Make Ahead Beef and Bean Burritos

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cool Time: 20 minutes
Assemble/Wrap: 20 minutes
Finish Time: 6 minutes

Grade: A

Recipe Source: Cooks Country April 2013,
Make Ahead Cook (book)

I actually had tried the recipe from Cook's Country last year but never added it here. We liked it, but I forgot about it.

The recipe in the Make Ahead Cook is almost exactly the same except the ingredients were increased in a mostly proportional way (although not exactly) to make 8 burritos instead of 6. This larger version is more logical since it uses a pound of beef and 8 tortillas instead of 12 oz and 6, which leaves you with some waste.

These freeze nicely and the recommended way to serve is to microwave for 5 minutes and then bake in over for 5 minutes with some cheese sprinkled on top. That works really well.

This recipe may become a staple since these are so easy to pull out of the freezer and prepare quickly. They taste great too, and I'm sure the individual ingredients could be substituted easily for different variations. (The beans, meat, etc.)

Skillet Chicken Fajitas

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Rest Time: 5 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (September 2012)
Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen TV (Season 13)

This was a little bit of work because you have to roast the peppers, but it wasn't too much or too hard.

I had the most trouble with the chicken. The chicken I buy sometimes has huge breasts that are very thick. I did pound them to 1/2" as instructed. But after marinating and putting in the pan, they were 1" at least! So the cooking method of sauteing till blackened on one side (4 minutes) and then finishing in a 200 degree oven didn't work well. I ended up cranking up my oven to 350.

The peppers and onions were good, but I would use less lime next time. Of course the reason I needed to use less lime was because I only used 1/2 the heavy cream that it called for. I didn't want to make the dish too heavy, since the rest of the meal is fairly light.

I did like these and will probably make again.

Soft Chicken Tacos

Prep Time: 17 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade:C
Make Again: No
Recipe Source: Light & Healthy 2010 (The Best of America's Test Kitchen)
Cook's Country TV (registration required, but free - at least for 2011) 

This wasn't horrible, but still disappointing overall. The sauce which consists of Orange Juice, chipotle, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic and cilantro, almost could taste like a spicy, sweet sauce. However, the flavors of the orange juice and chipotle never married, and they were very distinct in the sauce and didn't go together. I cooked the sauce even longer than suggested, but it didn't help.

The recipe is easy and fast, so I was a little disappointed that I didn't love it.

Bean Burritos

Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 0 - 30 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November 2005)

This isn't a very exciting recipe or meal, but I tried it because I wanted something that I could freeze for meals in the future. I scaled up the ingredients a bit to make 10 burritos since that is how many tortillas came in the bag. If it was only one meal for me, the results probably wouldn't be worth the hour of effort, but since it was a lot of meals, I feel the effort is OK.

I reheated one today in the oven for about 20 minutes then microwaved for 30 sec to get the middle. It worked out fine. You probably could just microwave.

I definitely would make these again when I want to have some premade meals in the freezer.

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2003)

This was the original Tortilla Pie recipe in Everyday Foods. They came up with a new one this year with ground beef and Spinach, which is also very good. This one is nice for a vegetarian meal. I should try my own version of this. The idea of using the tortillas in a spring form pan is a good one, and there are lots of variations that could be developed.

I skip chopping a jalapeno and just add crushed red pepper. It saves time and adds a more consistent heat, since jalapenos are not always very hot lately. I used 1/2 teaspoon instead of 1 jalapeno, and it worked well. I could use more, for more heat.

This took me a little bit longer to make than it was supposed to, because the beer took a long time to evaporate. I might use a little less next time.

Tortilla Pie

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (Dec 2006 )

This was very good and fairly easy to make. I think I liked it better than an earlier tortilla pie recipe from an early Everyday Foods. It makes and attractive meal, so might be good for entertaining.

Chicken Fajitas

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Marinate Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated Magazine (September 2005)

This recipe took me a while to prep, but I was making a double recipe, and my chicken was a mess and needed a lot of trimming. I think the prep time will normally be less. (I'll update, next time I try.) These fajitas were really tasty and got a lot of compliments when I made them for a family dinner. I'll definitely make again, because much of the work can be done early. The grilling is pretty easy. I didn't follow directions exactly (too much going on for me to read), but everything turned out great anyways.