Enchilada Casserole

This recipe is a spin off of a recipe I adopted from Martha Stewart and pretty much made it my own thing. It is so easy that even a cook new to the kitchen can do it, plus it will feed between 8 and 12 depending you plan to serve something else with it or if your guests are big eaters or not.

Ingredients:
24 corn tortillas
3 large chicken breasts
1 large can of green enchilada sauce
1/2 c of sour cream
3 c shredded cheese, I use the Mexican blend
One medium onion chopped up (optional)

Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Place chicken in the pot and let boil for about 15 mins. Meanwhile, preheat oven for 350 F. Heat a pan to medium heat and lightly toast both sides of the tortillas (about 2 mins each side depending on pan and burner).

Take chicken out of pot and let cool on a plate. Layer 6 tortillas on the bottom of an 11x9 casserole dish. Sprinkle a layer of cheese liberally, then another layer of 6 tortillas.

Next, shred chicken into small pieces using two forks or a fork and a sharp knife. Place in medium sized mixing bowl and stir in 3/4 of enchilada sauce (you will use the remaining sauce later), onions, a small handful of cheese and sour cream. Mix well. Add on top of tortillas in the casserole dish and spread evenly.

Layer 6 more tortillas over chicken mixture, then cheese, then the final layer of tortillas. Pour remaing sauce evenly over the top and finish off with lots of cheese. Bake in the oven for 30 mins or until the cheese on top gets a nice crispy golden brown look. Enjoy!

Fall Soups From the Beginning

It's always easy to buy a soup premade, but there is just something really special about making one from scratch. And the bottom line is that it is ridiculously easy.

Today I am having a group of ladies over from my church and I wanted to make a few soups that really captured the season of autumn. I had a few different squashes on hand in the kitchen. I also purchased a few great finds at our local farmers market here in Tacoma's Proctor District (I was surprised to find it is still open this late in the year...how delightful!). The items I speak of are beautiful organic carrots, purple kale and a spicy Thai chili-garlic paste. I was able to develop a few gourmet recipes around these ingredients to make two yummy, yummy soups.

First...

TOMATO FETA SOUP with TORTELLINI and PURPLE KALE

This is a slow cooker recipe, so bust out the crock pot!

Ingredients -
6 cups broth (vegetable or chicken work best)
1 large can stewed tomatoes, sliced up
4-6 medium carrots, sliced up
1 small sweet onion, chopped up
1 green pepper, chopped up
2 cups small heirloom tomatoes, whole
1 small bunch of purple kale, chopped up
1 c. feta or more if you like, crumbled
12 oz dried tortellini...any kind you like
sugar to taste (you may need up to a cup and a half)
salt to taste
Italian herbs if you like, to taste (basil is a good choice)
balsamic vinegar to taste

Pour broth into slow cooker. If you plan to leave it on all day, set it to low. If you only plan to leave it on for part of the day, set to high. Add carrots, onions, green pepper and tomatoes. Cook about 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low. Add sugar, salt, herbs and balsamic (I usually add about 1/2 cup). Stir. Add kale.

Cook for another 2 to 3 hours on high, or 4 hours on low. If you aren't going to be home or available to monitor the soup, throw everything in but the tortellini and feta (they kale may be a little soggy if you do this, fair warning).

About 20 minutes before serving, add the tortellini and feta. Serve once the tortellini is cooked. Pairs well will Italian breads.

Second...

AUTUMN SQUASH with SPICY THAI CHILI

I cooked this one in a dutch oven, but you can use a regular large pot.

Ingredients -

an assortment of fall squash...I used 2 medium sized acorn squash and one large butternut squash
1/4 cup butter
1 can coconut milk
3-4 cups water
cinnamon to taste
ginger to taste
spicy thai chili paste to taste
brown sugar to taste, between one and two cups

Preheat oven to 400 degrees C. Slice squash in half. Place on baking sheet and season with cinnamon and ginger spice. Bake for about an hour or until the outer skin looks and feels like paper that peels right off. Let squash cool about 30 minutes.

Slice squash into chunks and throw into pot/dutch oven with butter. Place on medium heat until it starts to simmer...simmer for about 3 minutes or until the soup looks like a good combination of mushy and chunky. Stir in water, switch heat to low and cover. Keep it on low heat for about an hour. Add brown sugar, more cinnamon and ginger to taste, as well as salt if you like. Add coconut milk. Then add Thai chili to taste...be careful not to add too much, so only add a little at a time. If you want a real twist, also add lemon grass when you add the water.

Enjoy!

Tips for the clueless chef...

When you aren't naturally a cook, the idea of becomming one can be...I know...overwhelming. If you are someone who has always admired those who seem to 'have a knack for cooking', but consider yourself to be useless in the kitchen, I have good news for you! Anyone can learn to be a great cook...and even to cook gourmet!

The trick is in the practice. There's an old saying that goes, "Practice makes perfect!" But in actuality, that saying is quite false. It ought to instead be, "Practice makes permanent!" If you practice something correctly, it will become a correct habit. But if you practice something incorrectly, it will become an incorrect habit. That is why, when you start out cooking, following a recipe is sooooo important. You may be REALLY excited about trying to create new recipes or experimenting in the kitchen, but until you know more about techniques, timing and how food reacts to heat and other foods ALL to create one magnificant (or horrifying) taste, it's best to stick to the recipe. These are things you won't know until you just get out there and try. My BEST advice is to find someone who DOES know how to cook well and ask to help them in the kitchen. Make sure it is someone who will enjoy teaching you in the kitchen so that you can ask lots of questions about how things work and how certain foods react with one another to create a new taste. (It's really just chemistry at its finest!)

But if someone like that isn't available, there are tons and tons of resources out there. Plenty of cookbooks have extra information about tools, techniques, spices, etc. Some even include history and culture of foods! Don't be afraid to do some investigating. Learning about food can be really fun!

Preparing ingredients ahead of time is ALWAYS, ALWAYS helpful....even for an experienced chef...and especially when you are following a recipe.

It's a good idea to get friends and family involved in cooking as well. The purpose of this blog is to encourage people to use food to build community. So have people help you in the kitchen (but not too many...because you don't want to be overwhelmed).

The final thing is this: DON'T BE AFRAID TO FAIL! In fact, you will fail at times. God knows I did often and will continue to fail in the kitchen at times. Something overcooked, undercooked, too much salt, not enough sugar, too dry, too watery. And that's OKAY! Because that's life! Just HAVE FUN! And, more importantly, enjoy who you share it with. :)

Tomato Gorgonzola Bisque

I've decided to start whipping up soups from scratch...recipe free...hoping that this will make me a true gourmand. Tonight's experiment was Tomato Gorgonzola Bisque. Recipe as follows...with plenty of "to-tastes" because that is how you cook gourmet!

In the slow cooker:
1 - 28 oz can of plum stewed tomatoes from Trader Joe's (I cut them up a bit)
2-3 cups of heirloom tomatoes (whatever you have on hand, tomatoes bigger than large marble should be cut up)
a small block of gorgonzola cheese crumbled up (this is to taste because it is a VERY strong cheese...I used maybe 3/4 c)

pepper to taste
roughly a teaspoon of cinnamon
roughly a tablespoon of basil
roughty a teaspoon of oregano
roughly 4 c water (I used the stewed tomato can and put 1 1/2 of that)

Stir it up really well.

Cook for at least 6 hours.
Add sugar and salt to taste (sugar and salt balance the acidity of the tomatoes...I used sugar pretty liberally for this one, maybe 1 c). Then add a splash of cream...maybe a 1/4 c depending on how creamy you want it.
Stir it up, let it cook for another 5 minutes and then serve with toast or grilled sandwiches! :)

ENJOY!

Thanksgiving Photos!

Thanksgiving was fantastic. Here are some photos of the desserts I prepared: red velvet cake with strawberry filling and pumpkin custard pies. I'll post recipes for the pumpkin custards soon.

Cheese and Wine Night

Let's face it. With a recession going on, not a whole lot of us can afford to host fancy dinner party anymore. So here's a swanky spin on an old fashioned potluck - host a food and wine night. That sounds expensive, doesn't it? Well, it's not. Here's how it works:

Think of who you want to invite and send out invitations ahead of time. Make sure the guests are at least 21, of course. Some people I know have invited their neighborhood, finding that it's a great way to get to know neighbors. Tell your guests that their ticket in is one bottle of wine and one artisan cheese per person or couple. There are A LOT of great wines and endless cheeses (I believe France alone has over 3,000 different varieties of cheeses, but don't quote me on that). Discourage guests from bringing anything processed like Kraft or Velveeta - yuck! Most supermarkets offer even a small assortment of artisan cheeses. Offer suggestions of what to look for. I'll include a list below of both cheese suggestions to start out with.

As the host, it will be your duty to provide the crackers and bread which the guests will sample cheese with. Make sure to have plenty of bread. I suggest french baguettes, sliced into 1 inch cubes. I buy mine at Safeway because they bake them fresh daily and it's only about $2 a loaf, but sometimes I bake my own, which might be what you would prefer. And having a variety of breads, including thin slices of french coated in olive oil and baked until crispy, would not be a bad idea.

You can also provide an assortment of grapes. Make sure to have plenty of water to clear the pallet and stay hydrated (alcohol is after all a diuretic). I like to pour water into pitchers with ice, and slices of lemon and cucumber. Yummy.

Encourage guests to only take a small amount of cheese and wine so that there is enough for everyone to try each. You can buy small plastic wine cups from super stores and even grocers, but it's much more elegant to use actual wine glasses. So if you don't have enough for all of your guests, you can always include a note in the invitation asking guests to bring their own.

Also, make sure to have note cards or place cards next to each cheese labeling what they are and who makes it. Give your guests their own note cards as well, along with a pencil or pen, so they can keep track of their favorite cheeses and wines, and take notes about each. Keeping a bowl or wine glass filled with coffee grounds next to each bottle of wine is a great idea. Guests can sniff the coffee in between wines to clear their pallet a bit better. You can also have plenty of dry kitchen towels next to the sink so that they can wash and dry their glasses when they are finished sipping on something good.

Finally, music is always a key part of setting an atmosphere. Choose something that is true to both yourself and your guests. You can put together a playlist ahead of time on iTunes, or go to www.pandora.com and type in songs or artists you think will suit the evening - then they will create a playlist for you. Suggestions for pandora? For a romantic couples evening, type in Claude Debussy, Stacey Kent or Jamie Cullum. For a laid back evening with old friends, type in Jack Johnson, Mick McAuley or She & Him. Light some candles and have fun!!! (Steer clear of scented candles).

Find a table of what cheeses pair with what wines at the following web address: http://www.artisanalcheese.com/cheeseclock/

Cheese suggestions:

Gorganzola
British Cheddars
Stilton Bleu
Stilton with fruits
Petite Basque
Le Chevrot
Gouda
Pecorino Romano
Provolone
Parmigiano Reggiano
Chevre
Smoked Cheddar
Flavored Cheddars
Jack and Pepperjack
Cheese Curds
Wine Soaked Cheeses
Camembert
Brie
Tomme de Savoie
Feta
Piave
Idiazabal
Campo de Montalban
Emmentaler
Appenzeller


The best bet for anyone who doesn't have a favorite artisan cheese or who has never ventured outside of the Kraft family is to simply go to the artisan cheese section of their local grocer and pick something that looks adventurous and unique. When selecting a wine to match their cheese, have them refer to the cheese and wine table found at the above link, or to read the wine and/or cheese label for suggestions.

Have fun!

Mediterranean Cous Cous

Okay, so this recipe calls for a bit of creativity and flexibility on your part. But the nice thing about it is that the recipe itself is also flexible. Below are a list of ingredients, but don't actually need all of them. If you find you are lacking in a few, it's okay. Just substitute them with something else Mediterranean at heart, or keep them out. There are only a few things which should be in the dish. I will write suggestions throughout this recipe to help you along.

Ingredients:

2 c. prepared cous cous (I use whole wheat; Israeli cous cous can also work for this recipe - I buy it from Trader Joe's)
2 chicken breast halves (thawed if frozen; feel free to use more)
1 large tomato, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red pepper chopped (you can sub any other kind of bell pepper, or more tomato and onion)
a handful of garlic cloves, chopped
2 c. artichoke hearts, cut into small pieces (I use hearts premarinated in olive oil and herbs, which you can find in jars or cans at most super markets - feel free to use more if you love artichokes)
1 c. feta cheese, crumbled (feel free to keep this out, or use another kind of cheese that you like - though if it is cheddar or mozzarella, add before serving rather than while cooking)
3 or 4 handfuls of baby spinach leaves, washed and dried
1/2 c. lemon juice (you can add to taste)
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar (you can also add this to taste, but I am quite liberal with the balsamic; I also tend to use to thicker, more aged balsamic)
1 tbsp. sugar (you don't have to use this, but I think it evens out the acidic taste of the tomatoes)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
rosemary to taste (I prefer sprigs of fresh rosemary, but dried are fine)

Other ingredients which you can add or sub with:
sliced olives (I prefer calamata)
fresh basil leaves, washed and dried (though sub basil for spinach)
capers (don't use too many)
zuccini or squashed, sliced
eggplant, cubed

Recipe:

Saute chicken breasts whole in large saucepan using olive oil, salt to taste and a splash of balsamic vinegar. You can also use butter if you prefer that taste. Keep covered until cooked.

Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. In same pot, saute red peppers, tomatoes, and artichoke hearts. Also add eggplant and zucchini if you have decided to use them. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add onions and garlic and saute for 3 minutes.

Shred the chicken and add to pot, along with spinach. Stir in sugar, salt and pepper. You can also add capers, olives and basil if you prefer.

Add cous cous, then lemon and balsamic (to taste). Make sure the lemon and balsamic are evenly distributed, which may require a lot of stirring. Add any more salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep heated on low.

A few minutes before serving, stir in crumbled feta cheese. I've listed 1 cup, but feel free to use more - I always do!

This dish can be served on its own, but can also be paired with a simple salad dressed in a light dressing of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, chopped garlic, herbs (Italian seasoning is fine), and salt and pepper to taste. Add parmesan cheese to the dressing for a little more flare.

Can be served as a main or a side. For a main, makes enough for 4 on its own, or 6 with with a salad. Doubling the recipe is easy. To serve as a side, you can keep chicken out the recipe and instead serve the cous cous grilled chicken breast halves marinated in Italian dressing or served over red sauce and a slice of buffalo mozzarella.

Bon appetite!