Mothers Day Fiesta!

THE WHOLE   E N - C H I - L A - D A !

I was planning on making cheese enchilada casseroles for Mothers Day

Somehow my mind drifted to fajitas, I ended up with this -

Chicken Fajita Enchilada Casserole

A creation of mine...

You will need approximately;

1 Can of refried beans mixed with two tablespoons of plain yogurt

12 Corn Tortillas

1 Can Enchilada sauce

2-3 Cups of grated cheddar, I use the sharp

2 Onions

2 Bell Pepper, Red is good

1 Small can diced green chili peppers

1 Can diced green chilies

2 Cups cooked chicken, I used tenders

Rub for the chicken; 
1 tbsp; chili powder, cumin, oregano
1.5 tsp onion and garlic powder

      If your really lazy you could use fajita or taco seasoning mix

Put the chicken in a plastic bag with the rub and coat evenly. Refrigerate an hour or longer.

Take the chicken and out of the fridge cook the tenders to a nice brown 
remove from pan to cool. 

Next cut the peppers and onions into strips and cook as you would for fajitas 

with a nice char. 

While the veggies are cooking shred the cooled chicken
 and toss with the can of green chilies.

Spray your 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray then begin to layer;

Enchilada sauce

Tortillas 

A thinish layer of beans

The chicken

1/3 of the cheese

More sauce

Another layer of tortillas

More sauce

The peppers and onions

Next 1/3 cheese

More sauce

Another layer of tortillas

More sauce

and the last 1/3 of cheese

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until the cheese bubbles. 
Garnish with some green onion and serve 

with sour cream and guacamole. 

Do You Know Where Your Crown Is?

Portuguese Festa, Point Loma, May 27th, 2012

Sopas Do Espirito Santo, Holy Ghost Festa Soup

You will need;


4 Lbs. Chuck Roast
2 Lbs Soup Bones
1 Onion, minced
1 Tbs Pickling Spices  
1 Head Cabbage
2-3 Kale Leaves
1 Sprig of Mint
Salt to Taste
10 Cups Water
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Cup White Wine
1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce
1 Loaf of French Bread, Hand Sliced


Bring water to a boil and add the meat, spices (in a bag or spice ball)
the wine, onion tomato sauce, mint and salt.  Cover and cook until the meat is tender, 
about 3 hours.


In the meantime (You have three hours) cut the cabbage in wedges and the kale into bite size pieces.  Add this to the pot of cooked tender meat and continue cooking until the greens are done.


Place the bread slices and a sprig of mint in a deep serving dish.  Pour the broth, cabbage and kale over the bread. The meat is served on a separate platter. 

Vinha d' Alhos - Pickled Pork

Acquire this;


1 Large Pork Shoulder cut into 1 to 2 inch cubes
3 Parts Vinegar to 1 Part Water or as much as needed to cover
3 - 4 Dried Chillies
4 - 5  Garlic Cloves, Chopped
Salt to Taste


Marinade the meat in the liquid and spices 3 - 5 days


Put the meat with marinade in a large skilled or pan and simmer for 5 minutes. 
Drain some of the marinade and continue cooking until the meat is well done.


Serve

Pasteis de Bacalhau, Cod Fish Cakes

Buy these things;


1 Lg Salted Codfish
6 Medium Potatoes
2 Chopped Onions
2 Tbs Finely Chopped Parsley
2 Cloves Garlic Minced
3 Eggs
Salt and Pepper
Oil
Parsley Sprigs and Lemon Slices


Place codfish in large bowl with cold water to cover for 1 day. Change the water at least
twice in that day.


The next day drain the fish and rinse. Put the rinsed fish in a pan with water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes until the fish flakes easily.  


Drain the water and let the fish cool enough to remove and discard the skin and bones.
Finely shred the cooked fish with your fingers and put into a mixing bowl.  


In another pan boil the unpeeled potatoes until cooked. Peel and mash the while the are still
very warm and add to the fish. 


Add the eggs, pepper, garlic, chopped parsley and onions.  Mix, vigorously, with your hands or a fork for you fussy people.  


Using two spoons shape the mixture into small oblong cakes.


Heat a small amount of oil, a few drops, in a frying pan and cook the codfish cake over a medium heat. Turn carefully with a fork and spatula.  When the cakes are golden brown remove from pan and drain on paper towels.


Serve on a platter garnished with parsley and lemon slices. 

30 Minute Chili

This recipe, from Martha Stewart, makes eight plus - one-cup servings. 

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 medium onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can(6 ounces) tomato paste
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chilies in  adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 pounds ground beef chuck
3 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes in juice
1 bottle (12 ounces) mild lager beer
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional) 

I used two pounds of ground beef and added an extra can of beans. 
Substituted the chipotle chilies for canned diced green chili peppers. Skipped the beer too! 

DIRECTIONS

ONE

In a Dutch oven or large (5-quart) heavy pot, heat oil over
medium-high heat.  Add onions and garlic. Season with salt and
pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes

TWO

Add tomato paste, chili powder, chili peppers, and cinnamon.
Cook, stirring, until mixture has begun to brown, 2 to 3
minutes.  Add beef, and cook, breaking it up with a spoon
until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

THREE

Add tomatoes with their juice, beer, and beans.  Bring to a 
boil, and reduce to a rapid simmer. Cook over medium heat
until chili has thickened slightly and beans are tender, about
5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, if desired. 

Very easy, tasty chili...

What happened to 2011??

2011 came and went so fast I can't believe its over!

For Christmas we hosted a brunch for the family. My contribution was oven baked french toast courtesy of Paula Deen. She didn't actually make it for us, just supplied the recipe. 

Baked French Toast with Maple Syrup

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Inactive Prep Time: 8 hours

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)  Go for the max ounces -

 I had extra egg mixture at the end. Next time a larger pan too. 

Also, I used an electric knife to cut the bread. Made the process so much easier. 

8 large eggs

2 cups half-and-half

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

dash salt

Praline Topping, recipe follows

Maple Syrup

The wine is for later!

Directions

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. 

The electric knife make nice even slices

Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 x 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows,

overlapping the slices.

I had bread left over

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not to bubbly.

No butter?

Pour mixture over the bread slices, 

making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture.

Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices.

Now the wine!

Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Praline Topping

1/2 bound (2 sticks) butter, no kidding Paula!

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well.  

I'm a messy cook

Looks appetizing doesn't it?

Spread the Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, 

until puffed and lightly golden. 

Serve with maple syrup. (Actually no one used the syrup because the topping was quite sweet and the toast was moist enough)

All the sugar set off the smoke alarm! That's when you know its done...

Everybody said it was good! Thanks Paula!!