Siren's Cafe

Aleks and I just got back from a road trip. We went to go see my family. I had looked into flying but the prices were too outrageous because it was around spring break. I had miles through Delta and it covered our rental car for a week! So this was a better deal for us.

We wanted to eat at as many good places along the way as we could and of course there were places I wanted to take him in my home town. So I will call this series Eating from AZ to CA.

We went on google maps and found the fastest route to my mom's house then tried to find an awesome place a few hours from our house. I searched for Diners Drive-ins and Drives in those areas and we were having a hard time. Aleks was at the Drs. and found a magazine that had Arizona's 15 best restaurants for 2012 in it.

One of the places on that list was Siren's Cafe. They are a mom and pop place. Well actually a mom and daughter place. This place is located in Kingman, AZ. It is really close to the borders of CA and NV. We changed our route to accommodate this location and am glad we did.

It was really cute inside. We went for lunch. Looking at the menu before we left online was helpful in that we had an idea of what we wanted to get. We saw that they made their own ricotta cheese and I wanted to make sure that I got a sanwich with that creamy goodness in it. Aleks saw that they had copacola there and he wanted a sandwich with that in it cuz he never had that before.

They also had options for sides. Homemade lemon pasta salad and homemade potato salad. They also had chips but we went for the salads. We got one of each so we could try them both. They were both good for thier own reasons. The potato salad was creamy but bot too rich and the lemon pasta salad had good flavor but could have used a little bit more salt.

                         

 Aleks got the La Rocco sandwich, he loved it. It had coppacola, salami, homemade ricotta, provolone, roasted red peppers, and Italian dressing on Italian bread. It was very Italian tasting with the copacola and salami.

I built my own sandwich. I got roast beef, homemade riccota, all the veggies plus avocado with the artichoke spread on Italian bread. It was amazing. The roasted red peppers, sprouts and avaocado made the sandwich so flavorful. I absolutely loved the ricotta in there as well. It was a very good sandwich.

We got the chocolate cheesecake  with strawberries. It was not my favorite part of the meal but it was nice to see a restaurant making thier own cheesecake insead of going to Costco and selling thiers.

I
t was a wonderful experience there at Siren's Cafe. At the end of this trip we went to another sandwich shop up in my hometown but they were very different types of sandwiches but both good in thier own way. I will write about that later on in this blogging series, Eating from AZ to CA.

Breakfast Burritos

It's been a while since I have posted. I have been on a small road trip. Aleks' dad was here visiting. Since he was taing care of the baby we were able to leave and Aleks got to meet my family. We planned our trip according to the restaurants we wanted to eat at. So I have many blogs I want to write about those places. But first here is my breakfast burrito recipe I was working on before we left.

Breakfast is kind of hard for me to plan. A lot of the time we might talk about eating something in he morning and the morning comes and we decide we don't want that. I have been trying to eat more healthy but Aleks and his sister thought that breakfast burritos sound good, so I offered to make some. I pulled some stuff out of the fridge: eggs, portuguese sausage, cheese, potato, salsa, and cilantro.

I started off by chopping up the potato in little chunks and threw them in a pan with butter and oil. I use both at the same time so that I have the butter taste and the oil keeps it from burning. Once the potatoes have started cooking and each piece is coated with the oil I like to use my special seasoning mix. I like to use salt, pepper, crushed chili flakes and cayenne pepper. I might use this blend in pretty much everything I cook. It is just my favorite.

In a separate pan I put the chopped up pieces of portuguese sausage. I let the sausage and potatoes cook till crispy. If you wanted to you could use regular sausage, bacon, ham or any other kind of meat you want in your burrito.

We didn't have a cheese grater so I cut up the cheese in little strips. (We have one now.)

I got the eggs ready for cooking. I just added a little bit of milk while scrambling it. Once the sausage was done cooking I drained the grease and added a little bit of butter to the pan and cooked the eggs in that same pan. Season with salt and pepper. Once it is cooked about half way then I add the cheese so it can melt in with the eggs.

Then I put all the ingredients in the tortilla and fold it up. We like our burritos a little crispy so I put the built burrito in the pan to get a little crispy. I don't like to put any oil in the pan when I do this because it will get crispy without it and I don't want the extra calories.

Quinoa Black Bean Burger with Cilantro Tzatziki Sauce

Earlier this week I had made Quinoa and Cheese, my way of making a healthier mac and cheese; then I had made a batch of black beans for Chocolate Chili. I still had some quinoa and black beans leftover. I have been trying to not waste any food by cooking  enough portions for what we eat, or by either making sure that I eat all of the leftovers and making new recipes with extra ingredients. I know that sometimes I have all these random, little bits of ingredients and they end up getting thrown out. This really bothers me.

I checked the fridge and found all these ingredients: quinoa, black beans, hamburger buns, cucumbers, cottage cheese, parmesan, eggs and greek yogurt. I decided to make quinoa black bean burgers and some kind of sauce. I went online and found a few recipes and decided to combine the different ideas into my own. Pintrest shows a lot of different ones if you just do a search.

I started to cook to quinoa. It always ends up coming out alright but I think I am doing something wrong. Recipes I have read and the package that the quinoa comes in all say to rinse the quinoa but I always end up losing a lot of the grains. Then at the end there is so much extra water. If anyone knows what I should be doing different I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave me a comment and give me any tips.

While the quinoa was cooking I chopped up half a shallot and two cloves of garlic. I sautéed them in a small pan with some olive oil just till they were translucent.

Then took my beans, cottage cheese, egg, and parmesan and blended it up in the blender till smooth. I had seen many pictures of these kinds of burgers and I didn't like how the black beans looked in them. So I blended them smooth and added salt and pepper.

After the quinoa was cooked I drained the water, again I must be doing something wrong  in my method of cooking them, I combined it in with the bean mixture in a big bowl. After mixing it all up it seemed so wet. I remembered we had some Panko breadcrumbs in the pantry so I added some to the mix. Along with some cilantro.

While everyone was putting the baby to bed I made the Tzatziki sauce to go with it. I didn't have lemon, mint or dill but I had limes and cilantro. I put greek yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, lime and a handful of cilantro and bended it up in the bender. It turned out pretty good if I must say so myself.

When everybody was ready to eat I put a spoonful of the quinoa black bean mixture into a hot pan with olive oil, pressed it down to make a patty and let it cook for four minutes on each side.

For Aleks' burger I put the Tzatziki sauce on the toasted bun and topped the burger with lettuce, tomato and avocado. He loved it. Especially the sauce. He thought that deserved its own blog. But here it is, sharing the entry with the quinoa burger. Maybe someday it will get its own entry. We will see.

Quinoa Black Bean Burger
1 3/4 Cups cooked Quinoa
1/2 Cup Black Beans
1/2 Cup Cottage Cheese
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Panko breadcrumbs
Salt
Pepper
1/2 Shallot
2 Cloves of Garlic

Cilantro Tzatziki Sauce
1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt
1/4 Cucumber peeled and chopped
1/4 Cup Cilantro
2 Cloves of Garlic
1/2 Lime juiced

Chocolate Chili Recipe

Aleks wasn't feeling well so I offered to make his chili. It might not have been exactly the same as his. Cuz, "No one can beat his chili!" We like the chili to be spicy but we aren't just cooking for ourselves anymore. We have his nephew and his mom to think of. They can't take too much heat.

I was excited to make the chili as I get to make this blog. I had made the beans earlier in the day. I grabbed all the ingredients and got started. We like to use Portuguese sausage in the chili but we throw it in the food processor so that it is small and we can have the flavor without the big chunks of meat. After the sausage has cooked for a little while throw in the the ground beef.

While the meat is cooking, chop the onions, garlic and jalapeños. When the meat is done cooking spoon out the grease and discard. Because we needed a more mild version I put some of the meat in a smaller pan and only added the jalapeños to the big pan. Then added the packets of chili mix and let all those flavors marry and well seasoned.

Once the meat and veggies are all cooked and seasoned then add the tomato sauce. You want to make sure that the meat is seasoned enough before you add the tomato ingredients because the tomatoes will absorb the seasonings and you won't be able to taste it. If you season before the sauce is added then the meat and veggies will carry the seasonings for a better tasting chili. If you are a vegetarian then the same thing applies. Make sure that your veggies are well seasoned before you add the tomatoes.

After adding the sauce then add  a couple squares of dark chocolate and the cooked beans. Let simmer for a little while till fully cooked and hot. Being from Hawaii we like to eat our chili with rice. I remember my mom asking me once what I was having with my chili and she got so weirded out that I ate it with rice. But it is sooo good.

We like to top our chili with a little bit of cheese and cilantro. Adds another level of flavor. I hope you enjoy!

Cooking Dried Black Beans!

Since I don't have a job and I haven't magically made any money I have been thinking of ways to save money so that what I do have lasts longer. I decided to cook up a bag of dried black beans. It's not hard to do, it just takes a little bit of time.

The other day it was the plan that Aleks would make his chili. So I had bought the bag of beans so he could use that. He had had a rough day the day before and was not feeling well so he had spent the day in bed. I was taking care of the baby and hanging out. It was mid-day and I realized that I hadn't cooked the beans and I didn't want to not have them ready for the chili.

1. Of course, I read the package and I remember my sister telling me that she didn't use the recipe on the bag of beans but one from her cookbook so I went online, seeing as I don't have a cookbook. I read a few blogs and articles and realized what my problem has been all those times I tried to cook them in the past. They always turned out kinda hard. I didn't understand why until now. The package directions tell you to add salt when you are cooking them. When in all reality the salt clogs the pores of the beans and they can't retain the water. So now I don't salt the beans till after they are done and they are nice and soft.

First step, sort the beans. I hadn't done a very good job in reading the recipes and it wasn't until after I started soaking the beans that I realized that I was right at first. I was taking out the beans that were broken in half but there were so many that I thought I shouldn't do that. Now that I look at the end product I wish I had taken them out of that second half. But it is ok. They still taste good. Anyways, sort out the half beans and any withered ones or little pebbles. Then rinse them.

If you are like me and forgot that you needed to have cooked your beans and need them that day then this is what you do but if you have time then cover the beans in a pot over night. For the "quick" method this is what you do. For every cup of beans you cook you should use 2 1/2 cups of water. Add the water to the beans and put it on the stove on high. Wait for the water to come to a boil then time it for two minutes then turn the stove off and let soak for one hour.

When the hour is up, rinse the beans, remeasure the water and put the beans on to cook for two hours. The water should be simmering not boiling. When the time is almost up check a couple beans to see if it is the right consistency. When it is, take off the stove and let cool.

I think I let my beans sit on the stove too long after it was done cooking. So they got a little mushy. This is fine because I will be using them for chili, mexican food, black bean fritters, quinoa and black bean burgers, or whatever else I think of. What do you use black beans for?

After they cooled I separated the beans into four zip lock sandwich bags,There would have been more but I used a lot for the chili that night. Otherwise there would have been 5 or 6 bags. I took as much of the air out of the bags as I could then flatted them out and threw them into the freezer for future use.

It was really easy and I saved money. Plus there were no preservatives added and not that much sodium. I only shook the salt over the separate bags. I hope you try this and if you do, please leave a comment and let me know how it goes.

A night out!

Last night I went out with some friends from Hawaii that have also moved to Scottsdale. We didn't go clubbing or anything but just went to eat pizza and tiramisu and have a glass of wine. It was nice to catch up and hear what's going on in their lives and plans for making money over here.

We went to Grimaldi's Pizzeria. The atmosphere was nice. Suspended from the ceiling were empty wine bottles with lights inside, hanging at different lengths and heights. I had seen DIYs of that on Pintrest and was never that interested, until last night. It gave the place a nice cozy feeling with a hint of sophistication.

The girls weren't hungry but I had been waiting all day for this and had only had breakfast. Well, actually it was left over enchiladas from the night before but I ate them for breakfast. Regardless, I had heard about this place from a few people and I was excited.

This pizza place doesn't have a lot of "special pizzas" where you order and it comes with all this stuff on top. There were three options and a list of toppings to pick from. What I ordered was the pesto pizza and added mushrooms and ricotta cheese.

It was delicious! The crust was thin but not limp, crispy but not like a cracker and baked in the coal fired brick oven but not burnt.

It was nice to get out and talk to some ladies my age about all kinds of things. One thing that Jen and I have in common is that we both blog. Her blog is more artsy than mine. I am not a very artsy person in general. People think that I am but I think I am more crafty. As in crafts and being skillful but I'm not an underhanded person who schemes evilly. Anyways, back to the topic. She does calligraphy, cards and painting. Here is a piece of her art.

Go check out her blog at Jennylovelee.

Green Cheater Enchilada Recipe

Growing up my mom would always make such wonderful food. My sister and I learned a lot from watching and helping her; we learned about reading recipes, making up our own and how to find them. I remember growing up my mom would make us enchiladas. Sometimes she would make them with beef and red sauce or with chicken and green sauce. Sometimes she would roll each tortilla then other days she would make them "cheater". Either she would cut up the tortillas in little squares or use a bag of chips. She would use whichever method that was most convenient for her at that time.

I have been making enchiladas since I have been on my own, practically a decade now. I have always rolled them. This is a time consuming process as you have to fry each tortilla, make the stuffing, fill it, and lay them out in the pan and bake it. When I was living on my own I never made them the "Cheater" way. I always rolled them. Today on the other hand I did not have time for all that process.

Today we went out to get a new bed for us. We have been sleeping on a twin, the two of us, and he has a hard time sleeping even when he is by himself let alone sharing a twin with another grown up. Me on the other hand can sleep standing up if I needed to. I have been sleeping just fine. We had decided we were going to go get the bed then go grocery shopping then I was going to make the green enchiladas, seeing as its St. Patrick's day and all. By the time we got home it was a half an hour past the baby's bed time and we were all tired and hungry. I decided it was time to pop my "cheater" enchilada cherry tonight!

The first thing I did when I got home was get my ingredients together and cup up the tortillas and throw them in the pan with some oil. I used two chicken breasts, diced them and put them in a second pan. While those are cooking I chopped up the garlic, green onions and cilantro.

Once the chicken is cooked add the cilantro, green onions and garlic. It is always best to season before you add sauce. I like to use salt, pepper, red chili flakes and a little bit of cayenne pepper for this recipe. The tortillas should be getting nicely browned and slightly crispy. I only added salt to the tortillas because all the ingredients are going to be combined later on.

Next I added the diced green chilies to the meat mixture.

Once all that is cooked together then its time to combine it with the tortillas.

Then I will put a little enchilada sauce in the bottom of the 9"x13" baking pan and pour the rest of the can in with the meat and tortilla mixture. Once its all combined then in to the baking pan it goes.

Then I top it with cheese. I would normally use monterey jack cheese but it was not on sale the the store yesterday so I got the mexican four cheese blend.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or till the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbly. It really shouldn't take too long because all the ingredients are already cooked and they just need to marry and melt. This gave me enough time to clean up the mess I made in the kitchen so it wasn't such a chore after we ate.

Once it is done, take it out of the oven and its time to eat. I have made this for everyone before for a birthday and they loved it. Aleks liked it more this time than ever before but his mom thought it was too spicy. It was a bit more spicy because of the red chili flakes and cayenne pepper. So if you like it a bit more mild then just put a little chili powder or no extra seasonings.

Below is the recipe if you would like to try this out for yourself.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1 package corn tortillas
2 chicken breasts
1 28 oz can of green enchilada sauce
1 4 oz can of diced green chilies
4 stalks of green onions
1 head of cilantro
3 cloves of garlic
1 lb of mexican cheese

Cut up tortillas and cook in pan with oil. Dice chicken and cook in separate pan with oil. Add cilantro, green onions, garlic and seasoning to the chicken. Add diced green onions and mix. Combine meat with the chicken.

In 9"x13" baking pan put just a layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom and the rest on the meat tortilla mixture. Put mixture in the pan and add cheese on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes till cheese is melted and edges are bubbly. Serve and enjoy!