Banitsa

This is a classic Bulgarian dish. It is savory and comforting. Sirene can be difficult to find but the flavor results are worth it.

Banitsa

INGREDIENTS:

1 box phyllo dough

2 cups butter, melted

½ lb sirene Bulgarian cheese

¾ lb Whole plain greek yogurt

4 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

Salt

Pepper

HOW TO PREPARE:

Whisk yogurt with 4 whole eggs. Add sirene, salt and pepper. Blend well. Take one sheet of phyllo dough and brush with butter. Place another sheet on top and brush with butter. Place a third sheet on top and brush with butter. Spoon some of the yogurt/cheese mixture across on edge and then roll up and put in greased round baking pan. Repeat until all phyllo dough and yogurt/cheese mixture is used up. Beat egg yolk with remaining melted butter and brush the whole banitsa top. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes. The banitsa should be golden. It can be eaten either hot, warm, or cold.

Chicken and Potato Tacos

 My beautiful friend, Mireya, shared this recipe with me. It's a winner!

Chicken and Potato Tacos
INGREDIENTS:
1 large chicken breast, uncooked
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
Fresh oregano, to taste
Chicken bouillon powder
6 potatoes
Lard (Manteca)
Oil
Corn tortillas

HOW TO PREPARE:

Put the chicken breast in a pot. In a blender, add chopped tomato and onion and six cups of water. Blend until smooth. Pour over the chicken breast. Add 1 tbsp chicken bouillon and oregano. If the chicken breast isn't completely covered, then add more water until it is. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, until cooked through and tender. 

Peel potatoes and cut into small pieces. In a skillet, add a little oil and heat it up. Add potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until cooked through. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until smooth. 

Remove chicken breast from pot and shred. In a large bowl add potatoes and shredded chicken. Stir together.

Warm up corn tortillas.  

In a skillet, add lard (manteca) and/or oil. The lard adds flavor so I recommend having some lard. I used about half lard and half oil. Heat to medium heat. 

Grab one corn tortilla and put some of the filling inside. Carefully place in the skillet and turn over when browned. Repeat until all the filling has been used. I put the cooked tacos on a cooling rack over a jelly roll pan to let some of the oil drain off. Serve with chili sauce or salsa. 

Lime Cheesecake

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Lime Cheesecake

CRUST:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (or any plain butter cookie)

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

FILLING:

4 (8oz) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon grated lime peel

2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

10 drops yellow food coloring, optional

5 eggs, lightly beaten

TOPPING:

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup whipped cream

HOW TO PREPARE:

In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, butter and sugar. Press into greased 10-in. springform pan. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the cream, lime juice, flour, lemon peel, extracts and food coloring if desired. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour into crust. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until center is almost set. Chill overnight. The next day make the topping: in a small bowl stir together sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Spread on top of the cheesecake and grate fresh lime peel over the top. Serve.

Mexican Rice

 Mexican Rice

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups long grain rice

¼ cup oil

8oz tomato sauce

Cilantro (optional)

1 tsp garlic salt

2 ½ cups chicken broth

Dash of cumin

½ cup frozen corn

HOW TO PREPARE:

Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add rice and cook until lightly browned. Pour rice into the rice cooker. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Push the “white rice” button to cook the rice. 

Cream of Chicken Soup

 Cream of Chicken Soup (equals 1 can)

INGREDIENTS:

1 ¼ cups chicken broth

¾ cup milk

6 tbsp flour

½ tbsp adobo

HOW TO PREPARE:

Combine the chicken broth & ¼ cup of milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a low boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour and adobo into the remaining ½ cup milk until smooth. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and whisk until thickened. 

Cream of Chicken Soup (equals 2 cans)

INGREDIENTS:

2 ½ cups chicken broth

1 ½ cups milk

¾ cup flour

1 tbsp adobo

HOW TO PREPARE:

Combine the chicken broth & ½ cup of milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a low boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour and adobo into the remaining 1 cup milk until smooth. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and whisk until thickened.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This is one of my favorite soups.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup butter , sliced
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic , minced
6 Tbsp flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (12 oz) cans evaporated milk
5 cups chicken broth
5 cups small diced broccoli florets
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup heavy cream
12 oz sharp cheddar cheese
2 oz parmesan cheese , freshly & finely shredded

HOW TO PREPARE:
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until they begin to soften, about 3 - 4 minutes. Add garlic, flour and season lightly with salt and pepper then cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. While whisking, slowly pour in evaporated milk (whisk well to smooth).

Cook mixture, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken then pour into a slow cooker along with chicken broth, diced broccoli and thyme. Cover with lid and cook on low heat for 5 - 6 hours.

Turn heat to warm (or off) and stir in heavy cream. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. Then add in shredded cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese and stir to blend. 

Shrimp Gumbo

Many years ago, I went to Louisiana. It was there that I first tried shrimp gumbo. One bite and I was hooked. I found this recipe in this cookbook.

Shrimp Gumbo

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup flour
7/8 cup bacon drippings
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 tomatoes, diced
2 1/2lb shrimp, deveined and tail-off
Smoked sausage, chopped

1 tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp thyme
3 bay leaves

HOW TO PREPARE:

Brown flour in bacon drippings in large Dutch oven, stirring constantly. Add onions, green pepper, and celery; simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and shrimp; simmer, covered, until shrimp turn pink. Add sausage,  seasonings, thyme, bay leaves, and 3 quarts of hot water; simmer for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice. Yield: 6 servings. 

I wanted to find an authentic Mexican dessert and this was so delicious. It tastes a bit like rice pudding, but it is so creamy and smooth. I found the recipe here. 

Jericalla Custard

Ingredients
6-8 SERVINGS
water
4 1/4 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp. vanilla (I recommend this one from Mexico)
6 large egg yolks

HOW TO PREPARE:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a heavy-bottomed pan, add a drizzle of water over medium heat.

Then add the milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
Place the egg yolks in a bowl. Have a whisk handy.

Once the milk boils, add hot milk ONE TEASPOON AT A TIME to the egg yolks. Beat vigorously. Repeat 4 times. I cannot stress the importance of using only a teaspoon. I had to remake this because I added the hot milk too quickly and the eggs scrambled. Ugh. Learn from my mistake!

Add the yolks to the milk and sugar while stirring.

Turn off the heat.

Pour into individual flan molds.

Place the flan molds in a baking pan and add plenty of hot boiling water to the baking pan.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 minutes until golden. The length of time will depend upon the size of your flan molds. Mine were bigger and they took almost 2 hours...

Place on the top rack of the oven and turn the oven to broil. Broil until small dark spots appear on the surface of the custard. Watch carefully. Mine took less than a minute to darken. 

I have been doing some research in authentic Mexican cuisine. We all enjoyed this. You can eat it as a soup or put some in corn tortillas to make tacos. It's pretty versatile. I found this recipe here. 

Carne en su Jugo

INGREDIENTS:
6 slices bacon
3 cups water
4 fresh tomatillos, husks removed
3 serrano chile peppers, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 pounds flank steak, cut into 1/2-inch squares
1 tsp Caldo de tomate (tomato bouillon)
4 cups of cooked pinto beans
½ onion, chopped
6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
ground black pepper, to taste
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

HOW TO PREPARE:

Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels. Crumble bacon and set aside.

Combine water, tomatillos, serrano peppers, and garlic in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer contents to a blender. Add caldo de tomate. Blend until smooth and set aside.

Place a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir flank steak in the hot skillet until completely browned. Pour tomatillo mixture over beef and bring to a boil. Stir in chicken bouillon and reduce heat to medium. Cover the skillet and simmer until tender, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, heat pinto beans in a saucepan over medium heat until warm; reduce heat to low to keep warm until needed.

Stir bacon and pinto beans into flank steak mixture; divide mixture between 6 bowls. Garnish each with onion, cilantro, black pepper, and a lime wedge.

Queso

 I recently stumbled onto this cooking blog and this is the first recipe of theirs that I have made. It didn't disappoint! Now, their recipe didn't include measurements, but I will share what I did. 

Queso

INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, remove the seeds and dice the pepper

1 tomato, chopped

1 tbsp cornstarch
5 cups heavy cream (can use evaporated milk)
8oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese
salt to taste

HOW TO PREPARE:
Sauté onion and garlic in the butter for 8 minutes on medium heat, stirring often. Add jalapeño pepper and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Stir in tomato. After heated through, sprinkle cornstarch over vegetables and stir well. Add heavy cream (and/or evaporated milk). Heat until simmering. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend until pureed. Return to heat and add the 8oz of cheese. Stir constantly and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat until thickened to a desired consistency, about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt to taste.