Author: lynley

lynley http://imwiththebandlfarris.wordpress.com i bake cookies for bands i make art i play the accordion i hunt graffiti i knit i dj i cook i am process driven i love whiskey i had a spiritual moment at graceland the past is our present its the whole karmic enchilada

the villa

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two words all springfieldians now by heart…..mexican villa.  what is mexican villa its a local mexican chain in springfield.  i grew up a few blocks from the original that opened in 1956.  its not authentic mexican and its not tex-mex.  its like Springfield’s own version of what maybe tex-mex is.  its hard to explain

all i now is that its one of those places that you just got to go when you head back home.  hell even home boy brad pitt is often spotted at mexican villa when he heads back to town.  and when tipper gore was campaigning for al in 2000 where did springfieldians send her but to the villa.

what are they known for?  the burrito enchilada style.  an enormous burrito that is prepared like an enchilada in the villas distinct sauce.  i’ve never been able to finish one and i’m sure if you eat enough of them it would difently kill you.  my favorite story about the burrito enchilada style came from the gray family that i grew up with.  steve was going through medical stuff and was in the hospital, when suzie asked if she could bring him anything he requested a burrito enchilada style.  suzie lovingly patted him saying “honey that is why we are here.”

on my last trip home we headed to the villa.  and when you go to the villa there is only one to visit the original on national ave.

the villa

 

 

i still remember the first villa experience i ever had at the age of 4.  it was at this very villa.  the whole family, much like this summer, was in town and we had walked there to get lunch.  mom ordered me tacos.  when i saw white cheese and tomatoes on the tacos i declared that they weren’t tacos, because they didn’t look like taco bells and i refused to eat them.  funny later on this became my favorite thing on the menu.

villa tacos

being my first villa experience isn’t the only reason this villa is special.  this villa is trapped in a time warp from the 50s.  each both has its own working jukebox they sell candy out of an old converted cigarette machine which i am certain if it wasn’t illegal they’d still have the smokes in it.  and of course it is the home of the fiesta room which we dined in that night.

chuck berry to justin timberlake is what's on the juke

fiesta room

i would totally make a dinning room look like this

our meal included enchiladas, tacos, guac, the mexican villa salsa that is so hot it makes your nose run, trish and stan ventured and got the burrito enchilada style and sweet sauce.  what is sweet sauce? its probably just liquid sweetener with some tomato sauce added to it.  simple, great, and i know i’d only be disappointed if i tried to recreate it.

burrito enchilada style

dad with his meal

family fun at walmart

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after some beers and margaritas the fam headed to yet again another walmart run in boonville.  to add a bit of excitement to the trip we created a game.  reach as far down into the $5 dvd bin and see what you can find.  what’s that old saying if you can’t make your own fun its just entertainment.  yeah i’d say the farrises have mastered that concept.

sunday night dinner, july 24, 2001—seafood-apricot risotto

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on a trip to san francisco last year, my father became a die-hard risotto fan.  it has now become a staple in sunday night dinners at my parents house.  on a recent trip back home dad kicked it up a notch with the risotto creating a seafood-apricot risotto.  the key to making risotto is not letting it burn, constant stirring and surveillance of the pasta’s progress.

dad stirring his risotto

scallops and shrimp were the combination of seafood for this risotto along with onions, peppers and of course some delicious apricots.

risotto yumminess

both my parents cook and both have very different styles especially when it comes to dishing up the food.  mom is much more of a serve yourself/buffet style cook.  dad on the other hand loves to plate his meals.  we often have to supervise this so he doesn’t put too much food on our plates but he is not done with the meal till he has put every last morsel on your plate.

the master chef

along with the risotto there was watermelon, layered pea salad and bread.  mom not being a fan of scallops had dad portion out her’s into my risotto. thanks mom you know how i love them so!

mom digging in

the final product

 

the aviary–cafe and creperie

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mom always has a to-do list of places to go , people to see, and food to eat, for me when i arrive home.  top on the list was the aviary, a creperie in downtown springfield.  it once was a boutique and now is a super cute cafe that has a french, victorian greenhouse feel.  i sent mom to the bathroom just to check it out.  her conclusion “it just makes you want to use christmas lights and twigs for all your decorating”

tha aviary

the menu has savory crepes, sweet crepes, salads, soup, daily specials and dinner specials.  they also are open for brunch starting at 8am.  we got there around 11:30 and there was already a 30 minute wait.  so my advice call ahead to have your name on the list or pop in, put your name in and then wander into the shops near by, like we did.  mom already as some stocking stuffers purchased now.

once we got seated mom decided on their BLT special which was in panini form.  i went with coq au vin crepes.  julia child in her book “my life in france” goes on endlessly about the horrible ways in which people are ruining the recipe of coq au vin.  this of course has made me want to try it ever since but the only recipe i have for it involves a crock pot and i pretty certain that recipe wouldn’t be julia child approved.

coq au vin crepes

the meal was like chicken stew wrapped into sweet, hot custom made crepes.  i opted for the side salad that had balsamic vinegar dressing and apples in it.  the thing though that i liked the most, purely for its aesthetics was that when you ordered water you got you own chilled glass bottle to refill your glass with. trés magnifique!

its the little details that count

meatless monday: sun-dried tomato alfredo

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i totally failed this monday at being meatless 😦  but it wasn’t really a conscious decision.  mondays i open the cafe at work.  which means i have to start moving around at 4:3oam so i aim ready and coherent when i show up at work at 6am.  at 5am after downing my breakfast of leftover pancakes and bacon i looked at my empty plate, slammed my hands down on the table in frustration and declared aloud “ITS MEATLESS MONDAY! DAMN IT!”  the rest of the day, though meatless, felt like a tainted failure.

the difference between making ordinary food and making spectacular food is thinking a little outside of the box.  pre-made items are easy, and sometimes really delicious on their own but why keep it as its original self.  this was my thought when conceiving my dinner for meatless monday.  looking in my pantry i had a jar of paul newman’s alfredo and a jar of sun-dried tomatoes.  viola one yummy thing turned into extra yummy.  i toyed with the idea of also adding curry powder to the sauce, curried, sun-dried tomato alfredo. it could be a total hit but for now i played it safe.

and i give thanks to paul newman for this yumminess

 

sunday night dinner: july 17, 2011–southwest chicken cheesy skillet

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the very first recipe i have saved in my book or clipped out food ideas, is southwest chicken cheesy skillet. i saved this recipe probably over 6 years ago and haven’t made it in about 4.  but i thought it was worth another go since it was the first recipe in my book, i mean i must have saved it for a reason.

my first saved recipe

 

the most important decision i have before starting to cook is what apron to wear.  i collect vintage aprons. what makes an apron worthy enough for me to buy……1.  it has to be under $10 2. it has to be vintage and not a reproduction 3. color and design (i’m a sucker for ric-rac)  i will admit most the time i coordinate them with my outfits.

my navy floral apron

nothing is more american in a recipe than velveeta cheese. the question i always catch myself asking when cutting it up is…..what is cheese food?  the recipe didn’t call for it but i also added in red beans.  i’m trying to learn to work with dried beans because they are cheaper but that also means i got to soak them. preplanning for something like that is not my strong suit.  the first time i did this i followed the directions 2 cups of water for 1 cup of beans soaked 24 hours.  the beans were still crunchy.  so this time i did 2 1/2 cups of water and soaked the beans for almost 3 days.  the beans were still crunchy.  what is the trick to this?  i’m not ready to give up. any helpful hints?

can't go wrong with cheese food and rotel

i have also started to catch on with these recipes that only involve a skillet.  there is no way all that food can fit into a normal size skillet.  it always goes to the top and when you start adding and stirring everything in, in various stages, food always starts over-flowing on the sides.  from here on out these recipes are going into a deep saucepan.  the whole meal ended up being a hodge-podge of sorts with the southwest cheesy skillet, homemade coleslaw, a biscuit with honey and a tallgrass ipa.

an attempt at a balanced meal

 

blueberry pancakes with maple-bacon

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now that's breakfast

 

i’m overly critically of anything creative i do, even cooking.  something could always be better, or the next time i know to add this, change that.  i also deeply believe that food always tastes better when someone else makes it, so if i’m the cook it just is lacking a little something.  even when dinner guests tell me what they are eating is the most amazing thing every, i won’t believe them because i’ll know that something in it was canned and not fresh, etc.  but once in a blue moon i’ll even impress myself with a meal i have created.  that is how i felt this morning when looking down at my plate for breakfast.

right before i woke up i had been dreaming about cooking pancakes.  in my dream they were chocolate chip pancakes, which i as burning, while public enemy was playing in the background.  needless to say this left me with the hungry desire for pancakes when i got up.  instead of chocolate chips i went with fresh blueberries to add to my batter. (fyi don’t use pancake mix its so lacking, and homemade mix is incredibly easy, flour, sugar, baking powder, oil, egg, and milk viola pancake mix!)

at work i have gotten accustomed to eating pancakes with a side of sausage, that sweet with salty mixture, carbs with protean.  as my griddle was heating up i was just wishing i had sausage to cook when it dawned on my i have bacon.  i’m not much of a bacon fan but now living in the south one of things i have learned how to do, besides making random chit chat with strangers, is cook bacon.  so i embraced my southern surroundings and added maple-bacon to the menu.  this is what i call breakfast!

 

meatless monday—stuffed tomatoes with hummus

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this has been my third meatless monday.  i’m still shocked at the challenge this provides.  for instance at lunch i really wanted a turkey sandwich on a blueberry bagel.  instead i had fresh mozzarella with tomato, lettuce and pesto on a baguette, while watching the tour de france.  now thinking back on this it all seems so perfect for the tour. i don’t think the turkey and blueberry bagel could have captured that european cycling feel.  every time when it comes to dinner nothing sounds good. honestly at home when does a salad sound good.    but so far i have been pleasantly surprised each time.  this week when scavenging through my fridge, i’m working on eating things up that i already have on hand this week, i created a meal that turned out yummy and a tad fancy.

a

stuffed tomatoes with hummus

for meatless monday #3 i created stuffed tomatoes with hummus on a bed of lettuce drizzled with balsamic vinegar.  along with it was what i called “cheesy-olive bread”, essentially bread with chopped up green olives topped with mozzeralla and toasted in the oven, and a cup of fresh blueberries.  after this success i’m kind of getting excited and curious about what i’ll come up with for my next meatless monday.

sunday night dinner: july 10, 2011—spinach lasagna rolls

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growing up lasagna was one of my favorite meals.  i’ll eat any kind hot or cold leftovers.  i was a cook once in an italian restaurant in one day i made 14 large lasagna for catering.  after that making any form of the baked pasta feels like nothing.  lasagna rolls however are a great quick fix when i’m wanting the real deal without all the work or quantity of a lasagna.

lasagna rolls

that night for dinner my friend alaina came over.  we discussed our desire to eat only organic and all natural but how our tiny budgets don’t allow us to.  my up-coming trip back home.  what art projects we are working on, music projects of various friends and then we spent the rest of the night playing with the cats. we are both crazy cat girls.

alaina ready to dig in

 

RECIPE—Spinach Lasagna Rolls

1 box lasagna noodles – cook 1/2 the box

1 small container ricotta cheese

2 cups spinach leaves

1/2 onion chopped

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 jar pasta sauce

 

1.  in a bowl mix together ricotta cheese, onion and spinach.  place 2 tbspns of cheese -spinach mixture on to a cooked lasagna noodle, spread mixture out onto the noodle evenly.  starting at one end of the noodle roll the noodle up.

2.  in a baking dish spread 1/2 the jar of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of the dish.  place lasagna rolls on end in baking dish.  top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  bake at 350 for 30 minutes

 

goes great with cheese-garlic bread