Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole

This yummy casserole is from my latest issue of Cuisine at Home. It's supposed to be for two, but it could have easily fed three or four. It's so yummy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 lb tomatillos, peeled and quartered
• 2 Tbsp minced jalapeño
• 4 corn tortillas (6 inch)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack
• 1/2 cup shredded Manchego*
• 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco
• 1/2 cup minced bell pepper
• Fresh cilantro leaves, torn

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 2 shallow casserole dishes** with nonstick spray.

Boil water, broth, onion, and garlic for the chicken in a sauté pan over high heat. Season chicken with oregano, salt, and pepper; place in boiling liquid. Cover pan, reduce to medium-low heat, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken to plate to cool.

Add tomatillos and jalapeños to broth mixture; return to a boil over high and reduce to 1 cup, about 7 minutes. Mash tomatillos with a spoon or potato masher.

Shred chicken with two forks once cool enough to handle. Stir chicken back into tomatillo mixture, then remove from heat.

Brush tortillas with oil and toast in oven until crisp, 5 minutes.

Combine cheeses in bowl and sprinkle a thin layer into each prepared dish. Top cheese layer with a tortilla, divide chicken mixture evenly between dishes. Continue layering with remaining cheese and tortillas, ending with cheese on top. Scatter bell peppers over cheese.

Bake casseroles until cheese melts and sauce is bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Garnish each casserole with cilantro.

*I couldn't find Manchego, so I used an extra ounce of Monterey Jack and Queso Fresco.

**I don't have individual casserole dishes, so I just put the whole thing in my small Corningware casserole dish and it worked great.

Marion Cunningham's buttermilk pancakes

This recipe has become our favorite when we make pancakes, which is quite frequently. I'm not sure what makes them so good, since it's very similiar to other recipes, but it works for us! The author says it doesn't work well to multiply the recipe, but you can double a batch and have it still turn out.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. butter or oil for the pan

Directions:

1. Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Crack egg into the center and pour the buttermilk over the top of the egg.
2. With a fork or whisk, stir until it forms a lumpy batter and all flour is absorbed. Pour in melted butter and stir until buttter is just dispersed. DO NOT OVERMIX.
3. Spread 1 Tbsp. butter/oil on the griddle. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter on to form pancakes. Turn when bubbles form on the top. Brown the other side.
4. Eat!

No buttermilk? Just add a Tbsp of vinegar to a measuring cup, then pour in milk until it reaches 1 cup mark. Stir, let sit a few minutes, then proceed as normal. :)

Creamy Corn Soup with Chicken and Poblano Chile

This is from a cookbook by Rick Bayless called "Mexican Everyday". I needed more uses for our garden produce and this is a great one for fresh corn from the garden. The roasted chile pepper just seems perfect for New Mexico too.

Ingredients:

• 1 large poblano chile
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
• 1 small white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 cups corn kernels cut from the cob (takes about 5 ears)
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 quart milk
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breats cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• salt
• about 1/4 cup chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Roast the pepper over open flame or 4 inches below the broiler until blackened and blistered all over.
2. Heat oil in pan. Add onion and garlic and cook until golden. Put into blender or food processor.
3. Add corn, cornstarch, 1 1/2 cup milk to the blender too. Process to a smooth puree. (You can strain the puree through a mesh strainer for a smoother soup). Return puree to pan.
4. When chile is cool enough, peel off the blackened skin. Pull off stem and seed pods. Cut into 1/4 inch pieces. Add to the pan.
5. Add chicken to the puree and additional 2 1/2 cups milk. Simmer until chicken is cooked. Season with salt. Ladle into bowls and add the cilantro as a garnish. Serve!

A few variations the author suggests are replacing the chicken with ham; or zucchini or asparagus for a vegetarian meal. Or add shrimp, crab, bacon, etc.

Chicken Salad

Ben and I are busily packing to get ready to go up to the office. Here is a recipe I like that we will be eating on the road tomorrow. I included the biscuits in the picture because we will be eating the chicken salad sandwich style. I hope you guys like it!

2 cups diced chicken
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup cashews
1/2 cup grapes
1/4 - 1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all together. Add ranch a little at a time until moist!

Ham and Cheese Strata

12 slices bread
6 ham slices
6 cheddar slices
6 beaten eggs
3 cups milk
1 TBS finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp dry mustard
salt and pepper

In a greased 9x13 dish, layer 6 ham and cheese "sandwiches". Combine eggs, milk, onion, dry mustard, salt and pepper; whisk well. Pour liquid over the sandwiches. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, remove cover and bake at 300* for 1 hour. Allow casserole to set for 10 minutes before cutting sandwiches in half to serve.

Note: I have also assembled this recipe like bread pudding. In that case, the bread is torn, the ham is chopped and the cheese is grated. This variation is great for older bread.

Cheesefada

This post must start with a disclaimer: I have no idea how to spell the name of this dish! We have just spelled it as it sounded.
We originally enjoyed this breakfast dish in Idaho, when Kurt Johnson made it for us. I understand that it is a Hungarian dish that was passed down in his family. Of course everything tastes better at Grandpa's cabin, but this tasted great when we attempted it at home, too. The best description that I have heard for this dish is "scrambled pancakes".

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 TBS baking powder
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs, separated
milk

Melt butter in a large fry pan and set aside. Beat egg whites to form stiff peaks; set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking powder. Beat in egg yolks, melted butter, and enough milk to form a consistency of very thick pancake batter. Finally, fold in whipped egg whites and pour into the hot fry pan with melted butter. Cook like scrambled eggs, turning and breaking the mixture as it cooks. Serve with syrup, fruit, milk or just as-is.
We have also had success with whole wheat flour; it adds a deliciously nutty taste.

Amish Oatmeal

I can no longer find the original recipe for Amish Oatmeal. However, I remember that the first attempts had extravagant amounts of sugar and butter. No wonder it tasted so good! This version is the one that we often use now and it still tastes great. We love it served with yogurt or milk and fresh or dried fruit.
If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, this is a great way to start the day!

6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar or 1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup applesauce
3 eggs
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Mix oats, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix liquids in a separate bowl: milk, honey (if not using sugar), applesauce, eggs. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and mix in the melted butter. Spoon the thick mixture into a buttered 10x14 casserole dish, or several smaller dishes. Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes. Serve hot or cold for a great breakfast cereal.
This recipe freezes very well. I like to make it once and serve it multiple times. It's also great to feed a crowd.
Another delicious option is to add fresh, diced apples, frozen blueberries or chopped nuts to the mixture before it is baked.

Pretzel Salad

Layer # 1

3 cup crushed pretzels

3/4 c sugar

3/4 c melted butter

bake 10 min at 350 degrees

Seal the pretzels completly with this 2nd layer (if you don't the pretzels get soggy) but don't do it until pretzels have completely cooled or everything melts

Layer #2

8 oz cream cheese

12 oz cool whip

1/2 cup sugar

Layer # 3

6 oz strawberry jello

20 oz frozen strawberries

2 c boiling water

mix until dissolved

Cool in refrigerator