Jalapeno Popper Spread

I've made this dip about four times since I first discovered the recipe and I have yet to get a good picture of it because it's always at night. It's been a hit at every gathering to which I've taken it and on the off chance there is some left over, it reheats wonderfully. One of the things I love about it is that the heat level can be adjusted so easily so you can cater to your friend's needs. Brent and I love spicy stuff, but his mother can't eat it without feeling badly, so I cut the jalapeno quantity in half when she's in the crowd.

Jalapeno Popper Spread
Source: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise (I used light mayo and it still tasted great)
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
2 ounces canned diced jalapenos, drained
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Add the chiles and jalapenos and stir until combined. Pour mixture into an ovenproof bowl, top with Parmesan cheese and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly.

It's best served with crusty bread because it truly is a spread, not a dip.

Shrimp Enchiladas

To say that my husband likes enchiladas is an understatement. The last time I made these, he ate most of the batch, I'm talking eighteen enchiladas, in just over 36 hours. He also loves seafood of all kinds, so when I saw this recipe for shrimp enchiladas I knew I had to make it for him. He's been going through a hard time lately and I thought it would be nice to do something special just for him.

They were a huge hit! They weren't any more difficult to put together than the chicken enchiladas I like to make and they were MUCH better. I'm going to use the steps in this recipe to make my chicken enchiladas from now on. No more cream of chicken soup for us, we are movin' on up to the homemade cheese sauce.

I made several changes to the original, so make sure to click back to The Piggly-Wiggly blog for her take on the recipe.


Shrimp Enchiladas
Inspired By: The Piggly-Wiggly

1 sweet red pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, minced
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp Paula Deen's House Seasoning
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
8 ounces shredded Monterey-Jack cheese, divided
8 ounces Pepper-Jack cheese, divided
1/2 cup sour cream (Used fat-free)
1 Tbsp butter
1-1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (next time I'll use fresh)
(9-inch) flour tortillas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sauté peppers and onion in the butter until crisp-tender (approximately 3-4 minutes). Add oregano, house seasoning, cream and flour; blend well. Continue cooking for 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add half of the cheese mixture; stir until melted. Add sour cream, stir to blend. Set aside.

In another skillet, melt the 2 Tbsp butter. Sauté shrimp until pink. Remove and chop; return to butter. Add tomatoes and 1/2 of the cheese sauce. Spoon 1/3 cup shrimp mixture into each tortilla. Sprinkle cheese on top of shrimp mixture. Roll up tightly. Arrange seam side down in a 13x9 glass baking dish.

Spoon remaining cheese sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers

I'm trying to explore new sections of the grocery store...I think they call it 'shopping around the edges'. The idea is to find new foods that you've never cooked with before. Our Wal-Mart has a nice sized Mexican food section in the refrigerator case where I found a bright red tube of chorizo sausage.
If, like me, you've never cooked with chorizo, don't be surprised if it looks like the least appetizing thing you've ever seen in a skillet (seriously, I almost threw it out, but it smelled good so I perservered). Just press the sausage down into a disk and be sure to take a second during cooking to drain the excess liquid (grease I guess)that comes out of the sausage. Flip the disk over and continue browning, then crumble when it's completely cooked. *confession, I had to Google how to cook chorizo, I had no idea*
I created this recipe using items I had on hand. It turned out really well and it came together quickly.

Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers

Source: A Hilary Original Recipe

Ingredients:

4 bell peppers
1 pound chorizo sausage
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1.5 cups minute rice
1.5 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
Cheddar cheese to taste
Sour cream, olives, other garnishes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Cut the bell peppers in half, removing stem and seeds. Place on a baking sheet lined with tin foil and put in oven, roasting until slightly soft and liquid is starting to seep from the peppers.

Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, saute the onion and sausage. Once the sausage is thoroughly cooked, add the tomatoes, rice and water. Allow to simmer until rice is cooked and the mixture has thickened. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Spoon the sausage mixture into the bell pepper shells. Top with chedder cheese and bake about ten minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Garnish as desired.

Tacos in Pasta Shells

We love Mexican food at my house. Brent could easily eat tacos every day. So when I found this recipe, I instantly added it to my weekly menu plan. I made several changes to the original recipe, many of them came from the comments posted to the recipe. I love that aspect of All Recipes' website, reading people's feedback and suggestions is the best part of online recipe searching.
These tacos reheated great and tasted even better the next day!

Adapted from: All Recipes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
1 package taco seasoning
1 4 oz. can chopped green chiles
1 teaspoon salt
Chili powder to taste
30 jumbo pasta shells
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups taco sauce
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the onion until translucent, then brown beef until no longer pink; drain. Add cream cheese, taco seasoning, green chiles, salt and chili powder; mix and simmer for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Toss cooked shells in butter.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Fill shells with beef mixture and arrange in a 9x13 inch baking dish; pour taco sauce over shells. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Remove dish from oven and top with the cheese, return dish to oven to cook for 15 minutes more.
Garnish as desired.

Fajita Seasoning

The other day I found myself with extra red and green bell peppers, and I always have onions on hand. I rummaged around my refrigerator until I found a turkey link sausage and decided to make a fajita style dish. I didn't have any fajita seasoning packets so I had to make my own. I googled it and found several different recipes and put them all together to create one of my own using spices I had in my cabinet.

Fajita Seasoning

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Combine all in a small bowl. This was enough fajita mix for my batch of 2 bell peppers, 2 onions and 1 pound of turkey sausage.

Spicy Chicken Enchiladas

Before now, enchiladas have intimidated me, but after preparing them using a recipe a couple of times I lost the fear and decided to experiment. I created this recipe using flavors we like, so feel free to substitute. Brent likes his Mexican food spicy and this recipe definitely fit the bill. The addition of the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce gave them a spicy/smoky flavor. The filing came out so colorful, I wish I had a picture of it before I rolled it into the tortillas.

I poached the chicken breasts a few days before I prepared this meal. In the past, I've severally overcooked chicken when poaching. This time I kept a closer eye on it because dry chicken sucks. In a large pot, three large chicken breasts (one pound) took about 22 minutes to cook through. I also added a tablespoon of chicken bouillon to the water which really amped the chicken flavor.

Ingredients:

1 red onion, diced

1 poblano pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, drained and chopped (reserve the liquid)

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 box cream cheese, softened

1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

cilantro (optional)

3 cans red enchilada sauce

3-4 cups cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°

In a skillet, saute the onion, poblano, garlic and bell pepper until soft but still colorful, season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the sauted veggies with the chipotle peppers, chicken, cream of chicken soup, cream cheese and cilantro (optional). Mix until combined. Separately, combine the three cans of enchilada sauce with the reserved adobo sauce (use discretion, that stuff is spicy!).

Lightly grease a large roasting pan, or two 9x13 pans. Pour a little of the red sauce into the bottom of the pan and tilt to coat. Using a portion scoop (or your fingers!) roll up a portion of the mixture into each tortilla and line the enchiladas up in the pan. Top with the red sauce and the cheese.

Bake until heated through and cheese is melty and yummy, at least half an hour. You might have to cover the pan with tin foil to allow the interior to heat up without overcooking the cheese.

Here's a sexy nighttime picture of the enchiladas:

Evidently Sadi had a really good time helping me cook, check out this grin:

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I made these the other night for my husband and father in law. Unfortunately the only picture I have is this sloppy picture of the stuffed peppers on a baking sheet. I'm kicking myself for not getting another picture once I had plated these babies, the plate was beautiful I tell ya, just beautiful. I served them with Mexican Sour Cream Rice, but I changed up the rice recipe by including cilantro and changing the cheese from Monterrey Jack to medium cheddar. Brent and I liked this version MUCH better, probably because it was more colorful!

I was initially inspired by this Black Bean and Rice Stuffed Poblano recipe on Food alla Puttanesca. I love black beans, but Brent isn't really a fan, plus, he prefers meals with meat. I created my recipe to fit his criteria :)

Ingredients:

8 poblanos, 6 sliced lengthwise, with seeds removed, 2 diced
1 pound hamburger
1 red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 12 oz. can diced tomatoes
1.5 cups chicken stock
1.5 cups quick cooking brown rice
3 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
Dashes of hot sauce
Salt and pepper
2 cups cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400°

Place the 12 halved poblanos on a baking sheet (I like to line with aluminum foil).
In a skillet over medium heat, brown the hamburger and season with salt and pepper. Remove the hamburger and drain.
Next, in a little olive oil, saute the red onion, garlic, and diced poblano until soft. Add the tomatoes, stock and spices and bring to a boil. Add the rice, stir to combine and allow to simmer until the rice is cooked.
Now, take the poblanos out of the oven (they should be getting soft by now), spoon the hamburger mixture into the pepper halves, top with cheese and place back in the oven for another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and yummy.

Mexican Sour Cream Rice

I just found the pictures from this meal on my hard drive and was instantly reminded how much I enjoyed the rice. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about the pork chop, it must not have been anything special. The rice dish has made it into my side rotation several times since.

Mexican Sour Cream Rice
From: Lauren's Kitchen

1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 (8.75 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (I think I left this out)
salt and ground black pepper to taste

In a large pot, bring the rice and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. In the pot with the cooked rice, mix the sour cream, green chile peppers, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, corn, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and top with remaining cheese.
Bake uncovered 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Southwest Tuna Casserole

As I was going through pictures on my hard drive, I realized there are several quality meals that I haven't shared with you yet! As you may know, my mom likes to cook also, and she shares recipe ideas with me all the time. This recipe came from her, but she found it on foodnetwork.com. I love tuna casserole and this one has some awesome add-ins. I probably will add more spice the next time I make it. In fact, I'll probably make it soon since it's been about four months since I took these dark dark pictures :)

Southwestern Tuna Casserole
Chef to the Rescue - Featuring Cat Cora
(sorry Cat, I can't find the link on the website)

1 tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 cups thawed corn kernals
1 (10.5 oz) can reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup
1 cup salsa
1 tsp chili powder
1 (6 oz) can tuna packed in water, drained and flaked
2 1/2 cups rotini (or whatever noodle you like), cooked according to package directions
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350

Coat a two quart casserole with cooking spray

Over medium-high heat, heat oil in a large skillet. Cook onion and celery until softened, three minutes or so. Add corn and cook two more minutes. Stir in the soup, salsa and chili powder until incorporated.

Add the tuna and pasta, stirring enough to coat. Pour into the casserole dish and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.

Bake for about 25 minutes.

Also, I want to share with you one of the many challenges I face, which is mainly brought about by my laziness and also by the fact that my house is also home to two big hairy dogs. When we found out about the baby, we moved our computer desk into the guest bedroom. It's a little tight in there, but it works. Now Gracie has somewhere to lay while I'm playing on the computer.

It just happens to be on top of the clean laundry waiting patiently on the guest bed to be put away. The dog has no shame, and I am obviously an enabler. Sorry honey, for the dog hair in your clean socks.

*This post was written to the beats of N.E.R.D.'s In Search Of... (cause I'm the sh!t)

Taco Soup

Since I've started blogging, I've noticed that I cook a lot of things Mexican-like. I guess it's because our favorite Mexican recipes are pretty easy, don't require a lot of fancy ingredients, and they aren't that expensive! This recipe for Taco Soup has been in my family for awhile. My mom first found it and I latched onto it like a frat boy on a keg. It took me awhile to convince Brent that the beans are necessary cogs to this soup-machine, but he's a believer now. I don't know if he just got tired of picking them out of his bowl or if he decided they really don't taste bad at all. All I know is that I'm glad I won the bean fight of 2008.

Taco Soup

1 1/2# burger
1 onion chopped
1 16 oz can kidney beans with liquid
1 16 oz can chili beans
1 small bag frozen corn
1 can Rotel
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 4oz can green chiles
1 pkg. Ranch Dressing mix
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 1/2 c. water

Brown beef and saute onion - drain, stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer @ least two hours.
Serve with whatever garnishes float your boat.

P.S. This soup tastes even better on day 2. I like to mix it up by using the leftovers to make some kickin' nachos. Just drain the soup, put over a bunch of chips and ta da, taco soup with chips!

Texas Style Chicken Stew

Oh. My. Gosh. This was a hit! We had some friends show up just as I was serving dinner. Even having just eaten out at a restaurant, they each had a bowl because they couldn't resist the spicy yummy aroma. I added more spice than it called for and I'm glad I did.

This recipe, originally from Saveur magazine, was adapted for the book “175 Essential Slow Cooker Classics” by Judith Finlayson.

(please ignore the ugly shadow my camera left on the plate.

The lighting in my kitchen is horrendous, this is the best shot I got.)

Serves 6

4 slices bacon

2 onions, chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crumbled

½ teaspoon black pepper

Salt

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, including juice

1 cup chicken stock

3 pounds skinless, bone-in chicken thighs (about 12 thighs)

2 (14-ounce) cans creamstyle corn

1 tablespoon chili powder, dissolved in 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (I didn't have any chili powder, so I used 1/2 tablespoon of cayenne. It was spicy but not too much!)

1 teaspoon paprika

Pinch of cayenne pepper, optional

In a skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove and drain thoroughly on paper towel and crumble. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from pan.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onions to pan and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, pepper and salt, to taste, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice and stock, and bring to a boil.

Arrange chicken over bottom of slow cooker and cover with vegetable mixture. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork. Add corn, chili powder mixture, paprika, cayenne and reserved bacon. Stir well. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes, until corn is heated through.