HORCHATA

HORCHATA

We liked.  Next time either don't blend as much or double strain.

1 1/3 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cups water, divided
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 - 1/2 cup sugar

To a blender add rice, 2 cups of water and 2 cinnamon sticks. Blend for about 2 minute or until the rice and cinnamon sticks are roughly ground.  Add the remaining water and blend again.  Pour contents into a pitcher or container with a fitted lid and place on your countertop overnight or for at least 8 hours.

Pour the rice mixture into a fine mesh strainer, into a pitcher.  Discard the rice.  Stir in the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar (to your preference).  Chill until ready to serve.  Stir well before serving and serve over ice.

MEXICAN PIZZA

http://butteryourbiscuit.com/mexican-pizza/

MEXICAN PIZZA
We all really liked this.  I have another one I have made in a springfoam pan (TACO BAKE).  We like that one as well, but this one was easier and faster clean up.  Put some cheese on the inside as well.  See recipe for changes.  Put sour cream and guac on top.  Yum!

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 packet taco seasoning (did 1 T)
• ¼ cup water
• 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
• 2 8 oz jar taco sauce (only used 8 oz)
• 1½ cup shredded cheddar cheese - just sprinkled
• 1½cup shredded pepper-jack cheese - just sprinkled
• 1 large diced tomatoes
• 1 can sliced olives
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• green onions sliced
• sour cream, optional
• guacamole, optional

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large skillet heat the oil up on medium heat.
3. Fry each tortilla in the oil just until lightly browned and crispy, remove and set aside on paper towels
4. Meanwhile, cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain grease. Add taco seasoning and ½ cup taco sauce. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. In a small pan on medium heat warm the refried beans
6. Place a single layer of the beans on the crispy tortillas, followed by a layer of the taco meat, Top with another tortilla. Spread 3-4 tablespoons of taco sauce, sprinkle some cheddar and jack cheese and top with a few tomatoes and olives.
7. Bakes in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly
8. Remove from oven let set for 5 minutes top with green onions and slice

SWEET PORK BURRITOS & CILANTRO RANCH DRESSING

For my Mom & Dad's 50th Jill's family made these for dinner after the reunion.  We also had homemade ice cream.  It was so yummy!

Put following in a burrito - can do beans as well and of course cheese.

Sweet pork burritos:
3 lbs. pork loin
cup of salsa
cup of brown sugar

Cook on low all night in crock pot. Shred an hour before eating and add a little more brown sugar (against Jimmie's wishes :) and sprinkle with garlic salt.


Cilantro ranch dressing for burritos:

UPDATE: My family didn't like this as much as I thought they would - 1/2 recipe

3/4 cup mayo
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 package of ranch dressing
bunch of cilantro (don't add too much and chop up little)
lime

REFRIED BEANS COOKED

REFRIED BEANS
For our Christmas Ward Party 2016 is was mexican theme.  One thing I was asked to bring was refried beans.  This is how they asked us to cook them.  They turned out really good.

5 cans of refried beans spread out in a 9x13 container.

Put in oven for 1 hour at 350.

Sprinkle with 1/2 to 1 cup of shredded cheese.

TACO BELL CRUNCHWRAP SUPREME

TACO BELL CRUNCHWRAP SUPREME
We all really liked these.  Fun to make.  Kids can easily help (kinda like an assembly line).  We have made them twice once with beef and once with beans.  Would like to try chicken.  I like to do 1/2 of a tostada shell, it makes it easier to wrap.  Want to try the baja sauce.  Found a recipe on pinterest for it.  Still need to try it.  This would be fun to have with the missionaries or take to someone.

http://me.popsugar.com/food/Taco-Bell-Crunchwrap-Supreme-40822806

1 pound ground beef (refried beans good too)
1 packet taco seasoning mix
3/4 cup water
1 can nacho cheese (I have only used real cheese)
8 burrito-size flour tortillas
6 tostada shells (if you only use 1/2 - 3/4 it is easier to wap)
1 cup sour cream
2 cups lettuce, shredded
1 cup tomato, diced
1 cup Mexican cheese blend
Cooking spray (I used oil)
  
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef until cooked through. Drain excess grease, and stir in the taco seasoning mix and water. Cook according to the package directions. 

Warm the nacho cheese sauce in a microwave-safe bowl. Place the flour tortillas on a large plate and microwave for 20 seconds to warm them. 

Lay 1 flour tortilla on a flat surface. Spread 1/2 cup of taco meat in the center of the tortilla, about 6 inches across. Drizzle with nacho cheese sauce, and top with 1 tostada shell or crispy corn tortilla. Spread a thin layer of sour cream over the tostada shell, and top with lettuce, tomato, and shredded Mexican cheese. 

To fold the crunch wrap, start at the bottom of the flour tortilla and fold the edge up and over the center. Continue to work your way around, folding the tortilla up and over the center fillings. If there is an open spot left in the center, cut a piece from an extra flour tortilla and tuck it underneath so the fillings are completely covered. 

Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and heat to a medium heat. Place the crunch wrap seam-side down, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the tortilla is golden brown. Carefully flip the crunch wrap over, and cook the other side until it is golden brown. Serve immediately. 

BAJA SAUCE

place in a blender or food processor:
1/4 or a red bell pepper
1 small jalapeno seeded, chopped
2 T diced onion

Mix:
6 tsp above mixture
1/2 c mayo
1/2 c sour cream
1 T vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper, garlic powder & cumin

SIT OVERNIGHT - VERY IMPORTANT!

TACO CHICKEN

TACO CHICKEN
This can be used for nachos, burritos, quesadillas or anything else.  Took it the taco auction dinner (YW) on 5/2/15.  I had cooked two whole chickens from Costco (cooked one a time).  Rinse - pat dry - top with 1 T papirika 3 T steak seasoning (didn't do) salt and pepper.  Cook on high 4 - 4.5 hours.  They also suggested wadding up some tin foil and putting on the bottom so the chicken wasn't sitting on the bottom of cooker. Then I shredded and the day of dinner put in crockpot with below ingredients for about four hours on low.  I doubled the below ingredients.

1 small can enchilada sauce
1 pkt ranch
1 T taco mix
1 c chicken broth
6 chicken breast

Cook on low for 6 hours and shred meat.

FAUX FRIED ICE CREAM

FAUX FRIED ICE CREAM
http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/07/faux-fried-ice-cream-and-cinnamon.html
This was a fun dessert.  I actually used a different recipe, but used this one for the cinnamon roll idea.  I didn't really like the ice cream fried (or maybe I didn't do it right).  I think next time I would do it this way.  Plus less calories due to no oil.  Then I won't feel so bad having a cinnamon roll too :-)  The caramel cinnamon rolls were on sale.  Spread just a little of that frosting on top of the waffle.
But I really liked the topping here is the recipe I used:

5 cups corn flakes, crushed (had lots left - 3 should work)

1 cup flaked coconut

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 quart of vanilla ice cream
3 cups crushed corn flakes cereal (I crushed them in the food processor)
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
2 tsp of sugar
1 can refrigerated cinnamon rolls (regular, not Grands)
chocolate sauce

Scoop ice cream into 8 – 1/2 cup size rounded balls. Place on baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

In a shallow dish combine crushed corn flakes, cinnamon and sugar. Roll the ice cream balls in the corn flake mixture, covering completely. Repeat as needed.  Freeze ice cream again, until firm (about 3 hours).

When ready to serve make cinnamon roll waffles.

Spray waffle maker with cooking spray. Heat waffle maker.

Separate dough into individual cinnamon rolls. Place up to 4 cinnamon rolls at a time on waffle maker. Close lid of waffle maker; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until light golden brown. 

Place cinnamon roll waffle on plate, top with ice cream and drizzle with chocolate sauce.

SALSA

• QUICK AND EASY BLENDER SALSA
• Scott really liked this.  I would have liked it better with mild.  So easy to make.  Fresh tomatoes work too.
• 
  
• 1- 14 oz can diced tomatoes (had a can with oregano and other spices)
• 1- 10 oz can orginal Rotel (prefer Mild)
• 1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1/2-1 jalapeno, seeded or not (depends on how spicy you like it)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• small to medium size handful of cilantro, washed (didn't add)
• juice of 1 lime

Put all the ingredients in the base of a food processor or good blender and pulse to combine for 30 seconds or so until all the ingredients are finely chopped and salsa is desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and adjust to taste. Serve with chips or over tacos.

FRESH TOMATO SALSA

This is the salsa recipe Lisa likes to use.  She got it from allrecipes.

3 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup finely diced onion
5 serrano chiles, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
2 tsp lime juice

In a bowl mix all together and chill 1 hour before serving.

MEXICAN PASTA SKILLET

HEALTHIFIED MEXICAN PASTA SKILLET
Yum! Easy! Quick!

1# cooked ground beef
1 jar (16 oz) salsa
1 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cup water
2 cup uncooked macaroni
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Cook beef then stir in salsa, tomato sauce and water.  Heat to boiling.  Stir in macaroni and corn.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer 12-15 min, stirring occasionally, until macaroni is tender.  Then sprinkle with cheese. Cover; let stand 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

CAFE RIO RECIPES (NOT THE PORK)

Cilantro Lime Rice

WE TRIED CINCO DE MAYO 2012 - WE LIKED
2 cups rice
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3 cups chicken broth (vegetable broth also works well)
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves (with stems removed), snipped into small pieces

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and rice, and saute, stirring, until it starts to get golden brown.  Remove from heat, and stir in broth, water, and salt.
3. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish, and spread it all out evenly in the pan.  Cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 1 hour.  When I made this, I was running late, so I just upped the temperature to 375 and baked it for 45-50 minutes, and it turned out just great.  
4. Meanwhile, juice your lime.  When the rice is finished baking, stir in the lime juice and cilantro.  Serve immediately (hopefully as part of your amazing sweet pork salad--recipe to come!).

 Cafe Rio Dressing

1 1/3 Cup sour cream

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 Bunch of cilantro (leaves not the stems)

1 package ranch dressing mix

4 tbsp. salsa Verde (green salsa)

2 cloves of garlic

1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce

juice of one lime

Mix together in the blender 

Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing

(from Kalyn's Kitchen)

1 small bunch cilantro (stems removed)

2 large or 4 small tomatillos

1/2 tsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (optional)

2 cups prepared ranch dressing (if you don't have any handy, you can use this recipe for homemade ranch dressing)

1. Wash and dry cilantro leaves.  You can use a salad spinner or just pat them with paper towels.  Chop cilantro leaves into small pieces (or throw them in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds).  Roughly chop tomatillos.

2. Combine cilantro, tomatillos, garlic, lime juice, and jalapeno (if using) in a food processor or blender.  Pulse until finely pureed.  Add prepared ranch dressing and pulse until combined.  If the dressing isn't quite the right balance for you, try adding another tomatillo.

3. Chill for 1-2 hours, then shout hooray and eat your delicious salad.

TACO BAKE

TACO BAKE

We loved!  Great with spanish rice and green salad.  Used 8" springfoam pan.  Instead of salsa con queso I used: mixed 1# velveeta and 1 can mild rotel and microwaved 5 minute stirring every 1-2 minutes.

UPDATE: We also like with corn, chips and guac.  This is one of Scott's favorite dishes.

http://www.thecountrycook.net/2012/05/taco-bake.html

1 pound ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

* water as called for on back of seasoning packet

3 large flour tortillas (8-inch size) (can crisp in oil first - we liked)

1/2 cup salsa con queso

1 1/2-2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (any kind of cheese is good or a mixture)

sour cream, optional

olives, optional

fresh tomatoes, optional

Brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease. Add in taco seasoning and water (following directions on back of seasoning packet).

Once the taco meat is ready, turn off heat and add in 1/2 cup salsa con quest. I like a mild salsa con queso. This is a spicy dish so a hot salsa con queso would just be too spicy for us. If you have anyone in your family that is very sensitive to spicy dishes, you could always use a regular, spreadable cheese dip.

Give it a good stir, until thoroughly combined. It don’t look all that pretty, but don’t worry, we’re gonna dress her up a bit.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 8-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Layer the bottom of the pan with a flour tortilla.

I like to use a springform pan just to make it a bit easier to get out after it is finished baking. But this taco bake is pretty easy to slice up and serve even without the springform pan. Now add about 1/3 of the ground beef taco filling on the the first layer.

Then add 1/3 of the shredded cheese.

Continue until you are done with all the layers: another tortilla, more taco mixture, more cheese.  Bake at 350F degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Until cheese is melted and edges are slightly golden brown.

Allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Add toppings (sour cream, tomatoes, olives).  Then slice and serve.  

BEEF TACO BAKE
http://foodisablessing.blogspot.com/2011/10/beef-taco-bake.html 
Goes good with tortillas or chips.  I agree with what Emily McCleve said about this recipe when she posted it on her blog:
One of my neighbors gave me this recipe a few weeks ago.  It sounded simple and tasty, so I was excited to try this week.  I tweaked it just a bit to my personal preference, and it tasted great.  Each night, it gets better and better somehow.  And the best part is that it's lasted us three dinners so far, and we still have some left--which is surprising.  Usually a dish like this will last two nights max, but this one is really filling, so you don't have to eat much to be satisfied.  I'm definitely keeping this one. 


1 cup rice, uncooked (white or brown works just as well here)
3/4 lb ground beef
1 package taco seasoning (or just under 1/4 cup taco seasoning and about 1/2 cup water)
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can tomato soup
1 cup salsatortillas (optional)
sour cream (optional)
cheese (optional) 

1. Cook rice according to package directions and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Meanwhile, brown ground beef and drain the fat.  Stir in taco seasoning (and however much water the taco seasoning tells you to add). 
3. Combine rice, ground beef, black beans, corn, tomato soup, and salsa in a 9x13 baking dish.  Cover and bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbly.
4. This dish can be served alone or rolled up in a tortilla with a dollop of sour cream.  Enjoy it again and again until it's gone.  

CHILE RELLENO CASSEROLE

CHILE RELLENO CASSEROLE

This is Lisa's recipe. It is so yummy. The other recipe I have used is in the Cowboy cookbook (see below). It is yummy too, but has tons more cheese than this one.

28 oz whole green chiles

1# monterey jack cheese, sliced 1/4" thick, 1" wide, 3" long (I didn't measure just guessed)

5 eggs

1 1/4 c. milk

1/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 c. cheddar cheese

Rinse and cut chiles lengthwise. Place cheese slices inside the chiles. Place in a ungreased 9x13. Mix eggs and milk together. In another bowl mix flour, salt and pepper. Gradually stir in the milk and egg mixture into the flour until it is a smooth batter free of lumps. Pour the batter over the chiles. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Cook at 350 for 45 minutes.


ON THE BORDER CHILIES RELLENOS CASSEROLE
Scott gives this a 2 “yumms” up!  Lots of cheese in this recipe.  You might taste just as good with not so much.  Found in Cowboy cookbook pg. 164.

1 (27 oz) can Ortega green chilies (rinse and take out seeds)
1 # EACH Monterey Jack Cheese and sharp Cheddar cheese, grated and mixed together
6 eggs, separated
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk


Preheat oven to 325.  In a greased 9x13 baking dish put one layer of chilies and one layer of cheese.  Continue with layers of chilies and cheese.  Make about three layers.  Beat the egg whites until stiff.  Fold in the yolks, then the milk.  Pour the mixture over top of layers.  Puncture with fork so egg mixture will work down through cheese and chilies.  Bake for 50 minutes.

BURRITO PIE & SPANISH RICE (George Strait)

We really liked this. Took longer to prepare than I thought it would. Make spanish rice first (see recipe below) or just use the box/can kind from the store. I made this in the round stonewear and 1/2 all the ingredients.

Non-stick spray
1 pkg of Tex-Mex Seasoning Mix (couldn't find - used Fajita mix)
1 pkg Large Square wrappers (with round stoneware, used 6-7)
1 1/2 # ground beef, cooked
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese
1 large can refried beans
1/2 cup chopped onion (oops - I thought this was green onion - tasted good)
1 can spanish rice
sour cream
1/2 cup chopped green onions
taco sauce (if doing a big pan, buy either two bottles or a big one)

Brown ground beed, drain. Add seasoning mix. Spray a large square baking dish with spray. Line it with uncooked wrappers. Spread refried beans, sprinkle chopped onions and spread taco sauce onto wrappers. Add ground beef, sprinkle on cheddar cheese, spread on Spanish rice. Again, add taco sauce. Cover with wrappers. Bake 10 minutes at 350. Cool 10 minutes. Add sour cream and sprinkle with green onions.

STRAIT-SHOOTIN' SPANISH RICE
Was submitted by George Strait - Cowboy Cookbook pg. 53
1 cup rice, uncooked
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. chili powder
1 10 oz can tomatoes, chopped
2 cups water

In a skillet, brown rice in shortening. Add the onion and bell pepper. Stir. Add salt, chili powder and tomatoes, including juice. Add water. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Makes 6 servings.