Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Mexican Haystacks

This was a fun, quick and simple spin off of Hawaiian Haystacks which are a favorite in this house. While it was tasty, there are a few things I will do differently next time. Read on to find what that is...
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  • 1/2 Onion, diced
  • 1 T Butter
  • 1(29 oz) can Refried Beans
  • 1/2 c. Water
  • 2 T Taco Seasoning
  • 1 (6 oz) can Tomato Sauce
  • 6 c. Cooked Rice, any kind
  • Shredded cheese (I had shredded Mozzarella on hand and took the easy way out)
  • Sour Cream (we use plain greek yogurt instead)
Saute onion in butter in a skillet over medium heat until translucent.
In a saucepan, warm the refried beans over medium heat for 8-10 minutes.  Add water and taco seasoning.  Add tomato sauce and stir until mixed until thoroughly
To serve, place 1 cup rice in center of plate.  Layer 1/2 cup bean mixture and layer onions on top. Top with shredded cheese and sour cream. 
Here's where I think needs changed. The bean mixture is delicious but I felt like this needed more toppings. I think next time we will do slices olives, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and Fritos. These leave lots of room for creativity!

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Crepes

To start, lets all learn how to properly say the word in the above title. It is commonly pronounced  as cr-ay-p. The french will laugh. The more correct way of saying it (its still Americanized) is cr-eh-p. My dad lived in France for 2 years so I grew up calling saying cr-eh-p so when I heard it pronounced cr-ay-p for the first time I honestly didn't know what they were talking about. With that, here is the recipe!
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  • 1 c. Flour
  • 1 T. Sugar
  • 1/4 t. Salt
  • 1 1/3 c. Milk
  • 1T. Vanilla
  • 3 Eggs
  • 3 T. Melted Butter
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  In a large measuring cup, combine the milk, vanilla, eggs and melted butter. Break up the eggs with a fork.
Slowly pour the milk and egg mixture into the dry ingredients, whisking rapidly.  Whisk until very well blended.
Heat a 8"inch non stick skillet or crepe pan to medium heat.  Coat skillet lightly with butter using a paper towel. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop batter not filling to the top of measuring cup.  Pour batter into center of pan tilting the pan in a circular motion covering pan in a very thin layer.  Cook until the edges start to lightly brown and the crepe starts to sweat (30 seconds-1 minute).  Flip over and cook for a few more seconds until done.
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I love that crepes are so versitile and options are endless. These can be for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. This particular batch of crepes were dessert filled with fresh strawberries and whipped cream topped with more whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate.