spanish tortilla

So, I know that I am not currently in The Dinner Group (which is cause for much sorrow), but my Spaniard friend Noemi recently taught me how to make a really delicious Spanish dish-tortilla.
Now, this is not your flat Mexican bread tortilla. This is a potato, egg, onion cooked goodness tortilla. I posted the recipe on my Europe blog, so you can click here to see it.

I look forward to attempting to make it for you all in the fall (along with crepes, macaron cookies, and zucchini/feta cheese "cake". be excited. i am.).

:)

Chicken, Cheddar, and Bacon Casserole

Click the picture to go to the Allrecipes.com page with this recipe. Some of the people's comments might be useful to you.


Some pre-notes about this recipe:
I ended up using a lot less cheese than this recipe calls for. I put in about 2/3 of what it called for and it already looked like a ton, so I didn't put in the rest.

I'm not positive about this, but I think if you want to make the recipe a little bit more healthful, you could substitute the bacon grease and the butter that you fry the chicken in with canola oil. But I'm making that up, so I don't know if it'll work.

Also, be aware that one of the ingredients it calls for is chicken bouillon, but then it never tells you to put it in in the instructions. You want to put either the 1/2 cup chicken broth or extra 1/2 cup of milk at the same time you put in the 1 1/2 cups of milk.

One last thing: you probably won't need as much of the bread crumb mixture as it says, but since bread crumbs are pretty cheap I wouldn't worry about it too much.

What you need:

• 8 ounces mini penne pasta or elbow macaroni
• 6 to 8 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound chicken breasts or chicken tenders, cut in 1-inch pieces
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup chicken broth or more milk
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
• 8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 ounces American cheese, shreds or chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon melted butter

What you need to do:

• Cook the pasta in boiling salted water following package directions

• Grease a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish. Heat oven to 350°

• In a large skillet or saucepan, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to paper towels; crumble. Pour off grease in the skillet, leaving about 1 or 2 teaspoons

• Add butter to the skillet and cook the chicken over medium-low heat until cooked through

• Add green onions and cook for 1 minute longer

• Add flour and stir until blended into the fat. Gradually stir in the milk, cooking and stirring until slightly thickened. Stir in salt, pepper, and thyme. Add the cheeses and thawed peas, along with crumbled bacon. Spoon into the prepared baking dish

• Combine bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon melted butter; sprinkle over the casserole. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until topping is browned and casserole is bubbly

Serves 6

The Pumpkin Dessert

Believe it or not, but my Mom actually found this recipe in The Friend when I was little.
Crust:

• 1 box yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup for topping)
• 1/2 cup margarine or butter melted
• 1 egg beaten

Filling

• 1 can (29 oz) pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup canned milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping

• 1 cup yellow cake mix
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup margarine/butter. softened

1. Mix the crust ingredients together. Spread the mixture in the bottom of a greased 9x13" pan.
2. In a bowl beat eggs, brown sugar, colves, and cinnamon. Stir in pumpkin and milk. Stir till well blended. If you use a mixer to mix in the pumpkin and milk be careful because the batter will be thin and splatter. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the crust in the pan and spread evenly.
3. Mix together the dry cake mix, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in softened margarine. Sprinkle little pieces over the top of the pumpkin layer.
4. Bake 350 for 60-70 minutes. It is done when a toothpick comes out clean. Can be served warm with ice cream or cold with whipped cream.
   

Tres Leches

This is the recipe from Allrecipes.com :)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract*

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract*

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.
3. Cream butter or margarine and the 1 cup sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract*; beat well.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture 2 tablespoons at a time; mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Pierce cake several times with a fork.
6. Combine the whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake.
7. Whip whipping cream, the remaining 1 cup of the sugar, and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla* together until thick. Spread over the top of cake. Be sure and keep cake refrigerated, enjoy!

*I almost always add extra vanilla (not quite doubling) to every dessert I make.

Taco Stackers

1 lb hamburger
1 chopped onion

1 can tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
1 & 1/4 cups water (I'm actually not sure if this is the right amount...I'm just guessing. Maybe put in one cup and then add more at the very end (once you've added the rice) if you don't like the consistency. More water mixes in well if it's a little dry, so don't worry about that).
1 TBL sugar
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano

2 c cooked rice (like, take two cups of dry rice, then cook it)


Brown and drain hamburger and onion – add all ingredients EXCEPT rice – simmer 30 minutes (you can just let it simmer while the rice is cooking) – add rice – serve over fritos (scoops, please. it's much better that way) and top with grated cheese.

You can also top it with lettuce and tomatoes, kinda like a stacked taco