I'm really bad about not using leftovers. Normally once I put something in the fridge it sits there about a week and ends up in the trash and all I've accomplished is washing an extra container. Today it was cold in my office and I kept thinking I want some soup or chili. Since I run a pretty lean pantry (to avoid things sitting in there for a year) I didn't have everything I would need to make Chili. But when I started thinking about what was in the fridge I got an idea. Pork in Chile sauce 2 long Smoked Sausages 3-5 thick Slices of ham 4 cups prepared red chile sauce (left over from taco night) 2 cups Tomato Sauce (left over from Pasta a few nights ago) In my ceramic coated iron dutch oven I browned the sausage and then added the ham and sauces. I didn't add any additional flavorings because I had already added some oregano and garlic in the tomato sauce, the chile had garlic also and some of the sausage flavor is going to carry through the sauce. I brought it to a boil and then turned it down to a simmer. Everything was already cooked so we're just looking to heat the meat and blend some flavors. Rice and Beans 2 cups brown long grain rice 4 3/4 cups water 2 tomato chicken buillion cubes 2 Tbsp Worcestershire 1 Tbsp cumin 1 tsp sage 2 cups cooked Pinto Beans (left over from taco night) Bring the water, rice, and seasonings to a boil, turn heat to simmer and cook for about 45-50 minutes. If you use white rice be sure to adjust the cook time. When the rice is done stir in the beans and allow to heat through. Sweet n Sour Carmelized Onions 1 onion sliced thinly 1 red bell pepper sliced thinly 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp salt 1 Tbsp Vinegar handful Italian Parsley leaves, chopped 1 Green onion, chopped Over medium heat carmelize onions with sugar and salt until the start to turn transparent. Add Vinegar and Red Bell, Cook to desired doneness. Remove from heat and stir in Parsley and Onion. While I haven't been blogging, I have been baking up a storm. My wonderful Father In Law had a bread machine that he hardly ever used and offered to me. Since I'm not much of a baker...well until about a month ago... I thankfully accepted the learning opportunity.
The first recipe I tried turned out successfully but the flavor was lacking so I continued my search. A few loaves later I had a new slightly modified white bread recipe. The bread machine is a 1lb machine so it is a smaller loaf. I have also adjusted the recipe to use to make regular loaves in the oven. Reminder that I'm at roughly 5600 feet above sea level in a dry climate so you may need to adjust your liquid ratio. This makes a sticky dough. In the traditional oven, makes 4 loaves 2 2/3 Cup Luke Warm Water 1 cup Luke Warm Milk 1 stick butter, softened 9 cups flour 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp sugar 1/8 cup Salt 2 package Active Dry Yeast. Bloom the yeast in the warm water and sugar. While that is waiting whisk your dry ingredients together. Cut the butter into your flour until there are no visible chunks. At this point, the yeast has set about 5 minutes and should be nice and foamy. If it's not, then your yeast is likely dead and you should start over with your yeast, water, and sugar mixture. Mix the wet ingredients with the flour and knead your dead by hand or using a kitchen aid dough hook until the mixture is smooth. Form into a ball and place in a large bowl. Brush dough ball with oil and cover with damp towels, allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Punch dough down and seperate into 4 loaves, Grease loaf pans generously and I like to coat the pain with Wheat bran,It acts like flouring the pan and looks pretty. Once you have seperated the dough and put it in the pans, top with addition Wheat bran. Cover pans with a damp cloth and allow to rise in a warm spot for an additional hour. Bake at 375F for an hour. To test the bread for doneness turn a loaf over and if it sounds hollow when you thump it then it is finished. If not bake additional time until it sounds hollow when thumped. Allow For the Bread Machine Recipe, makes 1 loaf: 2/3 cup warm water 1 tsp yeast 5 tsp sugar 2 Tbsp unsalted Butter 2 1/2 cups flour 1 1/2 tsp salt Use your Basic Bread cycle, and I use Light crust because it still gets good color on it with my machine, I found the normal crust setting made it to crusty for sandwiches. This bread has worked great so far for Cuban sandwiches, toasted sandwiches, and I watched my husband and in laws and niece just tear off chunks of it and eat it, LOL. It is hard to let it cool the full hour I have failed at keeping up with the blog. My apologies to anyone that was following the new posts. I am attempting this again, eventually I will succeed! Saturday A craving hit me for tacos. Tonight I was still craving them so I had to make them. They came out really good and hit the spot! Today I started of with making a big crockpot of beans and red chile without meat. I've previously posted those recipes and have included the link. Taco Meat 2 lbs Ground beef 2 cloves garlic 2 tsp oregano 1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper 1 small potato diced small In an iron skillet over medium heat 1 Tbsp oil and saute the garlic until it starts to turn golden. Add oregano to pan and wait 1 minute, Add Ground beef, when all meat is browned drain the grease from your pan and return the meat to the iron skillet. Add all of the flavorings and the potato. Cook covered until the potatoes are very soft. Also you can add a little bit of cumin. It will add a smoky flavor and is a common flavoring in most of the taco seasonings you buy at the store. My MIL always told me it's a more Mexican ingredient vs Southwest so I don't use it often, trying to keep the flavors my baby grew up with.. Fresh Salsa 2 large slightly over ripe tomatos 1 clove garlic, minced into a paste 1 handful cilantro, finely chopped 1 green onion, white part removed, finely chopped 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp salt Combine all ingredients and refrigerate atleast 30 minutes to 1 hour. You may also add 1/8 cup minced onion or 1 diced avocado. If you add the avocado I also use a squeeze of lemon to ensure it does not turn brown. Green Chile 8-10 roasted New Mexico Green Chiles (You can sub Anaheims also, or 3 large cans of roasted diced green chiles if you don't have access to fresh) 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tbsp Oil 3 Tbsp flour 1 chicken tomato bouillion cube 2 cups water 2 tsp dried oregano In an iron skillet heat oil over medium heat. mix in flour and garlic and cook until the roux is a peanut butter color. You may need to add additional oil if the roux gets to thick, it should be thin. Stir in the oregano and green chiles. add water and bouillion (or 2 cups chicken stock and 1 diced tomato if you prefer) Bring to a boil and cook until thickened. While I was working on the above I was also preheating the deep fryer. When it's heated to 375F toss a corn tortilla on top of the oil and use a fork to push it down into a cup shape. Hold it for about 20 seconds and then it will hold it shape. Be careful of the steam that will come off of the tortilla also. The taco shells won't be uniform or look like a preformed packaged shell but they'll taste a lot better because they are fresh. I served my beans on the side, you could definately refry them in an iron skillet with a little bacon fat if you prefer refried beans. Side Note: Feliz Navidad just started playing on my playlist, how appropriate! LOL Serve these with all the extras if you prefer, sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce, guacamole, etc. |
Mandy GarciaHey! I'm Mandy. I am an avid home cook, Chicago Bears fan, UK Wildcats fan, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Comedy, Show tunes, animal loving, crafting, "be the crazy aunt" kind of gal. Born and raised in the Blue Grass state I now call The Land of Enchantment home. My sense of humor is a little dry and I'm definitely sarcastic. So come on in and hang out with me for a little while. It should be fun! Archives
October 2013
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