Tater Tot Taco Bake

TATER TOT TACO BAKE

So I guess tater tot casseroles or "hotdishes" are a big thing in North Dakota. We tried this one and loved it!

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion (diced)

1 garlic clove (minced)

1 small can black olives (sliced)

1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

1 (16 ounce) bag frozen corn

1 (4 ounce) can green chilies (diced and drained)

1 (12 ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 (16 ounce) bag shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 (16 ounce) package frozen tater tots

1 (10.5 ounce fluid ounce) can enchilada sauce

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat a skillet to medium high heat. Brown the ground beef most of the way then drain off excess fat. Return to skillet and add the garlic and onion. Cook for a few more minutes until the ground beef is completely browned and onions are starting to soften. Add taco seasoning mix, green chilies, frozen corn, and black beans to the ground beef. Cook until heated through.

In a large bowl combine ground beef mixture, ¾ of the Mexican cheese blend, and all of the tater tots. Stir well to combine.

Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the tater tot mixture to the baking dish and lightly pat the mixture down into a solid, even layer. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tater tots.

Place into the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. During the last few minutes of baking, top the casserole with the remaining Mexican cheese blend and the sliced black olives. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

4 B's Restaurant Tomato Soup Recipe

Old Fashioned Cream of Tomato Soup

This simple recipe is very delicious and perfect for a cold winter's night! Try it!

Best Butter Mochi

Another tried & true mochi recipe

If your only experience with mochi is "Mochi Ice Cream" this is not quite the same thing!

This dessert is a custardy, dense cake that is chewy and sweet.

Ingredients:

16-oz box Blue Star Mochiko flour
2 1/2 C Sugar
2 tsp Baking powder
1 12-oz can Evaporated milk
1 14-oz can Coconut milk
3 Eggs
2 tsp Pure vanilla extract
1 stick Butter, melted

Cooking Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13x9x2" pan with butter. In a large bowl, sift together mochiko flour, sugar, and baking powder, and mix well. In a medium bowl, combine evaporated milk, coconut milk, eggs, and vanilla, and mix well. Pour into dry ingredients and blend together. Stir in melted butter.

Pour into pan, and tap bottom of pan on a hard surface to settle batter. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown. Cool at least 1 hour before cutting and enjoying.

Chinese Almond Cookies

This is a recipe from my friend Sherry, the notes in the recipe are hers:

Chinese Almond Cookies

3 cups flour

1 cup sugar (1 Tbsp less ok too)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 teaspoon almond extract (I add more like 1 1/2 tsp, i go by smell...LOL)

1/ 1/3 cups shortening (Crisco)

Red food coloring or blanched almonds to top

Sift flour, baking soda and salt together.

Beat egg with a fork until lemon colored & add almond extract.

Cream sugar and shortening well, & add egg until well blended.

Add dry ingredients gradually.

Roll into balls or use a cookie scoop about 1 inch apart.  Press thumb

gently in the center of the ball and top with a chopstick dipped in

red food coloring or almond.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Bibimbap

Bibimbap

This is a Korean Meat and Vegetable dish that is so flavorful and served with some rice.

There's a lot to prep but it's worth it!

1. Julienned carrots

2. Bean Sprouts

Cooked bean sprouts (Parboil in boiling water for 30 sec and drain. Mix in a little shoyu, minced garlic and sesame oil and toss)

3. Sauteed Spinach - add sesame oil and salt

4. Shiitake - Saute with sesame oil and salt

5. 1 egg, over easy

-1 egg, over easy

-sesame seeds

-sesame oil

-soy sauce

-gochuchang *

6. Bulgogi -1 lb thin sliced ribeye (marinated minimum 1 hour)

Marinade:

1/2 c soy

1 korean pear (grated)

2 T diced garlic

1/2 sm white onion

1 T fresh grated ginger

2 T light brown sugar

1T honey

2 T sesame seeds

2 T sesame oil

1 T ground red pepper

1/4 t blk pepper

2 stalks green onion

*4 T gochuchang paste

1 T sugar

1 T sesame seeds

2 T sesame oil

Fry up Bulgogi (meat), you can cut it into small bite size pieces. Prepare veggies, fry egg. Place ingredients on hot rice with egg on top. Add gochuchang to taste, mix up and enjoy.

Coffee Cake Apple Kuchen with Streusel Topping

Connie Dahlke, Napa, California

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Makes two 8"-9" round cake pans

Apple Topping - prepare and set aside to cool:

3-4 med-large apples (about 1 1/2 lbs) peeled and sliced
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp sugar

Simmer apple slices in water until fork tender. Drain and set aside to cool.

Coffee cake dough:

1 1/2 cups (200 gm) stirred flour (stir flour before measuring - for accurate amount)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup (125 gm) butter or butter-flavor shortening
2/3 cup (125 gm) sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp almond or anise flavoring
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk

Stir together flour and baking powder. Set aside.

Mix together butter and sugar until smooth. Stir in salt and almond flavoring. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until batter is very smooth. Alternately add flour mixture and milk, stirring until all flour is moistened and batter is smooth. (Will be a thick cake batter.)

Divide into two 8"-9" cake pans with removable bottoms which have been greased on the bottom but not on the sides. Smooth batter evenly. Arrange cooked apple slices in a single layer over the cake batter.

Streusel Topping:

1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp butter or shortening
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

Stir Streusel ingredients together until well-mixed and in fine crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the two pans of Kuchen. Bake in 350 F (180 C) oven for 30-40 minutes or until edges of cake begin to brown.

Re-do of a recipe from Nellie Daes' cookbook, Cookbook for Germans from Russia, with input from Marylyn.

http://lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/grhc/foods/recipe/dahlke.html

Eva's Bon Bons

My mother in law made these and they are a favorite of my husband (and now my boys as well)

Eva's Bon Bons (Chocolate Covered Cherries)

Yield: 3 dozen

2 8-oz jars maraschino cherries (with stems)
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 Tbsp. milk

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (12 oz. bag)
2 Tbsp shortening

Drain cherries and pat dry on a paper towel.

Mix together the sugar, butter, almond extract and milk. Roll into 1" balls. Flatten into a circle and place a cherry in the middle. Carefully cover the cherry with the fondant. Refrigerate overnight (4 hours or more).

Once the cherry balls are chilled, melt together the semi-sweet chocolate chips and shortening. Dip the cherry balls into the chocolate. Set on wax paper until firm. Keep refrigerated.