It’s Labor Day, which pretty much marks the end of summer. School has start, pumpkin spice lattes are back, and the weather is a bit cooler (for now). To mark the end of summer, I’ve got a recipe for an Old Bay shrimp boil. I think it’s a pretty great end of summer transition meal. It’s perfect for dumping out on a table during a barbecue on a hot summer day. However, it’s also lovely bubbling on your stove and served in a bowl to warm you up on a slightly crisp fall day. 

I’m from Maryland, so it’s no surprise that I love seafood and Old Bay seasoning. I put Old Bay on everything, but on seafood it’s the best. Steamed crabs with Old Bay is my favorite thing to have in the summer. Absolute favorite. But, it’s a bit more of a to-do than a shrimp boil. Enter this shrimp boil. This recipe combines my love for seafood and Old Bay plus it’s crazy easy to make with less fuss and expensive.

And I’ll be honest, sometimes seafood can be pretty expensive. I am crazy for peel and eat shrimp (I ate a pound of it by myself on vacation) but it’s not cheap. This shrimp boil though can go pretty far without breaking the bank because of the addition of corn, potatoes, and sausage. Each bowl-full has a lot going on, so you don’t need a ton of shrimp to satisfy. You get just enough seafood alongside other hearty yummy foods.

My biggest endorsement for this recipe is that it is so simple to make. All you do is chuck everything into a pot at various intervals and just let it happily simmer away. It’s low maintenance for a party or even for weeknight dinner. Best part? You don’t even have to use dishes if you don’t want to. Cover your table in newspaper, drain the pot and bring it to the table, dump it all out, and dig in. Could not be easier!

I do have one important recommendation. It’s vital. Use the biggest pot that you have when making this recipe. I used a 5 1/2 quart Dutch Oven and it was barely big enough. Everything was bubbling right up to the edge of pot. I was lucky and it didn’t overflow. So learn from me and use the biggest pot available!

Adapted from OldBay.com.

Messy level: If you use a large enough pot, the cooking should not be messy. The messiest part is the eating. This is a meal best eaten with your bare hands, so be sure to have a lot of paper towels handy.

Old Bay Shrimp Boil

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy, adapted from Old Bay

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 8 cups/ 2 quarts water
• 12 ounces/ 355 ml beer
• ¼ cup/ 85 gramsOld Bay Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4 medium red potatoes quartered
• 1 large onions cut into large chunks
• ½ pound smoked sausage cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4-6 ears fresh corn shucked and cut into 3" pieces
• 2 pounds unpeeled jumbo shrimp

Instructions

1. In a very large pot, bring water, beer, Old Bay, and salt to a boil.
2. Stir in the potatoes and onions to the pot and cook for 8 minutes.
3. Add the sausage, stir and cook for 5 more minutes.
4. Next add the corn and cook for 8 more minutes.
5. Add the shrimp. Stir in so it is mixed all the way through. Cook for 4 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat. Drain cooking liquid. Serve directly from the pot into bowls. Alternatively, cover your table in newspaper and dumb the contents of the pot and eat the food directly using your hands.
7. Season with more Old Bay if needed.

3.5.3208

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Did you know that you can buy chicken in a can? I just learned this! In the packaging, it looks just the same as tuna in a can. I grew up with tuna in a can so it doesn’t seem weird to me. And, I’m not sure why it’s different, but canned chicken somehow feels… unsettling. However, home cooks I trust have told me it’s perfectly good.

But the reason I even learned about canned chicken though, is because I became obsessed with making buffalo chicken dip. 

I got tunnel vision on buffalo chicken dip a few weeks ago when Ryan and I were on our family vacation to the beach. In fact, I think we all got kind of addicted to it.

Ryan’s sister Tia brought her boyfriend John. And John brought buffalo chicken dip. He brought it in a giant tray with instructions for reheating. At first we thought it was too much dip. That we’d need to have people over and share it with our friends.  Then as the week went on we ate it. We ate it all. We brought it the beach, served it as a pre-dinner snack, and when it was gone we talked about making more.

Needless to say, there was a lot of us shoving our mouths full of dip and exclaiming, “this is so good!” I asked John to text his mom for the recipe, which he did, and she quickly got back to him. I kept calling this “John’s mom’s recipe,” which for some reason gave us the giggles. But I promised when I finally made it I’d give her full credit and not call her “John’s mom.” So here it is: Thank you Melissa! This recipe is delicious.

I did adapt the recipe somewhat. I made it a bit spicier with lots of Buffalo wing sauce and I added way more chicken. And that brings me back to canned chicken. It’s a fast and convenient way to get shredded chicken for the dip. However, I enjoyed making my own shredded chicken because you have more control. You can make thing shreds, fat chunky shreds, whatever you like to suit your taste. I also recommend making your own because I think it has a richer, bolder chicken-y flavor.

So, for the recipe itself I’ll give instructions for how to prepare shredded chicken. If you’re going to use canned then you’ll be able to skip a few steps. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this recipe for your next party, vacation, or whatever. Personally, I loved bringing it to work for lunch. It made me excited to run to go to the refrigerator every day I had it. Ryan and I have already eaten the first batch I made. Now I think I’l need to make more.

Adapted from a recipe shared by Melissa.

Messy level: Shredding your own chicken is messy good fun. You’re going to get your hands dirty pulling apart chicken. When I think about it, it makes me feel like a horrible animal tearing a chicken apart. But it also was a stress relief and so satisfying to see a few chicken breasts turn into a heaping mountain of shredded chicken. However, my friend Kim did say instead of using your hands and a fork you can use a food processor.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Serves: 10 servings

Ingredients

• 1½-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (results in 5-6 cups shredded chicken)
• water or chicken broth, enough to cover the chicken in a large pot.
• 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1½ cups Buffalo Wing Sauce
• 1 cup ranch dressing
• 8 oz/ 226 grams cream cheese, softened

Instructions

1. Put the chicken in a large pot. Cover with water or chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
2. Use tongs to remove chicken from the pot. You can save the water/broth for making a stock if you'd like.
3. Put the chicken on a cutting board and let it sit until cool enough to handle.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
5. Using two forks, or a fork and your hands, pull the chicken apart into shreds. You can make the shreds as thick or thin as you like, but think about what would work best for scooping onto a chip. [Alternatively I'm told you can put the hot chicken into a food processor and pulse it to get a good result]
6. In a large bowl mix together the cheddar, buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, and cream cheese. Try to mix it as well as you can so you don't have giant lumps of cream cheese.
7. Add the shredded chicken to the bowl and stir until well coated.
8. Transfer the mixture to a 9x13" pan.
9. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until bubbling.
10. Let cool just slightly, then serve warm with chips.

3.5.3218

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My favorite thing about December is the hype about Christmas. I love the decorations, the food, the movies, the songs. All of it. But my second favorite thing about December is that it feels perfectly acceptable on cold, gray winter days to have lazy indoor time where I cuddle up in comfy clothes, snuggle under blankets, watch Netflix, and cook hearty slow cooked foods. This recipe for Icelandic rye bread is a perfect food for one of those chilly winter days.  

I had this rye bread a few times while I was in Reykjavik back in October. It is delicious, hearty, and a bit sweet. Not sweet like a pound cake, but sweet like banana bread. What I mean by that is, this rye bread has a sweet flavor but you could have it for breakfast or alongside a savory meal. For example, Ryan and I once has it with beef and barley soup. Now that – soup and bread – might be the epitome of a hearty, warming, stay indoors winter meal.

Traditionally, this bread is cooked using the heat of the ground. If you got back and see my Reykjavik post, you’ll see photos from Fontana Wellness Center where I got to try bread cooked in the ground. I got a rye bread recipe from Fontana, but the problem is that their recipe takes 24 hours to bake and I also don’t have access to a 100°C ground. Maybe by an exhaust grate from the tube? But that’s gross.

This recipe though, is adapted from Ulfar Andresson who is an owner of Icelandic Activities and he led a hiking tour for my friend Anna and me. If you have time, I also suggest going back and reading my post on the Midnight Hike we did with Ulfar. We saw the Northern Lights and it was the hike was best thing we did in Iceland.

While this recipe is made in less time than the one from Fontana Wellness, it still requires a commitment at 6.5 hours total cook time. This is why it’s perfect for a lazy winter day in. Start baking it in the morning, queue up a TV show you want to see on Netflix, and settle in for the day. Friends might ask you to go out, but you will have a perfect excuse to stay in. You’ll say, “Oh I’d love to, but I have a loaf of bread in the oven and I have stay nearby.” And they’ll be a little proud of your domestic prowess and baking ability.

And believe me, this loaf is worth it. As time passes your place will start to smell like delicious freshly baked bread. Then, in the late afternoon you’ll have warm, moist, and tasty rye bread. This also make a ton of dough so as it bakes the dough will rise a bit and you’ll get the crusted hood you see on sandwich loaves. Ryan liked the crusty top whereas I was more of a baby and cut it off. And my final tip is that this is really good paired with butter, mild cheese, or peanut butter. But honestly, do what you like. It’s yummy anyway you have it.

Adapted from a recipe emailed to me by Ulfar Andresson from Iceland Activities. Note: Golden syrup isn’t so popular in the US. Although I can usually find Lyle’s golden syrup in the baking aisle. Use corn syrup if you can’t find it.

Messy level: The dough is very sticky so pouring it into the loaf pan can be a bit messy. Otherwise, everything is mixed in one bowl so it’s actually pretty neat overall.

Icelandic Rye Bread

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

6 hours 30 mins

Total time

6 hours 40 mins

 

This recipe can easily be doubled to make 2 loaves.

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 3 cups/ 310 grams rye flour
• 1.5 cups/ 180 grams whole wheat flour
• 2¼ teaspoons baking soda
• ¾ cup/250 grams golden syrup (you can use corn syrup if you can't find golden syrup)
• 3 cups and 2 tablespoons/ 750 ml buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 210°F/100°C.
2. Use butter to lightly grease a standard loaf pan (9x5" or 23x13 cm)
3. In a large bowl stir together the rye flour, whole wheat flour, and baking soda.
4. Now stir in the golden syrup, buttermilk, and honey. Mix gently until everything is just combined.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth it down to make sure the pan is evenly filled. [Note: If you pour in all the batter it will come close to the top of the pan and you will end up with a hood like crust. If you don't want that crust then fill the loaf pan until it's about ¾ full then discard any unused dough.]
6. Bake in the oven for 6 hours and 30 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven. Let cool just slightly so you can safely remove it from the pan. Serve warm or cool.

3.5.3226

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For whatever reason, I’m generally somewhat intimidated by cooking fish. It seems so easy to over cook it or under season it. And it’s just not something I eat a lot when I’m out, so I’m not sure how I like to have it when I’m at home. But this recipe – this wonderful recipe – is so darn easy. It’s so easy and quick, you can make it for dinner after you get home from work. In fact, this recipe is so easy it’s one of the first recipes I ever learned.

I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: my first cookbook was a few handwritten recipes my mom wrote down in the back of a spiral notebook. She made this my sophomore year of college, and it was my cooking bible until I was 25. The recipe I made the most was for “plain-ass chicken,” which I’ve turned into a beginner chicken dinner recipe. The second recipe, was for baked salmon in foil. 

I used to make this recipe using a package of frozen salmon fillets that I’d defrost, season, then bake for too long until I was absolutely sure it was all cooked through (and therefore also pretty dry). Today, I use fresh salmon fillets but frozen will still do the trick too.

To make this chicken, you’ll need three of the seasonings I’ve outlined in the Kitchen Essentials post. Specifically, salt, pepper and garlic powder. In addition to those, you’ll need olive oil (or butter will work too), aluminum foil, and a baking sheet. If you don’t have a baking sheet, that’s ok. Just rip off a long piece of aluminum foil and use it to cover the rack in your oven. You’re doing this, or using the baking sheet, so that juices don’t drip onto the oven and burn and smell and make smoke. I know I didn’t include olive oil, aluminum foil, and a baking sheet in my top 10 kitchen essentials list, but if I made a top 15 list those items would be in it. Overall not too expensive and they are versatile items you’ll use often in your cooking.

Anyway, the best part of this recipe is that it is so easy – all you have to do is trust yourself. Put the fish fillets on a sheet of aluminum foil, season generously – you really don’t need to measure, fold the foil into a packet, bake until the fish is cooked through and flaky (see picture above). The length of cooking is all about the thickness of the fish. Isn’t not so serious the size of the fillets. Buy what looks like a good portion for your appetite and you’ll be fine.

Once you feel like you’ve mastered the basics, there are tons of options for variations. Try using dill or paprika in addition to salt and pepper. Or marinate the fillets in soy sauce or teriyaki sauce. Basically, use the same method but change the flavors to make it your own. See, I told you it was easy? Now there’s no reason to be intimidated by making fish because we can nail this recipe.

Messy level: You can cook this without dirtying any pots, pans or utensils. HOW COOL IS THAT? Just put the fillets directly onto the aluminium foil, season, close it up, cook. Job done – no mess.

Easy Baked Salmon

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Ingredients

• 1 salmon fillet per person (size isn't so important)
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• olive oil
• lemon (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C.
2. Rip off two pieces of aluminium foil. When you put your salmon fillet in the middle, you want that aluminium foil to have about 3 inches of space on either side.
3. Put the fillet in the middle of the aluminium foil. Lightly drizzle the salmon with olive oil. If you want it all perfectly even, use a spoon, brush, or your finger to make sure the salmon is evenly spread.
4. Generously sprinkle the salmon fillets with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Don't shake the seasonings out aggressively, but you can put a visible layer of each on your fish.
5. Close up the aluminium foil so that you have a nice little fish packet.
6. Put the packets on a baking sheet and put in the oven.
7. Bake for 13-20 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. It is cooked through when the fish is flaky. The length of cooking time is based on the thickness of the fish. Think about 6-8 minutes per ½ inch of thickness.
8. Remove from the oven, take out of the foil, and serve. Serve alongside a wedge of lemon if you like.

3.2.2925

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Since returning back to London from the holidays in Colorado and Connecticut, I’ve been on a bit of a healthy eating kick. I would say I’ve been doing a good job – in part because when my groceries were delivered, the guy said, “you ordered a lot of vegetables.” So if he’s impressed with the amount of veg I’ve been eating, I must be eating a lot. But even so, I just can’t resist desserts because they are my favorite thing to eat and make.

While I was in the US my DVR recorded all of season 4 of the Great British Bake Off. That means when I got home, I indulged in watching so many beautiful cakes, pies, cookies, being made. The show always inspires me to get in the kitchen and bake. One of the things I like best about Bake Off is the segment they do on historical and traditional British baked goods. I was particularly won over by the bit they did on Tottenham Cake. 

This cake was invented by Quakers who lived in Tottenham, in north London. One of the dorkiest things I might ever say, is that I’m in to Quakers. Growing up I went to a Friends School (a Quaker school) for 11 years. I’m not a Quaker, I’m not even religious, but the experience has stuck with me. As a kid, sitting in silence during Meeting (the Quaker religious ceremony) was really challenging, but as a teenager stressed about friends, boys, and college it was nice to have a place for quiet reflection. Quakers also value simplicity and equality. I find that simplicity has stuck with me somewhat when it comes to my wardrobe. In school the dress code meant to reflect simplicity, and didn’t allow us to wear a number of things, but what I remember most is that we couldn’t wear shirts with pictures on the front or crazy patterns. To this day, the majority of my shirts are solid colored. I have a Star Wars shirts and a few Washington Nationals shirts, but beyond that I always shop for solids.

Anyway, I have a soft spot for Quakerism. In some ways, Tottenham cake reflects Quaker values of simplicity and equality. The cake requires just five ingredients to make and the icing needs only two. It’s a really straightforward recipe with ingredients that everyone has. Also, it is meant to show equality. As a tray bake it is easy to cut up lots of pieces so everyone can have one. Originally, the bakers sold this cake for 1 penny and off-cuts for half that. The cake would have been available to pretty much anyone.

The pink icing is what makes Tottenham cake. Originally the pink was made from mulberries that were picked just outside the bakery. I’m not sure I’ve ever even seen a mulberry, or mulberry juice, so today people use pink food coloring or black currant juice. I found black currant juice easily here in the UK, but in the US I’m not sure that would be so easy. I bet you could use any similar dark red colored juice if you want that hint of berry flavor.

If you’re like me and thinking of breaking your health kick, then this cake might be right for you. It’s easy to make and will give your sugar fix. Then, it’s perfect to take around to friends or coworkers so you don’t eat it all yourself.

Adapted, just slightly, from Bake With Me Blog.

Messy level: Two spoons. I think most cakes are three spoon recipes at least because you ordinarily need two bowls and there’s so much flour that gets everywhere! For this, you’ll need two bowls, one for the cake and one of the icing, and your baking tray. Easy! Also the icing isn’t too messy because you’re only doing the top of the cake.

Tottenham Cake

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Author: Bake With Me Blog

Serves: 12

Ingredients

Cake

• 6 oz/150g/12 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter
• 6 oz/150g/ ¾ cup caster sugar (in the US just use granulated)
• 6 oz/150g/ 1½ cups self-rising flour
• 3 eggs
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing

• 5oz/125g/1 heaping cup confectioners sugar
• 30 ml/ 5 teaspoons, water/black currant juice
• pink food coloring (only needed if you use water instead of juice)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350º/180ºC.
2. Line an 8"x8" square tin with parchment paper, then grease that with a bit of butter.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high, cream together the butter and sugar until it becomes a light and fluffy. This takes about 2 minutes, but you may need to clear your beaters intermittently to make sure everything gets mixed.
4. Add the vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Mix until combined.
5. Turn your mixer to low or medium-low and beat in the eggs, one at a time.
6. Once the eggs are mixed, turn the mixer to low and add in the flour all at once. Mix until just combined. It's ok if you have a few lumps!
7. Pour the batter into your prepared tin. Bake in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes. The cake is done with you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
8. Let the cake cool.
9. While the cake is cooling prepare the icing. In a medium bowl, add the confectioners sugar. One teaspoon at a time add the blackcurrant juice or water and just a bit of food coloring. Mix in between each teaspoon. Keep adding liquid until your icing looks like proper frosting and is thick enough to spread but not so thick it would rip up the cake when you spread it on. (Note: you may not need all the liquid or you may need more, just mix until it feels right to you. If it gets to drippy, then add more sugar)
10. Let the icing sit for a minute it will harden and get shiny.
11. Cut the cake into squares and serve.

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1. Improve my decorating skills for baked goods (see my gingerbread meltdown and you’ll know why)
2. Create more recipes that are all my own
3. Redo my Puerto Rican arepas recipe.

Today we’re going to focus on number 2 and 3. If you’re not familiar with arepas you might wonder why that makes my resolution list. Well, I’ll tell you. Arepas are fried dough and you can eat them with rice, beans, chicken, and all kinds of good foods. They are absolutely delicious! For both 2013 and 2014, my Puerto Rican arepas post has been my most popular post. I don’t promote this post, I don’t even have great pictures, but when people Google for Puerto Rican areaps recipes they end up with me. I think it’s because Venezuelan arepas are most well known and there are so few clear recipes for Puerto Rican arepas. For example, I watched a YouTube video that was an older women just throwing ingredients into a large bucket and mixing it all together. It’s all in Spanish, but midway through she says she thinks it got botched. Not helpful. It looked authentic, but it wouldn’t have been easy to copy.

Anyway, my first attempt was in May 2013, and I was trying to emulate my grandmother’s recipe. That attempt tasted right, but didn’t look right. So, I tried again with a second arepa recipe in September 2013. This recipe looked right, but tasted too much like regular bread. So it’s been on my mind to try it again, but wasn’t much of a priority. But, the perfect moment to try again was this week while I was in Connecticut visiting my parents. I asked my dad to help me so we could try to recreate his mom’s recipe.

And we freaking did it ya’ll! Specifically, we ticked all our sense memory boxes – which is really the most important element. The arepas were golden in color, they smelled perfect, they were flaky when pulled apart, and they had big air bubbles perfect for filling with beans and rice. This is the ultimate arepas recipe. Is it really my grandmother’s recipe? I have no idea because I never saw her make them. And our memories were hazy. Did she knead the dough until smooth? Maybe, but I couldn’t get my dough there. Did she roll the dough into disks? No clue .When she let the dough sit, did it rise? We had no idea. So, it’s not my grandmother’s recipe, it’s mine, but with the flavors she taught us. And anyway, it made us feel the way hers did, and that’s probably most important.

A successful arepas recipe was cause for celebration. When I fried the first one and opened it, my parents went “WOW!” I’m serious, it was loud and genuine and awesome. So, to do it up right, my mom made rice, beans, and a roast chicken. We had a huge Puerto Rican feast. We stuffed the arepas, I stuffed my belly, and then I immediately fell asleep in front of the TV. I’ll say I’m starting the New Year off right.

Messy level: If you use a large bowl, this is not very messy at all. You need a very big bowl to make sure you can properly mix everything without having flour go flying. The real warning you’ll need is not about mess, but about muscle power. Your arms will be tired after all the kneading!

The Ultimate Puerto Rican Arepas

 

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Prep time

3 hours

Cook time

2 mins

Total time

3 hours 2 mins

 

Recipe for Puerto Rican arepas. This make a large quantity, but half or a quarter of a recipe can be made effectively. Any uncooked arepas can be stored in the fridge or freezer. Simply bring them back to room temperature before frying.

Serves: 4 dozen

Ingredients

• 8 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 heaping tablespoon salt
• 10 oz lard, cut into cubes
• 2½ cups room temperature water
• vegetable oil

Instructions

1. In a very large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Do this with your hands or a spoon.
2. Add the lard to the flour mixture. Use your fingers to break the lard up into little pieces. Massage the lard into the flour mixture until the lard is pea sized and the whole thing looks like sand.
3. A few tablespoons at a time, add the water too the flour mixture. In between each addition knead the water into the flour. You might not need all of the water! [This stage takes a long time and can be tiresome on your hands and arms. You can do it! I'm sure you can use a mixer with a dough hook, but I haven't tried it. And I think hammering it out by hand helps better channel abuela anyway. ]
4. As you use up the water, the flour will turn from sticky pieces to a dough. Knead the dough until it comes together in one large piece. If you don't know how to knead watch this tutorial. The dough is ready when it feels a little springy and you can roll it together into a ball. It won't be perfectly smooth or very stretchy and elastic.
5. Cover the dough with a warm damp towel and let sit for 1-2 hours.
6. When you're ready to cook, tear off balls the size of two golf balls.
7. Flour your work surface, then roll out the balls until you have discs about ¼ inch thick. Any balls you don't want to use can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for a few days. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and put in the freezer if you need to store them for longer.
8. Heat about ½ inch of vegetable oil in a skillet on high heat. Test if the oil is ready by taking a tiny ball of dough (size of a tic tac) and put it in the oil. If it sinks, then rises, and is surrounded by bubbles then your oil is ready.
9. Gently slide 1-3 arepas into your skillet. You don't want to over crowd! If you over crowd the oil will cool down and won't cook your arepas properly.
10. Cook on one side for about 30-45 seconds. It should sink, then rise to the top of the oil, then air bubbles should start to form. When you can see browning on the edges, flip the arepa over. Cook on the second side for about 30-45 seconds. Keep flipping until you have the desired golden color.
11. Keep working in batches of 1-3 arepas until you have cooked your desired amount.
12. Serve plain or with rice, beans, chicken, eggs or whatever you'd like to stuff inside.

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