This recipe comes to you courtesy of my friend, Jill of Baby Rabies. She just got back from BlogHer; But back when she first started planning for BlogHer she found a restaurant in NY that she really wanted to go to for the purpose of Frito Pie. I told her it was a shame that she was going all the way from Texas to NY for Frito Pie!! haha. By the way, Jill, did you actually go get some Frito pie?? Anyway, I just could not get Frito Pie out of my head after that. My cravings for foods will go on for weeks. Most people seem to forget their cravings after a few days, but not me. Weeks and even months can be spent dreaming of certain foods. So I spent weeks dreaming of Fall Weather & camping so that I’d have an excuse to make some Frito Pie. But who can wait, and why do I need an excuse for frito pie?? I came up with an excuse anyway. Hubby was scheduled to go camping a few weekends ago while I was away at girls’ weekend with my cousins (I don’t camp when its 100 degrees outside. Its not good for my marriage. ha!) Anyway, I said scheduled because his truck broke down 1.5 hours away from home (& 3 hours from where I was which ended up cutting my girls’ weekend short). Two days and $500 later, he was without camping trip and a grumpy fellow. But he’s headed back for attempt #2 this weekend and he will be taking leftover frozen chili & fritos to make some frito pie.

Really, you can use any chili recipe you please for Frito pie. I modified my Texas Chili recipe to utilize ground beef and I changed the spices a little bit. Not a fan of beans? Leave them out. I however am generally a fan of beans so into my chili they go! The formula for frito pie is simple: fritos & chili + toppings of choice. Cheese is a must; everything else is just icing on the cake. You can even buy smaller bags of fritos and just dump the chili & toppings right into the bag! Delish!

Frito Pie

Chili:
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chiles)
1/2 c beef broth
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 large gloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ancho chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp tomato paste
Salt & Black pepper to taste
1 (15 oz) cans beans, drained (optional)

Frito Pie:
4 cups of Fritos
4 cups of chili
Garnish as desired: shredded cheese, onion, sour cream, jalapenos, etc.

To make chili: In a large dutch oven, add ground beef. Season with salt & freshly ground black pepper. Stir occasionally, until browned (drain excess fat if desired). Over medium heat, add onions & garlic and saute, stirring occasionally until softened and aromatic. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, Rotel, cocoa powder,  tomato paste and beef broth. Bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, or longer (add beef broth if needed). If desired, add drained beans and allow to simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Season with salt & pepper as desired.

For Frito Pie: For each frito pie, spoon one cup of chili over one cup of Fritos. Garnish as desired — we like shredded cheddar & diced onions.

I blogged recently about some super tasty Italian Shredded Beef Sandwiches. We love them but a 4 lb roast makes a lot of shredded beef for two people! After a few sandwiches, I’m ready for something else! I’ve been experimenting with the leftover beef and this one has quickly become a favorite. I’ve made it several times now and its a winner. Ridiculously quick & easy since the beef is already made.

Of course you can add veggies, I’ve tried peas & broccoli but neither were quite right for us. We usually leave it as a simple meat & potatoes dish and serve it up with some salad. Or if I’m particularly lazy then no veggies will be found anywhere in sight

Shredded Beef & Gnocchi

1 – 1.5 cups Italian shredded beef, warmed
~ 1 pound gnocchi (shelf stable or fresh)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
olive oil (optional)
salt & pepper

splash of cream (optional)
freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook the gnocchi according to the package directions. Drain them & return to pot.

Heat a couple tablespoons of butter (or olive oil or combination of butter/oil) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the gnocchi in a single layer and toss to coat with the butter. Cook until gnocchi are golden brown on the bottoms. Use a spatula to flip the gnocchi. Cook until they are golden & crisp all over. Season with salt & pepper.

Add shredded beef and toss. Add a splash of cream if desired (or more. If I have cream around I  use 2-3 tablespoons). Remove from heat & add parmesan cheese if desired.

I am ridiculously hooked on these sandwiches. Seriously hooked.  The slow cooked roast beef is packed full of flavor. Topped off with some creamy provolone on toasted rolls… so good!

I love how convenient it is to whip up a batch of meat on the weekend and stash in the fridge. Weeknight dinner is ready in 5 minutes when all you need to do is heat up the meat & toast some rolls. Simply perfection. I’ve been experimenting with some recipes using the leftovers so you’ll see more of those coming soon!

Italian Shredded Roast Beef

1-2 Tbsp olive oil
3.5 – 4 lb. whole Beef Chuck Roast, trimmed as desired
1 3/4 cups Beef Broth (low sodium)
¼ cups Water
3 Tbsp (heaping) Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Salt (optional)
½ jar (16 oz) Pepperoncini Peppers, With Juice

Preheat oven to 275°F.

In a heavy oven-safe pot or dutch oven, add 1-2 Tbsp olive oil. Over medium-high heat, add chuck roast. Add the roast and sear for 4 – 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn and sear the other side and then turn and sear the ends. This should take 4 -5 minutes for each side.Remove dutch oven from heat. Add beef broth, water, italian seasoning, salt (if desired), and pepperoncini peppers.  Stir to combine seasonings with liquid.

Cover dutch oven and bake in preheated oven for 5-6 hours, or until meat is fork-tender and falling apart. Remove from oven and shred meat. Return to dutch oven.

Italian Shredded Roast Beef Sandwiches
Yields: 8 sandwiches

1 recipe prepared Italian Shredded Roast Beef (recipe above), warmed
8 deli rolls, toasted
8 thick slices provolone cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. On a large cookie sheet, toast deli rolls (butter is optional) for 5-10 minutes. Top toasted rolls with warm shredded beef & sliced provolone cheese. Return to oven 3-4 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve hot.

Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

I have been on a serious mexican food kick lately. Hubby finally had to tell me he was sick of eating enchiladas. I’ve been enjoying making a big batch of enchiladas on the weekend and putting them in the fridge ready to go. Coming home & throwing them oven = easiest meal ever! I’ve been doing the same thing for tacos as well. Make a batch of meat on the weekend and reheat a few nights later and dinner is ready in 5 minutes! Weeknight perfection. What’s your favorite weeknight quick prep meal??

This recipe adds bell pepper & onions to the beef which helps bulk up the meat mixture using veggies. You could even add other veggies. I still prefer the flavor of tacos made with traditional taco seasoning, which this recipe does not, but these are good and good change of pace. Top them off with some fresh Pico de Gallo and you’ve got a great, quick, fresh meal!

Lighter Ground Beef Tacos

1 large onion, chopped
1 bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tbsp ancho chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound lean ground beef sirloin
Corn tortillas

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add beef. Cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink. Drain excess oil if desired (a little is good for the veggies). Add chopped onion and bell peppers; cooking until crisp-tender, 3-5 minutes. Add 1 cup water; cook until water has evaporated and vegetables are softened, 3-5 minutes.

Add garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin and paprika; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. To serve, spoon filling onto tortillas, top with salsa and lettuce, and fold to enclose.

Source: Adapted from Everyday Food, September 2008

Sometimes you just really crave childhood favorites. I feel like I’ve been craving childhood favorites a lot late. Perhaps I’ve been a bit nostalgic lately as I approach yet another birthday? I’ll officially be closer to 30 than 20 this year… 2-6. Its hard to believe. Remember those days as a child where being in your twenties even seemed old and was oh so far off?? If only we could slow down the clock. Time is going by far too quickly! Anyway, sloppy joes have been in my mind for months but I’ve never made them because of hubby’s dislike for tomatoes. Anything with a tomato base is tricky — sometimes I’m lucky and hubby likes it but far more frequently he’s not a fan. But I had to have some sloppy joes but none of that canned stuff. I wanted homemade so off to the kitchen we went. The result? Deliciousness. Quick & easy, and tasty. Not too sweet, not too spicy. Not too tomatoey. Weeknight meal perfection.

Give this one a try! This is one you could easily whip up over the weekend and simply reheat for a really quick weeknight meal! Oh and obviously, you don’t have to make them as sliders, but everything is more fun when its in mini-form, right??

Sloppy Joe Sliders

1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10.75 oz) can tomato puree
1 tsp mustard powder
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
10-12 slider buns/rolls

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add beef, and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink. Add diced onion & green bell pepper. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add tomato puree, mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and chili powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt & pepper as desired. Serve warm on slider buns/rolls (even better when toasted & buttered).

Source: Adapted from Everyday Food, January 2008

Work has been keeping me really busy lately. As is life, so I’ve been spending Sundays trying to cook as much as possible for the week. When I saw this recipe pop up on Sing for Your Supper, I knew I had to try it! They do look amazing don’t they?? Speaking of Amy’s blog, have you checked it out? Amy is a fellow Texan, and an opera singer & voice teacher. She has a fabulous blog with delicious eats. She won a contest recently and one of her cookie recipes appeared in the Fort Worth Star Telegram; I can’t wait to try them! Definitely pop over and check out her blog!

Anyway, back to the recipe. I knew we’d be able to get several meals out of this which makes it ideal for weeknights! It reheats really well and is packed with flavor! Top your tacos off however you like. We opted for lettuce, sliced avocado & homemade salsa (and sour cream for hubby). I definitely recommend some avocado or guacamole though, its particularly good with the pork! Check out the original recipe on Food Network if you’re looking for some slaw to go with the pulled pork!

Definitely give it a try! It won’t disappoint!

Pulled Pork Tacos

1 pork loin (~2 pounds), cut into 3-inch chunks
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth or stock
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp honey
1 orange, halved and juiced
1 lime, halved and juiced
salt & pepper, to taste
1 package corn tortillas, warmed
Garnishes as desired

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

In a dutch oven, combine the spices (oregano, chili powder, cumin), pork, onion chicken broth/stock, tomato paste, honey, orange and lime juice. Stir. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a simmer. Cover dutch oven and transfer to oven. Cook, covered, until the pork is tender and easily shreds, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Remove the meat from the dutch oven to a cutting board. Put dutch oven on stove over medium heat, and reduce the liquid until it becomes slightly syrupy, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the meat and return to dutch oven once liquid is reduced. Allow pork to soak up remaining liquid. Season with salt & pepper as desired. Serve with corn tortillas and garnish as desired.

Source: Adapted from The Neelys

So back to the series, Jill likes to say that she’s no domestic goddess when it comes to the kitchen. But I think we all have a little domestic goddess in us. So we decided, we’d create a little challenge. I’d develop the recipe and she’s going to try to reproduce the same results. So this week’s challenge will be to make homemade wonton soup. The reason I chose wonton soup is that they’re easy to make. Its rather inexpensive if you already keep asian staples in your pantry, and they’re easily freezeable.

All you need to do to freeze them, is put them in the freezer on a baking sheet lined with wax paper until they are firm (about 1 hour). Then transfer them to a freezer bag (freezing them individually prevents them from freezing as a massive clump). The cooking method will be the same, no need to defrost them. Just drop them into the broth frozen. The cooking time will be longer but they will cook perfectly!

Jill has this week to attempt the challenge. She’ll blog about her results and her experience on Friday. I encourage you to pop over there and check it out! I’m curious to see if these are kid friendly. I liked them as a kid, but I’m half Chinese! I’m guessing the little man will just eat the wontons not the actual soup but if you were going to serve the soup to a child, I’d probably omit the white pepper in the broth and just sprinkle some into my bowl. (Need a little help with folding the wonton? Check out this link with lots of different options with photos. Want to save time? Triangles will do! )

Oh, and I like to make a double batch of these since they are so easy to freeze. By doubling the recipe, it yields 8 servings which is 4 meals for this little family of 2 which is great!

Not in the mood for soup? Deep fry these babies… yum! I can’t help you with instructions for that though cause I’ve never deep fried anything… but I can tell you they’d be tasty!

Wonton Soup with Baby Bok Choy

For Wontons:
1/2 lb ground pork
1-2 scallion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1/2 tsp Asian sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
~30 wonton wrappers, thawed if frozen
1 Tbsp cornstarch + 1/4 cup cool water (cornstarch slurry)

For Soup:
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 pound baby bok choy, leaves separated and washed well
1/2 tsp white pepper
salt as desired

Stir together pork, scallions, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper in a bowl in 1 direction with your hand until just combined (do not overwork, or filling will be tough).

Put 1 wonton wrapper on a work surface (keep remaining wrappers covered with damp cloth). Spoon a teaspoon of filling in center of square, then brush cornstarch slurry around edges. Lift 2 opposite corners together to form a triangle and enclose filling, pressing edges firmly around mound of filling to eliminate air pockets and seal. Moisten opposite corners of long side. Curl moistened corners toward each other, overlapping one on top of the other, and carefully press corners together to seal. Make more wontons in same manner.

Fill a medium sized pot with 6 cups of chicken broth. Reserve remaining 2 cups of broth. Bring broth to a boil over medium-high heat. Add wontons and stir lightly to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.  When the broth begins to boil again, add 1 cup of broth. When water begins to boil again, add remaining cup of broth and bok choy. When the broth boils for the final time, the wontons & bok choy should be done. Serve hot.

Source: Adapted from Gourmet, 2004.

Have I discussed Weight Watchers lately? I’m down 24 pounds since we started in June. I’ve been very bad about going to the gym since vacation in August so the loss has slowed down significantly; I was losing ~2lbs a week in the begginning but not going to the gym has resulted in .5-1 lb losses weekly. But I’m thrilled with the results! I’m almost back to my college weight which is reason for celebration But we’ll save that for when I actually reach my goal! (Almost there!)

But I digress. Since starting weight watchers, I’ve been experiment with lightening up some of our favorite dishes. I’ve always been conscious about cutting back on oil, etc. but I’m taking it to another level now. We used to fix Giada’s Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops all the time. But then we started weight watchers and the bread coating just made them more points than I cared to consume at dinner time. So I hit the kitchen and started experimenting ways to get a similar salty parmesan type crust but without all the extra calories from the breadcrumbs. And we’ve been thrilled with the resulting recipe! Enjoy!

Lighter Parmesan Pork Chops

4 (1/2-inch thick) pork loin chops
1 tsp garlic powder
4 Tbsp shredded/grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil (more or less as desired)

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Place Parmesan cheese on a plate. Season the pork chops generously with black pepper & some salt (not too much cause the Parmesan will add saltiness). Sprinkle garlic powder evenly over pork chops. Coat the chops with the cheese, patting to adhere.

Heat oil in a large skillet (preferably oven safe) over medium-high heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, to skillet and do not move them. Allow pork chops to cook until golden brown & crisp, about 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer pork chops in skillet to oven (if not using oven safe skillet, put them in a baking dish) and bake for 5-8 minutes in preheated oven. You want them cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

We usually have these served up with some egg drop soup (made with egg substitute cause eggs make me sick!) or wonton soup. Its a quick, easy delicious meal. The leftovers are also fabulous for lunch!

Looking for some other fab dishes to pair with this? Try some Veggie Fried Rice or Veggie Lo Mein.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

3/4 lb lean ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken)
4 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp srirachi sauce
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup onion, finely diced
3 oz mushrooms, diced

butter lettuce leaves, washed & dried

In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium when thoroughly browned. Add diced onions & bell peppers. Stir frequently until softened. Add the garlic, soy sauce, srirachi sauce, ginger, and white pepper. Stir occassionally adding mushrooms. Cook a few more minutes until mushrooms are softened. Remove from heat. Serve hot in lettuce leaves.

I love burgers. I still feel like I’m still making up for the 4-5 years when I didn’t eat them in high school/early college. I get a weekly craving for them. Unfortunately, eating them weekly is not very good for the waistline. However, I have to give into the craving every so often and one of my favorites to make at home are green chile burgers. This is a very simple recipe that’s easy to cook up any time!

And now for some general tips for making a good burger:

• Ideally, you don’t want to use meat that is too lean. I prefer to use nothing leaner than 90/10… it will make a dry burger! My personal preference for balancing taste & texture with the waistline is 85/15.
• Cold meat! It helps them to keep their shape. So you want to minimize how much you touch them (warmth of your hands) and you want to chill them after forming patties and before grilling
• Minimize handling of meat (not just cause it warms up the beef) but because over-mixing results in tougher meat
• Never press down on the patty with your spatula. I’m not sure why people do this… impatience? Trying to cook the meat faster? All you’re doing is squeezing out the juices… again, you’ll end up with a dry burger!
• Grill over high heat to sear the outsides and seal in the juices (but if using very lean meat like 90/10 you actually want to cook them slower of medium to not dry them out).

Any other tips you readers have to share?

Green Chile Cheeseburgers Burgers w/ Caramelized Onions

1 lb ground beef
8 Tbsp diced roasted green chiles (fresh are much better than canned!)
4-6 large cloves roasted garlic
salt & pepper to taste
4 soft hamburger buns
4 slices Jalapeno Monterrey Jack Cheese

1 onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil

Caramelize the onions: Combine olive oil, butter and sliced onions in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook slowly until onions are a caramel color, stirring occasionally, for about 30-40 minutes. Once onions are complete, remove onions from skillet. Set aside. (If you don’t have the time to caramelize the onions or want to reduce calories, just saute them in a little oil until softened and lightly browned… they’re tasty as well!)

Mix beef with green chiles, minced roasted garlic, salt & black pepper. Form 4 patties. Chill for at least 10-15 minutes. Preheat grill. Salt burgers just before putting on grill surface and cook burgers until desired doneness is achieved, turning only once. Just before serving, place a slice of cheese on each burger. Serve on toasted buns with your choice of toppings.