Summer has ruined the good times.

Humanitarian and globe trotter, Erin, is jet-setting all over the world this summer and therefor won't be available for lunch for a while.

Mexican Rice

This rice goes perfectly with the Enchiladas Queretanas.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 onion, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
1 can tomato sauce
3 cups chicken broth

Heat oil, rice, garlic, and cumin in a large pot until rice begins to turn brown. Add onion and jalapeño and cook until tender. Stir in the tomato sauce and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Enchiladas Queretanas

These are delightfully different from the typical enchilada one might find at a Mexican restaurant. "Enchiladas" literally means cooked in chiles/chile sauce. "Queretenas" means "from Querétato," the Mexican state in which I studied abroad a few summers ago. What makes these enchiladas unique is that they are served with cooked potatoes and carrots, and that the tortillas are fried in a green sauce, instead of slathered in a red sauce. Here's what you need:

2 chicken breasts
2 potatoes
2 carrots
3 green chiles
2 cups of milk
2 cloves of garlic (Fun fact: these are called "teeth of garlic" in spanish!)
1 large egg or 2 small eggs
Pinch of salt
Vegetable oil
Corn tortillas
Queso fresco/Fresh cheese (available in most Mexican grocery stores in the dairy section)
Sour cream
Salsa and/or guacamole, to taste
Fresh cilantro garnish (optional)

Chicken: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Begin by cooking the chicken in a baking dish. Add a few tablespoons of water and cover tightly in foil to keep it moist. Cook for 20 minutes, then remove the foil, flip the chicken and bake another 10-15 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked. Use two forks to shred the chicken, set aside.

Potatoes and Carrots: While the chicken is cooking, cook the potatoes and carrots in a large pot of boiling water until tender. Cut into cubes, set aside.

Chile sauce: While the chicken and vegetables are cooking, cut the green chiles into strips, removing the seeds. Cook the chile strips and the milk in a saucepan over low heat until the chiles are tender. Remove the chiles from the milk and liquify in a blender with the garlic, egg(s), and salt.

Cheese: Queso fresco usually comes in a solid block or wedge. This cheese is served by crumbling it with hands or a fork, so that it has the appearance of a feta or blue cheese.

Heat a frying pan with a few tablespoons of vegetable oil. Cook enchiladas to order by covering the tortillas in the chile sauce and frying them, then topping with the chicken, potatoes, carrots, cheese and sour cream. This is the typical Queréteran Enchilada. Add salsa and/or guacamole to taste and garnish with cilantro.

Marinaded Chicken Wraps

DISCLAIMER: This recipe may be considered by some to be "healthy". If your system is used to butter, cream, and red meat you may experience signs of fatigue and irritability.

This is a great recipe to make in bulk. The wraps freeze very well, and one can be thrown into your lunchbox before you leave for work and by the time lunch rolls around its just perfect.

THE RECIPE
1 shot of Rum (Consume)
3 Boneless Chicken Breasts
2 Shots of Tequila
1 Corona Extra Long-neck Bottle
Rosemary
Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Fresh Spinach Leaves
Sour Cream
Garlic Powder
Greek Seasoning
Famous Dave's Burger and Steak Seasoning
2 Fresh Tomatoes
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sun-dried Tomato Basil Wrap Tortillas


The night before take your chicken breasts and place them in a large ziplock bag to thaw. Add two shots of tequila, the entire beer, and dashes of Rosemary, Thyme, Salt, and Pepper. Seal the bag and shake it around. This is my TOP SECRET Tequila marinade. Tell No One!

The Next Day:
As always lets begin by washing our hands and taking a shot of rum... Don't want to get your bottle or shot glass dirty.

Heat a large frying pan and add the chicken and all of the marinade. Cook on medium-high heat, turning the chicken occasionally until cooked all the way through. If your chicken was still partially frozen when you started you may have to remove the chicken from the pan and cut it into smaller pieces to continue cooking.   Some of you may be skeptical about using beer as a cooking medium, but let me assure you there's nothing better for pan cooking chicken, pork-chops, or steak. Try it. If you're squeamish about wasting a perfectly good beer, try the "one for me, one for you strategy", which involves taking a drink for every pour you add to the pan. It wastes the same amount of beer, but you get to drink some as well.

While the chicken cooks, dice up your tomatoes and set aside in a bowl for later. In a separate bowl add a healthy dollop of sour cream. Mix in generous portions of the Greek Seasoning, Famous Dave's Seasoning, and Garlic Powder until a uniform texture is achieved.

Once the chicken is done, drain any excess marinade and place on dry paper towels to absorb any residual grease. If you haven't cut it up, cut it up.

Now its time to begin assembling our wrap. Begin with a wrap tortilla. These are specially made to wrap easier without tearing, however a regular tortilla will work just fine as long as you pre-warm if first. Add a generous amount of the sour cream mixture, followed by half of the chicken pieces. Next a layer of diced tomato and spinach leaves. Finally dust with a fine coating of shredded cheddar cheese and wrap up. Cut diagonally along the center and serve.

Enjoy it, your arteries will thank you by letting blood get to your brain, possibly preventing heart disease or stroke. Lunchtime: The most important meal of the day.

Strawberry Creamcheese Stuffed French Toast

I know this isn't a lunch recipe, but I thought it was clever enough to merit posting. Fair warning, this is quite possibly the tastiest/ most romantic breakfast a single person can create. Any sexual relations that result from the consumption of this french toast are solely your responsibility. I am washing my hands legally from any complications of that sort. You've been warned.

The Recipe:

THE TOAST
1 Shot of Baileys Irish Cream (consume)
8 Slices of Bread
1 lb of Fresh Strawberries
1 Cup of Whipped Philadelphia Cream Cheese
Brown Sugar
Powedered Sugar
1 Egg
Regular Sugar

THE BATTER

Milk
Eggs
Kahlua
Caramel Coffee Syrup
Cinnamon
Nutmeg

Alright, put some coffee on, pour yourself a cup, add your shot of Baileys. Enjoy. (Even I have standards on when it's too early to drink rum.)

This requires a fairly large amount of preparation. Take your strawberries, cut off the stems and slice them into smaller pieces. Put all the pieces into a food processor until you have a fine strawberry puree`. In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, the strawberry puree`, two table spoons of brown sugar, and a light dusting of powdered sugar to taste. Mix everything together until any lumps are gone. You want it more sweet than bland, but not so sugary that it over-powers the taste of your strawberries.

Next, carefully cut the crusts off to two slices of bread. Be sure to leave as much bread as possible to work with. In a small bowl crack one egg and add a fair amount of sugar. Mix this together with a fork or a whisk to form some all purpose egg glue. Set aside. Using a drinking glass, a mallet, or your fist, gently make an indentation in one slice of bread and fill it with a generous amount of the strawberry filling. Using a basting brush, add some egg glue to the edges of the bread and place the second piece on top. Then, carefully to not tear the bread, squeeze the edges of the two pieces together to form a sort of bread and filling ravioli. This recipe makes four, two for each person.

Once the toast pockets are prepared its time to make the french toast batter. In a largish bowl, pour about 3/4 inch of milk, crack in one egg, two shakes of cinnamon, a shot of Kahluah, a pinch of nutmeg, and about a half shot of Caramel coffee syrup. (I normally use Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup, but I was out. As a general rule I would recommend keeping a full complement of flavoring syrups on hand. They have 101 uses, especially in cocktails and breakfast related items.) Whip that mixture together until its frothy.

Heat a pan and grease with butter.  Take your bread pockets, dip in the batter being sure to fully cover both sides, and place on the pan to cook. Its OK to dust the surface of your batter with more cinnamon after each dipping, as the first piece of toast will normally absorb all the floating cinnamon. Cook on medium heat. You want the outside to be firm and golden brown, not burnt.

When they're done stack two on a plate so that the corners don't line up (see photo). Dust with powdered Sugar, and garnish with a cut Strawberry.  You can eat this plain, without any syrup, as the filling heated when it cooked and tends to drip out like magnificent strawberry ambrosia.

I mentioned this recipe to my hairdresser at Tangerine the other day and she joked that she wanted me to come to her house once a week and make this recipe for her.  I am just broke enough right now that I will do just that if someone asked me for real.

Anyway, Enjoy your breakfast.

Creamy Caramel Apple Dip

This apple dip is magical. I tried it for the first time at a little booth where they were giving out samples to try to get you to buy a cookbook. A free bit of apple, you say? That couldn't possibly do any harm-- oh. Yum. That is delicio-- you say the recipe is in this cookbook? I'll take one.

Little did I know that I could have just flipped through the cookbook, found this recipe, and memorize its - count 'em - four ingredients. Simple yet magical.

This is not the sort of apple dip you make every once in a while when you're having company over and you want to have a cute snack. Rather, this is the sort of apple dip you keep on hand at all times. It's like milk or salt. We're out of apple dip? Make some more. Or listen to me complain every time I want an apple and I have nothing delicious to dip it in.

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

1+ cups brown sugar

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Melt the butter in a sauce pan (or, if you're clever, you can make this a one-container recipe and make it in the microwave, right in the tupperware you plan to store it in). Add one cup of brown sugar - I prefer dark brown sugar, but light works too. Then, add more brown sugar until most of the excess butter is absorbed. Allow this mixture to cool. Add vanilla. Gradually stir in the sour cream with a fork so that it mixes thoroughly with no little sour cream chunks. Enjoy warm or cold. Delicious.

Home-Made Mac and Cheese

Here's a recipe that Is time tested. I've made it over and over again, each time it changes a little for the better.

For years I refused to eat anything but Mac and Cheese, from about age 5 to age 8. May children in my generation went through this phase, which is why it is not surprising that nearly every restaurant offers it as part of their children's menu.  But Macaroni (or in our case Celletani) and Cheese is not just for kids. Here's a thrilling recipe you can make at home that is sure to thrill adults and children alike.

Some kids may not like the garlic and onion taste and may insist that you make them something out of a box with a yellow dinosaur on it. Explain to them that they are dumb children who don't know anything about anything. That is sure to work.

Anyways...

THE RECIPE:
1 Shot of Rum (Consume)
1 Box of Celletani
1 Brick of Monterey Jack Cheese
1/2 Brick Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 Stick Butter
1/2 Cup Cream
2/3 Cup Milk
4 Cloves of Garlic
1/2 an Onion
Salt
Pepper

STOP! Rum time! Good.

In a large saucepan boil some water, add salt, a splash of olive oil, dash of basil and oregano. Throw in your pasta, it should take about 12 minutes.

While that's going down, get out your cutting board and your best chopping knife and go to town on the garlic and onions. Remember the easiest way to peel garlic is to take the clove and place it under a broad flat knife and strike it with the heel of your hand. This cracks the "shell" and the delicious garlic comes right out. Dice to tiny bits and then saute the garlic and onion in butter until they start to brown.

Cut the cheese blocks into tinier cubes of cheese, feel free to eat some if you haven't had something to eat in a while. Set aside.


When the pasta is done, strain and return to medium/low heat. Add the stick of butter, milk, cream, garlic and onion mixture, and stir until consistent. Then slowly add in the cheese cubes stirring constantly, add more milk to achieve a more uniform consistency. (Optional: If you want to throw in some bread crumbs now I'm not gonna stop you.)

Now add a bit of salt and pepper, Stir and serve. This is an extremely rich Mac and Cheese, so a little goes a long way. You will have leftovers.

Now that I think about it, this recipe is Vegetarian friendly... how about that... It's even comparable to the Mac and Cheese that one could get from our Local Hippy-Run Vegetarian Cafe: Grateful Bread. Enjoy.