Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Turkey Enchiladas

Original Recipe: http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/recipes/r-penzeysSourCreamTurkeyEnchiladas.html



Ingredients:
  • 3.5 Cups chicken or turkey broth
  • 1 tsp. MINCED GARLIC
  • 3 TB. butter 
  • 3/4 Cup chopped onion (1 smallish onion)
  • 5 TB. flour 
  • 1 tsp. GROUND CORIANDER 
  • 1/2 tsp. GROUND CUMIN
  • 1/4 tsp. FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER
  • 1 12-oz. can chopped green chilies, drained (3 of the small 4 oz. cans)
  • 2 Cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided 
  • 11/2 Cups reduced fat sour cream
  • 6 Cups leftover turkey, cubed 
  • 16 corn tortillas

Optional:

  • chopped green onion
  • fresh cilantro
  • black olives
  • hot sauce or CRUSHED RED PEPPER
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 11x7 ceramic or 9x13 glass baking dish and set aside. Measure out the chicken or turkey broth and add the PENZEYS MINCED GARLIC to rehydrate. In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the flour, CORIANDER, CUMIN and PEPPER and stir continuously until the flour is incorporated into the butter and the mixture is thick. Slowly add the broth, a bit at a time, stirring until thick and smooth before adding more. Once the broth is all in, add the green chilies; cook, stirring regularly, until thickened and bubbly; 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of cheese and the sour cream. In a bowl, mix the leftover turkey and 3/4 cup of the sauce. Stir. Place about 1/4 cup of turkey mixture down the center of a corn tortilla, roll up and place, seam down, in the pan. Repeat until the filling is used. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Bake, covered with aluminum foil, for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for 10 minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve sprinkled with chopped green onion, fresh cilantro, black olives and CRUSHED RED PEPPERS if desired, with hot sauce on the side.

Prep. time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 8


Nutritional Information:
Servings 8; Serving Size 2 enchiladas (414g); Calories 540; Calories from fat 190; Total fat 21g; Cholesterol 145mg; Sodium 1010mg; Carbohydrate 34g; Dietary Fiber 3g; Sugars 1g; Protein 50g.



Hot Mama Notes: I cut this recipe in half, and it still filled a whole 13x9x2 pan!!!  I used a glass pan.  I used chicken broth, one can (15 oz?).  I used flour tortillas, which I prefer to corn.  I used fresh garlic - 1 large clove.  I would normally use the canned green chiles, but I did have any, so I used fresh green pepper and hot peppers from my garden.  In 20/20 hindsight, I would have only used the green peppers, since my kids thought it was too spicy.  For this same reason, I would use cheddar cheese instead of pepper jack to cut the kick and placate my picky children!!  This being said, this was a rather tasty recipe, and I would make it again.  Probably with chicken instead of turkey!  Just because I prefer chicken to turkey when it comes to enchiladas.  But, since I was using up turkey from the freezer, I figured it would have to do.  I used a mixture of light and dark meat, about 1:2 in ratio.  The hot peppers were green unripe serranos, I think.  If I leave them on the plant, they turn red and I can dry them into crushed red pepper.  I ground the coriander myself using a mortar and pestle.  I probably ended up using more butter than called for by halving this recipe. Same with the garlic and spices.  I love flavor!!

Hot Mama Grade: A-

Friday, April 11, 2014

Lasagna!

Meat Lasagna

Ingredients
9 pieces oven ready lasagna noodles (6 oz) 
20 oz lean ground beef or turkey 
1/2 cup chopped onion 
8 ounces mushrooms, optional
1 jar (about 16 ounces) spaghetti sauce, your favorite 
1 teaspoon garlic powder 
1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crumbled 
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil, crumbled 
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese 
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese 
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. In a large skillet, brown beef, onion, and mushrooms; drain well. 
2. Stir in spaghetti sauce, garlic powder, salt, oregano, and basil. 
3. Mix the ricotta cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and Parmesan cheese in a bowl. 
4. In a 2-quart buttered baking dish (about 11x7x2-inches), layer 1/3 of the lasagna noodles, 1/3
of the sauce and 1/3 of the ricotta cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and Parmesan cheeses. 
5. Repeat layers twice. 
6. Bake lasagna at 375°F for 30 minutes, or until thoroughly heated and bubbly. 
7. Let stand for 8 to 10 minutes before cutting and serving.


Serves 6 to 8.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Kielbasa in Beer BBQ Sauce Appetizer

Original Recipe from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/kielbasa-appetizers/detail.aspx








  1. Combine the beer, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard in a large skillet over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to low and add the kielbasa. Simmer until kielbasa is browned and glazed, about 1 hour.

Hot Mama Grade: B+
This was a quick and easy yet tasty recipe.  It was well received at the "Beer Food Party" we went to.  The beer we used was Old Chub by Oskar Blues.  It got second place to this recipe, though: 

http://thebeeroness.com/2013/11/27/spinach-artichoke-beer-cheese-crostini/

Spinach Artichoke Beer Cheese Crostini
Ingredients
  • 1 French baguette, sliced into 1 inch slices
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 3 wt oz parmesan (about 1 cup)
  • 3 wt oz mozzarella cheese, (about 1 cup) divide in half
  • 5 wt oz frozen chopped spinach (about 1 cup), thawed & wrung dry
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • ½ cup IPA beer
  • 1 tsp red chili sauce (such as sriracha)
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 14 wt oz quartered artichoke hearts
Directions
  • Preheat oven to 375.
  • Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Brush both sides with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Bake for ten minutes. Turn slices over, bake for ten more minutes or until golden brown.
  • While the bread cooks, make the cheese dip.
  • Add the cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan, half the mozzarella, spinach, cornstarch, beer, chili sauce and garlic powder, process until well combined.
  • Add to a saucepan over medium heat along with the artichoke hearts. Cook, stirring frequently, until hot and bubbly.
  • Spoon cheese dip onto the toasted bread, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes.
  • Serve warm.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Roy's Beef Brisket

Holiday Snowball/Butterball Cookies

Yum!

Hot Mama Notes: This recipe is a keeper.  My Mom made this recipe last year (Dec 2013), and I finally made the recipe myself this year (12/24/2014).  Everyone loves these cookies, including myself.  They are *very* buttery (for obvious reasons!!) and good.  Melt in your mouth good.  :)  I had a package of the tollhouse holiday chips, and decided to make these for the Christmas Eve party we were attending.  They were a hit.  The entire plate got eaten.  I didn't even notice until later that there isn't even one egg in this recipe.  Just buttery goodness and lots of yummy chips.  Enjoy!  Note that these cookies are very rich.

Hot Mama Grade: A-

Monday, December 16, 2013

Gingerbread Houses

http://www.food.com/recipe/gingerbread-for-cookies-or-a-gingerbread-house-149257

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon clove
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup margarine
1 egg, beaten
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, heat sugar, molasses, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves to boiling, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove from heat; stir in soda (it will foam up).
3. Stir in margarine till melted.
4. With a fork, stir in egg, then flour.
5. On a floured surface, knead dough till mixed. Divide dough in half, wrap half with plastic wrap; set aside.
6. Roll half the dough, with a rolling pin, slightly thinner than 1/4 inch.
7. Cut with cutters.
8. Bake at 325F on a cookie sheet for 12 minutes; cool on a wire rack.
9. Makes about 3 dozen 3" gingerbread people.
10. NOTE: We make houses by cutting out our house design (the 2 sides of the roof, two sides, a front and a back of the house) on graph paper, and then placing the graph paper shapes on the dough and cutting the dough shapes out with a knife.


Hot Mama Notes: This recipe turned out really well!  :)

Gingerbread House Stencil Templates:
http://images.hellokids.com/_uploads/_tiny_galerie/20091253/gingerbread-pattern-front-b-source_953.jpg
http://images.hellokids.com/_uploads/_tiny_galerie/20091253/gingerbread-pattern-roof-source_fwj.jpg
http://www.hellokids.com/c_19315/kids-crafts-and-activities/christmas-crafts/christmas-decorations/gingerbread-house




How to assemble the gingerbread house using caramel syrup "glue":
http://www.marthastewart.com/341781/caramel-syrup

Caramel Syrup:
Ingredients:
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup water

Directions:
Bring sugar and the water to a boil in a medium saucepan; reduce heat, and simmer until thickened and light brown, about 10 minutes. Use immediately.

http://www.marthastewart.com/907718/snow-swept-gingerbread-cottage
http://www.marthastewart.com/339021/molasses-gingerbread-cookie-dough
http://www.marthastewart.com/284120/royal-icing