Chilaquiles

 

I've had this post sitting in my draft folder since June 25, 2016. It's been a long time coming, just waiting on me to hunt down the pictures and get some graphics ready. The photos were taken with my iPad. Tyler Florence shot a whole cookbook with one...so, a blog post now and then is okay, right?

Up until about a month ago I'd never heard of Chilaquiles. I'm not sure how I've lived this long without knowing what they were, but I'm glad I know now! Here's the story...

I was sitting in my living room watching a new to me show (Guy's Grocery Games) when a contestant decided to make a batch of Chilaquiles. He had this really touching story about his Mom. He said that all her life she was always cooking whatever people wanted to eat. He said that he appreciated her cooking, but that the fact that she cooked what they loved really meant a lot to him. He got all teary when he explained that the last thing his Dad asked his Mom to make was Chilaquiles.

With a story like that, I figured these things MUST be good. So, I watched him make them. I watched the judges rave about them. And then I started seeing them everywhere. One of my favorite food bloggers made a batch, but used canned enchilada sauce. I wanted the REAL deal. Her post convinced me that I COULD do it and that I HAD to.

So, I scoured the internet for recipes and having never tasted them in m life, decided to take a stab at it. I used a combination of these three recipes to get the finished product that I had in mind. I can officially say that I LOVE CHILAQUILES!!!! And I hope you will too.

 

Ingredient gathering is super simple. Canned tomatoes, jalapenos, onion, garlic, cilantro (or not), chicken broth, salt, oil, corn tortillas, and whatever toppings sound good to YOU are all it takes.

It's not as complicated as you might expect. This is one of those 30 minutes or less dinners. You make your sauce, you fry your tortillas (or use pre-made chips), and then you make a heaping mess on your plate and stuff your face.

They're goooood, I tell ya!

Chilaquiles

SAUCE
1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes
2 jalapenos, charred, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup cilantro, chopped (I had to leave this out because my store was OUT, yes OUT. I'll start with about a 1/2 cup and then add more according to taste and color. I suggest you do the same!)

1 Tbsp. veggie oil

1 tsp. salt
1 cup chicken stock

Place tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic, onion, and cilantro into a blender. I used a Vitamix and blended it until it was nice and smooth.

Heat oil in a sauce pan over med-high heat. Add the sauce to the pan being aware that it will start bubbling and spitting right away. Be careful and start stirring. You'll want to boil it for about 7 minutes, stirring very often.

Reduce heat to keep things at a gentle simmer and stir in the salt and the chicken stock. Let it continue to simmer while you work on your tortilla chips. The sauce just keeps getting better the longer it cooks.

When you're happy with the way your sauce tastes, prepare the tortilla chips OR use pre-made tortilla chips. If you go that route, skip to the assembly step.

TORTILLA CHIPS
20 (6 inch) white corn tortillas, left out for a day or so and cut into 8 triangles each
oil for frying
salt

Place tortilla pieces into hot oil. I could give you a temperature, but you'll know it's hot when you put your tortilla in and the oil starts to fry it. Cook until golden brown on each side.

Remove chips to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle hot chips with a little salt.

Continuing frying the chips until you've got enough to go around. You'll have to work in batches.

ASSEMBLY
All the recipes say to put the chips directly into the sauce pot. That's not how I work....

Place some sauce into a bowl or a small pot (I went the bowl route). Add chips, add more sauce, and stir until the chips are thoroughly covered.

Transfer your chip mess to a plate, being sure to pour the excess sauce that was left in the bowl onto the chips. Top with shredded cheese, onion, cilantro, lettuce, sour cream, and whatever else your little heart desires.

Repeat until everyone has a plate and DIG IN! These are traditionally a breakfast dish meant to use up old, dry tortillas, so feel free to top them with a fried or scrambled egg if that sounds good to you.

That's it! That's all there is to it. I REALLY like the way they turned out, but I've got plans to play around with different combinations of chiles (3 dried ancho chiles and 3 serrano chiles were recommended in one recipe) and I'd like to try to make it with fresh tomatoes (2 medium tomatoes OR 5 small tomatoes and 5 tomatillos) once as well.

Store the extra sauce in the fridge until you're ready for seconds. You can also do like I did and use it to make a batch of enchiladas. It's ESPECIALLY good for making cheese enchiladas, but that's a story for another day. 

What's a food you've recently discovered?

Have you tried to make recreate it in your own kitchen?

Dinner Fit For Winter

Every family has their list of favorite dinners. They are usually indulgent. They might require a bit of planning ahead and maybe even a little more effort in the preparation department. As I write this post I happen to be listening to The Shirelles' song "Mama Said" on repeat and thinking back to the January day my 19 year old self copied this recipe down into my recipe book.

The recipe I'm sharing today is for those winter days when you want comfort food, but need it to be quick and easy. I've been making it for years and I think it is responsible for helping my sister to come around when it comes to stuffing.

It's a weird combo, but you've got to try it at least once. Trust me.
 

You can go one of two ways with this recipe! You're going to need three things: 4-6 pork chops, one can OR one recipe of apple pie filling, one box OR one recipe of stuffing. That's it!!!

Whether you choose to go the easy route or the homemade route, you'll get no judgment from me because I've done both.

My Mom taught me everything I know about cooking. One important lesson I learned from the years I spent shadowing her in the kitchen is to pace yourself. If you need to take shortcuts, take the shortcuts. My Mom is one of those women who doesn't apologize for every little thing. She just goes for it. That's what this recipe is about: if you've got time, go for it. If not, go for the shortcut.

The first and most important step is to trim and debone your pork chops. Everything is layered and melds together as it cooks. Those bones will disappear into the stuffing and you DO NOT want to have to deal with that.

So, trim the fat and remove allll the bones from those chops. Then, lay them in the bottom of your crock pot so that they are touching.

Next, scoop your prepared stuffing out onto the pork chops. You want to keep as much of it ON the pork chops as you can. Easy, right???

Then, you'll scoop your apple pie filling out onto the stuffing, put the lid on the crock pot, and set the timer for 3 - 4 hours. My crock pot only has a low and high setting, so I end up cooking them for about 3 hours on high.

The key is making sure your pork is DONE, but not overcooked. If you do this recipe right, you will have the tenderest pork chops EVER.

Here you have it, your pork chop dinner alllll ready to dig into! I serve it straight from the crock pot so that everything stays nice and toasty, but you could separate each layer in individual serving bowls if you wanted to. By the time the food makes it onto my plate, I separate it out. My sister, on the other hand, likes hers to stay all piled together! 

The best family dinners include CHOICES. This is one of those from start to finish.  

 

When I made this a few weeks ago, I challenged my family to take pictures of their plates. ^ Here ^ is my sister's prize winning picture! I told you she likes hers in one big heap. :)

Special thanks to my brother for jumping up from his homework to take some pictures over my shoulder for me!

Ready for the recipe?

Crock Pot Pork Chop Dinner
adapted from cooks.com serves 6

4-6 pork chops, trimmed and bones removed
1 recipe stuffing, prepared
1 recipe apple pie filling, prepared


Layer pork chops in the bottom of the crock pot so that they are touching. Cover with stuffing. Top with apple pie filling.

Place lid on crock pot and set the timer for 3-4 hours, just until pork is cooked through and still tender. My crockpot only has high and low, so I end up cooking mine for about 3 hours on high. 

Remove lid and dig in!!!!

If you need stuffing and pie filling recipes, click HERE.

What are some of your family favorites?

What's one piece of cooking advice your Mom taught you?

 

Peppermint Syrup Recipe

When I was in high school, I worked at a coffee shop. The thing about working behind the coffee counter is that you learn things about people. There are the demanding people who know EXACTLY what they want and expect you to have magically known that they were coming and have their drink ready moments before they even walked through the door.  There are the usual people who come in everyday around the same time and order the same thing. These are the people who are about as carefree as they get and they're always up for a chat (unless they are in a hurry, in which case they apologize profusely and promise to see you tomorrow). There are the confused people who know that they have a "usual" but who have no idea what it is or what it tastes like and they look at you pleadingly to either know what it is or to somehow figure it out. Then you have the adventurous people. These are the ones who have no idea what they want or what they are in the mood for and are up for ANYTHING.

The adventurous people were the fun ones. I concocted all sorts of drinks for them and they're the ones I think of when I get the urge to create a coffee shop version of a beverage at home. Some of them turned into regulars whose visits (and orders) I could count on. Some of them stayed adventurers and that was okay too.

I learned a lot spending my afternoons (and then my mornings) working at that coffee shop. I learned how to spot these different types of people, how to please them, and how to keep a smile on my face no matter what. My years behind the coffee counter were some of the best lessons in learning to serve others and yet every single customer ended up serving me too. I know, we all say that about everything, but maybe we say it because it's true.

My latest kitchen success took me back to those days. I wanted a DIY version of one of THE most popular winter drinks and I think I achieved it. Whether you're Demanding Dan, Usual Ulysses, Confused Connie, or Adventurous Adam...If you're a fan of peppermint in your drinks, I think you'll love this at home version!

Ingredient gathering is SIMPLE. Basically, we're making a simple syrup infused with peppermint. It goes like this: sugar, water, extract. DONE.

 

First up is the sugar. Any kind of white sugar is what you're after. I happen to use pure cane sugar, but that's just me.

We're going to add the water and get a syrup going over medium heat. Basically, we're just disolving the sugar. Keep your eye on it, stir it occasionally, but don't stress. It's easy, it goes quickly, and it gets HOT because there is sugar involved. The longer you simmer, the thicker your syrup will get.

Once your sugar water has turned into syrup, add in your peppermint extract. Less is more when it comes to extracts, so go easy at first knowing that you will be able to add more if you want to. You can simmer it for a few more minutes, but you don't need to.

When you're happy with the syrup, remove it from the heat and let it cool in the pan until it has reached room temperature. Pour it into a little jar and store it in the refrigerator. To use, simply add about a teaspoon to your coffee or hot cocoa and you're all set! In case you're wondering, the cane sugar is the reason for the unsightly color of this syrup. Once it's stirred into your drink you'll have forgotten all about that strange looking specimen jar sitting in the back of you fridge. I promise.

Now...Go make some!


Peppermint Syrup

1/4 c sugar
1/4 c water
1/4-1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Simmer sugar and water over medium heat until they reach a syrupy consistency (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Add peppermint extract (I added just shy of 1/2 tsp to mine). May simmer for a few more minutes or you may remove from heat to cool down.

Once your syrup has reached room temperature, transfer to a small jar and refrigerate. Add 1 tsp to your favorite beverage for a peppermint kick.

Do you have a favorite at home coffee shop beverage?

What's your coffee ordering personality type? 

Preparing For The Holidays

We're a week away from the beginning of a holiday season that stretches over the course of the most brutal part of winter. In my house, we'll be celebrating five birthdays in addition to Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Epiphany between now and the middle of February. Needless to say, we've got a lot of work ahead of us! 

The work of making holidays memorable and special is something that I learned well from my Mom. Even when we didn't have much, holidays have always been a big deal in our family. She taught me to plan and prepare and then to ease up on the stress of having everything figured out in order to join in on the celebrating. 

One of the key ways to be able to let go and celebrate is to make sure that you are prepared. Make the lists, plan ahead of time, delegate (she's a GREAT delegator), and make sure that you've got the right tools and supplies on hand. 

Today, I'm partnering up with Cave Tools to help you get prepared for the holiday season! I'm not big on kitchen gadgets, but there are a few that I CANNOT live without - especially when it comes to cooking for a crowd. Cave Tools has a broad line up of kitchen and grilling equipment that you are sure to love. 

Cave Tools' meat thermometer is one that I can highly recommend! I've used a variety of meat thermometers and have developed a feeling for what I'm looking for in a good one....I am not exagerating when I say that this one is EXACTLY what the meat thermometer of my dreams is made of...

Large and easy to read display? Check!

Simple to operate? Check!

Sturdy and yet not HUGE? Check!

Cover that is easy to clean? Check! This one even has an opening in the end so that SHOULD it get dirty, you can make sure that it is actually clean.

Quick reading? Check!

Another thing that I love about Cave Tools' meat thermometer is the design of the sharp, tapered end. Sooo many meat thermometers are sharp, but taking the temperature of your meat with them requires you to PUNCTURE your meat in a way that leads to a steady stream of liquid to flowing out of it at the puncture point. That is NOT the case with this one made by Cave Tools. I slid the thermometer into the pork chops and was hard pressed to find the puncture point later.

In my opinion, every kitchen needs to have a meat thermometer. If you've got entertaining ahead of you, having a way to make SURE that the meat has reached the safety zone will set your mind at ease. You can get yours directly from Cave Tools or from Amazon.

Cave Tools is offering my readers a 15% discount code that can be used on Amazon where this item includes free two-day shipping for Prime members!!! When you check out, simply enter:  LH58KB66

What are some ways that you prepare for the holidays?

What's one kitchen gadget that you cannot live without?

*This post was sponsored by Cave Tools. All thoughts are my own honest opinion. 

Pumpkin Bread

When October rolls around, I have finally given into fall and I start craving comfort food. This fall has been no different. My oven has been on. Dinners have started to include warm vegetables and gravies and slow roasted meats. In the mornings, I find myself reaching for something warm and spicy and filling. 

After looking high and low for a pumpkin bread recipe that wasn't loaded with seeds or topped with some kind of streusel crumble or maple glaze, I gave up and decided to develop my own. With the confidence given to me by my research (aka pouring over my favorite quick bread recipes), I decided that I was ready to take the leap and give it a go. 

I wrote out a recipe. I gathered ingredients. I got out the measuring spoons and mixing bowls. When I went to take the bread pan out of the cupboard, I realized that my bread pan was at the other house. At that point, I did what every desperate baker would do. I went over to the neighbor's house and asked Don if I could borrow a bread pan. He assured me that I certainly could IF he could find one. He looked and looked and then gave up, but told me that if he found one in the next ten minutes he would bring it over.

That's when I trudged back across the street in defeat. I was going to be making the pumpkin bread, but if Don couldn't find a pan I had to decide whether I would try another neighbor or make a quick trip to the store to buy one. Thankfully, about six minutes later, Don rang the doorbell with the look of victory on his face!

Now that my bread pan saga is out of the way, let's get baking! Gather your supplies. If you don't have a bread pan, you know what to do! 

We begin by mixing all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. I use a wooden spoon, but you can use whatever you prefer. Make sure that all of the clumps of brown sugar are nice and broken up, then set the mixture aside.

Once you've got your dry ingredients together, you're ready to start working on the wet stuff. Crack your egg in a small bowl and whisk it until it is smooth.

Add in the rest of the wet ingredients. This was the trickiest part of the recipe. Pumpkin is moist on its own, but when you deal with pumpkin you still need to add quite a bit of extra liquid.

Now, we add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. And...

 STIR. Remember what I said about baking with pumpkin? If your batter looks too dry, add a bit more milk. Don't be shy about it. You can handle this adjusting thing!

Pour your batter into your your neighbor's greased bread pan that he so kindly let you borrow and pop the bread into the oven for about 55 - 60 minutes.

When a knife comes out of the bread clean, your loaf is ready to come out of the oven! Place your bread onto a cooling rack. Or, in the case of my current hodge podge kitchen, an upside down muffin tin (which I did NOT borrow from Don). Let your loaf rest for about 10 minutes, then run a knife along the edges before removing the bread from the pan. Once it is completely cool, wrap it in plastic.

I was going to keep this bread stored on the counter, but decided that it might be better off in the fridge. When I want a slice of pumpkiny goodness, I cut a piece off of the loaf, put it under the broiler for about five minutes and then give it a nice bit of butter.

If you happen to be into putting nuts or raisins (or even chocolate chips) into your quick breads, I would tell you to GO FOR IT! This recipe has all kinds of room for adaptations!

I really should have called this bread "You Can't Stop Me Pumpkin Bread", because despite countless obstacles, it came together exactly as I hoped it would! Let this be a lesson to all of us. No recipe? No problem. No bread pan? Borrow one. No cooling rack? Improvise.

Happy Baking!!!

Pumpkin Bread

DRY
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
pinch nutmeg (less than an 1/8 tsp.)

WET
1 egg
1/4 c. cooking oil (peanut, vegetable, melted coconut, it's up to you)
1 c. pumpkin puree
3 Tbsp. buttermilk + 1/2 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease loaf pan.

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, making sure all the clumps of brown sugar are broken up. Set aside.

Whisk egg in a small bowl. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and stir until smooth.

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stirring until combined. Adding more milk if necessary (it doesn't need to be buttermilk).

Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack for about 10 minutes before running a knife along the edges and then removing the loaf from the pan.

Once completely cool, store the bread wrapped in plastic. Whether you leave it on the counter or pop it into the fridge is up to you!

Enjoy!!! 

Do you have a favorite quick bread recipe?

Do you have any funny baking stories? I'd love to hear about them. 

 

What I'm Into: July 2015

In The Garden

As much as I love the garden preparations that happen each spring,  the green that summer brings reminds me of the beauty of living things!

In the flower beds: The bachelor buttons need some serious deadheading. The morning glories are creeping right up toward the top of the arbor. The cosmos are as beautiful as ever. The other flowers that I don't know the names of are keeping right up! My mums are confused again...They've been blooming for over a week.

In my little vegetable patch: The last of the snap peas are coming on. I'll keep them as long as they stay green, but they're dying off one by one. I've harvested green beans twice. I love going out to the garden to pick beans and then taking them inside and serving them for dinner that night. I haven't had a cucumber yet....but surely they'll be coming soon!

I'm thinking about putting in a second batch of peas and MAYBE trying to grow some zinnias yet. Fall is coming QUICK, but I always garden on the side of believing that there will be time.

In The Kitchen

This Leek Soup was pretty good alongside BLT's. My sister added bacon and cheese to her soup.

I organized all the recipes in my recipe book. I had a bunch of tried and true recipes tucked here and there that needed hole punched and filed. I also had a pile of recipes that I haven't tested yet that needed to be sorted and categorized. After about 30 minutes, the recipe part of my brain was ALL in order!

Watermelon, blueberries, lime, and ginger found their way into my Vitamix and the result was SOOO good.

Last week, my sister made this cake. It was her first time at making a cake from scratch by herself. She really set the bar high! Jay came over to help us cut into it and stayed for a game of Mille Bornes (which he won, btw). You must make it. You better invite people over to share it with or you will proceed to eat it all.

My Reading Chair

I finished  five books: "The Melody Lingers On", "The Mapmaker's Children", "The Children's Story", "Holy Is The Day", and "The Prayer Box". You can read my thoughts on each one here.

I gave up on: "Lost In A Good Book".

I'm working on: "Keep In Step With The Spirit" and "The Story Keeper".


Around The Internet

These cutting garden tips are something I'm going to keep in mind. I've come to love the idea of English Cottage Gardens ever since I started my own cutting garden three (ish) years ago.

Apparently, they dumped some planes in the ocean after WWII instead of taking them back to America. Looking through the pictures of the aftermath made me think about the men who spent so much time on and with and in these planes and the lives they returned to (or didn't) when the war was over. The planes may be at the bottom of the ocean, but the memories live on. It seems like the perfect picture of the absolute absurdity of war.

Last summer I discovered "chocolate birthday cake" milkshakes at my favorite diner. Maybe I can make my own with this marshmallow sauce. 

Moms letting their toddlers pick out their clothes taught them one thing: nobody really cares what we have on.

What have you been into this month?

As usual, I'm linking up with Leigh!