Moving To The Southwest

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     In 1978 I decided to move to Arizona with my husband  and my son.  I divorced the husband in 1985, thank god, so he will go nameless. However he did rob me and my family and I  had to file bankruptcy because of him.  He was one of those "Who the Bleep Did I Marry" guys.   Therefore I won't mention him again.

  This move  opened up  a whole new culinary world for me,  Mexican Food. My good friends,  Doreen and Bud Sims, had moved to Phoenix in 1969.  When I came out to  Arizona to visit them in Feb of 1977 I fell in love with it.  We were having a very bad winter in New Jersey.  Snow was piled up into the middle of the street by the snow plows, I kid you not.  When I got out of work the locks would be frozen on the car door but in Arizona  it was 90 degrees in Feb.  

Doreen  introduced me to  Salsa, Guacamole  with Chips and all other exciting dishes of Mexican Food. I fell in love with Tacos,  Chilies Rellenos, Cheese Crisp, which I like to call Mexican Pizza, and  Green Corn Tamales.  Nothing is better than a homemade tamale.  Making Tamales on Christmas Eve is a tradition Mexicans hold dear.  And if you are as lucky as I was, you have Mexican friends who will share them with you. Oh, and I can’t forget dessert, creamy and rich Mexican Flan. It’s a good thing for me that I loved these new culinary delight because you could not get Italian Food in Arizona.  Nor could you get the right ingredients to make.  It was culture shock for me.  They had nothing  in the  grocery stores  except Ragu and some off brand pastas.  I am not kidding either. If you wanted a sandwich with Genoea Salami, Provolone Cheese, Hot Ham or even Taylor pork roll, you could forget about it.

     You could not even get a Thomas English muffin, Drakes cakes not even a veal cutlet.  When my parents would come to visit I would have them bring me these items and I stocked my freezer.  I don’t think the people who lived in Arizona ever heard of a Bagel or Provolone in the 70's.  I had to go through withdrawal.  Thank god things have changed and around 20 years ago we started getting real food  (Italian food and other ethnic foods) available to us.  Now we have everything just like real people on the East Coast.  Except you can’t get good  fresh sea food here.  And I have not found a Pizza or Chinese Food in Arizona that can hold a candle to the East Coast, believe me I have tried.  I had to force myself to stop at every Chinese and Pizza Restaurant between my home and my job looking for the "one" and after eating hundreds I still haven't found the "one" yet. I guess I will just have to keep tasting. Oh the Hell of it all.

     So what the hell 'when in Rome',  I knew nothing about making Mexican Food in 1978 but I was determined to learn.  I bought many Mexican food cookbooks but the best recipes I found were from a Mexican woman I worked with back in the 80’s.  Even my Mexican friends enjoy the food thatI have learned to make.  Mama and Papa came for a visit and Mama fell in love with the Chili Rellenos.

     The recipe for shredded beef that I put in tacos and burritos also came from a Mexican lady that I worked with.  I was suprised how easy it was to make and it had right seasoning and flavor.  I am sharing some of these recipes with you right here and now.  I have so many I can’t share them all at once but I will give you a few to get started.  If you want a specific  recipe let me know and I will be glad to email it to you if I have it.

Salsa

  2 cups of canned chopped  tomatoes  do not drain ( Honestly I use fresh Roma tomatoes  of which I remove the seeds and chop)  I think it makes for a better taste.

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, Minced

1 can of diced green chilies (4 ounces)

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon Wine vinegar

1 green pepper, diced

1 teaspoon chili powder

3 teaspoons hot sauce, you can choose the degree of hot you want

4 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro, don't leave this out

Mix all ingredients together and cover and refrigerate over night so all the flaors blend together.

     I like my Salsa chunky but if you want it to be a finer texture put in blender for a few seconds.  Serve with Corn Chips.

Guacamole Dip

2 large avocadoes

1 large tomato, chopped

¼ cup onion, chopped

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon tabasco sauce

½ cup sour cream

     Peel and remove pit from avocados.  Mash them with a fork.  In bowl combine the avocados with all other ingredients.  Do not leave out the lemon juice it not only adds flavor but  it is a must to keep the avocado from turning black.  Cover and chill for several house or overnight.  Serve with corn chips.

Cheese Crisp

Large Flour Tortillas ( you choose how many you wish to make)

Melted butter

Grated Medium Cheddar cheese shredded

Chopped Green Onions

     Warm the flour tortillas under broiler for one minute.  Remove and brush the tortillas with melted butter.  Sprinkle generously with grated cheddar cheese.  Place under broiler just until cheese melts.  Remove from broiler and sprinkle with green onions.  Serve immediately with Salas on the side. 

Shredded Beef

1 Bottom Round Roast (approx. 3 lbs)

2 cups water

4 garlic cloves

Salt and Pepper

1 package of Taco Seasoning

     Put Roast in large pot or Dutch oven.  Add water salt pepper and garlic.  Bring to boil and then let simmer for 3 hours.  Take meat out of pot and shred it.  Do not drain off the water.  Put meat back in the pot with the water and add the Taco seasoning.  Mix well.  It is now ready to use as taco filling or to make Burritos or Enchalads.

Mexican Flan

8 eggs

2/3 cup of granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

3 ½ cups evaporated milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

½ cup light brown sugar

     Beat eggs until well blended, add sugar and salt.  Beat in evaporated milk and vanilla.

    Sprinkle brown sugar into bottom of a loaf pan and gently pour in the custard mixture.  Place pan in shallow baking pan filled with hot water.  Just enough to come about ½ of an inch on the loaf pan.

     Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees until knife inserted in center comes  out clean.  Refrigerate overnight.  To remove the flan from pan run a knife around the edges and turn out onto a pretty serving platter.

     To make this dessert even better when serving place a layer of light brown sugar over the top and put under broiler and lightly brown it and serve immediately.  Yum O

Mama's Luncheon for the Ladies

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FULL LUNCHEON MENU BELOW

My Mama was very social as I told on this blog and loved to have company.  She regularly had her friends over the house for lunch especially in the summer when she was not working.  Her work allowed her to have summers off.   I can clearly remember her menu and it was all delicious.  The ladies came to lunch dressed in their finest afternoon clothes (what we would call business casual today), and brought their big appetites with them.  This was no light lunch.

Mama got the coffee ready in her electric percolator which she would plug it in when they sat down to eat lunch.  It was used only when she had company.  I loved to watch the coffee perk and hear it beating out a tune.  Back in those days the coffee makers as we now know them had not been invented.  When Mama and Papa were alone they made instant coffee.  I remember them putting a little pot of water on the stove to boil, because microwaves were not yet invented, putting the instant coffee in their cups and pouring the water on it.  They drank it black; I think it was called Sanka.

For her Luncheons she served the coffee and dessert on pretty little plates that had the place circled on them for the coffee cup that matched the plates.  I believe they were called luncheon plates. Mamas, had delicate flowers decorating them.

 

Mama made Cheesy English Muffins with Bacon and tomato for some of her lunch guests. I forgot all about them until my friend Rose Ann Santorelli asked if I still made them.  She remembered my mother’s luncheons and said she said she really liked them and still makes them.  Rose Ann is also from NJ but now lives in one of the most beautiful spots in our great country, Sedona Arizona.  Her mom, Sally Pepe and my Mom where good friends, Sally and her husband owned the Pepes’ Shoe Repair Shop in Morristown on Washington Street not far from our house. I have more about Sally and Sal Pepe to come.  Sally was also a Foodie and a very good cook.

Mama also made Monte Christo Sandwiches to serve her guest.  These sandwiches are popular today but my sister and I think she made up her own recipe,  They were one of her guests favorites.

I really enjoyed the Fruit in Sour Cream, I liked things sweet and the dark sweet cherries and other fruit made the sour cream nice and sweet.  Something to make me a little plumper because it was not Low Fat Sour Cream, it was fully loaded.  I made sure I tasted eveything sometimes I even ate with them.  That insured that Mama could not stop me from eating, she would never do that in front of her friends.  I thought I was pretty smart but after her guests left I got hell.  Did I care, not in the least. because I got to eat everything and was still licking my fingers as she yelled. As a matter of fact I probable went back and ate more after everyone was in bed. 

Appetizer

Fruit in Sour Cream

I 8oz. container of sour cream, if you are feeding more than 4 double this recipe

1 can of dark sweet cherries

1 small can mandarin oranges

1 small can pineapple chunks ( if you want to use the kind packed in it’s own juice that is your choice but they didn’t sell it that way back then)

Mix it all together and refrigerate for 2 hours or more.  Serve in pretty cocktail glasses and sprinkle toasted almonds on top, (optional)  or you can sprinkle toasted coconut on top.

Main Course

Cheesy English Muffins with Bacon

Make as many of these as u need  2 should be 1 serving

English Muffins

Bacon or Pancetta

Sliced tomatoes

Cheese slices

Split the English muffins and place a piece of cheese on each half.  Top the cheese with a large slice of tomato and put par cooked bacon or pancetta on top. Put under broiler until cheese has melted and edges are golden brown.  I can’t give you a time because all ovens are different so just keep watching them.  Don’t put them to close to the broiling element.  If available use a toaster broiler oven.

or

Monte Christo Sandwiches

Sliced white bread or bread of your choosing, 2 slices per sandwich

Sliced Ham

Sliced Turkey

Sliced Swiss  cheese

3 large beaten eggs or as many as needed

3 tablespoons of milk

Mustard

Mayo

Canola Oil

Put sandwiches together using 2 slices on ham and two slices of turkey.  Put a slice of cheese on the top and bottom of the meat.  Spread one slice of bread with mustard lightly and the other slice with mayo again lightly.  Put sandwiches together and dip all sides in to the egg mixture that has been whisked together with the milk.  In frying pan pour approx. ¼ cup of oil as needed.  Over med low heat fry the sandwiches approx. 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cheese has melted.  You can serve these sandwiches with a cinnamon applesauce on the side.  Mama served them that way.

Baked Potato Salad

8 medium red potatoes skins on

2 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil

Salt and pepper

Dressing

1 cup mayo

1 cup ranch dressing

1 cup sour cream

Other ingredients

1 bunch of chives chopped

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup bacon fried crisp and crumbled

Rub the potatoes with oil and place on baking sheet then Salt and pepper to them taste.  Bake until knife inserted in middle slides in easily.  The potatoes should be baked not nuked in microwave as the taste and texture will change.  Remove from oven and cool. Wisk together the dressing and set aside.  Once the potatoes are cool cut them into cubes. Do not remove skin unless you prefer it that way.  Put in bowl with all the other ingredients and mix all together.  Pour on dressing and mix well.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Chill in frig for several  hours or you can make this the day before.   When ready to serve mound the potato salad in a pretty serving dish and sprinkle with paprika.

Dessert

Italian Cheese Cake with Berries

1 1/2 cups cake flour

2 ½ teas baking powder

1 teaspoons salt

1 ½ softened butter

1 ½ cups ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 teas good vanilla extract

Zest from 1 orange

2  teaspoons  Almond extract

2/3 cups roasted chopped almonds

1 pint of berries, strawberries go good with this, quarter and spri6nkle with 2 tables. Sugar and refrigerate for several hours.

Powdered sugar for sprinkling

350 degree oven

Grease a 9 by 5 loaf pan with butter and flour, do not use cooking spray or cake will stick. In bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.

Cream together  butter, ricotta and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and mix after each.  Add vanilla, orange zest and almond extract.  Add dry ingredients a little at a time until all incorporated. Do not over mix.  Pour mixture into pan and sprinkle nuts on top.  Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes and then remove from pan.  When completely cooled sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Serve slices of cake with prepared berries.

I love this cake, I call it Italian Cheesecake, I don’t know what Mama called it.  I like it in the morning with my coffee sans the berries.   You can taste the ricotta cheese and all the other flavors that are in it and  it makes an it outstanding dessert when you serve it with the berries, especially in the summer when the berries are in season and so yummy.

So there you have it a complete Luncheon menu as Mama served it.  I miss those little social events.  Mama had so many lady friends; many were girls she met during the war.  They worked and played together as they waited for the war to end and husbands and boyfriends to come back home.  When they did come home it was time to settle down and raise a family.  Back in post WWII days most of the women did not work, they stated home with the kids and took care of the home.  So they were usually available to come for lunch.  Now a days we meet in restaurant when we want to do lunch.  Times have sure changed some for the better and some not so much.  I have never been sure if I liked the women libbers who gave the men the bright idea that woman should work.  It would have been fine if we worked and didn’t have to do all the rest of the work but most working woman today still have to do the cooking, cleaning, shopping , laundry and driving kids, etc. I know most of the men think they help but the true responsibility still is with the women.  And whose bright idea was it to make women work right up until the day the give birth.  I bet that was not a woman.