Chicken Enchiladas

So given that I live with one of the pickiest eaters I've ever met in my life over the age of 3, I have to omit and adjust lots of recipes in order to accomodate. (It keeps me creative) One of my coveted wedding presents was the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, Bridal edition. (with high hopes that I would be the next Julia Child) It has some of my favorite recipes from growing up and I'm trying to incorporate them into our lives as well, of course without burning down the house and ending up with takeout. We had this for dinner on Monday and it still needs to be tweaked but I got an "it's good" from P so I would assume I'm on the right track. Plus he ate it for lunch yesterday so that's even better that he choked it down a second time involuntarily!














Prep: 30 minutes Bake: 40 minutes

Ingredients
(My ommissions are highlighted in Red)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 4-ounce can diced green chile peppers, drained
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (or turkey)
12 7-inch flour tortillas or 6-inch corn tortillas
(I use 6, 8-inch flour tortillas)
1 10.75-ounce can reduced-fat condensed cream of chicken (or cream of mushroom soup)
1 8-ounce carton light dairy sour cream
1 cup milk
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (3 ounces)
2 tablespoons slivered almonds

Directions

1. In a medium skillet cook the 1/4 cup almonds and the onion in hot butter over medium heat until onion is tender and nuts are lightly toasted. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the canned green chile peppers; reserve remaining peppers for sauce.

2. In a medium bowl stir together cream cheese, the 1 tablespoon milk, and the cumin; add nut mixture and chicken. Stir until combined. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla near an edge; roll up. Place filled tortillas, seam side down, in a greased 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Set aside.

3. For sauce, in a medium bowl combine the reserved chile peppers, the soup, sour cream, and the 1 cup milk. Pour evenly over the tortillas in the baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven about 35 minutes or until heated through. Remove foil. Sprinkle enchiladas with cheese and the 2 tablespoons almonds. Return to oven; bake about 5 minutes more or until cheese melts. Makes 6 servings- supposedly.

Enjoy!

Pasta Salad

So of course there are 16 million and 1 ways to make this and of course everyone thinks that theirs is the best so naturally- since I'm the one doing the posting- here is the best pasta salad recipe ever. I mean seriously- who is going to argue with chunks of pepperoni and cheese?!?!

1 box of Tri Color Rotini (you can use plain but then you wouldn't be any fun)
1 stick of pepperoni
- cut to chunks. (slices work but aren't as good IMO)
1 block of mild cheddar cheese
- cut to chunks. I want to TASTE the cheese!
1 bottle of Italian Dressing (I use the light stuff- honest I do!)
If you are feeling healthy you can add some diced tomato (Fresh Please, NO Seeds!)

Cook pasta according to directions
Strain and splash some cold water on them to cool them off,
Add the goods and mix it up
Put spoonful after spoonful on your plate and leave little to no room for anything else.

Enjoy! (with or without fork, spoon, stick, or spork)

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

1 can of corn (drained)
1 can of black beans (drained)
1/4 cup mayonaise (I use Light)
juice from 1 lime
1 tomatoes
1 small red onion or half of a medium (chopped)

Combine mayonaise and lime juice in bowl
Add the rest of the ingredients
Mix together

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

As requested by Britt, who had her first taste this weekend and has been craving it ever since!













2 big cans of cooked chicken, drained
-shred it with a fork first to make it easier to mix

2 packs of cream cheese
-I prefer Philadelphia Light- warmed a bit in the microwave to make it easier to mix

Your favorite buffalo sauce (I use BW3’s Medium)
-Use as much or as little as you like!

Handful or so of shredded cheddar cheese

Few Shakes of onion powder to taste

Few Shakes of garlic powder to taste

-Option-, can add diced jalepeno's and/or chipotle's for an extra bite of hot!

Mix it all together, heat, stir, serve with chips or soft tortilla shells or eat it straight from the bowl!

Enjoy!

(This makes a big bowl size but adjust accordingly for however much you need- usually about 1 pack of cream cheese to 1 can of chicken, but you can adjust if you want it more chicken-y or creamy)

Introduction

Okay so I'm definitely not a Martha Stewart, or a Julia Child, or even a Rachel Ray. But I try.

This will be an effort to document my successful recipes (however few and far between) to remind myself that I can cook- sometimes- and not end up with yucky mush, or a blown-up kitchen. But you better believe there will still be a giant mess either way!

This is to everyone who has ever tried to make a delectible smore brownie dessert and ended with an oven full of flames (Trust, I've never yelled FIRE! louder, or seen my husband move faster in all my life!) and an inedible dissapointment.

Welcome to Panini Monday!