Charro Beans

When we lived in Idaho Falls, one of my favorite things to do was to meet up with a friend for lunch at Garcia's, have lunch and knit while we chatted and caught up with each other. Just good old fashioned girl time. Their gluten free menu is a bit sparse, but my favorite thing on it was the Charro Beans. Best. Thing. Ever. My favorite way to eat them was to have them start with a bowl of beans and then top them with shredded chicken, tomatoes, black olives, cheese, and avocado. Not only was it delicious, but it made for a thick & hearty lunch.  Since moving to Wisconsin, we've found a couple of Mexican restaurants that we really like, but I hadn't found any fabulous Charro Beans. So I took to the internet, asked friends on Facebook, search Pinterest and recipe sites. I couldn't find a recipe that seemed quite the combination I was looking for, so I did what any adventurous cook would do, I made up my own!  The results were fabulous and an instant hit with both me and my teen daughter. 

1 lb. dried pinto beans

1 can diced tomatoes or about 2 cups diced fresh tomatoes*

1 onion, diced

3 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced

½ lb. bacon, cut into pieces**

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1 ½ quarts chicken broth***

     Rinse beans and soak overnight. 

-       Drain and rinse beans. Fill pot (or crockpot) with beans and water about an   inch over the top of the beans.

-      Cook for a couple of hours over low to medium low heat until beans start to get tender.

-      Drain beans and set aside.

-      In same pan (if using stove top & not crockpot), cook bacon until crisp. Save about 2 TB of the drippings.

-      Add onion and garlic to pan with bacon and drippings and sauté until slightly tender.

-     Add the diced tomatoes, jalapeno, and chicken broth to the pan and then add the beans back in. Cook over low heat until tender.

-     The longer you cook them, the more the broth will cook down and thicken.

*I was out of regular diced tomatoes when I made these & substituted a can of Rotel Tomatoes instead.

**I hate soggy bacon in recipes. Bacon is meant to be crisp. When I cook bacon, I save the drippings in a jar in my fridge. I didn’t use bacon when I made these, only a couple of tablespoons of the bacon fat I had in the fridge.

***Because we’re so short on space, I rarely have chicken broth on hand. Instead I used water with Better than Bouillon Chicken Base.  

Sweet Potato Souffle

1 large can sweet potatoes (or yams) drained & mashed

1 C. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 C. milk

3/4 stick of butter (don't use margarine)

Mix all together and put into a greased 9X13 dish.

Topping:

1 C. brown sugar

1/3 C. (a little less) rice flour

1/3 C. butter (don't use margarine)

1 C. chopped pecans

Melt butter and pour over sugar flour & pecans. Cook at 350 for about 30 minutes or until the center isn't jiggly.

Mexican Rice

I've been trying for quite a while to recreate the Mexican Rice that you find at most any Mexican restaurant. I think I have finally found the right combination of ingredients and balance. Please note that I use a rice cooker when making this but I don't see any reason why you can't make it in a covered pan on the stove.

2 cups white rice
4 cups water
1 can diced tomatoes - do NOT drain
1 can diced green chiles
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 - 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
chili powder
cumin
black pepper

I don't have measurements on the spices because I simply added them until it seemed about right. I would start with 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, and a pinch of black pepper.

Add all ingredients into a rice cooker and cook on the "white rice" setting. If using a pan on the stove, bring water to a boil, add all other ingredients, reduce heat, cover, and simmer till rice is done.

Sausage Cornbread Stuffing (regular & gluten free)

I found a recipe years ago in the newspaper around Thanksgiving time for Sausage Cornbread Stuffing. I thought it sounded so good. I clipped the recipe, made it, love it, and then lost the recipe. So the following year I made it from memory and didn't really measure anything and still loved it. LOL So needless to say it has been served every Thanksgiving since then. :)

3 Jiffy Corn Muffin Mixes (1 Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Corn Bread Mix) made according to package directions the day before. You can also make your cornbread from scratch...I'm just lazy with all the other cooking I have to do for Thanksgiving and resort to mixes. :)

Chicken broth (Pacific Foods Organic Gluten Free Chicken Broth)
1 onion, diced
celery, several ribs, diced
1 lb. breakfast sausage (I like the Jimmy Dean All Natural)
sliced mushrooms, optional
salt & pepper

In a large mixing bowl crumble the cornbread. I make it the day before and don't even bother to cover it so that it gets a little stale. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the breakfast sausage. Add the onion & celery and cook till softened. Add mushrooms if desired and cook until the juices have released. Add salt & pepper. Add the meat & vegetable mixture to the crumbled cornbread and mix well. Pour chicken broth over and mix until everything is well moistened but not gloopy....don't you just love my technical terms...if you add too much broth you'll end up with soggy stuffing. Spread into a 9x13 baking dish and bake until the dressing is dry and browned on top.

Potato Pancakes

Store bought hash browns just don't even compare to these wonderful potato pancakes. This is another recipe from my grandmother, but it goes back further than her even. She grew up eating these. She said her mother always made these to serve with homemade soup. Does anyone else remember the old fashioned soup bowls with the wide rim and the fabulous soup spoons that went with them? My mother has the soup bowls and spoons that belonged to my great-grandparents and oh the memories they bring. Anyways, my grandma says that her dad's favorite way to eat potato pancakes with his soup was to put the potato pancake on the rim of his bowl and break off a little piece of it and scoop up a bite of soup with it. On a cold winter day, potato pancakes and homemade vegetable soup are the ultimate comfort food!

5-7 shredded potatoes
2 eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 - 2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup flour
1/2 onion, finely diced
cooking oil - enough to cover bottom of a skillet

Mix all ingredients well. Heat cooking oil over medium/medium high heat. Drop by rounded spoonfuls into hot oil and flatten with the back of a spoon. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Place on paper towels to drain.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Another recipe from my grandma. :) I absolutely love sweet potatoes and don't just eat them for Thanksgiving. While most people think of having this with turkey as part of all of the trimmings, it is absolutely wonderful served with roasted chicken for a Sunday dinner.

6 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Miniature marshmallows

Wash and boil potatoes. Remove skins and mash potatoes. Add crushed pineapple and nuts. Place in a greased casserole dish and cover with marshmallows. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until marshmallows are melted and slightly brown.

Scalloped Potatoes

I grew up eating scalloped potatoes as a side dish. I never seem to make them quite the same way as my grandma does....but they are delish nonetheless. Often times, I will add diced ham and some very thinly sliced onion to it and make it a main dish with a salad and steamed veggies. Keep in mind that the measurements are approximate and may need to be adjusted a little since it is one of my grandma's recipes and she doesn't measure well. She just throws stuff together and it always turns out good!

6 medium potatoes
4 Tablespoons butter
4 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
black pepper to taste

Peel potatoes and slice thin. (I leave the peel on) Make a white sauce out of the butter, flour, salt, and milk. Stir until thickened and remove from heat. Add grated cheese. Place potatoes in a greased casserole dish. Cover with hot cheese sauce. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Check after 1 hour and leave the foil off for the last little bit of baking so that the cheese can brown on top.