Jax's birthday video

Took me a while to figure out how to upload this one, too!

Riley's song

So I made this video back in the spring, I just couldn't figure out how to upload til now!

What's for dinner

So, I've subscribed to this organic veggie co-op - it's wonderful!  Someone else does my produce shopping for the week and puts it all in one box.  I just go pick it up!  (Well, actually, I send Brian.) 

But the downside is that someone else picks out my veggies each week.  And while it does broaden my culinary horizons, I wind up with a lot of chard and kale.  However, you can't move from San Antonio to North Dakota, to Okinawa, to Florida (ie: Lower Alabama) without figuring out how to manage some semblance of Mexican fare with whatever you have on hand.  Therefore, tonight we are having Rutabega and Rainbow Chard Enchiladas (a recipe I actually found with google, but adapted some).  I'd also love to throw in some roasted green peppers - the ones that a patient brought me last week.  Unfortunately, they are still sitting on my desk at work, Brian is still at the boat club, onions are carmelizing, rutabegas are boiling on the stove, the two urchins are in the prime of late-summer "amuse me, Mommy" boredom...... and I can never seem to remember the code to disable the intruder alert at work AND neither do I know precisely where my key might be.

Hmm. 

Well, maybe once Brian gets home I can turn over the onion and urchin babysitting while I make a forray into the shadows of WWMC clinic on a Friday night.

Alright - Brian caramelized the onions sasifactorily, and I actually found BOTH the key and the code for the clinic (or at least I made it in and out before the cops showed up).  The enchiladas are in the oven and the urchins are tormenting each other in the living room.... time for another glass of wine while I wait for the cheese to get bubbly.

hmmm, interesting choice of wines

Rutabega Rainbow Chard and Roasted Pepper Enchiladas.

1/2 a Rutabega
4 medium red potatoes
2 red onions - sliced
2 bunches of Rainbow chard - chopped
4 green peppers (if I had to guess, I'd say maybe Anaheim?)
One large block cheddar (16oz) grated
One pack (mine had 100) corn enchiladas
Enchilada sauce of choice (I use whatever is lurking in the back of the fridge.  In this case, one jar of pasta sauce, 1/3 jar of pizza sauce and a mostly full jar of salsa, mixed and sprinkled with the remains of a package of taco seasoning)
Olive oil
salt
sugar
red wine (mostly to consume, but just to justify opening the bottle, I throw it in at the end of step 2)
1.  Shave off the outer husk and wax of the Rutabega and throw that and the red potatoes (skins on, it's easier to peel them off after they're boiled) into a pot of boiling water for 20-30 minutes - or until they're soft but still firm enough to hold together when sliced.  Slice into 1/4 inch (ish) pieces.


2.  Slice and caramelize the onions in a large saute pan.  (Put enough olive oil in the saute pan to cover the bottom and place it over medium high heat.  Once the oil is hot/shimery, throw the onions in and let them cook for about 10 minutes.  Then toss in a bout a tsp of salt and a pinch of sugar.  Turn the heat down a bit and stir occasionally, allowing the onions to brown but not burn for 30 minutes.  Throw in a splash of red wine to deglaze the pan, and add the chopped chard.  Saute for about 15-20 minutes. 

3.  Roast the peppers over an open flame (easiest is to use a gas stove (might want to turn on the vent and have a kid armed with towel ready to fan the smoke detector), but could also use a gas grill) turning them until all sides are charred, then remove and wrap them in a towel until they're cooled enough to wipe off the charred skin, remove the seeds and stem and dice. 



4.  Oil a casserole dish, and spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom. 

5.  Mix the ingredients from steps 1-3

6.  Dip each tortilla in the sauce to soften it a bit, then fill with the veggies, roll and place them in the casserole dish.

7.  Cover the enchiladas with any extra sauce and grated cheese and bake in 400 degree oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.  (or if you're lazy like me, layer the sauce-soaked tortillas on the bottom, then layer with the veggies, cheese, soggy tortillas, veggies, cheese, soggy tortillas and cheese.  Then bake and serve... it's pretty much the same).



So, the end result was pretty good.  Could have used more sauce and more cheese.  Riley loved hers (which isn't saying too much, she will eat most anything).  Jax was dismayed by the presence of corn tortillas and veggies (makes it rough on him, with a vegetarian mom, but I'm sure it builds character), so he ate the cheese on top and then Riley polished off the rest. 

And tomorrow night, it's roasted eggplant/squash/tomato lasagna - that will hopefully also utilize the sage, mushrooms and kale that's still in the fridge.  Poor Jax.