Pancakes Made With Beer

I play a game called Mafia MoFo which has gangs each player can join, and I happen to belong to an incredible all-female gang. Today one of the girls posted how she makes pancakes with beer and I have to share:

"Did you know that if u use a 12 ounce can of bud light, 1 egg and a dash of vanilla extract to a package of regular old pancake/ waffle mix that it makes ur pancakes really light and fluffy and they taste so much better. The alcohol cooks off so u cant taste the beer."

Chicken Tortas

There is a restaurant in Keller, Texas called Caballeros that Tony and I used to eat at with his mom and step-dad from time to time, and one day I stopped in for lunch with my mom. I ordered the Chicken Torta and it instantly became one of my favorite sandwiches. The only "torta" I was familiar with before this sandwich was essentially an enchilada casserole which the author of the recipe thought they would get fancy and give it a different name. So when I found out that a torta in Mexico is a sandwich I was a little surprised. Here is my version of the Chicken Torta I had at Caballeros.

Chicken breast (butterfly cut, this turns 3 or 4 breasts into 6 or 8)
Bolillo buns (or French rolls)
Guacamole
Refried Beans
Provolone cheese
Butter
Olive Oil

Seasoning for chicken:
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Cumin

First I prepare the guacamole in advance if I haven't purchased premade guac.

Then I season each butterflied breast, heat a grilling pan or skillet with olive oil and cook the chicken breast over medium heat until cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking I heat the refried beans (or in my case canned pinto beans that I mash with a potato masher b/c it's cheaper per can by as much as 50%, just put beans and juice into pan to cook. And a tip for cooking refried beans is to oil the pan first so they don't stick).

I also cut the bolillo buns in half, lightly spread with butter and toast under the broiler. This only takes a couple of minutes. Keep an eye on them or they will burn.

When the chicken is done, I spread refried beans on the bottom half of the bun and guacamole on the top bun, then layer with the provolone and chicken and serve!

Au Jus

French dip sandwiches are one of my all time favorites. I make them at home from time to time but in an effort to cut down on our grocery bill I thought I'd try to make the Au Jus myself. I tried looking online for a simple recipe using just beef stock but didn't have much luck, so I winged it with some ideas I got from looking at various recipes, and it turned out wonderful!!! A friend did mention that Au Jus no matter how you make it is hard to mess up, but I'm very happy with the results I got.

Au Jus

3 cups water
3 reduced sodium beef bouillon cubes
1 tsp cornstarch (you can use a little more or omit)
1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet (browning sauce)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Heat until boiling, add sliced roast beef (I just used deli roast beef) and cook until meat is heated through about 1-2 minutes. I'll make a French dip sandwich with the roast beef and either Provolone or Baby Swiss on a toasted French baguette or Mexican bolillo bread.

The Versitile Rump Roast

So I slow cooked a rump roast today in a few cups of water and seasoned w/salt, pepper and garlic powder. When trying to decide how to serve it, I decided to shred it and simmer it in a pot with a couple cans of diced green chilies, a diced onion, some diced garlic cloves, and I seasoned it with oregano and cumin. It is so yummy!!! There is easily enough meat for 3 meals for my hubby and I, so tonight I made shredded beef burritos w/refried beans and Monterrey Jack cheese, tomorrow I'll make empanadas using pre-made pie crust and Monterrey Jack cheese, then for the 3rd day I'm thinking of adding a can or two of hominy and some beef broth for a yummy posole.