Tomatillo-Ranch Salad Dressing

adapted from Our Best Bites

1 Cup Buttermilk

1 Cup Mayo

1 Pckg. Dry Buttermilk Ranch dressing mix

2 Tomatillos (husked)

2 Jalapenos

½ Bunch cilantro

Juice from ½ Fresh Lime

1 Clove Garlic

Puree all ingredients in blender for 30 seconds.  Refrigerate until chilled.

Christina's Easy Mexi-Dip for Chips

1 8 oz block cream cheese
1 cup drained salsa
2 cups grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, divided.
1 14.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn, rinsed with the black beans and drained

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix the cream cheese, salsa and 1 1/2 cups grated cheese. Add black beans and corn. Spread in 9x9 baking pan. Sprinkle reserved cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake 15 minutes, then remove foil and bake 5 minutes more. Serve with tortilla chips.

Optional: I think the following things would be good in this dip, but I haven't tried them.

1 minced chipotle pepper
chopped cilantro
chopped bell pepper (red or green)
shredded chicken
chopped celery

Ben and Christina's Fish Tacos

Just found this after it sitting in my drafts for 10 months. Oops. We were inspired to try fish tacos after a recent episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay. Since we decided to make the attempt on a Sunday, we just had to use what was in the house, but we think they turned out pretty great!

Fish Batter--use whatever recipe you want

Cabbage Slaw

1/2 cup sour cream
juice of 1 lime
1 TBSP minced garlic
cabbage
red onion
carrot

1 cup pico de gallo

1 1/2 pounds tiliapia filets, sliced lengthwise
corn tortillas

Fry up the fish and fill each tortilla with fish, slaw, pico de gallo and eat! I also think some crumbled cheese (like Cotija) would be fantastic. Yum!

Christina's Green Enchilada Sauce or Salsa

from Our Best Bites

2-3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, minced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 green peppers, chopped
1-2 jalapenos
1 1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered or halved
1/2 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
4 c. chicken broth

In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until tender and fragrant.

While onions are sauteeing, combine tomatillos, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro in your blender. Process until smooth; you may have to do it in batches and/or add some chicken broth to make things blendable.

Pour the tomatillo mixture over the onions and garlic and add chicken broth, salt, pepper, and cumin. Simmer/boil 15 minutes-1 hour, depending on the consistency you want. The sauce can also be simmered in a slow cooker all day.

Serve over tacos, as an enchilada sauce, inside burritos, or as a dip for chips.

Christina's Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

from Tangled and True

* 1/3 cup honey
* 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)
* 2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon chili powder
* 2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), cooked and shredded
* 12 corn tortillas
* 2 cups of Mexican cheese blend, shredded (1 small bag usually is 2 cups)
* 1 14-oz can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
* 1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream
* nonstick cooking spray
* 1 Tablespoon of chopped cilantro, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tortillas, 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, in the refrigerator.

Heat a large griddle till a drop of water skitters across (about 350 degrees F). Spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray or a oil it with a little bit of canola oil in between each round of tortillas. Heat tortillas about 20 seconds on each side till warm and flexible and some golden brown spots have appeared. Remove the tortillas from the griddle and keep them between a couple of paper towels until ready to use.

Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish.

Add a large spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. Cover the chicken with a large tablespoon (or big pinch) of cheese, then roll the tortilla up from one side to make a rolled enchilada - it will be more of an over lap on the seam side that rolled tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each.

Repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese and tortillas. You will use about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese for the filling and set the remainder aside for topping the enchiladas in the pan. Add the remaining marinade mixture to the enchilada sauce and cream mixture, if desired. Pour this mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top. Serve with sour cream, black beans, and rice or a green salad for a great meal.

Lorri's Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Between commuting and actually working, I am gone for 12 hours a day. This recipe is great because it only takes 15 minutes to prep in the morning and or family of two can have great meals several days in a row. Plus it uses all of those food storage canned goods!

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 2 pounds (breasts work too)
salt and pepper
vegetable oil

1 cup salsa, we like the hot variety
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
(sometimes I use one a of kidney beans and 1 can black beans)
2 (11 oz ) cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 tbsp fresh cilantro

1. Heat some vegetable oil in a pan. Sprinkle chicken with salt and brown in hot oil. About 2 minutes on each side.
2. Mix salsa, beans, and corn in the slow cooker. Top with chicken.
3. Cook for 7-9 hours on low.
4. Enjoy over rice and garnish with cilantro.

I also shred all the chicken we didn't eat the first night and make burritos with the leftovers for the next couple of nights.

Christina's Tres Leches Cake

Unsalted butter, room temperature, for baking dish
6 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. In a mixing bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. In another bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold whites into yolks until almost combined. Gently fold in flour (do not overmix).

2. Spread batter in prepared dish. Bake until golden and pulling away from sides of dish, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the three milks; pour evenly over cake. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 1 hour.

4. Prepare topping: In a mixing bowl, whip heavy cream with sugar to soft peaks. Spread over cake. Chill in fridge for 24 hours. Serve! Garnish with toasted coconut or chopped pineapple, if desired.

Christina's Chili Verde

1 lb. tomatillos
3 Tbs canola oil
3 lbs boneless pork butt (also called shoulder blade roast) , cut into 1-in chunks
2 fresh jalapeño chilies, seeded and chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt

Peel and discard husks from tomatillos. Rinse under cold water. Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat and toast the tomatillos until slightly burned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor or blender and puree.

Heat oil in large Dutch oven. Add pork and brown on all sides. Stir in the jalapeños and garlic, and sauté for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatillo puree and salt. Bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom. Reduce to low and cover with a lid; simmer for 2 hours. (Or you can transfer the entire mixture to a crock pot and cook on low for about 6 hours). The pork is done when it falls apart when pierced with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.