The 2 Spoons

Macaroni and Cheese

December 5, 2018 by Becky Spoon

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Macaroni and Cheese

This isn't one of the fancy Mac n' Cheese with 6 or 7 cheese; this is the Mac n' Cheese that I made for my boys when they were growing up. This has 2 cheeses, American and Cheddar. See, not sophisticated, just a simple recipe that everyone will love! When I made this for my boys I used Velveeta.....Yes!!! Haha! Still do and you can too!

Perfect comfort food! Great by itself, or a side dish with main course comfort foods like fried chicken, meatloaf, chicken fried stead.....You have to try this!

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Ingredients

3 cups elbow macaroni (I like the large)
salted water
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp butter
3 1/2 cups milk (I like to use whole milk in recipes)
2 cups american cheese or Velveeta, diced
1 cup cheddar, grated (medium or sharp)
Salt and pepper to taste
buttered bread crumbs, optional

Instructions

Cook macaroni in salted water according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In the meantime, melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the flour, making a roux. Cook for a minute or 2 to get the raw flour taste out. Add the milk and whisk together to insure no lumps. Bring to a boil and thicken the sauce. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Check for salt and pepper. Add the cooked macaroni and combine. Transfer to a buttered casserole or individual casserole dish. I add buttered bread crumbs and place under your broiler just to brown on the top.!! Serve immediately or can be frozen for later.

Pan Fried Breakfast Burrito

December 2, 2018 by Becky Spoon

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We love New Mexico Style Mexican food and our beloved TexMex! Haha! We really do. Maybe it’s because we live in Texas and have some of the best Mexican food around!

These breakfast burritos are fried in a little oil, then topped with Red Chile and cheese! These are favorite of ours! They are loaded with eggs, sausage, and cheese and served with fresh avocados! So good.

You can use your favorite red chile auce or here’s my red chile recipe. Http:://www.the2spoons.com/new-mexico-red-chile-sauce/

If you use store bought red chile we like Hatch Red Chile Enchilada Sauce. https://www.hatchchileco.com/recipe/red-chile-beef-enchiladas/

Pan Fried Breakfast Burrito

These burritos can be made ahead and frozen for later use. Make the burrito to the point before you would fry them. Wrap in saran wrap, stick in your freezer and thaw in your refrigerator the night before for a delicious breakfast.

I like to serve this with fresh avocado or fresh made guacamole. Serve with a lime for squeezing over the burritos! Enjoy!

Pan Fried Breakfast Burrito with New Mexico Red Chile

We love burritos in the Spoon household especially for breakfast and as in this case fried and topped with either New Mexico Red Chile or Green Chile, or both for Christmas.

These are stuffed with potato, sausage, and cheese…a little of the sauce and absolutely melt in your mouth. You will have to make these!

This recipe is for 2 but you can double, tripple, it all works well. It is not a complicated recipe so a little more of this or that won’t hurt.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

2 slices of breakfast sausage
1 medium potato, diced
salt and pepper
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cup cheddar cheese
2 flour tortillas (I used the precooked ones)
oil for frying the burrito
1 cup New Mexico Red Chile (see http:/www.the2spoons.com/2454-2/

Instructions

Fry the potatoes in a little oil until soft. I use a non stick skillet that I hardly add any oil. I heat the oil, add the potatoes, when they start to fry I reduce the heat to simmer and add a lid. When they are soft I remove the lid and brown a little.
I push the potatoes to one side and add the sausage to the same skillet, cooking it until it has browned.
Combine the potatoes and sausage when done and set aside.
Using the same skillet, add your eggs.
You don’t want to over cook your eggs as you are going to stuff them in the burrito and fry for a few minutes.
Add cheddar cheese to the eggs and immediately remove from the heat.
Cook your flour tortillas in a hot skillet until they are puffed and lightly browned being careful not to crisp them. You want them to be soft so they will be easy to roll.
Remove the tortilla to a work surface and add the potatoes and sausage, top with the eggs and cheese.
Add about 2 teaspoons red chile to the top.
Roll the burrito by folding in each side, then starting from the side closest to you rolling and tucking as you go. Don’t worry if they are a little messy…but try not to overfill because that will splatter in the oil when you put them in. I slightly put a toothpick in the end that will help keep it sealed until that side can brown.
Brown the burrito on all sides turning frequently. This will only take a few minutes and you don’t want to over cook them.
Heat your broiler in you oven, or you could use a toaster oven. Place the burrito on the plate you are using. Ladle about a 1/4 red chile over the burrito as shown in the photograph, top with a little cheese. Place under the broiler and allow the cheese to melt.
Serve with some avocado on the side if you want to lighten the dish up, lettuce and tomatoe would be great, as would pico de gallo! Enjoy!

Shredded Beef with New Mexico Red Chile Tacos

December 2, 2018 by Becky Spoon

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Shredded Beef with New Mexico Red Chile

Who knew leftover pot roast could be so delicious on tacos!! Wow! So good and the other Spoon who requests tacos everyday loved them! They are spicy, the beef is lightly browned waking it up! The tortillas are soaked in a little red chile.....add that all with some guacamole, salsa or Pico de Gallo, you have a delicious lunch or dinner. Best part is you used those leftovers.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients

Left over Pot Roast
New Mexico Red Chile
Corn Tortillas
Pico de Gallo
Small amount of oil for heating the potroast and to heat your tortillas
Grated Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese

Instructions

Shred or cube leftover pot roast. If you need a recipe for pot roast jump to this link for my recipe https://the2spoons.com/sunday-pot-roast/ Heat just a little oil in a skillet and when medium hot, add your roast and heat through. Ladle the desired amount of red chile you'd like to the skillet and continue to heat. New Mexico Red Chile recipe is https://the2spoons.com/2454-2/
Heat a skillet to high, add a little oil and some red chile, then add your tortilla, turning quickly softening your tortilla without crisping it.
Remove the tortilla to the plate . Top with a little cheese, then the beef. Top with Avocado Pico de Gallo.. Pico de Gallo with Avocado link is https://the2spoons.com/pico-de-gallo-with-avocado/ You will love these tacos and it is a perfect way to use your leftovers!!

Keyword potroast, beef, roast, sunday, friends, family, dinner, supper, lunch

Pico de Gallo with Avocado

December 1, 2018 by Becky Spoon

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I love Pico de Gallo! It is fresh, salty, has a kick from the jalapeno, the lime juice just brings it all together...it is the perfect addition to your tacos, grilled meats, grilled fish, grilled shrimp, on and on!!

Pico de Galla is special to me, especially with avocado because I have friends that live in Cabo and when i visit them we cook! We cook foods of Mexico!

I never put avocado in my pico until I was with them. We were grilling Al Pastor or Carne Asada they made pico and added a lot of avocado. It was amazing....you know, there was no need for additional guacamole.

The perfect condiment!

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Prep Time 10

Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients

Tomatoes
Purple Onions
Jalapeno
Avocados
Cilantro
Salt
Lime juice

Instructions

I didn't add amounts because you can use this recipe to make any amount. Dice the tomato, onions, jalapeno, cilantro and toss. Dice the avocado and add to the mixture. Add the lime juice and a little salt. Start with one lime and a little salt, then adjust as needed or to your taste.
This won't keep a long time because all the ingredients are fresh but it won't last anyway...it is addictive!!

Easy Refried Beans from Homemade Pinto Beans

November 30, 2018 by Becky Spoon

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I start my refried beans with pinto beans that I cook with just a little lard, an onion, and salt, that’s it. I have friends in Mexico and they make amazing refried beans that are so, so simple, yet delicious so that’s how I make mine now. Oh, I do make them in the Instant Pot too. I try to soak them overnight, then set the timer for beans which I think is about 35 minutes. The Instant Pot makes the most delicious, creamy pinto beans, or any beans for that matter.

After the beans cook, I remove the onion if its’ in big chunks, I add a little oil to a saucepan, then add the beans, reserving the bean juice to ladle in as I mash the beans.

One thing I found that is essential for refried bean making is the bean masher. I got mine from Amazon and I love it. The texture is key in refried beans and you don’t want to put them in a food processor. I like a little texture, or don’t wan them mushy at all. https://amzn.to/30wzoeK.

This is a great tool, inexpensive, but a must have!

Easy Refried Beans from Homemade Pinto Beans

I always have refried beans in my freezer because we eat so much Mexican food. I make them, them put them in small freezer bags to use when I need them. Since I store them in small bags, I can take out just what I need for that meal.

Here are some uses for them:

as a side to any Mexican dish
nachos
tostados
burritos
tacos
Mexican pizza
layered dip

These are just to name a few. I love to make them homemade. They are so simple and so much more delicious than the canned version. The canned version seems like they just process them. I like to make mine that they are mostly mashed with the bean masher, but there may still be a little texture. So good. Wish I had some now. Here’s my Mexican Pizza that I use them in:https://the2spoons.com/simple-mexican-pizza-easy-snack/.

and, another favorite:

https://the2spoons.com/homemade-chorizo-with-eggs-hashbrowns/

Homemade Chorizo with Eggs, Hashbrowns, and Refried Beans

This is one of Allen’s favorite breakfast!

Here’s the simple recipe!

Refried Beans from Homemade Pinto Beans

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Prep Time 10

Course easy side dish, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Ingredients

1 lb dried pinto beans
1/4 cup lard
1/2 tsp salt
1 white onion, halved
water to cover the beans by 2 inches and more as needed
1 jalapeno, seeded optional

Instructions

Wash your beans and put in a bowl or pan to soak overnight with a pinch of salt and the onion.
If you are cooking on the stove top, add the lard and bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 2-3 hours until tender. Check for salt.
If you are cooking in the Instant Pot, cover with water by 1 inch. Add the lard to your pot. Use the bean mode and set for 35-45 minutes. Since we are using these for refried beans, we want them to be pretty soft.
When the beans are done, add a little oil to a skillet or a sturdy saucepan. Add the amount of beans you want to use, mashing with your bean masher, adding liquid as needed. Serve with your favorite Mexican food, Texmex dishes as a side dish or stuffed in a burrito with cheese. We like to add cheese to the top when we are using them as a side dish! Great for nachos too!

Keyword easy side dish, Instant Pot, mexican food, pinto bean, pinto beans, refried beans, side dish, vegetables

Chicken and Dumplings – the Ultimate Comfort Food

November 29, 2018 by Becky Spoon

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Chicken and Dumplings is the perfect dish for leftover chicken. I roast a lot of chicken and if i am not roasting a whole chicken or some chicken parts, I’ll pick up a rotisserie chicken. These Chicken and Dumplings were from a whole chicken I had roasted. Here’s the link for my roasted chicken: https://the2spoons.com/lemon-and-garlic-roast-chicken/

What about the pan drippings from that roasted chicken or those chicken parts? I use all of of it in this Chicken and Dumplings recipe; the drippings, the broth…the best part of roasting a chicken!

I really needed some comfort food today! What better comfort food than Chicken and Dumplings?

Chicken and Dumplings – Ultimate Comfort Food

These are a little different from the Chicken and Dumplings I grew up with. I start a base of onions, celery and carrots and in the end I add a little english peas. I really like the addition of carrots and peas because they add color to the dish!

I love the history of foods from my Southern roots. https://www.southernkitchen.com/articles/eat/the-true-history-of-southern-chicken-and-dumplings-isnt-what-we-thought

Here’s my recipe! I hope you like it!

Chicken and Dumplings – the Ultimate Comfort Food

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Chicken

2-3 chicken pieces (I used a leg quarter this time)
salt and pepper

For the Dumplings

1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 Cup milk
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt

For the Chicken and Dumplings

1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinkly sliced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp flour
5 cups chicken broth More if needed
2 Cups Cooked chicken, diced or shredded
1/2 cup english peas

Instructions

For the Chicken

Roast a whole chicken or a few pieces of chicken, legs, thighs or the breast seasoned with salt and pepper on a sheet pan until browned and internal temperature reaches 165. When the chicken is cool, shred into pieces and set aside.
Alternative 1:
Place a whole chicken or pieces in a stock pot with 1/2 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer until chicken begins to fall off the bone..45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the stock pot and after it has cooled, shred the pieces you want to use and save the remainder for another use.
Alternative 2:
If you have a store bought rotisserie chicken, pick and shred a couple of pieces.
This is a small recipe, if you double you want to add more chicken

For the Dumplings

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Heat the milk and butter in a small sauce pan to a scald. Pour the milk mixture over the flour, baking powder and salt mixture.
Combine the mixture and form into a disc.
Roll the dough on a floured surface as think as possible.
Cut the rolled out dough into strips, then pieces.

For the Chicken and Dumplings

In a medium saucepan melt the butter and heat with the oil. Add the onions, celery and carrots and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the flour, stir and cook about 1 minute or so.
Add the chicken broth, whisking to combine and bring back to a boil. Continue cooking until the carrots and celery are tender. Add the shredded chicken and the peas.
Add the dumpling strips punching down as you add them. Cook uncovered until for about 10 minutes until done.
Spoon the dumplings into serving bowls and enjoy!!

Keyword chicken, chicken and dumplings, Dumplings