Phantom and a Pumpkin

photos I snapped on Halloween

Game Hens

As the kids get older I have noticed that they are eating a lot more. A year ago DD would eat one chicken leg and DS would eat maybe a bit of a chicken leg (he has never been a big meat eater). In the last few months one roasted chicken would disappear and they would be asking for more.

One day while shopping I notice the Game hens and realized it had been years since I had made then and I also thought the kids would get a kick out of having their own little chicken. The kids did get a kick out of it and they loved the slight gaminess of the bird.

Herd Roasted Game Hens
4 game hens
a few bunches each of fresh time and rosemary
several cloves garlic
onion
lime or lemon
salt
pepper
olive oil

rinse the hens and pat dry
preheat over to about 400 - 425F
season the inside of the birds with salt and pepper
stuff inside the bird little bits of everything else
put more of your onion and herbs in a roasting dish
place the hens on the herbs
season the outside of the hens with salt pepper and a little olive oil

roast for about 45 minutes or until done

give each little person a little chicken.

Note: it did get a little messy

Mystery Fruit #3

Star fruit

Okay so there really isn't much mystery in this one, i is starfruit and I am sure most people have seen this one in the stores. However, it is one of my favorite, it is juicy with a hint of acid like an orange plus a slight pear flavor. it is just good!

Mystery Fruit #2

Pitaya or Dragon Fruit
This Dragon fruit had a tropical flavor kind of like papaya or melon with the typical musky undertone of most tropical fruits. I just cut the fruit in half and tried a few bites with a spoon. I did not care for it but once I did a little reading it appears that it is often made as a sorbet with straberries and I can see it being very good that way.

Mystery Fruit # 1

Cherimoya

About once a month something will pop up in the produce section of my local grocery store that I do not recognise or I have never tried before. I have been calling them mystery fruits and this one is one of the first that I tried. To tell the truth I find most of these mystery fruits to have a musty or musky taste kind of like musk melon or papaya which I am not a fan of. This fruit was not any different, it was sweet with a texture almost like the inside of a pumpkin with a slightly acidic musk like undertone.

It's Getting Chili

I have never been good at making chili and to tell the truth unless it is just "right" I don't really like chili. The other day I was watching some videos on a site like health.com or cookinglight.com for some lite meal inspiration and one of the videos was chili and it sounded good. I figured if they can make a light chili sound good I had to try it. It turned out great! Of course I did my own version but still yum yum. The only issue I now have with it is I can't find good old American chili powder here in Mexico. My mother is mailing me some but I don't expect to see it until Halloween.
2 thick slices nice smoky bacon, cut into cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
10 ounces lean beef
5 ounces ground chicken (this is what I can find at teh stores here)
minced garlic, 2 cloves
1 bottle beer
15 oz can stewed tomatoes with juice, break the tomatoes up with a spoon (or your by squeezing with your hand)
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon smoked chipotle powder
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
pepper
can black beans drained and rinsed (or what ever bean you like)


Brown bacon in a deep pot, once brown add in the onions and cover and let cook over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. add into the pot the garlic and ground meat and let it brown. Once the meat is brown add in the beer and cook until it evaporates and the meat is really cooked down, about 10 minutes. add in the rest of the ingredients except the beans, cover and cook for about 30 minutes. add the beans and cook for another 5 minutes.

Server with Cornbread