SMASHBURGER Taco

 The princess and Uncle Parker thinks we need to have a new “Taco Tuesday" post and they wanted to share their creation of the SMASHBURGER TACO, (the newest, hottest videos trending all over Facebook). They were actually really good. Check out all the videos and choose one to try, you can’t go wrong… here is our favorite:  https://fb.watch/EQOnCSAxXw/?fs=e

Thrifty Thursday… “Tijuana Toss”

 Thrifty Thursday.... I have lots of leftovers and I have been craving a Mexican style casserole that my mom use to make called "Tijuana Toss", this is what I came up with... 

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

1/2 medium yellow onion diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 cloves

1/4 cup taco seasoning

1/2 cup water

1 bottle of Avocado salsa

1 can corn (I used leftover roasted)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

3-5 cups crushed tortilla chips 

3 cups shredded cheese jack and cheddar

2 medium tomato diced, save 1 for garnish

1 bunch green onions sliced for garnish

1 cup shredded lettuce for garnish

sour cream for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium heat until the meat is browned and the onions softens.

Add minced garlic to the skillet and saute for 1-2 minutes longer.

Add taco seasoning and water and stir over medium heat until well combined.

Stir the tomatoes (juices included), corn and black beans into the meat mixture and heat through.

Line the prepared baking dish with 1/3 bottle of salsa and 1 cup of tortilla chips overlapping slightly to cover the bottom of the casserole dish.

Spread 1⁄3 of the meat mixture over the tortillas. Sprinkle 2 cups of the cheese over the meat mixture.

Continue layering salsa, tortilla chips, meat mixture, and cheese to form three layers total.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes until casserole is bubbly and the cheese is fully melted.

Garnish with diced tomatoes and green onion. Let the casserole sit for 10 minutes for easy slicing and serving.

Serve with sour cream, tomatoes lettuce and extra cheese. We added diced cucumbers too.

White Chicken Chili

Make-Over Monday...

A couple of years ago I featured a Slow-cooker style White Chicken Chili. It was cream based and loaded with carbs and calories. I have been craving this chili, so today I decided to turn it KETO and we actually like it better than the original recipe.

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breast (cooked and save broth)
2 cups chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 4.5oz can chopped green chiles
1 diced red pepper (green works, red adds color)
1/4 cup diced sweet white onion
4 tbsp butter
1 can evaporated milk
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp of cumin or cayenne (optional)
                                                                1 tablespoon diced jalapeno (optional for heat)
                                                                Salt and Pepper to taste
                                                                1 can white butter beans (drained and rinsed)
Instructions
If you would like to use your own homemade chicken stock and shredded chicken, you can find my recipe here... https://thepantrylife.blogspot.com/…/homemade-chicken-stock…, just remember to skim the fat off to keep it more Keto Friendly.
For this recipe::::: In a medium skillet melt butter , add minced garlic, onion, green chilies, red pepper and diced jalapeno, saute about 3 minutes or until soft and place into crockpot/slow cooker.
Shred fully cooked chicken with a fork and add to the sauteed veggies.
Add skimmed broth, milk and spices to crockpot/slowcooker and cook on low for 30 - 45 minutes. Add beans and simmer for about 10-15 minutes,
Serve with favorite toppings such as: pepper jack cheese, avocado slices, cilantro, sour cream.

Takes 45 minutes - 1 hour, makes 6 - 1 cup servings

Turkey Taco Ring

• We are all familiar with the "Pampered Chef " infamous Taco Ring.... I was craving one the other day, but because I am trying to lose weight and eat more healthy I decided I would make try and make over the recipe. 
• 
  
• 2 lbs. lean (90%) ground turkey
  
• 1 can black beans (drained)
• 1 small onion (diced)
• Salt & pepper to taste (can use 1/2 package taco season mix)
• 1 3/4 cups (7 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 batch of your favorite homemade pizza dough
• 1   egg white, lightly beaten 
• Optional toppings: salsa, shredded lettuce, chopped green pepper and tomato, sliced olives and sour cream
• 
  
• Directions:
• 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook ground turkey, diced onions and salt & pepper or taco seasoning mix in frying pan over medium heat 10-12 minutes or until no longer pink, drain. Add beans, 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and water. Stir until blended.
  2. Roll pizza dough out in large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick, cut into 16 triangles. Arrange triangles, slightly overlapping, in a circle on large pizza stone or round pan with the wide ends 4-in. from edge of baking stone. (Points will extend off the edge of the baking stone.) Roll wide ends of dough toward center to create a 5-in. opening.
  3. Spoon filling evenly over dough in a continuous circle. Bring points of triangles up over filling and tuck under dough at center to form a ring. (Filling will show.) Brush with egg white. Bake 20-25 minutes, Sprinkle with
     remaining cheese and finish baking for another 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Place toppings in the center
     and Serve. 

  Yield:

  • 8  servings

  Nutrients per serving:

  Original taco ring with beef.... Calories 400, Total Fat 22 g, Saturated Fat 9 g, Cholesterol 45 mg, Carbohydrate 30 g, Protein 16 g, Sodium 1100 mg, Fiber 1 g
  Today's taco ring with turkey... Calories 232g, Total Fat 12 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 65 mg, Carbohydrate 6 g, Protein 20 g,  Sodium 490 mg,  Fiber 1 g, 
  

Navajo Tacos at The Trading Post in Cameron, AZ

Not sure if a short site-seeing hike and a major indulgence qualifies as part of our MONDAY MAKE-OVER Challenge, but we had a great afternoon! 

Our first stop was the Watch Tower on the east side of the canyon and then onto Cameron for Navajo Tacos. We are really enjoying exploring all the different avenues of Canyon Life.

They were very tasty... One of the big differences between theirs and ours is the meat filling. Ours is mostly seasoned hamburger and they served theirs with lots of pinto beans and sauce.

TWD: "Baking with Julia" - Salsa Quintza

Feels good to be back in the kitchen... today our "Tuesday's with Dorie" challenge was to make Salsa Quintza. In all my travels I have never come a crossed this recipe and I was very intrigued when I started reading it, only to discover that the crust base was a yeast dough made from flour, cornmeal and refried beans. We had serveral people for lunch today, so we made ours pizza size. The dough was soft and beautiful. The homemade salsa and cream cheese filling was amazing, and added just the right amount of class to the whole affair. This was so yummy and we will definitely make it again. :)

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Here is another yummy treat from Kalee's Wednesday Wish List... We made homemade "Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos" and we used the recipe found here: "Chef in Training"

Very simple and easy to make, they would be great to make ahead, freeze and have on hand. They would make a great, quick afterschool snack for kids of all ages. LOVED THEM!!!!!

Southwest Grits & Cheddar Bread

What happens when you have a whole lot of leftover jalapeno cheddar grits. Well, you make bread of course.... Here at the pantry we have come up with a great new bread and hamburger bun recipe that is sure to tingle anybodies southwest taste buds. So today for our Super Saturday Cooking session, we invite you all to give it a try. 

Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 2 large loaves

Prep Time: 15 minutes plus rising time    
Cook Time: 25 - 35  minutes  

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup cooked Jalapeno Cheddar grits
4 1/2 - 5 cups flour
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/4 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup diced yellow squash

Directions

In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, sugar, and salt. Let sit five minutes. Stir in COOKED grits (leftover grits work really well) and the first cup of flour with a heavy spoon. Add diced veggies and the rest of the flour a little at a time, stirring until dough becomes somewhat stiff and not sticky. Add a little more flour and begin kneading, (I kneaded my bread while still in my bowl, but you can place it on a floured surface if desired). Continue adding flour a little at a time and kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Let dough rise in a greased, covered bowl until doubled. (Usually, about an hour.) Uncover bowl; sprinkle in a little more flour and knead again. Because of the grits, this dough can stay very sticky, so don't be surprised if you use up to 7 of flour cups through out the whole recipe, so now with floured hands, cut and shape dough into 2 loaves and place on a greased pans. Cover and let rise until loaves have doubled. (About an hour, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.)
Bake for 25 -35 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven

"The Greatest Queso That Ever Lived"

Today, We chose to make this recipe from Kalee Harris' Wednesdays Wish List...
And I can honestly say, it was very very tasty! Even after we forgot the mushroom soup. 

1 block (32 Oz. Block) Velveeta Cheese
1 package (8 Oz. Package) Cream Cheese
1 can (10 Oz. Can) Rotel
1 can (10.75 Oz. Can) Cream Of Mushroom Soup
1 pound Ground Beef OR Sausage (or A Combination Of Both)

Brown ground beef or sausage (or both) in a pan over medium heat and set aside. Cut up the Velveeta and cream cheese into cubes and place into a crock pot. Pour in the Rotel and the cream of mushroom soup and stir ingredients together. Place the crock pot on low setting for an hour, letting the ingredients meld. After about 30 minutes, add the browned meat and continue to let cook, stirring as needed.

"French Fridays with Dorie" - Guacamole with Tomatoes and Bell Peppers

Dinner is served...
My husband makes very VERY yummy guacamole, so I was really hesitant to make this recipe, but since I am enjoying a chick-flick sort of evening, I got thinking this would be a great low-cal dinner. I love my guacamole chunky and I added cucumber. This is a very tasty recipe and will make it again. It makes a lot and would be great for a party starter...
I love the surprisingly bold flavor of all the fresh veggies.

Dorie´s Guacamole recipe calls for ripe Hass avocados, chopped red onion, diced grape tomatoes, red bell peppers, diced jalapenos, coriander, freshly squeezed lime juice, fine sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and some hot sauce. You can find all the details in her cookbook entitled "Around My French Table"

"ATW80DS" - Zucchini Croquetas

Croquetas, as they are known in Spain, are never made with mashed potatoes, just bechamel. They are typical tapas dishes, especially filled with jamón, chicken or cod. But over in Portugal, they are cylindrical, covered in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. They are usually made with white sauce and beef, sometimes mixed with varying amounts of pork, and frequently with some chouriço, black pepper or piri-piri to add more flavour. Seafood, fish (other than codfish) and vegetarian (potato) croquetes are also eaten in Portugal, but those have other names (such as rissol, pastel, empada), thus the name croquete only refers to the Dutch-style beef croquette.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for deep-frying
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk, heated
• 3 ounces jamón serrano or other dry-cured ham, finely chopped
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• Salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons fine dried bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese 

Preparation

Lightly oil a shallow 8-inch square dish.
In a saucepan, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the flour and, using a wooden spoon or whisk, mix well. Continue to stir or whisk for about 2 minutes, or until the flour is well blended.
Add 1/2 cup of the milk and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the remaining cup of milk. Cook, stirring constantly with the spoon or whisk, for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken. Decrease the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming, for about 10 minutes, or until thickened.
Add the jamon serrano and zucchini, season lightly with salt (remember, the ham is already salty), and stir until evenly distributed. Cook for 1 minute longer and then pour the contents of the pan into the prepared dish. Spread the mixture evenly. Let cool down for a bit and then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight to allow the mixture to set.
Break the eggs into a bowl and beat ligthly until blended. Spread the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese on a dinner plate. With 2 spoons, shape the béchamel-ham mixture into walnut-sized croquettes. Roll each croquette in the bread crumbs, shaking off any excess crumbs, and then dip into the beaten egg. Lift each croquette from the egg and roll it again in the bread crumbs, coating it evenly. Lay the croquettes in a single layer on a platter. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before frying.
Pour the olive oil to a depth of about 2 inches into a wide, deep, heavy pot and heat over high heat. When the oil is almost smoking, slip 5 or 6 croquettes into the oil, pressing on them gently with a slotted spoon to submerge them, and fry, turning them gently, for about 2 minutes, or until they are golden on all sides. Using the slotted spoon, lift out the croquettes, holding them briefly over the pot to allow the excess oil to drain, and transfer to an ovenproof platter lined with paper towels to drain further. Keep the croquettes warm in a low oven. Fry the rest of the croquettes in the same way, always making sure the oil is very hot before adding more croquettes.
When all the croquettes are fried, arrange on a platter and serve immediately.

"ATW80DS" - Flan de leche

Ingredients

(6 SERVINGS)

• CARAMEL
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 
  
• FLAN
• 5 Whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 ½ tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. To prepare the caramel, put 1 cup of sugar in a small pot with ¼ cup of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir once and reduce the heat to medium and cook about 5 minutes or until the syrup turns a caramel color.
2. Immediately pour an equal amount of the caramel into each ramekin or any oven proof mold you want to use. Swirl each dish to coat the base with the caramel, work fast as the caramel will harden quickly as it cools. Place all the ramekins in a large roasting pan and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
4. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer. Mix the eggs, egg yolks and 1 ½ tablespoon sugar for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the condensed milk, heavy cream, whole milk and vanilla extract and mix for 1 more minute.
5. Carefully pour an equal amount of the flan mixture into the caramelized ramekins in the roasting pan. Then add hot water to the roasting pan, not to the ramekins, until the water comes half way up the sides of the ramekins.
6. Place the roasting pan in the oven and bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center of the flan comes out clean.
7. Remove from the roasting pan and cool for at least 30 minutes. Then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
8. To serve, carefully run a knife around the edge of the ramekin, cover with a serving plate, flip it over and gently remove the ramekin allowing the caramel run over .

"ATW80DS" - Horchata (Chilian Recipe)

Horchata, also known as orxata or "rice water", is a refreshing, yummy, sweet Spanish drink made with rice, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and sometimes almonds. It is a great off set for the spicy foods and is very popular in Latin America and Spain. Other versions can be made of almonds, barley, herbs or tigernuts. The following recipe will make 6 cups. I have a friend and her husband grew up in brazil, she was telling me that his grandma use to make horchata and sometimes she would take all the rice stuff leftover after straining and cook it in milk and they would eat it like we do oatmeal. So we thought we would give it a try. Then as usual, here at the pantry we like to play, so we thought it might make a good pudding, kind of like rice pudding, so we took our Horchata mixture and added 2 eggs, blended well and cooked it over medium heat until thick. We served it chilled with whipped cream and sprinkles...  ( Photo below) It was actually pretty good, had the texture of grits but tasted like rice pudding. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup uncooked white long-grain rice 1/2 cup sliced almonds 4 cups warm water 2 cups milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2/3 cup white sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS: 1. Pour the rice, almonds and water into a blender; blend until the rice just begins to break up, about 1 minute. Let rice mixture stand at room temperature for a minimum of 3 hours. 2. Strain the rice water into a pitcher and discard the rice. Stir the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and sugar into the rice water. Chill and stir before serving over ice.

"ATW80DS" - Chana Salad (roasted corn & chickpea salad)

This is a very tasty Peruvian

salad that makes a great side dish or snack.

Ingredients: (Makes 2-3 servings)

For the Dressing: 
1/2 tsp red adobo powder (or to taste)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar or balsamic
salt and pepper to taste

For the Salad: 
1 cup of boiled chickpeas (we used canned)
2 tbsp peeled and finely chopped cucumber
2 tbsp peeled and finely chopped carrots
4 tbsp roasted corn from the cob
2 tbsp finely chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp finely chopped red onions
1 clove of garlic minced
2 tbsp finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tbsp finely chopped green bell pepper
2 tbsp finely chopped spring onion green

This is a great salad to make ahead of time, because the longer it sets the better it tastes. Toss all together and let at least 1 hour before serving.

"ATW2014" - Brazilian Picanha

We love Brazilian style Churraso Meats done on the BBQ and since we have spent the week studying the Latin American countries, we thought today would be a great day to feature PICANHA.  What is a picanha? It is a particular cut from the top of the rump of the cow that has a beautiful layer of fat. When you ask about picanha, people often refer to churrasco. It became popular after it was introduced by Hungarian butchers in São Paulo in the 1960's and By the 1970's picanha became a sensation and the star of the show at any churracaria.  Today it has come symbolize “authentic” churrasco.

To get the full Brazilian churrasco experience, you need to use organic charcoal. Most Brazilians use reforested, eucalyptus charcoal lit with a couple of wads of newspaper and a good douse of clean-burning, sugar-cane alcohol. Just be careful that you use a good tasting wood and let your embers burn down to a glow before you grill.

When preparing your meat make sure you criss-cross cut into the fatty side of the picanha. By scoring the fat, you can prevent the piece from curling and dis-forming while it grills. Next, Roll the pieces of picanha in rock salt to seal in its juiciness and enhance its natural goodness. We have discovered that using  table salt or kosher salt does not work as well as Rock salt.  We use the kind used for making ice cream. Grill the steaks fat-side up for a few minutes until a little juice leaks out of the top of the steaks.  If you are grilling on the big skewer, both sides are the same, there is no fat-side.  Turn the steaks onto their sides to grill for a few more minutes.  Finally grill fat-side down moving the steaks away from the hottest part of the fire to avoid over-cooking and to reduce the chance of the fire flaring up from the dripping fat.  Grill to your desired doneness.  I use the finger poke to know if the meat is done.  Try not to puncture the meat when grilling.

"ATW80DS" - Yellow Pepper & Spinach Salsa

For our Toss Together Tuesday Challenge, we would invite everyone to make their favorite salsa and share it. The only catch is you can only use items that are already in your pantry. On shopping allowed today.

Here is ours... From Guatemala

Yellow Pepper & Spinach, why spinach? Well because Cilantro and I do not get a long very well, but I do like the green leafy look that it gives to salsa and we have a lot of fresh spinach hanging at the pantry... So why not? :)

Ingredients:

1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 large yellow sweet pepper  (diced)
1 small handful fresh spinach (washed & shredded)
1/2 diced fresh onion
1/2 diced fresh jalapeño pepper or 1 fork full of canned jalapeño sliced (diced)
1 teaspoon of jalapeño juice (add more the hotter you like your salsa)
1 tablespoon katsup
Sprinkle of sugar
Sprinkle of salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and let rest at least two hours before servings.

"ATW80DS" - Homemade Chimichangas

Today we are in Mexico and we are getting ready for our big CINCO DE MAYO party. We decided we wanted to learn how to make Chimichangas. They are known as a deep-fried burrito that is popular in Southwestern U.S. cuisine, Tex-Mex cuisine, and the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Sonora.

Today is one of those two step days, first we need to start our meat filling in the slow cooker and then we need to make the Tortillas.








For the Meat Filling, you will need:

1 pound shredded beef (we like to use leftover roast)

1 medium onion, cut into thin strips

1/2 green pepper cut into thin strips

1 small can of diced green chillies 

1 can enchilada sauce

Salt and black pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together in and put your crockpot, dutchoven or roasting pan. Cook on Medium heat for at least four hours. 

Next we will need to make our tortillas. We love the simple basic two ingredient recipe of  2 cups masa harina (corn tortilla flour) with about 1 1/4 cups water. There is a great video by BH&G that explains it better than we do. you can find the video here... Homemade Tortillas

When you get ready to assemble and enjoy, we will need the following :

Vegetable oil for frying and any of the following ingredients as toppers...

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

2 cups chopped green onions

2 cups diced tomatoes

2 cups Guacamole
2 cups sour cream
2 cups salsa 

Sliced black olives (optional)

If you would like to make this a full meal you can always serve them with a side of Spanish rice and re-fried beans.

Preparation:

In a large pot or deep fryer over medium heat, add at least 4 inches of vegetable oil. Heat oil to 375 to 400 degrees F.

In the center of each warm tortilla, place about 3 tablespoons of meat filling. Fold tortilla, tucking in the ends to make a secure fat tube, and fasten with wooden toothpicks. like pictured on the right. NOTE: Assemble only 2 or 3 at a time, as the tortilla will absorb liquid from the sauce.

Fry the chimichangas, 1 or 2 at a time, 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oil, drain and place on serving plates. Top with Cheddar cheese, lettuce, green  and any optional ingredients that you prefer.

"ATW80DS" - Armadillo Eggs (New Mexico)

 Armadillo eggs are not eggs, and they are definitely not from armadillos. In fact real armadillo are mammals, so the only real armadillo eggs you can enjoy are delicious appetizers popular in the Southwest. I got my recipe from a friend that had grew up in New Mexico and tells the story of her mom making these for every holiday.

Ingredients:

• 6 pickled jalapeno or 3 sweet banana peppers
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 oz. cream cheese
•  1 clove garlic, minced 
• 1 teaspoon chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped bacon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 pound bulk pork sausage
• 3 cups breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon canned green chilies chopped
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup favorite BBQ dipping sauce and Sweet Pineapple & Pear salsa. (Recipe found below)

Directions

• Mix together cheese, cream cheese, onion, garlic, bacon, Cut each pepper in half lengthwise; remove seeds and stems. Stuff each pepper half with about 1 tablespoon cheese mixture. In a bowl, combine the uncooked sausage, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and green chilies. Salt and pepper to taste,  mix well. Shape about 2 tablespoonfuls around each pepper.
• Dip into eggs, then roll in the rest of the bread crumbs. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Grill or Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutritional Facts 1 appetizer equals 126 calories, 8 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 36 mg cholesterol, 543 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 5 g protein. 

Sweet Pineapple & Pear Salsa

Ingredients:

• 1  Bartlett pear, peeled, cored, and diced. Needs to be fresh, canned does not work well.
• 1 cup fresh pineapple,  chopped & drained (can use 1 can tidbits)
• 1 cup dried cranberries or dried blueberries
• 1/2 tsp chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon mango juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped red onion 
• 1 tablespoon sweet red pepper, chopped fine

Directions

In a glass bowl, combine the pear, pineapple, cranberries and red pepper. Allow to stand for at least 10 minutes. Stir in juice, onion and cilantro, Allow to stand another 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 2 1/2 cups or 4 generous servings.

Outdoor Cooking USA - Day 5, Mississippi

         In the USA, we've known about and eaten cornbread since arrival of the Europeans. The native Americans learned early on how to dry and grind corn into corn meal. When they mixed it with eggs and corn flour, the easiest and simplest of cornbreads could be made. Even though very thin, dense, and flat, it was just the way to transport healthy food for long distances over periods of time without all the weight. This is the main reason cornbread became so popular during the civil war. Elsewhere in the world, you can almost always find some form of cornbread wherever corn is harvested for food. 
Cornbread is such an old favorite... It is great served with anything! 

Cornbread

1 cup buttermilk (or 7 ounces of milk + 1 ounce vinegar or lemon juice, mixed and left to sit for about 30 minutes until curdled. If you're in a hurry, mix the milk and vinegar or lemon juice and microwave it for 20-30 seconds on high power.)
1 large egg
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder (if you're at high altitude, use 1 teaspoon baking powder, else the cornbread will rise too high, then fall)
1-1/2 tablespoons of bacon drippings or vegetable oil

3/4 cup whole kernel corn  or creamed corn (optional)
1/2-3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar (optional )
1-4 finely chopped jalapeno or chile peppers, no seeds (optional)
2 cloves finely minced garlic (optional)

• Pour drippings or oil into an  a 10 inch dutch-oven or a 9-inch square baking pan. Heat dutch oven until oil is smoking hot.

• While pan is heating, mix dry ingredients and any of the optional ingredients in medium-sized bowl. Beat egg into buttermilk. Add liquids to dry mixture, just until blended. Do not overmix! Carefully

• remove the smoking pan from fire and pour cornbread batter into pan. If the oil is properly hot, then the batter will sizzle as it hits the oil. (This sizzle is what makes a nice, crunchy bottom crust.)

• Bake for 15-20 minutes on warm coals, or until the top crust is golden brown. Cut into wedges. Serve with butter or margarine.

Note 1: The batter will begin to rise as soon as the liquid and dry ingredients are mixed, so mix them right before you remove the hot dutch oven from the fire.

Note 2: If you use a 12" or larger round cast-iron skillet or dutch oven instead of the 9"or 10" ones, you should double the recipe without doubling the oil. If you don't double the recipe for the 10" skillet, your cornbread will be very thin.

Make-Over Monday: Taco Soup

We were in the mood for a Little Spice tonight, so we decide here at the Pantry that we were going to play with an old favorite and re-work it into the calorie count that we wanted. Our goal was not to lose the bold flavor or the richness of the soup and yet we wanted to feel like we could enjoy a whole bowl full with out busting our daily calorie limits. So here you are...

1 lb ground turkey or extra lean beef

1 package taco seasoning

1 can of red Kidney Beans

1 can of black beans

1 can of whole kernel corn

1 can diced tomatoes

1 half onion diced

1/4 green pepper diced

1/4 yellow pepper diced

1/2 can black olives sliced

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 package tortilla chips

Brown meat in the microwave, add taco seasoning, stir. Add the onion, beans, corn and tomatoes, juice and all. Simmer together 10-20 minutes until warm. Serve with sprinkle of cheese and chips. You can add a teaspoon full of sour cream on top as garnish if you like.

makes 8 - 1 1/2 cup servings / Calories per serving with sour cream is 248