Chicken Enchiladas with Green chili, sour cream sauce

Last night I experimented with a new sauce for Chicken Enchiladas and I must say it is wonderful. I didn't take alot of pictures but I promise to walk you through it. It really is wonderful.

First I cooked the chicken breasts in the crock pot just to attempt to keep the kitchen a little cooler. I placed the chicken breast into the crock pot and added about 1/2 cup of water or chicken broth...I wasn't thinking and used water. I then sliced a sweet onion and placed it on top of the chicken and let it cook for about 6 hours on high. I have to say after doing it this way I will probably always do it this way....it had great flavor.

Once the chicken was cooled I shredded it and took 3 cups of the chicken out for the Enchiladas and put the rest in the fridge for another recipe.

In a saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp of butter. Once this melted at 4 Tbsp of flour and 2 cups chicken stock...whisk this all together.

Add 2 4oz cans of chopped green chili's, 4 oz sour cream, 4 oz of cream cheese, (I used low fat)1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1 tsp Hatch red chili powder, cook till bubbly.

Place the shredded chicken in a bowl and add 1 small diced onion. To this add 1 cup of the cooked sauce. Stir and add about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture into each flour tortilla and roll them up. Place the enchiladas in a greased baking dish and pour remaining sauce over them. Bake at 350 for about 1/2 hour. Take them out of the oven and place 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese on top and pop back in the oven until melted. You could use pepper Jack cheese instead of cheddar...I just used what I had.

Chicken Enchiladas with green chili sour cream sauce

2 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
2 cups chicken stock
4 oz sour cream
4 oz cream cheese
8 oz chopped green chili's
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp Hatch red chili powder
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 small diced onion
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
flour shells

Fettuccine, chicken and spinach bake

This is a wonderful dish that I saw in a cooking magazine that I have and I changed a few things and we really liked it. I've been working really hard to come up with recipes that are easy to work veggies into, because sometimes it can really be hard to get all our daily servings in. You could leave the chicken out of this meal also, but my hubby doesn't think it's a meal without meat.

You will then need to first boil 1 16 oz pkg of fettuccine noodles.

In the mean time you can melt butter in the skillet and saute the onion till translucent.

Add the garlic and both cans of tomatoes, cook for 5 to 7 minutes to reduce the liquid.

Now while the tomatoes are cooking and noodles are cooking, began removing the stems from the spinach leaves and coarsely chop.

Add the spinach to the tomatoes and allow it to wilt, it will look like a lot of spinach but it will reduce down.

Then add in the cooked, shredded chicken.

This is what it will look like. Next grease a 9 X 13 pan and spread half of the noodles in the bottom of the pan.

Then add a layer of the tomato and spinach mixture and then a layer of mozzarella cheese.

Then another layer of noodles and tomato and spinach in that order. Pour 1 cup of whipping cream over the top of everything and then top with more mozzarella cheese. Bake 20 to 25 minutes till hot and bubbly! Enjoy!

Fettuccine, chicken and spinach bake

1 16 oz pkg fettuccine
2 TBSP butter
1 med onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 can (14.5oz) stewed tomatoes(un-drained)
1 can (14.5oz) Italian style tomatoes (un-drained)
1/2 bag of fresh spinach
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded

Pork Chile Verde Sauce

This is a wonderful verde sauce for serving over cheese enchiladas. This recipe makes enough sauce to have 4 meals from it. I served 1/4 of it at one meal and then divided the rest up into 3 quart size freezer ziplock bags and froze them.

I prepared the pork and put a little olive oil in the bottom of my big dutch oven and began to brown it in batches...just brown it on all sides and then remove it with a slotted spoon, set it aside until all the batches are browned.

While the meat is browning you can prepare the chiles and the chilpotle peppers. You will pour the juice off the chiles into the crock pot and chop the chilies and place them in the crock pot. I opened the can of peppers and removed 3 peppers and chopped them fine and placed them in the crock pot.
you can also add the chicken broth, and can of rotel into the crock pot.

Once the meat is brown you can add it to the crock pot.

I then took the chopped onion and garlic and browned it in the pan that I browned the pork in. Once the onion is translucent you should place it in the crock pot along with the garlic.

I cooked it 5 hours on high in the crock pot.

Just about 30 min. before you are ready to serve, remove 1 to 2 cups of broth from the crock pot and mix the flour into it with a whisk. Then pour it back into the crock pot and cook for another 30 min. Serve.

Pork Chile Verde Sauce

3 lbs pork loin trimmed to bite size chunks
(2) 27 oz cans green chiles
1 large onion chopped
1 Tbsp garlic chopped
(2) 14.5 oz cans chicken broth
1 10 oz can rotel tomatoes with green chilies
3 chilpotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced
1/3 cup flour
salt and pepper

Garlic French Bread

This is probably one of the best loaves of bread I have ever made...it was so good that the family had it gone in the blink of an eye!

1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup warm water
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 cups bread flour (plus 1/4 cup if dough looks wet after the first 10 min of kneading)
1 Tbsp yeast
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten

I place all my ingredients in the bread machine, water first, butter , garlic ( you want this away from the yeast) flour, sugar, salt then the yeast. Set it on dough setting. After all the ingredients are incorporated by the kneading blade, add the beaten egg whites. (remember to check the dough for wetness after 10 min and add additional 1/4 cup flour if needed) You can now walk away till your dough cycle is complete.

Do something fun while you wait!

Once the cycle is complete remove the dough from the pan. Lightly grease a baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal.

Shape the dough into a baguette. You could also make several smaller baguette's if you chose. Place it on the the baking sheet, cover with a clean dish towel, and allow it to rise until double in a warm, draft free place.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, place rack in the center of the oven and back for 10 minutes then lower the temp to 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. The bread is done when the top is light brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

When I removed it I lightly brushed it with butter...cause what is bread with out butter???

The way we buy Cheese

We buy cheese in bulk from our local Costco. I say local we do have to drive a little bit to get to it but it is well worth the little drive. I only go once a month and I purchase items in bulk that I know are good buys. I purchase shredded cheese in bulk, come home and divide it up and freeze it. Yes freeze it. Many have asked do you then have to use it in cooking, the answer is no, it thaws nicely and can be used in anything.

The two kinds of shredded cheese I like to purchase in this manner are Colby/Jack and mozzarella. I use the Colby/jack in place of cheddar in most recipes.

I use a larger bowl and dump some of the cheese into it and measure out 2 cups of cheese into freezer, quart size, ziplock bags. This is the amount that you get in the supermarket.

I then label each back with it's contents and the date. Cheese almost never lasts over 6 weeks in our house so I really don't have to worry about this but if you use less cheese it will help you know when you need to use it up.

By purchasing the cheese this way, I save alot of money each month. Each package of Colby/Jack costs me about $.67 and the mozzarella costs me about $.87 per package.

Peanut butter, tuna, Parmesan cheese, and bread flour just to mention a few things also are purchased in bulk.

Pizza Pizza!

This is our homemade pizza...we are no longer sure there should ever be any other kind of pizza!!

I mix the dough from scratch using the bread machine but you could do this without a bread machine if you wish...I just like the dump it all in there and let it do it's thing aspect of the bread machine!

This is the dough after the "dough" cycle is done in the bread machine...if doing it without the machine this would be the first rise!

Once you remove the dough from the machine you will have "knocked" it down and then you will place it in a bowl that you have rubbed with cooking oil and then cover it and let it rise again for 20 minutes. (the bowl isn't dirty the black mark is actually part of the bowls coloring)

This is what your dough should look like after 20 minutes or so.

You are now ready to grease 2 pans...I used pans that are commercial size cookie sheets (12 3/4 X 17 1/2) I divide the dough in half and then I just start stretching and pulling gently and lay it in the pan. Then I repeat with the other half of the dough.

I then place the pans of crust in a 425 degree oven for about 5 minutes or until the bottom of the crust is stating to brown but not the top. Once they are at this stage I take them back out of the oven and let them sit while I prepare the toppings.

Yep you guessed it I make my own pizza sauce...I refuse to pay extra for a can of pizza sauce that is only tomato sauce with seasonings...I do my own! This is 1 16 oz can of tomato sauce.

This is the pizza season mix that I use. I love Penzey's spices...they are located in Overland Park KS but you can order from them on line also!

I would guess that I used about 1 tablespoons of the seasoning...start with a little and keep tasting till you get the desired flavor.

Now that it is well mixed let you sauce rest while you prepare your other toppings.

honey ham and pepperoni

ground beef

I use Parmesan, colby/jack and Mozzarella cheese.

I then divide the sauce between the two crusts and spread it around.

I sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese first

I then sprinkle on a little bit of the mozzarella cheese.

Then you add all the toppings you want...there are many options...add what you like!

And finally your last layers of cheese. I put on some more mozzarella, and then add a sprinkling of the colby/jack which is optional...we just like it.

You then bake in a 425 degree oven until your crust is a light brown and your cheese is melted and starting to brown. Remove from the oven and slice it up and watch it disappear!

Crust recipe

1 1/4 cups plus 1 Tbsp water (80 degrees)
4 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil
4 cups flour ( I use bread flour)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Place in bread machine in the order given and program for dough cycle. Once cycle is complete, remove dough from pan and place in a greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise in a warm draft free place for 20 to 25 minutes.
Divide the dough into 2 balls and spread it out evenly onto to greased baking sheets.

New Blog

Hi everyone! This is going to be our new blog about all things yummy!! My new Daughter in law to be and I have alot in common and cooking is one of them. We love to try new recipes and want to share our love of food and cooking we others. We are going to post food we make and we will try to provide money saving tips and help everyone with meal planning and wonderful recipes from the midwest.We are going to try to post at least one new recipe each week. Stay tuned we will post our first recipe soon.