Hillary's April bunko dinner exposed...

Here they are, the long awaited--much anticipated--recipe's as made by Hillary.

El Pato LASAGNA:

Start with:

1 can El Pato tomato sauce

1 jar of spaghetti sauce (Or my Mom's recipe says: simmer 1 lb can tomato's, 2 6 oz can tomato paste 1 1/2 t salt, 1 T dried basil, 1 clove minced garlic and 1 cup water for 15 minutes.

I just use any old jar of spaghetti sauce.

Mix together:

2 eggs
3 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cups Parmesan cheese (from the jar)
2 T dried parsley
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper

regular old 10 oz box lasagna noodles...uncooked

1 pound grated Mozzarella cheese

poor 1/2 cup spag sauce and about 1/4 cup el pato sauce in bottom of 9x13 pan, layer about 1/2 of the un cooked noodles (you may have to break them to fit the whole pan-- since they don't expand in the oven), about 1/2 the cottage cheese mixture, more spag sauce and El Pato and mozzarella cheese. Repeat until your run out of stuff to layer. it's good to end with spag sauce and cheese on top.

bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour, or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

The extra tomato sauce (El Pato) is for the added moisture to cook the noodles in the oven. You could use a regular tomato sauce if you don't like spiciness.


SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

1 cup mayonnaise* (or less--see note at the bottom)
1 cup Parmesan cheese (from the can)
8 ounces cream cheese
5 minced garlic cloves (i used the jar stuff)
1 regular size can artichoke hearts
1/2 cup or so frozen spinach thawed

mix all that business together and put in a shallow pan (like a quiche pan)
bake at 35o degrees for 20 minutes, or until bubbly.

* I used marinated artichoke hearts since I had the gargantuan jar from Costco, so I only used 3/4 cup mayo cause my artichoke hearts were so oily already. Also, I used the Mayo made with olive oil cause that's what I had in my fridge.

CHOCOLATE LAYER DESSERT*:

Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup nuts (I used almonds that I soaked in water for an hour or so first)

mix together and press into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 35o degrees for 20 minutes. COOL.

Layer ONE:
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup cool whip (from an 8 oz tub--add a little vanilla to tub of cool whip first)

mix together and spread on top of cooled crust.

Layer TWO:
mix 2 small packages instant chocolate** pudding with
3 cups milk and layer on top of cream cheese layer.

Layer THREE:
Put remaining whipped topping on top, add chocolate curls and refrigerate until ready to serve.

* For bunko I one and a half times this recipe cause I was using a larger pan (11x14 maybe). Next time I would double it for that size pan.

** you can also use lemon pudding instead of chocolate. It is super good too. My Mom would say it is better as a lemon dessert.

Queso Dip

1 lb. Velveeta, cubed
1 c. Shirley J universal cream sauce
3 c. water
2 c. pico (I buy the fresh salsa in the produce dept. at Wal mart or Maceys)
1-2 Jalapeno, seeds removed and finely diced

-Mix Shirley J Universal sauce and water, blend with a wire whisk. Bring to a boil while stirring. Microwave Velveeta until soft. Add softened Velveeta to sauce. Stir until melted and creamy. Add pico and jalapeno and stir. Continue cooking until desired consistency. Will thicken a little as it cools.

Meatball Subs

This is the recipe for Meatball Subs from September's bunko....

Meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs of lean ground beef
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. finely diced onion
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. Shirley J pizza and pasta seasoning (or any Italian seasoning, I suppose)
2 t. Worchestershire sauce
1/4 t. black pepper
1/2 t. salt

15 Minute Marinara:
2 T. evoo
4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
a handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped. About 2 T.
1 t. Shirley J pizza and pasta seasoning (Italian seasoning)
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14 oz.) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Bread:
You need bread that is crusty so that the sandwich does not turn soggy. Like a french baguette or Ciabatta bread.

2 1/2 c. Italian 4 cheese blend

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2. Mix all of the meatball ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until all combined. Trying not to over-mix. Roll into golf ball sized balls. Place them on a greased cookie sheet. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning half-way through.

3. Sauce: Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and garlic. When garlic starts sizzling, add seasoning and crushed pepper. Allow oil to infuse for half a minute then stir in the tomatoes and season sauce with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Combine meatballs and sauce and pile onto crusty rolls or bread. (about 4 meatballs per sub) Top with shredded cheese and place subs under broiler to melt cheese.

Pizza Factory Bread Twists

12 rhodes dinner rolls, thawed(place 6 on plate and microwave 30 sec, turn over and microwave another 30 sec)
6 skewer rods
1/4 cup better, melted
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tsbp canned parmesan cheese

*press 2 rolls together and roll in hands like a hot dog then wind around skewer rod and pinch together at the ends, prop up on edges of a large sprayed cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap and let rise (about 3-4 hours until doubled in size). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown, mix together melted butter, garlic salt, parsley flakes and parmesan cheese together and brush on hot bread twists. VERY YUMMY!

Cafe Rio Salad

8 flour tortillas (uncooked and large)
2 cups spanish cooked rice
2 cups canned black or pinto beans
bbq pork (recipe below)
2 bags romaine lettuce
pico de gallo (diced tomatoes and cilantro)
guacamole
8 lime wedges
corn tortilla strips (can buy at Bajios)
creamy tomatillo dressing (recipe below)

*grill tortilla on both sides until brown and bubbly then add whatever ingredients you like then enjoy!

BBQ PORK
3 lbs boneless pork roast
1 cup water
*place pork and water in crockpot and cook on high overnight or for several hours, shred with two forks, place back in crockpot and add:
1 tsp garlic salt
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup sugar
*mix it all together (you can add more or less depending on the taste you want)

CREAMY TOMATILLO DRESSING
2/3 cup tomatillo salsa verde
2/3 cup mayo
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup vegatable oil
1/4 cup cilantro

*blend all ingredients except oil and cilantro, add oil slowly while blender in on high speed, add cilantro in bursts until broken up into pieces. Refrigerate before serving to thicken.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Lime Vinaigrette and Peanut Sauce

4 cups shredded napa cabbage
1 10 oz bag cole slaw
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups matchstick carrots
2 cups chopped cucumber
3/4 cup radishes, thinly sliced
3/4 cup minced green onion
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/4 cup minced cilantro

*combine all ingredients together in large bowl(it makes a LARGE salad)

FRESH LIME VINAIGRETTE
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground red pepper

*in a small bowl whisk together all ingredients, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before serving.

PEANUT SAUCE
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp sesame oil

*in a medium bowl whisk together all ingredients, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before serving.

**right before serving pour the fresh lime vinaigrette over salad and mix well, then add peanut sauce and mix well.

Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:

2 c. Shirley J Universal Sauce
8 c. water
-combine these two ingredients and set aside.

3 tsp Shirley J Chicken Bouillon
1 T. oil
1/2 c. yellow onions (diced small)
4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
1/4 c. basil (dried)
1 t. thyme (dried)
2-28 oz. can diced tomatoes, blended until smooth (do not drain)
1 cup Parmesan (fresh and grated)
8 oz bag of croutons
black pepper to taste

Directions:In a small stock pot on medium heat, add oil, onions, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 5 minutes. Do not let it burn. Add basil, thyme, Shirley J Chicken Bouillon, black pepper and tomatoes. Stir in the water and Shirley J Universal Sauce and whisk together until it is smooth. Allow the soup to simmer and thicken. I have an immersion blender that I just stick in the pan and blend it. If not, just pour it a few cups at a time into your blender and blend it until smooth. Put back into put and warm. Serve and garnish with Parmesan cheese and croutons.


Tips & Tricks:* Diced tomatoes – Chef Brian suggests using diced tomatoes as opposed to crushed. Crushed has a higher water content and changes the texture of the soup.*

Garlic – Make sure to add garlic after the onions have browned because garlic has a higher sugar content and may burn.*

Dried Herbs – Adding the basil and thyme to the sauteed vegetables before adding liquids allows the herbs to awaken and aides in a more developed flavor.

***You can substitute the Shirley J universal sauce for white sauce....but you should definitely get some :)