Carne Asada Nachos

Carne Asada Nachos

Carne Asada Nachos

I have a new toy……I have a new toy …..and you-u don’t……….but you should, if you don’t this thing is AWESOME!!! I am happy dancing………why dancing you may ask……..my new toy helped me make my Carne Asada Nachos!

What is my new toy you ask??? It a Pressure Cooker, thats also a crock pot, and a rice cooker. Pressure CookerIf it just went to the grocery store, it would be the perfect appliance! LOL …….Oh wait…..it keeps the food warm after the programed cooking time…….it IS the perfect appliance!

Since returning from Vegas and having the carne asada tacos at Hecho En Vegas, I have been dying to try and recreate the carne asada. My new little toy made this a breeze. The flavor is not exactly like Hecho’s but it’s close. My meat was a little more done……first time with the pressure cooker ……..I wasn’t sure how long to cook it,so mine was falling apart, while Hecho’s was chunkier.

Now, what to do with this luscious, juicy,spicy meat……….Carne Asada Nachos……..of course! Nachos need cheese sauce. Neither Tim nor I really like the nacho cheese sauce,so how about queso blanco……hmmmmm. The recipe for the queso sauce couldn’t be easier, one bowl, it cooks in the microwave………one of the best inventions…..ever!! And in five minutes or less……. creamy and cheesy, easy queso blanco sauce.

Carne Asada Plate

I would like to be all homemadey but I bought some good restaurant style chips at the store instead of making my own. Hey……it was Sunday afternoon and there were football games that needed to watched……by Tim not me.

Now ,I had a plan…….heat the chips in a cast iron skillet in a 400* oven for about 5-7 minutes, until until they were warm and extra crispy. top with the carne asada, drizzle….ok, ladle the queso sauce on, then top with tomatoes, avocado, green onion, cilantro, jalapeño slices, and a crumble of queso blanco cheese……the amount of toppings you put on these is up to you. OMG….these were fabulous!!!!! Crispy chips, juicy spicy meat, cool toppings……the perfect Carne Asada Nachos.

Carne Asada Chip
Since Tim and I have been married, I have a long drive to work, 40 minutes each way…….thank goodness for audio books……..but getting home late does not = time for making dinner and eating before 7 or 8 at night…….not good! But, with my new toy, the process can be sped up greatly. So, if time is of the essence for you too, look for one of these nifty toys for yourself. Looking to make a recipe now………. so I can play with my new toy.

Carne Asada Nachos Collage

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Carne Asada Nachos

Carne Asada Nachos

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Instant Pot
  • Cuisine: Tex Mex

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 pounds flank steak
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 large jalapeño, seeded and diced
  • 1 orange, juiced
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1/4 cup beer

Instructions

  1. In a skillet over medium high heat sear the flank steak in the coconut oil. Just a quick sear for color.
  2. Place flank steak and remaining ingredients in a pressure cooker and cook on high for 30-35 minutes following instructions on your pressure cooker. If you do not have a pressure cooker you can use a crockpot. Adjust cooking time to your crockpot.
  3. Remove meat from cooker and use for tacos,burritos, or nachos.

Keywords: flank steak, Instant Pot, nachos,

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Carne Asada Nachos

Queso Blanco Sauce

  • Author: Marty Boyd

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 pound White American Cheese, cut into chunks
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green chiles
  • 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeno slices, diced fine
  • 1 tablespoon juice from the pickled jalapenos
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup beer
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a microwavable bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes and stir.Continue microwaving at minute intervals until smooth. Allow to cool slightly and serve as a dip or over your favorite Mexican foods.

Notes

Be sure to use white American cheese not white cheddar cheese. The white cheddar will not melt they way that is needed for this sauce.

 

Monte Cristo Skillet Bread

Monte Cristo Skillet Bread

Well, the flu kept it’s hold on me all week…….ugh!

But, on a brighter note, I feel much better! So good, I made a little somethin, somethin for a snack ,which turned out to be even better for a lunch or brunch. Monte Cristo Skillet Bread!
It’s all the best things about a Monte Cristo Sandwich in a cast iron skillet.

Sometimes, in the food blog world, happy mistakes happen. I was trying my hand at making a bubble bread…….. cut up biscuits, sauce, maybe a little meat, and some cheese. These recipes are all over Pinterest.

All I had was a can of pop and fresh Italian bread, some ham, and swiss cheese. But I needed a sauce…….hmmmm. How about the egg dip you dip the sandwich in to fry it……..it could work…..maybe……and it would be baked not fried. Well, baked was good, and as my love for the cast iron skillet grows, I decided it would be a good vessel.

Monte Cristo Skillet Bread

But, the egg dip for the sandwich would be kinda thin, so I added a bit of flour and some sugar for a touch of sweet. Dijon mustard for flavor……we love mustard at our house <3

I cut up the bread in fairly large chunks, cubed the ham and cheese and threw it into the bowl with the make-shift sauce, mixed it all up…..gently of course, into a cast iron skillet and into the oven. I must admit the baking time I was somewhat amazed by. It required a wayyyyyy longer time than I originally thought, but it was worth the wait!

While it was baking I kept thinking, it should have a dip? Monte Cristo Sandwiches are served many times with raspberry jam and dusted with powered sugar. I still like mustard with ham and swiss……..hey……what if I mixed the two together??? How sweet it was, adding just a bit of fresh rosemary……yum!

After letting the bread cool for just a few minutes, I realized my dream of a Bubble Bread was not going to come together, I cut wedges instead. A smear of the raspberry-dijon on a plate…….a little on the side for dipping. Monte Cristo Skillet Bread. Tim loved the raspberry-dijon dip which we both decided will have a place in another recipe.

Monte Cristo Skillet Bread 2

Now, this had a bonus for us…. I figured you could cut the bread into 8 – 16 pieces, depending on how you were serving it,how many you were serving, and if you had other stuff along side. We just ate it for a snack, so there was quite a bit left over………Grab and Go Breakfast……..yeah, just a quick zap in the wave and out the door you go. Now, I do not recommend the sauce for this……..cause if you are like me a drip will find it’s way to the front of your shirt every time!!!

No matter what you are serving this for ………lunch, brunch, snack or grab and go breakfast…try it ….you’ll like it!!!

Monte Cristo Skillet Bread Collage

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Monte Cristo Skillet Bread

Monte Cristo Skillet Bread

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 16 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 113.2 0z. can Pillsbury Simply Rustic French Bread
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ¾ cup of milk
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 cup ham, cubed
  • 1 cup swiss cheese, cubed

Instructions

  1. Cut the french bread dough into large cubes, and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, dijon mustard, and egg thoroughly.
  4. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and combine until there are no lumps. The batter should be slightly thin, but thick enough to stick to the cubed bread dough. If the batter is to thick add a touch more milk.
  5. Add bread dough, cubed, ham and swiss cheese. Place in a cast iron skillet or a baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
  6. Bake in a 375* oven for 18-20 minutes.
  7. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Serve with Raspberry-Dijon Dipping Sauce.

Keywords: bake, brunch, cast iron skillet, dijon, ham, swiss cheese

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Raspberry-Dijon Dipping Sauce

  • Author: Marty Boyd

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup raspberry jam
  • 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan mixing well. Heat over low heat until heated trough.
  2. Serve.

Monte Cristo Skillet Bread Info

Chocolate Drop Cookies

Chocolate Drop Cookies

Chocolate Drop Cookies

Cookies…..who doesn’t love a cookie? Well of course no one!! These Chocolate Drop Cookies bring back memories from my childhood…….she says with a far away look in her eyes remembering a time long ago…….and by the way, I do mean a longgggg time ago.

We all have that Mother, Grandmother, or Aunt who could bake the best cookies. For me that person was my Aunt Marcella. Whenever we went to her house there was always cookies. Out of all the cookies her Chocolate Drop Cookies were always my favorite. Chocolate cookies with vanilla frosting……..heaven!

Now, I have had this recipe for years and as I said in an earlier post, my friend Jeanne helped me retrieve some of my lost recipes from the archaic word program that they were trapped in. I still cannot thank Jeanne enough…….maybe I should take her some cookies?

When I decided to make these, I read and reread the recipe, but something was missing. So, I called my Aunt Marcella, she said she hadn’t made these in a long time. But, while on the phone chatting about family news she found the recipe, and I discovered the missing ingredient. I love my Aunt Marcella <3.

I do admit, that I tweaked the recipe just a smig. I used almond milk instead of regular milk, and I adjusted the amount of cocoa. The original had heaping tablespoons and I wanted to give it a more accurate measurement. I also used a slightly different frosting. I think back in the day powdered sugar icing was just powdered sugar, a little vanilla, and water to thin. I made a buttercream frosting in both white and chocolate.

I severely undercooked the first batch………they were like cookie batter with a crust…….ok, so they were really tasty, Tim and I ate several of them, but they needed a longer cooking time.

Chocolate Drop Cookies 1

These cookies remind me of the top of a cupcake, slightly crisp, and all soft inside. I guess they are kinda a cup-cookie……lol……..maybe I will start a new craze!

The cookies are great on there own, but add some frosting and yum, yum ,yum!

I was in a sugar comma yesterday………from tasting the batter, the frostings, and testing the cookies, and taking bites out for pictures…….lets just say I have had my sugar quota for a month……..or at least until later today!!!!

Chocolate Drop Cookie Collage

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Chocolate Drop Cookies

Chocolate Drop Cookies

  • Author: Marcella Ruter
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 36 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup cocoa
  • 1 cup milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375*
  2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  3. Sift together flour, baking soda, and cocoa. Set aside.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, and vanilla mixing until well incorporated.
  5. Add dry mixture alternately with milk until well mixed.
  6. Drop batter by spoonful on to lined cookie sheets. I use an ice cream scoop for uniform cookies.
  7. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes, then removed from baking sheet to cooling rack.
  8. Frost with Buttercream Frosting .

Keywords: cocoa, bake, cookies, dessert

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Chocolate Drop Cookies

Buttercream Frosting

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 2 cups dip 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Mix
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Instructions

  1. Mix softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for 30 seconds until smooth and creamy.
  2. Add powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla and almond extracts. Increase to high-speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more cream if needed for spreading consistency.
  3. For Chocolate Frosting: Add 1/2 cup cocoa. You may need to add a touch more cream.

Keywords: powdered sugar, butter, frosting

Chocolate Drop CookiesButtercream Frosting Label