Lomo Saltado

This is one of my favorite dishes from my mission. It is a Peruvian dish. And every time Marcos and I go to a Peruvian restaurant, we have to order this!

Ingredients:
1 lb. tenderloin or chicken, cut into small pieces (2x1/2" wide strips)
2 sliced onions
2 tomatoes, peeled & cut
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Parsley, chopped
1 red or green sweet pepper, cut in strips
salt & pepper
Hot, cooked french fries

Directions:
Brown mean in oil. Add onions, tomatoes, pepper, and parsley. Cook until meat is tender. Just before serving, toss in the french fries. Serve, usually over rice. (Note: add a little liquid when cooking if it seems dry; this recipe should come out slightly juicy.)

Prep Time: a good 30 mins due to all the chopping (and peeling that tomato--which I hate doing) and then you're cooking for about 30 mins as well

Source: www.cook.com

Variations: So next time I'll definitely do both red and green pepper (instead of just one). And I'll make sure I cut that chicken into smaller strips. Marcos ended up putting his rice in the skillet with his food, but I didn't like it that way. Oh, and I won't drain the fat after cooking the chicken (which wasn't in the recipe, but for some reason I drained it and then it was really dry.)

Marcos Rating: 6 (but he LOVES the real stuff so we're going to keep looking for a better recipe for this dish!)

Candied Yams

Ingredients:
6 large bright orange sweet potatoes
1 lb. dark brown sugar
1 stick butter
2 cups mini marshmallows
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp salt

Directions:
Wash and peel potatoes. Chunk potatoes into 2-in disks. Put potatoes in a pan and cover with water. Add salt & sugar to potatoes and water. Cover. Boil until potatoes are fork tender (approx 30 mins). Drain potatoes. Put potatoes in a baking dish and sprinkle with brown sugar. Dot potatoes with butter. Bake for 20 mins on 350F. Sprinkle with marshmallows and return to oven. Bake until marshmallows are brown.

Prep Time: 15 mins (for peeling and chopping)

Source: www.cook.com

Variations: I used 3 sweet potatoes and light brown sugar (instead of dark). Then I didn't measure anything. I just put in however much I wanted.

Marcos' Rating: This year he made these for me while I was making something else. But he didn't eat them so he has no rating.

Thanksgiving Green Bean Casserole

I only make it for Thanksgiving, hence the name, because I don't like green beans or mushrooms. Okay, so here are 2 different recipes I tried this year. Yesterday I made the first one, and today I made the second one. We'll see which one Marcos prefers.

Recipe #1: French's Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup milk
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 1/3 cup french fried onions
2 (14.5 oz) cans green beans, drained OR 2 (9 oz) pkgs frozen cut green beans, thawed

Directions:
Mix soup and milk, then add pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1.5 qt. casserole dish.
Bake at 350 F for 30 mins or until hot.
Stir.
Top with remaining onions and bakd for 5 more mins.

Prep Time: 5-10 mins, if that

Source: the back of the French's French Fried Onions can

Variations: none

Marcos' Rating: 15 (on a scale of 1-10)

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Recipe #2: Campell's Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:
2 cans (10 3/4 oz)
1 cup milk
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 2/3 cups french fried onions

Directions:
Stir soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 1 1/3 cups onions in 3-qt casserole.
Bake 350 F for 25 mins or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture and top with the remaining onions.
Bake for 5 more mins or until the onions are golden brown.

Prep Time: 5-10 mins maybe

Source: the back of the Campbell's Green Beans soup can

Variations: I made a forth of this recipe (it was only for Marcos to eat), and it still turned out good.

Marcos' Rating: (to be determined . . . he'll eat it tonight)