Frito Pie Casserole

 

EVER READY IS CALLING TIME OUT ON THANKSGIVING SIDES FOR AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE: YOU NEED A BOWL OF FRITO PIE CASSEROLE TO ENJOY ON GAME DAY.

Frito pie is a Tex-Mex classic and one of the best comfort foods ever. This casserole is inspired by the original Frito pie recipe, which is also known as a walking taco chili, cheese, and other toppings ladled into a split-open bag of Fritos. This recipe delivers those flavors in casserole form, with a thick layer of crunchy Fritos corn chips, ground beef, spiced beans, and lots of melted cheese. Whip up a Frito pie casserole to treat everyone for dinner or at your next big game day gathering.

Where did Frito pie originate? Like many classic dishes, the origins of Frito pie are disputed. New Mexico claims the dish was invented by Woolworth’s department store employee Teresa Hernandez in the 1960s. However, Texans say the recipe was invented in their state a decade or two earlier, crediting Daisy Doolin, mother of Fritos inventor Charles Elmer Doolin, with the recipe. Others credit Katherine Doolin, Charles’s wife. Frito pies are also called Frito chili pies. Another variation is Walking Tacos, a moniker that highlights the dish's portability and is a mainstay for many campouts. 

No matter who came up with the recipe, the most innovative part of the original Frito pie was that the bag served as the bowl—no plate necessary. However, since our recipe feeds more than one person, it’s served in a baking dish. 
A package of Fritos brand corn chips is the quintessential base for Frito Pie. The chili is topped with various toppings: shredded cheese and chopped onions are traditional, but anything that would go on a bowl of chili would be a good option, such as shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, chopped scallions, black olives, or sour cream. The chili soaks into the chips, making a delicious juxtaposition of crunchy and chewy.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup diced sweet onions 
• 1 lb. hamburger (80-85%) 
• 1 tablespoon dry taco seasoning mix
• 1 (10 oz.) can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles
• 1 (10 oz.) can of red enchilada sauce
• 1 can Ranch style beans ( pinto beans in seasoned tomato sauce)
• 1/2 package of frozen Honey Roasted Corn or 1 can of Mexicorn
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar  
• 1 (9 oz.) package of Frito Chips 
• 2-1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese, divided   
• Optional 1/2 can refried beans

Directions:

• In a fry pan on medium heat, brown hamburgers with onions. Crumble and drain the grease from the pan. Wipe the pan clean.
• In the frying pan, add the meat, onions, sugar, seasoning mix, diced tomatoes, enchilada sauce, beans, and corn. Cook on medium-low heat uncovered for 10 minutes. 

• Crush Frito chips to cover the bottom of the casserole dish. I used a dish that was 12 x 8. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese evenly over the chips. Use a slotted spoon to drain some of the liquid before adding it to the casserole dish. 

• On top of this meat mixture, crush more chips and the rest of the cheese. 

• Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 

• Serve the casserole warm in a bowl, adding in your favorite toppings. I added tomatoes, lettuce, and sour cream. Avocado slices would be another option. 

The crunchy cheese topping is just the best!

Thanksgiving Sides

Salads and Desserts

Bring On The Sides

TICKING DOWN- Can the Internet Save the Day? 

BRING IN MORE SIDES

Appetizer Ideas While Waiting for the Main Event  

Caramel Apple Grapes

Directions:

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash and dry grapes, placing a toothpick in the center. Chop nuts and place in a bowl. Thin out the caramel sauce with a little cream and stir to make it smooth. Dip each grape into caramel sauce and then into chopped nuts. Refrigerate until serving. 

Turkey Cheese Ball

Turkey Meat Cheese Plate

Fall Charcuterie Board

Turkey Fruit (pear, grapes and blueberries) 

Turkey Fruit Kabobs with Cheese 

Cranberry Cosmopolitan

Make Ahead Cosmos
A Cosmopolitan is the perfect drink to make ahead. Instead of making each cocktail individually in a shaker, make a large batch in a pitcher and then chill it in the fridge. To make a pitcher that serves 4, you will need 1 cup (8oz) vodka, 1/4 cup (2oz) Cointreau, 6 tablespoons (3oz) cranberry juice, and 2 tablespoons (1oz) lime juice.

This recipe below serves one using a cocktail shaker. 
Ingredients: 

• 2 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce simple syrup
• ¾ ounces lime juice fresh squeezed
• ½ ounce triple sec
• ¼ ounce cranberry juice

Directions:

• Add the vodka, syrup, lime juice, triple sec, and cranberry juice into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously for 15 seconds.
• Strain into a martini glass and serve with garnishes of your choice such as fresh cranberries and lime peels.

You can easily substitute triple sec for Cointreau! Cointreau is also an orange liqueur but has an alcohol content of 40% while triple sec’s content is 15-30%

Autumn Roasted Veggies with Apples and Pecans

Autumn Roasted Veggies with Apples and Pecans 

Cook's notes: 

This colorful side dish is the perfect blend of sweet and savory. It's easy, delicious, and healthy. A wonderful blend of flavors, colors, and textures with Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, red onion, and apples. This perfect Thanksgiving side dish features tender fall vegetables with incredible flavors. I recommend using one sweet and one tart apple for this. I used a Honey Crisp and a Granny Smith, but Braeburn, Cortland, or Jonathon would work, too.

Some other veggies you might consider adding to this mix are:

• Carrots
• Parsnips
• Sweet potatoes
• Cauliflower
• Beets
• Shallots
• Acorn squash
• Turnips

The recipe was adapted from cookingclassy.com and serves 4-5
Ingredients:

• 16 0z. Brussels sprouts, bottoms trimmed, halved(discard loose leaves) 
• 1/2 red onion. diced into small chunks
• 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Lemon Olive Oil
• 2-3 cups butternut squash cubes (diced into 3/4 inch pieces) or sweet potatoes, diced
• 2 medium crisp apples, peeled and diced into chunks
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
• Dash of nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp. each thyme and rosemary
• 2/3 cup roughly chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, add oil, brown sugar, and spices.
• Add halved Brussels sprouts, red onion chunks, squash cubes, and diced apples. Mix well.
• Spread veggies evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes, or until Brussels sprouts and squash are tender but not mushy. In the last 5 minutes of baking time, add in cranberries and pecans.

Buttermilk Honey Cornbread with a Southwest Twist

Cook's Notes: Cornbread is the perfect side for your holiday dinner. The recipe is so easy and requires no mixer! It is moist and flavorful and pairs well with roast turkey. The addition of green chiles gives it a Southwest twist.

The recipe is adapted from dammdelicious.net  

Ingredients: 

• 1 ½ cups cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups reduced-fat buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 6 tablespoons butter, slightly melted 
• 1 small can ( 4 oz.) of green chiles, drained and patted dry with a paper towel 
• Honey

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 4oo degrees and grease an 8 x 8 pan.
• Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
• In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, butter, and chiles. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula until moist.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Immediately poke holes over the surface and drizzle honey over the holes. 

Book Review The Irish Girl

 

Multi- Award-winning historical fiction author Ashley Sweeney's writing shines in her newest novel, "The Irish Girl." It's a family saga, a coming-of-age story, and the Irish immigrant experience. Narrated by the protagonist, 13-year-old Mary Agnes Coyne, the story's time frame is between the 1880s to 1890s. It spans from a rural village in Galway, Ireland, to New York, Chicago, and Colorado.  Mary Agnes has been banished from her Irish home by her mother, who fails to believe a family member molested her. She flees to her grandparents' home. They decide to book a passage for Mary Agnes to America, hoping she will find a better life there and become more educated. Despite her young age, Mary Agnes travels by herself from Ireland to New York City. After a month, she moves to Chicago by train to live with her uncle and his family. But Mary Agnes' story doesn't end there; it continues to Colorado Springs and ends up back in Chicago, all before she turns 21! 

Sweeney's vivid sentences are descriptive and filled with sensory details that bring out all the senses, from the Irish seaside to the persistent rain that hangs over the country, the smells and confined spaces on the steamer, the sounds and sights of New York and Chicago, and the wide open spaces of a Colorado ranch. Sentences are punctuated with literary gems and lyrical prose. Period dialogue is used effectively.   

Mary Agnes endures the stigma of poverty and discrimination for being Irish. She endures harrowing misfortunes, economic struggles, disappointments, rejection, a clash of heritage, religion, and unsettling matters of the heart.  She has a tender heart longing to find true love, a home, and a real place to which she belongs.  Through Mary Agnes's perseverance, optimism, courage, and resilience, she finds the love of her life only to lose him, unexpected kindness, and acceptance. Supporting characters are well-developed, adding depth, complexity, and conflict to the main storyline. The chronic lack of sufficient food permeates the storyline, impacting the characters' lives as they try to survive.   

The story is loosely based on the author's great-grandmother's experience as an Irish immigrant. Sweeney's well-researched novel gives insight into the Irish's experiences before entering America and their continued struggles to be accepted once in the country.  

The writing is of the highest caliber. I found the story of "The Irish Girl" to be mesmerizing and engrossing, finishing the book in a day. As a bonus to the story, readers are enriched with a deeper understanding and empathy for the immigrant experience. The last sentence of the story was indeed a clever way to end. 

ALL ABOUT THE AUTHOR ASHLEY E. SWEENEY

AUTHOR BIO

Multi-award-winning author Ashley E. Sweeney’s fourth novel, The Irish Girl, will be released in December 2024. Her previous novels, Eliza Waite, Answer Creek, and Hardland, have won 17 awards, including the Nancy Pearl Book Award, Independent Press Award, WILLA Literary Award, and New Mexico-Arizona Book Award. Sweeney, a native New Yorker and graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, spends winters in Tucson and summers in the Pacific Northwest.

Thanksgiving Sides

 

Thanksgiving sides that steal the show. Ever Ready has lots of ideas to help you plan and prepare dishes ahead of time. 

Cranberry Cherry Sauce

Cook's notes: A flavorful sauce is the perfect side for turkey, chicken, pork, or salmon. It can be made a few days in advance and kept refrigerated. Also a great basting sauce for grilled meats. Don't skip the wine part. For some inexplicable reason, it really enhances the sauce flavor :)

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cran-cherry juice
• 12 oz. cran-cherry juice
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 large cinnamon sticks broken in half
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1-5 oz. package of dried tart cherries
• 1-12 oz. bag fresh cranberries
• 1/4 cup dry red wine like a Merlot, Cabernet or Malbec

Directions:

• Whisk 3 tablespoons cornstarch into 1/3 cup cran-cherry juice and set aside
• In a saucepan, add the rest of the 12 oz. cran-cherry juice, 1 cup of water, brown sugar, allspice, and cinnamon sticks.
• Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the dried cherries and reserved cornstarch mixture. Cook 2 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened.
• Add in cranberries and cook till berries pop, about 9 minutes, over medium heat.
• Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl; stir in wine.
• Cool and remove cinnamon sticks.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.

Cranberry Clementine Green Salad

Cook's notes: I used a mixture of romaine and baby spinach for the salad. If clementines are not available, use small mandarins. The salad really shines when dressed with Honey-Cider Poppy Seed Dressing. It can be made ahead and placed in a screw-type jar, refrigerated until needed. The dressing is enough for 6 salad servings.  

Salad Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 3/4 cup toasted pecans
• 4 clementines, peeled, halved and sliced
• 1/2 small red onion, sliced in rings
• 8 cups mixed greens
• 1/2 cup  pomegranate arils (found in produce) 
• 1 large cucumber, diced into bite-sized pieces

Salad Directions: 

• Place cranberries in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over and allow to soak for 3-5 minutes. Drain and set aside. 
• Toast the pecans
• Mix greens with clementines, onions, cucumbers, pecans and pomegranate arils in a large bowl. 

Honey Cider Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup good quality white balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup honey 
• 3 teaspoons diced green onions
• 2 teaspoons ground mustard 
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a blender. Refrigerate in a screw-type jar and reshake before using. 

Autumn Roasted Vegetable Medley

Rustic Apple Cake with Homemade Caramel Sauce

Cook's Notes: The next time you go apple picking make this one-bowl rustic apple cake your top priority once you get home. The secret ingredient: apple butter—not to be confused with applesauce. Apple butter is thicker and more concentrated in flavor.)  It adds moisture, a little spice, and the perfect amount of sweetness to balance the toasty crunch from the walnuts and tartness of the apples. And as if it  couldn't get much better, try a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2024/11/book-club-notes.html

with a scoop of ice cream. The recipe is pantry-friendly, which is a real plus. No mixer is needed; just a whisk and a spoon will do. The recipe was adapted from Ree Drummond

Rustic Apple Cake with Homemade Caramel Sauce 

Ingredients:

• Non-stick baking spray (with flour)
• 2/3 c. light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 c. apple butter
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice mix 
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 small Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups chopped). I used 1 Granny Smith and 1 Honey Crisp. 
• 1/2 c. chopped toasted pecans

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, prepare a 9-inch round baking pan with non-stick baking spray, and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, apple butter, melted butter, and vanilla until well combined. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Whisk until just combined. Add the apples and pecans and fold in with a rubber spatula to incorporate. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Use a sheet of wax paper to press the batter down in the pan, as it is a thick batter. 
• Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 26 minutes.
• Cool in the pan for 30 minutes before serving. 

Baking tip: The cake is very moist and should be loosely covered. It tastes the best on the day it is made.

 

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Smokey Black Bean Soup

 Smokey Black Bean Soup 

Cook's notes: While you can never have too many cookie recipes, the same could also be said of soup. It's the perfect course for any meal. We all have our favorites, and one of mine is an Ever Ready Special Smokey Black Bean Soup with a Southwestern flair. 

This soup has some ingredients that you might not normally think would be in a soup, but trust me, it works. It has the right amount of smokiness with the coffee and a kick with several spices. I used Italian sausage, but bacon or chicken works well, too. Need a vegetarian meal? No problem omit meat, and substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth. Prep the vegetables ahead for easier assembly. The recipe called for 2 cans of black beans, but I found 1 can to be enough for my taste.
Top your soup with shredded cheese, diced avocados, and tortilla chips thrown in for good measure.
The recipe makes 6 servings, depending on the size of the bowl. I was inspired by Real Food Fall 2017 publication by Lunds & Byerlys.
Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Italian sausage or chicken or 8 slices of bacon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup each diced carrots, onions, celery
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon each of sugar, cumin, and smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons each of dark balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes (basil and garlic)
• 1 box (32 oz.) low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup brewed coffee
• 1-2 cans (15 oz.) black beans rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons each of cornstarch and water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Directions:

• Cook meat, crumble, and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a soup pot. Saute onions, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes more. Cover and sweat vegetables on low heat for 5 minutes.
• Uncover and stir in red pepper flakes, sugar, cumin, paprika, and tomato paste. Whisk to mix well. Add balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire, diced tomatoes, broth, coffee, and beans. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Mix cornstarch with water, add to soup mixture, and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in lime juice right before serving.