what I made with Swap #1

Spinach Black Bean Enchiladas!

Ingredients:
Lindsay's Salsa
Crystal's tortillas
cheese

filling
10 oz. frozen spinach
2 cups black beans (cooked)
1 cup sour cream
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin .... all to taste!

In a greased up pan, spread some of the salsa on the bottom. Make the enchiladas by filling each tortilla with the filling (of course). tuck them in nicely together in the pan. Top with more salsa and cheese. Bake in 350 degree oven 30 minutes (20 covered, 10 uncovered). Enjoy! Even Freya loved them!

Swap #1!

Here are the goodies from swap #1...soooooo yummy. :)

We're talking about swap #2, possibly next Sunday? Comment here and let us know who's interested. Edited to say: On second thought, guys, I think I will take a week off. Linds, if you and Courtney are still interested, you can still comment/plan here. :)

Granola by Courtney

So, as you may know, I don't really follow many recipes. Generally, I use them as suggestions or as springboards for my imagination. this holds true for my granola making. So, here are my remembrances.....

Granola

Dump a bunch of oats in a bowl (many cups) and microwave them for 2 minutes. Stir. In the meantime, make your spice goo.

Spice Goo (7/27/07)
some brown sugar (maybe 1/2 cup)
some honey (good squirt)
some dark molasses
canola oil (same amount as brown sugar)
a shot of vanilla
several shakes of nutmeg and cinamon

Stir the spice goo into the oats and microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Add some almonds. Microwave again for 1 minute. Stir. Add some raisins. Stir. Microwave for 3 minutes, stirring every minute.

Spread on sheet pans to cool.

You have easy, yummy, healthy granola in no time at all! Enjoy!

Corn Tortillas

Here's what I made for Swap #1...

And rather than a real recipe, I created a tutorial that you can see here.

Enjoy!

Salsa Picante

Here is the recipe I used for our first swap.

Salsa Picante

3 (14-ounce) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
5 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 c fresh cilantro, chopped
5 serrano chiles, seeded and chopped
juice of 2 limes
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse on and off until the desired consistency is reached.

Makes: a whole, whole lot!

Source: Fresh (Lake Austin Spa)

Note: I like my salsa nice and chunky. I set 1/2 of the chopped onion, 1/2 cilantro and 1/2 green onions aside in a bowl with 1 clove chopped garlic and 1 of the canned tomatoes. After the rest of the ingredients are pureed, you can stir these back in. The original recipe calls for regular canned tomatoes, but I love using the fire-roasted ones for salsa.

Mississippi Mud Cake

As requested, here is the recipe for chocolatey goodness!

Mississippi Mud Cake

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme

Cream eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla. Gradually add flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder; beat until blended. Stir in coconut and pecans. Pour in a 8x8-inch square baking pan coated with nonstick spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Spread marshmallow creme on cake while still warm. (I didn't use the whole jar, maybe 2/3?)

Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Cream butter with milk and vanilla. Add cocoa powder and sugar, and mix until smooth. Spread on cooled cake.

Makes 64 pieces (small pieces are perfect!)

Source: my mom's recipe box

Wine Tour, July 2007

We had such a great time today on our wine tour! You can see our flickr set here.

Please post links to your photos in the comments!

Calling all cooks!

Hello everyone, and welcome to our little blog. I'm going to have Justin take a stab at sprucing it up for us soon.

I think we should use separate blog posts for separate topics, and post comments if we're adding to one topic.

So I'm thinking I'd like to start swapping soon. Sounds like Sunday or Monday would work for everyone...is anyone up for a swap on July 29/30? If so, please comment here that you will be participating, what you'll be bringing, and when is the best time to meet.

I can make corn tortillas, and I can do a quick swap on Sunday or Monday evening (Monday lunchtimes don't work for me). Monday might be better that week for those who are staying overnight in Fredericksburg.

Let me know!