Monday, April 27, 2009
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Friday, April 24, 2009
Chicken Chili
Turtle Bread
2 1/2 to 3 cups of flour
1 package of yeast
1 tbl sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup milk
1 tbl butter or marg
1 egg
- Mix 1 1/2 cups of the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in large bowl.
- Heat water, milk and butter together until warm. If you want to color your turtle add food coloring at this point. Stir into yeast mixture. Stir in egg. Stir in enough flour to make the dough easy to handle. (I used it all.)
- Knead the dough either by kneading by hand for about 5 minutes or letting your mixer have at it with the dough hook. I did a little of each so the kids could play in the dough.
- Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
- Grease a cookie sheet. Shape a ball for the head, 4 smaller balls for feet, and a little ball for the tail. Shape remaining piece into the body. Place on the cookie sheet and tuck the other parts slightly underneath.
- Cover and let rise 20 minutes.
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Make criss-cuts in the body, about 1/4" deep, to make the shell and toes. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
French Toast Strata
1) They are usually cheap to make.
2) Related to 1, they use up leftovers well. This one uses up the last of the French Bread loaf before it turns to a rock on the countertop.
3) I love having dinner made at 10 in the morning and not have to worry about it at 4 or 5, which is generally the hour when my kids are most demanding. (To put it kindly.)
4) I'm the cook, and I think they are yummy!
French Toast Strata
4 cups of day old French Bread, but into 3/4" cubes (you can use a little more, but make sure they don't end up more than one layer thick.)
1/3 cup golden raisins. (Regular raisins work, too, but they kids will detect them easier.)
3 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1/4" cubes
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbl sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Spray 11x7 baking dish. Place bread cubes on the bottom. Sprinkle raisins and cream cheese on top.
Beat eggs. Add milk, syrup and vanilla. Mix well and pour over the bread mixture.
Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top of the strata. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until puffy and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Corn Tortilla Quiche
3/4 # pork sausage
5 corn tortillas (6 inch)
1 cup shredded jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped canned green chilies
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
Crumble and cook the sausage. Drain.
Place 4 tortillas in a greased 9" pie pan, overlapping and extending 1/2" beyond the rim. Place the last tortilla in the center.
Add sausage, then cheeses, then chilies.
Combine eggs, cream, cottage cheese, chili powder and cilantro. Pour slowly into the dish.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until center is set and knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cut into wedges to serve.
Sweet Corn Cake
You know at Mexican restaurants when you sometimes get that little scoop of yummy, sweet corn bread? That is what this recipe is for. (Top, left in the picture.) It turned out sort of dry this round, not sure why. My masa harina wasn't brand new, which might be. I also cooked it at the same time as the main dish, which might have done it. But usually it turns out very well. I originally found this recipe by a google search, which pulled it from the Blue Mesa Grill. Never been there, but I like their corn cake!
Serves 10-12 as a side dish
- 1/3 cup Crisco shortening
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups corn masa harina*
- 1/3 cup ice water
- 4 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels (about 1 lb. frozen)
- 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 375°.
Place Crisco and butter in a mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
Add corn masa to butter mixture and mix for 2 minutes or until thoroughly incorporated. Add the ice water and mix at medium for 1 minute or until completely absorbed.
Place the corn kernels in a processor work bowl with the metal blade. Pulse on and off until mixture is coarsely chopped. Set aside.
Combine the corn meal, sugar, heavy cream, baking powder and salt in a large 4-quart mixing bowl.
Add the masa mixture and the ground corn to the corn meal/sugar mixture. Stir to combine thoroughly.
Pour the batter into a prepared pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil to retain the steam, and bake for 45 minutes at 375°.
*Note on Masa Harina:
You can purchase Masa Harina, dried corn that has been ground and treated, at most markets. It is the basic ingredient used in making tamale dough (also called masa).