Empanadas Saltenas

This is a recipe Aaron got in Argentina. There are tons of different ways to make these. We tend to use this recipe with either ground beef or chicken. I included a link for the pastry. In TX there was a little Argentine shop/cafe that sold the pre-made pastries. We haven't found one here. It took a VERY long time to make the dough, roll it our, cut it and fill and seal them. But they are so worth it!

About 2 lbs grounds beef or chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
2 onions, minced
1-2 red peppers, chopped
1 Tbsp. oregano
2-4 Tbsp. cumin (according to spicy preference)
4 medium boiled potatoes, diced
4-6 hard boiled eggs, diced
1 small (5.75 oz) jar green olives (with or without pimento), diced
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, cook beef or chicken in a little olive oil. Add onions, and peppers (add hot peppers too, if desired). Cook until vegetables are tender. Add oregano and cumin.
Stir in potatoes, eggs, and green olives; heat through.
Place about 2 Tbsp of filling on half of the pastry circle. Dampen the edge of half the circle with moistened fingertip (dip it in a little water). Fold pastry over top of filling and seal well with fingers, pinching it together. You can press a fork around the edge to seal it, but we like to make twists in the pastry all the way around. I should have taken a picture.
Place on ungreased baking sheet. Repeat for remaining dough and filling. Brush tops with slightly beaten egg whites. Bake at 350 F for about 25-30 minutes. They will brown slightly.

For the pastry shell recipe go here.

This recipe made about 4 1/2 dozen empanadas, so feel free to reduce it, and use a different pastry dough - since it only takes one egg. Someone will have to eat the remaining green olives (or omit them if you don't like them.) Some people add peas, but Aaron doesn't like peas in his.

Basic Crepes

For Valentine's Day I made these (yes I realize that was over a week ago). We all enjoyed them. This recipe came from my Wymount ward, but I can't remember who gave it to me. This batter can be used immediately or let batter stand 1-2 hours - that will produce slightly more tender crepe. Refrigerate batter for up to 3 days.

1 c. flour
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

Place ingredients in blender container in order given. Blend 30 seconds. Stop and scrape down sides. Blend 30-60 seconds until smooth. Or mix in bowl with wire whisk, or mixer. First combing flour and eggs, adding liquid gradually. Beat until smooth. Add other ingredients. makes 16 crepes. Measure flour and liquid carefully - consistency is important - about like heavy cream.
* My notes. If you have a crepe maker use it. I don't, so I use a small skillet, and cook them one at a time. I try to use a larger skillet, but then they don't cook evenly, or are shaped funny.

corn muffins

This recipe is from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I think I've used it before, but I haven't posted it, and we made it again last week sometime. The Jiffy muffin mixes don't feed our family anymore, and I can't find them for 4 for $1 anymore either. I think my kids just like the honey butter I make to serve with it.

1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. cornmeal
2 to 4 Tbsp. sugar (adjust to your preference)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 beaten eggs
1 c. milk
1/4 c. cooking oil or shortening, melted

Grease muffin tins, or line tins with baking cups; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture; set aside.
in another bowl combine eggs, milk, and cooking oil or melted shortening. Add egg mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir until just moistened.
Spoon batter into prepared tins, filling 2/3 full. Bake in 425 F oven for 12-15 minutes or until brown.

Stove-Top Lasagna

I made this last night. It's from my Betty Crocker cookbook. As usual I didn't have the exact ingredients, so I substituted and improvised. I only had half of a red pepper (no green), and only about 4 oz of mushrooms. I didn't have tomato pasta sauce, so I used a can (14.5 oz) of Italian Style tomatoes and 8 oz of tomato sauce. I also didn't have Italian seasoning, so I added some Rosemary and marjoram. After tasting it I added basil, oregano, parsley, black pepper, and garlic powder. And I only had mozzarella for the cheese. Is that enough changes for ya?

1 lb bulk Italian sausage
1 green pepper, sliced (oops I chopped mine)
1 pkg (8 oz) mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 c.)
3 cups uncooked mafalda (mini-lasagna noodle) pasta (6 oz) - I actually had this because I found it at Grocery Outlet really cheap - the sausage came from there too!
2 1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 jar (26-30 oz) chunky tomato pasta sauce (any variety)
1 c. 4-blend Italian or shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz) -

Cook sausage, pepper, mushrooms and onion in a 12-inch skillet or 4-qt dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain.
Stir in remaining ingredients, except cheese. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered about 10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle with cheese (I just sprinkled a little on each serving).

oatmeal pancakes

I made these for breakfast the other day (OK about 2 weeks ago), and the kids loved them! I don't have buttermilk, so I used soured milk (add 1/2 tsp to the milk and let it sit for a couple minutes)
The strawberry syrup was delicious. No extra butter needed! From my Betty Crocker Cookbook.

1/2 c. quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. fat-free milk
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg

Make strawberry topping and keep warm. Beat remaning ingredients with hand beater or wire whisk, just until smooth (for thinner pancakes, stir in additional 2-4 Tbsp milk.)
Spray griddle or 10-inch skillet with cooking spray; heat griddle to 375 or heat skillet over medium heat. For each pancake, pour slightly less than 1/4 c. batter from cup or pitcher onto hot griddle. (Do I really need to tell you how to make pancakes?)
Cook pancakes until puffed and dry around edges. turn cook other sides until golden brown. Serve with topping.


Strawberry Topping
1 jar (12 oz) strawberry preserves
1 c. quartered fresh or frozen strawberries
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
( I halved this recipe and it lasted one meal - yikes!)
Heat all ingredients over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and mixture is hot.

Salsa-Rice Burritos

This was quick and easy, even without instant rice. It came from my Betty Crocker cook book. I used a 14 oz can of corn drained, and chopped up some red and yellow peppers (about 1/4 c). I don't think I used that much cheese. I had a half of an avocado and that went very nicely on top. I thought it would be too spicy for the kids, but it wasn't.

1 1/2 cups salsa, plus additional if desired
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 c uncooked instant rice
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (11 oz) whole kernal corn with red and green peppers, undrained
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (6 oz)
8 flour tortillas (8 inches in diameter)

Heat 1 1/2 cups salsa and the chili powder to boiling in 10 inch skillet. Stir in rice; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. * see note if you don't have instant rice* Stir in beans, corn and cheese.
Spoon about 1/2 c rice mixture onto center of each tortilla. fold up bottom of each tortilla; fold over sides. Secure with toothpick if necessary, Serve with additional salsa.

*I used regular rice so I added 1/2 c of water to the salsa and cooked it for 20 minutes.

One Dish Vegetarian Dinner

I made this because I opened a can of olives and then discovered I already has some in the fridge. So olives had to be a major ingredient. This needed a lot of extras. I added a little bit of cayenne pepper, lemon pepper, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese. I tried leftovers with feta cheese - yum! I used about 1/2 cup of olive oil, and after I cooked the pasta, I tossed it with the garlic infused oil in the pan for a few minutes. It was really quick and easy. Also, I only had 8 oz of penne pasta, so I used some shell pasta too. Sorry no picture.

One Dish Vegetarian Dinner

• 1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large head fresh broccoli, blanched
• 1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives

1. Cook pasta in large pot with boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well.
2. In a medium skillet over medium heat cook garlic in olive oil, being careful not to allow garlic to burn.
3. In a large bowl add the cooked broccoli, cooked and drained pasta, and black olives.
4. To serve, pour garlic oil over pasta and vegetables. Serve warm.

Death By Chocolate

Aaron made this for dessert on Valentine's day. Instead of putting it in a glass dish he made them individually in glass ice cream dishes. We used the Betty Crocker brownie mix that had chocolate chunks in it. We didn't have any Skor or Heath bars, so he chopped up some Twix and Hershey bars. It was very rich, and I was glad we shared with Nathan and Amy.


Death By Chocolate

• 1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix
• 2 (3.9 ounce) packages instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 3 (1.4 ounce) bars chocolate covered English toffee

1. Prepare brownies according to package directions. Let cool.
2. Mix pudding according to package directions.
3. In a glass punch bowl, layer in the following order: 1/2 of the brownie, crumbled; 1/2 of the pudding; 1 toffee bar, crushed; 1/2 of the whipped topping.
4. Repeat layers in the same order. Save the last toffee bar to crumble and sprinkle on top before serving.
5. Refrigerate. Best if made the day before you serve it.

Crunchy Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

David wanted a dessert tonight, and I agreed since we ate an early dinner. Brownies sounded good, so I found this recipe. I followed it pretty closely, except I didn't measure exactly on the Peanut butter. I hate getting it out of the measuring cup, so I just estimated. I agree with other reviewers, that it doesn't have a huge peanut butter taste. But it's still a good brownie recipe. And I actually remembered to take picture this time. Maybe because I actually had time, since they had to cool a bit. Oh, and we ate them warm, with a glass of milk - mmmm!

Crunchy Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
• 1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease bottom of one13x9 inch pan.
2. In a small bowl blend the cream cheese, peanut butter, white sugar and 1 egg. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Stir in peanuts and set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine the brownie mix, water, oil and 2 eggs. Beat for fifty strokes with a wooden spoon.
4. Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Drop filling by tablespoonfuls over brownie batter. Spoon remaining batter over filling. Pull a knife through the batter in wide curves, turn pan and repeat for a marbled effect.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Cool completely and cut into bars. Sore tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Boudreaux's Zydeco Stomp Gumbo

We celebrated Mardi Gras a little late this year (on Thursday because that's when Aaron was home). Basically we just eat Gumbo to celebrate, that's it. We started the tradition two years ago when were invited to a Mardi Gras party at John and Pamela's. Our friends from New Orleans were there (temporarily displaced because of Katrina) and brought a King Cake.
Anyway, so now we make Gumbo occasionally, and love this recipe. I halved it this time, since we weren't feeding a crowd. It was a little tricky to halve. Instead of the can of tomatoes and green chiles I add an extra tomato, and three green chiles from a can (I had used part of a can earlier in the week). I had also made apple juice the night before and substituted that for the beer. I also forgot to get red chili peppers at the store, so I just put some sweet red bell pepper in. Aaron noticed that it wasn't as spicy, but I thought it was good. Still too spicy for the kids. We also had Creole Seasoning instead of Cajun, but they are pretty close. I didn't cook it as long (I started it too late) as it said to and it was still good. But I think the flavored mingle better if cooked longer. I would recommend eating it with some crusty bread to quell some of the spice, unless you like making your nose run and your eyes water. Enjoy!

Boudreaux's Zydeco Stomp Gumbo

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - chopped
• 1/2 pound pork sausage links, thinly sliced
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 quarts chicken broth
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
• 6 stalks celery, diced
• 4 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
• 1 sweet onion, sliced
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, with liquid
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh red chile peppers
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup Cajun seasoning
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat, and cook chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. Stir in sausage, and cook until evenly browned. Drain chicken and sausage, and set aside.
2. In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, blend olive oil and flour to create a roux. Stir constantly until browned and bubbly. Mix in garlic, and cook about 1 minute.
3. Gradually stir chicken broth and beer into the roux mixture. Bring to a boil, and mix in celery, tomatoes, sweet onion, diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, red chile peppers, parsley, and Cajun seasoning. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 40 minutes, stirring often.
4. Mix chicken, sausage, and shrimp into the broth mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes.

Creamed Eggs on Toast

This is one of the few recipes I brought to our marriage. Well, Aaron's mom made this too, but put cheese in it, and didn't always add eggs. This was a favorite breakfast food in my family growing up. We decided to have breakfast for dinner last night and chose this recipe - Aaron's family called it cheese sauce on toast. I don't really have a recipe, but I'll break it down for you.

Make a white sauce: equal parts butter and flour and stir in milk. what you want a recipe? J/K
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
4-6 boiled eggs, shelled and sliced
1/2 c. grated cheese
salt to taste
pepper to taste
(our my family's favorite - Morton's seasoning)
toasted bread

To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in flour (makes a roux). Pour in 1/2 c. milk and stir in until smooth. Return to medium heat stirring frequently. As it thickens add milk 1/2 c. at a time. When white sauce is thickened add cheese and stir until melted. Then stir in sliced eggs, and seasonings.
Break toast into bite size pieces on each plate (the kids love to do this by themselves) and pour sauce over top. So yummy!

Parmesan-Dijon Chicken

I've been neglecting my recipe blog (trying to finish my book club book and watching LOST). So These next few recipes were made over the last couple of weeks.

This was really good. Very tangy. I was worried the kids wouldn't eat it because it was a little spicy, but they liked it. Aaron said the leftovers were even better (there wasn't enough for us all to eat leftovers). It came from the Betty Crocker cookbook. I only used 2 chicken breasts, and cut them into strips. So even though there was less chicken you still need the same amount of coating. I also thought it was better to put the coating on a plate, instead of shaking it in a bag. The bag got all gooey quickly, and the coating wouldn't stick. But, maybe if it was a whole breast, it would have worked. 20 minutes is plenty of time for the chicken strips.

3/4 c. dry bread crumbs
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 3/4 lb)

1. Heat oven to 375 F. Grease rectangular pan 13x9x2 inches (with only 2 chicken breasts, I fit it in an 11x7 pan).
2. Mix bread crumbs and cheese in large resealable plastic food storage bag. Mix butter and mustard in shallow dish. Dip chicken in butter mixture, then shake in bag to coat with crumb mixture. Place in pan.
3. Bake uncovered 20 -25 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

Minestrone Pasta Salad

This was really good. I had small shell pasta, so I didn't need 3 cups (about 2 was enough). This came from my new Betty Crocker cookbook, so it's fast and easy.

3 cups uncooked medium pasta shells
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
1 can (15-16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15-16 oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) Italian-style stewed or diced tomatoes, drained
2/3 c. Italian dressing
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan

1 Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
2. Toss pasta and remaining ingredients. Serve warm or cold.

I thought it was better cold, and the leftovers the next day were great.

Quick Chick

Honestly, I didn't think this was very good. It was easy, but no one wanted to eat the leftovers, and the kids didn't want to eat it in the first place. But maybe you'll like it. I only did one onion, and I didn't have a can of mushrooms, just fresh ones.

Quick Chick

• 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 onions, sliced, separated into rings
• 1 (4.5 ounce) can mushrooms, with liquid
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  

1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Saute chicken until all sides are well browned, then stir in the celery, onions, mushrooms with liquid and soy sauce. Cover skillet and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes or until celery is tender and chicken is cooked through.