Chicken Enchilladas - New Recipe #1

I am pleased to say that the first of my experimental recipes went really well today.

I first fell in love with enchilladas after ordering them at Moxie's about five or six years ago. I right away went home and starting looking for a recipe. I've had my enchillada recipe that I've been using since then and it is always met with rave reviews. My original recipe has a cream filling but tonight's was mostly tomato and only slightly creamy.

I didn't think that my kids would be crazy about it but my three year old son told me that it was a good supper and my one year old daughter sat in her high chair and continued to eat for about half an hour. Apparently this recipe is also kid-friendly.

This recipe comes from Allrecipes.com and the only changes I made to it was to adjust the chili powder to suit my family's tastes (about 3/4 tsp.) and I used red/orange/yellow peppers instead of green since they aren't a favorite of mine. I also shredded the chicken instead of cubing it as this was mentioned in one of the reviews on this recipes.
We ate this with rice and corn and it was fantastic!

Chicken Enchilladas
(4 servings)

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1-1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/2 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons chopped green bell pepper
1/2 clove garlic, minced
4 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1/2 (12 ounce) jar taco sauce
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium, non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. Drain excess fat. Cube the chicken and return it to the skillet. Add the onion, sour cream, Cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano and ground black pepper. Heat until cheese melts. Stir in salt, tomato sauce, water, chili powder, green pepper and garlic.
3. Roll even amounts of the mixture in the tortillas. Arrange in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with taco sauce and 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Original Recipe found at: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Enchiladas-I/Detail.aspx

Experiment Menu Week

I've been using menus for my weekend meal planning for quite some time now. Probably close to five years. Although I have some great recipes, I love to find something new. This week I took a long on allrecipes.com for meals on a budget. We are a single income family and I'm always looking for something new and interesting that isn't going to break the bank. This week's menu consists of all new recipes but one. Since it's supposed to be a rainy/cold week, I've looked for a few heartier meals to keep us all warm. Here's to hoping that we're eating good this week...and hopefully find a few goodies.

Grilled Chicken & Veggie Pizzas

We got our BBQ out from storage a few weeks ago and have enjoyed pulling out a few of our "summer" recipes. This is a favorite of ours. This is my own adapted version of a vegetarian recipe from the Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook - Celebrating the Promise Limited Edition, pg 340. I add grilled chicken but you could easily substitute shrimp.

The day I made these pizzas we were having company for supper. I prepared the veggies and chicken earlier in the afternoon. I mixed with the mayo and pesto right before I threw them on the grill. I had this post in mind while I was preparing them but apparently I forgot to take some pictures of the finished product once the company was here. Another day I'll try and get a few pictures of the actual pizzas. I've also noticed from the pictures that I must have had some extra asparagus that day. The asparagus was a nice touch!


2 chicken breasts
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise
1 small yellow summer squash, quartered lengthwise
1 small red pepper, quartered lengthwise
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large ripe tomato, seeded and chopped
1/4 c. mayonnaise
3 tbsp. purchased basil pesto ( I use the Epicure Pesto Mix)
4 6- to 7-inch pita breads or individual pizza crusts
1 c. shredded mozzarella or smoked provolone


1. Brush zucchini, summer squash, and sweet pepper with olive oil; sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. black pepper. Grill vegetables and chicken, allowing 8-10 minutes for sweet pepper and 5-6 minutes for zucchini and summer squash. Remove vegetables and chicken from grill.
















2. Chop grilled vegetables and chicken. In a medium bowl combine chopped vegetables, chicken, tomato, mayonnaise, and pesto. Spread mixture over one side of the pitas. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Place on grill rack. Cover and grill for 2-3 minutes or until pitas are slightly toasted, vegetables are heated, and cheese melts. Carefully remove from grill. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce to medium. Cover and grill vegetables and pitas as above.)

Cantonese Chicken

OK..so I'm kind of back. I've got a computer to use for now and hopefully will have my laptop up and running this week.
This chicken recipe has been a favorite in our household lately. It's very simple and is great with rice and a veggie.
I prefer to use boneless skinless chicken thighs but any chicken works. My recipe does not indicate how much chicken to use but this is enough sauce for a family of four or five anyways.

Cantonese Chicken

1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. soya sauce
1/4 c. vinegar or lemon juice
1/4 c. ketchup
1/2 c. water
1-2 heaping tbsp. corn starch

Bring ingredients to boil. Pour over raw chicken pieces. Bake covered for 1.5 hours and 350* Uncover for last 1/2 hour. Serve over hot rice.

This Blog Has Not Been Forgotten...

Although three months have passed since I have last posted something on here...I have not forgot. You can say I've had technical difficulty. My laptop is sitting in the basement in about 100 pieces. To say the least, it makes it a bit difficult to use :)
We are hoping to have it up and running soon. My internet access has primarily been on my iPod since the middle of February and it is impossible to post from there. I have been taking pictures as I cook and have some good recipes to put up as soon as possible.
Don't forget about me...I hope to be back soon.