Kristi's Las Cruces Halloween Burritos

My friend Kristi has fond memories of eating these burritos at her town Halloween carnival.

1 lb of ground beef
1 small can of green chilies
1 chopped white onion
2 shredded potatoes (peeled first) I use a cheese grater
grated mozzarella

Sauté ground beef and onion, then add shredded potatoes, green chiles, salt and pepper. (I added a little garlic powder and cumin as well.) Spoon mixture into a flour tortilla and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Then individually wrap into tin foil and place in oven 350 for about 20 minutes. This steams each burrito and melts the cheese. These are great to send with family the next day for lunch. (You can also freeze the foil packages before baking and bake some at a later time.)

I got 9 medium burritos from the recipe as is. You can stretch this recipe by adding more potatoes. 

Porc Fermier (Farmer's Pork)

1 kg. pork roast
6 yellow potatoes
4 carrots
4 stalks celery
6 branches of parsley
1 bouquet garni
2 large (4 small) chicken bouillon cubes
6 black peppercorns
50 g. butter
50 g. flour
20 cl. milk
100 g. grated gruyere or emmental cheese

Place the pork in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Drain, rinse, and cover with fresh cold water. Add 3 branches parsley, peppercorns, bouquet garni, and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Peel the carrots and cut carrots into discs. Cut potatoes into cubes. Slice the celery. Add the vegetables to the pot and cook 20 minutes after it returns to a boil. Drain, reserving 30 cl. of the cooking liquid.

Cube pork, removing any remaining fat. Place pork and vegetables in a large gratin dish.

Prepare the cheese sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan, then add flour, whisking vigorously, and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the reserved cooking liquid and milk to the pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil while stirring, and let simmer 2-3 minutes, until it thickens. Add 3/4 of the cheese; salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Pour the sauce over the pork and vegetables, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake 30 minutes. Sprinkle with minced parsley and serve immediately.

Spud-nuts

I took this donut recipe from my aunt Denise's blog. I made them for the first time on Saturday and they were much easier than I expected. They were delicious and a new Conference weekend tradition was born for us!

• 2/3 c. butter or margarine
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 c. hot mashed potatoes (we use instant mashed potatoes)

Combine first three ingredients together and add:

• 1 c. warm milk (we use water and powdered milk; we like our homemade breads best when we use powdered milk)

Let cool to lukewarm and add:

• 1 T. yeast that has been dissolved in 1 c. water with 1 t. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 t. salt

Beat well. Add 2 c. flour and mix well. Add an additional 5-7 c. flour and knead thoroughly (we use dough hooks in the mixer). Dough should not be too sticky. Place dough in large Tupperware bowl, spray top with Pam, cover, and refrigerate overnight (we have been known to make dough first thing in the morning for use later that day--the dough is easiest to work with, however, when thoroughly chilled). For a large crowd we have been known to make 1 1/2 batches of dough.

Roll out dough about 3/8"-1/2" thick and cut circles and holes with round cutters. You may have to experiment with sizes. We have a large set of circle cutters and use one of the larger ones. Transfer cut donuts to waxed paper-lined trays that have been generously scattered with flour. The secret to beautiful donuts is being able to get them off of the cookie sheet and into the fryer without collapsing the dough, hence adequate flour is helpful.

We originally tried frying the donuts in hot oil in a skillet, but found it difficult to control the temperature of the oil; the donuts would often get too brown on the outside and still be doughy on the inside. We have since invested in a "Fry Daddy" and it has been worth every penny! We also read up on donut making and discovered that it is recommended to use solid shortening (a.k.a. Crisco) rather than vegetable oil. Fry donuts until golden, turning as needed. Drain on paper towels/newspapers.

Make a watery glaze of powdered sugar, water, vanilla, and a few grains of salt. I am the fryer and my mom is the glazer, and when I asked her for the Secret Recipe for the glaze she laughed. She just starts with some powdered sugar in a bowl and adds 2-3 times as much water, adjusting thickness/thinness as necessary. (for the record, I had to add WAY more powdered sugar to get the proper ratio.)

After the doughnuts have drained for a minute or two (not too long) use a fork to dip in glaze and transfer to wire rack. Donuts are also good dipped in granulated sugar instead of glaze. (We double-dipped in the glaze. Yum! Next time, I'm going to try a chocolate glaze...)

Good luck in your homemade donut endeavors!

Denise's Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 c. margarine (Denise calls for Land O Lakes margarine, but since I don't know where to get that, I usually use 1/2 c. butter and 1/2 c. shortening)
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 t. water
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Sift flour before measuring, then resift with baking soda and salt, and set aside. (I don't bother with this -- gasp! -- I just put a sieve over my mixing bowl and dump it all in.)

Combine margarine, sugars, vanilla, and water. Beat about 2 minutes, until very creamy. Add eggs and beat until fluffy.

Gradually add sifted ingredients and beat another 2 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets (I use Silpat or parchment paper). Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. *Do not overbake.

Remove when lightly browned and slightly crisp on bottom; they may seem slightly undercooked. Cool 1 minute on baking sheet, then remove to paper towels to cool completely.

Makes about 40 small cookies.
(These freeze well, but they disappear quickly around here!)

Overnight Rolls

1 c. scalded milk
1/4 lb. butter
1 T. dry yeast, dissolved in 1/4 c. warm water
1 T. sugar, dissolved with yeast
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
4 c. flour (approximate)

Beat all thoroughly in mixer. (Or, do it by hand! I think that was the secret to my best batch ever -- light as air.)

Let dough rise, covered, in the refrigerator overnight.


The next day, divide the dough in 2 portions. Roll each portion into a circle and cut into 16 pie-shaped pieces. Brush with melted butter. Roll each piece up, from the large edge to the small edge, and place on a buttered baking sheet.


Brush tops of rolls with melted butter. Cover with a dish towel and let rise for 4-5 hours. (The rising time is not critical with these -- they can probably rise up to 6 hours.) Bake for 15-20 minutes in a 375 degree oven.


Makes 32 rolls. (this recipe doubles well)

Marc's easy pizza crust

Marc has made some crazy-time-intensive pizzas out of the California Pizza Kitchen cookbook. They are delicious, but for a quick weeknight dinner, we stick to his fast and easy crust. (again, I watched him once and forced him to approximate a recipe)

1 cube of fresh active yeast (he learned to make this on his mission -- these are about 1/2 oz., so I think we use about a tablespoon of dry yeast)
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
3 T. olive oil
flour

Place yeast in a large bowl and add warm water and sugar. Stir with a fork to dissolve and let sit for about 5 minutes. Add salt and olive oil and stir. Add enough flour to form a thick dough. Knead lightly to mix and form into a ball.

Oil and flour pizza pan (or sprinkle cornmeal). Press ball of dough in center and press out to the edges.

Bake about 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Three favorite easy pizzas:

-- Spread barbecue sauce on your crust. Top with diced or shredded chicken, green pepper, red onion, and monterey jack cheese.

-- Spread sweet chili sauce on your crust. Top with diced or shredded chicken, red onion, and other veggies like sweet peppers and/or bean sprouts, peanuts, and mozzarella. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro after baking.

-- Make a simple sauce with tomato paste, a little bit of milk and crushed red pepper flakes. Top with sliced fresh tomatoes, then add sautéed onion and bell pepper. Top with pineapple and mozzarella.

Old-fashioned Chicken Pot Pie

Comfort food defined.

2 1/4 c. flour
1 t. salt
1/2 c. shortening
6 T. ice water
2 cans chicken broth
5 diced, unpeeled red potatoes
4 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
1/2 - 1 c. frozen peas
1/2 t. poultry seasoning
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 c. milk
2 c. chopped cooked chicken breast

Combine 2 c. flour and 1/2 t. salt in a bowl; cut in shortening with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle ice water over surface; toss with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. Divide dough in two and gently press into 4" circles; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Bring broth to a boil over med. high heat. Add potato; cover and cook 5 minutes. Add carrot and onion; cover and cook 5 minutes.

Combine remaining 1/4 c. flour, 1/2 t. salt, poultry seasoning, pepper, and milk in a small bowl; stir well. Gradually add to the vegetable mixture, stirring well. Cook over medium heat 3 minutes or until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in peas and chicken.

Roll out dough to a size 1" larger than your casserole dish. Fit one piece into dish to form the bottom crust. Fill with chicken/vegetable mixture. Top with the remaining dough and cut two slits for venting.

Spray with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

(the original recipe halved the dough ingredients and had only a top crust, but I like a top and bottom crust)