Meatloaf

2 lbs ground beef
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2 eggs
1.5 c plain bread crumbs
1 onion (chopped)
2 -3 garlic cloves (minced)
1/4 c brown sugar
1 t kosher salt
.5 t fresh ground black pepper
1/2 t thyme
1/8 t ground red pepper (or less)
1/8 t Liquid Smoke
2 t Worcestershire

1. Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil.

2. Combine with all other ingredients, and put in a pan. I use an 8x8.

3. Brush the top with ketchup.

4. Bake at 350 for about an hour. Enjoy.

Chili

Makes: A ton (8+ persons)

Time: Start to finish 2 - 3 hrs

1 lb Round Steak

1 lb Ground Beef (80%)

.5 lb Red Beans

56 0z tomato sauce (I actually like to make my own out of plum tomatoes) 

29 oz diced tomatoes

3 T oil

1.5 large Spanish Onions

1 head Garlic

.5 Anaheim Chile (or a whole one, if you dare)

1 C Beef Broth

1 C Chicken Broth

3 t Kosher salt

1 t Fresh black ground pepper

3 T Chili Powder

1 T Cumin

1 T Mexican Oregano

1 T ground Coriander

3 T Dark Brown Sugar

1 oz Unsweetened Chocolate

1/8 - 1/4 Cinnamon (I prefer to scratch off a stick, rather than use pre-ground cinnamon)

Prep

1. Roast, peel, and gut the Anaheim chile. Puree it. If you'd like, add a drop of liquid smoke in there. 

2. I chop my garlic in the processor.

3. Beans: Soak the dry beans in 5 cups of water and some salt overnight. Cook them for an hour right before you are ready for them.

4. Cut the round steak into small cubes.

Process

5. In a large Dutch Oven, saute onions. Once they start to caramelize, add the garlic. After a few minutes, add the meat, salt, and pepper. 

6. Once the meat is cooked, I transfer this to a larger pot. Quickly add tomato products, dry spices, broth, and Anaheim chile puree. Simmer on low for about an hour.

7. Add the beans, chocolate, sugar, and cinnamon. Simmer again for another 30 minutes or so. 

 

Enchilada Sauce

Again, this is another process-based recipe. The ingredients, and their proportions, are much less important.

3 - 5 TBSP Vegetable oil

3 TBSP Flour

2 Garlic Gloves, minced

1/2 onion, minced

2 cans tomato sauce

1 C chicken brother

1 C (or more) water (you can also use chicken broth for this, too)

Seriously, don't measure this

1 TBSP Chili powder

1 tsp Comino

.5 tsp oregano

.5 tsp kosher salt (salt to taste from there)

pepper

Required part:

1. Heat oil in a cast iron skillet

2. Add flour. Let the flour brown up. You should have a nice, dark paste. When that paste starts to smell almondy, it's done.

3. Add tomato sauce. Cook for about 2 minutes

My departure from my mother

My mom does the while process in the skillet. I don't. Instead, I take the above mixture and:

4. Add mixture to a crock pot. Add in all other ingredients. Stir occasionally. Cook for at least 3 hours. 

When ready to use

Dip the corn tortilla in hot oil (yeah, you're frying it. People don't eat Mexican food because it's healthy), or heat it in the microwave. Then immediately dip it in the enchilada sauce. Then roll up your enchilada. 

Variations

I don't think there are many things you could put in the sauce that would actually ruin it. First, I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as "too many onions." Also, I usually drop some extra garlic in. Finally, sprinkle a dash of cinnamon in for good luck.

FINALLY Cookies (Modified Ms. Field's Cookies)

I've been trying to follow this recipe ever since I've been married, getting very mixed results along the way. For much of the time, I blamed poor performance on high altitude. But . . . but . . . I think this weekend I cracked the code. I didn't change the recipe, just the method.

1 C softened butter (no margarine)(don't microwave it to get it soft--it never works out)

.5 C white sugar

1.5 brown sugar

2 eggs

2.5 tsp vanilla (as always, keep it Mexican)

2.5 C BREAD flour (seriously, I think this is the most important factor--BREAD flour, not all purpose)

.75 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking powder (heaping teaspon)

1 tsp baking soda (I usually put a little less than a whole teaspoon

2 - 3 C chocolate chips

1. Cream butter. Slowly add sugar while butter is whipping in the food processor. Add eggs and vanilla.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  

3. Turn that processor back on, slowly adding the dry mix to the cookie mix.

4. Add chocolate chips.

5. Place 5 small balls of dough onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

Migas (Texican Breakfast)

1 TBSP vegetable oil (or butter)
1 corn tortilla
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil.

2. Break up tortilla into half-dollar sized pieces. Toast them in the oil.

3. Drop in the eggs. For stirring, try using a baker's spatula. I let the eggs sit for a few seconds, then scrape the bottom of the pan with the spatula and fold them over, rather than stirring. Much more fluffy.

Those Waffles My Mom Likes

Combine in one bowl:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (I've been using Kosher salt lately)

In another bowl (preferrably a food processor)

1. Marangue 3 large egg whites (set aside yolks) with 1 TBSP white sugar

2. Combine egg yolks, 2 sticks unsalted butter (melted), 1 cup whole milk, 1/2 cup cream, and 1 tsp Mexican vanilla.

3. Fold wet ingredients into dry ones. Finally, gently fold in marangue.

4. Cook. Enjoy.

Texican Rice

This recipe is process-based rather than ingredient-based. You can pretty much throw anything you want in here as long as the first few steps are followed.

2 c long-grain rice
1 white onion (diced)
4 (or thereabouts) garlic cloves
5-8 TBSP vegetable oil
1-2 tsp kosher salt
1 TBSP chili powder
1/2 - 1 TBSP white sugar
1 can of either tomato sauce or diced tomatoes (keep liquid)
1 c chicken broth
3 1/2 c water


1. Heat vegetable oil.

2. Toss in onions, coating them in oil. Let them sit until they turn translucent. I like for a few of the small ones to start browning. Towards the end of this step, drop in the garlic.

3. Add rice, coating the grains in oil. Be careful not to stir more than you have to. Cook until some grains begin to brown.

4. Add salt, sugar, and chili powder (or any other dry ingredients, like cumin)

5. Add tomatoes, broth, and water. Stir together with a few strokes.

6. Turn heat down and let simmer until it looks like the rice has absorbed all the water. It's important not to stir before this point. Gently give the rice a little stir, turn off heat, and cover. Let rice sit for about 10ish minutes (enough to finish softening, but not enough to get cold).

enjoy.