Mexican Layered Casserole

I invited a friend over for dinner last night, and because of the chicken coop project, we are completely tapped out broke!  So, I had to be creative with what I had on hand...turned out delicious!  I got the recipe from cooks.com and tweaked it.  I used cooked shredded chicken that I was going to use in tortilla soup, and some corn tortillas I had in the freezer.  I had to buy two cans of beans and I was all set for this casserole.  Our friend ate three helpings!  It was a very easy and quick meal that was company-worthy!  Would also be a great recipe for using up turkey leftovers.

12 corn tortillas (I prefer the white corn tortillas)
2 lbs. cooked shredded chicken or 2 lbs. browned hamburger
1 teaspoon cumin (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon chili powder (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 cans "ranch style" beans (I used La Costena whole pinto beans, they are seasoned with Mexican spices)
1 lb grated cheese
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 can italian style or mexican style diced stewed tomatoes

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a skillet, warm up the cooked shredded chicken and stir in the cumin, chili powder, and onion powder.  (Or, brown the hamburger with the spices). 

Spray a large 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray.  Layer 6 uncooked corn tortillas on the bottom of the dish.  Layer the cooked chicken or hamburger on top of the tortillas.  Open the beans and do not drain, pour the entire contents of the two cans on top of the meat layer.  Layer the cheese on top of the beans.  Place the other 6 uncooked corn tortillas in a layer on top of the cheese.  In a seperate bowl, mix the soup with the entire can of tomatoes with the juice (do not drain the tomatoes).  Pour this sauce over the tortillas.

Bake uncovered for 90 minutes at 300.  If the sauce starts looking a bit dry, cover with a piece of tin foil after about an hour of baking.  Also, this is a VERY full pan so I anticipated some bubble-over so I lined the oven with some foil and caught the drips.  Allow to sit for a few minutes before serving.

Serve with sour cream, chopped onion, cilantro, and pico de gallo.

Tortilla Soup - Cloned Cafe Rio

I think I came pretty close! I love Cafe Rio tortilla soup with chicken. It is not like the thick creamy tortilla soup, it's more like broth. It's so good.
You need chicken...I did chicken breasts in the crock pot all day so it shredded perfectly. You will add the soup on top of the chicken when you serve it. You can use up leftover chicken in this too.

Soup:
1 onion
1 tomato
2 cloves garlic
Drizzle olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne (or less if you're sensitive to heat)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin (start there, I added more)
1 49 oz. large can chicken broth

Shredded chicken
Smashed avocado
Cilantro
Cheese (the best is to use the mexican cheese like fresco or asadero, but you can also use basic bagged shredded cheese of any kind)
Sour cream
Pico De Gallo
Tortilla Chips or Strips, or flour tortillas


Process the onion, tomato and garlic in food processor or hand chopper. Saute in olive oil until it gets softened, then add about an inch of chicken broth in the pan, Boil until the onion and garlic are very softened. Add spices. Add all the rest of the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for enough time to let flavors blend, about a half hour, adjusting your spices if needed. The way I adjust spices is to taste the dish, then smell each spice at the same time and if it seems like the smell of the spice would add the flavor you want, then add in increments of about 1/4 tsp at a time. I know I added more chili powder, and maybe a bit more cumin, but those are my favorite spices.

To serve, place shredded chicken in the bottom of the bowl. Add cheese, add mashed avocado, pour the soup over it. Top with Pico, sour cream and cilantro and serve with chips or tortillas if desired. Yummy!

Creamy Chicken and Rice

Creamy Chicken and Rice (Southwest style)

(You can use the low fat soup and cream cheese in this if you prefer)

3 cans cream of chicken soup
2-4 lbs chicken breasts or chicken tenderloin pieces (I used about three pounds)
1 can green chiles (optional)
½ can canned diced jalapenos (optional)
Add the soup to a crock pot. Add the chiles and peppers and stir to combine. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Cook all day on low (at least 6 hours.)

One hour before you want to eat add:
1 brick cream cheese

Start your rice:

Cook rice in a rice cooker. I did:

2 cups rice
2 cans chicken broth (or enough broth for your rice cooker to replace the water)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic salt
Stir to combine in cooker, follow directions to cook rice.
Serve Chicken and sauce over rice.

**To make it NOT southwest-ish, leave out the chilis and peppers and season with black pepper (not salt, there’s enough in the soup). Also adjust the rice recipe leaving out the spices, but do cook the rice in chicken broth, it adds a lot of flavor.

Caramels

Makes a firm set but chewy caramel. Very good flavor! You will need:

2 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup (Karo or other)

3 cups heavy whipping cream USED IN SUCCESSION (I like Gold Meadow Old Fashioned Style)

Bring the sugar, the corn syrup, and 1 CUP CREAM to a boil, stirring constantly until the color deepens to a golden brown-beige color. Then add:

1 more cup of heavy whipping cream.

Cook again until the color deepens to a light golden brown. Add:

1 more cup of heavy whipping cream

Cook stirring constantly until candy thermometer reads 230. Remove from heat. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and stir well. Pour into buttered 13x9. Allow to set, cut into squares and wrap in squares of waxed paper.

Acini de Pepe Salad (Frog Eye Salad)

This makes a big salad for parties or pot lucks, serves 25. Saves well for leftovers too. Start this the night before you want to serve it, or at least 12 hours minimum beforehand.

You will need:

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

1-3/4 cup pineapple juice *

2 eggs

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 box acini de pepe pasta

3 cans mandarin oranges 11 oz each

2 cans pineapple chunks 20 oz each

1 can crushed pineapple 20 0z

1 carton cool whip 9 oz

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1 cup flaked coconut (optional)

The night before you want to serve the salad, combine in a saucepan the sugar, flour, salt, pineapple juice and beaten eggs. Cook over medium heat until thick then stir in the lemon juice. Set aside to cool. Cook the acini de pepe pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Combine pasta with egg mixture in a large bowl and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, combine the pasta mixture with the oranges, all of the pineapple, cool whip, marshmallows and coconut. Fold all together and chill until ready to serve.

*Get the pineapple juice from the cans of pineapple, drain the pineapple saving the juice and then save the pineapple for the next day when you put the salad together.

Cranberry Salsa

This is a very tasty salsa, made with cranberries, my friend Christina brought it to our Christmas party. Serve over bricks of cream cheese with wheat thins crackers. Great pot luck or party dish. Buy a few extra bags of cranberries during the holidays and freeze them to make this recipe in the summer. Freezing cranberries is easy and works well, just place the bag of cranberries into a freezer bag.

12 oz. bag fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded
3 green onions
1/2 a bunch of fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp cumin

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until well chopped and combined. Chill for at least a few hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.

Potatoes Au Gratin (Homemade)

8.5 cups sliced potatoes
1-1/2 cubes butter (3/4 cup)
3/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups cream
2 cups chicken broth plus 3 chicken boullion cubes added
White pepper to taste
Cheddar cheese to top

Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until partially done, 3-5 minutes, and drain. Place potatoes in a 13x9 dish. Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in flour to make a smooth paste. Add the milk, cream, and chicken broth and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add pepper and pour the mixture over the potatoes. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, add the cheese on top and bake for an addition 4-5 minutes.