CHORIZO PEPPER HAND PIES

I knew my kids and grandbabies were all coming home to spend a few days over the 4th of July holiday. So I busily perused cookbooks and magazines for tasty new treats and snacks to serve while they were here. I ran across this one and it sounded so delicious and filling. They were a bit time consuming, but well worth the effort. Tons of flavor! I had never cooked with Chorizo sausage before - it had a very different texture than sausage as we Americans know it. Also, it's very greasy, so you have to drain it well. I also had never cooked with  queso fresco. It was very different from any other cheese I have ever used - but very delicious and it was amazing how it cooked right up into the meat and thickened it. And what can you say about puff pastry? What's not to love about that stuff?! Add these to your next family get together or fellowship. They are sure to be a hit!

CHORIZO PEPPER HAND PIES

1 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 of a yellow sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
5 oz of uncooked chorizo sausage
1/2 cup chopped tomato, fresh or canned
1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
4 oz grated queso fresco
1 (17 oz) pkg frozen puff pastry sheets (2 sheets) thawed
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
1 Tbsp. milk
Salsa, taco sauce, sour cream (all optional) for garnish or dipping

For filling: In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and sweet pepper. Cook 7 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add Chorizo. Cook 5 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking up sausage and stirring occasionally. Drain fat. Return to heat. Add tomato, oregano and cumin. Simmer uncovered 5 - 8 minutes or until liquid is evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and let cool. Add the queso fresco and stir to combine.
Preheat oven to 400. On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll puff pastry sheet to 1/8" thick. With a 3 1/2" round cookie cutter, cut 24 circles. Place 1 Tblsp filling in center of each circle. Combine beaten egg yolk with milk. Brush edges of half the circle with egg wash. Fold circle over to enclose filling; pinch edges together to seal. Brush tops with egg wash. Place on an ungreased baking sheet (I used my PC stone and it worked wonderful!); Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve warm with toppers and dips of your choice.

Make ahead: Unbaked or baked hand pies can be made well in advance and frozen. Remove from freezer; place on ungreased baking sheets in single layers. For frozen unbaked pies, bake 17 - 19 minutes. If baked before freezing, reheat 5 - 6 minutes on top rack of 400 degree oven.

Yield: 24 pies

SOUTHWESTERN MAC-N-CHEESE

Here is a cool spin on an old favorite - Mac-n-Cheese! Try it with a Southwestern flair! It's delicious and so hearty, you could serve it as the main entree for dinner and the whole family would be happy! Well unless you have a hubby that is a "meat and potatoes" man like mine is! *wink*

SOUTHWESTERN MAC-N-CHEESE

1 (16 oz) pkg. uncooked elbow macaroni (or pasta of your choice)
1 lb Ground Beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 pkg. Taco seasonings
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 (8 oz) brick shredded Pepper Jack cheese
1 (8 oz) brick shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Pace Picante, medium

Toppings:
Extra Shredded Mozzarella and Pepper Jack
Tortilla chips, crushed
Sour cream
Salsa

Cook macaroni according to pkg directions. In a separate skillet, brown 1 lb of ground beef with 1 medium diced onion, 4 oz can of chopped green chiles and 1/2 cup diced tomatoes. When the hamburger is done, stir in the packet of taco seasoning. Meanwhile in a dutch oven, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat, stir in cheeses. Drain macaroni, and pour into cheese sauce in dutch oven. Stir in ground beef mixture and Pace picante. Top with more shredded cheese and bake in oven for 20 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Top with crushed tortilla chips. Serve with extra salsa and sour cream, if desired.

TACOS AL CARBON

Cooking "al carbon"--grilling over charcoal--is a great specialty of northern Mexico. One of the best ways to appreciate their cooking technique is in tacos al carbon, for which the meat, after being marinated and grilled, is coarsely diced or thinly sliced and then folded into warmed corn tortillas along with guacamole, salsa, and a grilled green onion-the standard edible garnish for this dish. (I substituted sauteed onions and peppers for the green onion)
My niece was here visiting for a while and she kept talking about this wonderful "taco" that someone made for her back in January. She gave me the name, but didn't have a recipe. So I went searching for it. I found the basic recipe and then she gave me the "spins" that this man put on it. If you are pressed for time, you can substitute pre-made, store bought salsa (Pace is best). But DO NOT try to use a substitute for the marinade. It makes the steak SO juicy and flavorful!

Step 1:

STEAK MARINADE

1 - 10 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 - 4 oz can, chopped chiles w/ juice (can also use jalapenos)
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
1 tsp. Cumin

Place all ingredients in blender and whirl until well combined.

Use With Two Pounds:

Pork tenderloin, or
Chicken breasts, or
Beef tenderloin, or
Flank steak

Pour marinade in large resealable plastic food bag. Mix well.
Add meat, seal the bag and turn over several times to
coat meat thoroughly. Place bag in refrigerator, turning bag occasionally
8 hours or overnight.

Remove meat from marinade.

1. Preheat a gas grill (medium high) or light a charcoal fire and let it burn down until the coals are evenly white. Adjust the rack to 6-inches above the heat source. Lay the flank steak on the rack and grill it, covered, turning the steak once, for a total of about 12 minutes for medium-rare, or until done to your liking. Transfer the steak to a cutting board, tent it with foil, and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Brush the green onions lightly with olive oil and lay them on the grill rack. Cover and cook, turning them once, until they are just lightly browned and becoming tender, a total of 3 or 4 minutes. Transfer them to a platter. (I substituted sauteed onions and peppers for the green onion)
3. Carve the flank steak across the grain and at a slight angle into 1/2-inch slices. Cut the slices crosswise into 1/2-inch cubes. Serve immediately, accompanied by the grilled onions, tortillas, guacamole and salsa. The best way to enjoy your tacos al carbon is with steak that is grilled med-rare. This batch shown here is about medium to medium well. The longer you cook your steak, the tougher it gets. You can see the importance of letting it rest for a few minutes - the juice has a chance to redistribute and when you slice the meat, it's so juicy.
   

Step 2: Assembly

Warm flour tortillas
Grilled steak
3/4 loaf Velveeta, cut into chunks
1 large sweet onion, sliced thin
1 large green pepper, sliced thin
1 large yellow pepper, sliced thin
Pico de gallo (homemade is best - but can substitute prepared salsa)
Chopped lettuce
Guacamole (homemade is best - but can substitute store bought)
Sour cream

Heat a cast iron skillet to med high. Drizzle with olive oil. Place onions and peppers into hot skillet and saute until soft and opaque.
Place Velveeta chunks in microwave safe bowl and heat until melted. You can thin it with milk if it seems too thick. It should be a cheese sauce, not watery, but you need to be able to pour it.
Begin with the warm tortilla, place meat down the middle, top with sauteed onions and peppers, drizzle melted Velveeta over that. Top with Pico de gallo and guacamole. Fold it all up like a burrito and turn it seam side down. Drizzle with more Velveeta, sprinkle with chopped lettuce and add a dollop of sour cream.
Prepare your tastebuds for a party!

FRESH SALSA AND HOMEMADE CHIPS

OK, OK I know it's easy to stop at the store and pick up a bag of Tostitos and a jar of Pace salsa, but come on! Where's your sense of adventure? There is NOTHING like the taste of FRESHLY made salsa! And what's better than serving something fresh to your family, that has absolutely no preservatives in it? There really is no trick to it. It's a cinch to make and you can make it as hot or mild as you like it. And the chips - they are just fun to make! And CRUNCHY? Wow! They are super good with the homemade salsa. Guacamole too!


FRESH SALSA

8 - 10 ripe Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 of a large sweet onion, diced
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles, with juice
3 - 4 Tblsp fresh Cilantro, chopped fine
1 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients, stir well and let it sit for about 30 minutes to marinate. Serve with homemade chips.


HOMEMADE CHIPS

1 pkg corn tortillas, cut into 1/4's
Canola oil
Salt

Line a platter or cake pan with paper towels, and set aside. In a heavy iron skillet, heat oil to at least 350. Separate cut tortillas and fry them about a dozen at a time. As soon as you get a dozen into the hot oil, start flipping them over, starting with the first one you placed in the oil. Let them fry on the 2nd side for about a minute. The longer you let them fry, the crispier they get. So after the first batch comes out, use your own judgement, on whether they need to fry longer or not. Use a "spider" or some other slotted untensil to remove the chips from the hot oil. Place them on the paper towel lined platter to drain. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat until all the chips have been fried.
Serve with Fresh Salsa or Guacamole.

CHEESY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

I borrowed this recipe from my daughter in law, Monica. She makes a killer chicken enchilada! I changed it just a tad, because I felt more comfortable doing the thickening of the sauce a bit differently. But it still turned out fantasmagoric! haha Super easy and quick too! I should have served chopped lettuce and roma tomatoes with these though, but I was in a hurry and we were starving! Next time! These were easily "lightened" up with light sour cream, FF chicken broth, and low fat Cheddar cheese. Not positive on the points value, but as near as I could figure, they seemed to be around 6 pts per enchilada. If you're not dieting, by all means, feel free to use the full fat versions of those ingredients though.

CHEESY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

12 boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders, cut into chunks
Cumin
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 or 3 Tblsp butter
1 (6 oz) can chopped green chilies w/ juice
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pkg large whole wheat tortillas (my pkg had 8 in it)
1 (8 oz) pkg shredded cheddar - Mexican blend

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray. Place chicken chunks in small skillet, heated to med-high. Sprinkle chicken liberally with Cumin and cook until done. Set aside. In separate skillet, heated to med-high, place butter, onion and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Add chopped green chilies w/ juice. Stir until chilies are heated through. Add flour and stir to combine - will be very thick and pasty. Add chicken broth and whisk to combine. Stir in sour cream and simmer until slightly thickened. Add chicken to sauce and simmer for a few minutes. In the meantime, in a separate skillet, heated to med. Add just a drizzle of oil. Heat each tortilla in the oil for a few seconds on each side, just enough to soften them for rolling. Remove from heat and keep warm on a pizza pan covered with paper towels.
To assemble: Use a slotted spoon to scoop up the chicken and veggies. Place 1 spoonful on the center of each tortilla, top with a small handful of shredded cheese. fold up each end of the tortilla and hold in place while you roll in each side of the tortilla. Place seam side down in baking pan. After all your tortillas are filled, pour the remaining sauce over the top. Heat in the oven for 15 minutes, or until bubbly. Top with remaining cheese and stick back in oven for an additional 5 - 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Yield: 8 enchiladas

FAJITA SALAD

Again, not the greatest pic. But photography isn't my forte' - at least until I can get a better camera (where's Terri when I need her?!) Anyway - if you like Fajitas, but are trying to watch your calories, you really MUST give this salad a try. It is probably my favorite salad. Super easy too! And the nice thing about it is, it's light, yet hearty enough to serve as a main course (if your hubby's not eating! haha) No, really my Honey likes this salad (as long as it's for lunch and not "supper!" haha

FAJITA SALAD

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into bite size chunks
McCormick's fajita seasoning
1 sweet onion, sliced thin
1 green pepper, sliced thin
olive oil
Romaine lettuce, torn into manageable pieces
Tomatoes (whatever your favorite is - Cherry, grape, roma, etc)
Shredded Montery Jack or Mexican blend cheese
Sour cream
Guacamole - homemade or store bought, your choice (I like homemade best for the chunks)
Salsa (optional)
Tostitos multigrain tortilla chips

Heat a heavy cast iron skillet to medium heat on your stove. Drizzle olive oil liberally into the skillet. Add your sliced onions and peppers and fry until soft and opaque. I like them a bit caramelized too, but you can do what you like there. Turn down to low or keep warm, while you cook the chicken.
Heat a separate skillet over med-high on the stove. Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom and swirl it around to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the chicken chunks and sprinkle liberally with the fajita seasoning. Cook chicken 3-4 min and then flip them over and season the other side. Cook another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
Take a large shallow bowl (none of this small cereal bowl stuff!) and layer your torn lettuce, tomatoes, warm chicken, onions, peppers and shredded cheese. Garnish with a dollop of guacamole in the center, along with a dollop of sour cream next to it (you can use the light version if you wish, but I think light and fat free versions are filth! I'd rather have the real McCoy and just eat less of it! haha) Add a few chips to the side and dig in!

CHICKEN QUESADILLA

Don't you just love it when someone else does the cooking for you?! I feel so spoiled. My Honey fried a batch of delicious catfish last night, and then tonight my daughter Sarah made these wonderful chicken quesadillas. They are super easy, and you've probably made them before, but just in case you haven't, here is the low-down on them, so you can try them some time. These would be another good S.N.A.C. snack! Because I wasn't doing the cooking, I was free to roam around, with the camera, and snap "play by play" pics!

CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks
Olive oil
McCormick's Fajita seasoning
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 cups shredded Colby Jack / Cheddar cheese (whatever your favorite cheese is)
1 pkg. Manny's whole wheat taco shells (burrito size)

Heat a heavy skillet over med. high, drizzle olive oil generously over the bottom and place chicken chunks into the oil. Season heavily (sprinkle them 2 or 3 times) with McCormick's Fajita seasoning. Cook 4 to 5 minutes until chicken is done. stirring occasionally. In separate iron skillet, heat olive oil in bottom of pan and place diced onions and peppers. Cook until tender and slightly carmelized. Dump onions and peppers into the cooked chicken and stir to combine. Keep warm. Scrape out the skillet that you fried the onions and peppers in, as best you can with a spatula, because you will be using that skillet to cook the quesadillas in.Now, using the same skillet you used for the onions & peppers (it's already heated and well seasoned) plus, you don't have to dirty another pan, place 1 taco shell in the bottom of the pan, place a handful of shredded cheese on the shell, then a couple spoonfuls of the chicken mixture,then another handful of cheese,then top with another taco shell.Now place a clean, medium size iron skillet on top (or some other heavy object - use your imagination). Don't make fun of my top iron skillet! I know it's ugly. These things take a beating around here! They get used ALL the time. Heat for 1 minute or when golden, remove the top iron skillet, flip the quesadilla (when you flip it, be sure to hold the top shell in place w/ your hand, since the cheese isn't melted on top yet and it may slide. Replace the medium iron skillet and cook the other side for 1 minute or when golden. Remove the skillet and the quesadilla. Using a pizza cutter, cut the quesadilla into quarters and serve immediately. My girls like to serve it with either sour cream or ranch dressing.
*Be sure to use a small drizzle of olive oil in the skillet before you cook each quesadilla - you don't want the shells to stick to the pan.
Makes 4 whole quesadillas.