from meal plannning mommas
You can make this meal ahead of time, freeze them and pull them out for a last minute lunch or dinner- or you can just make them, eat them and then freeze the leftovers. Either way, you need to try them!
Here is what you need to make 16 chimichangas (trust me, you will want extras!):
1 lb browned ground beef, chicken or pork, 16 oz jar of salsa, 16 oz can refried beans, 1 1/2 oz taco seasoning, 16- 8 inch flour tortillas, 1 lb Sharp cheddar cheese, oil for frying
Step 1: Add meat, salsa, taco seasoning and beans in a skillet.
Step 2: Mix and cook over medium heat until warmed through.
Step 3: Place 1/3-1/2 cup meat mixture in an 8 inch flour tortilla
Step 4: Top with cheese
Step 5: tuck in ends and roll up
Step 6: Place seam side down on a cookie sheet
Step 7: Heat up your oil (about 1/2 inch) over medium heat. Kitchen tip * To check to see if the oil is hot enough, put the end of a wooden spoon in the oil. If lots of bubbles form around the base of the spoon, it's ready!
Step 8: Place your chimichangas (seam side down) in your pan.
Step9: Turn them over when they begin to brown (it won't take long!) If you are planning on eating these for a meal the same day you make them: you need to bake them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through. If you freeze these, and then take them out to bake- you need to bake them for 30-40 minutes.
Step 10: Keep repeating this until all of your chimichangas are browned!
Step 11: Place all your yummy condiments on the table! We use: sour cream, avocado, cheese, pico de gallo, salsa and chips.
Step 14: Serve with rice and chips!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel Bars
from my kitchen cafe
*Makes 9X13-inch pan of bars
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup melted butter
14 ounce bag of caramels
1/2 cup whipping cream or milk
1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degree. Mix the first six ingredients together and sprinkle half on the bottom of a 9X13-inch baking pan. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, melt the caramels and whipping cream or milk in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave at 50% power, stirring often, until the mixture is smooth. When the bars have been removed from the oven, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the crust and pour the melted caramel over the top. Sprinkle the rest of the crust over the top and bake in the oven for an additional 10-12 minutes, until the caramel is bubbling and edges are lightly browned. Cool the bars completely before serving so they can set up properly.
*Makes 9X13-inch pan of bars
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup melted butter
14 ounce bag of caramels
1/2 cup whipping cream or milk
1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degree. Mix the first six ingredients together and sprinkle half on the bottom of a 9X13-inch baking pan. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, melt the caramels and whipping cream or milk in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave at 50% power, stirring often, until the mixture is smooth. When the bars have been removed from the oven, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the crust and pour the melted caramel over the top. Sprinkle the rest of the crust over the top and bake in the oven for an additional 10-12 minutes, until the caramel is bubbling and edges are lightly browned. Cool the bars completely before serving so they can set up properly.
Tzatziki
(for gyros)
Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com
1 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt (that's 2 6-oz. containers)
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 tsp. lemon juice
3 green onions, firm ends finely chopped
1 tsp. dry dill weed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
Combine ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Store covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com
1 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt (that's 2 6-oz. containers)
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 tsp. lemon juice
3 green onions, firm ends finely chopped
1 tsp. dry dill weed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
Combine ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Store covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Baked Asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce
from on my menu and the sisters cafe
Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh asparagus
cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. butter
1 T. soy sauce
1 t. Balsamic vinegar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Snap ends off of washed asparagus and place on baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 12 minutes or until tender. Melt the butter in a sauce pan or in the microwave. Stir in soy sauce and Balsamic vinegar. Pour over baked asparagus and serve.
Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh asparagus
cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. butter
1 T. soy sauce
1 t. Balsamic vinegar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Snap ends off of washed asparagus and place on baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 12 minutes or until tender. Melt the butter in a sauce pan or in the microwave. Stir in soy sauce and Balsamic vinegar. Pour over baked asparagus and serve.
Sesame Chicken and Asparagus Pasta
submitted by Erin ~ http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com
8 oz linguine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 Tbs brown sugar
6 Tbs chunky peanut butter (¼ c. plus 2 T.)
¼ cup soy sauce
scant ¼ cup sesame oil
½ - 1 Tbs hot chili oil (depending on how hot your chili oil is. I add the whole Tb.)
2 ½ boneless and skinless cooked chicken breast halves
5 Tbs sesame seeds, toasted
¾ lb to 1 lb thin asparagus, trimmed
3 scallions, white bulb and 3 inches green, cut into 2-inch julienne
1 small cucumber, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/4 inch dice
Cook chicken. (Many options here – put frozen breasts in microwave at 50% power, or boil in water, or cook for a few hours in the crockpot with a cup of water…)
Trim asparagus; set aside. *see note below
Toast sesame seeds, set aside. (Two options: toast in the microwave, stirring every minute or so, or toast in a dry skillet on medium, stirring frequently. They are done when they turn brown. Takes 5-10 minutes.)
Cut scallions and cucumber as directed in ingredients. Set aside.
Prepare sauce: Place the garlic, vinegar, brown sugar, peanut butter, and soy sauce in a food processor. Process for 1 minute. With the motor running, slowly add the sesame and hot chili oils through the feed tube, and process until well blended.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the linguine, and cook at a rolling boil until just tender. Drain, rinse under cold water, drain again, and set aside in a large mixing bowl.
Shred the chicken into 2-inch julienne, and toss with the linguine. Add the sauce and 4 Tbs of the sesame seeds, and toss to coat well.
Cut the asparagus on the diagonal into 1-inch lengths. Blanch in a saucepan of boiling water for 2-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of your asparagus. They will be done when you can easily insert a thin-bladed knife or skewer into them. Drain, rinse under cold water, and pat dry. **see note below
Place the linguine and chicken in a large flat serving bowl, and arrange the asparagus on top. Sprinkle with the scallions, cucumber, and remaining 1 Tbs sesame seeds.
Number Of Servings:6
* Trimming the asparagus - This is a very important step. Snap the ends off by bending the bottoms until they snap. They will snap off above the white part, and some of the green will snap off too. This is the safest way to trim asparagus. It seems like you are wasting a lot of asparagus, but don’t be deceived! When I was new at cooking I tried cutting off just the white part, or just 1 inch off the bottoms, and would live to regret it! The bottom part of asparagus spears are very fibrous. If you don’t cut enough off the bottom, you will feel like you are trying to chew on a piece of bamboo. It’s horrible. My trusty cookbook by MarkBittman says, “Snap off the bottom of each stalk; they will usually separate naturally right where the woody part ends.” Take it from the pro.
**Also, I combine the steps of blanching the asparagus and cooking the linguine. 4-5 minutes before linguine is done, I add the asparagus. Then I drain it all when the asparagus is done. I drain the noodles and asparagus once, then add the sauce, chicken, and some sesame seeds and toss. Then I add the scallions, cucumber and remaining sesame seeds on top and lightly toss a bit. I've learned to combine steps to make this a faster recipe.
8 oz linguine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 Tbs brown sugar
6 Tbs chunky peanut butter (¼ c. plus 2 T.)
¼ cup soy sauce
scant ¼ cup sesame oil
½ - 1 Tbs hot chili oil (depending on how hot your chili oil is. I add the whole Tb.)
2 ½ boneless and skinless cooked chicken breast halves
5 Tbs sesame seeds, toasted
¾ lb to 1 lb thin asparagus, trimmed
3 scallions, white bulb and 3 inches green, cut into 2-inch julienne
1 small cucumber, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/4 inch dice
Cook chicken. (Many options here – put frozen breasts in microwave at 50% power, or boil in water, or cook for a few hours in the crockpot with a cup of water…)
Trim asparagus; set aside. *see note below
Toast sesame seeds, set aside. (Two options: toast in the microwave, stirring every minute or so, or toast in a dry skillet on medium, stirring frequently. They are done when they turn brown. Takes 5-10 minutes.)
Cut scallions and cucumber as directed in ingredients. Set aside.
Prepare sauce: Place the garlic, vinegar, brown sugar, peanut butter, and soy sauce in a food processor. Process for 1 minute. With the motor running, slowly add the sesame and hot chili oils through the feed tube, and process until well blended.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the linguine, and cook at a rolling boil until just tender. Drain, rinse under cold water, drain again, and set aside in a large mixing bowl.
Shred the chicken into 2-inch julienne, and toss with the linguine. Add the sauce and 4 Tbs of the sesame seeds, and toss to coat well.
Cut the asparagus on the diagonal into 1-inch lengths. Blanch in a saucepan of boiling water for 2-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of your asparagus. They will be done when you can easily insert a thin-bladed knife or skewer into them. Drain, rinse under cold water, and pat dry. **see note below
Place the linguine and chicken in a large flat serving bowl, and arrange the asparagus on top. Sprinkle with the scallions, cucumber, and remaining 1 Tbs sesame seeds.
Number Of Servings:6
* Trimming the asparagus - This is a very important step. Snap the ends off by bending the bottoms until they snap. They will snap off above the white part, and some of the green will snap off too. This is the safest way to trim asparagus. It seems like you are wasting a lot of asparagus, but don’t be deceived! When I was new at cooking I tried cutting off just the white part, or just 1 inch off the bottoms, and would live to regret it! The bottom part of asparagus spears are very fibrous. If you don’t cut enough off the bottom, you will feel like you are trying to chew on a piece of bamboo. It’s horrible. My trusty cookbook by MarkBittman says, “Snap off the bottom of each stalk; they will usually separate naturally right where the woody part ends.” Take it from the pro.
**Also, I combine the steps of blanching the asparagus and cooking the linguine. 4-5 minutes before linguine is done, I add the asparagus. Then I drain it all when the asparagus is done. I drain the noodles and asparagus once, then add the sauce, chicken, and some sesame seeds and toss. Then I add the scallions, cucumber and remaining sesame seeds on top and lightly toss a bit. I've learned to combine steps to make this a faster recipe.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Glazed Mini Meatloaves
adapted from The Best 30-Minute Recipe
Makes 4-5 mini meatloaves.
Meatloaves:
17-20 saltine crackers, crushed fine (about 2/3 cup)
1/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground meat (I used a combination of lean ground chuck and lean ground pork)
2 teaspoons oil (I used canola oil)
Glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 teaspoons cider vinegar
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Stir cracker crumbs, milk, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, egg, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl. Add ground meat and combine until uniform. Shape mixture into oval loaves (I doubled the recipe and got 10 mini loaves, so when I make the recipe without doubling it, I plan to shape into at least 5 loaves - they were definitely big enough to be perfectly filling!).
Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until the oil is rippling. Add meatloaves (without letting them touch sides) and brown well on one side, 3-5 minutes. Carefully flip loaves over and tidy up edges using a spatula (I didn't need to do this - my meatloaves managed to hold their shape really well). Brown on this side for another 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix glaze ingredients together until smooth. Transfer mini meatloaves to a foil-lined baking pan and spoon the glaze over the top of each meatloaf. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer (or do like I do and cut one of the little babies open and if it looks done - pull 'em out of the oven!).
Makes 4-5 mini meatloaves.
Meatloaves:
17-20 saltine crackers, crushed fine (about 2/3 cup)
1/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground meat (I used a combination of lean ground chuck and lean ground pork)
2 teaspoons oil (I used canola oil)
Glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 teaspoons cider vinegar
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Stir cracker crumbs, milk, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, egg, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl. Add ground meat and combine until uniform. Shape mixture into oval loaves (I doubled the recipe and got 10 mini loaves, so when I make the recipe without doubling it, I plan to shape into at least 5 loaves - they were definitely big enough to be perfectly filling!).
Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until the oil is rippling. Add meatloaves (without letting them touch sides) and brown well on one side, 3-5 minutes. Carefully flip loaves over and tidy up edges using a spatula (I didn't need to do this - my meatloaves managed to hold their shape really well). Brown on this side for another 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix glaze ingredients together until smooth. Transfer mini meatloaves to a foil-lined baking pan and spoon the glaze over the top of each meatloaf. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer (or do like I do and cut one of the little babies open and if it looks done - pull 'em out of the oven!).
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