Homemade Corn Tortilla Chips...Yum!

Yesterday was Taco Salad night.  We love that around here. And even though everyone has their take on a taco salad, I'm offering up my method here, along with the recipe for awesome, crunchy, better than store bought, thick, restaurant style tortilla chips. I posted my recipe for Chicken Taco Salad back in July. You can click on this link, and it'll take you to the recipe. I make Salsa Lime Dressing to go with my salads, and it's delicious, recipe for that is included on the same page.   And of course I don't forget my new fav cheese of choice in the salad, Cabot Hot Habanero and Seriously Sharp Cheddar. Seriously hot and seriously good.

I like a crunchy texture and always add crushed up, store-bought tortilla chips but decided to try a recipe I had seen on line for homemade chips. Fun to make, your kids will enjoy making the tortillas into shapes and seasoning them.  I made some of mine with just kosher salt and garlic powder and some with Emeril's Seasoning. Here's the simple recipe....

HOMEMADE CORN TORTILLA CHIPS
1 1 lb. pkg. 6" diameter corn tortillas
Vegetable oil
Your imagination with seasonings

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. With a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, cut the tortillas into wedges. One 6" tortilla with make 4 tortillas. Place on a cookie sheet that has been coated with cooking spray.  Place a small amount of oil (I wouldn't use olive oil for this) into a dish, and brush each tortilla lightly with a little oil.  Sprinkle each with your choice of seasoning. I know someone who used Ranch Seasoning Mix with some powdered garlic, and the chips came out tasting better than a Dorito!  After seasoning, bake the chips for 10 to 11 minutes. No need to turn!  Remove from the oven and transfer to some paper towels.  While they are warm, give them an extra little hit of seasoning.  Delicious! and Baked not Fried!!!

Enjoy, and tell me who didn't like these!!!

Seasoning Tip~ Another great idea for seasoning ~ Cinnamon and sugar!

Chili Cheese Mini-Bites

I've been making a lot of muffin/cupcake shaped things recently, Banana Ginger Snap Cupcakes and Carrot Coconut Cupcakes with Marmalade Buttercream Icing and today isn't any different. The major difference is that this recipe is a tasty little appetizer and not a full-blown, bag-your-diet sweet treat. I was thinking about that line from Julia Roberts' upcoming movie, "Eat, Pray, Love" where she says "leave no carb behind."  Very funny.  So in this recipe, I have left all carbs behind, and you and anyone else eating one can feel comfortable knowing you're eating a cheesy, spicy, veggie-filled little tidbit.  I'm mildly hooked on Cabot Hot Habanero Cheese these days, and I thought a combination of that plus the Seriously Sharp Cheddar would be a good combo.  They're great. Try them next time you're making appetizers.

  

CHILI CHEESE MINI-BITES 

1 Tbs. butter
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tomato, chopped (I used a Roma)
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup black olives, sliced (I used half a dozen)
2 oz. Cabot Hot Habanero Cheese
2 oz. Cabot Seriously Sharp Vermont Cheddar
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
S&P to taste

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and coat a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
• Melt the butter in a small pan and saute the onions, garlic and tomato until the onion is soft. Remove from heat and transfer this mixture to a medium sized mixing bowl. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
• Shred both cheeses.
• Beat the eggs and add them to the vegetable mixture along with the remaining ingredients.
• Fill each mini muffin tin with a heaping Tablespoon of the mixture.
• Bake for ten minutes.
• Remove from oven, allow to sit for a minute, then run a knife around the edge of the cups and place on a serving dish.
• Serve warm. These can be reheated easily. Or, serve cold like a quiche.
• Makes a few less than two dozen, and only about 30 calories each, and a trace of carbs.

Peggy is always where the food is!

Candied Cardamom and Orange Mixed Nuts

I've got a great new recipe for your nut dish this holiday season. Don't buy Planters or any other kind of store bought nuts this time. Get yourself some oversized bags of nuts at Costco or Sam's Club or whichever store of that type is popular in your area, and make your own! Perfect for gift giving, if you can manage to put any aside before devouring them all yourself. And great news.... I've found yet another use for that expensive jar of cardamom that I bought a while back!  These are sweet, crunchy and downright addictive.

CANDIED CARDAMOM 
AND ORANGE MIXED NUTS

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup plus 3 Tbs. sugar, divided
1 cup unsalted pecans
1 cup unsalted walnuts
1 cup unsalted almonds
2 tsp. cardamom
1/2 tsp. or more orange peel       

Melt the butter in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the 1/2 cup of sugar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Meanwhile, mix the remaining 3 Tbs. of sugar with the cardamom and orange peel and set aside. As you can see, I took the easy way out and used a jar of Spice Islands orange peel. But if you like grating, by all means grate away! When the sugar is dissolved, still over the medium to medium high heat add the 3 cups of nuts, cooking and stirring for about 5 minutes until toasted and well coated with the butter/sugar mixture. Don't allow the nuts to burn. Pour the nuts into a large bowl and add the reserved sugar and spice mixture. Stir well to coat evenly.  Dump this mixture onto a foil lined cookie sheet and break apart with the back of your spoon or spatula to, well, to break them apart.... duh me.  When they are cooled, they will separate, yeah, that's the word I was looking for... they will separate easily and be ready to fill a nut dish or add to a container for gift giving. Yum.... wait till you taste these!