Green Chile Sauce

When I go out to eat in New Mexico I always get my food smothered in "Christmas," which is what we call the mixture of red chile and green chile. (Fun fact: New Mexico's official state question is "red or green?") Several weeks ago I realized that I've never made a green chile sauce before, which is strange since that's pretty much all I eat at restaurants back home.
 
We have a freezer full of green chile out here that we need to start using before we move, so I got out my trusty cookbook and found a recipe for green chile sauce. I use this with so many foods now (huevos rancheros, over chicken, mixed in beans, inside enchiladas, etc.) that I had to share it with you. It's usually gone within a day or two at our house, so I need to start doubling the recipe! I'll also post recipes to the foods above in the next few weeks.

 Green Chile Sauce

adapted from Simply Simpatico

Ingredients
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon butter, margarine, or oil
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup water (or chicken or vegetable stock)
1 cup green chile* (roasted, peeled, diced)
salt to taste

Directions
Saute onions and garlic in butter (margarine or oil) over medium heat. When onions are translucent, mix in flour (it should look sort of like a paste). Add green chile and water (or stock); bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for five minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add salt to taste.

*I've only made this with fresh green chile, so if you're using green chile from a can, your results may differ.

Banana Blueberry Bread

Banana bread was one of the first things I made when I got married (around the same time that I really got interested in cooking) and I failed at it...big time. Everyone told me how simple it was to make banana bread, but for some reason I couldn't get the hang of it. It either tasted like cardboard, was soggy in the middle, or would completely collapse when I took it out of the oven. 

Luckily, I didn't give up; I kept trying new recipes and finally got the hang of it. This recipe is finally a keeper. I've made it several times, tweaking things here and there, and I love it. Not only that, but when my husband's grandma was here a few months ago she said she liked it! It's always good when grandma likes your food! This banana bread is moist and packed with velvety flavors, making it creamy and decadent, which says a lot for something simple like a banana bread. The very best part about this is how easy it is to make—it hasn't failed me yet.

I recently made a loaf and took it with us on a road trip (hence the on-the-go picture), and it made for a great snack or a quick breakfast. I added blueberries, because I had some in the fridge, but you could add chocolate chips or pecans instead!

Banana Blueberry Bread

adapted from Chez Us

Ingredients

½ cups butter
3 ounces cream cheese (by weight)
1 cup brown sugar
3 pieces ripe bananas
1 egg
¼ cups sour cream
1-½ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoons salt
1 cup blueberries or chocolate chips (optional)
1 cup pecans (optional)

Directions 
Heat oven to 350. Lightly grease a loaf pan. Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add bananas, egg and sour cream; mix until smooth. Add dry ingredients. Stir in blueberries or chocolate chips. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60 – 75 minutes, until golden and not doughy in the middle.

Green Chile Apple (Hand-Held) Pies

The first time I tried a green chile apple pie was in Vermont, of all places. We were visiting a friend who insisted we bring him some Hatch green chile from New Mexico so he could make a pie. I was intrigued at what it would taste like and fell completely in love after one bite. Unfortunately, the rest of my family didn't really care for it and I'm sorry to say that I never had it again...until now.

I always thought about green chile apple pie and wanted to make it several times, but every time I mentioned it people, (my husband) looked at me like I was crazy. A few months ago I came across a recipe for these hand-held pies (turnovers, really), and I decided to finally make them. I think you either like green chile apple pie or you don't. Personally, I love the sweet heat combo and could eat them all day long...which is exactly what I did.

If you make these, and I really hope you do, play around with the amount of chile you use. Chile from a can tends to be on the mild side, so you can probably get away with using a full cup. If you're using fresh chile, taste it first and judge the heat. We used one cup of VERY hot chile and I was afraid of the outcome, but I think cooking it and combining it with the sweet apples actually helped simmer the spiciness. If you're timid about chile, add it to a few pies and see how they taste—the outcome may surprise you!

Green Chile Apple (Hand-Held) Pies

adapted from Bless Her Heart

Ingredients:
4 sheets of puff pastry, thawed according to manufacturers instructions
3 cups apples, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup green chiles, roasted, peeled and diced.
1/2 cup of sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar (1Tbs sugar; 1Tbs cinnamon)
flour for dusting the workspace
egg for egg wash

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix lemon juice with the apples to keep them from browning. Stir in green chile. In a small bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and salt. Thoroughly mix dry ingredients into the apple mixture. Set aside; mix occasionally. In a small bowl beat egg for eggwash.

Lightly flour a work surface for cutting out puff pastry circles. Using a bowl as your cutter, you should be able to get 2-3 circles from each sheet of puff pastry sheet. The circles should be around 5-6" in diameter (we used the lid from our flour container—get creative with your cutter!).

Fill in half of the circle with apple filling, around 2-3 full tablespoons of filling depending on the size of circles. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of filling. Brush along half of the edge of the circle with egg wash. Fold in half, tucking the filling inside as you go along and pinch closed, or seal with the tines of a fork. Cut a 1" slit in the top for a vent. Brush the top with the egg wash; sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar. Place on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining hand pies. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Summer Berry Tart

I have a confession to make. Well, it's not really a confession, but more like a fact: I only like to make something if it's simple. I'm still learning my way around the kitchen and I'm still figuring out what works well together, so if something's too difficult, my eyes glaze right over the directions and I forget about making it.

I always see pretty-looking desserts floating around the Internet, but thought they were way above my baking league. But when I saw a version of this tart on Pinterest I couldn't get over how light and refreshing it looked and knew I wanted to try it. Then I discovered the recipe was from Real Simple and breathed a sigh of relief knowing it had to be easy to make. Luckily, it was extremely simple—just like the magazine claims—and I had the perfect place to take it: a 4th of July barbeque.  

You can use cream cheese, but we really like marscapone (Italian sweet cream cheese), so that's what I used. You can also top it with whatever berries you want. The one shown here is clearly decorated like a flag, but I also made one with a mixture of blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Frozen puff pastry is my new favorite ingredient and I'm already dreaming of other things to make with it.

Sweet Berry Tart

adapted from Real Simple

Ingredients:

2 8-ounce sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten  
2 tablespoon granulated sugar 
8 ounces marscapone (or cream cheese, softened) 
1/2 cup half and half (or heavy cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 
6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
3 cups berries

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375° F. On a lightly floured surface, unfold the sheet of pastry and roll it into a rectangle, smoothing out creases. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
2. Using the tip of a knife, score a 1-inch border around the pastry without cutting all the way through. Brush border with egg and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake until golden and puffed, 17 to 20 minutes.
3. Using the tip of a knife, rescore the border of the cooked pastry without cutting all the way through. Let rest until cool to the touch. Gently press down on the center of the pastry sheet to flatten it. Let cool to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, with an electric mixer, beat the marscapone until smooth. Add cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and 5 tablespoons of the confectioners’ sugar; beat until smooth (will thicken up over time). Gently brush flakes from the center of the pastry off; spread mixture evenly within the borders of the pastry.
5. Arrange the berries on cream mixture and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar.

New Mexico Biscochitos

If you know me in real life then you may know that I'm not a fan of chocolate chip cookies (CCC). If you see me eating one I'm usually nibbling around the chocolate pieces—true story. In fact, I actually prefer chocolate chip cookies sans the chocolate chips. Seriously, the CCC batter is DELICIOUS as its own cookie. I realize that's not normal, so I decided to blame my home state, New Mexico, on the reason why I prefer cinnamon-sugar sweets to chocolate.

I grew up eating a delicate dessert called biscochitos—a cookie that doesn't have a smidgen of chocolate, but are dusted with cinnamon and sugar and are so tender they practically melt in your mouth. These cookies are special and typically emerge around the holidays or for very special occasions, so they've always been somewhat of a delicacy in my mind.

Another thing that makes biscochitos the creme of the cookie crop is that they're the official New Mexico state cookie—a fun fact I learned when I was in elementary school. Depending on what region you're from in New Mexico, they're spelled different (biscochitos, bizcochitos, biscochos, etc.), but still taste pretty much the same. They're traditionally made with anise (a teeny tiny seed that tastes a bit like black licorish), but I grew up eating them without anise, so that's how I make them. They're also made with lard. Yes, straight up lard. They may taste "just as good" with shortening, but I think my family may disown me if I stray from the recipe too much.

Why all this talk about a cookie? Well, a couple weeks ago Better Homes and Gardens asked if I'd be interested in participating in their State Cookie Contest. I may be living in Georgia now, but since I'll always call New Mexico "home," I asked if I could bake on behalf of the Land of Enchantment. They said the New Mexico spot was mine, so armed with a brand new Better Homes and Gardens baking sheet*, I got down to business and made the first recipe that came to mind: biscochitos.

The grand prize winner in the State Cookie Contest wins a $100 Walmart gift card and TWO Better Homes and Gardens Bakeware sets (one for me and one to give away....or possibly TWO to give away since we're moving)!


Here's how you vote for this mouthwatering cookie...It's as easy as 1, 2, 3:
1.  "Like" BHG Live Better on Facebook
2. Look to the left and click on "State Cookie Contest"
3. "Like" New Mexico Biscochitos
(You can vote once EVERY day until July 27!)

Biscochitos

adapted from Simply Simpatico

Ingredients:

1 cup lard (or shortening)

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon anise seed (optional)

3 tablespoons sweet table wine (Mogen David Concord works great!)

1/2 cup sugar (may need a bit more)

2 tablespoons cinnamon (may need a bit more)

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream lard and sugar together until creamy. Add egg and beat until very fluffy. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture. Stir and mix in wine (and anise seed, if using) until it's a dough-like consistency (may need to knead). Roll dough out on floured board to 1/4" thickness. Cut into desired shape. Combine 1/4 sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon; sprinkle on top of each cookie. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Combine the rest of the sugar and cinnamon. Once out of the oven immediately cover the entire cookie with cinnamon sugar mix. Enjoy!

* I was not compensated in any way for this post.  I DID receive a free pan to use in the creation process, but all thoughts and reviews are my own**

Flour Tortillas

Tortillas have always been a staple in my home. When I was younger—much younger—I remember standing on my tippy-toes on a yellow stool out in Tome, New Mexico, watching my Nana and Tia make tortillas. I was amazed that these tiny women could knead and roll out dough with such intensity. I also distinctly remember they didn't have a recipe (a hard concept to grasp since, at the time, I had to quadruple check the directions on how to boil). My Nana and Tia always had tortillas on hand and whenever we went on vacation they'd give my dad a dozen or so to take with him so we could have tortillas no matter where we were around the country.

My mom would make homemade tortillas, too, but sometimes it was easier to just buy them. In New Mexico, packaged tortillas taste just as good as homemade, but in Georgia, they taste very processed to us, so we've been buying them out of a desperate need to have tortillas in our lives. For the rest of our time here, and when we move, I'll make them, because they are SO much better than anything store bought. I was always afraid that if we made them they wouldn't taste as good as they do from home. But I'm happy to say I'm completely wrong. These taste just like home.

The following recipe is what my mom, Tia Frances, and my other aunts use to make tortillas. Unfortunately, neither my Nana or Tia are around anymore so I'm not sure if they used it, too, but I'm willing to bet my Tia Frances got the recipe from them.

I have to warn you about one "ingredient" that's not mentioned, but absolutely necessary. This is going to sound completely cheesy, but I swear it's true. You have to make these when you're in a good mood, because they need to be made with love. My husband and I made them once while we were arguing and they were horrible. To this day he'll say that they were "fine," but they really weren't good. Trust me on this and really put your heart into making them.

Flour Tortillas

originally adapted from Simply Simpatico

makes around a bakers dozen

Ingredients:
4 cups white flour
3 tsp baking powder
3 tsp salt
4 tablespoons lard (or shortening)
1 1/2 cups very hot water (let the faucet run until it's as hot as it gets)

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cut in lard or shortening. Make a well in the center and add water, a small amount at a time, to form a dough. Knead dough with hands in bowl until it's smooth and feel elastic. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Form dough into egg-sized balls and flatten between palms. Preheat ungreased cast-iron skillet to a medium-high heat. With rolling pin, roll each ball into 6-inch, thin circles (or to the size of your skillet). Cook for approximately 30 seconds to 2 minutes (depending on how hot skillet is) on each side until tortilla looks slightly speckled and golden brown. Cover with a clean towel to keep tortillas warm and soft until served. Store tortillas in a plastic bag for later use.

Berry Rhubarb Pie

My husband and I went to Costco last week—a big deal since the closest one is an hour away—and we went to town buying fruits and veggies. With an abundance of strawberries and blueberries, we knew we needed to make something with them other than plopping them in our morning smoothies. So we (or I should say my husband) made what he makes best: pie!

Last year we really wanted to make a rhubarb pie, but we procrastinated and missed rhubarb season. Whoops. This year we didn't take any chances and bought rhubarb the second we saw it, and since we had a plethora of berries on hand, we decided to make a Strawberry Blueberry Rhubarb Pie. Or a StrawBluBarb Pie, if you will. As with most berry pies, the fruit will release a lot of liquid, so it's best to let it sit and thicken a bit before digging in...if you can wait that long

I'm pretty sure this is my new favorite pie, especially for the summer. The blueberries popped with sweetness, the strawberries tasted like snozberries...naturally, and the rhubarb complimented the berries sweetness by making my cheeks pucker just a bit. Do yourself a favor and make this pie—or a variation of it with whatever berries you have on hand!

Berry Rhubarb Pie

adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and cut (if needed) into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups blueberries
• 2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon  
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon melted butter or butter spray
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• two prepared pie crusts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. In a medium bowl, combine berries and rhubarb. In a separate small bowl, mix together 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and cinnamon. Sprinkle over fruit mixture and stir gently. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Gently stir again, making sure flour and sugar mixture isn't clumpy.
3. Mix lemon juice into fruit filling, then spoon into pastry-lined pie pan. With the other crust, either make a lattice top (in photo) roll completely out and place over filling. Crimp edges and cut steam vents in top. 
4. Brush lightly with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
5. Bake for around 40–50 minutes, or until filling is bubbling thick and crust is golden brown.