Sweet & Savory ~~ Chorizo Empanadas

Excellent empanadas!  After making the meat and potato variety, we want to try our hand at creating some dessert ones next time around.

EMPANADA DOUGH:

• 2 1/4 cups white wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp salt, optional
• 1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter, diced into cubes
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup ice water
• 1 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Mix flour and salt together in a mixing bowl
• Blend in butter with fork or pastry blender
• Beat together egg, water and vinegar
• Add to flour mixture and mix with fork
• Turn onto lightly floured bread board or counter top
• Knead a few times to blend dough
• Form into a rectangle on a cookie sheet
• Cover with plastic wrap
• Chill dough in refrigerator

EMPANADA INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. ground chorizos
• 1 large onion, diced
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 large red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 medium sized yellow potatoes
• 1 egg slightly beaten with 1 Tbsp. water

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Brown ground chorizos with onions and garlic
• Add red bell pepper and potatoes
• Add spices
• Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender
• Cool mixture to room temperature 
• Remove bay leaf

FILL EMPANADA DOUGH:

• Divide dough into equal pieces (depending upon the size of the empanada maker you have, this recipe will yield somewhere between 6-12 empanadas.
• Roll out piece of dough with a lightly floured rolling pin to about 1/8th inch thick
• Spoon approx. 2 Tbsp. filling into each one 
• Fold dough in half
• Press edges together to seal

• Place on baking sheet
• Lightly brush empanadas with some of the egg wash
• Bake in 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
• Cool on baking rack before serving

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

• Serve with fresh, sliced tomatoes and green olives
• Serve with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream
• These are tasty enough to be served without any condiments as the ground chorizos have enough kick of their own!

STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE'S TROUGH

• This was a special treat for me as I was able to pick some tomatoes from my horse trough gardening method to serve with our empanadas.  
• Here's the link to order a copy of this 
• quick read e-book:

https://www.amazon.com/Straight-Horses-Trough-Gardening-Suburbanite-ebook/dp/B00C2YU5Z2

If you like Mexican food, you've got to try this recipe!  Give it a whirl, and let me know what you think.

Happy Cooking & Dining!

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Sweet & Savory ~~ Shepherd's Pie

With our continued snowfall, slush, and cold temperatures, a hot comfort meal is such a welcome relief!

Here's my variation of Shepherd's Pie:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1b. ground beef
• 4 medium Idaho Russet potatoes or instant potatoes
• 1 - 16 oz. can kernel corn
• 1 cup beef bouillon 
• Hot Hungarian Paprika

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Brown ground beef & add seasonings of your choice.  I used Seasoned Pepper.  Drain meat prior to placing it inside casserole or baking pan.
• While beef is browning, cook potatoes until tender. Mash them adding butter & milk.
• Place ground beef in bottom of casserole pan.
• Pour beef bouillon over ground beef.
• Spread corn over meat.
• Add mashed potatoes and sprinkle with Hot Hungarian Paprika.
• Cook for 45 minutes at 350 degrees, during which time the beef bouillon may bubble toward top of casserole or baking pan, so you have ready made gravy when the pie is removed from your oven.
• The Hot Hungarian Paprika adds a nice zest to the whole mixture.

Happy Dining as you stay warm & happy!

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Sweet & Savory Friday - Planter to Potato

I simply love being able to step outside my patio door, walk about ten feet, and snip some fresh chives for my baked potato!

In the featured photo, I cooked a medium sized Russet Brubank potato at 350 degrees for about an hour and fifteen minutes, turning it at the half way mark. After testing the potato with a knife inserted in the center to make sure it was thoroughly cooked, I added real butter, sour cream, salt, pepper, and home grown chives.  Every small scoop was scrumptious!  

To get the real scoop on potatoes grown in our great state of Idaho, please visit https://idahopotato.com/frequently-asked-questions.

Back to the chives for a moment.  Herbs are so easy to grow, especially if the area you have to work with happens to be very small.  In this particular container featured in the photo below, I have planted rosemary along with the chives. Herbs are interesting in that several of them can be grown together in a very small space.  It's best to do your homework in advance to learn which ones need more sun than others, so you don't end up positioning one that forms too much shade for another one.

If you don't happen to use all of your fresh herbs during the summer and fall months, you can harvest and dry them for storage inside air tight containers. Your winter soups, stews, and other domestic endeavors will be enhanced by your collection.

Happy Herbing & Eating!

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Sweet & Savory Thursday ~~ Busy Day Casserole

                                                    BUSY DAY CASSEROLE


Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• Seasonings of your choice such as garlic powder, seasoned pepper, Worcestershire Sauce, seasoned salt, dehydrated onion, etc.
• 1 - 14 oz. can of cut green beans
• 1 - 10.5 oz can Cream of Mushroom soup
• 1 -  24 oz. bag of frozen tater tots

Directions:

• Place uncooked ground beef in bottom of 9 x 9 inch square bake ware.
• Sprinkle with seasonings of your choice.
• Drain liquid from can of green beans and spread evenly over top of seasoned meat.
• Spread cream soup evenly over top of green beans.
• Layer tater tots on top.
• Bake one hour at 350 degrees or until tots are golden brown.

Helpful hints:

• The very best part about this recipe is that it can be assembled in about 10 minutes flat, and you do not need to brown the ground beef before placing it inside the bake ware!  This is a huge time saver to say the least.
• It's fun to experiment using different seasonings in this recipe.  I would start out using the seasonings that your family likes the best, and then add some additional ones the next time you make it.
• This is a great dish to take to someone who has just experienced a death in the family; to the mother of a newborn baby; to a potluck dinner, and so forth.
• The recipe can be made ahead of time and placed in the freezer to be cooked at a later time.
• Some people like to put Ketchup on top before eating their serving of it.
• This recipe has continued to be one of our family favorites for generations. 
• I have made this dish in a crock pot and cooked it on a low setting for about 6 hours and it turned out very well!

Living in the west, it puts a big smile on my face to be using beef and potatoes when preparing meals for my family.  

Happy Eating & Happy Reading!

This recipe is taken from the official Sheila Fabulous Collection.

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