KALE , ANAHEIM & TURKEY STUFF SHELLS

:(  Sorry No Pictures. My little camera been thought a lot.  Pictures are nice, but that no reason to stop.  

KALE ANAHEIM & TURKEY STUFF SHELLS.
This recipe has a zing.   

Note: This recipe is for frozen meat too.   Don't worry about thawing the meat ahead of time. I will explain below.  
You'll need a large glass dish or casserole dish.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb ground turkey
2 Table spoons olive oil.
1 medium onion.
1 8oz can of Tomato paste
1 16oz of Stewed Tomatoes.
3 cloves garlic
5 cups of torn Kale.  Don't worry it will cook down.
4 Anaheim peppers.   Any 4 peppers will do.
3 cup soup broth or water.
1 Packet of Mccormick Taco seasoning
1 Package of Barilla Jumbo Shells
Cheddar Cheese.  YES!   Why does cheese have to taste so good?   

FIRST: In a very large pot oven or a wide pan.
 Chop up the onion and mice the garlic add olive oil.   Next Chop up all the peppers and keep in mind you don't have to be perfect just chop until they all have a uniformed and add to the pan.   Now take the Kale and chop into roughly small bite size bits add to pan.   Kale is a very fibrous and can cook a very long time with out losing it's shape and texture.   Turn the stove top to Medium high and saute all, until the kale is wilted a bit.  

Now add the 2 cups of broth to the pan and the meat either frozen or not. Don't worry about adding it at the exact moment it will all cook.   The liquid keep the meat moist and keep the bottom of the pan from burning dry and also add more flavor to the dish if it's broth.  Put the lid on and let the meat steam.  Check regularly and break meat up as it thaws or just break it up if it's already thawed.  

Chop the meat into smaller piece and add the Mccormick seasoning packet, cover again and turn burner down to low.  Stir occasionally, this can cook like this until the noodles are done.  Just watch and make sure their liquid in the bottom.  

SECOND: JUMBO SHELLS
 Fill a large pot with water as soon as you see small bubbles from at the bottom add the noodles.  Stir them occasionally.  
Why does the water boil over?  It's because the water is boiling off, when this happens add more water, it that easy.  And let it come back to a boil.  Or if your still unsure, turn the burner off all together let it settle and start over.    No need to spend $35  dollar for a special equipment to prevent boiling over.   You are in control of what you are cooking.

Have a ice bath ready to dunk the noodles in.  I like to work with them cold rather than hot.
When the noddles are done they should be al dente. They need to be firm enough to handle, but not chewy.   As soon as their done dunk them in the ice bath and turn off the meat.    Drain the grease off if you want.   I do.

THIRD:  TOMATO SAUCE
In a small pot add Stewed tomatoes, tomato paste and 1 cup of broth or water.  Turn to medium low and let cook, stir occasionally as you stuff the shells.  It should come to a bubble. 

FOURTH: STUFFING SHELLS:   
Take two shells like above and double them up.  If you have some damaged shells stuff the damaged shells into good one's do this until all the shells are doubled up.   As you make them pour the water off and put them in another dish.  If their is any odds and ends tear them up and put them on top of the stuff shells.
Now put a good spoonful of meat mixture in the shells.  It takes some practice and even I fumble, but do the best job you can.  I line them up 5 snug across.  Fill up the whole glass dish.   Next the tomato sauce should be nice and done.    Pour and spread evenly over stuffed shells.  Now using a cheese grater evenly grate cheese.  This is to your discretion.  I like using a nutmeg grater it add the cheese, but in a smaller amount. 

Cover the glass dish in foil and bake on 325 for 25 minutes.  

DIG IN!   YUM!   

 

BASIC: TORTILLA with WARMED FIGS.

 Nothing I'm mean nothing tops this for breakfast.   Warmed figs and a fresh home made tortilla.   This is to die for food.  We only have this once a year and it's so worth the wait. 

INGREDIENTS:
2 Cups fresh figs.
1 or 2 Tablespoons sugar (optional)
1/2 cup water.
Fresh Tortillas.  Type TORTILLAS  into the search bar at the top left hand corner for recipe.  





 Cut up figs and put in small pot with water and sugar. 

Cook on Medium high until water boils and stir a little. Turn off burner and spoon figs onto fresh tortilla and indulge.  

Now figs don't make a thick syrup, but do not toss the water you can still use it.

Think Figs over pancakes, Figs over freshly made Polenta.....nom nom nom.     

COCONUT ICE COFFEE

 COCONUT COFFEE

Tried this version this morning and found it very yummy.   

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup of your favorite coffee.
1 Tablespoon Coconut cream
1 Tablespoon Coconut milk
1 Tablespoon  Condensed Milk
1 Tablespoon Half and half.
Sugar optional. 

Add three tablespoons of your favorite coffee in a filter that fits into a glass.  Pour boiling water over the coffee until the cup is full.

 In hot coffee add the coconut cream.

 Next add the coconut milk

 Next add the condensed milk

Stir and cool.  Serve over ice cube. 

BASIC: IDEAS FOR LEFT OVER COLD RICE.

Having left over rice in the refrigerator or the freezer is really nice.  And it comes in handy if you have to make something really fast and be out the door.  Having rice cooked in broth and stock is the best, because of the flavor, but plain white rice works just fine too.

This recipes is just so simple.

1 1/2 cup of cold rice.
1 jalapeno. If you do not like heat add 1/2 bell pepper.
1/2 white onion.
1 Tablespoon of olive oil.
A bit of cheese.

Dice Jalapeno/Bell pepper and onion.

In a small pan add oil turn burner to medium high

Add onion and jalapeno and saute.

Add rice and Stir until rice is is very hot.   And your done.  It's that easy.

Here are some other things you can add to make it your own.
1. Scrambled eggs.
2. Chives.
3. Diced sausage.
Basically if it sound good try it.
Or have a cup of broth left, soup. :)

HORCHATA ICE COFFEE

Home made Horchata is so simple and easy to make you can do it with your eyes closed. 

It adds a very mild and smooth flavor to ice coffee.  I will have a provide more picture soon.   

Now you are going to need a blender for this one, :(   Standing over a bowl and smashing rice grain to simthereens in water is not going to work.    

You are going to need a very fine sieve to strain the liquid from rice particles. 

This make exactly two servings.
INGREDIENTS:

FOR HORCHATA:

2 Table spoons white rice.  

1/2 water for every 2 tablespoons of rice.

2 Table spoons sugar. 

(To make more just double or triple the recipe.)

Place rice and water together in bowl let sit for one hour.  After the hour is up pour all into a blender and blend for 1 minutes.  Then use sieve to strain. 

1. You can use right away.  Or if you want even more depth of flavor let set our a room temp for 2 hours then strain thought a sieve.   

COFFEE:
Please ignore the sweet milk.
Add three tablespoons of your favorite coffee in a coffee filter.  And pour hot boiling water over it till the glass is full.             

Then put in a ice bath to cool it down really fast.  As soon as it is cool.  As soon as your coffee is cool you can add your Horchata to it.

YUMMY!   

FRESH PICKED PEACH & CHERRY SMOOTHIE

 After a very hot summers ride out on the bikes this is the best thing to come back to.  So refreshing and so yummy.

INGREDIENTS:
Waring:  Cherries will stain your cloths.
2 Peaches very ripe.
2 cups cherries. very ripe.
10 ice cubes.
2 cups milk.
Sugar optional.   The fruit was so sweet I didn't have to add sugar.   But if you have to add a table spoon at a time till desired taste.

METHOD: 

With blender:
Add peaches and cherries with milk and blend till smooth

Add ice cubes and pulse on ice crush until blended in.   Pour and yummy.

Without Blender:
Cut up the cherries into small pieces.  
Put cherries in a bowl with peaches and milk and mash like your making mash potatoes.  Mash it really good.  
Now you have two options you can leave the ice cubes whole and pour the mixture over the ice cubes or you can put the ice cubes in a plastic bag, cover it with a cloth and wack it with a hammer then add to the glass.  


Either way you do it it's yummy. 

Enjoy.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS with FRESH PEACH SALSA

CHICKEN  ENCHILADAS with FRESH PEACH SALSA
 NOTE: All recipe can be either copied & pasted to search bar in the upper left hand corner. Or just typed in.
This is now my hubbies number one favorite dinner option.   If he had his way breakfast would be Avocado chocolate chip cookies, meatballs and spaghetti for lunch and enchiladas for dinner.    So here we go.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cans of tomato paste
1 16oz can Stewed tomatoes
3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoon thyme
3 cups stock or broth. Or water is fine.
A batch of Homemade tortillas.  Store bought is fine.
                 
                   TORTILLAS (full recipe)
 2 to 3 cups of cooked chicken
A bag of pre shredded cheddar cheese.
1 16oz can of olives.  I forgot to buy them
1 Recipe for  FRESH PICKED PEACH SALSA 
1 9x12 inch glass dish.

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

FIRST:  Put both tomato paste, stewed tomatoes, spice and two cups of broth, stock or water into a pot. Use a nut meg grater to grade the garlic into it.  Turn to medium high and cook until the

the tomato past absorbs the liquid. As soon as it start to spit and bubble turn it down to low and add the third cup of liquid and mix in.   This will cook on low for the whole duration of the preparation of the meal.  Stir occasionally. 








Make tortillas. 

You will need a 9 x 12 inch glass dish. Put it this way if it's oven safe and any shape it will work.  I use my glass apple pie dish some times.  And if you have two small dishes don't let that hold you back, make two batches.  Use what ever you got. 

CHICKEN!  

Dice if you want. You don't have to.  But it make it easier to spread out.

Take your cold chicken place it in small pan add a 1/2 cup of liquid turn to medium high and cover. As soon as you see steam form on the lid turn off.   Tomato sauce is bubbling away below.   It is ok to turn it off for a while then turn it back on.  

 Tortillas.  13 of them.

Cut the tortillas into stripes. This make it easier to layer them.
But cut them as you need them.

Ladle a good amount of tomato sauce on the bottom of the glass dish.

Layer the tortillas, no rhyme or reason.

Sprinkle the chicken over the tortillas.  More or less your choice.

Sprinkle the cheese next.  This is also where you would add the olives.

Next add the salsa.   Now my hubby who was suppose to save the salsa for dinner, had a salsa attack, so I was only able to add it to two layer instead of four. 

Cover all this with more tomato sauce. 

Repeat.  I did four layers. 

After the four layers were done I toped with more cheese.   Put in the oven at 425 for 15 minutes or less, or until the cheese is melted.

Whalla   This is not going to last long.   But at least now I get to have a bite. 

However if you want to make a smaller porportion.  Just stack the tortillas on top of each other and make it the same way. 





Have fun making and eating.   :)