Spinach & Corn Enchiladas

This recipe was created on a "What am I going to make?" night when I needed to use a bag of spinach and half a bunch of cilantro before they spoiled and I was in the mood for Mexican food. After we all devoured these, I proclaimed this a recipe success. I love that the filling is so creamy without any cream (although I was generous with the cheese).

Spinach & Corn Enchiladas
1/8 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 t cumin
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1 can no salt added whole-kernel corn, drained
1/4 c cilantro
1 6-oz bag baby spinach
2 cups shredded cheese
6-8 medium (soft-taco size) flour tortillas
1 10-oz can red enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350. In a skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly at a boil for one minute (it should be nice and thick). Reduce heat to low and stir in cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder. Incorporate corn and cilantro. Fold spinach into mixture, remove from heat, and continue folding for about one minute. Coat the bottom of a greased baking dish with a small amount (1/8-1/4 cup enchilada sauce). Generously fill each tortilla with spinach mixture, top with 1/8-1/4 cup cheese, roll and place seam-side down into baking dish. Fill remaining tortillas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.

Tortilla Pie

My friend Kathryn shared this recipe with me and it is a hit at our house. Think Mexican lasagna. The original recipe comes from Parents magazine. It calls for a package of fajita chicken but I usually just use two cups of shredded chicken. I've also used ground turkey and it would be an easy vegetarian meal if you just use the beans and corn. I love that the top tortilla gets crispy around the edges! I like serving this with sliced avocados or guacamole.

Mile-high Tortilla Pie (Parents Magazine)
1 can (19 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (11 ounces) whole-kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
1 jar (16 ounces) chunky mild salsa
1 pack (10 oz) fajita-style cooked chicken (or, use cooked shredded chicken or ground turkey or beef, or omit to make this a vegetarian meal)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (this adds something but it's great without it, too)
5 (10 inch) flour tortillas
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I use a Mexican blend)
Sour cream, optional

Heat oven to 425. In a medium bowl, combine black beans, corn, salsa, chicken and cilantro. Coat the bottom of a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place 1 tortilla in coated pan. Top with 1 1/2 cups of the bean mixture and 1/4 of the cheese. Layer three more times, finishing with the last tortilla. (I sprinkle some cheese on top). Bake in oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese melts and filling is hot. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Pasta with Peas, Chives, and Cream Sauce

I could eat pasta with alfredo sauce every night for dinner, so when I come across a recipe that looks like an "easy alfredo" I always try it. Another reason I was enticed by this Real Simple recipe was that I was able to use the chives from our garden. Also, both my kids will always eat noodles and peas. They love them! I used two cups half and half in place of the heavy cream and milk and it worked well. A nice, comforting pasta dish.

International Dateline Chicken

This is another recipe from the Cook's Country Best Lost Suppers cookbook. It's sweet and savory and I love the dates in the dish! I used 4 boneless, skinless, whole chicken breasts and cut my browning time to about 7 minutes and simmer time to about 15 minutes. You can save even more time if you're using chicken breast halves.

International Dateline Chicken
4 (12-ounce) bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts, trimmed
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
1/2 cup minced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup pitted dates, finely chopped
1 (11-ounce) can Mandarin oranges, drained
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley


1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 1/2 tsps of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook the chicken until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and remove the skin.

2. Heat the remaining 1 1/2 tsp oil in the pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the bell pepper, onion, and 1/2 tsp salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, scraping up any browned bits.

3. Return the chicken breasts, along with any accumulated juices, to the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until the thickest part of the breasts registers 160 to 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and tent loosely with foil.

4. Mix the orange juice and cornstarch together in a bowl. Add the juice mixture and the dates to the pot and cook, stirring constantly until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the oranges and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Latin Baked Chicken

Easy, easy, easy! Only five ingredients (lime, honey, soy sauce, chipotle, chicken) for this delicious dish! The flavors are great. A friend told me to freeze the extra chipotles in adobo. After mincing all the chiles (in the can using kitchen scissors), I separated them into two-tablespoon-sized portions and popped them in the freezer. Perfect!

Summer Barley Salad

This Summer Barley Salad was easy, quick, and healthy. The dressing with the lemon is light and bright, and I recommend doubling the dressing so you can add more. The feta adds a nice richness to the salad. I used a whole cucumber instead of olives. You could really change up the vegetables in this dish to what you may have on hand.

Taco Seasoning

One evening, as I was almost done browning ground turkey for tacos, I realized I didn't have a packet of taco seasoning. I love those little packets. They make ground turkey taste great and really are easy. So, I hurried to the computer and checked allrecipes to find a recipe for taco seasoning. I won't be buying taco seasoning packets again. This combination is so much better (and cheaper and healthier). I may be making this in bulk and giving it out as a holiday gift, it really is that good and handy!

Taco Seasoning
1 T chili powder
1/4 t garlic
1/4 t onion
1/4 t red pepper
1/4 t dried oregano
1/2 t paprika
1 1/2 t cumin
1 t salt
1 t pepper

Combine all ingredients and add to one pound of browned and drained ground meat. Add 1/4-1/2 cup water, stir and simmer over low heat about 5 minutes.

Asian Chicken Salad

This salad makes it into my recipe rotation at least once every two weeks. The dressing is amazing and the salad is totally customizable.

Asian Chicken Salad
Dressing (recipe adapted from Allrecipes):
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 Tablesoon sesame oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons rice vinegar

Salad:
Two hearts romaine, chopped
Two whole chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
One can mandarin oranges
One cucumber, sliced
One carrot, sliced or shredded
Chow Mein Noodles (Safeway has these for 99 cents for a 6 oz bag-I usually use half a bag)
Sliced almonds (optional)

Combine dressing ingredients and refrigerate while assembling all salad ingredients except noodles. Toss salad with dressing, divide among plates, and top with noodles and almonds.

Screaming Noodles

Did you hear about my huge recipe accomplishment? Well, I decided to try some of the other recipes in the cookbook. Screaming Noodles, is now in my regular rotation because it is quick, cheap, and a nice vegetarian option. It's named "Screaming Noodles" because the first time the kids saw it they screamed until they tried it, then, they liked it. I normally use a pound of rotini, or whatever short pasta I have on hand. I always omit the fresh parsley. I've added the spinach earlier, to the sauce and let it wilt before I pour the sauce on the noodles. The spinach clumps quite a bit that way, but if you like spinach cooked more, you should add it earlier than the recipe calls for. I like the dish both ways. Here is the recipe from the Cook's Country Best Lost Suppers cookbook:

Screaming Noodles
1 pound wide egg noodles (or other pasta)
Salt
2 Tbsps olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/8-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 (5-ounce) bags baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Pepper

1. Bring 4 quarts water ot a boil in a large pot. Add the noodles and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the noodles and return them to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon slat in a medium saucepan over medium heat until sizzling, about 1 minute. Add the cottabe cheese, Parmesan, and broth and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, 2 to 4 minutes.

3. Stir the sauce into the noodles, adjusing the consistency with the reserved past cooking water as needed. Stir in the spinach, one handful at a time, and cook until wilted, about 30 seconds. Add the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Black Bean Burgers

Different and delicious! These black bean burgers were fun to make and good to eat. I omitted the jalapeno. After reading some reviews, I used a potato masher to mash the beans. It was helpful. I also used a whole egg instead of two egg whites and that seemed to help hold the burgers together. The salsa is great. I kept the avocado sliced and added it for Jack, who loves to eat avocado slices. Sweet potato fries were a great side with this.

Roasted Chicken with Lemon Curd

Chicken with lemon curd? I know it sounds unusual but it is so delicious. My friend Kari (see previous post to find her baking blog) brought us this chicken with a "new baby meal" just after Myla was born. We gobbled it up and as soon as I was really cooking again, it was the first new recipe I tried. The original recipe is for a whole chicken but it works just as well (even better & easier) using leg quarters or drumsticks and thighs. The original recipe included a recipe for lemon curd but I'm not even including it. Make your day easier and just go buy it! You can usually find it next to the jams and jellies or in the baking aisle. This chicken is fantastic!!!

Roasted Chicken with Lemon Curd

1 (3-lb) roasting chicken (or 3 lbs of chicken pieces with skin on)

1 T chopped fresh rosemary

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 cup lemon curd

2 large lemons, halved

1. Preheat oven to 450. Remove chicken giblets and stuff, rinse with cold water and pat dry. Trim excess fat. Loosen skin with fingers (do this with the chicken pieces, too).

2. Combine rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub under loose skin, all over meat. (This gives the chicken such fabulous flavor).

3. Place chicken, breast side up, on broiler pan coated with cooking spray (or put chicken pieces in a greased or foil-lined 9x13 pan.) Pierce skin with fork. Brush chicken all over generously with lemon curd (I just spooned it on and spread it around, flipped the chicken pieces over and spread the rest). Arrange lemons around chicken (I skipped this step).

4. Bake at 450 for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and bake an additional 1 hour until thermometer registers 165. (For legs reduce both times - about 20 minutes at 450 and about 40-45 at 350, until juices ran clear and thermometer was about 165.) Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil, let stand 10 minutes.

Barbecue Chicken with Mustard Glaze

This recipe from Cooking Light is tasty, quick, and easy. You probably have all the ingredients on hand! My mom made this for us when she was here helping after Myla was born. We used chicken breasts and instead of grilling, we baked them for 20 minutes, brushed on the sauce, and then baked for 10 additional minutes. The spice rub and sauce makes the chicken so flavorful. Give this one a try!

I'm Published!

Well, I do have my name in name in this cookbook. And, it's my mom's recipe that's published. But still, pretty cool, right?! Here's the story. Over a year ago my mom learned that Cook's Country (America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Illustrated) was holding a recipe contest for the Best Lost Suppers. My mom suggested I enter her Chicken and Rice Dish. I submitted an online entry and totally forgot about until a few months ago I got a letter congratulating me because my recipe had been chosen among the 1,000 plus entries. Pretty exciting! Well, I just received my copy of the book in the mail and was pretty excited so I thought I'd better post it while I have some time on my hands (tomorrow is baby #2's due date and I'm just sitting and waiting!). Of course, being America's Test Kitchen, they tested the recipe and made some changes to it (specifically adding carrots and peas), but I like it just how I've got it on the blog. Give it a try.

Barbeque Apricot Chicken

This recipe was in my email one day and I needed an idea for dinner and happened to have all the ingredients. Well, I used 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken, and reduced my cooktime to 40 minutes. I suggest doubling the apricot jam to 2/3 cup. I found it to be quite tasty. This is an easy alternative to bbq chicken. I served the chicken with brown rice and roasted broccoli.

Fry Bread Recipe

Here's a better recipe for Fry Bread if you're going to make Navajo Tacos, which I've been making a lot lately.

1 cup flour
1/4 t salt
1 t baking powder
1/2 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients. Pour milk over dry ingredients and stir with fork until clumps. Flour hands and mix (don't knead) into a ball. Separate dought into 4 pieces. Flour hands and shape into discs (thin). Cook 3-4 minutes per side in 350 oil .

This is easy and good, though not close to authentic, and much better than the original recipe I posted.

Lately . . .

We've had a couple of weeks of really good meals, if I do say so myself, even though I haven't been trying anything new. Here are some of the recipes from the archives that I've found especially satisfying:

* Chicken Katsu
* Cafe Rio Chicken Salads
* Steak Sandwiches (I used a london broil steak that was on sale and while it was still partially frozen sliced it very thinly. I added slices of provolone cheese when the steak and peppers and onion were still in the pan. It melted and was gooey and delicious!)
* Rice & Beans with Avocado (we never get sick of this)
* Chicken Tostadas
* Chicken Souvlaki with yogurt dipping sauce
* BBQ Chicken Pizza (with pineapple!) and Spinach Salad
* Orecchiette with mini meatballs
* Eggplant Tomato pasta
* Chicken Sandwiches with grilled pineapple (add honey mustard for more flavor!)
* Brown's Black Bean Salsa (this was especially requested for a Memorial Day BBQ)

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

If you like lemon, this Ina Garten recipe will be a new favorite. Despite the two cups (!) of cream, the pasta is not very heavy (which may or may not be a good thing) but rather light and tangy. The lemon flavor was noticeable but not too strong because I used one very large lemon instead of three. Also, I opted to use baby spinach in place of the arugula, which I don't love. I really liked it with the spinach and the pasta was a great spring-time, vegetarian meal. And, all those veggies totally offset the creamy sauce, right?

Chicken Souvlaki with Yogurt Dipping Sauce

This recipe from Rachael Ray was a hit. I cut four chicken breasts into strips before marinating and then grilled them on a grill pan. The yogurt sauce is fantastic on the chicken and I cut a lot of fresh veggies for a side that were perfect to dip in the sauce. I also made this pasta salad to go along with the dinner. I happened to have goat cheese and used that instead of the feta and the heat from the pasta even intensified the goat cheese flavor so it was really strong, but I still liked it, very creamy and different. I don't recommend trying it with goat cheese but if you love feta, you'd really enjoy the pasta.

Spanish Chicken Cutlets with Olive Rice

I tried this recipe from Rachael Ray and really liked it. It's a new and different way to cook chicken breasts and the rice is delicious and so flavorful! I used jarred roasted red peppers instead of piquillo peppers. I didn't take the time to make the sauce and I didn't miss it.

Pasta Carbonara

I know this is not a healthful meal but it was delicious. I was reading a novel by Adriana Trigiani, who always incorporates food and recipes into her books, and she was describing in detail this dish being made and I just had to try it! Here's what I did:

1/2 pound linguine
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
4-6 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup grated parmesan
2 T cream
2 eggs, beaten

Fill pasta pot with water and bring to boil and cook pasta according to directions. You want the linguine to be done cooking right about when you are ready to add it to the sauce. Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in large saute pan. Add bacon and onion and cook until bacon is crisp and onions are soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook additional 1-2 minutes. Mix parmesan, cream and eggs in a bowl. Drain linguine but reserve some (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta water. Turn saute pan heat to low and add pasta to pan. Once all pasta is added, slowly pour in egg mixture, tossing pasta as you do so. Continue tossing pasta and sauce, adding as much pasta water as needed to attain desired consistency. Toss until pasta is completely coated. Traditionally, the pasta and bacon mixture is removed from heat before adding the egg mixture so the egg doesn't curdle, which leaves the egg a little under-cooked. I wanted to ensure the egg was cooked thoroughly so I left the pan on low heat and once the pasta was completely coated, I put a lid on the pan and left the heat on low for an additional five minutes. This is a delicious indulgent meal.