Chicken Enchiladas

I bought a can of enchilada sauce and followed their recipe. I thought everything was wonderful, except their sauce! It was gross! So I modified it for my lunch today and this is what I came up with:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1c sour cream
2c mont jack cheese
1 small can green chiles
Mix together and put in 10 tortillas. Roll up, place in dish, smother in salsa (I get mine fresh from Costco and it's d-licious!), sprinkle 1 c cheddar cheese on top, cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 45 min.

What's your secret to enchiladas? I tried churros, but only had whole wheat flour and no piping stuff, so they were .... Although Isaac ate ALL of them. Do you have a good churro recipe? Or tortillas? My tortillas never turn out!

Smoothies and Salads

I have been having a smoothie for breakfast every morning and a salad for either lunch or dinner. I love smoothies! I love salad! And both are so good for you.
Usually for my smoothies I put in about a cup of yogurt, a glub of milk, a cup of fruit and several pieces of ice, unless the fruit is frozen. My favorite right now is probably strawberry banana, with pineapple coconut coming in a close second.
My salads are usually baby spinach leaves, tomato, cheese, hard boiled egg white, turkey or chicken breast and olive oil and lime juice for dressing.

So, what are your favorite smoothies and salads? Give me some new recipes!

Coffee Mug Chocolate Cake

1 coffee mug
4 T flour
4 T sugar
2 T cocoa
1 egg
3 T milk
3 T oil
3 T chocolate chips
Splash of vanilla

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Cook in microwave for 3 minutes on high.
Easy. Delicious. Sinful!!!

Banana Pancakes

2 c flour
4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 T sugar
1 3/4 c milk
2 eggs
2 T melted butter
1 c mashed butter

Mix together. Pour on hot skillet. Eat with syrup.

We enjoyed these for dinner the other night.

Potato Soup

With the wonderfully cooler weather, we have dug out our winter recipes. One of our all time favorites is potato soup.

Ingredients:
3 med potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 c water
1 small onion, diced
3 T butter
3 T flour
Pepper to taste
3 c milk
1/2 t sugar
1 c shredded Cheddar cheese
1 c cubed ham

Boil potatoes in water. Remove from pot and save taters and liquid. Melt butter in pot. Add onions and cook 'til translucent. Add flour and pepper. Cook a minute. Add all other ingredients and simmer til perfect temp to eat.

What are your favorite winter meals?

A Present from my Comments

A fairy Godmother left this in my comments and I thought I'd share:

Here are three easy family meals that have contributed to the development of three healthy teen boys over the years.... and one less meal-stressed mom... :o)

Coonan Beans -
Brown 1 pound hamburger. Drain.
Add
16 oz can of favorite baked beans with liquid
several squirts of ketchup to taste
Worcestershire sauce to taste
Simmer til cooked through
(great camping recipe - in one fry pan! Easily doubles with about 2 pounds h-burger and 28 oz can of baked beans. Experiment with proportions. Maybe add some molasses?)


Crock pot Cookery
(Love crock pots - it is not possible to "overcook" these meals - they just get better.)
Any meat, mostly thawed (chicken breasts, pork chops, or pot roast beef)
Place in crock pot in morning. No need to brown meat first.
Layer with 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup and favorite seasoning (we like ground black pepper; dry steak seasoning is good with pot roast beef, too)
Cook all day on low setting. Makes the house smell good!
The soup will turn into a nice gravy. Thicken if needed. Serve over white rice with parsley, wild rice, or mashed potatoes, with sauce over everything!

"Stringy Beef"
This is a crock pot pot roast - meat falls apart after cooking all day.
Pot roast beef (1 to 2 pounds)
1 can or two of crushed or diced tomatoes (more cans = more sauce)
If you like: half a medium onion, sliced; favorite spices - pepper or steak seasoning, Italian seasoning
When done... remove meat and skim off some of the surface oil on remaining liquid; puree/thicken liquid to make sauce.
Can also throw in a bunch of veggies in the morning - carrots, potatoes, etc, for a stew)
Serve with rice or potatoes with sauce over everything.

BBQ!!!

I found out an easy way to cook for the week: Have hubby grill several pounds of meat. It's delicious. It doesn't heat the house. It feeds us for a week. It provides fast, easy, healthy meals. It's awesome! On July 5th (we slept through the fourth), we bbq-ed 2lbs of hamburger patties, 6 chicken breasts, and 7 hotdogs. We ate hot dogs, hamburgers, hamburger steak, grilled chicken salad, chicken enchiladas, and arroz con pollo. D-licious!

What are your easy cooking ideas? Do you crockpot? Once a month cooking?

Addictive Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last night I had some major sweet tooth action going on and remembered that I had a package of chocolate chips on hand. So I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies from my trusty Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book and Man! are they addictive!!! Doesn't bode so well for my weight loss at all!

1/2 c shortening
1/2 c margarine
2 1/2 c flour
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 t baking soda
12 oz pkg chocolate chips

Mix together, plop on a baking sheet and bake at 375* for 11 to 13 min. And eat a whole batch in 24 hours with me!

Chicken Fried Steak

Tonight we enjoyed a good Southern style meal: chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, sweet corn on the cob, rolls, cream gravy, and sweet ice tea. D-licious!!! I'm getting better at frying. Have any good tips? What do you use for batter? How do you make the batter for sweet and sour chicken? I've been wondering that for some time and no one has been able to give me an answer.

It's been a while, but I've got a good reason!

I hate to even admit to anyone what we are eating right now as it is, frankly, whatever is easy for me to cook, eat, and clean. You know, like frozen pizza, bacon and eggs, cereal... I know I'm a bad mommy, but I'm trying to recover from major surgery. So, what do you do for quick easy meals?

A Weekly Menu

Let me paint you a picture:
It's five o'clock in the afternoon on a Wednesday. I pour the last drops from the last gallon of milk for the baby. I resist the urge to put the empty jug back in the fridge, just so it will look like we have something in there. No. I can't deny it. I must go grocery shopping. The kids will be hungry soon and we don't have anything that matches: cereal, no milk; lunchmeat, no bread; noodles, no sauce, etc... So I pack the one year old, the two and half year old and the seven year old into the car. We drive in rush hour traffic to get to a completely packed grocery store, which has terrible selection, but is the closest one to the house. I argue with the two and a half year old over why we can't get the car cart (because at this time of day we will hardly have room for a regular cart!) I buckle the one year old in, or rather I don't because the cart doesn't have buckles, and put the two and a half year old in the basket. With the seven year old trailing behind, we begin the journey. After about 45 minutes I have: four gallons of milk, three dozen eggs, one loaf of (now-squashed) bread, some lunch meat, two boxes of diapers, one box wipes and hopefully something to eat for dinner. Now, we just have to check out. Another 45 minutes because of course there is only one lane open for people with basket loads of stuff. After averting the seven year old's attention from all the wonderful literature and the two and a half year old's from all the nutritious snacks and re-seating the one year old who is successfully climbing out, we finally make it back to the car. Twenty minutes to navigate through the parking lot, a short drive through rush hour traffic, a pull through McDonald's (because there is no way I have energy or patience to cook or clean now, and the kids are STARVING!!) and we're home. To put away our groceries and eat cold fries. This is a weekly senario in this house because I HATE grocery shopping and only go when forced. So I decided to make a weekly menu of easy to prepare and clean meals that all of us will eat. It may not be terribly healthy, but we are going to go with it for now. When I get more confident, I will work in changes.
Sunday
Breakfast: Bacon, Eggs, Biscuits
Lunch:
Dinner: Chili dogs and french fries
Monday
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Tortilla Pizzas
Dinner: Spaghetti
Tuesday
Breakfast: Egg Tacos
Lunch: Ham/Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches
Dinner: Hamburger Helper
Wednesday
Breakfast: Quiche
Lunch: Quesadillas
Dinner: Enchiladas
Thursday (grocery day)
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Frozen Pizza
Dinner: Rotisserie chicken
Friday
Breakfast: Cheese and mushroom omelets
Lunch: Tuna/PBJ Sandwiches
Dinner: Salmon Steak (Shrimp salad for Thom)
Saturday
Breakfast: Bacon, Eggs, and Pancakes
Lunch:
Dinner: Out
The simple grocery list:
1 pkg bacon
2 doz eggs
1 pkg hotdogs
1 pkg hotdog buns
3 cans chili (two are for enchiladas)
2 bags of chips
1 bag of potatoes
1 box cereal
2 pkgs flour tortillas
1 pkg corn tortillas
2 cans spaghetti sauce
1 pkg angel hair pasta
1 pkg frozen corn on the cob
3 pkgs frozen veggies
1 pkg shredded cheese
1 block of chedder cheese
1 onion
1 pkg lunchmeat
1 loaf of bread
1 lb ground beef
1 hamburger helper
2 frozen pizzas
1 rotisserie chicken
1 salad mix
1 box mac and cheese
1 pkg chorizo
1 can tuna
1 bag salad shrimp
1 lb salmon steak
4 gal milk
5 gal water
1 can nuts
Once I buy this grocery list, I should be able to put aisle numbers and it will be even quicker! Of course, we also have our usual snack items: yogurt, string cheese, cottage cheese, ramen, biscotti, juice, soda, etc. Also the staples that we have to check for and buy less than once a week: flour, sugar, margarine, peanut butter, jelly, toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, conditioner, baby soap, soap, toothpaste, deoderant, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, bleach, dish soap, sponges, coffee, coffee filters, etc.
That all sounds pretty easy and delicious, right? How do you do meal planning and shopping? Is there an easier or healthier way? Have any secrets you'd like to share?

Angel Food Cake

I made my first angel food cake the other day. I had to buy the pan and the only one they had the middle came out. I wouldn't have bought it if there had been other choices, but man, am I glad I did. It came in very handy! I always have all the ingredients on hand and it is pretty simple to make. And the cake turned out delicious!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c egg whites (10-12 large eggs)
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1 c flour
1 1/2 t cream of tartar
1 t vanilla
1 c sugar

Directions:
Bring egg whites to room temp. Sift powdered sugar and flour together three times. In a large bowl beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla until soft peeks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Sift about one fourth of flour mixture onto egg mixture. Gently fold in. Continue this until all ingredients are mixed together. Pour into ungreased angel food cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 min. Immediately invert cake (keeping in pan.) Cool thoroughly. Remove from pan.

Snickerdoodles

These are an all time favorite in this family. The kids love to do the cinnamon and sugar dusting.

Ingredients:
1/2 c margarine or butter
1 1/2 c flour
1 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t cream of tartar

Directions:
Thoroughly beat together ingredients. Cover and chill dough one hour (or as long as you have patience for. We let it go about 15 min.)
Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Combine 1 t cinnamon and 2 T sugar in a small bowl. Roll balls in it. Place on cookie sheet and bake 10 min at 375 degrees.

This should make about 36 cookies, but if your two year old opens the fridge and allows your one year old access to the bowl of dough, which is then played in and partially dumped on the floor, you will only end up with about fourteen. (Which is probably just the right amount for us because they will all be gone before bedtime regardless of the number cooked.)

Tator Tot Casserole

I have never made or eaten tater tot casserole, but the recipe is so popular and easy that I thought I would give it a try. I made it for dinner last night. Adeline ate and liked it. Thom has eaten for a midnight snack, breakfast, and lunch.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 bag frozen tator tots (I hear shredded hashbrowns can be substituted)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can evaporated milk

Directions:
Brown ground beef. Place evenly in bottom of 9x13 pan. Pour tator tots evenly over top. Mix together soups and milk. Pour over top of tots. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour.

Notice I didn't give my opinion above. I thought it was mediocre at best. If I make this again, I will probably cook a chopped onion, salt, pepper, and Lowry's seasoning salt in with the beef. It was a little bland for my flavor without anything. And maybe a can of drained Rotel in with the soups?

Sunday Breakfast

We try to eat somewhat healthy, so we've decided that on Sunday mornings we will splurge a bit for breakfast. This past Sunday I was craving doughnuts, so I found a recipe at CD Kitchen to make some cake doughnuts. They were suprisingly easy to make and compared quite nicely to Dunkin Donuts cinnamon doughnuts.
Here is the recipe, as we made it:

Ingredients:
Vegetable Oil - for frying
3 1/3 c. flour
1 c. sugar
3 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 T. shortening
2 eggs
3/4 c. milk

Directions:
1. Heat 2 in. oil in pan.
2. Beat 1 1/2 c. flour and remaining ingredients in bowl. Stir in remaining flour.
3. Roll out on floured surface and 3/4 in thick. Cut in circles with a cup, then cut out small circles from middle with bottle top (or use a donut cutter).
4. Fry doughnuts and doughnut holes until golden brown, about 1 1/2 min. each side.
5. Drain on paper towels.
6. Dust with cinnamon sugar mix. Or you can eat plain or dusted with granulated sugar or powdered sugar or drizzle with icing or something.

Makes about a dozen donuts and 2 dozen doughnut holes, I think. I didn't count.

New Blog

I love to bake and thought I would share recipes and appeal for helps, tips, recipes, etc. Please stop by to comment.