Casserole #16 - Hominy Casserole

 The Year of Casseroles

Casserole #16 - Hominy Casserole

    This recipe is based on a recipe in the Garvin County Extension Homemakers "Recipe Book 1980". The Garvin County Extension Homemakers is a group associated with Oklahoma State University's extension in Paul's Valley, Oklahoma.  The original recipe was submitted by Oleda Flud of Erin Springs. I will give you the original recipe and normally I show my modifications in italics, however I'll write out my whole recipe for you, because I changed it just enough to warrant it being a new recipe. I really liked this dish, even though I did not have fresh or canned jalapeno, and put too much pickled jalapeno (which I did have) for my taste. I had had to use jarred pickled jalapeno, because I thought I had canned chilis and didn't. I suggest adding jalapeno or green chilis to taste. 

Hominy Casserole (my version):

16 oz can white hominy, drained

1/2 cup green chiles or diced jalapeno (canned or fresh), optional

1/3 cup onion, chopped, optional

8 oz sour cream

1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (use cheddar or Monterrey Jack)

1 tsp taco seasoning

1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine hominy, jalapeno, onion, sour cream, seasonings, and most of the cheese, reserving about 1/2 cups. Spray a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Pour hominy mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (the cheese should be bubbly). Remove from oven and cool slightly before serving as a main dish or with baked chicken. When serving, sprinkle with extra seasoning if you like.

Hominy Casserole

Hominy Casserole

Hominy Casserole 

Hominy Casserole

Hominy Casserole - Oleda Flud's Version:

3 cans yellow hominy

2 small cans chopped green chiles or jalapeno 

1 large carton sour cream

2 lbs shredded cheddar cheese

cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. Bake in casserole dish at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes. 

Casserole #15 - Lemonchick's Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

 The Year of Casseroles

Casserole #15 - Lemonchick's Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

    So, I've had a lot going on, and I finally just this morning, made casserole number 15. Overall, it has just not been a good year and not a good year for the blog either. Part of the reason is that I feel as if I am writing this only for myself. If you see this and try this or any of my other recipes, please let me know. It would make me happy and feel like someone out there is paying attention. 

    This is a recipe of my own creation, and I hope you like it. Substitute diced potatoes for the tater tots if you like.  You can also use turkey sausage, hot/mild/maple sausage (I used hot sausage). It's okay if you don't do the layers exactly as I wrote below; mix it up! I'm very, happy with how this turned out, and I hope you love it. 

Ingredients:

1/2 lb sausage, browned and crumbled

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup diced tomato (canned or fresh)

1/4 cup diced pickled jalapeno (or fresh)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp chili powder (or your favorite spicy seasoning)

1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese (divided use)

7 or 8 eggs

1/8 cup to 1/4 cups milk

16 tater tots

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake tater tots until crispy. In a large skillet, begin browning sausage. Chop onion and dice the jalapeno. Add onion and jalapeno to sausage. Sprinkle salt, pepper and chili powder (if desired) to mixture in skillet. In a medium sized bowl, beat eggs with milk and add paprika. Spray a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Layer half of the tater tots in casserole and spoon sausage mixture on top. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over top of this layer, and add the rest of the tater tots. Pour egg mixture over all. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup cheese on the top. Bake for about 30 minutes and cover the casserole with foil to help prevent further browning. Cook for about 15 more minutes, until egg mixture is completly cooked. Remove from oven, cool slightly and serve. 

Tater Tot Casserole

Tater Tot Casserole

Charley The Muffin Man watching me take pics of this Tater Tot Casserole. 

Uh-oh, Charley The Muffin Man is getting closer to the Tater Tot Casserole

Appetizer Number Four - Lemonchick's Un-stuffed Jalapeno Popper Tartlets

 The Year of Appetizers

Appetizer #4 - Lemonchick's Un-stuffed Jalapeno Popper Tartlets

    Whoa, not really sure what I'll be making going forward, but I've had a bit of a hiatus from my blog, aka recipe diary. I am still committed to my Year of Appetizers. I had bariatric surgery in late April.  I had complications from the LapBand I'd had for 13 1/2 years, so had that removed and the Sleeve procedure in it's place.  So, I'll be trying to make healthier versions (especially for a while of recipes from my collection of cookbooks).  

    This recipe has evolved over the years. Years and years ago, a coworker used to bring stuffed jalapenos to work and they were yummy.  I started making them the way she made them, but then I tried making them differently and fast forward to now, where I just blend all the stuffed jalapeno popper ingredients together and fill mini Phyllo tart crusts. I love them and I hope you do also. 

     I'll give you basic ingredients and then you can modify how you like. For example, if you like more or less jalapeno or pineapple, just add more or less to your taste. Or if you don't like pineapple, leave that out. I've had a bit of extra filling before after filling two boxes of the Phyllo crusts, so I've used this filling on crackers and toast and I think it would be yummy on a bagel.

Ingredients:

1 8 oz block of cream cheese, softened

2-3 jalapenos, washed, seeded and diced (If you like spicy, you could definitely leave more seeds in)

1/4 to 1/2 cup crushed pineapple or pineapple chunks (If you use pineapple chunks, you'll have to dice up the chunks into tiny bits; also, you're going to drain the pineapple before measuring)

1/2 cup fresh, but cooled cooked bacon, finely diced (It is up to you how finely cooked you make the bacon, but I'd definitely make sure it is cooked; do not use raw)

1 or 2 1.9 oz packages of Athens brand Phyllo crusts (This is the brand I use; you can use whichever you like or make fresh)

Directions:

Bake Phyllo crusts according to package directions. You want them a bit crispy when you fill them.  Remove from the oven and cool. You can start mixing the ingredients while the Phyllo crusts are baking.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. I start with mashing the cream cheese, then add the diced jalapeno, followed by the bacon and pineapple. Make sure all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.   Using two spoons, fill the cooled crusts with your cream cheese filling and place on in a baking pan or on a baking sheet. Top with chunks of pineapple or thin, tiny slices of jalapeno. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.  Keep an eye on them and if the shells start getting too brown, you want to take them out. 

Lemonchick's Un-Stuffed Jalapeno Popper Tartlets
*Note - I believe this picture was taken before baking; due to my hiatus and having made these two months ago, I can't remember.

Fried Guacamole

 Fried Guacamole

    This is adapted from a recipe which was posted recently on Delish.com.  If you'd like to see there version or for other recipes, check them out. For a short cut, use pre-made guacamole in a spiciness level you prefer. Store bought should work just the same. If you make your guacamole from scratch, like I did, you can add spicier jalapeno if you like and more or less, tomato, onion, jalapeno, cilantro. 

    To make your guacamole homemade, mash together avocados with a tablespoon of lime juice, using a fork or pastry cutter/butter creamer tool (it should be mostly creamy, some little chunks are totally fine). My pastry cutter/butter creamer tool worked perfectly for me, because my avocados were really nice ripe (soft). Add chopped tomato, onion, cilantro and jalapeno to taste, followed by salt, pepper and minced garlic. Use a spoon or cookie scoop (this is what I used) to form balls of guacamole, placing them on a plate and freezing them for 20 minutes. While your balls are in the freezer, crush tortilla chips to a powdery consistency and set aside in a bowl. Some larger pieces are okay, but you're not going to want those pieces on your balls. I just mean "don't beat yourself up making your crumbs perfect". Heat your oil to I don't know what temperature exactly it was, but when I tested a little bit of tortilla chip to see if the oil was hot enough, it fried right up. Not an official method by any stretch of he imagination, but you use what you have to make sure the oil gets all bubbly when you drop whatever it is you're frying into it. Also make an egg wash in a separate bowl. I used two eggs and a little bit of water. Set your egg wash next to your dish of tortilla crumbs/powder.

    Remove your guacamole balls from the freezer. Roll your balls one at a time in the tortilla chip powder/crumbs, then the egg wash and then the tortilla chip powder/crumbs again. Place each ball on a plate. Repeat the process until you either run out of guacamole or you've made as many as you want to make (like I did). Use a large, slotted, metal spoon to lower two balls at a time into your hot oil  (I only had four balls in my hot oil at any one time.  You don't want to crowd them.).  Fry until crispy on the outside and as golden as you'd like and remove to a plate with paper towels to cool and sprinkle with a little bit of salt (I used Chipotle sea salt). Sprinkle with lime juice if you like. 

    At the end, I decided to fry up hush-puppy style, the rest of the tortilla powder/crumbs. I just mixed the rest of the egg wash into the powder/crumbs and fried them just like I had the guacamole balls. These would be fabulous dipped in queso. 

    The verdict? I liked these guacamole balls.  They'll be best fresh, as most fried foods are best, fresh. I put several in an airtight container in my fridge after taste testing a few, because I just can't eat all of them. The balls are crispy on the outside and soft/creamy on the inside, because remember, it is guacamole. Serving suggestion: Serve in a bowl drizzled with salsa as I did or a side of salsa. I actually used green sriracha sauce and really liked it. Would I make these again? Yes, but I would definitely make less if it was just myself. I used 8 avocados and addition to leftover balls, I have a ton of guacamole left. 

Ingredients:

Guacamole (Recipe below)

Tortilla chips

Egg

Oil

Guacamole Ingredients:

8 Avocados (ripe) mashed

1 cup Pico de Gallo (diced tomato, jalapeno, onion and cilantro)

1 tbsp Lime Juice

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

1/2 tsp Garlic, minced

Mmmm. Guacamole Balls with green sriracha drizzle. 

Mash avocado with lime juice.

Stir in pico de gallo. 

Shaped balls, ready to freeze.

Shaped and coated balls, ready to fry.

Cooling fried guacamole balls.

Plain tortilla balls, which would be fab dipped in salsa or queso.