Tag Archives: Mexican Food

Sep15

Football snacks!

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Anybody else glad it’s football 🏈 season besides me? My fantasy team isn’t going to win me millions but sure am glad to have #KSU back (and seriously kicking it, BTW) and the CHIEFS!!

I grabbed some more hatch chiles so roasted them this morning before the 90 degree weather showed up.

Put ’em on the grill until they’re really charred and then place in ziploc bag, seal it for about 30 minutes and the steam will help the skins come off. Remove skin and seeds, and they freeze well. They are sweet and great in tortilla rollups and a quick internet search will reveal many good recipe ideas!

I also smoked a piece of salmon with just these two spices:

Apologies for no pic, it came off the smoker and then with cream cheese on Ritz crackers for lunch. It was amaze sauce and so easy peasy. I will do that again soon! Also marinated a flank steak and smoked it. Sooo many things you can do with it – eat as is, fajitas, steak quesadillas, and we even got a call at a KCBS contest this year with steak and shrimp tacos in the Cooks Choice category.

Speaking of KCBS, got to meet this star yesterday at the American Royal BBQ – Diva Q is the bomb!!

Hope everyone has a fantastic Sunday and week!

~Connie Kaye

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Aug27

Easy Pork Carnitas

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Easy Pork Carnitas

I made these recently for a Taco Tuesday party, and cannot tell you how delish, and easy they are.  I have not really experimented with carnitas, but will definitely do it again.  And, super affordable!  I found this recipe on the Food Network,  thanks to Melissa D’Arabian and then did a little “Connie editing” as I always do.

I encourage you to yank out that slow cooker, cuz it’s certainly too hot in Kansas for anything other than the grill.  Give this a whirl, and leave comments below if you create your own version of happiness.  Oh yeah, and don’t forget that you can get these ideas, ramblings and recipes delivered to YOUR inbox!

~Connie Kaye

Pork Carnitas

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Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder (or 2 1/2 pounds bone-in)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1.5 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, coarsely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and ribs removed, chopped
  • 1 orange, cut in half.  Squeeze juice and place on meat
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Rinse and dry the pork shoulder. Salt and pepper liberally. Mix the oregano and the cumin with olive oil and rub all over pork. Place the pork in a slow cooker and top with the onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Squeeze over the juice of the orange and add the two halves. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Once the meat is tender, remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly before pulling apart with a fork. In a large saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Press the carnitas into the oil and fry until crusty on one side.

Aug20

Steak tacos….using pita or naan bread

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Steak tacos….using pita or naan bread

Skirt or flat iron steak are cuts that are many times ignored as tough, chewy, etc.  However, if you marinate and slice correctly, they are both delicious!

A friend of mine has told me how great naan bread is, and with a little searching, I found it in the deli section at one of our larger local grocers.   Also, this recipe uses watercress — I have absolutely no clue what this is, so I grabbed some fresh spinach off of the salad bar.

Gotta tell you, we will make these again.  Easy and delish, and I encourage you to try this meal that won’t break your bank!

Enjoy!

~Connie Kaye

Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos

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Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rings
  • 1 onion, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick slices
  • 1 pound skirt steak
  • 4 pocketless pitas or naan bread
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • watercress or fresh spinach

Preheat a grill to medium high. Make the marinade: Whisk the olive oil, garlic, mint (if using), oregano, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the marinade to a small bowl or plastic bag; mix in the yogurt and 2 tablespoons water. Add the bell pepper and onion to the bowl with the remaining marinade and toss; remove to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add the steak and toss.

Grill the bell pepper, onion and steak, turning once, until lightly charred.  Set steak aside to rest, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, grill the pitas or naan until marked, about 1 minute per side.

Slice the steak against the grain. Fill the pitas with the steak, grilled vegetables, tomato and watercress/spinach. Drizzle with the yogurt sauce.

Jun15

A unique twist on tacos…..

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A unique twist on tacos…..

My friend Heather tried a different way of eating tacos last week – she made the shells out of cheese:

cheese taco shells (2)

She made cheese crisps not too long ago, so I think she wanted to expand her creativity.  Plus, she loves Mexican food, as I do.  Here are the super easy directions:

1/2 cup cheddar cheese in circles on parchment paper.  Bake at 425 for 5-7 minutes.  Let cool slightly, then hang them over a spatula or utensil handle to form as shells.

Her filling was super easy as well – cooked chicken in the crockpot with Rotel tomatoes & green chiles, and threw in some taco seasoning.  Shredded and offered lettuce, avocado, salsa and more cheese.  She also made a lime sour cream (YUM) which was just sour cream, fresh lime juice, lime zest, salt and garlic powder.

Heather has two daughters who keep her super busy on competitive sports teams, so an easy crockpot meal is just the ticket.  Thanks for sharing my good friend, and thank you to all of my followers for stopping by!

~Connie Kaye

 

 

Apr12

A little Mexican for your Tuesday

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Well, not a “real” mexican, but some mexican food.  🙂

Who doesn’t LOVE that white cheese dip that is typically available in restaurants?  Not sure anyone can turn that stuff down.  Here’s a simple recipe to make it at home!  Drizzle this over some quesadillas or chips, and you’ll be in heaven.

~Connie Kaye

Queso Blanco

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Ingredients:

1 C. Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 half of a small can chopped green chiles
1/4 C. heavy cream
1 tsp cumin
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

For a little more spice, you can add some finely chopped pickled or fresh jalapenos. Combine in small saucepan over low heat until cheese is melted and well blended.  Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn and keep warm until ready to serve

Mar29

Frito Chili Pie Crescent Ring

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Frito Chili Pie Crescent Ring

I ran across this recipe and did “my thing” to it to spice it up a bit.  And, with the meat/bean mixture left over, I did a tortilla stack for dinner last night.  Super easy, quick and economical!!!

I started with this:

then laid out my crescent rolls in a fan, like this:

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I layered my bean/ground beef/roasted tomato mixture, and covered it with a mix of mexican-style shredded cheese.  Topped off with fritos and folded the pointy ends of the rolls over, tucking them underneath.  Brushing the top of the rolls with a beaten egg will help it brown nicely, with a very shiny pretty appearance.  Voila:

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We dunked it in a little low fat sour cream and it was a crunchy, gooey delight!

Enjoy!

Frito Chili Pie Crescent Ring

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Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 3 tbsp taco seasoning
  • 1 tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 can roasted dice tomatoes, juices drained
  • 1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 tubes crescent roll dough
  • 1/2 – 3/4 c. shredded Mexican cheese
  • 1 small bag Fritos (or other corn chips)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  1. Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add taco seasoning and chili powder. Use a wooden spoon to break up meat and mix in seasonings. Cook until browned and drain excess juices.
  2. Add roasted diced tomatoes and pinto beans and mix to combine. Set aside.
  3. Unroll crescent roll dough, separating each triangle. Arrange in a sunburst pattern, with pointy ends of the triangles facing outward (the base of the triangles should overlap).
  4. Spread ground beef mixture over triangle bases, forming a ring. Sprinkle cheese on top of meat, then top with Fritos, preferably crumbled.
  5. Fold triangle tips over filling (there will be gaps where meat and cheese peeks out between crescent roll triangles). Brush the top of dough with beaten egg.
  6. Bake until dough has turned lightly golden and cheese has melted, about 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

 

Sep24

Guacamole Salsa

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Love avocados!  Love.  Love.  So I tried to replicate the delicious green stuff that my friend Heather made — I told her we needed a name for it, so she dubbed it “Guacamole Salsa”, maybe because of it’s consistency.  I first ate it at her house on smoked pork tacos.  Yum.  Anyway, I had never even BOUGHT a tomatillo but this was easy and really good.  And a good variation from regular guac.

I simply unhusked my little green friend:

tomatillo

quartered it, and threw it in the blender along with the other ingredients.  I stored it in a plastic container, but before putting the lid on, I laid plastic wrap directly on the top of the salsa then put the plastic lid on.  I’m assuming it might have gotten blechy colored green/brown if I hadn’t prevented air from getting to it.  I’m sharing my recipe below, and next is my hatch chile pork which I specifically made this for.  Try both but you’ll have to get your hatch chiles quick before they’re gone.  Quiz question:  Why are they called hatch chiles???  Click here if you’re not sure and are curious as I was.  Enjoy the beautiful fall weather, watch some football and baseball, and thanks for poppin a squat at my site!

~Connie Kaye

Guacamole Salsa

  • Servings: depends
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Ingredients:

1 medium tomatillo
2-3 medium avocados
1 clove minced garlic
juice of 1/2 lime, more if needed to taste
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup cilantro

Throw all in blender or food processor until desired consistency.

 

Jul30

Anybody else crazy about avocados???

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Have you ever tried grilling them?  Well, I hadn’t and my biggest issue with an avocado is that I usually eat it before I can do anything with it!  However, you should give this a whirl.

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Finished product!

I halved my little green gems (they need to be pretty ripe but not mushy), removed the pit, and placed them upside down on a hot grill.  Move them around a little to get some good grill marks:

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grill marks galore!

I removed from the grill and dressed with a mixture of Mexican shredded cheese.  Place back on grill (cheese side up, of course), lower lid and let cheese melt.

IMG_0601

Before attacking these little morsels, I added a little salsa.  I was afraid that the salsa, etc., would overwhelm the flavor of the avocado — NOT!!  Oh soooo good!   Thanks for dropping by, and hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

~Connie Kaye

Grilled Avocados

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Ingredients

Avocados, halved and pitted
Shredded cheese (mexican blend or monterrey jack)
Salsa

Place avocados cut side down t get some grill marks, flip over, add cheese.  Place back on grill to let cheese melt.  Top with salsa and enjoy!

Jun25

Easy Enchilada Sauce

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Listen, I’ve had a ton of Mexican cookbooks that found their way to a garage sale or some other demise.  If I have never heard of the ingredients that are in a recipe, probably not going to happen.  There’s a lot of peppers and spices, etc., that would be really good, but I don’t have time!  So, I ran across this recipe for homemade enchilada sauce and it is sooo good.  And EASY.  And, I’ve even frozen it.

enchilada Sauce

Imagine delicious mexican food/enchiladas, and I think you can be with me on this!  It takes no time and is a lot better than the canned stuff.  So, check out the recipe below, and thanks for reading!!!!

~Connie Kaye

Easy Enchilada Sauce

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Ingredients:

3 TBSP vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 TBSP flour
One 29-oz can tomato sauce
1 TBSP chili powder
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook until softened.  Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.  Whisk in 1 1/2 cups water and the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin and salt.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Jun12

Taco Seasoning – your way!

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I’m way way far removed from being a health nut.  However since we eat a lot of Mexican food, and therefore I purchase a lot of taco seasoning, I looked around to see how to make my own since I don’t really like the packaged flavor.  There’s a whole bunch of crap in packaged seasoning, so I figured I had nothing to lose if I just made my own.  Result:  yum!  FYI – I have a really delicious simple recipe for enchilada sauce I’ll share soon!

BTW – this is an amazing Friday, and am sitting here on the dock blogging away.  It’s a little rainy but weather beautiful.  Here’s my “house”:

Boat

My floating home!

You can add heat as you desire, but this is really good, and lot cheaper if you love Mexican food as we do!

~Connie Kaye

Taco Seasoning

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Ingredients:

1 TBSP Chili Powder
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Paprika
1.5 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper (optional)

Whisk all ingredients and store in airtight container.