Tortas

Kristi's husband--DJ--served his mission in Mexico. I don't know how, but I remember him telling us about these stands where you could buy sandwiches. While I was searching for a recipe to use up my round steak, I stumbled upon a recipe and it clicked! I decided I had to try it. I liked it because it's a little different from typical American sandwiches. I asked him about it later and he said there are all kinds--he specifically mentioned pineapples.

I looked it up online and found this in Wikipedia. Maybe too much information, but I never had heard of these before:

A torta is a Mexican sandwich, served on an oblong 6-8 inch firm, crusty white sandwich roll, called a bolillo, telera or birote. Tortas can be served hot or cold. Common ingredients may include, but are not limited to:

Al pastor: (marinated pork)
Alambre: (steak, bacon, onion, pepper and cheese)
Carne asada: (marinated steak)
Carne deshebrada: (shredded beef)
Carnitas: (fried tender pork)
Chile relleno: (white cheese-stuffed Anaheim or poblano green pepper fried in egg batter)
Choriqueso: (Chorizo with cheese)
Cochinita pibil: (pork loin in orange sauce)
Camarón: shrimp
Huevo con salchicha: (sausage and scrambled egg)
Huevo con Jamón: (Ham and scrambled egg)
Huevo con tocino: (Bacon and scrambled egg)
Huevo con Bolonia: (Bologna and scrambled egg)
Chilorio:(pork fried in chile sauce)
Jamón: Ham
Lengua: beef tongue
Milanesa: (breaded steak)
Pescado: fried fish
Pechuga de pavo: turkey breast
Pollo: chicken

Some styles include:
Cubana: Inspired by the popular Cuban sandwich. Typically includes a wide variety of ingredients: ham, white cheese, scrambled eggs, sausage, milanesa and chipotle.
Torta ahogada: a sandwich filled with carnitas and submerged in sauce. Very popular in Guadalajara, Jalisco.
Garnishes such as avocado, sour cream, lettuce, jalapeño, tomato, and cheese feature in various incarnations of the sandwich. The dish is popular throughout Mexico, and is also available anywhere with a large number of Mexican immigrants.

So there you go! And here is the recipe!

Tortas
(Allrecipes)

4 (3 ounce) thin-cut beef round steaks
4 Mexican-style sandwich rolls (bolillos)
1/4 cup sour cream, divided
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed - divided
2 avocados - peeled, pitted and sliced
2 large tomatoes, sliced
2 pickled jalapeno peppers, sliced into quarters lengthwise
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce, divided
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 cup crumbled queso fresco (Mexican fresh cheese), divided
1 lime, quartered

Directions
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and pan-fry the round steaks 5 minutes on each side, or to desired doneness. (Since I used round steak, and it's a tougher meat I slow cooked mine. First I seasoned it with garlic salt and browned it for a few minutes on both sides. Then, I added a cup of water and let it simmer on low for a few hours.)

Slice the rolls lengthwise. Spread about 1 tablespoon of sour cream onto one side of each roll, and top with about 1/3 cup of mashed pinto beans per sandwich. Place a cooked round steak per sandwich on top of the pinto beans, and then layer each sandwich with one-fourth of the avocado slices, tomato slices, and sliced pickled jalapenos, about 1/2 cup of shredded lettuce, 1/4 cup of cilantro, and 1/4 cup of crumbled queso fresco cheese. Squeeze a lime wedge over each sandwich, close, and serve.

I actually found bolillos in the bakery section of Macey's. I was a little surprised. After I sliced it, I spread butter on it and toasted it stove top.

As for the cheese--the deli didn't have it. But, I found out it's like a crumbly mozzarella. So, I opted for some American cheese. My taste isn't all that fancy and it doesn't really seem to matter to me.

So, play around and have fun. Ole'!

Pumpkin Swirled Brownie Tart

So I got the recipe from Picky Palate, and it's a great change up for typical pumpkin desserts! It's really easy to make (like, really easy)! The recipe calls for an 8x8 pan-size box of brownie mix, but all I had on hand were family size boxes. So I filled up the tart almost to the top and used the extra brownie mix to make "brownie bites" in my mini-muffin tin. Then I used the extra pumpkin mixture to swirl into the brownie bites. They were so yummy and so cute! This would be a good variation of the recipe if you don't want to make the tart but still want the chocolate pumpkin mix.

2 rolls frozen pie crust, thawed

2 boxes brownie mix, 8x8 size

1 cup pumpkin (I used Libby's)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 egg beaten

Preheat oven to 350. Unroll pie crusts and press into two tart pans with removeable bottoms (you can also use pie pans, just make sure they aren't the deep dish ones). Poke holes into the bottom of each crust and bake for 15 minutes. I checked my crusts after about 5 minutes to make sure there weren't any bubbles forming. You can poke those down with a fork. Remove from oven. Prepare brownie mixes according to package directions. Pour into prepared crusts.

In a large bowl combine pumpkin, milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and egg until well combined. Divide into two equal parts and dollop spoonfuls onto brownie mix. Take a knife and carefully swirl the pumpkin into the brownie. Be careful not to overswirl (you want to see the swirls, not mix the brownie and pumpkin together) and be careful not to cut the bottom of the crust with the knife. Bake for 35 to 38 minutes or until a toothpick comes out nearly clean from the center of the tart. Cool completely before cutting.

**For brownie bites with or without the pumpkin - Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes. Don't overbake or they will become tough. Also, the recipe on Picky Palate calls for a whipped topping that she homemade. I used spray whipped cream and it was great too. The tart tasted better the second day, so feel free to make this one a day ahead of your get-togethers!

Croutons

I've never had homemade croutons before, but a neighbor brought a salad to dinner and made her own. And they were awesome! You could actually pierce them with your fork without them crumbling. This recipe is basic, but you can add whatever spices you like to change it up. I used my 100% whole wheat bread and it turned out great! I doubt I'll ever buy store-bought ones again!

Ingredients

15 slices bread
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons garlic salt (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Remove crusts from stale bread slices. Brush bread on both sides with melted butter. (My neighbor just tosses the bread in the melted butter! I did it too...I guess it depends on how healthy you want them to be!) Cut bread slices up into small cubes. Sprinkle with garlic salt (if desired). Arrange cubes on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes or until browned. Let cool. Store croutons in a covered container or plastic bag. Serve in soups or salads.

You can also make cinnamon croutons and put them in a fruit salad.

Kissed Pretzels

This is an easy favorite for parties and get together's. They taste like chocolate covered pretzels without the mess and time it takes to make them. It is fun to make them festive for a holiday by using M&M's in a color theme. (Halloween= orange and brown, Christmas= red and green)

Kissed pretzels
Pretzels (square ones if you are going fancy!)
Hershey's kisses (try the hugs and carmel filled ones as well!)
M&M's

place pretzels on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Top the pretzels with Hershey's kisses. Place in a preheated oven of 350 for 3 minutes, no longer . If you are using the hugs or carmel filled only leave them in for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Immediately smash the M&M's on the tops of the kisses. Let cool completely and enjoy! I always stick my trays of treats in the freezer to speed up the cooling time.

Labeling

Hey Girls!

So, if you'll notice--when you post there is a chance for you to label your post. Since we can't search our blog, I went through and labeled all the recipes so it will be easier to search. It will be organized by category, then alphabetically. So, when you post in the future, just label your recipe. Label any category it fits in, and you can create a new one if you like. I was thinking "Quick & Easy" would be a good category. If you want to adjust what I did--feel free. But, I'm excited and think it will make our blog that much more user friendly.

I love trying the new recipes, but we have so many great ones on here that are easily forgotten. So, look back and try them again!

Love you girls!

Stina

Pico de Gallo

Last night for dinner, I had a brilliant idea. Why not make nachos? Celeste made them for us one time at her house, and for some reason, I never think of making them--even though they're my favorite! So, I got some chips, sprinkled with browned ground beef and my homemade black beans and cheese. But, of course, you need some good salsa. I don't like salsa--but I love pico! I've been looking for a good recipe (although we love love Kelli's Texas Caviar, I wanted authentic Pico). And, in my search through my recipe book, I had torn one out of a Real Simple magazine. It was easy and oh so yummy!

Pico de Gallo

1 lb tomatoes (4 plum or 2 beefsteak), seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno (seeded for less heat, if desired), finely chopped
1/2 white onion, finely chopped (I like a little less)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and black pepper

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, jalapeno, onion, cilantrol, lime juice, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Being a shortcut-chef, I put everything in my mini-blender. Even though the tomatoes were a finer than I would have liked, it worked great and it tasted fabulous!

Flatbread Tacos

These are from my Taste of Home magazine. This recipe won the grand prize in the 30 min. meal catagory so I thought they would be worth trying. I'm so glad I did! These will definitely be a regular on my menu!

Flatbread Tacos

Ingredients
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
2 teaspoons ranch salad dressing mix
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1 tube (16.3 ounces) large refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
Optional toppings: sliced ripe olives and shredded lettuce and cheddar cheese

Directions
In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, dressing mix and lemon juice; chill until serving.
In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the beans, tomatoes, taco seasoning and pepper sauce; heat through.
Meanwhile, roll out each biscuit into a 6-in. circle. In a small nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook each biscuit for 30-60 seconds on each side or until golden brown; keep warm.
To serve, spread each flatbread with 2 tablespoons ranch sour cream; top each with 2/3 cup meat mixture. Sprinkle with toppings if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

Chimichangas

I saw this recipe on kraftfoods.com the other day and totally wanted to make them, but I didn't have Velveeta (which I thought was weird to put in a burrito anyway) and instead had leftover shredded roast beef, so I made up my own version using the technique in the Kraft recipe. Here it is:

Photo courtesy KraftFoods.com

1 lb or so of meat (shredded beef, pork or chicken, or ground beef)

1 tsp garlic, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

seasoning to taste (I used garlic powder, onion powder, salt and chili powder)
shredded cheese
flour tortillas
2 cups vegetable oil
sour cream and quacamole, for garnish

Cook hamburger or reheat shredded meat along with onion, garlic and seasonings. Drain if necessary. Heat tortillas so they are soft, put 1/4 cup or so meat mixture into tortillas as well as shredded cheese. Fold like a burrito, making sure the ends are tucked in too. Secure with toothpicks. Refrigerate about 20 minutes. Heat oil and then place the tortilla packets into the oil, 3-4 at a time, turning over to make sure the entire thing gets browned. Take them out when they are browned and place on a paper towel lined plate. Remove toothpicks and serve with sour cream and quacamole.

You can change this recipe up depending on your preferences or what you have on hand. Some people in the Kraft recipe added a tomato sauce to make the inside more saucy or something, but I liked them the way they were.