The three most popular dishes from last night were probably the cornbread, beef stew and banana pudding pie. The Creamy Tomatillo Dressing (a reproduction of the one at Cafe Rio courtesy Kalyn's Kitchen) was also a hit. The peach cobbler couldn't be faster or easier to make, and I'll definitely be making it when fresh peaches come into season. The slow-cooker ribs were literally just beef ribs + BBQ sauce of your choice + 1 inch of water in the slowcooker for 8-10 hours. Presto.
Hope you guys like the recipes and enjoy!!
Green Chile Cornbread
Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs (mine were at room temp)
1 (15oz) can creamed corn
1 (4oz) can chopped green chiles, drained
1.5 cups shredded "Mexican" blend cheese (or a mixture of cheddar and Monterey Jack, depending on taste)
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time; then mix in creamed corn, green chiles and cheese
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; gradually mix flour mixture into corn mixture and stir until smooth. Pour batter into lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until lightly browned.
Beef Stew
Ingredients
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup vegetable oil, divided
4 cups beef broth
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 teaspoons tomato paste (I keep a tube in the fridge, they're fantastic)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 cup red wine (cabernet sauvignon or merlot both work well)
1.5 cup carrots, sliced into 1-inch pieces
2 cups red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5-inch pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour or cornstarch, whatever you prefer
1/2 cup corn kernels
Preparation
- Coat beef thoroughly in salt, pepper and cumin, then dredge in flour. Heat 3 Tbs oil in a medium pot, then brown beef on all sides on high heat. Remove beef, then cook onion, garlic, tomato paste and paprika in remaining oil on medium heat.
- Once onions are soft, add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and ground thyme. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 1.5 hours or until meat is tender.
- Add red wine, carrots and potatoes to the pot and simmer for another 45 minutes.
- Scoop out 1/2 cup of broth from the pot; then, in a small bowl, fully dissolve the flour or cornstarch. Stir the mixture thoroughly into your stew and, turning the heat to a simmer, allow the stew to thicken. Repeat, if desired.
- Add corn to stew, simmer for 20 minutes and serve.
Banana Pudding Pie
Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
4 sliced ripe bananas
3 cups milk
2 packages vanilla instant pudding
1/2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1.5 cups heavy cream
2 Tbs powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1.5 cups thawed whipped topping
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In a bowl, mix wafer crumbs, pecans, nutmeg and butter until thoroughly combined; press firmly into the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish. Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned; set aside to cool.
- Pour milk into large bowl and whisk together with pudding mix until well combined, then whisk in lemon juice.
- Layer crust with banana slices; spread 2 cups of the pudding mixture evenly over the banana slices.
- In a separate bowl, whip together heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff**; stir 1 cup of the whipped cream into the remaining pudding, then spread the mixture evenly over the pie.
- Combine remaining whipped cream with whipped topping (the whipped topping will help keep your fresh whipped cream firm). Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, then serve!
