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Chewin'the NewsMarch 2001 |
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By Tara Wohlenhaus Edited by Nanci Slagle
Hola!
Greetings from 30 Day Gourmet. My
husband and I recently had the opportunity to spend a little time in Mexico.
We became acquainted with some of the most beautiful and gracious people
we've ever met. Here in Indiana,
the Hispanic population has risen over 100% in the last ten years, bringing
along their traditions, cuisine, and style.
Our Recipe of the Month is a popular Mexican food, so I decided to
dedicate this issue to the subject of South of the Border influenced recipes. Keeping in mind that some of you have young
children or other less daring members of your families, I have chosen some
fairly mild items along with a few that have a little extra kick. Remember, it is easy to add more heat, but nearly impossible
to remove it once it is added! I've
included a variety of types of recipes so that you can create an entire menu
from these flavorful dishes. I hope you enjoy the recipes in Chewin' The News.
I'd love to hear your comments on them.
I'd like to know which ones are your favorites and which ones bombed!
We're all different, but I'd like to gear the recipes to what the
majority of the readers like. Here is the rundown for this month's Chewin' The News:
For your party, here are some family friendly
beverages that are festive and easy. Anyone
can serve sodas, but you will be the one remembered for these special drinks! Iced Loco Mocho-Cocoa 2 squares (one ounce each) unsweetened chocolate 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup double strength coffee, hot 2 1/2 cups milk 2 cups cola beverage, chilled Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over hot
water. A double boiler is one
saucepan that sits inside of another pan without the bottoms touching. If you do not have a double boiler, make your own with two
saucepans, just try to have the bottoms about two inches apart.
When the chocolate is melted, stir in the sugar and cinnamon.
Gradually stir in the hot coffee, stirring with a whisk until it is
smooth. Add the milk and continue
heating (NOT BOILING) until all of the chocolate is mixed into the milk and is
smooth looking. Pour this mixture
into a jar or glass bowl, cover and chill.
Makes about 3 cups of chocolate base. To serve, pour 3/4 cup of chocolate mixture and 1/3 cup of cola in a glass. Fill the glass with ice and stir. Another version is to place the chocolate mixture
and cola in a blender, add ice and whirl to make a slushy concoction.
You can also add vanilla or chocolate ice cream to make it creamier. Family Daiquiris 1 1/2 cups whole frozen strawberries 3/4 cup ice cubes 1/4 cup liquid ready to use sweet and sour mix 1 teaspoon grenadine syrup Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food
processor and whirl until smooth. Makes
two 6-oz. servings. NOTE:
The sweet and sour mix and grenadine syrup are non-alcoholic flavorings
found in the liquor section of a supermarket. Punchy Coladas 1 cup vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt 1/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained 2 tablespoons coconut cream 3/4 cup pineapple juice 1/2 teaspoon rum extract (optional) 1 cup lemon-lime soda 4 ice cubes Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food
processor and whirl until the mixture is smooth and frothy. Makes about 3 cups of beverage. NOTE - coconut cream is made from coconut
pulp. It is non-alcoholic and is
sold in cans in the liquor section. The
coconut is meant to be a thick syrup, but it sometimes solidifies.
Place the can in a container of hot water for several minutes before
opening it. Use a "punch"
type can opener, not the kind that removes the whole lid, so that you can pour
out as much of the coconut cream as you need. Silly Sangria 3 cups yellow grapefruit juice, chilled 1-1/2 cups white grape juice, chilled 1-1/2 cups club soda Combine juices and chill.
Add the club soda just before serving.
Makes six 8 ounce servings. To
garnish this drink, an orange, lemon, or lime slice placed on the edge of the
glass looks lovely. A couple of
maraschino cherries or strawberries on a pick look nice also!
This first recipe is for a spicy marinade.
It is equally good on pork as it is on chicken.
This is definitely one of the more potent recipes.
I do NOT recommend that you freeze the meat in the marinade unless you
like your food extra spicy. Mexicali Marinade 1 pound pork chops or steaks or boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1/3 cup tomato sauce 1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil 1/3 cup apple cider or white vinegar juice of two limes (1/3 cup) 2 Tablespoons chili powder 1 teaspoon cumin 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder Mix together all the ingredients except the meat.
Pour the marinade over the meat. Turn
the meat so that each piece is covered. Refrigerate
for 2-3 hours. Grill the meat or
bake it at 350 degrees until it is no longer pink in the center; 20-30 minutes.
Baste with the remaining marinade occasionally during cooking. This recipe is great served plain, but the
boneless chicken served on a bun with grilled peppers and onions makes a
wonderful sandwich. Rio Grande Rice 3-4 Tablespoons vegetable or olive oil 1/2 cup onion, finely diced 1-1/2 cups uncooked regular long grain white rice 1 bell pepper, red or green, chopped 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder 12 ounces tomato sauce 2 teaspoons salt 1 garlic clove, minced 1/4 teaspoon Mexican saffron or turmeric (optional) 3 cups water In a large saucepan, heat vegetable or olive oil
over medium-low heat. Sauté the
onions in the pan until golden brown. Add
the rice to the pan and stir well to coat the grains with the oil.
Mix in the remaining ingredients. Cover
the pan and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and cook for
30-40 minutes until the rice is tender. Stir
the rice occasionally to keep it from sticking.
Makes 6 side dish servings. Note - Mexican saffron is different from
Asian saffron. Asian saffron is
much more potent in flavor and very expensive - about $17.00 a pound here in
Indiana. Mexican saffron does not
add much flavor, but what it does add is a soft golden color to recipes.
You can use turmeric to accomplish the same color if you wish.
The turmeric will add little flavor in the amount given. ALSO - I
consider this a side dish, but you can add a half pound of cooked ground beef,
or shredded roast beef, pork or chicken to make this a heartier main dish. If your family members hate bell pepper and you don’t want to fight the battle with them, chop the peppers in fairly large chunks so they are easier to avoid (or pick out). On the other end of the spectrum, you can dice them so fine that they can't possibly avoid eating them. Choose your battle!
Baja Burrito or Taco Filling (closely resembles the fast food version) 1 lb. lean ground beef 1/4 cup flour 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup onion, finely diced 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup enchilada sauce On hand ingredients:
In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients except
the enchilada sauce together using your hands.
Cook the mixture over medium heat until it is lightly browned and no pink
remains. To mimic fast-food tacos,
continuously break up the meat as you cook it so that no large chunks remain.
If you have used lean beef, there should not be enough grease to drain
off, but if there is any, drain and discard it.
Stir the enchilada sauce into the meat mixture, heat through, and serve. This should be enough meat for 6-8 full sized burritos,
depending on how much other toppings you plan to use. If you want to freeze this mixture, cool it
thoroughly, spoon it into freezer bags or containers, seal and freeze.
To serve, thaw completely, then heat in a microwave or over very low heat
on a stove. For burritos, heat large flour tortillas
according to package directions. Imagining
that the tortilla is a clock face and spread a couple of tablespoons of heated
refried beans from 9:00 to 3:00. Spread
1/4 to 1/3 cup of the meat mixture over the beans.
Top with lettuce, diced tomato, shredded cheese, etc.
Fold the 9:00 portion of the tortilla about two inches over the end of
the fillings. Bring the 6:00 end of
the tortilla over the meat mixture and roll it up to the 12:00 end of the
tortilla. For children who will not be able to eat a full size burrito, fold both the 9:00 side and the 3:00 sides over the filling, then roll the burrito up from 6:00 to 12:00. Cut the burrito in half across the center.
1 lb. ground beef 1/2 cup onion, finely diced 1/3 cup celery, finely diced 2 tsp. finely diced fresh jalapeno pepper (minus the seeds unless you like it HOT) 15 ounces canned pinto beans (with liquid) 14.5 ounces tomato puree or diced tomatoes 8 ounces tomato sauce 1 cup water 1 tablespoon vinegar, white or apple cider 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1 bay leaf 1 tsp. paprika Brown ground beef in a large saucepan.
Drain and discard the fat. Add
the onion, celery, and jalapeno pepper and sauté a minute or two.
Add all the remaining ingredients to the saucepan.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook
for 30 minutes to an hour or until as thick as you desire. Serve in bowl with grated cheddar or Monterey Jack
cheese, diced onion, and crackers.
My husband is not as fond of this as my children
and I are, but this is such an easy entree that I'll reserve this for lunches
and other meals when he's not around. It
freezes and thaws beautifully, much to my surprise! 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 7 1/2 cups water, divided 4 teaspoons of chicken bouillon granules or 4 cubes 1/3 cup onion, finely diced 1 garlic clove, minced 1 cup masa harina 1 cup enchilada sauce 1 lb. processed cheese spread (like Velveeta - I use a store brand) 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 2 tablespoons fresh parsley or cilantro, minced,
or 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro or parsley flakes Note: Masa harina, a flour made from corn
and lime is either found with the other flours or in the Hispanic foods section
of larger supermarkets. Don't try
to substitute with regular flour or cornmeal! ALSO: Shredded pork or beef could be substituted for the chicken. Heat 4 cups of the water to simmering and add the bouillon to it. Stir until it dissolves, then set aside. With a meat mallet or rolling pin, gently pound
the thick portion of each chicken breast to make the whole breast an even
thickness. Heat the oil in a
heavy-bottomed large pot set over medium heat.
Brown the chicken breasts in the oil for 3-4 minutes per side until
cooked through and lightly browned. You
don't want to over-brown the chicken or it will be tough.
You just want to make sure the meat is no longer pink in the center.
Remove the chicken from the pot to cool.
Add the onions to the pot and sauté until they are translucent and
beginning to brown a little. Add
the garlic and chicken bouillon/water to the pot.
Gradually mix two cups of water into the masa harina with a whisk until
all the water is incorporated and there are no lumps.
Add the masa mixture to the pot. Add
the remaining water to the pot and bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally.
While the mixture is heating, cube the cheese.
When the mixture boils, add the cheese, reduce the heat to simmer, and
stir occasionally until the cheese is melted and well blended into the soup.
Use two forks or your fingers to shred the chicken.
Add it to the pot and heat through until the soup is as thick as you
desire. Serve with corn chips.
Serves 6. If you are planning to freeze the soup, remove it from heat as soon as the cheese is melted. Stir in the chicken and allow the soup to cool. It will thicken as it cools. Stir the soup occasionally as it cools. Freeze in labeled bags or containers. To serve, thaw and heat in a microwave, or over very low heat on a stove.
Cancun Cod
Named in honor of this beautiful coastal area,
this dish can be as hot or mild as you like, depending on the salsa you choose.
This is a 1-2-3-you're-done recipe and utilizes frozen or fresh fish. 1-1/2 lb. cod fillets, thawed if frozen 1 cup of salsa 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1/2 cup crushed corn chips (like Fritos) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray coat a baking dish that is large enough to arrange all
of the fish in a single layer. Rinse
the fish under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
Arrange the fish in the pan with sides not touching if possible.
Top each fillet with some of the salsa, then sprinkle with cheese. Top each fillet with crushed corn chips.
Bake (uncovered) for 15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a
fork. This recipe is great served with the side dish version of the Rio Grande Rice above and a tossed green salad.
Would you like to get your kids in on the act?
Here are some fun and tasty recipes that your kids can help with. Flautas 3 cups cooked and shredded meat - beef, chicken, or pork 8 ounces picante sauce 1/4 teaspoon cumin 16 ounces colby jack cheese, shredded 36 six-inch corn tortillas vegetable oil or spray oil Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the picante sauce and cumin.
Add the meat and mix well. In
a small skillet, heat the vegetable oil over high heat.
(I use spray oil). Place a
tortilla in the pan (I lightly spray the top, then flip over and lightly spray
the other side), heat a couple of seconds then flip and heat the other side a
couple of seconds. This softens the
tortillas so you can roll them. Place
warm tortillas on a plate. When all the tortillas are heated in the above manner, place a tortilla in front of you. Imagine the tortilla to be the face of a clock with the 6 being the place on the tortilla that is closest to you and 12 being the farthest away. Place a couple tablespoons of the meat mixture so that it stretches from 7 to 5. Place a couple tablespoons of cheese over the meat. Roll the tortilla from the meat and cheese end up to the far end. Place the filled and rolled tortilla seam side down on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Repeat until all of the tortillas are fill and arranged on the cookie sheet. It is okay if they touch. Reserve any leftover cheese. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle any remaining cheese over the flautas. Bake uncovered for another 10 minutes or so until the flautas are browned and a little bit crispy. If you bake them too long, the tortillas turn leathery and hard to chew!
My children aren't really into fruit-filled
things, so I was really surprised when they gobbled these down.
They were even a little disappointed when their father walked in the door
and promptly ate a half dozen. The unbaked dough can be frozen and rolled out
later, and the cookies themselves can be frozen.
The baked cookies are very tender, so freeze them in a rigid freezer
container. The dough must be
chilled for several hours, so plan to make the dough the day before you will use
it. Part of the beauty of this
recipe is that the dough can be refrigerated for up to a week after it is made. 1/2 cup butter, softened 3 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 cup flour 1 cup fruit preserves (I used apricot) 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon Cream the butter and cream cheese together until
well blended and no lumps appear. Beat
in the flour until just blended. Form
the dough into a ball and wrap it in foil or plastic wrap.
Refrigerate the dough 8 hours or overnight. After the dough has chilled for at least 8 hours, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Roll the chilled dough to about 1/8 inch thick or a little thinner. Cut the dough with a 3 or 4 inch round cookie or biscuit cutter. Place about 1/2 teaspoon of preserves in the center of each circle of dough. With a small pastry brush or your finger, moisten the dough all the way around the outer edge. Fold the dough in half (covering the preserves). Press the edges of the dough together to seal the preserves inside. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. If you notice that the preserves are leaking out, you have not sealed the edges completely. Combine the granulated sugar and the cinnamon. When the cookies are baked, immediately but carefully scoop the cookies onto a cooling rack and dust with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Makes about 2-1/2 dozen cookies. NOTE -
These are traditionally dusted with the cinnamon sugar mixture, but some people
prefer to roll them in confectioner’s sugar. Our Cook Of The Month Winner is
Karen B. from Manchester, New Hampshire. Karen
works full-time as a Sales Administrator. She
is married to husband Lonnie and is the proud mother of Kevin (14), James (13),
and Angela (21 months). Her husband
is a truck driver with a very crazy schedule.
Most nights he has to be asleep by 6:30 therefore easy to prepare meals
are a staple and necessary. Karen
leaves a thawed meal in the refrigerator with instructions for Kevin, James or
Lonnie so they know when to start dinner and at what temperature.
She is an early riser and very organized.
So she prepares side dishes in the morning so they can just be reheated.
When they can be, leftovers are package in single servings and refrozen
for quick snacks or meals. Karen loves the convenience of having snacks that
her family can easily access in the freezer.
She hated receiving the after school call… “Mom what can I eat?”
so now they just help themselves. Karen found out about 30 Day Gourmet while
attending a Time Management seminar through her job.
She says, "Just the amount of time I have save every evening is a
blessing. When I get home from work
between 5:30-6:00, dinner is ready and everyone is sitting at the table waiting
for me. Within 45 minutes, dinner
and dishes are done and we as a family can enjoy each other’s company.”
Her hobbies include photography, camping, reading and just spending
quality time with her family.
Click
here to read "BaileyK's"
cute story! Our Recipe Of The Month Winner is Catherine A. from Twin Falls, Idaho. Catherine wins for her Chile Relleno Casserole. This recipe is a great side dish or lighter main dish. It is mild flavored and creamy. Catherine is a stay at home mother of 6 (SIX!) who likes to free up her time so she can enjoy her time teaching scrapbooking. She also is a quilter. She also says she "REALLY enjoys it when she can stay ahead of the laundry." Thanks for a great recipe, Catherine!
Preserved Children Take one large field, a dozen children, 2-3 small dogs, a pinch of brook, and some pebbles. Mix together children and dogs; sprinkle the field with flowers; spread over all a sky of deep blue and bake in the sun. When brown, set away to cool in the bathtub. Author unknown
I have been asked certain questions over and over
again and for good reason - the answers are mysterious and not easily found by
the average cook. So I want to
answer a couple of cooking questions from a scientific standpoint. "What exactly is freezer burn" Most evaporation takes place when a liquid turns
into a gas. For example, a wet
towel is hung up to dry in the sun. The
heat causes the water to evaporate into the air and the towel becomes dry.
In a freezer, evaporation happens even to water that is frozen solid.
This evaporation is called sublimation.
The tiny ice crystals within the surface of the meat evaporate away
leaving a dried and discolored patch on the surface of the food. The freezer burned portion will also be off-flavored.
The only way to reduce the risks of freezer burn is to wrap the food to
be frozen with water proof, vapor proof wraps. "Why is there a puddle of liquid left
whenever I thaw meat, vegetables, or fruit?" All living organisms are made up of cells. These cells are filled with fluids and the space between cells is filled with fluid. When you freeze meats, vegetables, and fruits, these fluids form ice crystals. As the liquids freeze they expand. The ice takes up more room than the liquids, so when freezing occurs, some of the walls of the cells are ruptured. When you thaw the food, the water inside the ruptured cells is allowed to leak out, causing the puddles of water. This is why fresh vegetables are more nutritious than frozen ones. Nutrients escape along with the fluids.
April
25 May
24 Frankfort
Public Library - Frankfort, IN Contact: 765-296-2405 or dpburkh@gte.net June
1 & 2 Indiana
Association of Home Educators' Convention -- Indianapolis, IN Contact: iahe@inhomeeducators.org July
21 Brownsburg
Public Library - Brownsburg, IN Contact: Library @ 317-852-3167 September
21 Boone
County Cooperative Extension Office - Burlington, KY Contact: kroesel@ca.uky.edu (we're available Fri evening & Sat. in the northern KY/Cincy area) If you’re interested in having us come for a seminar, please email Nanci at office@30daygourmet.com.
For some of you naturally organized cooks, this
might seem like a "duh" thing, but I want to make a few suggestions to
those of you who are not naturally gifted in this area. Use this next month to make your kitchen more
"cook-friendly". By that,
I mean do a few extra steps now so that you take less extra steps later.
I store all utensils that will be used on top of the stove in a drawer
next to it. I store my rolling
pins, measuring cups and spoons, and rubber spatulas in a "baking"
drawer right underneath the section of my counter top where I do my baking
preparation. If you are short on
drawer space, make sure and utilize the insides of the doors of your cabinets.
Cup hooks can be used to hang measuring cups and measuring spoons so that
they are located where you want them and won't take up any drawer space.
I store my mixing bowls and large measuring pitchers directly above the
baking drawer. I store all liquid seasonings and oils that I will
use for stove-top cooking in an upper cabinet to the right of my stove (olive
oils, stir fry sauces, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, etc).
I keep all of the hot/savory spices in one section of a cabinet (black
pepper, paprika, savory, thyme, oregano, etc.) and the sweet spices and
flavorings in another section (cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, maple extract, etc.)
The sweet spices are directly across from my baking area of the kitchen
so all I have to do is turn around to reach them.
Also remember that rubber coated wire spice racks can be screwed to the
insides of your cabinet doors to help eliminate the clutter of spice containers
that tend to waste a lot of space. You would probably be very surprised to find out
how many extra trips back and forth and wasted minutes of your day can be
eliminated if the tools you need and the food items you use frequently are
located where you use them most often. Why
keep cookie sheets on the opposite side of the kitchen from the oven?
Are your cooling racks near your cookie sheets? So for those of you who need a little
encouragement in time and space management - make these few changes now and reap
the benefits for a long, long, time! We've come to the end of another newsletter.
I hope you enjoyed it. Keep
sending your ideas and asking questions! We
all benefit from questions answered and information shared. For the next newsletter I plan to share ideas for
all of the spring Ham bargains. If
you have any great ideas, send them on! Adios, Amigos!
Please be sure to let us know what you think! You
can email us at
ChewinTheNews@30daygourmet.com.
P.O. Box 272
This site developed and maintained by
Nexis Technical Services, Inc. This
page was last updated on
Monday, August 04, 2008.
Copyright 2008 - 30 Day Gourmet. All rights reserved.
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Why
not invite some friends over for a Mexican food dinner?
I
have gone overboard on the recipes this time.
Enchilada
Soup
Empanadas
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