Creamy Beef Enchiladas March 23, 2011

These enchiladas are quick and very easy to make. Impress your family and friends with your newly found culinary talents. This dish doesn’t require a lot of skills but it tastes wonderful and delicious, which is one of the reasons I love it. Even my husband who is not a Mexican food lover, gives this dish two thumbs up. C’mon let’s try it.

 

Creamy Beef Enchiladas

What you’ll need:
1lb. low-fat ground beef
4oz. Chive and Onion Cream Cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
5 flour tortillas 8″ in size
1/2 cup red enchilada sauce, mild or medium
1/2 cup shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese

How it’s done:
Pre-heat oven at 350°F
On a saucepan at medium-high heat cook beef until no longer pink. Drain excess fat and return to pot.
Add the cream cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the beef and mix until well combined.
Lay the tortillas on a flat surface and place 1/2 cup of the beef mixture alongside the center of each tortilla.
Fold one side of the tortilla towards the center and over the filling, then fold the other side over the first fold.
Place enchiladas seam side down on a greased 9×13 baking dish.
Pour enchilada sauce evenly over tortillas and sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes and serve hot next to mexican rice, refried beans, a crisp salad or just on their own.
Enjoy!

Yummy Pot Stickers March 11, 2011

The other day I found myself with some wonton wrappers left over. Actually it was way more over than half the packet. Normally they tend to go bad rather quickly so I started thinking what could I do to use them. Thanks to TGIF and their appetizer menu I remembered they have these pot stickers. I knew theirs was made with pork which was an ingredient I didn’t have at my house at the time. As usual for me, I love improvising in the kitchen and this time was no exception.  I looked online for inspiration, grabbed some ingredients I had lying around and voila, this is what I came up with. Hope you can all enjoy them as much as my husband and I did.

Beef Pot Stickers

What you’ll need:

48 wonton wrappers
1lb. ground beef
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil – per batch (Pam spray works fine)
1/2 cup water or chicken broth – per batch

How it’s done:

Cut each wonton wrapper into a circle and place on a plate, cover them with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying.

Mix ground beef with soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, ginger and onion powder until well combined.
Making one at a time, place 1/2 tablespoon beef mixture into center of each wonton wrapper.

Dampen your finger tip with water and go all around the edge of the wonton wrapper. Fold wrapper in half and press to seal.

Make four plead folds around the edge of the wonton wrapper and press to hold. Press them on to a flat surface and make sure they can stand on themselves.

Keep repeating these steps until you are done with all the wrappers. Remember to keep them covered with a damp paper towel until you are done.

Heat a large dip skillet on medium high until hot.
Once hot pour the vegetable oil and spread evenly all around the bottom of skillet.
Place around 15 pot stickers standing up on bottom of skillet without touching each other.
Fry bottoms for 2 minutes undisturbed.

Pour 1/2 cup of water slowly into bottom of skillet and quickly cover skillet.
Cook for 8 minutes, then remove lid and cook for an extra 2 minutes tilting them on one side.
Remove from skillet unto a hot plate and keep in a warm oven until you are done cooking all the pot stickers.
Enjoy.

2011 Delicious Venture Update March 10, 2011

I am sad to say that I had abandoned writing on my blog. Trying to do too many things at a time and not committing to a single one in particular. Well, that is not entirely true. My recipe book is on hold but I have been working on rising up my catering company City Owl Catering. With hard work I am proud to say that the company is finally running with all the legal paperwork and licenses up to date.

On the road to doing what I love I have learned that it is harder than what I thought. I am not giving up my dream. This last month I got a deal of writing a cooking column on a free monthly local publication called Mujer de Exito. It is set to launch next week and I can’t wait for it. Slowly but surely success will come, those who make it are the ones who never give up. I live by the saying “Men do not fail, they just give up trying“.

I will be back blogging more recipes and updating on my business successes! I have many friends who keep asking me to finish my book and I can’t let them down. I thank all of you for your support and let’s enjoy this sweet ride together. 🙂

Simple Bread Pudding July 23, 2010

As a kid I never liked bread pudding. I was a very picky child and would say I didn’t like things even when I had never tried them. Now as an adult I have learned to at least try things before judging them and I am glad I did. Bread pudding was one thing that I found out I liked and can’t believe I spent so many years without having it.

I was not planning on making this but I had purchased a sliced loaf bread for my husband and he didn’t like how thin the slices were. I didn’t want to throw the bread away so I decided to mix a few things together and turn it into something he would eat.

Here is a recipe for a simple bread pudding. It doesn’t require too many ingredients and it only takes 5 minutes to prepare. Tastes good warm or cold, a good dessert to have around.

Quick Bread Pudding

What you’ll need
1 lb bread, cut into small squares
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon

How it’s done
Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees.
Spray a 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray and place bread pieces in it.
With your hand press down on the bread against the bottom of the dish squashing it evenly.
In a bowl, place the rest of the ingredients and whisk until well combined.
Pour mixture evenly over bread pieces, making sure it all gets coated.
Grab a spatula and press down the bread again making sure all the liquid gets absorbed.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and top is golden brown.
Let cool 20 minutes before serving, refrigerate left overs.

Let’s go to an Italian Wedding July 22, 2010

Italian again???

Yes, it seems like I can’t stop myself when it comes to Italian food. It is no wonder why we picked going to Italy for our honeymoon. But unlike popular belief, I was let down by the food I had in Italy. Might’ve been the places I went to in Rome, but we found it bland and lacking presentation.

This pasta is a variation of the famous Italian Wedding Soup which is a combination of meat and green vegetables with pasta. My husband loves this pasta a lot and so do I. Because I am not a meat lover, I find that meatballs are too much meat for me so as a variation I also make this pasta with ground beef instead. This will require a little more preparation since the meat would need to be seasoned and cooked separately before adding it to the pasta.

Italian Wedding Pasta

 

Creamy and delicious, pasta, vegetables, meat and spices, 3 main food groups in one dish. 🙂

Kickin’Red Potatoes July 21, 2010

Red potatoes are one of my favorites potatoes to work with. They are small and cute, and best of all their peel is softer than other potatoes and doesn’t need to be removed. Not having to peel the potatoes cuts your preparation time in half and that’s one thing I like doing, preparing meals in the shortest amount of time possible.

This potato recipe is a simple one, it consists of washing, cutting, boiling, stirring, serving and eating. So easy and so good. This is another of my personal collection recipes which will be included in the book. These potatoes have herbs, spices and cheese, what else could you ask for?

Kickin’Red Potatoes

These potatoes work great as a side or main dish, it will be your choice to decide.

The Book Dream July 20, 2010

Last night I had a peculiar dream. I dreamt about my cook book. What I gathered from the dream was that I should stop procrastinating and finish the book as soon as I can. I don’t feel like I have been procrastinating too much but I have not been working on it everyday as planned.

From tomorrow on I am gonna work harder at making 1 recipe a day and take a picture of it to post it as I have been doing. I feel if I put my all, that it will get done somehow. I really don’t know how it will happen but I must believe that it is going to happen.

I am so excited and it makes me so happy to think of the day in which I can actually see the finished product and when it will actually be helping people out there. 🙂

Creamy beef lasagna July 19, 2010

Lasagna, another great classic Italian dish. I made my own version of this classic for my recipe book. I created a creamy and flavorful beef mixture to go inside of it. With succulent layers of pasta, sauce, cheeses, and beef, there is nothing else to wish for. Oh yeah some classic garlic toast on the side, pure joy : )

Creamy Beef Lasagna

Creamy Spinach Dip July 17, 2010

Spinach Dip, another favorite on my list of appetizers. This is mainly the only form in which I eat spinach, I don’t like too many greens so they need to be in disguise for me to enjoy them. This is another recipe which will be featured in my book. It is a very simple recipe which doesn’t need cooking and can be ready in under 10 minutes.

Rich and creamy, once you try this Spinach Dip you won’t find the need to go to any restaurant to experience it.

Creamy Spinach Dip

Like Chili’s Skillet Queso July 15, 2010

Skillet Queso – a dip based on cheese, ground beef and spices.

I LOVE cheese, I would say cheese is my source of life. If I believed in other lives I think I would’ve been born a mouse. That is why it makes me so happy sharing this recipe with you. My sister and I used to go to Chili’s just to order the Skillet Queso, there is no other reason why I go to Chili’s if not for it.

I remember on my first date with my now husband, we went out to Chili’s. I had been raving about the Skillet Queso to him and we ordered it. Let’s face it, the appearance of it does not make justice to its taste and therefor my husband didn’t find it appetizing, actually found it horrible. I was so sad thinking I wouldn’t be able to share the Skillet Queso with him on future Chili’s visits. To my luck, the following time we went to Chili’s he decided to give it a second try and now he loves it as well YEAY : )

I love replicating dishes I eat out at home because we don’t always feel like going out all the time and we all know it is not the most affordable way of eating. With this said I present you with my version of Chili’s Skillet Queso.

Beefy Queso Dip

What you’ll need
1/4 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 jar Ragu Double Cheddar Sauce
3 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
tortilla chips

How it’s done
On a medium sauce pan over medium heat combine all ingredients but the tortilla chips.
Stir until well blended and mixture has come to a simmer.
Simmer 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently while flavors incorporate.
Serve immediately next to tortilla chips.
Enjoy.