New Recipes......White Chicken Enchiladas

So far the new recipe thing is going well. We are trying new things and loving it. It is forcing me to be a better meal planner and I actually look forward to making dinner.  Some days the food is definitely a keeper and other times I have learned a new cooking technique or what I would do differently another time if nothing else.
Today I made  White Chicken Enchiladas ...a great beginning.
I have been craving something like the Green Enchiladas I had growing up. Just a similar flavor not necessarily the same recipe.  So I began my search. I wanted to use chicken, corn tortillas and green chilies, the original recipe used corn tortillas but ground beef. Most recipes I found used flour tortillas and tomatillo sauce, which I wasn't opposed to but I like the taste and texture of corn tortilla. The other issue with the old recipe was that is seemed mild and I know my family likes a little more kick in their Mexican food...
I then stumbled on the Pioneer Woman's White Enchilada recipe....it sounded like a possible winner. So with a few modifications for our tastes I made it and boy it was cheesey, creamy,  but still a bit mild. Next time I will add more heat. The Cheese sauce is wonderful and would be great so many other ways.
We will be making this again....with more heat and I might even stew the chicken a little more with some spice.

MCC

White Chicken Enchiladas

Adapted from the Pioneer Woman

6 Servings

2 Tbs. Canola Oil

12 Whole Corn tortillas

Heat 2 Tbs. oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Fry tortillas on at a time for 10 to 20 seconds, just to soften. Place tortillas on a large towel or stack of paper towels to drain.

1 Tbs. Canola oil

2 ½ Cups cooked, Shredded Chicken

2 Cups Chicken Broth

1 large onion diced

3 - 4 oz. cans Green Chilies

1 whole jalapeno seeded and finely diced

1 tsp. paprika

 1 tsp. Ground Cumin

½ cup heavy cream

2 Tbs. Butter

2 Tbs. Flour

1 Cup Sour Cream

2 ½ Cups Monterey Jack Cheese grated

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fresh Cilantro, chopped for garnish (optional)

Chicken Filling:

Heat 1 Tbs. oil in a skillet over medium heat; Add onions and jalapeno, sauté for 2 minute. Add Chicken and half of the green chilies, ½ tsp. paprika and ½ tsp. ground cumin. Stir together. Add ½ cup chicken broth and stir. Add heavy cram and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and gets hot. Turn off heat.

Cheese Sauce:

In another skillet melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium hear for one minute. Pour in 1 ½ cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cool for another minute or two. Stir in the remaining chilies and reduce heat. Stir in sour cream and 1 ½ cups of the grated cheese. Stir to melt together add ½ tsp paprika and ½ tsp ground cumin and salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble, spoon a large spoonful chicken mixture on top of a tortilla, top with cheese and roll up. Place seem side down in a 9x13 casserole dish. Repeat with the remaining 11 tortillas.

Pour cheese sauce over top of the tortillas. More cheese may be added if desired.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minuets.

Sprinkle with cilantro and serve

Yummm! Soup

As part of Operation 2012 I wanted to make nicer, better, more nutritious, new recipes for dinner. I know this won't happen very meal, but when it is possible I am going to do it.....my aim right now is
at least 2 times a week.
Last night I made a Taco Soup. I got the idea from a cookbook, but unfortunately I didn't have all of the required ingredients, so I did my own thing with what I had on hand and what sounded good.
The over all consensuses was that it is a keeper. Nelson said the flavor reminded him of Casa Melinda's salsa, and I have to agree that it did taste similar.
As a kid I loved Casa Melinda's salsa and so did my kids. It wasn't like other salsas, especially the homemade salsas we all make now, but it was perfect with a cup of finely grated cheese dumped into it. Casa Melinda's is long gone but the memories will last. It was my introduction to restaurant Mexican food as a kid; not to spicy, lots of cheese and always hot, finished off with a sopapia and honey butter....yum!
Megan thinks we could come up with the salsa now that we have a good start....we will have to try it out in the near future.......anyway, Here is my version of the recipe. 
I am calling it salsa soup in honor of the salsa we all loved as kids.

Salsa Soup
serves 8
1 yellow onion diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 cup celery diced
1/2 red/yellow or orange bell pepper cut into strips
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
meat from1 rotisserie chicken
2 14.5 oz. cans petite died tomatoes with chilies
1 15 oz. can  tomato sauce
32 oz chicken stock
1/12 cups frozen corn
1 14 oz can black beans
1 Tbs. lime juice

In a large soup pot soften onion, garlic, celery and bell peppers in olive oil. Add cumin and salt and black pepper to taste.
Remove chicken meat from bones add to the onion mixture along with the tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken stock, corn, beans and lime juice. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream and limes.

MCC

Monday Mumblings

I am so glad that Easter is over....just because of the candy! I must look like a Reese's Egg, I've eaten so many of them...and we bought less candy than in years past.
This year we didn't do the hard boiled decorated egg thing ....maybe I need the real eggs to counter act the PB eggs?
So now I will have to wait until Halloween to participate in the candy gorge. Megan, Lauri and I have decided that we are going to go no/limited processed sugar.......please get me something salty.

For Easter I wanted to make a carrot cake...I know cute, bunnies and carrots....However, I don't make carrot cake. So I looked for a recipe that looked good and made it. The Frosting was to die for....very sweet and creamy...don't you just love the day glow carrots? The Cake was okay, not great. If it hadn't been for the frosting it would have been a waste. My sister-in-law loved the frosting on the strawberries I had sitting out. I am now in the market for a moist delicious carrot cake recipe.

Spring Break...we didn't do much. Hayden got to sleep in until 10:00 am everyday, LUCKY! My body won't let me sleep past 8:00 am, and that is only if I go to bed late.....long gone are the days of all nighters or even very late nighters....and I don't think I'm that old. Back to Hayden....he got his driving permit! Watch out. I had the opportunity of taking him out driving for his first time, for real. What an adventure. I had forgotten what a new driver is like....too much gas, slamming on the breaks and sharp turns....my life passed before my eyes. He got better with time. I keep telling myself that the benefit is that when he can drive legally I will no longer have to be around to shuttle him from location to location....my little boy is growing up.

Back to real life and my schedule. Ah, just a few more weeks until summer.....I know what happened to Spring?
I have decided to forget spring, after all it seems to have forgotten us.
MCC

Friday Things and Thinks

Friday has arrived ....and with it more rain and snow!?!?!Okay, so I want spring to return, but in the mean time I will have to amuse myself with things and thoughts that make me as joyful as spring.

All Shook Up-- definitely made me feel joyful and spring like.

We took the family the Hale Center Theatre In Orem to see All Shook Up last night. This

musical is scored by 25 songs made famous by Elvis Presley. The story is set in middle America in 1955, but the themes of the story are as old as time....You can definitely find the mix ups and mayhem associated with Shakespeare's comedies, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, As You Like it and A Midsummer Nights Dream. The cross dressing aspects of As You Like It and Twelfth Night, Cause this musical to be a real fun comedy. It is fluffy and light, with a happily ever after ending.

I wasn't as familiar with the Elvis music as I was with the plot's inspiration, but I did love the songs and how they author intertwined the lyrics to make the story progress. I decided to see what the Broadway reviewers said about this show since it is one we missed in our New York journeying.....they didn't really love it, but I found one review that said "Were it staged in a pint-size theater with cardboard scenery and a campy young cast, All Shook Up might be a moderate hoot"....which it was at the HCTO. The only thing that bothered me about the whole production was that the had changed up some of the song order form the Original Broadway Cast recording and synopsis that I have....but I got over that. Apparently that is how it was changed for the national tour.

The Little Lady Agency--- Hilarious book series by Hester Browne.I found this series because it had a recommendation from Sophi Kinsella who wrote the Shopaholic books..... Set in Great Britain, but the second book is in the USA, is about Melissa Romney-Jones who runs an agency called "the Little Lady Agency." She is hired to help men sort out their problems, advise them on the real reasons they are social misfits, and tries to dress and shape them up a bit so that they can them take care of things on their own.

Good Food-- Strawberries, yummmmm!

I made Strawberry Cheese Cake Trifle for a get together we are attending to night. While cleaning the strawberries i think I ate a cup of them....my belly aches.

This is a great desert to show off with, it taste great, and looks pretty.

Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle

2 8oz. packages of cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

8 oz sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

12 oz. Cool Whip. thawed

4 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 Angel Food cake, torn or cubed into bite size pieces

16 oz. frozen strawberries

Mix together cram cheese, and powdered sugar until fluffy; add sour cream, vanilla and almond extract.

Gently fold Cool Whip into cream cheese mixture: gently stir cake pieces into cream cheeses mixture; set aside.

Combine berries and granulates sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

Layer in a large glass bowl 1/4 of berries, then top with 1/3 of cream cheese mixture; continue layering; finish with berries.

**Fresh Strawberry option

Clean and slice 4 cups of Strawberries.

Make Strawberry Danish Dessert prepare as for pie filling; set aside and slightly cool. Add Sliced strawberries to Danish Dessert. Use this berry mixture in place of the frozen berries and sugar.

Off to find more spring like things.

MCC