Fiesta Time: Southwestern Beef

Originally we were only going to have Pork Carnitas for our main dish. (a recipe we got from a class we took at Thanksgiving point). It was finally decided we should do some shredded beef also. It was a good thing since this was the only meat ready when we started. (the other recipe took a lot longer than anticipated) This is an easy crockpot recipe. The meat shreds easily and tastes great. This meat could be used for Tacos, burritos, tostadas, enchiladas etc.

Southwestern Beef

1 onion, chopped
2 1/2 lb. or so beef roast
1 heaping tsp. chili powder
1 heaping tsp. garlic powder
1 heaping tsp. cumin
1 heaping tsp. Kosher salt
2 bell peppers (you can use 2 green bell peppers or mix it up a little with red, yellow, or orange; just make sure one is green.), chopped I used FFT #3
1 14 1/2 oz. can Mexican-style diced tomatoes OR 1 can of Rotel tomatoes (regular or mild, depending on your preference)
Small flour tortillas
Desired toppings: salsa, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, etc.

Place chopped onion in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Combine seasonings in a small bowl and then rub seasoning mixture all over the roast. Place roast over onions, top with chopped peppers, and then pour the canned tomatoes on top of everything. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8-9 hours then shred the meat with two forks. There was a lot of liquid when I went to shred the beef so I took the liquid out. (I had used a crock pot liner) I shredded the beef and put it back in the crock pot and then added just enough liquid to keep it moist so it wouldn't dry out.

Then serve with desired toppings!

Favorite Freezer Tip: Bell Peppers

Favorite Freezer Thing #3

Bell Peppers

When I was younger, I was never a fan of green peppers. (or red, or yellow, or orange) I remember when I finally learned that a recipe that calls for peppers actually has more flavor if you actually put the peppers in it. I still don't put as much as a recipe calls for, so I always have some leftover. (or if I buy them at Costco, then I have 5 left)

Slice them up and put them in the freezer and they are there whenever you need some in a recipe. I have green and red in my freezer right now. There will be recipes where you will need fresh ones, but this freezer item has saved me many times.

Avocado Citrus Salsa

{At our house, we need any excuse we can get to enjoy the Mexicany-ness of a good fiesta. For years we have enjoyed some good food for cinco de Mayo, but this year, we really outdid ourselves ourselves (if I do say so myself). And so, we are divulging the deliciousness in our new Fiesta series. So grab some spices and hold onto your sombreros! These recipes are el mejor.}

{To start off the fiesta we are going to introduce a delectable fruit salsa to the table. I saw a segment on Studio 5 with a few recipes and knew immediately that I had to find an excuse to try them out...}

Avocado Citrus Salsa
{ingredients}
2 medium oranges, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 large ripe avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped
¼ cup chopped red onion
¼ cup snipped cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
½ teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce
¼ teaspoon salt


{directions}

In large bowl combine all ingredients. {make sure you do the avocados last, and try to mix as little as possible. you want the chunks to stay chunky...}
Cover and refrigerate 2 hours before serving. {if you are not going to serve it right away, you will want to chill it. But if you want to serve it right away, it will be more than fine.}

{Makes about 2 ½ cups.}

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

{we just got a new grill...ok, so its not new... but it is to us! My father-in-law bestowed his old one that has been sitting in the shed for years... my dear husband spent a few days getting is scraped clean and replaced the burner, added some lava rocks... and now we have a new grill! Immediately we needed to test it out, so we had a BBQ the other day with some of our friends.I ran across this recipe in my blog surfing. Turns out, this recipe came from allrecipes.com. These are easily a new favorite of ours! They cook perfectly, with great taste, and oh so juicy... mmmm... They are super easy too! So without further ado, the first of many (I'm sure) grill recipes we are proud to present!}

{ingredients}

1/2 c. olive oil

1/2 c. ranch dressing {the second time we made these, I ran out of ranch... we only used 1/4 c. and they turned out just fine.}

3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary {1 tsp. of the dried stuff works great! but it can be according to taste.}

2 tsp salt

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp white vinegar

1/4 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste

1 Tbsp white sugar, or to taste (optional) { I put some in. more like a tsp or two.}

5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into 1 inch cubes {i have yet to use that many... mostly 3 or 4 but there is plenty.}

1 dash of liquid smoke {so this is my own little addition. It just adds a little bit of smoky flavor but it is my secret ingredient}

{directions}

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the ingredients.

2. Let stand for 5 minutes.

3. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade.

4. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.{We marinate overnight... it makes them extra tasty!}

5. Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. {B. starts out preheating on high, when you put the chicken on the grill, turn it onto medium.

6. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.

7. Lightly oil the grill grate.{make sure its greased well, they stick and are difficult to get of otherwise!}

8. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear. {for us it only take 5-10 minutes... but it depends on the grill.}

**Here's a recipe card for ya!

Brazilian Lemonade

4 limes (the best ones for this recipe have thin, smooth skins)

1 c. sugar

6 c. cold water

6 T. sweetened condensed milk

Mix cold water and sugar very well and chill until ready to use. Wash limes thoroughly. Cut the ends off the limes and then cut each lime into eight pieces. Place 1/2 of the limes in your blender. Add 1/2 of the sugar water. Place the lid on your blender and pulse 5 times. Pour the blended mixture through a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher. Use a spoon to press any remaining liquid out of the blended mixture. Repeat with remaining limes and sugar water. Add sweetened condensed milk to the blended mixture. Throw away the pulp in the strainer. (Taste test the mixture before serving. If it's bitter, add a little more sugar and/or condensed milk)

Parmesan Potato Wedges

Here's a great side dish to serve with your favorite grilled meat.

Cut up the amount of potatoes you need for the number of people you are feeding (use russet, red, or fingerlings) It doesn't matter the size you cut them, but try and make them even so that cooking time will be the same for each piece.

Melt 1/3 c. butter and mix with 1 tsp. minced garlic (I used the bottled kind), 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (the kind in the green bottle), and 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning. Coat the potato wedges with the butter mix and bake in a 425 degree oven for about 30 minutes. It might take a little longer if you went for potato wedges instead of smaller bit size pieces.

I put my butter mix in a ziploc bag and then added my potatoes and shook them up. The only problem I had was that my potatoes were cold (they had been out in my garage) and the butter solidified and made it hard to coat the pieces. I haven't had that problem before.

Great served with ranch dressing

**Here's a recipe card for you!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

I HAD to make these so I could post the recipe for our family in Idaho. After going to a cooking class together we all wanted to make these cupcakes that she kept talking about. The author of 101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 minutes or less taught the class. Inside of each cupcake is a peanut butter cup. (Just make sure that if you buy enough peanut butter cups to make these twice, hide them from your 17 yr. old son)

1 box chocolate cake mix

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1 bag chocolate peanut butter cups (the big ones!!)

Mix together cake mix, eggs, and milk. Pour 2 tablespoons batter into paper liners and place a peanut butter cup on top. Fill paper liners 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. When completely cooled, frost.

In the book she suggests chocolate frosting or peanut butter frosting. I let my son choose and he wanted peanut butter frosting. You will not be sorry. It goes perfectly with this cupcake.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

3-4 Tablespoons milk or cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine peanut butter and butter in a large bowl, mixing together until light and fluffy. Stop mixer before adding sugar.

Add sugar, 3 tablespoons milk or cream, and vanilla. Start slow and mix together, gradually increasing the speed. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add 1 tablespoon milk or cream if frosting is too thick.

Stuffed French Toast

{The Macey's cooking class did one on bringing breakfast back... We were unable to attend, but we did profit in the fruits of their labors. Through a series of very fortunate events, Mom and I ended up the proud owners of a Krustbuster! ... ok so maybe I'm more proud of it, but my husband is a full supporter of this little contraption after using it. We recently did a breakfast with my brothers-in-law and their wives. We made stuffed french toast that was so good I just have to share it globally (or at least to those of you who actually follow this blog)!}


{so we had a loaf and a half of bread, and 6 people to feed on a fast Sunday... we were a little worried about how far the mixture would go, so we doubled it... unless you are going to feed an army, don't double it. It really was way too much! And the bread didn't go as far as I originally planned... so double the bread, not the mixture for inside...}


{ingredients: Cream Mix}

2 (8 oz) soft cream cheese, softened

3/4 cups sugar

2 Tbsp vanilla

1 egg

1/8 tsp salt

{French toast mixture}

eggs

milk

cinnamon {optional but very tasty!}

{toppings}

strawberries & sauce & cool whip {we just had strawberries and it was plenty for us. The mixture is very sweet so the strawberries provide a contrasting tart flavor that compliments the inside so well.}

or you could go with the maple syrup & powdered sugar option {really, the sky is the limit with these things!}

{directions}

1. Mix "Cream Mix" ingredients together.

2. Drop large Tbsp of filling in center of choice of bread.

3. Place a top piece of bread and center in Krustbuster (or sandwich press maker).

4. Push down until crust can be gently pulled away.

5. Dip in French toast egg mixture with cinnamon. Slow cook both sides on grill enough to cook inside filings.

6. Add toppings and enjoy.

{Makes 8-12 pocket French toasts using 16-24 pieces of bread}