Oooh, I copied that one, Jasdip! I never put beans in my chili. I will probably leave out the jalapeno though, or just add 1/2 one.

BEEF AND CHEDDAR PUFF PASTRY TART (Los Vegas Food Adventures)

1-1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 cup beef broth (a boullion cube is fine here)
2 tsp cornstarch
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten

Brown the ground beef in a large non-stick skillet. Add the salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce soy sauce and sugar. Continue cooking over medium high heat stirring occasionally for 30 minutes until the beef browns nicely and becomes dry & crumbly. Add the onions and continue cooking until they become translucent.

Mix the broth and cornstarch together. Add to the meat and cook over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes until the liquid thickens and lightly binds the meat together. Remove from the heat to cool to room temperature.

Thaw the puff pastry according to package instructions. Place one sheet on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Pile the cooled meat mixture over the sheet leaving an inch of pastry on all sides. Top with the grated cheese.
Brush the edges with the beaten egg and gently lay the second sheet of pastry over the top. Gently press around the edges to seal. With the tines of a fork, go around the crust one more time to make a decorative edge.
Brush the inside of the top lightly with the beaten egg, leaving the edges plain to allow the pastry to rise during cooking. Make several shallow slits with the tip if a sharp knife on the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until puffed and rich golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting into squares.
Serves 4-6

It is good Patti! Oh, reading it now, "he" is hubby :)

Jasdip, how is Mexican oregano different from regular? Just wonder if I should look for the Mex. kind.

grilled apple cheese sandwich

2 slices whole wheat bread
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Directions
Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Lightly brush one side of each slice of bread with the olive oil. Place 1 slice of bread, olive oil side down into the skillet, and arrange the apple slices evenly over the top. Sprinkle the Swiss cheese over the apple, then top with the remaining slice of bread, olive oil-side up. Cook until the bread is golden brown, then flip the sandwich over, and cook until the other side is golden brown and the cheese has melted, 1 to 2 more minutes.

I have no idea Patti. We haven't seen it here, but yesterday Hubby was on the local radio promoting his band, and they have a Recipe Corner. He read this recipe on the air, and the DJ said he was going to look into the availability of the Mexican oregano as well, and let us know if it's in the area.

We just use regular.

Maybe Ruthie or some other Texans can tell us more....

since I mentioned it in the food weakness thread it made me want some so bad, I figured maybe some might need the recipe.

Pig Candy

1 lb of thick sliced bacon-raw (I like the pepper edge)
dark brown sugar

a broiling pan and aluminum foil, set oven to 350

line your broiling pan with aluminum foil so it will be easy to clean.

Take the brown sugar and put it in a zip lock gallon bag, about 1/3 full.

Take each slice of bacon and put into the sugar bag and shake it and pat it till the bacon is well coated with the sugar, put the bacon on the grill surface of your broiler pan. Do this for all the bacon.
Then take some of the brown sugar and sprinkle it on each slice of bacon to have a really good coating.
Put broiler pan loaded with the bacon into the oven at 350 for 20 minutes.
Then turn the oven to broil and watch it constantly! I do mean constantly or it will burn up, leave it in the broiler just long enough to sizzle so you know you have a crisp happening on the bacon (just mere minutes). Do NOT BURN UP the bacon! Take it out and let it cool down as it cools it will begin to harden up like candy. You will not be able to stop yourself and you will eat some hot bacon and you will likely burn the heck out of your mouth. I warned you!
You can put it on a cooling rack or just leave it to cool on the broiler pan.
Put it on a platter that has paper towels on it to absorb the grease.

Now go hog wild eating that pig candy!

PS some people love to put some Cayenne pepper in with the sugar if you want that spicy kick you can do that just do not go overboard with the pepper.
I am a pig candy purist just the sugar and bacon for me.

Ranch Potatoes

8-10 medium potatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/4 cups milk
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
1 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
5-6 cooked bacon strips, drained and crumbled

Peel and cube potatoes; boil until fork tender. Drain potatoes and place in 9 x 13 baking dish. Mix together soup, milk, dressing mix and 1 cup cheese and pour over potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bacon on top. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until bubbling well around edges.

On oregano, Penzey's says, "Turkish oregano is used in European cooking and Mexican oregano for Mexican dishes.

Mediterranean and Mexican oregano are two different plants, but because they are used in the same way and have a somewhat similar flavor they are both called oregano. Mediterranean oregano grows wild on the hilly mountainsides of southern Europe and is an essential ingredient in so many of the dishes from the region. For Italian spaghetti sauces to Greek salads to Turkish kebobs, the sweet, strong flavor of Mediterranean oregano is perfect.

Mexican oregano is stronger and less sweet, well-suited to the spicy, hot, cumin-flavored dishes of Mexico and Central America- perfect for chili and salsa.

Both types of oregano should be added in the beginning of cooking, so the flavor has time to come out and meld with the other flavors of the dish. Add while browning onions or beef for both spaghetti sauce and chili."

Here is a link that might be useful: Penzey's oregano

Thanks Kathleenca! We have a large variety of Mexican spices at Publix so I'll be sure to look for it.

Ravencajun, you are plain evil :-) I love brown sugar, too. Have you ever used light brown sugar? Not that I'm making it or anything.....;-)