September 25, 2010

Jalapeno Popper Dip







I can not give enough praises to this Jalapeno Popper Dip.  I make it all of the time, & always gets devoured.  It really tastes like a jalapeno popper!  It is such a simple thing to make & the ingredient list is really short.  You only need 5 ingredients!  Interested?  Well, c'mon.... Let's get started!


In a large bowl, combine 2 (8oz) containers of softened cream cheese, 1 cup of mayonnaise, 8 ounces of diced green chiles, & 2oz (or more if you like it really spicy) of canned jalapenos.  I use the sliced ones in a jar & just chop them up.  








Place the mixture in a 2 quart casserole dish & sprinkle with shredded parmasan cheese.  I prefer shredded to grated as it gives it a nicer crust.  But you can use grated if you wish to.  It will still taste almost the same, but it won't have the slight crunch on the top.








Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Serve with chips or crackers.  Heck, it's even good on something like french bread!  :)








Jalapeno Popper Dip



Ingredients:
  • 2 (8oz) containers of cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 8oz diced green chiles
  • 2oz canned or jarred, sliced jalapenos - diced up
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions:

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.  Transfer the mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish & top with shredded Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.

September 20, 2010

Dresser Make-Over





A while back, I bought this beat up looking (but sturdy) wooden dresser from the thrift store for my daughters with means of redoing it into something not so beat up looking.  It was only 5 dollars, so I figured if it didn't work out, it wasn't much of an investment.  This weekend, I finally got around to doing it, and I am quite pleased with the results.  Forgive me, as I completely forgot to do an official 'before' picture...but I was able to find a picture that just so happened to have the dresser in the background, so that will have to do!

See that ugly dresser in the corner with the tv on top?  Thats my project!  




I spent $10 for paint & $8 for new knobs.  Add that to the $5 price of the dresser - and I spent just $23!!

And now...curtain please!!


TA DA!!




My daughters (and myself!) are beyond thrilled with the results!  


September 15, 2010

Chiles Rellenos





I recently acquired some poblano peppers & huge sweet peppers that were just the size for stuffing, so I decided to make an attempt at authentic Chiles Rellenos.  The result was truly ah-mazing.  The process is pretty easy, but also time consuming.  


I started out with 4 poblano peppers & 6 large sweet peppers.




I placed them on a cooling rack perched on top of a baking sheet & broiled them for 5-8 minutes on each side so they were blackened & blistered.



Put your blackened peppers into a sealed ziploc & let them 'steam' for 30 minutes.




Peel off the skins from each of the peppers.




Cut a lengthwise slit into each pepper.  Remove the seeds.  I rinsed the inside of mine out, and patted them dry.  


Form 3 cups of cheese into cone like shapes & stuff them inside of the peppers.  Freshly shredded cheese works best as it sticks & clumps to each other much easier.  Use toothpicks to close the ends together.







Dredge each of the peppers in flour & place on a baking sheet.  Put them in the freezer for at least an hour.  



Meanwhile, go ahead and make your sauce.  Saute 1 onion in a tablespoon of butter (or oil) until translucent.  




Add in 2 tablespoons of minced garlic....




...2 (14.5)oz cans of diced tomatoes that have been pureed in a blender....


...2 cups of chicken broth...




...2 tablespoons of taco seasoning....


And a few splashes of your favorite hot sauce!




Simmer for 45 minutes.




Ok, now it's time to start on the batter for the chiles.  Separate the yolk & whites from 10 eggs, saving all 10 egg whites & 2 egg yolks.




Beat the egg whites until thickened.






Give the egg yolks & quick beating & pour them into the thickened egg whites, along with 2/3 cup all purpose flour & 1 tablespoon of salt.



Gently fold it all together.



Preheat a large, deep skillet with vegetable oil.  Remove the peppers from the freezer & discard the toothpicks.  Sprinkle a little flour on each side.  Using a spoon, gently coat each pepper with the batter.  Fry each pepper until brown on each side.

 

 




Serve on top of a 'pool' of the sauce.






I served my Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers along side.








If you would like to make this as a freezer meal, instead of removing them & battering them, flash freeze them & store them in a large freezer bag for future meals.




Chiles Rellenos

Ingredients:


For the peppers:
  • 8 large poblano peppers (or other large mexican pepper)
  • 3 cups of freshly shredded pepperjack cheese
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour for dredging
For the sauce:
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
  • hot sauce to taste
For the pepper batter:
  • 2/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 10 egg white, at room temperature
  • 2 egg yolks, beaten
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour for dredging
  • oil for frying

Instructions:

Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack at about 6 inches from the heat source.

Cook under the preheated broiler until the skin of the peppers has blackened and blistered, about 8 minutes per side. When the peppers are about blackened, place them a plastic bag, seal, and allow the peppers to steam as they cool, about 30 minutes. Once cool, remove the skins and discard. Cut a slit lengthwise into the side of each pepper, and remove seeds and veins.

Divide the cheese into 8 portions, and squeeze each portion lightly in your hands to make a cone shape. Insert a cone into the slit in each pepper, and pin the openings closed with toothpicks.

Dredge each pepper in flour, dust off the excess, and place on a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper or waxed paper. Place the peppers in the freezer for at least 1 hour.

To make sauce, blend the diced tomatoes in a blender until pureed, and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pan over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook and stir for about 30 seconds, and pour in the pureed tomatoes, chicken broth, taco seasoning, & hot pepper sauce. Reduce to medium-low, and simmer the sauce about 45 minutes, stirring often.

To make batter and finish the chiles rellenos, mix 1/3 cup flour with salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until the whites form stiff peaks. Lightly mix the egg yolk and flour-salt mixture into the egg whites to make a fluffy batter.

Remove peppers from freezer and coat them in flour again; shake off excess flour, and dip each pepper into the egg batter, using a spoon to gently but completely coat each pepper with batter.

Heat frying oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Gently lay the coated peppers into the hot oil, and fry on both sides until the batter is golden brown and the cheese filling is hot, about 5 minutes per side.

To serve, ladle a generous spoonful of sauce onto plate, and place pepper on sauce.


September 13, 2010

No Recipe Zone - Baked Peaches





Well, peach season is coming to an end.  To mark it's passing, I bought a bushels worth of some of the last crop from a local farmer, and this week I have been busy canning some for future use, making peach baby food cubes, & oodles of peach preserves...and of course, eating them fresh!  I also made some Peaches & Cream Cake, which I shared the recipe for back in the beginning of August.  After all of this, we were down to just a couple of peaches left.  So, after dinner, I prepared this super easy dessert for the kiddos & myself.  When I was a little girl, my MawMaw would make this for me.  It's such a simple thing to do, & it tastes so so good!

You can use as many or as little peaches as you wish.  I like to blanch mine first to easily remove the skins as my grandmother used to do...but you don't have to if you prefer the skins on.  

Cut your peaches in half, & remove the pit.  Place them cut side up in a baking dish & stuff the middles with brown sugar.




Sprinkle on a little cinnamon.



Dollop on a slice of butter on each peach.




Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 15 minutes.




Serve in a bowl, making sure you drizzle all that yummyness at the bottom of your pan on top.  Top with a scoop of ice cream.  I use butter pecan as that's what MawMaw always used.  MmmmMmm - so good!






Enjoy!!

September 9, 2010

Crockpot Green Chile Beef Stew & Cucumber Avocado Salad





I love Costco.  I really do.  The only thing I don't love about Costco is that I always come out spending more money than I intended to.  This trip I got a super awesome deal on some beef stew meat.  So, I decided to make my husband's favorite beef stew, and freeze the rest for later meals.  This is a slightly spicy version of beef stew & I always serve it with a bottle of good quality hot sauce.  I had a few cucumbers & avocados in the fridge that needed to be used, so I also made a refreshing cucumber avocado salad to go along with the meal.  


Best of all - the stew...you just throw everything in the crockpot and let it cook all day!






For the cucumber avocado salad, dice up 3 cucumbers, 2 avocados, & 1/4 cup of cilantro & place them in a serving dish.  Squeeze on the juice of one lime.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.








Cover & refrigerate for about 30 minutes for the flavors to meld.


  




These two dishes go so well together.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!







Crockpot Green Chile Beef Stew & Cucumber Avocado Salad



Ingredients:
For the Green Chile Beef Stew
  • 2 pounds beef stew meat, cubed
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 3-4 seeded jalapenos, diced
  • 1 can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth
  • 1 (4oz) cans chopped green chile peppers
  • 1 tablespoon garlic salt
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
  • black pepper to taste
  • 3-4 large potatoes, peeled & cubed
  • Cilantro to garnish
For the Cucumber Avocado Salad:
  • 3 medium cucumbers, cubed
  • 2 avocados, cubed
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • salt &  pepper to taste
  • juice of 1 lime
Instructions:
For the stew:
Combine all ingredients in a slowcooker, except for the cilantro. Cover & cook on low for 8-10 hours. Garnish with cilantro.
For the cucumber avocado salad:
In a large bowl, combine cucumbers, avocados, and cilantro. Stir in salt, and pepper. Squeeze lime over the top, and toss. Cover, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

September 7, 2010

Cabbage Rolls



Finally, I am getting around to posting this recipe!  For those of you on my Facebook Page, you know that I made these cabbage rolls for dinner Thursday night, & had intentions of posting the recipe on the blog on Friday.  Well, the Labor Day weekend got the best of me.  So, I apologize for taking so long to get this up!  


I had bought a head of cabbage at the farmers market last week with the intentions of making coleslaw.  Well, my husband doesn't like coleslaw & my youngest daughter has now decided that she no longer likes it either.  So, it would only be myself & my oldest daughter eating it, which equals to half of it going in the garbage.  So, I decided to make cabbage rolls, a recipe handed down to me from Armenian relatives. My whole family ate it up -which is saying a lot if you know my youngest daughter!

First, you will need to peel off about 12 leaves from the head of a cabbage & boil them in a large pot  of water for about 3 minutes.  Place the blanched cabbage leaves in a colander to drain off excess water.






In a large bowl, mix together 1 pound of raw extra lean ground beef, 1 cup of cooked rice, 1 beaten egg, 1/4 cup milk, 1 diced medium onion, 4 minced cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp garlic salt, 1 tbsp onion powder, & a sprinkling of salt and pepper.






Scoop 1/4 cup of the mixture into each of the cabbage rolls, & roll up.  Place them in a large baking dish.









For the sauce, you will need to mix together 1 (15oz) can of tomato sauce, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, & 2 tablespoons lemon juice.









Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls.  Cover with aluminum foil & bake at 350 degrees for 75 minutes. 








Remove from the oven - serve & enjoy!!





Ingredients:

For the cabbage rolls:
  • 12 leaves cabbage
  • 1 cup cooked white rice
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup diced onion
  • 1 pound extra-lean ground beef
  • salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon garlic salt
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder

For the Sauce:
  • 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil cabbage leaves 3 minutes; drain.



In large bowl, combine 1 cup cooked rice, egg, milk, onion, ground beef, salt, and pepper. Place about 1/4 cup of meat mixture in center of each cabbage leaf, and roll up, tucking in ends. Place rolls in large baking pan.

Mix together tomato sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over cabbage rolls.  Cover with aluminum foil.  Bake at 350 for 75 minutes.

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