Black Bean Enchiladas

I have probably made this one recipe about 10 times. I love it so much, and you just have to try it.

Black Bean Enchiladas

1/4 cup of olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup of all purpose flour
3 T chili powder
1/2 t of ground cumin
2 T chicken or vegetable bouillon (or any bouillon)
1 quart of water
1 can tomato sauce (15oz)
2 cans of black beans (15.5oz each), drained, rinsed, and divided
1 container, or can of black bean soup(16oz)  (sorry this is kind of cheating but it was a school night, okay?)
16 oz + 8oz of mexican cheese, divided
20oz of white or yellow corn tortillas (small)
5-6 scallions, sliced
Sour cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350. Add oil to a pot on medium, and add garlic. Cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes. Add flour, chili powder, and cumin. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes. Add bouillon, water, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil on medium high heat, stirring constantly for 1-2minutes. Turn to a simmer, and keep simmering until needed. Cook until sauce is slightly thickened, seasoning if it needs it.

Mash 1 can of black beans in a mixing bowl. Add a second can, soup, and 16oz of cheese. Stir to combine. Do not mash. Set aside.

Microwave tortillas until pliable enough to fold. Stack to retain heat.

Spread the bottom of 1 large casserole dish, with 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce. Spread 1/4 cup of beams along the middle of the tortilla. Gently roll and place it seam side down into each casserole dish. Arrange the enchiladas until they all fit in there, nice and tight.
Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas, and the remaining beans, if you have any. Sprinkle the remaining 8oz of cheese evenly over the casserole dish. Bake, uncovered for 25-30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling, and the cheese is melted.

Take casserole dish out of the oven, and let it rest on the counter for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Top with scallions, and sour cream.

Enjoy!!

Mashed Potatoes

I love mashed potatoes just in general, they are one of my favorite foods. I could probably eat them with anything. Just thinking about it, makes me want them now… I'll be right back.

Vermont Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
Serves 8-10 people (if you love potatoes as much as I do, it will probably only serve 1, if your lucky 2)

3 pounds of medium russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
3/4 pound of Vermont aged white cheddar, grated
1/2 t baking powder
1 t kosher salt
Black Pepper, to taste
Small Pinch Cayenne
pinch of grated nutmeg
6 T of unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup of heavy cream, heated
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Boil potatoes in a salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well in a colander and place in the bowl of a stand mixer with a wire whisk attachment. Beat at medium speed for 2-3 minutes to allow steam to escape.

Turn off the mixer and add cheese, baking powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, and nutmeg. Beat again for a minute or so.

Add butter and cream, mixing slowly, then increase the speed to medium and drizzle in the beaten eggs. Stop and scrape down the bowl with a spatula to make sure all of the ingredients are mixed together well. Beat at medium high speed until mixture is smooth, 2-3 minutes.

Serve in a heated bowl, and enjoy with Gravy or anything your heart desires.

yum

Queso Fundido

For the Super Bowl I made a queso dip, and it was a huge hit. Here is the delicious recipe!

Queso Fundido

4 cups of grated extra sharp yellow cheddar cheese (12oz)

1 1/2 cups of grated monterey jack cheese (6oz)

1 T cornstarch

1/4 cup of whole milk

1 cup of minced white onion (about 1 small onion)

1 (4oz) can of diced mild green chiles, juices reserved

Place cheese in a large bowl, sprinkle with cornstarch and toss to coat. Transfer cheese mixture to a a large saucepan, and add milk. Set over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is smooth and melted, about 10-15 minutes.

Stir in onion and chiles with reserved juices until well combined. To serve, keep in the saucepan at a simmer for up to an hour, stirring occasionally. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Buffalo Wings

I love buffalo wings!!!!! They are spicy and great for any occasion. I already posted blue cheese dressing to serve with these. But, you have to make these soon!!!

Buffalo Wings
Makes about 40 wings

Buffalo Sauce:
2 T unsalted butter, melted
1/2 t of cayenne pepper
1/2 t ground pepper
1/2 t of kosher salt
1/2 cup of  franks buffalo sauce

Wings:
5 pounds of chicken wings
2 T veggie oil
1 T kosher salt
1/2 t ground pepper

For buffalo sauce, mix the first 4 ingredients in a bowl, let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk in the hot sauce, keep warm.

For wings:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Set a wire rack inside of 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Place all of the wing ingredients in a large bowl, toss to coat. Divide wings between the prepared racks, and spread out in a single layer.
Bake wings for 45- 50 minutes, or until cooked through.

When the wings are done, place them in a large bowl and toss with the buffalo sauce.

Enjoy!

Remember to use a huge napkin!!!!

Corn Bread Tamale Pie

I love tamales, and pies, and meat. Enough Said… Here is the recipe.

Corn Bread Tamale Pie
Serves 6

1 pound of ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup of rinsed and drained canned black beans
1 cup of corn, drained, canned or frozen
1 cup of tomato sauce
1 cup of chicken broth
1/2 cup of diced green bell pepper
1 T chili powder
1/2 t of ground cumin
1 1/2 t salt, plus more to taste
1/4 t black pepper
3/4 cup of masa harina or cornmeal
1 T flour
1 T sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 egg
1/3 cup of milk
1 T veggie oil
Cheese, and crushed tortilla chips, for topping

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 3- quart high sided casserole dish with cooking spray. In a large skillet, sauté the beef and onion over medium high heat until meat is brown and onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Then, add the beans, corn, tomato sauce, broth, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the masa harina, flour, sugar, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt. In a small bowl whisk together the egg, milk, and oil until combined. Whisk the milk mixture into the flour mixture until combined. Spread the meat mixture into a casserole dish and cover it with the corn bread topping. Bake in the oven until the topping is brown, 20-25 minutes.

Top with cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

Cinnamon Ice Cream

To go with the pecan pie… or almost anything…

Cinnamon Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart

1 cup of whole milk
3/4 cup of sugar
pinch of salt
10 cinnamon sticks, broken up in a mortar and pestle, or with a hammer in a zip-lock bag (plus more depending on how much cinnamon you like)
2 cups of heavy cream
5 egg yolks

Heat the milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon sticks, and 1 cup of heavy cream together in a medium saucepan. Cover, remove from heat, and let steep for 1 hour.

Rewarm the mixture and remove the cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon.

Nest a medium sized bowl in a larger bowl that's partially filled with ice water, to create an ice bath. Set a mesh strainer over the medium bowl and pour the remaining cream into a medium bowl.

Whisk together the egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually add some of the warm cinnamon-infused milk into the yolks, whisking constantly. Scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-proof spatula, until the custard thickens and coats the spatula.

Remove from heat and immediately pour the custard through the strainer into the cream. Stir until the custard is cool, then chill thoroughly in the fridge. Overnight preferably.

Taste the mixture before churning, and add some more ground cinnamon. Then, freeze the custard in your ice cream maker, according to the ice cream machines instructions.

Pecan Pie

I love pecan pie! But why do people only eat it on Thanksgiving? I mean its a delicious pie that can be made year round! Here is a great recipe for pecan pie!

Pecan Pie
Makes 1 Pie

1 cup of light or dark corn syrup
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of packed brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup (2/3 stick) butter, melted, and slightly cooled
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 heaping cup of finely chopped pecans
1 unbaked pie crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine the corn syrup, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, butter, salt, and vanilla. Whisk the mixture until totally combined. Place the chopped pecans in the bottom of the pie crust, and then pour the sticky mixture right over the top of it. YUM!

Cover the pie in foil and place it on a baking sheet. Bake the pie for 35 minutes. Remove the foil, then bake for 25-30 more minutes. TRY NOT TO BURN IT!

The pie should not be overly jiggly. If it is, place it back in the oven for 5 minute intervals, until done.

Let the pie cool before slicing it to wedges.
Enjoy!

*This pie can be made and baked 1 day ahead.

Top with whipped cream and vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.