Sopapillas--Easier than you think!

I have a sweetie of a friend, Julie, who is also a Spanish teacher.  She is stuck making these for school demos.  She brought the stuff over here last week for our Concord Girls group and shared them with us. 

If you have never had these delights they are a lot like a donut or a beignet that you would see in New Orleans area.  They are the same concept, fried dough topped with something.  In this case we topped with powdered sugar and honey. 

So, here is the super simple recipe! This is ideal if you homeschool and want a ethnic food thing or if you just love these yummy delights!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 Tbs. shortening
1 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup warm water
oil for fying (can use your deep fryer)

1.  Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and alt.  Cut in shortening. Stir in water until combined. Knead for 2 minutes, adding more flour if needed.  Let dough rest in a covered bowl for 25 minutes.

2.  Roll dough on lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick.  Cut into diamond shaped pieces.

3.  Pour oil to 2 inches depth in saucepan or electric skillet (or deep fryer).  Heat to 400 degrees.  Add two pieces of dough at a time and cook until puffed. (We used my dutch oven and added up to 4 pieces).  Turn with tongs to brown the other side.  Put in paper towel lined bowl to drain.

4.  Serve warm with butter, honey, cinnamon-sugar or powdered sugar.

Eyes of Texas Casserole

What I am about to share with you is a dish that is FAR from healthy, but it is oh so good!  This is one that is a once a month or once a year dish!  My sweet friend, Frances made this for our Concord Girls group last week and it is just sinful.

First of all, YES, the top is charred and it is supposed to be that way.  You would not think that it would be good that way but it is ADDICTIVE.

Second of all, this can be a gluten free recipe very easily since the star is Doritos and they are gluten free.  Just pay attention to the other ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

1 can (15 1/4 oz) of jalapeno pinto beans
2 lbs ground beef
1 chopped onion
1 can (10oz) tomatoes w/ green chilies
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can mild enchilada sauce
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 package of cheese doritos

Brown the meat and the onion.
Add the canned ingredients.
Layer: MEAT-DORITOS-CHEESE in 13x9 inch pan.
Top with Doritos sticking straight up like spikes!
Bake at 350 for 35 minutes
The Doritos will blacken on the tips and that is supposed to happen.  Just make it this way the first time and try it. You will see it is ADDICTIVE!

Frances said that you can amp the heat any direction.  You can leave out the beans or use regular pinto beans if you are dealing with a crowd that is not into spice.  You can also use HOT enchilada sauce as well. 

Another tip from Frances was, when reheating it, do that in the oven but top with more Doritos spiked on the top. 

Shrimp Fra Diavolo--CONCORD GIRLS RECIPE!

I host a bible study/dinner at my house each week in the summer time.  We all bring something to share and we usually have a theme night.  It is a lot of fun!  Our group is nicknamed "Concord Girls" and we are in our third year, and MAN have we had some tasty recipes at our table!  I am kicking myself for not sharing them here until now, but this summer I hope to post some of our favorites this, starting with this gem....(my picture did not come out, the one below looks the part and is from Google images.  There was no photo credit with it otherwise I would post it.  However, it is from Cooking Channel website.  I will post a picture of mine next time I make it)

SHRIMP FRA DIAVOLO
(This recipe is for a party of 8-12 so adjust accordingly)

Ingredients

3 pounds of large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Olive Oil
Cajun Seasoning (to taste)
Kosher Salt (to taste)
Sugar (to taste)
2 Large Shallots Diced
10 cloves of garlic minced (I am heavy on garlic because our crowd LOVES it, you can adjust this)
2 CUPS Dry White Wine
2 Cans (15 oz) of tomatoes (I use Hunts Fire Roasted)
1 Can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 1/2 Pounds of Pasta Of Choice--I use Angel Hair Pasta

Step 1:  Toss shrimp in the Cajun seasoning.  Cook in a Dutch oven or large skillet with about 2-3 TBS of olive oil for aprox one min on each side.  I did mine in three batches.  After shrimp is pink on both sides remove it and set it aside.  DO NOT cook shrimp beyond just making it pink on each side or you will end up overcooking it!

Step 1 Part 2:  GET A LARGE POT OF WATER STARTED FOR PASTA!

Step 2: Cook the shallots in the same Dutch oven/skillet until translucent.

Step 3:  Add tomato sauce and tomatoes with juices, wine, garlic, oregano, and basil to the pot. Bring to a low boil. 

Step 4:  TASTE!  Then add your salt and pepper a little at a time!  If the sauce tastes bitter then add sugar--1 Tablespoon at a time.  Each time you taste and add a little stir it in well and let it hang out for about five minutes and then taste again.  If you need more then just repeat until you reach the taste desired for your taste buds.  You can add things like cayenne here too if you want more heat. 

**I add the step to taste because like most fruits and veggies canned tomatoes have different degrees of sweetness and acidity.  Each can may taste differently.  This is a big reason why when people follow recipes to the letter for sauces that they do not always come out the same each time.  That being said, Step 4 is the most important step! 

Step 5:  Once it is to taste, let it go at a low boil for about 10-15 minutes so it will thicken a little.  This will NOT be a dense sauce like spaghetti sauce.

Step 6:  Add shrimp back to the Dutch Oven/Skillet.  COVER AND TURN THE HEAT OFF!!  You want to reheat the shrimp and NOT cook it any longer.  If you do the shrimp will be tough!

Step 7:  The water in your large pot should be boiling, add your pasta and cook it according to pasta directions for al dente. 

Step 8:  Toss pasta into the sauce and mix well.  (I left the pasta separate and it was not pretty, so make sure you toss the pasta in the sauce or at least pour it over top of the pasta in a large serving bowl.)

Step 9:  You can toss with cheeses of choice if you would like as well. 

TIPS:
* YOU CAN MAKE THIS IN ADVANCE! I had some left over and it actually tasted much better the next day.  Mind you, it was really yummy the day of!  If you plan on doing this in advance DO NOT store it with your pasta! Make your pasta before you serve it.  I say the same if you want to keep some for lunch the next day, store the two separately but reheat them together. 

* You can change the shrimp out for another meat, such as chicken or meatballs or sausage. 

* For a twist use sausage and put it over some rice! 

* You can use minced in the jar garlic if you hate chopping garlic.  I usually keep that stuff on hand at all times because I find dealing with garlic a pain the in the rear. The jar stuff is great and it has garlic juice in it as well that you can use if you need just a smidgen of garlic for a recipe. 

*  If you want your sauce thicker then you can add some tomato paste.  I would do a TBS at a time until you get the thickness you desire.  Just keep in mind that this loose sauce is meant to be absorbed by the pasta and not stick to it. 

*  ADD YOUR PASTA TO THE SAUCE WHILE BOTH ARE HOT!  (if you are reheating a lunch portion, mix the two and microwave together).  The sauce will absorb a lot of the liquid.

* IF YOU USE FRESH HERBS, make sure you multiply what you would use dried by 3.  Dried herbs are more intense than fresh.  I find with sauces that dried works better and the fresh is a great garnish. 

* IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT ANYTIME YOU USE CANNED TOMATOES (home canned or store canned) that you bring them to a boil for at least five minutes before you eat them.  This is more so for home canned, but it is best to keep this in mind each time you use tomatoes.

* TASTE TASTE TASTE!!  Make sure you taste this and ANY sauce or gravy as you prepare it.  Sauce and gravy recipes should always be treated as a guideline.  Your taste buds should always be a component in sauce making!  That is the only way to know for sure when a sauce is done.  If it tastes good to you and you would eat it then it is ready to serve, if not then do not put it on your table.

Banana Split Cookies--FUN with cookies!

 

 

Platters...something that looks complicated but it is really only as complicated as you make it.  When I was working, I would sign up for desserts and make platters of a variety of different items with a different degree of sweetness.  You have something that can cater to nearly every taste bud, is portable and people are not hesitant to take home if there are any left overs. 

 

The picture above is a very simple brownie and cookie platter that I made for a reunion this week.  I say simple because I have just two items on it.  In this case both were baked by me.  One is from a box/pinterest recipe (the brownies) and the other is a from scratch cookie (recipe below).  If I wanted to expand this platter I would probably add a few items on here that were store bought or something that is wonderful to eat naturally with a little help (like chocolate/candy covered berries). 

 

The focus on this blog today, is the cookie recipe.  The cookies came about as a happy accident.  I was making a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and one of the ingredients was mixed up and then BAM, I created what I now call, Banana Split Cookies. After the happy accident, I added and changed a couple of things and created a pretty tasty cookie.  My husband is a man that does not have much of a sweet tooth and he will ask for these.  It is just a good twist on something familiar.

 

I hope that you enjoy! I have included some of my cookie tips.  I hope that it helps you have fun with cookies! 

 

Ingredients:

 

2 1/4 Cups of Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup of butter (please use butter when possible in baking, it really makes a difference)

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

3/4 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp REAL vanilla (I like bourbon based vanilla)

1/2 tsp all spice (can use cinnamon or nutmeg)

1 pack of INSTANT BANANA PUDDING NOT PREPARED

2 Eggs

1 pack of 12 oz semi sweet or dark chocolate chips

1 cup nuts (I use the inexpensive nut topping blend which is usually put on ice cream)

 

Step 1:  Cream butter and two sugars

Step 2:  Add eggs and vanilla and pudding and all spice

Step 3:  Add flour and baking soda 1/3 at a time

Step 4:  Add chips and nuts

Step 5:  Place dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

Step 6:  Bake cookies in a 350 oven for 8-10 minutes

Step 7:  Take out of the oven (they will look a bit underdone) and let them sit on the pan for 5 minutes

Step 8:  Remove cookies and place on cooling rack

Step 9:  Store in an air tight container or put out to serve

 

COOKIE TIPS:

 

I use a Wilton cookie scoop and with that I make about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.  Just keep the cookie dough consistent in size before baking.  If it is smaller or larger than a rounded tablespoon make sure you adjust the cooking time. 

 

All Spice may seem strange but I find that all spice or cinnamon or nutmeg really enhances the ingredients and makes the dark/semi sweet chocolate pop!  I try to add a pinch anytime I am baking anything that has chocolate.

 

You can also change the pudding flavor.  Example, if you want to make chocolate cookies but are lacking in cocoa powder, use chocolate instant pudding.  It is not as intense as the powder but it still tastes yummy.

 

If you like pistachios then use pistachio pudding and add some of the nut and then chocolate chips.  It will save you a mint on the nuts because you will not need as many nuts to get the flavor.

 

You can really have fun with just changing the pudding mixes and the extract flavors.

 

Yep, you can change extract flavors too to incorporate a fun twist as well! 

 

The point is, you can create something new and fun by simply using a solid cookie recipe and switching a few flavor components.  Give it a shot and have fun!