Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

Ingredients:

4 flour tortillas (1o inch)
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno chile, minced - remove the seeds and ribs if you don't want it too spicy
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper
1 - 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups water
1 - 10 ounce pkg frozen corn
1 small can Ortega chiles
4 green onions, thinly sliced - plus extra for garnish
2 1/2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If necessary, trim the tortillas to fit a 9-inch spring form pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef, onion, jalapeno, Ortega chiles, garlic, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened. Add the beans and water to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes until the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the corn and green onions and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Fit a trimmed tortilla in the bottom of the spring form pan; layer with one quarter of the beans and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat three more times. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until hot and the cheese is melted. Take the pie out of the mold. Sprinkle with green onions. Slice into wedges and serve immediately.

I made two pies, but only had one spring form pan... I just trimmed the tortillas down to fit into another cake pan. So even if you don't have a spring form pan you can still make this fabulous recipe.

I found this recipe over at Tastebuds, but added the can of Ortega chiles to the recipe.
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Pavlova

*READ ENTIRE RECIPE BEFORE STARTING*

Ingredients:
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
½ tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. white vinegar
Whipped cream
Fruit of choice - Examples: strawberries, kiwi, bananas, canned passion fruit…

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat egg whites until stiff soft peaks form. Continue beating; gradually add sugar, vinegar and vanilla, until you get a thick consistency. Test to see if the sugar is fully dissolved by rubbing a little of the meringue between you thumb and index finger. The meringue should feel smooth, not gritty. Beat until smooth. Lightly fold in cornstarch with spatula. Cover a large baking pan with parchment paper. You can also use foil, buttered lightly or use non-stick cooking spray.

Pile the meringue mixture into a circular shape or make mini ones. Smooth edges and make sure they are slightly higher than the center. You want a slight well in the center to place the whipped cream and fruit.

Turn oven down to 225 to 250 degrees and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool.

Cut up fruit into bite size pieces. Spread whipped cream in the center and top with fruit. If using bananas, put them on first and then add the whipped cream followed by the rest of the fruit. This helps keep the bananas from turning brown.

Drizzle with passion fruit syrup if available.


*Sometimes I have found this in British stores in cans or you could use fresh passion fruit juice, but it does get a little pricey. Pin It

Raspberry Biscuits (NEW!!!)

Ingredients:
2 cups Bisquick
2 Tbsp. Sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup milk
Raspberry Jam (or your favorite flavor)

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. warm water
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450° and line muffin tins with paper liners. Mix together the Bisquick, sugar, and butter. Add the milk and beat 15 strokes. Place 1 tablespoon dough in each cup. Top with 1 teaspoon jam. Drop more dough on top. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Mix together glaze ingredients and spread over the muffins.

Yield: One Dozen


We have tried raspberry, strawberry and boysenberry jam. They are all absolutely delicious!



Thanks to Savvy Girl for this recipe Pin It

Chocolate Covered Peanuts

Ingredients:
Peanuts, redskin
Milk Chocolate

Directions:

Gradually melt the chocolate. Use either a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each cooking period. Be careful not to burn the chocolate. Once the chocolate is smooth then it is candy making time. Place some of the peanuts in a small bowl and pour the melted chocolate over the top until they are coated. Spoon out clusters of peanuts onto waxed paper. Continue until you have made your desired amount or run out of treat making supplies. Let cool and enjoy.

Try this out with any kind of nut. So YUMMY and simple! Pin It

Glazed Toffee Bon Bons (NEW!)

Cookie Ingredients:

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
6 - 1.4 ounce bars of chocolate covered toffee (Skor candy bars), crushed

Glaze Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 to 3 Tbsp. milk
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine together the dry ingredients and set aside. Beat the first four cookie ingredients together on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, mix in the dry ingredients. Reserve 1/3 of candy bar pieces for topping the cookies and pour the rest of the candy bar pieces into the dough. Shape dough into one-inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet, one inch apart. Bake for 10 or 11 minutes. This is a drier cookie so do not over bake them. Immediately remove to a cooling rack.

For the glaze:
In a saucepan heat the butter, brown sugar and milk over med-low heat; stirring frequently until the mixture just comes to a boil and sugar is dissolved. Stir in the powdered sugar. Beat with a wire whisk to remove lumps. Immediately dip the tops of cookies in the glaze (cookies do not need to be completely cooled, just firm and set). Be careful the glaze is very hot. Place back on the rack and let stand about 10 minutes until the glaze is set. (If glaze starts to thicken or set in the pan just reheat it over med-low heat and stir with a whisk.)

Place milk chocolate chips and white chocolate chips in separate bowls and heat 15 to 30 seconds in microwave to melt, stir frequently. Place melted chocolate in plastic bags and snip a little bit off of the corner (or use a spoon) and drizzle over cookies. Top with remaining candy pieces.


Recipe from Taste and Tell

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Side Dishes

Want to try a new side dish for your Holiday celebrating? These have been long time favorites for Thanksgiving, Christmas or a special occasion. My children and grandchildren especially fight over the gooey marshmallow edges of the pan of Candied Yams and even non-stuffing lovers enjoy a large portion of this recipe for Cornbread Stuffing... SO YUMMY!!!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas and Holiday Season! Pin It

Cornbread Dressing

Start this recipe the day before cooking the turkey and store in a large Tupperware bowl with a lid.

Ingredients:
1 – 9 x 13 inch pan of cornbread, crumbled up
1 bunch of celery, chopped into small pieces
1 large onion, diced
¾ loaf of bread, crumbled (example: Webber or some cheap bread)
Neck of the Turkey
10 eggs
Sage
Poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Put the crumbled cornbread, celery, onion and crumbled bread in the large Tupperware bowl in the refrigerator over night.

The next day take the neck from the Turkey and boil in a 2 quart sauce pan until tender. Cook Turkey in the oven and when almost done pour about 2 cups of so of the dripping out into the dressing mixture.

Beat eggs and add to the dressing mixture. Mix well and then add some of the liquid from the sauce pan with the cooked neck, into the dressing. The dressing should not be dry, but it should not be liquidy either. Add sage, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Taste to see if you need more sage.

Put dressing into two 9 x 13 inch pans and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour or until done. You will probably need to cover the top with foil towards the end so that the dressing does not burn. Pin It