Mexican Cornbread Casserole

1 pound ground beef

1/2 onion, chopped

2 tablespoon taco seasoning

1 can ranch style beans

1 can corn, drained

1 cup salsa

1 - 1 1/2 cups cheese

Cornbread:

     ½ cup cornmeal

     1 ½ cup flour

     1/3 cup sugar

     1 tablespoon baking powder

     3/4 teaspoon salt

     1/3 cup oil

     1 cup buttermilk

     ¼ cup milk

     1 Jalapeno, diced.  Seeded if you desire less heat
Velveta 16 oz
1 can Rotel

Preheat the oven to 375. 

Brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain.

Stir in taco seasoning; cook and stir until heated through. Sir in beans, corn, and salsa. 

Pour meat mixture into a 13x9 pan.  Sprinkle with cheese

For the cornbread, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and add the oil, milks, and jalapenos. Whisk together until just moistened and no dry spots remain.

Pour cornbread over casserole. Gently spread over casserole to even it out. 

Bake for 40 -45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cornbread layer comes out clean, a few crumbs is okay.

Cool for a few minutes before serving.

Serve with Rotel and Cheese sauce.  Make by blending velveta cut into cubes with the rotel.  Pour into a microwave safe dish and microwave for 1 minute.  Stir.  Spoon desired amount over individual servings.

Note: To make cornbread (muffins) make cornbread the same way but bake in either a pie pan or muffin pan at 400.  Bake for 15-20 min in muffin pan or 20-25 min in pie pan.

Mini Apple Pies

3 granny smith apples cut into small 1/2in bits, peeled and cored
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 box of Pillsbury pie crusts (2 chilled NOT frozen crusts)
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons of chilled butter cut into 12 equal portions.
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoons melted butter

Mix apples with flour, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and salt.

Unroll your first pie crust and cut several circles out. Continue this until you have enough crusts (12). I found that a wide mouth mason jar ring worked perfectly, or my 1 1/2 cup measurer.

Line each cup of your muffin tin with a tiny pie crust.

In a large saucepan combine apples mixture, lemon juice, and water. Bring to a boil striring constantly, then remove from heat.

Gently fill the crusts with your apple mixture. You should be able to fill until slightly mounded. and put a dab of butter on each pie.

Cover as desired with left over dough. It doesn't have to fit perfectly. Picture shown with doing a lattice but too doughy. Just place a small circle on top that doesn't need to fit exactly.

Mix remaining sugar and cinnamon in a pinch bowl.

Brush pie tops with melted butter. then sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture on top.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

recipe makes 12 mini pies or 6 Texas sized muffin pies

Mini Apple Pie

1 package Puff Pastry shells
2 Granny Smith apples
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 Tablespoon water

Bake puff pastry shells according to package directions.

When you take the tops off the shells after baking try to scoop out as much of the inside as you can while not hurting the shell.

While pastry is baking combine the lemon juice and water in a large bowl.

Peel, core and thinly slice your apples.  

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add apple splices and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring.

Add brown sugar and cinnamon and cook about 2 more minutes.

Stir together cornstarch and water.

Slowly pour cornstarch mixture into apple mixture while stirring. Cook for another 1-2 minutes stirring constantly until juices thicken. Remove from heat.

Place a strainer over a bowl. Pour apple mixture into strainer and let sauce fall into the bowl. Try to get as much of the sauce off the apples as you can.

Place puff pastry in individual serving dishes.

Fill pastry shell with as much apples as you can. All the apple slices can be evenly divided between the 6 shells.

Then spoon the sauce over each shell. Don’t mind if the sauce runs all down the sides of the shells.

Place the tops back on the shells.

Margarita Punch

Ice, 1/2 bag
1 can Frozen Lemonade
1 can Frozen Limeade
2 liters Sprite
1 each of Lime and Lemon sliced into wedges

Place ice in a large punch bowl.

Pour the frozen Lemonade and Limeade and Sprite over ice. DO NOT add water.

Make 60 minutes prior to serving. The ice melts and the flavors are fantastic!

Squeeze the lemon and lime wedges into the punch and then drop them into the punch.

Maple Pecan Sweet Potatoes

4 cups Sweet Potatoes (~3 large)
Oil
Foil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4  teaspoon nutmeg
1/2  cup brown sugar, loose, not packed
Sugared Pecans

Preheat oven to 400.

Wash Sweet Potatoes thoroughly.  Poke holes in sweet potato using a knife or fork.  Lightly oil the outside of the sweet potato.  Wrap Sweet potato loosely in foil.  

Bake for 45 minutes.  If knife inserted sweet potato goes through smoothly turn off oven and let sweet potato sit on rack.  Leave in oven for about 10-15 minutes.  Open it up using oven mitts and split it lengthwise with a knife.  Scoop out insides and put in a bowl.  

With hand held mixer, beat sweet potatoes, maple syrup, cream, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar until smooth and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).

Taste for flavor, add more cinnamon, salt, etc.

Pour into baking dish.

Top with sugared pecans.

Note: If you want to turn it into a pie try adding 2 eggs and 1/2 cup softened butter to the instructions with the hand held mixer part. Then pour filling into a pie crust and bake for 1 hour at 350. Cover crust with foil rim and take off last 25 minutes of cooking. Top with sugared pecans.

Mushroom Risotto

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms, use a variety
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup Arborio rice
5 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until onion is tender.

Stir in the parsley, salt, and pepper.

Then add the mushrooms.

Reduce heat to low, and continue cooking until the mushrooms are soft.

Pour the milk and cream into the skillet, and stir in the rice.

Heat to a simmer.

Stir the chicken broth into the rice one cup at a time, until it is absorbed, you may not use all 6 cups.  About one cup every 5-10 minutes. May take 30-40 minutes for rice to absorb broth. I poured the broth in slowly while stirring the rice each time. I stirred off and on for the first few minutes with each cup and then let it come to a boil and stirred every minute or two after that.

When you have finished your 5th cup and done the 5-10 minute wait to let it soak up taste it to see if rice is done. If not done add the last cup of broth.

When the rice has finished cooking, stir in the butter and Parmesan cheese, and remove from heat.

Serve hot.

Mexican Shredded Meat Mixture - Gina Dale

5 lbs Bottom Round Roast
1 cup Water
1 cup Dehydrated Onion
1 (4 oz.) can diced Green Chilies
16 oz. jar Medium Salsa
1/4 teaspoon Granulated Garlic
4 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin

Preheat oven to 275.

Cut the roast into 1 1/2 to 2 inch steaks.

Place steaks in large roasting pan or dutch oven. Add water. Cover with a tight fitting lid and roast for 7 hours.

Cool meat. Shred; discarding fat and connective tissue.

In a medium bowl combine onion, green chilies, salsa, garlic, salt, and cumin.

Stir salsa mixture into the shredded meat.

Freeze in 2-3 cup portions.

Use to make burritos, taco salad, quesadillas, nachos, or tamales.

Tamales:
3 ducks worth of drumsticks and thighs and 1 breast
1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
~2 cups Beef Broth
1/2 cup Dehydrated Onion
1 (4 oz.) can diced Green Chilies
8 oz. jar Medium Salsa
1/4 teaspoon Granulated Garlic
2 teaspoons Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin

Place duck in a slow cooker.  Sprinkle Onion Soup Mix over duck.  Cover duck with beef broth till fully submerged, may not use all or may use more depending on size of slow cooker.

Cook on high for 1 hour and on low for 3 hours.  

In a medium bowl combine dehydrated onion, diced green chilies, salsa, garlic, salt, and cumin.  

Remove Duck meat from slow cooker and shred with a fork.  

Mix meat in salsa mixture.  

Enough to make 30 tamales.

Taco Salad - Mex Mes:
1 duck
1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
~2 cups Beef Broth
1/4 cup Dehydrated Onion
1 (4 oz.) can diced Green Chilies
4 oz. jar Medium Salsa
1/2 teaspoon Granulated Garlic
1 teaspoons Salt
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin

Place duck in a slow cooker.  Sprinkle Onion Soup Mix over duck.  Cover duck with beef broth till fully submerged, may not use all or may use more depending on size of slow cooker.

Cook on high for 1 hour and on low for 3 hours.  

In a medium bowl combine dehydrated onion, diced green chilies, salsa, garlic, salt, and cumin.  

Remove Duck meat from slow cooker and shred with a fork.  

Mix meat in salsa mixture.  

Mashed Potatoes - Gina Dale

2 1/2 lbs Red Potatoes, cut into quarters
5 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup (heaping) Sour Cream
1/4 cup Butter, softened
2 teaspoon Garlic Salt
1/2 Tablespoon Salt
2 teaspoon Pepper

Place potatoes in a large saucepan. Add water to half the depth of the potatoes. Bring to a boil on high heat.  Cover, and reduce to a simmer until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork and break apart, about 15 minutes. Drain water from potatoes.

While potatoes are cooking mix together in a large bowl cream cheese, sour cream, butter, garlic salt, salt and pepper.

Add drained potatoes to the cream cheese mixture. Mash with a potato masher.

If potatoes are not hot when it is time to serve them transfer them to a 1 1/2 quart baking dish and bake in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes uncovered.

Mini Chicken Pot Pies - Robin Morgenstern

2/3 cup buttermilk
1 3/4 cups chicken broth

1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup carrots chopped small
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup sliced celery

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed

2 cups shredded chicken (I use a rotisserie chicken)
3/4 cup frozen green peas
4 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425.
Measure out buttermilk and broth.  Combine the two into a two cup liquid measuring cup (It will be very full).  Set aside.

In a skillet melt butter. Saute carrots, onions, and celery for about 5 mintues or until carrots are tender. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Whisk till all is incorporated. Slowly stir in broth mixture while whisking. Be careful in tends to slosh. Continue stirring until thick. Add chicken and peas, stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.

Roll out dough so that it is thinner. Cut out large circles from 2 of the pie crusts to put in the muffin tins. The circles should be larger than the hole. Put the scraps of dough together and roll out. Keep cutting and repeating till all the dough is used up. Will make about 15-18 Texas sized cupcakes.

Using a large ice cream scoop place one scoop of chicken mixture in each cup.

Cut out circles that will be the size of the top of the mini pies (about a 1/2 cup measurer size).

Cover the tops with the circles.

Seal edges pinching crusts together slightly

Make 3 small slits in the top with a knife to allow steam to escape in the form of a Y.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Rotate in oven and cook for 3-5 more minutes or until crust is a golden brown.

Manicotti

1 box Manicotti
1 box frozen chopped Spinach
2 Eggs
24 oz. Ricotta, whole milk
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce
1 cup or more of Parmesan Cheese

Make manicotti according to package directions. Drain and run under cold water to cool completely. Set aside.

Cook spinach according to package directions. Run under cold water to cool completely and squeeze out as much water as you can.

Mix spinach, eggs, ricotta, salt, italian seasoning, pepper, garlic powder, and mozzarella in a bowl.

Take 2-3 big spoonfuls of spaghetti sauce and spread on the bottom of a large glass pan.

Take ricotta mixture and put in a gallon size zip lock bag.  Try to get all air out of bag and twist top several times.  Cut a hole in the bag in the bottom corner about 1/2 inch big.   Stuff manicotti with cheese mixture by holding shell in one hand and squeezing ricotta mixture into top of shell.  Flip and finish filling up the shell on the other side.   It is okay if they split.  Lay stuffed manicotti in a single layer in glass pan with sauce.  This process is much easier if you have a helping hand in the kitchen.

Generously spread spaghetti sauce all over tops of shells with a spoon.

Top with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes, while you make some Garlic Bread.

Mini Lemon Tartlets

24 paper muffin cups
1 package Refrigerated Sugar Cookie Bar Dough
1 can (14 oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 package (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1 tubs thawed Cool Whip
1/2 cup Lemon Juice
4 teaspoons grated Lemon Peel (2 lemons)

Preheat oven to 325º F.

Paper-line muffin cups.  Spray with PAM.

Cut dough along pre-scored lines; place one piece of cookie
dough in each muffin cup.

Bake for 13 minutes or until golden brown. Cookies will be puffy. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Beat sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese in large mixer bowl until smooth. Gently fold in whipped topping.  Stir lemon juice and lemon peel into bowl. 

Fill a gallon size zip lock bag with lemon cream cheese mixture.  Squeeze out all air and twist top and secure with nondominant hand (for me left hand).  Cut a triangle tip off one of the bottom corners about 1/4-1/2 inch.  Squeeze with dominant hand into cookie cups an outer circle to inner circle motion.  Keep twisting bag and squeezing down toward opening till all cream cheese mixture is used.  You do not want to make a high mound, just enough to cover cookie.

Freeze for at least  2 hours or overnight.  We like to eat our frozen but can thaw if needed.