Chicken Enchiladas

The enchiladas that I have gotten at restaurants are frequently too cheesy and the sauce is not my favorite. I found this one years ago in one of those recipe books that call to you as you wait in line at the grocery check out.  This recipe has just enough cheese to be tasty, but not overpowering and it is quite tasty.  It is also easy to make, which is a plus.

 

Chicken Enchiladas

1 3/4 cup sour cream, fat free is OK
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided use
you can add 1 Tablespoon chopped jalapenos if you like...I don't like
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided use
2 Tablespoons oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
3/4 to 1 pound chicken breast, sliced into 1X3 inch slices.
1 teaspoon minced garlic
8 flour tortillas
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup salsa
1 tomato, seeded and chopped

 

Heat the oven to 350°.  Spray a 9X13 baking dish with Pam.  Set aside.

 

Place the sour cream, green onions, half of the cilantro and one teaspoon of the cumin in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.

 

Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the yellow onions with the1/2 teaspoon cumin until they are translucent.  Then add the thinly sliced chicken.  Sauté for about 4 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink.  Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.

 

Divide the chicken among the 8 tortillas, placing then down the middle.  Spread the sour cream mixture on the chicken, roll up the tortilla and place it seam side down in the prepared baking dish.

 

Sprinkle the cheese over the tortillas and cover the dish with foil.  Bake for 30 minutes,

 

Remove the foil and spoon the salsa, tomatoes and the reserved cilantro down the middle of the tortillas. Serve hot.

 

These are delicious, with just the right amount of cheese and no enchilada sauce, which is too acidic for my taste.

   

Apple Walnut Spice Muffins

I wanted to bake something for guests, and I had a few Granny Smith apples in the refrigerator.  I almost always have a few apples.  They are a great meal with some cheese and wine and so I try to keep some on hand.  They also pair well with sausage for dinner or breakfast. 

I recently bought a large bag of black walnuts.  My Aunt Suzy raves about them, so I decided to try them.  They came in smaller pieces that the other walnuts and they have any earthier flavor.  I liked them, but I don't know that I would eat a handful.  I decided to use them with the apples and make some muffins.  I also decided to use other spices in addition to cinnamon to make a more flavorful muffin.

 

Apple Walnut Spice Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ginger, cloves and nutmeg   optional,  use what you have
1/8 teaspoon allspice, and cardamom   optional,  use what you have
1 to 1 1/2 cups peeled and shredded tart apples. I used 2 Granny Smith
3/4 cups chopped walnuts  I used black walnuts

 

My spice cabinet is (mostly) alphabetized and brimming with spices, so I chose to use a bunch of them.  If you don't use a lot of spices, don't go buying a scads of them that will just go to waste.  Use cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and be done with it.  Maybe increase the cinnamon to 2 1/2 teaspoons.  The cloves and allspice add a really nice flavor and I just bought a big bottle of cardamom, so I used them all.

I got some silicone muffin baker things and never used them.  Damn that whole dieting thing anyway.  That was one of the reasons to invite peeps over and make muffins.  Gotta try the darn things out.  And I have to say, getting the muffins out and cleaning them was a snap.  Highly recommended!

Spray whatever you are using with Pam,.  Yes, even the silicone thingies.  Set aside.  Heat the oven to 375°.

If you have a stand mixer, this is where they really shine.  I set up my Kitchen Aid mixer and placed the softened butter in and let it rip.  I like to beat the butter until it is very light in color and super creamy.  This takes about 4 minutes, including the time I stop the mixer and scrape everything down.  Twice.  I use this time to get the dry ingredients ready.

 
 
Place the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and whatever spices you decided on in a bowl.  Stir until well mixed and set aside.

By this time you should be able to add the sugars to the mixer.  And mix some more.  Add the eggs, sour cream, milk and vanilla and mix.

 

Stop the mixer and add in half the flour mixture.  Mix slowly to combine and then put the last of the flour in the mixer and mix just until the flour is incorporated.  Remove the mixing bowl and peel and shred the apples.  Doing this last will keep them from turning brown. 

 

Fold the apples and walnuts into the flour mixture.

A large ice cream scoop is just the right size to scoop out  the perfect amount to fill the muffin cups.  So do that.

 

I placed the silicone baker on a cookie sheet for stability.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in to the middle of one of the muffins in the center of the baking thing ( I can't call it a pan, no metal, so what IS it called??) comes out clean.  Let cool and remove from the THINGY to a cooling rack.  They come out easily when you push up a bit on the bottom of the cup.

 

They were delicious and the extra spices were wonderful along with the earthiness of the black walnuts and the tang of the apples and sour cream.  I had some of my muffin with butter and some without.  It was delightful both ways.  And equally delightful when paired with a salad for dinner the next night, too!

Bread Pudding Pancakes

I was watching one of the channels devoted to all things food and saw some bread pudding pancakes from South Port Grocery.  They sounded great and I wanted to try a home version.  Their version comes with a vanilla custard and cinnamon butter and I chose to just make a version of the cinnamon butter as I was just making this for two and didn't want to go too crazy.  I changed the proportions and added some vanilla and this is my version.

Bread Pudding Pancakes

5 slices bread, cubed.  Stale is better
1 cup whole milk or half and half
1/2 cup flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon butter

 

Place the cubed bread in a large bowl and cover with the milk.  Let it stand for 10 or 15 minutes until it starts to break apart.  Stir it once or twice.

 

While the bread is soaking, place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and mix with a fork.

 

Place the egg in a small bowl with the oil and vanilla and whisk until blended.

 

Add the flour to the bread and mix well.  Mix in the egg until it is well blended.

 

Melt the butter in a large pan or a griddle.  Cook the pancakes over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes on each side.

Serve with cinnamon butter and a wee bit of syrup for those who wish to indulge.


Cinnamon Butter

4 Tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

 

Place the softened butter in a small bowl.  Add the cinnamon and the sugar and stir briskly to mix. 



Place the butter in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Add a medium scoop of butter to the pancakes.

   

 

I Love A Tea Party

A friend came to visit yesterday.  That was my excuse to have a tea party.  You can never have too many tea parties!

I usually do a sweet, a savory and at least one thing baked. I settled on butterbrickle scones, chocolate dipped strawberries and cucumber sandwiches.

 

I bought VERY thin bread and spread it with whipped cream cheese.  I sprinkled the cream cheese with salt, pepper and dill weed.

 

The store was out of ENGLISH cucumbers, so I had to settle for the AMERICAN kind.  I peeled the cucumber and then cut slices all along the AMERICAN seeds and left the seeds on the cutting board.  The thinly sliced cucumbers went on top and then the icky, horrible CRUSTS were removed and the sammies were cut in wee triangles.

 

The tea was from my favorite tea shop, the White Oak Tea Tavern.  It was almost too hot to have hot tea on the screened porch, but we  turned the fans on and toughed it out.

 

It was great!
  

Baklava Puffs

I have had a taste for Baklava lately.  If you have never had it, it is a Greek pastry with cinnamon, nuts and honey.  In years past, I have stood at the counter for an hour buttering each layer of phyllo dough, adding many layers of nuts and cinnamon,  while assembling an entire pan of baklava.  Phyllo dough comes in packages and  are ultra thin layers of dough in sheets.  They dry out quickly so you have to keep them covered with a slightly damp towel and cut them to fit the pan you are using.  This is very time consuming, but the result is a flaky, buttery treat!

I wanted to try making them using puff pastry.  I have been using puff pastry a lot and it is so versatile and easy to use.  I couldn't find the exact recipe I wanted to try, so I made it up.  It was actually pretty good and I will make them again!  If calories are an issue with you, these used way less butter and only one layer of the walnut/sugar and spice combination, so I have dubbed these the diet version as well as the fast version.  This is my opinion and not based in fact or research, but feel free to agree with me.

 

Baklava Puffs

1 package Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts  I used black walnuts for the earthy flavor
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon each of allspice, cloves and cardamom  If you don't have these spices, just add a bit more cinnamon
1/3 cup honey, or so

flour for sprinkling

 

You may halve this recipe very easily.  Just use one sheet of the puff pastry and make use of the fractions you learned in school to halve the rest of the ingredients.

Heat the oven to 375°.

Place the puff pastry on the counter to come up to room temperature.  Place parchment paper in a baking sheet.  Crease the corners to make sure the sugar and honey can't leak out onto the pan.  Then clean up is a snap.

 

Place the walnuts, sugar and spices in a small bowl, mix well with a spoon or fork.

Lightly flour the counter space and unfold one of the puff pastry sheets.  I rolled it out to about 12X8.  Cut into 2X4 inch strips, or so.

 

Use a pastry brush to butter the center of the strips, leaving about a 1/4 border. Place about  a Tablespoon of the walnut/sugar  mix on one half of the butter.  Use a wet finger to moisten the edges of the pastry.  Fold the strip of puff pastry over to make a square and press the edges together.  I used a fork to seal and then make a decorative border...sort of decorative.

 

Place the square on the parchment covered baking sheet.  I used a pastry cutter to transfer the fragile pastry.

 

When you have made and transferred all the puff to the baking sheet, take a sharp knife, I used a serrated one, to slice diagonally through the top layer of the pastry.  Don't cut through the second layer.  Use the pastry brush to brush melted butter all over the top of the pastry, making sure to coat the slice in the top, so the butter can soak into the walnut layer.

 

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

 

Remove from the oven and drizzle honey all over the hot pastries, right in the pan.  The parchment paper will prevent you from having a mess to clean up.  Make sure the honey is drizzled all over the top and down the sides of the puffs.  I used about one face worth of honey for one sheet of puff pastry!

 

Let the baklava sit for awhile to absorb all the honey.  When completely cooled, they can be stored in an airtight container for a day or two.

Chicken and Pasta Salad

You know those recipe books that are at the checkout line at the grocery store?  I love them.  They have big pictures and just the right amount of recipes, so they don't intimidate you.  This recipe is originally from one of those, with some minor changes.  It is really good and a family favorite.  It is easy to make it vegetarian by just leaving out the chicken.

 

Chicken and Pasta salad

12 oz. uncooked rotini.  Just use about 4 1/2 cups or about 3/4 of the box
2 cups cubed cooked chicken.  Buy it from the deli, get 3/4 to 1lb. of chicken breast in 1 in. slices
1 1/2 to 2 cups seedless red grapes, cut in half. More is just fine.
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 or 3 oranges, peeled and chopped
1 cup cashew halves, save until serving

Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
3 Tablespoons orange juice
2 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon curry
1/4 teaspoon salt

 

Cook the rotini according to the package directions.  Don't get them too mushy.

 

Take a bite of one to make sure it is cooked, then drain and rinse with cold water.  Allow to cool.

 

Use a large bowl.  Cut off the brown edges from the thick deli chicken slices.  I usually get two 1 inch slices and don't worry about how much it weighs.  Cut the grapes in half and add to the bowl.  If you have one of those orange peeler thingies you got from a Tupperware party back in the 80s, use that to peel.   Take off any of the white pith and separate the sections.  Cut them up into 3/4 inch chunks, or thereabouts. 

 

Slice the onions, including the green part and add everything to the big bowl.  Add the cooled rotini.

 

Place all the dressing ingredients in a medium bowl. If you are going to serve this right away, use the amount in the recipe.  If you are going to serve this hours from now, as I did, then add some more of each ingredient.

 

Mix until smooth and then take out some for later.  The pasta absorbs a lot of the dressing and it is nicer to freshen it up a bit just before serving.

 

Mix in the dressing, cover and place in the refrigerator until serving.  If you reserved the dressing, add it to the bowl with the cashews and mix well.  The cashews will get soggy if you leave them in for several hours or overnight.  This makes a big salad, so I save some cashews for the next day.  The ones in the salad become soft, but taste just fine.  But add the fresh cashews to get the salty crunch back.

 

Birds At Church

Did you know that birds go to church?  Even on Wednesday?

 

Well, they do.