White Chocolate Cream Cheese Tassies with Raspberry Preserves

I recently discovered the Philadelphia Indulgence line. It's cream cheese mixed with chocolate and is to die for! I knew, after the first taste, I was going to have to come up with a recipe using it. I decided to lean towards the direction of bite-sized cheesecakes because not only was it an obvious idea, but with Spring now here, it just felt right.

The crust for these is made, quite simply, with flour, cream cheese, butter and just a little bit of milk. You should be able to get 18 shells if you portion it correctly. Make sure to spray your mini muffin tin with a non stick coating, otherwise, you won't be able to get the finished product out!

Crust:

1 cup flour

1 tbs sugar

Dash of salt

1/4 softened cream cheese

2 tbs softened butter

2 tbs milk

Cooking spray

Filling:

1 tub Philadelphia Indulgence, White Chocolate flavor

Raspberry Preserves

Preheat oven to 350° and spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray

Beat sugar, salt, cream cheese and milk with a mixer. Add flour and mix until well combined (it will be crumbly.) Form into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured surface, knead 3 to 4 times. Portion out 18 same size pieces. Place one dough portion in each cup of the sprayed muffin tin. Press each portion down and up the sides of the cup. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes or until the edge of the pastries are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. When pastries are cool, fill each one with the white chocolate cream cheese, making a small indent in the centers. Top each one with the preserves. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove each finished dessert from tin and sit on serving plate. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving.

Crock Pot Recipe- Lengua

Lengua, or tongue, used to be a cheap cut of meat to prepare. However, I think because of celebrity chefs featuring offals (the edible internal parts of an animal) on their shows and menus, the cost has skyrocketed. What once was a common thing to eat in our household has now become an occasional meal.

If you are trying lengua for the first time then try your best to get past the fact it is tongue. When completely cooked it is tender and reminds you of a well cooked roast. When I first introduced it to our kids, I didn't let them see it, didn't tell them what it was and they enjoyed it. Only after I had prepared it several times did I let them in on the secret.

1 Lengua, rinsed

2 Poblano peppers, sliced thick

3 Jalapenos, sliced thick

1 Serrano pepper, diced

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

5 garlic cloves, peeled

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbs whole comino

1 tbs ground comino

2 bay leaves

1 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Place the tongue and all ingredients in the crock pot, breaking up tomatoes with your hand. Cover, set on low and cook 5-6 hours. When done, remove tongue from pot and lest rest for about 10 minutes. Carefully slice the thick outside skin (you'll see the taste buds and it will be gray and white in color) and peel off to reveal the meat. Slice meat and serve with sauce.

Tres Leches Cake with Cajeta

The Tres Leches cake is a staple in most Mexican restaurants. It's made of white or yellow cake that is soaked in three different milks, hence the name, Tres Leches. When my husband and I got married we chose it as our wedding cake. You know how most people have tons of cake left over? Well, we had absolutely none! It is, in my opinion, one of the best cakes out there.

This particular recipe is a little different from the ones you normally see. Mine is layered with a thin layer of cajeta (Mexican caramel sauce) between the cake. Most people make a sheet cake, cut it in even squares and top with half a maraschino cherry. If you can't find the particular cake mix that I used, just go with a plain white mix. When pouring the milk onto the cake, make sure it doesn't seep out the bottom. The cake should be very moist but not dripping with liquid.

1 box of vanilla cake mix, like Duncan Hines Signature or Moist Deluxe

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup cajeta, room temperature

2 tbs powdered sugar

1/4 tsp rum or imitation rum

Prepare cake according to package directions for two 9" cakes. When done, completely cool on wire racks. With a long knife or cake cutter, even out cake layers. Mix sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a bowl. Place on cake on a plate with cut side up. Slowly pour 1/2 of the milk mixture over the cake. Be careful not to pour too much, you do not want the liquid to seep out of the cake. Top with a thin layer of cajeta then top with the second cake, cut side up. Slowly pour the remaining milk mixture over second layer, making sure not to add too much. In a mixer bowl, add remaining heavy cream, powdered sugar and rum, whip until stiff. Frost cake with the whipped cream, cover and refrigerate until well chilled, preferably overnight. Garnish with cherries or pineapple if desired.

 

Mexican Rice - My Husband's Version

I will readily admit that up until about 5 years ago I could not make rice, not even plain white rice! It was so bad that I didn't even bother trying anymore. I always left it up to my husband or purchased boil-n-bags, which he hated. After years of watching him make rice, both white and Mexican style, I decided one day to just give it another try. Surprisingly, I got it right and best of all, he approved!

One thing you will probably notice with this recipe is the cooking of the rice before adding the liquid. Besides this recipe, I now make all of my rice this way. I can tell you this much, the rice always comes out fluffy and cooked perfectly. Another thing you will see is the use of the molcajete to grind the spices. If you can find one, purchase it! Besides using it to prepare Latin foods, it is the best spice grinder out there.

1 cup uncooked white rice

2 tbs vegetable oil

2 cups water

1 large bouillon cube

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp ground comino

2 tsp whole comino

1 tsp whole peppercorns

1 8ounce can tomato sauce

1/4 cup each:

      diced onion

      diced green bell pepper

      diced tomato

Grind garlic and all pf the seasonings in a molcajete or spice grinder, set aside. In the microwave, add bouillon to water and microwave til boiling, about 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a deep covered skillet, add oil and then rice. On high heat, stirring constantly, cook rice until grains start to change color, about 5 minutes. Add spices and cook for about 2 minutes longer. Carefully add water, tomato sauce and vegetables. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat til almost off and cover with lid. Cook until liquid is almost completely absorbed and rice is done. About 20 minutes. Remove from heat. let stand for 5-10 minutes and then fluff with a fork.

Creamed Corn

When you hear cream corn, you automatically think of that stuff that comes in a can. This, is not that stuff! This recipe is heavy in cream, a little sweet and has a hint of nutmeg. I like to use two different types of corn, sweet white and sweet yellow. Use whatever you like, just make sure the package says, "super sweet" or "sweet."

3 tbs butter

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 tbs flour

5 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

4 ounces softened cream cheese

2-3 tbs white sugar

1 tsp cracked black pepper

dash of ground nutmeg

salt to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add flour, stir and cook for a couple minutes. Whisk cream into butter/flour mixture, whisk over medium heat until smooth. Add cream cheese, sugar, pepper and nutmeg and stir until cream cheese has melted. Stir in corn, reduce heat to low and cook an additional 10-15 minutes. Salt to taste. For thinner sauce, add water a few tablespoons at a time.

Crock Pot Swiss Steak

One of my family's favorite dishes is the classic Swiss Steak. For those that don't know, it has nothing to do with Switzerland. The term Swiss refers to the cooking method that is used to make it. It became popular in the 50's, and according to some, because Reynold's Wrap published a recipe for it.

When I first started making it, I would bake it in the oven for a couple of hours. I later modified the recipe, just a little, to accommodate the crock pot. My family likes it served with mashed potatoes and the sauce a little bit thick. If you want to make this in the oven, just add about 1/2 cup of water to the recipe and cover, with foil of course, and bake at 350° for a couple hours.

4 cube steaks, about 1/2" thick

Flour for dusting

1 28oz can whole tomatoes, drained and sliced

1 yellow onion, sliced in 1/2" rings

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 cup matchstick carrots

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

2 teaspoons tarragon leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Dust cube steaks with flour on both sides, set aside. Place half of the onion slices on bottom of slow cooker then place meat on top. Season with salt and pepper and then top with remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve over mashed potatoes or white rice.

Coconut Curry Crab Soup

There is this very popular restaurant down in Port Aransas, TX called Jay's Seafood and Spaghetti Works. Among other things, they serve some of the best soup I've ever had. On our last visit a couple years ago, they served a crab soup with an obvious hint of curry. With the help of my daughter, I came up with this recipe that is quite similar to Jay's. I've made it a couple times, and I will admit, I've never actually taken the time to do exact ingredient measurements or write anything down. But I'm confident this is it! (I hope).

3/4 cup fresh lump crab meat, picked through for shells

1 13.5ounce can premium coconut milk

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup heavy cream

1 ear fresh corn

2-3 tsp curry powder

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/3 cup matchstick carrots

2 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped

1 slice bacon, chopped

2 tbs butter

2 tbs vegetable oil

salt and pepper to taste

Remove the kernels of corn from the cob, heat a skillet on high and oil when hot. Add corn, season with salt and pepper and stir fry for about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. In a heavy saucepan, add butter and melt over medium heat. Add bacon, celery and chopped onion. Cook until onion and celery soften and bacon begins to crisp. Add coconut milk, water, curry powder, ginger, red pepper flakes, carrots, parsley and cilantro. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for about 15 minutes. Add crab, corn, green onion, cream and minced garlic. Salt and pepper to taste, bring back to a simmer and continue to cook an additional 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust any seasoning as needed.