Carne Asada Tacos and El Toritos Sweet Corn Cake

Carne Asada Tacos

This recipe is 16 servings, I usually half it unless we are having company.

Ingredients
3 pounds flank steak
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika

1 white onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, juiced

2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 white onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 dried New Mexico chile pods
1 pinch salt and pepper to taste

1 (32 ounce) package corn tortillas
2 cups grated cotija cheese (optional)
2 limes, cut into wedges
Directions
Lay the flank steak in a large glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, 4 cloves of garlic, juice of two limes, and olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then pour over the steak in the dish. Turn over once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for 1 to 8 hours.
In a small bowl, stir together 1 chopped white onion, cilantro, and the juice of 1 lime. Set aside to use as a relish for the tacos.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Toast chile pods in the skillet for a few minutes, then remove to a bowl of water to soak for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
Place the tomatoes, 1 onion, jalapenos, and 4 cloves of garlic onto a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, until toasted but not burnt. Place the roasted vegetables, and soaked chile pods into a blender or food processor, along with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the marinated flank steak into cubes or strips. Cook, stirring constantly, until the meat is cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Warm the tortillas in a skillet for about a minute on each side to make them pliable. Tortillas may also be warmed in a microwave oven. Arrange two or three tortillas on a plate, and lay a generous amount of beef over them. Top with a sprinkle of the onion relish and a large spoonful of the pureed salsa. Add as much cheese as you like. Garnish with lime wedges, and serve.

note: I put avocados on ours super yummy.

El Toritos Sweet Corn Cake

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, unsalted
2 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup masa harina
3 tablespoons cold water
10 ounces frozen corn kernels -- * See Note
3 tablespoons cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:Whip butter and shortening in mixing bowl until fluffy and creamy. Add masa harina gradually and mix thoroughly. Add water gradually, mixing thoroughly. Blend corn kernels until coarsley chopped. Stir into masa mixture. Mix cornmeal, sugar, whipping cream, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add butter-masa mixture; mix until blended. Pour masa mixture into 8" greased baking pan. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees until corn cake is firm, 40 to 50 minutes. Allow to stand at room temperature 15 minutes before cutting into squares. Or use ice cream scoop to serve. * or use canned cream corn

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

I'm so proud of how well these turned out! And they were SUPER easy! I got the recipe from a copy cat website and it's pretty close...there is a spice missing, but I'm not sure which one yet. Anyway, these are still delicious!

2 1/2 cups bisquick baking mix
2 tablespoons butter melted
1 cup cheddar cheese finely grated
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 cup butter melted
dash salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine Bisquick with cheddar cheese, milk, 2 tablespoons of butter that has been melted in the microwave, and 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder in a medium bowl. Mix until well-combined.

3. Drop approximately 1/4-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Combine 1/4 cup butter with 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, parsley flakes and salt. Brush this mixture over the tops of each unbaked biscuit.

5. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown. Serve warm.

Ranch Season Potatoes

2 pounds of baby red potatoes
1/4 cup oil
1 packet ranch seasoning

Wash and cut potatoes into quarters. Put them into a large zip lock bag. Add oil and shake till evenly covered. Next add ranch seasoning. Shake some more, and then shake some more. Lay them out on a covered cookie sheet and bake at 450 for 30-35 minutes. Yummy!

A great recipe to have kids help with. Autumn did everything except cut the potatoes.

Chinese Chicken Salad

1/2 lb teriyaki chicken, shredded
1 head lettuce, sliced thin
2 tbs shopped almonds
2 tbs sesame seeds
2 oz wonton or rice sticks

Dressing
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup salad oil
1 tbs sesame oil
3 tbs rice vinegar

Put dressing ingredients in a blender or whisk together

Wonton or rice sticks: Heat oil over med-high heat. Drop small piece of rice stick into hot oil. If if puffs up without burning, the temperature is right. Do a small amount at a time.

Lumpias(Filipino Eggrolls)

1 Tb vegetable oil
1 lb ground beef
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ C chopped onion
½ C minced carrots
½ C chopped green onions
½ C thinly sliced green cabbage
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp soy sauce
30 eggroll wrappers
2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Place a wok or large skillet over high heat, and pour in 1 TB veg. oil. Cook hamburger, stirring frequently, until no pink is showing. Remove meat from pan and set aside. Drain grease from pan, leaving a thin coating. Cook garlic and onion in the same pan for 2 minutes. Stir in meat, carrots, green onions, and cabbage. Season with pepper, salt, garlic powder, and soy sauce. Remove from heat and set aside until cool enough to handle.
Place three heaping tablespoons of the filling diagonally near one corner of each wrapper, leaving 1 ½ inch space at both ends. Fold the side along the length of the filling over the filling, tuck in both ends, and roll neatly. Keep the roll tight as you assemble. Moisten the other side of the wrapper with water to seal the edge. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap to retain moisture.
Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat, add oil to ½ inch depth and heat for 5 minutes. Slide 3 to 4 lumpias into the oil. Fry the rolls for 1 to 2 minutes, until all sides are golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.

Easy Potato Bake

16 oz sour cream
8 oz cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
32 oz frozen hashbrowns, thawed
1 cup crushed corn flakes
2 tbs butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375. Mix sour cream, cheese and soup in large bowl. Add potatoes; mix well. Spoon into greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Bake 45 minutes. Toss corn flake crumbs with butter; sprinkle over potato mixture, bake an additional 15 minutes.

Parmesan Potato Wedges

4 large baking potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Scrub unpeeled potatoes and cut into wedges. Place wedges, skin side down, in a single layer in a large baking dish. Mix remaining ingredients together in a small bowl. Brush evenly over potatoes and bake for 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve HOT. Kid friendly, and easy to do.

Oriental Sesame Chicken Salad

2 tbs Sesame Seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 packages ramen noodles, smashed
2 cups shredded lettuce
4 chopped green onions (optional)
1 small grated carrot
1/2 pound cooked, shredded chicken

Toast almonds, sesame seeds and noodles under the broiler until golden brown. Add rest of ingredients and mix together.

Dressing

3 tbs rice vinegar
3 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
seasoning packages from ramen noodles
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Blend ingredients together, top over mixture and chill for at least 3 hours.

My comfort food!

Paula's Macaroni and Cheese

Okay I love this recipe! It's a very RICH recipe though, so it works great as a side dish.

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups mozzerella cheese
2 cups medium cheddar cheese
8 oz large elbow macaroni
1 cup classic caesar croutons (crushed)
Salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350°, boil elbow macaroni until done. While it's boiling, heat heavy cream in a sauce pan slowly until it comes to a slow boil. Remove from heat and whisk in mozzerella and cheddar until smooth. Pour over macaroni and mix until covered. Stir in 3/4 cup of croutons. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup croutons over top. Bake uncovered for approx 10-15 mins or until top croutons are browned.

For a side dish, this can serve approx 6 people, for main dish approx 4 people.

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

I know that this sounds a little weird...but I promise it's good. It's a great way to "trick" any of the kids that don't like to eat their veggies. You can make it as a main dish...just add some chicken or have it as a side to something you know they will eat.

1 pound macaroni with lines, the girls love bow-tie
Salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves,
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 (10 ounce) box frozen cooked butter nut squash, defrosted
1 cup cream or half-and-half
2 cups (8 ounces) sharp Cheddar, grated
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Black pepper

Heat a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Salt the water then add the pasta and cook to al dente.
While pasta cooks, heat a medium heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and butter. When the butter melts into the oil, add the thyme and grate the onion directly into the pot with a hand held grater. Cook the grated onion in butter and oil 1 to 2 minutes, then add flour and cook together 1 to 2 more minutes. Whisk in stock, then combine with butternut squash until warmed through and smooth.(If you have a immersion mixer, us it! If not, I always put the stock and squash into the blender and get it smooth before hand, it saves a lot of time and there are no lumps.) Stir in cream or half-and-half and bring sauce to a bubble. Stir in cheeses in a figure 8 motion and season the completed sauce with salt, nutmeg and pepper.
Drain cooked pasta well and combine with sauce.

The Meal of Love

This photo is The Pioneer Woman's. This photo is mine. LOL

I made this on Valentines Day and

OH.

MY.

GOSH.


was it good!!

Here are the links from The Pioneer Woman's site:

Roasted Garlic: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/the_meal_of_love_part_one/

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/the_meal_of_love_part_2_roasted_garlic_mashed_potatoes/
Pan-Fried Ribeye Steak: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/pan-fried_ribeye_steak_heaven_in_a_skillet/

Parmesan Buttered Rice

Ingredients:

White rice (I just use my rice cooker - but you could do Minute Rice)
1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese (I buy the cheese in the tub from the refrigerated cheese area)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (I could do without the parsely, honestly.)

Directions: In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter until browned. Place rice in a serving dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Pour butter over rice; cover and let stand for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

I've used a deeper serving dish than pictured above, so I layer the rice, butter and cheese a few times to distribute the cheese better.