The BEST Chicken Enchiladas I've Ever Made

This is another recipe I found on pinterest.  I pinned it months ago and finally got around to trying it.  Pinterest claimed they were the best chicken enchiladas ever, and I have to say that Gerald and I both agree these are by far the best white chicken enchiladas I have ever made.  They are truly delicious!

They come from Mel's Kitchen Cafe blog.

Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Yield: Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Filling:

• 3 cups cooked, chopped chicken 
• 2 (4 oz.) cans of green chiles, lightly drained 
• 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, cubed and softened
• 1 can white or black beans, rinsed and drained (you can really use any type of bean you prefer here) 

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion) 
• 2 tablespoons flour 
• 1/3 cup chicken broth 
• ¼ cup milk 
• ¼ teaspoon salt 
• ¼ teaspoon pepper 
• 1 can (7 ounce) green chile enchilada sauce (I love the Stokes brand; I used Stokes Green Chile Sauce with chicken, and I used the whole can even though it was 15 oz, not 7.  It was delicious!)
•  ½ cup sour cream 

Assembly:

• 8 ounces (about 2 cups) Monterey jack cheese, shredded 
• 8 medium (soft taco size) flour tortillas 
• Handful of chopped fresh cilantro 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl (I used my kitchenaide and recommend a mixer to fully smooth out the cream cheese), combine the softened cream cheese and green chiles. Mix well. Add the chicken and black beans. Mix to combine. Set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk. As you whisk and the mixture cooks, the flour will get less lumpy around the onions and the mixture will become smooth. Add the salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat until the mixture is bubbling and has thickened, about 4-5 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the enchilada sauce and sour cream. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish. Spread about 1/4 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the dish. Fill each tortilla with about ½ cup of the chicken/cream cheese filling. Top with a small handful of shredded cheese, a couple tablespoonfuls for each enchilada. Save at least 1/2 cup cheese for the top of the enchiladas. Roll the tortillas up and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue filling enchiladas until the dish is full (I can easily fit 8 enchiladas in one pan).

Pour the white sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the enchiladas are bubbling, hot and lightly browned. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top and serve.

FREEZER directions: After assembling, the baking pan can be covered with a double layer of foil and put in a jumbo-sized resealable bag and frozen for up to two months. Bake from frozen by decreasing the baking temperature to 350 degrees F and baking the enchiladas covered for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour until the dish is hot and bubbly.

We served these with Lime Rice and green salad, and it was a wonderful meal!

Chocolate Chip Cookie PIE

Because pie is awesome, no matter the time of year...

Because this is one of the BEST pies I've ever tried...

Because Sunday afternoons are a great time to bake a new treat...

Let me share with you this delicious recipe!

 

This is a recipe that I've tasted from my friend Tiffany before and she shared with me.  It is an Our best Bites recipe. :)  The photo is from ourbestbites.com. 

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought.
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 C flour
• 1/2 C white granulated sugar
• 1/2 C packed brown sugar
• 3/4 C real butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
• 1 C chocolate chips (semi sweet or dark works best, you might find milk too sweet)
• 1C chopped pecans (optional)
• Vanilla ice cream, or sweetened whipped cream for serving (A must!)
• Optional: chocolate sauce 

Preheat oven to 325 F. Beat eggs in a large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack or serve slightly warmed. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

I pinned this recipe for Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce {copy cat} recipe found at Budget Savvy Diva a long time ago, and finally tried it out this week.  It was DE-LIC-IOUS!  Though definitely not low-fat.  But who is thinking low-fat when they are wanting alfredo sauce and pasta anyway, right?  :)  This recipe is easy enough to convince me not to buy the jarred alfredo sauce anymore...

• 1 pkg Pasta (we like penne, instead of fettuccine) 
• cooked chicken
• 1 stick of butter 
• 1 clove of minced garlic 
• 1 pint of heavy cream 
• 1 cup of fresh Parmesan cheese 
• 2 tbsp cream cheese 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp white pepper 

Make pasta to your liking. In a sauce pan over medium heat – melt butter and add garlic and cook for two minutes, then add in heavy cream and cream cheese and heat until bubbling, but do not boil. Add in Parmesan Cheese and mix until the cheese melts. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste (you don;t need to use all of this, do to your liking). Mix the hot sauce into the noodles and serve. Top with fresh parsley and/or cooked chicken if desired.  Just like Olive Garden! Another quick and easy meal just in time for Back to School dinner blues.

Creamy Potato Salad

My friend brought this potato salad to a BBQ recently, and it was the best potato salad I had ever tasted!  I LOVED it!  Of course, I begged for the recipe and used this same salad for our 4th of July festivities - it was a hit!
 

She found the recipe on online at all recipes, but altered it a bit to suit her tastes.  I made it exactly like my friend did.  www.allrecipes.com says: "This is the creamiest, richest potato salad you will ever try. The secret is in the homemade dressing. I get nothing but raves every time I make this."

Ingredients:

• 6 medium potatoes 
• 1 bunch of green onions, finely chopped 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 6 hard-cooked eggs, diced 
• 2 eggs, beaten 
• 1/2 cup white sugar 
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch 
• salt to taste 
• 1/2 cup vinegar 
• 1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk 
• 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard 
• 1/4 cup butter 
• 1 cup mayonnaise 
• 6-10 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional, but a must in my house ;)

Directions:

1. Place the potatoes into a large pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain. Cool, peel and dice. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with the onion, 1 teaspoon of salt, and hard-cooked eggs.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, whisk together 2 eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Stir in the vinegar, milk, and mustard. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the butter. Refrigerate until cool, then stir in the mayonnaise.

3. Stir the dressing and the cooked and crumbled bacon into the bowl of potato salad gently until evenly coated. Chill several hours or OVERNIGHT before serving for best flavor.

Chicken Roll-Ups

Another Pinterest recipe that we tried and enjoyed!

• 2 (8 oz.) cans of Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls 
• 1 (10 3/4 oz.) can Cream of Chicken Soup, undiluted
• 3/4 cup grated cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 oz. cream cheese (very soft)
• 2 T. butter
• 1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic powder 
• 1 tsp minced onion flakes
• 2 large cooked chicken breasts, finely chopped (or use about 2 cups)
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 T. milk
• 1 - 2 c. grated cheddar cheese (for topping) 

Set oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray. Mix together milk, 3/4 c. cheese and undiluted chicken soup (can season with black pepper if desired). 

For the filling - (make certain that the cream cheese and butter are very soft) in a bowl, mix the soft cream cheese with butter until very smooth, then add in garlic powder.  Add in the chopped chicken, onion and cheddar cheese; mix well until combined.  Add in 2 T. milk; mix to combine (add in a little more if the mixture seems too dry).  Season with season salt and pepper to taste.  Unroll the crescent rolls.  Place 1 heaping tablespoon chicken mixture (or a little more) on top of each crescent triangle, then roll up starting at the thicker end.

Drizzle a small amount of soup mixture on the bottom of the dish. Then place the crescent rolls seam-side down on top of the creamed mixture in the casserole.

Drizzle the remaining sauce on top (you don't have to use the full amount of cream sauce, just use as much as desired) and sprinkle with 1 cup (or more) grated cheese, or amount desired. Bake for about 30 minutes.
 

Puffy Baking Powder Biscuits

We tried this new recipe for baking powder biscuits, and loved how FLUFFY and BIG they turned out.  Easy to make and very delicious.  :)   

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 tablespoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
•  1 tablespoon white sugar 
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1 cup milk 

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. (You may not need all the milk...)

3. Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 times - but no more! Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a round cookie cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.

4. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

We prefer to eat these smothered in honey butter.  :)

Homemade Chicken Strips

Looking for something to make out of ingredients on-hand the other night, and ran across this recipe from The Pioneer Woman.  Man, my kids loved these homemade chicken strips.  As Katelee calls them, they are mom's chicken nuggets.  I served these with these homemade biscuits and corn, and it was like KFC only tastier.  And definitely healthier.  :)

Ingredients

• 1 package Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Strips (sometimes Called "tenders" Or "strips") (Or I just cut up chicken breasts myself)
• Buttermilk (I used regular milk, and it worked perfectly fine.)
• 1-½ cup Flour 
• 2 teaspoons (to 3 Teaspoons) Lawry's Seasoning Salt (or Spices Of Your Choosing) 
• Vegetable Oil 

Preparation Instructions

Start by rinsing and drying your chicken strips. (I skipped this step.) Next, in a bowl submerge the chicken strips in buttermilk for 15 to 20 minutes (or longer if you’d like). In another bowl combine about 1 ½ cups flour and 2 to 3 teaspoons of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt (or other seasonings if you prefer). Mix this together well. Next, add about ¼ to ½ cup of buttermilk into the flour mixture and stir lightly with a fork as you add it. Heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-low to medium heat.

Remove a few of the buttermilk-soaked strips and place them in the flour mixture, turning them over to coat them thoroughly. Place them on a plate. Continue coating chicken strips until they are all ready to cook. When the oil is sufficiently heated, begin cooking the strips a few at a time. Cook them for about a minute and a half or so on each side. When golden and crispy, remove them to a paper towel-lined plate. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Yum!