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Pinto Beans

/ krby4 / Leave a comment

These beans are the base beans I use for burritos, bowls, and refried beans. I am sure that they can be made in a regular pot, but I have only ever made them in an instant pot

Ingredients

  • 4 cups dried pinto beans
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil or lard
  • 4 oz jalapeño pepper (usually 2 big ones)
  • 5 clove garlic
  • 1/2 large white onion
  • 1 can diced tomato or 8 oz diced roma tomato
  • 6ish cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp chile powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp oregano

Tools

  • One large cutting board or pastry mat
  • Instant pot

Method

  • Soak beans for at least an hour. I use the instant pot to soak them in
  • Chop jalapeño, onion, and garlic finely. If using fresh tomatoes, dice them as well, but separate from the other ingredients
  • Drain the beans, set aside
  • Turn the instant pot to sauté. When the pot is hot, add oil or lard
  • Sauté onion, garlic, and pepper until the onion is translucent, about 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally
  • Add tomato and spices to pot, sauté for an additional minute
  • Add beans to pot and cover with stock. You should be aiming to cover the beans entirely, plus around another inch over the beans to allow them to soak up the moisture
  • Cook on the “bean” setting for 1.5 hours and allow to naturally depressurize
  • NOTE: This recipe is huge and I usually portion this out and freeze some for use in future dishes

Picante Puro Salsa

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This is a great everyday salsa with a bit of a kick. I have included weights for all of the ingredients because I have found large variation in size for every single one.

Ingredients

  • 24 oz Roma tomatoes (about 6)
  • 9 oz white onion (about one large onion)
  • 2 oz Anaheim pepper (about one)
  • 6 oz Jalapeno pepper (about 4 large ones)
  • 2 oz Serrano pepper (about 6)
  • 1.5 oz Habanero pepper (about 4)
  • 1 oz garlic (about 5 large cloves)
  • 1 oz cilantro (about a half a head)
  • 1 tbsp MSG (use salt if you don’t have msg)
  • 1/2 to 1.5 tbsp salt (to taste)
  • 2 tbsp lime juice

Tools

  • One large cutting board or pastry mat
  • Baking trays with parchment paper
  • Blender
  • Oven

Method

  • Preheat oven to 400
  • Cut tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and serrano in half. Deseed the peppers. Cut the tops off of the habanero and Anaheim peppers. Put garlic in a small piece of aluminum foil.
  • Place all peppers, onions, and tomatoes skin side up on a baking sheet with parchment paper
  • Cook at 400 for 25 minutes. Remove from oven
  • Place all ingredients into a blender and blend to your desired consistency

Picante Verde

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This is a great everyday verde salsa with a bit of a kick. I have included weights for all of the ingredients because I have found large variation in size for every single one.

Ingredients

  • 24 oz Tomatillos (about 6)
  • 9 oz white onion (about one large onion)
  • 2 oz Anaheim pepper (about one)
  • 8 oz Jalapeno pepper (about 5 large ones)
  • 2 oz Serrano pepper (about 6)
  • 1 oz garlic (about 5 large cloves)
  • 1 oz cilantro (about a half a head)
  • 1 tbsp MSG (use salt if you don’t have msg)
  • 1/2 to 1.5 tbsp salt (to taste)
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Tools

  • One large cutting board or pastry mat
  • Baking trays with parchment paper
  • Blender
  • Oven

Method

  • Preheat oven to 400
  • Cut tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and serrano in half. Deseed the peppers. Cut the tops off of the habanero and Anaheim peppers. Put garlic in a small piece of aluminum foil.
  • Place all peppers, onions, and tomatoes skin side up on a baking sheet with parchment paper
  • Cook at 400 for 25 minutes. Remove from oven
  • Place all ingredients into a blender and blend to your desired consistency

Bacon and Potato Soup

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This soup is one of my favorites to cook because it honestly comes together pretty fast and is delicious. This is also pretty much clam chowder without the clam juice and clams, so if you have a hankering for clam chowder but can’t source them, this is your soup.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb bacon, I prefer thick cut
  • 3 lb red potatoes cut into small cubes
  • 8 stalks celery cut into small chunks
  • 1 white or yellow onion diced
  • 6-8 cup chicken stock
  • Flour or corn starch to thicken soup (optional)
  • 1-1.5 cup cream
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Red pepper flake (optional)

Tools

  • One large cutting board or pastry mat
  • One large pot with lid

Method

  • Cut your bacon into roughly 1/2 inch chunks and throw all of it into a preheated pot over medium heat
  • While the bacon is crisping up, cut potatoes, onions, and celery
  • After the bacon is crispy, remove the chunks and place aside. Retain all of the bacon grease in the bottom of the pan. Cook until the onion is translucent
  • If using flour to thicken your soup, create your roux now. Depending on how much grease your bacon produced, this could be anywhere from 3-5 tbsp of flour
  • Put the potatoes in the pot, and cover with chicken stock and add spices to taste. 1 tbsp salt/pepper is a starting point, but half the salt if you don’t like salty food. How much chicken stock you use depends on how thick you want your soup. I tend to cover it about 1/2-1 inch above the potatoes because I like my soup to be very chunky
  • Bring the soup to a simmer and reduce heat to low for about 20-30 minutes, or until your potatoes are all the way cooked
  • If thickening your soup with corn starch, use between 1-2 tbsp of cornstarch and create a slurry with some stock from the soup and stir in
  • We aren’t aiming to thicken the soup up too much with thickening agents, its not a stew.
  • Stir in your cream, for a creamier soup use more
  • Stir in half the bacon crumbles you created
  • Serve in a bowl with bacon crumbles on top of the soup

Baked Chicken Wings

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Deep frying is a lot of work, so this is a delicious chicken wing recipe that is done in the oven.

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds chicken wings
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup hot sauce
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp white pepper (optional)
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tbsp sal1 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1-2 tbsp oil

Tools

  • One large baking sheet
  • One large sealable plastic bag
  • 1 large bowl for mixing wings

Method

  • Prepare a marinade for the wings in a plastic ziplock bag using 2 cups buttermilk, 1/2 cup hot sauce of your choice, 1tbsp salt, and 1 tsp white pepper if using.
  • Place wings in bag, covering all the wings, and remove the air to provide better surface area coverage
  • Marinate at least 8 hours, preferably overnight
  • Preheat oven to 425
  • Remove wings from marinade and discard the marinade
  • Dry wings as much as you can
  • Place wings on parchment paper or cooking rack on the baking sheet
  • Cook at 425 for 20 minutes, flip wings, cook at 425 for another 20 minutes. If the wings are not done to your liking, cook an additional 10-15 minutes

Cheesecake (filling only)

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Be sure to chill overnight!

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream (cold)
  • 3 8-oz blocks of full-fat cream cheese (room temp)
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Tools

  • Pie crust (graham cracker is a favorite)
  • Large stirring bowl
  • Medium stirring bowl
  • Stand mixer

Method

  • Whip cold heavy whipping cream into stiff peaks (approximately 5 minutes). Set aside.
  • Separately, beat the room-temp cream cheese and granulated sugar together until smooth and creamy.
  • Add in the powdered sugar, sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla and beat until smooth.
  • Fold the cream in until combined. Combine slowly to avoid deflating air and do not over mix.
  • Gently fill the crust. Cover lightly with wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 6-8 hours (preferably overnight).
  • Serve chilled and keep refrigerated.

Beef Enchiladas

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Ingredients

  • 2.5 lbs Chuck Roast
  • .5 chopped onion
  • 3 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 2 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp chile powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 20 corn tortillas
  • 1 large can of enchilada sauce or 20 oz homemade enchilada sauce
  • Mexican cheese blend to taste

Tools

  • One large dutch oven or instant pot
  • One large casserole pan
  • Pan or comal for heating up tortillas

Method

  • Chop your meat into 4″ cubes, season with salt, pepper, chile powder, cumin, garlic, and onion
  • Marinate meat overnight or at least 8 hours
  • Brown the meat in your instant pot in batches or a sturdy pan and set in the instant pot
  • Cover the meat with your broth and place your instant pot lid over the meat
  • Cook your meat for 1 hour on the MEAT setting, or 1 hour on high pressure, and let it naturally let out pressure
  • If you are using a dutch oven, cook on low heat for 3-4 hours
  • If you are using a dutch oven, you may want to watch your liquid levels while cooking, as some of the liquid will evaporate and you do not want your meat to burn
  • When meat is done, pull apart with forks
  • Heat up the tortillas on your comal or pan and set aside
  • Put meat in center of tortilla, roll, and put in casserole pan
  • Once you have your pan filled, pour enchilda sauce over and top with cheese
  • Cook at 350 for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted to your satisfaction
  • Serve with rice and our homemade beans

BBQ Sauce

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Ingredients

  • 1 15oz can tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 2 tbsp chile powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp ground white pepper

Tools

  • One medium saucepan
  • Mason jars to store sauce in

Method

  • Combine all spices with vinegar and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl
  • Heat tomato sauce and tomato paste over medium heat until you start to see bubbles
  • Combine all ingredients and simmer on low for 15-30 minutes

Baked Chicken Parmesan

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This recipe is fairly easy to follow and delicious. I have never once under or over cooked this recipe, and if you pair it with our Spaghetti Sauce it is bound to come out great.

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup fresh shredded parmesan split in half
  • 1-1.5 cups of Italian bread crumbs
  • 1 pound pasta
  • 1 quart Spaghetti Sauce

Tools

  • One large baking sheet or casserole pan
  • One large pot for cooking pasta
  • One large cutting board
  • One meat tenderizing hammer
  • Two bowls for breading your chicken

Method

  • Preheat oven to 350
  • Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, and then cut those pieces in half horizontally
  • Place some plastic wrap over your cut pieces of meat, and use your meat tenderizer on each piece. You should only have to hit the meat a few times, just make sure each piece is slightly tenderized
  • Beat your eggs in one of the two bowls
  • Place your breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup of grated parmesan in the other bowl, and mix until combined
  • One piece at a time, cover your chicken with egg, then breadcrumbs and move to your baking sheet or casserole pan
  • Bake for 45 minutes at 350
  • While chicken is baking, heat up your spaghetti sauce and start the water for your pasta
  • Prepare pasta according to package directions
  • When the chicken is done, place roughly 2 tbsp spaghetti sauce on each piece of chicken, and a small pinch of parmesan. Or do a lot, this part is really up to you. Make sure to reserve some sauce for the pasta
  • Broil for 4-6 minutes on high. For crunchier cheese, broil longer
  • Use the rest of your spaghetti sauce in your noodles
  • Place either on the noodles or on the side of them

Biscuits

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Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/8 cup (3/4 of a stick) of very cold butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup whole milk

Tools

  • One large bowl
  • One large cutting board
  • One baking sheet
  • Pastry knife

Method

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
  • Chop the butter into 1/2″ or smaller cubes, place in small bowl and put back in fridge or freezer
  • Mix all the dry ingredients into a large bowl
  • Once the butter has been in the fridge or freezer for 5 minutes, put into dry ingredient bowl and use pastry cutter. You don’t need much smaller chunks than 1/4″ pieces, you still want to see the butter in the mixture
  • Add milk and egg, mix until sticky with fork or whisk
  • Mix with hands until combined
  • Move onto floured cutting board or surface, shape to roughly rectangular shape 1″ thick
  • Cut into six equal pieces
  • If you have time, put these pieces on the cutting board and back into the fridge for 5 minutes
  • Bake at 400 for 12-16 minutes, until starting to turn golden brown