Tortillas and sopaipillas

We just made these tonight and it just made me miss New Mexico so much. I would have loved some green chili. But alas, I can't make that. Here are some yummy recipes for some good NM food!

This is from this website. It also has a link for some tools to make the tortillas. Bonus! http://www.texasrollingpins.com/tortillarecipeprint.html

Flour Tortilla Recipe
Ingredients:
3 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4-6 Tbsp. vegetable shortening or lard
about 1 1/4 cups warm water

Instructions:
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Add vegetable shortening or lard. Or use a combination of half lard, half shortening.
Use a fork or a pastry cutter to cut in the shortening or just do it the old fashioned
way and use your hands.

Next add warm water a little at a time until your dough is soft and not sticky. You do
not need very hot water.

Knead the dough for a few minutes.

Now you will pull off pieces of dough to form about 12 small dough balls. Let them
rest for at least 10 minutes, longer if you like.

This is a good time to heat up the comal. You will want to set it at medium to high
heat. If it is too hot the tortillas will cook too fast.

Now you can roll out the dough with your tortilla rolling pin or palote. It is a good
idea to dust each ball with a little flour just before you roll them out. Lay the palote
in the center of the dough ball and roll up, center and roll down. It is good to lift the
dough and turn it. Again, rolling pin in the center and roll. Roll them out fairly thin.

Lay your tortilla on the hot comal. It takes just a few seconds to cook. Flip to the other
side. When they are done it should have lots of nice brown speckles. Place them in a
towel. If you would like you can use a tortilla warmer to keep them warm longer.
They are ready to be served!

If you need any of the equipment to make flour tortillas, try our authentic tortilla kit.

It is well worth the effort to make homemade tortillas! Enjoy!

Sopaipillas (I got this from a church cookbook. It is by Ida Peabody)

6 c flour
2 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c canola oil
1 pkg dry yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 c warm water

Stir sugar into warm water. Add yeast and let stand until it bubbles. Add salt and baking powder to flour. Make a well in the flour mixture. Add oil and yeast mixture. Add enough warm water to make firm dough. Let rise for 30 minutes or more. Shape dough into balls. Roll and cut into any shape you like. Deep fry in hot canola oil. Drain on paper towels. Eat with powdered sugar or honey. Makes about 24.

Lentil Soup

prep:25 min cook:20 min

1 c dry lentils rinsed and drained
1 c chopped green pepper
1 c sliced carrots (2 medium)
1/2 c chopped onion (1 medium)
2 t instant chicken bouillon granules
1/2 t dried sage, crushed
1/8 t ground red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz fully cooked smoked sausage links quartered and sliced

Directions: In a large pot mix all but sausage and add 5 cups of water. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes until veggies and lentils are tender. Stir in sausage and heat through.

Makes about 7 cups (5 main dish servings)

267 calories per serving, 11 g total fat

My thoughts: I prefer using ground sausage. I just brown it after I get the soup going and then add it when it is browned for the remainder of the time. It just seems to go farther since the pieces are smaller. I'd rather get a lot of bites with a little sausage than a few with a lot of sausage. And some ground sausage varieties have great seasoning too. I don't put in the pepper because my boys don't like spice, but I put red pepper flakes in my own bowl. And if you really want the flavor to pop, don't be afraid to add a tiny bit of salt and lots of pepper. :)

It can be frozen, but it cooks pretty fast from scratch too. You can have the veggies frozen and pre-chopped to make it even faster.

Blackberry Cream Pie

We had a huge bag of frozen blackberries from out trip to the orchards, so I wanted to make a pie with them. I found this recipe and we made it last week when my parents were here. It was wonderful! We just did a lattice top instead of a crumb topping. I wonder if it is freezable....

***Update*** We followed the recipe this time and it was sooooo good. Forget the lattice and just follow the directions. :o)

1 (9 inch) pie crust, unbaked
4 c. fresh or 16 oz. frozen blackberries
1 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
3 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt

TOPPING:

1/4 c. bread crumbs
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. melted butter

Put blackberries in pie crust. Cream together next 4 ingredients and pour over blackberries. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over pie. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Delicious served with vanilla ice cream.

Chicken (or beef) Tortilla Casserole

This is super easy and freezes well. I made it for Darrica last week, so she can tell you if it's any good. ;o) I grew up eating it and it was a family fave. There are two versions - chicken or beef (ground or shredded).

I usually cook without measuring, so bear with me! lol...

You will need:
Tortilla chips (I use the white corn - doesn't matter - leftover, stale, it's all good)
cooked shredded or cubed chicken - leftover is fine - about 1 1/2 cups (substitute beef if you want to!)
1 can cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom for the beef version)
1 can drained rotel tomatoes (if you don't want the spicy kick, use regular diced canned tomatoes)
1 small bag (approx 8 oz) frozen mixed vegatables - pop 'em in the microwave to thaw. Yes, you can use fresh if you've got the time, but I would steam them first since it doesn't cook long. Any veggies are ok but I like the carrots, peas, and corn mix.
Shredded cheese
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

Crush tortilla chips into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Crush enough to cover the bottom.

In a bowl, mix chicken, cream soup, drained tomatoes, steamed veggies, and 1/2 cup of cheese. Add salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. Spoon over chips.

Cover with more shredded cheese and more crushed tortilla chips.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Freezer alert: If you want to freeze it do so before adding the final layer of tortilla chips on top. You can do it when you are ready to bake it. That way they stay crispy.

This recipe easily doubles and is great with leftovers.

Mozzarella Stuffing Chicken

Soooo, in looking for recipes I could double and freeze, I found this one (copied below) at Kelly's Recipes (author of Kelly's Korner).

****
Mozzarella Stuffing Chicken

4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts
4 slices Mozzarella or Swiss cheese
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/4 cup white cooking wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup herb-flavored crushed up Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix
1/2 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place uncooked chicken in shallow buttered casserole dish. Layer cheese on top. Mix soup, wine, salt, pepper; pour over cheese. Sprinkle stuffing mix on top and drizzle with melted butter. Bake uncovered for 1 hour.
****

Her recipe calls for either Mozzarella or Swiss cheese, so I used Mozzarella knowing that my kiddos would eat what I didn't use for the recipe (Swiss is too smelly for them-LOL). I also substituted the white cooking wine with chicken broth. And with the next batch, I will add a bit more than 1 cup of crushed stuffing mix (I *heart* stuffing) just to bulk up the 'gravy'.

IT WAS DELICIOUS! BOTH of my currently very picky eaters gladly ate ALL of it (this is huge). Kelly mentioned in her post that she prepared the recipe as directed and froze it raw before her daughter was born and it was just as delicious....I'm definitely adding this recipe to my baby preparation freezer meal list.

Pizza dough

Since a certain someone didn't have a great outcome with her pizza dough tonight *wink*, I thought I would post the recipe I use....it's so easy that I, a novice dough maker, can usually obtain a good result (using my Kitchen Aid--not sure how it would work with a bread maker).

******
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 t. salt
2 t. olive oil
2 1/2-3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add salt, olive oil and 2 1/2 cups flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to speed 2 and mix about 1 minute.

Continuing on speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix about 2 minutes or until dough clings to hook and cleans the side of the bowl. Kneed on speed 2 about 2 minutes longer (I don't add any more flour, unless it's absolutely necessary).

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top. Let rise in warm place, free from draft (I turn my oven on as low as it will go--250--for a couple of minutes, turn it off, and place my dough inside the warm oven, uncovered) for about an hour or until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down.

Spread dough onto greased pan. Add toppings as desired. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes.

Tacos in Pasta Shells

We had this last night and it was so yummy! And we actually had plenty for leftovers as well!

box of jumbo pasta shells
1 lb ground beef (although I could have probably used a bit more)
package cream cheese with chives, softened
teaspoon of chili powder
tablespoon melted butter
cup taco sauce (I just poured the whole bottle.)
shredded cheddar
shredded monterey jack (I think I just used one kind.)
crushed tortilla chips
sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Cook pasta shells, rinse and drain.

3. Brown ground beef, drain.

4. Reduce heat to medium, add cream cheese and chili powder - let simmer for 5 mins.

5. Toss shells with melted butter, then fill with beef mixture

6. Arrange filled shells in a 13x9 pan. Pour Taco sauce over and cover with foil .

7. Bake for 15 mins.

8. Uncover, top with cheese and crushed chips and bake for another 15 mins.

9. Serve with sour cream and Enjoy!

freezer-friendly casseroles

Hey Jess... Here are some dishes that we enjoy. I apologize for them all (but one) having pasta. It's got me curious now about casseroles I can make without noodles!

Here are a couple recipes from Pioneer Woman that we love:
Chicken Spaghetti
Lasagna

This is probably my favorite:
Baked Spaghetti

The picture looks a little um, weird but this is a good casserole too:
King Ranch Chicken Casserole

I miss this one. It has egg noodles and egg in it so I don't make it anymore. :)
Noodle and Spinach Casserole

Call for Freezer Meals

We're only 13 short weeks away from adding yet another little person to our family, so I'm trying to prepare as much as I can now (while I have the energy) so that when I'm huge and tired, I can just relax a little bit. Part of my prep work is to start freezing meals...the last thing I want to worry about is cooking dinner in the midst of keeping a very active 3YO and 19month old occupied while caring for a newborn.

I've never done Once-A-Month-Cooking, so this whole process of cooking ahead of time is a little overwhelming...but I'm willing to give it a 'go'.

Sooo, if you have a great freezer-friendly meal (or two), please, please, please post them.

Jo's Rosemary Bread

Jo's Rosemary Bread
1 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select white bread cycle; press Start.

I like to sometimes take it out and shape it into a flat round shape (not as flat as a pizza... but like the ciabatta you see at Panera), cook in oven and cut into long, thin pieces. Then dip it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Yum.

Contributors

Are there any other contributors on here that want their name listed on the side? Let me know!

Wheat Dinner Roll Dough for Bread Machine

Ingredients: (9 rolls)

Water 80 deg f   3/4 c

oil  1 tbsp

brown sugar 2 tbsp

Salt  1/2  tsp

dry milk 1 tbsp.

Bread Flour    1  1/4 c

whole wheat flour 1 c

Active dry yeast (1 1/2 tbsp) or Bread Machine yeast (1 tsp)

 

Program: Dough

Method:

1) Place on lightly floured surface.  Divide into pieces and shape.

2) Place in a greased baking pan.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until double in size.

3) Bake at 350 deg F for 25-30 min or until done.

 

I’ve made this one and frozen the rolls after baking.  Works great!!

Recipe call!

Okay ladies, I need some recipes posted, please. I am looking for a tried and true bread-machine roll recipe that is freezable. Anyone? Anyone? Go ahead and post them as a new post so I can find them later. THANKS!!!

Edamame (soy beans in the pod)

I read a long time ago on someone’s blog (I cannot remember whose), that Edamame was a perfect finger food for kids. I had never had Edamame, so I thought we would try it.

The food itself is extremely healthy and if you buy the frozen type in the pod, you only have to defrost it to eat it. This makes it a super easy and simple snack or side for any meal.

Tonight, I reintroduced Edamame to my boys. Bert liked it last time we had it, so I reminded him of this and showed him how to pop open the pod to expose the seed. In my opinion, Edamame have a nutty flavor, and Bert likes nuts…So, I made sure to remind him that they taste like nuts. He started eating them right away.

As you can see, he liked the Edamame. Please excuse my “shirtless” boys at the dinner table. I didn’t notice until they had already gotten dinner underway.

Ernie is not a fan of anything un-fruit-like. He still had fun learning how to open the Edamame. The green soybeans never once crossed his lips. He did get a math lesson in though…

Perfectly lined up and counted to 5! So, apparently Edamame doubles as a wonderful math manipulative.

In this household, 50% is passing when it comes to food. If I can get one kid to like it and eat it, I have succeeded! (kind of reminiscent of the Texas TAKS math test—well, I think they have to have a 65% or something…at one time it was 55% though).

You all have a wonderful day, and let me know how your kids like Edamame!

Darn Good Green Beans

I’ve been doing these A LA Ozuna style the last couple of times I have made them.  My in-laws make their beans similarly to these.  I have stumbled onto their secret.

Ingredients:

Fresh green beans (however many your family eats…I usually do a couple handfuls for me and my husband.  The boys eat carrots)

1/4 c.  Onion (a couple thinly sliced rings chopped up)

2 Tbsp.  Bacon Grease (you could cook some bacon or just use the grease that you have saved from cooking bacon, either way it’s yummy)

1 Tomato diced

mushrooms (1/2 basket chopped)

salt

pepper

Directions:

Heat pan to medium high.  Add bacon grease, onion, and chopped green beans.  Salt to taste.  Cover.  Let cook for a bit, stirring occasionally.  After green beans and onion have cooked down a little (become a little soft), add mushrooms and tomato.  Salt again.  Pepper. Cover.  When beans are cooked but still have a bite to them, and when tomato has cooked down, they are done.

Check the seasoning…add more salt/pepper if needed.