Beef Enchiladas with Homemade Red Sauce

As I have said before...I love mexican food! I always make extra to freeze or have for leftovers the next day. I usually make chicken enchiladas, but decided to brave the beef ones today. This recipe came from one of my most favorite web sites: http://www.fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/ . She never disappoints and I love to play around with her recipes

Shredded Beef Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce:

Recipe adapted slightly from For the Love of Cooking.net
2 tbsp canola oil (divided)
2 lb lean chuck roast (I get mine from Costo...they are the best and shred the best when cooked this way!
1 sweet yellow onion, to taste
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder (plus some to season roast)
1 1/2 tsp cumin (plus some to season roast)
1 tsp coriander (plus some to season roast)
1/2 tsp dried oregano (plus some to season roast)
1/2 tsp honey
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste (plus some to season roast)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of beef broth
2 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes
 
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sprinkle a bit of chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper on both sides of the roast. Once the pan is hot, add the roast and sear for about 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set in crock pot preheated to low.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of canola oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5-6 minutes, make sure you scrape up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the minced garlic, chile powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, and honey then stir constantly for 1 minute. Add beef broth and diced tomatoes. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste and add the honey then cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
After the sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, add to the meat in the crock pot and cover. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. When meat is tender and will shred with a fork, remove from corckpot. take the remaining sauce and blend the sauce with a blender until smooth.(BE CAREFUL, IT IS HOT! and you don't want hot liquid squirting out of your blender onto your face!!)  Taste and re-season if neeeded.
Shred meat with forks.
If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more beef broth and stir to combine (I added about 1/2 cup).

Other Ingredients:
Corn tortillas
Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Cilantro, chopped
Sour cream
 
Wet a dishcloth or several paper towels and ring out. Place the corn tortillas inside and cook them in the microwave for 60-90 seconds until soft and pliable. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray then pour some enchilada sauce over the bottom. I used about 1/4 cup of sauce and spread it around. Take a corn tortilla and spoon shredded beef along the center, sprinkly some of the monterey jack cheest over top and then roll and place into the pan. Repeat until finished. Add the rest of the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas. Top with cheese then cover with tinfoil and place into the oven.
Bake for 25 minutes then remove the tinfoil and continue to bake for 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the top with green onions. Serve with sour cream. Enjoy.

Tangy Pulled Pork

This is a very super easy, super yummy go to dinner idea! Especially if your having friends over!!

Tangy Pulled Pork

1 pork tenderloin

1 C ketchup

3 T brown sugar

3 T apple cider vinegar

2 T worcestershire sauce

1 T dijon mustard

1/4 tsp pepper

Cut the tenderloin in half and place in a crock pot. combine all the ingredients together and pour over port. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Shred and serve on kaiser rolls, with melted parmesan cheese! (they would also be good with your favorite tangy cole slaw over the top!!! yum yum!

Uncle Craig's Rattlesnake Chile

This has been a long, long love affair. My husband and I have been in love with this chile since we first tasted it a little over 5 years ago. My Uncle Craig made it for us one Halloween night and we have been dying for the recipe ever since. He finally handed it over, and I literally ran to the store for all the indredients. It is the perfect recipe to kick off the fall/winter season. We had it with some navajo fry bread and followed up the meal with caramel apple cinnamon rolls. So turn on the fireplace, grab a good book and a warm blanket and serve yourself up a bowl. It won't disappoint!!


Look at the steam rising up...This will warm you down to your bones!!

We were at first coaxed into believing that this was made with real rattlesnake meat, (hence the name), and we try to keep the joke going. So make this for Halloween and let your guests in on the "secret ingredient".... :)

1 six foot rattler, skinned, boned, and de-rattled (Or for those without de-rattling skills: substitue 1 lb. lean pork shoulder, cut into bite size pieces)

1 15 oz can mild roasted green chiles

4 c. onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 pound bacon

2 T. corn meal

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (undrained)

4 T. mild chile powder

5 jalepeno peppers

1 T. cumin

1 t. oregano

1 T. smooth peanut butter (yes, I'm serious.)

1/3 oz semi sweet chocolate (again, trust me.)

1 15 oz. can kidney beans

1 15 oz. can pinto beans

1 15 oz can black beans

optional: 1/2 c. tequila

Fry the bacon until crisp, and set aside to cool. In a large soup pot, saute the onions and garlic in about 2 T of the bacon drippings until transparent. Add the corn meal and chopped tomatoes with their juice, the chopped green chiles, cumin, chile powder, oregano, and 1 cup of water, simmer for half an hour.

Meanwhile, seed and chop the jalapeno peppers (avoid touching the seeds and any part of your face or body while doing this....it will burn if you do!) Add the chopped pepper and 1/2 c of water to a blender and puree. Add about half of the water/pepper mix to the pan saving the rest to be added to taste later. Continue to simmer the chile base for another 15 minutes.

Drain the beans and stir them into the pot. Remove about 1/2 c of the chile and puree in a blender with the peanut butter and chocolate (these ingredients mellow the acidity of the chiles and allow the flavors to come thorugh, without imparting any of their own flavor). Return the blended mixture to the pan.

Using another tablespoon or so of the bacon drippings, saute the diced rattlesnake (or pork) until done. Chop the cooled bacon and add all of the meat to the chile. Simmer for another 1/2 hour, or until the meat is tender. Add more water if necessary, and add more of the blended jalapeno's if the chile needs more kick. Salt to taste. If using tequila, add at the end.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onions if desired.

*Side note: we may try ground pork next time because we weren't sure about the big chunks of meat. Or maybe cut the pork into smaller pieces.

Delicious French Dip

I love french dip sammies! They have always been a favorite of mine. I modified this recipe from one I found on http://www.allrecipes.com/. We ate it with some sweet potato fries and lots of Au Jus....

French Dip with Au Jus

3-4 lb beef roast

1 onion thinly sliced

1-2 cloves garlic, smashed and skins removed

1 T. tomato paste (or ketchup)

2 T. worcestershire sauce

2 cans beef broth

2 cans beef consumme soup or 2 cans french onion soup

1 12 oz bottle or can of beer (don't freak out - the alcohol cooks out, and the flavor it makes is to die for!!)

Season the roast with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Add the roast and all the rest of ingredients to your favorite crock pot and cook on low for about 7-8 hours. (until you can shred the roast with a fork). Shred the roast and put back in the Au Jus.

Hoagie rolls

melted butter

provolone cheese, sliced

Split Hoagie rolls, brush with melted butter and broil in oven until lightly toasted. Add provolone cheese and continue broiling until melting (1 or 2 minutes). Place shredded beef on each hoagie and serve with juices left in crock pot for dipping!

Crock Pot Chicken Cordon Blue

I made this for Sunday dinner and it was wonderful! We had mashed potatoes and green beans on the side!

6 chicken breasts - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
6 thick slices swiss cheese
6 slices deli shaved ham
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. Italian flavored bread crumbs

Place slice of cheese and ham on each chicken breast. Roll up and secure with toothpick, place in bottom of crock pot. Mix soup and milk. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.