Tortillas & Taco Casserole

I love tortillas. I bake my own bread and am trying to eliminate any packaged foods I do buy and tortillas are one of them. So, for Christmas this year I asked for a tortilla press. Thus far it has been heavily used! Homemade tortillas tend to come out a little thicker and smaller than store bought ones so I've turned to taco casserole as a topping. By baking everything together with cheese it is easier to fill the tortillas with and less messy.

Making tortillas is actually really easy and not as intimidating as it sounds. I highly recommend a tortilla press! Rolling them out is not easy because the dough is very elastic. Next, you'll need to buy some lard. Some grocers keep it in the freezer near the butter and some put it on the shelves near the Crisco. I'm a fan of the Snowcap brand. Lard may sound extremely unhealthy but you're only using a tablespoon and it eliminates the need for any oil to cook them in.

Tortillas
(Makes 12-16)

2 cups flour
3/4 cups water
1 tbsp lard
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

Taco Casserole
(Serves 4)

1 pound ground beef
1 can light kidney beans (15.5 oz)
1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice
1 avocado
a little bit of chopped lettuce if desired
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne

I make the taco casserole first. In a pan brown the ground beef.  Once browned add the cumin, onion powder, salt, oregano, bay leaf, and cayenne. Stir to incorporate everything evenly. Pour the ground beef (pull the bay leaf out) into a casserole dish and spread to cover the bottom. Next, drain the can of beans and toss them into the same pan. I like to heat them up and squash the beans a little. Once the beans are warm, dump them into the casserole on top of the beef. Top with the cheese. Dice the avocado and toss that on top. Chop some lettuce and set aside. Put the casserole into the oven at 350 for 10 minutes to melt all the cheese and keep it warm.

And now tortillas:

In a mixer, blend the flour, salt, baking powder and lard. The lard will crumble into the dough. Slowly add the water and mix until the dough is smooth.

Roll the dough into small balls the size of a large marshmallow (or a Barbie head). It's easiest to roll them in flour. I use a $1 serving plate from the Dollar Store so that I don't have to clean the counter after.

I have the toddler help me put the ready to go tortillas on another serving plate.

Put a pan on the stove with the heat on low-medium. Next, put a piece of plastic wrap on both sides of the tortilla press. Place on of the dough balls on the bottom and press!

You want to peel the plastic gently off of the tortilla. Put it in the waiting pan. It takes less than 2 minutes per side to cook the tortillas.

Take out the taco casserole and assemble your tortillas. Top with the chopped lettuce and sour cream if desired. Enjoy! (We also spread leftover tortillas with Nutella & chopped bananas for a great toddler breakfast.)

Homemade Seeded Energy Bread

We make bread 3 times a week. My son, who is here for the summer, started talking about a 21 grain bread by Killer Dave's that he has at his other house. We looked online and I determined that it was a mix of seeds and flours. I don't sweeten my bread so I was unsure of how popular the end result would be with an 8 year old if I omitted the cane syrup and molasses but I decided to give it a go. I raided our cupboards for seeds and grains and the end result was amazing if I do say so myself. It even uses chia seeds which are a great source of energy and very filling. This bread is the perfect start to my day spread with Pineapple Basil Preserves (recipe coming soon).

I asked my son what he would do if he liked this bread better than Killer Dave's. His response? "I'll ask for more." (And he did- it apparently is "Way better" and "Awesome").

We took a family poll and have deemed this bread Robust Rabbit Loaf. We have a robust (rotund) rabbit so we thought we would honor him with his own loaf.

A favorite nap spot- the bottom shelf of my desk. 

Robust Rabbit Loaf
Makes 2 loaves
3 cups hot water
1 1/2 TBS salt
1 1/2 TBS yeast
4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup soy flour
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/8 cup flax seeds
1/8 cup poppy seeds
3 TBS fennel seeds

1. In the bowl of a mixer with a dough hook attachment mix the water, salt, and yeast. Add the flours 2 cups at a time. This recipe makes a fairly heavy loaf- to lighten it a little reduce the amount of flour and up the soy flour. The soy flour yields a little extra lightness.

2. Once all flours have been added and the dough is mixed up add all the seeds in and mix until they are incorporated. Let the dough rise for 1-2 hours. (The warmer your kitchen is the faster it will rise.)

3. Preheat your oven to 450. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Spray the inside of two loaf pans with cooking spray. Split the batter between the two pans by pouring it in. Use a spatula to scrape any excess off the bowl. No punching or forming necessary.Set the loaf pans near the stove. The heat as it preheats will help the dough rise a little more. Bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy warm slathered with butter or jam!

Cheeseburger Risotto

The perfect meal for an overcast stormy day, this meal is the epitome of comfort food. The kids loved it and for the grownups it was like a classed up version of Hamburger Helper (without the hard to pronounce additives). This one will definitely live in my normal rotation.

Cheeseburger Risotto

(serves 4) 

1 lb ground beef

1 clove garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder

1 TBS butter

1 TBS oil

1/2 cup red wine

1 1/2 cups arborio rice (I find it is much cheaper to buy this in the bulk section than in containers)

8 oz canned diced tomatoes & their liquid (I used the leftovers from a 32 oz can from another meal)

8 oz shredded cheese (I used Cabot Bacon Cheddar which I highly recommend but you can pick anything)

1. In a saucepan, brown the ground beef. While the ground beef is browning melt 1 TBS of butter in a stockpot. Add the oil to the stockpot and dump in the arborio rice once the butter is bubbling. Using a wooden spoon move around the rice to "toast it". When the kernels look translucent around the edges with a white spot in the middle dump in the wine. It should make a nice "poof" noise. If you don't want to use wine just replace it with another liquid. Stir the rice rapidly. 

Let the rice "toast" in the butter & oil.

2. Add the garlic to the ground beef. I used raw (not cured) garlic so I just sliced it in half and removed it before we ate it. Raw garlic is really pungent so I didn't want anyone biting into it. You could mince a regular clove of garlic or use garlic powder instead.

3. You're going to start slowly adding the liquid to the rice. I put half the tomatoes in my measuring cup and then added hot water to make 2 cups. You want to add this slowly and stir frequently. I add about 1/3 cup of liquid at a time and then add more after it has been absorbed. Make sure the heat is closer to medium than high. If the heat is too high the liquid will boil and evaporate instead of being absorbed and you'll end up with kernels that are crunchy in the middle. After you've gone through the 2 cups of tomato water make a second 2 cups. You want to add a total of 4 cups of tomato water to the risotto.

Tomato Water

Add the liquid a little at a time.

4.  Once all the liquid has been absorbed add the ground beef to the risotto and mix it in.

Add the cheese and mix that in as well. 

Dish out and enjoy! 

Bacon Cheddar Orzo & Cheese (with hidden brussels sprouts)

Bacon Cheddar Orzo & Cheese with hidden Brussels Sprouts

I have a confession to make- I love brussels sprouts. I think they're yummy. Strangely enough my kids also like them. The toddler stood on a stool while I washed them and ate the outside leaves I handed her. Shredded into this take on mac and cheese though I can serve them to their friends and they are none the wiser that there is a vegetable hidden in there. I make an adult casserole version and the kids servings get baked in muffin tins. They are easy to freeze this way and pull out for a quick toddler dinner on a busy day.

Bacon Cheddar Orzo & Cheese with Hidden Brussels Sprouts ($5.06/recipe- .84/serving)
(serves 6)

1/2 lb cooked orzo or other leftover pasta (1 lb box is 1.07) .54 (I used the other half of the box from our Orzo with Chicken, Artichokes, and Sun Dried Tomatoes the night before.)
2 TBS sunflower oil (you could use olive oil or vegetable oil)
1 TBS maple syrup
3/4 lb brussels sprouts, shredded (2.99/lb) 2.33
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 TBS butter (.75/stick, .09/TBS) .18
1 cup nonfat milk .25 (I use powdered milk to make nonfat milk for cooking and baking- it is significantly cheaper and we buy gallons of milk for drinking.)
2 TBS flour
8 oz shredded smokey bacon cheddar Cabot cheese (I bought an end piece at Cheese Traders near Burlington for 3.49/lb- .22/oz) 1.76

1. Preheat oven to 375. Remove any outer bruised leaves from the brussels sprouts and chop off the bottoms. I like how they look like tiny cabbages.

Shred the brussels sprouts in a food processor.

Saute them in a saucepan with the sunflower oil (or oil of your choice). I find it's easiest to put 1 TBS on the bottom, add the sprouts, and drizzle the remaining tablespoon on top. I use the tongs to move them around. After they've cooked for a minute they start to turn a brighter shade of green. I add a tablespoon of maple syrup. I think that it enhances the flavor of the brussels sprouts and brings out the bacon in the cheese. Also, I live in VT and put maple in everything. You could omit the maple syrup but I highly recommend trying it!

Turn off the heat on the brussels sprouts. Put a stockpot on the stove. I use a stockpot because it's big enough to mix all the ingredients in. Melt 2 TBS of butter over low heat and add 2 TBS flour. Stir the flour into the butter to create a roux. When it starts to brown a little bit add 1 cup of nonfat milk. Let it cook for about 3 minutes stirring occasionally.

While the milk is heating on the stove, I weighed out my cheese and shredded it in the food processor. This Cabot cheese is delicious. I think everyone in the family had a few slices while I was cooking. If you don't have access to Cabot try to find another bacon cheddar to use. If you only have plain cheddar I highly recommend cooking up a couple of slices of bacon to chop into the pasta because it makes all the difference!

Add the shredded cheese (save a little bit to sprinkle on top) into the hot milk and stir while it melts. This only takes a minute. The sauce should look smooth and shiny. 

Add in your leftover cooked orzo. 

Stir in your sauteed brussels sprouts. 

For the kids I spray muffin tins with non stick spray and dose their servings into there. 

The grownups get theirs baked in a casserole dish sprayed with non stick cooking spray and sprinkled with the reserved shredded cheese. 

Bake for 20 minutes. Enjoy! 

The kid's version- a cupcake of mac & cheese goodness.

Lamb Sausage Bolognese with Polenta Cupcakes

We attended the 2nd Edible Vermont Food Exchange last weekend. This is a great Vermont food event that I dreamed up months ago and finally saw to fruition when my friend Sandy who owns Brown and Jenkins Coffee jumped in to co-host and provide the perfect space for it to happen. Basically a mix of home cooks and canners and some commercial companies come together. Everyone brings some of their favorite items and a food swap ensues. The goal is to walk in with your items and leave with a plethora of new things to try. I learned last time to bring my stuff in a container that was conducive to packing with my new treasures when I left, hence my laundry basket came with me. You can check out our event photos here.

Here's the before:

I brought freshly baked bread, cranberry onion jam, cranberry catsup, homemade dog treats, and apple chutney. I forgot to take a picture of my after but it included lamb sausage, ground venison, kettle corn, turkey rice soup, nut bars, cookies, coffee, eggs, and rice and beans. 

So after thawing my homemade lamb sausage which I got by trading apple chutney to Waiora Valley Farm, I decided a slow cooker bolognese sauce was the way to go. 

This recipe makes "tons". No it's not a technical term but you could easily serve this at a large dinner party. We ate it for a family dinner and I now have 3 large mason jars in my fridge. My parents will be the lucky recipient of one jar, my husband will demolish another, and one will be processed for storage for a later windy wintery day. 

Lamb Sausage Crockpot Bolognese with Polenta Cupcakes

(serves 4 plus leftover for canning)

1 1/2 pounds lamb sausage (you could use ground lamb if you wanted to- I would add sage & spices)

1 TBS olive oil

2 28 oz can whole tomatoes

1 28 oz can tomato puree

1 cup of red wine

3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced. 

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp pepper

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 2 TBS dried, I used frozen cubes from last summers CSA share)

2 cloves crushed garlic

2 bay leaves

For the polenta cupcakes:

6 cups water

2 1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 cup cornmeal

1. Lightly cook the lamb sausage in a frying pan using the 1 TBS of olive oil. You want it to change to a light tan color but don't overcook it. 

2. Dump the 3 cans of tomato products into the slow cooker. Add the wine (I probably put in more like 10 oz because I measured in one of the tomato puree cans.). 

Add the lamb and the bay leaves.

3. Peel and thinly slice the carrots. Add them to the crockpot along with the parsley, onion powder, salt and pepper. 

Smash the garlic cloves,

peel them and drop them in the pot.

 Start the pot, I cooked for 4 hours on high but you could also do 8 hours on low if you were starting it in the morning. 

4. About a half hour before you want to serve dinner preheat the oven to 425. Start 6 cups of water boiling on the stove. When it reaches a boil add 2 1/2 tsp of kosher salt (reduce amount if using table salt). Here's where I took the lazy approach. If you're going to use a whisk you need to gradually add the cornmeal so that it doesn't clump, you'll need to be whisking the whole time. I'm lazy, pregnant, and constant whisking hurts my back so I dumped in the whole thing of cornmeal, plugged in my electric hand mixer and mixed it on medium while it was on the stovetop. Voila, no clumps! Once the mixture comes together and is more like a batter than a liquid turn off the heat. This takes about 15 minutes with the whisk method and 5 if you use the electric hand mixer. At this point in time I deviate from standard polenta recipes. Most recipes will have you add butter. I don't feel like it needs it so I don't.

5. Spray two muffin tins with cooking spray. Fill the cups with the polenta and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top. They will still be creamy in the middle. I like the texture added by baking the polenta, crunchy and creamy makes me happy. 

Pale before being baked. 

Golden after coming out of the oven.

6. Serve the bolognese sauce over the polenta cupcakes. Polenta packs a punch- it looks unassuming but is extremely hearty and filling. If polenta isn't your thing you could also serve the bolognese over mashed potatoes or pasta. Enjoy!

Cheesy Baked Potato Homefries

Last weekend it snowed for 36 hours straight in my town. You didn't misread that- 36 hours of snow.

It brought our total snowfall for the storm to 22 inches. And since the winter has been mild so far that equaled how much we had gotten in October through February.

Between shoveling and snowball fights I found a way to use some leftover baked potatoes. You see I had planned on making loaded baked potatoes for dinner one night. I put 4 potatoes in the oven to bake. Then my husband and I got hungry and my pregnant self got a hankering for taco dip instead. So I made a quick taco dip and......

Yes, that is a picture of our taco dip on the floor. Like hungry coyotes we circled it and ate it cross legged sitting on the carpet. We were stuffed by the time the baked potatoes were done so into the fridge they went. 

Here's how we used them:

Cheesy Baked Potato Homefries

(serves 4)

4 baked potatoes

2 TBS olive oil

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

sprinkle of pepper

1/3 cup shredded cheese

1. Cube the baked potatoes. I leave the skin on- it gives good texture to the meal.

2.  Saute the cubed potatoes in the olive oil until golden brown. Sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper and turn with spoon to ensure that all pieces are coated.

3. Turn the heat off and sprinkle with cheese. We used Cabot's Hot Hot Habanero. We like things with a kick around here. The heat of the potatoes will melt the cheese into a gooey delicious topping.

You could serve these on their own or with a salad. We were having a serious carb-loading day so we had it alongside grilled cheese on homemade bread with mustard. There is something amazing about mustard on grilled cheese.

Veggie-fied Meatloaf "Cupcakes"

Mmm, yum. 

For a self-proclaimed "meatloaf-hater" this is now my second meatloaf recipe I'm posting. You can find the 1st one here. As a Pinterest addict (Find me on Pinterest!) I've seen my share of meatloaf cupcake recipes floating around. I saw a few examples that involved wrapping the cupcakes in bacon. I've got a bacon loving husband and I didn't have any foil cupcake liners so I decided it'd be a good idea. In the end result, I'm not sure the wrapped bacon added a ton to the texture of the cupcake but the whole cupcake was infused with bacon flavor from the drippings that they were cooked in. Next time I may finely chop the bacon and work it into the meat. I didn't use any breadcrumbs or egg. These are super simple to make and hide secret servings of veggies. They were a huge hit and I think they'll be on my son's birthday menu in March when he turns 8.

Veggie-fied Meatloaf Cupcakes
(Makes 12 cupcakes- recipe is easily doubled)

12 slices bacon
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 lb ground beef
2 carrots, shredded
1.5 oz shredded parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt (for meatloaf)
1/2 tsp pepper
8 oz frozen spinach
1 TBS butter
1/2 tsp salt (for "frosting")
1/2 tsp pepper (for "frosting")

1. Preheat oven to 350. Start a pot of water boiling on the stovetop & put the potato chunks in it.

2. Curl the bacon around in the muffin cups and put them into the oven for about 7-10 minutes to cook a bit.

I think it may be time for a new muffin tin. This one's looking haggard.

3. While the bacon is cooking shred your carrots and cheese. Mix the ground beef with the spices.

Add the shredded carrots and cheese.  I like to slip veggies into meals. Ha-ha secret carrots!

Mix in well with your hands.

4. Form it into meatballs & press down into the center of the bacon curls in the pan. Leave any drippings that the bacon has shed. It will infuse the meatloaf with an awesome bacon flavor and help to make the bottoms crispy. 

Put into 350 degree oven and bake for 20 minutes.

5. When your potatoes are cooked turn off the burner but leave the potatoes in hot water to keep them warm. You want to make the whipped potato "frosting" when the cupcakes are 5 minutes away from being ready. You'll want to cook the frozen spinach at this point. I steamed it in the microwave. When it comes out I leave the hot water in the container until it's time to puree it. 

6. When your cupcakes have 5 minutes left in the oven strain the water off of the potatoes and the spinach and put them in the food processor with the metal blade attachment. 

Add 1 TBS butter, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Whip until smooth. You won't need to add any milk or cream because the water content of the spinach makes the puree really smooth. 

7. Pull the cupcakes out of the oven. Now you get to choose- do you want them to be fancy or not? If you want them to be fancy spoon the potato spinach puree into a piping tube & pipe it onto the top of the cupcakes. If you're not feeling fussy (or no one but your family is going to see them) just spread a dollop on top of each one. Serve any extra puree on the side or save for another night. Enjoy!

The front one was dolloped, the rear one was piped on. I think they both look (and taste) yummy!