Happy Halloween! Nothing spooky here, except maybe the thought of supermarket prices!

How you doin’? Prices on just about everything are still going sky high. What you could buy for $88 may now cost you $100+, and it doesn’t look like it will get better any time soon. If you think feeding your family economically is challenging, imagine having to feed a crew of ranch hands and cowboys on the ranches in New Mexico (and Texas, too)! This recipe can be made easily using relatively inexpensive ingredients and your trusty Instant Pot.
 
This Instant Pot recipe has been on my mind for months waiting for the weather to chill down a bit. That right moment was this week when the temperature dropped into the 40s here and there was snow on the mountain tops—yes it does snow in Nevada, sometimes.
 
My budget friendly recipe is a cross-culture winner featuring Italian Lasagna and Mexican Enchiladas.  The lasagna noodles substitute for corn tortillas, but you still get all the wonderful flavors from both red and green chiles. This is a comfort food if ever there was one.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  10 minutes
Yield:  6 servings
 
Ingredients 
For the lasagna
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups beef broth
8 ounces lasagna noodles ; broken into 2" pieces
1 can (10-ounce) red enchilada sauce (I prefer Las Palmas brand)
1 can (10-ounce) green chile enchilada sauce (I prefer Las Palmas brand)
1 can (10-ounce) Ro-Tel Dice Tomatoes and Green Chiles (original)
1 cup mozzarella cheese; grated
1 cup Monterey jack or pepper jack cheese; grated
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
 
For the garnish
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh parsley ; minced, for garnish
1 teaspoon chopped green onion slices
2 tablespoon shredded cheese jack cheese
 
Directions

1. Turn an Instant Pot on to the SAUTE setting. When the display says HOT, add in the beef and break it up (no need to add oil).
2. Add in the chili powder, cumin and salt.
3. Brown the beef for 4-5 minutes.
4. Turn OFF Instant Pot.
5. Add in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
6. Lay the lasagna noodles on top, spread out in a single layer. Do not mix or push down the noodles.
7. Add in the red and green enchilada sauces, then add the Ro-Tel on top of the noodles.
8. Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to SEALING. Set the PRESSURE to 7 MINUTES.
9. Hold for 12-MINUTES and then vent. Open and remove the lid.
10. Stir in the cheeses, the ricotta and sour cream. If it is too saucy, let it sit for 5-minutes or so to allow the noodles to absorb liquid.
11. Scoop into bowls and serve.
12. Top each bowl with chopped tomatoes, parsley, green onion and shredded cheese.

ChefSecret:  Please trust me! Don’t stir the noodles until you are ready to add in the cheeses.

Quip of the Day: “At Target there was a Big RED “X” on the floor by the register for me to stand on... I've seen too many Road Runner cartoons to fall for that one.”😊
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Do you have a question or comment?    Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. 

#Entrees #Dinner #InstantPot #Lasagna #NewMexicoLasagna #2022Recipes #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                                         ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022

How you doin’? The first cocktail I ever tasted was a Vermouth-Cassis at La Petite Café in Hollywood, California—it had an interesting unique taste profile. I continued to enjoy a V-C when I went to cooking school in France—of course everything tastes better when you’re eating and drinking in Paris, right?
 
A Vermouth-Cassis is a simple and light drink, perfect for hot summer days or any change of season, especially when you move into fall. The name says it all, as the recipe is a mix of dry vermouth and crème de cassis (crème de cassis is a sweet black currant liqueur). The V-C is best served over ice and topped with club soda—easy to make and delightful to sip. It is a wonderful alternative to stronger drinks—like a whiskey sour—and is just as refreshing as a gin and tonic. It's also an excellent dinner drink that can take you from aperitif through the entire meal, offering a slightly sweetened, sparkling beverage to enjoy throughout the evening.
 
Crème de cassis is of French origin. It is most often used to sweeten other wines or Champagne such as the all-time favorite Kir Cocktail. Crème de cassis is sweet, but also tart, and this liqueur can be beautifully mixed with white wine, gin, or bourbon, but can also be enjoyed on its own over ice as a digestif.
 
On the other hand, vermouth is a fortified wine that can be either sweet (usually produced in Italy) or dry (usually produced in France)… it’s a beautiful addition to anyone’s back bar. Vermouth makes wonderful martinis and negronis, but it can also be enjoyed as a tasty aperitif, on the rocks, or with a splash of soda water. Unlike distilled spirits, fortified wines have a short shelf life of just a few months—an open bottle will begin to go stale and should be replaced several times a year.
 
Don’t let crème de cassis be an afterthought. Look for top-shelf options like those from Giffard, Gabriel Boudier and Lejay, all of which produce authentic French cassis.
 
Prep time:  3 minutes
Yield:  1 cocktail
 
Ingredients 
Ice
2 to 3 ounces dry vermouth, your taste
3/4 ounce crème de cassis
3 ounces club soda, or to taste (tonic works as well)
1 strip of twisted lemon peel

Directions

1. In an iced Collins glass, pour the dry vermouth and crème de cassis over the rocks.
2. Stir well.
3. Fill the glass with club soda and stir again.
4. Garnish with a twisted lemon peel.
5. Serve and enjoy.

Note: Some drinkers prefer to leave the vermouth cassis unstirred. It produces a layered cocktail like the original tequila sunrise which used crème de cassis. This allowed the drinker to stir with a straw themselves—it’s just a matter of taste.

ChefSecret: This drink can easily be customized to suit your personal taste. Pour as much vermouth as you'd like—some recipes use up to 4 ounces—and sweeten it with crème de cassis as you see fit.

Quip of the Day: “Without the freedom of speech in the United States we would never know who the idiots are.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

#Cocktail #HappyHour #VermouthCassis #Vermouth #Cassis #Giffard #GabrielBoudier #Lejay #Cheers #Covid19SurvivalBlog #2022 #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
 
                                                                           ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022

How you doin’? During much happier times (pre-pandemic), I apprenticed in the pastry department at the Sacher Hotel in Vienna, Austria. We made hundreds of portions of Sacher Torts and Strudels of all kinds each day. In fact, Apple Strudel is one of the most popular treats in any traditional Viennese café and is considered the iconic national dish of Austria.
 
Apple Strudel is often mistaken for being of German origin—it isn’t. The oldest known strudel recipe dates back to 1697 and survives today in a handwritten cookbook in the Vienna Town Hall Library. The dessert gained popularity in the 18th century particularly throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but it’s likely that a collaboration of cultures helped in its creation. The paper-thin layers of phyllo dough are particularly reminiscent of flaky Turkish pastries similar to baklava.
 
The making of a traditional Viennese strudel is complex. The chosen filling is spread intermittently between layers of the finest unleavened dough, making for the characteristic swirling pattern of pastry and filling when cut. I’ve made my recipe much easier.
 
With many different varieties, both savory and sweet, arguably the most well-known is that of the Apple variety–Apfelstrudel. It is often served with tea, coffee or even champagne and topped with crème anglaise, vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. It can be served warm or at room temperature.
 
And if all this talk of strudel has made you hungry? I want to offer you a simple and easy recipe that makes it possible to make this dessert at home.
 
This recipe was tested by Will & Judy, and they provided the beautiful photo you see above.

Prep time:  30 minutes
Bake time:  35-40 minutes
Yield:  6-8 servings
 
Ingredients 
1/3 cup raisins
2 tablespoons rum
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups coarsely chopped peeled apples
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons canola oil
8 sheets frozen phyllo dough (14 x 9-inch size) (store bought is okay)
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, optional
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F.
2. Place raisins, rum and extract in a large microwave-safe bowl; microwave, uncovered, on high for 1-1/2 minutes. Let stand to plump for 5 minutes. Drain.
3. Add apples, 1/3 cup sugar, flour and cinnamon; toss to combine.
4. In a small bowl, mix melted butter and oil; remove 2 teaspoons mixture for brushing top.
5. Place one sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface; brush lightly with some of the butter mixture. (keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel to prevent it from drying out while you’re working.)
6. Layer with seven additional phyllo sheets, brushing each layer with some of the butter mixture. Spread apple mixture over phyllo sheets to within 2-inches of one long side.
7. Fold the short edges over filling. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting from the side with a 2-in. border.
8. Transfer to a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush the top with reserved butter mixture; sprinkle with remaining sugar. With a sharp knife, cut diagonal slits in the top of strudel.
9. Bake until golden brown, 35-40 minutes.
10. Cool on a wire rack.
11. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

ChefSecret:  You can make an array of fruit and cheese fillings like fresh peach, apricot, and cherry-cream cheese. You can also make a savory style strudel with ground beef and spices.

Quip of the Day: “I was just wondering; can an atheist get insurance against acts of God?”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. 
​
#Baking #EasyAppleStrudel #Apples #Strudel #Phyllo #Dessert #2022 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                                                           ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022

​How you doin’? Every meal provider’s recipe box needs a simple go-to biscuit. Here’s mine. These are light, buttery and ready in no time. This recipe was given to me by Ethel, the San Jacinto Inn’s head cook. Ethel was a tough old bird… she made me wash dishes for an hour to get the recipe. Later I learned I could have just bought her cookbook. The dishpan hands were worth it though… I got to work with Ethel!
 
The San Jacinto Inn was famous for its seafood and chicken dinners—it wasn’t just a meal, but a dining and working experience. Jack and Bertha Sanders established the restaurant in 1916 near the Lynchburg Ferry on the Houston Ship Channel. Originally a small lunch counter, the menu included fresh seafood caught by the Sanders’ served with freshly baked biscuits and homemade preserves. In 1917, the growing restaurant moved to its location in an old dance hall opposite the present location of the Battleship Texas near the San Jacinto Battleground State Park. Soon the popularity of the San Jacinto Inn grew, and dining there became a tradition and an experience) for many Houstonians, their families and me too when I travel to the area.
 
The dining room featured an all-you-can eat menu, consisting of primarily seafood and chicken. In winter, the menu included celery, shrimp cocktail, oysters on the half shell, fried oysters, fried tenderloin of fish, fried chicken, French fried potatoes, and hot biscuits served with strawberry or black cherry preserves, and dessert. The summer menu mirrored its winter counterpart in many ways but featured iced crab and stuffed crab rather than the oyster dishes. In the 1930s and 1940s, patrons not only enjoyed the hefty meal, but also a dance orchestra. During World War II, this live entertainment gave way to a need for more tables to accommodate the restaurant’s growing clientele. In later years, the restaurant seated nearly seven hundred guests and it boasted serving 85,000 pounds of fish, 55,000 chickens, 200,000 pounds of shrimp, 1,700,000 oysters, 50,000 crabs, and 500,000 hot biscuits in an average year.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  12 to 15 minutes
Yield:  16 biscuits
 
Ingredients
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (see ChefSecret below)
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1-1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) frozen unsalted butter, shredded on a box grater
1 cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing
 
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425⁰F. Pulse the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a food processor.
2. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Add the buttermilk and pulse a couple of times until the dough just comes together but is not fully incorporated. 
3. Turn out on to a floured surface and pat into a thick 8-by-8-inch square. Cut into sixteen 2-inch square biscuits. Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet, brush with buttermilk and bake until golden; 12 to 15 minutes.

ChefSecret: When measuring flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the excess with a knife. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked biscuits.)
Sausage Gravy
 
You can’t have a recipe for biscuits without one for Sausage Gravy from scratch. Just a few simple ingredients are all you’ll need to prepare a delicious breakfast of Sausage Gravy and Biscuits. This quick and easy pan gravy is sure to please all in the family.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  10 minutes
Total Time:  15 minutes
Yield:  4 servings
 
Ingredients
1 pound of country-style bulk-packed pork sausage seasoned blend
2 tablespoons of butter or bacon fat
4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
 
Directions
1.    Place a skillet on the range top over medium heat.
2.    Add the pork sausage, break it up with a spoon or fork and let it brown until fully cooked.
3.    Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked sausage from the skillet. Set aside.
4.    Add butter or bacon fat to the skillet, let it melt.
5.    Add the flour, one tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly to make a roux.
6.    Continue stirring while the mixture cooks for a minute or two, don’t let it burn. It will get thick and clumpy.
7.    Slowly stir in milk, about a half cup at a time, stirring constantly to work it all together with roux.
8.    Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Test it for flavor, as you go.
9.    Add the cooked sausage back into the pan, stir well.
10.Let the gravy and sausage simmer together for a couple of minutes until it reaches the desired consistency.
11.Serve the hot gravy over biscuits, eggs, hash brown potatoes or that very special fried chicken dinner and mashed potatoes.

ChefSecret:  Hold leftovers refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. It’s easy to reheat, just add a little more milk and correct the seasoning to taste.

Quip of the Day: “Recently I had a Zoom appointment with my “shrink.” The doctor told me, don’t worry, life is like a helicopter. That wasn’t comforting… I don’t know how to fly a helicopter either.”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. 

​#Baking #Biscuits #Biscuits-Gravy #SausageGravy #SanJacintoInn #Biscuits&Gravy #2022 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                                                        ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022

How you doin’? Are you looking for a Pumpkin Cocktail that’s very sippable and not too sweet? Try my new favorite fall drink: The Great Pumpkin Old Fashioned!
 
If you’re a bourbon-lover it is a slow-sipper with back notes of vanilla, maple and pumpkin pie spice. It’s barely sweet and bourbon-forward, ideal for enjoying by the fireside for any fall occasion. While it’s bright orange, it tastes just like the Classic Old Fashioned you know and love…only cozier.
 
While the ingredients might make it seem like a sweet drink, this Pumpkin Old Fashioned is anything but! Take a sip and it tastes like bourbon on the front end, but the finish has a distinct nuance of spice.
 
The method for making a Pumpkin Old Fashioned cocktail is different from the typical Old Fashioned. For the classic, you muddle a sugar cube with bitters, then add the bourbon right in the glass. For the pumpkin version, though it might seem unconventional, you’ll have to shake it, baby! That’s because you the pumpkin puree has to be fully integrated into the drink… it helps make a beautiful orange color!
 
After shaking, strain it into an ice-filled glass and garnish with a cinnamon stick or a rosemary branch and orange peel, evoking the colors of a pumpkin.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Yield:  1 drink
 
Ingredients
2 ounces American bourbon whiskey
1 tablespoon canned pumpkin puree
1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 dash Angostura bitters
Ice, for serving (try clear ice!)
 
Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
2. Add a handful ice and shake until cold.
3. Strain the drink into an ice-filled lowball glass.
4. Garnish with rosemary and an orange peel, if desired.

ChefSecret: When making an Old Fashioned, a big ice cube is key. Make a batch of clear Ice for the best results.

Quip of the Day: Think about this, somebody’s psychiatrist knows all about you.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. 

#Cocktail #HappyHour #TheGreatPumpkin #OldFashionedCocktail #Bourbon #Pumpkin #AngosturaBitters #Cheers #Covid19SurvivalBlog #2022 #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                                    ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022