Green Chilis and the best Chicken Enchiladas....

Here in the Southwest, green chilis are their own food group! In the late summer, we line up in the heat to get our fresh roasted Hatch chilis. I usually get about a bushel, combo of hot and medium. Hatch chilis vary in heat depending on the amount of moisture the plants have gotten over the summer in New Mexico. By the time I drag them home, my whole car smells like green chilis and the aroma lasts for a while. This is not a problem!

Once I get them home, they need to cool (they have just come out of a flame roaster...) and then I put 5-6 in each ziplock bag and toss them in the freezer. That's my year supply and by July, I start rationing them so they last til the next harvest. I get nervous when I can see the back of the freezer cuz that means they are getting low.... but here it is almost the new year and I'm still good.

So on to the recipe.... Years ago, whenever we would have a potluck at work, we would ask Selina to make this recipe... and just before she left the practice, she shared the recipe. I made this tonight, tossed it in the fridge, and will bake it tomorrow for the potluck at work. I took some pix as I went but will wait to post them til the finished product comes out of the over in the AM......

Chicken Enchilada Strada Ala Selina

In a dutch oven or large skillet, combine:
3 cans canned chicken (white meat), drained and shredded
3 cans creme of chicken soup, undiluted
8 oz sour creme
1 container Baca’s Frozen Green Chilis (or 1 cup chopped green chilis)
1-2 cups chopped green onions
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
some milk or water to thin it just a bit (but I like it thick)

Heat until warm all the way thru, stirring frequently.

In lasagna pan, layer the following:
1 layer corn tortillas (I use the 6" size and get 6 of them in each layer, slightly overlapping), followed by sauce (above), sliced black olives, and shredded cheese.

Repeat layers til pan is full. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 (50" for large pan) minutes until bubbly and edges are starting to crisp.

Serve with more sour creme, salsa, and/or guacamole.

This also works well to prepare in advance and refridgerate until baked (like over night).

And it was a hit..... there was one serving left at the end of the day! I brought it home for breakfast tomorrow!

Christmas Cookies!

Inspired by the wonderfulness of Cookie Madness, I decided to adapt a Halloween recipe I found here to use some of the mint M&Ms Kirsti brought me from America. Plus I had a cookie craving (it's 9pm here but I need cookies!)

The recipe is really easy - a one bowl cookie!

6 oz unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup M&M candies
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
6-8 Oreos, broken into thirds or fourths (just don’t crush.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and both sugars. Beat in vanilla and egg. Add soda, salt, baking powder and cream of tartar and beat well to ensure the baking powder is well-distributed. Add the flour and stir until it’s absorbed. Stir in the M&M’s, chocolate chips and cookies. Yum!

Using a heaping tablespoon, drop the cookies about 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen

As always with recipes I've done from Cookie Madness, the cookies themselves are the best - crisp outside and melting middles - due to the mixture of sugars I think. The oreos are lush - a bit strange to have another cookie in your cookie - but I like it! I ate the first one while it was still too hot. I've just munched another. Delicious - try em!

Hurry Up Snow Day Soup

I usually make soup on the weekends, so the crock pot can work its magic. But tonight, in the midst of yet another day of snow and bad roads, I decided to try a mix I picked up in the grocery store.

I sauteed finely diced potato, celery, onion, garlic in EVOO, and then added leftover chopped chicken (grocery store rotisserie ... one of the great inventions of the century). Added a box of organic chicken broth and some water. Brought it to a boil for about 5 minutes, added the mix, and simmered for 10-12 minutes. Salt and pepper. Easy Peasy and very good. Using the broth instead of the 64 oz of water gave it some depth, and the fresh veggies were perfectly cooked. For a hurry up soup, it was perfect and 4 more servings are tucked in the fridge for the rest of the week.

The delicate beauty of an apple gallette

Late autumn and early winter are the perfect time for apples (pears too for that matter), and with holiday gatherings upon us, an apple or pear galette is an easy, beautiful, and delicious dessert offering.  Plus, it's light enough to follow even the heartiest holiday meal.

The light, flaky pastry and delicate pin-wheel design are impressive.  But don't tell anyone how simple this recipe is!  Just let them think that you are a true genius!

So, here's a fun and easy dessert for a gathering of friends or a casual family affair.  Don't be intimidated by the galette pastry-- it is as simple as can be.  You may never want to see an apple again after peeling and slicing these, so if you plan on making it frequently, get yourself a good peeler/corer/slicer combo.

This recipe is rumored to be based on a gallette that the author, Christopher Hill, had at Chez Panise in Berkeley.  Whether it is or not, it's a winner and you will love it.  Scouts honor.   

Apple Galettes

You'll notice that I didn't leave the parchment under my galette here.  While the pastry did not stick, the milk with which you coat the outer edge of the pastry did!

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons (or more) ice water  (just keep a measuring cup with water and ice nearby)

1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices

     (I like to substitute 1/2 Granny Smith and 1/2 Fuji or Macintosh for a tart/sweet mix.)
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel  (1 tsp lemon extract will substitute)
1/4 cup apricot preserves
Whole milk

Blend flour and salt in processor. Add butter and blend, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and blend just until dough begins to clump together, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep dough chilled. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

Roll out dough between sheets of parchment or wax paper to 1/8-inch-thick round, 14 inches in diameter. Remove top sheet of parchment. Using bottom sheet as aid, transfer dough on parchment to large unrimmed baking sheet. Chill 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine apple slices, 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon peel in medium bowl; toss to blend. Spread preserves over crust, leaving 1 1/2-inch plain border. Arrange apple slices in concentric circles atop preserves, overlapping slightly. Using parchment as aid, fold plain crust border up over apples, pinching any cracks in crust. Brush crust with milk. Sprinkle crust edges and apples with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake galette 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking until crust is golden, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven. Slide long thin knife between parchment and galette. Let stand at least 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

For thanksgiving, I sprinkled cranberries on top for extra color and flavor, and it was delicious.