Mexican Casserole

So, you have a party and you have half a bag of tortilla chips left, most of them broken (no good for dipping).  What to do?  This casserole is the perfect solution.  It is a little chopping and a bunch of cans, so it is very easy.  And besides the chips, and the cheeses which holds it together, it is very healthy!  Packed with protein, fiber and most of all flavor! This makes a ton... easily serves 8. 
I love this casserole.  I am not the only one either.  It was voted best casserole in the USA in Parade.  I have changed a few things, of course.  But just to make it better!  My 5 year old had 3 generous helpings!! He said, "It's just so good, I can't stop eating it!"
So, thanks Chris Gavenda, wherever you are, for submitting a great recipe, that has become a family favorite in our house!

MEXICAN CASSEROLE


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips
• 1 lb shredded or chopped chicken (from roaster is great!)
• 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can mexicorn
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 1-2 cups prepared salsa (I use Trader Joes Double roasted!)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped fine
• 1 red onion, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 5 cloves minced/crushed garlic
• 1/2-whole lime, squeezed over (I use half before and half garnish)
• 3 cups cheddar or Mexican mixed cheese

GARNISHES:

• sour cream
• fresh cilantro
• avocado
• fresh tomatoes

                                                                                   DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 9x13 baking dish and spread crushed chips evenly on the bottom.

In a large bowl, combine everything else but the cheese.  Mix well.  Spread half of the bean chicken mixture over the chips.  Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups cheese over.  Top with remaining chicken mixture and then the  remaining cheese.  Bake for 40-45 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.  Tops with garnishes individually. 

Sausage Peppers and Onions Pasta

Super easy, quick meal!  The dark stuff is balsamic glaze, which is reduced balsamic vinegar that gets all sweet and syrupy and add a punch of flavor.  I make this all the time and so do my parents (minus the peppers).

SAUSAGE PEPPERS AND ONIONS PASTA

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. pasta cooked
• 1 lb sausage
• 1-2 sweet onions sliced thin
• 1 red pepper, sliced thin 
• olive oil
• parmesan cheese

 DIRECTIONS:

Cook pasta according to directions.
In a skillet of med- high heat, drizzle some EVOO and  squeeze sausage from links (I use turkey sausage).  Break up while it is cooking.  Cook completely and remove from pan, leaving the drippings behind.  Set sausage aside.

Add sliced onions and peppers to pan with more oil if needed (I add a pat of butter).  Let cook for about 15 minutes, deglazing with some chicken broth or wine if needed.  Add sausage back in and let cook until warmed through.  Add cooked pasta to pan and toss, adding more oil if needed.  I sprinkle some garlic powder in. 
Top with a drizzle of reduced balsamic glaze and lots of parmesan cheese.

Oatmeal Carmelitas

I have had these before, but didn't know what they were called.  I just knew it had a whole lot of sweet goodness oozing from the center.  I finally figured out what they were and had to make them.  They are pretty easy to make really.  There is debate whether they should be called "Carmelitas" or "Caramelitas".  To me they are just a little square of goodness!
Very tasty, rich but addictive!  

OATMEAL CARMELITAS

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups AP flour
• 2 cups oats
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 cups melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups choc. chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Filling:

• 14 oz pkg light caramels, unwrapped
• 1/3 c. light cream

OR

• 1 jar caramel ice cream topping
• 3 TBSP flour

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 9x13 pan and set aside.  In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking soda, salt and brown sugar.  Break up any chunks of brown sugar. Melt butter and add vanilla, then mix into dry ingredients until no more flour can be seen.

Press 1/2 of the mixture into the 9x13.  Reserve the rest for the top.

Prepare caramel filling.  Put caramels and cream in microwave in 30-40 second intervals, mixing between each interval, until melted OR mix in flour to jar of caramel topping.  Pour over crust.  Sprinkle nuts and chocolate chips over caramel.  Sprinkle remaining batter evenly over the top.  Bake for 22-25 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool at least 1 hour.

Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cookies

 

 

I have been in the mood for some citrus, and happened upon these while looking at a great blog.  These cookies are light, cakey, tart yet still sweet and just plain yummy!  Not hard to make either!  They are very lemony, like fresh lemonade. 

I made some plain, because some of my kids have a thing against blueberries after they have been cooked, but the blueberries just add so much vibrancy to the cookies, they are a must!  It is a pain to get them in and covered, but worth it!

These would be fabulous with some tea and plan to enjoy one this evening just that way!

 

 

Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cookies

http://twopeasandtheirpod.com/recipe-for-lemon-blueberry-buttermilk-cookies/

 makes about 2 dozen

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• Zest of two large lemons
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
•  1/4 tsp. salt
• 6 Tbsp. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
•  3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
  Fresh blueberries

Glaze:

• Confectioners sugar
• Fresh lemon juice
• Lemon zest

DIRECTIONS:

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub them together with your fingers until well mixed. This brings out the lemon flavor.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar/lemon mixture and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, and beat well to mix. Add the vanilla, and beat on low. Mix in the flour mixture and the buttermilk in batches at low speed, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
Drop the dough by level tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, leave about 1 ½ inches between each cookie. Tuck 4-5 blueberries into each cookie. Try to make sure they are hidden. Bake one sheet at a time for about 11 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes; then transfer them to a wire rack.

For the glaze, whisk together the sifted confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.  I used 2 lemons and maybe 1-1/2 cups of sugar.  It should be thick and opaque, but still soupy. Drizzle the glaze over the cookies

Beer Bread

I think I enjoy the smell of bread baking almost as much as I like to eat it.  I often fail to plan ahead though, which makes yeast breads something out of the realm of possibility.  This is a shame for my family, because they all love bread.  This beer bread is a fantastic quick bread.  It took about 5 minutes to throw together.  I made a Trader Joes Beer Bread along with it for comparison, and I really could not tell the difference with taste.  But mine was a little moister and both my husband and I liked the crust on mine better.  So, while Trader Joe's variety is easy, I think mine took make 1-2 minutes longer to throw together and we liked it better.  So there!
This bread is moist and makes your taste buds confused in a good way.  It is slightly sweet, but the slight bitterness from the beer comes through taking the edge off he sweetness, so it seems more savory.  Yum!  You can substitute self rising flour for the salt, flour and baking powder if you have it on hand, making it even quicker!


BEER BREAD

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups sifted flour (I used a scoop to lighten and put in my measuring cup, then leveled it)
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 12 oz beer
• 4 TBSP melted butter

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375.  Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add 2 TBSP melted butter and the beer.  Mix until just combined and no more flour is in the bottom of the bowl.  Put into greased bread pan.  Bake for 40 minutes and brush top with leftover melted butter.  Bake another 5-10 minutes, until golden and toothpick comes out clean.  Will slide out of pan easily after a few minutes.  Can cut warm and slather (I love that word!) with butter, or toast for breakfast with some jam and butter!

VARIATIONS:  Make it with some ginger ale for a sweeter bread, or some cinnamon.  Add some garlic and herb spices, or some cheese.

Stuffed Mushrooms

I really love stuffed mushrooms.  I like them cheesy and stuffed with seafood, or stuffed with breadcrumbs and cheese.  Really, I am not picky about them... I like all kinds.  These mushrooms were very rich and delicious!  They were definitely an indulgence with the creamy filling.  This recipe is kinda a compilation of a bunch.  Some variations add some fried up breakfast sausage which sounds great, but I was just not in the mood for.  I wanted a creamy rich filling, and this delivered!

STUFFED MUSHROOMS

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
• 24 oz. of mushrooms
• 2 TBSP chopped green onions
• 2/3 cup real grated parmesan cheese (I grated my own on semi fine grate and please no green canned stuff)
• 8 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
• 4 large cloves crushed garlic
• dash cayenne pepper
• sprinkle of onion powder (about 1/2 tsp.)
• bread crumbs for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375.  Clean mushrooms in preferred method (some say washing them makes them tough and you should wipe them down instead...  I have to wash them because I am OCD that way).  Remove stems of mushrooms and chop into fine pieces.  In a skillet over med high heat, place tsp oil, chopped green onions, chopped mushrooms stems and crushed garlic.  Season with a little salt.  Cook for 4-5 minutes until reduced in volume and tender.  Remove from heat.  In mixing bowl, mix softened cream cheese (I microwaved mine for 30 seconds or so), parm cheese, mushroom stem mixture, the dash of cayenne and onion powder.  Spray baking sheet lightly with nonstick cooking spray and place mushroom caps on it.  Fill each mushroom cap with filling.  Sprinkle some seasoned bread crumbs over each and a little more parm cheese.  Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes (35-40 for big mushrooms) until  bubbly and golden on the tops.  Let cool for about 5-10 minutes before eating. 

Chicken and Buttermilk Biscuits

I just love the sound of the name "chicken and biscuits."  No doubt a southern meal, but who says a northern girl can't enjoy southern food?  I made this for my family this week and we all enjoyed it.  The biscuits were tender and flaky and delicious and the chicken and gravy was just wonderful, homey and made me feel all warm and cozy inside!  This is my take on the traditional meal.  There are some "specialty" items for this...  so add to grocery list: chicken stock, unsalted butter, cake flour and buttermilk.  BTW, peas would be a wonderful addition to this dish.  I think you will enjoy this meal no matter what kind of taste palette you have.



CHICKEN AND GRAVY

INGREDIENTS :

• 3 stalks celery, diced fine
• 1 onion, diced fine
• 3 large carrots or about 1 c. baby carrots, chopped
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 3 1/2 cups chicken stock (not broth)
• 5 TBSP butter
• 2/3 c. flour
• 3-4 chicken breasts
• extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
• salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350.  Place chicken on baking sheet and drizzle with evoo and salt and pepper.  Place in reheated oven for about 30 minutes.  Take out and either shred of cut into cubes. 

In large skillet over med- high, drizzle 1 tbsp of evoo and place in all veggies.  Let saute for 10-15 min, turning heat down to med after a few minutes.  You don't want to brown the veggies, just cook until tender. If needed, add some stock so it doesn't brown. 

In another small skillet, melt butter and mix in flour and cook for 2 minutes to form a roux.  Turn off heat and set aside.  (I started biscuits here and they come together in like 5 minutes) Warm stock and wine in microwave for 2 minutes.  When veggies are very tender, add stock, wine, and roux, whisking constantly to break up the roux.  It should break up and become a smooth and creamy gravy.  Add chicken and let simmer lightly until gravy thickens.  Taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed.  

Serve over warm biscuits.


BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
makes about 8

INGREDIENTS:

Photo is not of soft sided kind, but you can see the flaky layers.

• 1 cup AP flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 TBSP baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 6 TBSP unsalted very cold butter, cubed
• 3/4 c. buttermilk
• butter for brushing tops

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 500.

Whisk all dry ingredients together (flours, baking powder, salt, baking soda, sugar).  With pastry cutter, fingers or food processor, work in cold butter until forms a coarse meal.  Add buttermilk and mix until just combined.  Don't overwork or will get tough.  Pour out onto floured surface and pat to 1/2"-3/4" thick.  (thicker means thicker biscuits obviously)  Cut out circles with biscuits cutter (can use glass if don't have biscuit cutter) and place on ungreased cookie sheet touching each other for soft sided biscuits. Gather leftover dough to form one more biscuit.  Brush tops with melted butter.  Place in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown.   (I made these fresh for our leftovers)