Mexican Pizza!

I'm not gonna title these "Taco Bell" mexican pizzas, because they didn't really turn out all that much like them. It's just hard to closely duplicate the sauce and the tostadas. But here's what I did and it was really good! Just different. : )

Components:

Tostadas

Refried Beans

Taco Sauce

Toppings

First: Beans

Put 2 c. pinto beans into the pressure cooker. Cover them with at least 3 cups water. Cook until soft. Remove to a blender/mixer and puree. Add 3-4 T. of butter to a fry pan. Melt the butter, then add 1 t. garlic paste and stir. Then add the pureed beans and cook in the butter. Salt to taste. Don't let them start sticking. Turn off the heat before that. Cover them until you're ready to use.

Second: While the beans are cooking, prepare your tostadas. Start with your regular flour tortilla dough recipe. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Heat 2 T. of vegetable or sunflower oil in a large skillet. Roll out your first tortilla and add to the skillet. Fry one side, then turn. Remove to drain on paper towels. Repeat for following tortillas, adding oil as necessary. (This would be a great thing to have your house helper do! ; ))

Third: Taco Sauce

1 box tomato puree

1/3 c. water

1/2 t. American chili powder

1 1/2 t. cumin

1 1/2 t. onion powder

1 T. white vinegar

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. garlic salt

1/4 t. paprika

1/4 t. sugar

1/4 t. cayenne or Indian chili powder

Combine in small sauce pan and simmer over low heat 15-20 minutes or till a nice consistency.

Fourth: Toppings

Chop 3-4 tomatoes

Shred 2 c. cheddar cheese

Slice some green onions

Last: Put it together!

Place one tostada on a baking sheet. Spread beans on top. Top with a second tortilla. Spread

taco sauce on top. Top with cheese, then tomatoes, then green onions if you want. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or just until cheese is melted.

So, these are not for the half hearted Taco Bell fan. :)

There a lot of work,but well worth it! We enjoyed it. Not something I'll make often, but good to know how to do it when I'm really craving it! : )

Baby Food!

Levi is now nearing 9 months old. With all three of my kids, I've been making my own baby food. I always recommend the book "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron to those starting out, but for those of you already over here who don't have immediate access to the book, here is a basic guide of when to introduce what foods, taken from this book.

First few weeks:

ripe avocado

ripe banana

sweet potatoes

Single grain cereals: oatmeal, barley, rice, millet

mild fruits, cooked and strained:

apricots, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, prunes

Six months:

yogurt

winter squash

raw mild fruits: papaya, mango, pears

Cereals: brown rice

Seven Months:

tofu

cottage cheese (paneer?)

mixed cereals

hard-cooked egg yolk (not egg white)

asparagus

carrots

green beans

peas

summer squash

white potatoes

peaches

mild fruit juices, diluted: apple, apricot, grape, papaya, pear, peach prune

Eight Months:

apricot

apple

cantaloupe

honeydew melon

grapes(peeled and quartered, not whole grapes)

kiwi fruit

plums

watermelon

broccoli

okra

cooked parsley

wheat germ (unless family allergy)

tahini

finely ground nuts

finely ground seeds

brewer's yeast

powdered kelp

natural cheeses

powdered desiccated liver YUM!

Nine Months:

brussels sprouts

cauliflower

spinach

beets

greens

kale

eggplant

rhubarb

rutabaga

cooked onion

turnips

pineapple

finely chopped raw parsley

beans, split peas, lentils and other legumes ground to a powder and cooked or cooked whole and mashed with skins removed

Ten Months:

thinned peanut butter

other thinned nut butters

ground sprouts

whole grain pasta

bulgur cereal

raw and finely grated:

carrots, greens, summer squash, sweet peppers

Basic guidelines: Cook all fruits and vegetables by steaming or boiling till soft. Puree in a mixee or blender, adding water, until it's a smooth consistency. For 6 months, think of the baby food in the jars at Walmart... go for that consistency. Really light and smooth. As they get older, around nine months, it can be more chunky and dense. For grains, you can either grind the grains dry and then cook the powder, or cook the grains and then puree. I always cook the whole grains first. Same for beans and lentils.

Start out with one tablespoon as a serving. Gradually increase as baby is finishing it and wanting more.

When introducing a new food, feed only that food for four days. Don't introduce more than one food in four days. In case there's an allergic reaction, then you're sure to know what it was.

Last, once your baby is used to certain foods, try mixing them up. Like a barley broccoli cereal combo. Cucumber and yogurt together. Or try throwing a little cinnamon in the applesauce, cumin in the potatoes, to expand their taste buds. Get creative and have fun! :) And I must say, the book is still REALLY worth getting. She has tons of great recipes for toddlers and a ton of nutritional information. So get it in the next package if you have an infant!

Jambalaya

This is a great easy dish that will feed a crowd if doubled! I like to serve this with Cheddar Bay Biscuits or cornbread.

Jambalaya

¾ c. chopped onion

½ c. chopped celery (I always just do 3/4 c. green pepper and no celery)

¼ c. chopped green pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 T. butter

2 c. cubed cooked chicken

8 oz. kielbasa sausage (yeah right! I use one bag of Sumeru Large Prawns. If you can't get that, just double the chicken)

4-5 tomatoes, chopped

1 c. condensed beef or chicken broth

1 c. uncooked long grain rice

1 1/2 c. water

1 t. sugar

Seasoning Mix (see below)

1 t. chili powder

fresh parsley for garnish

Seasoning Mix: (1/4 tsp Cayenne, 3/4 tsp White Pepper, 1 tsp Kosher Salt, 1/4 tsp Thyme, 1/2 tsp Rubbed Sage, 1/4 tsp Dried Basil, 1/2 tsp Black Pepper)

If you don't have white pepper, just do 1 3/4 t. black pepper. Also, I usually do more Thyme, sage and basil.

In a dutch oven, sauté onion, celery, green pepper, garlic, and sausage in butter until tender and browned. Add next nine ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 25 minutes.

American Wish List

Awhile back, I wrote several friends around South Asia and asked them what they always bring back with them or have people send in packages. This is the list that ensued, for all of you preparing to come. :) There are substitutes available in South Asia for some of these things, but possibly not everywhere, and each person has their own comfort foods or ingredients they just have to have from home... This will give you an idea of things you might want to bring when you come...

Velveeta cheese packets

McCormick packets (taco, fajitas, chili)

BBQ sauce

shortening

bacon bits (Hormel or other REAL bacon bits)

parmesan cheese

cream cheese

Taco Bell packets (seriously, more than one person said this!)

Ranch packets/bottles

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

Zip Lock freezer bags

Chocolate chips

Butterscotch chips

French Onion Dip mix

Onion Soup packets

Nutritional Yeast

Sweetened coconut

Brown Sugar

Vanilla extract

Big jars of Italian Seasoning

Sage

Pumpkin Pie spice

pecans

Marshmallows

Dr. Peper jelly beans (I'm told if you put one in a glass of Pepsi, it makes it taste like Dr. Pepper)

Dried blueberries and other dried fruits like cranberries

Root beer extract or concentrate (See recipe for making your own root beer!)

White corn meal

grits

canned Mexican green chillies

black raisins

allspice

garlic salt

peanut butter M&Ms

dried black beans and lima beans

corn syrups

celery seed

mexican yellow rice packets

decaf coffees and teas

Kool Aid packets and drink flavor packets

Pepperoni

Muffin mixes

Sawmill Gravy packets

Enchilada packets

Crystal light packets

Salmon packets

Deodarant (not a food item, but SO necessary)

Poultry Seasoning

Marjoram

Hickory Smoke

Spaghetti Seasoning Mix

From TiffanyH:

Spaghetti Seasoning mix

Things You'll Need:

1/2 cup garlic power

1/2 cup onion powder (we use fried dried onions and grind them to powder)

1/2 cup oregano

3 tablespoons dried basil

3 tablespoons dried thyme

3 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons sugar

Mix all the spices and herbs in a small bowl. Store spaghetti seasoning in a covered container or sandwich baggie. This makes more than one batch. I would add 2 tablespoons to start and then add more to taste depending on how much tomato puree you use.

Frosty Recipe: From a New Cook!

TiffanyH has graciously submitted her Frosty recipe! I can't wait to try this, I love Frosty's and managed to spend four months in America without having one...

Put in your blender
4 cups vanilla ice cream (1 liter)
1/4 cup Nes-Quik
3/4 cup of milk
Blend until creamy. Makes about 4 cups of Frosty. Enjoy!

Rachel's No Knead Yeast Rolls

RachelR says:

If you want to impress your family or dinner guests with homemade bread but don't have a lot of time, make these rolls. They are super easy and don't require any kneading. You have to cook these in a muffin tin because the mixture is very wet and the rolls won't hold their shape very well in a regular pan. But they will pull apart and melt in your mouth. Yum!

No Knead Yeast Dinner Rolls

2 Tbsp. shortening OR butter
3 Tbsp. white sugar
1 c. hot water (it has to be hot enough to melt the shortening or butter)

Mix these three together. When the mixture cools to 110 degrees, add

1 pkg (.25 oz, 1 1/4 t.) yeast

Let this set about 5 minutes to get your yeast active. Then blend in

1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 c. flour (I did half whole wheat flour and they were great!)

After you've mixed all this together, set aside. The mixture will be very wet. Just cover it and keep in a draft free area and let it double in size. Then spoon into a greased muffin tin. (This recipe just makes 8 rolls, so be sure to fill your empty cups with water to ensure even baking.) Again, set aside and allow the rolls to double in size again.
Bake at 425 for 10 minutes.

After mine rose the second time, I brushed with butter, then sprinkled a little rosemary on top, then brushed with more butter, then sprinkled just a little sea salt on top. Just an adaptation from the Pioneer Woman!

I'm back... and Rachel's Chicken Pot Pie

Our family has made it back to South Asia! We spent this summer in the states catching up with family and friends and taking it easy. It was a great break and time to refresh our family, marriage, and spiritual health. We are thankful for it, and ready to get back into the swing of life here. I apologize that I did not post a single help or recipe while we were away. I barely did any cooking in the states, people hosted us so often or our families took us out to eat! I'm so ready to get back in the kitchen and share with you what's happening there!

We'll start with a couple of recipes submitted by others while I was away...

From RachelR:

So I pulled out my mother-in-law's recipe for chicken pot pie the other day. Hers calls for a Bisquick topping. I've made the recipe before with a pie crust topping, but I was feeling adventurous. I searched the internet and found an easy recipe for Bisquick. I also made cream of chicken soup from scratch. If you do these two things ahead of time, this recipe is really pretty easy and fast to make.

Bisquick Recipe:
5 c. flour
1/4 c. baking powder
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 c. butter

Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in butter til mixture is crumbly.

Store in airtight container up to 6 weeks or in freezer for longer storage.

Cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 c. water
1 chicken buillon cube
few tsp. chopped onion
clove of garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
a little lemon pepper
1 1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. flour
Boil water, buillon, 1/2 c. milk and onions and garlic for a minute. Add spices and boil another minute.
Whisk together 1 c. milk and flour. Add to liquid mixture and boil, whisking continually til mixture thickens.
(This makes 3 cups, and you'll just need 1 1/2 cups for this recipe, so freeze the remainder.)

Chicken Pot Pie
Put a whole chicken and cut up carrots and potatoes into pressure cooker and cook about 15 minutes. Debone chicken and cut into bite size pieces. Save broth.
Place pulled chicken in bottom of 9 x 13 pan
Mix following and pour over chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup (1/2 of the mixture from above)
1 ½ c. broth
¼ c. butter, melted
Carrots, potatoes, and other veggies (I used frozen peas and corn)
Salt and pepper
Mix following and pour over top.
1 ½ cups milk
1 ½ cups bisquick
Bake at 350 for 1 hour or til top is done.
Great with cornbread and fried okra