Chicken Enchiladas & Lemon Bundt Cake

I know everyone has a recipe for Chicken Enchiladas. And everyone thinks theirs is the best. And noone bothers to try a new enchilada recipe. At least this was me...until my neighbor brought me dinner one night and it happened to be HER chicken enchilada recipe. I've never made my old recipe since...these are GREAT!

Chicken Enchiladas
(thanks to Cheri Taylor--the best neighbor!)

1-2 Tblspn. butter
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 c. cooked chicken, chopped/shredded
8 oz. cream cheese
1 can chopped green chiles (slightly drained)
12-14 corn tortillas
2 cans (10 oz) green chile enchilada sauce
shredded cheese (cheddar or monterey jack)

Saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Add coriander and pepper. Add cream cheese and green chilis. Cook over medium heat and stir until blended and cream cheese is melted. Add chicken and stir thoroughly. Spoon chicken filling onto tortillas; roll up and place seam side down in a greased 9 X 13 pan. Pour enchilada sauce over the top & sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted.

MY PERSONAL NOTES:
I never have coriander, so I just omit it.
I cook my chicken by: bring water to boil and put raw chicken breasts in water. Boil for 6 minutes. Turn off stove heat, cover pot and set timer for 12 minutes. Then drain and let chicken cool before handling.
Corn tortillas crack easily, so warm them in the microwave for about a minute before using.
I never grease my pan.
I don't use 2 full cans of enchilada sauce.
This recipe freezes well--just cover with plastic wrap first, then foil.

Lemon Bundt Cake
(Good Housekeeping, March 2006)

3 lemons (2 Tblspn. grated peel, 3 Tblspn. juice)
3 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 c. sugar
1 c. butter (2 sticks)
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. buttermilk (make your own by putting 2 Tblspn. vinegar in 1 c. measuring cup then topping off with regular milk)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease & flour bundt pan.
Grate 2 Tblspn. lemon peel and squeeze 3 Tblspn. juice.
Mix flour, salt, and baking soda.
In bowl, with mixer on low speed, blend sugar and butter. On high, beat 3 minutes.
On low, beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla.
Beat in flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk.
Fold in lemon peel and juice.
Spoon into prepared bundt pan.
Bake 60-70 minutes.
Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto rack.

Frosting:
2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
4 oz. cream cheese
2 Tblspn. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla

In bowl, with mixer on low speed, blend sugar, butter and cream cheese. Beat in juice and vanilla. On high, beat until fluffy. Spread over cake.

Good cake, but the frosting makes it! I just licked my plate clean--YUMMY!

Meringue Cake

When we lived in Boston, there was a Finnish woman in the ward who invited a group of women to her home for dinner. I loved chatting with her--it reminded me of our summer in Finland. She served this for dessert and I immediately asked for the recipe. It is a textural delight!!!
I served this last night for my Mother-in-laws birthday!

Mimmu's Meringue Cake
(thanks to Mimmu Sloan, from Boston, MA)

6 Tblspn. butter
1 c. sugar
4 egg yolks
1/4 c. milk
3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
chopped nuts (optional)
whipped cream
fresh strawberries

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy--never stop whipping.
Then add one egg yolk at a time.
Pour milk in slowly,
Sift together the flour and baking powder and mix in at slowest speed.
Gently spread batter into 2 WELL-greased and floured 8" round cake pans.
(NOTE: There is very little cake batter, so it will be quite thin--not a typical American cake!)
OPTIONAL: Sprinkle top of cake batter with chopped nuts (I always do this--it adds to the many textures of the cake. I use "Pecan Cookie pieces" which are tiny pieces of nuts)

Meringue:
4 egg whites
1 mounded cup of sugar
Whip until stiff peaks.
Gently spread meringue over batter/nuts.

Bake at 300 degrees for about 45 minutes.
Let cool in pan.
Top cake with whipped cream and fresh sliced strawberries.

WOW! This is good! You have the cake, nuts, meringue, cream and berries--each with their own flavor and texture. YUMMY!

Italian Crockpot Chicken

I apologize to those who already have my cookbook and are seeing a lot of recipes you already have. Just thought I would expand my posts and post any and all recipes I make that I think are worth sharing--not just new.

This recipe couldn't be easier and is a family favorite!

Italian Crockpot Chicken
(thanks to Paige Storheim, a friend from Rochester, NY)

1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. cream cheese
1 packet dry Italian dressing mix
4 chicken breasts (raw or frozen)

Put all together in a crockpot on low for about 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
Serve over rice.

Banana Bread

This is the banana bread recipe I grew up on. My mom made it quite often. But of course, I tweeked a few things. By putting the bananas in the freezer, I was able to accomplish two things: first, I didn't feel obligated to bake bread the day my bananas went bad, and secondly, once the bananas were thawed and ready to use, they created more juice and by bread came out VERY moist. The addition of chocolate chips came since I married a man who incorporates chocolate in to anything and everything he eats. Now we never had banana bread without chocolate chips--it just wouldn't be the same. In fact, we don't even call it "banana bread" at our house, because if Addison knew there were bananas in the bread she would never eat it. We call it "chocolate chip bread" and she can devour an entire loaf by herself!

Banana (Chocolate Chip) Bread
(thanks Mom!)

1 c. butter
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. buttermilk (make your own by putting 1 Tblspn. vinegar then topping off a 1/2 cup with milk)
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 mashed bananas (just pull them out of the freezer and let thaw. Squeeze them out of their peel--juice and all!)
chocolate chips (optional)
nuts (optional)

Cream together butter, sugar, eggs and buttermilk, then add dry ingredients.
Lastly, add bananas and chocolate chips.
Pour into greased & floured bread pans.
Bake at 300 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean (depends on your oven and how dark you like your bread).

This recipe makes 4 small loaves--but of course, I always double it and make 8 small loaves.

3 Brunch Dishes

Butterscotch Bundt Rolls
(thanks to Juli Miller)

18 frozen dinner rolls (Rhodes work well)
1 (3 oz.) package butterscotch pudding (not instant)
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c chopped pecans
1/2 c melted butter

Arrange frozen rolls in greased Bundt pan. Sprinkle pudding, brown sugar, and pecans over rolls. Drizzle butter over all. Cover Bundtpan with a dishtowel, plastic wrap, or waxed paper and let rise at room temperature overnight, or about 10 hours. Bake at 350 for 20-25minutes. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before inverting to a serving plate. Serve warm.

Veggie Pizza
(allrecipes.com + my own variations)

2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup sour cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
Fresh, raw veggies of choice (I used finely chopped broccoli, cauliflower and matchstick carrots--but you can use peppers, celery, onion, whatever!)
Cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a jellyroll pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Pat crescent roll dough into a jellyroll pan. Let stand 5 minutes. Pierce with fork.
Bake for 10 minutes, let cool.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine sour cream, cream cheese, dill weed, garlic salt and ranch dip mix. Spread this mixture on top of the cooled crust.
Sprinkle "pizza" with veggies of choice and top with a sprinkling of grated cheese.
Cover and let chill. Once chilled, cut it into squares and serve.

Breakfast Casserole
(thanks to Allison Hancock, wife of a mission companion of Marc's)

enough frozen hashbrowns (shredded) to fill a 9 X 13 pan--usually one small bag or a portion of a Costco size bag

8 eggs

1/4 c. milk

salt & pepper

grated cheese

chopped ham

Grease 9 X 13 pan and arrange frozen hashbrowns in pan.

Beat eggs and mix in milk, salt & pepper and then pour over hashbrowns.

Sprinkle with grated cheese and chopped ham.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Fruit Pizza

Despite the chest/head cold that makes me want to do nothing more than lay on the couch, I had to rouse myself enough to make fruit pizzas for the teachers at Addison's school. I am one of two people on the Teacher Appreciation Committee, so this is what we are putting in the breakroom for Valentine's Day:

Fruit Pizza
(originally from my sister, Rebecca)

2 rolls sugar cookie dough--roll into a large circle and bake according to package directions

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 can crushed pineapple, drained WELL
powdered sugar, to taste

Mix together and spread on top of cooled sugar cookie "crust"

Top the "pizza" with various fruits. Strawberries (or any berry), sliced kiwi, mandarin oranges, etc. all work well. If you arrange in a pattern, the pizza can be quite a pretty presentation--a real show-stopper!

Another variation:
I made some with a brownie base (baked according to package directions) and then used the following as the frosting:

2 c. white chocolate chips, melted
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. heavy cream

Top with the same fruit patterns.

DELICIOUS!

NOTE: I have made individual sugar cookies, frosted with cream cheese/pineapple frosting and then put a slice of kiwi and an orange slice/1/2 strawberry on top. They present well and are my nieces/nephew's favorite cookie!

Southwest Eggrolls

I have no idea where this recipe came from. It ended up in a pile of recipes that I gave to a friend--who later mentioned she was making MY "Southwest Eggrolls" recipe. Well, it definitely isn't MINE. I must have gotten it from someone, printed it off with the intention of making them, but never did until my friend Juli made them first and I realized just how good they are. So if you are the original sender of this recipe...please let me know so that I can give credit where credit is definitely due. These are GREAT!

Southwest Eggrolls
(????)

1 chicken breast
1 T. vegetable oil
2 T. minced red pepper
2 T. minced green onion
1/3 c. frozen corn
1/4 c. black beans, drained and rinsed
2 T. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 T. canned jalapeno peppers, diced
1/2 T. fresh parsley, minced
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
dash cayenne pepper
3/4 c. monterey jack cheese, shredded
Five 7-inch flour tortillas

Cook chicken with your method of choice, dice/shred it and let it cool.
In vegetable oil, saute red pepper and onion for a couple of minutes. Add the corn, black beans, spinach, jalapenos, chicken and spices. Cook for 4 minutes, making sure that spinach separates ans is incorporated well.
Remove from pan and add cheese, stirring until cheese is melted.
Warm tortillas in microwave. Spoon about 1/5 of mixture onto the center of the tortilla, fold ends in and roll. Secure with toothpick if needed.
OPTION #1: Put on plate, wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours, overnight, or longer. When ready to serve, heat 4-6 c. of oil to 375 degrees. Fry eggroll for 7-10 minutes on each side. Slice diagonally and serve with "Avacado-Ranch dipping sauce."
OPTION #2: Put fresh eggrolls on a baking stone dusted with cornmeal. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, turning once or twice. They should be golden brown. (this is what I did)

**This recipe would be more than easy to double or triple and just freeze the extra eggrolls for another dinner. The recipe calls for such wierd amounts that it almost makes it easier to double/triple and just use a whole can of something***

Avacado-Ranch Dipping Sauce
1/4 c. fresh avacado, smashed (about 1/2 an avacado)
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. sour cream
1 T. buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt, dried parsley, onion powder
dash of dried dill weed, garlic powder, pepper

Combine all ingredients & refrigerate.
Serve with eggrolls and garnish with chopped tomato and onion.