White Chicken Enchiladas

So these Enchiladas are on my food storage meal list.  All the ingredients are things I have on hand.  Also they are SUPER easy to make.  Even Bree likes them.  I didn't have any tortillas so I made them by hand it wasn't to bad:-).  This Recipe is my favorite.  I usually half it so that it doesn't take me forever.  I also add a teaspoon or two to the mix.  That's what a lady in my ward said was her trick.

So tonight we had these roasted Potatoes.  Brandon said they kind of remind him of the Arby's curly fries.  Super easy and very yummy.  With this I made these yummy Rolls.  They were super soft and buttery.  I also liked them because they are supposed to raise either over night or for 4-6 hours.  I have an easier time making things in advanced because it seems by 4 Cade needs me a lot more.  And I need him:-).  I love crock pot meals for that reason too.  This Slow Cooker Swiss Chicken is easy and simple.  I used the Petridge Farm stuffing we had left over from Thanksgiving.

Fair Food

Kimball is in charge of meals on the weekend so when he was home sick one day he saw these amazing Corn Dogs being made by his favorite chef on The Chew.  It was pretty easy to make and tasted great too.

Since we were having corn dogs and the oil was still out, I wanted to try making Funnel Cake.  Mmmmm. Tasty.

After we were done, we decided it was a little to much fried food for one night.

The Ultimate 7-Layer Dip

We made Mels Ultimate 7-layer Dip for Superbowl Sunday at Miranda's house.  It took us 2 hours to double the recipe to make a 9x13 pan.  I swore I would never make it again even if it was amazing and I told everyone there that they needed to eat it and lie to me that it was amazing even if it wasn't.

In the end it was delicious.  Kimball suggested more beans, but I was fine with the amount.  I shouldn't have doubled the recipe because there was lots left.  It ended up that the leftovers of it was amazing too.  We left some with Miranda and she wished we left more.  I think the limes kept the avocados green even after two days.  We ended up using it on quesadilla's and the kids ate it for there afternoon snacks both days.  After it was gone we were all a little sad.

Miranda suggested if we make it again to have everyone bring a prepared layer and then it wouldn't be so overwhelming.

My regrets about this was that it cost more than I should have spent (though eating it for two extra days made me feel better about it), Kimball missed a lot of the Superbowl to help me, and I missed out on family time.

On a side note, the recipe says "Note: STOP! Don't get scared away by all the components and ingredients listed below. I promise it's not as complicated as it looks - and I promise the result is worth it".  Don't believe it.

Bree complained last night about dinner.  I told her that she had to make dinner the next day all by herself and then I was going to "choke it down" like she does to me every night.  It wasn't really a punishment because she loved it and asked if she cook cook every Tuesday.  It would be nice to have another cook in the house:-).  She made Breadsticks which were super yummy.  For the butter we used 2 T. Butter and 1/2 tsp.  garlic salt and then after they got out of the oven she put more garlic butter on it and sprinkled it with Parmesan cheese.  Yum!  Then she made spaghetti.   She even had seconds.  On the side we had apples with dip.

Apple dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened slightly
2-4 T.  Brown sugar depending on how sweet you want it
Toffee Bits, as much as you would like

Mix until combined.

Kielbasa

I don't know where Kimball found this recipe.  But we like it a lot.
Kielbasa is a kind of sausage and is in that area of the grocery store.  I usually half the recipe and decrease the onions by a lot. We also serve it over rice instead of potatoes.
Let me know if you try it.

yield: Makes 6 (main course) servings

active time: 25 min

total time: 50 min

Sweet caramelized onions and a tart Granny Smith apple are a perfect balancing act, especially when combined with rich smoked sausage.

Ingredients:

2 pound smoked kielbasa (preferably beef and pork), cut crosswise into 3-inch lengths

·         2 tablespoons olive oil

·         3 large onions, chopped (6 cups)

·         1/2 teaspoon salt//

·         1 teaspoon black pepper

·         1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

·         1 large Granny Smith apple

·         1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fluid ounces)

·         Accompaniment: mashed potatoes

Lightly score each piece of sausage in several places with a sharp paring knife. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then brown half of sausage, turning occasionally, until golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm. Pour off fat from skillet and wipe skillet clean. Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet and brown remaining sausage in same manner, transferring to bowl as cooked.

Wipe skillet clean again, then cook onions with salt and pepper in butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, peel, core, and finely chop apple. Stir apple and broth into onion mixture and simmer briskly, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until apple is tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Add sausage and simmer, stirring, until heated through, about 1 minute.

Crispy Wraps

We have made both the Crispy Chicken Wraps and the Crispy South West Chicken Wraps of Mel's and have loved them. The only change in the recipe I made was the amount of black beans.  I only used half the amount because I don't like them, but the rest of them would have been fine with the full amount.  Hey, at least I didn't omit them all.  Go me!

Italian Meatball Subs

I have used Mel's recipe for these subs twice.  We have really liked them.  It makes a ton so we have frozen the extras for another day.  This last time I even made the French Bread Rolls she suggests.  That was a lot of cooking for one day, but you girls seem to cook like this all the time.  You're my hero's.

BBQ cups

I made this las night and it was yummy and a super fast.
I got it off the Six Sisters website which I love!
http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2014/01/bbq-cups-recipe.html

Instead of the premaid biscuits I made home made ones.
This is the recipe I used:

Big Daddy Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 T. Sugar
1 T. Baking powder
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425.  In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.  Turn onto a floured surface and knead 15-25 times.  Pat or roll dough into 1 inch think.  Repeat until all the dough is gone.  Brush off excess flour and place onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 14 minutes or until edges are brown.

Hot Hoagies

Made these HOT HOAGIES from Mel's Kitchen Cafe tonight.  Along with a green salad. Super delicious.

Would have been easier and faster to make if I didn't have a one year old holding on to my leg and crying most of the time:-)

Creamy Swiss Cheese Chicken Bake

Miranda told me about this delicious recipe.  And I actually had all the ingredients to make it.  I should have halved it though.  It lasted two dinners +.

Bread Bowls

I've had Mel's bread bowl recipe in my "box" for a while now. Since Jefferson has been off dairy, I couldn't think of a thick enough soup to go in a bowl that didn't require dairy. Well, he's doing well with dairy so far, so I made the bread bowls tonight with a potato soup.

Here's the link to the BREAD BOWLS. The only thing I didn't do is to put the cornmeal on the bottom, since it's corn that we think is giving Jefferson problems. I also learned that I need to NOT put them on an air bake pan (it's suppose to let your cookies not burn or get too crispy on the bottom). It made them get too soggy too fast on the bottom. I'll cook them on a regular cookie sheet next time.

My soup recipe was a mix of Mel's and one from Better Homes and Garden's cookbook:
(This made a very large batch)

Potato soup

12 Medium Potatoes
3 T. Butter
6 T. Flour
3/4 tsp. dill
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon (Better than Bouillon)
3 cups water, divided

Peel, cook (I cooked mine in my pressure cooker), and mash the potatoes with 2 cups of water. (depending on how chunky or smooth you like your soup, you can also blend them instead of mash them)

Melt Butter in large pot over medium heat. Add flour, dill, salt and pepper. Heat, occasionally stirring for 5-10 minutes until it starts to "relax" or be more liquid-like. Add the milk all at once and heat, occasionally stirring, until it is thick and bubbly. This always take longer than I think it should. I think today it was at this step for almost a half an hour before it was "ready". Add the potatoes and add more water as needed for the consistency you want.

We topped ours with green onions and cheese, but I was really wishing I had taken the time to fry up some bacon.

My older boys were souper excited about eating out of a bread bowl until it came time to eat the soggy bread. I remember not liking soggy bread when I was younger (chicken pot pies use to make me gag). But Benjamin, Jon and I LOVED them.

First post for the Jenny!

I have no idea what I'm doing. Heee Heee. So here is my first post. Hee Heee. Can you see just how giddy I am!

Here is a recipe that I tried:

Crispy Chicken wraps

You'll find that I change recipes so much, they might not be the same. I didn't have cilantro. I used onions instead of scallions. I used mayo instead of the sour cream (since Jefferson wasn't eating sour cream then). And I used canned chicken since I didn't have a rotisserie chicken. So it ended up like a chicken salad sandwich recipe with cheese in a tortilla. My family loved these, although I don't think I used 3 cups of chicken like it called for, so it wasn't enough to make a full meal for us. But it was fast and tasty. Maybe a good hearty lunch.

Enjoy!

Big Beautifiul Muffins

This muffin recipe is one of my favorites. I make these a couple times a week. YUM!

Big Beautiful Muffins

3 cups flour (when I make it I use half white wheat, Brandon likes it all white)
1 cup sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup plain low fat yogurt (if in a pinch you can use sour cream)
2 large eggs
8 T. unsalted butter (if using salted butter just lessen the salt just a little bit)

In one bowl mix all the flour ingredients. In another bowl mix all the wet ingredients (except butter) together. Then mix the wet with the dry. Fold in the butter. Spray the 12 cup muffin tin with vegetable oil spray. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tin. Bake 375 for 20-25 minutes. In our oven we usually only cook them for 15 minutes so you may want to check them earlier.

Variations that we love:

Lemon Blueberry muffins
Add 1 tsp. grated lemon zest (I have used 1/2 tsp. of lemon extract) to the wet mixture. Fold 1 1/2 cup of blueberries into the batter.

Raspberry-Almond muffins
Add 1/2 tsp. almond extract into the wet ingredients. Spoon half the batter in the muffing tin, then spoon 1 tsp. of raspberry jam in the middle. Top with the other half of batter.

Banana-Walnut
Add 1/2 tsp. nutmeg to the flour mixture. Substitute 1 cup of brown sugar with the white sugar. Fold in 1 1/2 cup diced (I mash) banana into the batter. You can add 3/4 cup toasted walnuts into the finished batter, but Bree wont eat it with nuts.

Baked Oatmeal

For dinner tonight I made Mel's Kitchen Cafe Baked Oatmeal.

3 cups oatmeal, either quick or old-fashioned

3/4 cups brown sugar

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup applesauce

1 cups milk

2 beaten eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoons salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased 8X8-inch baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve with milk and/or fresh fruit.

*We poured milk over it, sprinkled cinnamon, and I finely chopped up blueberries.

**I know Miranda has to make some changes so that it is not so sugary. hopefully she will leave a comment with her changes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is again Miranda's recipe.

These are delicious. I'm actually eating one right now.

I put all but one batch in the freezer. It seems to keep them from drying out and it only takes a couple of minutes out to have them thawed out.

2/3 c. shortening

2/3 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

3 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 pkg. chocolate chips (this time I used the mixed bag with chocolate and peanut butter chips)

Mix first six ingredients. Add next four. Then add chips.

Cook at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Calzones

This is a super easy meal that I learned from my friend Diana.

Rhodes rolls (3 for adult, 2 for children)

Toppings (we usually do pepperoni, pineapple, and olives)

Mozzarella cheese

Thaw out rolls about 45 minutes) roll 3 (or 2for children) into circle. Fill half with toppings. Add generous amounts of cheese on same half. Fold over and pinch edges. Place on greased cookie sheets. Cook on 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

No Bake Lasagna

This again is Miranda's recipe. I made this for the missionaries this week. I didn't take a picture because I felt weird taking it in front them.

This is also a great freezer meal.

For meat, this time I used 1/2 pound ground beef, 1/4 pound Italian sausage, and 1/4 pound hot Italian sausage. Mmmmmmm.

1 lb. ground beef

½ cup chopped onion

Garlic (to your liking)

1 32-oz Jar spaghetti sauce

16 oz. medium diced tomatoes

½ cup water

½ package lasagna noodles

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 T. Parsley

3 cups shredded cheese

Parmesan cheese

Brown ground beef with onion and drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce, water, and tomato chunks.

Cheese mixture: Ricotta cheese, garlic, salt, parsley, and parmesan cheese. Spread on noodles.

Meat mixture, noodles, cream, meat, cheese, noodles, etc.

Bake at 375 for 50 minutes with foil and 15 minutes without.

Here's a great pizza sauce recipe that we tried with Miranda's  pizza crust! it was really good. :) here's the link - http://www.food.com/recipe/ultimate-pizza-sauce-114392  Enjoy!

Brownies

This really is not the best picture. My friend Kimber gave me this recipe. It's nice to have a fast easy recipe for desert. It's gooey yumminess!

Brownies

1 cup melted butter
2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
dash salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup cocoa

Mix all ingredients. Grease bottom of 9X13 in pan. Pour brownies in pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.