Ancho Chili Pulled Chicken Tostadas

A great summertime quick meal that you can make the chicken ahead of time and just throw it together in the oven or on the grill for a delicious lunch or dinner.  I make the refried beans in a large batch in the crock pot and then freeze them in 1 cup containers for future use.  Refried Beans recipe below.

 

Ancho Chili Pulled Chicken Tostadas

1# chicken tenders

1 cup chicken stock

¼ cup onion, minced

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp ancho chili powder

1 tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Tostada shells

Mexican cheese blend

Tomatoes

Avocados

 

Lemon Crema

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tsp lemon juice

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan.  Add in the chicken fingers to lightly brown and the onion.  This won’t take long to cook.  Remove the chicken and fork shred before returning to the pan.  Add in the chicken stock and spices and allow the stock to reduce down over medium heat.  Use right away or refrigerate for future use.

Place a tablespoon of refried beans on top of each tostada.  Top with the ancho chicken, tomatoes, avocados and a Mexican cheese blend.  Heat oven to 350° and bake for 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.  For the grill, place on carefully and cook for about 4 minutes until the cheese melts.  Drizzle the lemon crema over and serve.

Crockpot Refried Beans ~

2 cups pinto beans
1/2 cup onion, peeled and chopped
2 dried chile chipotle
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp cumin
1 cup V8 Juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Rinse and clean pinto beans and soak overnight in 6 cups of water.  Put in crockpot on high with onions, garlic and chile chipotle on high.  Cook for 8 hours occasionally stirring and adding liquid as needed (the V8 juice and water).

When the beans are soft, mash and add cumin, salt and freshly ground pepper.

Honey Chipotle Ribs

It’s grilling season.  These spicy ribs didn’t spend all day out on the grill though.  They started for 4 hours in the crock pot and just finished up for the crisp exterior and the final coating of bbq sauce to make them cooked perfectly.

Honey Chipotle Ribs

 

1 rack baby back ribs

¼ cup honey

Rub –

1 tsp chipotle powder

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ cup of your favorite bbq sauce

 

Cut ribs into 3 piece sections.  Brush the fronts and backs of the ribs with honey and then pat the rub into both sides.  Place in the crock pot for 4 hours set on medium.  Remove from the crock pot and place right on a hot grill.  Grill on both sides for  few minutes until you get a nice crisp exterior.  Baste with bbq sauce and allow to cook on for a few minutes.

Raspberry Lemon Tart

Raspberries and lemon are a wonderful combination.  And what a perfect way to end this beautiful Memorial day weekend.  The dough for the tart is made in a food processor so that means an easy clean up so you can spend your time doing something you love.

Raspberry Lemon Tart

Tart Shell ~

1 ¼ cup flour

¾ cup powdered sugar

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp cinnamon

½ cup cold butter, sliced in small pieces

1 large egg

1 tbsp milk

½ tsp vanilla

 

Put all the dry ingredients in your food processor with the blade and pulse until combined.  Add in butter slices.  Pulse again until just combined so the butter doesn’t get too warm.  In a small dish, combine the milk, egg and vanilla.  Pour into the flour mixture and pulse until a dough forms.  Remove the dough from the processor and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for a half hour.  Remove from the refrigerator and let sit for 10 minutes.  Roll out until the dough is ¼” thick.  Butter  the bottom only of your tart pan.  Place dough in pan.  Only lightly pressing down and on the sides.  Trim off any extra.  Return to refrigerator while your oven heats up to 350°.  Cover the bottom of the dough with aluminum foil and add pie weights.  When the oven is heated, bake for 30 minutes.

 

While that is baking, you can start your lemon filling.

 

Lemon Filling ~

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

¾ cup sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

Whisk together in a large saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until it thickens.  Allow to cool to just warm and pour into the tart shell.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350°.  Remove and allow to cool completely.  Place in refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.

Top with 1 pint rinsed and dried raspberries.

Peaches n' Cream Scones

The aroma of warm peaches, cinnamon and vanilla fill my home this morning.  These tender scones with a light vanilla glaze are a perfect start to the day.  Easy to put together and so worth it.  

Peaches n' Cream Scones

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, cold and cubed
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peaches, fresh or frozen, diced

Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp whipping cream

Mix all the dry ingredients together.  Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the dough turns into course crumbs.  In a small bowl, mix together sour cream, vanilla and whipping cream.  Add into the dry ingredients and stir until it's completely combined.  Add in the peaches.  Turn out on to a floured surface.  Pat into a circle that is approximately 1/2 - 3/4" thick.  Cut into 8 slices and put onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Make sure they are spread out since the scores will spread slightly.  Brush 2 tbsp whipping cream on top of the scones.  Bake for 20 minutes at 400°.  Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes and then spoon glaze over the scones.

Three Chip Bars

One of my friends made a pan of chocolate chip bars a few weeks ago and posted it on Facebook.  I hadn’t made them in years and they looked so delicious.  Too bad she lives so far away or else I would have gone over to visit.  I decided to play around with my recipe and shake things up using a variety of different chips.

 

Three Chip Bars

½ cup butter, softened

¾ cup brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 1 /4 cups flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

1/3 cup ea semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips and butterscotch chips

Grease a 8 x  8 pan.  Cream together the butter and brown sugar.  Add in the egg, milk and vanilla.  Stir in the dry ingredients.  Fold in the chips.  Spread out dough evenly in your greased pan (moistening your fingers with water works great).  Bake for 26 minutes at 350°.

Hot Sauce Chicken

Some like it hot...and chicken is especially tasty when it sits in a hot sauce brine and served with hot sauce on the side for a drizzle or dunk.  It's also great for a cold/sinus pressure situation.  I put the chicken in the brine at 2 and it was ready to go at 5.

Hot Sauce Chicken

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup Coca Cola
2 tbsp hot sauce (I used Frank's)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 sprig thyme

Place in a large plastic bag that seals.  Allow to marinade in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Combine the following in a bowl for dredging -

1/2 cup flour
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Remove chicken breasts from bag and dredge through the flour mixture before placing in a hot frying pan with 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.  Fry both sides and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°.  Serve with your favorite hot sauce.

Blueberry Lemon Bread

Finally Spring is here and time to enjoy the great outdoors but it's nice to start your day off with a tasty bread or have a snack when you finish yard work.  

Blueberry Lemon Bread

1/2 cup butter. softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs , lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon peel
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup lemon bits (King Arthur Flour), optional
1 pint blueberries mixed in 2 tsp flour


Mix together butter and sugar.  Add in eggs, milk and lemon juice.  Mix in sour cream.  Gradually add in dry ingredients. Gently fold in the blueberries coated in flour (so they do not sink).  Pour into greased loaf pan(s).  Cool in the pan(s) for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.  Bake for 45 minutes for 3 small loaf pans or 1 hour for a regular loaf pan at 350°.