American-esque

Let me begin by stating the past few cooking attempts after the biscotti have been nearly disastrous. Somehow, they scrounged by without being horrid, but even I didn't want the leftovers. I made a miso soup with udon noodles and it turned out bitter, sour, salty and sweet. It wasn't bad... but it wasn't good either. Following for dessert was my recently famous eggnog. Only, we were both a little chilled (sickly so) so I opted to try heating it up to just barely above body temperature.

Well, you can guess where that went. Neatly into the trash. Again, it wasn't bad, but it turned into a custardy pudding. Not the creamy, hot, rich drink I had in my mind. Blehk. Then (probably just to me) the nutmeg on top tasted peppery. Peppery! I double checked to be sure it was nutmeg... it was.

So, what's so American-esque, you ask? Why, tonight's dinner, of course! Boyo had some baked potatoes in the oven already and we had some sweet corn that needed to be used.

Forgive me, but let me be the first to say that I am a bit slow when it comes to the obvious in life. I scoured my mind thinking how on earth I was going to tie in baked potatoes, corn on the cob and something with protein (boyo's suggestion) in together.

Tofu + tempura + baked potato? Nah.

Tofu + Bok Choy + stir fry + baked potato? Nope.

Tofu + fried rice + pineapples + baked potato? Ick!

Then it finally hit me. BBQ...

Only, I don't have any BBQ sauce and I have no catsup or tomato sauce/paste/base. Not even fresh ones!

What I did have was a delicious Peach Salsa I'm addicted to. So guess what I made?

Peach-a-que Sauce! How did I make it you ask? Well, let me show you. Forgive my measurements, I tend to do everything by eye and not by cup. =P So these are my guestimates.

Peach-a-que Tofu:
Sauce:
2/3 cup Smoky Peach Salsa (mine was from Fresh and Easy)
1/8 cup Apple Cider Vinager
1/2 cup Brown Sugar (don't pack it! )
2 dashes of Oregano
2 tsp. White Pepper (you can use black, too)
1/2 tsp Cumin (less is better than more!)
2 dashes Paprika
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 cup Water
1/2 shot Espresso

Tofu: slice 1/2 inch thick and normal width "planks"

** Bring all of the ingredients of the sauce to a boil over medium heat and allow to condense down and thicken stirring occasionally. Once it's about 1/3 condensed, throw in tofu and cover. Reduce heat to a medium-low. Give the pot a good shake every few minutes to keep the tofu coated and to prevent burning.

For the baked potatoes, I mixed 2 green onions cut into pieces with what I had left of sour cream with an equal portion of greek yogurt. I left the corn whole, blanched in hot water. No butter.

Once finished, I set our floor spots and had boyo crack open a Brewski (right?) and viola! Il est américain!

Quite tasty for a slow brain's work. =] I hope you enjoy, lovelies. <3