One Pot Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Ingredients

• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 1 lb. Fettuccine 
• 1 small Vidalia onion
• 4 cloves garlic 
• 1 12 oz. jar roasted red peppers
• 1 15 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1/2 TBS dried basil
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional) 
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 4 oz. cream cheese (optional) 

Instructions

• Thinly slice the onion and mince the garlic. Remove the red peppers from the liquid in the jar and then slice them into thin strips.
• In a large pot, combine the broth, onion, garlic, red pepper slices, diced tomatoes (with juice), basil, crushed red pepper, and some freshly cracked black pepper (10-15 cranks of a pepper mill). Stir these ingredients to combine. Break the fettuccine in half, then add it to the pot, attempting to submerge the pieces as much as possible.
• Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to high. As soon as the pot reaches a full boil, give it a quick stir to loosen any pieces that may have stuck to the bottom, return the lid, and turn the heat down to medium-low.
• Let the pot simmer on medium low for 10-12 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. Return the lid as quickly as possible after each stir. After ten minutes, test the pasta to see if it is al dente. Once the pasta is tender, remove it from the heat. (If the pasta becomes too dry before it is tender, simply add a small amount of water and continue to simmer.)
• Divide the cream cheese into tablespoon sized pieces, then add them to the pot. Stir the pasta until the cheese melts in and creates a smooth sauce (it will look lumpy at first, just keep stirring). Serve hot.

Notes

Breaking the pasta in half helps the larger pieces of tomato and pepper stir in evenly with the pasta. It also helps allow the pasta to be submerged under the broth.

Nanaimo Bar

Bottom Layer

1/2 Cup unsalted butter
1/4 Cup sugar
5 T cocoa
1 egg, beaten
1 3/4 Cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 Cup finely chopped almonds
1 Cup coconut

Melt first 3 ingredients in top of double boiler.  Add egg and stir to cook and thicken.  Remove from heat.  Stir in crumbs, coconut and nuts.  Press firmly into an ungreased 8 x 8 pan.

Second layer
1/2 Cup unsalted butter
2 T and 2 tsp cream
2 T vanilla custard powder
2 Cups powdered sugar

Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well.  Beat until light.  Spread over bottom layer.

Third layer
4 Sq. semi-sweet chocolate (1 oz each)
2 T unsalted butter

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat.  Cool.  When cool, but still liquid, pour over second layer and chill in refrigerator.

Creamy Enchiladas with Chicken, Tomatillo and Poblano

• 3pounds (18 to 24 medium)tomatillos, husked and rinsed
  
• 1largefresh poblano chile
• 1 1/2tablespoons vegetable oil or rich-tasting pork lard, plus a little oil for spraying the tortillas
• 1medium white onion, chopped
• 2cups chicken broth, plus a little extra if needed
• Salt
• 1/2cupMexican crema , crème fraiche or heavy (whipping) cream
• About 2cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken, preferably grilled, roasted or rotisserie chicken
• 2/3cup shredded Jack cheese or Chihuahua cheese
• 12 corn tortillas
• A few sliced rounds of white onion, separated into rings, for garnish
• Fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish
• 1/4cupfreshly grated Mexican queso añejo for garnish

Instructions

The sauce. Roast the tomatillos and chile on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, until they’re darkly roasted (they’ll be blackened in spots), about 6 minutes. Flip everything over and roast the other side—5 or 6 minutes more will give you splotchy-black and blistered tomatillos and poblanos that are cooked through. Cool.  When the chile is cool enough to handle, rub off the blackened skin of the chile, then pull out the stems and seed pod. Tear the chile open and rinse briefly to remove any stray seeds and bits of skin, then rougly chop.  Transfer the chiles and tomatillos with their juice to a blender or food processor and blend to a smooth puree.
In a medium-size (4- or 5-quart) pot (preferably a Dutch oven or Mexican cazuela), heat the oil or lard over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until golden, about 7 minutes.  Raise the heat to medium-high, and, when the pot is noticeably hotter, stir in the tomatillo puree.  Cook, stirring, until darker in color and gets thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, 10 to 15 minutes.  Stir in the broth, partially cover and simmer 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt, usually about ½ teaspoon. The sauce should be a slightly soupy consistency—not as thick as spaghetti sauce.  If it is too thick, stir in a little additional broth. Keep warm over low heat.
Other preliminaries. Stir the crema (or one of its stand-ins) into the sauce. Put the chicken in a bowl and stir ½ cup of the hot sauce mixture into it. Taste and season with additional salt if you think it needs it. Have the cheese at the ready.
Finishing the enchiladas. Heat the tortillas by spraying with the oil, then sliding them into a microwaveable plastic bag.   Fold the top over but don't seal it.  Microwave on high for 1 minute to create a steamy environment around the tortillas and then let them stand 2 to 3 minutes before using.  Smear about ¼ cup of the warm sauce over the bottom of 4 to 6 nine-inch individual ovenproof baking/serving dishes or smear about 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish.     Working quickly so the tortillas stay hot and pliable, roll a portion of the chicken into each tortilla, douse evenly with the remaining sauce, then sprinkle on the shredded melting cheese and bake at 400 degrees until the enchiladas are hot through (the cheese will have begun to brown), about 15 minutes.
Garnish with añejo cheese, onion rings and cilantro sprigs and serve immediately.
Recipe and picture from Rick Bayless

Easy Chicken for Tacos

2 pounds of boneless chicken breasts
1 can green chiles
1 jar of salsa
1 8 oz block of Cream Cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Put in crock pot and cook on low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours.  Shred and put in tacos, enchiladas or salads.

Nutella Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sugar plus additional sugar to roll cookies in
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 8 tbsp unsalted softened butter 1 stick, 4 ounces
• 1 egg
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup Nutella

Instructions

• Fill a ziploc bag or piping bag with Nutella, snip a corner off and then squeeze out Nutella about a teaspoon of Nutella on a parchment lined cookie sheet. (I use a half cookie sheet so it fits in my freezer). Freeze for about 30 minutes until solid.
• Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, cream together the sugars and butter until light and fluffy about 2-3 minutes. Add in the egg to the butter mixture and stir to combine. Mix in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Stir in salt, baking soda and flour until well combined.
• Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place your thumb in the center of each to create an indent. Place one Nutella "kiss" into the center. Cover up with more cookie dough. And then roll in sugar. Place on baking sheet and flatten with fork.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Notes

• Be sure to measure your flour correctly. Over-measuring your flour is going to result in a dry, crumbly cookie. 
• Use room temperature butter. By softening your butter properly  will allow the sugar to punch tiny holes into the butter incorporating air into the dough. Cold butter won’t allow this to happen. So room temperature, unsalted, and you’re good to go.
• Don’t forget to take those eggs out early too. You also need a room temperature egg as well. Remember you want your ingredients all playing along well together. So a cold egg and room temperature butter just don’t play nice on the playground together. You’ll end  up with butter that starts to seize up in your bowl. My trick? Put your eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 to 10 minutes and you’re good to go.
• Flatten those cookies a bit. These cookies won’t spread much, so you want to help them out a bit and flatten them a bit. I prefer the fork criss cross method, but even a quick flatten with the palm of your hand will do the trick. Have you read my post on why your cookies spread too much? 
• Recipe and picture from Boston Girl Bakes

Simple Perfect Enchiladas

Ingredients  

Sauce:

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

One 28-ounce can enchilada or Mexican red sauce

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

Meat:

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt
Can Substitute chicken

The Rest:

Canola oil, for frying

10 to 14 corn tortillas

Two 4-ounce cans diced green chilies

1 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup chopped black olives

3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese

Cilantro, for garnish

Directions

1. For the sauce:
2. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the canola oil and flour. Whisk together and allow to bubble for 1 minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.
3. For the meat:
4. While the sauce is simmering, brown the ground beef with the onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the fat, add the salt and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and set aside.
5. For the rest:
6. In a small skillet over medium heat, heat some canola oil. Lightly fry the tortillas just until soft. Do not crisp. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all the tortillas have been fried.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
8. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Next, one at a time, dip each tortilla into the sauce. Set the sauce-soaked tortilla on a plate. Place on some of the meat mixture, chilies, green onions and black olives. Top with a generous portion of grated Cheddar. Roll up the tortilla to contain the filling inside.
9. Place the tortilla seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas and pour the remaining sauce over the top. End with a generous sprinkling of cheese and any other bits of chiles, green onions or olives you have left over from the filling.
10. Bake the enchiladas for 20 minutes, or until bubbly. Sprinkle chopped cilantro over the top and serve.  Recipe and picture from The Pioneer Woman

Salsa Verde Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1-1/2 cups salsa verde, divided
• 8 corn tortillas (6 inches)
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• Optional toppings: Avocado slices, thinly sliced green onions or fresh cilantro leaves

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Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the chicken, sour cream and 3/4 cup salsa. Spread 1/4 cup salsa on the bottom of a greased 8-in. square baking dish.
• Fry the tortillas to soften.  Layer with half of the tortillas and chicken mixture; sprinkle with half the tomatoes, minced cilantro and half of the cheese. Repeat layers with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, tomatoes and cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, at 400° until bubbly, 20-25 minutes. Serve with remaining salsa and, if desired, optional toppings.  Recipe and picture from Taste of Home