Honey-Lime Enchiladas

Ok girls, we need to get this recipe blog going again! So I am posting a recipe I recently came across on TheSistersCafe.com. I LOVE this website. It has so many ideas. Anyway, this recipe was awesome and it freezes very well. Hope you like it too.


Honey Lime Enchiladas
recipe from The Sisters Cafe

1.5 lbs pork or chicken, cooked and shredded

Sauce:

1/3 c honey

1/4 c lime juice

1 Tb chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce

equal parts mixed together of:

mozzarella cheese, shredded

cheddar cheese, shredded

flour tortillas

Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes.

Lightly spray 2 pans with non-stick baking spray. (I usually use one 9×13 and one 9×9 but it may vary with how thick you stuff your enchiladas) Pour green enchilada sauce into pans to coat the entire bottom. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in dish.

Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top – don’t be stingy! (I sometimes use more like 1 1/2 cans- you can freeze left over enchilada sauce in a baggy.) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn on broiler and place enchiladas nearer the top of oven. Let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy.

Easy Polenta

Polenta is known as a peasant food, but is actually now served at high end restaurants covered with all kinds of sauces and toppings to make it a gourmet food. It is known for both its heartiness and its nutricious values, so give it a try! Here you go!

Polenta:

3 cups water
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp chicken-flavored instant bouillon
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 Tbsp melted butter

In a large saucepan blend 1 cup water and 1 cup cornmeal and bring to a boil and mix until smooth. Then add the remaining 2 cups water, the bouillon, garlic powder, basil, and hot pepper sauce and bring to a boil/

Once boiling bring down to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes or until very thick...stirring frequently.

Pour the polenta into a greased pie pan and let stand for 15 minutes.

Cut the polenta into wedges; place on a broiler pan drizzling the melted butter over the top and then broil for 4-6 minutes or until bubbly.

OPTIONAL IDEAS:
*Sprinkle cheese over the top before broiling
*Once polenta is done, cover with sauteed mushrooms & onions, pico, or fresh, homemade sauces (tomato or onion).

Tortilla Soup

my friend Jaci posted this on her blog while ago actually

and it's pretty good! 

i forgot to take a picture after making it though. sorry no pic.

Rumbi Island Grill Tortilla Soup

-3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves 
-8 cups chicken broth 
-1 cup carrot, diced very thin 
-1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 
-1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped  
-1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
-1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped 
-1 tablespoon garlic clove, minced 
-1 cup chopped tomato 
-1 cup coconut milk 
-1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 
-1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded 
-2 cups white corn tortilla chips, cut into strips 
-2 limes, cut into wedges 
-salt 

Directions:

In a large pot, combine the cooked chicken, water, bouillon and carrot. Season with allspice, thyme, cinnamon, ginger and garlic. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Pour in the tomato, coconut milk and hot pepper sauce. Heat through, but do not boil.

Ladle into bowls, and top with shredded mozzarella cheese and tortilla strips. Squeeze juice onto soup from lime wedges. 

You will feel kinda fancy! -- 
You just made a restaurant soup! :) 

*i like to put avocado wedges in my tortilla soup too, but that's just me*

Zucchini Risotto

This is a really good vegetarian dish! Try it. :)

1 cup arborio rice
2 Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic salt
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 zucchini
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
freshly ground pepper

In heavy saucepan, saute rice in butter stirring constantly.
Add onion, red pepper, and garlic salt. Saute until onions and peppers are tender.
Add 1 cup chicken stock, stirring frequently.
As the liquid cooks down, continue adding 1/2 cup stock at a time until all the stock is used and the mixture is creamy. Keep stirring!
Add zucchini.
Stir in milk.
Fold in cheese.
Top with fresh ground pepper.
Serve immediately.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

4-6 Tbsp shortening or butter

About 1 and 1/4 cups warm water

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt

Cut in shortening or butter

Add water little by little, not allowing dough to get sticky

Separate into 12 equal parts and roll out into tortilla shaped flats

Either bake tortillas under the broiler for about 30-60 seconds each side or pan-fry them in a frying pan for a few seconds each side

Enjoy!

Stuffed Cabbage

*ok, ok. don't judge the poor things by their cover. they look nasty but taste great*

i didn't take this picture-- i forgot to take one of my own:)

Dan's sister, mom and I made this one night in Colorado. It was so tasty!

Stuffed Cabbage

1 large head of cabbage
1-1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
1 1/4 tsp corriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
season with pepper
1 TB brown sugar
1 egg
2 dollups tomato paste
1/3 c uncooked rice
1 medium onion finely chopped

Bring large pot of water to boil and steam cabbage head. Cut the center core out as best as you can as this will make it easier to remove the individual leaves when boiling. As leaves fall off the head of cabbage remove them from the pot and set on a plate to cool. Be careful not to overcook cabbage as it will make it difficult to wrap because the leaves will rip.

In a frying pan with 1 TB oil brown the onion and rice for a few minutes. Then mix in with all other ingredients listed above.

Use the very small cabbage pieces from the center of the cabbage to line the bottom of the pot. Roll up your cabbages and put them in the pot. I cut the very large cabbage leaves in half before rolling them just to make more rolls and I usually need all the cabbage to use up all the meat mixture.

Add to the pot
3 Beef Bouillon Cubes
2 - 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes
6-8 cups water...enough to barely cover cabbage rolls

Cover and bring pot to a boil and then simmer for about an hour. Garnish with sour cream and enjoy.

Gumbo

Here is my attempt at writing down my gumbo recipe. I usually just add stuff and don't really measure, but with gumbo I think it's all a preference and it turns out great every time. So here are my guesstimates - Hope you enjoy!

I use a big pot to make my gumbo in. Start by making a roux (equal parts butter and flour). I usually use 1-2 Tbsp of each. On medium high heat, melt them together, whisking the whole time.


You want to whisk it until it becomes a light brown color, a little darker than the picture below.


After it turns a light brown color I add the following:

1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 or 3 roma tomatoes (blended in the blender with a little water to make them smooth)
2 tsp chili garlic sauce (found on the ethnic/Asian food isle) - we use this stuff A LOT when we cook.
1 Tbsp. molasses
1 tsp. salt
2-3 cups of chicken broth (depending on if you like it thicker or not)
1 small onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 bay leaves
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 1/2 cups sliced smoked sausage (we buy the Jennie-o Lean Turkey sausage - and use about 1/3 of the package)

Cover and let it simmer for at least 30 minutes to let flavors blend. I have made it a couple of hours in advance and let it simmer until we were ready to eat.


Serve over cooked rice. Even Annabelle loves this stuff, but then again her eating habits aren't quite normal ;)

I'm posting this recipe on the other two *other recipe blogs that I contribute to--not only because I don't have three new recipes to contribute this month, but also because my hubby thought this was SO GOOD (so did I) that I figured I'd share it with everyone.

I made this recipe up for the sole reason that I have never found a good, healthy tuna noodle recipe that wasn't full of butter, sour cream, and cheese. So, I threw together my own ideas and it was a success. Let me know what YOU and YOUR family thinks!

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Boil Egg noodles so that you'll have about 3-4 cups of cooked noodles

Meanwhile, in a large skillet sautee (in about 1-2 tsp olive oil):
1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
8 oz (or 10 medium) mushrooms (chopped)
About 1/2-3/4 cup cooking sherry
1 tsp minced garlic

Once onions are translucent add:
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of celery soup
1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
2 tsp ground mustard powder
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 to 2 tsp onion salt
1 to 2 tsp garlic powder
1 to 2 tsp salt
1 to 2 tsp pepper

Stir together until its creamy then stir in:
3 cans of tuna (6 oz cans) after draining liquids

When noodles are nearly all the way done boiling, drain the water and stir them in with the creamy tuna mixture in the skilllet. Once thoroughly mixed together pour contents of skillet into a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Sprinkle top of noodles with about 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Place in oven for about 15 minutes or until bread crumbs are browned and top noodles are crisp

Serve hot! Enjoy!

*Pleasant and Plump
*Tried and True Food

Magic in the Middle Cookies

(picture from My Kitchen Cafe)
Magic in the Middle Cookies
from King Arthur Flour Blog
Chocolate Dough
1 1/2 cups (6 3/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar (plus extra for dredging)
1/2 cup (3 3/4 ) brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

Peanut butter filling
3/4 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth, your choice
3/4 cup (3 ounces) confectioners' sugar

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
2. To make the dough: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
3. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg, beating to combine, then stir in the dry ingredients, blending well.
4. To make the filling: In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter and confectioners sugar until smooth.
5. With floured hands or a teaspoon scoop, roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls. (after I formed them into balls, they were pretty sticky, so I froze them for a little while, and it made it a lot easier to work with.)
6. To shape the cookies: Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough (a lump about the size of a walnut), make an indentation in the center with your finger and place one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation.
7. Bring the cookie dough up and over the filling, pressing the edges together cover the center; roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
9. Roll each rounded cookie in granulated sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
10. Grease the bottom of a drinking glass, and use it to flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch thick.
11. Bake the cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, or until they're set and you can smell the chocolate. Remove from the oven and cool on the rack. (I couldn't tell when they were done so I cooked them longer, and I overcooked them. They came out hard on the bottom, still good, but not as soft...so make sure you only cook them 7-9 min)

Homemade Balsamic Vinegarette Salad Dressing

6 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp honey
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp chopped challots (optional)
2 tsp lemon juice

Blend it altogether in a blender so its smooth and creamy and doesn't look separated. Put it in the refridgerator straight away so it doesn't separate too quickly. Shake before you pour on your salad or dip your bread into it.

Enjoy!

Cookie Recipe?

It's been forever since I've made a good valentines day cookie.  Does anyone have a good sugar cookie (and icing) recipe?

Gingerbread Cupcakes

1 box (18.25 ounces) French vanilla or yellow cake mix
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Bake as directed.

Then for the frosting, I just used the cream cheese frosting from the pumpkin bars that I posted earlier, because, as mentioned, I love it.

8 oz cream cheese
1 stick of butter
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups of powdered sugar
Beat until fluffy.

Then I just put it in a pastry bag with a big circle tip and piped it on. I'm a sucker for gingerbread, so I loved these ones, but I think they might have been even better as mini cupcakes. mmmm...I wish I had some left. :-) I got the recipe for these cupcakes from the book Hello Cupcake

Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes

In a mixing bowl, cream together 1 cup (2 sticks) butter and 2 cups sugar. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Keep mixing on high until the batter becomes really light and fluffy. It will almost look like frosting it's so fluffy. Slowly add 1 cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla. In a bowl, sift together 3 cups flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Spoon into the butter mixture while the mixer is on low speed. The finished product will be light and airy. It will look nothing like a cake mix batter. This will give you a wonderful buttery dense cake. Add 3 medium ripe bananas. Spoon into paper lined muffin pans. This will make 2 dozen cupcakes. Bake at 350* for about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Dump from the pan and put on cooling rack. While the cupcakes cool, make a box of banana pudding. Slice up a banana and add to chilled pudding. Put the pudding in the fridge and hold until you need it. Take a paring knife and carefully cut the cupcake top. Remove the top.Spoon some of the banana pudding into the cupcake. Pull off the cone part of the top and put the top back on. Put some graham crackers in a ziploc and smash, or put in the food processor. Make whipped cream. Put 1 cup COLD whipping cream in the mixing bowl. Begin whipping on medium speed. If you put it on super HIGH, you'll have cream all over your cabinets and self. When ribbons begin to form in the cream, add 1/4 cup sugar slowly. Kick up the speed to HIGH. When the cream is nice and stiff, add 1 tsp vanilla. You want a nice stiff whip because we will be piping this onto the cupcakes and you don't want it to just slide right off. Put the whipped cream in a piping bag with a large star tip. Pipe in a circular fashion making a nice peak. Sprinkle the top lightly with some of those crushed graham crackers and put a slice of banana on top. Eat immediately or keep in the fridge until serving. Recipe & pictures from creating post it notes.

Taco Soup

My sister and I just made this soup for my mom's birthday party and it was absolutely delicious!  Enjoy.

Cut up 2 chicken breasts into small cubes (or more if you like more meat) and cook in a little olive oil.  Add seasonings.  (and remember to taste the soup during the process and add more seasoning if necessary)  

I use about:

1 Tbsp. chile powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

A little salt

Garlic powder

Toss the following into the blender and blend until fairly smooth:

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 medium onion

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

2 large garlic cloves

In a stock pot, combine the following:

1 large (32 oz) can chicken broth

1 to 2 Tbsp. sugar (this reduces the acidity of the tomatoes and enhances flavor)

Blended mixture

Seasoned Chicken

1 can black beans (optional)

1 can corn (optional)

Salt to taste

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Place any or all of the following in your individual soup bowl and ladle hot soup over the top:

Tortilla chips

Monterey Jack cheese

Chopped cilantro

Chopped fresh tomato

Diced avocado

Chopped green onion

Olives

Sour cream

Chile sauce (like Tabasco, etc.)

Squeeze over the top:

Lime wedges (this is what really makes the soup, I think!)

Recipe courtesy of my sister, Katelyn Lowe

Wheatie Ranger Cookies

Yummy, easy, hearty. Another one I tweaked and made better--and better for you.

CREAM TOGETHER
1 stick butter
1 egg white
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla

ADD AND MIX THOROUGHLY
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 cup quick oats
1 cup Wheaties or corn flakes
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 Tbsp water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 8 minutes
Enjoy!

Grammy Littlefield’s Molasses Cookies

Here's a family favorite and holiday tradition to make that isn't too sweet.

Mix thoroughly…
1/3 c. shortening
1 c. brown sugar
1 ½ c. dark molasses

Stir in…
2/3 c. cold water

Sift together, then add to above…
6 c. flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon

Chill dough for 1 hr (cold all the way through). Roll out ½ inch thick, cut out, place on parchment, and bake 350° for 15 min.

Tuna Casserole

Thanks to GTU I loved this recipe last night! LOL!

Tuna Noodle Casserole with Sour Cream Sauce

8 servings

Ingredients:
3 cups uncooked egg noodles or other pasta
1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 to 1/2 cup milk (see Note)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained, or 1 cup frozen peas
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice

TOPPING:
3/4 cup soft white or wheat bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted
or 3/4 cup crushed potato chips
or 3/4 cup french fried onions

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat the soup, sour cream, milk, and mayonnaise in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir to combine. Mix in the tuna, corn or peas, 1 cup of the cheese, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Stir until heated through. When the noodles are cooked, drain them and put them back in the pot.

Add the tuna mixture. Mix, and pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese on the casserole and top with the topping of your choice. Bake 10 to 15 more minutes. Serve with a green salad and corn bread.

Note: Add more or less milk to make the sauce the desired consistency.

Mint Brownies

I love these brownies because they are easy to make and I always have the stuff on hand to make them. Enjoy!

First Layer:
2 Cups Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1 tsp. Salt
2/3 Cup Baking Cocoa
1 Cup Oil
4 Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla

Mix all ingredients and pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Second Layer:

3 cups Powered Sugar
3 Tbsp. Milk
6 Tbsp. Butter
1 tsp. mint flavoring extract
couple of drops of green food coloring (I use red and also orange for different holidays)
Blend all ingredients together and then spread on cooled brownies. Place into freezer for 30 to 60 minutes to set.

Third Layer:
4-5 Tbsp. Butter
1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Melt in microwave oven and stir until melted. Pour over top of mint frosting. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Oven Kalua Pork

I make this recipe all the time because it is so yummy, it is so quick - I am done before the oven even finished pre heating, I have all the ingredients on hand all the time (I only have to buy the roast) and because it makes a lot! Ross and I will eat it for dinner the first night with rice and steamed veggies. For the rest of the week we use it to make different dinners (i.e. I make the BBQ sauce found here, serve it on hamburger buns with a salad or corn on the cob if it is corn season one night. We will use it with beans, rice, guacamole and salsa the next night in burritos. I will use it with this sweet and sour sauce , add pineapple tidbits and chopped green peppers over rice another night). Pretty much anything goes. But then it only takes 15 minutes to make dinner the rest of the week - which is how I roll

1/2 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 small piece of fresh ginger root, crushed (or 1 tsp. ground ginger)
1 clove garlic, minced
5-6 pounds boneless pork roast
1 tsp. liquid wood smoke flavoring

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, salt, Worcestershire sauce, ginger and garlic. Mix well. Lay 3 sheets of aluminum foil out, one on top of another. Place roast in center of aluminum foil; rub with soy sauce mixture and sprinkle with liquid smoke. Fold all 3 sheets of aluminum foil over top of roast and secure tightly. Place wrapped meat in a baking pan. Roast at 375 for 5 hours. Shred the pork before serving.

** Recipe from the Lion House Entertaining Cookbook**

Thanks for inviting me to join your blog :)

Yogurt Pie

This recipe is so easy and just delicious. You'd never guess how healthy it is, too.

1 graham cracker crust
2 individual containers yogurt (any flavor is great but we liked banana cream, key lime, and any of the berry kinds...like yoplait or dannon--the 6-8 oz kinds)
1/2 small tub cool whip

Mix yogurt with cool whip until well blended
Pour into pie crust
Freeze until set (about half an hour)
Eat with berries or whipped cream for any meal :)
(Stays in fridge for about 2 days pretty well)