Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Thursday, January 10, 2008
Reader Exchange: With the holidays over, spice things up with Mexican dishes
Well, the holiday madness has settled down for another year. Of course now we are anticipating Super Bowl madness, then we’ll be anticipating March Madness and who knows what after that!
I hope everyone was fortunate enough to ring in the new year surrounded by loved ones — family and friends — as I was. No resolutions for me this year. I just hope to put all of last year’s headaches behind me and look forward to 2008 as a clean slate.
Lucky for us, the hectic pace during the holidays did not prevent readers from sharing lots of recipes. There are too many to fit in one column, so over the next couple of weeks we’ll be working our way through them.
For today, an anonymous friend steered me to a Web site that contained tips and suggestions for making iced coffee. Dick Williams of Sparta, Wis., might want to give these a try.
Gertrude Wener of Galesville, Wis., often shares recipes with us. She is a big fan of the “million-recipe” disk. We haven’t heard from her for a while, because she has been recovering from an accident. Lucky for us, she now feels good enough to help us out once more. This week Gertrude has provided us with con queso dips in re-sponse to Karen’s request for a dip like Carlos O’Kelly’s serves.
Carla Korish of La Crosse asked for our help in locating a recipe for a “terrific taco breakfast casserole” like the one served at the La Crescent, Minn., American Legion. She is in luck this week, as Karen Vick of La Crosse, whose name is also quite familiar to us, sent some that sound pretty good.
Carla also requested some “good and easy” stir-fry recipes. Valerie Huebsch of West Salem, Wis., really enjoyed Pickerman’s Chicken Florentine Soup with artichoke hearts, and hopes we can get the recipe or an approximation of it. With luck, we will have responses for both of these requests soon.
There are not too many requests waiting in the wings right now, so this would be a good time to let us know what recipes you are looking for and haven’t been able to locate. If you need some suggestions for Super Bowl entertaining, maybe we can help you with those, too.
Be sure to tune in to Coulee Region Cooks, which airs from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursdays on WIZM-AM radio. When he can catch me at my desk, Mike Hayes and I spend a few minutes during the first half of the show chatting about the upcoming Exchange.
Send requests, recipes and/or cooking tips and techniques to Alice P. Clark at Reader Exchange, c/o La Crosse Tribune, 401 N. Third St., La Crosse, WI 54601; e-mail exchange@lacrossetribune.com; or send a fax to (608) 782-9723.
Iced Coffee Tips
From Marco.org; shared by an anonymous friend
Con Queso Dip
1 pound Velveeta cheese, diced
4 diced tomatoes or 1 can tomatoes, drained and diced
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies
Garlic powder to taste
1 teaspoon onion flakes
1 can black olives, chopped (optional)
Tabasco sauce to taste (optional)
Chili powder (optional)
Melt cheese in top of double boiler; add remaining ingredients. When heated through, transfer to chafing dish and serve with tortilla chips or fresh vegetables.
Shared by Gertrude Wener, Galesville
Con Queso Dip with Pork
1 pound ground pork sausage
1 onion, diced
Fresh garlic (to taste)
1 (14½-ounce) can Mexican-style tomatoes, drained
1 small can diced green chilies
1 pound Mexican-style Velveeta cheese
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
½ cup salsa (to taste)
Cook sausage and onion in large skillet until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Add remaining ingredients and heat over medium until cheeses have melted, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching.
Serve in a warming dish on low or “keep warm” setting, accompanied by tortilla chips and/or crackers.
Shared by Gertrude Wener, Galesville
Chili Con Queso Dip
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
¼ cup cooking oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small can diced green chilies
2 pounds Velveeta cheese, diced
1 (2-pound) can stewed tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 small can diced jalapeno peppers
Saute onion and garlic in oil; add Worcestershire sauce and green chilies.
Melt cheese in double boiler; add onion/chilies mixture and tomatoes to cheese. Add cornstarch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water, if needed to thicken dip. Add jalapenos to taste for hotter dip.
Serve in chafing dish, with Fritos or tortilla chips.
Shared by Gertrude Wener, Galesville
Bacon and Egg Quesadillas
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped green bell pepper
6 pickled jalapeno pepper slices, finely chopped
½ teaspoon seasoned salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup Ranch dressing
½ cup salsa
1 (8-ounce) package shredded Mexican four-cheese blend, divided
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
4 bacon slices, fried crisp and crumbled, divided
½ cup diced ham, divided
Vegetable cooking spray
Whisk together first six ingredients; cook in a lightly greased large skillet over medium heat, without stirring, until eggs begin to set on the bottom. Draw a spatula across bottom of pan to form large curds. Continue cooking until eggs are thickened but still moist (stir only occasionally).
Remove mixture from skillet and set aside. Wipe skillet clean.
Stir together Ranch dressing and salsa; set aside.
Sprinkle ¼ cup cheese evenly onto half of each tortilla; top evenly with ¼ of egg mixture, bacon and ham. Add another ¼ cup cheese to each tortilla half. Fold each tortilla in half over filling, pressing gently to seal. Heat skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Cook tortillas 2 at a time for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
Serve with salsa/dressing mixture.
Shared by Karen Vick, La Crosse
Huevos a la Mexicana
2 ripened avocados, halved, pitted and peeled
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes
1 or 2 serrano or jalapeno chilies, seeded and chopped
8 large eggs, beaten
¼ teaspoon salt
Cut 1 avocado into 12 slices; coarsely chop other avocado and set both aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and chilies (use chopped green chilies for milder flavor); cook and stir just until tomatoes are warm, about 3 minutes.
Place tomato mixture in a bowl; stir in chopped avocado.
In skillet heat remaining tablespoon oil; add eggs and salt. Cook, stirring often, 3 to 5 minutes until eggs are cooked. Stir in tomato mixture and cook until hot, about 1 minute. Divide egg mixture between 4 plates; top with reserved avocado slices.
Serve with warmed tortillas and refried beans, if desired
Note from Alice: A dollop of sour cream would probably go nicely with it as well.
Shared by Karen Vick, La Crosse
All stories copyright 2000 - 2006 La Crosse Tribune and other attributed sources.