Mexican Style

Today I went to one of my favorite restaurants Mama Mexico on the upper west side in NYC. As usual, I had enchiladas. We also shared a ceviche appetizer and some fresh guacamole to start. Enchiladas are a comfort food to me. They have a melt in your mouth quality. The combination of ingredients can not be beat. The rice and beans on the side is good as well but that is too much food for me. The specials are always delicious and the service is excellent. The staff is friendly and they can answer any questions you may have. Don't miss out on this experience if you are in the area. You will enjoy it, I'm sure.

Prairie Bread

The verdict is in! I went to Whole Foods today and the Prairie Bread was in stock. The minute I got home I put two slices in the toaster oven. Wow. This is the first GF bread that I have ever purchased that I actually like. It has different seeds in it and the texture and taste are very good. It is satisfying and I was tempted to have another slice. I put butter on it as well as orange marmalade and crunchy peanut butter. I think I'll just use it for toast rather than sandwiches.
I'm also going to check out Everybody Eats in Brooklyn. This GF bakery has a variety of products that sound interesting. Stay tuned for an update.

Saturday Lunch

Fortunately the rain held off. So I was off to Jacque Torres to pick up some dark chocolate bark with 3 different types of nuts in it. What a treat. Then I went to Water Street restaurant next door for lunch. I hadn't had a cosmopolitan in a while so feeling very Sarah Jessica, I ordered one and it was just right. I had a cobb salad, one of my favorite salads. The combination of grilled chicken, hard-boiled eggs, corn, avacado, bacon and black beans is hard to beat. The dressing was a nice garlicy vinigrette. The bartender had some great music going on and the tremendous TV screen was showing soccer while the two other TVs had hockey and college basketball on. There is a pool table in the back as well. What a nice way to pass a few hours on a Saturday.

Results

Well, I finally made the meatballs. they were not bad, they were not great. They tasted a little too much like chop meat. I guess if I was grading them I would say B plus or a C. After all, C is passing. I think they were a tad dry. I did leave them in the oven when they were done, I probably should have taken them out but I wanted to keep them warm while the pasta was boiling. As they say, timing is everything in life! I also think that the GF breadcrumbs are definately not as good as Progresso. I don't buy GF breads so I could not use fresh bread crumbs (or day old) as is often recommend. Maybe I'll try a meatloaf next time. I'll have to try to do a gravy. Another thing I'm not really good at. Well, I do have left-overs for lunch. That is a good thing.
This morning I made fresh blueberry and walnut pancakes. Now they were very good. I may make one for breakfast tomorrow if I have time. The large container of berries was only $2.99.
They are not super sweet but in the pancake with butter and syrup, look out!

Super Bowl Meal

I think of chili as an appropriate super bowl meal. Some corn bread, a salad and your favorite drink. However, I think it is time to make those meatballs this Sunday. I'll cook them in the oven (shock) because they will be nice and soft that way. I'm trying to be creative and come up with an alternative to pasta with marinara sauce. I'll have to dig out the cookbooks and see if anything catches my eye. I'd like some wide noodles and some greens but I'm not sure what would be best. And I still have to make dinner for Saturday. It is too easy to get in a rut and there are so many wonderful fresh vegetables to experiment with. I haven't steamed cauliflower in a while. It is nice with pasta and sauce. Master the possibilities is not just a slogan for Mastercard. It is a way to approach cooking and food with an eye towards healthy eating and variety.
After going through my recipes I came across Mexican Meatball Soup. Sure enough, the recipe was recommended as a Super Bowl half time soup to be served with a make-your-own-sub bar. For me the soup is enough. You mix the lean chopmeat with uncooked rice, cilantro and seasonings and add it to the soup mix the last 20 minutes. I did make this once before and I used regular chop meat. This is described as a hefty soup. It's called Albondigas.