Santa Fe Appetizer Tart – New Year’s Eve fare- adapted from Taste of Home Magazine

Well, my house is actually kinda quiet this morning as I edit and send this post. I love the holidays, don’t get me wrong, but all the comings and goings, all the special events, all the pressure of being jolly…. It can be tiring. I thrive on the routine I guess. There’s just one more big event to go this year – New Year’s Eve. Are you hosting or attending a party? Take this Santa Fe Tart and truly impress your friends. I hope your Christmas or Hanukah was peaceful, relaxing, full of the comfort of family and friends.  

This is a good recipe for a big crowd. It’s easy and fancy. People will be impressed. I serve this with extra corn chips and crackers, but it’s substantial enough to stand on its own. Unfortunately, I think I over baked mine this time…like a regular cheese cake, you can leave the center just a bit soft. It will firm up nicely.

Here’s what you need:

1 C crushed tortilla chips

3 T butter, melted

2 x 8 oz packages lite cream cheese

2 eggs

2 C shredded cheese (Monterey Jack, cheddar, pepper jack, whatever seems a good go-with here)

1 4 oz can green chilis

Some pickled jalapenos, chopped, add them to taste. ( I used about 6 slices)

1 C sour cream

1 yellow pepper – chopped

Minced green onions

Chopped tomatoes

Here’s what you do:

Combine the tortilla chips and butter. Press into the bottom of a greased spring form pan. I used a tart pan today and had to adjust both the amount of chips and the baking time.

Bake for about 15 minutes at 325 degrees. You should always put your spring form and tart pans on baking sheets in case some buttery goodness wants to leak out in the oven.

Mix the cream cheese and the eggs well. Stir in the shredded cheese and chili peppers. Pour over crust and bake for another 30 minutes. I think mine was baked too long….. As long as the center is set, it’s done.

Spread sour cream over the top while still warm. Allow to cool completely before removing rim. Cool overnight in refrigerator.

Garnish with yellow pepper, minced green onion and lots of tomatoes. Serves an army with leftovers.  

(printable recipe) 

One Year Ago: Scallops in White Wine ( I forgot about this recipe until just now - perfect for a lighter meal after all this heavy holiday eating)

One Year Ago:  Crystallized Ginger ('Mom, this is so Ann Arbor!")

creamy southwest chicken soup

(adapted from Cuisine at Home magazine, October 2010)

I’m the type of person who goes in and out of ‘phases.’ Just ask anyone who knows me and they’ll remember my ‘I’m going to read all the classics’ phase, or the ‘history of the whaling industry’ phase (no kidding….that phase began after I read Moby Dick). I have also become obsessed for a season with Mt. Everest and thoroughbred horses…..  Can’t say why this happens!

I guess all cooks go through food phases also; at least I do. For me, there’s nothing better than a pasta phase or a Thai phase. Well, I announced to the family yesterday that I think I’m entering a soup phase. Must be the cold snowy weather. Here is the first recipe to share.

Here’s what you need:

2 T butter

1 red bell pepper

1 poblano pepper

½ C diced onion

1 T minced garlic

1 t chili powder

1 t cumin

½ t ground coriander

6 T flour, divided

3 C whole milk (you need whole milk here because the fat content keeps the cheese from separating)

12 oz beer

1 C chicken stock

½ C dry rice

3 C shredded pepper Jack cheese

2 C shredded chicken

Garnishes: sour cream, cilantro, lime wedges, tortilla chips

  

Here’s what you do:

Remove all the seeds and veins from the peppers and dice them, but not too small. The poblano has a little heat, so determine how much you want to use. The real heat is in the seeds and veins, so be sure to remove them if you want less heat.

Saute peppers, onions, garlic and spices in butter for about 5 minutes or until veggies are soft. The kitchen smelled so good!

Whisk in half of the flour. Allow the veggies to continue to cook for about 2 minutes longer while stirring in all the flour well.

Slowly add the liquids to the pan. I suggest adding only 1 C at a time and scraping up the bottom of the pan, stirring and whisking well between each addition. At any rate, do not add it all at once – that’s how you get lumps!

Bring to a gentle simmer and add the rice. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. Don’t rush this step.

Mix the remaining flour with the shredded cheese – this handy trick keeps the cheese from separating in the hot liquid. Another trick – add the cheese in small handfuls and stir well between each addition. I added the cheese off the heat.

Add the chicken and allow the warm soup to heat the chicken. It's ready to serve. Wonderful, spicy, cheesy, comforting, rich and definitely a keeper!

(printable recipe)

I would love if you would post a link to a favorite soup recipe. I tend to make the same ones over and over. What's your favorite soup to make? 

chicken queso burger

Chicken Queso Burger

I found this recipe in the Food Network Magazine a few years ago - its real name is the 'John McCain Chicken Queso Burger.' On the facing page of the magazine was printed the 'Barack Obama Pizza Burger.' So of course, we had to try them both and have a burger cook off right here at home! I'll post the pizza burger later this week - it's really good too!

Here's what you need:

lemon

lime

orange

1 T olive oil

1/2 t chili powder

1/2 t adobo powder

(this is an all purpose Latin seasoning, probably not commonly found in the regular supermarkets. I buy mine in small, local Hispanic stores...... you could probably skip it, but do try to look for it - I also use it in my Ropa Vieja marinade....)

boneless, skinless chicken breasts

(I slice mine width-wise to make them thinner.... Don't like that thick meat in a single bite....)

pepper jack cheese, sliced

avocado

fresh tomato salsa

good rolls

Here's what you do:

marinate the chicken in the zest and juice of the citrus fruit, the spices and the oil for a couple hours

grill the chicken on a medium flame

when it's almost done on the 2nd side, put a tablespoon of salsa on the chicken and then put the pepper jack on top to melt...... this was a really nice method. I would never have thought of putting the salsa under the cheese, but it works!

I toasted the buns and served the 'burger' with avocado, tomato slices and lots more fresh salsa.

A little cilantro would be great too!