Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

"My girlfriend introduced this recipe to our family and it was surprisingly delicious! It's not one that I would have selected based on the picture or on the list of ingredients but the flavors go great together!"--Elnora




4 flour tortillas (10 inches)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno chile, minced (remove seeds and ribs for less heat)--I used about 1/2 of a chile
2 garlic cloves, minced
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cans (15 oz. each) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1 package (10 oz.) frozen corn
4 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded (2 1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan. Use the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5-7 minutes. Add beans and water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in corn and green onions. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Fit a trimmed tortilla in bottom of springform pan; layer with 1/4 of the beans and 1/2 cup of cheese. Repeat three times, using 1 cup cheese on top layer. Bake until cheese melts, 25-30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan. Let sit for 15-20 minutes (optional but let's flavors gel together). Remove side of pan; sprinkle pie with green onions. (I forgot to do this step so not pictured with the green on top.) To serve, slice into wedges.

Charro Beans

( Soak 3 cups of pinto beans overnight in 2 TBS of soda water. Fill pot almost all the way.

In the morning, drain and rinse the beans)

3 c beans

3 quarts of water

1 large onion diced

1 1/2 c matchstick carrots

1/4 c fresh chopped cilantro

2 jalepenos (remove tip and stem and then slice into thick slices)

(medium uses 1 1/2, mild use 1)

2 TBSP olive oil

12-16 oz salt pork (trim fat to make 8-10 oz) slice

3 TBS chicken base (we use TONES brand)

3 tsp garlic salt

simmer for 6 hours

my kids put chips on bottom and then cheese and sourcream on top. I just eat mine plain. LOVE THIS. Morgan says it is her favorite meal.

Eggplant Parmesan

This is dad's recipe and I absolutely love it and it is super easy to make.--Elena

.

Eggplant

Spaghetti Sauce

Parmesan cheese

(I use a mixture of shredded mozarella, provolone, parmesan, its called italian blend)

Bread crumbs

Eggs

Pasta

I peel the entire eggplant before I cut it. You can leave the skin on and it tastes good just don't eat the skin raw. Once I have peeled it, I slice it into thin slices. Dip in egg, then breadcrumbs and then cook in a bit of olive oil. Cook on both sides until center is tender.

Layer

Spaghetti sauce, eggplant, sauce cheese, eggplant, sauce, cheese. Bake at 350 until heated through 20-30 minutes. Serve over angel hair pasta or serve alone. We usually do peas with it.

Sticky Legs and Mom's Fudge

My kids and Rachel's kids beg me to make these when they are together at our home.--Nichole

2-1/2 pounds chicken wing sections

1/2 cup barbecue sauce (we like "Bullseye" or "KC Masterpiece"-original)

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup soy sauce

Place wings in a greased 13 x 9 inch pan. Combine the barbecue sauce, honey, and soy sauce; pour over wings. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 60 minutes. (I turn them every 15 minutes to really coat them well) Serves 4.

Fudge:

4 cups sugar

20 marshmallows

1-1/3 cups evaporated milk

Boil on med-high; when it starts to boil, turn down to med-low. Cook for 10 minutes. When 10 minutes are up, add 2 teaspoons of vanilla.

Meanwhile, in big metal (mom says no plastic) bowl, have 2 sticks of margarine (not butter) and 12 oz. of semi-sweet choc. chips ready.

After the sugar, marshmallow, milk mixture has boiled 10 minutes and vanilla has been added; pour it into the bowl with choc. chips and margarine. Stir for 5 minutes. (Can add 1 cup of chopped walnuts or almonds-after choc. chips and margarine are completely stirred together)

Pour into greased 13 x 9 inch pan. Cool completely and refrigerate.

Maple-Glazed Pork Chops

Oh my goodness! These are the best tasting pork chops ever! (Again, from "Tast of Home" cookbook).--Nichole

1/2 cup flour
Salt and pepper to taste
4 bone-in pork chops
2 Tabls. butter
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup maple syrup (I used "real" maple syrup)
1 Tabls. cornstarch
3 Tabls. water
2/3 cup brown sugar

In a resealable plastic bag, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Add pork chops and shake to coat. In skillet, brown chops on both sides in butter. Place in ungreased 13x9 pan. Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees for 20-25 min.
In skillet, bring vinegar to a boil; reduce heat, add maple syrup. Cover and cook for 10 min. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; add to maple mixture. Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 min. or until thickened.
Place chops on broiler pan; sprinkle with brown sugar; broil 4 inches from heat for 2 min. Drizzle with maple glaze. (Book suggests serving with applesauce and potatoes au gratin).

Mom's Taco Salad

This recipe was made quite often while we were growing up and it continues to be a summer favorite with our family. Elnora


Head of lettuce, broken up
1 lb. hamburger
onions, chopped
can of Kidney beans
cheese slices, broken into pieces
tomatoes, diced
taco chips, slightly crushed
salsa

Brown hamburger with onions. Drain and add the kidney beans to heat through. Set aside and let cool. In bowl, break up the lettuce, add the tomatoes, cheese and taco chips. Toss with the cooled hamburger and beans and serve with salsa. (My kids prefer it with Ranch salad dressing).

New England Dinner

This is such a simple meal, but one my family enjoys. We call it a New England dinner but we have modified it. Nichole

I get a roast (pork or beef) and baby carrots. I put them in a crock pot with two cans of beef broth. Add onion and cook on low for 5-6 hours (my crockpot cooks fast). Then I make garlic mashed potatoes and I steam the cabbage by itself. A "real" New England dinner would put everything in a roasting dish (turnips included) and cook it in the oven. But, I'm like my dad and don't care for the taste of potatoes cooked with everything else. My Ethan loves the carrots this way and would eat them all if he could!

Grandma Mary's Spanish Rice

This is a recipe that I got from my mother-in-law, Mary Pace, and have been making it ever since we got married...almost 18 years ago!--Elnora




1/2 lb. hotdogs, sliced
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped green pepper
1 1/3 c. minute rice (uncooked)
2 c. (1 lb.) diced/stewed tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. cloves
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 c. water

Fry hotdogs until crisp; remove from skillet. Add onion and green peppers to fat (from hotdogs) and cook over medium heat until onion is yellow. Put all ingredients together in 9" X 13" baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until rice is cooked. (Remove the cover for the last 10-15 minutes of cooking time.)

Salmon Souffle

My family really loves salmon and we have a lot of canned salmon. This is really easy and yummy.--Elena

1/4 c butter
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 1/3 cups milk
1 pound canned salmon, flaked (get the boneless, skinless kind)
1 TBS chopped parsley
4 eggs slightly beaten
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Melt butter in saucepan, add breadcrumbs and milk. Cook until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Mix salmon, parsley, eggs and seasonings together. Add sauce to salmon mixture. When you are adding the sauce to the salmon, pour a little bit in and stir it up good before adding the rest. This will prevent your eggs from cooking. Put into greased custard cups or ramekins and place in a pan of hot water. You want the water to go at least half-way up the ramekin. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

(you can get ramekins at target 2 in a pack for $7)