Puerto Rico! (compliments of Becca)

Guest Chef: Becca Hill. She hails from a long line of crazy... Her tales of "Babba" (Puerto Rican grandma) are legendary around here. If only Babba knew how much we have enjoyed her from a distance. But tonight, we get to share in the joy of some of the fun Becca had growing up, and certainly of the flavors and spices of this culinary goldmine.

Menu: Arroz con Gandules y Chorizo y Mariscos

Tostones con Salsa de Babba

Mango

I was a little late in arriving, but Becca had everyone whipped into shape, washing and chopping. Oh, did I mention she's a second-grade teacher? I got busy with my camera while the girls did all the real work. We decided we needed some appropriate music...

With all the spices, gas burners and Ricky Martin...it was gettin' hot in here!

There were must haves: everything Goya, Sazon, the tostones smasher (I'm sure there's a better word for it in Spanish), some dip, and chips. Plus many, many other ingredients.

There was the odd (in the British sense of the word) boy at the party who

wanted to cook rather than just eat.

Tostones are the awesome Caribbean version of French fries. Very green plantains peeled and chopped into large chunks and deep fried (not once, but twice!) and sprinkled with some seasoned salt. Stacey was able to overcome her fear of frying. She's a pro now. Surely they are better for you than French fries, right? And Becca had this nifty smasher. I've always used the bottom of a glass...gotta get me one of those smashers. I've made these before, but I always sprinkle just plain salt at the end. Becca uses Adobo seasoning. Extra yummy. And to top it all off is the Salsa de Babba, which is a secret mixture of tomatoes, some Adobo, and...not sure what else! But it's great for dipping the tostones.

Again, another lovely evening to enjoy great food and fellowship outdoors. This meal was a little more complicated than we are used to, so it was a little later eating. Thanks Becca, for sharing your rich heritage with us. And you are such a great teacher!

(And Babba...we dedicate this meal to you. You will be remembered for the joy and sunshine you have spread to generations of young cooks! The only thing missing was you! Next time!)

Pizza Wars

"Let there be chaos," was uttered in my kitchen on a Friday night recently, because the epic battle between my husband and me over how to make the best pizza crust was about to begin. The girls have been talking about this for months, and since all four of our kids were home for the weekend, AND it was Kid #1's 25th birthday, we decided it was a great night for the battle!

Once a week, we Mettys put aside our OCD tendencies, and make pizza. It totally destroys the kitchen with all the many bowls of toppings, the dough, the flour, the sauce, the cheese everywhere…and it’s impossible to have an orderly meal together, since we can only make one at a time.

A rousing disagreement (in the spirit of friendly competition) ensued between my wonderful husband, Kirk and me over exactly how to make the best crust. He insists (based on ONE article he read in a cooking magazine) that the dough must rise for 24 hours in the frig. I stand by the reason that it’s dry-frying the dough that makes the difference between a great crust and a mediocre one. But I agreed to mix up his dough and get it rising in the refrigerator for him, because he was in NY 24 hours prior to the bake-off. I was tempted to sabotage the dough (and accused of it later), but I resisted, and did it the right way. We started on an even playing field.

Subconsciously, Kirk may have felt emasculated by all this domestic competition because he did wear a pink shirt. (Just noticed that.) But he kept us all summarily entertained with his obsessive behavior about his dough. He tried to look all professional by tossing it into the air with his fists and sliding it deftly onto the baking stone.

The kids all helped with the chopping: I keep a supply of plastic bowls on hand and fill up to twenty of them with every pizza topping you can think of; well maybe not that many, but I do take orders. Strangest request? Ummm, that would have to be BBQ sauce, or maybe walnuts.

But alas, my creations were everyone's preference (notice who is writing this blog), although I will concede that enthusiasm waned as most of us were full by the time his pizzas were done anyway.

So maybe in the end, letting the dough take its time rising in the refrigerator is a good idea, but dry-frying before adding toppings and baking is key.

Other pizza tips:

Thin.

500 degree oven.

Not too many toppings; each bite should be a little different.

Fresh mozzarella. Oh my goodness.

And...Happy Birthday Abby! We enjoy some Oreo Truffles and an ice-cream cake roll, or at least the suggestion of one. How did my grandmother do it?

Southern

Now, "Southern" cooking could mean a lot of things (especially since my most recent post was all about making South African curry...now I guess that's really Southern) including a good ole' pig pickin', something fried, or just some black-eyed peas to celebrate the New Year.

But one of the most comforting meals in warm weather to me, is some North Carolina southern grilling. What could be more relaxing than a table set outdoors, with chicken grillin' on the BBQ, while you sit around drinking sweet tea and laughing together? Spring and summer here in the American Southeast conjures up visions of fresh vegetables from the garden, cooking outside whenever possible, and long, lingering meals on the patio. All the better if no mosquitoes are invited.

Menu: BBQ Chicken
Corn on the Cob
Fresh-from-the-garden salad greens
Strawberry Shortcake

This particular cooking night was not well-attended...everyone was pretty busy...but a few gals came, and our hungry friend, David was happy to join in. So we kept things pretty basic. Grilling chicken is not rocket science, neither is boiling corn or making a salad.

But here are a few little pointers for each of these processes:

1. Grilling around here typically involves a lot of grease fires/flare-ups. To avoid this, keep your flame as low as possible, and start the chicken on some foil (or conversely, bake it for a little while and THEN put it on the grill at the very end), and then transfer it to direct heat for the last 10 minutes or so. I use a local favorite sauce from the grocery store: "Bone Suckin' Sauce." It's delicious.

2. I grew up wrestling butter over my cylindrical corn still on the cob. I decided a long time ago, I wouldn't put my family through all that trauma at the dinner table. So after I drain the corn, I put a great big blob of REAL butter and some salt in the pot with the hot corn, put the lid back on, and let it melt. Then I give it a big stir to make sure all are coated and serve it already prepared. Of course, the little corn-shaped pokey things are at the table as well, so you can manage the corn without getting all buttery.

3. Salad: doesn't need a lot of dressing. A little splash of balsamic vinegar and olive oil just on the greens, does the trick. Then add in the other goodies.

4. Strawberry Shortcake: I'm all about some shortcuts, and Bisquick is one of my favorites. They have a delightful recipe for shortcake on the box. You can modify and dress up the presentation, and everyone will think you are Martha S. Strawberries are ready for the picking at local farms, so you really will be Martha if you throw in that you "picked them this morning!"

So, sans mosquitoes, we enjoyed another lovely meal together on a warm spring night.