This Week's Menu

Chicken Enchiladas

In my defense, I had little idea of what I was doing 

I used

chicken thighs, which I may have over-roasted;

mixed vegetables, because I need to eat more vegetables;

one bag of Mexican cheese blend, which was definitely not enough; and

one 32 oz can of enchilada sauce, which was also not enough.

Yes, they do taste a little dry. Dry, but still edible.

Cucumber Salad

I've turned to cucumber in an effort to eat more healthy snacks. Now, I don't really like cucumber, except for in a pickled cucumber salad that is common in some cuisines.

This time, instead of going for the full vinegar of the pickled version, I've gone with just enough vinegar to taste. I also add a few shakes of sweet chili sauce for a very small kick.

It's a good snack.

Sweet Potato Chips

What to do with oil leftover from frying plantain? Fry some sweet potatoes! Sweet potatoes are healthy, right? As is canola oil?

I know, you hear chips and you think thin slices. But that seemed like it would take twice as long to fry, so I went with thick cuts instead. Naturally they didn't crisp up like a thin cut would, even after a dusting of kosher salt.

Which doesn't bother me one bit.

Crème Brulee

I over-burnt the sugar. It was still delicious

Despite being short ½ a cup of heavy cream, these turned out well. One of these days I'll add Grand Marnier as Ina Garten suggests.

Egg White Quiche with Bacon and Gruyere

Taking the health out of a healthy option

Now, if you look online, an egg white quiche normally takes something like 10 egg whites. I only had 4¹. So off the bat, this quiche isn't going to be right.

But there's Veggies! And Cheese! And Bacon! And Crust! (Some of those online recipes are crust-less quiches. I'm not here for that.)

So yeah. It tastes just fine.

Bonus – From the menus of roughly the past two weeks (which I recognize may be possible repeats from even earlier):

Watermelon Granita

4 oz mason jars might be my new favorite

Some recipes call for adding a sweetener (sugar/honey/agave syrup); I didn't because watermelon is generally sweet enough and I'm kind of watching my sugar intake.

This time around I used watermelon², a bit of salt, and the zest and juice of one lime. A happy alternative to ice cream, since I'm kind of watching my sugar intake.

Mini Cheesecakes

I like mines browned and I don't mind the cracks

Homemade graham cracker crust + muffin tin + cheesecake = tasty goodness.

1. Because the Crème Brulee recipe I used required only 4 egg yolks.

2. I used a seedless individual/personal size watermelon, which I de-seeded before putting it in the blender. Because there's really no such thing as a truly seedless watermelon.

A Sales Pitch

A sales pitch I've seen here and there declares one should consider the Republican Party because it has historically cared more about civil rights in comparison to the Democratic Party.

The pitch asserts that the Democratic Party instituted Jim Crow laws and has been against civil rights for much of the 20^th century, while the Republican Party abolished slavery, instituted Reconstruction, and challenged the Democratic Party with a pro-civil rights stance at every opportunity.

There is truth in these statements. Nevertheless, in its current form, the pitch doesn't get me interested.

One reason is that the assertions I've seen present no other pro-civil rights examples outside of the abolishment of slavery and the establishment of Reconstruction. The assertions also fail to demonstrate how the legacy these two 100+ year old examples are reflected in the civil rights advocacy of today's Republican Party.

The sales pitch tells instead of shows. And to get me interested, you need to show me.

Show me where the Republican Party demanded justice for the all-black towns that were burned to the ground by white settlers during the Western expansion;

Show me where the Republican Party fought against the whites only charters of new cities and new suburbs (for example, Levittown);

Show me where the Republican Party fought for new transportation routes (subways, buses, etc.) to extend to non-white neighborhoods;

Show me where the Republican Party fought against segregation in public schools, advocating on the behalf of the students in cases like Alvarez vs. the Lemon Grove School District…

Do not mis-take me – I'm not claiming there is no value in considering the Republican Party.

I'm saying that if civil rights advocacy is the foundation of the sales pitch,

is something I should be looking for in today's Republican Party,

Bring forth the receipts.