Throwing Things Together I

I just wanted to jot down what I come up with periodically, when I'm trying to use up ingredients in the fridge. Sometimes, there's something good that comes out of it. Sometimes, there's things I want to remember to avoid!

Wish I was a better cook by this point in my life, but I'm trying to cut myself a break.  I have had to start my recipe making over from scratch, due to added allergies, at least six times now in the last 14 years, with the last one losing nearly all the main ingredients I used to cook with, and all the pre-made condiments and sauces.  I figure I need to just view this as though I am back in my teens, learning to cook again!!

And, well, I just focus on stuff other than cooking, often. If I really want to get better, I should really see if I can get some time to focus on this more, too!


Beef, chile, potato soup

Today, had about 1/4 cup leftover cubed and fried potatoes, about 1/5 of a tiny can of chopped green chile, about 5 slices of zucchini, two big slices of white onion with all the rings, and a few leaves of lettuce that were still good after the head had frozen in the fridge (grrr).

So, I chopped them up, threw them all together in a pot, added some dried tepin chiles from my bushes and some ground beef about half the size of my fist, then added salt, water to cover, and wild tarragon, and cooked it on a low simmer for maybe 30 minutes - until meat was cooked and onions soft.

How it turned out
It turned out surprisingly well in taste - quite nice.  Color is brown and almost coffee and cream brown. Just looks pretty boring and bleh, so wouldn't serve it without something to jazz up the color - maybe red bell peppers, at least. It went well with corn chips - which I shouldn't eating as they aren't so great with me, but after caring for two sick kids, and getting little sleep and no chance to go to the store, it's been hard to make sure I eat as frequently as I need to (I start having difficulties if my blood sugar goes too low).

So, I would totally make this again, but presentation changes would be nice. Might cook onions ahead of time to bring out the flavor more, too. This is a good base, though!

Day 12 - Gluten Free Tortillas

Pinterest Day 12 

The Pinterest recipe I looked at today was Gluten free Flour tortillas at the Art of gluten free baking. No photos because seriously, these things went SO fast I made three batches just trying to keep up with the kids eating 'em!

The Reasons:

Trying to make more things at home for my daughter, who is going to be starting another restriction on her diet which eliminates most processed bread-like goods.

Day 11 - Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

Pinterest Day 11

The Pinterest recipe I looked at today was Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili at Alida's Kitchen.