Cactus and Eggs

We picked up some cactus pads at Canino's this weekend and decided they would make a great dinner for Tuesday night. Every time we buy the de-spined pads we get crazy looks, I am not sure if it is because we only buy two (they usually sell in baskets of 10 or more) or if they are shocked we eat them. Either way, the family whose stand we buy them from never has a problem selling us just what we need, though they tend to have trouble pricing as the cost ranges from free to a quarter.



The cast for this popular Mexican meal is pretty basic:

Eggs (We use about 6 for two cactus pads, room temp and beaten)
Cactus (Cleaned and diced)
Large Tomato (or a can of diced tomatoes)
Salt
Pepper
Oil (We use olive oil for almost everything)
Seasonings (this is pretty flexible but cumin, garlic, and onion all work)
Roasted Peppers (optional, this time we used Anaheim's from last years garden)
Cheese (any kind works, but something that melts well is preferred)
Tortillas





To start, heat up the oil in a skillet and add the cactus, diced tomato, salt, pepper, and roasted pepper. Cook over medium heat until the cactus is tender. Beat the eggs with any seasonings (like cumin) and add to the pan with the cactus. Cook as you would scrambled eggs. Serve with tortillas, grated cheese and other condiments like salsa and cilantro. This is an easy dish to improvise and tastes great! We usually get dinner for two as well as a taco each for breakfast using the quantities listed above.



I also had a Plantain hanging around in the kitchen. It was going to end up in a veggie soup, but Mike doesn't much care for the addition, so we made some patacones instead. A patacone is the same as a tostone, you cut a peeled green plantain into 1.5 inch chunks, fry the chunks, smash them, and fry them again and sprinkle with salt. We have a tostoneria which is a tool specifically designed to smash the chunks, but you can easily use a mallet or rolling pin for this.





In Panama patacones are served like french fries with ketchup. It may sound weird, but I promise you will love the flavor if you give them a try! So we had a a delicious dinner of cactus and egg tacos with patacones on the side.



You can get cactus and plantains at most large grocery stores in Texas, and if you live in Houston I would check out Canino's produce market on Airline any Saturday or Sunday for an amazing outdoor shopping experience. The produce is fresh and cheap, but remember to bring cash because the outdoor vendors do not accept credit cards. Outside of Texas I would suggest checking a Latin food store for both of these ingredients.

Casa de Peligro

A few weekends ago I spent two days at my father in law's house helping to build our duck, Danger, a new house. Danger grew so fast and it was time for him/her to have a permanent outdoor address. It was a lot of work, but I really enjoyed being part of the process. It was only going to be the best for my father in law's "grand duck" and I think the result is pretty impressive! Lets just hope Danger's friends don't try to have any parties in his/her swinging new pad.

This was what the frame looked like when I got over there on Saturday afternoon. I was in SHOCK! He added to the size so Danger would have more space... we want him to be as comfy as possible if he can't sleep inside with mom and dad anymore.


By the end of Saturday we had finished up the house aside from adding the trim, door, roofing, and screen box.


Sunday morning we worked on the huge "screen porch" addition as well as a high end door and some corrugated roofing. When Mike got off work Sunday night he and his dad loaded it up and drove it to the house.


We were on vacation that week so it gave Mike and I a chance to get the house painted and prepare the duck habitat. It is still a work in progress, but as you can see it is a place any duck would love to spend its time. Danger is so lucky! Now if I can only convince Danger to do his/her business on his/her own doormat!






I know what you are thinking, my dad in law is the GREATEST, and you are so right! I am not just saying that because he allowed me to use power tools all weekend...

Zucchini Flower Omelet

A co-worker was kind enough to bring me some really fresh zuke flowers this week, thanks Mary! Mike and I made this great omelet for dinner that night.

7 Eggs, Beaten
10 Zucchini Flower
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Goat Cheese (we used Mediterranean herb)




Rinse off the zuke flowers, remove pistils, and cut each flower in half. Heat up the olive oil in a non-stick skillet then add the flowers, salt and pepper. Just as the flowers begin the wilt add the beaten eggs. Lift the omelet from the sides of the pan to allow raw egg underneath. Flip the omelet and add the goat cheese right before removing to a serving plate.

Zucchini Flower and Fava Bean Pasta

We got some zucchini flowers at canino's Sunday and I planned on making a tasty flower and goat cheese omelet, fate had different plans. Checking around for recipes I came across this one for Zuke Flower and Fava Bean Puree Pasta here http://www.theartisan.net/pasta_con_fiore_de_zucchine_purea.htm, and having passed by some fresh favas at the market (and by passed by I mean Mike HAD TO HAVE THEM, OK, I was charmed by them as well) I decided to move forward with the pasta instead.

So I prepared the flowers seen here



and blanched the favas which I had shelled the day before. I forgot to take a picture of the favas in their shell, but I am certain we will have more rendezvous with the persuasive fava in weeks to come. Keep your eyes peeled for favas in shell!





All and all the pasta turned out delicious, even a good dish for a weeknight dinner. I did not have as many Zuke flowers as the recipe called for, and I would strongly suggest using a large amount as they shrink to nothing while sauteing. If you haven't tried squash blossoms I would highly recommend doing so!

Hello World!

This blog will be mostly about food and shopping for food. I will also throw in some tid bits about gardening, my duck Danger, dog Len Jing, and my search for the best restaurants for each type of food! I am an army brat so I have been exposed to many cuisines and enjoy preparing so many different types of food. Hopefully reading these entries will inspire more people to try new things and cook at home.