Carnitas Tacos

As you all know, I have a love affair with my Crockpot. I also have a love affair with a guy named Chuck. Chuck roast. Now that is one tasty piece of meat. (I should probably stop the descriptive words right here before things get a little too racy.) When you combine the two, you're always going to end up with a delicious meal. It's Taco Tuesday, and what would be better than to make the easiest tacos in the world? This very simple recipe requires only three ingredients: one can of diced tomatoes with chilies (or a can of diced tomatoes and a can of green chilies), a package of taco seasoning (or you can make your own), and a 1 to 1 1/2 pound chuck roast. If your chuck roast is larger, increase the other ingredients according to its size. I tend to stick with my 4-quart crockpot. It makes 2 to 4 servings, depending upon what I'm making, and it suits me quite well. I can have the same meal two nights in a row, freeze one, and take another to my dad.

This is easy and delicious, will give your home a wonderfully spicy aroma, and you will be salivating waiting to sink your teeth into the evening's delicious taco meal. I prefer soft tacos, because the hard shell tacos, in my case, tend to be a crunchy mess. Once you spoon the meat into your taco shell (whatever you happen to be using), top it as you see fit. I love avocado and cilantro, and a bit of grated cheese on mine; you might want to add tomatoes, shredded lettuce, diced scallions, chopped olives, or whatever you or your family enjoys. Nothing could be easier, nothing could be more delicious.

Carnitas Tacos

Adapted from Taste of Home

1 medium chuck roast, 1-2 pounds

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained

Place in a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. Pour tomatoes over top. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove meat from slow cooker; shred with two forks. Return meat to slow cooker; heat through. Place ½ cup meat on each tortilla; top as you see fit.

This post is linked to: Celebrate Your Story, Homemaking Party Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Wake up Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday,  Thursday Favorite Things, Share Your Style, Coffee and Conversation, and Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Last month a friend offered to treat me to lunch. She had invited me to join her at a restaurant that, for whatever reason, I had no interest in visiting. I don't know why. I hadn't read anything bad about it, it just gave me bad vibes. As it turned out, my vibes were right; the food was horrible. I'd ordered the strata figuring that this was, surely, one item that they absolutely could not mess up. Boy was I wrong. It came out of the kitchen in a brick-like slab, that was not only brick-like in appearance, but in texture and taste as well, although, honestly, I have never tasted a brick.

You're probably wondering why I'm telling you this. It's because the day did have a happy ending. I had decided, wisely, before I left for lunch, to try a recipe for a slow cooker version of chicken tortilla soup. I'm not sure why I did this, because generally when I go out to lunch I'm not particularly in the mood to come home and fix or eat dinner. But intuition told me that day that I needed to have something to fall back on, and I was right. This was a new recipe that I'd found on the Wine and Glue blog. It required nothing more than putting a couple of chicken breasts in the crockpot and dumping beans, corn, and spices on top. I hadn't anticipated that it would be all that good to be quite honest with you, but I had these ingredients and figured, why not?

I really should call this Life-Saving Chicken Tortilla Soup, because it really did save the day for me. When I came home from the disastrous lunch, the house smelled amazing. The aroma was very spicy and delicious, and drew me right into the house. The whole place felt cozy and warm and comfortable, inviting me to sit down and have a nice bowl of soup. It was very easy to make, obviously is low maintenance, and the return is wonderful. This is a great soup to enjoy during the fall and winter. I cannot recommend it enough. It is also economical and, divided into six equal portions, comes in at just under 300 calories. Life saving indeed!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Slightly adapted from Wine & Glue

1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes

3 cups chicken stock

1 16-oz. can kidney beans, drained

1 15.5-oz. can black beans, drained

1 10-oz. package frozen corn

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 T. chili powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

3/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. dried cilantro (optional)

Mix all ingredients together in slow cooker and cook on low for 5 hours. At the end of the cooking time, remove the chicken from the crock pot, shred and return to the soup. Serve topped with a squeeze of lime juice, and garnish as you see fit. I used cheese, scallions, and avocado. Yum!

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This post is linked to: Inspire Me Tuesday, Tuesdays At Our Home, Two Cup Tuesday, Celebrate Your Story, Homemaking Party Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesday, Work It Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Wake up Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Share Your Style, Coffee and Conversation, and Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Enchiladas

Is it just me, or does spicy food seem particularly warming on a cold winter day? There is just something about the ground being covered with snow that makes me feel even colder than the recorded temperature, chilling me to the bone. To offset the coldness I heated things up with some tasty enchiladas.

I have no special recipe for making enchiladas, really. A purchased can of enchilada sauce, half of which is poured into the bottom of a baking dish, the other half of which is poured on top of enchiladas is pretty much it. What is truly of the utmost importance here is the meat. This easy recipe for spicy beef makes not only delicious enchiladas, but also serves as a great filling for tacos, as well as topping a hearty plate of nachos. Let it simmer in the crockpot all day long, filling the house with such a mouthwatering aroma that you won't be able to wait for dinner.

Once the meat is finished and nicely shredded, spread some 8” flour tortillas (as many as you like) with either canned or homemade refried beans (or none at all, this dish is very versatile), top with the meat and a sprinkling of shredded cheese and roll it up tightly. Place the filled tortillas, seam side down, side by side, on top of the enchilada sauce in your casserole dish, pour the remainder of the sauce over the tops, sprinkle on more cheese, some chopped scallions (or not), sliced black olives (or not), and bake in a preheated 375ºF oven for 30-45 minutes until hot and bubbly. I like to serve mine with a little side salad of shredded lettuce, diced avocado, chopped tomatoes, and dollops of salsa and sour cream. Delicious!

​Spicy Enchilada Beef

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3-pound chuck roast, cut into 1” cubes

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 (16-ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1 cup beef broth

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Brown beef cubes, on all sides, about 10 to 12 minutes. Place seared beef into the bottom of a 4-quart crockpot. Add the garlic, onion, salt, cumin, tomatoes, and broth. Cook on High for 1 hour, then reduce to Low and cook for 4-5 hours until beef is able to be shredded easily with two forks.

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This post is linked to:

Inspire Me Tuesday

Tuesdays At Our Home

Tweak it Tuesday

Tickle my Tastebuds
Two Cup Tuesday

Tutorials and Tips Tuesday

Homemaking Party Tuesday

Beefy Tacos

My love for Mexican food is legendary (or, perhaps, just a legend in my own mind). Honestly, I could eat it in some form once or twice a week. So when I spotted this recipe on epicurious.com that also employed the use of the crockpot, I had to try it.

I changed the recipe up a bit based upon what I happened to have on hand, substituting the called for Serrano peppers with one of my homegrown jalapeno peppers. I also used my own homemade refried beans (I still cannot believe how good these are) in place of canned.

This recipe was so easy. There is a bit of initial prep work, and thoroughly draining the meat mixture is very important. I loved that I could get this ready after breakfast and then just let it hang out in the crockpot on the low setting, scenting the house with mouthwatering spicy goodness all day.

I love toppings, so, with the exception of the avocado, did all of my slicing and chopping early in the day, put everything in individual dishes and let each diner pick and choose their own toppings based upon personal preferences. This was a major hit, and fun to both serve and eat. 

Beefy Tacos
Slightly adapted from epicurious.com

1 pound ground chuck
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups homemade refried beans
1 jar (16 oz.) your favorite salsa
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1 large jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
12 small corn or flour tortillas

Various toppings such as: tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sliced black olives, avocado, cilantro, chopped onion, and sour cream

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, stir beef and onion until brown and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, stirring frequently, 1 minute. Drain excess oil and transfer to a slow cooker. Stir in beans, salsa, cheddar, and jalapeno. Cover and let simmer until mixture is cooked through and bubbling, 3 to 4 hours on high or 5 to 6 hours on low. Stir and serve over warmed tortillas; top with tomatoes, lettuce, and a dollop of sour cream; garnish with cilantro.

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This post is linked to:

Great Idea Thursday

Full Plate Thursday

Create It Thursday

Think and Make Thursday
Home and Garden Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

Idea Box Thursday

Tamales by Alice Guadalupe Tapp, a cookbook that makes you think.

If you are one of those people who think that you do not need yet another cookbook, I'm here to tell you that you're wrong. You do need another one, you need this one. You need Tamales by Alice Guadalupe Tapp.

 I'll tell you why you need this one. You need it, not just because it taps an area that you have doubtless left unexplored, not because it is probably the definitive book on making tamales, and not because it will teach you how to make them, fold them, store them, freeze them, and even shortcuts to faster assembly. No. You need it because it is going to do what a lot of other cookbooks don't. It is going to inspire you. 

You are going to turn the pages and marvel at the fact that tamales need not be simply meat and masa. They are not just served for lunch or dinner. They are not just savory. 

Tamales are appropriate at any time of the day from morning to midnight, and tamales can be a starter, main dish or, brace yourself, dessert. 

You are going to look at this book and see your favorite hot artichoke dip turned into delicious tamales and wonder what else you can do. You will see salad become tamales (think Tuna Salad and Corn Salad), and soon you'll be wrapping chicken salad, egg salad, and perhaps even pimiento cheese salad into a tamale and steaming it on the stove. 

You will see vegetables and potatoes turned into tamales (Broccoli and Refried Beans to name two). You will find Asian inspired, French inspired, and Indian inspired varieties (Chicken Curry Tamales), vegan tamales, and those filled with meats from simple sirloin to beef cheeks to oxtail, wild boar, and tripe. 

Wondering about dessert? How about a rice pudding or Oreo tamale?
  

You will never look at food again without wondering how you can mound it on masa and wrap it in a husk. You will be inspired, you will think, you will engage, you will experiment. Now how many cookbooks can offer that?

This post is linked to:

Cookbook Wednesday

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Home Grown Home Made Salsa Verde

I took a major step today: I planted something.  To be precise, I planted red peppers, green peppers, poblano peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, cucumbers, bottle gourds, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, basil, parsley, and potatoes.  Clean up of the tornado damage begins this week and I'm encouraged by the very thought of this.  It will take months, I'm not going to try to convince myself otherwise, but it's a beginning.  Thanks to my son who has diligently helped us during this past month of chaos and disruption, the potager has been cleared, the soil turned, and the beds prepared, so I can begin to get back to what I consider a "bit of normal."


For those of you who enjoy a vegetable garden and also like a great salsa, let me encourage you to grow tomatillos this summer.  I don't think there is a plant any easier to cultivate.  In past years I've grown it in containers, damp areas, dry areas, partially shady areas, and have always gotten a bumper crop.  This means lots of salsa verde, and nothing is better tasting than fresh homemade salsa verde derived from your own home grown tomatillos.  How can one fail to feel such a soul filling satisfaction from that?

Here is the recipe that I use, but it can be tweaked to suit your own tastes.  If you like it hotter, leave the seeds in the jalapenos.  Add more onion or garlic if you like; add or reduce the amount of cilantro.

This is one of those condiments that you're going to find a lot of uses for other than just as a dip for tortilla chips.  I like it on top of a poached egg, as a potato topping, on tacos, on top of a grilled steak, stirred into a cream sauce and poured over fish or chicken.

Salsa Verde

2 large fresh poblano peppers

1/2 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, diced

1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth

3 scallions, chopped (include both white and green parts)

1 large jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded

1 large garlic clove

1/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro leaves (or to taste, I used a bit more)

1 tablespoon whipping cream

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Char poblanos directly over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Place in bowl. Cover top of bowl with plastic wrap and let stand 10 minutes. Peel, seed, and chop chilies.

Combine tomatillos, broth, scallions, jalapeno, and garlic in medium saucepan; bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until mixture is reduced to 1 2/3 cups, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Transfer mixture to blender, food processor, or use immersion blender to blend ingredients thoroughly.  Add poblanos, cilantro, and cream. Puree a second time, until smooth. Season salsa with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Add lime juice, if desired. Can be made a day ahead.  Serve warm or cold. 

This is linked to: 

My Meatless Mondays

Metamorphosis Monday

and Mosaic Monday at Little Red House