Author: rchapin

Four Bean Enchiladas

Posted on by rchapin

Ingredients

  • 16 6-inch corn tortillas
  • 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15-ounce can navy or great northern beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 11-ounce can condensed cheddar cheese or nacho cheese soup, or 10 ounces of cheddar cheese
  • 1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce
  • 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 14 cups shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
  • Sliced pitted ripe olives (optional)
  • Chopped green pepper (optional)

Directions

Stack tortillas and wrap tightly in foil. Bake in a 350° oven for 10 minutes or till warm.

For filling, combine beans and cheese soup. Spoon about 1/4 cup filling onto one end of each tortilla. Starting at the end with the filling, roll up each tortilla. Arrange tortillas, seam side down, in 8 individual dishes or two 2-quart rectangular baking dishes.

In a bowl stir together the enchilada sauce and tomato sauce: pour over tortillas. Cover with foil. Bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes. For individual dishes or 30 minutes for baking dishes or till heated through. Remove foil; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 5 minutes more or till cheese melts. If desired, sprinkle with olives and green pepper.

Makes 8 servings.

Spinach and Rice Caserole

Posted on by rchapin

Ingredients

  • 1 small onion, chopped (4 cup)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 1 14-ounce can peeled Italian-style tomatoes, cut up
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano or basil,crushed
  • 8 ounces tofu, drained
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
  • A cup shredded Swiss cheese (2 ounces)
  • A teaspoon salt
  • A teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seed, toasted

Directions

In a large saucepan cook the onion and garlic in hot oil till onion is tender but not brown. Add undrained tomatoes and oregano or basil. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, place tofu in a food processor bowl or blender container. Cover and process or blend till smooth. Add to tomato mixture. Stir in cooked rice, spinach, half of the Swiss cheese, salt, and pepper.
Grease 4 individual casseroles or one 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Spoon mixture into casseroles.

Bake, uncovered, in a 350° oven for 30 to 40 minutes or till heated through. Sprinkle with remaining
cheese and sesame seed.

Makes 4 servings.

[SOLVED] What is the right type of glue for heated motorcycle grips?

Posted on by rchapin

Last winter I finally put a set of heated grips on my street bike. I went with a variable setting model from Koso, which happens to make all sorts of awesome electrical components for motorcycles. They suggested using Krazy glue to adhere them to the clipon and throttle and I did not want to go that way. I read a number of posts that suggested using regular grip glue or hairspray. I tried both and they didn’t work. As soon as the grips came up to temperature they melted the glue and I then had a spinning grip.

I decided to try some J-B Weld Hi-temp RTV and that seems to work like a champ. After cleaning the clipon and throttle with acetone I put a very thin coat on the clipon and throttle and then another super thin layer inside the grip. Then slid the grips on and put them in position and wiped off any excess RTV on both sides of the grip. After letting it sit for a few days tested it out and it has worked great so far.

Mexican Casserole and Sliced Avocados

Posted on by rchapin

You can use either boneless chicken breasts, beans, or other meat substitute for the protein

Ingredients

  • Additional protein: choose from one of the following
    • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
    • Equivalent mass of cooked chick peas or vegetarian meat substitute
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 4 green onions
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese
  • 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 4 4-ounce can diced green chilies
  • 4 corn tortillas
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans – rinsed and drained
  • 2 ripe avocados – sliced

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
  2. If using chicken cook it in a pan until it is mostly cooked
  3. If using vegetarian substitute cook in pan until lightly browned
  4. Add salsa and cream cheese and heat through until cream cheese is melted
  5. Add black beans and green chilies and heat through
  6. In a large casserole dish, layer ingredients as follows: Com tortillas, chicken mixture, sour cream, green onions & cheese
  7. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly
  8. Serve with a side of avocado slices

Spaghetti Squash, Spinach and Turkey Sausage Lasagna

Posted on by rchapin

Ingredients

  • 2 small or 1 large spaghetti squash
  • 4 TB olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup onions, diced
  • 1 cup red peppers, diced
  • 8 oz fresh spinach
  • 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 1 lb. ground mild Italian turkey sausage, or vegetarian sausage
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • Red pepper flakes, use amount based on desired spice/heat level
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425° and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non stick cooking spray. Scrub the squash clean and dry thoroughly. In a separate microwavable safe dish, place the whole squash and microwave on high for 5 minutes to make it easier to cut (do not microwave whole squash for more than 5 minutes). Carefully cut the squash in half lengthwise (stem to bottom end). Scoop out the seeds and discard. Drizzle the inside of the squash with 3 TB olive oil using your hands to coat the entire surface of the squash. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and place cut-side down on the lined baking sheet. Place squash in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until squash is tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool. Use a fork to scrape the squash strands from inside. Place strands in a large bowl, set aside.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 TB oil to pan; add minced garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add spinach; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts. Remove from heat and add to the bow! of squash strands, toss to combine. Add 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, 1/4 tsp salt & black pepper, and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, to the mixture and toss to combine.
  3. Return same skillet to medium-high heat. Add ground turkey sausage to pan; Cook 8 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add diced onions and cook for another 5 minutes. Add diced peppers and cook for 3 minutes. Add 2 cups marinara sauce and red pepper flakes for you desired spice/heat preference; reduce heat to medium, and simmer 4 minutes.
  4. Spray a 9 x 12 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread turkey/marina sauce mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Top with squash/ spinach/cheese mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  5. Bake at 425° for 30-30 minutes until cooked through and cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Remove from oven, let stand 10 min before serving.

Pepperoni Pizza Twist

Posted on by rchapin

Ingredients

  • 1 package (3.5 ounces) pepperoni slices, diced
  • 1 can (3.24 ounces) pitted, ripe olives, drained and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 2 packages (11 ounces each) refrigerated French bread dough
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning mix
  • 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
  • 1 can (15 ounces) pizza sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 3750 F
  2. Dice pepperoni and chop olives and prep the parsley
  3. Combine pepperoni. olives, parsley, mozzarella cheese, flour, pressed garlic and mix well
  4. Place bread dough, seam sides up, on smooth side of a large cutting board. Using a serrated bread knife, slice each loaf length-wise, end to end, cutting halfway through to center of loaf, and spread open flat.
  5. Lightly sprinkle additional flour evenly over dough .Roll dough crosswise to a 4-inch width, creating a well down the center of each loaf.
  6. Spoon half of the pepperoni mixture down center of each loaf. Gather up edges over filling, pinching firmly to seal.
  7. Place loaves seam sides down, in an V pattern on rectangle baking stone and crisscross ends of dough to form a large figure 8 keeping end of dough 1 inch from edge of stone and leaving two 1 1/2 inch openings in center of the twist
  8. Separate egg and discard yolk. Beat egg while and seasoning mix and brush over the twist with a pastry brush. Cut a slit in each of the top sections of the twist to reveal filling
  9. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over loaf
  10. Bake about 30 minutes or until deep golden brown
  11. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack and cook for about 10 minues
  12. Cut into slices and serve.

Dumplings

Posted on by rchapin

A simple recipe for classic dumplings that can be added to any stew or soup that you would like.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. Sift flour
  2. Mix together dry ingredients
  3. Mix milk and oil into dry ingredients just enough for them to be combined. Over mixing will make the dumplings dense and tough
  4. Drop tablespoons worth of dough into simmering soup or stew and cook covered for about 10 or 15 minutes

Baked Tofu Cubes

Posted on by rchapin

This is a recipe for preparing tofu cubes for a number of different dishes. The result is cooked tofu cubes with a great texture that hold together well when added to other dishes.

Ingredients

  • N number of packages of extra firm tofu
  • Seasonings of your choice
  • A couple of teaspoons of vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 375 F.
  2. Drain and remove the tofu from its packaging and wrap in a clean kitchen towel. Place under a cutting board to remove as much moisture as possible. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Change towels, if so desired. The dryer the tofu is to start the less time it will take to cook.
  3. Put a thin coat of vegetable oil on a baking sheet or broiler pan.
  4. Cut the tofu into about 3/4 inch cubes.
  5. Put the tofu on the baking pan and season.
  6. Cook for about 20 – 25 minutes stirring about every 10 minutes until tofu is golden brown.
  7. Remove from the oven and scrape off pan into a dish.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Posted on by rchapin

My wife made these cookies and they were, by far, the best snickerdoodle cookies I’ve every had. The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
  • 1 1/2 cups Sugar
  • 2 large Eggs
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla
  • 2 3/4 cup Flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 teaspoon Salt

Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture

  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla. Cream for 1-2 minutes longer.
  3. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt, just until combined.
  4. In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon.
  5. If time allows, wrap the dough and let refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. Roll into small balls until round and smooth. Drop into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and coat well. Using a spoon, coat for a second time, ensuring the cookie balls are completely covered.
  6. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Let cool for several minutes on baking sheet before removing from the pan.

Running GUI apps locally as root in a non-root session

Posted on by rchapin

There are instances when you need to run an X Window application. For me this is often running a terminator instance as root so that I can create tabs and split the window as still be root in each of those terminals.

In order for the root user to be able to connect to the X server you need to provide it with “credentials”. In this case it is on the same box and not over the network so the use of cookie authentication is acceptable.

As the user that is already authenticated to the X server run the following command to get the cookie used to connect to the the current $DISPLAY

rchapin@leviathan:~$ xauth list $DISPLAY
leviathan/unix:0  MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1  5fb2c0e68f4618ee4fa2202e1e4ae937

su to root and then run the following to add that cookie to roots authorization file

root@leviathan:~# xauth add leviathan/unix:0 MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 5fb2c0e68f4618ee4fa2202e1e4ae937

You should now be able to run X windows applications from that root terminal.

© 2005 Ryan Chapin