Martha's Tortilla Pie

Okay--so this dish looks a little creepy, but it is really yummy. Me & A both thought it did need a little more heat to it so next time we will be adding 1 tsp of cayenne to it. I got this recipe from Martha Stewart. Try it--it's so good!

Ingredients
4 flour tortillas (10-inch)
1 tablespoon olive oil , plus more for pan
1 med. onion , chopped
1 1/2 tsps. ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Salt & Pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 pound ground beef sirloin
3 garlic cloves , minced
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels
3 packed cups loose baby spinach (about 5 ounces) , torn into pieces
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 9 inch springform pan

Directions
1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim tortillas to the size of the springform pan by placing the bottom of the pan over the tortillas and cutting the edges of tortillas off. Oil the pan and set aside.
2. Put oil in pan til warm--add onion, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cook until onion is tender.
4. Stir in tomato paste--raise temp to high and add beef and garlic--cook until meat is brown
5. Add corn and spinach. Keep stirring until spinach is wilted.
6. Put tortilla in the the bottom of the pan. Spread a 1 1/2 cups of beef mixture and 1/2 cup of cheese.
7. Repeat for two more layers.
8.On last tortilla put the remaining of the mixture and another 1/2 cup of cheese.
9. Bake tortilla pie for 15-20 minutes--then enjoy!

Texas Style Cornbread

Image Courtesy of Catherine Martin

Special Note: The way I make it, the consistency of the cornbread looks slightly different, but I couldn't pass up on this picture with the Texas theme going on.

My mom sent me this recipe saying she didn't really like it. So I made it with little hopes of it being good. Oh was she wrong. It's delicious. We can't get enough of it at our house! It's the perfect mixture of hot and sweet and it is very filling. I am making it for my fifth time tonight. Yummy!!! The original recipe was Reba Mcentire's Mexican Cornbread. Her recipe calls for no cayenne, different cheese, and less peppers.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1/3 cup onion (although I LOVE onions so I make this a heaping to sneak some more in there)

1/4 tsp cayenne

9 oz can Fritos Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese Dip

1 (8.5 oz) package of cornbread mix (I use Sylvia's Restaurant Mix)

1 (8oz) can of whole kernel corn, drained

1 Tbsp butter, melted

2 Tbsp green pepper

2 Tbsp red pepper

2 Tbsp yellow pepper

Directions

1. Brown meat, then drain

2. Add onions and cayenne and cook until tender

3. Take off stove and add cheese dip

4. Put meat mixture at the bottom of a casserole dish

5. Now make cornbread mixture as directed on the back of the package

6. Add corn, butter, and peppers to mixture

7. Spoon over meat mixture.

8. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown

Cost

12/09 = $10.28 (I already had eggs and milk that were needed for cornbread...also already had cayenne)

Delicious and Simple Tomato Soup

I got this recipe originally from my old boss, Liz. Her recipe called for a lot more proportions of whipping cream, water, and half and half and my largest pot wasn't quite big enough so I had to change the proportions and ingredients a little. This is a DELICIOUS and yummy soup. We can't get enough of it!

Ingredients

1 large tub (4 lb) of marinara sauce (I used the 4 lb 2 oz Traditional Ragu Sauce)

1 quart whipping cream

1 quart half and half

1 can tomato paste

1 small can of pumpkin (15 oz)

2 cups milk

1 cup water

6 chicken bouillon cubes

Couple of shakes of Paprika and Garlic Powder to taste

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients together in a large pot

2. Heat just below a simmer to let the soup thicken up until warm, stirring often

3. Serve with parsley or basil on top as a garnish (optional), I've also heard putting this in a bread bowl is delicious!

Beef Stroganoff

This recipe is my FAVORITE thing my mom cooks. I could eat it everyday if it wasn't so unhealthy for you....mmm so delicious!

Ingredients

1 Pkg Cubed Stew Beef

1 onion, diced

1 Large Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 Large Tub of Sour Cream

2 to 3 squirts of ketchup

4 T of Worcestershire Sauce

1 package fresh mushrooms, chopped

Salt & Pepper

1 Pkg of Egg Noodles

Directions

1. In a large pot brown stew beef

2. Add diced onion and let it cook with meat approx. 5 minutes.

3. Add cream of mushroom, sour cream, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and mushrooms

4. Heat through and salt and pepper to taste.

5. The longer you let the sauce cook the better it will taste and make the meat tender. I wouldn't cook it under 40 minutes.

6. In another pot boil noodles right before you are ready to serve

7. Drain noodles and serve!

Pasta Salad Extravaganza

Ingredients

1 box of rotini pasta (16 oz)

2 cups baby spinach

1 1/2 Cups Newman's Family Recipe Italian Dressing

1 whole chicken cooked (I buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store), skin removed and peel chicken into strips

1 bunch of green onions, chopped

1 pint grape tomatoes, each cut lengthwise in half

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into small cubes

1 can/jar artichoke hearts, drain and rinse under water

Directions

1. Cook pasta and set aside to let cool

2. In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together.

3. AND serve (However, it takes better if you let it sit overnight in the fridge).

Yields Approx. 6 Servings

Leg of Lamb Marinade

Ingredients

5 Pounds Leg of Lamb

1/4 Cup Honey

2 Tablespoons Spicy Dijon Mustard

2 Tablespoons Freshly Chopped Rosemary

1 Lemon (1 Teaspoon lemon zest & lemon juice)

3 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 Teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/4 Cup Cooking Wine

Directions

1. In a food processor or blender combine honey, mustard, rosemary, lemon zest, juice from one lemon, minced garlic, salt, pepper, & wine.

2. Cover and rub marinade on lamb and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.

3. Put lamb in a roasting pan and cook lamb at 450 degrees for 20 minutes to sear it.

4. Roast lamb an additional 55 to 60 minutes at 400 degrees. Lamb will be medium rare.

Serving Suggestions

Potatoes or Garlic Bread and a vegetable like collard greens

Huey's Potato Soup

Ingredients

1 small onion, minced

1/2 stick of celery, diced

1 stick butter

2 cup water or chicken broth

2 1/2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2 cup half & half

Directions

1. Saute onion & celery in butter until tender.

2. Add water or broth & potatoes.

3. Boil until potatoes are done.

4. Blend.

5. Add enough half and half to make soup desired consistency

6. Heat through.

*Garnish with crumbled bacon, chopped green onions, and grated cheddar cheese.

**Also delicious with Club crackers.

Corny Sloppy Joe Pizzas

Ingredients

1 can Homestyle Buttermilk Biscuits (or and other biscuits you prefer to flatten)

1 lb lean ground beef

1 can of sloppy joe sandwich sauce (15.5 oz)

1 can whole kernel sweet corn, drained

8 slices of american cheese

8 small pieces(1x 1/2 inch each) green bell peppers

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Place on ungreased large cookie sheet; press each biscuit to form 4 1/2 inch round. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

2.Meanwhile in 12-inch nonstick skillet cook beef over medium heat 8-10 minutes. Occasionally stirring, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in sloppy joe sauce and corn. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 3 to 5 minutes. Stirring occasionally, until hot.

3. Cut cheese into circles. With knife cut jack-o-lantern faces (let the kids do it)

4. Remove biscuits from the oven. Spoon beef mixture evenly onto biscuit rounds. Arrange cheese pieces over beef mixture. Place bell pepper piece on top of each to look like stem.

5. Return to oven 3-5 minutes to melt cheese on.

Recipe by Pillsbury

Crawfish Etoufee' for Cheaters

My mom sent me this recipe from the website allthingsouthern.com . No more than two days later I purchased a book from Barnes and Noble filled with southern recipes and advice. The first page I turned to just happened to be this exact recipe. I took it as a sign and made it. And me oh my! It's excellent! I added celery to the recipe by the suggestion of my mom. It may look scary, but if you like cajun food you will love this dish.

Ingredients
1 stick of butter
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 celery stalk
1 chopped onion
2 lbs of crawfish tail meat (found in UTAH @ Wal Mart. If I can find it here you can find it anywhere)
3 cans of cream of celery soup
1 can of rotel tomatoes
salt and pepper
Toney Chacheres' Seafood Seasoning

Directions
1. Saute' onion, bell pepper, and celery with butter.
2. Rinse crawfish tail meet thoroughly and drain.
3. Combine remaining ingredients in stock pot.
4. Season well and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes.
5. Serve over rice

Brunswick Stew

This is one my absolute favorite dishes growing up. My mother developed this recipe from trial and error over the years. It started off from a recipe commonly used in the south to throw in the "kill of the day"...usually squirrel, if you can believe it or not, when my grandmother used to cook it. Anyway-this is our adaption of Brunswick Stew.'

Ingredients
1 Whole Chicken (you can buy a precooked Rotisserie Chicken—I find this to be same price as the uncooked ones. So why not?)
2 Large Cans of Tomato Sauce
1 box or bag of cut Okra
1 bag of frozen baby lima beans (1lb)
1 bag of frozen chopped onions (1lb)
1 bag of frozen corn (1lb) [shoepeg white corn seems to work the best]
2 cans of Cream of Corn

Directions
1. De-bone and de-skin chicken and separate into small pieces. Place in approx. 4-8 cups of salted water. (The stringier the chicken the better)
2. Add tomato sauce, okra, lima beans, and onions
3. Simmer for 30-60 minutes
4. Add frozen bag of corn and cream of corn. Corn can scorch on the bottom of the pan so stir frequently. Put pepper in stew until you can see specks all throughout stew.
5. Cook for at least 10 minutes. However the longer you cook it the better it tastes. It cooks better if you leave it cooking all day on low. AND it's even better the second day. . Make sure you reheat it on low or else the corn will burn.

Cost

12/09 = $18.23