Green Chili Enchiladas

A long time ago, I had a co-worker who made the best chicken enchiladas.  I've made them ever since.  For green chili sauce, I used the bottled green taco sauce.  Today, I'm using the sauce I made yesterday.

But first, some product decisions.  I support local business: 

Don Pancho products.  Manufactured in Salem OR, clearly a privately and locally owned company.  This is exactly the type of company I'm trying to support.  To make it easier, Safeway carries it.  I've seen them at Fred Meyer also.

Okay part of the thing is I like Juanita brand chips.  They are just really really good.  I haven't completely veted them, but it appears that they are indeed manufactured in Hood River,  OR.  I'd like to know more about the company.  In the meantime, did I mention they are good? 

Green Chili Enchiladas

2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded or chopped.  In a pinch, you can use 1/2 a roasted rotisserie chicken.  But everytime I have left over meat, I chop it up and freeze it or plan a meal like this to use it up to use it up. 

1/2 c. green chili sauce.  Homemade or bottled green taco sauce and 1/2 c. sour cream. 

I cup black beans.  I'm notorious for cooking an entire sack of beans and freezing the unused part, never to be seen again.  I'm working on dragging that stuff out and using it so it doesn't go to waste.  Or use a 16 oz can of black beans, drained.  I don't like refried in this, but that's another option if you do. 

Mix the above ingredients in a bowl.

A fourth of the mixture goes into the center of a tortilla and rolled enchilada style.  A cup of good cheese gets sprinkled over top.  A cup of your favorite red salsa on top of that.  Bake at 450 for 10 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly.

Shepards Pie Casserole

I'm the queen of casseroles, a self-assigned title, but it fits.  Casseroles feel good.  They are a good way to pack a lot of food in an easy package.  They can be made ahead.  Baked by others. They usually make good left overs.  I like casseroles.  This is an original recipe that has evolved over time.

Start with potatoes, 6 or so little red potatoes.  I see people in the store picking up individual potatoes, examining them, then putting them into sacks.  I buy them at my local produce market by the 5 or 10 pound sack and keep them in the bottom of Husband's beer fridge.  Keep a root cellar and keep it full of this type of thing.  Peel and half or quarter the potatoes.  Bring a kettle full of water to a boil.  Add the potatoes and cook them until they stick easily with a knife. 

Meanwhile, a scallion peeled and diced and two or three garlic cloves, minced or finely diced.  Brown a pound of the best ground beef you can find with the onion and garlic.  I was simply clueless how much better ground beef can be than the kind you buy at the grocery store.  It's been night and day.  If you are not buying local beef from a butcher who can tell you where it came from and that it was grown all natural, you won't regret the time to find it. Drain any liquid from the meat if necessary now. 

Somewhere around 8 or so cleaned and quartered mushrooms.  A can of green bean beans, drained.  1T. Worcestershire sauce.  4 or 5 T. ketchup.  1/2 C. beef broth.  Stir and cook for a few minutes to combine the ingredients and to soften the mushrooms.  

When the potatoes are soft, drain them and return them to the pan.  Mash them with a potato masher.  Add butter and cream and salt as if making mashed potatoes.  Your decision how rich, but I recommend living a little.  

The meat mixture into a casserole.  The potatoes over top. 

Into a 350 degree preheated oven for like 20 minutes or so.  Until kind of bubbly. More if you've set this aside to cool.  Add some cheese to the top if you want.  

People like it.  Makes good leftovers.  It's just a good thing.  

Traditional Food is Cheap: Hominy Casserole

This is Installment #2 in my Traditional Food is Cheap series

Hominy is a traditional food in pioneer times and the South.  It is made from corn.  This is one of those things it's better not to question how it happens. Dried and ground hominy is called Grits.  Grits and hominy kept many a poor family in the South from hunger during the depression.  

My mother didn't make Hominy, but she did buy it at the store and used it in casseroles and stews.  I wonder why she used hominy.  Did she think it was frugal food?  Did it remind her of childhood?  Did she like it?  I like it and my husband likes it.

So imagine my surprise the other day when the lovely Daughter in Law asked me about hominy.  She had chosen to make a Chicken Tortilla soup recipe which was delicious and contained hominy.   In fact, hominy is found in some Hispanic dishes.  If you can't find it in the vegetable aisle at the grocery store, they will surely have it in the Hispanic section.

Hominy Casserole Makes (6 servings)

1 lb ground beef ($3.99 per lb; $.67 per serving)
15.5 oz can yellow or white hominy, drained ($.69 per can; $.12 per serving)
2 8 oz cans Tomato sauce ($.50 cents each; $.17 per serving)
1 3.8 oz can sliced black olive, drained ($1.85; $.31 per serving)
1 t. salt (less than $.01 per serving)
1/2 t. garlic powder ($1.70/oz; 6 t. = 1 oz; $.02 per serving)
1 t. dry minced onion ($1.43/oz; $.04 per serving)
2 t. Italian seasoning ($3.51/oz; $.20 per serving)
1/8 t. cayenne pepper ($1.03/oz; About $.01 per serving)
1 c. shredded medium cheddar cheese (About $.28 per serving)

About $1.83 per serving for this dish.

Brown the meat and drain off any liquid.  Add all ingredients except the cheese.  Cook on medium heat covered for approximately 15 minutes.  Top with cheese.  Cover and simmer on low an additional 5 minutes.  Do not stir after applying the cheese. 

Corn meal muffins and a vegetable.  Yummy stuff.

Pizza Pasta Casserole

Okay, let me get a few kid pictures out of my system, then we'll eat. 


Get her Jake. 

She's fast on that thing. 

And there she goes.

And here she comes.

  

Is it dinner time yet?  'Cause I'm completely worn out.

Pizza Pasta Casserole

1 lb ground beef

2 garlic cloves minced or finely chopped

1 28 oz jar spaghetti sauce

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 t. Italian seasoning. 

1/2 of a 1 lb package of spiral pasta, cooked and drained. 

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 an 8 oz package of sliced pepperoni (The other 1/2 package will be used on Valentines day, hint, hint)

10 mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

3.8 oz can sliced black olives, drained.

I'm so glad I discovered local meat from the butcher.  Isn't it cute?  But really, I can't recommend it highly enough.  It is such good quality and so lean. It has been a total eye opener to me.

I quarter mushrooms.  Husband like mushrooms and it gives a lot a extra texture to the dish.  Not sure what else to tell you about that.  

Brown the meat, remove most of the liquid and add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for a few minutes to sweat the mushrooms.

Meanwhile in a separate pot, cook the pasta and drain.  I'm really liking these mini pasta.  About half the size and very cute.

Quarter the pepperoni and add them to the meat mixture, taking the time to separate the slices that are stuck together.  If there are creatures at your feet, 2 legged or 4, consider giving them a bite. 

Add the Spaghetti sauce, the tomato sauce and the seasonings.

I nibble as I cook.  I've mentioned that it is a wonder I don't weigh 200 lbs, but I don't.  Good metabolism and good genes.  I recommend that. 

Now put it all together. 

Oh wait a second.  Sorry, this happens all the time, now.  

The Rock star!

And the Mama. 

Now, back to food. 

Into a 13 by 9 inch Pyrex pan.  The meat mixture, the sauce, the pasta.  Toss it to mix.  Add the cheese and toss with a spatula . 

Bake at 350 degree for 20 minutes.

Makes a nice week night casserole. 

Remember to do the best that you can and that's good enough.



Winter, Little Helper, and Ground Beef Enchilada Casserole

I'm just a little over Winter and there is a lot to go.  I'm dreaming of leaves on the Japanese Maple. 

And warm sunny afternoons in my own little piece of paradise.

And no jokes today.  Nothing seems funny.

But get over it.  Here is Papa at work in his office.  And Brilliant Baby is a big help at Autocad.  Doesn't he look like he'll grow up to be a mechanical engineer?  Or maybe he could get a degree in business and help on my end.  Either way, your choice, Baby.  I see in your soul every day.   I'm thinking you'll be a man who builds things. Step Grand Daughter can be our Operations Manager in about 20 years.  One can hope. Or Dream.

After work, we come home and are tired.  It's late and we need a fast dinner.  Tonight we are having Ground Beef Enchilada Casserole and Guacamole.  

1 lb ground beef

2 t. minced dried onion 

1 t. salt

1T. Chili Powder

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/2 c. water

4 10 " Don Pauncho corn tortillas, cut into strips like lasagna noodles

1 1/4 c. salsa

1 1/2 c. Tillamook sour cream 

1 can Santiam corn, drained

1 1/2 c. medium Tillamook cheddar cheese, grated. 

Brown the meat in a skillet and drain out any remain liquid.  Add the next 5 ingredients.  Stir and simmer briefly.

Did you know Don Pancho is an Oregon company and is manufactured in Salem?  Look for them in a store near you. Cut them into strips like lasagna noodles.

The casserole is assembled in layers.  Start with the meat, a scoop in the bottom of the dish.

Approximately 1/4 or 1/5 of each ingredient is layered into the casserole then repeat until all ingredients are added.

A layer of the tortilla strips, then start over. 

Fill the casserole dish with all ingredients alternating layers as you wish. 

Bake it at 350 for about 25 minute or until it is hot and bubbly. 

Oh, and the guacamole was good, too.  More about that tomorrow. And I seem to be feeling a little better.  Hope you are too.   

Turkey Pot Pie

The Thanksgiving pagent was awesome and fun.  They made their own cute little costumes and sang little songs.

So many happy cute little children.  I haven't been working much the last few days and that's going to have to stop, but, heck, these moments are few and go by so fast.    

I made turkey pie around this time last year.

http://dinnerattheosbornes.blogspot.com/2009/12/turkey-pot-pie-stop-and-smell-pie-crust.html

We are busy this week. We won't be eating turkey on T-Day. So this will be our dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.  I don't really use a recipe.  Lots of vegetables like carrot, peas and potatoe.  Onion and garlic.  Make a rue of flour and oil.  Add liquids of broth or half and half or both to make a sauce.  Salt, pepper, whatever seasonings you like.  I tend to favor Italian seasonings.  There are recipes out there if you want one.  But this is about lattice crust.

Start one direction.  Cut thin slices with a pizza cutter.  Actually, my mother had a special cutter with a zigzag edge.  Wish I had one.  

Then pull back every other one and start the other direction.

Lay back the opposit set every other one and do another row.

Then lay back the opposite group ever other one and add another row.

  And Another

 

 

 

 

 I'd really like to promote world peace through lattice crust.  If I'm not being clear, please let me know.   A good lattice crust on a casserole changes everything a soothes the savage beast.

Just cut back the extra edges so a 1/2 inch hangs over and smush them against the edge of the casserole dish.  Dab the finished lattice top with a beaten egg and I mean get it wet with the eg everywhere.  Bake until brown and the filling is bubbly hot.  If it is bubbling up between the lattace, consider that a bonus.

Remember to enjoy the moments you will remember when they are actually happening.