Something Out of Nothing....

Don't you just love scrounging up the ingredients for a great dinner when you think you have nothing in the house?? Especially on a lazy Sunday afternoon?? I found left over flank steak, jack cheese, green chiles and an enchilada sauce made from green enchilada sauce and tomato sauce. Chop whatever cooked meat you have, shred your cheese (or use only cheese if you'd rather). Mix sauces and a can of green chiles in a separate bowl. Warm your tortillas in the bag in the microwave (so they are easier to roll and won't tear). Take a little meat and a little cheese, roll it up in each tortilla. Place in a baking dish. Repeat until pan bottom is covered. Pour enough sauce over the top of the enchiladas to cover, top with more grated cheese. Bake for about 30 mins in a 325 degree oven, until cheese is melty throughout. (Change it up and add other ingredients; garlic, chicken, jalapenos....whatever you have around!)

Enchiladas

Chicken Piccata

2 Whole boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut in 1/2 and butterflied, you will have 8 thinner breast pieces)
Olive oil (extra virgin)
Salt & Pepper
1/3 C Lemon juice 
1/2 C Chicken stock (broth from a can is fine)
1/4 C Brined Capers (rinsed)

Season chicken with salt & pepper. 
Heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat, pour enough olive oil in to coat the bottom. Cook a few pieces at a time about 3 mins each side, setting the done pieces aside on a platter.
When chicken is removed from pan, add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of a pan. Check seasoning and amount of sauce (amend to add more if you think necessary). Pour over chicken and serve.

Chile Rellenos

Chile Rellenos-

-Anaheim Chiles

-Pasilla Chiles

(I use both when I’m making rellenos. I like to use Pasillas, they are larger, thicker and not ever spicy. Anaheims are hit and miss as to whether you get a mild or a fire flavored chile! Pasillas are the bigger dark green peppers usually right next to the Anaheims.)

-Monterey Jack cheese

-Eggs (yolk and whites separated) ( usually 1 egg for every two chiles unless using huge Anaheims or the Pasillas then 1 for 1 give or take)

-Flour

-Salt and Pepper

- Canola oil

-Sear the chile skins on an open flame…the bbq grill is perfect. When blistered (the better they blister, the easier they will peel) and blackened, place them as they come off the grill into a paper bag. Close it up, let them steam for a good hour (longer is fine). Under running water peel the skins off the chiles. It’s not the end of the world if not every bit of skin is off, but most should be. At the same time, make a slit in the chile lengthwise starting at the stem going as far down as needed to get the seeds out. Pull the stem off if you wish or leave on for presentation.

-Cut cheese into pieces about the size of individual string cheese snacks. Smaller if chiles won’t hold that size or bigger if using pasillas, etc.

-Insert cheese into chiles, wrapping chile around it if needed (don't worry if chile rips, wrap it around, it'll all come together when it is cooking).

- Beat egg whites until form soft peaks. Fold in yolks.

- Heat oil (2” deep? Enough so that the chiles will float)

- Roll the chiles in flour, dip in egg mixture, place in the hot oil.

-Fry until golden brown, flip and cook until 2nd side is golden, place on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels in a single layer to drain, season with salt and pepper.

The first time is a pain, you’ll say you’re never doing it again. You will. They are too good not to. The eggs will separate a bit, just gently stir with a wooden spoon or your hand each time you’re going to dip a chile. Your hands will be a mess, have tons of paper towels near by!

I think that’s it…read it thru and let me know if you have questions. It would be so easy to SHOW you!!  J

Kati's Cinnamon Roll Cake

My daughter has really taken to cooking and baking. Here is one of my favorites she makes!
Cake -
3 C all purpose flour
1 C sugar
1 T + 1 t baking powder
1 1/2 C milk
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
1/2 C melted butter
Topping -
1 C butter (softened)
1 C dark brown sugar (packed)
2 T flour
2 T cinnamon
Glaze -
2 C powdered sugar
1 T cinnamon
5 T milk
1 t vanilla
For the cake, in a large bowl, mix all ingredients except the butter. Add butter slowly, mixing into cake mixture. Pour into greased 9x13 pan.
For the topping, mix all together until combined. Drop evenly over cake batter and swirl with a knife. Bake @ 350 for 20 - 35 mins until toothpick comes out clean (check cakey part, not topping area). Drizzle glaze over cake while still warm.

Beerachs

This meat pie is traditionally served with yellow mustard (squeeze a line across pie with each bite) and a cold beer!
Filling -
2 lbs hamburger (or 1lb hamburger & 1 lb chicken - diced)
1 onion (chopped)
1 head green cabbage (chopped)
roasted garlic (1 T heaping spoonful, mashed)
salt & pepper to taste
Dough -
6 C all purpose flour
1/4 + 1/8 C sugar
1 1/2 t salt
3 1/4 t + 1/8 t active dry yeast
6 T shortening
2 eggs
1/4 + 1/8 C warm water
1 1/2 C milk
2 T honey

- Oven 350 deg, cookie sheet (very lightly greased).
- Cook meat and onion together. Drain. Add roasted garlic, salt and pepper. Mix.
- Steam cabbage until almost tender. Drain. Mix with meat mixture.
- Set bread machine to dough setting, add all wet ingredients. Add dry on top of the wet, making a dip in the center for the yeast, place yeast in dip. Process on dough setting. (if making dough manually, follow direction from a dough recipe....I haven't done it since I bought a bread machine YEARS ago...)
- Once dough is made and has risen, kneed gently on floured surface. Roll out in managable amounts, as thin as you can get it. Cut circles out with a cereal bowl (or something about 4" across.)
- Place a good amount of filling in center of dough circle, so that dough barely folds over to cover, fold over into a crescent and pinch the edges.
- Place on cookie sheet, bake for 20 - 25 mins until golden brown.
- Cool a bit, serve with yellow mustard.
- If not eating full batch, cool completely, place in heavy duty freezer zip locks and freeze.
- Re-heat directly from freezer in the microwave.

Rumaki

Chicken livers
Bacon
Toothpicks

Cut liver into pieces (size is your preference). Cut bacon strips into thirds or halves, depending on the size of your liver pieces. Wrap a piece of bacon around a piece of liver and secure with a toothpick. Sautee in a skillet until bacon is done to your liking. The liver will be done at this point too. Place on paper towels to absorb any excess grease or juice. Serve warm as an appetizer.

Cheese Logs

2 C Swiss Cheese (shredded)

2 C Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese (softened)

½ C sour cream

½ finely chopped red or green onion

2T sweet pickle relish

10 slices bacon (cooked crispy and crumbled)

½ C pecans (chopped)

Dash salt and pepper

¼ C parsley

1T poppy seeds

Assorted crackers

Let cheese come to room temp.

Lg bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream till fluffy.

Add cheese, onion, relish, ½ the bcon, ¼ C pecans, salt & pepper.

Refrigerate until firm.

Sm bowl, combine remaining bacon, pecans, parsley, poppy seeds. Spread out on wax paper.

Form balls or logs of cheese, roll thru the mixture to coat outsides.

Wrap in wax paper, chill.

Serve with assorted crackers.

Gram's Jello Cake

This one is lemon, you could use any flavor cake and jello and mix the icing with lime or orange juice too.
Oven 350 deg/9X13 pan sprayed
Icing -
Mix 1 box powdered sugar
1/2 C lemon juice (always fresh squeezed if available). Set aside.
Cake -
1 pkg yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 pkg lemon jello
3/4 C water
3/4 C canola oil
Mix above cake ingreds together, beat for 4 mins. Pour into cake pan, bake for about 35 mins or until cake is done. Upon removing from oven while cake is hot, poke holes throughout the cake with the handle end of a wooden spoon. Pour prepared icing over top. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream topping or vanilla ice cream. The next day the it seems to be even better because the icing absorbs into the cake.