Enchilada Soup

I love enchiladas.  I think they are one of the most perfect foods in the world.  Sadly, enchiladas are time consuming to make...  I decided to try and come up with the taste of enchiladas in a quick and easy soup.  So here is my version of enchilada soup.

Jenn's Easy Enchilada Soup                                                           

*1/4 cup diced bell peppers
*1/4 cup minced onion
*1/8 cup minced garlic

*1/8 cup minced hot/mild peppers (I used Pasilla and Jalapeno)

1 29 oz. can of Enchilada sauce
4 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups of rice
1/4 cup of cornmeal stirred into about 1/4 cup of water
2-4 cups of water

Combine the sauce and the broth and bring to a simmer.  Add in the rice and simmer 20-30 minutes.  Once the rice is done add in the chicken, peppers, onions and garlic.  Return soup to a simmer and slowly stir in the cornmeal.  The soup was a bit too thick for me so I added about 3 cups of water and returned to a simmer. 

Top with sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips or tortillas.         Serves 6-8

*I used dried peppers, onions and garlic.  About an hour before you start the soup put your dried ingredients into a bowl and covering with boiling water.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until softened.

Isn't this pretty?  I love all the colors.  The amazing magic that happens when you add water fascinates me.  I love how the veggies all plump up and taste just like fresh.  My favorite part of using dried ingredients is that I know I always have them on hand and I can make a fresh tasting meal. 

Look how the water makes the colors pop! 

Cornbread Sticks

Years ago I bought this pan because I thought it was cute.  Well it is still cute but sadly it was unused until today. 

I searched around the net and found this recipe.  It is as good as she claims it is.  Give it a try.

My Best Cornbread

• 1/2 cup margarine (1 stick)
• 1-1/2 cups buttermilk (powdered buttermilk is fine, or even yogurt or sour milk would work)
• 2 medium eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

You really need an iron skillet to make this, but if you just don’t have one, a nine inch square or round cake pan will do. Get your large iron skillet, or 9″ pan and put the margarine in it. Put the pan into the oven at 400° allowing the margarine to melt, and the pan to heat.
In a large bowl combine the buttermilk, eggs, sugar and salt. Use a whisk to mix it up really well. Pour in the melted margarine, leaving about a tablespoon of it left in the hot pan. Be careful pouring so you don’t get burned. Beat everything up again. Finally add the cornmeal, flour and baking soda. Whisk again until the batter is mostly smooth. Turn the batter into the hot skillet or pan, on top of the little bit of margarine you saved in it. Carefully put the skillet back into the oven. Bake the cornbread at 400° for about 25 minutes. It will be golden brown and the edges will pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool a little while before slicing into 8 or 12 wedges.
The iron skillet gives this cornbread the traditional crispy hillbilly crust. Another pan will still cook it, but it will not be quite the same. The buttermilk and sugar make the cornbread very tender and sweet. A perfect accompaniment for spicy dishes like Chili and stew.
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/mybestcornbread.htm

I made a couple of changes, I melted the margerine on the stovetop in a saucepan and didn't quiet pour all of it in the batter so I could grease my pan for each batch and I only baked these little guys for 8 minutes and they are perfect.  I made a double batch so I have 70 of these little cuties!

My Ultimate Shopping Organizer

I have this dream where I am completely organized.  It hasn't happened yet but I am going to keep trying.  I created this organizer with inspiration from http://analteredlife.com/hybrid-tutorials/control-center-tutorial-3/

Here are a couple more pics

And finally here is a picture with my coupon organizer.  I love coupons.  Tomorrow I will share how I made the coupon holder. 

Thanks for looking!

Chicken and Rice Casserole

This is a super quick and easy recipe using leftovers...  shh don't tell my kids.  On Monday we had chicken tacos with rice and beans.  I doubled the rice recipe and saved 1/2 of it for tonight.  The chicken is my leftover chicken chorizo from the other day.  Tonight all I had to do was rehydrate some veggies and combine everything.  Having such a simple dinner planned allowed me time to do what I wanted including setting up a facebook page for my blog.  :-)

Here is the recipe... 

3 cups of Spanish rice (cooked)
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken
1/2 cup bell peppers
1 chili pepper
2 diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced onions
2 minced garlic cloves

Combine everything in a skillet or casserole dish and cook until heated through.  You can top this with sour cream, salsa, cheese, guacamole or whatever you like.  You can easily change the heat in the recipe by adding more or less peppers.  Enjoy!

Confessions of a Cheese Snob

I will admit it I am a cheese snob.  I love cheese but, only if it is good cheese.  If you offer me that sliced processed junk that some people think is cheese I will do my best not to turn up my nose but I will not eat it.  I have been known to order my fast food without cheese and take the food home to add my own Tillamook cheese.  I guess some people might think that is weird but hey, that is just me. 

With that said I have to admit I made mac and cheese with that processed stuff and some powdered cheese and to my complete surprise it was pretty tasty.  It all started because I was canning some chicken and had leftover chicken stock... here is what I did.

4 cups chicken stock
2 cups macaroni noodles (I didn't really measure just guessed)
16 oz of processed cheese cubed
1 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup cheese powder
salt and pepper to taste

Add the noodles to the hot stock and cook until noodles are al dente.  Stir in the processed cheese and butter until melted.  Sprinkle the cheese powder in slowly just to thicken it up a little.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

There you go!  That is it... how easy is that?  The boys loved this and I thought it was pretty darn good.  It is not like real mac n cheese but it is much better than that blue box stuff.  :)

Easy Creamy Potato Soup

This is a great soup to plan on making this month especially if you live in So Cal.  This week Stater Bros.  has 5lb bags of potatoes for 75 cents!  Just think how much soup you could make!  This soup keeps well so it is great to have on hand for lunches.  The tang from the cream cheese goes awesome with a sourdough grilled cheese sandwich.


6 potatoes peeled and diced
8 cups of water
1/4 cup dried green onions
1/4 cup dried onions
1/4 cup dried celery
1/8 cup dried minced garlic
2 Tbsp chicken bouillon
1/4 to 1/2 cup dried potato buds
1 Tbsp butter
8 oz. cream cheese cubed and softened
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring the water to a boil in a large stockpot.  Add the potatoes, onions, celery and garlic and let boil gently until softened.  Gently mash some of the potatoes with a potato masher.  Add chicken bouillon and potato buds and bring to a simmer.  Stir in the butter and cheese.  Once the cheese is melted, add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Top with
Fresh green onions
grated cheddar cheese
crumbled bacon bits
Bacon salt

~ This soup is great on a cold winter night and it takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish.  Enjoy ~

February Menu

I am on a mission to stick to these menu plans!  I made it through Jan. and since Feb is a short month I figure I have a good shot at sticking to it.  Here is this months menu.

Leftovers ~ for once this isn't a bad thing since all the leftovers are yummy.
Potato soup with sourdough grilled cheese
Chicken and rice casserole
Homemade fish sticks and fries
Turkey with potatoes, stuffing, green beans and rolls
No plan for today ~ Superbowl party!
Enchilada soup with homemade tortillas
Leftovers ~  I already know what I am planning on eating!
Breakfast for dinner ~ eggs, sausage and country potatoes
BBQ chicken pizza
Spicy Mexican soup
Spaghetti and meatballs with garlic cheese bread
Baked stuffed potatoes
Beef stroganoff
Leftovers
Chicken tacos with rice and beans
Fried chicken with blue cheese potatoes, green beans, gravy and rolls
Chili and cornbread
Pork roast with veggies and rolls
Chicken risotto
Meatloaf with mashed potatoes, veggies and gravy
Leftovers
Grilled turkey sandwiches with potato salad
Beef and barley soup
Polenta with meat sauce
Baked stuffed potatoes
Hot dogs with fries
Tuna casserole

We are having leftovers once a week on Tuesday nights.  Since we don't have a lot of leftovers using the menu plan it works out great because Trevor is at youth group where he eats. 

I will be sharing some of the recipes throughout the month.  I hope this inspires you if you are interested in menu planning.