I like to call them “cooking carnivals” a day when all I do is cook and bake.  I almost wish I could take it a step further and hang a sign on my door that lets everyone know to stay out of the kitchen.  Last week I was having one of those days.  I made chorizo stuffing, sweet potato casserole, gingerbread pumpkin empanadas and then I realized I had all the ingredients to make a flan with some of the left over items from the dishes I had created.  Here it is, my first pumpkin flan.  I never got to taste it myself, it was gone before I knew it.  Happy Holidays!

Ingredients for Pumpkin Flan:

• 1/2 – cup cajeta
• 4 – ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1 – 12 0z. can of evaporated milk
• 1 – 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 – tablespoon vanilla extract
• 5 – large eggs
• 1 – cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree
• 1/2 – teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• pomegranate seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit

Spray a bundt pan with a non stick baking spray, then fill the bottom with cajeta.

   

In a blender add cream cheese, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, eggs, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice. Blend for a minute or until completely combined. Pour flan mixture over the cajeta filled bundt pan.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place inside a large pyrex baking dish. Pour hot water into the pyrex baking dish to fill up half way.

Then place the baking dish into the oven and bake for 1 hour.

Once out of the oven, remove from water bath and uncover to allow cooling. Run a small knife around the edge to ensure it from sticking.  Let the flan rest for two hours then flip it over onto a plate. Slowly lift pan up away from plate. Then put in the fridge for 5 hours or overnight.  When ready to serve sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. ENJOY!!!!!!

Chile Colorado brings the familiar taste of my childhood rushing back to me. Flooding my mouth with my heritage and reminding me of my Mexican-American upbringing.  My Grandfather made it for our dinner time and time again.  He cooked his chile colorado in a cast iron pan and made his chile from scratch.  To this day he loves his steak chopped into cubes and drenched in red chile.  This dish had become so sacred in my mind that I had never even attempted to make it myself.  I wanted to leave it perfect in my memory  the way my Grandfather had always prepared it.  Well last week I was craving a plate of Chile Colorado and with my Grandfather now being 88 years old, I didn’t have the audacity to request he make it for me, knowing darn well that I would be able to get in the kitchen myself and bust it out.  That was it, I made Chile Colorado for the first time with the few tidbits I remember from my Grandfather and I was so proud of my final product.  It tasted just like I remember and maybe even a little better.  Is that awful of me to say?  Sorry Grandpa.

Ingredients for Chile Colorado:

1 – onion (peeled)

1 – package of New Mexico Chile (use entire bag 2oz.)

1 – package of California Chile (use entire bag 2oz.)

2 – dried pasilla chiles (reserve the rest for the next time you make this)

4 – garlic cloves (peeled)

1 – tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 – teaspoon dried oregano

1 – teaspoon garlic salt

salt and pepper to your liking

vegetable oil

4 – tenderlion steaks (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 – heaping tablespoon of flour

garlic powder

3 – large Idaho Potatoes

Let’s start by making the chile.  Fill a large pot half way with water and add 3 tablespoons of salt and the entire onion.  Then place over a medium high flame and bring to a boil.  Once boiling add New Mexico Chile, California Chile and Pasilla Chile to water and cover with a lid.  Let boil for 30 minutes.

Then remove from flame. DO NOT DISCARD the water.  Save it.  Take all the chiles and place in a blender.  Remove stems from chiles.  You may have to do this in two batches.  Pour a cup and a half  –  two cups of the water (use the water you boiled the chiles in) into the blender along with garlic cloves, red wine vinegar, oregano, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Blend on high till smooth.

   It will be a bright red color.

Then place a sieve over a bowl and pour chile in.  This step will collect all the skin and seeds. Mix with a spoon till there is no liquid in the sieve.  Collect chile in bowl and set to the side.

Next take your steak.  Trim any fat (you may want to leave a little bit) and cube into 1 1/2 inch cubes.  Then in a dutch oven or cast iron pan over a medium flame pour a 1/2 of tablespoon of oil and allow to heat to hot.  Then add in steak cubes.

Cook just until browned.  About 3 to 5 minutes.  Then add a little salt, pepper, garlic powder…. Mix well.  Lastly add in flour and mix well to absorb any moisture in pan.

Next add in chile. You should have about 2 to 3 cups.

Lower the flame to low, cover with a lid and let chile and meat cook for about 45 minutes to an hour. Stir every 10 to 15 minutes.

While chile and meat are cooking….  Peel potatoes and cut into 2 inch cubes.  Boil some water in a medium pan and add potatoes.  Boil for 10 minutes.  Then remove from water.  In a large frying pan add a tablespoon and a half of vegetable oil and allow to get hot. Then add potatoes and fry on both sides for 7 minutes or until crisp. Then remove from flame and set to the side.

Once the chile and meat are almost done ( the sauce should look a little on the thick side) add the fried potatoes in.  Mmmmmm, my mouth just watered.

Mix well, serve in a bowl or plate.  Heat a side of corn or flour tortillas and shake your head in disbelief at how good your food is!  🙂  Enjoy!