Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

This was one of my first forays into cooking Mexican food at home, and it was delicious! This is a Cook's Illustrated recipe from "The Best International Recipes" cookbook.

Sauce and Filling
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
3 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons freshly ground coriander
2 teaspoons freshly ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 thighs), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
2 cans tomato sauce (8 ounces each)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 can (4 ounces) pickled jalapenos , drained and chopped (about 1/4 cup)
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese , grated (2 cups)
10 corn tortillas (six-inch)
2 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese (1/2 cup)

Toppings
3/4 cup sour cream
1 avocado , diced medium
5 leaves romaine lettuce washed, dried, and shredded
2 limes , quartered

FOR THE SAUCE AND FILLING: Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 300 degrees.

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, salt, and sugar; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until coated with spices, about 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce and 1/4 cup water; stir to separate chicken pieces. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through
and flavors have melded, about 8 minutes.

Pour mixture through medium-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on chicken and onions to extract as much sauce as possible; set sauce aside. Transfer chicken mixture to large plate; freeze for 10 minutes to cool, then combine with cilantro, jalapenos, and cheese in medium bowl and set aside.

TO ASSEMBLE: Smear entire bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish with 3/4 cup chili sauce. Place tortillas on two baking sheets. Spray both sides lightly with cooking spray. Bake until tortillas are soft and pliable, about 4 minutes. Place warm tortillas on counter-top. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Place 1/3 cup filling down center of each tortilla.

Roll each tortilla tightly by hand and place in baking dish, side by side, seam-side down. Pour remaining chili sauce over top of enchiladas. Use back of spoon to spread sauce so it coats
top of each tortilla. Sprinkle 1/4 cup grated cheese down center of enchiladas.

Cover baking dish with foil. Bake enchiladas on lower-middle rack until heated through and cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and serve immediately, passing sour cream, avocado, lettuce, and lime wedges separately.

Alright, here are some pictures of me actually making this dish!
So, this photo shows the importance of having everything you need at your disposal before you put anything on heat. This is critical to getting the timing of dishes right, so don't skip this really important step!









This is the sauce simmering with the chicken.













This is the filling for the enchiladas! Mmmm!













Lastly, this is the beginning of my warmed corn tortilla assembly line. It was a delicious assembly line : - )

Southwestern Style Sour Cream

This dip is shockingly delicious. It has a wonderful spicy, herby, and garlicky taste. And its (mostly) my own creation! (I adapted the spice mixture from an Emeril recipe for vertical roasted chicken with poultry rub.)

Anyways, there aren't any real "tips" for this recipe b/c it is so friggin' simple. Enjoy!

1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp freshly made chili powder
1 tsp paprika (smoked paprika optional)
1 tsp freshly ground cumin
1 tsp dried basil, crushed with your fingers
1 tsp dried oregano, crushed with your fingers
1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed with your fingers
1/2 tsp freshly ground coriander
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne, optional
16 oz sour cream
1 tsp garlic, finely minced
1 Tbsp fresh chives, finely minced
1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely minced

Mix the spices together. Reserve all but 1 1/2 tsp for another purpose.

Mix the 1 1/2 tsp of the spice mixture, garlic, and fresh herbs into the sour cream. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Use as your would plain sour cream (e.g., as a dip for tortilla chips, on a baked potato or eggs, or in chili).

Turkey Shepherd's Pie

This is a fantastic way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers. I highly recommend it!

A few tips:

• If using gravy instead of some of the stock, make sure to not add too much salt to the sauce - it will reduce and then become too salty. Ye be warned!
• If you use the stock instead of the gravy, you'll need a bit more flour when adding the flour to appropriately thicken
• Dark turkey stock is just like dark chicken stock, except made with a turkey. It's pretty tasty stuff.
• Two pounds of mashed potatoes may be too much, but (a) is there really such a thing as too much potatoes??, and (b) you can just remove some.
  
• If you're feeling bold, add the brandy separate from the stock mixture and flambe it!
  

On to the recipe! This is a combination of two other recipes and my own ideas.

1 1/4 cups dark turkey or chicken stock
1 cup leftover turkey or chicken gravy (or an additional 1 cup stock)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ground black pepper
Dash hot sauce
3 Tbsp brandy
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup chopped yellow onions (1 medium-to-large onion)
2 carrots, chopped 1/4 inch rounds
1 rib celery, chopped into 1/4 inch slices
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (or 3 if using stock instead of gravy)
1 bay leaf
1 cup fresh or frozen peas, thawed
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 lb leftover cooked turkey, cut into bite-size pieces
3 Tbsp parsley
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary
2 lbs leftover mashed potatoes
3/4 cup white cheddar, grated (optional, but delicious!)

Preheat the oven to 400.

Mix together the stock, gravy, milk, Worcestershire, black pepper, hot sauce, and brandy. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring, for 5-7 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until starting to color, about 2-3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Gradually add the stock mixture and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes (less if using gravy b/c it will already be a bit thicker).

Add the peas, corn, turkey, parsley, thyme, and rosemary, and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and remove the bay leaf. Top with the mashed potatoes, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake until browned and bubbly on top, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Ginger cookies with a kick!

These are seriously delicious ginger cookies. And fairly healthy for you too! It has been adapted from a Cook's Illustrated recipe.

One note: consider substituting the chocolate chips for dried cherries, cranberries or raisins. This would also be delicious. Also, considering adding almond or vanilla extract, if you feel so inclined.

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, minced very finely
1 cup chocolate chips

Adjust oven racks to low and middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees.

In bowl of electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time.

Mix flour, salt, baking powder, ground ginger, nutmeg, and oats together. Stir them into butter-sugar mixture in the electric mixer. Remove the dough from the mixer and put into a bowl. Stir in the chocolate chips and crystallized ginger.

Form dough into balls, placing each one onto parchment-covered cookie sheets. Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. Wait 5 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving.

Dunk into milk and enjoy.

Greek Style "Pizza" Quiche

This is a wonderful quiche recipe, which I definitely like. I called it "pizza" style because the crust bakes up very hard and crisp like a pizza, and the toppings are pizza-esque. You should give it a try : - )

A few tips:

• The dough is going to shrink on you, so just be warned.
• The custard (i.e., the egg and milk mixture) may seep out of the crust if there are any holes, so you want to bake this quiche on a cookie sheet.
  
• It is really key that you keep the dough nice and cold. The reason why is that you want the butter to stay in its solid form until it goes into the oven. The reason for that is that when the butter melts it will actually create steam in the dough, and this is what gives the dough its nice flaky texture. If you don't mind your dough tasting like cardboard, then don't bother keeping everything cold. But I don't think you'll like that.
• You can substitute milk (even skim milk) for the half-and-half, but it won't taste quite as rich. You can also substitute cream for the half-and-half, but I find that a bit too rich.
• This crust recipe is a little bit more involved b/c it is designed to make a really crisp crust. Too often the crust gets water-logged while baking and ends up really mushy, which I find not too appealing. Thus, I borrowed the crisp crust recipe from Cook's Illustrated.
  
• About a pound of dried beans make an excellent pie shell weight. The reason for these weights is to prevent the dough from puffing up while it is prebaking (this is the same reason we poke it with lots of holes before putting it in the freezer).
  

And here's the recipe! The crust is an adaptation of a Cook's Illustrated crust, but the toppings are my own creation. Enjoy : - )

6.25 oz unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp granulated sugar
8 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 1/4” x 1/4” pieces, frozen
2-3 Tbsp ice water
1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup half-and-half
3 eggs
Dash freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp fresh oregano, minced
8-10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half or thirds (depending on how big)
4 oz feta cheese, preferably sheep’s milk, crumbled
5 oz frozen spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained

Put the flour and food processor bowl/blade into the freezer at least 30 minutes prior to making the dough. Also put a medium mixing bowl into the freezer.

Put the flour, salt, and sugar into the food processor fitted with the chilled blade and bowl. Pulse together with three 1-second pulses. Add the butter and pulse together with five to ten 1-second pulses, or until crumbly.

Add 2 tablespoons of the ice water. See if the dough, when pressed in your hand, stays together. If not, add one more tablespoon. Test again. If still not, add one more tablespoon. Move the pieces to a chilled bowl. Without kneading the dough, press into a ball and immediately wrap in plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375.

Take dough ball out of refrigerator and put on a well-floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the ball into a 13-inch diameter circle. Place this circle into the tart pan and press down. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Take out of freeze, unwrap, and poke the dough all over with a fork to create lots of small holes. Put a double layer, extra-wide sheet of tin foil that has been sprayed with oil over the tart pan, making sure to cover all the edges. Place pie weights (e.g., 10 oz of dried beans is good) on the tin foil. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the surface of the dough begins to look dry.

Meanwhile, fry to onions in the garlic for approximately 7 minutes in the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and fry for an additional minute. Set aside to cool.

At this point, take the pan out of the oven, remove the tin foil and weights, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the surface is golden brown. Pull it out and let cool partially.

Whisk the eggs, half-and-half, nutmeg, pepper, and oregano together. Add the onion mixture, spinach, feta, and tomatoes into the tart pan. Pour the custard over this.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the center of the tart feels firm to the touch and the crust is nicely browned. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. When ready to serve, remove tart pan ring, and gently slide thin-bladed spatula between tart pan bottom and crust to loosen, then slide tart to

Spiced Pumpkin Cookies with Raisins and Oatmeal

Mmmm.... how I love fall food. Like pumpkins. And cookies.

The following is an adaptation of a Food Network recipe found here.

A few tips

• These cookies do not really change shape much during the baking (e.g., they don't flatten out very much), so I recommend shaping them into a ball and then flattening them the way you would a burger patty. This will make them much more "cookie" like in terms of shape.
• I used a medium-grade molasses, but having tried them I think a light grade would be better.
  
• I prefer Red Flame raisins for this recipe, which are larger and more moist than your standard Thompson raisins. (This is the same variety favored by Zingermans Deli in their famous and amazingly delicious cinnamon raisin bread).
• Do not mistake pumpkin pie filling for pure pumpkin puree. They are not the same, and are not interchangeable in recipes. Pumpkin pie filling has all manner of things in it besides pumpkin like sugars and spices. Pure pumpkin puree is just pumpkin.
  
• The raisins could easily be substituted for other things like crystallized ginger, dried cranberries, currants, chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, or just about anything else you'd like : - )
• I haven't tried it yet, but I bet that maple syrup (grade B preferably) would be an excellent substitute for the molasses.
  

1 1/3 cups whole-wheat flour (approx. 6 oz)
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal (or whatever is approx. 4 oz)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup canned plain pumpkin puree
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup light molasses
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg in a
large bowl.

Whisk pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, butter and molasses in a second bowl until well combined. Stir the wet ingredients and raisins into the dry ingredients until no traces of dry ingredients remain.

Grease the cookie sheets or use parchment paper. Roll the batter into little balls (about 1 inch in diameter), and then flatten each one on the cookie sheets. Bake the cookies for approximately 15-18 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Homemade Applesauce! And Apple Butter!

Homemade applesauce is seriously amazing! I tried it for the first time this weekend and it simply blew me away - I wasn't expecting it to taste nearly as good as it did.

A few tips

• Use a variety of apple types. I don't recall which types I used, but it was at least 4 varieties.
  
• Buy one of these apple peeler/corer/slicer - it seriously will make this recipe (and any other recipe that calls for peeling, coring, and slicing apples go way faster.
  
• I like organic apples b/c apples have one of the highest pesticide application rates of any fruit of vegetable (along with strawberries).
• You can add a variety of things to applesauce to change it around: raisins, cranberries, cloves, ginger, crystallized ginger, maple syrup, nutmeg - the list goes on an on.
• A read a blog post that suggested baking applesauce in a halved acorn squash with toasted walnuts, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sounds delicious!
• Naturally, applesauce is delicious in oatmeal on a cold fall or winter morning!
  

Here's the applesauce recipe! It is a version adapted from The Yellow Farmhouse cookbook, which was written by the editor if Cook's Illustrated (a book I highly recommend - excellent recipes!)

3.5 lbs apples (about 9-10 apples), peeled, cored, and sliced
2 Tbsp apple cider
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 honey
1 1x3 inch piece of lemon zest
1 3 inch cinnamon stick
Pinch salt (optional)

Place the prepared apples in a nonreactive 3 or 4 quart saucepan and toss with cider, lemon juice, and honey. Stir to coat. Add the lemon zest and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook over medium until simmering. Turn down to low and simmer very gently for approximately 30 minutes or until the applies are very tender. Stir frequently.

Raise the heat slightly to medium and cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes, beating frequently with a whisk. Add a small pinch salt if desired.

And here is the apple butter recipe! (Which is also a Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook recipe)

1 recipe applesauce above (or 4 cups applesauce)
1/4 cup apple cider
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Stir the first 4 ingredients together and place in a casserole dish. Bake at 325 for 3 hours, stirring every half hour. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and return to the oven for an additional 1. Let cool and then enjoy!