Mexican Chicken Skillet

In honor of Cinco de Mayo today, I decided I would post a Mexican recipe. Or a kind of Mexican recipe. Maybe we should call it TexMex. Or American Mexican. Or the "dish-that-wishes-it-were-Mexican". But no matter it's official title is, we can definitely call it good.  This was the meal I craved like nothing else when I was pregnant. And the wonderful thing is that it wasn't "ruined" for me like some of my other pregnancy foods {for example, I have a hard time finding a desire for oranges or Popsicles anymore - both for drastically different reasons, but that's a story for another day}. I can still eat this meal as if it were brand new to me. And I could eat it multiple times a week. Now that is saying something. I am a variety kind of gal. Give me variety or I get queasy. No joke. I must have something different. Leftovers are always kind of an issue around here. My hubby is awesome about eating leftovers - he doesn't care if we just ate it yesterday and the day before but I do. A couple times a week - and never two days in a row - is about all I can handle of the same meal. Except for this one. I have eaten this multiple times in one week and have never gotten sick of it. It is just that amazing! And there are other fantastic things about it, too! Let's list all the pros of this recipe, shall we?

1. It tastes soooo good. :)
2. It is super, duper easy. Really, even my sister who doesn't like to cook likes to cook this recipe.
3. It freezes well.
4. It makes a ton of food. It usually makes enough for my family to eat for at least three meals. Wowza.
5. It looks yummy. 
6. Anything that goes with tortilla chips and has lime in it is simply wonderful. The end.

Now we will list the cons. . . . . . . . . . . Wait. There aren't any!


Mexican Chicken Skillet
Time: about 30-40 minutes

Recipe adapted from $5 Dinners

Ingredients

1 can black beans, mostly drained {meaning, don't worry about squeezing every last drop out of the can - a little liquid will make it tasty}
1 can corn, mostly drained or one cup of frozen corn
1 can diced tomatoes {I really love the ones that have roasted garlic and onions in them, but for a more authentic flavor, choose one with green chilies}
1/2 cup chopped onion {can use green onions, which lend a pretty tasty flavor}
1 1/3 cup cooked chicken, shredded
1/3 tsp. garlic powder, heaping, or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 tsp. cumin, heaping
1/4 cup lime juice {or more if you're like me and can't get enough lime}
Salt and pepper to taste {I actually never put salt and pepper in mine - it's one of those things that's good enough without it}
1 cup shredded cheese
Tortilla chips
Rice

Directions
In large skillet, put all ingredients except lime juice. Cook on medium low heat for about 15 minutes.
Add lime juice and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Just before serving, top with cheese.
Serve with tortilla chips and rice.
Yum!

Note: We usually eat this meal as is with chips and possibly serve rice on the side. If you want this meal to go further, mix it with the rice and serve as a casserole. I prefer it not mixed with the rice, but do whatever your taste preference demands!

Swedish Tosca Cake

I have mentioned before that my grandmother {or Farmor, as I know her, which means father's mother in Swedish} is from Sweden. However, I don't think I've mentioned that my Farmor loves to cook. The joke in the family is that she reads cookbooks for entertainment. And maybe it's not so much of a joke because she actually does. :) Anyway, she is good cook and I love trying the things she makes for us. She especially loves to make authentic Swedish foods for us and this is one of her favorite things to make.

This cake is delicious. It is the perfect combination of flavors between the glaze and the cake. The cake is dense and moist and the almond flavor is so subtle and perfect. The glaze is sugary and buttery and very sweet, making it the perfect addition to this wonderful cake. 

I don't think you can go wrong with this cake. It is wonderful for a party or a potluck. It is so perfect warm right out of the oven. But it is also yummy if it's been sitting for a couple of days. However, my favorite way to eat it if it has been sitting is to warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds to get the glaze nice and melty and the cake nice and warm. Mmm, mmm. I think I better go make this again. I may or may not eat the whole thing by myself. :D

Ooh, doesn't this just have you drooling?

Swedish Tosca Cake

Recipe from Helga Hardy

Cake:

5 eggs

1-1/2 cup sugar

½ cup butter, melted

2/3 cup milk

1-2/3 cup flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. almond extract

Cream eggs and sugar for 5 minutes at medium speed in a mixer or with a handheld mixer. In a separate bowl, mix the flour wiht the baking powder. Add butter, milk, and flour mixture to egg mixture. I found that when adding these ingredients, it is best to add each one individually and just quickly mix them together. If you mix the melted butter and the milk right at the same time, it will make your butter harden. So add the butter, stir it into the eggs and then add the milk and flour mixture. One all added, blend for 2 minutes. Put into 9x9 or 11x7 greased and floured pan {Because the only sized pan I had was an 8x8 that is what I used. I think it made the cake particularly thick and I do think it would be better with the right size pan. However, if you are like me and only have the smaller pan, it does work to use it.}. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes. 

This photo may not be very good but it is a pretty good shot of the delicious glaze on the top oozing down the cake. This is what happens when you eat it warm. Delicious!

 Glaze:

½ cup butter

1-1/2 Tbsp. milk

1/2 cup sugar

1-1/2 Tbsp. flour

2-1/2 oz chopped almonds

½ tsp. almond extract

Melt butter in saucepan; add milk, sugar, flour and almonds. Boil for 2 minutes - begin timing about as soon as you see bubbles. Since I have a gas burner mine will start a rolling boil pretty quickly once it starts to bubble. If you let it boil too long, it may make it stiff and could burn. I would just start timing it when it begins boiling; don't wait for a rolling boil. Spread over cake; put under the broiler in the oven until is has a light brown color.

Bon appetit!

Baklava

This is a traditional dessert found in the Mediterranean. Actually, it is kind of an interesting thing, if you look it up. All over the Middle East, countries will claim it as their own, asserting that other countries stole the recipe or that their country improved it. You can click HERE to see a history of this fantastic, crunchy, sweet dessert. There are also apparently many different recipes. This particular recipe is Greek. Which seems appropriate since phyllo dough (the most important ingredient!) is also Greek. Or at least the word "phyllo" is Greek. 

Anyway, I saw some Baklava in a food catalog and decided it looked really good. I didn't really want to pay the price to try it through the company, so I looked up a recipe and made my own. I'm glad I did. I thought this stuff was wonderful! I took it to a family Thanksgiving party and everyone who tried it liked it. It's a little more labor intensive but that doesn't mean it's hard to make. It's actually super easy, it just takes time. However, I think it's well worth the time!

Baklava

Recipe from allrecipes
18 servings or 3 dozen squares

Ingredients:

Filling and dough:

1 (16 oz) package phyllo dough {this dough can be found in the frozen section of your grocery store - look near pie dough}

1 pound chopped nuts {I used walnuts though I think pecans would be even yummier!}

1 cup butter, melted

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Sauce:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 pan.

Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut off about two or three inches from one end so it will fit into your pan. 

I know this is probably the worst picture ever known to man. Or at least it's pretty close. {I have no idea why it turned like that. Sorry.} And the blue tint makes it even worse. I know. But I wanted to demonstrate just how thin phyllo dough really is. "Phyllo" is "named after the Greek word for leaf', being 'thin as a leaf'" {see above link}. Really, I would go with paper. This dough is paper thin.

Cover phyllo with dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan; using a pastry brush, butter throroughly. Butter the dough sheets carefully. Since they are so thin it can be easy to tear them if you aren't careful. Repeat until you have 8 sheets of layered dough.

You can see that my phyllo dough is climbin up the sides of my pan a little. I didn't experience any problems with this and actually liked the little extra dough it provided. You can, however, trim the dough to fit your pan exactly if that's what you want.

Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top of phyllo dough layers.

Top with two sheets of dough, butter those sheets, then add more nuts. Continue layering in this manner until you feel the pan is full enough or you run out of nuts {which is what happened to me}. Just be careful not to use all your dough. You need 6-8 sheets for the top and final layer. Also, buttering the dough sheets after you start layering in the nuts can be a challenge. I found it easiest to get my pastry brush really buttery and then pat the butter onto the sheets. This kept the dough from tearing but enabled me to butter it thoroughly.

Cover the last layer of nuts with two sheets of phyllo dough and butter them. Then add two more sheets and layer as in the beginning until it is 6-8 sheets deep. On the final set of two sheets, be sure to butter well. That will help make that top layer nice and crispy!

Using a sharp knife that has been well buttered, cut into square or diamond shapes {I found squares easiest and they go further}. Be sure to cut all the way to the bottom of the pan. Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until Baklava is golden and crisp. My Baklava was definitely done after 40 minutes so be sure to check it at the lowest baking time.

Make the sauce while the baklava is baking.

Boil sugar and water until sugar is dissolved and incorporated. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. The Baklava will be completely drenched in this honey liquid. Don't be alarmed. You did, in fact, do everything you were supposed to! The honey sauce will thicken as the Baklava and sauce cool and the nuts and dough will soak it up.
Let cool.

For a pretty touch, serve the sqaures in cupcake baking cups.

Leave it uncovered or it will get soggy.

Baklava freezes well. Just put individual pieces in a good freezer container and pop into the fridge. Pull it out a couple hours before serving and allow to thaw on the counter top.
Enjoy the crispy, honey goodness!