Some Assembly Required

Continuing with a sandwich theme this week, I thought I'd share my most recent bagel shop re-creation: The Mexican Bagel. There's been a variation of this "recipe" at almost every lunch spot with bagels I've ever been to. So, I figured making it at home would be easy and less expensive. Especially now that our house sale/purchase is actually moving forward!

YAY!

Anyway, I posted a poorly lit photo of this sandwich last night on Instagram. I had all the right ingredients to make it again today for lunch.

THE MEXICAN BAGEL

What you'll need . . .

• Your favorite type of bagel
• Your favorite type of cream cheese
• Your favorite sliced cheese (cheddar, Jack, Colby-Jack, etc.)
• Your favorite salsa
• Avocado
• Your Favorite hot sauce

Method . . .

1. Slice the bagel and toast until lightly brown. 
2. Spread a layer of cream cheese on both halves.
3. Top with your sliced cheese and then broil until melted.
4. Scoop on a couple spoonfuls of salsa. Then top with avocado slices.
5. Dash liberally with the hot sauce + enjoy!

*     *     *     *     *

Tonight's plans include going to our mortgage bank and signing some papers. Then we're taking Ada to the park + both going to try to fit in a brief run.  (I'll share more of my marathon training plans next week.) Then we're making these sandwiches for dinner and drinking some trail mix beer from Saranac. I think we'll also indulge in renting the movie Her because I've been dying to see it.

Do you have any fun weekend plans? I'd love to fit in a yard sale one of these weeks!

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Homemade Tortillas = Fantastic Quesadillas

We were craving Mexican food last night, but we didn't have any tortillas in our casa. Well, we did, actually. But they were those tortillas from Wegmans with all the fish oil in them -- YUCK! (Not about the fish, necessarily -- but fish oil in bread gives me the creeps.) Admittedly, I thought making our own from scratch would be difficult. Time consuming.

Oh, how I was wrong.


Making from-scratch tortillas at home is so freaking easy, I don't know why I didn't do it before now. The process takes 15 minutes. The end-product is fresh and legitimate. Best yet -- it's absolutely perfect for burritos, quesadillas (recipe below), or chimichangas (check out Jessica's recipe).

It's Friday. You don't want to read paragraph after paragraph of my witty remarks. You want recipes. Maybe a little food porn. Am I right? And you want it fast. So, that's just what I'm going to give you! Try this recipe for dinner this weekend!


FROM-SCRATCH TORTILLAS (makes 4 large ones)

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup unbleached bread flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup warm water (plus a couple tablespoons, if necessary)

Method . . .

1. Mix together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
2. Cut in the vegetable shortening with a knife (I just used my hands) until the mixture is somewhat crumbly.
3. Add in the warm water 1/4 cup at a time. Slowly. You don't want to add too much. However, if your mixture is too dry, keep adding slowly. Your dough should be moist, but not sticky.
4. Divide into four equal balls and let sit -- covered by plastic wrap -- for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. On a floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll your dough into flat rounds (that resemble tortillas -- yup!).
6. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Spray lightly with canola oil and then cook each tortilla until it is lightly browned on each side.
7. Set aside (even keep warm in two plates, like in the photo below). Then follow the steps below.

MAKE IT A QUESADILLA!

What you'll need . . .

• 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes, drained and diced
• 1 can low-sodium corn, drained
• 1 small to medium zuchinni, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can vegetarian refried beans (or we just mashed up some white beans and added hot sauce for flavor)
• Cheese of your choice (Pepper-Jack works well)

Method . . .

1. In a medium sauce pan, heat up a bit of oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add zuchinni and cook until softened. Then add the corn and tomatoes. Cook for five or so minutes, until warmed and softened.
2. Spread a quarter of your refried beans/bean mixture on half of a tortilla. Top with the veggies and then cheese.
3. Fold over and grill in a panini press or in a pan on your stove-top. We have a specific pan that I won on Foodbuzz well over a year ago (below -- don't make fun of my hair!). It was the first time I used it -- but it worked great!

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