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These are the wheat and white batches I made previously. . . . I have to admit, this is a labor-intensive recipe because you have to shape and cook every piece separately. I'm always pretty tired when I'm done--seriously, wear good shoes (you stand in one place for the whole hour or so it takes to roll and cook them), and be prepared to have a hot kitchen. This is when you can claim all rewards for "slaving over a hot stove." Unfortunately, I can't enjoy store-bought flour tortillas anymore. They are a great family project, though--my kids love rolling them and naming their various shapes. In Mexico, they refer to a new homemaker's tortillas as "resembling the map of the Republic"--so, be patient with

My Latest Favorite

My favorite dinner right now is Pork Chile Verde with Sweet potato biscuits. 

Pork Chile Verde
2 pounds pork roast (says use butt or shoulder - basically any cut that shreds) 

2 tsp salt (I like coarse)
1 tsp pepper
flour for dredging
2-4 tbl vegetable oil
2 yellow onions
2 green bell peppers, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 Anaheim or Poblano chiles, cut into 1-inch cubes (opt)
2-3 jalapenos, seeds removed and finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
    1 ½ pounds tomatillos, peeled, roasted & chopped (take off outer layer, cut in half,  broil for about 5 min)
1 tbl dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbl coriander seeds, crushed and soaked in scant amt of water (I just use more cumin instead)
2 bay leaves
1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
4 cups chicken stock (can use 3 c if want thicker consistency)
1 can white beans, undrained

Season pork w salt and pepper, lightly flour.  Heat oil in skillet over med-high heat and brown pork on all sides.  Set pork aside.  Place onions and peppers in skillet (or broiler) and sweat over moderate heat, about 5 min.  Add chiles and cook 3-4, then add garlic and  cook 1-2 min more.
 If you want a smooth texture, place onions, peppers, chiles, tomatillos and cilantro in blender until just pureed.  Add all ingredients to meat.  Cover with chicken stock and cook for at least 3-5 hours or until pork is fork tender in crockpot or on low in stove. 
Serve with shredded monterey jack cheese, lime juice, crushed tortilla chips, avacado, sour cream (or plain yogurt), etc.

Sweet potato biscuits 

(makes about 12-18 depending on how big you cut them)

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 stick butter, melted
1 1/4 cups milk (or half-and-half or buttermilk - if using buttermilk, add 1/4 tsp baking powder)
4 cups flour (used spelt flour for about 1+ c of flour amount)
1/4 c cornmeal (opt - for a heartier biscuit)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tbl sugar
Mix together the sweet potatoes, butter and milk until well-blended (I do this in the blender).  Stir in dry ingredients.  Shape into ball and roll out and cut.  400 deg for 15-20 min.

Dinner last night

We are in a life-saving dinner co-op.  Last night was my meatloaf & baked potatoes.  I read that the way to get restaurant-style potatoes is to bake them at a very high temp - 475 degrees.  I was out of coarse salt so I salvaged some extra pretzel salt from the Costco frozen pretzels we have.  Coated the potatoes in oil and it worked like a charm!

Intro invitation

The idea for this blog came from a series of emails with the Alldredge clan.  Janet shared her chocolate babka bread that she'd spent hours on making for her family.  Others shared what they'd cooked recently.  I needed pie crust advice.  It was really fun to see what people had made lately or was on the "to try" list.  The title came from a phrase that Catherine tells her kids, which is how all of us feel when we cook.

It's exciting to try a new recipe and love it.  This will be a forum where we can share pictures, recipes and advice.