Chipotle Flank Steak Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

12 soft corn tortillas
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon powdered chipotle chile plus 1 pinch, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 pound flank steak, trimmed of fat
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rings
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar (any vinegar will work)

1. Preheat grill to high. Stack tortillas and wrap in heavy-duty foil.
2. Combine oil, 1 teaspoon powdered chipotle and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small dish. Rub into both sides of steak. Place the tortilla stack on the coolest part of the grill or upper warming rack, if possible, and heat, flipping once, until warmed through and very pliable. Meanwhile, grill the steak for 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium, or until desired doneness. Grill pineapple rings until moderately charred, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the tortillas, steak and pineapple from the grill. Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes before very thinly slicing crosswise into strips.
3. Meanwhile, dice the pineapple and transfer to a medium bowl. Add bell pepper, onion, cilantro, vinegar, the remaining pinch of chipotle and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss to combine. Serve the sliced steak in the warm tortillas with the pineapple salsa.

This is super easy and super delicious. Matt, Emma, Ryne and I loved it. Kate, as it is with Kate, wouldn't try it. We like to drizzle it with cafe rio ranch. Plus Matt loved the salsa and ate it with chips. ENJOY!

Apple Pie

This is a recipe that I got at an Enrichment Meeting years ago. It uses dehydrated apples for the filling. Christy asked me for this recipe because she has a few cans of dehydrated apples. Anyway, this is a good food storage recipe also.

Double Pie Crust

Ingredients:

2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup shortening
7 Tbsp. ice water

Directions:
Mix flour and salt together. Cut in shortening. Add ice water 1 tbsp at a time until dough is just moist. Do not over work. Divide dough in half and refrigerate for several hours before rolling out.

Apple Pie Filling

Ingredients:
2-1/3 cups dehydrated apple slices
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2-1/2 cups water
2 tsp. lemon juice (optional)
2 Tbsp. butter (optional)

Directions:
Make double pie crust and set aside. For pie filling, mix all dry ingredients, then add water and optional ingredients, and mix well. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Preheat oven to 425 F. Add filling to pie crust and top with second crust. Make vents on top for steam to escape. Place pie in oven and bake 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Note: The pie will not look very full at first, but as the apples absorb water during cooking, they will plump and fill the pie crust.

Beef Stew

Last night we had beef stew. It was delicious and all the kids ate it. I know this isn't really a dish that most people consider making and serving in April. But it's been more like winter here than spring this week. (We woke up to at least 7 inches.) So it really hit the spot. Here's the recipe:

Beef Stew

Ingredients:
3 lbs. stew meat
1 large onion, diced
2 packets beefy onion soup mix
3 cans (14-1/2 oz.) beef broth
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
4 large baking potatoes, cut into large chunks
5 large carrots, sliced
1/3 cup Wondra flour

Directions:
Brown stew meat and onion in frying pan. In large mixing bowl, combine soup mix, beef broth, & mushroom soup. Add meat and onions to crock pot (at least 6 quart) and pour soup mixture over the top. Cook on high for 6 hours. When there are four hours of cooking time remaining, add the potatoes and carrots. Before serving, thicken with Wondra flour mixed with a small amount of water. (Add water a tablespoon at a time until the flour and water mixture is the consistency of heavy cream.)

~Mango Salsa~

So it's snowing here today. HARD!! And it's sticking. Since I don't have dinner rotation this week, I thought I'd make something easy and tasty that reminds me of summertime. Jake, Summer, and I love this stuff. Fax and Brook will not try it. (Oh well, more for me.) It's great to just eat with chips. (Tostitos whole grain chips are my favorite with it.) But it's also excellent on top of grilled chicken, salmon, or pork chops. Thanks for the recipe Becky!

Mango Salsa

Ingredients:
1/2 cup black beans (from a can, rinsed)
1 medium mango, cut into cubes *
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 medium red onion, diced
3 TBSP. pineapple juice**
juice from one lime
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro, diced
1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Directions:
Mix all ingredients with salt to taste. Put in air tight container in fridge for at least one hour (if you can wait that long), & up to three days.
Makes about 4 cups.

Possible substitutions:
* Instead of fresh mango (which is very seasonal and tricky to pick out) I use 6 oz. of pre-cut, frozen mangoes. I just thaw them and cut them up into smaller pieces.
**I keep frozen concentrated pineapple juice in my freezer. Then when I need some for this recipe, I take 1 Tablespoon of the concentrate and mix it with 2 Tablespoons of warm water.

Baked Chicken Fingers & Homemade Mac n' Cheese

I love these recipes. Everyone in my house eats these including my pickiest eater: Fax. Well, he'll eat the chicken. But my children like both. The mac n' cheese takes the same amount of time to make as the nasty boxed kind. (Sorry, I hate it.) It's a little more effort, but same amount of time. So here it is:

Baked Chicken Fingers:

Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken cut into strips or chunks
1 cup buttermilk
1 box Extra Crispy Shake n' Bake

Directions:
Marinade chicken in buttermilk for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Remove individual pieces of chicken from buttermilk and coat with Shake n' Bake. Place pieces on sheet pan. (You can place them really close without really touching, but don't pack them in too tight or they won't cook evenly. One pan feeds my whole family.) Bake for 10 minutes, flip chicken, bake 10 more minutes.

Homemade Mac n' Cheese

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2-1/2 cups whole milk
2-1/2 cups grated cheese
12 oz. elbow macaroni noodles (you could also use small shells)

Directions:
Bring large pot of water to boil and cook macaroni noodles for 10-12 minutes. Once noodles have been added to boiling water, melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and salt and mix well. Cook 2-3 minutes or until a very light golden-brown color. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until it boils and thickens. Allow to boil, while stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add cheese and turn off heat. Gently stir in cheese until smooth. Add to drained macaroni noodles and mix to combine. You can eat as is, or put in an 8x8 casserole dish, sprinkle top with cheese, and bake for 20 minutes at 350 F. (400 F if it's been in the refrigerator.)
You can also use this cheese sauce on top of broccoli, or just about anything.

I usually make the macaroni in the morning when I marinade the chicken. Then while the oven is heating I bread the chicken. I cook both the chicken and the macaroni in the oven together at 400 F. I put the chicken on the top rack, and macaroni on the bottom. When the chicken is done, I let the macaroni finish cooking on the top rack for a few minutes.

Cheesy Bacon Meatloaf

We had this yesterday for dinner, and everyone in our family really likes it. So, here it is:

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup finely ground Stove Top stuffing mix (I use whole wheat chicken flavor)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Real Bacon Bits *see note

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray pan or use parchment paper to keep from sticking. Mix egg and milk. Then add cheese and Stove Top stuffing. Mix to combine. Mix in ground beef by hand. (Try not to over work.) Form into loaf shape and sprinkle bacon on top. Bake for 45 – 60 minutes or until no longer pink in center. You can also mix the bacon right in and form into hamburger patties. Cook on a lower temperature than you would normally cook hamburgers or they will char.

*Note: These are found near the salad dressings at the store. They are actually cheaper than buying raw bacon, cooking it, and crumbling it!! DO NOT use Bacos!! (You can also buy these in a big bag at Costco and keep them in your freezer. They're called Kirkland Signature Crumbled Bacon.)

Mashed Potatoes

I know, who can't make mashed potatoes? But I never used to make them because I hate peeling, boiling, poking them with a fork to find out if they're done. Plus, if you have to make a lot of them I always ended up having to use two huge pots just to make enough. Then I discovered making them this way:

Ingredients:
6 large Russet baking potatoes
4-8 TBSP. butter (you can use margarine, but why would you?)
1/2 cup milk (more fat content, the tastier & creamier)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Clean outside of potatoes and pierce with knife or fork. Bake potatoes for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until soft. Allow to cool for 15-45 minutes. (That's one of the nice things. You can make these a little ahead and they stay hot.) Cut open potatoes and scoop into bowl. Discard peelings. Add butter and milk and mash to desired consistency. I prefer these with just some salt and pepper, but my family likes to make "gravy lakes."

My husband says they taste way better when you bake the potatoes than when you boil them. I don't have that refined of a palate, I just think they're easier. We usually have these with Cheesy Bacon Meatloaf. I'll try and post that recipe tomorrow.