Easy Chicken & Salsa Tacos

We loved these not only because they are really tasty, but also because they are super quick and easy. By using rotisserie chicken and salsa, you can put this satisfying supper together in minutes. Double or triple the recipe for the next time you have friends over. 

12 taco shells*

1 (2 1/2 pound) rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded, meat shredded into bite-size pieces (3   cups)

2 cups mild salsa

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons lime juice

3/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce

4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange taco shells on rimmed baking sheet and bake until warmed through, about 3 minutes.

Combine chicken and salse in large saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is hot, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in 3 tablespoons cilantro, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and chili powder.

Combine sour cream, remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro, and remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice in bowl. Divide chicken mixture among taco shells. Top with sour cream mixture, lettuce, and cheddar. Serve.

*If you prefer soft tacos, skip the taco shells and wrap a stack of 12 corn tortillas in a clean dish towel. Microwave for 2 minutes to soften.

Magic Chocolate Flan Cake

It's worth using good-quality caramel sauce, such as Fat Toad Farm Goat's Milk Caramel. If your blender doesn't hold two quarts, process the flan in two batches. The cake needs to chill for at least eight hours before you can unmold it.

CAKE
1/2 cup caramel sauce or topping
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FLAN
2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
2 1/2 cups whole milk
6 ounces cream cheese
6 large eggs plus 4 large yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan. Microwave caramel until easily pourable, about 30 seconds. Pour into pan to coat bottom. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in bowl; set aside. Combine chocolate and butter in large bowl and microwave at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted, 2 to 4 minutes. Whisk buttermilk, sugar, eggs, and vanilla into chocolate mixture until incorporated. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Pour batter over caramel in prepared pan.

FOR THE FLAN: Process all ingredients in blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Gently pour flan over cake batter in Bundt pan and place pan in large roasting pan. Place roasting pan on oven rack and pour warm water into roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the side of the Bundt pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean and flan registers 180 degrees, 75 to 90 minutes. Transfer Bundt pan to wire rack. Let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, then refrigerate until set, at least 8 hours. (Remove roasting pan from oven once water has cooled.)

Place bottom third of Bundt pan in bowl of hot tap water for 1 minute. Invert completely flat cake platter, place platter over top of Bundt pan, and gently turn platter and pan upside down. Slowly remove pan, allowing caramel to drizzle over top of cake. Serve.

Tex-Mex Lasagna

14 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into thirds
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 large poblano chili, diced
1 cup frozen corn kernals
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 cups rotisserie chicken
8 ounces cheddar, shredded
8 ounces pepper jack, shredded
scallions (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Arrange tortillas in a single layer on two baking sheets. Bake tortillas until slightly crisp, about 15 minutes.

Saute onion, bell pepper, poblano, corn, and garlic in butter over medium-high heat until softened, 3-4 minutes. Stir flour, chili powder, cumin, and coriander into vegetable mixture, then whisk in broth. Bring mixture to a boil and cook until thick, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes; add lime juice and season with salt and black pepper.

Line bottom of prepared baking dish with one-third of the tortilla strips. Layer with one-third of the chicken, vegetable mixture, and cheeses. Repeat twice, using one-third of the ingredients in each layer, ending with cheese.

Bake casserole until cheese is bubbly and melted, 30-35 minutes. Remove casserole from oven and let set 15 minutes before serving.

Buttermilk Monte Cristo

1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
8 slices hearty bread
8 slices Havarti cheese
8 ounces sliced cooked ham
4 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
powdered sugar (optional)
4 tablespoons pineapple jam, divided

Whisk together buttermilk, egg, flour, and nutmeg is a shallow bowl; set aside. Spread Dijon on 1 side of each bread slice; top 4 slices with 2 pieces of cheese each. Arrange ham on cheese; top with pickles and remaining bread, mustard side down.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat in large nonstick skillet. Dip 2 sandwiches into buttermilk  mixture; carefully flip and dip other side. Remove sandwiches, allowing excess buttermilk mixture to drip back into bowl.

Place sandwiches in skillet; cover and cook 3-5 minutes. Uncover skillet and melt 1 tablespoon of butter; flip sandwiches. Place smaller skillet on sandwiches and weigh down to compress. Cook sandwiches until cheese begins to melt and ham is heated through, 2-3 minutes more. Remove the sandwiches from the pan and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining buttermilk mixture, 2 tablespoons butter, and uncooked sandwiches. 

Sprinkle sandwiches with powdered sugar and serve each with 1 tablespoon of pineapple jam.

Thankful...

I just wanted to say how thankful we are for the wonderful, loving family and friends we have in our lives. We wish we could spend time with each and every one of you during this season. May the next 30 or so days not fly by as fast as usual. We love you all and wish you a happy holiday season!

Cherry-Almond Turnover Cookies

Freeze unbaked cookies on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to an airtight container and return to the freezer for up to a month. Makes 48 cookies.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened (16 tablespoons)
1 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract, divided
1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
1/2 cup cherry preserves
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream

Combine flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a bowl. Beat cream cheese, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract in a large bowl with a hand mixer until fluffy, 1 minute. Add flour mixture and beat just to combine. Divide dough in half, form each half into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap; chill 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough in a lightly floured  work surface to 1/8 inch thick. Using a 3-inch-round cookie cutter, cut cookies; transfer to prepared baking sheets. Reroll scraps once.

Drop 1/2 teaspoon preserves in center of each cookie, brush edges with egg wash, fold over filling, and seal with a fork. Freeze cookies1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Brush cookies with egg wash and prick center with a fork. Bake cookies, one baking sheet at a time, until golden, 12-15 minutes; let cool on racks.  Whisk together powdered sugar, heavy cream, and 1 teaspoon of almond extract. Drizzle cookies with glaze.

Pumpkin Cream Pie with Gingersnap Crust

For the best results, cool the pie completely at room temperature (not in the refrigerator) before adding the topping, otherwise the crust might get soggy. 

FOR THE CRUST
8 ounces purchased gingersnaps
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE CREAMY TOPPING
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup light sour cream
chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the crust, process gingersnaps, sugar, ginger and a pinch of table salt in a food processor until fine. Transfer crumbs to a bowl and stir in butter. Press mixture into a 9-inch pie dish and bake for 10 minutes.

For the filling, whisk together pumpkin puree, sour cream, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until smooth. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Pour filling into prepared crust and bake until set, 45-50 minutes. Transfer pie to a rack; let cool completely.

For the cream topping, beat heavy cream and powdered sugar to stiff peaks. Add sour cream and beat until incorporated. Top pie with whipped cream and garnish with crystallized ginger (optional).

Ginger-Pork Spring Rolls

1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Asian chili-garlic sauce

1/4 cup water
1 (16oz) bag coleslaw mix
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 scallions, white parts minced; green parts sliced thin
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground pork
3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
12 (9 inch) rice paper wrappers

Combine the hoisin, soy, and chili garlic sauces and water in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine the coleslaw, cilantro and scallion greens; set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add pork and 1/3 cup of the hoisin sauce mixture. (The remaining hoisin sauce will be used as a condiment for dipping.) Cook the pork until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger and scallion whites and cook until fragrant. Place this pork mixture into the bowl with the coleslaw, cilantro and scallion greens. Toss to combine.

Spread a clean, damp kitchen towel on the counter. Soak a rice paper wrapper in a shallow bowl of warm water, about 10 seconds, and spread out on towel. Arrange 1/2 cup of filling on each wrapper, leaving a 2 inch border on the bottom. Fold in sides and roll up tightly like a burrito. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Serve with the remaining hoisin sauce mixture for dipping.

Lighter Seven-Layer Dip

2 pounds ripe tomatoes (5-6 medium), cored, seeded and chopped
6 scallions, 2 minced and 4 with green parts sliced thin (white parts discarded)
5 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained but not rinsed
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 cups low-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted and cubed

1. Place tomatoes in a strainer set over a bowl, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, and let drain 30 minutes. Discard liquid. Stir in the minced scallions, 2 tablespoons lime juice, cilantro and jalapeños. Season to taste and set aside.

2. Pulse 2 teaspoons lime juice, beans, garlic and chili powder in a food processor to a chunky paste. Set aside.

3. Whisk the sour cream and chipotles together in a bowl and set aside.

4. Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons lime juice, avocados and ¼ teaspoon salt and mash until smooth. Season to taste.

5. Spread the bean mixture evenly over a serving platter. Spread with avocado mixture, then sour cream, and top with tomato. Sprinkle with scallions.

Mel's Raspberry Pancake Topping

An Andersen family favorite.

1 cup whipping cream
 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam

Whip cream & sugar to stiff peaks.  Mix sour cream & jam, then fold into whipped cream.  Serve with your favorite pancakes.

Orange-Coconut Shrimp

Dave whipped this up last night and it was so tasty. I recommend doubling this so you have leftovers. Our house is going to smell amazing for days.

Similar to a stir-fry, this dish cooks up super fast, so be sure to have all your ingredients ready to go before you fire up the saute pan. Makes 4 servings (about 6 cups) and takes about thirty minutes from start to finish (not including rice, which I recommend you bake). Add more red pepper flakes if you like a really spicy dish.

1 pound large shrimp, peels, deveined, and seasoned with salt and black pepper
2 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoon minced scallion whites
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced orange zest
1 cup canned coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon corn starch
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion greens

Saute shrimp in one tablespoon oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat until pink and beginning to curl, 2-3 minutes; remove from pan. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in pan. Add scallion whites and garlic and cook for one minute.

Stir in orange juice, ginger, and zest. Reduce mixture until it measures 1/2 cup when strained, 3-5 minutes; discard solids. Return juice to pan.

Whisk together coconut milk and cornstarch; stir into juice in pan, add pepper flakes, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook sauce until slightly thickened. Season sauce with salt.

Toss shrimp in sauce, stir in scallion greens and cook 1-2 minutes more. Serve shrimp with baked rice or rice noodles.