Grandma's Enchiladas

Happy Tres de Mayo everyone! Unfortunately we will not be dining at home on the 5th and I was in the mood for Mexican food so I decided to make these up yesterday. I have made them before and I think it is currently my favorite Mexican recipe. With my wife not eating peppers or spicy food, it kind of limits the Mexican food, but this recipe has a lot of good flavor without being overly spicy. I love how you cook the meat until it is fall apart tender and are making the enchilada sauce at the same time in the same pot - way better than any canned sauce.

Grandma's Enchilada's

(Source: Cook's Country October/November, page 27)

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 pounds boneless beef chuck-eye roast, trimmed and cut into 1½ inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 onions, minced
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat beef dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook half the beef, turning occasionally, until well browned all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Repeat with remaining oil and beef.
2. Pour off ll but 1 tablespoon of fat from pot. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin,coriander, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until spices darken, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce and wine and bring to boil.
3. Add browned beef, along with any juices, to pot. Transfer pot to oven and cook, covered, until meat is fork tender, 2 to 2 ½ hours. Transfer beef to large bowl. Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer, discarding solids, and set aside. You should have about 2 cups sauce.
4. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. Spread 3/4 cup sauce over bottom of 13 by 9 inch baking dish; set aside. When beef is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces. Add 1 cup cheese and additional 1/4 cup sauce and toss to combine.
5. Spray tortillas on both sides with cooking spray and arrange on baking sheet. Bake until they are warm and pliable, about 1 minute. Place 1/3 cup beef mixture in middle of each tortilla. Roll tightly and arrange, seam-side down, in prepared baking dish.
6. Pour remaining sauce evenly over enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake until cheese is melted and enchiladas are heated through, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve.

Barefoot Bloggers: Jam Thumbprint Cookies

I don't think there have been any cookie recipes so far for Barefoot Bloggers and now this month there are two. Unfortunately I was on vacation the beginning of this month and did not get to make the Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies. I may have to go back to that one because they sound really good. I decided this recipe would be a good opportunity to do something I have been wanting to do for a long time - cook with my 2 1/2 year old son.

I have let Victor do a little cooking with me but I decided this might be a little better than most of my projects. There are some tasks he could do and have fun with and the fact that they were cookies would make it a little more fun for him.

The cookies were a great success. Victor helped add ingredients to the mixer and he helped clean off the mixer beater when we were done with it. It was also his job to roll the cookies in the coconut. As you can see in the picture below there may be more coconut in his cheeks than there is in the bowl.

The cookies were really good. Unfortunately I have do not have any homemade jam so I used some store bought raspberry and peach jams. I have had similar cookies in the past but without the coconut. I think the coconut was a nice addition but I made a few without for my wife. Thanks to Cassandra at Foodie with Little Thyme for this recipe pick. The eclairs for her son look really good.

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

(Source: Barefoot Contessa Family Style, page 208)

Yield 32 cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
• 7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
• Raspberry and/or apricot jam

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until they are just combined and then add the vanilla. Separately, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
3. Roll the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. (If you have a scale they should each weigh 1 ounce.) Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger. Drop 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is a golden brown. Cool and serve.

Barefoot Bloggers: Caesar Club Sandwich

If I had to pick my favorite food a good sandwich has to be high on the list. It is hard to beat a good New York sub or a Bánh mì. Even though I say this a good sandwich like this is something I never make.

I did make a few changes when I put this together. Since I can't ever seem to find arugula I ended up just using some leaf lettuce. Also I knew my wife wouldn't like the sun-dried tomatoes so I left those off as well. I know it would have been better without those changes but I can say that this was a terrific sandwich even with the changes I made. This has to be one of my favorite Barefoot Blogger recipes so far.

Thanks to Karen of Shortbread for this pick - I really liked this one. And check out her blog for lots of southern cooking. I have to try the ham salad recipe she has listed for another sandwich.

Caesar Club Sandwich

(Source: Barefoot Contessa at Home)

Serves 3

Ingredients

• 2 split (1 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
• 1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise
• 1 large ciabatta bread
• 2 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
• 12 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil
• 2 to 3 ounces Parmesan, shaved

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan skin side up. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. Cool slightly, discard the skin and bones, and slice the meat thickly. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, place the pancetta on another sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels.
4. Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until minced. Add the anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice, and mayonnaise and process again to make a smooth dressing. (Refrigerate the Caesar dressing if not using it immediately.)
5. Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally and separate the top from the bottom. Toast the bread in the oven, cut side up, for 5 to 7 minutes; cool slightly. Spread the cut sides of each piece with the Caesar dressing. Place half the arugula on the bottom piece of bread and then layer in order: the sun-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan, crispy pancetta, and sliced chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and finish with another layer of arugula. Place the top slice of ciabatta on top and cut in thirds crosswise. Serve at room temperature.

Barefoot Bloggers: Individual Meat Loaves

I'm a big fan of meatloaf so I was happy to see this choice. I looked at the recipe though and it seemed like a pretty standard meatloaf. The only thing that seemed a little out of the ordinary was the amount of the onions and the fact that you pre-cook the onions.

After making these I can honestly say I have no idea what people commenting on these are raving about. Not that there was anything wrong with them - they just seemed pretty ordinary to me. Maybe I have spoiled myself but most good meatloaf recipes I have used have more than one type of meat, maybe some bacon, and probably something better than ketchup on top. I am clearly in the minority from what I see in the comments on foodnetwork and the barefoot bloggers that have done this so far. I might make this again in the future and try to dress it up a bit but it is definitely not my favorite meatloaf.

Thanks to Tonya at What's on my Plate for this selection. She has a very varied blog. A lot of vegetarian cooking (obviously not all if she chose meatloaf) and even has an entry on making your own butter.

Individual Meat Loaves

(Source: Foodnetwork.com )

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 3 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup canned chicken stock or broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck (81 percent lean)
• 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs (recommended: Progresso)
• 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup ketchup (recommended: Heinz)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan.
3. Add the onions, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown.
4. Off the heat, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly.
5. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix lightly with a fork. Don't mash or the meatloaf will be dense.
6. Divide the mixture into 6 (10 to 11-ounce) portions and shape each portion into a small loaf on a sheet pan. Spread about a tablespoon of ketchup on the top of each portion.
7. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the internal temperature is 155 to 160 degrees F and the meat loaves are cooked through. Serve hot.