Food to Match

A couple of fiesta recipes as promised!

So, since yesterday was a cold one here on the prairie, and a day of food celebration at my house, I thought I would give this a try. It's been in my file of recipes for about three years and I've never made it. I didn't think I would like it.....BUT turns out, it's pretty fantastic. I loved it. Others loved it and it's really good left over!

Chili’s Chicken Enchilada Soup

1/2 C. Vegetable oil

1/4 C. Chicken base

3 C. diced Yellow Onions

2 tsp. ground Cumin2 tsp. Chili Powder

2 tsp. granulated Garlic1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper

2 C. Masa Harina4 qt. Water (divided)

2 C. crushed Tomatoes

1/2 lb. processed American cheese, cut in small cube

3 lb. cooked, cubed chicken

In large pot, place oil, chicken base, onion and spices. Saute until onions are soft and clear, about 5 minutes. In another container, combine Masa Harina with 1 quart water. Stir until all lumps dissolve. Add to sauteed onions and bring to boil. Once mixture starts to bubble, continue cooking 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. This will eliminate any raw taste from Masa Harina. Add remaining 3 quarts water to pot. Add tomatoes; let mixture return to boil stirring occasionally.Add cheese to soup. Cook stirring occasionally, until cheese melts. Add chicken; heat through. Makes 1 1/2 gallons or 16-20 servings.
Please note you must mix in the mesa harina into 1 quart of broth completely. If you add the masa harina into the soup directly it will be difficult to mix in and may be lumpy. If you feel 2 cups is too much masa harina I have made the soup with 1 1/2 cups successfully.

Last year, someone made this cake and brought to my house and it was devoured. So I decided to try it this year, and once again it was devoured. People love this cake....I think mainly because it's light not so heavy and seriously tasty!!!! And the picture kind of stinks... because this is the last piece kind of beat up...but I ate directly after I took it anyway!

It came from Tasty Kitchen from Ree herself... so of course it's fattening. But, what the heck, if I'm going to eat enchiladas, tortillas and drink margaritas... you can bet I'm going to eat dessert!

1 cup All-purpose Flour
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoons Salt
5 whole Eggs
1 cup Sugar, Divided
1 teaspoon Vanilla
⅓ cups Milk
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
¼ cups Heavy Cream
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FOR THE ICING:
1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
3 Tablespoons Sugar (I used powdered sugar)

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.
Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.
Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.
Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

Song: Chery Pink and Apple Blossom White, Perez Prado