Sandy's Spanish Rice

2 cups long grain rice
3 Tbsp cooking oil
3 & 1/2 cups boiling water
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cumin powder
2 chicken bouillon cubes or packets
3/4 tsp garlic powder or 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic
1 small can tomato sauce
1 small onion, diced

Brown rice slowly in skillet with cooking oil. When golden, turn fire way down and slowly* add boiling water, tomato sauce and spices. DO NOT STIR.

The more you stir, the mushier your rice will be. When it has cooked about 15 minutes, cover with tight lid and make sure your fire is on low or number 2 or 3 on knob. If it looks dry but not yet done, add a little more hot water, around 1/4 to 1/2 cup.

*Make sure you do this SLOWLY. The boiling water splashed up and burned my hand.

Sandy's Beef Enchiladas

6 dozen tortillas

Cooking oil enough to cover about 1-2 inches in skillet.
2-3 lbs ground beef cooked and browned
2 cans chili no beans I Like Wolf brand or Hormel
2 large 303 cans of tomato sauce

1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder or 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic2 med-large onion chopped or minced
1 large loaf of Velveeta (2Lbs)
1 lb of shredded fiesta blend cheese (white and yellow
cheeses for Mexican dishes) or cheddar (your choice)

Cook and brown hamburger meat, taking care to chop up large lumps. Drain fat and or rinse with hot water to remove as much fat as possible. Add chili, tomato sauce, 1 of the onions and the spices. Clean out cans of sauce and chili with about a can or two of hot water.

After stirring this and mixing well, spoon or pour entire mixture (slowly) through a colander, separating the juice-sauce from the meat. This will make your chili meat very tasty, but you do not want it to be too runny. Set aside the sauce for the topping of the dish later.

Heat about 1 cup of cooking oil till "frying hot." While this is heating, prepare a cookie sheet with paper towels for them. This will be your working space to roll them. Be prepared to arrange them in 6stacks (or 4 if you have a small cookie sheet) for easier and faster rolling. DO NOT FRY tortillas but take 2 at a time and place them in hot oil

for just a second or two then take out quickly. You just want to soften them. If you do not remove quickly they will get too hard and crispy to roll.

Place in each softened and hot tortilla a strip or two of the Velveeta, a tablespoon or so of meat and extra chopped onion IF you like onion as much as I do. You can leave it out if you want as long as it has good flavor. For those who like the flavor of onion but do not care for the onion crunch, blend it and add it to the meat mixture.
Once you have these things in the center, or actually in a row in the middle of the tortilla, begin to roll it by pulling the ingredients to the edge with the edge of the tortilla. Roll as tightly as possible and place neatly in a baking dish or plate.

If you are fixing for a crowd, a cake pan does well, or a glass oven proof baking dish. When finished rolling, spoon sauce over enchiladas generously so they won't be dry. Top with grated cheese, chopped green onion, minced red peppers, or whatever you like to decorate with. If you will put the cheese along the middle of the row of
enchiladas you will be able to see where to cut and serve the enchiladas better. In other words, leave a little on each end of the enchilada without cheese, but be sure to cover entire enchilada with sauce first. You do not want your sauce to be too thick. It should be like a thin gravy in consistency. They are wonderful on a plate and cooked in the microwave. But be careful not to overcook. Normally, unless completely frozen, each enchilada including rice and beans on the plate should not cook for more than 30 seconds. In other words if you have 3 on a plate, 1 & 1/2 minutes is all it needs, max.
For oven baking, heat oven to 375 degrees and place in oven for 15-20 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and cheese looks melted. Avoid browning the cheese or letting it overcook and become crusty. They are much better if they are hot but soft and tender, so you can cut them with a fork.

I always make plenty of enchiladas and freeze trays for another day when I do not have time to cook. These make nice gifts for busy people who enjoy good mexican food. You can choose to use the cheddar cheese instead of the Velveeta but I have had more compliments with the Velveeta because it melts and blends with the meat mixture so well. Most people do not know I use Velveeta ONLY for the inside of the enchilada. And only for the BEEF enchilada.

Serve with Spanish rice, beans, refried beans, guacamole, salsa & chips, and anything else you can think of that sounds good with enchiladas.

Sandy's Chicken Enchiladas

4 lg chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cut in small pieces (I like mine shredded)

2 medium size onions, (or one really large) minced or dices small
3 cans green chiles (walmart has their brand GV for .67 cents and they are just right (mild)
1 lg of Monterrey Jack cheese, cut in strips or shredded. Can use mozzarella if you have it.
Chicken bouillon, enough to make 6 cups of broth
1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2-3 cloves fresh garlic minced
1 red bell pepper chopped small or minced (for decor as well as flavor)
1/2 to 1 cup green onions sliced thin (for decor as well as flavor)
1/2 pint sour cream (I use FAT FREE or LOW FAT)
Corn Starch
5-6 dozen corn tortillas or 2 dozen large flour tortillas

Take the chicken and cook it first. Take out of pan to cool once it's cooked. When cool cut shred (pull apart with hands). Set broth aside to make sauce.

To shredded chicken add 2 cans green chiles and 1 chopped onion. (My hubby likes cooked onions so I saute them quickly in a teaspoon of oil or PAM.)
You can either add 2 cups of shredded MJ cheese or cut in narrow strips for each enchilada. Salt, pepper and garlic powder or fresh garlic to taste

Making sauce: (this is the secret to a good enchilada I think)
Make sure you have about six - 8 cups of liquid. Add water if
necessary. Add chicken bouillon to make a rich broth. Add 1 can green chiles, 1/2 chopped or minced onions, salt, pepper (to taste) and garlic powder. Make a paste with 1/2 cup water and 2/3 cup corn starch. When completely smooth, slowly add to the chicken broth and stir continuously until smooth and thick. Needs to be about the
consistency of thin cake batter. IF YOUR SAUCE IS TOO THIN, make a little more corn starch paste taking care to use COLD water. IF YOUR SAUCE IS TOO THICK, quickly
add water and bouillon and stir.

Heat about 1 cup of cooking oil till frying hot. While this isheating, prepare a cookie sheet with paper towels for them. This will be your working space to roll them. DO NOT FRY tortillas but take 2 at a time and place them in hot oil for just a second or two then take out quickly. You just want to soften them. If you do not remove quickly they will get too hard and crispy to roll. As soon as you can handle them, place chicken mixture and cheese in each tortilla (about 2 tablespoons) making sure you do not have them too full to roll. Roll tightly and place in a baking dish or cake pan.

Once you have rolled the enchiladas, cover with this sauce generously and then top with shredded cheese either cheddar or more white cheese) and decorate with green onions sliced thin and minced or chopped red and or green bell peppers.

You can vary this dish with green salsa added to the sauce, make them as hot as you like, or serve the salsa on the side, to please everyone.

They are wonderful on a plate and cooked in the microwave. But be careful not to overcook. Normally, unless completely frozen, each enchilada including rice and beans on the plate should not cook for more than 30 seconds. In other words if you have 3 on a plate, 1 & 1/2 minutes is all it needs, max. For oven baking, heat oven to 375 degrees and place in oven for 15-20 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and cheese looks melted. Avoid browning the cheese or letting it overcook and become crusty. They are much better if they are hot but soft and tender, so you can cut them with a fork. I always make plenty of enchiladas and freeze trays for another day when I do not have time to cook. These make nice gifts for busy people who enjoy good mexican food.

GRABBIES

(from Kim S.)

Serves 12

1 pkg. of English muffins

1 lb. pork sausage (I like spicy flavor)

2 jars Old English Brand Cheese (I buy at Smart & Final the16 oz. Kaukauna)

Chile powder and spicing of your choice

Fry pork sausage. Pour off excess fat. Stir in cheese, melted butter and Chile powder to taste-about 1 teaspoon. Mound on English Muffins cut in half. At this point you could bake them in a 400 degree oven for about 5 min. or put them on a cookie sheet and freeze them. After they are frozen, put them in a large plastic bag. Whenever you are in the mood, just grab one from the freezer (hence the name) and bake it in a oven at 400 degrees for about 10 min. Serves 12. Particularly easyfor a Holiday breakfast or morning, when you need something easy that has been prepared ahead. 226 calories, 23 grams total fat (10 grams saturated fat)

Crock Pot Breakfast Potatoes

This is my friend Melissa’s crock pot version of the MOPS basicpotato casserole…I love it because you can do it all ahead.

What you need:

•2# bag frozen hash browns

•1/2 c. chopped green onions

•1½ cube melted margarine

•1 can cream of chicken soup

•1 small jar of cheez whiz (she sometimes uses 2 c shredded cheddar cheese)

•1 sm (8oz) container sour cream

•3c. corn flakes (measure first then crush)

What to do:

1. In crock pot place potatoes. Sprinkle green onions on top. Pour ½ of melted butter.

2. Mix and heat soup, cheez whiz, and sour cream. Pour over potatoes

3. Mix remaining butter with corn flakes and pour over potatoes.

Cook on LOW 3-4 hours.

BlueBerry French Toast

(from Ruth Bingle’s red booklet)

What you need:

•12 slices white bread, crusts removed

•16 oz. cream cheese

•1c. fresh or frozen blueberries

•12 eggs

•2c. milk

•1/3 c. maple syrup or honey

Sauce:

•1c. sugar

•2T. cornstarch

•1c. water

•1c. fresh or frozen blueberries

•1T. butter or margarine

What to do:

Cut bread into 1” pieces (I just quartered the crustless slices). Place (arrange

in a flat layer) ½ of bread in a greased 9x13. Cut cream cheese into 1” cubes (I

sliced it about ½” thick) and place over bread. Top with berries and remaining

bread. Beat eggs; add milk and syrup, mixing well. Pour over bread. Cover

and chill 8 hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 min. before baking.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 min. Uncover and bake additional 25-30

min or until golden brown and center is set. In a saucepan, combine sugar and

cornstarch, add water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, boil for 3 minutes (set a

timer) stirring constantly. Stir in berries and reduce heat. Simmer for 8-10 min.

or until blueberries have burst. Stir in butter. Serve over French Toast.

Apple Pancake Casserole

What you need:

•3 tart apples

•1/3 stick butter

•3 Tbs. sugar

•pancake mix (and water, milk, oil, or eggs, as directed)

•extra touches (optional; see below)

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Peel apples and cut into wedges. In a medium-sized skillet, melt butter, then add apples and

sugar. Cook at medium-high heat until tender, about 4 to 6 minutes. Spoon apples and juices into

an oven-safe casserole dish.

3. Prepare batter for 10-12 pancakes (usually one cup of mix), following package directions. Kids can help measure and mix.

4. If you like, add extra touches to the batter. Try these ideas or make up your own:

•Apple Mania: dried apples, applesauce, cinnamon

•Brisk Weather Warmer: pecans, maple syrup

•Circus Circus: caramel candy, chocolate chips

•Comfort Casserole: walnuts, raisins

5. Pour the batter on top of the apples. Bake until brown and puffy, about 20-30 minutes.

6. Serve hot or cold.

this recipe is from Scholastic.com.

I just tried this (10-11-2006) I had some peaches that I just

bought but were a bit mealy and not great to just eat. Rather than

throw them out I decided to cook them…so I thought I’d try this.

I used 4 peaches with butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a skillet.

Layered cooked peaches in 9x13, then poured the pancake mix

over top. I used the heart smart bisquick. The pancake recipe

on back called for milk and 1 egg…make 14 pancakes…I figured

that was close enough. It’s awesome…the kids gobbled it up. It

seemed like cobbler and we ate it as desert, so I served it with

whipped cream.

MONSTER COOKIES

1 lb. butter

4 c. sugar

2 lb. brown sugar

(cream together butter and sugars)

3 lb. peanut butter (here I'm making a half batch)

1 dozen eggs

1 T. vanilla

1 T. corn syrup

(add wet ingredients, mix well)

1 t. salt

8 t. baking SODA (I took a picture of POWDER and it should be SODA.)

2 c. chopped walnuts

1 lb. chocolate chips (we like mini because they cookies slice better)

(add salt, baking powder, chocolate and nuts, mix well)

18 c. oats

(blend in the oats….you’ll need to get your hands dirty. My mixer just fits a 1/2 batch. If you don't have a 6qt mixer, your hands and a bowl the size of a kitchen sink are your only option.)

Form rolls 3” dia. and 18”-24” long. Wrap first in waxed paper, then in foil. These rolls

will refrigerate for up to 1 week, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Oh wait, using the mixer didn't save me completely. I still had to get my hands dirty. I looked like this after rolling the dough.

Slice chilled rolls 3/8” thick. Arrange slices on a cookie sheet, leave plenty of room around…these cookies grow. Decorate with M&M’s. Bake for 12 min. in 350* oven. Don’t over bake! These cookies are best when soft. If they brown, then they’ll be too crisp. Eat those quickly because they’re not good the next day.