Not Your Average Mexican Enchilada

Okay so this what my family likes to call a "Gringo Enchilada", even though it came from my Mexican boyfriend Andrew. This is probably one of my all time favorite recipes. I make it at least once a month upon my family's request. Which is absolutely fine by Andrew and I, you'll never see one of us without the other in the kitchen.

Gringo Enchiladas (Also known as Sour Cream Enchiladas)









You'll Need:

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 small can of diced jalapenos (drained)
1 small can of diced green chillies
1 small can diced black olives (drained)
1 16 oz tub of sour cream
1-2 packages of flour tortillas
1 bag sharp cheddar cheese (graded)
2-3 raw uncooked chicken breast
Any kind of seasonings you have on hand (Garlic salt, onion powder, black pepper, seasoning salt)
1 13x9 glass baking dish
1 8x8 glass baking dish
1 medium sized bowl

Preheat Oven to 350

1. Boil raw uncooked chicken breast in water until cooked through

2. Take cooked chicken and shred in medium bowl with two forks (just like in the mac and cheese recipe)

3. Season Chicken with any seasoning you'd like (again just like the last recipe I like to use the ones listed above)

4. Add Cream of Chicken Soup to chicken along with 2/3 of the sour cream tub (you can add more if you desire. I usually don't use the whole tub, but I come pretty close).

5. Drain the can of olives and the jalapenos and add to chicken mixture (Again add as much as you'd like. I like olives and I really like spice so I put almost the whole can of jalapenos in, but if you don't like spice I'd suggest a few teaspoons.) Add Green chilies (as much as you'd like they are not really spicy they give more flavor then anything, especially if you didn't add a lot of jalapenos, then you'll want more of the green chilies)

6. Sprinkle a handful or two of cheese into mixture and stir together until blended well. (You might want to taste it now, and see if you want more of anything, sour creme, jalapenos, seasonings etc.)

7. (This is the tricky step. It Is easier to have two people running a system, but if not you can heat the tortillas fast in the microwave to make them more flexible) Heat one tortilla on stove top and lay it down in the 9x13 glass dish (the 8x8 is for any extra filling or tortillas you may have. I can usually fill both pans with this one batch of mixture) fill it with a few large spoonfuls of chicken filling, roll up the tortilla facing the seam down. Continue to do this until you feel like you've made enough or you run out of filling.

8. Once you have finished rolling up the enchiladas if you have any extra filling you can pour it over the top.

9. Sprinkle cheese over all enchiladas (as much as you'd like)

10. Place tinfoil over the top of each dish and place in the oven for about twenty minutes (Just until cheese is melted and insides are hot, everything is already prepared the oven is simply to warm it all up)

And Enjoy :)

I usually like to serve this dish with a side of rice. Andrew is my rice cooker though, I don't know how the man does it, but I swear it's like going out to a Mexican restaurant. I'll ask him for the recipe if anyone is interested. I know it's simple though. Please if you try the recipe let me know how you like it :)

Raspberry Lemonade

Okay so I said I would tell you how to make that semi-homemade raspberry lemonade didn't I? It really is the simplest thing, easy to make, refreshing, and looks beautiful too.

Semi-Homemade Raspberry Lemonade



Preparation: Just make sure you have a 2 quart ice tea pitcher and ice on hand

Step One: Go to you're local grocery store and purchase one nice firm (basically all yellow no green) lemon, a bag of frozen or fresh raspberries, and a powdered packet of Crystal Light Raspberry Lemonade flavor. (Make sure you get the ones that makes two quarts, not the singles)

Step Two: Place crystal light powder (only one, not all four) into bottom of pitcher

Note: If you purchased the frozen raspberries add them in now and skip step seven

Step Three: Begin to add water and stop about 3 inches from the top of the pitcher. (Again make sure you are using a 2 quart pitcher, if it is bigger or smaller then you will have to use less or more crystal light.....I learned this the hard way lol)

Step Four: Stir contents together until all crystal light powder has dissolved

Step Five : Cut ends off of lemon and slice the remaining part into 1/4 inch slices, add them to the pitcher

Step Six: Add about 3 handfuls of ice to pitcher and stir again

Step Seven: wait until Ice has dissolved a little add fresh raspberries to the top (add more ice if desired)

Step Eight: Viola! You should now have a beautiful pitcher of Raspberry Lemonade that is colorful and perfect for any backdoor BBQ or any summer meal. Plus it is sugar free (Minus the fruit on top) being crystal light. I like to make this for my dad because he is diabetic and can't consume a lot of fruity drinks :)

Hope you enjoy :) Next time I'll be posting a delicious type of enchilada (trust me it's not your average cheese and red sauce). Come back for more soon :)

Why Blog?

I've decided to create this blog, because I often read Joey N Stefi's blog (definitely check it out for some really great recipes) and realized I also make a lot of food, people ask for my recipes all the time, so shabam! BLOG! (Special thanks to Stephi for giving me the fabulous idea)

I think I'll start with what Andrew (my boyfriend) and I cooked up last night for dinner. It Is a great recipe if you're planning to feed a lot of people, but it is also pretty spicy, so make sure your folks or guests like spice :)

I got this recipe from Rachael Ray.....but I made it a little simpler and took out a few things that either I didn't like or didn't have. For the original by Rachael Ray click here.


Mac and Cheese With Chicken And Broccoli



You'll Need:

• 2 pieces of raw uncooked chicken breast
  
• 1 pound of any kind of pasta (long spaghetti noodles not recommended)
  
• 1 bag of microwavable steamed broccoli cuts
  
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (Do not add this if you or you're guests are not fans of spice!)
  
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 3 cups whole milk (Or 2 cups of skim milk)
  
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 3 cups yellow sharp Cheddar

Cook It!:
Place a medium-large pot of water on stove. Add a pinch of salt and a tbsp of olive oil to water. Bring to a boil and add pasta.

Fill Another pot with water and bring to a boil. Add uncooked chicken, continue to boil until chicken is cooked through. Take boiled chicken, place it in a bowl and use two forks to shred it into small pieces. (this is also a good time to season the chicken if you'd like. I like to use onion powder, garlic salt, seasoning salt, and fresh ground black pepper. just add to taste)

While pasta continues to cook, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne and paprika and whisk together over heat until roux bubbles then cook a minute more. Whisk in milk and stock and raise heat a little to bring sauce to a quick boil. Simmer sauce to thicken about 5 minutes.

While sauce thickens place your steamed broccoli bag in microwave and heat as directed on package.

Go back to sauce and stir in shredded cheese a little at a time until melted in.

drain pasta and place in a large serving dish (remember people this was a whole pound of pasta so it's going to make a lot of food.) add chicken, broccoli, and cheese sauce. Stir everything together so that everything is evenly distributed and coated with that yummy ooie gooie cheese sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste (this recipe definitely needs salt)

Finally...serve, this is also great with a nice clean bag salad and my dressed up raspberry lemonade (As Sarah on food network likes to call it "semi-homemade") ill try to post that later. Right now I got to go pick up my boo from school. Hope you enjoy :)