eG FoodBlog: MissTenacity -The Land of Enchilement - A week in Albuque

ludja · January 30, 2005

Cookie post: Friday and Saturday I made about 350 cookies (half PB and half chocolate chip) for a charity that we do through work. More on that soon, I have to run out the door in a second....
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http://tenacity.net
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Wow, hope you had a kitchen aid (or an extra set of arms) for mixing all that dough... They look nicein their individual packages. It would be interesting to know more about where the cookies are going too. Thanks for the pix.

misstenacity · January 31, 2005

Cookie post: Friday and Saturday I made about 350 cookies (half PB and half chocolate chip) for a charity that we do through work. More on that soon, I have to run out the door in a second....
...
http://tenacity.net
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Wow, hope you had a kitchen aid (or an extra set of arms) for mixing all that dough... They look nicein their individual packages. It would be interesting to know more about where the cookies are going too. Thanks for the pix.
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I only had this, which was smelling bad and quite warm (but not smoking) by the time I was done:

The charity is a local organization that provides a wide spectrum of services to homeless and those needing a little extra help. St. Martins Hospitality Center is the name, and what me and my coworkers provide is a tiny tiny amount compared to the volume overall. We have sponsored their "5th Sunday" rotation, which means every month that has a 5th Sunday, the staff gets the morning off and we cook and serve breakfast/brunch to 200-300 clients. Most of the food is cooked ahead of time and brought down that morning to be reheated (if necessary) and served.

A typical meal would start with coffee & juice, and end with a quick "make your own sandwich" line to be taken along and eaten later. The rest of the food would typically be this:

breakfast casserole or french toast

HB eggs

green chile stew

biscuits and gravy (always homemade gravy)

apple or banana

dessert - cookie or bar

About a dozen coworkers split up the duties of making 250 servings of each thing, and then about 8-10 people (sometimes an overlapping group) show up on Sunday morning to work in the kitchen and serve the food.

Previously, I've made breakfast casserole, french toast (baked casserole style), and the sausage gravy. This time I took cookies because I recently got ahold of a killer PB recipe (I've heard the last few times the Pillsbury kind in a roll were made - and being a food snob I just couldn't leave that as it was.... :cool: ). So naturally I went overboard and said I'd do all the cookies. It worked out just fine, and I dropped them off on Saturday so I could sleep in today.

:-)

Andrea

redfox · January 31, 2005

This is off to a great start! I can't wait to see what you have next. But dammit, now I really want enchiladas for dinner, and it is not what we were planning or even what we have any ingredients for in the house. I've spent only a very little time in New Mexico and hadn't encountered the bowl of red/bowl of green before. It sounds great.

misstenacity · January 31, 2005

THE SOUPER BOWL:

[Warning.... this is a post overloaded by photos and not much text.... I barely remember all the soups I had, suffice it to say that if its in the photo, I tried it. :biggrin: ]

An annual event put on by the Roadrunner Food Bank, it pits about 20-25 local restaurants against each other in a soup showdown.

Here's the scene, which takes place in their actual food warehouse, but you can see how crowded it gets:

In addition to the soups, you can see that there were lots of desserts. Many people (including myself) got over to them early on to scope out and sample the items that would soon be picked over and just plain gone. Here are some photos (all strewn together.... see a theme, here? :blink: ) of those lovely confections:

And, on to the main attraction..... after you're done cleaning out your short circuited keyboard from all the drool, read further for some comments on the standout specimens.

The one I voted "people's choice" was an artichoke chicken soup (pictured immediately to the right of the vat of matzoh balls, with a floating crouton in it) from a place called Trombino Italiano (or something like that, they used to have a slightly different name and have recently changed it). I actually have been disappointed by several of their dishes, but this soup kicked ass. The close runner-up was the chipotle chicken, pictured along with its red-chile sopapillas, in the last 3 photos.

There has been a slow and steady creep of the number of both chowders and bisques, unfortunately. A few years running of a crawfish bisque winning the title and no one wants to do a really nice clear soup anymore, which is partly why I loved the flavors in that artichoke soup. Missing from years past were any bean-based soups, such as black bean.... or even a nice lentil soup. Strange. Now this is a "normal folks" crowd, but still I would expect to see at least one cold soup or a fruit soup, but no. Perhaps I'll see if individuals can enter the competition and gear up for next year. :laugh:

Finally, there was a band playing and a silent auction to raise more money:

....and a table displaying how much food the cost of your ticket could purchase.

With 20x 1-2oz of soup each (not all servings were fully eaten...), I'd say I had about 3 cups of soup total, plus a half dozen bite-sized desserts. Plenty to make me full but not stuff my gullet. I could have eaten a lot more but been bloated the rest of the afternoon. :sad:

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

[EDITED to fix line-breaks, more than one time(!)]

Edited January 31, 2005 by misstenacity (log)

misstenacity · January 31, 2005

Dinner last night. I had some red cabbage slaw:

....followed by a spinach-egg bake. This is 2 eggs, a half cup milk, S&P poured over layers of lightly steamed spinach and fontina cheese, then baked at 375 for about 40 minutes.

It was an early dinner, so I did some computer work, packed up the cookies to take back to town, and a late snack run was made to Flying Star, a local chain of quick-order upscale diner food and copious pastries:

They have great food at decent prices (they always just seem to be about a dollar more than I think is reasonable, but I've seen chain restaurants prices, so really its not bad at all), and lots of daily specials. Whenever they have a Monte Cristo I have to get it.

Even at 10:30 at night, the crowd is heavy, bustling, and has a wide range of ages from young hipsters to families to groups of what appear to be college republicans (always my suspicion when I see more than one 20-something together and wearing ties with khakis).

Since I don't like to eat much this late, I have a vanilla milk steamer,

and the booth-mate has a patty melt with avocado, bacon, and cheese:

....accompanied by a side of chicken posole soup (which I eat most of... apparently I'm not souped out for the day :wub: )

And finally, off to home and a much-anticipated sleeping-in-Sunday.

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

misstenacity · January 31, 2005

Good morning, and happy Sunday!

I wake up with my coffee + half & half in my "Andrea" mug (I absolutely had to purchase it as it was the ONLY mug with a person's name on it one day as I was shopping at my favorite thrift store.... :blink: ):

And, thanks to Tivo, I do not have to stay up until 3am to get my viewing fix (see the TV in the background.... :wub: ):

*Whew* After my heart palpitations have passed, I make oatmeal again, this time with almonds and molasses:

....and an egg over easy for the 'kid' in the house:

....finally, 2 scrambled w/ green chile and cheese for my beloved:

And, off we go to the movies, down the canyon through the lovely new snow:

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

misstenacity · January 31, 2005

My last catch-up post! Hurrah!

After seeing Million Dollar Baby (sob!), I am the only hungry one in the party, so I use this as leverage to eat a cuisine that otherwise might be a tough sell - Middle Eastern. We head over to the Middle East Bakery (which I am happily suprised to see has a website(!))

I order the only thing on the menu that I have no clue what it contains (the majarrah plate(?) - it started with an M and was not a word I'd seen before). This is what I receive (a rice, lentils, and onions mix with mild but tasty spices, and a hot flatbread):

It also comes with a salad, and I order a salty yogurt drink as well:

Spurred to an appetite, the companion orders the meat pie plate:

And before leaving, we shop a bit from their small grocery selection. I purchase a bottle of pomegranite syrup. :wub:

The rest of the afternoon is spent putting together my massive Souper Bowl post, and then a dinner consisting of leftovers - slaw again:

....plus the leftover enchiladas, topped with chopped HB egg (I'm a protein freak):

While finishing a novel, I had dessert of my last bit of banana-walnut-chocolate ice cream, and a small cafe au lait with the mornings' rewarmed coffee.

I'm off to bed, chat with you all again tomorrow. Yay, I'm caught up! :laugh:

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

Pan · January 31, 2005

[...]
I order the only thing on the menu that I have no clue what it contains (the majarrah plate(?) - it started with an M and was not a word I'd seen before). This is what I receive (a rice, lentils, and onions mix with mild but tasty spices, and a hot flatbread)[...]
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That would be mujadara, also known as Im Jaddara, among other spellings.

I can't wait to see what you're having tomorrow!

purplewiz · January 31, 2005

It also comes with a salad, and I order a salty yogurt drink as well:
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Hey, they have the same bowls I do :biggrin: !

(And the salad looks pretty good too!)

Marcia.

edited to straighten out my BBcode.

Edited January 31, 2005 by purplewiz (log)

Chufi · January 31, 2005

I want those green chile eggs! And that view afterwards! This blog feels like a vacation...

Susan in FL · January 31, 2005

Andrea, that is wonderful volunteer work you do. Thanks for all the photos. I enjoyed them. I noticed that the Souper Bowl is associated with the Roadrunner Food Bank. Are you a runner?

Great blog! New Mexico is an area totally unfamiliar to me, so this is a treat.

misstenacity · January 31, 2005

Andrea, that is wonderful volunteer work you do. Thanks for all the photos. I enjoyed them. I noticed that the Souper Bowl is associated with the Roadrunner Food Bank. Are you a runner?
Great blog! New Mexico is an area totally unfamiliar to me, so this is a treat.
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Hehe. Funny you should ask. The roadrunner is our state bird, hence the name. However, I *am* a runner, as well - that's why I'm a protein freak. :biggrin:

I love cooking for the 5th Sunday rotation, and I always go to the Souper Bowl (every year), but this was a weird convergence of both happening on the same weekend - I am definitely not as saintly as it might seem & out doing this kind of thing every weekend. :shock:

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

Susan in FL · January 31, 2005

Andrea, that is wonderful volunteer work you do. Thanks for all the photos. I enjoyed them. I noticed that the Souper Bowl is associated with the Roadrunner Food Bank. Are you a runner?
Great blog! New Mexico is an area totally unfamiliar to me, so this is a treat.
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Hehe. Funny you should ask. The roadrunner is our state bird, hence the name. However, I *am* a runner, as well - that's why I'm a protein freak.
I love cooking for the 5th Sunday rotation, and I always go to the Souper Bowl (every year), but this was a weird convergence of both happening on the same weekend - I am definitely not as saintly as it might seem & out doing this kind of thing every weekend.
Andrea
http://tenacity.net
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Cool! :smile:

Edited January 31, 2005 by Susan in FL (log)

designchick88 · January 31, 2005

Hi Miss Tenacity,

Another Albuquerque eGullet member here...thanks for posting the great photos of the Souper Bowl, I am on the event committee for that and it's great that people in other parts of the country can see what a fantastic event it is and what good work Roadrunner Food Bank does in the community.

Looking forward to reading more of your blog this week and seeing which great local favorites you highlight! :)

jhlurie · January 31, 2005

Heh. That's souper.

misstenacity · January 31, 2005

I'm going to take a brief amount of time now and "explain" myself and my food history in NM.

I was raised in Wisconsin, and escaped just after college after falling in love with the west (specifically mountainous desert West) on a roadtrip. So I have been here in Albuquerque for 7 years, including 1 year living in Santa Fe. Won't do that again - awful traffic and the town is too small & touristy for me.

I *never* like spicy food when growing up, and was generally an unadventurous eater. Burgers had to be plain, and don't even try to add some funny looking 'sauce' to my veggies or my cake (that means frosting, too!). In addition to that, my family ate quite a lot of bland and badly cooked dinners when I was growing up, so my foundation as a foodie needed a kick-start after I reached adulthood.

A few forays into diet experimentation in high school and college were all based on athletics and health, and usually fizzled out quickly. When on my own I ate cheaply and starchily - tons of pancakes, potatoes, pasta, and eggs.

About 5 or 6 years ago I started appreciating better quality food, but it was a slow process, and frankly, it took someone else footing the bill for it to be acceptable at first. I don't recall at the moment if I had an epiphany that made me think, "wow, this *eating* thing can really kick ass!". All I know is that about 3 years ago I bought myself a good set of knives and just started going crazy in the kitchen. Its all I can do to keep myself out of there, now. Lots of reading of books in the vein of Pepin, Child, Bittman, and the fabulous photos of Ruhlman, etc. gave me the beginnings of my food sensibility. I still use Culinary Artistry more than any other single book, as my skills in preparation have come along and its my palate that still needs some refining.

Currently I'm a chow slut - I love high end dining, but also dives of any sort, as long as the grub is tasty. Oh, and I have a hard time finding any chile or spicy food that will even make me break a sweat anymore.

Like many enthusiastic amateur cooks I know, I have catered a handful of parties for friends, and had a smashing good time doing that. I don't consider working in the food industry per se to be a desirable end, but for the possibility of doing more part-time catering.

Let's see..... anything else that I left out I should be detailing?

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

little ms foodie · January 31, 2005

I'm really enjoying your blog andrea! The pictures are fabulous, thank you!

hwilson41 · January 31, 2005

Great blog Andrea. I'm a native Texan, and your descriptions of green and red chili are making me think how great a bowl of Texas Red with a fried egg on top would taste about now :raz: . Just to chip a bit of my ignorance away, can you compare the NM Red to Texas Red? Hotter? Milder? Different flavor (I assume) from the NM Reds? Keep them cards and letters comin' girl :biggrin: .

THW

kellycolorado · January 31, 2005

ooh, I love the photos. Good thing my husband is out of town because we're almost out of the roasted hatch green chiles he brought back from Albuquerque last year. Flying Star was my favorite breakfast place. I love the ambience there.

misstenacity · January 31, 2005

Great blog Andrea. I'm a native Texan, and your descriptions of green and red chili are making me think how great a bowl of Texas Red with a fried egg on top would taste about now . Just to chip a bit of my ignorance away, can you compare the NM Red to Texas Red? Hotter? Milder? Different flavor (I assume) from the NM Reds? Keep them cards and letters comin' girl .
THW
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You know, I don't know... the heat would depend both on the type of chile used as well as the level of that particular batch of peppers. The only Texas chili that I am familiar with is "tex mex", meaning there are beans and meat involved, as well as other spices.

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

misstenacity · February 1, 2005

Monday breakfast - coffee & yogurt w/ blueberries:

Then later, oatmeal (also with blueberries :wub: )

I gave in to the lure of the Dove in my drawer in late morning....

And lunch at a local dive - Stufys Stuffed Sopapillas (and they have a website!

Later, I felt the need to appease all that grease so I had a giant salad with red pepper and chopped almonds:

Dinner's up next! :laugh:

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

snowangel · February 1, 2005

Up ahead on this page, you show green chili and scrambled eggs. Please talk more about the chilies.

redfox · February 1, 2005

That sopapilla and salad are making me hungry, and I already ate! They look like they'd be really good together (though I know that's not how you ate them).

misstenacity · February 1, 2005

Up ahead on this page, you show green chili and scrambled eggs. Please talk more about the chilies.
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The chiles are one of the shortcuts I use - they come pre-chopped and frozen in 4oz bags and sold 10 bags to a package at Costco. :raz: They look like chiles you might get out of a can, but these actually are pretty hot, so that's why I continue to buy them.

When its roasting time (fall), I will buy roasted green chiles in ziploc bags at the farmers market or in local grocery stores and then freeze them. Usually they are partly peeled and have their top attached at that point so a little work needs to be done yet before they can be used in recipes.

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

misstenacity · February 1, 2005

Dinner tonight - I was still feeling like light food, so I made a generic Asian soup.

First, I got some water boiling and then added a little bit of beef stock (concentrate) and a star anise. At the same time I was grilling some sliced eggplant, thinking I would add it to the soup later.

Instead I ended up taking the charred eggplant with 2 jalepenos, a glug of pomegranite syrup, a glug of walnut vinegar, and a handful of walnuts.... and making a chunky paste in the food processor. What did I make? I have no freakin' clue, but it looked like this:

I guess its sort of a Morrocan or middle eastern variety of tapenade. It was *very* spicy, and I decided to spoon some into the soup after it was served.

To the soup I added some dried mushrooms, and then some frozen chopped broccoli. Once those were mostly done I spooned them out into a bowl:

and then to the beefy broth I poured in a beaten egg, then poured this over the veggies and topped it with a spoon of the 'Morrocanade'. :biggrin:

Dinner is served! (Oh, dessert is not pictured but was basically a few dried figs nibbled at while watching 24.)

Andrea

http://tenacity.net