A reading snack recipe for you

I am a huge Mexican food fan.  So, for my reading/foodie buddies I thought I would share a lunch for today with you.  I am having Quesadillas with Pico de Gallo.

For my Quesadilla I am using cheddar and avocado as the filling.  You can use whatever you like on yours.

For the Pico de Gallo:

1 jalapeno pepper seeded

1/2 a medium onion (I used a white one)

about a dozen grape tomatoes or the equivalent in other tomato size chopped up

1 handful of cilantro

juice of half a lime

salt and pepper to taste

I put everything in a small food processor (my processor of choice is the manual one from Pampered Chef) and then chop until mixed and small bits appear.  

Serve on top of Quesadilla or with tortilla chips.  

Tres Leches Cake...

Got the recipe from my American Regional Cookbook. This is the same recipe we made in class last semester. It is officially my favorite recipe for this cake. It is like a bit of heaven!!!

1 1/2 cup AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup heavy cream

Procedure

1.   Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.  Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2.   Sift the flour and baking powder together and set aside.
3.   Cream the butter and half the sugar together until fluffy.
4.   Add the eggs and half the vanilla.  Beat well.
5.   Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 stages, mixing well until blended.
6.   Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.  When cake has finished baking, pierce it in 8 to 10 places with a fork or skewer and let it cool.
7.   Combine the milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk and pour over the top of the cooled cake.
8.   Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
9.   When ready to serve, combine the cream and the remaining vanilla and sugar, whipping until thick.  Spread over the top of the cake.  Keep refrigerated until serving.  Serve chilled. 

Finished the Pastry Practicals...

Our Mexican Breads Class with all our baskets of bread we made for finals

My personal basket of all that I made last night (I am hoping to do those posts for you guys to show you all the different kinds we did this semester - hang on... I am almost done for the semester) :)

Me with my finished basket! :)

My plated dessert - a deconstructed Buttermilk Pie...

Things I could have done better were using a simple syrup on the fruit instead of powdered sugar, use an element to tie the other elements together somehow and use a white chocolate component. The powder on the plate is nutmeg, btw... :) I could have also done more of a Linzer cookie, which is actually what I had originally intended, and then put the candied lemon rind on top of the fruit instead. I will keep tweaking this plating.

Corn and Green Chili Chowder

Corn and Green Chili Chowder

5 large boiled or baked potatoes peeled and cut into cubes

½ a large onion

3 large Serrano or Hatch chilies (we buy these in season locally - they are shipped in and we buy 50lb bags and have them roasted and then freeze them - that are DABOMB!!!)

2 cups frozen corn thawed or two cans sweet corn drained

5 slices bacon cooked and crumbled

4 cups half and half or whole milk - the skimmer the milk the more thin it will be

2 Tbsp. Flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Begin by browning onion, chilies, corn and bacon together in stew pot. Add cubed potatoes and toss over heat for about a minute or so. Use potato masher and mash all ingredients in stew pot until chunky. Add flour and stir into mixture. Add milk and bring to a boil slowly. You can add water to thin as you need to and add salt and pepper to taste. I serve this with Mexican Cornbread or a quiche.

Leann's World Famous Enchilada Casserole...

You can make this as healthy or as fattening as you want depending on which ingredients you use. Play with it and find the way you like it best... I call it world famous because a friend of mine in New Zealand requested it and I love her and shared it with her. So it is now being made all the way on the other side of the planet. :)

Leann’s Enchilada Casserole

I use either meat from a cooked whole-fryer chicken, one pound of ground beef or meat from a cooked turkey for this. You can use canned chicken or turkey, too.

Dice 1 small onion finely
1 cup chopped bell pepper (any color will do)
1 to 2 pounds of meat cooked or browned (depending on how much you want to use)

Brown the above veggies and meat together (if you are using ground beef) in skillet and drain fat. If you are using fowl then just brown veggies and then stir in meat at the last minute to mix together over heat. You can also add in a package of enchilada sauce mix and follow the directions on that or add your own seasonings to taste.


Then add:

1 can of Rotel tomatoes (tomatoes with chopped green chilies)
If you are not interested in the spicy aspect of Rotels then just add a can of diced tomatoes instead.
1 small can of cream of mushroom soup
1 small can of cream of chicken soup
1 can or about 1 to 2 cups pinto beans or black beans
1 can of hominy or sweet corn drained
I usually add a bit of milk to it to add moisture so it stirs in consistently
1 large bag of tortilla chips (regular or baked – your preference)

Spread the chips in a baking dish (you may want to spray with non-stick spray first) and then mix all the other ingredients above together and pour on top of chips in pan. Then you can top it with 1 cup shredded cheddar and/or Monterrey Jack cheese and one medium tomato chopped. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly. I usually serve it with a side salad or on top of a bed of chopped lettuce and have fresh tortillas on hand, too.

Chili Relleno Casserole

Chili Relleno Casserole

About 12 large green chilis (Hatch or Serrano) skinned and deseeded.

6 eggs lightly beaten

1 cup milk

3 to 4 Tbsp flour

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese grated

Spray a square pan (about 8x8) with a light nonstick spray then layer in the chilis first then the cheese on top. Mix the wet ingredients and salt, pepper and flour together and pour over the top of the chilis and cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. They should puff and brown slightly on top. Cut wedges and serve for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Adding pictures...

Hatch Chilis roasted and cleaned

Add the Monterey Jack Cheese...

Add the egg mixture and then bake them...

DONE... enjoy!

Quick Breads - Flour Tortillas...

Quick Breads - Flour Tortillas...

Posted in In the kitchen

Using store bought all purpose flour: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. salt 3 Tbsp. lard or shortening 1/2 cup warm water Cut lard into flour and salt until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle in water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until all flour is moistened and dough almost cleans side of bowl. Gather dough into a ball; divide into 12 equal parts. Shape into balls; brush with lard. Cover and let rest 20 minutes. Roll each ball on floured surface inot 6-inch circle. Heat ungreased 8-inch or larger skillet or griddle over medium-high heat until hot. Cook tortilla until dry around edge and blisters appear on surface, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook other side until dry, about 1 minute. Stack tortillas, placing waxed paper between each. (I sometimes just stack them into a tortilla warmer without wax paper). Cover with a damp towel (or put lid on warmer). The whole wheat is coming.... Here is one from Bread Beckers to use while I look for my FAVORITE VERSION... WHOLE WHEAT TORTILLAS 2 - 3 cups freshly milled wheat flour (usually 3 cups) 1 cup warm water 2 Tbs. Lecithin (optional) 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1/4 cup oil Measure liquids into mixing bowl. Add dry ingredients, kneading in the flour until the dough is workable but not too stiff. Let stand 10 minutes. Shape into 8 - 10 balls and let stand 10 more minutes. Roll very thin to form a 10 inch circle or use a tortilla press. Bake on a lightly greased griddle till done (not browned). These are as much fun to make as they are to eat with our new Wrap Master. To cook a large quantity more quickly, I use the Wrap Master to press, then place on my hot griddle to finish cooking.