Chili's Archives - Poor Man's Gourmet Kitchen

Corn Tortilla Chips

White or Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips!

When I go to any Mexican or Tex Mex Restaurant, I expect Corn Tortilla Chips and salsa. I want my chips hot and salty, like they just came out of the fryer. Then I eat at least an entire bowl for myself before the help even has a chance to bring me my food. It’s kind of funny. Aren’t the Corn Tortilla Chips and Salsa food? No, that’s the food before you get the food. The food before the food! Though it usually fills me up, its still just Chips and Salsa. But, don’t you crave this at home?

First things first. If you don’t already have a Deep Fryer, go get one. They’re only $30 bucks and they really go a long way. Now, when you’re deciding what kind of tortilla you want to use, it’s really simple, because there’s only a few choices. Sure you could get all exotic and go for the Blue corn, but most likely, all you’re going to find at your local grocer are the basic yellow and white corn tortilla’s. So, all of you got to do is choose your favorite. I personally like a lighter corn taste, so I go with the white corn tortilla’s for that reason, and that reason alone. This video will show you how easy it is. Fry the tortilla slices at 350 degrees for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes and salt heavily. Then sit down and enjoy your fresh Corn Tortilla Chips with my Fresh Salsa recipe.

Corn Tortilla Chips Ingredients:

1 Bag of Yellow or White Corn Tortilla’s
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

Slice the Fresh Tortilla’s into fours and fry for 2 minutes at 375 degrees F and then salt the Corn Tortilla Chips to taste.

Southwestern Chicken Pot Pie

Southwestern Chicken Pot Pie White Lie!

I thought I was a genius when I first came up with the Southwestern Chicken Pot Pie, but as it turns out, I didn’t come up with it. Here I was, making Southwestern Egg Rolls for the family and toying with the notion of filming them, which I didn’t, then later that evening, I was scrolling through Pinterest when I saw a picture of a traditional Chicken Pot Pie made with Grands Flaky Layer Biscuits. Needless to say, that’s the exact moment lightning struck my brain. Southwestern Chicken Pot Pie! I even knew how I was going to make it. But did I do any research before it was done? The answer isn’t just no, it’s Hell No! I was sure my idea was so ingenious that I was just going to pave the way to a new Frontier Pie. Boy was I wrong. The only real reassuring and comforting thing I can say after discovering other recipes for the same thing is that my recipe tasted great, and I didn’t consult with any book or anyone to make it, and it was exactly how I envisioned it! So check out the video and the ingredients below and hopefully you’ll be convinced to try this for yourself next time you’re craving a homemade Pot Pie.

Southwestern Chicken Pot Pie Ingredients:

1 bag Southwest Blend or 2 cups of assorted Black Beans, Corn, Onion and Peppers
3 chopped Boneless Chicken Thighs
2 Puff Pastry Sheets (Puff Pastry sheets should be thawed 40 Minutes in advance)
2 Cups Chicken Stock or Bouillon
1 thawed and strained Frozen Spinach
1 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 tbsp Butter
3 tbsp Flour
2 shakes of Garlic Powder (1 for veggies and 1 for the chicken)
Chopped Cilantro and Parsley (optional)
Oil for frying

Combine all the vegetables first and season with Garlic Powder and 1/2 tsp of the Chili Powder. Prepare and Cook the Chicken in 1/8 cup cooking oil and season with the rest of the dry seasonings, then combine the cooked chicken with the Southwest Blend. Using the same skillet melt 1 tbsp butter, add 3 tbsp flour, stir to form a light Roux, then slowly add 2 cups of Chicken Stock to make a gravy, then poor the gravy into the Southwest Blend. Now fit one Puff Pastry Sheet to a well greased pie tin and trim the edges. Add the Southwest Blend to the pie until it reaches the Brim. Fit the Second Puff Pastry Sheet over the top and press the edges firmly in a circular motion around the pie to combine the top and bottom crust. Again, trim the edges, then oil the top or egg wash and cut 3 small slits in the center of the Pastry dough for baking ventilation. Bake the Southwestern Chicken Pot Pie at 425 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown, and serve.

Restaurant Quality Homemade Salsa

Who loves Homemade Salsa?

Everyone loves Homemade Salsa. Without a doubt, it’s kept my marriage together! My wife loves Homemade Salsa and my ability to crank it out in a matter of minutes. That’s what I want to share with you today. After you flip through this quick tutorial you’ll be able to throw together Restaurant Quality Salsa in no time. All I ask is that you share this recipe and where it came from with everyone you share the salsa with. As much as you would like to bathe in the spotlight by taking credit for this recipe, you can do us both a favor by crediting Poor Man’s Gourmet Kitchen for the ingredients and patting yourself on the back for being the genius that found this Homemade Salsa video recipe! See, win win all around!

Now let’s break it down. Do you like your Salsa mild or hot? Notice I didn’t say “Spicy”. It doesn’t matter which you prefer because either way, you are going to get the same amount of spices in this recipe. But if you want to control the heat, then you’ve got to control the Peppers! O.K., write that down (or hit the print icon above). Onions and Peppers bring the Heat, so there has got to be a good balance. Garlic spices it up a little bit, but it mostly adds that awesome flavor everyone is looking for in their Homemade Salsa. I know that the Jalapeno’s I’m adding are HOT! Because of this, I only add 1/2 of a de-seeded Jalapeno and 2 smokey Chipotle Peppers (which are optional). Other than the seasonings, everything else in this recipe is relative to any other Homemade Salsa recipe you’ve ever had.

Homemade Salsa Ingredients:

6 Roma Tomatoes
1 Onion
1/2 Bell Pepper
1/2 Jalapeno Pepper without Seeds
2 Chipotle Peppers with canned Juice (Optional)
1 Handful of Fresh Cilantro
2 Garlic Cloves
1 tsp Chicken Bouillon
1/4 tsp Cumin
1 tbsp Oregano
1/8 tsp Garlic Powder
1 Squeezed Lime

Add all ingredients to a Blender and serve. Flavor because more potent and flavorful the longer it marinates. So this salsa will get better in your refrigerator overnight if you can make it the day before you’d like to serve it. Homemade Salsa, right here in the Poor Man’s Gourmet Kitchen!