Mushroom Chipotle Tacos

I like meat. Not a lot of meat, but some meat. Yet I still believe there are so many other options and that meat should be a treat. Mushrooms are a great alternative if you’re looking for a change. Add the right seasonings/marinade and you’ll be asking yourself, “Meat? What meat?”

I made these mushroom tacos last week and the recipe below is how I adapted the one I found online (it didn’t have enough marinade for one). Also, as we’ve been trying to back off on cheese (again, a treat!), I mix plain Greek yogurt with chile powder, garlic, and salt for a creamy sauce to spread on the tortilla. We opted for flour tortillas so you could say it’s a burrito but either flour or corn will work and taste great.

Greg also adds, the mixture is great cold.

Marinade:

2 tablespoons oil (I used olive oil)

4 tablespoons canned chipotles sauce and pepper

2 tablespoons agave nectar (adds a nice sweetness to counter the chipotle heat)

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriandar

salt to taste

For the tacos:

1 pound mushrooms of your choice

2 bell peppers (red is preferable, but I had orange so I used orange)

1/2 red onion

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 cup corn kernels

tortillas (either flour or corn)

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix marinade per ingredients above. Slice mushrooms, bell peppers (removing seeds), and onion. Place them in a bowl and add the marinade, mix well. Spray sheet pan (it never hurts!) and then spread ingredients on pan and place in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, remove from oven and return to bowl, adding the black beans and corn. Mix well.

Make tacos per your preference. We like to spread the tortilla with the yogurt sauce, add the mixture, and then top with sliced avocado.

Pumpkin Bread

I’ve been making pumpkin bread since I was in college and I’ve made some changes to the original recipe I used that help the pumpkin flavor stand out more. After all, that’s what it’s about, right– the pumpkin flavor?!

1 cup sugar

1 to 1 1/2 cups pumpkin (note: if you open a can and make one loaf, you have leftover pumpkin so I tend to use half a can each time I make it)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 2/3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a loaf pan. Combine the sugar, pumpkin, water, oil, and eggs, beating them with an electric mixer until well combined. Combine cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and flour and then combine with the wet ingredients until just combined. Bake for about 45 minutes when the toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the loaf pan before removing to finish cooling on a wire rack.

Mom's Stuffed Peppers

Growing up, I thought we were the only family who ate dishes like tuna casserole and stuffed peppers. And gush, too- goulash to everyone outside of our family. But I have come to find many of the dishes that we ate, most everyone else, particularly those who lived in the Midwest, ate them, too.

I made my mom’s stuffed bell peppers yesterday. I looked online and there are many other recipes just the same but I’m sharing it anyway (with a few modications). I have plans to change up the recipe; I’ve seen a variety of ways to update it like using quinoa instead of rice. However, yesterday I thought it would be best if I simply cooked it mostly as Mom did with one exception: I used the crock pot.

Try it, add some salsa or green chile if it’s too bland (my mom loved onions and spices, my dad was the bland one). But what I realized is that it’s an easy, filling meal you can make any time.

I also diced up six potatoes and dumped them into a bowl, mixing in several tablespoons of oil and added salt/pepper before baking them for about an hour at 425 degrees, turning out crispy baked potato bites.

Mom’s Stuff Peppers (with a few modications from me)

1 ½ pounds ground beef, the lower the fat content, the better

3 gloves garlic, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 cup cooked rice

salt and pepper

1 can condensed tomato soup

4 – 6 bell peppers with the tops cup off and the seeds removed

Saute the onion and garlic until it’s somewhat “glassy.” Mix the rice, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and uncooked meat. Fill the peppers and stand them on end in the crock pot (mine fit five). Dilute the soup with ½ can of water, then pour the mixture over the peppers. Simmer for at least six hours over medium heat. Spoon and drizzle the liquid over the peppers occasionally as they cook. Dish is ready when the peppers are tender.

The Simplicity of Soup and Salad

I love soup and salad.

My challenge with soup is that buying it means it’s usually laden with sodium. Yet it can be hard to find recipes that don’t taste the same but also don’t use a long list of ingredients. And for salad, it’s achieving the right combo of ingredients in the salad with a dressing that isn’t too heavy (or calorie laden).

I think I tore out about half the April issue of Cooking Light magazine, finding a slew of recipes that looked good and would be easy to make. Recently we tried the roasted red pepper and ricotta soup (twice!) and the spinach and arugula salad with creamy parmesan dressing.

I used radishes in the soup instead of turnip, basically because of personal preference (and I’m on a bit of a radish kick lately) but pretty much followed the recipes otherwise. My first trip to Australia almost ten years ago introduced me to arugula– also known as rocket. I love the combo of putting it with another more mild green.

We’re trying to eat more simply at our house. I don’t need to cook big elaborate meals every night although I do enjoy it once or twice a week. And we’re trying to cut down on the calories we consume as we move closer to summer (pool weather has begun at our house!). Both of these recipes accomplish just that and work well together.

Lunch for Weeks and Pork A La Mexicana

I pack Greg a lunch almost every day that he has school.

Some people laugh at this but I know secretly they are envious. We also make breakfast burritos every few weeks and freeze them for his breakfasts (as I have written about before). Yes, it takes some planning but it’s cheaper than him eating out and I know he’s eating (rather than not eating) and eating something that’s better for him. I like to work through lunch and tend to have smoothies for both breakfast and lunch but this way the food is also there if I want it as well.

Yesterday the freezer became empty of anything for his lunches so over the weekend I had defrosted a pork tenderloin I’d gotten at the grocery store and set to making Rick Bayless’s Pork a la Mexicana for dinner the last night, knowing I could freeze the rest of it into portions for Greg.

The caveat, however, was that it was a 4-pound tenderloin and so I multiplied everything by four. I knew it would be close with the dutch oven but when Greg came home and saw me draining the cans of fire-roasted tomatoes, asking me if that’s what I was really doing (that’s what the recipe says, I told him), he suggested I add them, he was okay if it was more like soup.

With the dutch oven almost overflowing, he couldn’t find enough space in the freezer for all the portions he doled out for his lunches (while I rested after all that cutting).

The result was worth it: a tasty dish that will last several weeks. And it included dinner last night, too.

Find the recipe here.

Grapefruit Cake Loaf? Yes!

To say I love grapefruit is an understatement. But to say that I would love to eat grapefruit as a loaf cake was questionable. Still, when we were having the neighbors over for dinner the other night, I thought, why not? It’s good to try something new especially something I’m hesitant to do. That attitude has introduced me to many new recipes I do like.

Once again, a recipe absolutely worth trying (my husband and guests would agree). I didn’t have poppy seeds and skipped that step although I don’t think it really mattered. What a I also really liked about this recipe was the fact that it used Greek yogurt which gave the batter a much lighter flavor than if it was all oil. Finally, the glaze was a combination of powdered sugar and Greek yogurt which gave the loaf what I believe is a much better flavor than using vanilla.

Find the recipe here.

Slow Cooker Barbacoa Brisket

I’m not a fan of stringy meat– my parents loved pot roast (and it was cheap) so we ate it a lot. However, this recipe from Cooking Light magazine is incredible– and incredibly easy. I followed the recipe except that I added the entire can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. While I can stand more heat than many people from living in the Southwest for so long, it’s really not that hot. But if you can’t do too much heat, follow the recommendations for a lesser amount.

As this is the second recipe I’ve included with chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, that should be a hint that they are well worth keeping in stock in the cabinet. They taste like barbecue sauce with heat.

Find the recipe here.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

The original recipe came from a booklet I got in the mail from Smith’s grocery store (part of the Kroger chain). At first I wasn’t sold on these until they sat in the refrigerator over night– I didn’t like the flavor from the confectioner’s sugar and the graham crackers. But when we ate them the next day, it was like eating candy bar; not too sweet and a nice texture. I also used dark chocolate from Trader Joe’s because I’m not a fan of the regular chocolate chips the recipe called for. Finally, I used a smaller pan to make the bars higher rather than flatter. These definitely have made it onto the list of future desserts, especially for a party.

1 cup butter, melted

2 cups graham crackers crumbs (I whirl them up in the food processor using the pulse button)

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 cup plus 4 Tablespoons peanut butter, divided

1 ½ cups chocolate

In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioner’s sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased square pan.

Microwave the chocolate with the 4 Tablespoons peanut butter on high for 1 minute. Stir. Continue microwaving or stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares and serving. Store bars in airtight container in refrigerator. 

French Onion Soup and the Seventies

I love French onion soup.

When I think of it, I think of dark seventies steakhouses with tall booths and heavy wooden furniture. And I think of family weddings and events.

Some years ago, I believe after I had moved to Albuquerque, my dad showed me an easy way to make the soup although I don’t remember one detail: it wasn’t broth but it was a juice you could buy in a can (it looked to be the size of those cans of Hawaiian Punch that used to be available– in the days before plastic took over). I didn’t go back to look for the cans recently, instead I went online and found this recipe from epicurious.

And because it had such good reviews, I went ahead and made it. Greg, who told me he doesn’t really like French onion soup, said he liked it (but I think he really liked it because it meant I would make a loaf of bread for it). Still, the best part is the cheese set under the broiler to melt (I used provolone).

Perfect for a cold night and being that it’s only February, we all have at least a few more of those to endure. 

Apple Caramel Cheesecake Bars

I don’t think this week’s recipe needs much of an introduction beyond the photo. Decadent is the perfect word. And great for a party, mostly so you don’t eat the whole thing yourself (we took it across the street for a dinner party and then I had Greg take the rest to school to share with his co-workers).

The recipe wasn’t that well written in the actual Costco cookbook but here’s someone who did a nice job making it better (once you get past her commentary about the lack of signs at Costco).

Enjoy!

Chicken Thighs with Tomatillo Sauce

I can’t help myself. I love my new Rick Bayless cookbook and after the success of the chipotle meatballs last week, it was hard not to try another recipe from it. I’ve also found that I really like the flavors and the freshness of the food. Sometimes the prep takes a while because there are multiple steps (like making a sauce here) but the recipes are easy to double, leaving you with enough sauce for another meal or to use as a salsa with chips.

I couldn’t find the exact recipe I used on his web site– the link to this one is for pork– so here is what I did differently based on the cookbook recipe:

I doubled the amount of sauce I made so I would have leftover for other meals and snacks. What I like about his tomatillo recipes is that he broils all the ingredients, usually recipes have you boiling the tomatillos but everything else needs to be roasted, too. It’s very easy to throw it all on a pan and then into the oven. And don’t forget to include the juice you find on the pan!

I used regular baking potatoes and cut them in pieces. Also, instead of the poblano chile, I used a green chile sauce we had on hand.

After the sauce has pureed, heat up a tablespoon of oil in a pot and then pour the puree into it. After it’s heated for about four minutes and the consistency of tomato sauce, add about 1 ½ cups of broth or water (I used chicken broth) and a ¼ cup of chopped cilantro. When it’s heated again, it’s ready for use. I used two cups of it for the chicken dish and placed the rest of it in the refrigerator.

I browned five thighs and removed them from the pan and then added the tomatillo sauce and more broth (another 1 cup) and let it reduce (again). Then I added the potatoes, the green chile sauce, a few tablespoons of cilantro, and heated it up. Finally, I added the chicken again and covered the skillet, letting it cook for about 20 minutes until the chicken was cooked.

And I’m guessing this will be even better today, the second day.

Chipotle Meatballs Rick Bayless Style

I had never used chipotles en adobo– the canned chipotle peppers. For years I saw recipes that called for it and looked once at the store and couldn’t find it so I stopped trying those recipes. But I figured I could find them now at my local grocery store in the Hispanic section and I decided it was time to try them.

What I didn’t anticipate is that because of another ethnic group, the Hispanic foods have been squeezed out at my local Smith’s. I won’t reveal the other group– I think they do deserve space- but I am quite honestly baffled because Mexican food is very popular right now.

That meant I was off to Walmart (I kept hoping Target would have them because I was going there but I wasn’t so lucky) where I stocked up on several cans so I wouldn’t have to go back to Walmart any time soon.

Of course I bought several cans not knowing what they tasted like. I wasn’t disappointed: I loved the smoky flavor. I felt like I was eating BBQ sauce with a kick.

Recently I bought my second Rick Bayless cookbook and this was the first recipe that I tried. I served it with diced baked potatoes but next time (and Greg has assured me there should be a second time) I’ll do mashed potatoes. The meatballs are easy to make and the sauce could be used for a variety of dishes.

Find the recipe here.

Resetting with a Beet Smoothie

I have been seeing a Chinese doctor for acupuncture since spring after my surgery where a golf-ball fibroid was removed from my uterus. She is always telling me what I need to do better: eat more room-temperature food, less stress, and the latest one was eat more red foods for my blood.

“Like steak?” I asked.

“Beets, goji berries,” she said.

But it was the week before Christmas and I was a little preoccupied. I forgot all about it. Even though I love beets.

After a wonderful holiday season, this week it’s back to consuming more fruits and vegetables. Beets, too.

As I’m writing this, I’m drinking my beet smoothie. Not quite the same as the recipe in Bon Appetit found here as I adjusted it for ingredients I have on hand (regular milk, agave nectar, blueberries, and I skipped the salt).

It’s a dark afternoon here in Albuquerque, making me feel like I’m back in the Midwest on a January day. My grandmother’s chicken soup (meaning her recipe, of course) is cooking on the stove and it’s sort of that middle of the afternoon blah time. I needed something to take me through to dinner.

For me, smoothies help me get more fruits and vegetables in my daily diet while keeping me full until dinner. And keep me from grabbing chips (oh wait, we ate them all, thank goodness).

It’s the new year, a chance to reset and find energy for the unknown but exciting road ahead.

Green Chile Turkey Pie

Yes, the leftovers. 

I've had so many emails from various sources like Martha Stewart come across in the past week with ways to use leftovers that I stopped looking at them because I didn't have enough leftovers to make all suggestions. I had two ideas on my mind– the green chile turkey pie and another one to come next week. These recipes aren't supposed to be exactly the same because the beauty of leftovers is using whatever is left and that will be different for each of us. 

When I made my pumpkin pie crust, it created two crusts (using a simple pie crust recipe– it's really not as hard as people make it out to be and I used my fingers to press it in rather than roll it out, like I press the dough with my paper bag pizza). 

For the first layer, I used the stuffing. Then I added a layer of diced turkey which I topped with chopped green chile. However, if you don't have green chile, you can always use salsa here. In New Mexico, we can't go for too many days without craving our green chile and usually Thanksgiving doesn't include it so this is great way to incorporate it back into a meal. And liven up those leftovers.

For the top, like a shepherd's pie, I used the mashed potatoes. Greg had made them and they already included parmesan cheese so I didn't add more. Then I baked it for an hour at 350 degrees.

And if you're already tired of eating leftovers, this is the perfect meal to freeze in pieces for later dinners or easy lunches. 

To come next week: leftover waffles. The waffle iron is on the counter waiting.

Hash Brown Waffles

There is nothing better than hash browns.

Actually there is: hash browns topped with green chile and cheese. Even better? Mixed into the batter.

I love hash browns but my challenge always has been getting them crispy enough at home (if you live in Albuquerque, Hurricane's makes the crispiest ones I've had here). And I'm not a big fan of the fried smell that lingers in the air long after the meal has been eaten.

There are several tricks that I've learned though:

Soaking the shredded potatoes overnight rids them of some of the starch which also helps make them crispier when they are fried. And using a waffle iron takes care of much of the fried smell (I'm sure you have one at the back of a cabinet that you can dust off).

Hash Brown Waffles (adapted from Mad Genius Tips in the October 2015 issue of Food & Wine)

2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled, shredded, and soaked overnight in water

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup grated cheese plus more for the topping

3 Tbsp. melted butter

2 cup green chile or salsa

Oil and heat your waffle iron as directed. In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, eggs, flour, baking powder, 1 cup of the cheese (I usually use a mix of sharp cheddar and mozzarella), butter, and 1/2 cup of the green chile or salsa.

Spread a portion of the mixture on the waffle iron, careful that you can still close it. All waffle irons aren't created equal: one way to know when to check the doneness of the waffle is when the sizzling stops. The waffle is done when it's brown and crispy.

Place the waffles in a 200-degree oven while you make more or immediately top with cheese an green chile or salsa (microwave for about 40 seconds to melt the cheese) and enjoy. Repeat making waffles with the remaining mixture. The rest of it can be frozen for future meals so you can return your waffle iron to its place in the back of the cabinet.

A Minty Chocolate Cookie

These aren't about Girl Scout cookies. Instead, they are about the Frango Mint cookies. If you've ever had a Frango Mint cookie (a staple of Marshall Field's now sold at Macys during the holidays– unless you live in the Chicago area and you can find them at Macys any time), you know what I mean. The Girl Scout cookies don't hold a candle to the Frango cookies. 

Because I was recently cleared to eat chocolate again after suffering years of allergic reactions to it, I've been sampling different types of cookies and such. I found the thin mints are awful. And Oreos aren't any better. Ah, but those Frangos.

While the recipe below doesn't include any Frango chocolate, it's as close as I can get. For now. And Greg will agree, it's pretty good.

Minty Chocolate Cookies

(The wafer cookie recipe is from the Cooking Channel– Homemade Chocolate Wafer Cookies by Zoe Francois)

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, well packed

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 Dutch processed cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

Cream together butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until light. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Sift the dry ingredients before adding to the creamed butter if there are any lumps.

Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture and mix just to combine, adding the milk and again mixing just to combine.

Form the dough into two 1 1/2-inch-thick logs, wrap well in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least an hour. 

Prepare two baking sheets with parchment or other non-stick surface. Slice the log of cookie dough into 1/8-inch-thick coins.

Arrange on the baking sheets with about 1 1/2 inches between the cookies. Bake for 8 minutes and rotate the trays back to front and switch from top and bottom racks (I used the top two racks). Bake for 2 more minutes or until they are dry looking and firm. But don't let them stay in the oven too long because they will burn and you won't be able to tell.

Let cookies cool on a rack and prepare mint dip, this from Martha Stewart.

12 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Place the chocolate in a microwave safe dish and microwave until melted, about 2-3 minutes. Add the peppermint extract and stir until the mixture is smooth. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment (I used the sheets I had baked the cookies on) and place each cookie into the melted chocolate and turn to coat. With a fork, lift the cookie from the bowl, let the excess drip off, and transfer to prepared sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate hardens, about 10 minutes.

Makes several dozen cookies.

Pumpkin This, Pumpkin That, and Pumpkin Cheesecake

I have always loved pumpkin bread. I don't understand the recent fascination with pumpkin because it's always been one of my favorite flavors and at my house I keep pumpkin stocked year round (this year I'm stocking up more than usual because we supposedly have a big pumpkin shortage on our hands– I'm not sure I believe it yet because we were told the same thing several years ago and I continued to see pumpkin on the shelves).

I hadn't made cheesecake in a long time so for our last party I decided to combine two great flavors for a pumpkin cheesecake. However, when I went searching for a recipe, I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, and I wanted to make my own crust. What you see here is the combination of two Martha Stewart recipes: Pumpkin Cheesecake and Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie with Gingersnap Crust; and one from the Food Network: Incredibly Crisp Gingersnaps (by Nick Malgieri). 

While I love graham crackers, I didn't want to use them as the crust but I also didn't want to make the pie or buy the gingersnaps. It's really not that much extra work to make the gingersnaps yourself– it's mostly planning to make them the day before so you don't have as much work to do at once (plus letting them cool). And because you'll be crumbling them, there is no need to create perfect cookies. I thought about making them as a sheet and baking them that way but simply made odd-shaped cookies instead.

As we transition between Halloween and Thanksgiving, this is a great fall dessert.

Pumpkin Cheese Cake with a Gingersnap Crust

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 cup sugar in small bowl for finishing.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, and spices in a bowl; stir well to mix. Using the paddle attachment on mixer, beat butter and sugar together for about 5 minutes, until very light, fluffy, and whitened. Add the egg and continue beating until smooth. Lower the speed and beat in half the dry ingredients, then the molasses. Be sure to stop the mixer and scrape the bowl to catch any excess dry ingredients. Add the remaining dry ingredients, stir until combined. Roll the dough into balls and then roll in the sugar. Place on a parchment lined or non-stick pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. They are ready when the surface is cracked and they are firm to the touch. Let them cool on racks and place in an airtight container overnight.

For the cheesecake:

The gingersnaps above

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

4 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, very soft

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup canned pumpkin puree 

2 tablespoons pumpkin-pie spice

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the center. Pulse the crumbs in a food processor until finely ground. Assemble a 9-inch nonstick springform pan with the raised side of the bottom part facing up.

Mix the cracker crumbs and butter in a medium bowl until moistened; press firmly into the bottom of the pan. Bake until golden in spots, 12 to 15 minutes.

To make the filling: beat cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth; mix in flour, careful not to overmix. Add the pumpkin puree, pie spice, and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until each is incorporated before adding the next.

Place the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the filling into springform, and gently smooth the top. Transfer to the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake stay in the oven for another 2 hours. Do not open the oven during that time (I put a note on the oven door)!

Let cool completely after removed from the oven. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours and unmold before serving.

The Complexity of Recipe Writing

A number of years ago I worked on a fundraiser cookbook for a national grief organization. My job was to edit a slew of recipes but my own recipe– my mom's danish puff– was edited and I can still remember when the main editor came back to me and said I needed specific amounts for the icing, a powdered sugar and milk combination.

"You have to remember not everyone is comfortable cooking," I can still remember she wrote.

That was a good lesson for today when I am writing and rewriting recipes. Right now I'm sitting on a number of them that I haven't posted because I have go back and check the amounts. Or many times I have used a recipe I've found online but I made changes to it and I can't post it until I spend a little time getting the ingredients and their amounts right. Then there are the times I combine several recipes (like the recent pumpkin cheesecake) and I need to put them all together. 

I rely on Martha Stewart recipes quite a bit because they are usually well written and tested well. I often find that other recipes (Emeril is one example) don't have the quality behind them and they don't work as well. I also recently had a problem with chocolate-covered Katie: while I had tried some of hers in the past, the pumpkin bread both times wouldn't bake. I realized the problem might be that she doesn't live at altitude and when I questioned her about it via Facebook, of course she had no idea about high altitude baking.

While altitude doesn't affect everything, I am always aware when I bake that whatever I'm making might not work out because I live at 5,000 feet. And then she didn't offer to have anything tested. While that cookbook is on my counter right now, it's going to find its way back up to the top shelf of cookbooks soon.

But Martha also disappointed me recently. When I used one of her recipes to make the chocolate cake in the LeCreuset dutch oven (and this is the reason I haven't posted the recipe yet– because I have to do redo it), the ingredients are all out of order. And in the age of anyone posting anything they want on the internet, there is more and more of this. Having everything in order on the list ensures we won't forget something. That's how the sugar got left out the first time (although I added it in before it went to the oven and it worked out okay). However, that can be enough to ruin a recipe and the item created from it.

It's taking me a while to get the recipes online but it's because I'm trying to make sure they are in the best place they can be: edited, tested, and retested. In the long run, you'll thank me.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

The first time that Greg cooked for me, this is what he made: the chicken tamale casserole. While the recipe is easy so it should be a cinch for any bachelor to make, it's a tasty meal that can come together quickly on a school night (or any other night where cooking feels like the last thing we want to do). And there might be enough for leftovers for lunch for the next day. Besides, it includes Fritos and who doesn't like Fritos?

Chicken Tamale Casserole

8 oz. bag of Fritos

1 rotisserie chicken 

8 oz. of roasted green chile, chopped

1 large can of sweet corn

1 large can of black olives, chopped

2 large cans of tomato sauce (16 oz. each- or the 2-pound can)

1 pound cheddar cheese shredded (or other good melting cheese like colby)

Garlic powder

Layer ingredients from the bottom to the top in two deep casserole dishes (or one large rectangular baking dish):

Start with a thin layer of tomato sauce then add the Fritos to cover the bottom 1 inch. Top that with the rotisserie chicken meat, 1/2 of corn, 1/3 olive, 1/2 green chile, and the rest of the can of tomato sauce. Sprinkle with garlic powder as desired. Then add enough cheese to cover the dish, garnish with remaining olives.

Heat in oven at 390 degrees (yes, you read that right) for 25 minutes or until it bubbles.

The Prickly Pear Syrup

This weekend I was hosting a party for my latest book (Flowers by Day, Stars by Night: Finding Happiness after Loss and Change) at the home of friends in my hometown. I thought it was a good opportunity to share some New Mexico so I brought along the last bag of frozen prickly pear puree from last year's harvest.

However, the morning of the party, I realized that I needed to turn it into syrup. And then I realized I didn't have the recipe. No problem, I thought, pulling up this web site only to realize that while I had promised to put the syrup recipe here, I never did. And obviously no one is reading the blog because no one noticed!

Thankfully, I texted Greg and he took a photo of the main recipe I use from The Prickly Pear Coobkook by Carolyn Niethammer and I set to work.

I generally double the recipe for the syrup because I'm usually serving it for a party. And I let it sit on the stove, under a cold burner, after it's done cooking, to give it more flavor.

The syrup is great for punch (as I've written about before) and can be mixed with a seltzer for a fizzy drink.

Prickly Bear Syrup

1 cup prickly pear puree

1 lemon, juiced

1  1/2 sugar

Combine all ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Slowly bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, until the syrup begins to thicker. Let cool.