A best friend is like a four leaf clover - hard to find and lucky to have!

Wow, okay....that is the longest title since our blog inception I realize; but, I found it on an Irish website (apparently it's a famous Irish quote) and had to use it!

This Monday started the week toward St. Patrick's Day (which is Thursday, March 17).  JAK decided to celebrate early.  No, we didn't have green beer and no, we didn't all wear green.  But, we did do some Irish pinching.  Not because of our lack of green clothing, but to try and wake us up from the food coma dream we all were having from this meal! 
For our celebration, "J" made two types of homemade Irish soda bread (a savory one and a sweet one) as well as a homemade Irish potato stew.

I know I said it was an Irish themed meal this Monday in celebration of the pending St. Patrick's Day celebrations, so you might be asking yourself: "Why on earth is there a picture of a Mexican crema container?".  Good question.  It's because JAK wanted to point out, that when a recipe calls for sour cream we actually use the Cacique Crema Mexicana.  It has such a creamy texture, and the flavor is much more rich.  So, next time you find yourself on the international aisle of the grocery store (or, better yet...do as we do and visit your local Mexican grocery store) please think about purchasing this item for your next "add 1 cup of sour cream" ingredient request.  You won't be disappointed, we guarantee!

This is the Irish soda bread (the sweet one).  Made with cranberries.

"J" kneading the dough. 

Cranberry soda bread ready to be baked!

Photo of the savory soda bread, made with an Irish specialty cheese.  Our own rosemary placed atop!

The cranberry bread cooling!  These two breads had such a great flavor.  The bread was soft, but had a dense texture.  Very unique.  I love how the base of the bread can take you in any direction (i.e. sweet or savory).  We all agreed that the cranberry bread was a definite morning enjoyment, zapped in the microwave and butter added on top.  The cheesy bread took center-stage with our soup meal though. 

All you need are 3 russet potatoes for this amazing soup.  Can't go wrong with that!

The potatoes out of the oven.  Yep, you bake the potatoes!  Myself and "A" spent some time down memory lane discussing the potato soup we grew up on.  Both our parents peeled and diced raw potatoes, which then boiled in water.  The water was then used as the soup base, with only a little milk being added.  By baking the potatoes you bring a true "baked potato" soup flavor to the pot, rather than boiling the raw cubed potatoes.  The base for this soup is milk (no water!).  Must have.

After the potatoes cool, "J" scooped out the centers.  Again, the difference from the soup we grew up on.  Adding mashed potatoes makes the soup that "restaurant-style" consistency.  Nice and thick, creamy and "baked potato" tasting!

Of course no true yummy potato soup can be accomplished without fried bacon.  Bacon slices grilling up nicely!  In past posts I stress the importance of using cast iron skillets for certain cooking techniques.  Frying bacon calls for this type of skillet yet again.

The cheese, used both in the soda bread and soup.  It had a sharp flavor, but was very similar to parmesan, which you know (if you are a follower) is JAK's cheese of choice!

The cheeses ready for the soup!

The milk being heated (with flour), stirring gradually, for the soup base.  This gets very thick on it's own, even before you add the mashed potatoes and other ingredients.

A burst of flavor is added to the soup by using green onions.

Chopped nicely.

Fried bacon, check!  You want to chop this and reserve part of it for the soup while it's cooking and part of it as a garnish for serving.

The milk base with the mashed potatoes added, along with various seasonings.

Cheese and green onions, ready to dive in!

Allow the soup to cook a few more minutes, until it gets to a thickness you prefer.

While waiting for the soup to cook, with all the ingredients added, "A" did our tablescape.  This is where our "green" came in.  Plus, the fresh herbs is a true mark of an Irish meal.  I brought the Irish themed beer.  Very stout, and hard for me to finish (I prefer a lighter beer, myself).  But was fun to try something new.

These are the herbs we blogged about a few weeks ago.  They are thriving!  Amazing how they just keep getting bigger and bigger, even though they are continually used.

Awwww...the soup ready to go!  The dollop on top is cream cheese.  Yes, that's right....cream cheese.  Talk about one last added ingredient that made the soup that much more rich and creamy!

Devoured in around 3-minutes, seriously!

For dessert "A" made a wonderful tiramisu type offering.  She started with old fashioned ginger snaps.  These served as the crust. 

She used the mortar to grind coffee, which went into the crust.  Notice the Bailey's in the background?  That served as the base to the creamy filling.

"A" always has the most unique tricks in the kitchen.  Remember the grilled cheese night (wrapping the heavy bowl with foil and using it as a panini maker)?  She used short squared glasses as the molds, lining them with a plastic bag.  Yep, that's right.  Not wasting anything, she used vegetable bags from the grocery store!

Dessert coming out of the freezer.

And, wa-la!  Slides right out of the glass!

Chocolate shavings on top.  The cream filling had an ice cream texture (Bailey's ice cream, who wouldn't love that?).  The crust was almost like it's very own ginger snap cookie!  Sandwiched in-between the yummy Bailey's cream, very indulgent and thoroughly enjoyed on the back patio!

The dinner was simple (a much needed simple list of ingredients after last week's homemade mole, that called for over 25 different ingredients!).  But, the funny thing is....just as satisfying and delicious.

I truly believe that best friends are like four leaf clovers.....so hard to find and so lucky to have.  Thank you "A" and "J" for being such great friends!

To our friends who follow, we have supplied this week's recipe below.  Enjoy!

JAK's (Almost) Famous Potato Soup
Yield-4 servings

Ingredients
3-4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 cup (4 ounces) of your favorite cheese (JAK recommends a good parmesan. We used Locatelli Romano Parmesan) (Don’t skimp on the cheese. It makes all the difference!)
1 teaspoon salt (or so, depending on the saltiness of your cheese)
3/4 teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream (NOT FAT-FREE!)...remember, we used the Mexican cheese
3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
Cracked black pepper (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of Garlic Powder

How to Prepare
Preheat oven to 400°.
Pierce your potatoes with a fork and bake them at 400° for 1 hour or until a fork is inserted very easily into them. Set them aside to cool.

Cut your potatoes in half, scoop the insides out into a bowl and give them a rough mash with a fork. Discard the skins.

Place flour in a large Dutch oven or any medium sized pot you have. Add milk gradually, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 10 minutes).

Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt (if needed), garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

Stir in the sour cream and 1/2 cup of green onions. Taste it to make sure.  Cook for roughly 10 minutes over low heat or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with some cheese, green onions, and bacon.  JAK even likes to add a dollop of 1/3 less fat (NOT FAT FREE) Cream Cheese.

So, an update.  JAK's garden is coming right along.  We are hoping by May to have a whole new set of (fresh) ingredients to incorporate into our dishes!

This is the picture with the ground tilled, and items already planted!

Green onions!

A close-up!  Isn't it cute?

And, what garden would be complete without its very own "protector".  We've named him Cornelius (spun from cornucopia), and hope he brings all good blessings and abundance to our fruits and veggies!

Until next time....A la cuisine!

Holy Mole!

In staying true to JAK, I want to be completely honest: This meal was a long time coming.  We had actually given "J" this ingredient for our Valentine's Day dinner.  But, as fate would have it we ended up going with more of a traditional sweetheart's day dinner (Remember, using garlic on the steak and garlic mashed potatoes?  That beautiful tablescape, on the back porch.  Awww....memories).  Okay so, we knew in time "J" would tackle this ingredient and this Monday he did!

Mexican Chocolate was the ingredient!  Can you guess what he made with this??!!  "J' decided to make a homemade mole sauce!  I hear you saying "W-O-W".  That's right.  The difficulty of this recipe shows his dedication to this process.  He started cooking (non-stop) at Noon, and we ate at 7:45 p.m.  The mole recipe calls for well over 20 ingredients alone!  So, really....when you look up the word dedication in the dictionary there is a picture of "J" with his black and white striped apron.

As the historian for these Not So Mundane Monday's, I will do my very best to try and describe, explain, highlight, map out this dinner, etc.; although, one can understand if I don't record it exactly as it went "down".  Hello, over 20 ingredients to keep up with!

Chocolate starting to be chopped.

Dried Ancho and Guajillo chiles!

Onion, Garlic and Tomatoes under the broiler (these will be included in the mole paste).

The two types of chiles soaking in hot water.  This helps with removal of stems and seeds. 

The seeds from the chiles and sesame seeds being toasted on the stove.  This, along with the chiles, will become a part of the mole paste.  But, the ingredients don't stop there.......

Oregano, thyme, cloves, peppercorns and a cinnamon stick....heating up on the stove.  Again, all ingredients that will be a part of the mole paste.

Mexican peanuts and almonds toasting on the stove.  Yet another two ingredients that will be included in the mole paste!

The broiled onions, garlic, tomatoes with the peanuts and raisins (yes, raisins) about to be added. 

Chiles, herbs, and seeds added and processed.  It's starting to look like a mole sauce! 

The "sauce" then comes to a simmer on the stove.  You might be asking: "When did the Mexican chocolate get added?".  Good question.  It hasn't yet!  You go through ALL of that, and then add the chocolate at this point.  Once at this stage, it simmers and then you add the chocolate and let it cook for about an hour.  Or......

Until the mole becomes thick (hence, the mole "paste").  When I arrived that evening, all of the above had been done (remember, started cooking at Noon!).  What was left was this thick mole paste.  Don't be alarmed, however.  This paste is just the beginning to the mole sauce.  Can you imagine, 7 hours and this is just the beginning?  I actually tasted the paste, to familiarize myself with it.  The initial taste is definitely a bitter chili flavor, that then turns to a very peanutty flavor.  Very interesting.  The texture is thick, coarse and dry.    

The mole was being created to go over tequila/lime and cilantro marinated bone-in chicken.  Here is the whole chicken in a plastic bag with the marinade soaking in the yummy flavors. 

Okay, continuing on with the mole sauce.  You take fresh tomato sauce, and heat on the stove. 

Then you add one cup of the mole paste.  Note: The entire mole paste making process yields 4 cups of mole paste.  You only need one cup of it to create enough mole sauce to feed an army.  The other 3 cups can either A. be stored in the fridge for 6-months or B. be stored in the freezer for 1 year.  Yes, ONE YEAR!  This stuff is poignant. 

To that, you add 1.5 cups of chicken stock. 

And, continue stirring/cooking.

In the meantime, the chicken goes into the oven to bake. 

This week's table!  The blue head with his sombrero "like" hat reminded us of the University of Oklahoma's Seed Sower.  We had a chuckle from it.

Something "A" wanted to accompany the mole with was Mexican squash.  I had first of all never even seen this vegetable before, let alone could even begin to know what it would taste like. 

When cut it resembles a pear.  But, the taste sure doesn't.  It's got a very fresh flavor, but it's very mild.

How to prepare: You boil them.

Then add onion and garlic to a saucepan and brown.

The texture of the squash mixed with the grilled taste of onion and garlic is very exotic, and made for a nice addition (flavor and texture wise) to the meal.

Finished mole sauce!

Finished chicken!  I enjoyed mine like this: Flour tortilla with a little of the chicken, pulled from the bone, mole sauce and the squash/onion mixture then drizzled with Mexican cheese sauce (the white queso "stuff") and rolled up tightly.  Let's be honest: LOT'S of flavors going on in that tortilla.  LOT'S.  Between the 20 some odd ingredients in the mole, to the chicken, to the squash, grilled onions and on.  Really tasty and unique.

So, what in the world could be served for dessert?  You would think a Mexican chocolate pie, or something close.  But, no.  Something even better.  A homemade keylime pie!   

Fresh keylimes.  Two entire bags full, juiced by hand.  "J" truly is a master of his trade, and doesn't skimp anywhere!

Homemade crust, baking. 

The pie was made with condensed milk and fresh keylime juice with the topping made of the Mexican cheese (yes, the white cheese queso) with powdered sugar added.  It was very sweet and tart!

A piece for you, and a piece for me!

So, interesting twist: As I said above, the mole process yielded 4 cups of mole paste and we only needed 1 cup.  So, to two of our very loyal followers......congratulations.  You have just won yourself your very own cup of mole paste!  Laura Steen and Jenny Jones!  I'll be contacting you regarding delivery.  And, JAK hopes when you create your own mole sauce from our paste that you'll send us pictures of your journey.  We would love to post them!

Until next time....A la cuisine!

Don't mess with the "Chef"!

Yes, it's official.  "J" can officially be called a chef!  Why?  And why now?  Why after so many incredible dinners he's provided has he not already been referred to as a chef?  Because he, for the first time in this amazing process, cooked a meal without using a recipe.  Isn't that the true and official stamp of a chef?  So, what did he provide for us to enjoy?  Nothing other than a panko crusted beef tenderloin, a ratatouille made with fresh vegetables and a fresh fruit parfait with strawberries, grapes, raspberries and homemade whipped cream.

Fresh veggies for the ratatouille (before it baked).  Thinly sliced Japanese eggplant, squash, zucchini, red bell pepper and onion.  The dish was lined with fresh tomato sauce, onion and garlic.  The rest of the veggies were carefully placed in the beautiful design.  It then baked until all the juices married together.

Salt and pepper before the oven first!

The beautiful beef tenderloin, being tied tightly.

The tenderloin received a rub of panko crumbs, salt, pepper and fresh thyme.

First side seared.  Please do this in a very hot cast iron skillet.  It makes a world of difference.

All sides seared.  I love how the outside gets a beautiful brown carmelization look.  That "crust" is what (in my opinion) has all the rich flavor and adds the wonderful texture.

Tenderloin ready, but still resting.

Ratatouille out of the oven!  Notice all the juices and how the pepper baked to the veggies.  This had the most unbelievable flavor.  I have to say, I made the comment that by the looks of the meal I thought it wasn't going to be anything special.  Shame on me.  As simple as the ratatouille was (ingredient wise) it was one of if not the richest side-dish we've had to date. 

The tenderloin being sliced.  Cooked to perfection.  Again, the simplest of ingredients (just salt, pepper, thyme and some panko) but yet the most amazing flavor.

Plate presented.  I love how colorful the ratatouille is.  Notice on top, once plated "J" gave each portion of ratatouille a serving of creamy cheese.  The cheese melted perfectly into the layers of veggies and gave it a rich flavor in addition to the already flavorful tomato/onion/garlic base.  I also love the fresh herbs we keep using, from "J's" garden.  The parsley sprinkled over the meat gives it not only a nice touch for presentation, but actually adds flavor!

Plate, done.  Yummo!

Fresh cut strawberries, doing the happy dance with sugar.

The raspberry sauce.

And, dessert.  A parfait of strawberries, red grapes, raspberry sauce and homemade whipped cream placed beautifully in a martini glass.  Again, the nice touch of fresh mint adorns the cream. 

I am very proud of "J".  In 11 short weeks he has gone from having a desire to cook, to being a full-on amateur chef.  His creativity is amazing, and his dedication is worthy of a standing ovation!  I have to admit, I have it easy.  I get to show-up each Monday evening (with a cheap bottle of wine as an offering) and watch it all unfold.  And then, I get to savor each bite.  And, get this, I leave with the dishes in the sink.  Seems so unfair, doesn't it.  I really ought to start helping with more.  Really.

I realized last night, that it would be so fun to be able to offer this same treatment to others.  We are brainstorming on perhaps having a "chef's table" once a quarter where friends, family members and hey, maybe strangers in the future, could come and enjoy.  The best part of it is the anticipation and surprise.  Showing up, again with my cheap bottle of wine, not knowing what he's created.  Walking up the sidewalk and smelling the flavors in the air.  Entering the kitchen and seeing it all unfold.  It's so exciting and fun!

So, to our loyal followers....be on the lookout for this announcement! 

In the meantime, we wanted to share with you are latest/ongoing project.  We are excited to announce we will be the host of a garden this Spring, and have started our seeds early.  We have everything from onions, to asparagus, to artichokes, to watermelon (and everything in between)!  We are looking forward to transplanting to the ground outside, watching it grow and picking it for future Monday meals.  Talk about an ingredient!

Until next time....A la cuisine!