Food For Thought ~ Double Dinners

When dinnertime rolls around here at the Kellum house, I almost always have a meal in mind.  I like to make my dinner menu for the week on Sunday and then shop on Monday for the week.  So on those days (which fall few and far between, thank goodness!) when I don't have a plan, I feel completely at a loss!  

Recently I had a meal on the docket, but upon rounding up the ingredients for the dinner, I realized that I had used the can of diced tomatoes in a different dish that week.  That left me one ingredient shy of dinner.  Ugh.  I paced back and forth from the fridge to the pantry and back to the fridge trying to come up with Plan B ... something that didn't need canned tomatoes.  By that point, my creativity had evaporated and the kids were beginning the incessant, "What's for dinner?" chant.  Double ugh.

As I headed to the garage (not to hide from the kids, mind you) I was thrilled to find a freezer meal all ready to pop in the oven!  I actually have quite a few meals I have doubled up and slid in the freezer for this very reason.  When Mom doesn't feel like cooking!  

This is a post I did last year with a few double dinners ... and here's two more yummy ones for you to try!  (Be sure to check out this previous post for my tips on lining your freezer pan and storing your extra meal.)

Tamale Pie

(This recipe is from my dear friend, Anna Lee Walker.  I remember you making this for us ... just a few years ago.  Before we had kids.  So yeah ... it's been a little while.)

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef (or turkey or 1 lb of each)

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup salsa

2 cups frozen corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1 1/2 cup corn meal

2 T sugar

2 T butter

In a large pot, cook the meat until no longer pink.  Drain off fat after cooking.  Add black beans, ketchup, salsa, corn and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.  Heat through until the cheese melted.  Divide equally between two 8x8 inch pans (one sprayed with cooking spray and the other lined with Press-n-Seal).

In the same large pot, melt the butter and add the remaining cheese, sugar and corn meal.  Heat until the cheese melts and the mixture looks crumbly.  Sprinkle the corn meal mixture over the meat in each dish.

Freeze one pan (or send along to a friend).  For the other pan, bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.  

We like our Tamale Pie with a little dollop of sour cream and a green salad.

¡Olé!

Penne & Sausage Casserole

(This recipe is from Taste of Home, June/July 2009.  Just a few typical adjustments.)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs penne pasta

1 lb Italian sausage

1 lb mushrooms, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

3 T olive oil

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 T oregano

2 1/2 cups beef broth

2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, drained

3 T tomato paste

4 cups mozzarella, shredded

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.  Set aside.

In a large pot, cook sausage.  Drain off most of the fat.  Add the onions, mushrooms, garlic and oregano and cook until veggies are soft.  Add 1 cup of beef broth.  Bring to a boil and let simmer until reduced by half.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, remaining broth and sausage.  Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 15 minutes.

This is a good time to wash the dishes ... there seems to be quite a few of them!

I prepared one 9x13 oval pan with cooking spray and then lined two 8x8 square pans to put in the freezer.

Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the large pan and 1/4 cup in each small pan.  Divide half of the pasta into the three pans.  Top the noodles with about 2 1/2 cups of sauce in the large pan and 1 1/4 cup in the small pans.  Top with half the cheese.  Repeat the layers:  remaining pasta, remaining sauce and remaining cheese.

Freeze the two smaller pans.  Cover the larger pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is fully melted.  Delicious with a side of veggies and garlic bread!

Delizioso!

Food For Thought - Mexican Dishes

This afternoon I checked my meal list (trying to remember what I had planned for tonight's dinner) only to realize that I chose three different Mexican dishes for this week.  Apparently I'm in a bit of a "South of the Border" rut!  As you can imagine, my kids will be saying, "Mexican?  Again?" by tomorrow night!

The thing is, Mexican foods are some of the easiest for me to toss together.  More often than not I have the necessary ingredients in my pantry or fridge ...

Beans?  Check.
Beef?  Check.
Tortillas?  Check.
Cheese?  Check.
Tomatoes?  Check.
Salsa?  Check.

And dinner is served!

I can't say that any of the dishes for today come from an actual recipe.  In these cases, I have simply put together what sounds good, added a few tasty sides and said, "¡Olé!"

Meaty Quesadillas

Ingredients:
Flour tortillas
Ground beef
Garlic clove, minced
Salt
Ground Red Pepper
Cumin
Green onions, chopped
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Salsa & Sour cream for garnish
Limes

Brown the ground beef and drain off the grease.  Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes.  Add the salt, red pepper and cumin to taste.  Set the meat aside.  Heat a griddle on medium high.  Lay one tortilla on the griddle and top with 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar.  Spoon about 1/2 cup of the meat mixture onto one half of the tortilla.  Top with green onions and then fold the tortilla in half.  Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes and then gently flip it over.  Cook for 1-2 more minutes until the tortilla is crispy.  Use a pizza cutter to slice the quesadilla into triangles.  At this point you can either serve the quesadilla or slide them onto a cookie sheet to keep warm in the oven.

When it's time to eat, serve the quesadillas with a dollop of sour cream, a spoonful of salsa and a lime wedge.  Super simple, but filling and delicious!

Great for lunch or dinner!

Taco Salad

Ingredients:

Romaine or Iceberg lettuce, chopped

Tomatoes, diced

Green onions, chopped

Black beans, drained and rinsed

Ground beef, browned and seasoned (See above.)

Cheddar cheese, shredded

Cilantro, rinsed and chopped

Sour cream & Salsa 

Limes, cut into wedges

How much of this is already in your fridge?

Layer lettuce, beef, beans, cheese and remaining veggies in a bowl.  Top with sour cream and salsa ... and maybe some guacamole.  We also like to crush tortilla chips over the top for some crunch.  If the kids aren't in the mood for salad, I can make tacos for them with any tortillas I have on hand.  Everybody wins!

One of my favorite salads ... year round.

Fajitas

Ingredients:

Flour tortillas (small sized)

Chicken breasts, cut into strips

Garlic clove, minced

Salt

Ground Red Pepper

Cumin

Onion, sliced

Bell Pepper, sliced

Red Pepper, sliced

Cheddar cheese, shredded

Lime wedges

Salsa & Sour cream

Brown rice

Prepare the brown rice according to the package directions.  Take note that most brown rices take 45 minutes to cook, so plan ahead.

In a large skillet, cook chicken until no longer pink.  Season the chicken with garlic, salt, pepper and cumin.  Add the peppers and onion to the skillet and cook on medium high until the veggies begin to char.  Add a little fajita mixture to a small tortilla and top with cheese, salsa and sour cream.  Serve with a spoonful of brown rice on the side and a few tortilla chips.  For a low-carb meal, we also like to eat our fajita in a bowl.  Skip the tortilla and place the brown rice in the bottom of the bowl, topped with the fajita mixture.  Add the salsa and sour cream and a squirt of lime.

Sizzling fajitas ... mmmmm ....

Food For Thought

Growing up, we kids loved to go to Casa Bonita anytime that we traveled to Denver.  For those of you unfamiliar with this Denver icon, from the outside it was a big, pink castle-like building in a strip-mall ... but from the inside, it was magic!  Cliff divers, a haunted cave complete with "real" pirate booty, an arcade, tables nestled into caves and nooks and crannies ... and the never-ending supply of sopapillas!  Just pop up the little red flag and Poof! another batch of steamy, sugary sopapillas would appear!  I don't even know if the rest of the food was any good ... I think we just went for the cliff divers and the desserts.

Sometimes dinner at home is just like that, too.  You serve an entire meal, but all anyone really wants are the "good parts."  Last week, I shared with you three of our family's favorite "good parts":  salsa, guacamole and creamy black beans.  This week, I want to share with you two actual dinners that are so yummy, they end up being memorable, too.  Especially if you serve them with the "good parts" from last week. :)

First up:

Chili Relleno Casserole
(This recipe is one of my mom's ... and a Kellum Family favorite.  I doubled it for this meal.)

Egg Mixture:
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup flour (I use half whole wheat and half white)
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. ground red pepper
1/8 t. salt

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 pound whole green chilies*

* You can buy a can of whole green chilies ... or you can buy them freshly roasted.  I keep my eyes open in the fall and often times Wal-Mart has a crew outside roasting the green chilies right there in the parking lot!  You can buy them by the bag (mild, medium, hot, and eye-watering) and clean them up when you get home.  Simple rinse them in a colander and work all the blackened skins off.  Then twist the stems off and rinse out the seeds.  Delish!  You can also pop them straight into your freezer and rinse and use them later when your recipe calls for them.

Fresh from the roaster!

Rinsed and ready to use.

Mix all the ingredients for the egg mixture together.  The flour will make it lumpy and that's okay.

Grease an 8x8 pan with cooking spray.  Layer the half the chilies, all the cheese and the other half of the chilies.

Waiting for the final chilies.

Pour the egg mixture over the chilies and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

Ready for the oven.

The casserole will puff up a lot and get brown on the top.  Let it sit and cool for about 5 minutes before cutting.

Scrumptious with salsa!

So much easier than stuffing chilies individually and healthier for you than frying ... but just as tasty!

Tortilla Torte
(This is a recipe I got years ago from Taste of Home ... then I modified it beyond recognition.)

Ingredients:
3 flour tortillas
1 can refried beans
1 jar salsa
2 avocados, cut in cubes
1 lb. ground beef/turkey, browned and seasoned with garlic, salt and cumin.
1 cup cheddar, shredded

Grease an 8x8 pan with cooking spray, set aside.  In a large bowl, combine refried beans, 1/2 jar of salsa and avocados.

Yes ... you will bake the avocados.  Trust me ... yum!

Pour half of the remaining salsa in the bottom of the 8x8 pan.  Layer ingredients as follows:  tortilla, bean mixture, meat and a sprinkle of cheese.  Repeat the layers again and then top with a tortilla, remaining 1/4 jar of salsa and cheese.

Layered and ready for the oven.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  Then uncover the casserole and bake for an additional 10minutes to melt the cheese.  We like to serve this with rice and chips ... and dip.

Creamy and hearty ... delicioso.

We're having a similar dinner tonight ... crock pot-style!  Remember this one?  These slow cooker enchiladas will also be lovely with guacamole and salsa.  My mouth is watering ....

I hope I didn't get your hopes up with all that talk of sopapillas ... maybe I'll have to fix up a batch for a future post. :)

Chili Rellenos
Tortilla Torte

Food For Thought

I have been on a little Mexican food kick lately:  enchiladas, rellenos, tacos, burritos ... ¡Olé!  Of course, often times these tasty dishes are just the vehicles for the delicious toppings they come with.  In our house, our children will eat just about anything as long as they can slather it with salsa, guacamole or sour cream.  It's all about the dip!

If you have kids with similar quirks, here are two dips and a side dish that can make your next meal more enjoyable ... and they are delicioso, tambien!

Auntie Allie's Salsa
(This recipe is from my sissy ... and it's a staple in our house.)

Ingredients:
1 28 oz. can of chopped tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch of cilantro, rinsed and plucked*
Crushed red peppers
Juice of one lime

*I pull the leaves off the stems, toss them in my salad spinner and give them a whirl.  This is one of Ashley's favorite jobs .... wheeee!!!!

I use my food processor when making this salsa, but you can use a blender, too.  Dump 1/2 of the can of tomatoes (juice and all) in the food processor.  Set the other 1/2 aside.  Add the garlic and the cilantro leaves.  Sprinkle a little of the peppers in, depending on how hot and spicy you like your salsa.  You can always go back and add more.  Pulse the mixture until the cilantro is chopped and mixed throughout.  Pour this into your serving dish and add the remaining 1/2 can of tomatoes and the lime juice.  Give it a stir.  This is a fantastic fresh salsa:  chunky, refreshing and addicting.

Just add chips.

Auntie Allie's Guacamole

(This recipe is also from my sissy ... do you see a theme here?  She also likes dips!  Truly a kid at heart.)

Ingredients:

2-3 ripe* avocados

2-3 tomatoes

Juice of one lime

Fresh chives or green onions

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and Pepper

*A ripe avocado will be firm to the touch ... but not hard like a rock.  Avoid anything soft, because that usually indicates that it is bruised.  I like to buy my avocados a few days before I need them and let them ripen a bit on the counter.  Of course, you can never be sure until you cut into it ... I guess it's a bit of a gamble.  A potentially delicious gamble. :)

To prepare the avocado, cut it in half by running your knife around the outside from the top to the bottom and back up.  Twist the two halves in opposite directions and you will end up with one side with the pit and the other without.  Lay the side with the pit on the cutting board and carefully tap the knife blade into the pit.  Turn the knife 90 degrees and the pit will come out.  Next, cut through the avocado as shown:

Then hold the avocado over the serving bowl and press your thumbs against the skin.  The green, yummy goodness will peel away from the skin and you can scrap it into the bowl.  Repeat with each avocado.

Add the chopped tomatoes, chopped chives or green onions, garlic and lime juice.  Mix well.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

You will need more chips.

This next recipe isn't a dip, so much as a side dish.  But, coincidentally, it was delicious on a tortilla chip.  Go figure!

Creamy Black Beans

(This recipe is from Food Network Magazine, September 2010 ... with a few adjustments.)

Ingredients:

1 pound dried black beans

3 T olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, halved, seeded and finely chopped

2 t. ground cumin

Salt

Fresh cilantro

FYI - this is one of those recipes that you have to plan ahead for.  But trust me, it's worth the wait.

First you will need to prep the beans.  Dump the bag into a colander and rinse thoroughly.  You will want to comb through and look for little rocks or ugly beans, too.  Pour the beans in a big bowl and fill with water.  Let this sit overnight.

Little black beauties.

Begin the rest of these directions about 5 hours before you want to eat.

Dump out the water and set the beans aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno and cumin.  Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the beans and just enough water to cover everything - about 9 cups.  Turn up the heat to medium high and bring it to a boil.  Turn the heat back down to medium low, partially cover the pot and cook for about 3 hours.  Stir this mixture occasionally.  When the beans are tender, add 2 t. salt and let it simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes.  This will allow the remaining liquid to be absorbed. 

Let sit for about 15 minutes before serving.  We topped our little bowls of creamy, beany goodness with a little shredded cheddar cheese and chopped cilantro.  It will be hard to go back to canned black beans after enjoying this dish.

Don't forget the chips!

I am making the salsa and guacamole today for a friend's birthday ... and this yummy salsa, too (made with mangos this time).  Can't wait to dip in!