Front Range Fork And Cork: Empanadas and Meal Trains

For a time that I am 95% at home between working and daily life, this has been one amazingly busy week. I feel like I have been on the go (all for good reasons) and really packed a lot in...including rearranging my home office for the fourth AND fifth time this weekend.

A friend of mine from college also lives here in Colorado. I learned that her husband was receiving a kidney transplant from her sister. What an incredible miracle and blessing to have in her family.

Another friend of hers started a meal train calendar and asked people to sign up to deliver meals to her family, so she wouldn't have to worry about that while tending to her recuperating husband.

But of course, I said...sign me up!

The hardest part with the thousands of recipes I have was trying to decide which would work best, would travel well and would be easy for her to warm up for dinner. I also wanted to make breakfast for her family, so I included a breakfast casserole and fresh pastries for them as well. I supplied everything in caterers foil containers, to save her from having to dishes and also included the recipes for everything. Here care package included:

Dinner

Chips, Salsa, and Fresh Guacamole

Sour Cream and Chicken Enchiladas

Spanish Rice and Pinto Beans

White Trash Cookies

Breakfast

Bear Claw, Cream Cheese Croissant, Apple and Cherry Turnovers

Chile-Cheese Egg Bake

During the week, I gathered up some girlfriends for an evening of outdoor Barre Yoga Fitness Class and Wine (my family decided it was really a chick night of "Drunk Yoga"). One of our favorite wineries Sweet Heart Winery offered this event. It was so beautiful, out on their lawn during sunset. However, I thought it was going to be a simple yoga stretching class. It kicked my butt! Now I know what a barre fitness class actually is.

I wrapped up my week for a date night with my husband at Hale & Bradford Stillhouse. It finally reopened with limited hours and we got lucky to find a table for us that night to just unwind for a couple hours. This place has a great ranch vibe and I love the architecture of this old building with all the original works.

Luckily for an easy dinner, I try to always have a tray of these on hand in the freezer for a quick go-to. One of my other (drunk yoga friends') husband turned me on to these and we LOVE them! I hope you all have a blessed, healthy week and keep on sparkling!

Empanadas
Courtesy of Douglas
Makes 20 Empanadas

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. of ground chorizo
3 cloves pressed fresh garlic
1 cup pitted green olives, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
Goyo Adobo all purpose seasoning to taste. Start with 1/4 tsp.

2 packs Goyo Empanada Shells (in frozen section of grocery store, pack of ten).
***If you cannot find the Goyo shells, I have also used the prepared/rolled refrigerated pie crusts. You will need 4 rolls of them (2 double packs). Cut these in 4-1/2 " diameter circles.

1 cup shredded Mexican/Taco blend cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 egg (for egg wash), slightly whisked
1 tsp. water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large frying pan, combine ground beef, chorizo, garlic, green olives, salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and Goyo Adobo seasoning. Cook until ground beef and chorizo are completely cooked through.

Remove meat mixture from pan and place in large mixing bowl. Add the Mexico/Taco Blend and Monterey Jack cheeses. Mix well.

Before putting the meat in the shells, put egg wash around the inside edges of the empanadas so they get tacky.

Add approximately 1 Tablespoon of meat mixture to the empanada shell.