Enchiladas

Wow!  These were good!!  My friend, Kristine, shared this recipe with me and I was so excited to try it that I couldn't even wait until I got to the store to get all the proper ingredients!  :)  For that reason, I will list both versions… the recipe I actually made as well as the recipe that I intend to make next time!  (the original recipe)   :)

Here is the recipe that I actually made and what is pictured in the photo.  Not a ton of difference, really, just "pantry adjustments".  

Enchiladas - shown with Restaurant Style Mexican Rice

Enchiladas

*Homemade Enchilada Sauce  (see recipe at bottom of post)

1 ½ pounds lean ground beef

1 medium sized onion, chopped

1 small can (10 oz.) Green Chile Sauce

12 (or so) small corn tortillas

2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef and onions in skillet.  Drain if necessary.  Add 1 small can of Green Chile Sauce and mix.  Make *Homemade Enchilada Sauce (recipe below).

*Homemade Enchilada Sauce

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup flour

2 Tbsp. chili powder

8 oz. tomato sauce

32 oz. chicken broth 

1 small can (10 oz.) Green Chile Sauce (optional)

½ tsp. cumin (or more to taste)

½ tsp. garlic powder (or more to taste)

½ tsp. onion powder (or more to taste)

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

Heat oil in large pan to medium heat.  Whisk in flour and chile powder.  Reduce heat to medium and continue to whisk until lightly browned.  Gradually whisk in tomato sauce, chicken broth, Green Chile Sauce, cumin, garlic and onion powders, salt & pepper.  Stir until smooth and simmer for about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Serve immediately or you can keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  

To assemble Enchiladas…

Pour ½ cup or so of homemade enchilada sauce over bottom of 9x13 baking pan.  Spread to fully cover bottom (may have to add a bit more).  Warm corn tortillas in microwave between two moist paper towels for about 30 seconds to soften.  Dip each tortilla in the enchilada sauce then spoon meat and a little shredded cheese down middle of tortilla.  Roll up and place, seam side down, in baking pan.  Repeat until pan is filled.  Pour more enchilada sauce mixture over top and cover with remaining shredded cheese.   Note - I did not fry the corn tortillas in oil, as recommended.  Instead I placed several in between 2 (heavily) moistened paper towels and microwaved on High for about 30 seconds.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbly. 

To keep this post from becoming too convoluted I'll just link to the Pioneer Woman's original recipe for Simple, Perfect Enchiladas.  I'll be making them the next go-round - after I have been to the store for my missing ingredients!!   :)

Restaurant Style Mexican Rice and Beans

I absolutely LOVE going to a Mexican restaurant!  The beans and rice at a real restaurant are always SO much better than anything I have ever made at home.  They still are…  :)  BUT, I have found a way to make rice and beans at home that is better than anything else I have ever tried!  (and I have tried a LOT of recipes!).  So, for when I can't get to my favorite restaurant, here are the recipes that I will be using at home from now on.

Restaurant Style Mexican Rice shown with Enchiladas  (we had already eaten all the beans so no photo of them!)

(adapted from a recipe found here)

Restaurant Style Mexican Rice

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 cup long grain rice, uncooked

1 tsp. fresh minced garlic

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp cumin (or a tad more)

½ cup tomato sauce

14 oz. chicken broth

3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro  (didn't have on hand but would love in this dish!)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the rice and gently stir until rice begins to lightly brown.  Add in the seasonings and stir to mix. Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth and cilantro.  Heat on med. high to boil then turn the heat to low and cover pan with a lid.  Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.  

NOTES - I used Minute Rice.  Not by choice, but it was all we had in the house.  If you have to use Minute Rice you can - just be sure you have adjust the cooking time.  I just watched it and it turned out fine.  Also note - I used some of my homemade enchilada sauce instead of the tomato sauce.  Since I was making enchiladas to go with the rice & beans, this worked out well.  But, you could use either.  

(adapted from a recipe found here)

Restaurant Style Refried Beans

1 can refried beans (I used black refried beans)

⅓ cup sour cream

a few shakes of hot sauce  (could use more if you like)

1 cup shredded Mexican Blend cheese (or cheese of your choice)

Mix the beans, sour cream and hot sauce together then put in a small baking dish.  Cover with the shredded cheese and heat in oven or microwave until cheese is melted and dish is heated through.  

Chris's Strawberry Punch

Remember when I attended that luncheon at my friend, Chris's house?  I mentioned that she served the most delicious punch… well, here is that recipe.  I should probably title it Chris & Julie's punch since Julie first located it on Pinterest and Chris got the recipe from her.  But, Chris was the first person to actually make it and serve it to us.  We all appreciated her effort!!   :D

Strawberry Punch

1 can (46 oz.) pineapple juice, chilled

2 ¼ cups water

¾ cup thawed pink lemonade concentrate

¾ cup sugar

1 quart strawberry ice cream

2 ½ quarts ginger ale, chilled

1 pint fresh strawberries

In punch bowl, combine 1st pineapple juice, water, pink lemonade concentrate, and sugar.  Add ice cream; stir gently.  Cut fresh strawberries and add to punch.  Serve immediately.  

Yield - 6 quarts

Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes

My family absolutely LOVES it when I make Cheesy Potatoes.  I used to make the effort fairly often, but I have to admit that lately, I just can't get myself to do the work.  Honestly, peeling and slicing all those potatoes (we use about 10 pounds of potatoes when we make this dish!) is just more than I can bear to think about anymore.  I had made the typical hash brown casserole several times and while *I* love that, the fellas in my household would still mourn for my Cheesy Potatoes.  Well, the other evening I needed to make Cheesy Potatoes but truly didn't have the time to put into that dish, so did a quick search on Pinterest and came up with this recipe.  It was a hit!  All three of my fellas told me that this was absolutely a good stand in for my old Cheesy Potatoes.  It WILL be made again and again around here.  It is SO much simpler than the old recipe since it uses hash browns.  Yay!!

Below are the slight adjustments that I made to the original recipe.

Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes
3 pounds frozen shredded hash browns
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)
6-8 cups milk  (eyeball it)
1 Tbsp. corn starch
2 Tbsp. butter
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. pepper
1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
1 ½ tsp. onion powder
shredded parmesan cheese (I used a lot)

Mix the shredded hash browns and the shredded cheese together in a large bowl.  Pour into a large baking pan. (I use a pan that is larger and deeper than a 9x13.  You could adjust the recipe down to 2 pounds of hash browns, 2 cups of cheese and 3-4 cups of milk and fit it all in a 9x13 pan.)

Heat the butter and most of the milk together in a saucepan and then add in the seasonings.  Mix the corn starch with the remaining bit of milk and stir in to heated mixture in saucepan.  Whisk to blend and slightly thicken.  Then pour the milk mixture over the top of the cheese and hash browns in the pan.  Sprinkle top with shredded parmesan cheese.  (Or, you can add the parmesan cheese into the milk mixture and sprinkle crushed corn flakes, panko crumbs, or even crushed french fried onions over the top.)

Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until heated through and lightly browned on top.  May broil at end for a crispier topping if you like.


I have no photo of these potatoes because we ate them all up before I could think to take one!!!  Will have to get a photo later…  :)


Update - here is a photo!  And I am telling you… these are STILL really yummy!!  A hit all around!  I do like topping them with some of the french fried onions.

Misc. February

It seems February has been a tough month.   There have been health concerns, general winter blues, and the loss of a very special friend.   :(   I don't really have words to say how I am feeling about a lot of it, but I don't want to continue to ignore the blog, either.  As is always the case, in the midst of sadness and trepidation, there have been abundant blessings.  Thank you, Lord!  We are so blessed with family and friends and we receive so much joy simply by being with them.  Most of what I share here in our 'online family journal' is a record of those simple, yet wonderful, gifts.  It is my 'joy journal'. And sometimes we really need to look at those joys… mundane, simple things that are so good and so filled with grace.  That is what I try to do here.  And now I'll attempt to sum up a good part of February.

Brianna trying to get Jackson to shape up for the camera…  :)

Jackson and Brianna on Valentine's day

Brianna holding her little stuffed puppy from Jackson

Too cute - Brianna gave Jackson 'Sweetie Pie'.  See it written on the tea jug and the pie box?

And also cute… of course, she knows the way to his heart!!  :) 

Our cousin, Amy, is in town for the month of February doing a rotation with the OMM department at ATSU.  She is staying with Julie and we got to enjoy having a dinner with her on Feb. 19.  The only sad thing is that she will only be here a month!  We have already decided that we wish she wouldn't leave…  :(

Daddy, Mama, and Amy

Marvin

We were so happy that Jackson and Brianna decided to join us for dinner that same night.  You see, we weren't expecting them since it was their 1 year anniversary.  But, I think being broke played a pretty big role in their decision to at least eat dinner with us!!   :)  ha!  Regardless of the reason, we were blessed by their presence.

Jackson and Brianna - 1 year

This cracked me up.  Marvin mentioned that maybe Jackson had better stretch a little taller to stay ahead of Brianna.  As Jackson stretched, Brianna sweetly rose on her toes and gained a couple inches.  :)  I love this photo below!

:)

We attended the fundraiser for Melina's youth trip to Montreat (coming up this summer).  Adrian was able to join us for the 'all you could eat spaghetti supper' (cooked by Julie, Matt and Brenda!) and a good time was had by all.  (Poor Brianna was working…)

Jonathan, Adrian, and Jackson

Mama and Brenda

Daddy, Melina and Mama

Adrian and Jonathan 

As we were coming home I began to worry about how slick it was and decided I would turn around in the driveway and go back to give Daddy a ride from the small barn to his house - since he was parking his truck in the barn for overnight.  Well, on my way to 'saving the day' I slid off the road and got stuck!!  Like, really and truly digging a hole stuck.  So much for helping my Daddy!!   :D   Instead, Marvin had to go to the horse barn and get the tractor with sand to shovel under my tires until I could finally rock out of it.  In the meantime, Daddy noticed the commotion and not only walked from the small barn to his house, but BACK to the small barn to get a tow rope!  Ugh.  I did, however, drive him to the house for his 3rd trip!!  It was definitely time for me to park it and be done, though.   :D

Dear Marvin scooping sand to put under my tires...

this was not in my plan...

Jonathan has the tow rope ready to go if needed…  :)

and then there is this… I have no idea...

a welcome home full moon shining bright

Jeremy texted us these photos of Alaina riding Gracie in the snow one afternoon.  We sure do miss having Gracie here at Willis Creek Ranch and really appreciated getting an update on how they were doing.

Alaina riding Gracie

Alaina and Gracie

I hated that I missed attending 'Senior Night' at the high school.  All Senior basketball players, cheerleaders and Jazz Band players (Brianna!!) were recognized along with their parents.  Luckily, Jackson took photos to share with us.   :)

Shonda, Brianna and Jeremy

And on another sad note, Anna's dear kitty, Robonzo, passed away this afternoon.  But, as Julie and Anna said, he had a perfect final day.  He sat on Julie's lap this morning as she drank her tea, he got to see his precious Anna when we all gathered at Julie's house for lunch after church, he played "attack the dog' with Declan (through the closed window), and he successfully escaped the crush of 'those people' who AGAIN showed up at his house!!  :)  He then found a sunny spot on Julie's bed where he simply went to sleep.  Anna and Melina found him and we quickly gathered for an impromptu service (after Matt, Matthew and Marvin prepared a spot in the frozen soil under a lovely tree.)  He was 15 years old - Anna got him when she was 5.  He was a good and faithful friend to her.

Looking through the window to the yard...

Below is our family photo from Christmas Eve 2012… Anna is holding Robonzo.  :)

Crock pot chicken and dumplings

This is very, very similar to Crock pot chicken and noodles, except that I almost ALWAYS have biscuits on hand and have to go to the grocery store to have frozen egg noodles on hand.    :)

Tasty and simple so will definitely have again.

Crock pot chicken and dumplings
I used 5 Schwans chicken breasts (about 20 oz. chicken total)
2 can cream of chicken soup
1  15 oz. can chicken broth
about 1 soup can of water
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 tube Grands style refrigerated biscuits

Put all above ingredients in a crock pot for about 4 hours on High.  At that point, remove chicken and shred it then return to the crock pot.  Take 1 tube of Grands biscuits and tear each biscuit into small bite size pieces; drop into crock pot and stir.  Cook for one additional hour.

Surprise!

Wednesday evening a group of ladies gathered at a favorite local restaurant to celebrate dear friend Janet.  Her birthday was coming up and we thought it would be fun if we could pull off a surprise party for her.  Shonda got everyone together at the restaurant and I picked up Janet for what she thought was going to be a quiet evening with just the 3 of us.  When we got to the restaurant I almost laughed out loud when I saw the entire table full of ladies spot us coming in and quickly flip their menus up in front of their faces.  All I could picture in my mind was Steve Martin from The Pink Panther movie shouting out 'newspapers!'    :D

Janet was truly surprised and we had a super fun evening together.  Wonderful!

Janet with Sheri (who had to slip out early)

Carla, Leanna, Janet, Chris, Lora, Kendra, Michaela, Mary, Connie, Shonda and Laura
(thanks to Jon for taking our photo!!)

the birthday hat and song!!  :)

Happy Birthday, Janet!  :)

Lunch at Chris's house

Dear Chris invited a group of ladies over for lunch a couple weeks ago.  Only trouble was that on the appointed day we received a blizzard so had to cancel.  Thankfully, she gave it another try and invited us all over again this week.  She lured us in with the promise of good food and fellowship, then forced us to play games!!   ha!  Just kidding…      :D

The food truly was delicious and the fellowship was lovely.  It made a cold day in the midst of a long, hard winter quite pleasant.  And we actually did enjoy playing Guesstures, although Chris had to prod us a little at the beginning.  What a fun afternoon!!!   Chris, thank you so much for your hospitality and fun-loving spirit.  :)  We love you!

Chris and Susie

Chris's pretty table setting

Julie and Jasmin

Elizabeth and Alicia

Chris and Laura  (I'll have to post the recipe for the Strawberry Punch
that we are enjoying here.  It was FANTASTIC!)

Chris getting us ready for the game!

Susie is ready!!   :)

'Whiskers'… I'm gesturing 'whiskers'.

Sadness… it ate my card!!!   :(

Me collapsed in hysterical laughter when I realize I have no idea how to
gesture a broom!!!!  Sweep?  I don't sweep!!   :D  ha!

Poor Jasmin just before she slipped across the dining room floor…
but we got the points!!!!  

Alicia the Guesstures pro...

I love how Susie, Elizabeth and Chris are watching so intently!!

hahahaha!!!

'Belly dancing' - I should have used video for this one!  :D