The Pacific Northwest has a lot going for it! Sadly... Tex-Mex is NOT one of those things!
After returning from Texas spring break and missing the opportunity for some good Tex-Mex, I went on the prowl for a Tex-Mex menu ~
Results following.
Sunday
Chorizo de Rez y Huevos
Egg and Beef Sausage Skillet
Ingredients
Chorizo de Res
1/4 cup of following, diced: onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper
5 eggs, scrambled
Cotija cheese.
Corn tortillas.
some butter for frying the tortillas (about 1 tbsp)
In large skillet on medium heat, cook chorizo.
Add diced vegetables and cook till onion become slightly soft.
Push cooked meat mixture to one side of skillet. Add eggs to other side of skillet and cook till done.
Mix the eggs and meat mixture. Take off heat.
Lightly fry corn tortillas in a thin layer of butter in a skillet on medium heat. They only need about 30 seconds on each side - just so they get soft. Store tortillas in a tortilla container or on a plate and cover with towel until ready to serve.
Serve egg sausage mix sprinkled with cheese. One may eat with or without tortilla.
Enchiladas Suizas
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| Sorry for terrible pic - It tastes so much better than pic looks. |
3 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion finely chopped
1/3 each of the following finely chopped: green bell, red bell, yellow bell and orange bell peppers
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (4oz) can diced green chile peppers
1 cup fresh, finely chopped cilantro
4 tsp cumin powder
12 flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
I modified this recipe from Allrecipes found here.
I ended up having to bake for 45 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered to cook all the way.
I let it sit for 15 minutes to cool.
Monday
Flan
8 eggs
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
You will need a kitchen towel, a 9 inch pan for the flan and a larger pan for the water bath (I used a 13x9 inch casserole dish) and a heavy sauce pan for the caramel sauce.
Blend the eggs, vanilla condensed mild and cream till well incorporated.
Heat the saucepan on medium heat and add the sugar. Do Not stir the sugar or it will crystallize. when almost melted, you may push the liquid around carefully with a spatula in order to melt all the way. Take off heat and pour into the waiting flan pan and coat the bottom evenly. do not touch the liquid sugar as it WILL Burn you! Be careful not to over-cook or burn the sugar.
Pour egg mix over the sugar.
line the large pan with the towel, place the flan pan on the towel and carefully fill the larger pan up to halfway up the flan pan.
Bake 60 minutes or till knife inserted in center comes out clean. Be careful not to over-cook the custard.
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| 1st Flan Fail |
Run knife along edge of flan to loosen.
Place serving dish on top and carefully and quickly invert.
serve warm or cold.
A few things I learned about Flan...
The caramel sauce is difficult. It takes a while to melt but once it starts it goes pretty fast. It helps to have a heavy saucepan so that it heats more evenly.
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| caramel sauce fail = yummy candies |
The 1st flan I did not use cream and it came out much like scrambled eggs. I found a recipe that added heavy cream. I tried it and it seems the more cream the more custard like it becomes.
It is easy and not good to over cook the custard. Keep an eye out toward the end of the cooking to be sure not to over-cook it.
I made many mistakes in the sauce - one of them turned into caramel candies.
The photo of the good flan has candied sugar on top because of the sauce fail. But, my hubby said it made it extra delish and liked the crunchy texture with the smooth custard. Hopefully next time I make flan I can replicate the oops.
Missing a few days? Yup, busy week with the kid getting orthodontics and other appointments. But, we had PLENTY of leftovers!
Wednesday
Caldo De Res
Beef StewIngredients
1lb beef stew meat
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp salt
1 finely chopped onion
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups beet broth
1 cup water
2 carrots chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 potatoes diced
2 ears corn, husked and cut into thirds
1/2 head cabbage chopped
1/2 bottle beer (shiner bock) optional
In large pan, brown meat in oil with salt. Add onions and cook till soft. Add can of tomato, beef broth and water. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add carrots, potatoes, cilantro, corn and cabbage and beer (what you do with the other half is up to you ;-) & simmer for an hour or until potatoes are cooked and meat is soft. Serve warm.
The whole family thought this soup was great! We served with cornbread.
The whole ears of corn look cool but, to make it easier to eat, I would substitute it for about 1cup of off-the-cob corn.
Thursday
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| Barracho, Charra, Cowbow Beans |
Frijoles Charra
1 lb dry pintos
1 head of garlic, peeled (and chopped optional)
1 tsp salt
2 cups bacon ends and pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 large fresh diced tomato
1 - 2 large fresh jalepenos, chopped
1 cup of fresh chopped bell peppers (any color or combination)
1/2 bottle beer (optional)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Go through beans and remove any rocks or yucky beans, rinse, place in pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and boil for 20 minutes. Take off heat, add water to cover if necessary and let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse beans and set aside.
Return empty pot to heat and cook the bacon till cooked but still tender. Add the onions & peppers and cook till almost soft - about 10 minutes. Add all other remaining ingredients and beans. Mix and cover beans with water. Cook on low heat for 4 hours or till beans are soft. Keep an eye out on the water level and add water as needed and stir occasionally.
Refried Beans
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| The musical fruit LOL |
Oh, I bought a HUGE bag of beans. Enough to fill my big slow cooker for the Charros and enough to fill a big pot for re-fried.
I started them both the same by boiling, rinsing and then simmering with whole cloves of garlic and salt.
For the re-fried I just dumped them after cooking for hours on end, into my food processor and gave them a-whirl till super smooth. Oh, you have to put some of that bean water in there too. It's OK if they are soupy. You are gonna get a big iron skillet hot over medium-hi heat with about 2 tbsp of oil (we are going healthier here but, you can go old school style and use lard). Then I pour the soupy bean mush in and stir occasionally till it is cooked down to the re-fried consistency that you like.
MMMM so good! Add salt to taste.
Friday
Tres Leches Cake
This is my most favorite cake EVER! This is the 1st time to make it myself and I decided to go with a pro...
My foodie crush...
Alton Brown.
Here is the link to his recipe. You will need a scale for his recipes.
The only thing I did different was increase the vanilla to 2 tsp 'cause I LOVE VANILLA!
Oh... and I added slices strawberries on top because it is just yummy!
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| I'm in a sugar coma!!!!! |
Review:
Oh Alton :-( ...
Your cake is WAY TOO SWEET! I am going into sugar coma!
I am pretty sure I will be cutting the sugar dose in HALF next time and it will be ok!
HOLY MOLEY ... 2 MucH sSuggRr! (my sugar coma talking).
Beef Enchiladas - white-trash-tex-mex style
Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1 medium onion finely chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper powder
1 tbs paprika powder
1/2 cup Velveeta - the white kind
2 14oz cans enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
12 corn tortillas
Supplies:
large skillet - about 12 inch x 2 inch deep, food processor, oven-safe casserole dish - about 8x11 inch
Method:
In large skillet, brown beef, add onion & garlic & cook till onion is soft.
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| grind it up real fine like dog food |
Pour 1 can of sauce into the bottom of the casserole dish & evenly coat bottom.
Distribute the meat mixture evenly to fill each of the 12 tortillas. Roll the mixture up in each tortillas and place evenly in the dish.
Pout the remaining sauce over the tortillas and cover with the shredded cheese.
Bake @ 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes till heated through.
This time I didn't use the Velveeta because I cant find it here easily so I used about 6oz of queso fresco and 1/4 cup shredded Monterrey jack instead.
Each time I make this it always seems a bit better after it has sat in the fridge overnite.
Saturday
Huevos rancheros
Ingredients
sauce:
1 onion diced
1 cup diced tomatos, fresh
1/2 cup diced fresh tomatillos
1-2 jalepenos, diced fine
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
3-5 eggs depending on appetite
6-10 corn tortillas
1 or more tbsp oil for frying the tortillas
1 cup crumbled queso fresco or cotija
Method:
fry tortillas one at a time in a thin layer of oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Place tortillas in a tortilla keeper or on a plate on and under a kitchen towel.
reduce heat to medium and fry the onion in remaining oil till almost soft and add jalepenos. Cook for about 5 minutes then add the remaining sauce ingredients. Cook and stir occasionally until tomatillos are soft and a sauce thickens in pan.
Fry eggs separately sunny side down.
Serve warm by placing one tortilla on serving plate, top with a fried egg, top with sauce and sprinkle of cheese and top with second tortilla.
I will try to get a photo but, I keep eating it all b4 I think about snapping a shot. It's so yummy!
There were more recipes that I din't get to:
1 - the week was a busy one
2 - there was alot of food and I don't keep alot of storage containers around anymore.
Happy eating 'yall!
some ads for items you may need for Tex-Mex cooking:
I LOVE my lodge cast-irons!
Yum! yum! Yum! I miss Texas!!!! Though I don't miss the Flan. Dad loves it, but not me :(
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