Easy Chicken Enchiladas with homemade Enchilada Sauce

This picture does not do these justice. They taste just like something that you would order from a Mexican restaurant. They are also super easy to make.

3 Cups shredded cooked chicken
12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
21/2 cups enchilada sauce
1-2 cans chopped green chile's, drained
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
Salt and Pepper
12 soft corn tortillas

adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the Chicken, 2 cups of the cheddar, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, the chile's, and cilantro. Season with Salt and pepper to taste. Stack the tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40 to 60 seconds. (this will help so that the tortillas don't tear as much.)Spread the warm tortillas out over a clean counter. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll the tortilla around the filling, then lay seam-side down in a 9x13 pan. lightly spray the enchiladas with Pam. ( this helps them from splitting while cooking.) Pour 1 cup of the remaining sauce over the enchiladas to coat thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar down in center of the enchiladas. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheddar browns, about 5 minutes longer. serve.

FAST ENCHILADA SAUCE
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons chili powder*
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons cumin*
2 teaspoons sugar
2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
pepper

*I used 5 Tablespoons of chili powder and 3 teaspoons cumin because I wanted more spice to it.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and salt and cook until softened., about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, garlic, cumin and sugar. Cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and water. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with Salt and pepper to taster.

Lemon Chicken

Lemon Chicken

-12 chicken tenders

-2 T. lemon juice
-1 cup heavy whipping cream(not half & half)
-2 T. white cooking wine or white grape juice concentrate
-2 tsp. grated lemon peel*
-parmesan cheese
-salt and pepper

1. Cook chicken tenders in a buttered saucepan, until browned and cooked through.
2. Place chicken in a glass casserole dish.
3. In the same saucepan, add lemon juice, lemon peel, and white cooking wine OR white grape juice concentrate. Keep on low heat and add the heavy whipping cream. Add the salt and pepper in the sauce.
4. When heated through, pour over chicken tenders. Add a generous amount of parmesan cheese on top.
5. Place in the oven on broil for 7-12 minutes. Serve over mashed potatoes or rice. (we like having it over mashed potatoes)

*I use the little grates on the grater, so it is more like lemon zest. I just don't like the big grated lemon pieces.
**This is our favorite lemon chicken recipe. It is very easy to make and very delish! Enjoy:-)

Burp clothes

So I needed gift to send to a friend and cousin who just had baby girls. I made these super cute burp clothes and then put a flower headband around them. They turned out so cute and I was so excited to send them off. You all know how much I love headbands. I got the idea from Kim R and Misty M. Kim's were extra cute because she had Katelyn's name embroidered on them. The burp clothes they made me have been one of my most used gifts. Thanks guys for letting me copy your creativity. They were fun and easy to make, so don't be surprised if you get a baby gift from me and there are some burp clothes. You can never have enough burp clothes.

To make them I bought a pack of burp clothes from Target and then bought some cute baby fleece at Joann's. I then cut the fabric to the size of the burp cloth. I sewed them inside out with an opening at the bottom. Turned the whole thing right side out and then sewed across the whole bottom to close the hole. I also sewed ribbon on the burp cloth side along the bottom half. I sewed that on before I sewed the burp cloth and fabric together. I have also made one where you can sew two pieces of ribbon down the long side of the burp cloth (breaking it in thirds). Just make sure you sew the ribbon on first. After I sew the whole thing together I sew down the complete burp cloth, cutting it into thirds. This just helps when you dry it because the burp cloth and fabric will dry differently. I hope this makes sense. I am not very good and explaining things. I am a much better visual learner. As you can see in the picture one of the burp cloths has the baby fleece on one side and a really soft pink bumpy fabric on the other. Katelyn has a blanket that she loves with that material. (Thank you Stacey N, she uses it all the time.) I bought that material also at Joann's. They have a ton of fun colors. Call me if you have any questions or just ask Misty or Kim. Like I said I am totally copying from them, so all the cute credit goes to them.

Fetticini Alfredo

The above picture does not even do this dish justice. This is one of Nancy Churches incredible recipes. All of her recipes are awesome. Jarren could eat this daily. It is so easy and a huge hit.

Fettuccine Alfredo

1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon basil
Pinch oregano
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Melt together cream cheese and butter and slowly add 1 cup milk. Then add remaining ingredients. Add sauce to rinsed noodles and add cooked chicken or shrimp. Don't rinse noodles when adding shrimp.

This one is excellent with grilled chicken. I always make this with some broccoli as to Nancy's suggestions and it really adds to the meal. In the winter I just cook up the chicken on the stove.

Family Traditions

Every Holiday I realize how much my kids love it when I make a big deal about that Holiday. So I would love some ideas. I love the jello egg idea. What else do you guys do in your families? What do you all do for St. Patricks Day. Andrea Morgan told me that Lucky the Leprechaun visits and turns their milk green and then leaves a treasure map and the kids have to find the treasure. How cute is that? Does anyone have any fun ideas for Easter. I want to do some memorable things for the kids. Thanks for the ideas.

Jell-O Eggs

I know it doesn't quite feel like spring outside, but Easter is just a few weeks away! Every year we make these Jell-O Eggs and I just LOVE them... okay, and so do my kids! I mean what kid doesn't love eating Jell-O? You can order the egg molds off of the kraft website:

http://jellostore.archway.com/KraftCornerEStore/jell_mold_catalog.seam?cid=323

I ordered a few egg molds to make different colors/flavors at once. This is especially great if you are serving them at a family party(or with friends) and need a bunch of them. They look great served in an easter basket or just in a pretty bowl. Anyway, I hope you are all doing well and you have a great Easter and a Happy Spring!

Happy St. Patrick's Day Crafts

These are the fun projects we did at our last Craft Night. I love how they turned out. I thought the "Lucky" might be a little too dark but it looks great on the dark TV stand. The shamrocks don't match the sign so they are in a different part of the room. I still think these might be a work in progress. I might redo the plaid one because the paper wrinkled a little on me or I might add some ribbon. I am just not sure. If anyone has some creative thoughts, please share. Thanks to Haley for the super fun craft project.

Sunday Roasted chicken

Sunday Roasted Chicken

You will need:

• 1 six-pound roasting chicken
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
• 1 lemon
• 3 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth
  

1. Let chicken and 1 tablespoon butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if there is one. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold running water. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside.
2. In the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of lemon and, pressing down, roll lemon back and forth several times. (This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely) Pierce entire surface of lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices. Cut about 18 inches of twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together.
3. Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees.and the thigh 190 degrees.
4. Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well. Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a shallow bowl or fat separator, and leave onions in the pan. Leave any brown baked-on bits in the bottom of the roasting pan, and remove and discard any blackened bits. Using a large spoon , skim off and discard as much fat as possible. Pour the remaining drippings and the juices that have collected under the resting chicken back into the roasting pan. Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, raise heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, stir up and combine the brown bits with the stock until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Strain the gravy into a small bowl, pressing on onions to extract any liquid. Discard onions, and stir in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter until melted and incorporated. Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon. Carve, and serve gravy on the side.

(I usually will make mashed potatoes and a vegie to go with the chicken, this is a favorite meal at our house.)

Williams-Sonoma Whole Wheat Bread

Williams-Sonoma Whole Wheat Bread

You will Need:
-1 1/2 Tablespoon active dry yeast
-Pinch of Brown Sugar
-1 cup warm water
-1 1/2 cups warm buttermilk
-1/4 cup maple syrup OR honey
-1/4 cup canola oil
-1 Tablespoon salt
-3 cups whole-wheat flour
-3 -4 cups bread flour

1. In a bowl, sprinkle the yeast and brown sugar over the water and stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the buttermilk, maple syrup, oil, salt, and 2 cups of the whole-wheat flour. Beat on medium -low speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in the yeast mixture and the remaining whole-wheat flour and beat for 1 minute. Beat in the bread flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the bowl sides. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed, adding bread flour 1 Tablespoon at a time, until smooth but slightly sticky when pressed, about 5 minutes.
3. transfer the dough to an oiled deep bowl and turn the dough once to coat it. Cover loosely with wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1-1 1/2 hours.
4. Lightly grease two 9-by-5- inch loaf pans. turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Divide in half and pat each half into a long rectangle. Tightly rool up the dough into a thick log. Roll the laof back and forth with your palms until it is the same length as the pan. Pinch the ends and along the seam to seal. Place the loaf, seam side down, in a prepared pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or towel and let rise about 1 inch above the rim of each pan. (about an hour)
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake until the loaves are golden brown and pull away from the pan sides, 35-40 minutes. turn out onto racks and let cool.

(This may look like a lot of work, but it is really easy. Every time I make this bread it turns out really good)

Big Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

BIG Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

You will need:
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1 cup packed brown sugar
-1 Tbsp vanilla extract
-1 egg yolk
-1/2 tsp. baking soda
-3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
-1/2 cup white sugar
-1 egg
-2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooded spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time(this is what makes them so big) onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
4. Bake for 15-17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
(I have tried several chocolate chip cookie recipes, this one has become one of my favorites. They are very yummy, enjoy!!)
**I got this recipe from Vanessa Neal**