Broccoli Casserole

This is an old family recipe that we make every year on Thanksgiving, although it’s a quick and easy option for any day of the year.

This year, there were no leftovers!

Recipe:

1 10 oz. package of frozen broccoli cuts

1 10 1/2 oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup medium shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup mayo

1 beaten egg

1/4 cup Ritz Cracker crumbs

1 tsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix soup and cheese and heat until cheese melts. Remove from heat and add milk, mayo, and egg. Put broccoli in a casserole dish and pour cheese mixture over broccoli.  Mix crumbs and butter and sprinkle over casserole. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until bubbly and brown on top.

Vino Volo: in the airport!

Matt and I usually get to the airport with tons of time to spare, so on Friday, before we boarded our plane to Pittsburgh, we stopped at Vino Volo for a quick drink and bite to eat. This wine bar chain currently has locations in about 10 airports in the U.S. and it’s a welcome change to the overwhelming fast food options you usually get.

Impressive, albeit small, wine list with some fun flight options. (Heh, get it?)

These are cute and come with each glass.  Not your basic, run-of-the-mill wine guide with standard terms, but still user-friendly.

Matt’s artisan cured meats (small size for $8) were yummy but really just made him more hungry for a real dinner.

My brie & prosciutto sandwich (small size for $6) was surprisingly tasty. The brie was slightly melted and warm and the fig spread was ooey and gooey (in a good way).

It’s nice to have Vino Volo in the Philly airport, because when we were early in Pittsburgh coming home, we sat in a Friday’s. Not as nice.

Los Caballitos

Matt and I seem to be starting a tradition of checking out random South Philly restaurants. Matt had a performance at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday so on our way home we parked off of Passyunk at Morris and wandered around until we found Cantina Los Caballitos.

Seats outside on a warm autumn day definitely swayed our decision to stop here, along with the brunch menu all day and cute decor.

The prices were reasonable and the menu had some standard choices along with some unique ideas, such as the costillitas, which Matt ordered.

The specials included Mexican Hot Dog and the breakfast empanadas, which I ordered.

We got free (yay!) homemade tortilla chips, fried fresh every morning with two salsas: spicy tomatillo and sweet tomato.  The chips were perfect. I liked the tomatillo salsa and Matt liked the tomato, so it worked out really well for us.

$4.50 classic margaritas! Good amount of liquor! And yummy! The perfect size and perfect price.

Matt’s prickly pear margarita was $5.50 and a bit sweet, but he ordered a second so I am assuming he liked it.

Matt’s ribs with pickled jalapenos and pineapple were tender, sweet and sour, and a bit spicy. The appetizer size for $12 came with 5 ribs.

My breakfast special, empandas with egg, spinach, tomato, and cotija, were $8. The cotija dip was like crack.  It made this dish. I don’t know what else was in it besides the cheese and some cilantro, but if the chef knows what’s good for him, he won’t give away the secret recipe to anyone.

The filling wasn’t amazing–the egg was a bit crumbly and tasteless, but the outside was crisp but a little doughy with great fresh flavor.

Did I mention the cojita? I almost licked clean this tiny bowl and asked for more.

We’ll be back. That seems to be a thumbs up/thumbs down barometer for us these days.

There is a moral to this story, too, readers: you can have fun when times are tough. If you can’t afford to leave your town or city or state for a weekend or longer, explore your own. Matt and I had never walked around this part of Philadelphia before even though we live here so this afternoon was like a travel adventure. We turned our phones off and experienced the food, the neighborhood, the day. It lifted some worry from our hearts and weight from our shoulders.