Three Cheese Enchiladas

If there's a recipe title on the photo above, you'll know I updated the picture.  As I type this right now, there's nothing but a little watermark on the bottom.  Oh, well.

Life has been busy, good, hard, and stressful, all rolled into one.  More on that soon, I promise--I seem to blog in spurts, catching up by posting in bunches when the urge rises in my heart.  Aside from that, I'm just blogging through my photos, and these two yummy pictures popped up next.  I'm sure you just want the recipe, so here it is.  I'll blog in depth in another post.

Three Cheese Enchiladas

16 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided (I've used Colby Jack, too--just as yummy)
16 oz. shredded mild cheddar cheese, divided
8-oz. package cream cheese
2 1/2 cups salsa or picante sauce, divided
2-3 green bell peppers, cored and diced
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 1/2 teaspoons cumin
~20 corn tortillas, or ~16 flour tortillas
toppings:  shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced olives, sour cream, etc.

Combine about 3/4 of each Monterey Jack and cheddar, all the cream cheese, half the salsa, the green pepper, onions, and the cumin.  Mix well.  Spoon about 1/4 cup of this cheese mixture down the center of each tortilla; use less if you're using corn tortillas--they're smaller!  Fold tortilla up (or roll if corn tortillas) and arrange in a 13x9 baking pan.  Spoon remaining salsa over the enchiladas, and sprinkle the remaining Monterey and cheddar over that.  Bake at 350F until crisped up and cheese is all melted and crispy on the edges.  Serve with toppings--whichever ones work for you!

Back to life,
Christine

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Red Beans and Rice

My neighbor Lorraine--she's such a great neighbor; you've read about her generosity in past posts--gave me a package of ham hocks.  I thought I'd use them in split pea soup, but someone mentioned red beans and rice.  I thought, why not.  Thus began my Internet Pinterest exploration for good recipes, of which I combined two into my own, and here it is.  As usual, the recipe's at the end.

You'll notice the sausage--not the ham hocks--in the pictures here.  I didn't take pictures until I knew the recipe was a keeper.  So, after the the guys' applause and general adulation of my amazing cooking abilities, and after I made the recipe a second time, I took pictures.  And this time, I used organic chicken sausage because it's what I had.

Attention:  If you don't eat meat, or use it sparingly, simply remove the meat portion of this recipe!  It's great meatless, too.

To spice things up, I add some Cajun seasoning, because, after all, this recipe originates from Louisiana Cajun territory.  I love Penzey's Spices, and their spice blends.

Let me tell you something, though.  This little jar of yumminess costs almost eight dollars.  Yikes!  I bought it because I needed it, but you'll be seeing my homemade version soon, because there ain't no way I'm spending that kind of money again on something I can make myself with ingredients I already have in my pantry.

This sure is some awesome seasoning, despite the price!

This recipe also involves soaking dry beans overnight, then simmering them with all the added stuff for 2-3 hours.  All those flavors are gettin' happy, mixin' and minglin' together all that time--no way it's not going to be delicious!

As promised, here it is.  Enjoy!

Red Beans and Rice

3 cups dry red beans (about a pound)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced celery
2 cups chopped green pepper
5 cloves garlic, minced (or garlic to your taste)
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley (about 3 teaspoons dry)
1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (I use Braggs--the really good stuff!)
Tabasco sauce to taste, maybe 5-6 shakes

Sort and rinse beans.  Place in large (six-quart) stock pot and cover with cold water; soak overnight or longer.  Drain beans and set aside.

In the stock pot, sauté chopped onion and celery in a little butter (or oil, or rendered pork lard) until translucent.  Add green pepper and sauté a few more minutes, then add the garlic and sauté a minute or so longer.  Add the beans back to the pot, then add all the remaining ingredients except the Tabasco sauce.  Cover with water, bring to a boil, replace the lid, and simmer about three hours or so until the beans are tender.

I stir this every now and then throughout the cooking process, and about 30 minutes before I deem it ready, I check the liquid.  My guys don't like it too soupy, so if it's that way, I remove the lid for the last 30 minutes (turn the heat up a bit to keep it at a simmer).  If at any point there's not enough water, add some boiling water in.  The hot water will help keep everything simmering, so that you don't have to turn the heat up to bring it back to a simmer.

Before serving, add the Tabasco, stirring in.

We love this served with rice, white or brown.

The last time I placed an order with our farmers (love them and their pasture-raised food!!), I ordered ham hocks--two packages.  They're less expensive than other meats, they're delicious, and I needed them because we make this recipe on a regular basis now.  Yum!

Update:  I used my farmers' ham hocks for this recipe, and I gotta tell ya.  That was the best bowl of red beans and rice I've made yet!

Back to life,
Christine

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A Week of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving week.

A few days before Thanksgiving, this scene greeted me at our front door:

November 24.

It looks like it's a few days before Christmas!!  Fernando had a job and was gone just before Thanksgiving, and it worked out that he was able to drive the SAT truck home, and leave the Suburban at PSSI home base (Deerfield).  I waited up for him, and around midnight I heard a very distinct diesel engine on a very distinct vehicle as Fernando pulled into our driveway.

'Twas the night before Thanksgiving...

This Thanksgiving was extra special, since I was hosting the holiday for the very first time.  I had made a turkey once in my life, a few years back when we had the M. family over for a holiday season meal together.  That turkey took longer than expected, and this turkey did as well.  But it was worth the wait.  And it was okay, too, since Jacob had to work until 2:00pm and came home to the wonderful aroma of Thanksgiving food on the table.

My brother Jeff snagged my camera and took a shot of me opening the wine.  That's sort of a goofy face.  Really.  :)

Finally, dinner was ready and we crammed into the dining room, sans Matt and Char (who were with Char's relatives for the day), for our traditional family photo at the table.  It's a one-shot deal--take the picture, double-check it, put the camera away, and start the feast!

Thank You, Lord, that we're still in Illinois, that we didn't have to leave our sons behind, that work came to us.  Thank You for PSSI, for them wanting Fernando to work here.  Bless their company, and may Your gospel shine on Rick's heart as he trains Fernando, even though Rick is a very difficult person.

Thank You for our lovely home, the perfect size, the one we knew You chose for us, where our boys have grown up, where so many goofy and fun memories were made.  We continue to trust You for providing the ability for us to continue to live here.  Work, in Your timing, through the employees of Wells Fargo, as they consider our mortgage modification request so that we may be able to stay here.

Thank You for everything, for everything has come from You.  You are so good to us; no matter what You've allowed into our lives, it is for our good, and for Your glory.  Thank You.

Back to life,
Christine

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Of Cars and Chickens

September 8.

First comes the car.  Jacob bought one.  And God is good (all the time).  Fernando and Jacob ended up all the way in Evanston at the Auto Barn, and they got a sweet deal on a 2013 Nissan Sentra.  Jacob lets me drive it, since our F150 is out of commission (it drives in reverse only).

September 9.

Next comes the chicken.  Due to a mix-up in ordering a few months earlier, we ended up with four chickens (and two dozen eggs).   We found one last chicken from , so we stuffed it with garlic, rubbed it with olive oil, and sprinkled it with rosemary.  Then we lay sliced lemons over it and baked it (350F for 1 to 1.5 hours).  Scrumptious.

Yes, the chicken was a blessing, because we were running out of food--mostly meat, dairy, and produce.  To find this chicken still in the freezer from our "food mix-up" was indeed a blessing, and one we thoroughly enjoyed.  It was the Lord's reminder that He is still in control of our situation, and will always be in control.  He is sovereign over every circumstance we encounter.

Thank You for feeding us, not only food we can see, but with the meat of Your Word.  I'm so glad we're Yours.


Back to life,
Christine

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Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

Every Tuesday lately has been Slow Cooker Day.  With our crazy Tuesday schedule, I end up in the car and gone from home most of the afternoon, including picking up Thomas from math club at 4:30 then going straight to the train station to pick up Danny, and arriving home at around 5:15--way too late to start dinner.  I've tried to come up with some new dinners to cook in the slow cooker, and this particular one was a hit with the guys.

Here are some photo highlights, and the recipe, as always, is at the end.  :)

I had Thomas cut the boneless, skinless chicken breasts in half.  He likes knives.  ;)

Simple recipe, simple (and few) ingredients!

Flouring ("breading") the chicken pieces.

Measure out the barbecue sauce and the marmalade.

Mix everything up in a bowl.

Into the slow cooker it all goes!

Slow Cooker ~ Orange Chicken

two pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
4 tablespoons flour
2/3 cup orange marmalade (can substitute peach or apricot preserves)
1/3 cup barbecue sauce (I used homemade barbecue sauce)
1/4 cup Bragg's liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
1 teaspoon ground ginger

In a large bowl, toss chicken pieces with flour.  Stir in remaining ingredients and pour all into a 3- to 5-quart slow cooker (mine above is a 3.5-quart and worked very well).  Cook on low 6-8 hours, or on high 3-4 hours.  Serve with rice and a vegetable.

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken with organic basmati white rice and steamed green beans.

Back to life,
Christine

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Mexican Lasagna ~ The Best of Two Worlds!

Remember, the recipe is always at the end.  :)

As a new high school student, I thought I'd take a class in Spanish.  Foreign language was new to me, but after about two weeks in Spanish I, I was hooked.  I fell in love with the language, and languages in general (always having been fascinated with words).  Four years in high school and four years in college, eight years total of Spanish plus enough French to snag a minor in that language as well.  I was in love with Spanish--the language, the people, the culture.  So, when I met a man named Fernando, it wasn't that hard to fall in love for life with one of the people.

Fernando is Mexican; his mom was born in Mexico, and his dad here in the States.  He grew up speaking Spanish, and didn't learn English until he went to kindergarten.  And I am Italian, and British.  My mom is full-blooded Italian, and I've even been to Italy with her.  Side note--we met distant relatives in central Italy, and we communicated by going from English to Spanish (they called a Spanish-speaking family friend) to Italian, and back again.  It was a lot of fun!

Anyway, all that explanation to say, here is a recipe that combines the best of two worlds:  Mexico and Italy.  Their cultures are fairly similar, their food, not so much.  This dish takes a traditional lasagna set-up (the layers thing) and pairs it with a Mexican twist.  It doesn't get much better than that.

All the ingredients are laid out on the counter, ready to go.

The layers will be like this:

Start with a layer of corn tortillas.  Feel free to fold and break them to fit in your pan.  Depending on the size of your pan, you may need 5-7 tortillas for each of the two tortilla layers.

Corn tortillas.

Meat mixture.

Cottage cheese mixture, then cheddar cheese.

Another layer of corn tortillas.

The rest of the meat mixture.

Final topping of cheddar cheese.

As always, as promised, here's the recipe!

Mexican Lasagna
Serves 12

• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 2 cups whole kernel corn (I used frozen)
• 1 cup salsa (any kind!)
• 15-oz. can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning (or use one envelope of your favorite store-bought brand)
• 16-oz. container cottage cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 10-12 (or so) corn tortillas
• 12 oz. shredded cheddar (just use what looks good--you can never have enough cheese!)

In a six-quart pot, brown the ground meat; drain and return to pot.  Add the corn, salsa, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning, heat to warm and leave for about five minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine the cottage cheese, eggs, and oregano.

Line a 13x9 baking dish with five or six tortillas.  Corn tortillas will break if you fold them, so go ahead and do that if you need to in order to fit them into the corners and along the edges.  Overlap the tortillas to form a solid layer.  Take those strips you broke off (if any) and stick them in any gaps or wherever.  They'll cook right in.

Top the tortillas with half the meat mixture.  Spoon/spread the cottage cheese mixture on next.  Sprinkle about 1/3 of the cheese over the cottage cheese mixture.  Arrange another layer of tortillas on top.  Spread the rest of the meat mixture on, then top with the rest of the shredded cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees about 30 minutes or until cheese melts and casserole bubbles.  Let stand ten minutes before serving.

I almost forgot to take a picture of the finished product!  Fortunately, Jacob got lost coming home from his first day on his internship and arrived late for dinner.  And also fortunately, he didn't inhale the rest of the remaining lasagna!  He was really happy about coming home and being able to sit right down and eat a well-deserved meal--homemade and still warm!


Back to life,
Christine

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Way Beyond Grilled Cheese

Pinterest is a dangerous place.  Once you go there, you get sucked in.  It's so easy to spend hours scrolling through everyone's pins, drooling over yummy-looking food photos or daydreaming about home decor ideas posted by all your friends or...  Back to reality, lady!  (I was talking to myself there, sorry!)

A photo of a really interesting sandwich came across my Pinterest homepage (visit my Pinterest boards if you like!), and I thought I'd try my own version.  Since grilled cheese goes well with tomato soup, I thought I'd make some of that, too.  I'll have to post that recipe later.  For now, let's focus on this awesomely amazing grilled cheese sandwich.  First a photo.  Then the how-to.

Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Y'know, I realized just now that you probably already know how to make a grilled cheese sandwich.  So I won't bore you with the details of an actual recipe.  Besides, I don't have a recipe.  So I'll just tell you what I did.

First, I made some guacamole.  Then I fried up some bacon--yummy uncured bacon straight from Nature's Choice Farm.  Next, I sliced a bunch of cheddar cheese and buttered some slices of bread.

Once my griddle was heated, I placed a slice of bread on the griddle (buttered side out), slathered it with guacamole, laid two strips of bacon on the guac, then topped it all with a few thick slices of cheese.  I set the top slice of bread on top and carefully pressed down.  You know the rest--brown on one side, flip, brown on the other, and remove to a plate.  Et voilá!  An awesome sandwich with a side of homemade tomato soup and tortilla chips.

We don't eat sandwiches like this very often.  But, oh my--they're amazing!

Simple dinner for two in the dining room!

Back to life,
Christine

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A-B-Chili!

As a young girl, I never liked chili.  Even as a teenager.  But then I got married to a Mexican guy who loves spicy things, and I grew to love spicy things, too.  Including chili.  I got my mom's original recipe for this yummy meal, and I'm sharing it here.  It is a basic chili recipe, and you can add so many things to it--just use your imagination and your taste buds!  Chili freezes well, too, so when you end up with an eight-quart pot full because you added so many different ingredients, feel free to freeze the leftovers for a quick meal another day.

Oh, and I said easy--but the healthier way is to use dry beans, so it's a little more time-consuming but oh, so worth it!

Here are the ABCs of chili.

Easy Chili

2 cups dry beans (any kind, one or a variety)
2 large onions, chopped
2 green peppers, diced
2 pounds ground beef
32-oz. diced tomatoes (or 3 14-oz. cans)
16-oz. tomato sauce
3 tablespoons (or more to taste) chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
2 bay leaves

Place dry beans in a large pot; cover with cold water and let sit overnight.  The next day, drain the beans and rinse.  Re-cover with cold water, bring to boil on stovetop, then simmer until tender, 1-3 hours depending on the type of beans.  Drain the beans, reserving the liquid.

Important:  If you are using different kinds of beans (black, pinto, kidney), I suggest you use a separate pot to soak/simmer each kind.  I find that while pintos and kidneys will become tender after an hour or so of simmering, black beans can take up to two or three hours.  I use all three kinds in this recipe, so I have three pots going on the stove.  :)

Brown the onion, green pepper, and meat in a large stock pot; drain when the meat is cooked.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer one to two hours, adding reserved bean liquid if needed.  Don't add the liquid in the beginning of the simmer time; wait until the veggies check after 45 minutes or an hour.  The veggies cook down nicely and I usually don't have to add extra liquid.  You can also adjust the seasoning at this time--add more chili powder, or some pepper, if you like.  Taste it first, though!

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, olives, etc.  Cottage cheese makes a great topping, too!

Now comes the fun part!  When you add all the ingredients to the meat mixture, consider adding:

• corn
• mushrooms
• black olives
• jalapenos
• shredded carrot (or chunks!)

Most any veggie can be added to this chili.  Don't want meat?  Leave it out!  Don't like onion or green pepper?  Leave it out!  Want chicken instead of beef?   Use ground chicken, or cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into chunks, and cook it up with the veggies.  Simple!

Back to life,
Christine

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Britalian Lasagna

Yes, that's a weird name for a recipe.  I've meshed several different lasagna recipes together over the years, and since my heritage is British and Italian, that's the name I came up with and it works for me.  :)

It's funny that even though I come from an Italian family (my mom is a full-blooded Italian), I really don't like making lasagna.  It's also funny--or ironic--that my full-blooded Mexican husband loves lasagna, even claiming it as his favorite meal.  Making lasagna is too time-consuming, in my opinion.   So, on those rare occasions when I do make lasagna, I always double everything and make two.  I usually freeze the second pan, for a future meal or for blessing another family.  I use a throw-away aluminum pan for that second pan in case it goes to another family.

Here we go with what I do...


Britalian Lasagna

Meat Sauce
one pound of ground beef, cooked and drained
30-oz. can whole tomatoes
15-oz. can tomato sauce
8-oz. can tomato paste
Italian seasoning to taste (basil, oregano, parsley)
2 cloves garlic, crushed/minced
smidge of cane juice crystals (or sugar--I use maybe a couple of tablespoons,  no measuring)

Empty the whole tomatoes into a large pot.  Stick your hands in there and hand-crush all the tomatoes.  Then, add the cooked ground beef and the rest of the ingredients.  Heat over medium heat until heated through, or simmer for a couple hours on low.  You can use this sauce on its own, for serving over spaghetti or whatever.  You can also omit the meat and make meatballs (add them to the meatless sauce), or add cooked sausage or just serve it marinara-style.  This is also the spaghetti sauce I use in other recipes, such as taco soup.

Ricotta Mixture
1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) fresh ricotta cheese (the fresher, the better)
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese (I always end up adding extra--cheese is great!)
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (I use fresh)
1 egg
dash fresh nutmeg (the secret ingredient; use a microplane grater)
salt and pepper to taste (I don't use these)

If your fresh ricotta is watery (which is typical of fresh ricotta but not always the case), drain it well.  A large metal sieve, or even the large colander I typically use, works well.  Once it is drained, combine it with all the other ingredients in a large bowl, and mix until everything is blended.

Other Ingredients
no-bake lasagna noodles--a couple boxes to be sure you have enough
couple cups grated mozzarella (I use more so I have enough for the top)

Okay, now to put everything together.  On the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish, I spread some meat sauce.  Then I place noodles over that.  Feel free to break the dry noodles to make them fit!  Spread some of the ricotta mixture on top of that, then some mozzarella.  Then I layer:  sauce -- noodles -- ricotta -- mozzarella.  Do this twice so that all the ricotta is used up.  My final layer is noodles, with sauce on top to cover the noodles completely.  Then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top (I usually grate extra!).

Ready to bake!

To bake, place lasagna (I "tent" some aluminum foil over the top of the pan) in a preheated 350-degree oven, and bake for 45 minutes to one hour.  Check after 45 minutes, and remove the foil at that point.  Bake until it's bubbly and the cheese is slightly golden.

I don't think it's possible to mess up lasagna.  Whether the sauce is a little too thin or thick, or I've layered it incorrectly, it always seems to taste just fine.  And that's the important thing.

Fresh nutmeg--my Italian grandma's secret ingredient!

Back to life,
Christine

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Ricotta Cheese Pancakes

What do you do when you buy a huge container of ricotta cheese in order to make two pans of lasagna, and you end up with extra ricotta?  Extra, as in a lot of?

Five pounds of ricotta!

Well, it just so happens that I have this great little recipe for Ricotta Pancakes.  The original recipe is from Weight Watchers, and I've adjusted it to our own healthy eating standards.  This recipe makes a yummy meal for either breakfast or dinner.  We recently enjoyed these for dinner, since the ricotta is a nice portion of protein.

Ricotta Cheese Pancakes

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons cane juice crystals (or to taste)
4 eggs (we use fresh eggs right from our farmer)
2 cups fresh ricotta cheese

In a small bowl, sift together the first three ingredients.  (I simply stir them together using a whisk.)  In another larger bowl, beat egg; add ricotta and sifted flour mixture and stir until smooth.

Heat griddle or frypan on medium heat.  Important:  Once griddle is heated, brush with a little oil or butter.  Because there is no oil in the mix, the pancakes will stick and you'll end up with a mess.  :)

Drop batter by heaping tablespoon (don't make any larger than this) onto griddle; bake until golden on bottom, then flip carefully.  Cook other side until golden, then remove to serving plate.

These little pancakes are so light and fluffy; they melt in your mouth.  They're great served in the traditional way, with a little melted butter and syrup on top.  You may also serve them with berries or seasonal fruit.  Sometimes we eat them hot off the plate!

Back to life,
Christine

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