Review: Enchilada Casserole

Grading scale: A-

I just took this down to Emi's work and we sat in the office and ate this together. We both liked in a lot, and I don't think that I would make any changes to the ingredients themselves. It had a lot of flavor!!! Also, my husband eats a TON and he only had 2 square sections and ended up being very full. We have leftovers that we're actually planning on eating (We're not a leftover family, but we are trying to be for poorness sake...) The other good thing about this recipe for us is that we hardly ever eat Ground Beef and it was a good recipe that I will definitely use again. This was a very easy dish to make.

I did do a couple of things different from the original recipe.

• First off, I used Mild Green Chile Enchilada Sauce because I didn't know which kind I was supposed to use. I assume it was probably meant for "normal" red sauce. Mild, because Emi is a wuss. :-D Emi and I are fans of the Green Chile sauce and it was absolutely delish... so my recommendation goes with that.
• The second thing I did, and this didn't make a difference as far as taste goes (or maybe it did), but it soothed the laziness in me. I added the olives to the sauce instead of putting a layer of them as I went. I am not a fan of olives so I only got a small 2.25 oz can of sliced olives. I put about 3/4 of them in the sauce and then used the rest to decorate the top. I couldn't even taste the olives in the dish which gives it an extra point for me!

I will also be referring to this as Enchilada Lasagna from now on so that it will be easy for Emi to remember and differentiate. :-D

Enchilada Casserole

I got this here.

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

4-5 flour tortillas
1 lb. hamburger
Onion powder to taste
1 can enchilada sauce
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can chopped green chilies
6 tsp. milk mixed with soup
1 can sliced black olives
Grated cheese
Sour cream, lettuce, and tomatoes as desired

Fry hamburger with onion powder until brown. Drain. Add enchilada sauce, soup with milk, and green chilies. Simmer while preparing the rest.

Tear tortillas into fourths. Put a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan (to avoid sticking). Layer ingredients: tortillas, grated cheese, chopped olives, sauce, then repeat until all the sauce is gone. (Usually 2 layers of each). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Top as desired.

Review: Gourmet Chicken Sandwiches

Grading scale: A-

These were really good and I was right about having veggies on them. Brooke was the mastermind behind these so the props go to her. I liked the foccacia bread, but it was kind of hard to eat and I think I would have preferred it toasted. I wouldn't make these on a regular basis, as the recipe suggests, because I think its too much work for a normal everyday lunchtime meal.

Gourmet Chicken Sandwiches

Gourmet Chicken Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
8 slices garlic and rosemary focaccia bread

DIRECTIONS

Sprinkle pepper on one side of each chicken cutlet. Heat oil in a large skillet; brown garlic in oil, then add chicken, pepper-side-down. Saute chicken until cooked through and juices run clear, about 12 to 15 minutes.
In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, mustard and rosemary. Mix together and spread mixture on 4 slices focaccia bread. Place 1 chicken cutlet on each of these slices, then top each with another bread slice.

I got this off of Allrecipes This is next on my list of things to try. I might be trying it on Sunday with my friend Brooke, but we don't know for sure yet. It sure sounds good though. I think I would add some veggies to it though, because what is a sandwhich without veggies!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I made three changes to this recipe.
1 and 2. I sauteed (or rather Emi did) onions and garlic to put in with the chicken mixture.
3. This recipe make A LOT of sauce and since you don't need all of that sauce for the bottom of the pan or to top off the enchiladas I put a decent amount of sauce in the chicken mixture itself. The first time I made this recipe everyone really liked it, but said it was a little dry. Adding the sauce in with the chicken seemed to have cured that.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

SAUCE:
6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

FILLING:
1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 3 small chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all day). Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

I got this here.

Katherine's Chicken and Noodles

I made this last week and I can't say that I was completely happy with it. It tasted pretty good and it was good enough that Emi ate almost everything that I didn't eat, which is always a good sign, as far as cooking goes.

I think if I were to make it again, I wouldn't shred the chicken but instead cut them into cubes. It kind of reminded me of some sort of Tuna Casserole when I expected to be eating chicken. I'll let you know if I try it again and any other changes that I make!

Katherine's Chicken and Noodles

Grill or bake 3 chicken breasts seasoned with:
- paprika
- garlic salt, and
- pepper

Shred chicken and put aside. Cook about 2/3 of a one pound package of Linguini noodles. Spray 8X8 or 9X9 pan with cooking spray. Place cooked noodles in the bottom of the pan. Spread shredded chicken over that.

Mix together:
-1 can cream of chicken
-1/2 cup milk
-1 cup sour cream (it would also be good with cream cheese if you prefer!)
-onion salt
-garlic salt, and
-onion powder

Spread above mixture over the top of the chicken. Bake at 350 until warm and bubbly. (about 25 - 30 min.)

I got this off of this website's Recipe of the Week.

Zuchini Bread

I did not like this recipe. I have had Zuchini bread before and I LOVED it. It wasn't that this recipe wasn't good, it just wasn't my cup of tea. This recipe was more cookie-like and I suppose if I had read the description provided that I would have known that and chosen a different recipe. I really wanted bread, not a cookie.

Zuchini Bread

3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1 cup vegetable oil (or applesauce)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins (I don't like raisins, so I left them out)
1 cup walnuts (yet another thing I prefer to leave out)

Combine flour, soda, salt, baking powder and spices; sift, then set aside. Beat oil, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Then add zucchini, vanilla, flour mixture, raisins and walnuts. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Makes 2 medium loaves.

I got this here.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This recipe was a big hit with my husband and my husband's co-workers. Definitely worth a try!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

CHICKEN:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

SAUCE:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced - about 6-8 minutes.

I got this here.

Banana Banana Bread

Grading Scale: A++

I LOVE this banana bread. You can really taste the bananas in it and it isn't too sweet. This is my standard go to banana bread recipe. I also add walnuts to the ingredients and one of these days (when Emi lets me) I am going to put chocolate chips it because I'm sure it would be so very yummy!

Banana Banana Bread

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 1/3 cup mashed overripe bananas
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 X 5 bread pan.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas.
4. Stir banana mixture with flour mixture. Pour into prepared loaf pan.
5. Bake for 60-65 minutes.

I got this here.

3-2-1 AMAZING!

I absolutely LOVE this sauce and I plan and trying it on other type of fish other than salmon.

3-2-1 AMAZING!

3 T. Butter
2 T. Brown Sugar
1 T. Lemon Juice
Salt and pepper to taste.

Salt and pepper salmon fillets.

Melt remaining ingredients together in a small saucepan. Pour over salmon. Cook at 400 degrees for 20 - 35 minutes depending on the size of the fillet.