My first....and VERY successful attempt at Chile Rellenos

OMG!!!! These came out sssssssssssoooooooooo good!! I have NEVER made them before, but LOVE Chile Rellenos so much. So I just thought....I can do this!! And I did!! =)

I am so happy!! I will be making these again!! It was over all pretty easy, didnt take more than an hour. The only bad thing was that by the time I was done frying them all I had eaten 3 and I was full so I didnt get to sit down and enjoy them!! ;o)

1 lg can green chiles

monterey jack cheese

1/4 to 1/2 cup flour + 1 Tbls

6-8 eggs separated

1 tsp season salt

oil or shortening to fry

Take the green chiles out of the can and place them on paper towels to dry them. Dust them with the 1/4 or 1/2 cup of flour (however much is needed to dust them completely). Cut thick slices (1/2") of monterey jack cheese, then cut the slice in 3 long strips. Cut as many as needed for your chiles (1 per chile). You can use toothpicks to hold the chile and the cheese together. It's ok if the chile rips, cause the egg is gonna act like a nice comfy blankie to hold it all together!

Put all the egg whites in your handy dandy Kitchen Aide mixer and put the whip attachment on it on med high and just walk away! But make sure you walk back when stiff peaks have formed! ;o)

Beat the yolks with the 1 Tbls of flour and the 1 tsp of season salt. Once your egg whites have formed stiff peaks FOLD did I mention you should FOLD.....not stir.......fold in the yolk mixture until well mixed. Now you just dip your chile with the cheese inside into the egg batter and drop it into your preheated oil. When they are golden brown on both sides (you'll have to flip them once) then they are done!!

I served mine with El Pato salsa de jalepeno. You can find it in a can in the Hispanic section of the grocery store. Did I mention how good they were??

My take on a Chicken Corn Soup....mmmmm!!

Ok the first thing I would like to say is.....this is a basic recipe of NOT exact measurements!! I make this stuff up as I go depending on what sounds good!! So I'm gonna give it my best shot trying to remember everything I put in there!! Good luck and may the force be with you.

On a side note....even my kids liked this soup!! That's always a bonus!! ;o)

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or chopped(depending on how many you are feeding)

1 container chicken broth

3/4 cup salsa (I used homemade that I had already)

2 cans corn

1 cup heavy cream, milk or sour cream

1/2 onion diced

1 can diced green chile's

1 cup grated cheese of your choice (cheddar, pepper jack, monterey jack)

cilantro

corn tortillas fried until crispy, then broken into pieces

Just cook the chicken and shred or chopped it. In a saucepan cook onions until translucent, I think I threw in a little butter! Add chicken broth, and corn. Now use your fabulous immulsion blender and blend it up a little. Next add in all the rest of the ingredients except the tortillas and cilantro. When cheese is melted serve. Top with broken tortillas and cilantro!! Yummy!!

Christmas Eve Seafood Lasagana...mmmmm

Is it just me, or is seafood a beautiful thing?? I love it all. I have never made a seafood lasagana before, and actually I dont recall ever tasting one before. But I would have to say for a first try, it was very successful!! I used shrimp, crab meat and small scallops!! It was super easy to throw together too and a big hit amoungst family members. Even my hubby, who doesnt love pasta thought it was good!!

1/2 lb lasagna noodles

1 1/2 jars alfredo sauce

3 cups grated mozzerella or any cheese you like

1/2 lb real crab meat, shredded

1 lb small scallops, cooked

1/2 lb small shrimp, cooked

1 small container of ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

salt & pepper

parmesean cheese

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. In a small bowl combine three seafoods, salt and pepper to taste. In another small bowl mix ricotta, egg, salt, pepper, and about 1/4 cup parmesean cheese. In a 13 x 9 baking dish which you have sprayed with cooking spray, begin layering. First drizzle a little bit of alfredo sauce (right out of the jar) to coat the bottom of the dish. Layer approx. 3 lasagna noodles, drop some ricotta mixture and spread on noodles, sprinkle 1/3 of the seafood mixture, then drizzle sauce from the jar and finally a thin layer of cheese. Repeat all steps until you reach the top of the baking dish. Topping with cheese. Bake in a 350 oven for approx 45 minutes to 1 hour.

My take on Peppermint Bark

Ok this one ended up looking kinda funny......but it tastes awesome!!!!!!

All I did was melt milk chocolate and semi sweet chocolate together in a 'double boiler' until melted then spread it on a pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Then I melted the white chocolate over the double boiler. While it was melting I added about a half a teaspoon of peppermint extract and one tablespoon of milk. When the milk chocolate is set up enough spread the white chocolate over it. Break up some candy canes and sprinkle evenly over the white chocolate. Put in the frig until set up and then break into random size pieces.

That's it!! It is that easy!!

Let the baking begin....

Am I the only one who gets completely excited around the holidays when its time to decide what to bake?? I spend so much time looking through recipes and adding some in then taking some out, and adding some in....and....well you get the idea. It has to be just perfect!! I am always excited to try things I havent tried before, but have the few 'must makes' every year!!

Well it is finally time to begin the process and get ready to give my friends and family the treats they deserve for puttin' up with me all year round!!

Here is the first....

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

All I did for these is make the Nestle Toll House recipe except I added (which is key for flavor!!) 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and some freshly grated nutmeg. It makes ALL the difference!!!

Leftovers Anyone?? Turkey Salad Sandwiches & Dinner Rolls

Here is one of my favorite turkey leftover recipes!! I LOVE a good chicken salad so why not substitute leftover turkey!! If you notice, there is also a dinner roll in the picture. I got that recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks website....and oooohhhh man are those rolls good. I will but the recipe up so you can try them out!!

Another good thing you can make with your leftovers is Potato Soup out of the mashed potatoes!

Turkey/Chicken Salad

3-4 cups cooked turkey/chicken
1 cup chopped cashews
2 stalks celery chopped
3 green onions chopped
1 1/2 cups red seedless grapes
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of fresh grated nutmeg
dash of salt

Mix everything together and serve on your favorite bread or over greens or avocado.

Here is the link to thepioneerwomancooks.com it will take you directly to the dinner rolls....which I highly recommend making. I made them on Wednesday and just refrigerated the dough until Friday, which is when I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for my family, and they worked out perfectly!!!

Enjoy and happy eating!!


http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/11/pw_dinner_rolls_-_no_kneading_required/

Sunday Morning Sausage Breakfast Burritos

Look at all these beautiful breakfast burritos. I made 60 of them this past Saturday. Once a month we serve them in our church cafe. You want to talk about pressure....try cooking for 60!! I've got it down to a science now!! It only takes about 2 1/2 hours from start to finish!! I will give you the estimated recipe for a few less!! ;o)

1 pound of ground breakfast sausage
1 pound of hashbrowns (not the shredded kind)
15 eggs beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 onion chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup grated cheddar cheese or pepper jack or combo of your favorites
Approx 15-20 flour tortillas

Cook ground sausage thoroughly, also cook the hashbrowns with the onion in a seperate pan until golden brown.



Add all spices to eggs, add milk and beat until well beaten.

Add eggs and hashbrowns to the sausage and cook until eggs are cooked thoroughly.

Melt cheese on top and it should look a little something like above!! Can you say.....yummy??

Ripe off a bunch of foils and lightly heat the tortillas to make it easier to roll. Add a spoon full of egg mixture into a tortilla and roll like a burrito, with one end open.

Now dont you just wanna pick one up and take a bite?? I like to serve them with fresh homemade salsa!! Maybe I will post that recipe someday soon!!