Disneyland Monte Cristo

As you may or may not know, my family went to Disneyland without me last month due to a blood clot in my leg.  One of the things my daughter was looking forward to having at the park was the Monte Cristo Sandwich at the Blue Bayou Cafe, but due to time and may other factors she didn't get her sandwich.  I am putting a recipe on my blog just for her.  This recipe comes from the now defunct Disney Magazine.  It is printed on the web page titled "Theme Park Insider":   http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201404/3982/


Disneyland's Blue Bayou Monte Cristo

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 3/4 c + 2 T water

1 3/4 c flour

3/4 t salt

1 t baking powder

8 slices thick, high quality white or egg bread (challah's the best)

4 slices ham

4 slices turkey

4 slices Swiss cheese

3 c canola oil

Powdered Sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Batter:

 Whisk egg and water in a mixing bowl until thoroughly combined. Then add flour, salt, and baking powder, whisking until smooth.

Sandwich:

Place one slice of ham, turkey and cheese on flour slices of bread, topping with remaining slices of bread.  Quarter each sandwich by slicing from corner to corner.

Cooking:

Heat oil in a skillet to 350 degrees.  Dip each quarter of sandwich into the batter, coating it completely, allowing excess to drip away.  Place each sandwich section in the oil and allow to cook for 3 minutes on each side.  Once fried on both sides, carefully remove the sandwich pieces and let sit to drain on paper towel-lined plate for a moment before dusting with powdered sugar.  Serve immediately.

Taco Pasta

This recipe comes from a blog called The Girl Who Ate Everything.  http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2011/07/taco-pasta.html Great recipes.  Another keeper as my wife would say.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or turkey
8-12 ounces medium pasta shells or other small dry pasta shapes
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, drained (if making this for kids you might want to use just plain diced tomatoes)
1 packet (4 tablespoons) taco seasoning
3 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground meat over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the meat is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the meat is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes.

Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit if it is still too thin.

Chili & Cheese Macaroni

This recipe comes from the following blog: http://joelens.blogspot.com/2011/04/chili-cheese-macaroni.html  Check out her blog.  Lots of good recipes.  Made this for the family and they lovedit.

Ingredients

table salt
1/2 pound elbow macaroni (about 2 cups uncooked pasta)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (85% lean)
2 medium onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
12 oz Colby Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and add dry macaroni; cook until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup pasta water and drain pasta. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

Using the same large pot, wipe dry and heat over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and heat until shimmering. Add ground beef and break it up in pieces to brown. Once browned, remove from pot and discard drippings. Set beef aside.

Add remaining oil to the same large pot and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, garlic, red pepper, chili powder, and cumin; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and begin to brown.

Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, brown sugar, reserved 3/4 cup pasta water and beef to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until flavors have blended.

Stir in the cooked pasta, 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer mixture to a 9x13 baking dish and smooth over with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

Remove from oven and sprinkle the top of the dish with the remaining shredded cheese. Return the dish once again in the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes until the cheese begins to melt and brown. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Cowboy Casserole

This recipe comes from: http://thecuttingedgeofordinary.blogspot.com  I made this a couple weeks ago for my daughter and her family shortly after she had her twins.  It was very good and my grandson loved it.  I will make this again.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used 80/20)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (15.25oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 bag (30 oz) frozen tater tots (I used Ore-Ida Crispy Crowns)

Directions

In a large skillet cook the onion until tender and translucent. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the beef and cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain the mixture and place into a large bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl combine the soup, milk and sour cream. Whisk until smooth. Add to hamburger mixture and stir to combine. Add corn and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Gently mix to combine.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer half of the Crispy Crowns on the bottom, pour the hamburger mixture over the top and then layer with the other half of the Crispy Crowns. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy.

Skillet Tomato Beef Pasta

I made this last night for my daughter and her family.  She is expecting twins in a few short weeks and wasn't up to making dinner, so I put this together very quickly.  She said it was good.  It comes from the Del Monte site: http://www.delmonte.com/recipes/detail.aspx?id=561.  I did top it with cojack cheese instead of  Parmesan.

Ingredients

1 can (14.5 oz.) Del Monte^® French Style Green Beans-No Salt Added, drained

1 can (14.5 oz.) Del Monte^® Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano-No Salt Added

6 oz. dried pasta (such as penne, spirals or macaroni), uncooked

1 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

(Optional) salt

(Optional) pepper

(Optional) parsley

(Optional) Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well.
2. Brown beef and onion in large skillet while pasta is cooking; drain.
3. Add beans and undrained tomatoes; mix well. Add pasta and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley, and serve with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Skillet Tostadas with Beef

This recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens recipe web site: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/beef/skillet-tostadas-with-beef/

Ingredients

8 ounces lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1 15-ounce can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 11-ounce can condensed nacho cheese soup
1/3 cup bottled salsa
8 tostada shells
1 cup shredded taco cheese (4 ounces)
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
Dairy sour cream or guacamole (optional)

Directions

1. In a large skillet cook meatand onion until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir kidney beans, nacho cheese soup, and salsa into beef mixture. Heat through.


2. Divide mixture among tostada shells. Top with cheese. Top with lettuce and tomatoes. If desired, serve with sour cream or guacamole.

3. Makes 4 servings

Red Beans and Rice

This recipe comes from a blog by Amanda.  Check it out at: http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/.  Made this for the family and it went over well.

Ingredients:

1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups hot water
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pkg (14 oz) smoked sausage
1 can red beans
Zatarains Creole Seasoning

Directions:

Add the rice, water and salt to a sauce pan with a lid. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, then cover & simmer for 15 mins. Meanwhile, thinly slice the sausage and drain the juice from the red beans into the sink. Add 2-3 tbsp olive oil to to a large skillet and begin heating over medium heat. Add the sausage, give a sprinkling of creole seasoning and stir occasionally for about 7 mins until the sausages start to get sizzly on both sides. Add the red beans and stir until warmed through. About this time, your rice should be done too. Serve the beans and sausage over the rice. Add extra creole seasoning as desired at the table. Serves 2-3.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

This recipe came from Amanda Formaro.  Her blog is http://www.amandascookin.com/.  Check it out.  I severed this twice in the last couple of weeks to great reviews.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 (4 pound) pork shoulder roast
1 cup barbeque sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 extra large onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
8 hamburger buns, split
2 tablespoons butter, or as needed

Directions

Pour the vegetable oil into the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the pork roast into the slow cooker.

Combine the barbecue sauce, rice vinegar, and chicken broth and whisk together. Add the brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, onion, garlic, and thyme. Whisk everything together and pour over the pork roast.

Cover and cook on high for 5 hours. Let roast sit in crock pot on warm for up to an hour, then shred the meat with 2 forks.

Strain the sauce and discard solids. Mix a teaspoon of cornstarch with a small amount of water to make a paste. Continue adding water, a little at a time, to make the cornstarch mixture thinner. Add cornstarch mixture and strained sauce to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer ten minutes or until slightly thickened.

Pour half of the sauce into the shredded meat and combine. Add more if needed, serve the remainder on the side.

Optional: Spread the inside of both halves of hamburger buns with butter. Toast the buns, butter side down, in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Spoon pork into the toasted buns.

Mexican Beef Skillet

I made this the other night for dinner.  We liked better as a left over, but either fresh or left over it is good.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. Ground beef
1-2 cups Salsa
1 can Beef broth
1 Large green pepper, chopped
1 Med. onion, chopped
1 tbsp. Light olive oil
1 Packet taco seasoning
8 oz. Sour cream
8 oz. Noodles (egg noodles, rotini, maccaroni, whatever is on hand)
2 cups Cooked corn (optional)
Sliced black olives (optional)
1-2 cups Shredded Cheddar or Mexican Blend Cheese
1 Tomato, chopped (optional)

Preparation

1. In a large skillet, cook and stir ground beef until browned. While it is cooking, chop the green pepper and onion, and put the water on to boil for the noodles.

2. Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions. Saute the green pepper and onion with olive oil in a small skillet.

3. Stir in salsa, taco seasoning, beef broth, green pepper, onion, corn, and black olives with the ground beef.

4. Stir in noodles and sour cream. Sprinkle liberally with cheese. Cover with a lid until the cheese has melted. Serve with chopped tomatoes on top.

La Bamba Casserole

This recipe comes from Cooking Light Magazine.  My family loves it.

Ingredients

1 (5.25-ounce) can whole green chiles, drained
Cooking spray
1 pound ground turkey breast
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°.

Cut green chiles in half lengthwise. Arrange chiles in a single layer in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add turkey, onion, chili powder, cumin, salt, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add diced tomatoes; cook 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates.

Spoon turkey mixture over chiles. Top with corn. Carefully spread beans over corn. Sprinkle cheese over beans. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes; top with chopped tomato and green onions.

Hearty Sausage Supper

I am not sure where I got this reciepe, but I know it is on Cooks.oc.  http://www.cooks.com/ It is another quick and easy recipe.

Ingredients

1 lb. fully cooked bratwurst, cut into 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch pieces
8 to 9 (1 lbs) new red potatoes, quartered
4 med. carrots, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 c. water
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Directions

In large skillet, combine bratwurst, potatoes, carrots, water and pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are crisp and tender. Stir in lemon juice, sprinkle with parsley. 4 servings.

Grape Jelly Meatballs

This recipe came from Cooks.com.  The first time we made ths recipe Vickie wasn't to sure because of the grape jelly/chili sauce mixture.  I assured her it woould be good.  When they were done she decided they were okay.  We did this in a crock pot for a church activity.

Ingredients

2 12 oz jars Heinz chili sauce
1 32 oz jar grape jelly
1 bag meatballs (about 80 in a bag)

Directions

Put chili sauce and jelly in a large pot, heat until jelly is melted and sauce is smooth, stirring often. Add frozen meatballs; heat until meatballs are thawed and then simmer for 3 hours.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

This is a copy cat recipe of the Chicken Enchilada Soup served at Chili's.  The recipe is from the internet.  Vickie loves Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup.  In fact when she worked in Salt Lkae city and worked overtime on Friday nights I would stop and get her a bowl of this soup for dinner.  One Friday night in December I went dressed as Santa after working Santa's Castle in the Ogden City Christmas village and they gave me a free bag of chips with salsa.  Enjoy.

Ingredients

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup masa harina
3 cups water, divided
1 cup enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, cook chicken breasts in oil until well browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.  Cook onion and garlic in remaining oil until onions are translucent. Pour in chicken broth. 
In a bowl, whisk together masa harina and 2 cups water until well blended. Pour into pot with remaining 1 cup water, enchilada sauce, Cheddar, salt, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil. 
Shred cooked chicken and add it to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, until thickened.
 
Top with sour cream, crisp tortilla strips, green onions, etc.

Cafe Rio Style Salads

This post is based on salads from a local favorite restaurant named Cafe Rio.  These recipes came from the internet and friends.  Cafe Rio is one of our favorite places to eat.  My daughter has a friend that has a son named Lucas.  When Lucas was small he and his family would meet my daughter and son-in-law at Cafe Rio all the time and he called my daughter Aunt Cafe Rio.  Enjoy.

Sweet Pork

Ingredients

3-5 lbs or boneless pork loin or shoulder
1 c. Dr. Pepper
1 1/2 brown sugar
3 - 8oz. cans tomato sauce
3 - 8oz cans "El Pato" brand Mexican style tomato sauce


Directions

Put everything into the crock pot and simmer around 6 hours.
Shred pork, return to pot, and simmer 2 more hours.


Chicken

Ingredients

5 lbs of boneless chicken (approx.)
1 small zesty Italian dressing
1 T chili powder
1 t cumin
3 cloves garlic

Direcitons

Add all to crock pot. Cook on low 5-7 hours. Shred and let sit in
juices until serving.


Lime Rice


Ingredients

2 T butter
1 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
6 2/3 c. water
8 t chicken bouillon
1 bunch cilantro
2 t cumin
2 small cans diced chilies
1 T lime juice
1 t salt
3 c long grain rice

Directions

In a small saucepan, saute butter, onion, & garlic. In a large pan,
bring water to a boil. Add bouillon, cilantro, cumin, chilies, salt,
and lime juice. Add onion and garlic and rice. Reduce heat, simmer
for 30 min.

Pico de Gallo


Ingredients

4 tomatoes
1 white onion
1 bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 t lime juice
1 t salt
1 t pepper.

Directions

Finely chop tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Add all other ingredients.
serve fresh.


Tomatillo Dressing


Directions

1 pkg ranch dressing mix
1 c. buttermilk
1 c mayonnaise
1-2 tomatillos
1 clove garlic
1/3 bunch cilantro
1 T lime juice


Directions
Mix all ingredients in blender. Store at room temperature until serving.


Salad Ingredient Ideas:

Romaine or Iceberg lettuce (shredded)
shredded cheese

heated black or pinto beans
sour cream
guacamole
limes
flour tortillas
corn tortillas (cut into thin strips and fried until crisp)
cotija cheese

Assembling Salads

Start with a tortilla that has been warmed and cheese has been melted on it.  Place tortilla in a bowl.  Put scoop of either black beans or pinto beans on the bottom of the tortilla.  Add a scoop of rice.  Add lettuce.   Meat next.  Top with pico, sour cream, guacamole, tortilla strips, cotija cheese and tomatillo dressing.  Add lime wedges.  You can also make them out of grilled steak and you can grill the chicken too.  Enjoy.