Chicken Enchilada Soup-Stacey's Way

The weather has cooled down, finally! I know a lot of you may have an enchilada soup recipe but this one is just right for the entire family. My kiddos love things a little on the spicy side so you may need to adjust this recipe if your little ones don't like spicy. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
5 boneless skinless chicken breast-browned and cut into bite size pieces
1 can Hatch Medium enchilada sauce
1 can Hatch Mild enchilada sauce
1 yellow onion-chopped
2 cloves of garlic-minced
2 pounds American cheese-shredded
1 jalapeno-chopped
6 cups chicken broth
2 T chili powder
1 T cumin
Oil
Cilantro
Sour Cream
Corn Tortillas

Brown chicken breast whole in an oil lined soup pot until golden brown. They will will not be completely cooked. Now cut them into bite size pieces. In same pot saute onion, jalapeno, and garlic. I also add my cumin and chili powder at this time to brown it a little. I like the taste better when I "cook" it a little. Now add your chicken back in with the broth and enchilada sauce. Cook for 1 hour over medium heat. Now add in your shredded cheese and cook for 30 more minutes. Serve with sour cream, more cheese, cilantro and corn tortillas.

Pico de Gallo

I think this is the Mexican form of Bruschetta, except you serve this as a side or with chips and not bread. I like it on eggs, baked potatoes, chips, crackers, and can eat it with just about anything. Give this a try the next time you have some fresh from the garden tomatoes. This is What's (not) Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
5 vine ripe tomatoes-chopped
3 homegrown jalapenos-diced
1 white onion- chopped

Mix all of the ingredients together and serve with tortilla chips or tacos.

Tex Mex Lasagna

This is one of my favorite recipes and one that our kiddos really enjoy too, makes for an easy dinner.


Needed:

2 cans whole kernel corn-drained
2 cans black beans-drained and rinsed
1 large can Rotel
1 pound ground turkey-seasoned as you would for tacos
3 pounds of pepper jack cheese-shredded
1 can black olives-sliced
18 corn tortillas

Layer in a 9x13 pan in this order;
6 corn tortillas
corn
black beans
1 pound cheese
1 cup Rotel
6 corn tortillas
turkey
1 pound cheese
6 corn tortillas
1 cup Rotel
1 pound of cheese
black olives

Cook covered in a 350' oven for 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve with corn tortillas and butter.

Tostada

This is a quick and really good dinner. Everyone makes their tostada a little different so it is great if you have picky eaters. I like lots of sour cream on mine and Raine loves refried beans on hers. However you make them I bet this will be a dinner you will make often. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

12 corn tortillas
Oil
Hamburger-browned and seasoned with salt and pepper
Cheese-shredded
Sabra Salsa
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Refried Beans

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet, when hot, fry tortilla until crispy. I cook each one for about 2 minutes on each side. I keep mine in a warm oven so they will stay hot. That is really all you have to do. Layer with what you like on a tostada. I like, hamburger, cheese, salsa, and loads of sour cream! When I don't have homemade salsa the Sabra Salsa is my favorite one to use. It tste fresh!

Flour Tortillas

We eat our fair share of tortillas around here and I just love them when they are freshly made. I must say that if you've never had a freshly made tortilla with butter, you are missing out. It took several failed attempts to figure them out but I eventually got 'em right. My recipe calls for lard, I know it's scary but it really does make a difference. I tried Crisco, canola oil, and even butter but the lard won out. The other trick to making these is to have a cast iron griddle. My husband Sean bought the griddle that I used to make these tortillas with when we were first married and I love it. Invest in good cast iron because it will last a lifetime. Give this recipe a try the next time you are wanting burritos or just some tortillas to eat with butter and salt. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek this cold day.

Needed:

5 cups all purpose flour
1 cup lard
1 t salt
2 cups very hot water
5 t baking powder

Mix your dry ingredients together, I use a whisk and it sifts everything very well. Now add your lard and mix until crumbly looking. Now add in the water and stir until dough forms a smooth ball. It is a little sticky but that is fine. Cover and let rest for 1 hour. Now break off pieces of dough and roll into balls the size of a golf ball. Heat up your griddle. I heat mine on a medium heat on an electric range. Meanwhile roll your tortillas out. Sean likes his thin and I like mine a little thicker. It is up to you how you roll yours out. Place on heated griddle and cook just until golden and turn and cook the reverse side the same. Cover with a towel until ready to eat.

Beef Taquitos

I have never been a big fan of taquitos but the kiddos just love them. I made beef this time around but think chicken would be even better. You have to have a "no fear" kind of mentality when cooking these puppies! Hot oil burns, or so I have been told. This meal takes a little planning but is really worth the time. I served our taquitos with rice and of course my favorite, pinto beans. This is What's Cookin on this ice storm warning day, I just hope for the foot of possible snow they are predicting instead.


Needed:
1 3 pound beef roast
3 whole jalapenos-I used canned ones that I pickled but fresh is fine too
1 purple onion-diced
2 bunches of cilantro-chopped
5 T salt
5 garlic cloves-smashed and peeled
5 T black pepper
Water
10 corn tortillas
Oil


Place all of the ingredients in a soup pot and cover with water. Cook over medium heat with lid on until roast falls apart. I cooked this one for about 4 hours. Now remove roast from broth and shred roast.

Now wrap three of your corn tortilla in a damp paper towel and microwave on high for 30-40 seconds. They should be rollable now. Place about a 1/4 cup of the meat in the middle of each corn tortilla and roll up. Pour oil a quarter of the way up in a heavy bottomed skillet, I used my cast iron. Heat oil over medium heat. Lay each taquitos seam side down. Fry for 4 minutes or until golden brown and then turn and repeat. Serve with salsa, sour cream, pico.

Ranch Style Eggs Stacey's Way

I bet you have read ranchos huervos on many Mexican restaurant menus and maybe wondered what they were. Well.... This is my way of cooking them. Raven loves eggs almost any way and she really enjoys this for lunch. Give this recipe a try when you need a quick fix dinner or lunch and you won't be sorry. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today. By the way, it is supposed to snow this weekend on Beaty's Creek.

Needed:
1 large jar of salsa
5 eggs
4 corn tortillas
shredded cheese
Refried beans

Warm your tortillas in a cast iron skillet. Pour salsa in a medium size pan and break your eggs into salsa, salt and pepper eggs and cover pan. Heat over medium heat until salsa begins a slow boil. Let boil until eggs are cooked to your liking. Now place 2 tortillas on a plate, add your refried beans, and eggs. Spoon some of the salsa on top of eggs and place shredded cheese on top. Serve with more corn tortillas on the side with butter.

Black Bean Poblano Pepper Bake

This was a home run on Beaty's Creek tonight. Raven had rehearsal so we made a quick dinner of it. I made rice with this but eggs cooked along with the peppers in the oven would be delish! Raven ate corn tortillas with hers, still need to learn to make those. Give this a try and you will have a good dinner without alot of effort.

Needed:
7 poblano peppers-cut in half and seeded
2 cans of black beans-drained and rinsed
3 pounds of pepper jack cheese-shredded
1 large can Rotel
1 large can of enchilada gravy
2 T cumin
2 T garlic powder
Paul Newman's Salsa

Pour Rotel and enchilada gravy into your baking pan. Lay each half of your peppers in the mixture. Now mix your beans and cheese together(I think I will add a can of whole kernel corn next time.). Place about a 1/4 cup in each pepper, make sure you fill it up but don't overfill. Now sprinkle your cumin and garlic over the top of everything. Cover and bake at 350' for 1 1/2 hours covered, take cover off and bake for 40 minutes more. Peppers will still have a bite to them but if you want them a little softer cook covered 40 minutes longer. Serve over rice with eggs and corn tortillas. If you want to cook your eggs with the peppers just break the eggs into the gravy. They will cook along with your peppers. We love eggs this way. I love to pour Paul Newman's Salsa poured all over mine!

Shrimp Fajitas

I decided that since I just made salsa and guacamole, we should have shrimp fajitas tonight. Glad I have shrimp in the freezer and lucky me they are already deveined. I loath deveining shrimp. This is really an easy but impressive meal to make. All of my brood really like fajitas too. Raine even chowed down on the shrimp tonight. Well that is "what's cookin" tonight on Beaty's Creek.

Needed:
4 pounds of deveined, peeled shrimp
3 large yellow onions-peeled and quartered
5 bell peppers-seeded and cut into inch strips
1 cup oil
2 cups of water-for marinade
4 fajita seasoning packs(I know this is ready made but I really like the already made packs.)
2 pounds of sharp cheddar-shredded
Guacamole
Salsa
Sour Cream
Flour tortillas

Place onions, peppers, and shrimp in a large bowl and mix seasoning packets with 1 cup of oil, I use canola, and 2 cups of water. Let marinade in the fridge for at least 4 hours or a little longer is fine. You will have to cook your fajitas in batches. Don't over crowd your pan. I use a caste iron fajita pan that is not real large so I must cook in smaller batches. I also use part of the marinade to cook my fajitas in. I really like the marinade with my fajitas but this is up to you. Cook your fajitas until the veggies are the tenderness you want and the shrimp is no longer transparent. This happens in about 10 minutes over medium high heat. Serve them with salsa, guacamole, cheese and sour cream. I need to make my own tortillas though. I think maybe that will be my new project, we will see.