Enchilada Sauce

Wow! I hope people like mexican food because this is my third post and I am seeing a pattern here... but I just got back from mutual where I showed my mia maids how to make enchiladas (which were sooo yummy!) and because they turned out so good I thought I would share the recipe! So you do what you want with this recipe, make your enchiladas how you want, this is just the sauce!

1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 can tomato soup
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 c. water
2 T. oil
2 T. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder

*The recipe says this makes 10-12 enchiladas but we got twenty tonight! I don't know what to tell you about that...???? I have made this sauce numerous times and always have leftovers, but don't worry! You can always freeze it for next time. It works well with the enchilada soup too.
 And next time I'll try to branch out a little and post something without chili powder or salsa!! Haha :)

Chicken salsa casserole

This is soo fast and easy, you'll love it!!


Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. salsa
1 c. sour cream

1 lb. cooked chicken (diced, shredded, whatever you want. I like to salt and pepper it, sometimes garlic salt too for a little extra flavor :)

Layer: Flour tortilla, sauce, chicken, shredded cheese. Repeat layers. Bake 350 for 35 minutes, or heated all the way through and edges are bubbling.

I generally use a 3 qt dish to bake this in. I also like to put some sauce down first in the bottom of the dish so the tortilla doesn't burn or stick to the bottom. We have also used this sauce for chicken enchiladas... so tasty!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 tbs. vegetable oil
1 lb. chicken breasts
1/2 c. diced onion
1 clove garlic, pressed (I use minced garlic)
4 c. chicken broth
1 c. masa harina (mexican tortilla flour)
3 c. water
1 c. enchilada sauce (I use medium but it's up to you how spicy you want it)
16 oz velveeta cheese, cubed
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin

Cook chicken breast, set chicken aside. Add oil, onions, and garlic to pot and saute over medium heat for about 2 minutes, or until onions become translucent. Add chicken broth. Combine masa harina with 2 cups water in medium bowl and whisk until blended. Add masa harina mixture to pot with onions, garlic and broth. Add remaining water, enchilada sauce, velveeta and spices and bring mixture to a boil. Shred chicken into small pieces and add to pot. Reduce heat and simmer soup for 30-40 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally so it doesn't cook on the bottom.
You can make this soup in the crockpot too, just give yourself more time as it takes longer for the cheese to melt and the soup to thicken.
This soup is really yummy to dip tortilla chips in! We rarely use spoons, just chips! Sour cream, cheese, and pico de gallo is optional but also a very yummy garnish!!

This is a family favorite! Hope you enjoy it :)

Lime Soup with Tortillas and Chicken

I saw this recipe on TV yesterday & decided to try it. I made some adjustments, so I'm giving you the Hilary Seiter version.

Saute: (in your soup pot)
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbs olive oil
1 carrot, peeled & sliced fairly thin

Then add:
2 cans chicken stock/broth
3-4 big Tbs lime juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 - 2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbs oregano
and boil til carrots are tender

Then add:
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 chicken breast, cooked & diced
a bunch of cilantro, chopped

Top with:
corn tortillas that've been sliced into strips & fried til crispy in 1-2 Tbs of olive oil (this is the best part). We also ate it with warm corn tortillas & it was good, but not as good as the strips.
The lady on TV topped hers with diced tomato & avocado.

This makes 2-3 big servings. The original recipe calls for 6 cups of chicken stock, but I didn't want to have that much left over.

Bacon and Tomato Mac 'N' Cheese!

Ok, so I have been making my own macaroni for a long time but I get bored so I change it a little evry time. I made this version about a month ago and I really like it. To my surprise Pizza Hut must have a monopoly on my brainwaves because they now have a bacon macaroni. Whatever.

12 oz. Package of Noodles (I like rotini or giant macaroni noodles)

Cook the noodles first and just set them aside...

5-6 slices of bacon-cooked and crumbled (bacon bits could work)
1 1/2 cups cheese- Cubed or shredded (I always have colby jack so thats what I use. Sharp cheddar is what is normally used for macaroni but I dont know what that would do to the taste?)
Diced Tomatoes (as much or as litle as you like- I like to use the whole can)

Make sure everything up until this point is done before moving on to the next step because if you havent made a roux before, it might requires your full attention...

4 Tb. Butter
4 Tb. Flour
Milk (I never measure but it is probably about almost 2 cups, just add small amounts gradually until you have enough sauce to cover your noodles.)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp Garlic powder (optional- nutmeg is also an optional item. It gives the sauce more of warm, rich taste)
1 Tb. Spicy Mustard

In a large saucepan, melt the butter on med-low heat. Once melted, slowly whisk in the flour. The mixture is going to thicken and get lumpy. Just keep whisking and slowly add milk. Keep whisking. Slowly add more milk... the roux should begin to thicken and resemble a creamy sauce. Keep whisking. Add cheese. At this point you can just stir the sauce. Add salt, pepper, garlic, and nutmeg-if desired. Add bacon and tomatoes. Now you have a decision to make. If your pan is big enough you can add the noodles to your sauce and stir or you can pour the noodles and sauce into a 9x13 pan, sprinkle with more cheese and bake it for about 15 minutes. Your choice.

Spetzele!

So, I hadn't had this until we had it at Tims parents. The only difference between my recipe and the original is that the original has homemade spetzele noodles. I just use egg noodles.

1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1/2 pkg. onion soup mix

2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can of water
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 pkg of brown gravy mix
1 T cornstartch (mixed with a little water)

The first three ingredients are for meatballs. Mix the ingredients and form into meatballs. Place meatballs on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until done.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a crock pot. Add the cooked meatballs and stew on low for 8 hours.

Seiters always make their noodles using a noodle press. If you have one of those here is the noodle recipe. If not just buy a package of egg noodles:

6 eggs
2/3 cup water
3 2/3 cups flour
3 1/2 tsp salt

Mix together and squeeze the mixture through the noodle press into a pot of slightly salted boiling water. Serve meatballs and sauce over noodles.

Hilary's Black Bean Salad

If I were Rachel Ray I would give this recipe a "YUM-O!"

1 Green Pepper
Cilantro
3 Green Onions
1 Large Tomato
1 Can of Black Beans
1 Avocados
Frozen Corn (or 1 can)
Italian Dressing (about 1/3 cup)

Dice all ingredients and place in a large bowl. Add dressing and combine all ingredients. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill. In the mean time, make some quesadillas, just cheese and tortillas. I added some shredded lime chicken to my quesadillas. It was once again YUM-O. Cut the quesadillas into quarters or strips. Serve Bean salad on top of quesadillas. I made this tonight for dinner Tim and I ate half of it so depending on how hungry you are it could be 4 servings. Hilary made a ginormous bowl of it so obviously depending on how many people you are feeding, adjust accordingly (Tim and I were very VERY full if that helps).