tamale all about it!

I love me some tamales! But the only thing is that I don't have the time (or rather kind of lazy) to make tamales on my own. Even though it's not authentic, I find that pot pies that mimic tamales are something that I can definitely do.

Since I like the ease of making casseroles, this tamale pie was something they've been wanting to make. I've been experimenting with different ingredients inside the pie and so far this is the most of that been happy with. It's got a lot of feeling and as much vegetables I can fit in. Add some extra toppings and this makes a great meal!

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Chicken Tamale Pie

(makes one large pot)

Filling:

4lbs skinless boneless chicken, cubed

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp bottled minced black garlic

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp Jen's everything seasoning

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ancho chile powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

2 bay leaves

1 large onion, diced

1 large poblano chile, diced

1 can black beans, drained & washed

1 can sweet corn, drained

1 medium zucchini, diced

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro, divided

1 large can Las Palmas mild/medium enchilada sauce

1 tsp better than bouillon, chicken bouillon​

2 tbsp masa flour

Cornbread Topping:

Dry Ingredients

    2 cups  cornmeal

    1 cup all-purpose flour

    2 tsp baking powder

    1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt

Wet Ingredients

    2 cups milk (room temperature)

    2 tsp organic apple cider vinegar

    5 tbsp salted butter (melted/liquid)

    1 small can chopped jalapenos, drained 

    1/4 cup canned corn

1/4 cup Mexican cheese blend

sour cream for serving

finely chopped red onion for serving

hot sauce for serving

Heat 6 quart dutch oven. Mix chicken, black garlic, and spices then add to hot pan to brown. Add onions and poblano and cook until onions are translucent. Add black, beans, corn, zucchini, and half of cilantro. Cook for 10 minutes then add enchilada sauce, bouillon, and masa flour. Cook mixture until thickened and reduced by 1/4. Remove from heat set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Combine together wet ingredients for cornbread in a small bowl until frothy.  In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together.  Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Top filling with cornbread mixture then with Mexican cheese blend. Bake in oven until cornbread is cooked through and filling is bubbly, about 30-35 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, finely chopped onions, olives, and hot sauce.

faking italy.

So, after a leisurely break, I decided to make some stuffed peppers. Continuing with the themed nights, I went with "Italy" even though this isn't even remotely Italian. Hah! That's okay...last night's dinner wasn't really Moroccan either, was it? Lol.

I wanted to make something that wasn't pasta and used what I had already in the cupboards. The recipe seemed interesting and I figured I'd do what I could. When I followed the directions almost entirely with a few substitutions here and there, I ended up with a whopping amount of meat filling. Yikes! X_X; After reading through some of the comments, people did have some similar results, *sigh* Thant's okay though...I made some to freeze to have at a later date. One less thing to worry about in the future, lol.

I've halved the recipe for the meat mix and wrote the directions of how I made my peppers. I used breadcrumbs in my version just because that's what I had on hand. Next time I'll try it with the rice (or even couscous!) and see how that turns out. I also decided to give the peppers a head start by steaming them in the microwave for a little bit. I hate it when they're raw compared to the rest of the dish! Also, whipped up a batch of Italian seasoning mix, used it in the recipe, and found that I didn't really need to add any additional salt or pepper--which is always a great thing! Huzzah!

In the end, though, these turned out great! It had sort of a meatloaf-fy thing going on and the marinara sauce was awesome! I did have to water down the sauce a little (blasphemy!) as I had reduced it a little too much. Pretty tasty though. I only made two portions and the hubby was disappointed he couldn't have seconds. There was a lot of extra salad tho, lol! He was happy when I said I had some in the freezer. Might have to put that in the oven this weekend. :)

Italian-Style Stuffed Peppers
(adapted from AllRecipes.com)

1/2 lbs lean ground beef
3 oz mild Italian sausage
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 tsp plus 1/2 tbsp Italian dressing mix, divided
1 clove plus 2 cloves garlic, minced and divided
1 cup plus 1/4 cup marinara sauce, divided
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
handful Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp bread crumbs, divided

1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
2 large bell peppers, halved, deseeded, and membranes removed
4 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 375F. Pour 1 cup marinara into a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.

With damp paper towels, wrap the bell peppers and microwave for 30 seconds on high. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, cook onion, 1 clove minced garlic, and 1/4 tsp Italian dressing mix in olive oil over medium heat until onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes.

Combine ground beef, Italian sausage, 1/2 cup marinara sauce, Italian parsley, remaining garlic, remaining Italian seasoning, and balsamic dressing into bowl with the cooked onions; mix well. Stir in 1/2 cup bread crumbs and Parmigiano Reggiano. Do a taste test by taking a little bit of the meat and sausage mixture and cooking it in a pan. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.

After seasoning is to taste, remove the cooled peppers from the paper towels. Stuff bell peppers with beef and sausage mixture. Place stuffed bell pepper halves in the baking dish over marinara sauce; sprinkle with remaining bread crumbs and top with feta cheese. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Remove aluminum foil and bake until the meat is no longer pink, the peppers are tender, and the cheese is browned on top, an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Serve topped with chopped Italian parsley and with additional marinara sauce, if desired.

 

Italian Dressing Mix
(from Seasons with the Sewells)

1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp basil
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp kosher salt

To make mix:
Combine all ingredients together and store in an airtight container (I put mine in my spice grinder and blitzed it for a few seconds before storing it. :D). Use 2 tablespoons of this mix whenever a recipe calls for one package of dry Italian seasoning mix.

To make dressing:
Combine 2 tablespoons of dry mix, 1/4 cup white vinegar, and 2/3 cup olive oil together in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shaker well.

touche, souffle.

since getting married and moving to guam, i've been a little apprehensive about making the turkey for thanksgiving this year. it's just one of those things that new wives always worry about, i think...making sure that the turkey isn't dry like hell. so, i did a little research and decided to brine the damn thing for a few days. and not only that, i decided to also do my mother's bourbon ham. over-achiever much? lol.

to be fair though, we had a few people coming over and i was worried that i wasn't going to have enough turkey. it doesn't look like it, but that turkey is just a little bit bigger than a large chicken. being over ambitious, i also did a cool little appetizer plate that sadly did not get the attention it deserved...i guess it was just a little too fancy for this crowd. *sigh* oh, to be an entertainer.... :'( (oh, and of course, guess who forgot to take the gizzard bag out? urgh...damn you, gizzard bag!!!)

seriously though, after the thanksgiving ordeal, we had plenty of leftovers. the following days have been consisting of ham sandwiches, turkey enchiladas (yum!), and some creative cooking. as the leftovers started dwindling down, one thing that i really wanted to try was my mother's turkey casserole.

i remember when she first started making it about ten years ago that there would never be anything left on the plates. she's the kind of gal that collects recipes as a hobby and she pulled this little gem from a magazine clip from 1979. it's homey and a little bit classy, and definitely hails from old school that was delicious back then as it is still now. and what an awesome way of finishing off the turkey in the fridge!

Souffle-Topped Turkey Casserole
(from Family Circle Magazine, November 20, 1979)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
Dash cayenne
2½ cups milk
2 cups cubed cooked turkey
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 pound mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs, separated

Make the Sauce:
Melt the 1/4 cup butter in a medium-size saucepan; stir in flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook 1 minute. Pour in 2 cups of the milk; heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and bubbles. Continue cooking and stirring 3 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Measure 1/2 cup sauce into a medium-size bowl; reserve.

Make the Filling:
Add turkey and remaining 1/2 cup milk to sauce in pan. Melt the 1 tbsp butter in skillet; saute onion, celery, and mushrooms just until soft, about 5 minutes. Combine with turkey. Spoon into bottom of 6- to 8-cup shallow baking dish. Bake in a moderate oven (375 degrees) for 5 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.

Make the Souffle and Finish the Casserole::
Stir Parmesan cheese into reserved sauce. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time. Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until stiff but not dry; fold into yolk mixture. Remove baking dish from oven; spread souffle mixture over turkey. Return to oven and bake 30 minutes longer or until puffed and brown. Serve at once. Makes 6 servings.