Green Chile Casserole

This is one of my "go to" recipes when I can't come up with something for dinner.  It is quick, easy, and with a salad, is a complete meal in one dish.  All of that and it tastes great too!

Ingredients pictured above.

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 can evaporated milk

2 cans Cream of Chicken soup

2 small cans of Hatch Fire Roasted Green Chiles (I used one hot and one mild)

Corn Tortillas

Minced onions

Spicy Montreal Steak seasoning

Kosher Salt

2 cups Grated Cheddar Cheese

Brown the ground beef and add Montreal Seasoning, Kosher Salt, and minced onions to the meat as it browns.  In a separate bowl, combine the 2 cans of soup, evaporated milk, and green chiles.

Cut tortillas into 4 strips.  It took about 10 tortillas for this size casserole.

To put together:  Layer one layer of tortillas on bottom of a 9 x 13 dish or a 3 quart deep dish.  Layer about 1/3 of the hamburger over the tortillas; then 1/3 of the soup/green chile mixture over the meat.  You can spread grated cheese between the layers if you would like.  I did not in this casserole.  The picture below shows what the layers look like in the dish.

 To finish:  The final layer should be tortillas, meat, soup/green chile mix.  Top with the grated cheddar cheese.  See below.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes.  You want the cheese to be melted and bubbling but not burned.  Serve with a tossed salad and chips.  Enjoy!

Next - Red Velvet Buttery Chews!

Dessert Anyone?

This recipe is one that is truly easy but looks and tastes like it is really complicated.  Actually, pies are very easy to make as long as you get the pie crust recipe correct.  The crust is what sets a pie apart as okay or outstanding!

In the introductory post, recipes and suggestions were given for Sunday dinner but the teaser was that dessert would be the next post.  Buttermilk Chess Pie is one of my spouse's favorite pies.  It has a few simple ingredients so let's get going.

Buttermilk Chess Pie (Recipe from Allrecipes.com)

(Original recipe makes 1 - 9 inch pie )

2 cups white sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

5 eggs

2/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust (recipe below)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.)

In a large bowl, combine sugar and flour. Beat in the eggs and buttermilk until blended. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Pour filling into the pie crust.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until filling is set.

Again - the pie crust is essential to a really great pie.  There are a couple of tricks to making a good pie crust.  1) Be sure shortening is ice cold and water is cold, almost to the point of freezing; 2) Do not add too much flour or overwork the dough as it will make a tough pie crust.  

This is a secret recipe that has been in my family for generations (well at least 2 generations - my mom and me),  so - raise your right hand and solemnly swear that you will never, NEVER tell another soul this recipe. Now we're ready to get started.

Pie Crust (makes 3 single pie crusts)
3 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar (omit if pie crust is not for a dessert pie)
1 cup shortening, chilled
1 egg
1 Tbsp. White Vinegar 
7 Tbsp. cold water

Measure flour and sugar into a large bowl and give a quick stir to combine.  Add shortening and using a pastry blender (or 2 knives), cut shortening into flour until mixture resembles fine crumbs.  In a small bowl lightly beat egg, then add vinegar and 5 tbsp. cold water.  Stir together.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add egg mixture.  Stir with a fork until well combined.  If needed, add 1 tbsp. of water at a time, to get pastry to hold together.  (Again - don't add too much water or you will have to add more flour, which makes a tough pie crust).  You can use your hands to finish combining pastry but only at the very end.  Your hands add warmth to the pie crust and may cause it to be too moist.  Once you have your crust ready, divide into 3 balls.  Wrap 2 of the pie crust dough balls, individually, in plastic wrap and place in freezer bags; label, date and place in freezer to use at a later date.

Sprinkle flour onto counter top (or a pie board); place remaining ball of dough in center and press down lightly to make a circular disc.  Roll out until dough is fairly thin and is about 1" beyond the size of pie pan.  Fold dough in half (looks like a half moon), then fold in half again.  Very easily lift, dust flour off edges, place point of circle in the middle of pie pan.  Carefully unfold crust to fit pan.  If needed, you can lift crust and move around, but be careful not to tear or stretch too much.  Press the crust down, slightly, in the pie pan.  Fold under the edges so the crust sits just outside the edge of the pie pan, then finish the edges. (might be a video post at some time).

There you have it!  Buttermilk Chess Pie with Homemade Pie Crust!  MMMMM good!  It truly was scrumptious!

I will be out of pocket beginning tomorrow as I am working at the Texas State Fair in Dallas, giving away FREE Soft Serve Ice Cream at the Southwest Dairy Farmers booth.  If you're in the area, stop by and say "Hello!"  Enjoy and have a blessed weekend!