Mexican Wedding Cakes

From: Woman’s Day – December 1971*

1 cup butter, softened

Unsifted confectioners’ sugar

2 cups regular all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream butter well. Gradually add ½ cup confectioners’ sugar and cream until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll with hands into balls. (If too soft to handle. Chill about 15 minutes.)

Preheat oven to 375°. Put balls on ungreased cookie sheets and bake about 10 minutes. While hot, roll in confectioners’ sugar. Cool on rack. Makes about 5 dozen.

To store – Store airtight. Can be frozen. Good keepers but poor shippers.

Nancy’s Notes: I usually make a double batch of these very popular melt-in-your-mouth delicacies. Most Mexican Wedding Cake cookie recipes call for nuts, I’ve used this one for years because of Eric’s allergies.

* The December 1971 issue of Woman’s Day had a Christmas cookies cookbook insert with several recipes that have become family favorites. I still have the original magazine, minus the front and back covers. The pages are discolored, ends curled and stained from greasy fingers but I would hate to lose this personal treasure.

Chicken Enchiladas Supreme

From: Colorado Cache – Junior League of Denver, page 261

2 cups cooked, chopped chicken or turkey meat

1 4-ounce can chopped, mild green chiles

1 7-ounce can green chile salsa

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups heavy cream

12 corn tortillas

1½ cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Combine chicken, green chiles and green chile salsa and mix well. Mix salt and heavy cream in a medium-sized bowl. Heat about ½ inch oil in a small skillet. Dip each tortilla into hot oil for about 5 seconds, just to soften. Drain on paper towels. Dip each fried tortilla into bowl containing cream and salt, coating each side. Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture. Roll and place in ungreased flat baking dish. Pour remaining cream over enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered at 350° for 20-25 minutes.

Nancy’s Notes: This is one of Michael’s favorites, always a winner. I find it much easier if someone else is around to help with the assembly – one person to do the tortilla in the hot oil and one person to fill and roll.

Tacoritos

From: Colorado Cache – Junior League of Denver, page 266

1 pound ground beef

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup chopped onion

3 cups prepared white sauce

½ teaspoon ground sage

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons chopped, mild green chiles

2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (8 ounces)

2 tomatoes, chopped

12 white flour tortillas

½ head iceberg lettuce, shredded

Brown ground beef and drain. Add chili powder, garlic, salt and onion. Combine white sauce, sage, oregano, cumin and chiles. Simmer over very low heat until warm. Reserve 1 cup sauce and 1 cup grated cheese. Mix remaining sauce and cheese with meat, lettuce and tomatoes. Place this mixture in tortillas, roll, and place seam side down in a flat ungreased baking dish. Top with reserved sauce and cheese. Cover with foil. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

Nancy’s Notes: My notes from years ago says, “Kids Favorite.” I haven’t made this in years but intend to do it soon for Monday Night Dinner.

Pork & Black Bean Burritos

 

Shredded pork spiced with:

Chimayo Holy Chile

Chipotle Powder

Black Pepper

Garlic

Smoked Sea Salt

Cumin

Cook in broth with spices 45 minutes.

Saute ½ cup chopped onions in olive oil, add one large can black beans (drained and rinsed), add ¾ cup broth from pulled pork. Heat until hot through and some of the broth is absorbed. Mash beans until most are broken but not totally smashed.

Grease a 13-x9-inch dish. Spread ¼ of a can of green enchilada sauce across the bottom of the dish.

Using extra large, thin flour tortillas spread a scoop of beans down the center – about 2-inches wide. Cover beans with ½ cup spiced pork, sprinkle with shredded Mexican 4-cheese mix. Fold ends towards filling and roll. Place in greased baking dish with seam side down. Top with the remaining green enchilada sauce and the rest of the shredded cheese. Bake in 350° oven, uncovered for 25-30 minutes. Serve with guacamole and sour cream.

Nancy’s Notes: This recipe evolved from my expectations and didn’t disappoint. The burritos were good enough to take the time to write down the procedure.

Chipotle Cornbread

From: Colorado Classique – Junior League of Denver, page 261

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ – ½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup buttermilk

3 eggs

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 tablespoons mince chipotle chiles (canned or dried)

Preheat oven to 375°. Mix cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir in cheese. Whisk together buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and chipotle chiles in a medium bowl. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and stir until blended. Pour batter into a buttered 9x5x2-inch loaf pan. Bake bread 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 15 minutes. Turn bread onto rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.

Nancy’s Notes: Made Nov. 1, 2009 – Went well with the Kielbasa Black Bean Soup.

Oaxacan Pork Tenderloin

From: Colorado Classique – Junior League of Denver, page 166

2 1-pound Maverick Ranch Naturally Raised Pork Tenderloins

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 cups orange juice

Sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup minced shallots

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups orange juice

1 ½ cups chicken broth

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

½ tablespoons minced canned chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, optional

¼ cup toasted pine nuts

Finely grated zest of ½ lemon

Season tenderloins with salt and pepper. Place in a plastic bag with orange juice and marinate at least 6 hours or overnight.

For the sauce, heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add shallots and sauté until soft. Add wine and boil for 10 minutes or until reduced to a glaze. Add orange juice and broth and boil 20 to 40 minutes or until reduced by ½ cups.

When ready to cook, preheat grill to medium heat. Drain pork and pat dry. Grill pork, turning often, until meat reaches desired doneness, about 25 to 30 minutes for medium. Remove from grill and let stand for 5 minutes.

To serve, reheat sauce and add cilantro, chives and chipotle peppers. Slice pork and arrange on a platter. Pour sauce over sliced pork and top with pine nuts and lemon zest.

Nancy’s Notes: Made Nov. 2, 2009 – we all liked. Nice presentation with a spicy bite in the sauce. I rubbed the meat with Guy’s seasoning (from Houston, Texas) before marinating in the orange juice.

The Santa Fe Cooking School markets a minced chipotle in adobo that is much easier to use that the products available in most markets.

Posole

From: Beyond the Rim – Junior League of Amarillo, page 64

2 (12-ounce) packages dried posole or dried black beans

1 pound mild bulk pork sausage

1 pound hot pork sausage

1 large onion, diced

2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles

1 (16-ounce) jar thick chunky medium salsa

4 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon oregano

2 garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons chili powder

Sort and rinse the posole. Place the posole in a large bowl with water to cover and soak overnight. Drain the posole and place in a 6-quart pot. Brown the mild pork sausage, hot pork sausage and onion in a large pan, stirring until crumbly; drain. Add the sausages and onion to the pot. Add the peeled tomatoes, tomatoes with green chiles, salsa, salt, cumin, oregano, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and chili powder. Add enough water to cover. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer several hours or until the posole is tender but not mushy. Add water occasionally if necessary. Yield: 12-18 (1-cup) servings.

Nancy’s Notes: Made Nov. 9, 2009 – Very good, I’m not a huge posole fan but I even liked this one. Bob and Michael really liked. Made a big pot full. I used a 1-pound package of posole and 1 cup of chicos (dried sweet corn). Never planning very far ahead, I didn’t do the overnight soak. I was making this as a side dish and decided to use only a ½ pound of each sausage – turned out to be plenty. Of course, I added some of my Chimayo Holy Chile.

Mexican Lasagna

From: Reflections Under the Sun, Junior League of Phoenix

2 pounds ground chuck

1 green bell pepper, seeded, chopped

1 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon (heaping) minced garlic

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon pepper

2 cups white sauce

2 (4-ounce) cans chopped green chiles

12 small corn tortillas, cut into strips

4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, or Cheddar cheese

Cook the ground beef with the green pepper and onion in a skillet over medium-high heat until the ground beef is brown and crumbly; drain. Add the chili powder, garlic, salt and pepper; mix well. Add the white sauce and green chiles; mix well. Spread a layer of the ground beef mixture over the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Add a layer of tortilla strips, a layer of meat and a layer of cheese. Continue layering until all ingredients are used, ending with cheese. Bake at 325° for 50 minutes. Serve with sour cream and guacamole on the side. Serves 8-10.

Nancy’s Notes: Made 10-3-09 – Okay, too much corn tortilla taste or my preference.

Green Chile Rice Pilaf

 

From: Beyond the Rim – A Taste of Amarillo, Junior League of Amarillo

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

¼ cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup rice

1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles

2 cups chicken broth

Heat the oil in a sauté pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until tender.

Add the rice, chiles and broth. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Yield: 6 servings.

Nancy’s Notes: I made 9/16/09, an easy way to zip up a rice side dish. I used 1 can chicken broth and added water to equal 2 cups liquid.

Cowboy Casserole

From: Beyond the Rim – A Taste of Amarillo, Junior League of Amarillo

1 pound ground beef

1 envelope taco seasoning mix

1 (26-ounce) can ranch-style kidney beans

1 (15-ounce) can yellow corn, drained

1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

2 cups (8-ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 (11-ounce) can refrigerator breadsticks

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet, stirring until crumbly; drain. Add the taco seasoning mix and stir. Add the beans, corn, chiles, cilantro and cheese; mix well. Spoon into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Unroll each breadstick, twist and place on the casserole to form a border and across the top. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until the breadsticks are browned. Serve with sour cream or salsa if desired. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Nancy’s Notes: I made 9/14/09. Of course, I had to add a bit of my Chimayo Holy Chile. I liked a lot, I think more than Bob and Michael did, and enjoyed the leftovers.