Tortilla Stacks

Tortilla Stacks

After an evening of trick-or-treating, Tortilla Stacks are a hearty snack to refuel you and your gremlins. I made this Mexican-inspired appetizer/entree/side dish a couple nights ago as go-to item to have on hand for My Oldest. She is famished when she gets home after field hockey, and she loves Mexican food. Her favorite is bean and cheese burritos so this is my take on them for her.

I saw a similar recipe in my Everyday Food: Great Food Fast cookbook and have been meaning to make it for some time. This recipe can be changed to different vegetables (like diced peppers) or spiced up with Tabasco or chipolte powder if you like hot foods.

My Oldest immediately ate half of the Tortilla Stack and reported that, "It tastes just like a bean and cheese burrito. It's really good." My Middle One promptly stated, "You smell like beans." I'll take that as she isn't going to be requesting this dish any time soon.

Tortilla Stacks would make a unique appetizer if cut in thin wedges. It could be a side dish with grilled chicken, steak or fish. Or serve it as a vegetarian entree with a salad.

Tortilla Stacks

Makes 2 stacks

olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup chunky salsa
2 cups corn
2 - 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
6 flour tortillas, 6-inch
tomatoes, chopped
sour cream
cilantro

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a large saute pan to medium high and coat bottom with olive oil. Add onions and saute for 5 - 6 minutes. Add black beans, salsa, and corn. Stir to combine.

Spray an 8-inch cake pan with cooking spray. Place 1 tortilla in the bottom of the pan. Top with some of the bean mixture and a handful of the cheese. Continue with two more layers of tortillas, beans, and cheese ending with a layer of cheese. Set aside. Make a second stack in another 8-inch cake pan. Each stack should have 3 layers.

Bake for about 10 - 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and begins to brown. Let cool for about 5 minutes before slicing into wedges. Top with chopped tomatoes, sour cream, and cilantro.

Turkey Chili with Kidney and Black Beans

A freak October blizzard left me stranded at home today. What was supposed to be flurries overnight turned into a full blown snow storm. What to do? What to do? Laundry? Vacuum? Clean out the closets? NO!! It's time to make some Turkey Chili with Kidney and Black Beans.

The kids will have fun playing in the snow after school to be followed by a bowl of piping hot chili. The weatherman says it will be 60 degrees by Friday. He better be right.



Turkey Chili with Kidney and Black Beans

serves 8 - 10
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups of chopped onions
1 cup carrots, diced small
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (28-ounce) cans chunky crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups beef stock
3 corn tortillas, cut in small pieces
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey, cooked and drained of any fat, or shredded cooked turkey leftover from thansgiving - about 3 cups
1 (15-ounce) can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can of black beans, drained and rinsed

for serving:
grated sharp cheddar cheese
sour cream
chopped onions
cornbread

In a large stockpot, saute the onions and carrots in the olive oil over medium high heat for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve in large bowls topped with grated sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped onions and a slice of cornbread.

Note: this chili gets better with age. Refrigerate overnight and reheat over low heat before serving.

A couple more photos of my winter wonderland in October. My mums look so sad.

Halibut Baked with Tomatoes and Fennel with a Feta Crumb Crust

With weekend guests and a full schedule of activities, I wanted to make a dish that could be made ahead of time and baked just before dinner time. We are trying to eat more seafood in our house so when I found a recipe for Halibut Baked with Tomatoes and Fennel with a Feta Crumb Crust, I knew it was one I wanted to try.

It is a very visually appealing entree, and I highly recommend you try this recipe. The delicate flavor of the halibut fillets benefits from the combination of tomatoes, fennel, and feta. I liked that it was both the main course and a side dish in one. I also served Crispy Parmesan Potatoes and a tossed salad with balsamic vinaigrette.

With My Oldest off celebrating Homecoming, the remaining family members and our guests enjoyed our dinner after spending a chilly day watching softball and football games. My Middle One and No Thank You Boy were most interested in the Crispy Parmesan Potatoes, but did also liked the halibut. The Husband commented, "The fish looks really good. You know the eye eats first." I have taught him well.

The next time you have dinner guests, impress them with this tasty dish.

Halibut Baked with Tomatoes and Fennel with a Feta Crumb Crust

adapted for a recipe from From the Earth to the Table: John Ash's Wine Country Cuisine

This great dish can be prepared ahead of time, refrigerated, and then baked just before serving. You can use other fish or shellfish, such as sea bass or scallops, in place of the halibut, if you wish.

Serves 6

4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups thinly sliced white onions
2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic
1 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ½ pounds fresh halibut fillets, about 6 fillets
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons capers
¼ cup white wine

TOPPING:
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup Panko or other dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a sauté pan, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and sauté the onions, garlic and fennel bulb until softened but not brown. Remove from the heat.

Lightly oil a 3-quart baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and spread half the onion mixture in the bottom of the dish.

Scatter half the tomatoes on top and season with salt and several grindings of black pepper. Arrange the fish evenly on top of the tomatoes and scatter the basil and capers on top.

Season well with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the wine. Layer with the remaining onion mixture followed by the remaining tomatoes.

To make the topping, crumble the feta cheese. Combine the feta, breadcrumbs, thyme and olive oil together to form a loose topping.

Scatter evenly over the top of the fish. The dish can be refrigerated, covered, at this point for up to 6 hours.

Bake for 30-35 minutes (40-45 if it has been refrigerated) or until the fish is done and the topping is a light golden brown.

Cinnamon Rubbed Pork Chops with Roasted Apples

Cinnamon Rubbed Pork Chops with Roasted Apples

"Pork chops and applesauce." Those of us in the 40+ age bracket have definitely seen the episode of The Brady Bunch when Peter utters that famous line. I decided to try my hand at this recipe and came up with Cinnamon Rubbed Pork Chops with Roasted Apples.

My kids love sauteed apples, and I make them frequently. Not one to repeat many recipes, I tried roasting the apples in the oven instead. A benefit of this method is that once the apples are ready to go into the oven, they basically cook themselves. The center cut pork chops were rubbed with cinnamon and seared in a hot pan. They finished cooking in the oven with the apples. The chops were topped with a glaze of maple syrup, shallots, apple cider vinegar, and a grind of pepper.

This recipe was a hit with the Family. It was also a hit with the Chefmom because of the ease of preparation. I served it with steamed broccoli spears and boiled new potatoes tossed with butter, salt, and pepper.

A tasty meal for a cool fall evening.

Cinnamon Rubbed Pork Chops with Roasted Apples

serves 5

for pork chops -
5 center cut pork chops
salt
pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon

for apples -
6 medium sized apples, peeled and thickly sliced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted

for glaze -
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Season the pork chops with the salt and pepper and rub with cinnamon. Set aside.

On a large baking sheet, toss apples and cranberries with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Drizzle with butter. Roast in oven for 13 - 15 minutes. Remove from oven and tent with foil until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, heat an ovenproof saute pan to high and coat with olive oil. Add the seasoned chops and sear until browned; about 3 - 4 minutes per side. Place the seared chops into the oven and roast for about 14 - 16 minutes for 1 1/2 inch thick chops or until the internal temperature is 135 degrees. The chops can be roasted in the oven at the same time the apples are cooking. Remove from oven and tent with foil until ready to serve.

To prepare the glaze, heat a small saute pan to medium high and coat with olive oil. Add the shallots and saute for 5 - 6 minutes. Add the apple cider vinegar and scrap any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes. Add the maple syrup and a dash of pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 - 4 minutes until slightly thickened. Turn temperature to low to keep glaze warm.

To serve, place one chop on a plate and drizzle with some of the glaze. Top with the roasted apples.

Turkey Sloppy Joes

No earth-shaking recipe for dinner last night. But it is a favorite at home as well as at the occasional football tailgate. I made Turkey Sloppy Joes, which takes me all of 15 minutes to make, and served them with steamed green beans.

Turkey Sloppy Joes are a good entree to take to a tailgate. They transport well, are generally a crowd pleaser, and require a minimal amount of work to prepare. I transport the seasoned meat in the insert to my crock pot. The insert is warmed by filling it with boiling water for 10 minutes. Pour out the water before filling it, and the meat stays hot until it is served. The insert is packed in a large cooler surrounded by clean dish towels. When it is time to enjoy the Turkey Sloppy Joes, spoon the seasoned meat into buns.

Siss-boom-bah! Go Team!!

Turkey Sloppy Joes

makes 8 sandwiches

1 package ground turkey - about 1 1/3 pounds
1/2 to 3/4 cup barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
8 whole wheat hamburger buns

Heat a saucepan to medium high. Add the ground turkey and cook until browned. Drain off any grease. Add the barbecue sauce and cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Add up to 3/4 cup barbecue sauce depending on how saucy you like your sloppy joes. Turn heat to low and cook the seasoned meat for about 5 minutes. Serve on buns.

Note - the sloppy joe meat can be frozen up to 3 months. After preparing the seasoned meat, cool and package in large resealable freezer bags. When you want to serve it, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave on 70% power until heated through or in a saucepan over low heat.

Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake

You need big chunks of apples to make a good Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake. I like my to see the apples when I slice off a fat piece of cake to go with my morning coffee.

One of my twin sisters gave me the Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake recipe. The Family usually requests Great Aunt Rose's Pound Cake about once every couple of weeks. This week I replaced that old standby with a new cake that is a nod to all the fall apples around these days and still has a little bit of a pound cake taste to it.

I don't think they were disappointed with the new bundt cake on the cake stand. It was gone within a day and a half.




Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake

3 large MacIntosh apples, peeled and sliced in thick pieces
2 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup apple juice
6 large eggs, beaten

In a large bowl, combine apple slices, 1/4 cup sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10-cup bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with flour. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine remaining 2 cups of sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well and pour in oil, vanilla, apple juice, and eggs. Stir to just combine the ingredients and the flour mixture is incorporated.

In the bundt pan, put about one-half of the batter and top with the apples making sure they don't touch the sides of the pan. Top with the remaining batter. Bake for about 1 hour or until the top of the cake is golden brown. A long skewer should come out clean when inserted into the cake.

Cool on a baking rake for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the pan and invert cake on a platter.

Looking for more apple desserts? Here are a few more recipes you may like:

Apple Turnovers Filled with Spiced Cream Cheese

Petit Apple Crumb Tarts

Caramel Apple Crumb Cake

Chicken a la King

Chicken a la King

"Chicken a la King?! That sounds like a made up recipe name." After that comment, I discovered that The Husband had never had the privilege of enjoying this dinner staple of the 1970s.

Chicken a la King is a close cousin to chicken pot pie and every bit as enjoyable. When I was growing up, it was served over white toast. Tonight I replaced the toast with Pillsbury Grands Buttermilk Biscuits. I made this executive recipe alteration because I was too lazy to make my own biscuits and because they were on sale for half price at the grocery store.

My recipe makes a large batch - enough for lunch tomorrow and maybe an extra dinner too. It freezes well so put some in the freezer for dinner later in the month. Just let the frozen Chicken a la King thaw in the refrigerator 24 hours before you want to serve it and you'll have dinner in no time.

Chicken a la King

serves 8

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt - depending on how salty the chicken stock is
dash of allspice
1 1/2 cups carrots, julienned & cooked to crisp tender (3 min. on high in the microwave)
1 cup peas, frozen
7 cups cooked and shredded chicken
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
8 biscuits - I used Pillsbury Grands Buttermilk Biscuits or 8 slices of toast

In a large pot over medium high heat, add the butter and olive oil. When the butter has melted, add the onion and mushrooms. Saute for about 8 - 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add the milk and chicken stock, stirring constantly, and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 - 5 minutes or until the sauce is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Season with pepper, salt and allspice. Stir in carrots, peas, chicken, and parsley. Continue cooking until heated through. Serve over biscuits or toast.

Italian Chicken and Artichoke Soup

Italian Chicken and Artichoke Soup

Cooler weather has set in the Northeast - time for more soups at our house. It is not too much work to make your own soup. Chopping is the most time-consuming portion of the recipe.

I was scanning the Internet for a new soup to make, and I came across one that looked a little different. Italian Chicken and Artichoke Soup sounded like something a majority of our family members would like. After a few changes, I think I have found a new family favorite soup. My Oldest likes it so much she has been eating it for 4 days in a row.

I made an extra large batch with hopes of putting some in the freezer for later. No such luck. After delivering a quart to the neighbors and enjoying numerous bowls ourselves, we only have 1 quart left in the refrigerator. That should be gone by tomorrow.


Italian Chicken and Artichoke Soup


3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups yellow onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
2 14-ounce cans of artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes in puree
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup beef broth
2 15-ounce cans of cannellini beans, drained
3 bone-in chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
about 20 basil leaves, chopped
dash of red pepper flakes
Parmesan cheese, grated

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and add the onions. Saute for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook for an additional 2 - 3 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts, the three types of tomatoes, pepper, salt, oregano, and both broths. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the cannellini beans, chicken, basil, and red pepper flakes to taste. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top.

Balsamic Steak and Red Onion Salad

Eating dinner in shifts will be something of the norm until the fall sports season ends. I would rather we sit down to a meal as a family, but time usually does not permit. These days I'm satisfied with at least two of us eating together. Prerequisites of mine include the absence of text messaging the BFF de jour, and my dinner meal contains all four food groups even if everyone does not eat them all.

With a household of varied schedules, creative cooking comes into play. Using flavorful, quick marinades, slicing onions or salad ingredients in between driving to softball and picking up from field hockey, and using the trusty microwave on low power settings to reheat dinner without turning steak into shoe leather were keys to preparing last night's dinner.

Balsamic Steak and Red Onion Salad was eaten at 3 different times between 5 and 8:30 p.m. Here is the note I left for my family members so that they would know how to put their dinner together if I happened to be driving around town.No Thank You Boy said, "I don't have to eat all that stuff do I? Can't I just eat the steak?"

As I was slicing the steak at 5 p.m., the reviews of the upcoming dinner could be heard throughout the kitchen. "I'll have two portions," said My Middle One before heading off to softball practice. "That steak is cooked perfectly," side The Husband as he walked in the door from work. "Make sure there is some left for me when I get home from football," said No Thank You Boy. My Oldest arrived home from a field hockey game and had two salads before she was off again to softball practice. Family members ate their dinners in different ways -- one had steak only, another had steak and onions, and the remaining three of us had crisp lettuce topped with marinated flank steak, balsamic glazed onions, and crumbled blue cheese and drizzled with a sweet balsamic vinaigrette.

Dinner was a hit with everyone, even if it was eaten over a 3 1/2 hour span. You gotta take what you can get.

Balsamic Steak and Red Onion Salad

serves 5

2 large red onions, cut in 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup olive oil
1 flank steak, about 2 - 2 1/2 pounds
1/2 teaspoon spicy mustard
about 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
10 cups of chopped romaine lettuce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place onions on a large baking sheet. Set aside.

In a mason jar, combine balsamic vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Screw on a tight fitting lid and give the marinade/dressing a good shake. Pour about 1/3 cup of the mixture over the onions and toss to coat. Roast in oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until the onions are soft and slightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside. Leave oven on for cooking the steak.

Meanwhile, place the steak in a resealable bag and add 1 cup of the marinade/dressing. Seal bag and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.

To the remaining marinade/dressing add the mustard and mix well.

After the steak marinades for 1 hour, remove it from the resealable bag, place it on a baking sheet and roast for about 5 minutes. Turn steak over and roast another 5 - 6 minutes or until the internal temperature is about 125 degrees. Remove steak from oven and cover with foil for 15 minutes.

After the steak rests, slice it against the grain in very thin slices. This insures that the meat will be tender.

To make salads, place about 2 cups of the romaine on a large plate. Top with the sliced steak, roasted red onions, blue cheese, and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.