Sweet Corn and Green Chile Baked Flautas

 This is  a vegan recipe but Jenny and Sadie like to add:

Shredded Cheese

Guacamole

Lettuce

Tomatoes

Sour Cream

Salsa

The Lewises usually serve the flautas with Carne Asada that is basically

 a seasoned sirloin steak that is served thinly sliced.

This recipe makes about 12 flautas using standard flour tortillas

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow or white onion (about 1/2 onion)

2 tsp chili powder

3/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

4 to 5 cloves garlic, chopped

3 cups cooked pinto beans

1 -4 oz can mild green chiles

juice of 1/2 lime

1 cup sweet corn kernels

12 flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 400.  Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Heat up the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and throw in the onion.  Cook until the onion starts to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the chili powder, cumin, salt, and garlic and cook for another 30 seconds and then turn off the heat.

Throw the beans, chilis, and lime juice together in a big bowl.  Mash them up using a potato masher or a spoon until a paste forms.  It's cool if there are some whole beans left here and there: you don't need to spend the whole day mashing.  Fold in the onions and corn and stir.  Your filling is ready.

Using a griddle, your oven or the microwave, warm up the tortillas.  Grab about 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling and spread that in a nice line toward the edge of the left side of one of the tortillas from top to bottom. Then roll that up nice and tight from left to right.  You could even put a small smear of beans toward the other end of the tortilla to help it stay shut.  Place the flauta seam side down on the baking sheet about an inch or two away from its flauta brethren.  Make sure the filling got all the way to the ends and then adjust how you distribute the filling the next time.  Keep going until you run out of tortillas or filling.

Lightly coat them all with cooking spray and bake for 10 minutes.  When you pull them out the bottoms should be golden-if not stick them in for another couple minutes.  When the bottoms look good, turn them over and bake until golden and crispy on both sides, another 5 to 7 minutes.  Serve warm topped with your choice of toppings.

Crockpot Pierogi Casserole

 On our pre Christmas visit with the Lewis Crew 2024 we chatted about pierogi comfort food and Jenny shared this recipe.  Grandmaman is hoping to try it out soon as who can resist pierogies, cheddar cheese and kielbasa on a winter's eve.

Ingredients

about 36 frozen cheddar pierogies

4 cups chicken broth

8 oz cream cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 kielbasa sausage (sliced)

salt and pepper to taste

Layer 3 cups of chicken broth, frozen pierogies, sliced kielbasa

 and shredded cheddar cheese in 4-6 quart crockpot.

Set the crockpot on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6 hours.

Prepare the cream cheese mixture 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time.  Warm the block of cream cheese (in microwave or on stovetop) with the remaining one cup of chicken broth. Once warmed whisk the mixture until smooth.

Pour the smooth cream cheese mixture into the crockpot, stirring well to integrate.  Sprinkle the remaining cup of shredded cheddar cheese over the top.  

Cover the crockpot and set it to cook on low for an additional 30 minutes, 

Serve the casserole hot, garnished with sliced green onions if desired.

Sweet and Sour Spareribs

One of Oma's go to recipes.  Very simple to prepare, with simple ingredients and a comfort food for sure.  Great for an autumn meal and can either be finished in a crockpot or in the oven.  Oma sometimes simmered the ribs on the stovetop as well.

Ingredients

1 cup cold water
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 to 1/2 cup vinegar (or pickle juice, sweet or sour)

ketchup (original recipe calls for 1/2 bottle so take your best guess as to amount)

1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch

soy sauce as desired

Combine water, sugar and vinegar.  Bring to a boil.  Add ketchup. 

Mix cornstarch with a little water and add.  

Add 2 pounds browned spareribs (cut for sweet and sours) to sauce and simmer for 2 hours.

Notes: Cut for sweet and sours is generally small pieces of individual bones.

  I find that they are seldom found at the grocers these days. 

 The butcher can be asked to saw them, they can be sawed at home

 or I generally just prepare with longer ribs and they are just as yummy.

I usually double the sauce for 2 pounds of spareribs

 as we like plenty of sauce for the rice we usually serve with the ribs.

This recipe is also found in the Centennial Cookbook.

Crockpot Cabbage Roll Casserole

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or pork (or mixture of two)

3 cloves garlic minced

1 onion diced

15 oz tomato sauce (divided)

1 cup water

10 1/2 can condensed tomato soup

28 oz canned diced tomatoes (with juices)

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon thyme

3/4  cup long grain white rice (uncooked)

1 medium head cabbage

1/3 cup water

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese (optional)

Brown beef, onion, garlic and seasonings over medium heat.  Drain.

Add 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 cup water and 1/2 can of tomato soup and diced tomatoes to the beef.

Stir in rice, and mix well until heated through.  Remove from heat.

Chop cabbage into 4 wedges and remove core.  Chop into chunks 3/4" to 1 1/2".

Layer 1/2 of the meat mixture and 1/2 of the cabbage in the slow cooker.  Repeat layers.  Place the other half of the meat and then the cabbage in cooker.

Combine the remaining tomato soup, remaining tomato sauce and 1/3 cup water.  Pour over top of cabbage.

Cook on low 4-6 hours or just until rice is cooked.  Once done, turn slow cooker off, sprinkle cheese on top and let sit 10 minutes to set and melt cheese.

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Baked Macaroni and Cheese

 This is the perfect comfort food and can easily be made gluten free by using GF macaroni and GF tomato soup.  The only difficult part of this recipe is it's a bit random for amounts of ingredients.  Only the brave make random recipes.  Amounts are not precise.

Definitely a Grandmaman recipe!

Ethan took on the challenge and was able to decipher 
Grandmaman's recipe and make it his own.  
Not only yummy but a creative "Enjoy the Moment" photo!  Love it! 

Photo and Meal by Ethan 

This is elbow macaroni!

Ingredients

canned tomato soup (usually 1 can) 
elbow macaroni (usually 2 cups dry)
grated cheddar cheese (as much as you want, maybe 1/2 to 1 cup depending on how much you have in the fridge, how cheesy you want it and what your cheese budget allows)

salt and pepper

Optional Ingredients

other types of cheese

Panko bread crumbs (GF or not)

1.  Boil elbow macaroni according to package instructions. Drain.

2.  Spray casserole dish with cooking spray and pour macaroni into the casserole.

3.  Mix in 1 can of tomato soup undiluted and the grated cheese . (sometimes GF tomato soup is already diluted but that should be fine.  Sometimes I add a little water if I think it's too dry. Salt and pepper to taste.

4.  It's ready for the oven now unless you want to put some extra cheese or bread crumbs on top(which can be toasted and/or spiced or not).

5.  Bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes for an average size casserole.  If you are doing smaller or larger casseroles adjust the cooking time.  The dish is done when bubbling and/or crispy on top.  

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

 Enjoyed this yummy casserole at the Crowsnest Cabin with Gerry and Kathy.  The perfect meal for a cabin getaway as it can be made ahead of time.  It can easily be made GF by using GF mushroom soup and GF corn tortillas.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 can mushroom soup
• 2 to 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 2 cups (or more) chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 to 3 fresh chopped garlic cloves
• 4 oz. can green chilies, drained
• 1 tsp. chili powder, or to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 12 corn tortillas (or flour)
• ~ 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Saute onions, mushrooms and garlic till soft.

Add chili powder, green chilies, salt and pepper and chopped chicken.

Combine sour cream and mushroon soup in a separate bowl.

 Add about a cup (+ or -) of the sauce to the chicken mixture, 

just enough to bind ingredients together.

Spread the remaining sauce in a greased 9 by 13 baking dish.

Divide the chicken mixture among the corn (or flour) tortillas.

Fold sides over filling and place seam side down into sauce.

Spread cheddar cheese over.

Bake at 400° till hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Conchiglie with Zucchini and Spinach

1 box (12 oz/375 g) jumbo conchiglie

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

FILLING

3 medium zucchini

 salt

1 bunch spinach (about 8 oz)

1/4 cup butter

2 onions, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb. ricotta cheese

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley

1/4 tsp pepper 

SAUCE

1/4 cup butter

2 onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans  (each 28 oz/796 ml) tomatoes

salt and pepper

FILLING

Grate zucchini and place in colander.  Sprinkle with 2 tsp salt: let drain for 30 minutes.   Rinse and drain well: drain on paper towels.

Trim spinach and rinse under water; shake off extra water.  In saucepan, cover spinach and cook, with just the water clinging to leaves, over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or just until wilted.  Drain well and squeeze dry: chop coarsely and set aside.

In large heavy skillet, melt butter over medium heat: cook onions and garlic for about 5 minutes or until tender.  Add zucchini:  cook until any moisture has evaporated.  Add spinach and mix well.  Let cool:  drain off excess liquid.  

In large bowl, beat ricotta until smooth:  beat in Parmesan eggs, parsley, 1 tsp salt and pepper .  Stir in zucchini mixture until combined:  set aside.

SAUCE

In saucepan melt butter over medium heat:  cook onions and garlic for about 5 minutes or until softened.  Add tomatoes, breaking up with spoon:  cook for 30 to 45 minutes or until thickened.  Purée in food processor:  season with salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

PASTA

In large pot of boiling salted water, cook conchiglie for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender but firm:  drain and refresh under cold water.  

ASSEMBLE

Spoon some of the filling into each conchiglie:  arrange, stuffed side up in a greased 13 x 9 inch  3L baking dish. ( If there are small broken conchiglie, coarsely chop them and put on bottom of baking dish first.)

Pour sauce over top and then sprinkle with up to  1 cup ( to taste) of Parmesan cheese. 

Bake in 350 degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until bubbling.  Makes 8 servings.

Dutch Boerenkool Stamppot (Mashed Potatoes with Kale and Sausage)

 A VanVliet Tradition 

Dutch Boerenkool Stamppot is one of the oldest and 

most authentic Dutch dishes. 

Ethan, Tristan and Reegan's Great Grandma Bolten (Kevin's Grandma)  served this dish often at the farm.

Ingredients

3 lbs potatoes
1 large white onion (or onion flakes)

1 bay leaf

1 lb curly kale

1 tsp. salt

1 pinch ground pepper

1 lb. smoked sausage (like bratwurst)

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp. butter

(can substitute carrots for kale)

1. Peel and dice potatoes and onion.

2. Clean, trim and slice kale.

3. Add the potatoes, onion, kale, a bay leaf, a pinch of salt and just enough water to cover all.

4.  Cover and boil gently for about 25 minutes.

5.  Meanwhile steam or grill the smoke sausage and then slice into bite size pieces.

6.  Remove the bay leaf, drain the vegetables, and  mash them.

7.  Add the milk and butter.

8.  Add in slice smoked sausage.

9.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with gravy.

     (gravy can be made with bacon fat or pkg. gravy works well too)

Oma's Meat and Cabbage Rolls

Autumn calls for cabbage rolls and there is no cabbage roll

 so satisfying as Oma's.  A recipe worthy passing on to future generations.

This recipe can be easily made gluten-free. 

 The only substitution necessary is making sure to use 

GF tomato soup.

Enjoy!

Filling

1 lb. hamburger
1/3 cup uncooked rice
1 egg (well beaten)
salt and pepper

Season the meat, add egg and mix in rice.

Sauce

2 to 3 tbsp. butter
1 onion (sliced thin)
1 can tomato soup
juice 1 lemon
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. parsley minced
1/2 cup chopped celery
salt and pepper

Melt butter, add onion and cook for several minutes.  Combine tomato soup and equal amount of water.  Add to onion, add parsley and celery, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper.  Cook 10 minutes.

Cabbage

Wash cabbage leaves and boil until tender.  I found a super huge cabbage and it was just big enough for 3 times the recipe (i.e. 3 lbs hamburger)




Assemble
Put 2 tbsp. meat mixture in each leaf and tightly secure each roll with a toothpick.  Place in sauce pan and pour sauce over rolls.  Cover pan and cook slowly 3 hours.  Serve very hot.

Short Rib Bourguignonne

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

3 to 4 pounds beef short ribs, cut into thirds
3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup bacon lardoons, diced
2 large white onions, sliced
4 shallots, quartered
1 pound mushrooms
1 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
2 cups red wine
4 cups beef stock or to cover

Preheat oven to 350 or 375.

Combine flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and black pepper.  

Add the short ribs, coating them lightly in the flour mixture.

In a large Dutch oven or deep oven-proof pot melt butter over medium heat until golden.  Add the ribs, shaking off any excess flour.  Sear the meat until brown, moving the ribs around covering them with the butter.  

In the same pot, saute the bacon for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the onions, shallots, mushrooms, celery and carrots and saute until golden.  Deglaze the pan with the red wine, adding a little at a time.  Let reduce over high heat for 1 minute.  Add the rest of the wine and beef stocik, and bring to a simmer.

  Once the liquid has come to a simmer, cover and cook in the oven for 2 to 3 hours.  Season to taste.

Lasagna Gluten Free or Not

1 pkg gluten-free lasagna noodles OR regular lasagna noodles (8 ounces)

(The rest of the recipe is gluten free.)

1 1/2 lb. ground meat 

(ground beef or a combination of mild pork sausage/ground beef/ground veal)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 can diced tomatoes (28 ounce)

1 can tomato paste (6 ounce)

2 teaspoons dried parsley (or fresh)

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 pinch white sugar

8 ounces sour cream

8 ounces of ricotta cheese

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 pounds shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Makes one  9x13 inch pan.

Heat a large skillet and sauté the onions until clear.  Add meat and garlic and cook until the meat is evenly browned.  Drain off excess grease.

Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, basil, oregano and sugar.

Increase heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened.

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sour cream, ricotta, Romano cheese, salt, black pepper and half of the mozzarella cheese.

To assemble the lasagna, spread a thick layer of the cooked sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.  Cover with 1/3 of the lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the remaining cooked sauce, 1/3 of the sour cream mixture.  Repeat this layering 2 more times.

The above recipe is very similar to Grandmaman's lasagna recipe which is basically made up of four parts, with the layers starting with the meat sauce layer and ending with a "very generous portion of grated mozzarella cheese".

To make Grandmaman's recipe gluten free, noodles need to be gluten free and attention needs to be paid to the tomato sauce.  It's best to make your own tomato sauce,  instead of premade pasta sauce.  

Part One-Precooked lasagna noodles (regular, whole wheat or gluten free)

Part Two-Meat Sauce (made of sautéed ground beef, prepared pasta sauce or your own sauce made from your choice of tomatoes (canned, sundried, fresh), tomato paste or tomato sauce, spices, onions, garlic cloves)

Part Three-eggs, cottage cheese, spinach, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper grated mozzarella (sometimes I leave this part out or only include some of it)

Part Four-THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF GRANDMAMAN'S LASAGNA-A very generous amount of grated mozzarella cheese on the top, (sprinkled with parmesan cheese if available) 

Hong Kong Chicken Curry

This is a perfect "après luge" meal on a cold Alberta winter day.

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 sliced onion

2 tbsp curry powder

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1/2 tsp salt

398 ml can coconut milk

2 large carrots, sliced into coins

2 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Heat a large wide frying pan over medium high.  

Add oil, then onion and curry powder.  

Cook until onion starts to soften, 3 min.  

Sprinkle chicken with salt, then add to pan.  Stir until coated.

Add coconut milk, carrots and potatoes and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium.

Gently boil, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove lid and continue boiling until liquid is slightly thickened, about 5 more minutes.

Stir in peas and cilantro and cook for 1 more minute.

Serve with rice.

Ethan and Grandpa walk up to the top of the luge as Ethan gives Grandpa
advice on how to get a fast, safe ride.

Tristan tells Grandpa "that was a good ride".

Reegan gives Grandpa a hug.

Chicken Pilaf with Spinach and Walnuts

Tried this recipe today and decided it was a keeper.  Grandpa enjoyed it too. I didn't cube the chicken or chop the spinach.   I found that the rice took a little longer to cook than it said. I think next time I will try precooking the rice a bit and see how that works.  I was also cautious with the spices and will be more generous next time.  Overall it was yummy, with a comfort food feel. Easy and a great combination of healthy ingredients.  Thank you Oma and Opa for the saucepan.  It worked great for this recipe.  

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 lb (450 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cubed)

(I didn't cubed the thighs)

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup basmati rice or other long-grain white rice

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. ground allspice (nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves as substitute)

pinch of cinnamon

4 cups loosely packed baby spinach, coarsely chopped

2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill

On rimmed baking sheet, toast walnuts in 350 degree oven until golden, about 8 minutes, set aside.

Sprinkle chicken with half each of the salt and pepper. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown chicken.  Using slotted spoon, transfer to bowl.

In same saucepan, cook onion and garlic over medium heat until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.  Stir in rice, cumin, allspice, cinnamon and remaining salt and pepper; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.  Return chicken and any juices to pan, stirring to coat.

Stir in 1 3/4 cups water; bring to boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is tender and no liquid remains, about 20 minutes.  Turn off heat; let stand on burner for 5 minutes.

Stir in spinach, dill and toasted walnuts.

Curried Chicken and Artichoke Casserole

Curried Chicken and Artichoke Casserole

4 cups shredded cooked chicken (equivalent to 2-3 boiled chicken breasts)

1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

1 package (8 – 10 ounces) fresh mushrooms (pre-sliced)

1 can cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken)

1 cup low-fat sour cream

½ cup low-fat mayonnaise

1-2 tablespoons curry powder (to taste)

½ cup pre-cut slivered almonds

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. Cook the mushrooms in a sauté pan over medium heat in oil or butter until cooked.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, mushroom soup, sour cream, mayonnaise, and curry powder.  Stir until well-blended.
4. Transfer mixture to a 13 x 9 glass or ceramic baking dish.  Scatter the almonds over the top.
5. Bake the casserole until it is bubbling and the almonds are toasted, about 1 hour.  Check after 45 minutes to see if it needs to be covered loosely with foil to prevent over-browning.
6. Remove from oven and serve at once with rice.

First enjoyed this meal at Jenny's when a friend brought it over as a "welcome Oliver supper".  Grandmaman made the casserole served with rice tonight on a rainy, rather stormy, Alberta summer supper.  Grandpa is thrilled that there is enough for him to take for lunch tomorrow.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Super yummy dinner!  Makes a great drop off meal too!  The recipe is very simple and all the amounts are approximate.  I sometimes double-ish this recipe when I make it to bring to someone, makes a big one to give and makes a small one for us.  Can't really mess up CHEESE CHEESE and more CHEESE!


This was my new baby drop off meal this winter for all the new Mama's here in Ithaca.  Here's to rest and recovery with some delish comfort food.

Sleeping baby!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Large flour tortillas
1 large onion diced
2 TBSP oil
4 oz can green chilies, chopped
10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups grated mozarella cheese
1 cup salsa
3-4 cups cooked chicken, shredded into large pieces (I just usually buy a rotisserie chicken, unless I remember to cook a couple extra chicken breasts the day before)

Cut tortillas into 6 slices.  Saute onion in oil.  Add chilies, soup and half of the grated cheeses.  Cook slowly until cheese melts.  Line a buttered casserole with tortilla strips.  Then layer salsa, chicken, cheese and cheese sauce with tortillas strips.  Repeat and do as many layers as you want.  Top with remaining grated cheese.  Bake at 325 for 50-60 min.  Let stand for 10 min.  Enjoy!


Sending Love,
Twin A

Lazy Pierogi Casserole

This twist on the classic recipe has all of the flavours of the original, without all the time consuming effort.  It was found in the book The Canadian Cookbook by Jennifer Ogle.  This recipe caught my eye since my family always loved Grandma P's cabbage rolls, but the recipe didn't get made nearly often enough.  When Twin A found a recipe for Lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole, she became a hero.  (Twin A should post this delicious recipe soon!)

This Lazy Pierogi Casserole will become one of those favorites too.  One of my earliest kitchen memories involves my Mom and my Grandma P turning our kitchen into a pierogi making factory with this crazy pierogi cutting contraption that looked like a giant cookie cutter.  Mom insists that they didn't make them that often, but it sure stuck out in my mind.

I took the Canadian Culinary Kitchen  Cookbook Series out of the library.  This series is interesting since it gives background info about each of the original recipes and how they became part of our Canadian Food landscape.  As you can see, I've flagged many recipes to try...  ambitious I know, we will see how many get made before they need to be returned to the library.

Lazy Pierogi Casserole

1/2 cup melted butter + 1/4 cup for brushing top
2 cups dry cottage cheese
1 cup ricotta
8 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed (use 8 cups of leftover mashed potatoes if you want)
generous dash each of salt, pepper + paprika
9 to 12 lasagna noodles, cooked (to make 3 layers)
8 medium onions, sliced and caramelized
1 cup grated aged cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Mix together 1/2 cup butter, cottage cheese, ricotta and mashed potatoes.  Season well with sea salt, pepper and paprika.

Butter a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.  Place a layer of noodles in dish, followed by a third of the onions then a third of potatoes.  Repeat layers, ending with potatoes.

Brush top with remaining butter and sprinkle Cheddar evenly over top.  Bake for 35 to 45 minutes.

Love,
Twin B
xoxoxoxo