If you’re like most people (myself included), you don’t make a lot of fried foods at home. Not only can it be a less-than-healthy food, with all the calories and fat, but it’s time-consuming and messy. That’s too bad because when it’s done well, fried food can be a tasty treat.

The other night, the hubs decided he wanted home-cooked french fries. Not the frozen ones you bake in the oven, but the made-from-scratch kind you deep-fry. So he bought some potatoes and oil and got to fryin’. This was the result:

They were the best fries I’ve ever had in my LIFE, and all it took was some corn oil and fresh potatoes. Just heat up a large saucepan half-full of oil until it starts to bubble, then add the sliced potatoes a few at a time. Make sure the potatoes are patted dry, as any moisture will make the oil spatter. Cook until the potatoes are golden brown, sprinkle with salt, and serve.

Tasty!

Arepas (pronouced “Ah-reh-pahs”, with a lightly rolled r) are a primarily Colombian and Venezuelan dish made from corn flour, salt, water, and butter. Don’t let the short ingredient list fool you, though; there are few things as good as an arepa hot off the griddle, dripping with warm butter… In fact, the only thing keeping me from jumping up and making them myself is that I just made a batch this morning! Here’s how you do it:

Ingredients:

• 2½ cups arepa corn flour*
• 1 tsp salt
• 2¾ cups hot water
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• Vegetable oil

Other equipment:

• Plastic wrap
• Large skillet (cast iron is ideal, but a regular stainless steel pan will do fine)
• Plate
• Cooling rack

*Note: “arepa corn flour” can be found in the Hispanic section of your local supermarket, or in any Mexican or Latin grocery store or bodega. Make note that there are several kinds of corn flour/meal available; very briefly, you want:

YES: masa precodica, masa repa, masa instante, harina precocida (look for the words harina de maiz refinada precocida, or “refined, precooked corn flour” on the label)

NO: masa instantanea, masa harina, or corn meal (these are primarily used for making tortillas)

Combine the salt and flour and mix well. Add the hot water and, immediately, the melted butter (the longer you wait to add the butter, the harder it will be to mix in, as the dough forms pretty quickly). Mix well with a wooden spoon; you’ll notice the mixture will go from a swampy mess to a dough very quickly; do NOT be fooled by the way it looks when it starts. After stirring for a few seconds, you’ll notice the dough begin to form. Don’t worry if it doesn’t stick together the way a wheat flour dough will; it will be more the consistency of playdough, and that’s ok.

When the dough is thoroughly mixed, cover with platic wrap and let rest 15 minutes. Here’s my dough resting:

After the 15 minutes are up, uncover the dough and save the plastic wrap. Make sure your hands are clean, and take about a large tablespoon’s scoop-worth of dough out of the bowl (you want it to be enough to form balls the size of golf balls). Place it in the palm of your non-dominant hand; use the other hand to form it into a ball. Create a patty by flattening it while simultaneously pressing the thumb of the hand on top against the edge of the patty facing you, to help smooth the edge and fix any cracks. Continue turning the patty, flattening it and pressing your thumb against the edge to smooth, until it’s about 1/4″ thick and has no cracks on the edge. Be careful with the patty, as it is relatively delicate and will easily crumble if you poke it or bang it against something. Place it in the plate and cover with the plastic wrap you removed from the dough. Here’s how my uncooked arepas looked sitting in the plate:

Continue creating patties until you have about five; at this point, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the skillet until a drop of water sizzles in the pan; add arepas to the pan, being sure you have enough room to flip them. Here’s how my arepas looked as they were cooking:

Cook the arepas for about 5 minutes on each side, until they begin to reach a golden-brown color. You do NOT want to overcook them, as they’ll get dry and tough; cook only until they just begin to turn golden. This will take about 5 minutes each side. When arepas are done, place them on the cooling rack and add more arepas to the pan. Continue making patties (keeping them covered with the plastic wrap while they wait to be cooked) and cooking them until you’ve finished the dough.

That’s it! here’s a picture of my arepas finished and cooling (note the light golden-brown color):

I highly recommend getting some butter out of the fridge after flipping the first batch for the first time, so you can spread some on a couple as soon as they’re ready and eat them while they’re warm. Enjoy!

As the weather starts to warm up, we at Simple Meal Plan start lightening up our meals. While it’s still a little too early for fresh tomatoes and corn (unless you want to pay $5 a pound for them at your supermarket), we can still take advantage of early spring’s bounty with a fresh salad. This dish combines the heartiness of rice with the freshness of asparagus – one of the tastiest of the early spring vegetables.

Spring Rice Salad

• 1 lemon
• 1 cup long-grain rice
• 1/2 lb asparagus
• 3 celery sticks
• 1/2 lb smoked salmon
• salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:

• 3 Tbsp tarragon vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon-style mustard
• 3/4 cup safflower oil

Fill a large saucepan half-full of water; squeeze half the lemon into the water and add the squeezed lemon half to the water. Add the rice to the water and simmer until the rice is just tender.

To make the vinaigrette, combine the vinegar, salt, and pepper into a small bowl, and whisk in the mustard. Add the oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly, until the vinaigrette emilsifies. Set it aside.

Drain the rice, discard the lemon half, and rinse with cold water to remove the starch. Drain again thoroughly. Transfer the rice to a large bowl. Squeeze the juice from the remaining lemon half into a small bowl and discard the rind; reserve the juice.

Snap off the woody ends from the asparagus and peel off the tough outer skin with a vegetable peeler. Boil a large saucepan of water, then add the asparagus in a steamer basket. Steam until asparagus is just tender when pricked with the tip of a knife. Drain and rinse under cold water. Rinse again. Trim off 2″ of the asparagus tips and reserve. Chop stems into 1/2″ pieces.

Cut the celery crosswise into 3″ long pieces, then cut each piece lengthwise into 2-3 strips. Stack pieces and cut across to make a small dice. Slice the salmon crosswise into 1/2″ strips. Whisk the vinaigrette again to re-emulsify it; pour it over the rice. Add the celery, salmon, asparagus and reserved lemon juice to the rice, tossing well to combine. Cover and chill in the refrigerate at least an hour. To serve, allow to come to room temperature and garnish with the asparagus tips.

A few days ago, my sister-in-law bought us a pork roast as part of a two-for-one deal (I love free food!), and yesterday we cooked it with some olive oil and rosemary. It was mm mm good, but even with my sister-in-law and her husband helping us, we couldn’t finish it off. So, pulled pork! I used the crockpot, and added the following sauce to it:

(via www.barbecue-smoker-recipes.com)

I made a slight change; instead of cooking the onions in the butter, i sliced them and dumped them in the crockpot with the rest of the ingredients because they’re getting cooked inthe crockpot anyway. I also substituted some whole frozen hot peppers I had for the seeded and chopped chiles. That way, it lends heat to the sauce but I can remove them when it’s time to serve. According to the source, this is a sweet sauce.

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 red chiles seeded and chopped, or 2 whole chiles (remove before serving)
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard (the stuff you put on hot dogs, not the powdered spice)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Juice of a lemon(about 3 Tbsp)
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Method:

Slice onions; dump them and the rest of the ingredients into the crockpot. Add your pork and cook on high 5 hours (if the meat is raw) or on low or “keep warm” a couple of hours (if the meat is already cooked). You’ll know it’s done when the meat falls apart when you separate it with a fork. Enjoy!

Following on the heels of National Tortilla Day is National Chili Day! We’re celebrating by giving you a simple recipe for beef chili (bean-free, so go ahead and eat it with your friends). Enjoy!

Beef chili

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 lb ground veal
• 1 lb ground beef (or you can substitute 2 lbs ground beef for all the meats)
• 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato puree
• 1 can jalapenos, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 bottle dark beer (such as stout)
• 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 Tbsp chili powder, plus more to taste if desired
• Salt to taste

Directions:

Heat vegetable oil in large heavy pot (such as dutch oven) until it shimmers. Add onions and jalapenos; cook until onions are translucent. Add cumin and 2 Tbsp chili powder; cook 2 more minutes or until spices begin to release their aromas. Remove from heat; empty pot into bowl, scraping up any browned bits. Add meat to same pot and cook, stirring often and breaking up chunks, until meat is browned through. Add to the pot the browned onions and peppers with spices and remaining ingredients (do not add more chili powder yet); cook 20-30 more minutes. Add salt and chile powder to taste. Serve warm.

You’re probably thinking to yourself, what the heck…?

I know, I’m a day early.

<crickets chirping>

Oh alright, I admit it’s not a well-known holiday. It’s probably not even a “real” holiday. But seriously, when it comes to tortillas, who the hell cares?

In honor of National Tortilla Day, I’m posting a link to a recipe for homemade tortilla chips. That’s right, you heard me; HOMEMADE TORTILLA CHIPS.

The awesomeness just might last all month.

My son might be having a painful procedure done today (he slammed his thumb in a door, and they might have to release the pressure under the nail. Don’t ask how), so it made me think of kids’ comfort food. And nothing says that better (in our house, anyway) than homemade chocolate chip cookies. Here’s the classic Toll House recipe, though it can be made with any brand chocolate chips:

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Nestle Toll House Semi Sweet Chocolate Morsels (substitute any brand if necessary)
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

REHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Yep, the Big Day is coming up in just 4 days. If you’re looking for a slightly different take on the traditional chocolate dessert, this just might fit the bill. Enjoy!

(recipe via Cooking.com)

White Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 6 egg yolks
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 1/3 cups self-rising flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 5 1/2 ounces white chocolate, melted

For the filling and topping:

• 9 1/2 ounces white chocolate, melted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch springform pans and line bases with parchment or waxed (greaseproof) paper.

Combine the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the milk, and the vanilla in a bowl.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Add the softened butter with the remaining 3/4 cup milk and add to dry ingredients. Beat on low speed to combine, 3-4 minutes. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating well after each addition. Add the melted white chocolate and beat to combine, about 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into the prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the filling and topping:

Spread one-third of the warm melted white chocolate over 1 cake layer using a large metal spatula.

Place the second cake layer on top and cover the assembled cake with the remaining melted white chocolate.

This soup is great for cold February days. And it’s so versatile, you can adapt it to a variety of palates. The more you prepare it, the more ways you’ll find to tweak it to your own taste.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups dried black beans* or 2 cans black beans
• 1 14-oz can whole tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• sour cream for garish

Heat vegetable oil in a large heavy pot. Add onion; cook until it becomes translucent. Add garlic and cook 2-3 more minutes until garlic turns light golden (don’t let garlic brown). Add tomatoes; cook 10 minutes. Add cilantro, beans, and worcestershire sauce; if using dried beans that have been soaked overnight, cook about 1 1/2 to 3 hours or until beans are tender. If using canned beans, cook only 10-15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste; serve warm with sour cream garnish. Enjoy!

* If you decide to use dried beans, you’ll need to soak them overnight before using.