Ben's Day Wednesday

You Say Fajita, Ben Says Puffita

Posted on by Liz

Sometimes Ben is malleable, and can be convinced to go down whatever Ben’s Day Wednesday route suits your fancy. This was not one of those weeks. When I asked him over the weekend what he wanted to make, he answered immediately. Shrimp puffitas (fajitas). “Or maybe the kale orecchiette dish?” I tried. “Nope. Shrimp puffitas.” I knew I was beaten, and though I held my ground on refusing to make homemade tortillas on a Monday, I ultimately surrendered like Cornwallis at Yorktown. We marched forward with a plan of shrimp puffitas. Why would I oppose this plan, you ask? Shrimp puffitas are delicious! The answer is simple. Project creep. Shrimp puffitas are a slippery slope.

Before you know it, you have signed on for cheese, guacamole, sour cream, roasted red peppers and onions, tomato/cilantro/lime pico de gallo, avocado salsa, pickled red onions, lettuce and salsa.
Of course, this doesn’t even include the shrimp…
…or the Spanish rice.

The astute reader will note that we put the same gratuitous toppings on every Mexican dish we make. There is exactly no difference between tacos, burritos, and fajitas at our house because Ben calls for a full battalion of condiments with every meal. Maybe the squeeze of lime we added to the shrimp makes these fajitas? A puffita by any other name…

Should I be offended (or at least disconcerted) that Ben’s meal prep includes arming himself with the yard stick so he can turn off the smoke alarm, should the need arise? We live an an old Victorian house, and the smoke alarms on the ceiling are very high. When they go off, you have to have a long stick, and stand on a chair to make them stop. Once, Phil came home to a kitchen billowing with smoke, and Ben demonstrating how to stop, drop, and roll. Now, that was an alarming situation!
On Saturday, Ben helped me make fruit slush.
The recipe came from a cook book that Phil’s second grade teacher, Mrs. Williams, assembled. Phil decorated a cover, and gave it to his mother. She included it in the cookbooks she made for him when she sent him out into the world (to find a woman who could cook.)
We actually made this fruit slush to serve at our wedding reception! I realize, in looking at the original recipe, that our modern version is pretty different. This week, we didn’t even stay true to that! Here’s our usual mix:

Fruit Slush

1 lb. sliced strawberries

6 bananas, sliced or mashed

1 can apricot nectar

1 jar maraschino cherries, with syrup

1 can frozen orange juice concentrate

1 can crushed pineapple

Ben fries up the bacon for the Spanish rice.

Spanish Rice

½ lb. bacon

1 onion, chopped

½ lb. red pepper, chopped

1 ½ c. uncooked rice

1 t. chili powder

1 t. paprika

½ t. salt (or to taste)

8 oz. tomato sauce

1 ¼ c. water

1 c. shredded cheese

  1. In a nonstick pan that has a lid, fry bacon over medium heat until crispy.  Place bacon on paper towel lined plate. Crumble when cool.  Retain 1-2 T grease in pan, discarding remainder.
  2. Sauté onion and pepper in bacon grease over medium heat until soft (about 5 min.)  Add rice, chili powder, paprika and salt to vegetables and toast 1-2 minutes.
  3. Add tomato sauce and water to rice mixture, stir, bring to boil, cover, turn to low and cook, undisturbed 15 minutes.
  4. Add cheese and bacon crumbles to rice, and replace lid, continuing to steam off of heat 10 min.
How much cheese does a great grater grate if a great grater grates great cheese?
Pickled Red Onions

Slice 1 red onion into thin rings. Place into small sauce pan. Add 1 cup white vinegar, a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar, and water to just barely cover. Bring to a rolling boil, and remove from heat. Move onions to 1 pint canning jar and pour boiling water mixture into jar until full. If necessary, add water to fill jar. Put lid on and refrigerate. These will last in the refrigerator a month or more, and are great on salads and sandwiches, too.
I give you…puffitas!

Ben has been changing the names of things for as long as he has been talking. Sometimes, he genuinely struggles with the word, like substituting puffita for fajita. Sometimes, I think he just figures his version is close enough, like when a fire pit prompts his call for the toasting of harsh-mellows (certainly, the most paradoxical food.) Sometimes his mistakes are aspirational, like when when he insisted on calling his babysitter, Caitlin, “Cakeland.” Sometimes, he’s just being plain old ornery. He once had a babysitter, Ellen, who turned out to be a one-shot-deal. Don’t get me wrong – she was all kinds of sweet! She just had this hang-up about wanting to be called by her actual name. She introduced herself to him as Ellen, but a few minutes later he called her Helen. Ellen sweetly responded with, “Well, actually my name is Ellen.” Ben let it sit a few seconds, and then agreed, “OK, Helen.”

6 thoughts on “You Say Fajita, Ben Says Puffita”

  1. Bob doesn’t like Spanish food. I love it. I am requesting me and Lena come over for that meal. Boldly inviting myself to your house lol lol seriously!!!!

    1. You, Lena, and Bob (we will make him something tame) are welcome any time! We now are all finally vaccinated, so we look forward to hanging out with friends. Come eat!

    1. Thank you, Jim! Have you been out and about yet? We went to the Herdic House a couple weeks ago, and it was glorious! Look forward to seeing you around!

  3. Looks like a great meal!! A tip…when you’re making your rice, brown it a bit just before the onion and pepper and then add your liquids…rice comes out a bit tastier to me…lemme know what ya think if ya try it!!

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