Finish the Sentence Friday: When I was younger I wanted ...

When I was younger, I wanted to be a famous race car driver.
Hmmm, no, that's not right.  

When I was younger, I wanted to be a pitcher, but I got into some trouble with a loan shark...no, that wasn't it either ...








When I was younger, I wanted to run off and join Ringling Bros.  (That might actually have been true for a while.) 

When I was younger, I wanted to be a fisherman.  Heck, I don't even eat fish, so that's not it ...

Actually, when I was younger, I really wanted to be either an archaeologist, a veterinarian, a child psychologist/social worker, or a private detective (I was a big Nancy Drew fan, then Agatha Christie, etc.).  I never ended up being any of those things.

There was no way I would ever cut it as an archaeologist considering I can't stand dirt!  It's a texture thing.  My skin is super sensitive, so I can handle mud, but not dry dirt.  Just like on the beach - I can't stand to walk in the sand, unless it's the wet sand along the water's edge.  I'm kinda like the princess and the pea - I have a hard time just holding a peach because of the fuzz, and don't even get me started about when a single strand of hair slides down the back of my shirt!

It would have been tough being a vet since I'm allergic to many cats and other fuzzy creatures.  Besides, if any crossed my path in poor condition, I'd want to steal them and take them home to care for them - much like with kids if I was a child psychologist/social work.  That would not have ended well!

Hmmm, I wonder why I never pursued being a detective.   Maybe seeing one too many episodes of The Rockford Files and Jim getting beat up all the time.  ;)

The Cardinals cap was really just a C for Chris.  If I was a baseball fan, it would have to be the Red Sox.  I actually did used to play softball for a while - can't remember which ended that for me - someone stealing my lefty mit or taking a softball to the throat.  Maybe it was the combination that took the shine off that sport LOL.

Although I was often known to be caught clowning around, that was really just trying out face makeup for Halloween.

As for fishing, with one sister and four cousins, I think this was the only solo mission I went on with my Dad to go fishing as a kid.  It was just us and the crazy dog (really was crazy) who ran down the pier straight into the water and had to be saved by Dad.

As it turned out, most of my time in high school was spent doing theatre, either in school or local productions.  I really didn't have a specific focus, so my parents were afraid I would attempt to be an actress and decided since I typed a bazillion words per minute, they shuffled me off to Katherine Gribbs Secretarial School.  That was pretty much like living in a convent for two years  - all girls, very strict, etc.   Hey, now that I think about it, I didn't become a detective, but my first job out of college was for a criminal law firm, so I was working on cases.  Some very interesting ones at that.  Even a few famous ones, but that's for another time.  So, how about you?  Did you have any grand plans back in the day??  Did any of them pan out???

Feel free to share in the comments below, on Facebook or Twitter using hashtag #FTSF, or if you're a blogger, link up with one of the host blogs:

Janine ~ http://www.janinehuldie.com

Kate ~ http://www.canigetanotherbottleofwhine.com

Dawn ~ http://dansdisaster.blogspot.com

Stephanie ~ http://www.stephaniesprenger.com

Next week's sentence will be:  "I blog because ... "

Taco "Shells" Two Ways

Are you a pasta lover?  If so, have you ever had it fried?  Fried ravioli have become more and more common over the years, but before I first encountered those, I was presented a platter of deep fried farfalle pasta with spinach and artichoke dip.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  It was love at first bite!  Every once in a while, I'll fry up a batch with some marinara or spinach dip. It's everything you already love about pasta, but slightly crispy and chewy and mmmmmmm drool.  Where was I???

This is not a new concept either, but I have been wanting to make a version of Taco Stuffed Shells for a while now.  I have seen others that use crumbled corn chips on top as a garnish, which made me think of using cornmeal or corn chips for dredging and frying.  I thought the cornmeal might be too coarse, so I went with the corn chips.  

As much fun as I had playing, and as good as it was, I probably won't bother taking the extra time to fry these in the future.  If I want fried pasta, I'll take the quick route and stick with the farfalle.  It mainly comes down to size here.  If you want to use a medium shell, that would work better but be more work.  You don't want to pick up and bite into a large shell, but when cutting them, because of the sturdy "shell" around the filling, I found the filling trying to escape.  The frying itself worked fine - I was worried that I might burn the house down or something, having never fried anything not completely closed, like an eggroll or ravioli.

I only fried three of the shells to see how it worked.  I baked off another eight, but I would say there was enough filling for 20 - I froze the rest of the filling for another time - maybe to stuff baked potatoes, or scoop up with corn chips.

INGREDIENTS :

20-25 jumbo pasta shells (boil a few extras in case of breaks)

1 lb ground beef

1 lg onion, chopped

1.25 oz packet taco seasoning

   (I used the Ortega 40% less sodium)

2.25 oz can sliced black olives, drained

3 oz can nacho style sliced jalapeños, drained

1/2 c Mexican blend shredded cheese

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced - divided

1 can refried beans  (I prefer vegetarian)

Taco sauce

Egg(s), Corn Chips (I used Tostitos), and oil (I used canola) if frying

Optional - scallions, sour cream, cilantro, olives, etc. for garnish

• Cook the pasta shells in salted water to al dente, then drain and set aside (If you are working slowly, you might want to separate them or toss them with a bit of oil so they don't stick together while you prep your filling)
• Sauté the ground beef and onion until the beef is browned (If you are using beef with a high fat content, you might want to drain off the grease before proceeding)
• Add the taco seasoning and water as indicated on the package
• Stir in the cheese until fully melted, then add the olives and jalapenos
• Remove from heat and stir in one of the diced tomatoes

If frying:

• In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg(s)
• Crush enough corn chips to serve as your dredging flour (Amount will vary depending on brand, size, etc.  I pulsed them in a food processor, but you could crush them with a rolling pin, etc. if necessary) and place in a second small bowl
• Spread the inside of each shell with approximately 1t of the refried beans, then fill with the beef mixture and set aside
• Dip each filled shell in egg, then in the crushed corn chips
• Deep fry the shells until lightly golden
• Transfer to paper towels to absorb any excess oil, then plate and garnish as desired

If baking:

• Preheat oven to 350°
• Line a casserole dish with some of the taco sauce, to prevent sticking
• Spread the inside of each shell with approximately 1t of the refried beans, then fill with the beef mixture
• As you fill the shells, transfer them to the lined baking dish
• Drizzle the top of each with additional taco sauce and sprinkle with cheese
• Bake until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese has melted
• Plate and garnish as desired

  

 

Cinnamon-Honey Peanut Butter Corn Flake Treats

Not that long ago, I posted a recipe for Copper Pennies, mentioning that I had acquired the recipe while visiting with a friend's family when I was living in New Orleans.  Ironically, I just recently got an e-mail from her sister, who apparently stumbled onto my blog through one of her Google+ circles.  She reminded me that I had made Peanut Butter Corn Flake Treats with them and mentioned that she has been making them ever since.  I try to resist making them because I'm likely to mow through the entire batch in short order, but I figured it has been long enough and had planned to make them today.  In another twist, just last night, someone Facebook messaged me asking for the recipe for Copper Pennies.  And we've come full circle.  :)

It was my college roommate and her Mom who made the mistake of introducing me to these.  I have noticed them popping up here and there on various blogs, and that a lot of people turn them into a drop-cookie rather than a bar.  Some mold them into bars and ice them with a chocolate ganache or icing like with brownies.  I usually keep it simple or will sometimes melt a little chocolate and drizzle it over the top.  

I decided to play around a bit today - first by using Lite Corn Syrup rather than regular Light v. Dark.  I had inadvertently picked up the Lite at some point and it ruined the texture of whatever I was making, so it has been in time out in the pantry ever since.  I was thinking this might be one application that wouldn't suffer from the texture difference.  I also decided that since honey and peanut butter go so nicely together, I would swap out half of the corn syrup for honey.  Peanut butter and honey made me think of cinnamon, so I threw in a bit of that too for a change.

INGREDIENTS :
1 c sugar
1/2 c Lite Karo Syrup (or regular Light Karo)
1/2 c honey
18 oz jar Jif Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter
2 t cinnamon
6 c Kellogg's Corn Flakes 
Cooking Spray

Over medium-low heat, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, and honey, bringing up to a slow boil to dissolve the sugar and thicken the syrup.

Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and cinnamon until smooth.

Pour the cereal into a large bowl and pour the peanut butter mixture over the top, folding in to incorporate.

Press into a lightly sprayed casserole dish or other sided pan - or, like mentioned above, you can spoon them into drop cookies.  I would suggest doing that on waxed paper or parchment.  I use the end of my spoon or spatula to lightly press it into a pan.  Let set for 20" or so to stiffen up ... if you can resist for that long!