Empanadas . . . a tasty treat!

"An empanada (called pastel in Brazilian Portuguese) is a stuffed bread or pastry baked or fried in many countries in South Europe, Latin America, and parts of Southeast Asia. The name comes from the Galician, Portuguese and Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. 

Empanadas are made by folding dough or bread around stuffing, which usually consists of a variety of meat, cheese, huitlacoche, vegetables or fruits, among others."

Source:  Wikipedia

click on the link for more history of the empanada

Today is National Empanada Day . . . if you have never had an empanada, let the celebration begin and try out an empanada recipe (links for recipes listed at the end of this post).  They can be as simple or as difficult to make as you like, depending on the method used :)

For as long as I can remember, empanadas have been a part of my life.  As a child, my nana made the most delicious sweet empanadas with guava and cream cheese.   As an adult, I made them stuffed with Italian sausage with peppers and onions cooked in a savory tomato sauce and lots of mozzarella cheese.  You can stuff them with whatever you like . . . great for leftovers!

As I think of these delicious treats, it occurs to me that you can take plain ole buttered American sandwich bread, place a generous portion or two (or three) of sliced guava paste (found in the ethnic section of your grocery store) and lots of cream cheese . . .  prepare in a sandwich maker, toast in the oven or grill in a pan (like a grilled cheese sandwich).  Not quite an empanada, but equally tasty!

My original recipe for empanada dough was lost, along with a huge notebook of  my favorite recipes and I still have not found a recipe that is up to the standards of the original recipe, but I'm still searching!  In the past, I used Hot Roll Mix, but it has been difficult to find at the grocery store.  So . . . to celebrate National Empanada Day, I decided to go on a search expedition for all types of recipes that I can start experimenting with.

About.com has an awesome section on empanadas!  That is where I am going to begin my search.

An excellent website dedicated to empanada recipes!


All About Empanadas from Laylita


Simple Empanada Dough and Fillings from My Columbian Recipes

There are plenty of recipes on these websites to get started discovering the delicious world of empanadas.  Enjoy . . . and Happy National Empanada Day!

Chicken and Rice ~ Two variations

Since we found that awesome little neighborhood meat market and deli that runs ridiculously cheap specials on chicken, don't you know we have been eating a lot of chicken.  I've said it before, but it is worth repeating . . . it is well worth the effort of looking for these little markets that offer package deals.  Even after getting a great deal on a package, our market will offer buy one get one free whole chickens.  Woohoo . . . double savings!!!  We usually buy a package that will provide us enough chicken for a whole month . . . so much cheaper buying this way!

To save on time, it is also a good idea to cook enough chicken in order to have leftovers for another meal.  Buy chicken stock and cream of chicken type soups when they are on sale to have on hand, they are awesome for putting together a delicious meal from leftovers.

The following two videos are all about chicken and rice . . . a great dish that is perfect for leftovers.  When you learn the basic techniques of putting these type of meals together, you can vary them to what you have on hand or what you like.

Beef-Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers

  Sunny Anderson adds Sazon to her stuffed peppers! 

Nice twist to plain stuffed peppers . . . and the use of cubanelle peppers is awesome :) Click here if embedded video is not working.

Sausage Stuffed Stuffing

Awesome appetizer and a quick and easy gravy!

Stuffed Jack-O-Lantern Bell Peppers

What a cute idea for Halloween!

This post is for presentation inspiration,

 not necessarily the recipe. 

Click here for the recipe.

Lots of Pumpkin Recipes

Everything's coming up

pumpkins!

As I cruise through the internet, Pinterest and emails from
 blogs I subscribe to, all the buzz is pumpkins and Halloween!

How about a collection of pumpkin recipes?

I'll keep adding new blog posts and recipes as I find them . . .

25 Outstanding Pumpkin Recipes

Almost Famous Pumpkin Cheesecake

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake

with Chocolate Shortcake Crust

Pumpkin Cake with Caramel Cider Sauce

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Amish Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Benny's Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Cinnamon Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

World's Easiest Pumpkin Bread

61 Pumpkin and Apple Recipes

3 Non-Pie Pumpkin Desserts

Pumpkin Roundup

mmm Pumpkin Recipes

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Creamy No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Spice Trifle

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Would you like your

 pumpkin recipe listed?

Leave me a comment

 with the link!

Sage Butter Macaroni and Four Cheese

This is comfort food at it's best!!

Better than plain mac 'n cheese is the decadence of four cheeses, sage and a delicious crunchy topping!!

One of my new favorite cooking shows is Ask Aida on The Cooking Channel . . . check it out sometime!  That is where I found this recipe.  The link to The Cooking Channel is listed after the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for baking dish

4 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1 cup)

1/4 cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs

1 pound macaroni

3 tablespoons thinly sliced sage

6 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese

4 ounces shredded aged Cheddar

4 ounces mascarpone cheese

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to broil and arrange rack in top. Butter a 9 by 9-inch baking dish and set aside. Melt 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter and mix in a medium bowl with 1 cup of the Parmigiano and all the bread crumbs until thoroughly moistened; set aside.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for half the time indicated on package.

Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it starts to foam, add sage and cook until crisp and butter begins to turn golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside until pasta is ready. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain pasta.

Return pasta to pot and place over low heat. Stir in sage butter, reserved pasta water, remaining 3 cups Parmigiano, Gruyere, Cheddar, mascarpone, and salt, and season with freshly ground black pepper. Stir constantly until cheeses are evenly melted and the pasta looks well coated. 

Turn pasta into baking dish and evenly top with bread crumb mixture. Place under broiler until mixture bubbles and top is browned, about 1 to 2 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Source: The Cooking Channel

German Chocolate Cake

This is the most gorgeous German Chocolate Cake I've ever seen!

German Chocolate Cake is definitely in my top ten favorite cakes and I have made it often for a special occasion or a weekday treat.  

By all means, use your chocolate cake from scratch recipe if you like, but for convenience, I love the semi-homemade idea of using a cake mix for the cake.  

The frosting in this recipe is homemade and sounds yummy . . . you can make it easier on yourself if you want to use canned frosting, which I have found to be awesome.  But I think I will be making my own frosting just to test out the recipe!

In my opinion, the gorgeous presentation makes this recipe super special, as well as the awesomeness of a German Chocolate Cake, whether you make it homemade, semi-homemade or totally from a box mix and canned frosting.  When I use the canned frosting, I always buy two cans to make it extra special . . . don't forget the chocolate frosting for embellishing!

The photo and recipe source is Mr. Food, who never lets me down.

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25-ounce) package chocolate cake mix, prepared according to package directions
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
• 2 cups shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup canned chocolate frosting

Directions

1. Bake cake according to package directions for 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Let cool.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sweetened condensed milk, butter, and vanilla. Cook about 5 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in pecans and coconut.
3. Place one cooled cake layer flat side down on a serving platter. Spread half the coconut mixture on top. Top with second cake layer and remaining coconut mixture.
4. In a small microwaveable bowl, microwave frosting 10 to 15 seconds, or until slightly thin. Drizzle over top and sides of cake. Store cake in refrigerator.

Source:  Mr. Food's website 

Fiesta Chicken Taco Cups

Love the concept of this recipe, using refrigerated crescent dinner rolls in a muffin tin to form these cups that can be used in a number of food combinations.

I'm not sold on the taco sauce with chicken, but with a little imagination, all types of recipes can be adapted from this basic idea.  I'm thinking more along the idea of italian sausage with peppers, onions and cheese . . . left over roast pork with barbeque sauce . . . something similar to chicken pot pie . . . breakfast cups with scrambled eggs, ham and cheese.

You can even use this idea for dessert . . . apple pie filling with a cream cheese topping . . . whatever you like!!  The possibilities are endless :)))  I love these type of food discoveries!

Wouldn't it be awesome to make these in different variations as appetizers for a party?

I'm an advocate of using leftovers for other meals . . . this idea is perfect for using those small quantities of food leftovers to make a meal with variety or lunches to go?  I'm sure these little cups would reheat in a microwave at work with no problem.

Now that I've got you thinking of alternatives . . . the original recipe follows!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups refrigerated taco sauce with seasoned chicken (from 18-oz container)

1/2 cup Green Giant® Niblets® frozen corn (from 1-lb bag)

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup finely shredded Mexican cheese blend (2 oz)

Sour cream, salsa or sliced ripe olives, if desired

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°F. 

Spray 8 medium muffin cups with cooking spray. 

In 1-quart saucepan, heat taco sauce with chicken over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated.

Unroll dough and separate into 4 rectangles; press each into 8x4-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. 

Cut each in half crosswise, making 8 squares. 

Sprinkle both sides of each square with cornmeal. 

Press each in bottom and up side of muffin cup; turn edges of dough under, pressing to extend 1/4 inch above edge of cup.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons chicken mixture into each cup. 

Sprinkle cheese over each.

Bake 12 to 17 minutes or until edges are deep golden brown. 

Cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes; remove from muffin cups. 

Serve warm.

Nutrition Information:

1 Serving (1 Serving)

• Calories 340
• (Calories from Fat 140),

• Total Fat 15g
• (Saturated Fat 6g,),
• Cholesterol 45mg;
• Sodium 1330mg;
• Total Carbohydrate 38g
• (Dietary Fiber 3g,
• Sugars 10g),
• Protein 14g;

Percent Daily Value*

:

Exchanges:  

• 2 1/2 Starch;
• 1 Lean Meat;
• 2 Fat;

Carbohydrate Choices:

• 2 1/2;

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Recipe and photo source:  Betty Crocker . . . always a great source for awesome recipes and food inspiration!

Country Turkey Casserole

Your guests will think you worked for hours in the kitchen!  

They'd never guess how quick and easy this recipe is . . . one of those semi-homemade meals that I love so much.  Of course it includes Campbell's Soup, which is the best secret I have for semi-homemade cooking.

You can also use your leftovers or substitute a store-bought rotisserie chicken for the turkey.  Since I love broccoli and corn so much, I would consider including them in my meal.  Substitute whatever you like!

Low fat or no fat items can also be used.  One of my greatest discoveries has been generic no fat half and half that I substitute for milk or heavy cream.  I can't tell the difference . . . really!

The recipe and photo originated from Campbell Kitchens, but my source was the website Recipe Lion. Check out both websites for quick and delicious meals!

Serves: 5 (about 1 3/4 cups each)

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 25 min

Ingredients

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Celery Soup 

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Potato Soup

1 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 cups cooked cut-up vegetables (use a combination of cut green beans and sliced carrots)

2 cups cubed cooked turkey or chicken

4 cups prepared Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Stir the soups, milk, thyme, black pepper, vegetables and turkey in a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Spoon the stuffing over the turkey mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the stuffing is golden brown.

Chili's Copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta

Doesn't it look delicious?

I love the pairing of chicken and pasta for the economic

 value of a delicious meal.  Make this restaurant quality meal

 at home for a fraction of what you would spend for your

 family meal at Chili's.  

Add a salad and some good bread for the perfect meal!

Ingredients: 

• 2 chicken breasts, boneless skinless 
• 4 teaspoons cajun seasoning 
• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine 
• 3 cups heavy cream 
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning 
• 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 8 ounces penne pasta, cooked and drained 
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced 
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, fresh shredded, to taste 

Directions: 

Slightly moisten chicken with water. 

In a large resealable plastic bag, shake chicken and cajun seasoning until chicken is thoroughly coated. 

In large skillet, saute chicken in 2 tablespoons butter, over medium heat, turning whenever necessary. 

When chicken is about half-way done, grab a second skillet and combine heavy cream, 2 tablespoons butter, and remainder of seasonings over medium heat, stirring occasionally. 

When cream mixture begins to bubble, add the pasta and turn off heat. Stir well. 

When chicken is cooked through, place on cutting board and slice into strips. 

Spoon pasta and sauce onto large serving plates (2) and top with chicken, diced tomatoes, and Parmesan.

Photo Source
Recipe Source

Lemon Ricotta Crepes

This recipe will be a totally new experience for me . . .

I've never made crepes before!

The Captain and I are thrilled that our lemon and

lime trees are vigorously producing fruit!  I'm

especially excited about a new citrus tree putting

out fruit . . . the seeds came from some

delicious little lemons from a friend's yard.

You guessed it . . . I'm on the lookout for recipes

using lemons and limes!!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  cups  whole milk
• 4  large eggs
• 1  cup  all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 3  tablespoons  unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the skillet
• 1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  finely grated lemon zest plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice, plus 1 thinly sliced lemon
• 1/2  cup  plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1  cup  ricotta
• 1  tablespoon  honey, plus more for serving

Directions

1. In a blender, blend the milk, eggs, flour, butter, salt, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar until very foamy, about 1 minute. Transfer to the refrigerator and let rest, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, boil 1/2 cup of water and the remaining ½ cup of sugar, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon slices and simmer until tender and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes; let cool.
3. Wipe a medium nonstick skillet with butter and heat over medium heat. Add ¼ cup of the crepe batter and swirl the skillet so the batter completely covers the bottom of the pan. Cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently loosen the edge of the crepe with a spatula and, using your fingers, flip the crepe. Continue to cook until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate. (Don’t be disappointed if the first crepe does not come out well; the batter makes enough for 13.) Repeat with the remaining batter.
4. In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest, ricotta, and honey. Dividing evenly, spread the ricotta mixture on the crepes (about 1 tablespoon each) and roll up. Serve topped with the lemon slices and drizzled with additional honey.

Source:  Real Simple
By Charlyne Mattox , April, 2012
Photo Credit: José Picayo

Nikki's Homemade Refried Beans

This recipe originated from Nikki's mom!  

We love refried beans and this recipe seems

 very easy to make . . . love crock pot cooking!

HOMEMADE REFRIED BEANS

**These proportions are assuming you have a large crock pot- 5 qt**

Put about 2 inches (about 3 cups) of dry pinto beans into crock-pot.   (Wash and rinse beans first)
Fill crock-pot nearly to the top with water

ADD:
5 chicken bouillon cubes
1 Tbsp. garlic salt
1/2 medium sweet onion (Don’t chop up onion, just put half of onion on beans)

Cook on high until beans are soft.  (stir occasionally during cooking process.  You may have to add more water as beans absorb water.)

Strain beans or pour off juice, saving the juice in a separate bowl.

Add  1/2 cup of butter and a small amount of juice that beans cooked in.

Use a hand blender to mash beans.

Add juice and blend to obtain desired consistency.  You want to leave beans a little runny as they will set up quite fast.

Check out Nikki's blog, Chef In Training for more awesome recipes!