Quesadillas Supreme and Taco Salad

This quesadilla recipe is the best I've ever tasted. I got it from a co-worker about 30 years ago and it has been a family favorite ever since. It's vegetarian, so I usually fix a taco salad to go with it for those family members who like meat with dinner (ahem. . . that would be my husband). The taco salad recipe is from Sunset Magazine and it, too, dates back actually longer than the quesadilla--probably a good 35 years. There are many really good taco salad recipes, but this one remains our favorite. Since this menu requires much assembly and cooking JUST before dining, the sequence of steps I usually follow are: 1) mix up the quesadilla filling and set aside 2) cut up the tomatoes, slice the avocado and grate the cheese for the salad 3) cook the meat for the taco salad 4) spread the filling onto the tortillas for the quesadilla (put any leftover filling in the refrigerator) 5) Heat the oil for cooking the quesadillas and cook them (unless you have a HUGE skillet, you can only do one or two of these at a time) and while these are cooking, 6) start assembling the salad plates with the chips, and lettuce. If I'm making several quesadillas, I put the cooked ones on a platter and place in a warm oven (200 degrees will do it) and 7) finish assembly of the salad - SERVE! and ENJOY! - whew!!!

Oh - the menu! Well, that's really all it is, except for dessert. Any of the previous Mexican Food desserts will do, or take a look at the next one!

QUESADILLAS SUPREME
1 can (4 oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 can (4 ½ oz) diced olives
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilis
1 small tomato, diced
1 small, soft avocado, mashed
½ lb cheddar cheese, grated
½ lb monterey jack cheese, grated
Flour tortillas
Oil for frying
Combine first 7 ingredients. Spread, no more than ¼ inch thick and no closer than ½ inch from edge, onto one half of a flour tortilla. Fold tortilla over. Repeat with as many tortillas as you need for the meal. Leftover filling keeps very well in a covered, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Leftover quesadillas don’t reheat very well because they lose their crispness. Fry in approx ½ inch of oil over medium-high heat until lightly browned, turn and brown other side. Pat with paper towels. Serve warm with sour cream and salsa.

TACO SALAD
1 lb lean ground beef
¼ cup chopped onion
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 medium-sized head iceberg lettuce
½ cup cheedar cheese, grated
2 medium sized tomatoes, cubed
1 avocado, peeled and sliced (optional)
Tortilla chips
Place beef and onion into a frying pan over medium-high heat; stir until meat is crumbly and has lost its pinkness and the onion is tender (about 7 minutes). Discard any fat. Stir in salt, chili powder, and tomato sauce; reduce to low heat and keep hot. Shred lettuce and arrange on individual salad plates, top each with a scoop of hot meat mixture and sprinkle evenly with cheese, Garnish each salad with tomato cubes and avocado slices. Place tortilla chips around edges of salads and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Acapulco Enchilada Dinner

Here's another dish that can be assembled ahead of time and put in the oven before time to dine. Have you figured out that I really love ethnic foods; I'm always searching for authentic recipes, and sometimes change them! This is a "not so heavy" Mexican dinner that finishes with a delightful chocolate pudding with a twist. The menu:

Acapulco Enchiladas

Tossed Green Salad with dressing of choice

Mexican Cinnamon-Chocolate Pudding

ACAPULCO ENCHILADAS
2 cups diced cooked chicken
½ cup chopped ripe olives
1 cup coarsely chopped almonds
3 cups red enchilada sauce
12 corn tortillas
Salad oil
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups sour cream
4 Tablespoons minced green onions
Combine chicken, olives, almonds and ½ cup of enchilada sauce. Lightly fry tortillas in hot oil (just until soft, not crisp), drain. Spoon about 1 Tablespoon of chicken mixture along the center of each tortilla. Roll and place, flap side down, in a shallow ungreased baking dish. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through. Mix sour cream with onions and spoon over enchiladas. (4 to 6 servings)

MEXICAN CINNAMON-CHOCOLATE PUDDING
½ cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cans (12 fluid ozs each) evaporated milk
1 ¼ cups (6 ozs) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
½ cup flaked coconut, toasted
Combine sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in medium saucepan; gradually stir in evaporated milk. Stir in morsels and egg yolks. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened.
Pour chocolate mixture into dessert cups. Chill, covered, for at least 1 hour, sprinkle with toasted coconut just before serving. (8 servings)

SPAGHETTI DINNER

When we bought our first microwave, in 1981, I discovered that I could make my homemade spaghetti sauce in it. What used to take HOURS of simmering on the stove could be done in the microwave in one hour! What a time saver!! Through the years my recipe has evolved as I've discovered some really good pre-packaged seasonings. This is a recipe that I am frequently asked for. The dessert we like with this dinner is Italian Cream Cake, a good and impressive triple layer cake that presents beautifully when brought to the table on a nice pedestal cake plate. The cake recipe is from my Aunt June, who is a wonderful cook and whom I have gotten MANY recipes from.

Here's the menu:
Spaghetti
Tossed Green Salad
French Rolls or Garlic French Bread
Italian Cream Cake

SPAGHETTI SAUCE
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb Italian style sausage (pork or turkey)
3 - 15 oz cans Italian style stewed tomatoes
4 - 15 oz cans tomato sauce
Minced garlic to taste (I use 1 Tablespoons of prepared minced garlic in a jar)
1 cup Tone’s Spicy Spaghetti Seasoning mix
1 pkg Lawry’s or Schillings Spaghetti Sauce seasoning
2 Tablespoons sugar (cuts the acid of the tomato sauces)
In 5 qt microwaveable baking dish with lid (corning ware), crumble meats and microwave, uncovered, on high for 3 minutes. Stir and break up meat, heat for 3 more minutes, stir and heat in 1 to 3 minute increments until meat is completely cooked. Drain fat. Place remaining ingredients in baking dish with the meat, stir well, cover and microwave for 15 minutes at power level number 6. Stir well, cook for 15 minutes at power level 6; repeat cooking and stirring two more times - giving a total cooking time of 1 hour.
Note: Sauce freezes well in sealed plastic container or in Ziploc freezer bag.
Tone’s Spicy Spaghetti Seasoning mix is available at Sam’s Club and some super WalMarts. The ingredients are salt, dehydrated onion, spices, dehydrated red and green bell pepper, sugar, parsley, dehydrated garlic, red pepper.


ITALIAN CREAM CAKE
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup Crisco shortening
2 cups sugar
5 eggs, separated
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup angel flake coconut
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a small mixing bow, beat the egg whites until stiff. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and shortening, add sugar and beat until smooth. Add egg yolks and beat well. Combine flour and baking soda, add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well. Stir in vanilla extract, coconut and nuts. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 8 inch pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until cakes test done with a toothpick. Cook 5 minutes, remove from cake pans onto cooling racks and let cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
8 ozs cream cheese, softened
½ cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
In medium bowl, mix butter and cream cheese at medium speed on electric mixer. Add vanilla extract and mix well. Add powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Spread between layers and on top of cake (do not frost the sides). Sprinkle chopped nuts on top

ITALIAN POT ROAST

There is a restaurant my husband and I like to eat at and they have this Italian Pot Roast. It was pretty easy to figure out how they make this dish and so I'm sharing it with you! It's a pretty heavy meal, so I've found that biscotti and coffee is a sufficient dessert for this meal. My biscotti recipe is from an old friend of mine who got it from an elderly Italian lady. . . so we assume it's authentic. Biscotti is so easy to make and it keeps so well, I frequently bake both the regular recipe and the chocolate one.

The menu:

Italian Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes

Sauteed Zucchini

Tossed Green Salad

French Rolls or Garlic French Bread

Biscotti

The recipes:

ITALIAN POT ROAST

Place a brisket, flank roast or pot roast (well trimmed) in slow cooker. Pour one jar of any brand and any flavor spaghetti sauce over meat. Arrange russet potatoes that are washed and pierced (but not peeled) on top of sauce and also carrots that are washed (but not peeled). Cover and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours.

BISCOTTI
½ Cup Margarine, Softened
1 ½ Cups Sugar
3 Eggs
1 T Anise Seeds (crushed with either a mortar and pestle or in a coffee bean/spice grinder)
3 Cups Flour
1 ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
½ teaspoon Salt
¾ Cup Coarsely Chopped Almonds
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Beat margarine and sugar until creamy. Stir in eggs one at a time. Stir in anise seed. Mix dry ingredients together and then stir into dough. Stir in almonds. Separate into 4 balls. Lightly grease two cookie sheets. Roll each ball into logs and place two logs on each cookie sheet. Pat down logs to about 2 inches in width, about ½ inch thick and almost the length of the cookie sheet. (Lightly oiling hands helps keep batter from sticking – spraying Pam on hands works great)
Bake each sheet for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and place each rectangle on a cutting board. Slice diagonally into one inch segments. Place slices back on cookie sheet, cut side up, and bake another 10 minutes.

CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI
½ Cup Margarine, Softened
1 ½ Cups Sugar
3 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 ½ Cups Flour
1/3 Cup Cocoa
1 ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/3 Cups Coarsely Chopped Almonds
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix margarine, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in almonds and chocolate chips. Shape as per instructions for regular biscotti. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (until springs back when lightly pressed). Reduce oven to 325 degrees. Cut as per instructions for regular biscotti, place cookies “bottoms up” (instead of cut side up) on cookie sheet and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more.

LASAGNA DINNER

My lasagna recipe is from my mother-in-law and we think it's the best lasagna EVER! I've been making this recipe for 34 years and my mother-in-law made it for a good 20 years before that. The tiramisu recipe is from one of those best of the best cookbooks that was put together by home economics teachers in the state of California several years ago. I don't like most restaurant's tiramisu, many of them use rum or something else that I don't like! My recipe is easy and elegant and even people who don't like coffee compliment the chef when they try it. I've modified it a bit, mainly exchanging the traditional lady fingers for vanilla wafers. . . that change was out of desperation because lady fingers are sometimes hard to find. The vanilla wafers work so well, I don't even bother trying to find those lady fingers any more. Here's the complete menu for my lasagna dinner:

Lasagna

Apple Feta Salad

Garlic French Bread

Tiramisu

And here are the recipes!

LASAGNA
1 lb lean ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 - 1 lb, 12 oz can stewed tomatoes
2 - 6 oz cans tomato paste
In large skillet, brown meat over medium-high heat, drain off any excess fat. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a low simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
1 - 16 oz carton cottage cheese
2 beaten eggs
2 Tablespoons dried parsley flakes
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
In a small mixing bowl, mix cottage cheese, eggs, parsley and parmesan cheese.
1 - 8 oz pkg lasagna noodles - boiled to al dente and drained
1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated
Place ½ of the noodles in a 13 x 9 pan. Spread with half of the cottage cheese mixture, then spread with half of the meat sauce mixture, sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Let set 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

APPLE-FETA SALAD
1 medium-size Golden Delicious apple
1 medium-size Red Delicious apple
½ Tablespoon light olive oil
4 cups torn leafy green lettuce or lettuce mix
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 bottle Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing, or Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing
Core and quarter apples; slice each quarter into 3 wedges. In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add apple slices and saute until golden and barely tender (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Just before serving, arrange leafy lettuce on individual salad plates. Top with sautéed apples and feta cheese. Serve with dressing on the side.

TIRAMISU
2 Cups Whipping Cream
2 - 8 ounce packages Cream Cheese, softened
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 Cup Cold Espresso
1 box Vanilla Wafers
1 Hershey’s Chocolate Bar, shaved into curls
In medium mixing bowl, whip cream until stiff, set aside. In large mixing bowl, whip cream cheese until smooth, then add powdered sugar, vanilla and 4 Tablespoons of the espresso. Fold whipped cream and cream cheese mixture together. Arrange ½ of the Vanilla Wafers in 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle half of the remaining cold espresso over the wafers. Spoon half of the cream cheese mixture on top of wafers. Repeat layers. Top with chocolate curls. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
NOTES: Must use espresso made in an espresso machine. Espresso coffee made in a drip coffee maker is NOT the same. If you don’t have an espresso machine, purchase an espresso “to go” at a coffee shop. An alternative to chocolate curls is Ghirardelli Chocolate Powder, just sprinkle on top of Tiramisu.
Instead of 9 x 13 dish, use sherbet or other stemware, placing a vanilla wafer in the bottom and lining the sides with wafers. It takes longer to do these individually, but is more festive for special dinners. Any remaining mixture can be layered in an 8 x 8 dish or whatever size would accommodate.

BISQUICK PASTRIES

It doesn't get any easier than Bisquick! Bisquick came on the market in 1931 and was primarily a mix for making biscuits or pancakes. As the popularity of this product grew, so did the recipes using it. The first time I had a Bisquick Braid was in about 1988 and it was brought to a potluck I attended. I couldn't believe it was a bisquick recipe! The lady who brought the dish graciously gave me the recipe. The Bisquick Danish were also tasted for the first time at a potluck, and of course I asked for the recipe. These pastries are not as good as a yeast dough pastry, but they are good and they are FAST!

BISQUICK BRAID

2 cups Bisquick
¼ cup sugar
3 ozs cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup milk
7 oz. jar of raspberry (or other fruit) preserves or jam
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In medium bowl, mix the bisquick, sugar, cream cheese and butter. Stir in the milk to form a stiff dough. On a pastry sheet dusted with a little flour, roll dough out to a 15 x 10 rectangle, transfer to a lightly greased or sprayed cookie sheet. Spread preserves or jam down the lengthwise center of the dough. With a knife, cut 1 inch wide tabs along both long sides, cutting almost to the preserves and cutting the same number of tabs on both long sides. Starting at one end, fold one tab over the preserves and at a slight downwards angle, fold the tab directly opposite over and down, slightly overlapping the first tab. Continue folding the tabs until all are folded over the preserves. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Drizzle with glaze (see recipe and instructions for glaze for the Bisquick Danish)

BISQUICK DANISH

2 cups Bisquick
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup butter, softened
2/3 cup milk
¼ cup raspberry (or any flavor) preserves
Glaze (recipe follows)
Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix the bisquick and sugar; using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until crumbly in texture. Pour in the milk and stir until JUST mixed. Use a ¼ cup measure and drop 12 mounds onto a slightly greased, or sprayed, cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each mound. Pour a little oil into a small container and dip your finger in the oil and then press a “finger size” well in the center of each mound. Fill each well with 1 teaspoon preserves. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and drizzle with glaze while still warm. Makes 12 danish.
Glaze:
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon water
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix until smooth, spoon into a small plastic bag (sandwich or snack size), with scissors snip off a very small section of the corner of the bag and squeeze glaze into a zigzag pattern over the top of each danish. Serve warm or room temperature.
TIP: To make filling the plastic bag MUCH easier, fit the plastic bag into a glass mug or cup, folding the bag opening over the rim of the mug. Now you can set the mug on the counter and spoon the glaze into the bag with much ease. Pull the filled bag out of the mug and proceed!

PEACH KUCHEN

My first taste of peach kuchen was in 1971 and it was love at first bite! I was a senior in high school and had a part-time job in the office of a local feed manufacturing company in Lodi, CA. There was a wonderful German bakery in town, Knutson's Cottage Bakery, and they baked peach kuchens that were absolutely delightful! It was a real treat when one of us would run to the bakery and buy a kuchen for the office "snack." It wasn't until 1981 that I managed to find a recipe that was close to Knutson's. The card my recipe is on was written by a German lady in Lodi and it is a treasure to me. While my kuchens have never been quite as good as Mrs. Knutson's, they have become my daughter's favorite Christmas pastry. I've seen many variations on this recipe, especially in recent years with all the recipe sites online. Some of them are not a yeast crust, they are more like a cake crust. And some of them have an evaporated milk custard instead of the sour cream. I've not tried any of those, yet!

PEACH KUCHEN
Dough:
½ Cup Butter, softened
1 Cup lukewarm Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 Eggs
4 – 5 Cups Flour
½ Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1 envelope Dry Yeast
Place all ingredients in bread machine in order listed; process on the “dough” setting. Or, if you don’t have a bread machine, mix first 4 ingredients together. Stir in 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast. Mix well. Add remaining flour gradually, kneading dough until smooth and elastic. Place dough in buttered bowl and cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour). Punch dough down, divide into 6 equal portions. On floured board, roll each portion into a 9 inch circle and fit into greased 9 inch pie or cake pans. Let rise about 30 minutes.
Filling:
1 Large can sliced peaches, thoroughly drained
3 Cups Sour Cream, room temperature
4 Eggs, room temperature
1 Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Cinnamon
Arrange peaches on dough, do not allow slices to touch each other or overlap. Mix remaining ingredients together. Use a ladle or large spoon to evenly distribute sour cream mixture over peaches, spread to within ½ inch of the side of the pans (leaving a “rim” of crust). Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25 – 30 minutes.


Notes: Instead of peaches, use canned sliced pears, apricots, or prunes. Instead of fruit, use cottage cheese and the dish is now called Kase Kuchen . Use about ½ to ¾ cup cottage cheese for each pie, the custard step is the same as for fruit and you will still sprinkle with cinnamon.
Baked Kuchen freezes very well for several months. Wrap well with plastic wrap or seal one cake in a 1 gallon size freezer bag.