Southwestern Lasagna

Do you like nachos? Those ones that are fully loaded with the works?

Ya, me too. We had that for dinner about 2 weeks ago and it was good.

Last night we had it again, sorta. Only it was more organized. Less messy and oh em gee good!

I've made this a few times in the past....but it's been a while. So long ago that Sir Sportsalot didn't even remember ever having it.

I knew everyone liked it back then, but you know how tastes change? Things change? I was afraid no one would like it anymore.

Ya I know....my insecurities are showing.

Anyways, let me just say this.....Sir Sportsalot refuses to eat leftovers. Even if he didn't eat the dinner the first time around, he won't eat it the next day. (wtf? to him they aren't really leftovers, are they?). But today he said....he would eat more of this if we had any left. Which we didn't...but still!!

Think taco....and you pretty much have the ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, seasoned with mexican seasoning or salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, cumin, paprika
• 1 zucchini, sliced or chopped
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped jalapeno (or to taste)
• 2 avocados, sliced thin
• 8 corn tortillas cut into 4ths, like a pie
• 1 15 oz can of black beans, drained
• 1 15 oz jar of salsa
• 6 oz Cheddar cheese (or to taste)
• 6 oz mozzarella or jack cheese (or to taste)

Preheat your oven to 425' F

Season your chicken. I used a chicken seasoning that I got from the Mexican market. 

It has great flavor....but it also has MSG....so I rarely use it.

Saute your chicken in a hot skillet until cooked through. Remove from the pan and let cool. Once it's cooled off, slice it thin.

Toss the zucchini into the pan and let it cook until its crsip / tender.

Combine the cilantro, green onions, jalapeno and zucchini

Now I think you're ready to assemble. Oh wait....spray or oil an 8"x 8" casserole dish. 

This is going to be a two layer dish....so use half of everything as follows:

Line the bottom of the dish with tortillas, beans, chicken, zucchini mixture....

Mmmmm...it's starting to look pretty darn good and we still have more stuff to add.... avocado, you're favorite salsa and cheese

Oh man...i wish I had some Ranchero, Queso Fresco!!! But noooOOOOoooo, I had to be out of it. 

Ok....add your second layer on...you might have to smash it down a bit cuz it's gonna get full. 

Cover Tent the dish with tin foil.....set on a cookie sheet and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue cooking for another 15 - 20 minutes. You want the cheese to be all melty and bubbly and even a bit brown in some spots......(drool)

Let it cool for about 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy

If you'd like a printable version of this recipe, you can go here: 

Southwestern Lasagna Printable Recipe

Beauty and The Beets

Beets....Yes, this bun was made with fresh beets. From what I understand, beets are extremely good for you. They're full of all sorts of stuff....Potassium, Iron, Manganese (have to look that one up and see what it does for a body), Phosphorus, Copper, Vitamin C, Folate and Betaine. There are lots more nutrients, in small amounts, found in beets. Even with all these good for you things....I've never liked them.

Soooo...what's my problem? How come? 

Was it because I was forced to eat them as a child? 

And if I don't like beets, why on earth would I make Red Beet Buns? 

Curiosity. Duh! 

It all began when Michelle from Big Black Dogs made it known that Red Beet Buns were one of the February assignments for the HBin5 Bread Braid.

My first mental response was....naaaaaaaa. I aint doin it. 

But people got to talking. Some said it hardly tasted like beets at all. And to be honest, the idea of a red bun for Valentines Day intrigued me. 

So I caved. 

I wish I could give you the recipe, but I can't. Its in the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day cookbook. Im sure eventually someone will post the recipe somewhere on the internet....

But I can show you what the ingredients are....

Btw....have you ever peeled a beet? And seen how pretty it is on the inside?

I have to say....this is one beautiful vegetable

For this recipe I used fresh beets, peeled them and then put them through my food processor to shred

Gorgeous stuff!! I mean...I just love that color. So rich and deep. But you know what? They smell exactly how I remember them from...I dunno....25? 30 yrs ago? (I think that was the last time I gagged down a beet)

Anyways...the recipe called for some onions. hmmm...that sounds good. Well heck...why not add a garlic clove or two as well? I mean...seriously....it can't hurt, right?

Now THAT smells awesome!!!

So I mixed all the ingredients (including something I had never heard of...and had to do a little searching for....spelt flour). I let it rise on the counter for the said "2 hours"

Lookie at what I have!!! PINK DOUGH!! COOOOOOL!!!

I ended up not being able to bake my buns for a few more days...so the dough sat in the fridge for 3 days before I got busy. 1 lb of dough divided into 8ths...and formed into little mini buns

I'm totally loving the color here! (yes...I'm one of those gals who likes pink. I don't decorate my house with it, I rarely wear it....but I like it).

The buns rose for a little longer than recommended. Partly because I forgot....but mostly because the fridge I store my dough in is super cold....so I think in order to rise properly, it needs to sit a bit longer, otherwise the dough would still be cool when I placed it in the oven and I don't think it would rise to it's full potential that way. (you gotta love a run on sentence. and no....I did not stop for a breath as I said all that).

After about 20 minutes in the oven, this is what came out

Gorgeous red buns. Perfect for Valentines Day, wouldn't you say?

And.....they totally tasted like beets. 

No matter how pretty they are, they're still beetsy. And apparently after all these years, I still don't like beets. 

I tried. Honestly. I swear I did!!

But I can't do it.

So I took them to work for our potluck and prayed that someone there would be a beet lover. And there was....several actually. And they liked the buns!! 

Soo...the moral of the story is. Beet Buns are good. 

But only if you like beets.

Potato Soup Through the Ages

Comfort.

Simple, tasty, and full of memories.

This is one of those recipes I've had since I moved out....long long ago. A recipe I called my Nana to get. Back in the day when there was no such thing as nationwide calling. You better believe I got charged for every minute I was on that phone. Tediously writing down the ingredients and directions and asking questions as we went along.

Nana was so patient and thorough. I just love my Nana. I think I'll give her a call tomorrow and tell her so.

Now, I have to admit, this isn't her exact recipe. Not that there is anything wrong with Nana's recipe...but you know how it is. We just can't leave well enough along. We have to play with it and tweak it and make it our own. And I'm not saying that my variation is by any means better. It's just different.

I don't have a recipe with exact measurements. Sorry....just wing it. You'll be fine. It's a very forgiving recipe. I'll try and guide you in the right direction though.

First off, I got about 6 slices of bacon, chopped 'em up and fried them in the pot I planned on using for the soup

Remove the bacon (set aside for garnishing later) and leave enough fat in the pan to saute a chopped onion and a chopped celery stalk. Towards the end of the sauteing, add in a minced garlic clove. Mean while, peel and dice several potatoes. About 5 or 6, depending on the size. Add the potatoes to the onions and celery. 

Add enough chicken stock to the pot to cover the potatoes by about an inch

Add some seasoning.....a bay leaf, a bit of salt....maybe 1/4 tsp. of cumin....a dash of worchestershire sauce. Allow to simmer until the potatoes are done....but not mushy.

While thats going on, get some other goodies ready.....some broccoli, dice up about 4 oz of cheese. I used sharp cheddar and some swiss. (ya...it's that lunch sandwich version of swiss which is NOTHING like "real" swiss which might be why I like it cuz I'm not a swiss fan.) My sister likes to use velveeta.

I know....thats cumin and a bay leaf there, which are already in the soup. Don't worry about it. I'm just not writing this in the order of my pictures. I got ahead of myself or something.

Ok...so the potatoes are tender (not mushy)....time to take some (not all) of them out and set aside

Remove the bay leaf

If you have one....get out your handy dandy immersion blender (or tater masher or pour it into a blender or something)

And blend away!! Cream those taters...mash em up baby!

Once that task is done to your liking....add some broccoli

And Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese

Stir it up...and cook until the broccoli is tender and the cheese is melted

Return the potatoes that you had set aside to the pot

Season with white pepper

Were you ever told that you should season soup with white pepper instead of black pepper? Anyone know why?

Now give it a taste. Season with some salt and more pepper if needed. Garnish with cheese, green onions, sour cream and the bacon you cooked earlier....

and enjoy a wonderful bowl of what my daughter describes as "a twice baked potato in a bowl"

Which is very filling and satisfying 

Although I was only able to eat half the bowl before I was extremely full. 

But there might have been a reason that is totally unrelated to soup. Other than I enjoyed it while i was cooking my soup. 

Have you ever had or seen that strawberry / banana juice that's sold in the market along side the orange juice? 

Well, I finally found the reason for its existence.

One must mix it with Malibu Coconut Rum prior to consumption. 

Eat, Drink and Be Happy!

One last thing, then I'll let you go. I've entered my Potato Soup in the Souper Sunday fun that goes on over at Debs from Kahakai Kitchen. Check out her blog this Sunday and see all the other yummies that she has going on.

Gotta have it NOW

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake! ooooooh yaaaaaaaaaaa. I saw this baby over at Joanne's Eats Well With Others and it not only impressed my mental senses but made my mouth water and instantly became a "need"....."must have"......"craving".

I knew I had to make it that night. And I did. I even stayed up late to make it. I didn't know we'd be going out to dinner that night. But I did know that I had to make this cake.

I'm not sure if it was the chocolate that seized my attention or the fact that it contained sour cream. Now I'm not some kind of sour cream crazed foodie. I like it just fine but no more than the average person. But there's something about baked goods with sour cream. An extra tang....deeper flavor.....and a super moistness that happens when it's added to a recipe. I don't know why. It just does. I think it's the 21st century version of the buttermilk reputation.

Anyways, regardless of why....I did. I made this baby and I'm proud of it. And let me tell you something....this is an awesome companion with your morning coffee.

1 stick of butter (the original said unsalted. I used regular) at room temp
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1 1/2 (or so...I always spill) vanilla extract
16 oz sour cream (I think it was suppose to be reduced fat but I forgot)
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350' F

Grease a 9x13" pan.

Cream the butter and sugar together, in a large bowl...add egg yolks and vanilla.
In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder.

Then you will alternately add the sour cream and then the flour mix into the butter mixture.

Thats some thick batter we have goin on

In yet another bowl....beat the eggs whites until stuff

(if I didn't know any better, I'd say it was awfully cold outside. Oh wait....it was....at least for SoCal)

Fold the stiff egg whites into the thick batter.

Mix together your 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon 

Pour Spread 1/2 of the batter into your prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar and 1/2 of the chocolate chips....then carefully spoon and spread the remaining batter into your pan

 Try not to get too many of the chocolate chips mixed into the batter

Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar and chocolate chips over the top of your cake

Looks promising, doesn't it?

Bake for about 40 - 50 minutes, or until your inserted toothpick comes out clean

mmm....let it cool before you cut into it.

Meanwhile....look at this crust!!

The chocolate chips are soft and the cinnamon sugar encrusted top is nice and crumbly. And talk about moist? You've got that too!  I took this to work (so I wouldn't eat it all. And yes, I left a few pieces at home for the girls)...and it was gone in no time.

Gotta love those quick disappearing desserts

Black Bean Hummus and Homemade Pita

One of the gals at work mentioned Black Bean Hummus. My ears perked and interest piqued! Whaaaaat is it? I've never heard of it!! Tell me more!!

She said it was simple.....same recipe as regular [chickpea] hummus only you use black beans.

Well heck....I've gotta try me some of that!

Let me tell ya....YUM! Super YUM!!! Super EASY!!! and I'm thinking...let's serve this for the SUPER BOWL!!! Too bad a team with purple jerseys won't be playing. I'm not saying any team in particular. I'm just sayin....you know....cuz it's like.....I dunno.....a color thing?

Cuz my Black Bean Hummus came out kinda purple.....ya know?

2- 15 oz cans of black beans, drained. Reserve liquid
2 or 3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup tahini
juice from 1 lemon
Olive Oil and Paprika to garnish

In a food processor, chop up the garlic cloves. Add the beans, tahini and lemon juice. Just as it's coming together, starting adding some of the reserved bean liquid....until you have the desired constancy. Enough to make it smooth, but not runny.

Put it in your serving bowl. If you have an immersion blender, you might wanna give it a few pulses in the hummus....just to give it that extra smoothness. Drizzle with Olive Oil and sprinkle with paprika.

Serve with pita slices.

Wanna try your hand at making pita? It's the easiest thing ever!!!

You can find the Master Recipe for White Flour Dough here at the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day blog.

So...you make that dough (4 ingredients...flour, yeast, water and salt....come on, I know you can do it!!)

Preheat your oven and stone to a piping hot 500'

After that first initial rise (there will be no second rise), grab about 1 lb of dough. Shape it into a ball (don't knead...just pull the dough under until you have a smooth ball.....this takes less than a minute). Place it on a well floured surface

Divide the dough into 4 and shape those into balls

Use enough flour to keep them from sticking but not so much that the dough dries out...don't stress over it...don't over think it......you'll be fine

Now....take one of those little balls....flatten it a bit....roll it out, turning, rolling.....kinda like you would for a pizza, until it's about 1/8 thick.

Slide it onto you stone and bake for about 5 - 7 minutes. After the first 4 or 5 minutes, I took the pita off the stone and continued to bake it directly on the rack (placement of racks is not important) so that it would brown a little.

Remove from the oven.....Oh look!!! It puffed up!! That means he's got pockets...wooo hoooo

Now let him cool. In order to maintain the pliable softness that pita's are known for.....cover this guy up with a little cotton towel and tuck him in until he cools off

He'll flatten out as he cools. Serve warm or at room temp.

(This was my whole wheat version)

Want more hummus variations? Check out the Southwestern Hummus that I make with cilantro and jalapenos

(this hummus tastes best with tortilla chips)

Soo....there ya have it. Black Bean Hummus and Homemade Pita and links to more. You have no excuse now. If you haven't tried hummus or if you tried the store bought stuff and thought you didn't like it....give it a second chance. It's good stuff.