Avoidance Cooking

Sunday was a busy day in the kitchen. I found several things to use up and put together in order to avoid what I really needed to get done: my business class homework which required me to deal with cash flow projections. Oh yeah, procrastination was essential.

The list of delectables is as follows:

• fresh salsa made from tomatoes from Jacky's garden, onions and green bell peppers (so I didn't have jalepenos, but bell peppers served nicely in a pinch)
• fresh guacamole made from the last remaining avocados mixed with the fresh salsa from above
• roasted root vegetables: onions, potatoes, yams, and garlic mixed with garlic pepper/salt and Tony Chechero's Creole Seasoning for a spicy touch.
• I fixed up a green salad for later in the evening in which I topped it with the leftover ground turkey taco meat to make taco salad.
• I baked up some homemade tortilla chips using some of the corn tortillas leftover from the turkey tacos.
• I made up a little fruit salad using Gopher Glen apples, black grapes, walnuts, coconut and Trader Joe's French Village plain cream line yogurt. Yummy!
• Cocoa rice crispy treats, too,

During all this madness I had two more business ideas pop into my head. Of course they both had something to do with food and cooking.

My dream is to spend time in a local taqueria to watch and learn how true California Mexican food is created so I can have a closer understanding to the flavors. Also it has something to do with one of my business ideas which I won't reveal because it's too exciting to give away to just anybody.

Lunch at Higuera St Cafe

Today's office lunch took place at Higuera St. Cafe, just behind the new SLO County government building. While the menu is fairly limited, it's choices are well-described and concocted.

Out of the seven of us having lunch, only two ordered the same thing: fish tacos. From what I could tell, they came with a blue and a white corn tortilla and French fries.

The special fo the day was fish 'n chips. The plate was overflowing with the battered fish and a non-tartar sauce to go with them.

Next was a grilled vegie panini that looked very delicious. It took a long time for the cooks to make this for some reason, but the result was really nice.

I had the croissant club which while tasty, was overpriced considering it didn't come with anything else. The $7.25 price tag should also include either fries or a salad to improve its value. Also, I found a piece of plastic inside the sandwich. Who knows what else was inside?

Someone got the Chicken Misto Wrap that looked and tasted delicious, according to the eater.

Finally, a half tuna sandwich and side salad were well prepared and filling.

Besides the lunch menu, there is also a breakfast and coffee menu. There were also some pumpkin scones that looked like they'd be worth trying. Prices for lunches range from $4 - 8.

Overall, depending on your taste, you'll be pleased by the offerings here.

Score
Value for meal: ar
Location: aa
Quality/Taste: aa
Service: ar
Atmosphere: ar

Scoring Key
aa = worth going again
a = visit occasionally
ar = hit and miss, one visit a year is plenty
r = try it for yourself
rr = avoid it completely

Fudgy Almond Butter Cookies (no bake)

I found the recipe in the local coupon clipper that comes with the weekend paper. I ended up substituting a few of the ingredients just because that's what I had on hand. The greatest surprise was that this recipe required no baking whatsoever.

Main ingredients:
10 packets of Hot Cocoa mix (I used 3 regular and 7 Caramel Creme)
2/3 cup hot water
1/2 corn syrup
18 oz peanut butter (I used Marantha almond butter)
2 cups powdered sugar
4 cups crushed vanilla wafers (I used Trader Joe's regular & ginger cat cookies for people)
A lot of chocolate kisses (I used peanut butter kisses)

Combine hot cocoa mix and hot water. Beat in corn syrup and peanut butter. Stir in powdered sugar. Carefully stir in the crushed cookies.

Roll teaspoonfuls of fudgy mixture in powdered sugar, then press with thumb in middle to make room for the kiss.

Keep refrigerated. Ok if left out, but they get a little soft.

Enjoy!