Saturday, March 29, 2008

Spanish Tortilla


In Spain they eat a lot of Spanish tortilla. This last weekend I made a couple of them. They aren't too hard to make, use cheap ingredients, and are pretty tasty.

6-7 medium sized potatoes, pealed
1/2 onion (optional)
1 liter vegetable oil
6 eggs
1/3 cup milk
salt

1. First cut the pealed potatoes into quarters, length-wise. Then, cut the quarters into thin slices.
2. Dice the onion into small pieces.
3. Put the oil into a large pot or skillet and put on medium-high heat.
4. Add the sliced potatoes and onion to the oil and bring to a boil.


5. Let boil until potatoes begin to brown and become tender.
6. Strain potatoes and set aside, leaving oil in a separate pan (once the oil cools down you can store it if you'd like and use the oil again next time, or for frying other things).
7. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with a fork until well beaten. Add milk to eggs.
8. Stir fried potatoes/onions into egg mixture. Lightly sprinkle with salt to taste.


9. Place a small amount of oil (olive oil is best, it's more spanish) into a non-stick frying pan and heat at medium temperature (can use same pan that you used to fry the potatoes, for less cleanup).
10. Dump the potato/egg mixture into the frying pan.
11. Allow to cook for 4-5 minutes or until the bottom is a nice gold brown (top will still be runny).


12. Now comes the fun part. Take a large plate and place it on top of the frying pan (or maybe a cookie sheet if a plate won't cover the top of your frying pan). With your right hand holding frying pan handle, and your left hand on top of the plate, flip the tortilla over, onto the plate. Be careful not to burn yourself though lol, make sure that the plate will cover the top of the frying pan.
13. Place a small amount of oil into the frying pan. Now, slide the tortilla off of the plate and back into the frying pan, so that the opposite side can cook.
14. Let cook 4-5 minutes or until bottom is golden brown.
15. Flip the tortilla back onto a clean plate and enjoy.


So I didn't really realize how many steps there were until I started writing it out. It's not too hard though, and it's kinda fun to make. It is common in Spain to cut this into smaller chunks and eat it as a sandwich on top of some french bread along with tomatoes and mayo. But if you want to eat it american style just cut it into small bites and dip in ketchup.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Martin Meals - Some Good Eatin'

Have you ever been sitting there thinking, man "so and so" meal that we ate growing up would really hit the spot right now? I sure have. I didn't realize until recently that Jenny was hoarding all of Leslie's recipes from our childhood. So after raiding Jenny's box of recipes, we were able to get a lot of them on the web. This blog is dedicated to Leslie and all of the great meals she made for us growing up. Leslie is one of the best cooks I know. Unfortunately, like most good cooks, she doesn't always know the exact measurements for each recipe. She just kinda feels it out, or tastes it out for that matter. For those of us who aren't that good yet, hopefully these will help. We hope you enjoy her recipes and make sure to post any questions you have about how to make something if it isn't clear. We'll get her give up the rest of the recipe. Also, feel free to post your own recipes to the list (just send your email and then you can have access to post new recipes). This blog is for all good meals no matter who came up with them. Without further adieu, here they are:

White Sauce - Easter Breakfast

Since Easter is tomorrow, it's only appropriate to have the Easter breakfast at the top of the list... another favorite growing up. To make this one, just make the white sauce described below. Then, take your hard-boiled eggs from easter and peal them. Have each person cut up their egg and shred up a peice of buttered toast onto their plates. Then just pour on the whit sauce goodness overtop. It's a good way to get rid of your easter eggs and it tastes super good.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
milk
salt and pepper

1. Melt butter in skillet.
2. Whip in flour with butter and cook until hot and bubbly, or until light brown.
3. Stir in milk and continue whipping.
4. When the sauce has thickened and is boiling, add salt and pepper to taste.

Leslie's Cinnamon Rolls

Leslie's cinnamon rolls... another must have for Christmas and other occastions. Year after year Leslie would crank out a ton of these things, some with nuts and raisins, some without. Then we'd brave the freezing cold and bring batches of rolls to friends and family.

1 cup warm water
4 Tbs. Yeast
½ cup sugar
4 cups scalded (hot) milk
4 tsp. Salt
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
16 cups flour
melted butter, sugar, cinammon, and raisins for toppings

1. In a small bowl mix and let rise water, yeast, and 1/2 cup sugar.
2. In a larger bowl mix milk, salt, butter, and 2 cups sugar.
3. Gradually add flour to the mixure in the larger bowl until it becomes a thick batter. Stir in eggs and yeast mixture from smaller bowl. Finally, stir in the remaining flour until it scrapes from the sides of bowls (barely not sticky).
4. Cover bowl with mixture with a damp towel and let sit for 2 hrs.
5. Punch dough down onto a flat surface and roll out until 1/2 in. thick.
6. Top dough with melted butter, sugar, cinammon, and raisins to taste.
7. Roll up dough and cut into 1 in. slices
8. Place rolls in pan and let rise until they double in size.
9. Bake at 375 for 20 min. or until brown on top.

Cathedral Windows - Marshmallow Rolls

What would Christmas be without some marshmallow cathedral windows. As you can see from the ingredients, this is for those with a sweet tooth. Leslie used to make this every Christmas growing up, it's great.

2 cups butter
2 pkgs. chocolate chips
2-3 bags colored mini marshmallows

1. Melt butter and chocolate samples in a microwave safe bowl (be careful not to burn).
2. After mixture has cooled slightly, but is still smooth, mix in marshmallows.
3. Mold chocoloate covered marshmallows into log-like rolls (shape of a pringels container) approx. 3 inches thick onto wax paper.
4. Refrigerate for 1 hr. or more. But into 1 in. slices.

Puppy Chow

This is a great snack to munch on while you're watching TV or if you have friends over, or if you just feel like eating some chow.

9 cups chex
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Put cereal in a large bowl.
2. Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a saucepan.
3. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
4. Pour over cereal and mix until coated.
5. Pour into a large plastic bag with powdered sugar and shake to coat.
6. Spread mixture on wax paper to cool.
7. This one is great to eat after it is either refrigerated or frozen!

Leslie's Almond Rocha

This is a great toffee recipe. One that you have to try at least once. It seems like there should be some almonds involved with this though? Huh?

1 cup butter (salted)
1 cup sugar
3 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. light corn syrup
Hershey's chocolate bars

1. Add all ingredients besides chocolate to saucepan.
2. Heat at medium temperature to 290F (soft crack), stirring frequently until bubby all over.
3. Immediately after removing from heat, pour onto buttered cookie sheet.
4. After toffee has set, spread melted chocolate overtop.

Leslie's Chicken Cabbage Salad (dang good)


1 raw, green cabbage sliced paper thin
2-3 pkgs. top romen noodles crumbled
4 green onions sliced
1 cup sliced almons, browned
3 chicken breasts, cooked, cut, and cooled
4 Tbs. sugar
6 Tbs. vinegar
1 cup cooking oil
1/2 tsp. pepper
2-3 packages chicken flavoring powder from top romen noodles

1. Mix together cabbage, crumbled noodes, green onions, almonds, and chicken in a large salad bowl.
2. In a small bowl, mix together sugar, vinegar, cooking oil, pepper, and chicken flavoring for dressing.
3. Pour dressing over salad mixture and toss.

(This salad is better usually the next day)

Wesla's Chicken Pot Pie

This one isn't of Martin origin, but hey that's Ok. A good meal is a good meal, no matter where it comes from. :)

3 cups shredded chicken
1/2 cup milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup bisquick
1/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup milk
3 Tbs. butter (softened)
shredded cheese
cooked veggies (optional)

1. Combine chicken, milk, cream of chicken, and sour cream in saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat.
2. Pour soup mixture into 9x13 pan.
3. Beat together bisquick, cornmeal, milk, butter, and veggies, and pour on top of soup mixture.
4. Sprinkle with cheese.
5. Allow to bake uncovered at 375F for 25-30 minutes or until top is set and soup mixture bubbles around edges.

Chicken Divon

Cooked rice
Steamed broccoli (a little firm still)
Cooked chicken
1 can of chicken soup
1/2 cup of mayonaise
Curry powder
Salt and pepper
Bread Crumbs mixed with melted butter

1. Layer rice, chicken, and broccoli out in the bottem of a 9x13 in. pan.
2. Create sauce by mixing together cream of chicken, mayonaise, and seasonings (curry, salt, pepper) to taste.
3. Top with cheese and then the Bread Crumbs mixed with melted butter
4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350F for 45 min.

Red Enchiladas


1 lb. hamburger
1 chopped onion
1 can beans
1 big can mild enchilada sauce
Salsa, equal in volume to enchilada sauce

1. Brown hamburger and onions together, drain if necessary.
2. Mix beans into hamburger.
3. In a separate bowl mix enchilada sauce with salsa.
4. Add a small amount of the enchilada sauce mixture to the beef/beans.
5. Spoon meat sauce into flour tortillas one by one as you fold and place them into the bottem of a 9x13 in. pan.
6. Pour the goodness (enchilada sauce/salsa) over the rolled tortillas in the bottem of the pan.
7. Bake at 375F for 1 hour.
8. Top with your favorites (sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, etc.)

Leslie's Clam Chowder

It's not chowder... it's chowda'!

2 cups juice from minced clams (3 six ounce cans)
1 cup onions
1 cup celery
2 cups potatoes
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
1 quart Half and Half
3 Tbs. red wine vinegar

1. Place clam juice, onions, celery, and potatoes into a skillet.
2. Cover with enough water to barley cover veggies and let simmer.
3. In a larger pan melt butter and stir in flour with a wisk until thick and bubbly.
4. Stir in half and half with butter/flour, slowly bringing to a boil.
5. Stir in veggie/clam mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add red win vinegar, stir, and let simmer for 5 min.
7. Eat it up.

Taco Soup

Growing up we came home from many hunting expeditions to find a nice big 'ole pot of taco soup brewing. You can't go wrong with taco soup!

1 1b. hamburger, browned
3 cans stewed tomatoes, chopped
2 cans dark kidney beans
1 can corn
1/4 cup salsa
3 Tbs. chili powder
Fritos corn chips

1. Add all of the ingredients to a crock-pot, besides the corn chips.
2. Serve over corn chips. Sour cream and cheese are also great toppings for this one.