Cuban Taquitos

My friend Amy over at Bellyfull recently posted a photo of these Cuban Taquitos on her Instagram page. I knew immediately that they'd be a huge hit. We all love the flavors in a Cuban sandwich but my usual recipe is much more time-consuming. These were so easy!



I guesstimated the amounts based on how we like our Cuban sandwiches and the results were perfect. I was only able to make one small (taco size) roll-up and four larger (fajita size) roll-ups so I adjusted the amounts below. I had the leftovers for lunch today and they reheat beautifully in the toaster oven.

Cuban Taquitos
As seen on Bellyfull's Instagram

10 fajita size flour tortillas
mayo
yellow mustard
1/2-lb thinly sliced deli ham
1/2-lb thinly sliced deli turkey
1/2-lb thinly sliced lacy Swiss cheese
1 jar sandwich stacker dill pickles

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Lay out your tortillas on a clean work surface. I find it easier to portion out amounts when you can do all of them at once. Spread some mayo on the bottom half of each tortilla. Squirt a little mustard on top of the mayo. Divide the ham and turkey evenly between the tortillas. You should be have at least two slices of each meat per tortilla. Layer on some of the Swiss and then top with one or two pickles.

Roll the tortillas as tightly as you can and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper that's been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Spray the tops of the tortillas or baste with melted butter. Sprinkle some salt on top.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted and the meat is hot.

Easy Weeknight Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein

Busy, busy, busy. That's all I can say about life these days.

It's summer, so at least I've got that going for me. It's my favorite time of year and I soak it all in to get me through the cold, dark days of winter.

We recently had a privacy fence installed on the part of our backyard that faces the street and quite a bit of landscaping done, so we're using our patio again. It's so lovely back there now and the weather has been cooperating so we can eat dinner outside.

This Easy Weeknight Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein was last night's meal, eaten al fresco until the damn flies found us and made things so miserable Katie decided to finish her dinner inside while Steve and I cleaned up.

And THAT is why I want a screened in porch.



So...this lo mein was awesome. I thought it was a bit too sweet so I'll cut down on the sugar next time, but my family loved it. You'll see quite a large range for the flank steak. The original recipe called for half a pound but my supermarket doesn't sell such a small amount of steak, and we wanted more steak than that anyway, so I upped it to 1.5-lbs. Use however much you like.

I also used oyster sauce instead of hoisin because I already had it in the house. They're completely different flavors but I think both will work fine.

Easy Weeknight Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein
Modified from The Recipe Critic

12 ounces lo mein noodles, or spaghetti (I use Dreamfields and the boxes are some weird amount like 13.25 oz)
3 cups broccoli florets
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
8 oz - 1.5 lbs flank steak, sliced against the grain
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons hoisin or oyster sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/3 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Add the broccoli during the last 4 minutes of cooking. Drain the noodles and broccoli. Set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, heat oil in a wok or other deep skillet over high heat. Add the steak and cook until just starting to brown. Add the garlic and carrots and cook for a minute more.

In a 2-cup measuring cup whisk together the chicken broth, brown sugar, soy sauce, hoisin or oyster sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes and pepper. Add to the skillet and bring to a boil. Simmer until the sauce thickens.

Add the spaghetti and broccoli to the wok and toss until incorporated. Serve.