Update: Tamale Griddle Cakes

If you love tamales but don't have the time and patience to make actual tamales, these griddle cakes are a pretty yummy subsitute! These griddle cakes taste a lot like tamales and can be topped with whatever you like! I had some leftover crock pot pulled pork and it was great on top! I also added some shredded lettuce, sour cream and Sandy's Famous Salsa (cowboy caviar). My girls also loved them with cheese on top! I love this kind of recipe because you can let your kids help build their own and that always seems to motivate them to eat more!

These are a copycat of a favorite appetizer at The Cheesecake Factory. I've made several changes and tweaked it over the years but I found the orignal recipe on Prudence Pennywise so if you like this recipe you might want to check out her blog too. Here's a link to her griddle cake recipe: http://prudencepennywise.blogspot.com/2009/08/tamale-griddle-cakes.html. 

 

Tamale Griddle Cakes (makes 12 silver dollar sized patties) 

1 can creamed corn

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 Tbls. sugar 

pinch of salt 

1 heaping 1/2 cup scoop of masa harina 

1/4 cup flour 

1/2 cup to 3/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth 

In a medium bowl, combine creamed corn, butter, sugar, salt, masa and flour.  Slowly add 1/2 cup of the broth while mixing constantly. Add more broth as needed to completely moisten batter. The batter will remain somewhat thick however. Shape into 12 small patties. Cook on a non-stick griddle like pancakes, allowing tamale cakes to brown on both sides. I also used the spatula to flatten them a bit which helped them cook. Top with your favorite toppings! Pork, chicken, cheese, sour cream, salsa, avacado, etc!

Bacon, Jalapeno and Raspberry Jam Ultimate Grilled Cheese

 

I love spicy and sweet together and this recipe delivers that! Plus it's swirled with melty cheese so how can you go wrong! If you're looking to up your grilled cheese game, give this one a try!

Bacon, Jalapeno, and Raspberry Jam Ultimate Grilled Cheese

Yield: 3 sandwiches

Ingredients:

6 pieces sourdough bread (or bread of your choice)

1-2 T. Butter

6 slices cooked bacon

1 large jalapeno (de-seeded and chopped)

4 oz. cream cheese (softened)

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3 T. raspberry jam (or more if desired)

Instructions:

Cook bacon until crispy. De-seed and chop jalapeno. 

Melt a small pat of butter in a pan and saute jalapeno until slightly softened. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, cheddar and jalapeno until mixed.  

Butter each piece of bread on one side.  On a large griddle place three pieces of bread, buttered side down.  Top each with 1/3 of the cheese mixture and two slices of cooked bacon. Spread the remaining pieces of bread with 1 T. of Jam each and place them on top of the bacon, jam side down. 

Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.  Flip sandwich and cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy the gooiest meltiest cheesy goodness sandwich of your life!

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Sugar Chips

 

This salsa is such a fun treat! It has a great summery taste but uses ingredients that you can find even in the winter. It's super easy to make and a great starter recipe for kids to make too. I listed my favorite ingredients below but honestly there are lots of different fruits you can add to the mix.  Others we use include fresh pineapple, peaches, or apples.  They are great with cinnamon sugar chips! Make your own or buy them.  I found some delicous ones at a local mexican restaurant or you can buy the Stacy's brand cinnamon pita.

Fruit Salsa

Ingredients:

1 lb. strawberries (chopped)

1 mango (peeeled and chopped)

2-3 kiwis (peeled and diced)

1 small can mandarin oranges

Instructions:

Wash and chop all fruit.  Combine in a medium sized bowl.  Serve with cinnamon/sugar chips (recipe below!

Cinnamon Sugar Chips

Ingredients:

10 fajita sized flour tortillas

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 T. sugar

1/4 cup butter

Instructions:

Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl.  Spread each tortilla with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.  Cut each tortilla into 6 triangles. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and arrange chips in a single layer. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes or until crispy.