Jenn Boo-lari @dolari@driveinsaturday.org

This Week's Fancy Pants Meal #2 - Weeknight Skillet Fajitas

Since the layoff, I've only been doing one "fancy" meal a week to save money. While my parents were here, they left some meat in the freezer for me from home. In order to save money, I dug through it to see what I could find.

I found 1 1/2 pounds of fajitas and decided on this recipe I'd made some time ago for a second fancy meal. Made for a very good one. It's got a slow heat to it, but mild. I'm guessing that depends on the hot sauce you cook this in (I used Tapatio). The fajitas aren't "crispy-charred" but that's because it's done in a skillet versus a grill, but still have a good flavor to the meat. It's a good quick tasty unique meal for a weeknight.

The instructions I'm posting include homemade tortillas. Feel free to grab some grocery store ones if you're not wanting to make your own.

# Weeknight Skillet Fajitas

America's Test Kitchen: Let's Get Cooking
6.0 servings of two tacos

2.0 whole red bell peppers
1.0 whole red onion
1.5 pounds flank steak
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
2.0 tbsp vegetable oil
2.0 tbsp fresh lime juice
2.0 tbsp water (onions)
1.0 tsp chili powder
1.0 tsp hot sauce
0.5 tsp cumin
0.5 tsp salt (onions)
2.25 cups flour
0.5625 tbsp salt (tortillas)
0.375 tbsp baking powder
0.375 cup shortening
0.75 cup hot water (tortillas)

Tortillas
1 - Hand mix the flour, salt for the tortillas, baking powder, shortening and water for the tortillas at once in a large mixing bowl until dough just comes together.
2 - Remove from the bowl and roll and knead dough on a flat surface until it's got a bumpy slightly tacky texture.
3 - Return the dough to the bowl and let it sit, covered by a damp cloth, for up to 8 hours (at least 30 minutes).
4 - Remove from the bowl and roll and knead dough on a flat surface until it's got a smooth and still slightly tacky texture.
5 - Return the dough to the bowl and let it sit, covered by a damp cloth, for five minutes.
6 - Break the dough into the number of rolls needed.
7 - Roll out each ball with rolling pin into flat round tortillas, as thin as you like.
8 - Cook on a griddle on high heat. Flip when tiny brown marks appear on the bottom side, about thirty seconds.
9 - Take tortilla off the griddle just as it begins to smoke. Repeat steps 7-9 as necessary.

Fajitas
10 - Trim 1/2 inch from the top and bottom of the pepper including the stem.
11 - Slice the pepper from top to bottom into several pieces that will sit flat on the cutting board.
12 - Trim the white ribs on the interior of each piece and remove any remaining seeds.
13 - Cut the pepper into thin strips
14 - After the onion has been halved and peeled, cut the onion pole to pole into thin slices.
15 - Pat the steak dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper.
16 - Heat half the of the oil in a 12 inch skillet over medoim high heat until just smoking.
17 - Brown the steak on the first side, about five minutes.
18 - Flip the steak over, and continue to cook to the desired doneness, 3 to 6 minutes.
19 - Transfer to a large plate and drizzle with 2 tbsp lime juice. Tent with foil and let rest for 10 mintues.
20 - Add the remaining the oil to the skillet and return to medium-high heat until shimmering.
21 - Add the onion, bell peppers, water, chili powder, hot sauce, cumin and salt for the onions.
22 - Cook, scraping up any brown bits until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.
23 - Slice the steak very thin across the grain.
24 - Arrange the beef on a platter and serve.

6 servings of 2 tacos

Calories 521
Total Fat 22g
Total Carbohydrate 41g
Protein 29g

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should!"

This Week's Fancy Pants Meal #1 - Appulian Broccoli Pasta

Once I go through all my cookbooks, I start looking at my online cooking shows to see what I can pull off them. I'd wanted some pasta for a while, and this looked pretty simple. And it was!

It's funny how much flavor you can pull out from just a few recipes. Some of my recipes are GIGANTIC. But this is simple, tasty and sticks to your ribs.

If you get broccoli withj a lot of stem, I'd highly suggest cutting it up into small pieces before adding to the sauce.

# Appulian Broccoli Pasta

Pasta Grammar
8.0 servings

3.0 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
7.6 ounces Italian sausages (casings removed) (crumbled)
1.0 cup white wine
1.0 tbsp tomato paste
10.0 ounces broccoli
salt (to taste)
12.0 ounces orecchiette pasta

1 - Boil the broccoli in a large pot of salted water for about 15 minutes, or until it is slightly tender but not completely cooked. 2
2 - Drain and set aside for later.
3 - Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta and salt it generously.
4 - Meanwhile, heat the olive oil a large pan over medium heat.
5 - Add the sausage and sauté until browned, breaking it up into a crumble as it cooks.
6 - Add the white wine and stir in the tomato paste.
7 - Reduce the heat, bring the wine to a simmer, and cook until the smell of alcohol has dissipated—about 2-3 minutes.
8 - Add the broccoli into the pan and ladle in just enough of the pasta water to get a simmer going (if the wine doesn’t already provide enough liquid).
9 - Cook the broccoli until it is very tender, then mash it into a paste with a fork. If needed, add more pasta water as necessary to maintain moisture.
10 - When the pasta water comes to a rolling boil, add the orrecciette. Boil it for 2 minutes less than the recommended “al dente” cook time.
11 - Meanwhile, salt the broccoli sauce to taste.
12 - When the pasta is cooked, transfer it into the sauce with tongs.
13 - Stir all together over medium/high heat until the pasta is al dente to your taste. Ladle in more pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
14 - Serve immediately, topped with a drizzle of olive oil.

Makes 8 servings at ~37.5g carbs per serving

Calories 327
Total Fat 13g
Total Carbohydrates 37g
Protein 8g

Normally yields 4 servings

#cooking #thisweeksmeals #pastagrammar

Bread Update #4.

Results...inconclusive.

I cut into it, and was dissapointed to see that it was still pretty dense. No real air pocketing, even thought the loaf puffed up instead of out.

I was about to call it, when I sliced a piece and ate it. It's actually not nearly as dense as before. The crumb totally looks dense, but it's fluffy and soft. Again, the taste is fine. Even better with a smidge of butter.

It more "bread" than any other bread I've made before. Maybe I will go ahead and try this again with a white bread, or my struan loaf.

So, instructions say 20 minutes to bake. I KNOW to ignore that, and take the bread out once the top is golden brown and the thump sounds hollowish. This was nicely done in 10 (my oven is way off kilter and is either too hot or too cold).

And it LOOKS like bread. Like...it puffed UP instead of OUT.

I did mess one thing up where I was supposed to steam the bread, so if it's a dryer than I'd like, I'll call that a genuine mistake versus "baking bread is not for you."

But it certainly is looking like I just need to ignore any times given in recipes and just go with what looks best. Which is hard when you're not taught what looks best.

I'm cutting this open when it cools down....

Last Week's Fancy Pants Meal: Tim Walz' New Ulm Hotdish

Completely spaced out on posting this, but I decided to finally try one of what is apparently three Tim Walz's hotdish dishes out there. I chose this one cause I'm a sucker for sausage. Please do not take that out of context.

This was a good meal. Nothing hugely special - it's hot dish, it's hot, it's filling, with mild flavors. A good weekday dinner the family will like. Could use some salt and pepper. Maybe some ketchup? :D

I think changing up the sausage would really brighten this up. Instead of using bratwurst, try some hot Italian sausage?

Like most homemade recipes I've come across, the instructions were fairly vague, expecting you to just know how to prepare and cook them. I've updated the recipe to be a little more specific.

# Tim Walz's New Ulm Hotdish

Tim Walz
11.0 servings

1.0 whole onion (diced)
1.0 tsp garlic powder
1.0 cup celery (chopped)
0.5 cup milk
1.0 cup sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
19.0 ounces bratwurst
12.0 fl oz beer
10.5 ounces cheddar cheese soup
10.5 ounces cream of mushroom soup
32.0 oz tater tots

1 - Bring a pot of water to a boil.
2 - Add beer, onions and garlic powder.
3 - Submerge brats into the pot and reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.
4 - Remove the brats and allow to cool
5 - While cooling, drain the water, keeping the onions.
5 - Butter the casserole dish.
6 - Combine the onion, celery, cheddar cheese soup, cream of mushroom soup and milk into a separate bowl.
7 - Chop of the brats into bite size pieces and add to the bowl with the other ingredients.
8 - Pour the mixture into the casserole dish, top with tater tots and bake for 1 hour at 350F.
9 - Sprinkle with cheese for the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking.

Makes 11 servings at ~400 calories per serving.

Calories 382
Total Fat 23g
Total Carbohydrate 24g
Protien 10g

#cooking #thisweeksmeals

Again, tastes good, but super dense...

I have unintentionally made giant MRE Wheat Snack Bread.

Lunch is... served....

I don't think Safeway put this in the right container.

I'm really enjoying my time in VR. Once I bought into the idea of it being a Star Trek holodeck, I really dove into it.

This pic of me watching a movie isn't really a posed picture like Second Life. It's actually me, watching a movie. Existing in a cabin in the snow. My POV is in the second pic.

It's funny. I still havent' lost that "look in the mirror, and see the right body staring back at you" feeling. But it's more normal now. I work in there during the Creator Jams, I explore worlds in there.

But sometimes I catch a reflection, or I walk past a mirror, and I catch a quick unexpected glimpse of...well...a close appoximation of the me that lives in my head. I still cry sometimes when I see me in that mirror.

But only when I really want to feel it now. 🙂

Also: My ear pokes out from under the hair! EEEE! THAT'S THE CUTEST THING IN THE WORLD, VR OR MEATSPACE! ❤

I didn't dream it! The watermelon at the farmer's market is real!

Not as sweet as the last one, but still sweeter than what I can get at the store. I had to share half of it with Crystal and Lissa, just cause that's too much watermelon for me.

Even the tupperware bowls are just half the watermelon!

Huh. Mythical Kitchen made a video showing The Three Stages of Jenn's Transition. 1980s, 1990s, 2000s.

I still draw my comics as often as my health allows, but sometimes I have a little extra "oomph" to do something special for friends.

New body, who dis?

Finally moved out of the Zelda and Zelda-edited avatars at got one that is a little more "me." She's still not perfect...she's a bit curvier than I'd like (I prefer being slender), she's got a bit of a babyface. But as a friend said, very few of us are happy with our bodies.

Those nails have GOT to go, though.

While the mesh and textures were pre-made, I had to learn how to attach the textures to the mesh, as well as the different types of textures, and learning how to create dynamic bones to make the hair move. Took a few hours over about a week. But I learned a LOT doing it.

#resonite

Guess who (digitally) regenerated?

The Zelda avvie in Resonite was always just a placeholder until I found something better. After a friend figured out how to darken my skin, and get longer hair, I stuck with the Zelda avatar a bit longer.

I found an avvie I quite liked a few weeks ago, and downloaded it. She was a bit...curvier...than I expected...and after applying all the textures, needed to skin tone tweaks to look more like me. And Once I put the sweater on her, her figure toned down more to my liking. Still would prefer the more slender Zelda figure, though....

I need to remove the talon fingernails in Blender, but otherwise, I'm pretty happy with the new body. I'll miss the Zelda one, but that's Zelda, not me. This is closer to me. :)

Back to Resonite and Second Life for some serious stay-cation relaxation....

Please stop calling Trump "Donnie." Do not ruin the One True Donnie for me:

Be safe, Japanese friends.

Where I am now.

Parentalpocalypse, Day 11: Forests

So after finding out that whale watching tickets are $150 a person, and that Fort Casey is a LONG ways away, we cancelled both these trips, leaving our itinerary completely open. I asked what they both wanted to do - and Dad wanted to see forests.

So I took them down some local forest roads. As you know, I haven't been forest road driving in over two years. After my car started acting up and the skid plate finally shredded to pieces, I did not feel safe on forest roads.

So I kept it local, I had my forest road survival kit with me, and just hoped for the best. Even though the local forest roads are far more maintained than the deep forest ones, there were a few moments I felt the road was too rough on my injured car...but as usual she made it through with flying colors.

Once I get a job - major car repair is in order.

We grabbed some burgers and came home and relaxed.

We really don't have anything scheduled tomorrow. Just relax, pack and get ready for them leaving Tuesday afternoon....