, "They are done! I already made them."

They are that fast. Melt, stir, pour, stir, add, stir, dump, press, sprinkle, done!

These bars are like Rice Krispie Treat S'Mores.  My family adores them, which I think is mostly because they love Golden Grahams cereal- which we don’t buy very often.

S'Mores Treats
adapted from Country Clever

6 Tbsp. butter
1 bag (10 oz.) mini marshmallows
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/4 cup for topping
1 box (12 oz.) Golden Graham Cereal
1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
non-stick cooking spray

You can make this in a pan on the stove top or in a glass bowl in the microwave- it's up to you! Melt butter in pan (or bowl) add marshmallows, stir and continue to heat until melted. (Keep your eye on it, as it can quickly get overdone). Add vanilla. Stir.  Add Golden Grahams and 1 cup chocolate chips.  Stir until well combined and marshmallow goo is fully incorporated into the cereal.  Coat 13 X 9 inch pan lightly with cooking spray.  Dump cereal mixture into the pan and press well.   Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or until firm enough to slice.  Slice into bars and serve. 

In the midst of this winter week (cold, dreary, and rainy here in Nashville) will you join me in fighting for joy- joining Emerson's hopeful outlook- that "this new day is too dear,

with its hopes and invitations,

to waste a moment on the yesterdays"?!

Chewy Peanut Butter Granola (& Confronting Stereotypes)

We've been talking about Stereotypes in my Human Diversity class this week.  It's been intense and meaningful.  We discussed how stereotypes are those attributes that we project or assume about a person because they belong to a certain group.  (And though this attribute might be true about some people of that group, it is not necessarily true for all people of that group.) 

I asked the students to be courageous and consider stereotypes that they hold – that might be obvious or more latent for them.  We talked about the damaging effects of stereotypes and how they can cause "micro aggressions" to occur.  Micro aggressions are those comments we make or actions we take, that might be careless or jokey, or derogatory to a person that wound people perhaps unbeknownst to the perpetrator.  They might be unconscious acts but they have painful consequences. They occur repetitively, and their impact can be cumulative, "like a thousand paper cuts as opposed to one deep wound".  (Miller, J. & Garran, A., 2008)

This reading asked us to take a personal audit and consider how we might confront stereotypes in our lives.  

1. Think of a racial stereotype you hold that makes you feel uncomfortable.
If you have difficulty identifying one, try to think of something about a person from a different racial or ethnic group that you would not want to discuss with him or her but would be willing to confide to somebody who shares your racial or ethnic identity.
2. What is the stereotype? If you were trying to teach this stereotype to someone else, how would you explain it?
3. What uncomfortable feelings surface when describing this stereotype? It can help to list them.
4. Where might you have learned this, and from whom? (Include multiple sources if you like.)
5. What might have been the historical and social contexts from which this stereotype evolved?
6. What in society or your daily life perpetuates and reinforces the stereotype?
7. What do you know or believe that contradicts this stereotype? 

These thoughts were swirling around in my head today, when I was starting to write this blog about Granola.  (I know… I have a lot swirling around in my head and this is going somewhere). I have a granola recipe that I love and make all the time, and share with people, and serve at brunches.  But I recently made this recipe, that my friend Kirsten sent me from SHAPE magazine.  It's peanut buttery and oatey and it is great! But it's different from my other one- this one is chewy, and richer. and doesn't need fruit, and stays in clumps.  It may not be your stereotypical granola. :)

So, I thought I would look up the definition of Granola in the dictionary to see what exactly constitutes Granola, by definition.

Here's what it said:

granola |grəˈnōlə|nouna kind of breakfast cereal consisting typically of rolled oats, brown sugar or honey, dried fruit, and nuts.• [ as modifier ] chiefly derogatory denoting those with liberal or environmentalist political views, typified as eating health foods.ORIGIN late 19th cent. (as a trademark): from gran- (representing granular or grain) + -ola. The current term dates from the 1970's.Interesting.  Granola, in its second definition is a stereotypical group of people.  "You know that guy, he's Granola".  So...if you are environmentally bent, and eat healthy foods then you must be "Granola".  I feel that by this definition, I might fit the description. However, I don't think I've ever been called Granola (at least to my face).  Come to think of it, I don't know what group I would be ascribed to.  And maybe that's because I don't want to be pigeonholed, judged, reduced to a label like that.  But who does, really?  

Peanut Butter Granola

adapted from SHAPE magazine

 

½ cup peanut butter

½ cup honey

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

4 cups oats

½ cup wheat germ

anything you want to add-in: mini chocolate chips, dried fruit, chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 325˚. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray (or line with parchment paper) and set aside.

Combine peanut butter and honey in a bowl and microwave until peanut butter melts, approximately 20 seconds. (Or do this in a pan on a stovetop). Stir.

Stir cinnamon and vanilla into peanut butter and honey mixture.

Add oats and wheat germ and stir until oats are completely covered in peanut butter mixture.

Spread out oat mixture onto prepared cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until granola is slightly browned.

 

Let cool until granola is crunchy. Remove from sheet in clumps.

Keep in an airtight container.

(if you decide to add nuts- do so before baking, and if you add a lot of nuts, you might need more of the goo to cover it well). 

If this is way too deep, social justice-oriented, and serious for you, I apologize (kinda).  I couldn't keep myself from sharing this stereotype challenge with all of you- especially on the week we celebrate the life and work of Dr. M.L. King!   Regardless, if you like peanut butter and granola, I recommend you try this easy and delicious recipe.

Apple Coffee Cake

In June, I wrote about a delicious Raspberry Almond Cream Cheese Coffee Cake that my friend Haley introduced to me one Sunday morning at church.  When I tasted it at the snack table at church, I hunted down the creator of this great goody.  A similar incident happened recently with this Apple Coffee Cake. (What is it about coffee cake??) 

It looked so delicious and moist, so I cut off part of a slice to taste.  And then quickly went back for another little piece, and another. I found out that my friend Hannah had made it.  I asked her for the recipe and she promptly shared it with me.  She said the recipe was originally from Cooking Light magazine and that she had made a few changes to it.    

I was looking for a good occasion to make it, because I knew that if I made it just for my household, I would eat far too much of it.  So, I waited, and then made it for Christmas morning to share with more people. It was enjoyed by all…I think especially by the guys. 

It is a comforting cake.  

It has a block of cream cheese in it, so it has a nice creamy texture.  It is chock-full of cinnamon, sugar and apples.

Apple Coffee Cake

1 3/4 cups sugar, (divided- reserving 1/4 cup)

1 stick butter, softened    
1 tsp. vanilla extract    
1 (8 oz.) block reduced fat cream cheese, softened     
2 large eggs    
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour    
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder    
1/4 tsp. salt    
2 tsp. ground cinnamon    
3 cups chopped peeled apples
powdered sugar for dusting
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, butter, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). 

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. 

Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. 

Combine 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon/sugar mixture and apple in a bowl.  


Stir apple mixture into batter. (I reserved about 1/4 cup of cinnamon sugar coated apples to put on top- for an added texture and to show a peek at what's inside.) 

Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture (and top with a little pile of apples, if you choose to reserve them).

Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick comes out clean.


Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.

When I made the cake second time, I was taking it to dinner with friends for our dessert.  My friend Catherine was at my house when it was baking. It smelled so good that it was hard to resist slicing a piece to share with her.  I decided that the dinner friends wouldn’t mind if I brought a cake with a couple of pieces cut out of it, so Catherine and I had some (and then Dave entered the kitchen and snuck a piece as well).

[If you are in a similar predicament and you feel it would be too tacky to take a cake with slices already eaten, you can always cut the cake and nicely arrange slices on a plate, and no one will ever know that you snuck a piece or two!]