Amazing Chicken Enchiladas!

I love some good Mexican food. That is the one type of food that I never get sick of. I have seen a lot of chicken enchilada recipes floating around over the years but never found one that really sounded up my alley until I saw this recipe. WARNING: This recipe is definitely not a quick one. There are a lot of step including cooking the chicken, shredding the chicken, mixing the sauces, chopping etc., but let me tell you, IT WAS WORTH IT! This recipe turned out amazing. We invited Jenn and Matt over to enjoy this with us and it was a hit with everyone.

Chicken Enchiladas (adapted from Angela's Awesome Enchiladas on allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - shredded
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package mild taco seasoning mix
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped, divided
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 5 (12 inch) flour tortillas
• 3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
• 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives (optional - we omitted these)
  

Directions

1. Place the chicken in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken pieces are no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Shred chicken by placing two forks back to back and pulling meat apart. Set the shredded chicken aside. Meanwhile, combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and chili powder in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.
2. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the shredded chicken, chopped green chilies, taco seasoning, half of the bunch of chopped green onion, and water. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, onion powder, and garlic powder; simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
3. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Stir 1 cup of the soup mixture into the skillet with the chicken mixture. Spread the remaining soup mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over the chicken filling before folding the tortillas, reserving half of the shredded cheese for topping the enchiladas. Fold tortillas over the filling and place seam-side down in the prepared pan.
5. Pour enchilada sauce evenly over the enchiladas. Cover with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of Cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the reserved chopped green onions and the sliced olives on top of the cheese. Bake in the preheated oven until filling is heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 25 minutes.

Tips for this recipe:

- You can use shredded chicken from rotisserie chickens and it would be just as good. I used some leftover rotisserie chicken for part of the recipe.
- To cook chicken, put frozen chicken breasts in a crock pot on high for a couple hours with some salt and pepper. They come out very flavorful and easy to shred.

Enjoy!

Sesame Beef Stir-Fry

In the summer I love making stir-fry for dinner. It is a great way to use summer vegetables. Since I usually do my stir-fry with chicken or shrimp I figured I would give this recipe a shot to try out a beef stir-fry. I am glad I did because it was delicious, healthy and quick, a great summer meal. I added broccoli and red pepper to the stir fry but I am sure you can add many other things like carrots, onion, pea pods, sprouts or egg.

Sesame Beef Stir-Fry (adapted from Sesame Beef on allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 pound top sirloin steak (can also use round steak)
  
• 1/2 C soy sauce
• 1/2 C white sugar
• 1/2 C canola oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 green onions, chopped
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions

1. Mix soy sauce, sugar, oil, garlic, and onions in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Cut steak into strips and add to bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 30 minutes.
3. Cook in wok or frying pan until brown, about 4 minutes. Add sesame seeds and vegetables and cook for additional 3-4 minutes.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

I never had homemade pizza until I started dating Aaron and went over to his house for dinner. My mother-in-law is a homemade pizza pro so I was instantly hooked. It has been a great meal to make together these first couple of years of marriage but it seemed like we were ready for a new challenge. Since we both love Barbecue Chicken pizza from restaurants I figured we could give it a shot at home. It turned out so well I can't wait to make it again.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

Ingredients
Ball of pizza dough(we used Meijer brand found by the bread in the freezer aisle)
Bottle of barbecue sauce
1-2 grilled chicken breasts seasoned with barbecue sauce, diced
1/2 small red onion, sliced
8 ounces of mozzarella cheese (we used slices of fresh mozzarella but you can use shredded as well)
1/4 lb. of cooked bacon, crumbled

Prepare pizza dough as directed on package. Spread dough with an even layer of barbecue sauce. Place diced chicken, onion, and bacon over sauce layer and cover with a layer of mozzerella cheese. Bake in a 450 degree over for 10-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Enjoy!


Aaron gave this meal a solid thumbs up!

I first heard about this recipe from my good friend, Krista. She told me about it and at first I was sceptical until she brought it over as an appetizer. I was hooked and had to try and make it myself. I made it a while back and brought it in to work and all the ladies I work with also enjoyed it very much. It is a very economical, flavorful, and colorful appetizer and would be especially great for these hot days in the summer. I would definitely give it a try if you are a pea fan.

Pea Pesto Crostini

Ingredients

Pesto:

• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, defrosted
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Crostini:

• 8 (1/2-inch thick) slices whole-grain baguette or ciabatta bread, preferably day-old ( I used a loaf of 50 cent day old Jimmy John's bread and it worked great!)
  
• 1/3 cup olive oil
  
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved or 1 small tomato, diced

Directions

For the pea pesto: Pulse together the peas, garlic, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a food processor. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

For the crostini: Preheat a stovetop griddle or grill pan on medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the sliced bread with olive oil and grill until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the bread to a clean surface and spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the prepared pesto on each slice. Top with tomato halves and serve. You could also serve as a dip as shown below.

Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse and I go way back. I remember the first time I had chocolate mousse was on my yearly birthday date with my dad. We went to a place called The Pickle Barrel in Willis, MI for fish and chips most years. One of my favorite things about that place was the deep fried dill pickles that you could dip in ranch! It was a great tradition. The first year we went to The Pickle Barrel the waitress said that I would get a free chocolate mousse for my birthday as dessert. Upon hearing that, I immediately thought we would be having chocolate covered moose meat and freaked out a bit about it. To my delight, the waitress came with the light and chocolaty dessert. I was an instant fan and and still am.
After having chocolate mousse at a restaurant recently I figured I would give it a shot. I would say it turned out very well, including the fanned strawberry garnish. One important lesson that I learned is that it is possible to over beat whipped cream, as I did with both the mousse and the whipped cream topping. Even with the over beating, this dessert was one for the recipe box and I look forward to making it again for a great dessert on a nice hot summer day.

Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

• 8 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips
  
• 1/2 cup water, divided
• 2 tablespoons butter (no substitutes)
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/4 cups whipping cream, whipped

Directions

1. In a microwave or double boiler, heat chocolate, 1/4 cup water and butter until the chocolate and butter are melted. Cool for 10 minutes. In a small heavy saucepan, whisk egg yolks, sugar and remaining water. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture reaches 160 degrees F, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat; whisk in chocolate mixture. Set saucepan in ice and stir until cooled, about 5-10 minutes. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon into dessert dishes. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Yields 6 servings.
   

Southwestern Summer Salad

My favorite part of summer (well, I have a lot of favorites!) is the fresh produce. Catherine and I got some amazing deals this week at Meijer, including yellow, orange, and red bell peppers for one dollar! With a fridge full of fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, and peppers, I decided to put together a fun salad. Why need the lettuce? I added some corn and black beans and it was a healthy, colorful side to our grilled chicken!

Southwestern Summer Salad
1 can black beans, drained
1 can (or frozen bag) of corn, drained
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
3 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. balsalmic vinegar
ground cumin
chilli powder
salt and pepper

Chop the veggies into large cubes. Add the corn and black beans. Mix the olive oil and vinegar in a jar, shake, and stir in. Add a few dashes of ground cumin, chilli powder, salt, and pepper, to taste. It should take less than 10 minutes! Enjoy immediately!