Tortilla Egg Bake #Recipe Peg Cochran/Margaret Loudon

 

I first saw this while wasting time, I mean scrolling, on Instagram.  It couldn't have been a complete waste of time if I came upon a new recipe, right?  The person demonstrating this dish was quite loose with the quantities but below are the ones I used based on what it looked like.  I don't like the texture of cottage cheese, so I put everything in a blender but that's optional.  The woman demonstrating mixed the eggs and cottage cheese right in the tortilla-lined pan.  I didn't have a burrito-sized tortilla--only taco-sized--and it was too small for a pie plate so I dug around in the cupboard (when did I buy those Madeleine pans?) and found a small springform pan.  It worked out just fine.  Afterwards, I actually found a recipe for this online and used that baking time in the instructions.  I baked mine at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.  It's great for breakfast or even a light lunch or dinner.

 1 burrito sized tortilla

2 eggs

blob of cottage cheese, approximately 1/2 to 3/4 cup (I used low fat, small curd)

pinch of onion powder (optional)

salt and pepper to taste 

Shredded cheese of choice:  cheddar, feta, mozzarella... 

Optional mix-ins:  pre-cooked sausage, red pepper, tomatoes, spinach...anything you would put in an omelette or whatever needs to be cleaned out of your fridge.

 

Place tortilla in a pie pan big/small enough so the edges curl up and form a "bowl" 

 

Use a blender or whisk by hand eggs and cottage cheese

 

Sprinkle your chosen mix-ins on tortilla and top with beaten eggs and cottage cheese.

 

Top with cheese

 

Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until edges are golden and the center is set.  Your time may vary so be sure to check. 

 

Cover Reveal for Where the Bodies Are Berried, #10 in my Cranberry Cove Series, Coming Soon!

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Chicken-Chile Casserole @MaddieDayAuthor #giveaway

MADDIE DAY here. I bring you a yummy filling casserole with Mexican flavors.

 

My former mother-in-law, Jean, made this casserole using cream of chicken soup instead of sour cream, and she gave the recipe to her sons. I like it better with sour cream, but sub in a can of creamy soup if you'd like.

Chicken Chile Casserole

With inspiration from Food.com and my ex-husband's mother.

Ingredients

2 -3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 -3 tablespoons fresh minced garlic (or to taste)

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional)

1 can mild enchilada sauce

1 can green chilies, drained

1 -2 teaspoons cumin

1 can black beans, drained

1 cup sour cream, plus some

salt and pepper

12-16 corn tortillas (you might use a couple less than 24, or use as many as needed)

2 cups cooked chicken (or use cooked turkey), shredded

2 cups Monterey jack and cheddar cheese blend, shredded and divided (or to taste)

Ripe avocado, sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

In a medium heavy pot or skillet, heat 2-3 tablespoons oil over medium heat; add in chopped onion, garlic and jalapeno pepper, saute for about 3-4 minutes.

Add in the enchilada sauce, green chiles, cumin and sour cream, season with salt and pepper; bring sauce to a boil and simmer for about 3 minutes or until heated through and combined. Remove from heat.

Spread about 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Arrange 5-6 tortillas over the soup mixture, then top with about 1 cup chicken, 1/2 cup black beans, and about 1/2 cup shredded cheese (or to taste).

Repeat the layers (ending with the cheese).

Spread the remaining sauce over the cheese.

Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Top with a dollop of sour cream and sliced avocado, and enjoy hot with a green salad.

Readers, do you shortcuts like canned soups or cake mixes in recipes, or do you prefer doing it all from scratch (noting that I readily took the enchilada sauce shortcut...)? I'll send one commenter an audiobook of Scone Cold Dead!

🥑🌮🥑

Scone Cold Dead is out and available wherever books are sold.

Next out, on August 26, will be Murder at Cape Costumers!

My most recent releases are Deadly Crush, 

 Murder at the Rusty Anchor,

 A Case for the Ladies,

and Deep Fried Death, #12 in the Country Store Mysteries.

Check out all my writing.

We hope you'll visit Maddie and her Agatha Award-winning alter ego Edith Maxwell on our web site, sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit us on social media, and check our all our books and short stories.

Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and sweet cat Martin north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.

Huevos Californios @MaddieDayAuthor #giveaway

MADDIE DAY here. It's finally November (my birthday month, yay!), which means Deadly Crush, the second Cece Barton mystery, releases the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. I thought I'd bring you one of Cece's favorite breakfasts to order out.

Cece is a Californian through and through, and she's also a vegetarian who eats fish. Her friend Ed Ramirez owns and runs Edie's Diner ("God Bless America, and Edie's Diner, too" - I modeled the diner on one I ate at in southern California years ago). 

When Cece heads over to the diner for breakfast, she often orders Huevos Californios, which is Ed's version of Huevos Rancheros but with sliced avocado to top it off. You might not be surprised that I, a fourth-generation Californian, also love avocados, tortillas, refried beans, and all manner of Cali-Mex cuisine. 

Huevos Californios

Serves 2 (increase quantities to serve more)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/4 cup finely chopped red or yellow bell pepper

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1 cup red and/or yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup corn

1/2 cup minced green onions (not shown in Ingredients photo)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus additional to taste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup refried beans

1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (with or without peppers)

1/2 teaspoon chili powder (more if desired, or omit if you don't care for it)

2 eggs

4 corn tortillas

1/2 ripe avocado

1/2 fresh lime

Sour cream

Salsa

Directions

Heat half the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring, until the peppers begin to soften, about 1 minute. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant and golden, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and corn, sprinkle with sea salt and cumin and cook, stirring, until slightly softened and heated through, about 1 minute. 

Stir in green onions and season with sea salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl and keep it warm. Wipe out the skillet.

Heat the remaining oil in the skillet over medium-low heat. Break the eggs into the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, covered, until the whites are set, about 5 minutes.

While the eggs cook, wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel or a damp kitchen towel, then wrap loosely in plastic wrap and place in a microwave-safe resealable plastic bag (keep the bag open to vent). Microwave until warm and flexible, about 15-30 seconds. If you don’t have a microwave, warm each tortilla in a dry skillet over medium heat until soft, then wrap in a slightly damp kitchen towel until ready to prepare.

Slice avocado half lengthwise. Stir chili powder into refried beans and warm for a minute or less in microwave.

Place  warmed corn tortilla on each of the serving plates. Spread each with refried beans and sprinkle with cheese. 

Spread half the tomato/corn mixture on each tortilla. Lay avocado slices on top and squeeze lime juice over the mix.  

Top with an egg. 

Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and salsa, if desired. Serve immediately with another warm tortilla on the side.

Enjoy with a good book and a glass of Alexander Valley wine!

Readers: What's your favorite Mexican or Southwestern dish? I'll send one commenter a Murder Uncorked drinks bag! (Drinks not included.)

🌮🥑🥚

Deadly Crush releases November 26!

Murder at the Rusty Anchor is out and available wherever books are sold.

My most recent releases are A Case for the Ladies.

And Deep Fried Death, #12 in the Country Store Mysteries.

And Murder Uncorked, Cece Barton Mystery #1, which released in late October.

Check out all my writing:

We hope you'll visit Maddie and her Agatha Award-winning alter ego Edith Maxwell on our web site, sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit us on social media, and check our all our books and short stories.

Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and sweet cat Martin north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.

Easy Enchiladas #Recipe @PegCochran

I found this easy enchilada recipe on the Betty Crocker web site.  I followed the recipe pretty closely except I traded ground turkey for the beef and corn tortillas for the flour tortillas--I find they hold up better and also contribute to the taste.  Normally I make my own enchilada sauce (it's not hard) but I was in the mood for something super simple.  Sometimes you just don't feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen, you know?  These turned out great even with the store bought ingredients!  If you keep a couple of cans of enchilada sauce and a package of tortillas in the pantry and some ground meat in the freezer, you can whip up a meal without having to go to the grocery store.  Always a plus!

 

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey

2 cans (10 oz each) red enchilada sauce

1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles

1 package flour or corn tortillas

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese  

 

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Sauté ground  beef or turkey in a skillet until cooked through.  Drain any grease.  Add 1/2 cup enchilada sauce and the green chilies.

 

Spread 1/2 cup enchilada sauce in the baking pan.

 

Prepare enchiladas:  Spread 1/4 cup meat mixture down the middle of the tortilla. Sprinkle with one tablespoon shredded cheese.  Roll tortilla tightly and place seam side down in baking dish. **If using corn tortillas you may have to soften them a bit first by moistening with enchilada sauce.

Top with remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

 

 

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

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Cranberry Cove #7 is finally here!  Publication date: September 20.  

 

Monica's stepmother wakes up next to a dead man!  Did she do it?

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An unscrupulous realtor pays the ultimate closing costs in the new Cranberry Cove Mystery from USA Today bestselling author Peg Cochran!

Autumn is settling in on Cranberry Cove, but things are starting to heat up when Monica’s stepmother shows up at her back door gripped by panic. Gasping out an explanation, she tells Monica she’d been dozing in her realtor’s car when he was shot dead. Refusing to alert the police for fear that the killer will target her next—or that the police will consider her their prime suspect—Monica’s stepmother goes mute, and Monica decides to track down the culprit herself to clear her name and keep her safe.

Finding the killer won’t be so easy, though, as the victim had run afoul of buyers, sellers, and even other realtors at one time or another, and it seems that nearly everyone in the small town had a reason to want him dead. Even more puzzling is that the deeper Monica digs into the background and final days of the victim, the more the clues point to her stepmother. Then a second body is found, and Monica realizes she’s going up against a devious killer who will stop at nothing to put everyone involved out of commission . . .