Empanada. . . . Comfort Food

I found an old recipe for an Empanada.  I use to make this all the time before we had kids.  The hubby loved it, I consider it a comfort food.  There are lots of recipes for the individual empanadas but this is for one big one.  Here are your ingredients.
1 pkg of pie crusts (2)
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/3 cup sliced black olives
1/3 cup chopped onion
3tbsp cilantro (fresh or dried)
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
1/3 cup thick and chunky salsa
11/2 tbsp taco seasoning
1 garlic clove pressed (always use fresh if you can)
1 egg beaten
Sour cream and extra salsa for garnishing. 
Let your pie crusts sit at room temp while you prepare everything.   Brown your ground beef, I add a little white wine.  After browning drain and set aside.   Drain your olives and combine with onion, cilantro, cheese, salsa,  taco seasoning and pressed garlic and mix gently. 
Gently open your pie crust and lay one out on your pizza pan brush a little of your beaten egg gently over the top.  Spread your beef mixture over the pie crust but leave 1 inch from the edge for sealing.   Spread your second crust out on a cutting board and roll it out just a bit then fold in half and line it up with your other crust.  Press and seal the edges of the crusts using a fork.  Brush the top of your crust with your egg.  I cut a few slits in the top to let your mixture breathe.   Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve with a dolop of sour cream and a little salsa. 

You use thick and chunky salsa for this recipe because you do not want to have too much liquid, trust me, I learned the hard way.  If you do not have an egg you can always use a little milk and brush that over top of your pie crust.  Milk will also give that golden brown to the crust.   I like the fresh garlic too, it adds a good deal more flavor than powder and it is also better for your heart.  

Until we eat again. . .

Kung Pao Chicken. . . In the Pot

I missed my techno Tuesday, sorry about that.  That is my life though, sometimes there are bumps in the road.  I will catch up next week. 
On to the spicy Kung Pao chicken cooking.  I found this on Pinterest and it was a huge hit with my hubby and the oldest.  Big T did not care for it.   I may have spiced it up a wee to much.  True to my routine I did not follow the recipe specifically.   Here is the link if you want to check it out,  www.thefrugalgirls.com
I will tell you what it originally called for and what I used instead.
It called for cooking your 4-6 chicken breast in the crock pot for 3 hours on high and then removing and draining the juice.  I decided that was too much work.   I boiled my chicken in 15 minutes and cut it up then put it in my crock pot.  Next you mixed up pineapple preserves and Kung Pao sauce.  I did not have pineapple preserves,  I did have pineapple juice and some molasses.   Yes, I subbed in the pineapple juice and molasses.  I added 4 oz of pineapple juice and 2 tbsp of molasses to a bottle of the Kung Pao sauce and mixed it up.  I poured that over my chicken cut up in the crock pot.  The recipe called for red and green peppers to be chopped and added.  I used some of our own hot peppers and I added them whole.   I cooked my recipe on low for most of the day and then dropped it to warm.  I served it over rice, it was very spicy and very good.   It would clear out your sinuses quickly.  This will go into the list to use again.  

Chicken Taco Stew is in the Pot. . .

On these cold,  cold days I love some stew or chili.   Today it is chicken taco stew.  This has taco and tomato and chicken flavors and is so good and low calorie.
This is an easy yummy recipe for the crock pot.  I do not remember where I found this recipe for the first time but I have been making it way before Pinterest was in the picture.   As always I adapted the original recipe so this one is my own.
Here is what you will need:
4 chicken breast (frozen or thawed)add last.
1 can rotel tomatoes
14oz can tomato sauce
2 cup V8 juice
Packet of taco seasoning or your own spices for taco flavor.  I use 3tbsp pampered chef southwest seasoning.
1tbsp garlic powder
1tbsp cilantro
1tbsp cumin
2 cans black beans rinsed
16 oz frozen kernel corn
1 cup chicken broth
Stir all of this up then
I added a couple fresh peppers whole
Then lay your chicken on top.  They do not have to be covered with the sauce.  Do not stir!
Cook on high for 6 hours then pull the chicken out and shred it with a fork and add it back to the pot continue cooking for an hour on low.   This is the best chicken stew ever.  I serve mine with shredded cheese and sour cream with tortilla chips or crackers.