So what is it, you want to know? Tortillas in a stack of 3 with a hole cut out of the middle, like doughnuts, I suppose, crisped up with a little butter, then an egg dropped into the hole and fried both sides. Garnished with your choice of toppings: salsa, sour cream, cilantro, avocado. Yum.

Here’s how it went together. First I stacked up 3 of the smaller 5” diameter corn tortillas.

Then I cut a hole in the center with a 3” cutter. You need to use 3 tortillas because anything smaller – well, once you add the egg in the middle, it will overflow the hole! That doesn’t work!

Next I heated up a nonstick frying pan and melted about oil and butter, and set the tortillas in there to sizzle a bit. After about 2-3 minutes sizzling, I used a wide spatula to turn the group over on the other side – but first I melted more butter on the side of the pan (I pushed the tortilla stack over a bit first), then I held the tortillas up on the spatula while I tilted the pan so the melted butter would go into the center.

Once turned over (no picture of that part) I let that sizzle a bit. THEN I added the egg in the center and let it cook for about 45 seconds. Gently. Next I turned it over again, putting a last little pat of butter to melt underneath. If you don’t do that part the egg may stick – even though this was a nonstick pan, I’m recommending the additional butter anyway. I put a lid on it for about 20 seconds, then out onto a plate it went and everybody could add whatever condiments they wanted. I didn’t have avocado; if I had, I would have added that to the garnishes. The trick to this dish is getting the pan hot enough that the tortillas cook and get a little crispy, but not have it so hot that the egg over cooks or cooks too fast. Which would be easy to do. That’s why I cooked the tortilla stack some at the beginning. Adding a little oil to the pan will crisp it up, and I definitely think you should do it on both sides before you add in the egg. The recipe came from Pioneer Woman‘s blog.

Our grandson suggested that next time I fry up a few slices of bacon and put them in between at least one layer. That was a good idea. To be more authentic, a little spread of chorizo on one of the doughnut type tortillas would be good too. It might fall out when you turned it over – that’s the only possible down side. Maybe you could mix the chorizo with a little egg white so it would stick. Hmmm.

What I liked: the “huevos rancheros” taste combo. It was EASY to make. Really it was, as long as you have fresh salsa at hand and a little light sour cream. Do cook the tortillas long enough that they crisp up a bit, though. You want the egg to be a little runny, so it soaks in. This is not low calorie or low fat cooking; sorry!

What I didn’t like: nothing at all!

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Chicken drumsticks baked long and slow with a collection of spices (no herbs) in an Ethiopian style. They’re baked and baked and baked until the meat almost falls off the bone.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you hopefully glanced through the review I did recently of the memoir by Marcus Samuelsson a couple of weeks ago. His book Yes, Chef: A Memoir was really interesting to me. He has quite a story to tell of his life and he’s still a young man! One particular thing he mentioned was about discovering the spice mixture, berbere. He was born in Ethiopia, but was adopted as a very young child to Sweden (he and his sister were orphaned in Addis Ababa when their mother died of TB). It wasn’t until he was an adult that he heard about berbere, but one of his passions (still) is “chasing flavors,” as he calls it. He wants to prepare foods that shine with flavor. Over his career when he discovers something new and wonderful, he gets obsessed with it and tries to find ways to use it, maybe in unexpected ways, combining cross-cultural dishes (like Swedish and Ethiopian). When he finally tasted berbere, he had an epiphany, feeling in his soul that he “knew” that mixture.

Having never even heard of berbere before, I wanted to try it. I had all the ingredients to make it; it was just a matter of combining them. So here’s what’s in it:

There is one rather unusual ingredient there – fenugreek. It’s a frequent visitor to Indian cuisine. I had some of the dried seeds in my spice pantry. Here’s what they look like, see photo at right. I didn’t know a thing about fenugreek. So, Wikipedia to the rescue. Charred fenugreek seeds have been recovered from Iraq, (radiocarbon dating to 4000 BC) as well as desiccated seeds from the tomb of Tutankhamen. Cato the Elder lists fenugreek with clover and vetch as crops grown to feed cattle. Both leaves and seeds are used. Some cultures make a tea from the leaves. And it’s frequently used as part of the flavoring in imitation maple syrup. Imagine that? India is the largest producer of the seeds. Fenugreek was (is?) given to new mothers to help increase lactation. It’s also known as an aide to prevent diabetes. Amazing! Who knew? I ground up the fenugreek in my spice grinder. Since I’ve had the fenugreek for about 2-3 years, I increased the amount I used since I know spices lose their potency the longer they sit on a shelf. By itself it doesn’t taste like much. I think it’s used in curries, although it doesn’t taste like curry at all.

Anyway, that’s what’s in it. So I combined all those ingredients, mixed them up and there you have berbere. I think it can be very spicy hot! The predominant flavoring is paprika. The recipe called for a T. of hot paprika. I don’t have hot, but I do have half-sharp that I bought the last time we visited Budapest, which is a mixture of hot and mild. That’s what I used. Some people use cayenne instead. Whoa! That really would be hot!

In this chicken dish you have the option of using half of the mixture, or all of it. The more you use, the hotter it will be, obviously! The chicken pieces are lightly coated with peanut oil (or butter), then you sprinkle the berbere all over them. They’re roasted in a 325° oven for 90 minutes, all wrapped up in foil. Then you remove the foil from the top and put it back in the oven for about 30 minutes or so. The originator of this recipe indicated that he prefers the chicken to be meltingly tender, falling-off-the-bone tender, so he says you can continue to bake it for a long time. The chicken isn’t browned – it’s just rubbed with oil, tossed with the berbere, and baked. Easy, easy. In the photo at right they’re reversed – first you bake in foil, then you remove the top foil and bake longer. The chicken creates a lot of juice – it can be used to baste the chicken if you have time, and also to drizzle over rice as a side dish.

So, what’s the verdict? Loved it. The combo of spices is just amazing. Well, maybe not amazing. Excellent for sure. Our 18-year old grandson said “wow, Grandma, first I got the heat, then the flavors just kind of exploded in my mouth.” There were 3 of us at the table, and everybody LOVED IT. As a side note, if you make this and have extra berbere left over, you can use it to make a paste/sauce to dip your food into. Scroll down almost to the bottom of the post for the recipe for Awaze Paste. I think Marcus Samuelsson did an interview with Saveur magazine – I found a recipe for the barbere there too. It’s different. Every recipe is just a little different – but they ALL contain paprika, fenugreek and some kind of heat (most Ethiopian recipes use dried chiles – milder versions use just paprika – well, paprika’s from a pepper too, but most Hungarian peppers are mild). You can also make a wet rub for meats – use berbere and some olive oil and/or some red wine until it’s a spreading consistency.

What I liked: the spice combo is really, really tasty. Next time I’ll use nearly all of the spices on the 3 lbs. of chicken – it wasn’t that hot, really. I’d totally cover the chicken in the spices. The other great thing is this dish is super-easy. Oil, rub, wrap in foil and forget it for nearly 2 hours. How much easier could it be?

What I didn’t like: nothing at all. I’ll use more spice next time, though.

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The good news is this stuff above has zero fat in it. Unless there is a trace of fat in the tomatoes. Just remember that tomatoes are actually a fruit. We tend to forget that. And actually, this saucy stuff took a bit of sugar, even though tomatoes are in their sweet prime here these days.

When I read the write-up and recipe over at Kate in the Kitchen, I was intrigued. I went off and did something else for several hours, and then got to thinking about Tomato Jam. It just sounded so interesting. I remembered it was from Kate’s blog (fortunately) so I quickly re-found it and saved it to my recipe software. Kate got the recipe from the cookbook: Herbivoracious: A Flavor Revolution with 150 Vibrant and Original Vegetarian Recipes. You can find the recipe at the Herbivoracious website.

In the ensuing couple of weeks I’ve thought about it several times. I take that as a sign that I’m supposed to fix something if I can’t get it out of my mind! Then when my DH happened to mention that our corner farm stand was offering 10+ pounds of tomatoes for $10, I said sure, do it. So obviously, I had a few tomatoes to use up. After two rounds of caprese salad, I gave a couple of tomatoes away, then STILL had about 8 tomatoes. Tomato jam, coming up!

The jam is cinchy easy to make. Truly. I tweaked the recipe just a little – both from the original and Kate’s too, but not by much. I used less salt, less sugar, and maybe a tetch more rosemary. I love rosemary (Kate doesn’t, so she used lemon thyme, oregano and parsley, I think she said, instead of the rosemary). As you can see, the recipe can be altered to suit you or your family. You and your taste buds.

The tomatoes are peeled raw (top photo)  – providing you have the Messermeister Pro Touch Swivel Peeler (otherwise you need to dunk them in boiling water for a minute and peel them hot) and chopped, then combined in a good, sturdy pot with all the other ingredients (lower photo) to simmer gently for an hour or more. It oozes out a lot of juice, but by simmering it long and slow, eventually all the watery juice boils off, leaving you with a jam consistency.

The recipe below makes about 1 cup. But you may want to make more. It surely could be canned too (in a water bath), then you could put it on your pantry shelf for up to a year. You could freeze it in small containers and it would keep for at least a year also. Or, make it in a small batch and use it up within a week. I’d really be surprised that it wouldn’t keep longer than that – it’s got a lot of sugar in it – it’s like fruit jam, so why wouldn’t it keep? If anybody knows more about that I’d welcome comments. I have a condiment in the refrigerator that I made 6 months ago (the sauce from the Ribeye Steaks with Amazing Glaze). It’s still just fine – no mold or off flavors.

What I didn’t know was what I was going to DO with the stuff. So okay, I have about a cup of tomato jam. Now what? I went on the trusty internet – amazing what you can find if you look – I discovered it’s great over cream cheese. (It was fantastic that way – loved it!) It makes a great condiment on meat sandwiches. It can be used instead of ketchup. And it can be served on toast in the morning too. I’m thinking it would be great on a piece of grilled fish. Or grilled chicken. There are plenty of recipes for tomato jam out there – all different. Every one of them has a little different use for it.

What I liked: the flavors, of course. I just love complex flavors and there are ample (from the tomatoes themselves, the rosemary, the lemon zest although you really can’t pick that out, and the lemon juice). This jam is very versatile.

What I didn’t like: well, if I’d made a big batch, apparently it would take awhile to cook it down (maybe more than 2 hours) but doing just this batch was fine. Love the stuff. Nothing I didn’t like!

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So, I took a recipe I had, made some modifications to it and voila! A great appetizer that’s easy to hold in your hand and delicious for summer. What it is: small cut squares of sangak bread (a soft Iranian flatbread but you could use other things), a little dollop of a mascarpone and orange spread, topped with a piece of nectarine, some orange zest, some onion that was soaked in acidulated water, then drizzled with some Trader Joe’s balsamic glaze. Altogether yummy.

At a recent dinner event we were served something similar. I wanted to make it my own, so I changed some things around and used what I had in my pantry. You could serve this on whatever type of bread you’d prefer (bread croutons, or my choice was the soft flatbread we enjoy so much, sangak). I used scissors to cut the sangak into smallish one-bite squares. Once cut they went into a plastic bag so they wouldn’t stale. Then I made an orange spread (mascarpone cheese, orange juice and orange zest). Nectarines were sliced.

Once I began to assemble them, I spread each piece of flatbread with some of the orange spread, then stuck the nectarine slice to it. Then I added just a couple of pieces of red onion (that had soaked for 20 minutes in about 1/2 cup of water and 1 T of wine vinegar – it leaches out that sharp raw onion taste), a few slivers of orange zest, then I drizzled on the balsamic glaze (I buy it at Trader Joe’s – it’s just balsamic that’s been reduced down to a syrup). I tried it with a fruity balsamic vinegar, but the balsamic glaze was infinitely better.

The inspiration for this recipe came from Cheryl Sternman Rule. She writes the blog, 5 Second Rule. The original recipe, from which I adapted this, is in her new cookbook. I’ll tell you about the book in a few days. These aren’t fussy type canapés at all, but easy-to-eat little bites with lots of contrasting flavors.

What I liked: the piquant taste from the nectarine mixed with the orange; the textures were great too, from the onion, then the little sweet punch from the balsamic syrup. Yum. Next time I might try using Greek yogurt instead of mascarpone. Different taste, but it might be just fine!

What I didn’t like: really nothing – it just takes last-minute assembly. I had help from my daughter-in-law which made the process a little faster! Even children of a certain age could put these together too. Maybe don’t suggest children do the balsamic glaze – it would be so easy to use too much!

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Extraordinary green beans might be a more apt name. Oh my gosh were these delicious! You know when you’re reading my blog and I write “make this,” I really mean it? Yup! Make this!

I made a big pot of these beans for our big family birthday celebration recently. And I’ll tell you, discounting one particular young man in the crowd who doesn’t like vegetables, everybody ate these, including the young children. Everybody loved them. Many went back for seconds, and the last one who did was very dismayed to find one tiny bean left. She was most disappointed. Normally 2 pounds of green beans would be sufficient for 12 people. Nope. If I’d had 3 pounds, I think they’d all have been eaten!

Okay, so what makes them different? Well, first it’s the numerous spices – paprika, cumin, coriander, curry powder (but you’d never, ever know there is curry powder in it – curry just adds something to the mixture of complex seasonings), bay leaves, garlic. Maybe it’s the white wine? Maybe it’s the crème fraiche in it (2/3 cup in the 12 servings)? The almonds add lovely crunch (I didn’t take the time to toast them as I should have). Oh, and maybe it’s the golden raisins in there too. I read about this recipe over at Heidi Swanson’s blog, 101 Cookbooks. But she said the recipe came from Anna Getty’s Easy Green Organic.

First off, though, I must say that I altered the recipe slightly. Firstly, intentionally, I cooked the green beans for more than one minute – instead of really crunchy they were still just slightly crunchy. I didn’t add the tofu called for, as I was making this as a side dish. I also reduced the amount of paprika (instead of hot, I used the half sharp and used half the quantity even, of that), and put in just an itty-bitty pinch of red pepper flakes. With young children in our group, I was sure they wouldn’t like a lot of heat. And even so, making a double batch of these, with 1/2 tsp of half-sharp paprika and the tiny pinch of chile flakes, it was plenty warm. I liked the warmth – it was just right in my book. I also used less golden raisins and perhaps a little less of the crème fraiche too, but not by much. So, the recipe below has my modifications. If you want the original, go to Heidi’s blog above. In any case, PLEASE make this. Your taste buds will be richly rewarded.

What I liked: the subtle seasonings – you might think they’d be overpowering, but they were not in the least. You’re aware of seasonings, but that’s all. It has lots of complex flavors. I see why Heidi ate them as an entrée (with tofu). Loved the texture contrasts too (nuts and raisins). Overall, an outstanding dish.

What I didn’t like: nothing at all! Worth making. Just have everything out and ready (I didn’t, so there was a bit of scrambling for things at the last minute). My daughter-in-law Karen was helping with the stirring at the last and I did the running for golden raisins and almonds and crème fraiche. Please make this, though. Okay?

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When I read the write-up about this cake on Baking Banter (the blog from King Arthur Flour’s test kitchen) they talked about how very tender this cake is – like from a boxed mix, but it’s NOT – I knew I’d be trying it soon. And yes-yes-yes it’s every bit as good as it should be!

Over the years I’ve been baking I’ve often wondered why I couldn’t make a yellow cake (or any kind of cake, for that matter) as tender as a box mix. I mean, gee whiz, it can’t be those yucky additives in a boxed mix that make it tender? Right? I’ve tried. Many times I’ve tried. So when the gals at Baking Banter (the blog written by the staff in King Arthur Flour’s test kitchen) talked about it on their blog, about how they devised a cake that IS just as tender as a boxed mix, and certainly more tasty than a boxed mix, well, my cooking antennae went up. Then I forgot about it, so when we had a big family celebration (5 birthdays within 2 weeks) recently I decided to make this cake. We were going to have 10 people. This cake makes 10 slices. Great. That way I wouldn’t eat the leftovers.

So what makes this cake tender? Well, it’s likely a combination of things: yogurt in the cake, and probably the method of combining and mixing the batter (I think they mentioned that in the write-up). The cake has ordinary ingredients (other than yogurt in the cake which is a bit different). It’s easy to make, really.

The cake bakes in a one of those taller-sided 9-inch cake pans. Not an ordinary cake pan or you’ll have cake batter spilling over the edges. Someone mentioned you could use a springform pan for this but you might wrap the outside with foil. The batter is relatively thick, though, so I don’t think that would be necessary. It bakes for 30-35 minutes – DO make sure the very center is cooked through – I thought mine was at 30 minutes – the cake tester came out clean – but didn’t find out it wasn’t until it cooled, when the center sunk a little bit, that it wasn’t quite done. It didn’t matter. . . there was enough frosting that it filled in the hole. Nobody knew! But, in the photo above you can see the pointed end sinks just a little bit – that’s why. It did need the full 35 minutes.

Then you make the frosting. Gosh, this frosting is SO easy and SO good. I’ll be making that again on other cakes – not that I make them all that often – but I really, really liked this one, so perhaps I will. Everybody at the table raved about the cake and the icing. You melt and briefly boil butter, yogurt and cocoa together, then add it to powdered sugar and a little tiny bit of espresso powder (optional). It makes a perfect pouring type frosting. Obviously soft and pourable enough that it puddled around the cake. Once poured, don’t smear or try to spread or you’ll end up with a mess. Part of its beauty is the sleek top, untouched until it firmed up. The experts at King Arthur also have a chocolate version (although it’s actually a totally different batter). If you love Boston Cream Pie, they recommend using this cake, slicing in half horizontally and filling it with a custard or cream filling. Everything else would be the same. Maybe next time I’ll try that.

What I liked: everything, absolutely every little thing about it. The gals at Baking Banter did it again with a real winner. This will go onto my favorites list if that tells you anything.

What I didn’t like: nothing at all. Fabulous cake in every dimension.

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A few months ago I read something online about the book Yes, Chef: A Memoir. It’s written by Marcus Samuelsson, a man with an unusual background, but with a passion for food in general and specifically combining herbs and spices from cross-cultures. His route to chef success took many interesting twists and turns, although he might not say so. He says all he was doing was “chasing flavors.” It wasn’t until I got to the afterword that I learned the book was actually written (obviously from lengthy interviews) by Veronica Chambers. She’s a brilliant writer, no question. All through the reading of it I was amazed at Samuelsson’s command of the English language, only to find out it wasn’t really his voice at all. That isn’t said as a criticism at all – his story is so fascinating and she just tells it so vividly.

Well, here’s more about the story. But I don’t want to give away everything about it – if you enjoy reading chef memoirs you’ll want to read this one. Marcus was born in Ethiopia. Somewhere around age 2 he, his 4-year old sister and his mother all contracted TB. His mother knew their only hope was to walk 75 miles to Addis Ababa for treatment. They did get there – the children survived; their mother did not. It took a year or more of recovering his health before the orphanage found homes for the two – in, of all places, Sweden.  Nothing was known about the children’s father. There were thousands of people with TB; thousands died. Marcus and his sister were the lucky ones.

The next chapter of his life, then, began in Goteborg where he grew up in a very loving Swedish family, eating Swedish delicacies, mostly from his Swedish grandmother’s kitchen. His mother (his Swedish mother) didn’t cook much. Marcus credits a great deal of his interest and later passion about food to his Swedish grandmother, Helga. He was a typical boy, and passionate about soccer; he even thought maybe he could make a career of the game. He didn’t experience any real discrimination (from the color of his skin) until he was nearly an adult. He was trained in a Swedish culinary school, and was fortunate to then work in Switzerland, in France, on a cruise ship for a few stints (grueling), and finally in New York.

He describes his arrival in New York as feeling at “home.” People everywhere had his skin color. People didn’t stare at him at all. He fit in for the first time in his life. To say that Marcus Samuelsson is driven is almost an understatement. The man hardly knows how to rest, I think. Or maybe that’s just the impression I got – being a chef is a 24/7 hour job. He made his name famous once he became head chef at Aquavit, the classic Swedish restaurant in NYC. He was given a chance and prevailed at every rung of the ladder. The restaurant got plenty of press and stars after he took over the kitchen there. Eventually, as with many chefs, he struck out on his own and currently runs his own restaurant in Harlem, call the Red Rooster, on Lennox Avenue.  I don’t know if I’m ever going to visit New York City again, but I’ll tell you, I’m goin’ there if I do. They serve soul food, comfort food.

I was enchanted with this story, right up until the very last sentence. I didn’t want it to end. There isn’t a single recipe in the book; it’s all life story and a fascinating one at that. Marcus eventually finds his father in Ethiopia, and countless relatives he never knew he had. His Swedish mother accompanied him on his first trip to Addis Ababa. His cooking reflects the herbs and spices from the traveling he’s done in his life (all working as a kitchen underling) and he includes them into his cooking style. I was intrigued to read about berbere, every Ethiopian woman’s favorite hot pepper seasoning comprised of about 15 spices. When he first tasted it he felt it was part of his DNA – he knew it. He’s married (toward the end of the book he tells of meeting an Ethiopian model and he was smitten the moment he saw her; they’re pictured at left). And he’s living his dream of running a restaurant kitchen totally his way! Read the book, okay?

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You know it’s summer when cherries come into season. And right now, at Costco, they have the light fleshed Rainier (like Queen Anne) cherries in nice clear, clamshell boxes. Red, ripe, juicy and delicious.

It was a couple of years ago that I was reading one of my favorite food essay books, How to Pick a Peach by Russ Parsons (Los Angeles Times), that I decided to try one of his recipes (I’ve tried many) for a Bing Cherry Compote. I’ve made it numerous times since then, usually 2-3 times each summer, while cherries are in season. And I hope that I’ll have left at least one small 2-cup freezer container of them during the winter when cherries are nothing but a ghost in my mind. I love the stuff over vanilla ice cream.

I’d heard that the Costco Rainier cherries were really tasty so I had my DH buy me 2 of the boxes (each box was probably about 4 cups). Did you know that: Rainiers are sweet cherries with a thin skin and thick creamy-yellow flesh? And that these cherries are very sensitive to temperature, wind, and rain. They’re a cross between a Bing and a Vans cherry, and about 1/3 of a Rainier cherry orchard’s crop is eaten by birds. No wonder they’re so precious. According to wikipedia, some Rainier cherries sell for $1.00 apiece (yes, a piece) in Japan. They’re so treasured! Wow.

Gee whiz, that photo is so pretty – sorry to make you look at two of them in one post, but I just decided it was too pretty to not!

The cherries sat in the refrigerator for a few days, and then I knew I needed to do something with them. But what? Well, first I pitted them with my olive pitter. That did take about half an hour. I decided to wing it – I used the flavorings from the Bing cherry compote that I love so much, and adapted it to the lighter colored and light flesh cherries. What I didn’t want was a dark-red syrup; it needed to be clear or nearly clear. So, I used a sweet white wine (an after dinner wine, actually) instead of red wine, and white balsamic vinegar instead of regular dark balsamic, and the same spices: cinnamon bark, allspice berries and whole cloves. I also added in a big pinch of lemon zest. And some sugar. That was it. I used the same method from before. It’s very easy to make – once you pit the cherries. And some folks don’t mind the pits – if you really want to make it easy just rinse them and cook them with the pits.

Once they simmer (covered) for 10 minutes or so, the cherries begin to break down. You don’t want them to turn to mush – you want each cherry to still have its integrity – but you want to cook that wine flavor into them just enough. You also want the cherry flavor to leap through the syrup, which it does. The syrup is winey-briney (by brine I don’t mean salty) and it’s so good I could almost drink it as a liqueur! Altogether lovely.

What I liked: everything about it. I mean, it’s sweet cherries – I adore them, and they’re just so delicious over ice cream. The syrup is sublime.

What I didn’t like: nothing whatsoever. It’s a winner.
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The title is a little bit of a misnomer – it really should be something like Buttermilk Peach Sorbet, or Buttermilk Peach Ice or maybe Peach Sherbet. Not a name with “cream” in the title since there isn’t any cream in it. But we lump all kinds of these frozen confections under “ice cream”  whether they’re made with cream or milk or whatever.

If peaches are still in season around your home, do make an effort to go get some gorgeously ripe peaches, peel them and briefly cook them in a little water, then freeze packets of it. You can then make summery ice cream any month of the year. I just hate to take up valuable freezer space with frozen peaches. My freezer is something of a problem – it’s FULL. And I mean FULL. I could probably get a few frozen chicken breasts in there, and maybe a few very flat things. But that’s about it. I am trying, really I am – to defrost and eat things out of the freezer but then I find some new thing that has to go in there. If I had a full-on stand-alone freezer in the garage it would probably be full too. I need a 12-step program for me and my freezer problem. Want to start one?

Anyway, back to this dessert. The recipe came from Rick Rodgers. I’ve had it for several years, I think, but hadn’t gotten around to making it. But with peaches on the kitchen counter, well, this is what I did with them. I DO want you to read the nutritional info about this recipe – it’s really super low calorie and has a TRACE of fat in a serving. Is that great, or what?

If you’re expecting this to taste rich and creamy like Häagen–Dazs, it won’t be. It’s more like ice milk. I think you need to be “of a certain age” to remember ice milk. My mother used to buy it all the time (this would have been the 1950’s) when I was growing up, but I don’t think I’ve seen it in years. I read online that it went “out” in the 1960’s when low-fat milk was produced. My dad had a passion for ice cream in any way, shape or form. In his 80’s he had to start eating sugar-free, but he still loved it. We all kidded him because after eating a small bowl (my mother would never serve a big bowl of it) he’d systematically scrape his spoon up the sides, from the bottom center and up, all the way around, until he’d made a full circle. My dad was an engineer, so we’re not talkin’ a few scrapes, I mean maybe 20-30 per bowl. To get every single, solitary, last drop. If there’s a gene for ice cream, I’ve at least inherited some of his passion for the stuff. I try not to indulge, but I do. This recipe makes it a heck of a lot better for me/us.

Wanting to make this particular one more eating-friendly for my diabetic hubby, I made it with half Splenda. I DID use the 1/2 cup of brown sugar, though, in the mixture, because brown sugar has a unique caramel-like taste and I’d never thought about using brown sugar with peaches. It’s a match made in heaven, I’m telling you!

It’s a simple recipe to make – don’t forget to add the almond extract – that’s also a little bit different, and I loved the taste of it. It’s not overpowering but just adds another layer of flavor. The recipe indicates you can make this without an ice cream machine. I did use mine, and when it first came out it was soft in texture, but once frozen for a few hours it was almost rock hard. So my only suggestion about this recipe is: let it sit out for about 20+ minutes before trying to scoop it. That’s what I had to do to get the photo up top. If you’re willing to eat a more icy type “ice cream,” and want the low in fat and calorie type, this may be a new favorite for you. Given the choice of this and full fat, well, of course the full-fat has better flavor, but if you want to cut back, give this one a try.

What I liked: the brown sugar and almond extract add great layers of flavor in this. Just don’t expect it to be soft, scoop-able like ice cream – it’s more icy or sherbet-like. We loved it. Next time I am going to add 2 T. of Peach Pucker Schnapps to the mixture (any alcohol added to home made ice cream helps with the scooping ability), not only for the softness aspect of it, but also to add even more flavor (although it doesn’t really need it – it’s full of peachy flavor as it is).

What I didn’t like: having to let it defrost for 20+ minutes is a bit of a nuisance, that’s all. Otherwise, nothing.

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You’ll find very few crockpot recipes here on my blog. Not because I don’t like them – but just because I’m home all the time and usually prefer to make soups on the cooktop. I suppose this one wouldn’t have to be made in a crockpot – but gosh, it’s SO easy this way! If you’re employed full time or have a really busy schedule, this soup/stew will rock your world not only with ease but with flavor! If you love Mexican food, well, this is a shoe-in, then.

As I was cropping and adding text to my photos for this blog post, my fingers were almost itchy to get to writing about it because this soup is so fantastic! Oh my yes. Before I start writing I always work with the photos first, then I prepare the MasterCook recipe that gets exported to a pdf and as a text file (that goes into the box below). Once that’s all done (usually takes me 10-15 minutes or less) then I start writing. My mouth is watering looking at the photo above.

Back when crockpots first came out (wow, that was 1971), the recipes generally under-whelmed me. They lacked sufficient layers of flavor, I suppose. Yes they were easy. Yes, they helped with meal-making when I was a full-time working mom, and yes, the cleanup was easy too. But my first crockpot was ceramic, and back then you either had to brown meat in another pan (taking more time, and giving you another dirty pot) or you had to use raw meat, which is generally what I did. Now I know better – so much of the flavor in meat comes from that caramelization when it’s browned in a pan. So when I bought the Cuisinart Multi-Cooker, 7-Quart, all that changed because it has a heavy insert (coated in a nonstick surface) that can go right on the stove (to brown the meat first) and then you lift up the whole thing and put it into the crockpot. I don’t use it all that often, but I love it when I do. And I now have several crockpot cookbooks that are truly new-age – at least current age, with more steps to preparing it, but things come out tasting a whole lot better.

So back to this recipe. My friend Linda T was telling me about a crockpot enchilada soup she makes, that she got from her daughter Kristin. On the printed page Linda mailed me it said the recipe came Krissy, over at Dainty Chef, a blog. I followed Dainty Chef’s recipe nearly all the way through, only veering off with my combo of garnishes (I love cilantro). It’s one heck of a great recipe. In a nutshell, you first make a thin milk sauce mixture (I used 2%)  that gets mixed with some canned enchilada sauce. Now, I have to tell you, here’s where I veered off – it just happens that when we had family visiting recently, they went to one of their old family favorite restaurants, called Los Jarritos (on N. Garey in Pomona, no website, but you can read about it on Yelp). Our son-in-law, Todd, just loves this place too. This particular trip he had his mother Ann in tow (who just happens to be a great Mexican cook) and she usually buys a quart of their enchilada sauce whenever she’s there and takes it home. She did buy it and came to stay with us her last night, and put it in my freezer. You can guess what happened? She forgot it. So, my plan was to leave it there and the next time one of the family visits they could take it home (500 miles away). But then I got to this recipe . . . and I don’t have any canned enchilada sauce . . . and the lightbulb went off in my head . . . oh, I can use Los Jarritos’ sauce that’s in the freezer!

So there’s this saucy stuff (the thin milky sauce mixed with the enchilada sauce). First, though, you put into the crockpot a can of drained and rinsed black beans, some corn, Rotel tomatoes, some onion and bell pepper. Here I need to tell you something else – Rotel tomatoes are spicy hot. If you find them too hot, I’d suggest you use regular canned (diced) tomatoes and the juice, and add in canned green chiles and a bit of jalapeno for heat. For most adult tastes I think one can of Rotel would be fine. The restaurant enchilada sauce I used happened to have a lot of heat in it, so we had some really smokin’ hot soup.

Then you put the raw chicken breasts on top, cover with the enchilada sauce mixture and crockpot it on low for 6-8 hours (or on high for 3-4). About half an hour before it’s done, remove the chicken breasts and let them cool just a bit so you can handle it. Then shred it up into small bite-sized pieces and put it back into the crockpot and stir it all up to allow the chicken to re-heat. Meanwhile, prepare the garnishes. Scoop a heaping cup (or 2 for hearty eaters) of the soup mixture into a bowl and top with the garnishes of your choice.

What I liked: well, the flavor is paramount. It was fantastic. I loved all the layers of flavors – from the complex enchilada sauce to the textures in the beans, corn, tortilla chips and then the cool, refreshing cilantro and green onions. Altogether fantastic. It was easy enough – you do have to make the sauce, which does take 10 minutes or so. Open a few cans, but really that’s it until you’re ready to serve and need to fix the garnishes. Overall, very easy. I’ll make this for a big family dinner for sure. Maybe soon. A green salad on the side would be all that’s needed.

What I didn’t like: absolutely nothing at all! Will make this again. And again. It’s probably going onto my Carolyn’s Favs list.

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