If you aren’t familiar with Chilaquiles, it’s kind of like a sloppy version of nachos. In my opinion, it’s Mexican comfort food at its finest. Traditionally, you’d take some corn tortillas, cut them into quarters and fry them to make the “chips”. But, if you have a bag of corn tortilla chips, you can just use those – which is what I did for this dish.
It’s a really easy dish to make and it doesn’t take very long at all to put it together. There are different versions using either red or green enchilada sauce.
This is one of those dishes you can have for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a late-night snack. I hope you’ll try making this dish and let me know how it turns out!
Three 5-inch corn tortillas, cut into quarters OR bag of pre-made corn tortilla chips
Avocado oil, for frying if you are making your own chips
15 ounce can green or red enchilada sauce
2 Tbsp butter
2 large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese
2-3 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
2-3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2-3 Tbsp of your favorite salsa
2-3 Tbsp of sour cream
Instructions
1
If making your own chips, heat the oil to 350 degrees
2
Carefully add some chips to the hot oil, cook about 1 1/2 min and then turn them over
3
Once browned to your liking remove them from the oil and put them on a baking sheet or plate lined with paper towels
4
Heat the enchilada sauce over medium heat until hot
5
In a separate pan, melt the butter over medium heat
6
Crack the eggs into the skillet and fry until fully cooked. You can either cover the eggs with a lid to finish cooking the top side of the eggs or flip them to finish cooking
7
Season the cooked eggs with salt and pepper to taste
8
While the eggs are cooking, start assembling the chilaquiles
9
In a shallow 1 quart dish, put a layer of the tortilla chips down, sprinkle them with about half of the cheese
10
Pour enough of the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and cheese to cover most of the chips
11
Add the remaining chips in an even layer
12
Top with the remaining cheese and more sauce (use as much or as little as you like)
13
Top with the fried eggs, red onion, cilantro, salsa and sour cream
I’ve made a few variations of this dish over the years, but think this one is the best.
Pad Thai comes together pretty quickly, once you start cooking, so I highly recommend pre-measuring your ingredients and having everything ready to go for the pan/wok. I used a wok to make this dish. Why? Because of the shape of the vessel, it has different temperature zones – hottest at the bottom of the wok and then progressively cooler up the sides. This is a great advantage to a pan where the flat bottom of the pan is mostly the same temperature. As a result, once one component of the dish has cooked to your liking, you can push it up the side of the wok and put in another ingredient. Depending on what you’re cooking, if you are using a flat bottomed pan, you may need to remove that item to prevent it from overcooking.
Assuming you have all the ingredients, you could easily make this dish in an hour. I really recommend making your own sauce vs buying a pre-made sauce. If you’re just getting started cooking, by all means use a store bought sauce. That said, you’ll probably be happier if you take the time to make your own. Feel free to tweak the recipe to your liking when making the sauce.
1-3 Tbsp sriracha sauce (depending on how hot you want it)
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
3 Tbsp oil (avocado or any high-temp oil. Please avoid vegetable, canola, and other seed oils - they are the devil)
1/4 cup cubed extra-firm tofu cut into 1 in cubes
6-8 oz chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 in pieces
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 large egg beaten
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 cup mung bean sprouts
3 thin scallions, cut diagonally into 1 in pieces
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
lime wedges for serving
Instructions
1
Cook the noodles per the package directions
2
For the sauce:
3
Stir together the fish sauce, brown sugar, tamarind paste, sriracha, and lime juice in a small bowl until well combined
4
For the stir fry:
5
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium heat
6
Add the tofu and cook until lightly browned, about 4-5 minutes
7
Push the tofu to the side, allowing the excess oil to drip down into the middle of the wok/skillet
8
Add the chicken and shallots, cook while stirring until the chicken is opaque and cooked through, about 30 seconds to a minute (depending on how small you cut the pieces and the temp of your pan)
9
Add the beaten egg, stir to essentially make scrambled eggs, about 30 seconds
10
Push the egg to the side with the chicken and tofu
11
Add the red bell pepper and cook about 2 minutes
12
Add the cooked noodles, bean sprouts, scallions, and sauce to the skillet
13
Stir to combine everything, ensuring everything gets coated with the sauce
14
Simmer 3-5 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken
15
Once finished, put everything on a serving plate topped with the chopped peanuts and cilantro leaves
On the menu tonight – Gyro-style hamburgers with Tzatziki sauce and grilled onions!
Gyros are typically made with lamb meat or a mixture of lamb and beef. I didn’t have any lamb, but I DID have goat meat. Before you scrunch your face at goat meat, I encourage you to expand your culinary horizons and try it. I did a mix of ground goat and ground beef. It was fantastic! I had a bite of a burger, by itself, to see how I would like (or not) the goat. I really enjoyed it. Because of the mint and the other spices in the meat mixture, it all came together really well.
The next time you are grilling, I encourage you to try something a little different than the classic (but delicious) hamburger. Make these burgers along with some curly fries seasoned with seasoned salt and you’ll be living large!
Gyro-Style Grilled Hamburgers with Tzatziki Sauce and Grilled Onions
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...
Gyro-Style Grilled Hamburgers with Tzatziki Sauce and Grilled Onions
Ingredients
1 1/2 lb ground lamb (ground goat or beef, OR a mix of ground beef and your choice lamb and goat)
2 tsp ground coriander
3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for the skillet/grill grate
1 large red onion, sliced into 4 thick slices
Tzatziki Sauce:
8 oz Greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup minced cucumber
1 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill (use dry dill if that's all you have, but use less as the flavor is concentrated in dry herbs)
1 Tbsp freshly chopped mint leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For Serving:
4-6 pieces of pita bread
chopped tomato
chopped romaine lettuce
Instructions
1
Pre-heat the pan or grill to med-high heat
2
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meat, coriander, and mint
3
Form the meat into patties, about 4-6 oz each
4
Season the patties with some salt and pepper to taste (both sides please)
5
Cook the patties for 3-5 minutes, ensuring there is a nice crust before flipping (don't mess with it! Put on the grill and leave it alone for the 3-5 minutes)
6
Flip the patties and cook for 2-3 more minutes on the other side
7
Remove the burgers from the heat and let rest 3-5 minutes before serving.
8
Drizzle the onions with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper
9
Grill on one side 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes (this is personal preference. you can grill as much or as little as you like)
10
The Tzatziki sauce:
11
Add the yogurt, minced garlic, lemon zest, cucumber, dill, and mint to a large bowl and mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings
12
Put it all together:
13
Depending on the pita you buy, cut it in half so you can put the burger in the pocket along with some tzatziki sauce, lettuce, tomato, and whatever else you may want.
On the menu tonight – Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup with Brisket!
I saw this dish on Diner’s Dives and Drive-ins and thought it looked and sounded great. Guy was at a deli, Sherman’s Deli & Bakery in Palm Desert, and this was one of the dishes they featured. I already had some pre-cooked brisket on hand and figured I had to make it.
When I saw how easy it was to make, I figured I would have to give it a try. The only thing you have to cut is the cabbage and the brisket. Everything else is just measure and put in the pot.
The next time you’re looking for looking for a comforting bowl of soup, I hope you will give this one a try!
As it turns out, this is a pretty easy dish to make. You may have to go to a Mexican grocery store or order the guajillo and pasillo peppers. Otherwise, you probably have what you need to make birria. For my first try, I used beef for the protein (one day I may try the goat). Even using beef, you have choices to make. You can use chuck roast or short ribs. You want some fat as it’s delicious and you’ll use the rendered fat later in the process.
Take the time to lightly toast the peppers and garlic to develop richer, deeper flavors. That process goes pretty quickly. Soak the peppers in hot water for about 10 minutes after you toast them. You’ll use a high power blender (like a Vitamix), to blitz the peppers, water, and garlic. If you don’t have a Vitamix, blend as best you can, and then strain the liquid as the pepper pieces (say that ten times) can be kind of leathery. Add some salt, Mexican oregano, and cumin to the peppers and garlic.
Once you have the marinade ready, pour it over the beef, add three cups water and one cup beef broth (I used Better Than Bouillon with a cup of water). Put it in the oven for three hours and you’re most of the way there.
This is a really easy to put together meal and it tastes SO good and so much better than the drive-thru tacos.
It doesn’t require any special spices or ingredients. You probably have everything you need in your pantry and spice rack. The entire meal comes together in about 40 minutes, including prep work.
The next time you are craving Mexican food, I hope you’ll try my Beef Tacos!
I love pierogi! There’s something great about the browned butter, sauteed onions, the slight crisp on the outside and the pillowy goodness inside. But, unless you have a machine or some help, they can be time consuming to make – especially the filling and folding part of the process.
Since nobody in my immediate circle is making pierogi for me and since there isn’t a restaurant nearby that serves them, I figured I better get to it and make some!
After suffering from severe analysis paralysis on how to make the dough, I ultimately went with one of the simplest dough recipes I could find. The recipe claims it’s grandma’s recipe. I can’t vouch for the validity of that, but I can say that I was really happy with the way they turned out. There were recipes that used a whole (beaten) and others that use a whole egg and an egg yolk. Some used a leavener and others didn’t. Grandma’s recipe used a single egg and no leavener – keep it simple, right?
Once the dough dilemma was solved, what would I fill them with? I opted for a potato, cheese, and onion filling. I saw recipes that included sauerkraut, and other things. I’d like to try the sauerkraut version, but that will have to be another time. Today, it was the potato, cheese, and onion filling.
With the decisions locked in, it was time to cook! I made the mashed potatoes first. Russet potatoes are the preferred type for pierogi – at least according to all the recipes I looked at. I didn’t skimp on the butter, sour cream, etc. I wanted the most decadent mashed potatoes I could make. For the cheese, I went off script and used Velveeta. While it isn’t traditional, it melts fantastically. I also added sauteed onions to the potato mixture. I did a fine dice on the onions and got them nice and brown with some crispy bits in there too.
When I made the dough, another decision I had to make was hand kneading or stand-mixer kneading. After all the other work that goes in to making this dish, I took the help from my stand-mixer for kneading the dough. After letting it rest, I rolled it out as thin as I could get it and used a 3″ biscuit cutter to cut my rounds. There’s some mild debate about the size cutter, but 3″ seems to be the most popular. By all means, use whatever size cutter YOU like! 🙂 Just know that your cooking time may vary a little depending if you go bigger or smaller.
Pierogi dough
Since this was my first batch, I went pretty small – 2 cups of flour. That yielded 20 pierogi for me. I still have a LOT of filling left, so I guess I’m making more soon and put in the freezer. If you haven’t made these before, I’d recommend going with a small batch to get your process down. As an example, once you cut the dough round, how will you fill it with the potato mixture? I used a couple of spoons to meter out the proper amount. I have a small ice cream scoop that I use for cookies, but it was a little too big for this application. I think the next time I make them, I’ll put the potato mixture in a ziplock bag, cut a corner off and use it like a piping bag.
Sealing the pierogi. Oh man… you can’t over-fill them or you have a big mess in the boiling water. So, start on the light side of how much filling you add. I stretched each dough round a little bit by hand, kind of like a very small pizza, to hedge my bets on the filling fitting without being too much. I started by folding it over in the middle. I let the weight of the filling stretch the dough a little more, which gave me some wriggle room to pinch more of the little dumpling closed. One closed all the way, I set it down on a parchment lined baking sheet and crimped it with a fork to seal it really well. Oh, I went round and round on whether to use water or an egg wash on the inside edges to help seal it. I went rogue and didn’t use ANYTHING!
When cutting the rounds out with the biscuit cutter, you want to get as close as you can to the edges of the dough and the edge of your last cut. Why? Because once you cut as many rounds as you can with your biscuit cutter, you’ll want to gather up the remaining dough and roll it out a second time to get some more dough rounds.
Once all the pierogi have been assembled and crimped, I put them in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes. I used that time to clean up a little and get the water boiling. I also cut some onion slices to saute in butter and serve over the cooked pierogi.
Sealed Pierogi
After reading all that I went through, you can see that this is NOT a 30 minute meal. If you can get some kitchen help to take on any of the tasks, it will go much quicker. Once you get the process down, I’d recommend making bigger batches so you can freeze some for another time.
The next time you are craving some delicious pierogi – I hope that you will try my recipe!
5 or 6 Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized pieces for boiling
1 Vidalia onion
1/2 cup of whole milk
4-6 ounces of Velveeta cheese (I cut three or four thick slices with a wire cutter and then cubed that)
1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for serving
4 ounces (half a stick) of butter
2-3 Tbsp Kosher salt
1-2 tsp white pepper
Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 whole egg, beaten
1/8 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 cup water (you may need more or less depending on the humidity)
Instructions
1
Fill the pot you intend to cook the potatoes about half way with water
2
Peel and cut the potatoes to size and then put them in the pot
3
Once all the potatoes are in the pot, put on high heat and bring to a boil
4
Reduce the heat to a strong simmer and cook until the potatoes are fully cooked, approx 6-8 min from reducing the heat (test with a fork, it should go in easily without breaking up the potato)
5
While the potatoes cook, I prepared the onion and cheese.
6
In a medium saute pan, over medium heat, I added about a tablespoon of butter and the diced onions
7
I cut the Velveeta into cubes
8
When the potatoes are finished cooking, drain them. I dump the water and potatoes in a colander so that I can add the milk to the pot (you really should heat the milk first, but I was already using enough pots and pans). Start with about about 1/4 cup of the milk and add the butter to the pot
9
Use a ricer to rice the potatoes into the pot with the milk and butter (if you don't have a ricer, just put the potatoes back in the pot and use a potato masher. The ricer just ensures a really creamy mashed potato)
10
Mix the milk and butter with the potatoes. Add the sour cream and cheese, then mix to combine
11
At this point add the white pepper, and see how the consistency is. If it's too thick, add some more of the milk
12
Add the sauteed onions to the potato mixture and incorporate those as well
13
Taste and see if it needs anything, like more salt
14
Once it tastes how you want it, start on the dough and allow the potatoes time to cool a bit
15
In a stand-mixer with the dough hook, add the flour, salt, egg, and about half of the water
16
Turn on the mixer on low to incorporate the ingredients, adding water to get the proper consistency. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the mixer
17
Knead in the mixer until the dough is firm and well mixed, for about 5 minutes
18
Let the dough rest at least 10 minutes
19
Put the dough on the counter top and start rolling it out to about 1/8" thickness
20
Once it's rolled out, start cutting the dough rounds with your biscuit cutter
21
Before you fill, I gently stretched the round out a little bit bigger to make sure I had some room to seal the edges
22
Using a teaspoon, gently put a small dollup of potato mixture on the cut dough and begin sealing it.
23
I folded the round in half and let the weight of the filling stretch it out a little bit more. Then, I worked my way down each side, pinching it closed
24
I put the now-sealed pierogi on a parchment lined baking sheet and sealed it one more time with a fork
25
Continue until all the dough has been used
26
Once finished assembling, put the baking sheet in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes. At this point, you could freeze them (Leave on the baking sheet until fully frozen before transferring to a baggie)
27
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add 2-3 tablespoons of Kosher salt
28
Using a spider or slotted spoon, gently lower the pierogi in the boiling water and let them cook for 3 - 4 minutes.
29
While they boil, pre-heat a medium saute pan with a tablespoon of butter and about a quarter of an onion halved and thinly sliced
30
When the pierogi have finished boiling, use your spider to remove them and add them directly to the saute pan
31
Cook them until you get a little golden crust on one side (I like to crisp up both sides)
32
Once they are cooked to your liking and the onions have browned a little, remove from the heat and serve
33
I always have some sour cream to put on the plate along with the pierogi.
On the menu tonight – Mongolian Beef! I’ve been working on recreating my Chinese take-out favorites and tonight I tried my hand at Mongolian Beef. It was pleasantly surprised how close this version turned out to the go-to take-out place near me.
There are definitely more steps to this than the usual types of dishes that I cook. Don’t get intimidated, try it!
My biggest tip in making Mongolian Beef is cutting the meat into smaller, bite-sized pieces. If you think about what you get at a restaurant or your favorite take-out place, you don’t need a knife to cut the meat into smaller pieces. While I thought about that as I was making this dish, the pieces of meat were still too big. Smaller pieces of meat means that they are going to cook quicker, so be careful not to obliterate the meat when you cook.
Prepare the meat by slicing it in to bite-sized pieces. Be sure to cut across the grain
2
In a medium sized mixing bowl, add In a bowl, add the baking soda, cornstarch, water, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, tamari, and white pepper powder. Mix them thoroughly.
3
Add the sliced beef, mix thoroughly until all the beef is coated with the marinade
4
Prepare your vegetables:
5
Cut the onion in half and then cut each half into 1/4 inch slices
6
Cut the scallions in to 1" long pieces, recommend cutting on the bias
7
Smash, peel, and mince the garlic cloves
8
Cut the bell pepper in to strips
9
Make the Sauce:
10
In a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, light and dark soy sauces, chili sauce, sugar, and mirin
11
Stir and combine thoroughly
12
Lets Cook!:
13
Pre-heat your wok or large pan over high heat
14
Add the beef and fry it for about 90 seconds. The meat should be cooked through and a little crispy
15
Turn off the stove and remove the beef to a clean tray or bowl, do not let it sit in a puddle of oil, it needs to drain
16
Pour any leftover oil in the wok to a container for reuse at another time.
17
Cook the rice:
18
Add the package of rice to the microwave and cook according to package directions
19
Turn the stove back on to high heat
20
Add the garlic, dried chili pepper, onion and green onion whites, cook for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes
21
Add the beef to the wok and cook an additional 30 seconds to a minute
22
Stir in the sauce as well as the green parts of the green onion
23
Cook for an additional 30 seconds to a minute, then cut the heat
24
Finish with a drizzle of the sesame oil (1 Tbsp), mix to combine
This recipe came from my wife’s grandmother. She would make this dish during Passover and Hannukah. It calls for mazto meal instead of bread crumbs along with an egg for the binder.
While there aren’t a lot of ingredients, it’s full of flavor from the spinach, onions, and seasoning. It’s so good that you could use this as a side dish during Thanksgiving (anytime really), or by itself as a light lunch.
I hope that you will give this dish a try. Let me know how your version turns out!
Thaw the spinach and squeeze out the excess water using a clean kitchen towel
2
Pull apart the now compressed spinach in to a large mixing bowl
3
In a 12" skillet, pre-heat over medium heat
4
Add the olive oil and the diced onion
5
Saute the onions until translucent
6
Season with a little salt and pepper
7
Once cooked, cut the heat and set aside to cool
8
Add the cooked onions to bowl with the spinach
9
Season with salt, pepper, and onion powder
10
Add the matzo meal, beaten egg, and stir to combine
11
Bring the skillet back to med or med-high heat along with some olive oil
12
Spread out the spinach mixture in the pan and press it down with a spatula
13
Have a dinner plate or something similar near by in order to help you flip the mixture over
14
Cook the mixture for 5-8 minutes. At the 5 minute mark, gently lift up a section to see if it has browned sufficiently. You want it to be lightly browned
15
Once you are satisfied that side has cooked enough, carefully put your dinner plate on top of the spinach and turn it over
16
Take another look at the pie, it should be lightly browned
17
Add a little more oil to the pan and then gently slide the pie back in to the pan to cook the other side
18
Gently press down on the mixture with the spatula
19
After another 5-8 minutes, take a peek and see if it has cooked to your liking
20
Once done use your plate again to take the pie out of the pan
21
Season immediately with a little salt and freshly ground pepper
On the menu tonight – Chicken Broccoli and Cheese Casserole!
If you are looking for a relatively quick meal to put together for your family or party, this one is for you!
For the chicken, you can use a rotisserie chicken (one of my favorite shortcuts!), and for the broccoli, you can use either frozen or quickly blanch a few broccoli heads. This dish also calls for a cup of rice. This is the perfect application for microwave rice as it’s going to get mixed in with all the other ingredients. If you haven’t seen it, microwave rice comes in 8.5 oz packets. To prepare it, you break up the rice in the packet, then tear open a little bit of each side of the top to allow steam to escape during cooking. Microwave for 90 seconds and you’ve got the rice you need! There are several different flavors, so depending on what you’re making, they probably have the type / flavor of rice you need.
Aside from chopping the rotisserie chicken and broccoli in to bite-sized pieces, there isn’t much else to do other than put it all in a 13×9 casserole dish.
The next time you need dinner in a hurry, try my Chicken Broccoli and Cheese Casserole!
1 Rotisserie chicken - deskinned, deboned, and chopped in to bite-sized pieces
2-3 broccoli heads (about 20 oz), chopped in to bite-sized pieces (use or don't use the stems, it depends if I feel like chopping the stems down to size)
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, smashed
1 stick of butter, melted
1 can cream of mushroom soup
dried onions, the kind you would use for green bean casserole
1 cup (approximately) of Parmesan cheese
1 cup white rice, recommend microwave rice
1/2 lb of Velveeta cheese, sliced
Instructions
1
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
2
Chop the rotisserie chicken
3
In a large pot, filled about 1/2-3/4, and bring to a boil
4
While the water heats up, prepare the broccoli (if using fresh)
5
Put the Ritz crackers in a large ziplock bag and smash them into very small pieces
6
Cook the microwave rice per package instructions (about 90 seconds)
7
Spray the casserole dish with non-stick spray or coat with butter
8
Blanch the broccoli for about a minute to 90 seconds
9
Remove the broccoli from the pot and put in the casserole dish
10
Add the chopped chicken and about half the Parmesan cheese along with the cooked rice
11
In a large mixing bowl, combine the crushed crackers with the melted butter
12
Add about half of the butter/cracker mixture to the casserole dish
13
Mix all the ingredients in the casserole dish to combine
14
Top the mixture with the cheese slices and the rest of the butter/cracker mixture
Loading...
