Happy Halloween!

Just a quick post today.  Things are still a bit crazy here.  Ugh.

Halloween is heaps of fun, and I LOVE to decorate for it, but for the past few years I haven't been able to do much of it except for maybe a pumpkin or purple strings of lights.  Nothing really cool, though.  This year wasn't any different - just the purple lights.  

Cleavers and knives and bloody hatchets, oh my!
Just the kind of grandmother you want for your
small children, right?

However, I made a cake for our Halloween - a RED velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.  The fun part is I'd found some Halloween cake decorations at the grocery and couldn't resist using them.  Just another manifestation of my twisted sense of humor.  It's like the game, Clue - it was me, in the kitchen, with the hatchet!

So here's my recipe for delicious homemade cream cheese frosting - so easy!

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese
1 c butter
2 t vanilla extract or lemon juice
4 c confectioner's powdered sugar

I let the cream cheese and butter sit out on the counter for half an hour before starting.  Using an electric hand-held or stand mixer makes mixing much easier and sifting the sugar unnecessary.

Start with the cream cheese and butter in the mixer bowl.  Mix at a low speed until well combined.  Add the vanilla extract or lemon juice and mix some more.  Add sugar, one cup at a time.  Turn the mixer to medium to medium-high speed and beat until smooth and creamy.  

Red (or Black) Beans and Rice Tortilla Casserole - A Recipe from the Pantry

I found this recipe on the back of a box of Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice, except that when I got around to actually making it (this week!) I only had boxes of Zatarain's Black Beans and Rice!  Because of the pandemic, rice of all kinds, including boxed mixes, has been scarce.  I've seen packages of Jasmine rice, Basmati rice, and, now and then, brown rice, but if you're able to score plain old white rice or any of the boxed mixes like Uncle Ben's, Zatarain's, or Rice-A-Roni, it's time to celebrate!

Anyway, I was in a little bit of a hurry and didn't have time to thaw any meat.  This recipe was sitting on the counter, and I took that as a sign.  It's easy, fairly quick, tastes good, and not exotic.  Sometimes you want comfort food, but something a little different, and this fit the bill.

Before the toppings!

Red (or Black) Beans and Rice Tortilla Casserole

1 7-oz box Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice OR Black Beans and Rice
1 T butter or oil
2 1/2 c water
1 15-oz can corn, drained
1 4-oz can green chilies, undrained
1 t cumin
6 8-inch flour tortillas
2 12-oz cans white meat chicken, drained OR 2 c shredded cooked chicken
2 c (8 oz) shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

Using the first three ingredients, prepare the rice and beans mix as directed on the package, adding the corn, green chilies, and cumin at the same time.  You will simmer this mixture for 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a sprayed 11" x 7" baking dish, spread 1/2 cup of the rice mixture.  Top with 3 of the tortillas, overlapping as needed.  Layer with 1/2 each of the remaining rice mixture, the chicken, and the cheese.  Repeat the layers with the rest of the tortillas, rice mixture, chicken, and cheese.  Cover with non-stick foil.

Bake 20 minutes, uncover, bake an additional 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes before serving.  Top with sour cream, salsa, and chopped green onions, if desired.

Toys in the Kitchen - Part 4, and Red Pepper Chicken (A Slow Cooker Recipe)

I came across this recipe, and it sounded WONDERFUL.  I like red bell peppers, and I like dump and go slow cooker recipes, so this one was right up my alley.  But slicing up all those bell peppers and the onion - what a mess!  Red pepper juice all over the counter and me.

This is the classic 14-cup
Cuisinart food processor.

So I used the food processor.  It was fast, and it kept everything contained - less mess.  By the time I'd sliced the peppers and the onion, the processor's bowl was full.  When I bought the food processor, I thought it might be too big, but after this I decided I'd gotten the right one.

I waffled back and forth a LONG time before I decided to pull the trigger and buy the food processor.  I'd read reviews and recommendations and found the one I thought I might consider buying, but it was just too expensive for me to buy it and then find out I wouldn't really use it much.  The Amazon price was about 10 percent less than the manufacturer's list price, but still.  I put it on my Amazon wish list and left it there.

A while later, Amazon sent a notification - the price had dropped - 25 percent less than the Amazon price.  Well, that was more like it!  But again, it was still kind of pricey for something I wasn't sure I'd use a lot, so I waited.

I waited too long.  The price went back up.  Rats!  But I left it on my wish list - that way I'd know where to find it if I decided to buy it.

Just a couple of weeks after the price went back up, it dropped again - this time, to 50 percent of the Amazon list price.  That worked for me - I ordered it!

So I've been playing with it off and on.  It's fast, which is great, but it's also REALLY easy to clean, and that makes me even happier I bought it.  I haven't tried all the things I'd like to do with it, but I've made a good start

Anyway, here's the recipe!  Super easy, and super tasty!


Red Pepper Chicken

4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 1/2 pounds), cut into strips
3-4 red bell peppers, sliced into strips
1 yellow onion, sliced
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 t crushed red pepper (cayenne) flakes
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 bay leaf

Put everything in the slow cooker in the order listed.  Drizzle the oil over the top, and sprinkle the red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper over all.  Place the bay leaf down the side of the pot so it's near the bottom.  Cook on low 6-8 hours, or high 3-4 hours.  Serve over rice.