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Mexican Fiesta

My family’s request for Christmas. Here are the recipes I like to use (not all in the same year!). Amounts in italics are for 12 adults and 5 little kids.

 

Day before serving:

  • Bag some ice to make room for the ice-maker to make more
  • Make marinade for carne asada and/or pollo fajitas
  • Make refried beans
  • Make enchilada casserole
  • Make carnitas if making from scratch

 

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Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Makes about 24 irregularly shaped cookies. Recipe from Rose’s Wheatfree Bakery in Chicago.

Cookie base ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour mix
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powde
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 Tbs water
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp peppermint extract (optional)

Topping ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup (about 5 ounces) crushed peppermint candy (crush in a plastic bag with a rolling pin)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the cookie base. In a medium bowl, stir the flour, baking soda and salt together. Sift the cocoa powder into the flour mixture and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl using an electric mixer on low speed, mix the melted butter, granulated, sugar, brown sugar, water and vanilla until smooth about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the flour mixture, mixing just until the flour is incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  3. Using a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, spread half of the dough on to a cookie sheet leaving a 3 inch border on all sides. Use the palms of your hands to help pat it into an even layer. It should be about a 1/4 inch thick and about 11 by 8 inches rectangular shape. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough on the second baking sheet.
  4. Bake one baking sheet at a time until the top looks dull, not shiny and feels evenly firm at the edges and center, about 14 minutes. As soon as each baking sheet comes out of the oven, sprinkle 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips over the cookie slab. Let the chocolate chips sit for 5 minutes to soften and melt. Then use a small metal spatula to spread the chocolate over the cookie, covering most of the cookie. While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle half the peppermint candy evenly over the slab.
  5. Let the cookie bark cool on the baking sheets on a wire rack until the chocolate topping is firm, about 2 hours. The cookie will become crisp as it cools Break each cookie slab into about twelve 5 to 6 inch irregular pieces. The cookies can be stored between sheets of wax paper in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
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Feta and vegetable frittatas in muffin cups

Adapted by LKD from a WW recipe

  • 1/2 c. chopped onions
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 8 eggs
  • Splash of milk
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
  • 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1 can artichoke hearts (in water), drained and chopped
  • 6 oz. pkg fat-free feta crumbles (from TJ’s)
  • 1 c. chopped roasted red peppers (packed in water)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Saute onions in olive oil until translucent. In mixing bowl, whisk eggs and milk. Stir in remaining ingredients and onions. Grease 16 muffin cups (part of two muffin tins). Ladle about 1/4 cup of mixture into each. Pour about 1/2″ of water into each empty cup. Bake until just set, about 18 to 22 minutes. Cool pans on wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen edges of frittatas with a rubber spatula, sliding underneath frittatas to loosen bottoms and lift the muffins out of pans.

Keeps well for several days in covered container in the fridge.

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Corn bread – my new favorite recipe

From How to Cook Everything – the Basics, by Mark Bittman. This is a not-too-sweet, moist, crunchy mix with a nice proportion of cornmeal to flour.

  • 1 1/4 c. milk, warmed to 100 degrees
  • 1 Tbs. white vinegar
  • 1 1/2 c. cornmeal
  • 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbs. sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 Tbs. butter, melted
Heat oven to 375. Grease 8×8″ baking dish or 12-hole muffin tin.
Stir vinegar into milk; let sit a few minutes.
Whisk dry ingredients together in mixing bowl. Mix eggs into milk mixture and stir into dry ingredients. Mix just enough to combine everything.
Stir in melted butter; avoid over-mixing. Pour into prepared pan. bake 20 minutes for muffins, 25-30 minutes for corn bread.
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Golden Cheese Wheel

Dough

  • 1 pkg. active dry yeast
  • 2/3 cup warm water
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbs. olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt

Filling

  • 1 beaten egg
  • 3 c. (12 oz.) shredded muenster cheese
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
  • 1/8 tsp. pepper

For baking

  • 1 more egg, slightly beaten
  • 1 tbs. water

Soften yeast in warm water. Beat in 1 cup flour, oil, sugar, salt. Stir in enough remaining flour to make moderately stiff dough. Knead 5-8 minutes. Cover; let rise about 1 hour. Punch down; divide into two portions. Cover; let rest 10 min. Roll one portion to a 13″ circle. Please in greased 12″ pan.

Combine beaten egg, parsley, cheese, garlic salt, pepper; spread over dough in pan. Roll remaining dough into 13″ circle; place over filling; trim and flute edges. Prick top with fork in several places. Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; brush top with egg-water mixture. Return to oven; bake 12-15 minutes more. Cut in narrow (16 to 20) wedges; serve hot.

Adapted slightly by LKD from recipe from Kathy Kohl, 1977

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Thanksgiving dinner notes

Turkey
Dry brine a Ho-Ka turkey using this recipe: https://food52.com/recipes/15069-russ-parsons-dry-brined-turkey-a-k-a-the-judy-bird

Order the turkey from Nature’s Best for pick-up on Monday before Thanksgiving. 2019 note: For 10 people, buy a 12# turkey. I was able to fit (barely) a 17lb turkey into the metal 9 x 13 pan for the drying phase in the fridge. A 17lb turkey took about 3 hours total roasting time. Save the carcass, skin, wing tips, etc. for stock.

Stuffing
Regular stuffing: “Simple is Best” Dressing. Make a day ahead and bake the first time following instructions. Bake the 2nd time after the turkey is out of the oven.

Cornbread stuffing: Make cornbread muffins on Tuesday and cut into cubes. Cut wheat bread into cubes. Bake all the cubes at 250 degrees for several hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so, to thoroughly dry out. Cut a 1# loaf of good sandwich bread into cubes and bake at 250 degrees for several hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so, to thoroughly dry out. Do ahead: chop celery and onions. Thanksgiving morning, make the stuffing and bake until almost done. Reheat in oven at 250 right before serving. http://www.southernliving.com/recipes/classic-cornbread-dressing-recipe

Gluten-free stuffing: Use TJ’s GF stuffing mix in a box. Buy a few weeks ahed as they sometimes run out.

Salad/side dish

Fennel Salad with Blood Oranges and Walnuts

Kale apple salad: http://www.chow.com/recipes/30354-kale-apple-coleslaw-with-poppy-seed-dr…

Brussels sprouts slaw with Asian citrus dressing (from Nom Nom Paleo, but the recipe on her site requires constant scrolling and so is really hard to follow)

Low-Carb Broccoli Gratin with Swiss and Parmesan

Pie
Crustless pumpkin pie: use the recipe on the can of Libby’s pumpkin puree. Bake in the 10″ pie plate at 325 for 55-65 minutes.

Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for pecan pie is really good, but use light brown sugar instead of dark.

Gravy
Bob’s Red Mill GF all-purpose flour works fine – about 1/2 cup. Simmer the turkey neck and giblets in a box of chicken stock for several hours. Deglaze the roasting pan drippings with water. Separate the fat and in a large skillet mix fat with flour, stirring until smooth. Cook several minutes, stirring constantly until boiling. Gradually add the rest of the pan drippings and the broth that’s been simmering with the turkey neck and giblets. Save the neck and giblets for making stock at another time.

2015 menu

  • Roast turkey
  • Cornbread stuffing
  • Gluten-free stuffing
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Gravy
  • Brussels sprouts slaw with Asian citrus dressing
  • Homemade applesauce
  • Cranberry orange relish
  • Pecan pie
  • Crustless pumpkin pie
  • Vanilla ice cream
  • Whipped cream
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Cocktail sauce for shrimp

By Darlene Summers, from Food.com

  • 1 cup catsup
  • 1 -2 tablespoon horseradish (to your taste)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 dash pepper

Mix all ingredients and chill. Makes about 1.5 cups.

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Torta Caprese (Chocolate Almond Cake)

Gluten free. Adapted from a recipe by Paul Bartolotta from Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas.
Note to LD: Grating the chocolate is a pain in the butt. Next time, try melting the chocolate and then cooling to room temp before adding to the butter/egg yolk mixture.

Ingredients
1 stick plus 2T butter (softened)
1/3 cup sugar
3 each egg yolk
1 ½ cup almond flour (I use almond meal from TJ’s)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup grated dark chocolate (I used a 3.5 oz bar of Valrhona 85% chocolate)
1 T. cocoa powder
3 each egg white
1/3 cup sugar
 
Preparation

Cream butter with first amount of sugar;
Add egg yolks one by one mixing well after each addition;
Add almond flour and vanilla and mix until just combined;
Combine chocolate with cocoa powder and add to mixture;
In clean, dry, grease-free mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until light and fluffy;
Add the second amount of sugar to the egg whites, continue mixing until sugar is dissolved and egg whites hold their shape (medium meringue);
Fold meringue into batter, stirring until homogenous;
Spread into 8 inch round pan, well coated with pan spray. (I used a 9″ pie plate.)

Bake at 350F for 35 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Cut into small wedges. Optional: serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.

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Pork Bean Chalupa

My mom, Durema Fitzgerald Kohl, got this recipe from the Chicago Tribune in 1978 and has made it for family get togethers many times. It’s a favorite of mine because it’s easy and tastes so darn good. I’ve made a couple “enhancements” to the original recipe. It’s best to make it several hours or a day ahead and let it cool so the flavors can mingle. Freezes well.

1 lb. pinto beans (dried)
1 3lb. pork butt roast (or shoulder)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped (buy a can, freeze the rest)
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles
2 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. salt

Rinse and soak the beans overnight in water. Put pork roast in large, heavy stock pot. Add the remaining ingredients, except salt. Pour 4 cups water over. Cover and simmer 4-5 hours, until roast falls apart and beans are tender. Check every hour or so and add water if needed. Carefully remove roast from pot and put in shallow bowl.

Meanwhile, stir the beans and simmer to reduce the liquid, if needed. It should be slightly soupy. When meat is cool enough, shred with fingers, being careful to remove fat and any bones or gristle. Add the meat back to the pot and stir in salt. Let cool and then reheat before serving.

To serve: put a portion of chalupa on a plate. Top with your choice of shredded cheese (I like sharp cheddar best), chopped tomato, diced avocado, chopped onion, sour cream, and salsa (Trader Joe’s Habanero Lime Salsa is my favorite). Serve with tortilla chips (El Milagro brand is best, if you can find them). Goes well with slaw and maybe some fresh fruit. And, of course, my Margaritas de Diabolita.