I LOVE this soup! It is so healthy-full of vegetables and protein. I made it for the first time in 2005 when my cousin, Nicole came to visit us for a weekend. It was just right on spice for us, since we can't handle too much spice at all, but you can alter that based on the degree of spice in your taco sauce. The recipe comes from my Ortega Simple Meals cookbook and it was submitted by Sharon Lesan of Bethal, Alaska who had something similar at a local restaurant and went home to create her own version.
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 carton (32 oz.) chicken broth
1/2 lb. (2 c.) cooked, chopped chicken breast meat
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (11 oz.) Mexican-style corn
1 bottle (8 oz.) Ortega Taco Sauce
1 c. (1 large) chopped red bell pepper
1 can (4 oz.) Ortega Diced Green Chiles
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
1. Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl.
2. Stir together broth, chicken, beans, tomatoes, corn, taco sauce, pepper, chiles and cornstarch mixture in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add cilantro. Garnish as desired.
GARNISHES: tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, etc.
6-8 servings
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Baked Chocolate Custard with Caramel Whipped Cream
This is Paula Deen's recipe and it was featured People magazine last month. I had to try it, because most of you know that sweets and pasta and bread are my weaknesses. The recipe's whipped cream is actually butterscotch but I'm not a fan of butterscotch so I changed it to caramel. I really like it and Jarom did too, but it is extremely rich. Be sure to have some water or milk on hand to help cut down some of the richness. Completely amazing yumminess!
1 c. (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
2 c. heavy cream
1 c. milk
4 egg yolks
3 tbsp. sugar
Pinch of salt
5 tbsp. butterscotch sundae syrup
1. Heat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Put chocolate chips in a medium heat-proof bowl. Bring 1 c. heavy cream and milk to a light boil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until smooth.
3. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar and salt. Whisk in about 1/2 c. of chocolate mixture, then add egg mixture to remaining chocolate mixture. Strain custard through a fin mesh sieve, and divide among six ramekins.
4. Put the ramekins in a large roasting pan. Pour hot water into the pan until is reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover with foil and poke small holes in foil. Bake on the center rack until the edges of the custard are slightly set but the center still jiggles, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let custards cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
5. In a bowl, beat remaining cream and sundae syrup with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until thickened. Top each custard cup with a generous dollop of whipped cream.
6 servings
1 c. (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
2 c. heavy cream
1 c. milk
4 egg yolks
3 tbsp. sugar
Pinch of salt
5 tbsp. butterscotch sundae syrup
1. Heat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Put chocolate chips in a medium heat-proof bowl. Bring 1 c. heavy cream and milk to a light boil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until smooth.
3. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar and salt. Whisk in about 1/2 c. of chocolate mixture, then add egg mixture to remaining chocolate mixture. Strain custard through a fin mesh sieve, and divide among six ramekins.
4. Put the ramekins in a large roasting pan. Pour hot water into the pan until is reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover with foil and poke small holes in foil. Bake on the center rack until the edges of the custard are slightly set but the center still jiggles, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let custards cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
5. In a bowl, beat remaining cream and sundae syrup with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until thickened. Top each custard cup with a generous dollop of whipped cream.
6 servings
Monterey Chicken Casserole
I have been having a Mexican food craving and Saturday I decided to finally do something about it. I have an Ortega Simple Meals recipe book full of them and loved this casserole. I did take out the green chiles, though, because I don't like them, but I added diced tomatoes. Yummy! And Jarom liked it quite a bit, too.
This recipe was the grand prize winning recipe in Ortega's "Create a Fiesta, Win a Siesta" contest and was submitted by Ginger Berryhill or Autin, Texas.
1 lb. (4 c.) cooked chicken breast meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bottle (16 oz.) Ortega Taco Sauce
2 cans (4 oz. each) Ortega Diced Green Chiles
1 c. frozen whole kernel corn (I used canned corn)
3/4 c. instant rice
1/2 c. water
1 can (2.25 oz.) sliced ripe olives
1 pkg. (12) Ortega Taco Shells, crumbled
2 c. (8 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese (I used Monterrey-Jack)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine chicken, taco sauce, chiles, corn, rice, water and olives in a large bowl. Spoon into an ungreased 13x9 baking dish. Combine taco shells and cheese in medium bowl: sprinkle over chicken mixture (instead of mixing the two, I just layered them).
3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until top is golden brown. Top with green onions, tomato, sour cream and other desired garnishes.
8 servings
This recipe was the grand prize winning recipe in Ortega's "Create a Fiesta, Win a Siesta" contest and was submitted by Ginger Berryhill or Autin, Texas.
1 lb. (4 c.) cooked chicken breast meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bottle (16 oz.) Ortega Taco Sauce
2 cans (4 oz. each) Ortega Diced Green Chiles
1 c. frozen whole kernel corn (I used canned corn)
3/4 c. instant rice
1/2 c. water
1 can (2.25 oz.) sliced ripe olives
1 pkg. (12) Ortega Taco Shells, crumbled
2 c. (8 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese (I used Monterrey-Jack)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine chicken, taco sauce, chiles, corn, rice, water and olives in a large bowl. Spoon into an ungreased 13x9 baking dish. Combine taco shells and cheese in medium bowl: sprinkle over chicken mixture (instead of mixing the two, I just layered them).
3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until top is golden brown. Top with green onions, tomato, sour cream and other desired garnishes.
8 servings
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Chocolate-Cherries Alaska Bomb
Boy, was I excited about this dessert! It's a twist on a Baked Alaska and is one of Paula Deen's recipes that I found on the Food Network. It was a hit and a nice little show, too! I highly recommend this dessert, whether you put on the show or not!!
2 pints cherry ice cream*
1-8 inch round chocolate chip walnut brownie**
4 large egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. brandy
*Paula Deen recommends Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream.
**I couldn't find a round premade brownie at the store and I wasn't sure if I'd have enough cocoa powder to make a brownie from scratch so I used a mix I had that had walnuts and just added chocolate chips. I baked it in a 9-inch pie plate so I would already have a circle that I just needed to cut down an inch.
1. Line a small, round-bottomed, 8-inch stainless steel bowl with plastic wrap, letting it hang over the sides (I needed two pieces). Spoon the ice cream into the prepared bowl, pressing it down as you go. Smooth the surface of the ice cream with a rubber spatula. Top the ice cream with the brownie round, bottom side of the brownie up. Bring the plastic wrap up over the brownie, wrapping it all up tightly. Freeze for 4 hours or overnight until solid.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar until the meringue is stiff and glossy. Transfer the meringue to a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip (I just used my spatula to spread in on and all over the dessert, being sure to seal it at the bottom).
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
4. Remove bomb from freezer, unwrap bottom and turn out onto a metal or other heatproof serving dish (I had some trouble getting my bomb to turn out, so I had to set the bowl in a warm water bath for a few minutes and then it popped right out into a pie plate). Peel away the plastic wrap from the ice cream. Pipe stars of meringue all over the bomb (this is a decorative touch, but I just spread it over the dessert with a spatula), covering it completely and sealing it all the way down and to the edge of the dish.
5. Bake the bomb in the oven for 2-3 minutes until it begins to brown. Remove from the oven and gently pour the brandy all over the bomb. Ignite the brandy with a long kitchen match and let burn until the flame subsides (this is a flambe and the heat will burn away all the liquid but it puts on quite a show while burning with brilliant reds and blues in the flames).
6. When the flames die down, cut into wedges and serve immediately.
8 servings
2 pints cherry ice cream*
1-8 inch round chocolate chip walnut brownie**
4 large egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. brandy
*Paula Deen recommends Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream.
**I couldn't find a round premade brownie at the store and I wasn't sure if I'd have enough cocoa powder to make a brownie from scratch so I used a mix I had that had walnuts and just added chocolate chips. I baked it in a 9-inch pie plate so I would already have a circle that I just needed to cut down an inch.
1. Line a small, round-bottomed, 8-inch stainless steel bowl with plastic wrap, letting it hang over the sides (I needed two pieces). Spoon the ice cream into the prepared bowl, pressing it down as you go. Smooth the surface of the ice cream with a rubber spatula. Top the ice cream with the brownie round, bottom side of the brownie up. Bring the plastic wrap up over the brownie, wrapping it all up tightly. Freeze for 4 hours or overnight until solid.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar until the meringue is stiff and glossy. Transfer the meringue to a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip (I just used my spatula to spread in on and all over the dessert, being sure to seal it at the bottom).
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
4. Remove bomb from freezer, unwrap bottom and turn out onto a metal or other heatproof serving dish (I had some trouble getting my bomb to turn out, so I had to set the bowl in a warm water bath for a few minutes and then it popped right out into a pie plate). Peel away the plastic wrap from the ice cream. Pipe stars of meringue all over the bomb (this is a decorative touch, but I just spread it over the dessert with a spatula), covering it completely and sealing it all the way down and to the edge of the dish.
5. Bake the bomb in the oven for 2-3 minutes until it begins to brown. Remove from the oven and gently pour the brandy all over the bomb. Ignite the brandy with a long kitchen match and let burn until the flame subsides (this is a flambe and the heat will burn away all the liquid but it puts on quite a show while burning with brilliant reds and blues in the flames).
6. When the flames die down, cut into wedges and serve immediately.
8 servings
Asparagus & Tomato Skewers with Honey-Mustard-Horseradish Sauce
This is a Bobby Flay recipe from the Food Network and I loved the asparagus! The tomatoes weren't good enough to my liking, however. Everyone else seemed to really enjoy both, though, when I made the sauce I left out the horseradish because we already were having the horseradish cream with our roast beef, so the sauce just became a honey-mustard sauce, but it was every bit as good! I was going to grill these on my Foreman grill, but ran into a snag and we ended up having to put them on our big gas grill outside.
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. clover honey
3 tbsp. prepared horseradish, drained (I left this out)
2 tbsp. finely chopped mint leaves (I left this out too, but only because I forgot about it)
salt and pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes on the vine
wooden skewers soaked in water
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed
olive oil
1. Preheat grill. Whisk together the mustard, honey, horseradish and mint in a bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
2. Thread the tomatoes onto the skewers and put them into a large bowl. Add the asparagus and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Put the tomatoes on the grill and cook until charred on both sides. Grill the asparagus for about 2 minutes per side. Put the vegetables on a platter and drizzle them with the mustard sauce. (I left the sauce in the bowl I prepared it in and let everyone spoon out as much as they wanted and there was more than enough left over, rather than drizzling it over the vegetables before serving). Serve hot or at room temperature.
4 servings
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. clover honey
3 tbsp. prepared horseradish, drained (I left this out)
2 tbsp. finely chopped mint leaves (I left this out too, but only because I forgot about it)
salt and pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes on the vine
wooden skewers soaked in water
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed
olive oil
1. Preheat grill. Whisk together the mustard, honey, horseradish and mint in a bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
2. Thread the tomatoes onto the skewers and put them into a large bowl. Add the asparagus and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Put the tomatoes on the grill and cook until charred on both sides. Grill the asparagus for about 2 minutes per side. Put the vegetables on a platter and drizzle them with the mustard sauce. (I left the sauce in the bowl I prepared it in and let everyone spoon out as much as they wanted and there was more than enough left over, rather than drizzling it over the vegetables before serving). Serve hot or at room temperature.
4 servings
Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp
I was very excited about this recipe from Ina Garten on the Food Network. It was another dish I serve last Friday with our dinner with friends. It was good, but I was expecting a bit more of a punch of lemon and it left me wanting to taste more citrus. The shrimp were very good and overall it was a good dish. Next time, I will add more lemon juice and zest.
2 lbs. shrimp, peeled & deveined
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 lb. angel hair pasta
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted (I only used 2 tbsp.)
2 lemons, zested & juiced
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the shrimp on a sheet pan with 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Toss well, spread them in one layer, and roast 6-8 minutes, just until they're pink and cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, drizzle some olive oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add the angel hair, and cook al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Quickly toss the angel hair with the melted butter, 1/4 c. olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, 2 tsp. salt (I left out this extra salt), 1 tsp. pepper and about 1/2 c. of the reserved cooking liquid. Add the shrimp and serve hot.
Serves 6
2 lbs. shrimp, peeled & deveined
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 lb. angel hair pasta
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted (I only used 2 tbsp.)
2 lemons, zested & juiced
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the shrimp on a sheet pan with 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Toss well, spread them in one layer, and roast 6-8 minutes, just until they're pink and cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, drizzle some olive oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add the angel hair, and cook al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Quickly toss the angel hair with the melted butter, 1/4 c. olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, 2 tsp. salt (I left out this extra salt), 1 tsp. pepper and about 1/2 c. of the reserved cooking liquid. Add the shrimp and serve hot.
Serves 6
Herb-Crusted Roast Beef with Horseradish Cream
Finally, I'm getting last Friday's dinner recipes up. I'm sorry to be so slow, I wanted to get them up before the end of February and I didn't quite get there. :o) We had some friends over for dinner and I had a round eye roast I wanted to cook, but I wasn't quite sure how to cook it, because I've never bought one before. I did a search on the Food Network and found this recipe among many others but this one sounded so great! It is from Sunny Anderson and was indeed great!! It's a good thing I looked too, because if I had cooked it as I planned it would have been too tough.
1- 3 lb. boneless beef eye round roast
salt and black pepper
1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
5 cloves garlic
1 bunch parsley, leaves only
1/2 bunch thyme, leaves only
8 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves only
2 leaves fresh rosemary, leaves only
2 tbsp. mustard powder
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Season roast well with salt and pepper. In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp. oil. When hot, sear roast on all sides, until nicely caramelized. Remove roast to a sheet tray lined with a wire rack.
3. Meanwhile, place garlic, parsley, thyme, oregano, rosemary, mustard powder, 1/2 c. oil, salt and pepper to taste, in a food processor and pulse until mixture forms a paste.
4. Rub paste all over roast. Bake in oven until the roast is cooked medium-rare or registers 125 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 minutes.
5. Let roast rest 10 minutes before slicing and serve with Horseradish Cream.
Serves 6-8
HORSERADISH CREAM
1/2 c. sour cream
2 tbsp. prepared horseradish
1 tbsp. lemon juice
salt
1. In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Yield: 1/2 c.
1- 3 lb. boneless beef eye round roast
salt and black pepper
1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
5 cloves garlic
1 bunch parsley, leaves only
1/2 bunch thyme, leaves only
8 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves only
2 leaves fresh rosemary, leaves only
2 tbsp. mustard powder
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Season roast well with salt and pepper. In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp. oil. When hot, sear roast on all sides, until nicely caramelized. Remove roast to a sheet tray lined with a wire rack.
3. Meanwhile, place garlic, parsley, thyme, oregano, rosemary, mustard powder, 1/2 c. oil, salt and pepper to taste, in a food processor and pulse until mixture forms a paste.
4. Rub paste all over roast. Bake in oven until the roast is cooked medium-rare or registers 125 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 minutes.
5. Let roast rest 10 minutes before slicing and serve with Horseradish Cream.
Serves 6-8
HORSERADISH CREAM
1/2 c. sour cream
2 tbsp. prepared horseradish
1 tbsp. lemon juice
salt
1. In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Yield: 1/2 c.
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