Mexi Night

We had some friends over for dinner this weekend. This summer I was verbally dreaming about margaritas in front of them, so they bought me some tequila...months ago, and we finally broke the bottle open last night. And with my first sip I was once again magically transported to a sunny and warm, relaxing playa...ahhh.

Besides margaritas, I wanted to make a pork verde. And although I've been able to eventually find lots of *odd* ingredients here, tomatillos have still alluded me. So I settled on a red braised pork recipe instead. It turned out nice and tender, and I really liked the flavors - the best one being a hint of clove.

Ingredients: beef broth, one can diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, oregano, bay leaves, cumin, chipotle, and cloves. I slowly braised the pork and other ingredients in the oven. And then I shaved the pork, mixed it back in with the sauce and reheated on the stovetop.


The whole menu was - shrimp & avocado ceviche served with lettuce salad, tortilla chips, and beer for starters. Dinner consisted of yellow rice, beans, braised pork, shaved & slightly marinated cabbage, and tomato salsa served with margaritas.

For dessert I made Butterscotch bars. I got the recipe from another MNsotan here in DK. Her and I seem to often like each others dishes; must be that we have similar Midwestern taste buds. The brown sugar here is also very dark, and moist, it smells just like molasses - and I think that it works well for these bars.


Butterscotch Bars

1/2 C butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 C flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
powdered sugar

In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the vanilla and eggs, mixing well. Lightly spoon the flour into measuring cup, level off. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture until well combined. Spread in a baking paper lined pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Bake at 350 (175 C) for 20-25 minutes. (If making the bigger size pan, it takes a little longer).

So that Pete could have this treat too, I wanted to make them eggless. On my first google I found that I could try blending (in a blender) 1 tbl ground flax seed with 3 tbl water. I did the blending, and then went and creamed my butter and sugar. When I went to add the flax mix, it was gelatinous and coagulated, just like eggs would have been. I think we'll try this method the next time we (well, Rich actually) make cake.