Cutout Cake Instructions

Sopa de Tortilla

This is my favorite tortilla soup of all time.  Everyone who has it likes it, although it isn't a "normal" tortilla soup.  Because it is hard to get some of the ingredients in Sweden, I make a lot of substitutions, but here is the real recipe.  I'll note if I use a substitution.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons canola oil
2 corn tortillas
1/2 cup chopped white Spanish onion (I just use a half cup of whatever onion we have)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped (I usually use two or three)
1 small dried guajillo chile, stemmed, seeded, and broken into pieces (no guajillos here, so I have used chipotle and ancho chilles before.  And I usually use two.  Basically find a nice, dark red, dried, mexican chile and you should be okay)
1 small dried pasilla chile, stemmed, seeded, and broken into pieces.  (again, I can't always find this chile, so see above)
1/2 cup fresh epazote or 2 tablespoons dried epazote (I have no idea what this is, needless to say, it isn't in Sweden, so I don't use it.)
5 plum tomatoes, halved
4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
I also add some cumin
1/2 cup or so cream (my addition)

Garnish:
diced avocado
diced chicken
creme fresh or sour cream
tortilla chips (I usually fry up some extra tortillas when I am making this, so you have extra to crumble on the soup)
chopped fresh jalapeno chiles
shredded cheese (I usually use Manchego, but any cheese would work)

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the tortillas and fry until crisp, turning over once, 1 to 2 minutes.  Transfer the tortillas to paper towels to drain.  Break into pieces.

In a large saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil (I just use the leftover oil from frying the tortillas) over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic, and saute until softened and lightly browned.  Add the dried chile pieces and epazote, and saute until the chile pieces are lightly colored on both sides, 30 - 45 seconds.  Stir in the tomatoes, tortilla pieces, and broth.  Bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, over low heat for 30 minutes.

Working in batches if necessary (note that the above recipe all fits into my blender, so I don't have to do batches) pour the soup mixture into a blender and puree.  Pour into a medium-mesh sieve placed over a large bowl, and force the solids through with a rubber spatula.  Discard any solids left in the sieve.  (I don't put it through a sieve, I tried the first time, and it was a pain, and the soup taste fine without straining it this way.)

I then add about a half cup of cream.  This isn't in the recipe at all, but it makes it so it isn't too spicy and a bit creamier.  Go figure, if you add cream...

To serve:  Place in bowls and garnish with any of the above garnishes (hence them being called garnish!).

Lorena always asks for me to double the recipe so that she can freeze some and have it later.  It is also really good for dipping tortilla chips in.

Awesome Cinnamon Rolls

I saw these on a blog I frequent and figured it was time to pull out the bread machine I've had sitting under my cupboard for a year. I don't know if any of you have a bread machine, but these were the best and easiest cinnamon rolls I have ever made (probably because a machine made the dough for me, which I often fail at). I think I'll be making these a lot in the future to give away to visiting teachers, etc.

 

Dough:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten plus 2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups flour (Add a bit more if dough seems too wet after first few minutes of kneading in the bread machine.)
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast
Filling (I doubled this since we like our filling, oh yes we do!):
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Icing:
1 teaspoon milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
4 tablespoons (or less) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle. After the dough cycle is finished, roll the dough into a large rectangle and spread it with 2 Tablespoons melted butter and 2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 Tablespoon cinnamon.
Roll up and cut into 10-15 rolls and place in two greased round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned. Spread the icing on as soon as they come out of the oven.

You can also cover the unbaked rolls with plastic wrap, stick them in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake in the morning.

Uncle Ken’s Pancakes

Uncle Ken's Pancakes

1 c. white flour

2 T. baking powder

2 T. sugar

¾ tsp. salt

2 heaping tablespoons of whole wheat flour

1 c. water

2 T. cooking oil

2 eggs

Mix the dry ingredients and then add the wet ingredients.

Note:  I wrote this recipe as Uncle Ken rattled off the ingredients at the last Thatcher family reunion on a paper towel.

Puffy Chilies Rellenos

2-4 oz.cans whole green chilies

8 oz. Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

1-12 oz. can refrigerated flaky biscuits

Topping

3 eggs, separated

¼ tsp salt

about 2 oz

. of taco sauce
warm with 1 can tomato sauce

Heat oven to 375°.  Grease cookie sheet.  Cut chiles lengthwise to make 10 pieces.  Remove seeds and ribs; rinse and drain.  Cut cheese into 10 pieces 3” x ½” x ½”.  Wrap each piece of cheese with piece of chili.  Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Press or roll out each to 4” circle.  Place 1 chili wrapped cheese piece onto each circle’ fold dough over to cover completely.  Firmly pinch edges to seal.  Form each into finger shaped roll; place seam side up on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.  Meanwhile, prepare topping in small bowl.  Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. In second bowl, beat egg yolks and salt.  Gently fold egg yolk mixture into egg whites until just blended.  Spoon mounds of egg mixture over each partially baked roll, covering completely.  Bake an additional 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. In small saucepan, heat taco sauce.  Spoon over chili rellenos.

Strawberry Slush

1-12 oz. can lemonade

1-12 oz. can orange juice

1-46 oz. can Hawaiian Punch

2 ½ quarts fresh or frozen strawberries

Mix and add 6 cups of water.  Freeze 1-2 days.  Add 7-up or any lemon-lime soda to taste.  Makes around 5 gallons.

*Note - We served this at Brittany & Brian's reception. 

French Onion Soup

I did it. I finally made French Onion Soup. It's my favorite soup to get at restaurants and I've been wanting to try making it for years. It was an all day affair. Er, at least half the day. Not that I stood in front of the stove all day. And it wasn't hard. Just a process (cooking the onions in the oven and waiting and then a lot of stirring). But it was definitely delicious and very comparable to what I've had in restaurants.

Soup

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 3 pieces
• 6 large yellow onions (about 4 pounds), halved and cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slices (Make sure you get Yellow)
• Table salt
• 2 cups water, plus extra for deglazing
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (They recommend Swanson Certified Organic Free Range Chicken Broth )
• 2 cups beef broth (They recommend Pacific Beef Broth)
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme , tied with kitchen twine (yeah, I didn't do this part--just added a little dried thyme instead)
• 1 bay leaf
• Ground black pepper

Cheese Croutons

• 1 small baguette , cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 8 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese (about 2 1/2 cups)

Directions:
For the soup:

1. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Generously spray the inside of a heavy-bottomed large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven with a nonstick cooking spray. Place the butter in the pot and add the onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, covered, for 1 hour (the onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume). Remove the pot from the oven and stir the onions, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot. Return the pot to the oven with the lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until the onions are very soft and golden brown, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours longer, stirring the onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.
3. Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat. Using oven mitts to handle pot, cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until the liquid evaporates and the onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes, reducing the heat to medium if the onions are browning too quickly. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the pot bottom is coated with a dark crust, roughly 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary. (Scrape any fond that collects on spoon back into onions.)
4. Stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping the pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat process of deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown. Stir in the sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until the sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the broths, 2 cups of water, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot.
6. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard herbs, then season with salt and pepper.

For the croutons:

1. While the soup simmers, arrange the baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

To serve:

1. Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with about 1 3/4 cups soup. Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.