Pollo con Calabazita y Elote (Chicken Stew with Squash and Corn)

Pollo con Calabazita y Elote

4 roma tomatoes

1 serrano pepper

1 clove garlic

1/4 of a small onion

1 tablespoon canola oil

4 chicken breasts, cut into cubes

2 cups water

2 calabazita or zucchini squash, diced

1 cup, corn kernels (either fresh, frozen, or canned)

1 tablespoon Knorr Suiza, chicken bouillon

Cumin

Garlic Salt

Pepper

Make the salsa first: Cut tomatoes and pepper in half. Place in pot along with garlic clove. Cover with water. Boil for 10 minutes. Drain 1/4 of the water. Place everything in blender. Add onion and blend until smooth.

Saute the chicken in hot oil over medium heat in batches until it starts to turn golden. Remove from pot. Keep warm. Add salsa mixture to pan. Saute until color changes to slightly brown and it smells like the garlic and onion are cooked. Add chicken. Sprinkle cumin and garlic salt over entire surface area of pot. Add 2 cups waters. Add chicken bouillon. Add 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium low. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add calabazita and simmer for 10 minutes. Add corn and simmer for another five minutes.

The simmering makes the onion caramelize. It will taste so sweet! Serve with Mexican rice and tortillas. Yum!

Makes about 8 servings.

Picadillo con Papas (Ground Beef with Potatoes) Recipe

This dish is so easy to make. I happened to have leftover ground beef in the freezer and leftover home-made salsa in the refrigerator so it came together in a snap.

Picadillo con Papas

3 Roma tomatoes, cut in half

1 Serrano pepper, stem removed

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

1/4 of a small onion

1 lb. pkg ground beef

Garlic salt

Pepper

Cumin

1 large potato, cut into squares

1 cup of water

Knorr Suiza Chicken Bouillon, powdered

To make the salsa: Place tomatoes in small shallow bowl along with the serrano pepper and clove of garlic. Microwave on high or boil for 10 minutes. Put boiled tomatoes, pepper, garlic along with the boiled water into the blender and blend until smooth. Add 1/4 onion and blend again. Set aside.

In large skillet brown ground beef. Drain fat. Add a generous sprinkling of garlic salt, pepper and cumin (enough to cover the entire surface area of the pan). Stir. Add tomato mixture and cook until tomato mixture turns dark. Sprinkle garlic salt and cumin again to cover surface area of pan. Stir. Add potatoes and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Stir in 1 tablespoon Knorr Suiza chicken bouillon. Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer until potatoes are cooked (15-20 minutes).

Serve with Mexican rice and salad.

Delicioso!

Menu - Week of September 21, 2009

Good dairy products, that's what I'm talking about...

I have discovered Greek yogurt and I cannot get enough of it. It is delicious! So delicious, in fact, that even my very picky 9-year-old eater loves it. He enjoys it because he can flavor it however he likes. He adds vanilla and a little bit of sugar and can eat the whole container in one sitting. Our local HEB has several brands and I have tried two and I honestly cannot tell the difference so at this point, I am getting the least expensive brand: Stony Field Farms Greek Yogurt, 16 oz. for $3.29. I eat it for breakfast with berries and nuts. It is so different from regular watery, sugary yogurt and so much better for you! I love it. I am also enjoying using goat cheese in salads. It makes the dressing silky and tastes delicious. It's kind of expensive, but it's worth it.

Ok, so here is what I am thinking for this week:

• Monday - Picadillo con Papas (ground beef with potatoes stew), Rice, Refried Beans, Goat Cheese Salad with Craisins, Grapes
• Tuesday - Bean and Cheese Quesadillas, leftover Rice, Steamed Veggies, Apple Slices
• Wednesday - Steak Fajita Tacos on corn tortillas with Cilantro, Onion, and Salsa; Veggies with Dip, Grapes
• Thursday - Mom's Night Out; will probably make some quick pasta for the kids and David
• Friday - Potluck Dinner with Friends: Grilled Beef Short Ribs and Chicken Breasts, Salads, Mexican Martinis.
• Saturday - Leftovers
• Sunday - Borracho Bean Soup, Rice, and Fruit

Provecho!

Menu - Week of August 24, 2009

That was a long break. With end of school year activities and a busy summer, cooking plans and menus went out the window, but now that the kids are back to school (well, most of them--Daniel is home sick on the first day of school!), it's time to start planning again. I have been mostly diligent about sticking to $100 food budget for the week. My new goal is to go down to $80 per week. I know it's do-able. Here's my plan for this week:

• Monday - Ground beef tacos, Mexican rice, watermelon slices, cucumber and carrots with dip
• Tuesday - Pork Chops, Apple Slices, Broccoli with dip, Panzanella Salad
• Wednesday - Pollo en Salsa con calabaza y elote (chicken in Mexican sauce with squash and corn), Mexican rice, canteloupe, garden salad
• Thursday - Grilled Chicken, Couscous, Iceberg Wedge with Buttermilk Herb Dressing
• Friday - Sushi (Mac and Cheese for the kids)
• Saturday - Kung Pao Chicken, Canteloupe
• Sunday - Steak, baked potatoes, Strawberry-Walnut-Goat Cheese Salad.

Provecho.

Menu - Week of March 30, 2009

I was digging through the freezer last night looking for something sweet to eat and it gave me a chance to do a quick inventory.  This is what I found:  several packages of frozen veggies, a bag of frozen shrimp, and a bag of frozen chicken thighs.  The shrimp and chicken inspired me to make a paella this week and to keep with the Spanish theme, I am going to make green pea soup like my grandma used to make and torta de papa. It's really time to be eating gazpacho, but my husband is not a big fan.... Here's the full menu:

• Monday - Paella, Spinach Salad, Canteloupe, Cucumbers and Carrots with Dip
  
• Tuesday - Dinner at PTA meeting (Potluck Tostadas)
  
• Wednesday - Green Pea Soup, Crusty Bread, Strawberries, Spinach Salad
  
• Thursday - Leftovers, Watermelon
  
• Friday - Dinner at Ball Park where we will be watching Daniel's baseball game.
  
• Saturday - Camping Food!  Steak, burgers, and hot dogs with all the fixins'.
  
• Sunday - Torta de Papa, Salad, Orange Wedges, Red Peppers, Carrots with Dip
  

Recipes forthcoming...

Menu - Week of March 23, 2009

Just returned from vacation and am enjoying planning menus again.  This week, as usual, is super hectic with baseball practices, gymnastics, and PTA meetings.  I am planning to make one big meal during the week and eat leftovers the next night.  It's a lot simpler that way and I love being outdoors in this great weather with the kids.  If I don't have to cook dinner, it stretches the amount of time we can be outside. 

• Monday - Chicken with Corn and Squash, Rice, Baby Spinach Salad, Pineapple
  
• Tuesday - Leftovers, Strawberries
  
• Wednesday - Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Watermelon
  
• Thursday - Pasta with Marinara Sauce, Salad, Grapes
  
• Friday - Sushi, Watermelon
  
• Saturday - I'm going to be in Houston for my sister's bachelorette party.
  
• Sunday - Steak, Grilled Asparagus, Baked Potatoes, Ice Cream Sundaes!
  

Enjoy!

Menu - Week of March 9, 2009

We had a great weekend full of activity and fun and I didn't have to cook on Saturday.  I packed a picnic lunch that we ate in the shade on the lawn of a beautiful building at Explore UT.  Dinner on Saturday was so easy because Alexia let us have the leftover enchiladas suizas from the potluck on Friday evening.  They are delicious!!!!  Then Sunday, I didn't feel like chicken so I had steak.  I felt like grilling but at the last minute I just broiled them.  They came out very good.  So am recycling the Savory Chicken recipe for this week.

This week is another marathon week of school volunteering so again the meals have to be easy and quick.  Here's what I am thinking:

• Monday - Savory Chicken, Steamed Broccoli, Pineapple
  
• Tuesday - Leftovers, Mangoes
  
• Wednesday - Tortilla Soup (will post recipe when I get it from my friend), Carrots and Cucumber with Dip, Strawberries
  
• Thursday - Leftovers, Grapes
  
• Friday -  My brother is in town for a game and we are packing for our trip to the Grand Canyon so we will make hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill.
  
• Saturday and Sunday -  On vacation!
  

Have a great week!