Daisy at Home

I had been craving black beans and cheese. Instead of making my usual double-decker quesadilla, I thought I’d try something new. Taquitos sounded yummy, but I wasn’t in the mood for deep-frying. So I made oven-baked taquitos.

Heating the corn tortillas in the oven prior to rolling the taquitos prevents tearing. Placing the stack of tortillas, wrapped in foil, in a heated oven for a few minutes works well, but steaming the tortillas for a few seconds works even better.

These taquitos are versatile as you can add any combination of spices or change the filling all together to suit your craving. I used chili powder and ground cumin and served my taquitos with chipotle sour cream.

Oven-Baked Taquitos

20 Corn Tortillas
2 Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 Tablespoons Chipotle Sauce
1 Tablespoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon Chili Pwder
Pinch Salt
Vegetable or Canola Oil

Heat oven to 425 Degrees.

Place half of the tortillas in a steaming basket and steam for about one minute. You can steam fewer tortillas at once for a shorter amount of time. If you do not have a steaming basket, wrap tortillas in foil and place in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix together the black beans, cheese, chipotle sauce, cumin, chili powder and salt.

Place about 1 ½ Tablespoons of filling on one end of the tortilla, and wrap tightly. Brush rolled taquito with oil and place seam side down on a baking sheet. Place as many taquitos as you can on one baking sheet, leaving about an inch between each taquito.

Bake taquitos until golden brown, flipping once. (about ten minutes.)

Serve taquitos warm with sour cream or chipotle sour cream.

Chipotle Sour Cream

1 Cup Sour Cream
5 Tablespoons Chipotle Sauce

Mix the two ingredients together until incorporated, adding more chipotle sauce if desired.

I received two heads of Baby Bok Choy this week in my CSA bin. Baby Bok Choy is a small leafy green, so I figured sauteing it, like collards or spinach, would probably work well. I then remembered that I got this great stir fry pan for my birthday, so I thought I’d give it a try. Having little experience in the art of stir-frying, I decided to just use ingredients that I love.

So, I made a very tasty stir-fry with broccoli, baby bok choy, mushrooms, baby corn and bell peppers. I love noodles and happened to have some instant ramen in my pantry, so I threw some of those in as well. (I know, ramen noodles are not usually used in stir-fry, but this recipe is called “Daisy’s Favorites” for a reason!)

The secret ingredient that I feel made this dish spectacular was the Sriracha. Sriracha is always in my fridge because it adds that hint of spice and flavor, and if you like things very hot, just add as much Sriracha as you like.

This recipe makes enough for four servings, but my husband and I ate two servings each because it was so yummy!

Daisy’s Favorites: Stir Fried

6 oz Ramen Noodles

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

2 medium Red or Yellow Bell Peppers (or one of each for more color!)

2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped

8 oz package sliced mushrooms

2 heads Baby Bok Choy, sliced lengthwise

1 can Baby Corn (I left mine whole, but chopping them into bite-sized pieces is a better idea)

1 head Broccoli, rinsed and chopped

8 oz can Water Chestnuts, sliced

2 tsp Sesame Oil*

8 Tbsp Teriyaki Sauce* (Separated)

1 Tbsp Sriracha*

Salt

Pepper

-Prepare Ramen noodles according to package directions (if using instant Ramen, discard the flavor packet). Drain and set aside.

-Cut chicken into 1-inch squares and season with salt and pepper.

-Cut all veggies into bite-sized pieces, keeping veggies separated as they are added at different times.

-Heat stir-fry pan over high heat, add 2 tsp. Sesame Oil and 2 Tbsp. Teriyaki Sauce.

-Immediately add chicken to pan (carefully place chicken in pan as the oil will be very hot). Stir chicken constantly until it is ¾ cooked, about 3 minutes. (The chicken will continue to cook as you add the other ingredients.)

-Add Bell Peppers, Garlic and Two Tbsp Teriyaki Sauce to pan, stir for about one minute, then add Mushrooms and Baby Bok Choy, stir constantly until Baby Bok Choy begins to wilt.

-Add Baby Corn, Broccoli and remaining Teriyaki Sauce, stir to incorporate.

-Stir in Ramen noodles and Sriracha.

-Remove from heat and add Water Chestnuts.

-Taste the noodles or a veggie to test the heat, if you prefer spicier, add more Sriracha!

*Sesame Oil, Teriyaki Sauce and Sriracha can be found in the “Asian Foods” or “International” aisle of your local grocery store.

Note: You can use any type of oil that you prefer, but I highly recommend Sesame Oil as it lends a wonderful flavor and aroma to the dish.

Two girlfriends and I decided to take on the church Christmas play this year.  It was such a fun experience, but it kept me very busy!  I have not had time to blog, let alone cook or bake, in the last three months.

I had the pleasure of being the Art Director for the Christmas play, which meant that I had final say on all costumes and set design.  My sewing machine is ready for a tune-up after the last few months of non-stop sewing!  Enjoy some photos of my little cuties (in their unfinished costumes) who made the Christmas play such a hit!

My blog has recently been attacked by Russian spam bots.  Instead of being sad, I decided to have some fun with it, so I went over to Google translate to figure out what they were saying.  Of course, the translation is a rough translation, but that just adds to the fun!  I wanted to share some of my favorites with you:

“While I’m alive, I remember your resource.”

“You normally happy about us with the best phrases, thanks.  Take!”

“That’s something like I had half of my head does not go!”

“A long time ago I started this blog?”  (Apparently I stole Daisy at Home?  I don’t think so!)

“Yes!  That’s how it was!”

“But there’s sobriety…”

“Interestingly, and cognitive, will have something on this subject?”

“Yeah, sure, that there still might say.”

“Trying to read between the lines…”

“Great human spasbo!”  ( I have no idea)

“Thank you very much!  I took a too-handy.”

I made these cookies for a friend’s birthday party over the summer and they were a big hit. They are constantly requested and are becoming a Daisy signature! I have made them so many times that I barely need to look at the recipe anymore.

I originally found the recipe on Epicurious.com and have altered it to my liking. My version of these cookies come out chewier than the original recipe (I also add more chocolate!).

I purchase dried cherries in bulk so that I can make these cookies year round. The pop of cherry is a nice little surprise which complements the chocolate chunks quite nicely.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

4 oz fine-quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup chocolate morsels

1 cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, add eggs 1 at a time, beating until combined well.

Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture, until just combined. Add chocolate chunks, morsels, and cherries. Mix until just incorporated.

Drop two tablespoons of dough about one inch apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake, until puffed and set, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

I love seafood, especially crab and lobster. I have been wanting to try my hand at lobster but it seems to be such a daunting task for many home cooks. Last night, I decided to just go for it. I went to my local market and picked out the largest lobster from the tank. As soon as my fishmonger plucked my dinner out of the water I began to feel the nerves. The lobster was not too happy about being taken out of his home as was evidenced by his flailing limbs.

I was still nervous when the time came to actually cook the little guy. Since cooking lobster is a big task, my husband and I decided to record our first attempt. Enjoy this video of nervous Daisy and soon-to-be-dinner Lobster.

Yes, I was nervous and a bit silly while putting him in the water, but that turned out to be the simplest part of the lobster-making process. Lobster shells are rock hard and difficult to crack.

I did most of the shelling but I did need help from my stronger husband for parts of it!

After the tedious and fairly difficult shelling process we finally got to the meat! This is all the meat from a 1 ¾ pound lobster. All that work for barely any meat.

It was still delicious (it’s lobster after all!) and definitely worth the experience.

I have not used store-bought brown sugar in about two years; it gets dry, clumpy and frustrating to work with. I now make my own brown sugar. Homemade brown sugar stays moist, it still clumps a little but since it stays moist the clumps are easy to smooth.

Brown sugar is just a mixture of white sugar and molasses. I love the flavor of molasses so I mix one part molasses to two parts white sugar. This mixture makes “dark brown sugar”. I have heard that light brown sugar is supposed to be about one cup of sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon of molasses. I encourage you to play around with it and find the mixture that you prefer. Once you start mixing the ingredients together large clumps will form.

It does take some work to get the brown sugar to the right consistency, but I promise you will be much more satisfied with the homemade version.

Homemade Brown Sugar

5 Cups White Granulated Sugar

2 ½ Cups Unsulphured Molasses

Mix with a wooden spoon until you reach desired consistency.

Store in an airtight container.

As I have said before, my mom was my first cooking teacher. She cooked every night for our large family, which meant many nights of meals that were quick, easy and could feed an army. One such dish is her “Lazy Day Lasagna”.

She made it often and I loved it! I now make this dish for my family on a regular basis. As with most of Mom’s recipes, I have altered the ingredients to suit my more picky palate. For example, I use a mixture of cottage and ricotta cheeses in my lasagna, Mom uses cottage and mozarella. Enjoy.

Mama’s Lasagna

9 Lasagna Noodles

15 oz Marinara Sauce

1 pound Spicy Italian Sausage

16 oz Cottage Cheese

15 oz Ricotta Cheese

1 Cup Shredded Mozarella Cheese

1 Cup Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Cook noodles according to package directions.

Place sausage in a large skillet with about three tablespoons of water. Cook over medium-high heat, turning often, until cooked through, about 12 minutes. Chop into bite sized pieces.

Mix cottage and ricotta cheeses together in a small bowl.

In greased 13×9 inch baking pan, make layers in the following order:

Three noodles, half the cottage/ricotta cheese mixture, one-third of the grated cheeses, half of the italian sausage, one-third of the spaghetti sauce. Repeat.

Top with three lasagna noodles, remaining sauce and grated cheeses.

Bake, covered with foil, at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover, bake for an additional 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

A first post is a difficult thing.  I’m not naturally a writer, and this is my first blog.  I guess I’ll start by way of introduction and a little history.

The first twelve years of my life were spent helping my mom in the kitchen, learning from her how to bake her trademark chocolate chip cookies, and cook basic meals for a family of nine.  As the sole daughter of age, and with brothers who had no interest in being momma’s helper, I often found myself called upon to prep ingredients or stir the pot.

When I was growing up my mother made me an Easter dress every year and with time and motherly patience, she also taught me the basics of sewing.   By the time I was ready to enter Home Economics in Junior High School I already knew how to bake cookies, cook spaghetti with garlic bread and make pajama bottoms.  Throughout the rest of my public school years, I often undertook sewing projects for my friends or myself.  All of my brother’s punk rock buddies came to me to stitch their patches on their pants and jackets; though I maintained all along that it was more “punk rock” to do it yourself with dental floss.

As time has gone on, the era of punk patches and garlic bread is over, I still make the occasional pair of pajama pants for my high school sweetheart of a husband.  My sewing skills have progressed quite nicely, with formal gowns being my favorite. I cook dinner every night for our small family of two, and I still love to bake as often as I can.

In a way this blog is a tribute to my mother who has taught me most of what I know.  This blog will chronicle my cooking, baking and sewing projects.   I will provide tips which I have found useful and share my mistakes so you can avoid them.  Enjoy