Huevos con Queso (aka Kerbey Lane Eggs)

 

We got this idea while eating at Kerbey Lane restaurant in Austin.  They have several locations, but for the real experience I think you need to go to the one that is actually on Kerby Lane.  It's in an old converted house, and to me it is a place you go for food that your mother might have cooked if she was really good in the kitchen and surrounded herself with very cool Austin type helpers.   www.kerbeylanecafe.com

The key is the queso, which took us a while to get right.  This recipe is adapted a little from one in Jane Butel's Fiestas for Four Seasons.

Chile con Queso

2/3 cups vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons flour

1 large can evaporated milk

4 fresh jalapenos, chopped

1 1/2 fresh poblanos, chopped

1 cup Rotel

2 pounds Velveeta

1/2 cup grated cheddar sheese

1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Heat the oil, and cook the onions, poblanos, and half of the jalapenos until the onions are translucent.  Cool slightly, then add the flour and cook for about a minute.  Warm the milk and add to the onion mixture.  Cook until thick.  Add the other ingredients and cook over very low heat until the cheeses are melted.  Add more peppers to taste if desired.  If by some chance there is any left over, this freezes well.

 Huevos con Queso

Black beans, canned or cooked from dry, seasoned with salt, pepper, and cumin

corn tortillas

eggs  

Warm the tortillas, either with a quick dip in hot oil or on a dry skillet.  More taste versus fewer calories.  You decide.  Fry eggs as desired.  To assemble, place a tortilla on plate.  Top with a scoop of beans, then eggs, then another tortilla.  Cover with queso.  Garnish with chopped avocado and cilantro.

Meat Lasagna

This is a recipe I got at a Christmas recipe exchange party.  The woman who brought it said that it is the dish that her grown children all request whenever they come home. Hearing a story like that, I knew it had to be good, and now I have been making it for years.  You can do most of the work ahead of time and just keep it in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

Brown in a large skillet or dutch oven:
2 - 2 1/2 pounds ground beef (not too lean)

Add:
l clove chopped garlic
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Then add:
2 16 oz. cans stewed tomatoes, pureed in a food processor or with an immersion blender
2 small cans tomato paste

Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix:
24 ounces cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
2 beaten eggs
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

You will also need about 2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese.

Using package directions, cook 8 ounces of lasagna noodles and rinse in cold water.

If cooking right away, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.


To assemble, spoon a thin layer of meat sauce into a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Follow with a layer of cooked noodles, then a layer of the cottage cheese mixture, then grated cheese, then a layer of the meat sauce.  Repeat twice with noodles, then cheese, then sauce for a total of three layers.  Finish with a little more grated cheese.  If you are going to bake later, cover with foil and refrigerate.  Plan to set out about half an hour before cooking to warm slightly.  If cooking now, cover with foil and bake for about an hour covered then 15 minutes uncovered. 

     

Meg's Sugar Cookies

I think these are the best cookies I have ever had. Well okay, there are some really good chocolaty cookies recipes out there but these definitely hold their own. This recipe was given to me by my sister-in-law Meg and I would say they are a cross between a sugar cookie and a snickerdoodle.  These are extremely easy to make, and they freeze very well. When you are asked to bring cookies to a coffee or Bible study or school event, make these instead of getting the ones at the grocery store.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Beat until well creamed:

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter

3 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon*

Add:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix until well combined.  Roll dough into approximately 1 1/4 inch balls, roll in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar and place on an ungreased baking sheet.  Mash down with a fork as shown in the picture and bake for 12 to 14 minutes.  Ovens vary, of course, so you might need to adjust the time a little.

*  I recommend that you try Penzey's Extra Fancy Vietnamese cinnamon.  Penzey's has stores in a lot of cities and a website:  www.penzeys.com.  A little expensive but worth it.  

 

Lavender Buttermilk Tart

This is at heart an old fashioned buttermilk pie, but a romantic twist on the classic. My husband and I got off onto a lavender quest after seeing the movie "It's Complicated."  We've done this a few times with movies where food figures heavily, and after seeing that one had to learn how to make lavender honey ice cream.  I'll post that recipe another time.  The pie recipe is adapted a little bit from Tart Love, by Holly Herrick, which is a great cookbook that you should try.   Her website and blog are at www.hollyherrick.com.    

You'll need a tart pan with a removable bottom, like the one in the picture.  Get the non-stick version.

I've never really liked making pastry in a food processor.  If you do, by all means do it, and just adapt the recipe as necessary.  For that matter, this works just fine with a pastry blender. Start by making a recipe of: 

Sweet Pastry 

2  1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/4 inch cubes

About 3 tablespoons ice-cold water, or just enough to hold the pastry together.

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixer.  Add the cubed butter, and using the paddle attachment mix until the whole thing looks like really coarse sand or sea salt.  Add the water a tablespoon at a time, and when the whole thing sort of hangs together in a loose ball, you are done.  Not handling it very much, form the dough into a ball and wrap with plastic.  If you make it into a disc instead of a ball, the next part will be much easier.  Chill at least 1 hour or overnight.

When ready to proceed, preheat your oven to 375 F.  Roll the dough out about 1/4 inch thick and press into the tart pan.  Line the pan with foil, fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake for 20 minutes.  While it is baking, prepare an egg wash:  1 egg yolk and a splash of water, blended well. Remove the pan from the oven, cool just enough so the egg wash will not cook, and brush the pastry all over with the  wash.  Return the pan to the oven and bake until lightly brown, about another 10 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 F and let the shell cool while you:

put in a saucepan:

1  1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon lavender flowers

Bring to a low boil and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool.  Now, make the:

Custard

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

3 large eggs

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until foamy, then whisk in the butter and vanilla.  When the buttermilk has cooled to body temperature or cooler, whisk it into the egg and milk mixture, and mix until well combined.  Now stream the wet mixture into the flour mixture, whisking constantly.  Pour the custard into the prepared tart shell, and bake for 35 minutes, or until the custard has just started to brown and still wiggles a little when you touch it. Remove from oven and cool an hour or more before slicing.  Serve with a little whipped cream and a garnish of lavender flowers.

Sticky Bun Bread Pudding

This is the perfect marriage of bread pudding and sticky buns.  Use any good white bread, but it is amazing made with challah. I think this is wonderful if you have a house full of guests, because you can make it up the night before and just bake in the morning.  For a relaxed brunch, make a fruit salad, scramble some eggs and put in a double boiler to keep warm.  Everything will keep well and people can eat as they are ready. 

Bread Pudding

1 loaf challah or French type bread (about 20 oz.)
8 large eggs
2 cups half and half
1 cup milk (I use 2%)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon *
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
dash salt
sticky bun topping, recipe follows

*  Any cinnamon will do, but the best I have ever had is Penzey's Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cinnamon.  Penzey's has stores in a lot of cities, and a website: www.penzeys.com

Slice the bread into thick (1 inch) slices and arrange in a buttered 9 x 13 baking dish, overlapping the bread slices.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs slightly then add the other liquid ingredients and spices and mix until well blended.  Pour the mixture over the bread, making sure all pieces get covered.  Cover with foil and refrigerate over night.  You can make the topping now and refrigerate it too, or do it in the morning.  I do it the night before, and make sure to put it out about an hour before baking to warm up to room temperature.

Sticky Bun Topping

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamom
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F, spread Sticky Bun Topping evenly over the top and bake for about 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly browned.  Some people like this with a little warm maple syrup. 

Note:  these pictures are with a half recipe in a 9
inch oval dish.