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Jan 6, 2015

Easy Tortilla Pie

Best Recipe Tortilla Pie You only need a few basic ingredients to make this easy tortilla pie: whole wheat tortillas, canned beans, bottled salsa, peppers, and reduced fat cheese. Add some onions and garlic and this comes together pronto in a yummy, stick-to-the-ribs dinner the whole family will love.

Here’s why I love my easy tortilla pie: It has two different kinds of beans, black and cannellini beans; It has three different colors of pepper – red, green and yellow; And it’s made with whole wheat tortillas. Even if you aren’t a fan of whole wheat tortillas, they become so soft when baked with my sauce and cheeses, you can eat this moist layered casserole with a spoon.

There’s a recipe for tortilla pie in my original cookbook but this new recipe is simpler, faster, and healthier, not to mention even more delicious. This is an easy recipe to customize and make your own. If you like is spicy, be sure to include the jalapeño pepper and get a jar of spicy salsa. If you like it mild, you can leave out the jalapeño pepper altogether and replace it with extra bell pepper, or a milder Anaheim pepper, and use a mild salsa.

Here are a couple of brands I use in this recipe:

Tortillas – Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Tortillas

Salsa – Green Mountain Gringo from Whole Foods

I make my pie in an 8-inch round pyrex baking dish with tall sides and a glass lid. Sometimes I cut the tortillas to fit exactly into the baking pan and with this pan, the filling all stays inside and doesn’t spill out. A lot of recipes use a springform pan and if you have one, that’s the pan to use. You can also make this tortilla pie in any kind of pie pan, preferably deep dish. Some of the beans may spill out but who cares? Just make sure you cover it well with foil.

Nutritionally, this healthy meal is hard to beat. There is lots of fiber in the beans as well as the tortillas, and beans also provide calcium and protein. The colored peppers are full of antioxidants to help protect against diseases like heart disease and cancer. And if you make it spicy, spicy foods boost metabolism and that helps with weight loss. But the best reason of all to make this easy casserole is it’s simply delicious. And it’s meatless, too. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

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Filed Under: Main Dishes
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Jan 1, 2015

Questions?

BEFORE ASKING A QUESTION... please look in the FAQs at the top for answers to many commonly asked questions. Or maybe it’s something you can research on your own or find in the recipe comments.  I can’t always keep up with responding so thank you for understanding.

❤️???? My thanks to everyone who jumps in to help answer questions. ❤️????

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Filed Under: Questions? - Forum
1,221 Comments
Jan 1, 2015

I Never Expected This

I never expected that so many people would come to my website and watch my videos – over 40,000 people a day! And it’s wonderful. I am thrilled with all the feedback, but it’s becoming hard to keep up with the questions.  I’m doing my best but the numbers keep growing and it’s getting harder and harder to keep up. I’m truly dumbfounded to see the thousands of people who visit here every day.

I never did this for money. I did it for my love of cooking and I just wanted to share my recipes. So please understand if I have not answered your question. I’ve addressed the most commonly asked questions in my new Questions category. You’ll also see a lot of helpful comments under each recipe from other cooks that might address your concern.

I wasn’t expecting this. I’m just a home cook sharing what I love as a hobby. I’m humbled and so very appreciative of your kindness and support but this is a one-woman operation and I’m doing the best I can. Before asking a question, please try to look for answers here or on the internet. I’ll try to keep up but seriously… 40,000 people a day from 190 countries! And 50,000 on the weekends!! This is crazy! For commonly asked questions click here. – Jenny Jones

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Filed Under: General
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Dec 27, 2014

How To Store Parsley

I’ve had this parsley for over a month! If you’re tired of throwing away wilted parsley, you will love this easy way to store fresh parsley. Just put it in a glass of water and cover it loosely with a plastic produce bag. I use the bag I brought it home in from the store.
IMG_0418Fresh parsley is great to use in cooking but I only use a little at a time. I used to keep it in the vegetable drawer in a plastic bag but I always had to throw it away before I could use it all up. There had to be a better way. So I tried putting it in a glass of water in the fridge and it kept a little longer but after a few days it was drying out.

The solution to drying out had to be plastic so I tried putting a light weight plastic produce bag loosely over the parsley and glass and I could not believe how long it lasted. I put it away on November 23rd. That was five weeks ago! And look at it today…

IMG_0695I’ll be using this parsley until 2015! I’ll let you know when it finally runs its course – probably six or seven weeks. I just had to share!

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Filed Under: Helpful Hints, How To . . .
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Dec 25, 2014

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all my cooking friends.

ada85ad506a9204d5840b640d8cab712What a beautiful creation! I did not make this gingerbread house but I would like to live there.

I hope all your holiday creations turned out.

Filed Under: Holiday
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Dec 11, 2014

How Do I Print a Recipe?

There is a “Print” button at the top of the recipe, just to the right of the title. Click the “Print” button and follow the prompts on your computer.

Having problems? If you are using a desktop computer, for some reason, in some browsers (like Google Chrome), the “print menu window” appears to load faster than the actual recipe page you’re trying to print. To address this problem please close the print window and then click the Print button again. I hope this helps. You can also right click on any recipe page and select the “Print” option from the dropdown menu. Another option is to use the “Share” buttons at the upper right of each recipe to share any recipe or to email it to yourself.

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Filed Under: Questions? - Forum
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Dec 11, 2014

Polish Chrusciki (Angel Wings)

This is the only think I deep fry… but I don’t care. Chrusciki are too good not to have at Christmas time and there is no way to make them without frying. And there is no way to eat just one.

These dainty powdered sugar delights, which are also called angel wings, also called bow ties, also called faworki, etc., are absolutely delicious thanks to the delicate flavor of vanilla and fresh citrus peel. As dramatic as they look, they are easier to make than you think.

I learned from my mother who made them every Christmas. She rolled the dough and my sister and I shaped them into knots or bow ties. She made a whole bunch at one time but I find it more manageable to work with a smaller dough and take up less counter space. Besides, if I made more I would just eat more. I’ve never seen anyone eat just one.

So here is my how-to video. I tried to keep it simple so even inexperienced cooks can make these fabulous holiday cookies. The most important thing is to roll the dough super thin so be patient. It takes me two minutes to get it thin enough and I’ve been making them for years.

You roll half the dough at a time and it needs to be at least 12 by 12 inches or 14 by 10 or 16 by 8, etc.. The shape doesn’t matter as long as you have around 140 square inches. You should be able to almost see through the dough.

I hope you try my Polish chrusciki and if you make them, send me a photo for my scrapbook. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

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Filed Under: Videos 1 Comment
Dec 8, 2014

How To Freeze Pecan Balls

Guess what? There is no difference between frozen and freshly made pecan balls. I tested them myself and asked two other people to do a blind taste test and no one could tell the difference. This is good news because anything you can make ahead for the holidays is helpful. I’m sure there is more than one way to freeze these delicate Christmas snowball cookies but here is how I did mine:

  1. Once they were completely cool and after the second roll in powdered sugar I gently placed them in a freezer bag so they were not touching.
  2. I removed as much air as possible from the bag and placed them gently in the freezer.
  3. To thaw I let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then brought them to room temperature.
  4. Then I gently rolled them in powdered sugar again to freshen them up.

So there it is. This is how you can freeze your homemade pecan balls and have extra time for…. making more! To make these super easy Christmas cookies, click here for the recipe.  – Jenny Jones

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Filed Under: Helpful Hints, Holiday, How To . . .
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Nov 18, 2014

No Knead Fruit & Nut Bread

No Knead Fruit and Nut BreadI love it! I love it! I love it! I’m having so much fun with my no knead breads. I started with the plain one, then I made my 100% whole wheat version. Not long after I did it with kalamata olives and now this! The idea came to me during our trip to Vancouver. We had a fabulous brunch at the hotel and they had a whole wheat fruit & nut loaf that looked so good. Did I mention that I’m a bread person? So I tried a slice and it was fabulous. A few minutes later I went back for more and it was gone! All that was left was the tiny heels… but I took them anyway. Everybody loved this bread. I wondered right away if I could make it at home and would it work with my no knead recipe?

The answer is yes. I made it a few times and had to take a break because I kept eating it – I could not stop myself. Fruit and nut bread is such a great combo, especially for breakfast. So here are some things to know:

  • The oven is very hot and sugar burns easily. The first time I made it, the crust was almost burned so I had a better result with a slightly reduced temperature. I still preheat the Dutch oven to the usual 450 degrees F to get the initial blast of heat but as soon as the bread goes in, I reduce the temperature to 400.
  • If your Dutch oven will fit, raise your oven rack up one notch to lift the bottom of the pot farther away from the heat. But put it back to the center for the last 10 minutes when the lid is off.
  • You can also start the dough the night before but using cold water and let the covered mixture stand on the counter top (not in a warm spot) overnight from 8 to 24 hours, and then shape it in the morning and continue.

I  make mine with half and half whole wheat and bread flour. I do recommend bread flour but you can use all purpose flour with the whole wheat. This half and half flour mixture ensures a soft loaf but a healthier one with the added fiber. I tried using all whole wheat flour with this sweet loaf but it didn’t work for me. It’s so simple, you just dump everything into a bowl, the flours, walnuts, raisins, sugar, salt, and yeast, and add water.

If you’re a bread person like me, you will love this delicious fruit & nut bread. But you may have to challenge yourself to not eat it all in one day. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

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Filed Under: Breads/Muffins
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