Chicken Enchiladas

When I lived in Colorado, I would always order blue corn enchiladas. I thought the blue corn must be the reason why they are so good. (I still think it is true.) Since I couldn't find any blue corn tortillas, I settled for the flour ones.

Enchiladas are my favorite Mexican food. What is yours? My children's would be the taco. I prefer crunchy but the rest of the family prefers the soft taco. I guess (sometimes) majority rules.

Chicken Enchiladas
3/4 cup chopped roasted red bell peppers (I used the jar)
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
1 cup light sour cream
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp vegetable oil
3 boneless chicken breast
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
6 flour tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray 13x9 inch baking dish with PAM cooking spray.
3. Chop the roasted red bell peppers.
4. In a bowl, add the peppers, chiles, 3/4 cup of sour cream, 1 cup of cheddar, cumin, garlic salt, and oregano.
5. In a medium skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat.
6. Add the onion and chicken to the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes.
7. Add the chicken and onion to the pepper mixture. Combine well.
8. Lay a tortilla flat and spread about 1 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of the tortilla.
9. Fold in the sides and roll the tortilla up.
10. Transfer the tortilla to the baking dish with the seam side down.
11. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
12. Top the tortillas with the enchilada sauce.
13. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top of the rolled enchiladas.
14. Bake for 45 minutes.
15. Broil on high for 2 minutes if the cheese isn't nice and golden brown.
16. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
17. Serve with sour cream, cheddar, onions, etc.

Adapted from Pillsbury Halloween October 2007 cookbook.

Did you already know..........
-Enchiladas are street vendor food in Mexico.
-Enchiladas have been around since the Mayan times.
-Enchilada means in chile.

Oh no, Mr. Bill

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I will occasionally ask my youngest daughter to go downstairs and get her sibling. Instead, she will holler for them while she is next to me. Does anyone in your house do this? I want to make sure it isn't just mine. 

  I think she just likes to holler. One day, we were all downstairs and my youngest daughter started to holler for her dad. He would holler back, "yea." She wouldn't answer but she kept hollering for him. Since my husband was busy, he just kept hollering back up to her. After a few minutes of this exchange, the next time my daughter hollered for "Dad", my husband responded "There is no one here with that name." It was suddenly quiet since she didn't know how to respond back but my youngest son did. My son turns to his dad and said, "Hey, whoever you are, she wants you." Then he smiles at my husband and says, "Did you like that better?"

  Yum! Whoopie Pies! They remind me of a cupcake with the filling in the middle instead of on top.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Whoopie Pie Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup of apple sauce
3 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whoopie Pie Filling:
4 oz of cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powder sugar
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
4. In another bowl, cream the brown sugar with the vegetable oil and applesauce.
5. Add the pumpkin to the sugar mixture and beat.
6. Add the eggs one at a time then the vanilla. Mix well.
7. Slowly, add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture.
8. Mix until incorporated.
9. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter onto the baking sheet. Try to make the sizes.
10. Cook for about 15 minutes.**Prepare the filling while waiting**
11. Let cool on cookie rack for five minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
12. Prepare the next batch of cakes and place in the oven

**Whoopie Pie Filling:
Let cool completely about 30 minutes before frosting.

For the filling, combine the cream cheese, pumpkin, and the butter.
Add the powder sugar to the filling mixture.
Mix in the spices into the filling mixture until well incorporated. Refrigerate.

Whoopie Pie Cake recipe adapted from Bake at 350. Whoopie Pie Filling recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.

See the eyeball?

I highly recommend you to make these whoopie pies before someone hollers your name! My oldest daughter gave her best friend one and after each bite she would say, "I love your Mom." My husband doesn't like pumpkin (I guess he knows it is a vegetable) and he liked them.

The oldest daughter!

Did you already know.............
-The Maine State treat is the Maine Whoopie Pie.
-The Maine State dessert if the Blueberry Pie.
-The Whoopie Pie festival is held in Pennsylvania. 
-The Whoopie Pie has been argued to originated in Pennsylvania, Maine, or Massachusetts.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

I live in Maine. We have local lobster restaurants everywhere. There are restaurants right on the water where the lobster boats will dock to deliver lobster and other local seafood. We do not have Red Lobster restaurants in Maine. The closes Red Lobster is in New York. The closes Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits are at least five hours away. I don't think I'll convince my husband to head to New York for biscuits. Honey, dear, lets go for a ride today? A long ride? For some biscuits? Did I convince you? If not, I don't think he'll go for it. If you do not feel like driving so far for their delicious biscuits, try making this recipe.

When I was a teenager (a few years ago?), my sister took me to a local lobster house for my birthday dinner.The restaurant did serve good rolls.My sister doesn't eat lobster but she is sweet and took me anyways. She hasn't taken me since. I have some suggestions for you if you are eating lobster. If you are eating lobster, your companion should sit next to you. It is safer. You are the one wearing the lobster bib but the other person isn't safe from getting sprayed. Another suggest is if you are on a date, don't order lobster. It is not an attractive item to eat.

 Cheddar Bay Biscuits
2 1/2 cups Bisquick
4 Tbsp cold butter
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp garlic powder

Butter Glaze
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried parsley

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a bowl, cut the cold butter into the Bisquick with a pastry cutter. Don't over mix. The butter should be about the size of a pea.
4. Add the cheddar cheese, buttermilk, and garlic powder.
5. Mix with a spoon until combined. Don't over mix.
6. Drop the dough by spoonful onto the cookie sheet.
7. In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the butter until melted.
8. Stir in the garlic powder and parsley into the butter.
9. Brush the tops of the biscuits and set aside.
10. Bake about 13 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Brush the tops of the biscuits again with the butter glaze.
12. Sprinkle the top with additional parsley.

Recipe adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything.

Did you already know.............
-Red Lobster is known for their Cheddar Bay biscuits and serve about 1.1 million of the biscuits every day.
-New England cheddar cheese traditionally is white in color because it doesn't contain color additives.
-Cabot's naturally aged cheddar has no lactose.

Pork Chops with Garlic and Herbs

 My oldest daughter's teacher asked the class if they were on a deserted island, what three items would they bring. My daughter said How to survive on a desert island guidebook, a cute carpenter, along with potatoes. What good choices especially how versatile potatoes are-now you thought I would have said carpenter but I surprised you. I told her I liked all of her choices except I would have pick pasta instead of potatoes since I could eat pasta everyday. This is not the case with my husband. He gets tired of pasta.

I like to make new dishes all the time but normally it just seems like we've been having a lot of chicken or beef lately.So, the other day I saw pork chops were on sale. Why not? I hardly make it and it would be a nice change. Everyone agreed but my oldest insist pork chops MUST be served with applesauce. I have made applesauce from scratch. All the work and cost, I prefer to buy it in the jar. So, my applesauce is not homemade this time. Also, it is hard to take a photo of applesauce on the plate. I guess I could have done it gourmet and served the pork chops on top of the applesauce. 

Pork Chops with Garlic and Herbs


4 boneless pork chops about 1 inch thick
2/3 cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1 Tbsp. sage
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp butter


Directions:

1. In a oven safe 8 x 10 baking dish, mix the the wine, oil, sugar, salt, pepper, sage, rosemary, and garlic.
2. Arrange the pork chops in the baking dish in a single layer.
3. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Make sure to turn the pork chops at least once while it is marinating.
4. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
5. Cook the pork chops for 8-10 minutes per side. Make sure to turn the pork chops once while cooking.
6. Let cool on the counter while you preheat a skillet.
7. Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the pan with 2 tsp of butter.
8. Fry the skillets for about 1-2 minutes per side for a crispy appearance.
9. Let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Adapted from Annie's Eats. Originally from Williams Sonoma.


If you are in the mood for pork chops, I would recommend making this recipe. My pork chops were not dry and really tasty. I like rosemary and it was a nice accompaniment to the pork. I know it seems unusual to fry after cooking in the oven but my oldest suggested it so it added a little color. You can cook these on a grill which would probably do the same results. We will be making these again.


Did you already know.........
-One of the first animals to be domesticated were swines.
-Swines are the family name for hogs. The mother is called a sow. The father is called a boar and the babies are pigs.
-In 1539, the Spanish explorer brought the first swine to North America.

Sloppy Joes

Each week, I ask what everyone wants for supper. Normally, no one besides my son has any request. My son has asked for mussels, chicken wraps, and asparagus just to name a few items. Yes, he is only 6 years old. I tell my husband he has a sophisticated palate. I guess is my husband reply.

My husband would never request asparagus or any other vegetable to be served at dinner. The other night my husband did ask for sloppy joes with barbecue sauce. I guess my husband was afraid my son would ask for stuffed artichokes next or my oldest daughter would request hamburgers again.

Since I think my children (and especially my husband) need more vegetables in their diet, I try to add extra whenever I can. My husband likes this version of Sloppy Joes. We just don't bring up the fact there are extra vegetables. Enjoy and don't forget a side of vegetables to complete the meal!

Sloppy Joes by Sweet Morris
1 large carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 mushrooms, chopped (optional if you have them on hand)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lb. hamburger
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups of tomato sauce

Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup BBQ (I used Jack Daniels original)
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard

Directions:
1.  Chop all your vegetables.
2.  Heat a deep skillet to medium heat and add the olive oil.
3.  Add the hamburger and brown. Break up the hamburger about 5 minutes.
4.  Season the brown hamburger with Worcestershire sauce with salt and pepper.
5.  Add the vegetables to the hamburger pan and cook about 5 minutes.
6.  In a bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients.
7.  Mix in the tomato sauce over the vegetables and stir.
8.  Add the sauce into the skillet.
9.  Cook the sloppy joes for about 10 minutes. You may want to cover to prevent splattering.
10. Stir the sloppy joes often.
11. Serve with bun of your choice with toppings like cheddar cheese, bacon, etc.
Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

When I make sloppy joes, my oldest daughter sometimes plays Lunch Lady Land by Adam Sandler.
I think she knows the song by heart and she always sings sloppy joe, slop, sloppy joe while I'm cooking. I think any lunch lady would be proud to make these sloppy joes.

Did you already know...............................
-Adam Sandler was born in New York City and was raised in Manchester, NH.
-The Lunch Lady Land was released on the They're All Gonna Laugh at You! album in 1993.
-They’re All Gonna Laugh at You! was Adam Sandler's first comedy album. 
-The album was nominated for a Grammy and spent more than 100 weeks on the Billboard chart.

-The late comedian Chris Farley dresses as the Lunch Lady in the video. -To view the video:

Disclosure:  My great-grandmother was a lunch lady and I thought she was wonderful. Also, none of the lunch ladies I have known ever have acted or looked like Adam Sandler's version but it still is a fun video.