Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

I have a thing for Mexican food. And any food with a hint of Mexican flare. I could probably eat it everyday... but I try to limit it to once a week and mix it in with other types of food for my Husband's sake. So here is another Mexican(ish) dish that I got from my mom, who got it from Taste of Home. Even my little brother ate it who is a picky eater, so it isn't too exotic... but it is delicious!


Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 T. water

1 t. onion powder (you could use onion salt if you don't have powder... Use whatever you have or you could add real chopped onions)

1 t. ground cumin

1/4 t. salt

1/8 pepper

2 1/2 c. diced cooked chicken (I actually cooked up some chicken in the oven with some salt and pepper then diced it, but you could use the pre-cooked rotisserie chicken to save time)

10 flour tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 can chopped green chilies

1 cup (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1.In a large bowl beat the cream cheese, water onion powder, cumin, salt & pepper until smooth. Stir in chicken.
2. Place 1/4 cup of mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in greased 9x13 baking dish.
3.In a bowl combine the soup, sour cream, milk & chillies. Then pour over enchiladas.
4. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until heated through.

5. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake 5 more minutes until cheese is melted.

6. Serve with Salsa and sour cream if desired.
I know... I have lousy presentation of my food... I'm trying to work on it, but sometimes I just want to eat it and not take pictures of it so I get distracted.


NOTE: I often end up serving any Mexican dish with a side of rice and black beans because we really like them, but also because I don't have many ideas for other Mexican sides. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them!

Mexican Lasagna

I haven't posted much lately, mainly because I just plain haven't cooked much lately. I was gone in California for my brother's wedding were we had some fantastic food, but I didn't make any of it. Then when we came back I was exhausted, so not much cooking for me until last weekend. I read this recipe for Mexican Lasagna on The Pioneer Woman Cooks but it was actually a recipe by her friend Ryan. It looked so delicious I made it the very next day. His recipe makes a huge amount since he is a caterer, so I cut it way down, and I'll share the smaller one with you.


Mexican Lasagna
From: Pastor Ryan via The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

Butter
1 1/2 - 2 cups unprepared rice
2 cups low sodium chicken broth/stock
2 tomatoes
1 onions
1-2 large cloves of garlic
1 lb lean ground beef
1 16oz. bags of mexican cheese blend
Flour Tortillas
1 can of corn (drained)
1 can of black Beans (not drained)
2 x 7 oz. jars of Salsa Verde
1 10 oz. jar of enchilada sauce
Taco seasoning (mine is Chili powder, Paprika, and Cumin)
Garnish: Sour cream, Cilantro, Avacado (optional)

Directions:

1. Begin by preparing Rice with Chicken Broth/Stock. Once prepared, salt to taste.

2. Chop up tomatoes, onions, and garlic as small as you prefer. Saute in a pan with a tablespoon or so of butter. (I saute'd the onions firs for a little bit before adding the tomatoes because I don't like crunchy onions) Add approx. 1 Tbs. chili powder, and 2 tsp. of both paprika and cumin (this is what it calls for, but this was a little spicy for us, so I might cut the chili powder down a bit next time) . Stir until nicely combined. Feel free to add beans if you like them…no need to drain.

3. Mix cooked rice together with tomato/onion/garlic mixture.

4. Brown the Ground Beef – add 1 Tbsp chili powder, 2 tsp paprika, and 2 tsp of cumin with a couple of ounces of water (again I would use a little less chili powder next time for less heat)

(***NOTE: I did steps 1, 2, & 4 at the same time to help speed up the process***)

5. Spread one container of salsa verde in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. (make sure it covers the entire bottom, this will help it not to stick to the pan)

6. Layer on tortillas covering salsa verde. Some overlapping is expected (I also Ripped apart my tortillas to make them fit a little better and fill in the holes)

7. Divide your rice mixture in half and spread it over the layer of tortillas.

8. Divide cheese in half and layer it on top of the rice layer. Approx. 8 oz. of cheese (I used a little less)

9. Add another layer of tortillas on top of your cheese layer.

10. Pour enchilada sauce over the tortillas and spread it out evenly.

11. Add layer of browned ground beef.

12. Add corn on top of beef layer.

13. Add remaining amount of rice mixture on top of corn layer.

14. Add remaining jar of salsa verde on top of rice layer.

15. Add remaining cheese to the top - making sure to cover.

16. Sprinkle top with some taco seasoning or cayenne pepper (I left this out)

17. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes uncovered until cheese has melted and gotten crusty! Serve with toppings of your choice: Sour Cream, cilantro, avocado, salsa, etc.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Spinach Salad and Dressing

I am really bad at making salad... I know that sounds weird, but I have a hard time figuring out what will all taste good together and what dressings will go with what salad. But my favorite salad is the spinach salad and homemade dressing that my mom and aunt make.




Spinach Salad
From: My Mom

Ingredients:
1 bag of fresh spinach washed
1 can bean sprouts or fresh
1 can water sliced chestnuts
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1/2 - 1 l b. fried crumbled bacon (or bacon bits)
1 pkg. Mushrooms cleaned & sliced
1/2 pine nuts (optional)
Can also add: mandarin oranges, red onions, almonds, upared apples, avacado, strawberries, kiwi, green onions


Directions: Combine ingredients in big bowl or prepare on each person's salad plate


Dressing


Ingredients:
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce


Directions: Mix in blender and toss with salad just before serving

Tortilla Roll Ups

One of my favorite appetizers is the Tortilla Roll Ups, and they are so easy.  This recipe is another one from my mom.

Tortilla Roll Ups
From: My Mom

Ingredients:

Flour Tortilla shells

8 oz Softened Cream Cheese

1/3 cup salsa

1/4 cup Chopped Onion

1/2 tsp. Garlic Salt

1/2 tsp. Chili Powder

Directions:

1. Combine cream cheese, salsa, chopped onion, garlic salt, and chili powder

2. Spread on tortilla shells and roll up.

3. Refridgerate the tortilla rolls.

4. slice and dip in salsa.

Stromboli

This is another recipe from my mom. I'm not a huge pizza fan, but I do love her stromboli, and it is so easy to make.

Stromboli
From: My Mom

Ingredients:
Frozen Bread Dough (1 serves 2-3 people)
Provolone Cheese
Garlic powder
Spray butter
Toppings: Pepperoni, green pepper, black olives, mushrooms, etc.

Directions:
1. Spray Pam in large bowl, put in frozen bread dough cover, and let rise until double (I put it out in the morning and let it rise all day while I'm at work).



2. Roll out dough

3. Cover with cheese and your choice of toppings

4. fold dough over ingredients and pinch closed.

5. Placed on ungreased cookie sheet. Spray top with butter and sprinkle with garlic powder.

6. Bake 20-30 minutes at 350

7. Slice and serve with plain spaghetti sauce for dipping.

Special K Bars

I got this recipe from my friend Jorie, and they are very good. They are similar to Scotcheroos (or scotchmos as bill calls them) which is a recipe of my moms. I like them both... I just love sweet snacks!


Special K Bars
From: Jorie Meyer

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup light Karo Syrup
1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
7 cups Special K cereal
1 pkg milk chocolate chips
1 pkg butterscotch chips

Directions:
1. Bring Sugar and karo syrup to a light boil, while constantly stirring.

2. Add peanut butter and melt together.

3. Remove from heat and mix with cereal. Make sure to cover all the cereal with mixture.

4. Spread into a cookie sheet.


5. Melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips together (either over the stove or in the microwave).

6. Spread over the bars.

7. Refrigerate until solid then remove and cut into squares. (do not store in freezer or they will be really hard)

Recipe Misfires

So I was thinking I would only put recipes on the blog that I liked after we tried. But, I was thinking about it, and something that I don't like, others might, so I will still do breif posts on them, but will label them all Recipe Misfires and you can "Make them at your own risk."

I love corn especially in the summer when I can have corn on the cob. I am always looking for new ways to incorporate corn into my meals so I tried 2 different corn recipes in the past month. I was really, really excited to try them (which Bill can attest to) so you can imagine how disappointed I was when they didn't turn out to be as delicious as I had thought.

The first one is from one of my all time favorite cooking blogs... The Pioneer Woman, and I have had several of her recipes and LOVED them... so I thought for sure this would be a winner... but alas, I think I either did something wrong, or just don't have the same taste buds as her in this case... here is the recipe for her Fresh Corn Casserole. Her pictures are beautiful and look delicious. Mine, not so much as you can see here.



The second one is a corn casserole with canned corn... I got it from the same site, but submitted by someone else in one of the comments.
The recipe: 1 box jiffy cornbread mix, one cup sour cream, one can whole kernel corn, one can cream style corn….mix all together and put into a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. This is one I may try again... It was okay, but I think I cooked it in too small of a pan, so I don't think it cooked completely right.

Tilapia with Mango Black Bean Salsa

We had this a while back, and it was delicious. Very fresh tasting. I got the recipe from here. The salsa makes a lot, way more than we needed for just 2 of us, next time, I would probably cut it in half.

Tilapia with Mango and Black Bean Salsa
From: Kalyn's Kitchen


Ingredients for Tilapia:
Tilapia
Fish Rub (The blog I read suggested Szeged Fish Rub or Kirkland Herbed Seafood Rub, but they didn't have either of these at my grocery store so I ended up just buying a Herb with Lemon Seafood Rub by McCormick.)

Directions for Tilapia:

1. Preheat Oven to 400. Spray roasting pan with non-stick spray

2. Drizzle fish on both sides with olive oil, and rub to coat entire surface of the fish. Then sprinkle with fish rub and rub around with fingers.

3. Roast fish 25 minutes or until it looks slightly browned and is starting to flake apart a little.


Ingredients for Salsa:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 mango, peeled and diced
1/4 cup green onion, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2-3 Tbls fresh lime juice
2-3 Tbls Olive Oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp hot sauce (I used Sriracha sauce)

Directions for Mango & Black Bean Salsa:

1. Before you start to roast the Tilapia, drain and rinse black beans. Let beans dry.

2. Cut mango flesh away from the pit, cutting along both sides of the flat oblong shaped pit. Cut Mango into 1/2 inch dice and place in bowl. Add drained black beans, thinly sliced green onions and chopped cilantro.

3. Combine lime juice, olive oil, cumin, and hot sauce in small bowl and whisk together.

4. Mix into black bean mixture. If mixture seems to dry, add a bit more lime juice and/or olive oil.

5. Serve black bean and mango salsa spooned over hot roasted Tilapia

Hawaiian (fruit) Pizza

Around the 4th of July I like to make this dessert for a couple reasons. One - it involves fresh fruit which tastes so good this time of year, 2- a cool and light dessert is perfect for a summertime BBQ, and 3- I can use fruit in red, white, and blue for the 4th of July. I got this recipe from my mom, and I made it twice this past weekend, once for Bill's family, and once for mine.

Hawaiian Fruit Pizza
From: My Mom

Ingredients:

1 Jiffy Yellow cake Mix

1/8 cup brown sugar

1/8 cup melted Butter

1 Egg

Cool Whip

Your favorite fruits

Directions:

1. Mix cake mix, brow sugar, butter and egg in a bowl on medium speed

2. Spread mixture on greased round pizza pan

3. Bake 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees (I did mine for 12 minutes the first time, and it came out all crunchy... not good. I had to send Bill to the store to get more Jiffy cake, the second time I only cooked it 9 minutes and it came out great.)

4. Let cool fully

5. Spread with Cool Whip

6. Top with your favorite fruits (I usually use strawberries, blueberries, bananas, and sometimes raspberries or kiwi (left out the kiwi for the 4th of July, more patriotic that way).... the more fruit the better! :) Enjoy!

Asparagus Risotto

I learned this recipe a few months ago here from simply recipes. Almost everyone in my family has tried it and said they liked it, so it must be okay. This recipe isn't hard, but it is a little time consuming. Like all risotto recipes I've seen, you have to watch it and stir almost the whole time, but it is so worth it in my opinion. I like to serve it with steak (because I love steak on the grill, and because Bill cooks it so it is one less thing I have to worry about).


Asparagus Risotto
From: Simply Recipes

Ingredients:
1 pound asparagus
4 Tbs butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots (I just use whatever onion I have in the house)
1 cub Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (or lemon water if you prefer not to use wine)
3 1/2 cups chicken stock (may need a little more or less)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (I have used both imitation and the real thing... definitely better with the freshly grated, doesn't seem quite as heavy either)
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
1. Prepare asparagus by breaking off and discarding the tough ends. Cut into 1 inch pieces (tips longer, base shorter).

2. Bring a saucepan with a quart of water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus pieces for 2 minutes. At the end of two minutes, used a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus pieces to an ice water bath to shock the asparagus into a vibrant green color and to stop the cooking. Drain from the ice water bath and set aside. (this step can be done in advance)

3. In a large saucepan, heat 3 Tbs butter on medium heat. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes until translucent. While shallots are cooking... bring the stock to a simmer in a separate saucepan.

4. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring until nicely coated.

5. Add the wine. Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine.

6. Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add 1/2 cup of stock to the rice. Continue to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed. Then add more stock in 1/2 cup increments. Stir often to prevent teh rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue adding broth and stirring until absorbed until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 Min. Remove from heat.

7. Gently stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining 1 tsp of butter, and the asparagus. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.