elote

Buying elote on the street is one of my very favorite things to do in Mexico. Thankfully, it's not hard to make in your very own casa.

ELOTE

4 ears shucked corn
3 T mayonnaise
3 t fresh lime juice
3 T crumbled Cotija cheese (grated Parmesan cheese will do)
1 t chili powder
1/2 t ground cumin
1/4 t salt
cooking spray or oil & brush

Fire up the grill. Mix mayo & lime juice in 1 bowl. Mix cheese, spices & salt in another. Coat grill rack with oil or cooking spray, grill corn 10-14 minutes or until tender (turn frequently). Remove corn from grill, brush with mayo mixture and sprinkle liberally with cheese mixture. YUM!

PS-They do marvelous things to popcorn in Mexico, too. I'll save that for another post.

"turkey" beef and noodles

Your man will love this meal, and he probably won't even notice that it's turkey.

1 lb ground turkey
1 chopped white onion
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 heaping T minced garlic
1 1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c flour
1 1/2 c hot water
2 T onion soup mix (or 2 t beef bouillion powder)
2 T red wine
6-8 oz egg noodles
8 oz drained mushrooms
1 c sour cream

Brown meat, adding onions toward end. Drain. Stir meat and all ingredients through wine into crock pot. Cook on low 2-3 hours. Add hot pre-cooked pasta, mushrooms, sour cream. Cover, cook on high for 15 minutes.

southwestern chicken pie

Someone brought this to us when our daughter was born and it was amazing. We were famished and it was the best thing we had tasted in days. Add in some coolness points because it has "Mexicorn" in it.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN PIE

1 box refrigerated pie crusts
3 chicken breasts, cooked with taco seasoning and chunked
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can Mexicorn
1 t garlic powder
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa
2 cups shredded colby-monterrey jack cheese

Heat oven to 400. Place 1 pie crust in 9" pie plate. Mix all ingredients, pour into crust lined pan. Top with second crust, seal edges and flute. Cut slits in the top of the crust. Bake 40-50 minutes or until golden brown. After 15-20 minutes of baking cover edges with foil to prevent burning. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes to set up before you serve it.

kathleen's julie's chicken

I'm not sure who Julie is, but I recognize the handwriting on this recipe card as my friend Kathleen's. This one is as easy as it is delicious.

JULIE'S CHICKEN

1 pkg Italian seasoning
1 block 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 cup white wine
8 oz sliced mushrooms (I use canned)
4 chicken breasts

Mix ingredients together in the trusty crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

chicken cashew curry

A great spice meets a great nut. I can practically see the sparks.

CHICKEN CASHEW CURRY

2 T butter
4 T curry powder
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/3 t grated nutmeg
1 cup white wine
1 cup papaya or mango nectar
1 lb chicken, cut into chunks
1 lb whole cashews

Melt butter, add curry powder, onion, bell pepper and nutmeg. Cook until pepper and onion are tender. Add wine, nectar and chicken. simmer over low heat for 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Stir in cashews and serve.

chorizo stuffed squash

I am crazy for about 100 Trader Joe's products. Sitting atop that list is this recipe's key ingredient: hot, soy chorizo.

CHORIZO STUFFED SQUASH

6 large yellow squash

1/4 lb chorizo (regular or soy)

2 T onion, sauteed in butter

dried bread crumbs

salt and pepper

2 t parsley

Boil squash in salted water until tender. Brown chorizo if it requires cooking. Cut squash in half, long-ways. Scoop out centers of squash, mix with chorizo, onions, salt, pepper and parsley. Top with bread crumbs, bake at 350 until hot.

cranberry pear chutney

I got this recipe from some girls at work. Except that I never got the exact recipe. I have just been guessing, and I like how it's turned out.

This is delicious on its own, on top of ice cream or yogurt, in a pie shell (drain 1st) or even as a cobbler.

CRANBERRY PEAR CHUTNEY

3 cans whole berry cranberry sauce
2 lemons
4 pears, ripe but still a bit firm
cinnamon
nutmeg
sugar

Dice pears (skin on or off). Empty the cans of cranberry sauce into a saucepan and heat on high. When it comes to a boil, add the pears. Cover with a lid and reduce heat. When pears become soft, remove from heat, squeeze the juice of 2 lemons and sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. Add sugar to taste - it's both with or without.