Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

My husband LOVES these enchiladas. He could probably eat the whole pan by himself! I am proud of myself because I read quite a few different recipes and picked and chose what things I liked about them to make these my own. I have made them quite a few times over the last few years for family and friends and they are always well received! It is easy to make more filling if you need to feed a lot of people. This is a Sara original... get excited!


You will need:

1 large (or 2 small) chicken breasts (or leftover pre-cooked chicken)

1 small can green chiles

1 small can sliced olives, drained

1/2 medium onion

4 oz (one half cube) cream cheese or lower fat version, softened

salsa (no exact measurement for this, maybe about 1 cup)

cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper to taste (maybe 1/2 tsp of each, less cayenne if you don't want it too spicy)

LOTS of cheddar cheese! If you are using pre-shredded I would have two bags to be safe. You can also get Mexican cheese mixtures, I have used both.

6-8 soft taco sized tortillas

1 or 2 10 oz cans enchilada sauce, depending on how wet you want them (or homemade enchilada sauce if you are feeling adventurous)


Directions:

I cook the chicken first. If I'm planning ahead, I cut up the chicken breasts into a couple pieces so they cook faster, and toss them in my crock pot with a little broth and some cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. This adds some nice extra flavor! Cook on high for about three hours, or until the chicken shreds easily. You could also use leftover grilled chicken. (If you go this route, add the chicken and juices to the pan AFTER the onion is cooked.)

Otherwise, I cut up the raw chicken into fairly small pieces and saute it in a pan with a little oil until cooked through.

Add in the onion and cook until it is translucent. Add in the chiles, and olives, and some salsa, probably about a cup. I eyeball it at this point until it is the consistency I want. Add in the cream cheese and stir it until it melts. Add more salsa if needed. Add the spices and stir it all up, letting it cook together for a few minutes.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Take one tortilla at a time and fill the center with some chicken mixture and sprinkle cheese over it. Roll it up and place it in the baking dish. Repeat until the dish is full! you may end with with some extra, I usually get 6 or 7 in the dish. Sometimes I have to put two in my glass bread loaf dish as well. Pour enchilada sauce over filled tortillas. Cover with cheese!



Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes (or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.)




Serve with rice, salsa, sour cream and chopped green onions if you wish!

Enjoy! :D

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

These are soooo yummy! I am a big fan of semi-homemade things for breakfast/brunch, especially since sometimes by the time we really get going I'm too hungry to actually bake from scratch and then it all goes out the window. It's nice to keep a couple tubes of crescent rolls and biscuits on hand for such occasions. While they may not be the lowest in fat, they are nice for a treat!

For this tasty breakfast ring, this is what you will need:

2 small tubes refrigerator buttermilk biscuits OR 1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1/2 C. pancake syrup
1/3 C. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 C. chopped pecans, optional

Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired). Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan.



Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top.



Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring.




Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures.





Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.



Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!



Mmmm... so goooood!

Original recipe here.

Cake Batter Rice Krispies Treats

These are yummy! To be totally honest I didn't notice a huge difference between these and regular rice krispies treats, although it has been a loooong time since I had any. But they were definitely tasty and it's fun to put sprinkles in them for whatever holiday is coming up!!



Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. butter
1 (10 oz.) bag of mini-marshmallows
1/3 cup yellow cake mix (the dry cake mix, not prepared into a batter!)
6 cups crispy rice cereal
1 (1.75 oz.) container of sprinkles (or desired amount, it is easy to eyeball)



Directions:

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat and add marshmallows.





Stir until they begin to melt, adding in (dry) cake mix one spoonful at a time so its combined.






Stir in cereal so it is completely coated with marshmallow mixture.



Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles and mix. Press into a baking dish (any size will do) and top with remaining sprinkles.



Let sit for about 30 minutes before cutting. I find spraying a knife with nonstick spray helps to cut them.




Note from the blog I found this on:

***Note: Many readers have asked what to do with the remaining cake mix. If you would like to use it to whip up a batch of cake mix cookies, just measure out 6 oz. of the remaining cake mix, and combine it with 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil, and 1 egg. Stir until mixed. Then form into cookie dough balls, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.***

Curried Turkey

This recipe is a yummy way to use leftover turkey meat. I realize that by now most of you don't have turkey leftover (unless you froze some) but you may have a turkey at Christmas, or you could try this recipe with chicken! My mom wrote down this recipe for me, and I wrote it the way I made it!

Saute together in a little olive oil, until onion is translucent and spices are well blended:

1-2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped





1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cumin
cayenne pepper to taste, if desired



Add about 1/2 of a large orange sweet potato, diced. Cook for a few minutes, stirring.





Then add to that:

1 can diced tomatoes



1/3 c raisins



chunks of leftover turkey, about one cup, preferably dark meat
salt to taste



I also added about 3/4 cup of chicken broth that was left from Thanksgiving, I really think it needs the extra liquid. I have used water in the past and that works as well. (2013 update - I actually used 1 cup of broth this year and it was perfect!)

Simmer over low heat about 20 minutes, or until sweet potato is cooked and raisins are plump.



Serve over rice or some other grain, garnished with toasted slivered almonds or toasted cashews, and chopped hard-boiled egg, if desired.  I made rice in my rice cooker, using part water and part light coconut milk, about 1/2 tsp of turmeric and a few dashes of salt. It really complemented the curry well and was tasty!

Makes about 4 servings.

Enjoy!