Tex-Mex Gooey Casserole

Am I doing better? I'm trying not to make it 2 weeks again before you see another post from me :)

As I browsed for recipes one day involving stew meat (they had it on sale at H.E.B.), I was surprised to find this recipe for Tex-Mex Gooey Casserole. I just was not expecting to find anything Tex-Mex when I started searching for stew meat recipes. Now, as you look at this recipe, you'll notice that, unless you were out say...chopping trees all day, there's really no health value in this recipe. That said, I still thought it looked good. Plus, I don't make a lot of Emeril's recipes, so I thought this would be fun to try.

Ingredients

Yield 6 servings (Krista Kooks was able to make 8-10 servings from this recipe)

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 pound ground beef (Krista Kooks used Ground Turkey)
1 pound diced stew meat
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste (Read this on Tomato Paste)
4 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
3 cups beef stock
10 flour tortillas
2 cups grated Medium Cheddar cheese
2 cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 9 by 2-inch square baking dish. In a large skillet, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ground beef and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the diced meat and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato paste. Stir in the tomatoes and stock. Simmer the mixture for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and cool. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the chili mixture on the bottom of the prepared pan. Lay two tortillas on top of the chili mixture. Sprinkle the top of the tortillas with the Cheddar and Jack cheese. Repeat the layering process until all of the chili, tortillas and cheese are used. (The final layer should be cheese) Place the pan in the oven and bake until the cheese has melted, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before slicing.

Ooeey gooey goodness!

This was one of those recipes that was great as leftovers, that's for sure. Also, I didn't read the comments on this recipe before making it, but it definitely taught me to read the comments before making a recipe, if comments are available. A lot of people suggested using corn tortillas instead of flour; I can definitely see that being tasty, but I liked it just fine with flour. The reason for wanting corn tortillas has a lot to do with the meat mixture being soupy;flour tortillas soak up that juice a lot quicker making the casserole soggy. Well, I saw that one coming while making the recipe, so I strained the meat mixture as I spooned the mixture into the pan. Thus, our casserole wasn't soggy. Also, my sous chef and I didn't think this mixture was very "Tex-Mex" as there wasn't the same sort of spice as you would expect from tex mex. I think some red chili pepper flakes or fresh jalepenos or something should be added to the meat mixture.

Otherwise, this is a yummy and tasty family recipe!

Creamed Spinach

Wow, so sorry all! It's been really busy around the Krista Kooks household. Among many other things, I was preparing for our housewarming parties that we had this past weekend. Believe it or not, I forgot to take pictures of all the food! Thus, I won't have any posts from the food at the party :( Sad day. That said, I have plenty of other things to share!

That said, to resume my posts on exciting things I've cooked, I'm sharing some creamed spinach with you. I selected Tyler Florence's recipe on FoodNetwork.com. My sous chef loved it and ate it all up! This makes a great side dish, as it did for our pork tenderloin.

Potato, Spinach and Tomato Soup

So, last week, I caught some kind of cold. Yuck! I never really like soup, as I mentioned before in my Cheddar Soup with Tortilla Crunchies post. That soup changed my opinion, yes, but I'm still skeptical of soups in general. That said, I could tell my body really needed some fluid, and I was hungry! FYI, I do not keep canned soup in the house.

I did a search on FoodNetwork.com and found this recipe that let me use stuff that I had on hand in the house, which is always helpful. I did quarter this recipe since I was only making this for myself, but the recipe calls for a 28oz. can of tomatoes when making the full recipe. I personally didn't think that 1/4 of that was enough when making my quartered recipe. Thus, I used a 15 oz. can, and I felt that portion was appropriate for this amount.

This is Rachael Ray another soup that helped point me towards liking the idea of soups a little more. Shhh, I had 2 bowls :) This was really delicious!

Breakfast Scramble

I definitely need more breakfast recipes on my blog, don't ya think? I do. Since I had some breakfast sausage left at my house from Christmas, I decided to cook up some sausage and egg combintation for my sous chef; he really loves that kind of stuff.

After taking a quick browse on FoodNetwork.com, I decided upon this recipe to give me some help. The following is my adaption of that recipe:

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 lb. sausage
1/4 large white onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
6 large eggs
4 flour tortillas
Shredded Mix cheese

Directions

Heat an iron skillet and lightly spray with the cooking spray. Add the sausage and break up into small pieces. Cook thoroughly. Drain grease if any has accumulated.

Add the onion, garlic, green chiles and cilantro. Saute until the onions have softened, about 1 minute. Add the eggs. Stir until the egg is scrambled and thoroughly cooked.

Warm the tortillas in toaster oven or on top of a stove burner. Divide egg mixture equally among the 4 tortillas. Fold each tortilla up like a burrito or a cone and top each with 1/4 of the cheese.
My sous chef was very excited when he woke up to see this on the stove! If you want to anything else to this scramble, small diced potatoes would be a great addition as well. You could also add some chile peppers for some spice!

Chili Lime Tilapia

A fellow Nestie shared her recipe for Chili Lime Tilapia one day, and I was determined to make the recipe that night after having a look at her recipe and photos. I had already purchased Tilapia intending to request that my sous chef make it for me (seeing as how he is better at cooking fish than I). Normally he makes a delicious lemon pepper tilapia, but I had to beg that he work with me this time to make this Chili Lime Tilapia. After devouring this delicious recipe, he agreed that this was the way to go for dinner that night!

We absolutely loved the tang of this recipe and of course how healthy you feel after eating fish for dinner.

Thanks Bakin' and Eggs!

Flank Steak over Corn-Kernel Polenta

Again, beef lovers, you may not enjoy this post, but if you like Polenta, stick around. That said, I’ve now discovered that I do not like Polenta!!! As I read this recipe, prepared this recipe and even smelled this recipe, my mouth was watering. I could not wait to try this yummy stuff that I had never had before! I’d watched it being prepared on TV so many times, but I’d never tasted it. I thought a recipe containing actual kernels of corn would taste even better! Um… no. I was wrong. I despised this Polenta. I had 3 quarts of it and threw it all in the trash. Gross.

That said, if you like Polenta, this might be your kind of recipe. It just wasn’t for me.

On the other hand, the directions for preparing this flank steak and its accompanying sauce were TERRIFIC!!! I’ve since made this sauce again. I can’t sing it’s praises enough! I thought it was completely bizarre that I was making a steak sauce beginning with a cup and a half of alcohol, but I no longer think it’s weird at all. Please, if you love flank steak…do your taste buds a favor and treat them with this amazing steak and sauce.

Source: Food & Wine

Ingredients:
5 1/2 cups water
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups fresh (cut from about 3 ears) or frozen corn kernels
1 1/3 cups coarse or medium cornmeal
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 1/2 pounds flank steak
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup brandy or bourbon

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the water, 1 3/4 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the thyme to a boil. Stir in the corn and cook until tender, 5 minutes for fresh, 1 minute for frozen. Add the cornmeal in a slow stream, whisking. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until very thick, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the butter.

2. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Sprinkle the steak with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Add the meat to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Turn and cook to your taste, about 5 minutes longer for medium rare, depending on the thickness. Remove.

3. Reduce the heat to moderately low. Add the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon thyme, the wine, and the brandy and stir to dislodge any brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Boil until reduced to approximately 1/4 cup, 3 to 4 minutes. Slice the steak across the grain and on the diagonal. Serve the steak over a bed of corn polenta, with the sauce drizzled over all.

Seafood Pasta with Sherry Tomato Cream Sauce

My wonderful sous chef told me he was craving a recipe with shrimp as part of the recipe, so I decided to deliver! He’s not usually a fan of mushrooms, but this one looked so good, I decided to make it anyway. I’m glad I did because we ate every bit of this!!! I think it’s probably difficult to go wrong with a pasta and cream sauce, but still. I think I really need to consider making this a staple recipe in our household because it’s so quick and simple! This is most definitely a 30 minute meal if not a 20 minute meal. I know my mother would love it also, as there are very few dishes involved in the preparation :)

Source:

Click here for the recipe.

The clickable link recipe is a little different from that in Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book. The book's recipe suggests that you use any kind of small seafood meat, such as shrimp or crab meat in addition to the lobster suggested in the recipe on FoodNetwork.com. Thus, we used shrimp.

Eat up!

Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Pepper and Black Olive Sauce

I know I’m a tad crazy for wanting to make this recipe, simply because of the cost of the meat I purchased, but oh my goodness was it oh so good! If you are not a beef fan, I’m sure this post doesn’t look so appetizing, but, if you are, WOW! Surely you can just look at it and see the tenderness of this tenderloin, right?!

Source:

Click here for the recipe.

Anyhow, the sauce for this tenderloin was made in my trusty Magic Bullet, as are most recipes that call for a food processor or blender. I do own a blender, but I do not own a food processor. Rather than use my blender, I prefer to use my Magic Bullet because sauce clump and cake up at the bottom of a blender; you don’t encounter this problem with the Magic Bullet!

Here’s our delicious meal with the Parsley-Paprika Potatoes and the Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Pepper and Black Olive Sauce.

Parsley-Paprika Potatoes

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! I'm still playing some catch up on all the recipes I've made this month. These mashed potatoes were a fabulous side dish to our dinner early this month (the main dish is next to come).

This recipe, once again, comes from Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book. We thought these potatoes were fabulous! We liked the spice of the hot sauce and the flavor of the sweet paprika all at once.

Ingredients:

4 pounds baby red-skinned or baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved if large

Salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, a couple of handfuls, finely chopped

2 teaspoons hot sauce

1 tablespoon sweet paprika, a palmful

Black Pepper

Place the potatoes in a deep pot and cover with water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. When the water boils, salt the water and cook the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the hot pot. Add the butter, stock, parsley, hot sauce, and paprika and smash the potatoes to the desired consistency. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper to taste.

Elsa's Baked Ziti

Believe it or not, even without a real oven, I was able to make this delicious ziti recipe for lunch one day! It was extremely easy and quick. The original recipe is for 4-6 people, but I halved the recipe. I think what makes this ziti recipe so different than the others is the McCormick's grill seasoning. While it sounds odd to add grill seasoning to your pasta, it's actually quite tasty against the ricotta texture!

Source:
Ingredients

Salt
1 pound ziti rigate (with ridges) or rigatoni
2 cups ricotta cheese
Grill Seasoning, such as McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning
A couple of handfuls of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon EVOO (extra-virgin-olive-oil)
1 to 2 garlic cloves, chopped
Crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
A few fresh basil leaves, torn or chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water, add the pasta, and cook to al dente.

Drain the ricotta cheese in a strainer or a colander lined with paper towels. Place the drained ricotta in a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish and season with some grill seasoning and a few handfuls of Parm Cheese.

While the pasta cooks, heat the EVOO in a small pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes and sauté for minute or two, then stir in the tomatoes and basil. Reduce the heat to low.

Drain the pasta and toss with the cheese mixture. Add the tomato sauce, top the pasta with more Parm, and bake until the cheese browns, about 15 minutes.

This is an easy dinner meal or an easy one to prepare for to go lunches for the week!

Recipes Not Requiring an Oven or a Stove

Are you going through a kitchen remodel? Has your stove quit on you? Did the oven bake itself and die? Haha! If you are out of your stove or your oven, hopefully the few recipes I've shared here will be able to help you. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I actually added a 'No-Stove' and 'No-Oven' tag to the tags of my blog. Each recipe I post, I tag them if they do not require an oven, a stove, or both.

So, if you are looking for a recipe that doesn't require and oven, look to the right and click on the 'No-Oven' tab. Your search results will provide you with recipes not requiring you to "set the oven to 350." :) The same applies to any recipes that you would like to find that do not require a stove/cooktop. Some of them don't require either!

I hope this helps you in making it though without one of your major kitchen appliances! The KristaKooks kitchen is currently making it through without an oven. I'm in your shoes!

Devilish Sesame Chicken with Green Beans and Scallion Rice

I did not start eating Chinese food until college, I think, simply because I never knew I liked it! I don't remember the first time I had it, but now I love it! When I read through this recipe, I was confident I would love this recipe. Although, as I prepared the meal, I had my doubts. I need not have had those doubts because this is an absolutely delicious meal. My sous chef and I gobbled this one up!

This recipe comes from Rachael Ray's Big Orange book, but it is apparently also found in her Everyday Magazine. The portions of this recipe that I will list are those that come from her Big Orange Book, which is part of the 'Meals for One' chapter. Thus, the recipe listed below is meant for one, but the clickable recipe above is the portions for 4 servings.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1/4 cup white rice
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 scallions, finely chopped
Salt
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 rounded teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon tamari (aged soy sauce)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:
In a small skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the rice and toast for a minute or two, then add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock. Stir and reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a small plate or aluminum foil, and cook until the rice is tender, about 17 minutes. Add the scallions to the rice in the last minute of cooking time.

Bring 1 inch of water to to a boil in a second small pan and salt it. Add the beans and cook for 2 minutes, then drain them and run them under cold water to set the green color. Set aside.

When the rice has cooked for about 8 minutes, heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over high heat until it ripples. Add the chicken and cook until it is lightly golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the hot sauce, mustard, tamari, honey, and the remaining 1/4 cup chicken stock.

Add the green beans to the chicken and peppers and toss for 1 minute. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and toss for a minutes or two to heat through. Remove from the heat and drizzle the sesame oil over the chicken.

Fluff the rice with a fork and transfer to a shallow bowl. Top with the chicken and garnish with the sesame seeds.
We were very impressed with the taste of freshness, the flavor filled rice, and the overall impressive taste of this recipe!

Oh, and HAPPY 70TH BIRTHDAY NANA!

Creamy Chicken and Rigatoni

Can I just say, OMG DELICIOUS!!!! I am telling you right now, you have no reason not to make this meal...unless your stove is out. That's the only reason I'll allow. We thought this was one of the best pastas we have ever eaten.

I resorted to an older cookbook of mine for this pasta. The cookbook is an oldie but goodie. I actually used it for the Italian Sausage Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper Cream post.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) dice tomatoes, well drained
1 cup whipping (heavy) cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red (cayenne) pepper
1 1/3 cups uncooked rigatoni pasta (4 ounces)
1/2 bag (16-0unce size) frozen broccoli, red pepper, onions and mushrooms, thawed and well drained
Shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired

Directions:
Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, garlic, basil and oregano in oil about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until chicken is no longer pink in center.

Stir in tomatoes, whipping cream, salt, pepper and red pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Stir pasta and vegetables into chicken mixture; cook until hot. Serve with cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

If you are making this for a family of 4, I would suggest doubling the recipe. I made the full recipe for the 2 of us, and we only had one serving left for leftovers.

Again, we were completely surprised as how flavorful and tasty this pasta tasted, and I'm already thinking about when I need to make it again. Note: I rarely make anything twice.

Baby Red Potato Salad

It's been a while ago, but one night I decided I would make a healthier 'meat and potatoes' dish for my sous chef. When I think healthy, I think Gina. :) Thus, I decided to try her Baby Red Potato Salad as a side for our steaks.

You should definitely have a look at her posting of this salad as I let our potatoes cook too long, thus mine have a mushier texture. Personally, I like potatoes that way, even in potato salad, so it wasn't a problem for us. However, I can imagine that most people would probably like them much better as Gina made them since they weren't so mushy.

That said, these were a yummy and refreshing side!

Sautéed Zucchini with Plum Tomatoes

When I made the Mac N' Seafood the other night, I wanted a great side to go with it. Thus, I check out Gina's blog once more. I love what she cooks up! I decided upon this fresh and tasy side: Sautéed Zucchini with Plum Tomatoes. Don't be discouraged by the Herbs de Provence though; I highly suggest making these types of spice blends on your own. I used Emeril's recipe for Herbs De Provence to make my own blend. I went to Bed Bath & Beyond to buy a few of these to make my spice blends. They are magnetic and are affixed to our refrigerator.

We really loved the fresh taste of this recipe since it's basically all fresh ingredients! It's also a very quick side dish.

Here's the side dish accompanying the Mac N' Seafood!

Mac N' Seafood

Several weeks ago, I was very eager to make something with scallops. My intrigue was sparked by the weekly grocery ads as they were supposedly on sale. Little did I know that the nearest 2 HEB stores (a grocery store in Texas) to me did not have seafood counters! I didn't know that was even possible! I then ventured to our nearest Kroger (yes, that would be my third trip to a grocery store just to find scallops), and even they didn't have fresh scallops. I had buy them in the bag. Not the worst thing in the world, but it still wasn't what I set out to buy.

Nonetheless, I had my sights set on making Rachael Ray's Milk Mac N' Seafood. (Note: It's only called Milk Mac N' Seafood because, that week, she was gearing up for the Oscars and chose to highlight each movie up for film of the year with it's own recipe.)

Ingredients

1 bulb garlic
1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus additional for drizzling
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1/4 cup (about a handful) flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
1 pound macaroni or small shells
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine or sherry
1 1/2 cups milk
A few grates fresh nutmeg
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese
1 pound bay scallops

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Slice 1/4 of an inch off the top of the garlic bulb, exposing the top of all cloves. Place garlic onto a small piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with EVOO. Enclose garlic in a small pouch and roast in oven until cloves are deep golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Squeeze roasted garlic cloves out of bulb and into a medium mixing bowl. Mash into a paste with a fork. Add breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, some salt and pepper to bowl, and stir to combine. Reserve.

Place a large pot of water over high heat to boil water. When water comes up to a full boil, season with salt. Drop macaroni and cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain cooked pasta and reserve in pot it was cooked in.

Place a medium saucepan over medium-high heat with the butter. When the butter has melted, sprinkle the flour over top and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in the white wine, milk, nutmeg, some salt and pepper into the sauce and bring up to a bubble. Simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Yields: 4-6 servings

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Slice 1/4 of an inch off the top of the garlic bulb, exposing the top of all cloves. Place garlic onto a small piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with EVOO. Enclose garlic in a small pouch and roast in oven until cloves are deep golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Squeeze roasted garlic cloves out of bulb and into a medium mixing bowl. Mash into a paste with a fork. Add breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, some salt and pepper to bowl, and stir to combine. Reserve.

Place a large pot of water over high heat to boil water. When water comes up to a full boil, season with salt. Drop macaroni and cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain cooked pasta and reserve in pot it was cooked in.

Place a medium saucepan over medium-high heat with the butter. When the butter has melted, sprinkle the flour over top and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in the white wine, milk, nutmeg, some salt and pepper into the sauce and bring up to a bubble. Simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Remove the sauce from heat and stir in bay scallops, 1 cup Parmigiano (eyeball it) and Gruyere, reserving a handful of Gruyere for the tops. Stir to melt cheeses then toss sauce with cooked pasta. Transfer mac to six ramekins and top with the reserved breadcrumb mixture and the reserved cheese.

Arrange ramekins on a baking sheet and bake until tops are golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 25 minutes. Serve warm.

I absolutely loved this dish! While mac n' cheese is good, it can sometimes make you feel sluggish. This recipe was not the normal mac n' cheese and tasted very fresh! I think you could even make this with shrimp also if you wanted.