Matagorda Bay Chicken Enchiladas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, cook onions and green pepper in 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Combine onion mixture in a bowl with chopped chicken, green chilies and jalapeño pepper, set aside. For sauce: in the same saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Stir in flour, coriander and salt. Stir in chicken broth all at once; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 or 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup of cheese. Stir 1/2 cup of the sauce into the chicken mixture. Dip each tortilla into remaining sauce to soften; fill each with about 1/4 cup of chicken mixture. Roll up, arrange rolls in a 13X9X2 baking dish; pour remaining sauce over rolls and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pizza crust, top with cheese and jalapeno peppers. Roll up crust and place seam down on a cookie sheet. Brush crust with egg whites and cook until golden brown. Slice roll-ups into 1 inch rounds and serve.

Cream of Poblano Soup

3 6 inch corn tortillas, more for garnish 2 tablespoons flour 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons oil 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 cup finely diced poblano peppers 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 2 tablespoons butter 3 cups chicken stock 1/2 cup half and half milk 1/4 cup roasted and chopped chicken 1/2 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

Cut 3 tortillas into ninths, place on food processor and chop until fine. Add flour, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Blend to the consistency of cornmeal. Place oil in stockpot over medium/high heat. Add onion, poblano pepper and garlic. Saute until onion is clear. Add butter and let melt. Add tortilla/four mixture to the pan and mix to form a roux. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring with a wire whip. Do not let mixture burn. While stirring, slowly add stock. Scraping down sides and bottom often. Add half and half. Bring to a slow simmer and cook 7 to 10 minutes. Do not let soup come to a hard boil. Turn off heat and let cool. Add chicken before serving. Top each serving with shredded cheese, diced poblano and jalapeno peppers and tortilla strips.

Beaumont Etoufee

In a large pan, combine margarine and flour, over medium heat. When smooth, add chicken broth and mix well. Cook five minutes, stirring. Add remaining ingredients; cook 45 minutes over medium/low heat. Serve over rice.

Note: can combine shrimp and crawfish tails.

Cowgirl Jellied Jalapenos

Using a colander, drain all juice into a bowl. Reserve 1/4 of juice, discard the rest. In a large saucepan, add sugar, karo and juice (large pan because it tends to foam up). Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil until it forms a medium ball in a cup of cold water. Remove from heat. Let stand to cool about 5 minutes (be sure not let cool too long or you won't be able to pour it). Slowly pour over peppers in the jar. Cool completely. Refrigerate after it has cooled. Let set for 2-3 days (be sure it is tightly sealed).
These peppers are best served on large scoop Fritos that have been filled with cream cheese.

I enjoy making these peppers at Christmas and dividing into pint jars to give as Christmas presents or take to parties.

We hope you will enjoy these samples and take the time to order a copy of one or both of our recipe cookbooks today.