Easy Wintertime Salsa

I call this my "Wintertime Salsa" because it's a good salsa to make when fresh tomatoes and jalapenos may not be the most flavorful because of the season. But it's good year-round. All the ingredients are canned or dried, and are things I usually have on hand anyway.

As is, I consider the salsa to be "medium" in heat. Adjust the peppers accordingly to make it as hot or mild as you like.

It goes together in less than 10 minutes, so it's a good appetizer to whip up if you have unexpected company.


Blogarita's Easy Wintertime Salsa

2 14.5-ounce cans stewed tomatoes, with juices
8 slices of pickled jalapenos (use less for a milder salsa)
2 tablespoons of the juices from the pickled jalapenos (use less or omit for milder salsa)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon bottled lime juice
2 teaspoons dried cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Set one can of stewed tomatoes aside.

In a blender or food processor, combine remaining ingredients and process until fairly smooth.

Add reserved can of tomatoes and process (or use pulse setting) for approximately 1 second at a time, repeating 4-5 times, until tomatoes are blended in, but still slightly chunky.

Pour into a bowl and serve at room temperature or chill, if desired.

Makes approx. 1 quart of salsa.

Oven Adventures

For those of you who don't read my other blog, we recently bought a combination microwave/convection oven to replace the vent hood over our gas range.

We bought it last Saturday, Spouse Guy installed in Sunday, and since then I've had very little time to play with it, but here's what I know about it so far.

The microwave is just as you'd expect. However, the popcorn sensor button really works, which is something that never quite worked well on the other microwaves I've had.

The convection oven will take a little getting used to. For one thing, the instruction manual was contradictory about whether or not you can use traditional metal pans when using the convection only feature. I've been especially careful about using microwave safe dishes, and I've been slightly dissatisfied with the way things have browned (or not) on the bottom. A phone call to Maytag this morning cleared that up; when using the convection-only setting, metal pans may be used.

Here's my first attempt at baking something. It's obviously a pizza, but I don't think it's a good test example. For one thing, I used a crust mix rather than mixing up my own (I almost never do that, but I was busy yesterday) and I accidentally bought fat-free mozzarella cheese and had it open before I realized my mistake. That stuff doesn't melt! I baked the pizza on a stone, which I often do, and used the convection setting. The bottom didn't brown well. I'm not going to make a judgment call on this, because I'd like to try again, with my own crust, cheese that will melt and a metal pan.



This morning I tried baking muffins. This was before the phone call to Maytag, so erring on the side of caution, I used my new silicone muffin pan. This first batch, filled with Peach-Mango fruit spread, went straight into the pan (no greasing or spraying necessary) and was baked on the convection setting. They took 15 minutes to bake and were nicely brown on top, but a little less so on bottom.



For the second batch, filled with strawberry preserves, I used cupcake papers simply so that I could get them ready while the first batch baked. I put the filled papers into the same silicone pan. This time I used the combination microwave/convection setting and they took just 9 minutes to get done, but as you can see, they barely browned at all, didn't rise as well, and they stuck to the papers (which I probably should have sprayed with non-stick spray).



Obviously, the first batch is more visually appealing. Both batches tasted great, but the second batch was actually just a little more moist and tender. Really, the taste/texture difference wasn't enough to be concerned about.



I think if I were making cupcakes or a cake that was going to be frosted, I would use the quicker combination-cooking setting. Otherwise, I'd use convection for the sake of appearance.



Next time I'll try baking in a metal pan, or maybe roasting or broiling meat. I'll let you know how those turn out, too.

Meanwhile, here's the muffin recipe. It came from Tawra Kellam's book "Not Just Beans", which is a really great cookbook for basic, frugal recipes.


Basic Muffins

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil

Mix ingredients together; batter will be lumpy. Spoon into greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 425° for 20-25 minutes. Makes 12-15 muffins.

Jam Muffins

Fill greased muffin cups 1/4 full. Place 1 teaspoon jam on top of batter and fill with more batter until muffin cup is 2/3 full. Bake as above.

Shrimp In Beer

This shrimp and pasta recipe has a mild-flavored sauce that keeps the flavor of the shrimp the main attraction. It goes together quickly and is great with bread sticks or garlic toast on the side.


Shrimp In Beer

2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 bay leaf
2-3 cups flat beer|
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley for garnish

Place shrimp in a large skillet and pour in enough beer to just cover them. Heat over medium-high heat until beer simmers and shrimp just turns pink. Remove shrimp from beer and set aside.

Increase heat to high and reduce beer in pan to 1 cup. Meanwhile, in another pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and cook until thick and bubbly. Whisk in reduced beer until smooth. Add cream and continue cooking over medium-high heat until thickened. Remove from heat.

Stir in cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and reserved shrimp. Pour over pasta of your choice and garnish with chopped parsley.

Makes about 6 servings.

Go Ahead. Search My Kitchen.

I just added a neat little search bar to the blog at the top of my sidebar. Now you can search my recipes by ingredient or any other keyword you like. Or you can go beyond my blog to other blogs or the entire Interwebs.

Have fun!

Bourbon Nut Pie

I had a small unopened can of mixed nuts left from Christmas, and I've been wondering how they'd be in a syrup-based pie in place of the traditional pecans. So, I found a recipe, made some changes and came up with this.

I forgot to snap a picture before I cut into it! Even with peanuts in the mix, it's delicious, but I think if I try it again, I will use the "fancy" mixed nuts without peanuts.


Blogarita's Bourbon Nut Pie

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 oz. (1/8 cup) bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 can (5.5 ounces) mixed nuts (chop them if you like, I didn't)
9" pie shell

Heat oven to 375°.

Cream sugar and butter in medium bowl.

Add eggs, syrup, honey, salt, bourbon and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in nuts.

Pour filling into a pie shell; bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until knife inserted near center of pie comes out clean.

Let cool completely before cutting.

Makes one 9" pie.

Zio's Chicken Pepperoni

Any of you ever eat at Zio's Italian Kitchen? It's been a few years since I've eaten there, and I haven't tried this dish, but it is supposed to be a copycat of the one on their menu. I used my own pasta sauce from the freezer and a different shape of pasta, but otherwise, was true to the recipe. It's a good one.


Copycat Recipe for Zio's Italian Kitchen Chicken Pepperoni

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4-6 ounces good quality sliced pepperoni
1 jar Bertolli Marinara (if you double this recipe, use 3)
1 pound penne pasta
1 large sweet onion, julienned or large chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, julienned or large chopped
1 green bell pepper, julienned or large chopped
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced thick
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 small can black olives, drained and sliced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Olive oil
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
Grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (optional)

Put 4 quarts water on to boil in a 6-quart pot. When water is boiling, add pasta.

In hot skillet, add 2 teaspoons olive oil, then sauté onions, peppers, mushrooms and pepperoni until vegetables start to sweat. Add garlic, olives and chicken, stirring often. When chicken is white and onions are translucent, remove from heat (be careful not to overcook vegetables or everything will be too soft)

Drain pasta when done.

In large bowl add pasta, meat mixture, topped with grated mozzarella, covered with marinara and tossed lightly. Top with grated Romano or Parmesan to taste. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6.

"Land of Enchantment" Posole

Odd how these things happen.

The day I'm preparing a cocina tipica, or typical dish, of the State of New Mexico is the very day that Violet posts some more...um... interesting...facts about our 47th state. Pretty coincidental, since Violet and I both live in the same state, which is NOT New Mexico. I don't know about her, but I've never even been there.

This "Land of Enchantment" Posole is a spicy pork and hominy stew. It's another recipe from the February/March 2007 issue of Taste of Home magazine, and the only change I made this time was to add 1/2 teaspoon of the herb epazote that I mentioned in an earlier post. Spouse Guy and I are finding we like the slight tartness it adds to Mexican (and New Mexican) food.

BTW, I guess the posole will end up being dinner tomorrow night. Some friends invited us out for a steak dinner. How could we refuse that?


Land of Enchantment Posole

1-1/2 pounds pork stew meat, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons oil
3 cups beef broth
2 cans (15 ounces each) hominy, rinsed and drained
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
Tortilla strips, optional

In a soup kettle or Dutch oven, cook the pork, onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the broth, hominy, chilies, jalapeno pepper, salt, cumin, oregano, pepper and cayenne.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until meat is tender. Stir in cilantro. Serve with tortilla strips, if desired.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Louisiana Meat Pies

I meant to make these last night in honor of "Fat Tuesday", but time got away from me. Yes, these meat pies are fried, and yes, they take a while to put together, but they taste so good that they are worth every minute and every calorie.

The recipe makes about two dozen pies. I like to flash-freeze them before I fry them, then just take out as many as I need for a meal. They can be baked, but they don't taste nearly as good as they do fried.


Louisiana Meat Pies

Filling:

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork (can use ground turkey or chicken or another pound of ground beef)
1 bunch of green onions or one medium yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium green pepper, diced
black pepper to taste
1 to 4 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning blend, to taste
1 teaspoon dry oregano leaves
1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
1 tablespoon flour

Pastry:

4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup cold butter (can use shortening or lard; lard makes the flakiest crust)
1 egg, beaten
2 cup milk

Oil for deep frying (I prefer peanut oil)

Cook meats, onion, garlic and bell pepper in a large skillet. Drain; rinse away fat if desired. Return meat to pan. Add seasonings and flour; mix well and set aside.

In a food processor, blend flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter and process until incorporated. Pour four mixture into a bowl. Combine egg and milk, then gradually add liquid to the flour until dough forms, adding additional milk or water a tablespoon at a time if needed.

Break off pieces of dough and roll very thin. Use a saucer to cut dough into circles. Place a 1/4 cup (or slightly less) meat filling on half of a dough circle. Fold dough over filling and crimp with a fork to seal. Place on cookie sheets to freeze at this point.

To fry, heat oil to 400°F. Fry pies, one or two at at time, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.

Makes approximately 24 pies.

Cheeseburger Paradise Soup

This soup, another Taste of Home recipe, is delicious...or as granddaughter Sparky would say, "It's awishus!"

I made a half-batch of this today, which still yielded 2 quarts of soup. I made two small additions, which was adding about 3/4 cup of shredded cheddar along with the Velveeta and about a teaspoon of salt. I also garnished the soup with more cheddar, since I didn't have any bacon.

I put the soup in bread bowls just for fun.


Cheeseburger Paradise Soup
(from Taste of Home February/March 2007)

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small carrot, grated
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
3 cups water
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds ground beef
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
5 cups milk, divided
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 package (16 ounces) process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
Crumbled cooked bacon

In a soup kettle, combine the first nine ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and mushrooms in butter over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add to soup. Stir in 4 cups milk; heat through.

In a small bowl, combine flour and remaining milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted. Garnish with bacon.

Makes about 14 servings.


Bread Bowls

2 cups hot water
1/4 cup instant milk powder
1/4 cup extra light olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon bulk yeast (or one packet of yeast)
6 cups flour

In large heavy-duty mixer (i.e., Bosch, Kitchen Aid) combine water, milk powder, olive oil, sugar, salt and yeast. Mix in flour and knead for 4 to 10 minutes (depending on mixer capabilities). Place dough out into a well-oiled bowl, turning to coat on all surfaces. Cover with a cloth and let rise until doubled. Form dough into 8 balls. Place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Cover and let rise again, until doubled. Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes until golden.

To serve, cut a slice off top of each loaf and scoop out insides, creating a bowl. Fill with soup and serve with bread from center of loaves.

To make by hand (without mixer), combine water, milk powder, olive oil, sugar, salt and yeast. Stir in flour, using a wooden spoon, until dough is too stiff to stir. Use hands to mix in remaining flour until a workable dough forms. Knead by hand for 10 minutes, then proceed as above.

Makes 8 small bread bowl loaves.

**********

We tried Violet's Roasted Corn and Crab Soup yesterday. I highly recommend it; it was wonderful!

Cheese Ravioli Lasagna

This has to be the easiest "recipe" ever for lasagna.

Just spray a pan with non-stick spray, spread about a 1/2-cup of pasta sauce on the bottom, and add a layer of frozen cheese ravioli.

Add a layer of whatever you like (I used cooked and crumbled Italian sausage and some shredded Mozzarella cheese...you could use ground beef, frozen chopped spinach or broccoli or just about anything else that sounds good).

Spread on another cup or so of sauce and another layer of frozen cheese ravioli. Top it all with more sauce, cover it with foil and bake it at 350° for about an hour.

Remove the foil, sprinkle on Parmesan cheese and bake for another 10 minutes or so to brown the cheese a little.

That's all there is too it! Super easy and tasty with some garlic toast and a salad.