Black beans and corn

You know when you ask someone for a recipe and they say, I don't really follow a recipe, I add a little of this and a bit of that? This "recipe" is one of those. I've made it several times for a crowd because it always goes over well and I've received many requests for the recipe. This recipe is great for a crowd, you just keep doubling the amounts until you have the amount you need. This particular time, I made it for an 80th birthday party for 80 people.

Here's the recipe as best as I can put it down on paper:

2 cans black beans, rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeño, diced
1-2 yellow, red or orange bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 cups chicken broth (depending on how thick it gets)
1 TBS or so cumin
1 TBS or so chili powder
1 TBS or so chipotle chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the onion, jalapeño, pepper,garlic, and spices in a little olive oil until softened. Add the corn and beans and allow to cook for at least 30 minutes but it's really better when you can cook it on low for a few hours. Toss in a handful of chopped cilantro at the end. You can adjust the spices to taste, add more jalapeño if you want it spicier.

This is a picture from the Texas barbeque style dinner for 80 where I made these. It's not the greatest quality picture, but it's the best I could get since I was busy working in the kitchen. I grabbed a 12 year old who was at the party and asked himto shoot a picture of it for my blog since I'd been asked by several people for the recipe.



There was about 2 quarts left from this party and I put it in the freezer. I'm going to add more broth, rotel style tomatoes, and shredded chicken to make what I hope will be similar to taco soup.

Chicken quesadillas from leftovers

Remember the margarita chicken? We had half a chicken left over after and I can't let it go to waste.
I pulled the skin off and shredded what meat was left. The dark meat was put in a food saver bag and tucked in the freezer. It will probably be added to soup later. The white meat was frozen to make chicken quesadillas.

These quesadillas are regulars at our house. I always have cheese and tortillas in the house. We usually add whatever leftover meat is in the refrigerator or freezer. Sometimes we just have them like grilled cheese.

If you can make grilled cheese, you can make quesadillas.

Place one tortilla on your work surface. Sprinkle with cheese. Add chicken, bacon bits and more cheese. Top with another tortilla. Butter the top lightly. Toss into pan and butter the other tortilla. I cover my pan with a lid so the cheese melts quicker. Flip and cook other side until lightly browned.

Cut the quesadilla in half and each half into thirds. Serve with your favorite sauces (we had taco sauce and salsa verde with this), sour cream, cilantro and jalapenos.

Jalapeño Jack Grits

This recipe is one of the reasons I keep my subscription to Bon Appetit active. It was in the December 2001 magazine in the RSVP section. From the first time I saw the recipe, I knew it was a winner and made plans to make it. I am so glad I did.

It is a family favorite. My brother asks for the leftovers every time he is here when we have it for dinner. I have made it for family dinners and church dinners as a side dish and even as a main dish when I wanted something with lots of flavor but didn't want a full meal or spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It's easy. It's flavorful. It's creamy. And it's delicious.

Here it is as a side with the Margarita Butt Chicken, Vidalia Onion tart, and steamed broccoli. Luckily my brother wasn't here tonight, so I actually get the leftovers.




Jalapeño-Monterey Jack Grits
Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño chili
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup quick-cooking grits
1 1/2 cups grated hot pepper Monterey Jack cheese (about 6 ounces)

Preparation

Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add both peppers, jalapeño, and garlic; sauté until peppers are tender, about 5 minutes. Bring stock and cream to boil in heavy large saucepan. Add grits in thin stream, whisking constantly. Whisk until grits are cooked and mixture thickens, about 6 minutes. Add sautéed pepper mixture and cheese; stir until cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper.

***********************************************************************
This doubles or triples very well if you have a crowd. You can cook the peppers and garlic in advance. I do them in the same pot I am going to boil the grits in not to lose the extra flavor in the pot. I have also made them and put them in a crock pot for a church dinner. It kept wonderfully. I came home with an empty pot and this was in New Jersey where they weren't really sure what grits were!