tex mex dip

This recipe comes from my mother-in-law and is a staple at family gatherings. It is a variation on the classic 7 layer dip and a definite crowd pleaser! Neither Jon or I are fans of black olives, so I leave them out when making it just for our family.

3 medium avocados
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Mash avocados with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.

1 cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
1 package taco seasoning mix

Combine sour cream, mayonnaise and taco seasoning mix. Set aside.

1 can refried beans
sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
black olives, sliced
tomatoes, diced
green onions, sliced

On a serving platter layer beans, avocados, sour cream mixture, cheese, olives, tomatoes, and green onions. Serve with tortilla chips.

creamy chicken enchiladas

Finally, a recipe of my own! I have been making these enchiladas for as long as I can remember. I grew up eating them and now that I have a family of my own I love how simple they are to make. Plus, they make great leftovers. The only bad thing I can say about them is that I always end up eating way more than I should!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
garlic salt
pepper
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth
1 can diced green chilis
12 small flour tortillas
16 ounces colby jack cheese

Season chicken breasts with garlic salt and pepper. Bake in a casserole dish at 350 degrees until juices run clear, approximately 30 minutes depending on the size of your chicken breasts. Cut cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a medium bowl combine cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, and green chilis until smooth. If you prefer your enchiladas less saucy, use less chicken broth. Spread a little bit of sauce on the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch casserole dish. Layer flour tortillas, sauce, chicken, and cheese. Repeat twice. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Switch oven to broiler to brown and crisp up the top layer of cheese. Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream. I often serve this with a tossed green salad with ranch dressing and/or sweet corn.

Tips: My local grocery store sells shredded rotisserie chicken in the deli and it works great when I'm pressed for time. If you want to save a step, mix the chicken in to the sauce before you layer the casserole. When I layer the tortillas, I put one down at each end, slightly overlapping in the center. The circular nature of tortillas leaves sections around the edges uncovered, so I cut one tortilla in half and line the straight edge along the long side of the dish to cover it up. I then cut one tortilla in half and each of those halves in half. I then take each of these "right angles" and place them in the corners of this dish. This makes sure that the entire casserole dish is covered with tortilla, I repeat this process with each layer.

chicken parmesan

I made this recipe a couple of months ago after seeing it on my friend Emily's blog. She originally took it from the Sisters' Cafe. I'm a huge chicken parmesan fan, and this one did not disappoint.

Sauce Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (approximately 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 cans Italian diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are tender and transparent. Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Chicken ingredients:
1-2 pounds chicken breasts
2 eggs
Italian style breadcrumbs
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
8 ounces very thinly sliced mozzarella
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Dip the chicken in egg and then in bread crumbs. Heat oil and cook chicken 2-3 minutes on each side. Put chicken on the bottom of a large baking dish (9x13). Put one thin slice of mozzarella and sprinkle parmesan on each breast and half of sauce on top. Repeat. Cover with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. Top with grated parmesan cheese. Serve with spaghetti, linguine, or fettucine noodles and extra sauce.

Lowfat version: skip breading and frying of the chicken. Place the chicken raw in the dish and do one layer of the cheeses. I don't even measure, I just sprinkle on grated mozzarella and parmesan then top with sauce. Bake a little longer - more like 40 minutes. It is fabulous!

baked beef chimichangas

This recipe and picture comes from breakfast lunch & dinner. I made these earlier this week and froze about half of them for later use. Jon and I pulled some out tonight after a failed dinner attempt and I have to say that I think that I actually prefered them cooked from frozen. I served them with a salsa verde, but you could obviously serve with any traditional toppings.



1 pound cooked, shredded chicken or beef
1½ cup salsa (your favorite kind)
16 ounces refried beans
4 ounces diced green chilies
1 envelope taco seasoning
16 burrito size flour tortillas
16 ounces monterrey jack and cheddar cheese, cut into 16 sticks each

Toppings: sour cream, lettuce, guacamole, salsa, enchilada sauce etc.

In a skillet combine shredded meat, salsa, beans, un-drained chilies, and taco seasoning. Cook over medium heat until heated through. Warm tortillas (optional). For each chimi, place 1/3 cup mixture atop tortilla near one edge. Top with cheese sticks. Fold in sides, roll up starting with the mixture/cheese side first. Wrap each chimi individually in foil. Bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until crisp and brown, about 17-20 minutes more.

This also works great as a make-ahead meal. Once you wrap each chimi in foil, place them (uncooked) in freezer containers, seal and label. They will keep well for up to 6 months in the freezer, and can then even be reheated one at a time. When you are ready to cook the frozen chimis, follow the directions below, but cook for 50 minutes in the foil, then 17-20 without (may also thaw in fridge overnight & then cook with regular directions).

I used left-over pot roast but you could also put a roast in the crock pot the night before with some salt and pepper, a sliced onion or two, a jar of salsa or enchilada sauce, some cumin or taco seasoning. Cook on low overnight and through the day until ready to add the chimichanga ingredients. The meat is simply gorgeous by then, and has required minimal effort, which is always glorious.

creamy white chicken chili

I love a good white chili. I made this one the other night, and while we really liked the flavors, the original recipe (another one from My Kitchen Cafe) was a bit too spicy for my family. The recipe below has reduced amounts of green chilis, cumin, oregano, pepper, and cayenne pepper. If you like more kick, just double up on those ingredients.



1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips or cornbread muffins. Makes about 6 servings.

honey lime chicken enchiladas

This recipe can be found on both The Sisters' Cafe and My Kitchen Cafe blogs (picture taken from My Kitchen Cafe). I have made it a couple of times now and my husband prefers a little less lime in the marinade, so I watered it down a bit from the original recipe. I also decided that I prefer a little less chicken per enchilada, so I upped the tortilla count and used more than one casserole dish. I haven't tried it yet, but sour cream could also be mixed in to the final sauce before you pour it over the dish.



6 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded
12-14 flour tortillas
monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 cans green enchilada sauce

Mix the first five ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes. Cover the bottom of a casserole dish with enchilada sauce. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving some cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, switching to the broiler for the last couple of minutes until brown and crispy on top.

meatballs with cream sauce

This recipe/picture was taken from My Kitchen Cafe. Everything I have tried from this blog has been a total hit. I have a husband who generally doesn't eat leftovers, but this meal is one exception. We have made this recipe twice now, and we prefer to make our meatballs a little larger (about 15 meatballs) and cook them for longer.



MEATBALLS:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
3 tablespoons flour

CREAM SAUCE:
2 tablespoons butter
3 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 can chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

In a bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients EXCEPT the beef and flour. Add beef and mix well. Shape into balls. Roll in flour, shaking off excess. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet and bake, uncovered, at 400 for 10 minutes. Turn meatballs, bake 8-10 minutes longer or until no longer pink. Meanwhile, for the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, thyme, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add broth and milk; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. If using the full can of chicken broth, the sauce doesn't thicken overly much, but it is delicious that way. If you want it slightly thicker, cut down the chicken broth to 1 cup. Drain meatballs on paper towels; transfer to a serving dish. Top with sauce and parsley. Serve over rice or egg noodles.