Enchiladas Verde

Enchiladas are one of my favorite things to make when having a group over for dinner. Preparation takes a good bit of time, but is not difficult. Great leftover and fun to change it up each time.

• 12 tomatillos, husked and rinsed (Or canned)
• 2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed
• 1 red onion, quartered
• Splash white vinegar
• 3 Garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 limes, juiced
• Salt
• 3 Bell peppers (yellow, orange, & red)
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 sweet onion,
• sliced 3 garlic cloves,
• chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups canned chicken stock
• 1 deli roasted chicken, about 3 pounds, boned, meat shredded
• Leaves from 1 bunch fresh cilantro,
• chopped 12 oz Queso Fresca
• 1/2 pound Monterey jack cheese , shredded
• 12 large corn tortillas
  Salt and pepper to taste.
  

Make the salsa: Put the tomatillos, jalapenos, and onion in a saucepan with the vinegar and water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and poach until the tomatillos are soft, about 10 minutes. Drain. Put the vegetables in a blender, add the cumin, and puree. Add the cilantro, lime juice, garlic and salt, and pulse to combine. Set aside.


Heat a 2-count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook until softened and caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes. Be careful not to over-crowd the pan, in order to get a nice browning. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in the cumin and cook 1 minute. Then sprinkle on the flour and cook, stirring, 1 more minute. Gradually pour in the stock, stirring constantly. Bring to a simmer, stirring to make sure the flour doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan; the liquid will thicken. Fold in the chicken (spinach works well, too), diced peppers, and cilantro, and season well with salt and pepper.

To assemble the dish: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Get yourself a large baking dish. Dip a tortilla into the tomatilla salsa and put it on a cutting board. Put a big scoop of the chicken mixture in the center, sprinkle with a little of the cheese, and roll the tortilla like a cigar to enclose the filling. Use a spatula to place it seam side down in the baking dish. Continue to fill all of the tortillas and put them in the baking dish. Pour the remaining tomatilla salsa over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for about 20-30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top.

Pizza Dough

This has become one of my favorite things to make...but I have to give most of the credit to Adam because he has really perfected the art of homemade pizzas.

1 cup hot water
1 yeast packet
1 tablespoon honey
Salt, pepper, herbs to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups flour

Mix hot water, yeast and honey in small bowl and let rest in order for the yeast to activate, about 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper, herbs and olive oil. Slowly add flour, kneading till all flour is incorporated. (At this point we start to use our food processor with dough hook). You don’t want the dough to be sticky (if so add more flour) or falling apart (if so add more water). Pat dough ball with olive oil, cover in with towel and let rise 30 minutes.

Split dough in two halves. Roll out flat and cover with olive oil. Best if baked on a perforated pan or baking stone.

Add toppings as desired. Our favorite pizzas are roasted veggies and margherita (basil, mozzarella & tomato).

Makes 2 pizzas

Tofu & Peppers w/ Spicy Peanut Sauce

This Recipe is from Backpacker magazine and made to make on the trail, I have made a few modifications to make it easy to make at home.

2 T. Balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 T. vegetable oil

1 (12 -16 oz.) package tofu, crumbled

2 tsps. powered ginger

1/2 onion, finely chopped

5 T. soy sauce

1 dash cayenne pepper

Combine vinegar, peanut butter, and honey in a small bowl and set aside.  Heat the oil in a pan and brown tofu, then add garlic, ginger, onion, cayenne pepper, and soy sauce.  Saute for a few minutes, then add the bell peppers and peanut better sauce.  Mix well and cook over medium heat until hot.  Serve over rice or pasta.  Serves 2 or 3.

Chocolate Cherry Cake

Adam's aunt Cathy shared this recipe with me. It is very special because it comes from his grandmother, Dora Laird. This cake is super moist, and the Cherry filling and almond extract add an extra kick to it. Love it!

1 package Pillsbury Fudge Cake Mix
1 can 21 oz cherry pie filling
1 t. almond extract
2 beaten eggs

Frosting:
1 C. sugar
5 Tbs. margarine
1/3 C milk
6 oz package semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Using solid shortening grease & flour 15 x 10 jelly roll pan. In large bowl combine 1st four ingredients stir by hand until mixed. Pour in pan and bake 20 - 30 minutes.

Frosting:
Combine 1st 3 ingredients and bring to a boil stirring constantly and boil for 1 minute. Remove & add chips and blend until smooth. Pour over partially cool cake.

Broccoli Slaw

This recipe comes from my sister-in-law, Jeanene. She made it for the family during our week out at the beach. It feeds alot of people, tastes even better the next day, and keeps in the fridge for awhile.


1 pkg broccoli slaw (I usually use 2 pkgs)
1 pkg slivered almonds, toasted
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 bunches of green onions, chopped
2 pkgs Ramen chicken mushroom noodles, broken into pieces

Dressing:

3/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar 2 pkgs seasoning from chicken mushroom noodles

Combine all ingredients for the dressing, blending well. Combine all ingredients except the Ramen noodles for the salad. Pour the dressing over the salad, add the Ramen noodles and blend.

You can even mix the salad and dressing ahead of time, adding the Ramen noodles just before serving.

Mediterranean Salsa

I brought this Salsa to a potluck we had at work where everything had to start with the letter M!! It turned out really well and it is a nice light dip.

3 peppers finely chopped--I did green, orange, yellow
1 red onion chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes or 1 fresh tomatoe diced
1 can black beans
2 cans of shoepeg corn (or one 11 oz can)
cilantro to taste
1 block of Feta (or one container of crumbled Feta)
1/3 to 1/2 bottle of Italian dressing

Just mix it all up and serve in a large bowl! It is good with tortilla chips or pita bread.

Pasta with Scallops and Lemon Mustard Butter Sauce

I am back in the Big Bend and cooking up a storm so get ready....

This recipe is from my new Bon Apetite cookbook that I am obsessed with, mainly because it was a gift and it is HUGE!!

This recipe is for two people, but could be enlarged easily.

Ingredients:
-1 cup dry white wine (I use my fav. box wine, I don't think it is that dry, but seemed to work)
-1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
-8 ounces bay scallops (the little ones)
-2 teaspoons dijon mustard
-1/2 stick of butter (you can use less)
-salt and pepper to taste
-favorite pasta, I would recommend something light
Bring 1 cup of dry white wine and 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel to a simmer in a medium skillet over medium heat.

Add 8 ounces of bay scallops and simmer until almost opaque in center, about 1 minute. Using slotted spoon transfer scallops to medium bowl.

Increase heat and boil until wine mixture is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Whisk in 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, then 1/2 a stick of chilled butter (cut into 4 pieces). Add scallops and any juices that have accumulated to the sauce; heat through ( do not boil). Season with salt and pepper.

Pour over favorite pasta.

Stuffed Chicken Parmesan

10 ounce package frozen spinach
½ cup ricotta cheese
¼ cup Alfredo sauce
Lemon
Pinch of nutmeg
prosciutto
swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Squeeze the excess liquid from one 10 ounce package thawed frozen spinach. Combine with ½ cup ricotta cheese, a generous ¼ cup Alfredo sauce, a squeeze of lemon, pinch of nutmeg, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper. Place 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Whack with the back of a wooden spoon until the surface area doubles. Place in a baking dish. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Slather some additional Alfredo sauce over each breast followed by prosciutto, the spinach mixture, and Swiss cheese. Top with seasoned bread crumbs if you have them on hand. Bake for about 15 minutes.

Serves 2 From “Bride & Groom Cookbook”

**super easy, and a lot of food! We have yet to have Swiss cheese on hand so we have been using shredded mozzarella.

roasted garlic and tomato pasta

This recipe is so easy and so fresh! Sometimes I use spinach instead of the basil and arugula. This makes a ton, so you can cut the recipe in half or be prepared for leftovers!

1 pound penne pasta
2 pints grape tomatoes
8-10 cloves garlic (cracked but left in skins)
4 tbs or so of e.v. olive oil
2-3 cups of basil & arugula, torn or chopped
a few handfuls of grated Parmesan


preheat oven to 450 and bring a salted pot of water to a boil.

Place the tomatoes and garlic on a baking sheet and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Roast for 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to wrinkle and brown.

While the tomatoes and garlic are roasting, add pasta to boiling water and cook until almost done. The pasta will continue to cook in the pasta sauce, so you don't want it to get mushy.
Save 1.5 cups of starchy pasta water before draining.

Remove garlic from the skins and mash into a paste with the side of your knife. Transfer the garlic paste to the bottom of a pasta bowl. Using a fork, mix the garlic into the starchy pasta water. Add the tomatoes to the bowl and mash with a potato masher until the tomatoes are well combined with garlic broth. Add penne, grated cheese, arugula and basil and toss a minute or 2 to allow the pasta to soak up flavors.

Enjoy!

homeade granola

4 cups of old fashion oats
1 cup of sweetened shredded coconut (or however much you would like, i don't like it so i add only a little)
1 cup of slivered almonds
3/4 cup of veg. oil
1/2 cup honey
1 cup cashews (can substitute for other nuts)

preheat oven to 350. in a large bowl add oats, coconut, and almonds. in small bowl mix well the honey and oil. add oil mixture to oat mix, stir (works best with wooden spoon) until oats are coated well.
pour mixture into a 13x8x1 baking sheet pan. (ive cooked this in many different size pans, you just need to watch it more closely if you use another pan)
stir occasionally. until nice and golden brown. (around 45 min)

allow time to cool and add dried fruits and cashews to your liking.

this is a wonderful dish. tammy used to make it out at camp.
ENJOY!

summer is for salads

Ladies (and gentleman?)....

I am very excited about this blog, for one thing food is important and secondly staying involved with one another is important and what better way than sharing what is going on in the kitchen. I have not been doing much cooking lately, for the past month I have been in archeology field school on a ranch with a cook, it has been a lot like summer camp with alcohol, however this weekend Caleb and I attended a pot luck birthday party and took this dish along.

Greek Bowtie Pasta Salad

**This dish is so easy, throw in whatever is rotting in your fridge. Perfect for summer because it is cold and lite!!

Ingredients:
-Fresh Parsley (you could use dried too, I assume)
-Minced Garlic (5ish cloves)
-olive oil
-roasted red peppers ( you can buy these in jars, however I prefer to halve red bell peppers, clean them out, put a little olive oil, salt and pepper on those bad boys and stick them in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes- so good!!)
-calamata olives (1/4 cup)
-feta cheese
-bowtie pasta (16 oz)

All you gots to do is sautee the garlic and parsley in olive oil, prepare the peppers, boil the pasta, combine everything, salt and pepper it, add a little more oil if necessary, refrigerate for a bit and serve.

Please share what you have been making and I am always looking for good drink ideas. I was recently served a whiskey sour that had been frozen to slushy consistency, so good, until Caleb accidentally knocked it all over me!! I think it was just whiskey and sweet and sour sauce, not completely sure, but I recommend!!

Sharing is caring

The purpose of this blog is to share with your friends. Please feel free to share this with anyone, or I can add them to the list!

Cassidy' pad thai with tofu

This was the first time for me to use tofu and it was actually good!

1 bunch of scallions (using all of the scallion)

4 cloves of garlic

1 package of hard tofu

rice noodles

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp.asian chili sauce

1/2 tbsp. asian chili paste

4 limes

cilantro

Pan saute the garlic in oil for about 5 minutes. Chop up the scallions and add them when the garlic is beginning to brown. Chop up the tofu and add, immediately add soy sauce, chili sauce, chili paste, squeeze in the juice of two limes. Let all of that simmer, add oil or soy sauce (or any of the other ingredients!) to taste. Boil up the noodles and mix it all together. Garnish with cilantro and squeeze more lime juice on the individual servings. 

*note: I made this up, so I don't know if it is traditional pad thai. I have also made it with ground pork instead of tofu and that was really good too! I was really excited because the tofu tasted so good!

Honey Sesame Pork Tenderloin

This was the first time I had ever made a tenderloin, and I was super pleased with it. I didn’t plan ahead so we had potatoes and veggies with it. Next time I will try to come up with some Asian sides!

½ cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 table spoon sesame oil
1 to 1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin

¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, firmly packed
¼ cup sesame seeds

Combine soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil in large plastic bag. Add tenderloin. Marinate at least 2 hours in refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine honey and brown sugar in a shallow bowl. Remove tenderloin from marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Roll tenderloin in honey mixture then roll in sesame seeds. Roast in a shallow pan 20 to 30 minutes, or until meat registers 160 degrees on a meat thermometer. Serve immediately.

SERVES 4 TO 6
From “Stop and Smell the Rosemary”