Recipe Review: Baja Fried-Fish Tacos

"Why don't we pick a fish taco up from Rubio's to compare?"
"Umm, no."
"We could just get one and use it as a model."
"I don't think so."

Although I hadn't really heard of them until I came to San Diego, fish tacos are probably the world's greatest food. Flaky, battered white fish, some sort of creamy sauce, cabbage, and a corn tortilla... Heaven. Although it is certainly more convenient to get them from the local fast food establishment (plus it's hard to beat $1 fish taco Tuesdays), this recipe is really good for a Friday or Saturday night. (Though you might want to use a little less onion in the sauce. The breath!)

Recipe Review: Chipotle-Potato Pot Pie

I now see why R's parents treasure their pot pie dishes-- finding a set of appropriately sized vessels is hard! Upon deciding to try out this recipe, R and I went to Target to find some dishes. I could just envision what I wanted: white, oven-proof, 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep with a circumference roughly the size of both hands making a circle. A meal-sized pot pie dish.

Well, we got to Target and all we could find was clear glass dishes. We decided to go across the street to Bed, Bath & Beyond to check out their selection. They had a dish that could have worked, but it was part of a set! Speaking with one of the assistants, I got the impression that he is asked about dishes of that size quite frequently. You'd think the store would get the hint and stock them individually.

In any case, we wound up settling for utilizing assorted dishes around the house so that we could finally enjoy some delicious pot pie. This was my first opportunity to to use Cook 1.0, a cookbook I have had for a while and filled with Post-It notes. I'm glad I finally put it to use, as it is a really interesting cookbook. The author focuses on a few multipurpose recipes, providing numerous options (and suggesting others in the back) using the same techniques. The pot pie section contains 6 different recipes, each laid out in a formulaic fashion with 3 steps: Start pie filling; add main ingredient, liquid + seasoning; pour into bowl + bake. I now feel much more empowered in the field of pot pies.

Chipotle-Potato Pot Pie
From Cook 1.0
(We added some chorizo and chopped chipotle peppers)

Start pie filling:
Preheat oven to 400* F.
To a large pot over medium-high heat, add:

• 3 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 c. diced potatoes (1/4-in. dice)
• 1/2 t salt

Saute, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Add main ingredient, liquid + seasoning:
Stir in:

• 1 T adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chiles
• 1 c. corn kernels

In a small bowl, combine:

• 2 c cold milk
• 2 T. cornstarch

Stir into the potato mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook until the filling starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and season with more salt to taste

Pour into bowl + bake:
Pour the filling into small ovenproof bowls, each three quarters full. Cut a piece of puff pastry dough to fit each bowl, with some overlap. Place the dough on the bowls and fold over the edges. Brush the dough lightly with egg white for a golden crust. Poke a few holes in the top with a fork to allow steam to escape. Bake until the crusts are tall and deeply golden, about 15 minutes.

The Growing Challenge #3: Planting

Thanks to the extra long weekend (4 days!), I was able to get all sorts of things done in the garden this weekend. I pulled weeds and grasses, added compost and mulch, and planted the cucumber and radish seeds. I also got a few more herbs while I was as Home Depot getting the compost (it's hard to resist fresh herbs). While I was digging in the soil, I noticed two little volunteer baby cacti. I've got a soft spot in my heart for succulents, so I replanted them so that they wouldn't wither and die in the shadow of the vegetables that will be there soon.

Seeing as Home Depot didn't have any plastic trays for starting seeds that didn't already have the seed starters in them, I was forced to improvise. R had the brilliant suggestion of using an egg carton, which, as it turns out, is exactly the right size. I've got some plastic wrap in there so that the egg carton doesn't soak through.

Procrastnating

I should be planning for school and working on homework, so of course I spent all yesterday entering recipes into TasteBook. I'm really enthralled with the idea of having a professional looking cookbook instead of a binder full of scraps of paper. I'm not sure if I should be sad that, after all this time, I only have 30 recipes that I like enough to make again. I suppose that doesn't include the little things that I can throw together and are too simple (or impromptu) to require a recipe, so I should be so hard on myself.

R is laughing at me right now

So, just this last week I bought some reusable grocery bags. Nice, roomy, logo-free bags. They've got two sets of handles, little and big, so that you can carry them in your hand or on your shoulder. Seeing as I've always been good about disposing my own trash, I don't think I've contributed much to the whole urban tumbleweed glut of plastic bags out there, but still. I'm going to be responsible for the carrying of my own purchases from now on. Self sufficient!

I, of course, forgot to bring them shopping today.