Mmm Mmm Mexican

Over 700 miles with a promise of Mexican food. I'll road trip for that. It's been 10 days since I left Texas and I've eaten some form of Mexican food for 17 straight days. I believe I am a bit obsessed. I have always loved Mexican food and require it at the VERY least...once a week. But my family get-together has just sealed the deal...Mexican is my favorite type of food! It's the spice and the lime and the beans and rice...and don't dare forget the margarita!
First thing I made when got home was Salsa Verde. Very Spicy, Very Good!

Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde
8-10 tomatillos, rinsed and halved
1 medium white onion, cut into big chunks
2 jalapenos, roughly chopped, seeded and deveined based on your wanted level of spice, the more spice the more seeds and ribbing you should leave on
2 cloves garlic
1 to 1-1/4  cup chicken stock
1/2 bunch of cilantro
salt to taste

Roast first four ingredients for 3 1/2 hours in a 275º oven. Transfer to a medium sauce pan and just cover with chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer until reduced by half. Pour all into a blender, add cilantro and whirl until completely combined. Add more chicken stock or water for desired consistency.
This sauce pairs with more than the obvious fajita, taco and burrito. I prefer it on eggs for a spiced up breakfast and have used it on one of the southern classic go-to hors d'oeuvres: cream cheese with...enter sauce, jelly, chutney here...twist...salsa verde...OLE!

 Tomatillos

Tomatillos, onions, jalepenos ready for roasting

What a Tomatillo looks like

Barbacoa breakfast taco at Grumpy's Mexican Cafe.

Here are just a few of my meals while in Texas...

Fajita pile up, Casa de Playford.

Peppers and Onions for fajitas.

Lin's Pico de Gallo

 

Gulp of Mexico. Taco Cabana Margarita.

Street Tacos from Taco Cabana

Rich - A - Ritas

Mexican in Memphis

I Made a Birthday Cake

I made a cake...AND...decorated it!

It took me 365 days to understand what my mother has been saying every year on my birthday. "It was just like yesterday." "It was one of the happiest days of my life."...a choked up story every year. Well, my son turned one year old and I told him how much his birth meant to me...and yes...I too choked up, just a bit.

My first year of motherhood has somehow given me a bit of courage...because I baked a cake! If you know me, you know that I DO NOT bake, I DO NOT do sweets. I can't even make slice and bake cookies...just ask my husband.

I figured if my child could make it to a year, I could concentrate enough to make his celebration cake. I made Rich help...for some reason I am unable to read direction and have no idea how to measure accurately...which is the key for making any sweet treat. I used the Duncan Hines® Moist Deluxe Butter Cake Mix (NO, I did not make the cake part, that would have been disastrous.) I did exactly what the box said...but only because Rich was telling me what the box said! And wouldn't you know...it came out perfectly!

The icing is where I was going to make or break this cake. I decided on the classic butter cream. I had to make two recipes, but it was worth it.

Webb eating his first birthday cake.

Butter Cream Icing
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons whipping cream

Blend sugar and butter together for 3 minutes. Add vanilla and cream and mix for an additional minute. Ice the cake. I made another batch and made it blue by adding food coloring for the decorative touches.

Happy Birthday to my little Webb! I'm pretty sure he enjoyed it!

My Daddy's Tomatoes: Happy Father's Day

Me and Daddy. Happy Father's Day, I Love You!

My father is a food lover and tomato farmer....and it's about time I brag about his latest project... deltatomatoes.blogspot.com. He has created a blog about his tomato obsession. I have begged for years to get him to write a diary or a tomato log so that I could have a record of his tomato knowledge to pass down the 5th generation of tomato growers, my son, my father's namesake, Webb Playford. In January 2011, my father logged on to tell his tale and share his 50 plus years of tomato knowledge. I'm thrilled to read (and edit) every single word.

I'm pretty sure I got my love of food from my father. The man will eat  anything...he's had duck eyes, monkey brains and pairs spaghetti with catfish on Fridays. Some of my best food memories were when my mother would take a week with the girls to Florida and Daddy was left in charge!

My Father in the tomato patch, 2002.

Daddy made eating FUN. Breakfast was a hamburger with mayonnaise, mustard and pickles and dinner...a choice between sardines or Chefboyardee ravioli. For years I chose the ravioli...since Daddy served this dish by opening the can and sticking a spoon in it, we discovered that if you added a squirt of yellow mustard, it would take the "can taste" out of the ravioli. (I'm serious, it works) As time passed I finally got brave enough to try the sardines and you know...they aren't so bad. Saltines, sardines, a little wooster and lemon. (Usually eaten for lunch the day my mother throws a big party...he has to fix his own plate!) From that point on I've become more adventurous and willing to try anything.

Thanks Daddy, your enthusiasm and love for eating food is the reason I have my hobby...this blog. I love you. Happy Father's Day

To honor him on this special day...I give you delta tomato recipes.
Want to learn how to plant and grow your own tomatoes? Follow deltatomatoes.blogspot.com!


Webb Franklin's Tomato Recipes

Home-grown tomatoes
Balsamic vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Fresh basil

SLICED TOMATOES
Thick, sliced homegrown tomatoes are my favorite summer delight. Dipping them in boiling water for 8 seconds takes the skin right off and doesn’t effect the flavor. All you need is salt and pepper and you are good to go.

Sprinkle balsamic vinegar over tomatoes with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and garnished with fresh basil. Lots of salt and pepper…these babies are real good.

Wait until just before serving to put the dressing on and never put the dressed tomatoes in the ice box.

CHUNKED TOMATOES
Cut tomatoes into bite-sized chunks. Use the same dressing above, but use more. I like to spoon them on the salad plate with lots of juice on a bed of lettuce. No need to toss these in a salad. Tomatoes are all you need!

Future Tomato Grower, Webb Playford

Mayonnaise. The Real Sauce of the South

Homemade mayonnaise.

This Southern ice box must is something you just have to try! I'm not kidding.

As usual, Di's was the first homemade mayonnaise I ever experienced...a smooth, creamy, salty, tangy sauce that will make your mouth water. It's like nothing you've every tasted, not even mayonnaise! (Hellmanns OR Duke's)! Here's Di's no-fuss recipe:

Diana Dubard Cooper's Homemade Mayonnaise

2 eggs, yes the whole eggs
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups vegetable oil
salt and red pepper to taste, I like a lot of both

Blend eggs, lemon, salt and red pepper in a blender and slowly add oil while blender is on high. That's it! You can add more lemon, salt and red pepper to your liking by dumping the blender mayo into a bowl and mixing the additions with a spoon until just right for you. Every Southerner has their OWN method of creating homemade mayo, this is mine and to me there is nothing better. It's just damn good!

Store-bought mayo, goodbye. Your vegetables, french fries and the obvious chicken salad, potato salad, egg salad and BLT's will thank you.

Dill Pasta with Peas

Who doesn't need a make-ahead side dish?
Pasta salad was my first thought...easy. I have neglected the kitchen for far too long, so I was itching to create, not just make. Now...how to make it different? Dill seems fresh and summery? I went for it. Here's a recipe for a great, different pasta salad.

Dill pasta with peas

Pool Party Pasta with Peas

1 box angle hair pasta
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 4oz package Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing Mix
6  tablespoons lemon juice
3-4 tablespoons dill weed
salt and pepper to taste
5 oz frozen green peas

Cook pasta as directed and drain. Combine next five ingredients and pour over hot pasta. Mix well and put in ice box until chilled. Add frozen peas once cold.

This is a winner and your guests will love it. Hope for left overs!

Roasted Tomatoes

Roasted Tomatoes

What a flavorful surprise! 
Roasted tomatoes take on a whole new form when cooked this way. All the goodness of a tomato is slow roasted into a few concentrated bites.
Have put them in pastas, salads and served with mozzarella drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Roasted Tomatoes

8 tomatoes
oil
salt
pepper

Cut tomatoes in half horizontally. Lay on a lined cookie sheet (have tested several surfaces and parchment paper works the best). drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 250ºF for 5 to 6 hours.

I promise it's worth the 5 hours in the oven.

Tomato season is here, ENJOY.

Can I Have Your Heart?

Artichoke contest plate.

The Artichoke
It's been a favorite in my family every since I can remember. I even requested Artichokes and Pizza for my birthday meal...when I was 10!

COURSE ONE: 
Artichokes. Game On! 
There is a tradition....there's ALWAYS a tradition! The Franklin's ate dinner at the dining room table (every night) and when it was artichoke night, the air seemed different...it was contest night. Manners were always expected, but getting to eat with your hands was quite the treat and legal (plucking leaves with your fingers is the proper way to eat an artichoke)...and darting out of your chair, running to the garden to pick a flower to adorn the top of your creation was somehow allowed (Mama!). No need to ask to be excused, it was okay on artichoke night.

Let me explain. We would each get our own artichoke...NO SHARING. Every leaf was carefully pulled, delicately scraped and perfectly placed on our artichoke plates (yes, they make such a thing) revealing the heart. The core of this vegetable is coveted by my family. Till this day, biting into a buttery-soaked heart is one of the most enjoyable tastes. The goal was to create a masterpiece with your leaves. You can make a circle, you can stack, you can pile...whatever makes the most interesting plate. My father won almost every time. My mother actually won the time she ran to the garden for a flower...she broke the rules and used a non-artichoke item, but we gave it to her for her creativity.

Speaking of Mama...she always asks "Can I have your heart?" with a quick response of "No!" from everyone at the table. But she had her own sneaky way of getting the heart from me. She would say, "You have to give the last bite to the person you love most at the table." Now, how terrible is that? I had to choose between my mother, father and brother (sorry Webster, you will never get that last bite from me...I carried your football equipment, your punishment...no last bite). My mother NORMALLY wouldn't say things like that or ask that I choose between her and my father...but like I said, the air was different on artichoke night. So inevitably, I would give my mother the last bite and in return she would give hers to me. A trade of love.

That was years and years ago...today, my brother and I send photo texts back and forth with decorated plates...mainly for the jealousy factor that one is eating an artichoke and the other is not! And it's easier to get an outside judge...someone NOT sitting at the dining room table during creation. Yes, my brother's family, The Franklin II's, pose the same challenge at their dinner table...as do I. I can't eat an artichoke without the contest (even when I eat it alone).

As long as I live, the artichoke will forever remind me of sitting with my family at the dining room table. Thank you Mama...for making me understand the importance of sitting down with your family to eat dinner. So many memories. Yes, you can have my heart...but only the last bite!

Artichokes from our recent meals. Some people don't participate (photo 3).

My Simple Artichoke Recipe
No need to fancy this one up. It's great as is!

1 Artichoke for each person
Butter
Lemon
Wooster* (Worcestershire Sauce)

Boil Artichokes until the bottom is soft, usually 45 minutes. Test by inserting a fork in the center of the heart. My Aunt Hardy steams them with the same time and outcome. I've just always done it this way.
Heat butter and add enough lemon to make it just tart...everyone has their own way.

*Now, my husband grills the artichoke. After boiling, drain and cut in half lengthwise. Brush mixture of melted butter, lemon and wooster on artichoke and grill for 5 to 10 minutes until artichoke is slightly charred on outside.