Walking Tacos

This is not so much a recipe...as it is an idea. Summer's here...and this is a fun way to feed kids (of all ages) while camping, on a picnic or in your own backyard. I heard about 'walking tacos' from my brother...who lives in Iowa...and said they serve them at every ballgame, fundraiser and picnic in their area. So maybe I am the last one on the block to hear about 'walking tacos'...but it was a new concept for me. I tried them out on the grands last weekend...and we'll be using this idea again.


Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 package taco seasoning mix
• chopped tomato
• shredded lettuce
• salsa
• grated cheese
• sour cream
• olives, guacamole, chopped onions, etc.
• individual lunch-sized bags of nacho chips or corn chips

Directions:

1. Brown and drain ground beef...add taco seasoning and prepare according to directions on package.
2. Prepare and arrange all toppings on a tray...next to the hot meat sauce.
3. To serve...crush an individual bag of nacho chips slightly...then open the bag by slicing along the side. Start adding toppings as desired...beginning with the meat, and adding whatever you desire on your taco salad. Stir up your taco salad with a disposable fork...then eat it right out of the bag!
   
   
   

We had such fun with this on the weekend...that I just had to share the idea with you. Oh yes, and the best part is...NO dishes!

Mile High Strawberry Dessert

This whipped, frozen strawberry dessert is a cool treat for a warm summer day. I've been making it for decades...ever since I tasted it at a barbecue one summer. It is from a local church cookbook...submitted by a Bev K. That happens to be the same Bev that is also a contributor to this very blog. With local strawberries now available...it's the perfect time for trying this flavourful frozen delight.

Crust:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Preparation:

1. Place flour, brown sugar, chopped pecans and melted butter into a 9" x 13" pan.
2. Mix well.
3. Bake in a preheated oven at 350º for 20 minutes...stirring occasionally.
4. Pack crumbs firmly into the bottom of the pan with a fork.
5. Cool.

Strawberry Filling:

• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries or 1 box (10 oz.) frozen strawberries, partially thawed
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup whipping cream
• fresh strawberries (optional)

Preparation:

1. Combine egg whites, sugar, berries and lemon juice in large, deep mixing bowl.
2. Beat on high speed until stiff...about 10 minutes.
3. Whip the whipping cream in a separate mixing bowl....and fold into the strawberry mixture.
4. Spoon over the cooled crumb crust in the pan.
5. Place in the freezer and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.
6. Remove from the freezer about 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
7. Cut into squares and serve partially frozen.
8. Top individual servings with a dollop of whipped cream and sliced fresh strawberries (if desired).
   

Enjoy!

Rösti

Rösti is a traditional Swiss potato dish...considered by many to be a national dish. When we were in Switzerland visiting our friends (Pierre and Ute) many years ago...we were invited to Pierre's mother's home for supper. I will always remember her warm hospitality...how she bustled around in her cozy kitchen and served us a delicious dinner which included rösti. It wasn't too long after our visit that Pierre's mother passed away...and so any mention of rösti brings back fond memories of that dear old lady. After a little research...and a few trials...I'm ready to pass along my method for cooking 'glorified hashbrowns'...or rösti.

To make Rösti you will need:

• 3 or 4 medium potatoes (Russets or Yukon Gold work well)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• Butter
• Salt
• A grater
• A non-stick or cast iron frying pan
• A plate that barely fits inside the pan.
  

Grate the raw potatoes into a bowl...using a large-holed grater.

Use a non-stick skillet. Melt 2-4 tablespoons of butter in the pan. Saute onions until somewhat tender.

Add grated potatoes and salt. Cook over medium heat several minutes, stirring two or three times to coat the potatoes evenly with butter.

Then pat the potatoes into a cake with the spatula and let cook for 10 minutes. Cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

When the bottom of the potato cake is golden brown, place the plate on the potatoes and invert the pan, holding onto the plate. Remove the pan and set it back on the stove. Add another tablespoon or so of butter and let it melt.

Slide the rösti back into the pan, golden side up, and cook for about 15 minutes, pressing down once or twice to make the pancake stick together a little more. You can cover it to get the potatoes cooked in the middle, but remove the cover at least 5 minutes before the end, so that your pancake is crispy on the outside.

Slide rösti onto plate and serve by cutting into wedges. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve as a side dish with ham and salad...and call it dinner (as we did the other night). Or, make it the main course and top with a sunny-side-up egg. Any way you serve it...you can't go wrong!

A cast iron pan seemed like the perfect cooking utensil for rösti...but I soon found out that my 'almost new' pre-seasoned cast iron skillet required a little more seasoning! Once it was coated with a thick layer of potatoes...I switched to a non-stick pan. I'm sure Pierre's mom used cast iron...but my Canadian version is cooked in a T-fal pan.

Rhubarb Streusel Pie

One of the best tastes of spring is rhubarb pie. Rhubarb is now ready for the pickin' in gardens everywhere...so don't miss out. I have used the same rhubarb pie recipe for ever...but this year I thought I would try a streusel topping...just for a change. You can bake the filling in a traditional double pie crust if you prefer.

Rhubarb Streusel Pie

• 1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell
• 4 cups rhubarb, cut in 1/2" lengths
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Combine sugar, flour and nutmeg. Add to eggs and beat. Stir in rhubarb.
2. Pour into pastry lined pie plate.

Topping:

• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
  

1. Mix topping ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over pie.
2. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to 350F and bake about 40 minutes longer...until rhubarb is cooked and topping is brown.
   
   

Serve warm with a scoop of premium ice-cream.

Santa Fe Chicken Salad

After a glorious week of sunshine and warm temperatures...I'm thinking of BBQ's, picnics and salads. Here's a salad that is sure to be a favorite at our place this summer. We stopped by Earl's for lunch out on their patio last week...and enjoyed the best Cajun chicken salad.

I took note of what was in it...and since then we have had a copycat version at home. I'll give you my version...and you can add or take away...and make it your own! I think it was the Riverwalk guacamole in San Antonio that got me hooked on all things lime. Give it a try...you won't be sorry.

Santa Fe Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 6-8 cups mixed salad greens
• 1 14 0z. can black beans, drained
• 1 12 oz. can corn kernels, drained
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
• 2 avocados, halved and sliced
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• tortilla chips...or tortilla strips
  
  
  Peanut Lime Vinaigrette Dressing:
  
  
• 1/4 cup lime juice (2 or 3 limes, juiced)
• 2 Tablespoons lime zest
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• black pepper
• sea salt
• 4 to 5 Tablespoons dry roasted peanuts, chopped (both finely and coarsely)
  
  Method:

1. Prepare the salad dressing. Using a blender, add the mustard, lime juice, olive oil and peanut butter. Blend until emulsified. Season with sea salt and pepper. Then, mix in the peanuts and lime zest.
2. Assemble all the salad ingredients.
3. Grill chicken breasts (use Cajun seasonings or marinade).
4. Let the chicken breasts rest for several minutes and then cut them into smaller strips.
5. To serve, toss the salad with the dressing and dish onto four plates. Top each with a grilled chicken breast, avocado, crumbled feta cheese and tortilla chips or strips. Serve immediately.

Key Lime Pie

I was recently on a Caribbean cruise...and for those of you who have cruised before...you know that the food is amazing! There were far too many options...and no way I could sample everything. But I did the next best thing...and came home with the Royal Caribbean International Cookbook...Savor. In it are many of the delicious dishes that I enjoyed...and others that I intend to cook up in my own kitchen.

I couldn't wait to try their recipe for key lime pie...since I had so enjoyed it on the cruise. It's really very simple...and even more so if you use a ready-made pie crust.

Key Lime Pie

• 1 cup (250 ml) sweetened condensed milk
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 (9 inch or 23 cm) pie shell, pre-baked

Garnish

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) whipping cream
• lime zest
• freshly cut lime slices

Preheat oven to 350' F.
Place condensed milk in mixing bowl, and beat at low speed, adding egg yolks one at a time.
Add lime juice, and mix thoroughly.
Place mixture in pre-baked pie shell.
Bake for 15 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean.
Let cool and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Top with whipped cream and lime zest.
Serve on chilled plates.
Garnish with lime slices.
Serves 10.

Culinary Notes:
It is a well known fact that the Key lime is indigenous to Florida and the "key" ingredient for the state's popular Key lime pie. Forced to substitute condensed milk for fresh--which was scarce before the arrival of the railroad in 1912--cooks discovered that the chemical intervention between the condensed milk and the Key lime actually "cooked" the pie without baking it. (excerpt from cookbook)

Enjoy!

Riverwalk Guacamole

One of the most famous attractions of Texas is the Riverwalk in San Antonio. It's a great place to stroll...take a riverboat cruise...and there are restaurants galore to pick from. We just returned from a visit to Texas...and a wonderful time on the Riverwalk...and memories of the guacamole will live on!

 

We walked by a Bistro where they were making fresh guacamole at the table...and before long we found ourselves sitting at one of their tables. Who can resist? We ordered a 'guacamole-for-two' salad...prepared right at the table. It was good to the last lick...and I would have liked to order another...and another! But instead I had the server explain exactly what she was doing...and have already enjoyed my copycat guacamole at home. Ingredients:

• Juice of 1/2 of an orange
• Juice of 1 a lime
• 2 avocado ...pitted and scooped out of skin
• 1 small Roma tomato...diced
• 2 Tblsp diced red onions
• 1 Tblsp chopped cilantro...or to taste
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground sea salt

Directions:

Squeeze juices into bowl.

Add avocado and coarsely chop.

Add onions, chopped tomato,and cilantro...fold into avocado mixture.

Add salt.

Result should be crudely chopped not mashed.

That’s it. I think the key is to getting avacado that is at it's peak...it should be a little dark-skinned and somewhat soft when squeezed.

I posted some photos of the 'real thing' over at My Front Porch today, if you want to take a peek. A cast iron bowl for presentation would be nice...but the taste is the same. Enjoy!