Category Archives: Recipe

Dinner, Level 1, Levels 2 And Above, Lunch, Recipe

Favorite Chili Recipe Ever

4 Comments

I have always loved chili (Hormel’s No Bean chili).  About a month into my low carb journey, I had chili dogs (2 hot dogs, in a bowl, with chili, cheese, sour cream and a little onion).  Now, granted, I had about 1/2 cup of chili poured over these hot dogs but I was shocked at my blood sugar response!  That morning was 104 and after my meal it was 137!  That was when I read the label.  That chili not only contains corn flour (which was a huge “Duh!” but also, oatmeal).  I have since been on a mission to find a substitute.  I have yet to find one but this … this looks promising!  Just do away with the corn meal and I’ll be good to go!  I’ll scrounge through the freezer and hopefully be able to try this recipe out tonight!

You NEED to click on the link below. This is, really, the best chili recipe.


Let Me Teach You How To Make Texas Red Chili



UPDATE:  Well, I didn’t have any bulk meat so I threw in what I could and ended up with chili soup.  That being said, the flavor is spot on!  I love it!

  • 1/4 lb Fat [I use clarified bacon fat but beef suet would be more traditional]
  • 5 lbs Beef Tips [Chuck Roast cut into cubes is best but you may use the product labeled beef tips in the market]
  • 1/2 Cup Chili Powder [Gebhardt is king in Texas but if you can’t find it use common sense and buy a good brand. Preferably from a market that sells a fair amount of it so it’s fresh. If you have access to a genuine Mexican market then you can find the really good stuff and get a pure chile powder like Guajillo]
  • 2 T. Cumin [I like to buy the seeds, toast them on a comal, then grind them in a spice grinder but powdered cumin will work just fine
  • 2 T. Ground Oregano aka Mexican Oregano [Not the Italian kind, this Oregano is sold as a powder and is essential in this dish]
  • 1 T. Salt or to taste
  • 1 T. Cayenne [obviously if you’d like to ratchet up the heat just add more]
  • 1 bulb Garlic [Freshly minced garlic,not the stuff that sits in a jar of oil in your fridge]
  • 2 quarts Stock [I use chicken which is not traditional, beef is recommended here for purists. If you don’t have time to make stock the brand Better Than Bouillon is surprisingly good]
  • 1/2 Cup Masa Harina [If you can’t find masa mix in your part of the country, corn meal will do just fine-the finer grind the better]
  • 1/2 Cup Water
Bread, Recipe

Plain-Old White Bread (with variations)

Leave a comment

I adapted this recipe from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated American Cookbook but you can basically take any recipe for white bread and substitute water for the milk.  You end up with something closer to white bread from the store (without all the extra garbage).  This recipe makes 2 loaves.

Ingredients:

  • 3 Tablespoons sugar (any sugar will do as long as it IS sugar and not a sugar substitute)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 package dry active yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
  • 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you can substitute up to half the flour with any other kind of flour and still end up with a good tasting bread)
  • 2 cups warm water
  • 3 Tablespoons butter

Put the yeast into a bowl and mix in about 1/2 cup of the warm water (for specifics on temperature, go here http://www.cookistry.com/2011/01/technique-water-temperature-for-yeast.html. I turn on my hot water, which gets very hot, then turn it down just until I can stand it.).  I then place this on top (above the vent) of my still on drip coffee maker.  No matter what I’ve tried, this seems to get the yeast going faster than anything else I’ve tried.  If you don’t have a warm place like this, it just takes a little longer (maybe placing a towel over it to hold in the warmth will help it move along faster).  Leave it there until it is bubbling.  Now, before it actually ever really did anything I had no idea what people were talking about when they said to proof the yeast.

This is what I thought it was supposed to look like:

But this is what is is supposed to look like:

This was my first breakthrough.  The second was the warm required for all processes of rising.

While the yeast is proofing, heat the rest of the water with the butter, just until the butter is melted (can be done in the microwave or on the stove top).

Mix 2 cups of flour with the salt, sugar, water/butter and yeast mixture.  Mix until there is no sign of flour or lumps (this was my second breakthrough and helps IMMENSELY when NOT using a Kitchen Aide mixer, since mine died about a year ago).  It’s almost like this gives you a head start on kneading the dough (which helps your hands, later on).  Continue mixing, adding one cup at a time until the dough no longer sticks to your finger when you touch it (if using a Kitchen Aide) or if mixing by hand, it’s much easier to incorporate the rest of the flour while kneading on a table or counter top.  If you haven’t done so already, generously flour your table or counter top with flour and turn out your dough.  I have always found it helpful to have a flat scraper (like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BenchScraper.JPG) to scrape up any dough that sticks to your work surface so you don’t waste anything.

Now, about kneading your dough.  If you use a Kitchen Aide (or even a bread machine), you REALLY don’t have to worry about this.  The machine does it all for you.  All you need to do is just make sure there are no overly wet spots left.

If you are hand kneading (which I struggled with for years), there’s a bit of a technique to it so you don’t end up with a rock for a loaf of bread.  I used to manhandle it, squishing the hell out of it until there was pretty much no life left to it (it would be ugly and look torn by the time I was done).  I now only knead with one hand.  You place the dough on the table, sprinkle it with flour, then fold it in half toward me, then push down with the heel of my hand.  I then turn the dough counter clockwise (doesn’t matter which way but it’s just a quarter turn) and repeat until I’m done and the dough no longer sticks to my hands.  The only way I can describe how it feels when it done is to ask a question: When you were a kid, did you play with Play-Doh?  Remember how it felt when it was warm (just without the slightly greasy feeling)?  That’s how the dough should feel when you are done.  The closest video I could find it this one (wish I had a video camera) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmGawHsRAAk.  It IS more difficult to knead if you add other flours (whole wheat, spelt, etc.) so you will have to use a little more muscle.  Place in a large bowl that has been oiled (I put some oil on a paper towel and rub all but the upper edge of the bowl).  Cover with plastic wrap that has also been rubbed with oil (if the dough rises that high, it WILL stick to plastic wrap, which is quite annoying).  If you don’t have/use plastic wrap, you could cover with a damp towel.  The only problem I have with that is the towel gets cold, which makes the dough take longer to rise.

Now, find the warmest spot in your house to let the dough rise.  This has to be figured out ahead of time so you can prepare the area.  If it’s the dead of winter, who wants to spend all that money cranking up the heat in your house so you can “save money” by making your own bread?  What kind of a heater do you have?  Is there a spot where it enters your house that is warmer than others?  What about where your hot water heater is?  Is it in an enclosed closet?  If you use a wood stove, figure out how close you can get the dough without actually cooking it (it may take some trial and error but it will be well worth it).  If none of those work, how about where you have your electronics?  Behind your refrigerator?  Cover with a whole bunch of blankets just to keep the dough’s warmth in?  OH!  A sub-zero sleeping bag would work!  You just need to keep your dough draft and dust free.

Once it it doubled in size (if you don’t remember, make some indentations in the dough with your fingers.  If they do not spring back, your dough is ready), turn it out onto a floured work surface and knead it just a few times.  Form it into a ball and cut it into two equal pieces.  Set one aside and roll one piece into a rectangle about 12″ by 8″ (or as wide as your dough pan).  If you want to play with your bread, now is the time to do it and it’s all by your tastes and what you prefer:

  • For cinnamon bread, sprinkle (leaving about 1/2″ of the edges free) with brown sugar and cinnamon (for us, I use so much of these two ingredients I can’t see any dough but the edges).  If you want nuts and/or raisins, sprinkle those on.
  • For jalapeno cheese bread, sprinkle grated sharp cheddar and jalapenos on the dough (not too much cheese, though.  This is one of the few times when too much cheese makes something taste nasty).
  • For garlic bread, sprinkle with some minced garlic and grated Parmesan cheese … I think butter would keep the loaf in separate layers, so save that for the top of the loaf when it’s done baking.

Anyway, you get the picture.  You can pretty much do whatever you want so you don’t end up with plain white bread for the rest of your life.  🙂  Now, starting with the short side, roll the dough up (imagine making cinnamon rolls) tight.  Pinch the seam together along the bottom of the roll.  Pinch the ends of the roll together and tuck them under (toward the seam) then place this into the loaf pan.  Repeat for the other half of the dough.  Cover your dough with oiled plastic wrap (treat it the same as the dough in the bowl) and let rise until doubled (about an hour).

When your dough is almost done rising, heat your oven to 400 degrees F.  If you want, brush your risen dough with butter (I usually do this just after pulling the bread out of the oven).  Bake 25 to 30 minutes (the bread will be golden brown and sound hollow when you lightly tap it with something hard, like your knuckle or a spoon).  Let cool just a bit on a raised surface (cooling rack or trivet) then turn the bread out onto a rack and let it cool completely (hard to do the first few times but it’s well worth the wait).

If any of this is unclear, let me know.  I’m typing this as I remember doing it (it’s been a couple of months since I’ve made bread).

Bread, Cake, Recipe

Blueberry Muffins

Leave a comment

O.k.  I was on a mission to find the closest replacement for Costco’s Blueberry Muffins.  I tried 4 or 5 different recipes, with only one being a true bust (I messed with the recipe so much that I threw the whole batch out … the muffins were gummy and I had to scrape them off the muffin liners).  This, right here, is the closest I will ever get because I’m not taking the chance of wasting any more of these delicious blueberries!  This recipe was adapted from here.  Take a look at the picture of the muffins on that page … that’s what these looked like!  Yum!  This recipe would be wonderful baked in loaf pans (maybe to standard-sized) … for about an hour or so.  The texture would be firm enough to slice and make French toast with it (if you are that kind of a person *grin*).

Print Recipe

Blueberry Muffins

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses: ,
Difficulty: Beginner

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F with a rack in middle of the oven.

     

    In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients—the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

     

    In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together, until fluffy (easiest and best consistency if using an electric hand mixer or Kitchenaid).  Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, beating well after each one (at this point, it should look like fluffy frosting).  Now, add the vanilla and mix in well.

     

    Add one third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and beat until just incorporated.  Mix in one third of the yogurt.  Repeat until all the flour and yogurt are mixed in.  Do not over mix (though, for this entire process I used my electric hand mixer and the batter remained light and fluffy, unlike the rocks I ended up with the first time, where I gently mixed in all the ingredients by hand)!

     

    Gently fold the blueberries into the mixture (I found it easiest to sprinkle the frozen berries over the entire surface of the batter, instead of in a giant pile in the center).

     

    Place a muffin liner in each well of the muffin tin, or if you don’t have muffin liners, coat the inside of the muffin tin wells with vegetable oil or butter with a pastry brush or with cooking spray.  Distribute the dough equally among the cups (I use a standard ice cream scoop).  Don’t be afraid to fill them high.

     

    Place in the oven and bake until the muffins are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Test with a tooth pick to make sure the centers of the muffins are done.  Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then remove them from the tin and let sit on a wire rack for 10 more minutes.  Serve slightly warm.  If you have any left once they are cool, store in a sealed container so they don’t dry out.

Keywords: blueberry, muffin, breakfast, snack, sweet
Bread, Recipe

Tortillas (Corn or Flour)

Leave a comment

I found a web page with instructions for “30 second bread,” which was really just tortillas, although they didn’t call it that.

Tortillas… despite being genetically the whitest person you may know, I grew up eating fresh flour tortillas. No one around ever made corn tortillas at home, and I can understand why. They call for a special corn flour that isn’t readily available in some areas but you can find all-purpose flour everywhere! However, as much as I love fresh flour tortillas, nothing beats fresh corn tortillas! I am lucky enough to live near some Mexican markets that make them fresh every day and I can be seen wandering around the market eating warm tortillas right out of the bag.

I’ll be honest. I have the recipe for making corn tortillas. I tried it once, but they tasted like fried mush. They were nothing like store-bought tortillas. I used the wrong masa (yellow corn meal instead of yellow corn flour). I realized today that the method for making corn tortillas can also work with any grain flour since it doesn’t rely on gluten at all.

Here are the recipes for both flour and corn tortillas. Play around with them. In the picture, those tortillas were made with about 1/3 sprouted grain flour (red and white wheat, with a little barley).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Print Recipe

Flour Tortillas

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses: , ,
Difficulty: Beginner

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Stir together the flour and salt in a large bowl.  With your fingertips, mix in the shortening (LARD *grin*).  Add the water, working the liquid into the dough until a sticky ball forms (Kitchenaid with a dough hook works wonders).

     

    Dust a counter with flour and knead the dough vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes.  The mixture should be soft but no longer sticky.  Let the dough rest, covered with a damp cloth, for about 15 minutes.  Divide the dough into about 25 balls, coat in shortening, cover them again with the damp cloth, and let them rest for at least 45 minutes longer (this is to allow the gluten to form … if you don’t have the time, it won’t hurt them too much).  **If not for use immediately, the dough can be greased lightly and refrigerated for up to 12 hours.  Bring the dough back to room temperature before proceeding.

     

    Lightly flour your counter.  Flatten a ball with your hand, then roll the dough from the center outward, turn the tortilla a few inches and roll again, attempting to keep the growing circle even.  Roll out the dough into a circle as thin as possible, preferably 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick.  They don’t have to be perfectly round … just make sure you do not have any folds. OR you can use a tortilla press with plastic wrap or oiled parchment paper. These will result in a less-chewy tortilla.

     

    Heat a dry griddle or large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook each tortilla 10 seconds on each side, then continue flipping (about 10 seconds on each side) until the dough looks slightly dry and wrinkled with a few brown speckles on the surface.  It helps to use a cloth or paper towel to pop any air bubbles that form but be careful … that steam is HOT!

     

    Place cooked tortillas between on a flat surface, ensuring they do not touch. This will prevent them from sticking together.  Once cool, you can put them into a 1 gallon Ziploc bag and place in the fridge (if you do this while they are still warm, the steam will cause them to become mushy, and nothing’s worse than a mushy tortilla). 

     

    I don’t know how long these will last … they are so good, they are gone in no time!

Keywords: Mexican, flour, tortilla, flat, bread, quick

To see how it’s done (none of the videos I found are the same recipe), here’s a great video:


Flour Tortillas (For Tacos and Burritos)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Print Recipe

Corn Tortillas

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses: ,
Difficulty: Beginner

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. There are two types available in the stores.  One is for tamales, the other is for tortillas.  The difference is the grind.  The masa harina for tortillas is a fine flour, the tamale one is courser but not as course as corn meal.  For authentic tortillas, you cannot use corn flour.  Masa harina is made by taking the dried corn and soaking it in a water/lime solution (to read more about this, go here: What is Masa Harina?).  For any other grain, just grind to a fine flour.

     

    Heat a dry griddle or heavy skillet over medium-high heat.

     

    In a large bowl, mix the ingredients with a sturdy spoon or your hands until the dough is smooth and forms a ball.  The dough should be quite moist but hold its shape.  Add a little more water or masa harina, if needed, to achieve the proper consistency.

     

    Form the dough into 12 balls approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Cover the balls with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out.  If any of the balls do dry out before cooking, knead more water into them.  Unlike the dough for flour tortillas, this dough can be reworked.

     

    Place one ball of dough in a tortilla press between the two sheets of plastic that are sometimes sold with the tortillas press or two a 1 gallon freezer bag, cut into two sections.  If you don’t have a tortilla press, you can either roll each ball between two sheets of waxed paper or press between two sheets of waxed paper with a heavy, flat bottomed pot (my pressure canner worked great for this). Flatten to about 1/8 inch thick.  Carefully pull the plastic from the tortilla and lay on the hot griddle or skillet.

     

    Cook for 30 seconds, flip over and cook about another minute, flip and cook the first side an additional 30 seconds.  Place the cooked tortillas between two cloth towels until all tortillas are cooked.  Store as above (once cooled, place in a gallon Ziploc bag and store in fridge).

Keywords: Mexican, corn, tortilla, flat, bread, gluten, free

Here’s a video for making corn tortillas (these videos are to show the techniques):
Making Tortillas in Puebla, Mexico

Bread, Breakfast, Desserts, Dough, Recipe

Sweet Dough

Leave a comment

I’ve been using this recipe for about 6 months now and it hasn’t failed me yet.  I got it from my mom’s friend Bernice (who got it from a neighbor when her kids were little … and they are about my age).  I love it!  One note I would like to make:  I have tried substituting Splenda for all (and then part) of the sugar.  They just weren’t the same.  Splenda doesn’t have the same “bite” as sugar.  So, if you can’t have any sugar, just don’t make these.  I haven’t used whole grains yet.  Now that I’m more comfortable with the recipe, I’ll start branching out and maybe substitute some for the all-purpose flour but today I’m making these for other people (a memorial for my dear friend’s mother).

Recipe Card

Print Recipe

Sweet Dough

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses: ,
Difficulty: Intermediate

Description

For pastries, cinnamon rolls, anything sweet.

Ingredients

Instructions

Basic Dough Instructions

  1. Basic Dough Instructions

     

    In a small bowl, mix yeast and water.  Let sit while preparing the milk mixture.

    In a medium saucepan, mix sugar, butter, salt and milk.  Heat just until the butter and sugar melt (stirring continually to prevent scorching).  Pour into a large bowl.  Once lukewarm, beat in the egg and the yeast mixture.  Now, mix in the flour, a cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.  Pour out onto a floured surface and knead until it’s fairly smooth (I don’t knead this as much as bread dough).

    Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and set in a warm place until doubled (about an hour).  Now, form into whatever you decide to make, let rise another hour, then bake at 350 degrees F until slightly brown (about 15 to 20 minutes).

    A friend of mine just suggested this dough could be used to make kolaches.

For Cinnamon Rolls:

  1. For Cinnamon Rolls:

    You need

    • room temperature butter
    • brown sugar
    • cinnamon

    Roll out the dough into a rectangle that is about 1/4 inch thick (the thinner it is, the more sugary-cinnamony goodness your rolls will have).  Spread with butter (I use a rubber spatula so I don’t stick the dough).  Do not spread the butter all the way to the edge (leave about 1/4 inch gap).  Now, sprinkle with brown sugar.  I think the first time I did this I used about 1/2 cup packed brown sugar.  Now, I just go by look (I want it everywhere).  Then, sprinkle with cinnamon.  I use a lot.  I make sure all the sugar/butter has a dusting of cinnamon.

    Starting at a long side, slowly start rolling the dough tightly (I can’t emphasize this more … the first time I made these I didn’t roll tight enough and they unrolled while baking … tasted great, looked awful).  Once you get the the end, pinch the ends of the dough together (or, they will unroll).  Slice across the dough, making your rolls about and inch or more thick.  Place in a well greased 13X9 pan, cover, and let stand u

For Fruit Danishes:

  1. For Fruit Danishes:

    You need

    • room temperature butter
    • sugar
    • jam (I’ve used blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, grape, apricot-pineapple)

    Now, this one’s trickier.  Roll out the dough just like you are making the cinnamon rolls above.  I got the technique from Joe Pastry (http://www.joepastry.com/category/pastry/danish-pastry/).  He describes it much better than I do (and he has great pictures) so go there and read how he does it.  He also has other pastry ideas that this dough would be perfect for.  I originally made it like he does, with pastry cream.  Well, I don’t have any today so I’m just going to spread the dough with butter and sprinkle sugar on it (I’m wondering if brown sugar would be

For Icing:

  1. For Icing:

    • Powdered Sugar
    • Milk

    For a double recipe of sweet goodness, I use about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, then slowly add the milk until it’s the consistency I like.  If it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar.  See in the picture on Joe Pastry’s web page of the icing?  That’s how it should look after you mix it.  Still white (can’t see through it) but liquid enough so it will stream a bit off a fork (I tried using a spoon and a tiny whisk but ended up with giant blobs of icing).

Keywords: pastry, dough, sweet, danish, cinnamon, roll,
Low Carb, Recipe

Stevia

Leave a comment

I have just started my journey with stevia.  The one plant I got a few months ago (I need more) just isn’t enough for all the experimenting I need to do in order to fully incorporate this wonderful plant into my diet.  From all the reading I have been doing, it seems the best way to use the stevia plant as a sweetener is as an extract.  This E-How article explains it perfectly:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2083187_make-stevia-extract.html

It seems the key to eliminate the bitterness is to limit the time the plant material is in the alcohol.  While there are directions out there that use water instead of alcohol, it seems the alcohol pulls out the sweet elements of the plant more efficiently.

So, once I have the extract, how will I use it?  I found this conversion in this .pdf:

http://www.itascanaturopathicclinic.com/Stevia___FOS_Recipes_00000.pdf

Now, I did make a coffee drink with stevia (this is where my leaves have gone so far) but I tripled the amount of stevia called for and it still wasn’t sweet enough for me (so I added a little Splenda).  It also uses water, which from what I’ve read does not extract enough sweetness.  Here’s the coffee drink:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/bulk-herb-store/iced-coffee-sugar-free-and-delicious/10150263228642086

So, onward and upward.  I will be purchasing a few more stevia plants this week and we’ll see how things go!

Dinner, Recipe, Soup, Soups

Ma’s Tortilla Soup

Leave a comment

Last (but not least) for today: My mom’s tortilla soup.  This is so easy, inexpensive, and could be healthy (but wouldn’t be the same *grin*).  I have tried using store bought tortilla chips (both regular and baked) but they turn to mush too quickly.

Recipe Card

Print Recipe

Mas Tortilla Soup

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses:
Difficulty: Beginner
Estimated Cost: $ 1

Ingredients

Instructions

For Making Chips

  1. Heat about 1-inch of oil in a frying pan on medium.  When the oil is hot enough (it looks like it's swirling and when you put a piece of tortilla into the oil, it immediately begins to cook), fry the tortilla triangles.  Do not over crowd the pan or the chips will not cook evenly (easier way?  Use a deep fat fryer).  Place 2 or 3 paper towels in a deep bowl, and place your cooked chips in the bowl to drain (salt now, if you wish, before they get cold). 

For Everything Else

  1. In a sauce pan or pot, pour the soup and water.  Heat on medium.  Mix in bouillon (or soup base).  Once simmering, turn to low heat.

  2. Heat up tortillas in a pan or griddle on medium high heat.

Assembly

  1. In your bowl, put a layer of chips, some cheese, some soup, then repeat if you want. Done!

Keywords: tortilla, soup, beef, barley, cheese, corn
Bread, Recipe

Baking Powder Biscuits

Leave a comment

These are by far the best biscuits I have ever made! I only use butter and work really fast to keep the butter from melting. Don’t roll these too thin (or you will have hockey pucks) and to get the best, flakiest biscuits, us a cutter (I use cleaned cans (cheaper than buying a biscuit cutter).

Print Recipe

Baking Powder Biscuits

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses: ,
Difficulty: Beginner
Servings: 8

Description

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/baking-powder-biscuits-51722.aspx

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

    In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Grate the frozen butter into the flour and, using a fork, coat the butter with the flour. Add the buttermilk and mix until almost all of the flour in incorporated (do not mix too much or the biscuits will be dense).

    Sprinkle flour on your countertop and scoop out the biscuit dough. Gently fold the dough until it becomes more solid (roughly 20 times), only adding flour to prevent it sticking to your hands or countertop. Pat flat so the dough is at least 1/2 inch thick.

    If you want circles, cut with any item that is at least 2 inches round (a biscuit cutter, a drinking glass, an empty food can, etc.). If you want squares, just cut with a knife. Place biscuits on the parchment-lined baking sheet an bake for 8 to 12 minutes (until the edges start to brown). Let cool a few minutes, then split with a fork (use the tines of a fork to split the biscuit instead of a knife). Serve.

  1. Kraft Kitchens Tips

     

    Great Substitute
    Substitute shortening or butter for the margarine.

    Larger Biscuits
    If using a 3-inch cookie cutter, you will be able to cut out 8 biscuits.
    Bake as directed. Makes 8 servings, 1 biscuit each.

    Crustier Biscuits
    For a crustier biscuit, roll dough 1/4-inch-thickness; cut with 2-1/4-inch cutter. Continue as directed, increasing baking time to 12 minutes.

    Makes about 8 servings, 3 biscuits each.

Chicken, Dinner, Recipe

Hubby’s Chicken Tacos and Enchiladas

Leave a comment

I wrote up this recipe for my sister. She said it was WAY too much work! LOL!

What we do is make up the meat, make however many tacos we want, then throw the rest of the meat in the freezer. Makes taco-making much easier!

Print Recipe

Hubbys Chicken Tacos and Enchiladas

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses:
Servings: 10

Description

You can start with a raw chicken OR use a rotisserie chicken OR canned chicken. It can be as complicated or easy as you would like it to be.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Instructions for using raw chicken

    Throw a chicken (with the innards removed) into a pot, cover with water, and boil until it’s done (you will know, it will look bloated and the legs will pull away from the body). Pull it out of the water and place it in a colander to drain and cool.

    Once cool, remove all the meat from the bone and shred.

  1. Once You Have Shredded, De-boned Chicken

    Once removed, mix taco seasoning into the chicken meat. How much? I really don’t know. I add some, then taste. If you are using taco seasoning packets, probably no more than one packet (but taste first … remember there’s a lot of salt in there). Mix in onions. Set the meat aside.

    Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Now for the time consuming part: Put about 1-inch of oil in a frying pan. Heat on medium (it’s the right temperature when you put a piece of tortilla in the pan and it does not sink). Slide a tortilla into the oil. Count to 3, flip the tortilla, count to 3, remove from oil and place on paper towels to drain. Repeat with rest of tortillas. You only want to cook the tortilla just enough so it is soft (not hard at all).

    Time to make the tacos. Place a tortilla in your baking dish, add seasoned chicken, then cheese. Move on to the next taco. Continue until you have used all the chicken. You may have some extra tortillas. Just sprinkle some salt on those and eat them! 🙂

    Bake until the top of the tacos are brown and crispy. Remove from oven, put the lettuce in the taco, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and you are done! Serve with Spanish rice (Patrick makes the best Spanish rice but I still can’t make it right. Your best bet is to look on-line for a recipe. I’ll try to get him to write down how he makes it).

    So, this is how we make enough to feed me, hubby, my son, and my mom. Hubby just pointed out (duh) that you could just make however many tacos you want then freeze the chicken meat for another day.

For Enchiladas

  1. If you want to do enchiladas, do everything except the instructions on assembling the tacos. Pour a large can of enchilada sauce in a bowl. Dip a tortilla in the enchilada sauce, place in baking dish, put chicken and a little cheese in the center of the tortilla, roll and place the seam down. Repeat with rest of chicken. Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas, sprinkle grated cheese over the top (however much you want), and bake until all the cheese is melted and a little crispy on the edges. That’s it! You can freeze one pan of enchiladas before cooking. They keep in our freezer for about 6 months. Just cover the pan first with plastic wrap and foil.

Recipe

Ma’s Pepper Steak

Leave a comment

I’ve been posting recipes left and right, forgetting to add them to my blog (as you can tell). I’m trying to catch up!

Print Recipe

Mas Pepper Steak

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses:
Difficulty: Beginner
Servings: 4 Estimated Cost: $ 1

Description

Easy customizable steak and pepper recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Mix beef with 2 tablespoons soy sauce, cornstarch and pepper.

  2. Seed bell peppers and cut into julienne strips. Slice green onions. Fry both in 3 tablespoons oil. Remove from pan.

  3. Add remaining oil and fry beef until redness disappears. Add peppers, onions, and remaining soy sauce.

  4. Serve with steamed rice.

Note

It’s easier to cut up the meat when it is still partially frozen. I have, in the past, added mushrooms and hot peppers. Also, there’s less indigestion for us if we use red and/or yellow peppers with green bell peppers. 

Keywords: beef, dinner, Chinese, pepper, rice, steak, easy