.baked santa fe dip.

I came across this recipe in one of my magazines years ago when I lived in Hawaii. I was intrigued by the ingredients but thought I'd give it a try (I'd never made a hot dip using mayo before and had no clue what a chipotle pepper was!). I was asked to bring an appetizer dip to a church party and decided to bring this as my dish. Well, it was so good I didn't even get any because it was gone in 15 minutes. No joking! So, of course, I had to make it again at home so hubby and I could finally have some.

I have since made this dip numerous times and have had people even request me make it for parties. It is *that* awesome.

The chipotle pepper gives this dip a nice smoky flavor and the salsa (pico de gallo) on top is a wonderful cool contrast to the warm, cheesy dip. The original recipe says to serve this with jicama, but we use tortilla chips.

Here's the recipe.

In a large mixing bowl, put:
2 bags pre-shredded cheese mexican blend (8 cups total)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can corn, drained
1 can diced green chiles
1 Tbsp chipotle pepper (in adobo sauce)*
1 tsp garlic powder

*Add more if you want more heat.


Mix well and put in a baking dish. You can make this ahead of time, cover with saran and hold in the fridge overnight.

When you're ready to serve, put in a 350* oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and it's nice and bubbly.





While the dip is in the oven, make the pico de gallo.

In a bowl, mix together:
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 bunch green onion, chopped
chopped cilantro
squeeze of fresh lime
s&p

When the dip comes out of the oven, spoon the salsa down the middle of the dish. Serve immediately with tortlla chips.

For a healthier alternative, you can use reduced fat cheese and mayo. Serve with jicama or baked tortilla chips.

Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_30hsxqvtfd

Shrimp Fajita Quesadilla

My husband came home late from work tonight. I knew he would be working til 8ish but also thought he might feed himself. I thought wrong. I don't really mind though. I had to think about what I could actually make in a jif. I thought about making him an omelet. He loves those. Then I thought, "OH! I have stuff for quesadillas!"

So I rummaged around and pulled some shrimp out of the freezer, which can be quickly thawed out by running under cold water, some veggies, cheese, and tortillas. With the flash! of a culinary knife, I whipped together something pretty amazing. At least that's what the husband told me. ;)

Cut up some green bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms.

Saute in a pan with heated olive oil. Add a little soy sauce, a dash of liquid smoke, a little lime juice, a splash of tabasco, and some chili powder. Saute until everything is nice and soft and dark and ooey yummy. Actually, just before you get to that stage, you want to throw in the shrimp (chop up your shrimp first).

I used a full sized tortilla. Lay down a little cheese (I used mexican blend pre-grated... some I had in the fridge because I'm going to use it to make a yummy dip!), then the sauteed goods, and a little more cheese. Hey! We're allowed to indulge now and then.

Fold over and put in a skillet that has some heated oil in it (don't use olive oil). Fry on both sides until nice and golden brown. Remove from pan and put on paper towels to soak up any lingering oil.

I threw together some chopped onion, tomato, jalapeno, and cilantro to make fresh pico de gallo. Add a splash of lime juice and salt and pepper.

.hola amigos.

Yesterday we had company over for dinner and had a delicious fajita dinner with all the fixings. Rice and beans, sweet corn cake, flan... mmm. It was so good!


Since I adore dessert, I thought I'd start off this entry with the flan! This recipe came out of a magazine (remember my food magazine addiction?) I bought years ago. Don't know what flan is? It's a custard with a burnt sugar top. It's rich and yummy... a lot like creme brulee, spanish style. There are two things you can bake this in. A bundt pan, or ramekins. I like using ramekins when we have company because they make the perfect single serving size. I really suggest you get yourself some ramekins if you don't have any.




FLAN:

Use a paper towel and dip it in some oil. Lightly rub the inside of your ramekins or bundt pan.

Put 2/3 sugar in a saucepan and put on the stove over medium heat. Stir constantly until you get a nice amber brown syrup. The sugar goes through a couple stages before getting to the syrup. When it first begins to melt, it forms what I like to call crack. HA! Seriously.. it looks like rock cocaine or something. So if you get this and think you've messed up, no worries, my friend! You are doing things just right.

Spoon a little of the sauce into each ramekin, or bundt pan. Set aside. (Soak your saucepan immediately with hot water otherwise you will have permanent sugar on your pan.)


In a large mixing bowl, put: 4 large eggs, 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk, 1 3/4 cups milk, 2 tsp vanilla, and a dash of nutmeg. Whisk everything together until the egg is mixed in well. Ladle into your prepared dishes over the burnt sugar. Put the ramekins (or bundt pan) in a baking dish and fill the baking dish up 1" with water. Don't let water get into the ramekins. Loosely cover the entire thing with foil. Put into a preheated 350* oven and bake for an hour. When they're done, remove the ramekins from the water. Let cool a little and then put in the fridge (cover with saran first) to chill completely.


To serve: Run a butter knife along the inside of the ramekin to loosen it from the sides. Put a plate on top and then flip it over. Shake gently to release the flan from the dish.

I top this with some fresh whipped whip cream and a marashino cherry. Absolutely delicious! I know you'll enjoy this and while it's super easy and quick to make, it is a SHOW STOPPER dessert! Don't you agree?

Printable version: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_5fxwv28db

Now onto the fajitas. This is a mock recipe of Chili's fajitas. YUM! YUM! I use flank steak and chicken because we like a combo. You can use shrimp too if you want. You'll want to marinate your steak and chicken overnight. Here's the recipe:

1/4 c. fresh lime juice
1/3 c. water
2 Tbsp oil
2 clove garlic, minced
3 tsp vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
dash cayenne pepper
dash black pepper
dash onion powder

The following day, (when you're actually going to cook these) prep your veggies -- onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper. I was in such a hurry to get things done, I didn't get very good pictures. I apologize! But hey.. here's a picture of them in a baggie right before I put them into the cast iron skillet to sautee.

I prepped my things early in the day so I wouldn't be stressed out before my company got here. This is a huge time saver. Trust me.

Grill up your steak and chicken on the bbq until nice and done. Remember: Sear the meat on high on both sides, then lower the heat and the lid and let cook all the way through. The centers will be firm and non-spongy. Don't cut into the meat to check for doneness. That will cause the juices to leak out and you'll be left with a dry piece of shoe leather.

About 10 minutes before they're finished, put your veggies on to sautee in a hot skillet (I use cast iron). Slice the steak and chicken on the diagonal and then mix together with your cooked veggies.

For presentation, I like using these plastic faux terra cotta dishes. Secret. These came from Lowe's. In the garden section. They sell those fake terra cotta pots and they have the bottoms. Clean it really well and you've got a great dish to use that looks real and only cost a fraction the cost of something say at... bed, bath and beyond!














Serve with warmed tortillas, shredded lettuce, cheese, and pico de gallo. Oh and don't forget the sour cream and fresh guacamole (I make my guac with nothing but a little fresh lime juice and seasoning salt).









PICO DE GALLO:
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and pithed (that's the ribbing on the inside), diced
Cilantro, chopped
1/2 a lime, squeezed
dash salt, pepper, and sugar

Mix all of this together. I make this early in the day too so the flavors have a chance to marry.




Okay.. on to the very last dish in our little fiesta night! Sweet corn cake. You don't want to skip this. It's like very very moist corn bread.





The ingredients you'll need are: Cornmeal, masa harina (which is a mexican corn flour used to make tortillas.), cream, butter, and frozen corn.

Preheat your oven to 375*.
In a blender, cream 1 stick butter until there aren't any lumps. Add 1/3 c. masa harina and 1/4 c. water. Mix. Add 1/4 c. cornmeal, 1/3 c. sugar, 2 Tbsp cream, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking powder. Mix well.

Thaw 1 1/2 c. frozen corn. Use a food processor and pulse the corn a little. I personally don't have a food processor anymore. So I used my handy dandy Pampered Chef food chopper to break down the corn. Mix in the frozen corn by hand.



Spoon the entire batter into a baking dish and smooth out. Put your baking dish into an even larger one. We're going to steam this much like we did the flan. Fill the baking dish 1/2 way up with water and then cover the entire thing with foil. Put in the oven and bake for an hour.