New Recipes: Southwest Stir-fry, Brownie Delight, & Homemade Tamales

I've recently tried these 3 new recipes and I wanted to share them because I absolutely loved them! They are easy and fun to make and tasted great as well.

Southwest Stir-fry

Awhile back when we were in Branson, Matt and I had some very delicious stir-fry and we tried to make it when we got home and this is what we came up with-very tasty and our girls loved it, too!

Chicken Breasts, cubed (I do one for each person eating.)

Bell Pepper Strips (You can either chop your own bell pepper into strips-a red, yellow, and green one-or you can buy a frozen bag of already chopped strips in the freezer section.)

Small onion, diced
Corn (1 can)
Black Beans (Drained and rinsed very well.)
(I also found a bag of frozen beans and corn with a bit of pepper in it in the freezer section-right next to the pepper strips-and it tastes just as good!)
1/4 Cup Chicken Broth

1 Tablespoon Terriyaki Sauce

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Corn Starch

Cube and fry your chicken in a large fry pan until it is almost done. Add bell pepper strips and onion and fry until soft, stirring frequently. Add corn and beans and continue frying until hot. Add Chicken Broth and let simmer until most of the broth is gone.

In a small cup, mix Terriyaki sauce, Soy sauce, and Cornstarch well. Pour onto chicken mixture, stirring frequently. Let simmer as the sauce thickens.

Serve with a side of white rice and enjoy! Yum!

Brownie Delight

Another fabulous recipe that is easy and delicious!

1 Package of Brownie Mix (13x9)

2 Packages of Cream Cheese (1-8 oz., 1-3 oz.-11 oz. total), softened

2 Cups Confectioners Sugar

1 (16 oz.) Carton of Frozen Whipped Topping, thawed & divided

2 Cups Cold Milk

1 Package (3.9 oz) Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix

1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans or Chocolate Chips

Mix and bake brownies according to the package, in a 13x9x2" pan. Cool completely.

Beat cream cheese and sugar 2 minutes or until smooth. Fold in 2 cups of whipped topping. Spread mixture onto the brownies evenly.

In a different bowl, combine milk and pudding and beat until smooth. Refrigerate 5 minutes then spread over the cream cheese layer.

Spread remaining whipped topping on top of the pudding layer. Garnish with 1/2 cup of chopped pecans or mini chocolate chips. Refrigerate before and after serving. Enjoy!

Homemade Tamales

I found this recipe in my Parents magazine (one of my favorite magazines!) and decided to give it a try. They are pretty time consuming and not very easy (especially with two darlings running around) but overall, a very good recipe.

Filling:

2 tablespoons oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 small green bell pepper, cored and finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 medium ripe tomato-peeled, seeded, and finely chopped

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3/4 pound lean ground beef (I just did a pound.)

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup chicken broth

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and green pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Stir in tomato and continue cooking until a sauce has formed, about 5 minutes.

Stir in paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Add the beef to the mixture and cook, breaking it into small pieces until the pink loses it's color. (If the meat is greasy, make sure it is drained very well.)

Stir in the flour and cook 2 minutes more. Add the chicken broth and continue cooking and stirring until the mixture thickens. Remove the filling from the heat and let it cool.

Dough:

2 (15 oz.) cans hominy, drained

6 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon hot sauce

Put the hominy in a large food processor and pulse it until it's smooth, scraping the sides as needed.

Add the cheese and butter and pulse until well blended. Add the eggs and yolk and pulse again. Add the mustard, baking powder, salt, and hot sauce and process until a light, fluffy, dough has formed.

This is just an example picture, I probably should have processed it a bit more!

Transfer the dough to a cake pan, spread it over the bottom, and divide it into ten portions.

Assembly:

10 (10x12-inch) sheets of parchment or wax paper

10 (30-inch) lengths of kitchen twine

Place a half portion of dough in the center of a sheet of parchment paper. (I used wax because I didn't have parchment paper and it worked but I'm sure that parchment paper would work best.)

Flatten the dough into a 3x5 inch rectangle, then spread 1/4 cup filling onto the center of the rectangle.

Cover the filling with the other half portion of the dough and pat it down.

Tightly fold the parchment paper around the tamale and secure it with kitchen twine. Start by bringing together the long sides of the paper and folding them down along the center of the tamale.

Fold in the short ends of the paper and flip the tamale so that the seam is facing down.

Slide a loop of twine beneath the tamale.

Thread the loose ends of twine through the top loop and pull them across the center of the tamale, tight enough to secure it but loose enough not to squish the tamale.

Flip the tamale and tie the twine.

Add water to a large pot that has been fitted with a basket or colander. Bring the water to a boil.

Loosely arrange 5 of the tamales in the basket, leaving space for steam to circulate as the tamales cook.

Tip: To know when you need to add water to the pot when you're steaming, drop a clean coin into the pot. When it's clinking and clanking on the sides of the pot, there is enough water. When you don't hear it anymore, you know it's time to add more water.

When the water is boiling, add your coin and then set the basket inside of the pot.

Cover the pot with a clean kitchen towel and tightly fitting lid and steam the tamales, replacing water as needed, until they are firm to the touch-about 30-40 minutes. Remove the tamales and repeat with the rest of the tamales.

Let them cool slightly before serving with your favorite salsa or dip!

Enjoy until next time!

Xoxo,

Tanna