Vacation Eating

 Alone for dinner tonight.  Alone all day, really.  Without any pressing things to do- nothing that needed to be attended to immediately which is not exactly the norm for me.  This means that I can easily be sucked into watching The Real Housewives of Wherever argue about something ridiculous but I somehow managed to tear myself away to spread some mulch around the edges of the driveway and flip the channel to a cooking show, an old style "dump and mix"show where the host actually demonstrates how to make a recipe rather than a competition with weird ingredients and lackluster results that one would never dream of making for dinner.  I was looking for some sort of inspiration and motivation to cure my binge watching tendencies.  And there was Rachael Ray working her 30 Minute magic with dried chiles, making a chilaquile sauce.  I have a big bag of the exact type of chiles that I purchased for some crazy reason I cannot remember.  Every time I come across them in my pantry, I question what I can possibly do with all of these chiles but always end up passing over them for lack of ingenuity or inspiration. 
  The sauce that Rachael made is a little bit like a smoky salsa.  She tossed tortillas in it and topped them with cheese, melted it all in the oven and garnished the whole thing with all the typical toppings: avocado, cilantro, etc and over easy eggs.  I don't really like that combination, with the eggs on top of all that but I do love nachos.  So, I made my own version of this one pan dish, an individual, perfect for one person portion with ingredients that I had in my refrigerator.  Of course, this could be stretched to feed a crowd (the sauce recipe makes quite a large batch) but, as I mentioned at the beginning, I am alone for dinner tonight, left to my own devices to create a mini meal.
  While my chilaquile sauced nachos where beginning to bubble in the oven, I rummaged around in the downstairs fridge for the perfect beverage accompaniment: an ice cold beer.  But not the fancy, newly popular micro brew type that Rob usually has stashed in there. What I really wanted was something like a Miller High Life in an ice cold bottle, light and refreshing, old school and just right to go with my nacho meal for one.  Sadly, among the bottles of Sam Adams in various flavors, and tall cans of Guinness, a few Mayflower Porters and a single Harpoon IPA, there was nothing to offer for what I was craving.  Back to the beverage drawing board.  Tequila.  Only a few ounces left in the bottle.  I wonder who has been drinking a lot of Margaritas?  I managed to find a lime that needed to be used today or end up in the compost bucket tomorrow morning along with a small can of pineapple juice on hand for last minute marinades and occasions like this one. 
  This type of relaxing, improvisational meal making is my favorite type of cooking.  Vacation style cooking, when hungry mouths are not crashing through the door with heavy backpacks full of books yelling, "I'm so hungry!  What can I eat???"  When I don't have to hurry up and get it all on the table before ballet class and baseball practice.  When I can make whatever I am craving regardless of children's tastes and aversions.  I don't have to hear, "Do I like that?  I don't think I like that!!"  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy making meals that others, especially my children, enjoy.  And I love the madness of the wild energy coursing through the walls of this house, the challenge of meeting everyone's needs, helping them to thrive.  But sometimes it's really nice to prepare and eat whatever I really want, without question or concern for anyone else's opinion or palate. While my nachos are hot and garnished to perfection, my cocktail is ice cold and many more bad television shows beckon. I can relax with my feet up for a few more hours of bliss before the hungry mouths return. This is truly a vacation.

Chilaquile Sauce

(Adapted from Chilaquiles by Rachael Ray)

Makes about 2 cups sauce

6 to 7 New Mexican dried chiles

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

4 large cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 cup water

1 cup chicken stock

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

  Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles.  Place in a large skillet or pot and toast over medium heat for about 2 minutes.  Remove chiles and set aside.  Add oil to pan as well as onion and jalapeno.  Cook, stirring often until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the paprika, oregano and garlic.  Stir mixture and add water.  Allow the water to absorb then add chiles, chicken stock, tomatoes, honey and cocoa powder.  Stir to combine.  Simmer for about 10 minutes until chiles soften.  Remove mixture from heat.

  Puree mixture in batches in a blender or food processor.  Save about 3/4 cup of the sauce for nachos.  Refrigerate the rest in an airtight container.

Nachos for One 

(Can be adapted and expanded to feed more hungry people)

2 large handfuls tortilla chips

3/4 chilaquile sauce (see recipe above)

3 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons sour cream

1/2 avocado, chopped

1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

hot sauce such as Cholula

any other nacho toppings you like: pickled jalapenos, chopped raw onion, etc.

  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place one large handful of tortilla chips in a small skillet, pie plate, etc (anything that can go from oven to table) and top with half the chilaquile sauce.  Sprinkle half the cheese on top.  Top with remaining chips, sauce and cheese to create two layers.  Place in oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling.

  Remove from oven and top with sour cream, avocado, cilantro and a drizzle of hot sauce.  Add other toppings, if desired.  Serve warm with a fork.

Sweet 'n' Sour Margarita

(Serves one)

ice

1 1/2 oz. tequila

1 1/2 oz.  pineapple juice

1 oz. lime juice (juice from 1 lime)

  Fill a martini glass with ice and water.  Set aside.  Fill a shaker with ice.  Pour tequila, pineapple juice and lime juice over ice in shaker.  Cover tightly and shake for a count of 10 until ice cold and your fingers begin to stick to the outside of the shaker.  Pour out the ice water in the martini glass.  Pour the contents of the shaker along with the ice into the chilled martini glass.  For a frothy cocktail, do not strain.  Enjoy.