Southwest Cheesy Chicken and Rice

I came up with this one evening when I needed something quick to take to a dinner at work some years back.  I made it with odds and ends in the fridge, along with things I had in my cupboard.  Turned out so good I started making it on purpose.  You can use leftovers or buy things especially for it.  It will always be good. 

1 jar queso, I like 505 Roasted Hatch Chile queso, slightly warmed  or a couple cups of melted Velveeta
4-5 cups cooked rice
4 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey or cooked ground beef or roast pork or beef roast, whatever you have or like
1 small jar chunky picante sauce, I like Pace the best
1 pkg. taco seasoning or 2 tbsp chili powder or your own Mexican spice mix

Mix all together and place in a greased baking dish, top with grated cheese if you wish and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until bubbly around the edges and the cheese is browned.   You can also put in a crockpot, top with some grated cheese and then heat on low until bubbly.    This is also very good for filling burritos.  As always, enjoy!!!

Brazilian Cheese Rolls

Brazilian Cheese Rolls

3 cups tapioca flour

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp baking powder

2/3 cup milk

½ cup oil

2 tbs butter

2 tbsp water

2 eggs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups grated sharp cheddar

In a mixer bowl place the tapioca flour, salt and baking powder. Place the milk, oil, butter and water in a saucepan or in a microwave safe dish. Either way, bring to a boil, then pour into the bowl all at once with the beater running and mix until it is well incorporated, about 6 minutes. Add the eggs and continue to beat until it is shiny and sticky, scrape down the bowl after 4 minutes, then beat another 4 minutes. Add the grated cheeses and beat until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours.

At the end of the chilling time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Dampen your hands slightly, then take about 2 tbsp of the dough and place on a cookie sheet, continue making the balls and place 2-3 inches a part on the cookie sheets. Bake each pan of rolls about 25 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes, then remove to a rack to finish cooling.  This will make about 2 dozen rolls. 

Options: There is no reason you can't use other types of cheeses, but use either firm or semi firm cheeses: cheddar, Parmesan, Romano, aged Havarti, Gruyere, Emmental, generic Swiss, that sort of thing. You could also add a small amount of cayenne pepper or some chili powder or garlic powder or Italian herbs, etc for a change of flavor.

If the milk and water mixture isn't hot enough, the rolls may not rise and get puffy, instead they will be flatter and more cookie like, but still be VERY tasty.

Potato Crusted Quiche

This is a delicious take on a quiche and since there is no grain or flour in it, it is gluten free!   You can change the filling according to your tastes and to what you have in the fridge. 

3 cups hash browns, thawed if frozen
2 tbsp. oil, melted butter or bacon fat
4 slices of crisp bacon (leftover or packaged crumbles), crumbled
1/4 cup chopped onion, green onions if you prefer
1 cup chopped raw spinach leaves
3/4 cup grated Parmesan, divided
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
3 eggs beaten with 1/2 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, grease a 9 inch deep pie pan.   Drizzle the 2 tbsp of oil or butter or bacon fat over the grated potatoes and add 1/4 cup of the grated Parmesan.  Mix together well and then press into the pie pan, up around the sides and bottom.   Press it in firmly.   Bake in the preheated oven about 30-40 minutes or until nicely browned on top and bottom.   Remove from the oven and cool about 10 minutes.

While the crust it cooling, beat the eggs and milk together until well blended.   Sprinkle the bottom of the crust with the bacon, then the spinach, and the cheeses.   Sprinkle the onion on top.   Then slowly pour the egg and milk mixture over the top, allowing it to settle through the other toppings.    Reduce the heat of the oven to 350 degrees, then put the pan in the oven.   Bake about 30 minutes or until the filling is set and the top is starting to brown.   Remove from the oven and allow to sit about 10-15 minutes before cutting and eating.   Enjoy!!!

Options:   any cooked, drained vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, peas, green beans, etc), cubed or chopped ham or chicken or any kind of cooked meat or fish,  other types of cheeses, favorite herbs, you name it.

Spinach Feta Casserole

I love the Greek dish, spanakopita or spinach pie.  It is a delectable dish made with lots of melted butter, filo pastry and a rich spinach and feta cheese filling.   However, it is kind of a pain in the butt to make, with all the layers of filo leaves, each leaf brushed with lots of melted butter.  Because of all the melted butter, it is also quite rich.   Wonderful for a special treat, but not something you would want to eat all that often.  However, the actual spinach filling itself, is not all that rich and for me is the best part anyway.   So I took my favorite spanikopita recipe, changed it a bit to meet my tastes and baked it without the filo pastry.   I love it and it is a lot lighter.   If you use low fat feta, it would be even lighter.   Either way, this is a tasty side or even a main course.   I hope you will like it as much as I do.

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Spinach Feta Casserole

3-4 eggs, beaten

12oz bag of frozen chopped spinach, thawed or about  2 lbs. of fresh spinach, chopped

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

¼ cup olive oil

8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled or diced

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

2 tbsp. dill (fresh or dried, if using fresh use only about 1 tbsp. finely chopped)

a small bunch of green onions, cleaned and chopped (in the original recipe, but I don’t use them)

½ cup chopped parsley (optional—in the original recipe, but I don’t use them)

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.   Grease an 8x8 inch square pan and set aside (or use any other dish of approximately the same size).

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven and cook the onion until it starts to brown a bit, then add the garlic.   Stir it around for a few minutes, then stir in the spinach.   Cook until the frozen spinach is heated or until the fresh spinach is very wilted.   Remove from heat and cool a bit.    Meanwhile, beat together the eggs, yogurt, pepper and dill, then stir in the feta.   Finally, add the cooled spinach and onions and mix well (if using, add the green onions and parsley now).  Spoon into the prepared pan and bake about 45-60 minutes.  I knife stuck in the center should come out clean and the edges should be starting to brown.   Cool slightly before serving. 

You could add some things to make this a bit different:  Some crumbled bacon or cubed ham (finely chopped prosciutto fried with the onion would be to die for!) added to the mixture.   Topping the casserole with some grated Parmesan before baking would be tasty.   Making a topping of buttered breadcrumbs and Parmesan would be tasty and pretty as well.  Also, there is no reason you should limit yourself to just spinach, any tender spring green would be very good in this.   Use you imagination!  

Potato Pancakes

When I was a kid, any time we had leftover mashed potatoes, my mom would make potato pancakes out of them.   I was grown before I knew you could make them any other way.   Mama's potato pancakes were ok, but just not my favorite thing.   Later, I learned how to make them where they were a lot better and I didn't have to have leftover mashed potatoes to do it.

about 4 cups grated raw potatoes (I used the packaged hashbrowns in the dairy section of the store)
2 eggs
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped (or a bunch of green onions, cleaned and chopped)
1/2 cup flour  (gluten free works well too)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
seasoning to taste (I use Mrs. Dash)
1/2 cup grated cheese, Parmesan is what I usually use, but a sharp cheddar works too

Mix all together well and heat a non-stick skillet with a couple tablespoons each of butter and olive oil.    Scoop up enough of the potato mixture about the size of a golf ball, flatten slightly and place in the heated butter/oil mixture.    Cook until brown on one side, turn, flatten with the spatula and brown on the other side.   Eat while hot.


To turn them into a main course, add some chopped ham to the potato mixture.     For a change of taste, add some crisp crumbled bacon to the mixture and try in a bit of the bacon fat.   Not health food, but quite tasty.

Sandwiches

Aaron's favorite food would have to be sandwiches.   If he has two slices of bread and something to put between them, he is a happy man.   So I often fix sandwiches of various kinds to keep him happy.   Luckily, there are an infinite variety of sandwiches that can be made.  

One thing that is a favorite of both of us, is grilled teriyaki chicken and pineapple sandwiches.   I take boneless chicken thighs and marinate for a couple of hours in a good quality teriyaki marinade, I like the Kikkoman brand.   I buy a peeled and cored whole pineapple and slice in 3/4 inch slices.   I then grill the marinated chicken pieces, as well as the pineapple slices until done in the middle and nicely browned outside.   I put a piece of chicken on a toasted roll, top the chicken with a slice of the grilled pineapple and then the top of the roll.   Aaron loves this!

Another sandwich that is good and also easy to make, is a grilled cheese with bacon.   I fry bacon until crisp and drain on a paper towel.   Then I take soft French roll and split.   I fill it with a very sharp cheddar and the crisp bacon.   Then I grill it in my panini press until the roll is nice and crisp and the cheese melted.   Eat while very hot.   Delicious!   Aaron likes this too.

My favorite sandwich is chicken salad.   Aaron refuses to eat anything with mayonaise in it, so this is something I either enjoy alone or take to work with me.   I grind about 3-4 cups of cold, cooked chicken.    Then I finely chop 3-4 stalks of celery and a cleaned bunch of green onions.   I mix the chopped vegetables with the ground chicken and add enough mayonaise to make a spreadable mixture.    Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Another favorite of mine is ham salad.   I do that a bit differently than the chicken salad.   I grind 3-4 cups of ham and to that I add 3 grated hard boiled eggs, about 1/2 cup of finely chopped sweet pickle or drained pickle relish and enough mayonaise to make it nicely spreadable.

These are some of my favorite sandwiches.   How about you?   What do you like to put between two slices of bread?   What is your favorite?   And as always, enjoy!