Chile Con Queso

Jordan and I went to a friends house on Saturday for an appetizer party. Everyone was supposed to pick a country in honor of the Olympics. Isn't that a neat idea? We picked Mexico and I'm posting the three recipes we brought. The pictures are not the greatest as I was hurrying through some of them. Sorry! Give the recipes a try though - they were all great and were well received by everyone at the party!

I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman Cooks and thought it looked scrumptious!

Her photos are much better than mine so if you want to see nice photos go check hers out!

Ingredients:
Hot breakfast sausage
Jalapenos (I used 1, but the recipe could have had more heat)
1 onion, diced
Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 can chopped green chilies

Directions:

Place onion and sausage in a skillet. Stir together and until the sausage is fully cooked.



Push sausage to one side and drain the grease.



I used a slotted spoon and transferred the meat to a crock pot.



Place the cubed cheese, diced tomatoes & green chilies on top of the cooked sausage & onion mixture. You can just drain the sausage and continue to cook the queso in the pan on the stove. I was pressed for time and needed to use the crock pot.



Once the cheese has melted toss in your chopped jalapeno(s). Stir and serve warm with tortilla chips.

I was happy with the end results except my crock pot gets too hot and sort of burned the cheese. You can see from the photo below the color is a bit brown and it's not very "cheesy". It tasted fine but I think it would have been much better if I had not cooked it as long as I did.



See how Pioneer Woman's is very light in color and creamy?

I would recommend using the crockpot but the cheese really only needed to be in there for probably 2 hours before it was all melted. Mine was in there for much longer than that as I had to go to work and couldn't check on it. So keep that in mind if you try this recipe.

It still went over well at the party. I even had people requesting the recipe - so give this a try at your next party!

My Strawberry Margaritas

For those of you who say you do not like Margaritas - you've never had one of mine!! Well....actually got this recipe from my friend Tommy Arboneaux so really it's his recipe. :)

The cast of characters that are a MUST! Tequila, Triple Sec, frozen strawberries, & frozen limeade.



If you want to use a different brand of Tequila by all means go ahead. We always buy Jose Cuervo so that's what I use.

I have a little side tip for you. When you buy fresh strawberries and they are starting to go bad; wash and hull them & put them in the freezer. Frozen strawberries help keep the margaritas slushy whereas fresh ones make them a bit watery.

Oh, and by the way, you also need a blender!

I very rarely measure the amounts but I tried to this time as I knew I'd be putting this recipe up. Here's what I did:

Pour in blender:
6 ounces of tequila
2 ounces of triple sec
6 ounces of frozen limeade (half of a 12 oz can)
handful of strawberries
fill the rest of the blender with ice



Blend until smooth - about 45 seconds - depending on your blender.



These turned out good, but were a little strong and not quite as slushy as I like. I was also using someone else's blender so it might have been that I couldn't fit as much ice in as I normally do. Play around with the alcohol amounts until you have them at the strength you like.

Apple Enchilada Dessert

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com The recipe called for canned apple pie filling which, I think is gross. So I made my own apple pie filling with fresh apples. I pretty much followed the recipe otherwise.


Ingredients
3 granny smith apples
1 tablespoon flour
5 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine
1 cup white sugar, divided
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Peel and chop apples. Toss in a bowl with 1/2 cup of the sugar and the flour.



Spoon fruit evenly onto all tortillas, sprinkle with cinnamon.



Roll up tortillas and place seam side down on 9x13 baking pan. The recipe says to use 6 toritllas but as you can see I could only fit in 5. If you have a larger pan I'd use that because I did have a little bit of apple filling left over. (At this point I covered with saran wrap and put in the refrigerator until I was ready to bake)



Bring margarine, sugars and water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. (Once the sauce cooled a bit I put it in a container so I could finish the dessert once we were at the party.)



Pour sauce evenly over tortillas. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. (I ended up having to bake for 30 minutes to get the tortillas nice and crispy on the outside.

I cut mine in half and served with vanilla ice cream. This is a very easy dessert and tastes great!



Give it a try!

Grilled Pesto Pizza with Tomatoes and Artichokes

I've been making this pizza for so long I don't even remember where I got the recipe from. It is one of my favorite summer meals. It's quick and easy and goes great with a salad.

Ingredients:
1 Boboli pizza crust
pesto
2-3 roma tomatoes
1 jar artichoke hearts
mozzarella cheese

You can of course add whatever ingredients you like but try it this way first and see what you think!

First, preheat your grill on low heat. Place the pizza crust face down on the grill for 2-3 minutes or until a little crispy.

Remove from grill and spread 2-3 large spoonfuls of pesto sauce on the crust.



Then top with thinly sliced tomatoes.



Add chopped artichoke.



Grab a few handfuls of mozzarella cheese and spread on top.



As you can tell, I have my pizza on a cooling rack for cookies. You can put foil underneath your crust if you don't have a cooling rack. You are going to put the pizza back on the grill (face up!) and cook until the cheese is melted and warmed through. About 5-7 minutes. My grill cooks hot and a bit uneven so I place my pizza on the cooling rack so it's above the grate as it cooks.



Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Tomato, Olive and Feta Relish

Okay, so I have a TON of recipes that I need to put on here. I've been cooking more than I've been blogging! I am answering phones today and I have finished all my work that I brought with me to do. I have put up three recipes so make sure to scroll down so you can check them out!



The topping on this chicken is VERY good. It was good with the chicken but could also work as a bruchetta. We had extra topping and finished it off after dinner with tortilla chips so it could be used as a dip as well.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chopped cherry tomatoes (about 10 oz)
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
3 Tablespoons olive oil - divided
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
4 skinless chicken breast halves (again I used 2)

Directions:
Mix cherry tomatoes, olives, 2 tablespoons olive oil, mint and vinegar in medium bowl. Gently stir in feta cheese. Season relish with salt and pepper. (I did not season with salt and pepper b/c I thought it tasted great as is)



Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Brush chicken on both sides with remaining tablespoon olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill chicken until cooked through, about 7 minutes per side.

Transfer chicken to plates and slice if desired (I did b/c I thought it would be easier to eat). Top with relish and serve.

Jerk Chicken with Cool Pineapple Salsa

We found this recipe out of a magazine that our gym provides to us. It was really good - or I imagine it would be if I could have eaten it. :) Jordan convinced me to put in a whole habenero with seeds instead of just half of one without seeds. needless to say it was so hot I could not have more than two bites. He really enjoyed it though.

So, FYI - only put in half of the habenero without the seeds if you want to be able to eat your dinner!

For the salsa:
1 tbs. honey
1 tbs. fresh lime juice
1 cup finely diced pineapple, preferably fresh
1⁄3 cup seeded and finely diced English cucumber
1 tbs. chopped fresh mint

For the chicken:
4 tsp. olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 11⁄4 pounds), pounded between two sheets of wax paper to 1⁄2-inch thickness (I only used 2 chicken breasts)
1 cup chopped scallions (both white and green parts; about 1 bunch)
1⁄2 Scotch bonnet or habañero pepper, seeded and finely minced (wear gloves when handling)
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)
1 tsp. peeled and grated fresh (or 1⁄4 tsp. ground) ginger (I used ground)
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 1⁄2 tsp. fresh (or 1⁄2 tsp. dried) thyme leaves (again I used dried)
1⁄2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbs. fresh lime juice

To make the salsa, in a small bowl, whisk together the honey and lime juice. Combine the pineapple, cucumber and mint in a medium bowl, pour the dressing on it, and toss to combine. This can be made up to a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.



To make the chicken, heat 2 tsp. of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook until browned and just cooked through, about four minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Add the remaining 2 tsp. oil to the pan. Stir in the scallions, pepper, garlic, ginger, allspice and thyme, and cook for 30 seconds over medium heat.



Add the broth and soy sauce, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about three minutes. Stir in the lime juice.



Return the chicken to the pan and coat well with the sauce.

Serve the chicken topped with the sauce and the pineapple salsa.

Stir-Fried Noodles with Shrimp, Chiles & Lime

This is a fun recipe to make. It has a lot of interesting ingredients - many which you will not have in your house. Jordan and I both liked this recipe so I think it will be worth the extra effort to run to the store!

I did not add the mint leaves or the bean sprouts. (I don't really like bean sprouts). I made the mistake of telling Jordan that I omitted these items and he seemed to think they really would have made the dish much better. So, I'll be making this again soon and will let you know if they are really needed!

For the sauce:
2 Tablespoons fish sauce
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon chile-garlic sauce

For the stir-fry:
3 oz dried wide (pad thai) rice noodles
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
6 oz medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1 cup)
1 4oz can fire-roasted whole green chiles (such as Ortega brand), drained and sliced into long, very thin slivers (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
2 Tablespoons crushed unsalted roasted peanuts
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
10 fresh mint leaves, torn into small pieces
1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

Directions:
(Start this process while you prep/chop the other ingredients)
Submerge the noodles in a bowl of very warm water and soak until they are pliable but still rather firm, about 30 minutes. I ended up dumping the water out around 15 minutes and adding more warm/hot water as mine had cooled down quite a bit. Drain in a colander.



In a small bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or stir-fry pan until very hot. Add the garlic, give a quick stir and immediately stir in the shrimp. Stir-fry until the shrimp turn pink.



Add the sauce and stir for 20 seconds. Add the chiles and noodles and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.



If the noodles are still firm, add 1 Tablespoon water and cook for another minute. (I had to do this). Then add the bean sprouts and cook until slightly limp. Serve the noodles garnished with peanuts, cilantro, mint and lime on the side. Squeeze a little lime juice over the noodles.



Enjoy!

Ginger Snaps

A very good friend of mine from high school shared this recipe with me a few years ago. I've known her husband's family since I was five years old. I was at her house and she had these cookies out on the table. Of course she offered one to Jordan and I. His first words after taking a bite were something like "You should get the recipe." Seanean (my friend) told me that they were her husband's grandmother's recipe. I think they are the best ginger snaps I've ever tasted. Kind of a cross between a sugar cookie and a ginger snap. Yummy!

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar (you'll also need some extra sugar for rolling)
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Dump all of the ingredients into a large bowl.



Mix ingredients until blended.

As you can see it's still a bit crumbly.



That's okay - just combine it the rest of the way with your hands. (Wash them first!)



Roll the dough into balls. I used a cookie scoop but you don't have to.

Then roll them in the extra sugar.



Place on cookie sheet.



Bake for 10-12 minutes. I baked mine for 11 minutes and they were nice and soft. If you want yours crunchier bake longer.



Enjoy!!