Green Enchiladas

Green Enchiladas

This is our new favorite enchilada recipe. These are jer's favorite enchiladas ever.

2 cups shredded chicken
2 green onions, sliced
3 T. cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/2 C. grated montery jack cheese
1 bottle of green salsa verde (16 oz) - I like the Herdez brand
2 T chopped green chilis
1/2 C. fresh cilantro
2/3 C heavy whipping cream
1/4 C. vegitable oil
Corn tortillas

In a bowl:
combine cooked, shredded chicken (I stick frozen chicken breasts or tenderloins in the crock pot with a little salsa verde in the afternoon and it works perfect for these), green onions, cream cheese, and 1 cup cheese. set aside.

In blender combine salsa verde, cream, chilis, cilantro.. blend until smooth.

In small frying pan heat small bits of oil and cook corn tortillas one at a time for about 10 seconds each - set on paper towel

Place chicken mixture inside tortillas seam side down in baking pan. Pour salsa verde sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes or so and bubbling..

I like to serve it with Mexican rice, and fresh avocado and tomato slices.

Enjoy!

EASY Chicken Noodle Soup

This recipe is my go to when I've got sick kids or we need a comforting and filling supper. I usually use rotisserie chicken when I make this, or any other leftover chicken I have on hand.  I sometimes even use canned chicken.  When I want to make it extra chunky I add the vegtables. Chicken soup really is a cure-all, especially when it can be made from start to finish in just over half an hour. Serve with biscuits or crispy crackers to sop up all the flavorful broth.

Ingredients

• 1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced (optional)
• 3 stalks celery, sliced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon & 4 cups of water or use Chicken broth
• 1 package linguine noodles
• 3 cups chicken meat, cooked and chopped into bite size bits
• 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 package chicken gravy mix (optional)
• pinch salt and pepper

Directions

1. (IF ADDING VEGTABLES) In a large stockpot, melt butter with olive oil over medium low heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Add Broth, cream of chicken soup  and chicken, turn heat to high and bring to a boil.
3. Add egg noodles and cook for approximately 9 minutes, or until noodles are tender.
   Then add chicken gravy mix to thicken if needed.
   Serve.

Kebobs

This recipe is from my amazing friend at KITCHEN ADDICTION

I use Beef  or Chicken usually because everyone seems to prefer it in my family.  I always get requests for this recipe when I serve it

Ingredients

1 beef tip roast, pack of Chicken breasts  or leg of lamb

            2 or 3 large white onions, chopped

            6 to 8 cloves garlic (or more), chopped

            olive oil (preferably extra virgin)

            Kosher salt

            freshly ground black pepper

            skewers (metal are best, otherwise soak your wooden skewers for 30 minutes before using them)

            charcoal grill

Directions

First, prepare the meat. Cut into cubes about 1 1/4" across, carefully cutting away any connective tissue and fat (you won't need the fat for the meat to be tender). You should create three piles while cutting the lamb: one for kebab, one for gristle you'll throw away, and one for larger pieces of fat and scraps of meat. This will take a good amount of time, so make sure you set aside an hour or so for this.

In a bowl, place the cubed meat with the onions, garlic, about 1/3 c. of olive oil, plenty of salt, and a generous amount of pepper. With very clean hands, mix all the ingredients together, being sure to spread the onions, garlic, and olive throughout and kneading as necessary to coat the meat completely. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least four hours, but probably not more than six. I'm sure it seems crazy, but this will tenderize the meat, as all of the acid in the onions go right to work. Note: if you're making chicken kebab, you'll only want to marinate for 30 to 60 minutes.)

As for the two remaining piles: throw away the gristle. Grind up the extra pieces of meat with some of the fat. (This can be done in a meat grinder or by whizzing it in your food processor.) Mix the ground meat with some diced bell peppers, diced onion, and diced flat-leaf parsley (known as keema). Season with salt and pepper and fry in patties.

Prepare your grill. While the charcoal is getting hot, skewer the marinated meat, leaving the onions and garlic aside.

Then, in a skillet, sauté the onions and garlic with a bit more salt over medium heat for 20-30 minutes, until caramelized. Serve alongside the kebab.

Once the grill is ready, set the skewers over the heat and grill, turning a couple of times to brown each side. Check a couple of pieces and cook to desired doneness, medium in my case.

Let the meat rest for just a couple of minutes, then remove from the skewers and serve. It should be tender, flavorful, caramelized and smoky from the grill, and addicting

Pei Wei Spicy Chicken Salad

Pei Wei Spicy Chicken Salad

I just found this recipe for Pei Wei Spicy Chicken Salad. It is the best make at home version I have tried.

Chicken Stock :

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Sauce:

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup white vinegar

Salad

1 1/2 pounds mixed greens

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 pound snap peas, cut into 1/2-inch slices

3 carrots, julienned

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumbers

Asian vinaigrette, to taste

1 cup rice noodles, for garnish

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Pan Fried Chicken:

2 pounds boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cups all-purpose flour, seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon white pepper and 1 teaspoon salt

1 quart soybean oil

2 tablespoons Chinese Chicken Stock

1/2 cup Pei Wei Sauce

1 tablespoon chili paste

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1. In a saucepan, simmer Chicken Stock ingredients over medium-high heat a few minutes until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. In another saucepan, repeat step with Sauce ingredients.

2. In a bowl, add salad ingredients (except rice noodles and cilantro) and toss to coat evenly with dressing.

3. Dust chicken cubes with seasoned flour and shake off excess. Heat soybean oil in a saucepan to 350 degrees, and fry chicken 2 1/2 minutes. When cooked through, arrange chicken on an oven-safe plate lined with paper towels and place in a warm oven.

4. In a wok or sauté pan placed over high heat, whisk together Chicken Stock, Sauce and chili paste. To thicken sauce, mix in cornstarch. Add chicken and toss until evenly coated with sauce.

5. Spoon hot chicken over salad, garnish with rice noodles and cilantro, and serve immediately.

Forgotten Cookies Recipe

Here is a recipe for one of my favorite cookies. It so hard to wait for the cookies to cook overnight, but it was so worth it the next morning when we’d have cookies for breakfast =)

Forgotten Cookies

Yield: 1 dozen

2 egg whites
2/3 c. sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 to 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. With a mixer, beat the egg whites and salt until the egg whites become foamy.

3. Gradually add the sugar while you continue to beat the egg whites. Continue beating until the egg whites hold soft to stiff peaks.

4. Gently fold in the vanilla, chocolate chips

5. Cover a cookie sheet with greased aluminum foil. Drop the batter by spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet.

6. Place the cookie sheet in the oven, and then turn the oven off. Leave the cookies in the oven overnight without opening the door.

Note: The cookies were too sweet for me with 1 c. of chocolate chips. I’ll probably back it down to 1/2 c. next time.

Pavlova

 Ingredients:

Pavlova Recipe:

4 large (120 grams) egg whites

1 cup (200 grams) superfine (castor) sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (corn flour)

Topping:

1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) granulated white sugar (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Fresh fruit - kiwi, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, passion fruit, peaches, pineapple, or other fruit of your choice

Instructions:

Pavlova: Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (130 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 7 inch (18 cm) circle on the paper. Turn the parchment paper over so the circle is on the reverse side.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat, on high speed, until the meringue holds very stiff and shiny peaks. (Test to see if the sugar is fully dissolved by rubbing a little of the meringue between your thumb and index finger. The meringue should feel smooth, not gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers). Beat in the vanilla extract. Sprinkle the vinegar and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, with a rubber spatula, gently fold in. Spread the meringue inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper, smoothing the edges, making sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher than the center. (You want a slight well in the center of the meringue to place the whipped cream and fruit.)
Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the outside is dry and is a very pale cream color. Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven. (The outside of the meringue will feel firm to the touch, if gently pressed, but as it cools you will get a little cracking and you will see that the inside is soft and marshmallowy.)
The cooled meringue can be made and stored in a cool dry place, in an airtight container, for a few days.
Just before serving gently place the meringue onto a serving plate. Whip the cream in your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the sugar and vanilla and then mound the softly whipped cream into the center of the meringue. Arrange the fruit randomly, or in a decorative pattern, on top of the cream. Serve immediately as this dessert does not hold for more than a few hours.
Serves 6 to 8.