Chicken Enchiladas

Maybe it is the cheese, maybe it is the unique spices, maybe it is . . . just yummy, but we {my family and I} love Mexican-style food. I know that what is normally called Mexican food, such as Taco Bell, is not really Mexican food, but that is what I refer to it as. "Mexican Food" identifies a distinct flavor and style.

One of our favorite Mexican-style dishes is Chicken Enchiladas. There are so many versions of this basic dish, but this one is simple and scrumptious. I think the key to this recipe is the whipping cream. While baking, it fluffs into a rich creamy topping.

The first time I visited my sister-in-law at her home in Illinois, she made this for us. The recipe actually came from another sister-in-law who has a reputation for being a wonderful cook. This dish is a testimony to her culinary skills. I have changed it slightly, mostly by adding the chopped cilantro and more green chilies.



Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp butter
2 4 oz cans of diced green chilies
8 oz cream cheese
3 c cooked chicken, chopped
12 10 oz flour tortillas
3 c Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 c whipping cream
Nonstick spray
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Directions
Saute onions in butter until they begin to brown. Add chilies and cream cheese to pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cream cheese is melted. Remove from heat. Add cooked chicken to cream cheese mixture; stir well.

Scoop a couple of spoonfuls of mixture onto middle of each tortilla. Sprinkle a bit of Monterey Jack cheese on top of chicken mixture. Roll tortillas and place in two 13x9" rectangular casserole dishes which have been coated with nonstick spray. Pour whipping cream over tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake enchiladas in 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes. Top enchiladas with chopped cilantro just before serving.



Make Ahead Tip~
To make these ahead of time, assemble the enchiladas but do not pour whipping cream over top or sprinkle with cheese topping. Then cover well and refrigerate or freeze. When it's time to bake them, pull them out and add the whipping cream and cheese topping. Bake as usual {for forzen ones, add about 20 minutes}.

Friday Night Dinners ~ Omelet Bar

I know today is not Friday but it will be here soon enough. Friday night dinners at our house need to meet a few requirements: easy, tasty, and fun to make.

They have to be easy to make {it is the end of the work week and no one in the house has much enthusiasm to slave away in the kitchen} and easy to eat while watching a movie.

Tasty is top priority because this meal is a treat for everyone, not just me or my husband or the children but all of us together.

Friday is the celebratory beginning of our weekend so the food has to be fun to make. And as I said already, I honestly don't want to stay in the kitchen for long. So the time spent making the meal has to be like a party.

So what's for dinner this Friday? Omelets! As with many of our Friday night dinners, there is a variety of ingredients that each person can use so the food is "made to order."

Omelet Bar How To
Ingredients
eggs
butter
various vegetables, cheese, and meats


Some of the fillings we had on hand were chopped ham, corned beef hash, chopped peppers, sauteed onions and mushrooms, fried onions, shredded cheddar and Parmesan, sour cream, chives, and more.

Directions
1. Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat.
2. Beat eggs, we use about 2 per omelet per person.
3. Add a pat of butter to the heated pan. Pour in eggs and cook almost through, about 2 minutes.


4. Add desired toppings to one half of the omelet. Fold omelet over and cook for about 45 seconds; flip and cook for about 45 more seconds.


5. Remove to plate and add any additional ingredients.


Friday night dinners~ fun, easy, and seriously tasty!

February Flower Arrangements

Flowers make such a wonderful gift anytime of the year, but especially on Valentine's Day. Don't just think of them for your sweetheart, but for your children, parents, grandparents or friends.


The stores are filled with dozens of red roses, but you don't have to choose red. I prefer pink myself. Pink reminds me of spring and it looks so crisp and bright next to blue or white. The colors of flower are symbolic. If you are looking to buy flowers for a friend or loved one, look here to see what the flowers and colors symbolize.

Here is an arrangement I made to brighten our house. It consists of a dozen pink roses and a bunch of white carnations with a few stems of fern and lemon leaves. Not only is it beautiful for Valentine's Day, but for spring as well. Simply change the ribbon around the vase for a fresh new look.


To make this, start with roses. Cut some of the roses shorter arrange them so they lean against the the vase.


Next, fill in the spaces between the roses with some of the carnations. Then, build up leaving longer stems on the roses. Don't forget to cut or pick off any leaves that will be below water level.


Fill in gaps with greenery and finish off with the remaining roses and carnations.


Add a red bow to the vase (or pink or white).


One way to dress up house plants that you may have or you may buy for another is to add tissue paper and ribbon to the outside of the pot.

I chose to use red, pink and white. I wanted the pink to be predominant so I used it twice: once on the outer layer and again on the innermost layer.

Place the pot on the middle of the paper layers.

Pull the tissue paper up and gather it with your hands just above the top of the pot. Secure with ribbon. Again, you could easily change the color of the tissue paper and ribbon for an entirely different look.

Happy February!

My Strawberry Shortcake

I found some beautiful big strawberries at the grocery. Just the perfect ones for dipping in chocolate or using for fondue. They came in a 4 quart package so there were lots of them. So many that we had an excess of strawberries. What could I do with them? They were beginning to get a little mushy, not quite as firm as they were at first {sounds a bit like myself}; the children would not enjoy them as much in that state. But they were still sweet and quite edible.


My daughter, Melissa, is always making strawberry cupcakes in an effort to duplicate an incredible treat from her favorite cake shop. Since it is the "Month of Love", I thought I would make my family a strawberry shortcake. But this one would be a Real strawberry short cake, not just a yellow sponge cake.



I took ideas from various recipes I have used and from past experiences with adding fresh fruit to cake batters and came up with this extremely moist, not too sweet cake with a gorgeous pink color~ all natural, no food coloring or gelatin {one of the things I dislike about other strawberry cake recipes is the addition of gelatin}. I simply cut back on some of the butter, sugar, and liquids and added fresh pureed strawberries. It was beautiful to taste and see, if I do say so myself!


Don't believe me? Make one for yourself or your love. Happy baking!

My Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
1 stick plus 2 tbsp of butter, softened
1 1/4 c of sugar
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 large egg whites
1/4 c whipping cream
1 tbsp vanilla
1 1/4 c pureed strawberries

for topping1 tbsp vanilla
2 c whipping cream
1/3 c sugar1 qt strawberries, rinsed and sliced reserving three berries

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Grease two round cake pans each with one tablespoon of softened butter. Place an eighth of a cup of sugar in each pan and swirl to coat. Be certain to coat the sides of the pan with the sugar as well.


3. Place remaining one cup of sugar and one stick of butter in a mixing bowl. Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
4. In a separate mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Set to side.
5. Mix egg whites, whipping cream, and one tablespoon of vanilla in another bowl.
6. Add a third of the flour mixture and half of egg mixture and half of strawberry puree to creamed butter; blend. Add another third of flour mixture to batter and blend. Add remaining egg mixture, puree and flour; blend. Mix for 2 minutes.


7. Divide batter between two prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
8. Remove pans from oven and set on cooling racks for five minutes. Flip pans over and allow cakes to come out. Cool completely.


9. In a chilled mixing bowl combine one tablespoon of vanilla, two cups of whipping cream, and one third cup of sugar. Whip to form stiff cream.
10. Assemble cake by placing one layer on serving dish. Top with half of the whipped cream. Layer half of the strawberries slices {tips facing out} on top, starting from outer edge.


Place second cake layer on top of cream and strawberries. Top with 2/3 remaining cream. Arrange strawberries on cream. Spoon remaining cream on top of strawberry slices. Garnish with 3 whole berries. Serve or refrigerate until serving.

Chocolate Pretzel Sticks

Aren't these cute?


These little treats are so easy to put together but they are impressive. You could use milk or dark chocolate, white or colored chocolate, and a variety of sprinkles or drizzles.


Package them in a treat bag with pretty ribbon for an easy gift.


You will need:
pretzel rods
choice of chocolate (dark, white, pink, etc.)
shortening (only for milk or semi-sweet chocolate)
choice of sprinkles (m&m's, red hots, pink sugar crystals, the list goes on)
cooling rack

What to do:
1. Melt chocolate. If you use semi-sweet or milk chocolate or even dark chocolate, you will need to add shortening to it for a proper melting and dipping consistency; use 1 cup of chips with 1 tablespoon of shortening. I use a Pyrex glass measuring cup and microwave for 30 seconds then stir; continue to microwave at 15 second intervals until chocolate is completely melted, stirring after each heating period. You could also use a double boiler or simply a small metal bowl over a small pan of boiling water.


2. Once chocolate is melted, dip a pretzel rod in and twist. I use a rubber spatula to scoop some of the chocolate up the side as I twist the pretzel rod. Gently shake off excess chocolate.



3. Immediately sprinkle chocolate pretzel rod with your choice of topping. Twist as you top to get an even coating. Do this over a plate to catch what falls for further use.



4. Place pretzel sticks on the cooling rack and allow to set for at least 10 minutes. Package to give as a treat to a friend or family member, or enjoy yourself!

A Jar of Hugs and Kisses

February is here. I know that I said it isn't my favorite month, but I am such a hopeless romantic. I am thrilled to be surrounded with the hues of pink and red, with flowers and words of affection. If everyday was like this. . . oh, I would never get anything done. But it is wonderful to have a time that I am reminded to verbally show my love for my husband, children, family and friends.

I was intending to do just one post about various treats to make for Valentine's Day, but I decided to break it up into smaller chunks since I tend to talk, um write, too much.

Here is the first sweet, lovely treat: a jar of hugs and kisses. These could be made for your children or significant other or by your child for his friends.



You will need:
a canning jar
decorative paper
tape
ribbon
miniature pretzels
Hershey kisses

After you gather your supplies, follow these directions:
1. Using the lid of jar, trace a circle onto a piece of decorative paper; I used scrap book paper covered with patterns. Cut the circle out and tape to the inside lid of the jar.



2. Fill the jar with a mixture of pretzels, for hugs, and Hershey kisses. Use the heart shaped pretzels as they look like arms wrapping around in a hug.



3. Put the lid on top of the jar. Tie a ribbon around the mouth of the jar. Hole punch a heart shape to use as a name tag. Attach the name tag by tying it to the ribbon.



These jars are so simple to make. I was inspired by Jamie and her use of these jars at Christmas time. Thank you, Jamie!