I know it is Easter weekend and it is so nice to see the sun shining even if it is rather windy. A bit of rain predicted, however, we surely don’t want what we had last weekend. It has been over a week now and we still have huge piles of heavy wet snow – over seven inches that is difficult to move. I had been to the library and plenty of reading to occupy my time.
Our family planned to get together on Saturday and most of them could make it and still be in their own churches on Easter Sunday. We had ham for Christmas so decided to have something different this time. Since pork was on sale I bought a loin and decided to grill it. Paul has been taking a meats class and was in charge of the grill. Mary says that so far he has done a good job of fixing the different of cuts of meat. He also contributed ice cream made at SDSU at somebody’s request.
We also decided to have a work day such as cleaning up around the foundation or flower beds, but that didn’t pan out so well as the weather didn’t cooperate. Other than taking down the Christmas lights not much else got done outside although there was still snow to walk over. No planting of potatoes on Good Friday as the garden is covered with snow, hopefully the strawberries I planted last year have survived.
Maybe I’m getting a little anxious for spring as lately I have been reading a lot about how to fix asparagus and using the chives of which there will be plenty. I purposely do not freeze asparagus and that way I have something to look forward to before the garden is even planted. We had family visiting last week and the menu was soup. I don’t think this is the recipe our hostess made for taco soup but very similar.
Taco Soup
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes, with liquid
1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans, with liquid
1 (17 oz.) can corn, with liquid
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 taco seasoning packet
In large soup pot, brown ground beef and saute onions. Drain well. Add tomatoes, kidney beans, corn, tomato sauce and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garnish with grated cheddar cheese, sour cream and corn chips. Serves 4
Ham Enchiladas
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1/2 cup chopped green onions
10 flour tortillas (8 inches)
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half cream
6 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
Combine ham and onions; place about 1/3 cup down the center of each tortilla. Top with 2 tablespoons cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
In a bowl, combine flour, cream, eggs and salt until smooth. Pour over tortillas. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350º for 25 minutes. Uncover; bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake 3 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Yield: 10 enchiladas.
Pistachio Bars
Base:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
Topping:
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coarsely chopped pistachios
1/2 cup flaked coconut
Heat oven to 350º. Combine flour and 1/4 cup sugar; mix well. Cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarsely crumbs. Press mixture in bottom of ungreased 8-inch square pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 10 minutes.
Beat egg slightly. Add all remaining topping ingredients except pistachios and coconut; mix well. Stir in pistachios and coconut. Remove pan from oven. Spoon and spread coconut mixture evenly over warm base. Return to oven; bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 1 hour 15 minutes or until completely cooled. Cut into bars. Makes 25 bars.
