CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Cheesy chicken enchiladas

Can you say “Yum!”? This is one of those recipes that I cut out of a magazine thinking, "I might be able to serve this someday". Chicken and Tex-Mex makes me happy!  I sometimes prepare chicken too often according to my sweet hubby, but even he never complains when I am ready to serve these for dinner.

  

The original copy

Velveeta used to be so much cheaper, but even at today’s prices, I always use Velveeta brand vs the store brand of cheese. The Philadelphia cream cheese makes these so creamy and delicious. You can use left-over chicken or you can cut some fresh chicken into cubes and have that cooked up PDQ!

Cooked chicken, spices, cream cheese

As you can see, I mix this up in a skillet on the stove instead of using the microwave. It works great in the microwave if you have left over chicken.

½ cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon oil

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies

¼ cup chicken broth

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

4 oz cream cheese, cubed

6 flour tortilla (6 or 8 inch)

¼ pound Velveeta, cubed

2 tablespoons milk

½ cup chopped tomato, divided (I use my salsa instead) 

Microwave onion, garlic and oil in 2-quart microwave-safe casserole on High 2 – 3 minutes or until tender, stirring after 2 minutes.  Stir in chicken, chilies, broth and seasonings.  Microwave on high 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Add cream cheese; stir until cream cheese is melted.  Spoon 1/3 cup chicken mixture onto each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam side down, in 8-inch square microwave-safe baking dish.  Microwave Velveeta, and ¼ cup tomato in medium microwave –safe bowl on high 2 to 3 minutes or until Velveeta is melted, stirring after each minute.  Pour sauce over tortillas; top with remaining tomatoes.  Microwave on high 6 to 8 minutes or until thoroughly heated, turning dish after 3 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Stir until the cream cheese is melted. Then fill and roll the tortilla shells.

I usually double this recipe. I love to make this for family and friends! One other thing I have discovered, if you prepare these ahead of time, like I have done in the past, it will take a bit longer to heat these since they have been in the refrigerator. I bake them at 325 until heated thoroughly. Be careful not to overcook them – been there and done that! Don’t burn the cheese! But do use a meat thermometer to make sure they are fully heated before you serve them.

Enjoy! 

CINNAMON CARAMEL APPLES

I had the pleasure of using my kitchen to taste test this recipe for baked apples. My house was filled with the mouth-watering smell of apples and cinnamon. It was so easy and delicious, I had to test this recipe again...and again! 

Bake apples  at 350 degrees for 20-45 minutes depending on the type and quantity of apples. 
The more apples you have packed in the dish, the longer it takes to bake.

This recipe is oh, so easy! The ingredients can be adjusted to feed a crowd of 50 or to make just enough for one or two to enjoy. 

Shiny, clean Gala apples.
Choose your favorite apple!

My superman used an apple corer slicer to make quick work!

Wash, core and slice 2 apples.
Toss the apples with the following mixture:

1 teaspoon cornstarch 

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a baking dish. Add the coated apples and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes (or until the apples are tender). Stir to cover the apples with that yummy cinnamon caramel sauce that will be in the bottom of the pan and serve! 

We used one stick of butter in a 9 X 13 casserole dish and 10 apples.

Tossed apples in the brown sugar and cinnamon coating.
We used a gallon-size plastic bag to mix four apples at a time to make sure the apples were evenly coated.

Left over apples should be stored in the refrigerator. This makes a delicious side dish whether it is served hot or cold. But on a day like today, you'll want to serve this warm from the oven!

 

MEAT-FREE FRIDAY

How surprising to discover that tofu is just as delicious as any meat I've prepared. It doesn't feel like much of a sacrifice to eat tofu instead of meat.

First find tofu. You may have to ask your grocer because it was well hidden at our local store. But we found it in the produce section.  I cubed it, soaked it in a brine of hot water and salt, then drained and pressed it gently between paper towels.

Toss the dried cubes in a mixture of:

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2  teaspoon onion powder

1/2  teaspoon garlic powder

1/4  teaspoon ginger

1/4  teaspoon powdered mustard

Heat oven to 400 degrees and preheat a 9x13 oven safe pan with approximately 2 tablespoons of oil distributed over the bottom of the pan. Carefully place tofu cubes in the preheated pan.  Bake for 15 minutes, turn the tofu cubes over and bake 15 more minutes or until golden brown. 

The cubes were tasty and crunchy. I served them with a pan of fresh stir fried vegetables over rice with a dressing of Kikoman sweet and sour sauce. 

Thanks to the tutelage of my son Joel jr., I feel confident to prepare tofu. If I can do it, so can you!

It was a very tasty, meat free dinner!

PASTA SAUCE

I am so thankful to be blessed with a bountiful garden this year. We have been gathering fresh tomatoes, peppers, onions, green beans  and more! There is nothing better than the taste of a tomato fresh off the vine still warm from the sun! But even I can't eat all those tomatoes! How wonderful to be able to make something we need and want from that bounty - pasta sauce! 

Use fresh ingredients

If you want to put up some of your own sauce, first make sure all your vegetables are clean. Then cut out any bad spots and the stems of course. I use a food processor for the chopping. I have a pulse option and that helps a lot.  

Chop and measure

After two hours of simmering  and stirring, followed by 40 minutes of a boiling water bath, we have the finished product! The recipe made six quarts of really delicious pasta sauce! Of course I've already given a jar to my Dahling Daughter Dayna.  But have no fear. You too may enjoy this delicacy.  I am sharing the recipe here so you may try your hand at this too! If you don't have a garden, surely you can find a farmer's market for the best ingredients! Or...make a midnight run on my garden.  Ha! Ha! Ha!

The finished product waiting for my next meal!

I have to thank my sister-in-law Lynn for her authentic Italian family recipe! Here is the recipe if you would like to make some of your own!

Lynn's Family Recipe

If you can't read the fine print, let me know and I'll email the recipe to you.  Always follow safe food handling precautions when canning. Note that her recipe says you can freeze this sauce if you don't have a pot for processing your jars.

Pumpkin Cake

I was searching for something for dinner that was buried deep in my freezer when I stumbled across a package of my frozen pumpkin! Not what I was looking for, but a great idea spark for the cake I'm baking to share at God's Gathering. Last fall, I cooked our Halloween pumpkin. Please note, we hadn't carved that pumpkin, but drew the Jack-o-lantern's face on it so I could spin it around and leave it out through Thanksgiving. Don't you just love to decorate for the seasons? I sure do! Anyway, I peeled, and cooked that pumpkin then froze it in one-cup portions.  I do love to bake treats and hide that vegetable nutrition from carrots, zucchini, or pumpkin inside! So here's another tasty treat you can bake up yourself! Or stop by my house...I bake requests you know! I could ship this to you, but you would have frost it when it arrives. I'm not sure butter cream frosting would survive in a box! Let me know what you think of this spicy, nutty, cranberry, pumpkin cake.

PUMPKIN CAKE　
　
1 2/3 cups flour
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ground ginger
3 eggs slightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
2/3 cup cooking oil
½ cup chopped nuts
½ cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves. Beat eggs, pumpkin, sugar, and oil. Mix in dry ingredients and beat on medium speed for two minutes. Stir in nuts and cranberries. Spread batter evenly in an ungreased 9x13-baking pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack. Spread with cream cheese frosting or butter cream frosting.