Hector's Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Every year in December a friend of mine hosts a Christmas get together and potluck. The last couple of years have had themes. This year was "Feliz Navidad." I thought that I could go to Pinterest and find something suitable, or I could ask my friend Hector if he had any good, tried and true recipes. I am glad I went the route of Hector because this is one tasty dish! I hadn't made it since the potluck, until the unseasonably chilly weather has had me craving some comfort foods. Now, with Hector's permission I give you his Chicken Enchilada Casserole!

Hector's Chicken Enchilada Casserole

12 corn tortillas

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 can chopped green chilies

1 can chicken broth

3 chicken breasts

2 bags (2 cup size) of graded cheese (Mexican Blend)

oil ( vegetable or olive)

1. Boil and shred chicken

2. In a large frying pan combine the cans of chicken and mushroom soup and broth with the green chilies until it boils; remove from heat.

3. Set a 9x13 baking dish nearby so that you can transfer the tortillas quickly.

4. Heat oil in a small frying pan. Place the tortilla in the oil for about 10-15 seconds per side. Transfer tortilla to the large frying pan cream mixture. Let it soak in for a few seconds and transfer to the baking dish.

5. This is a layered dish, so depending on the size of your tortilla you should use about 4 tortillas per layer. Once you have your four, top with shredded chicken and cheese.

6. Keep layering until you are out of chicken. You may want to set aside some cheese to top the dish before baking.

Add one last layer of tortillas, add the rest of the cream mixture from the frying pan into the baking dish and top with cheese.

7. Preheat oven to 325 and bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes.

It does take a little bit of time to assemble, but I think it's worth it!

If you are looking for a good dessert to go along with it (I know I was when it was potluck time!) I found this awesome Churro Cheesecake on Pinterest. I did not come home with very many leftovers! I have made it a couple of times since and it is always a hit!

Hope you enjoy!

Ranch Mac and Cheese

I've been meaning to make this version of Mac and Cheese for almost a week now, but we haven't been home for meals, or Matt has wanted something else, so it got put off. Finally today was the day to make it.
I did not get very good pictures because William decided that he wasn't feeling well and wanted to be held while I started dinner. Luckily I was able to distract him with a banana half way through.

When I first saw this version I figured it would be pretty tasty. I was not expecting the seasonings to do as much as they did to flavor it they way they did. It is a nice, flavorful alternative to the normal mac and cheese, or Kraft Mac and Cheese. You should have most, if not all, of the ingredients already at your house, making this the perfect quick weeknight dinner.

Ranch Mac and Cheese                            8 servings
1 (16 oz) package elbow macaroni
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp garlic pepper blend
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded Colby cheese
1 cup (8oz) sour cream
1/2 cup crushed saltine crackers
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook macaroni according to package and drain.
Combine the milk, butter, dressing mix, and seasonings and heat through.
Stir in the Monterey Jack and Colby cheeses until melted.
Stir in sour cream

Add macaroni to the cheese sauce with the saltines.
Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

I chose to get the "Mac and Cheese" blend of shredded cheese instead of the Monterey and Colby cheeses.
Enjoy!!

Tortellini soup

This has to be one of my favorite soups to make. It is really easy and tastes so good. Plus it is very filling!
I first had this soup several years ago at a Christmas gathering at my aunt's house. I emailed her almost as soon as I got home to get the recipe and I have been making it ever since.
Hope you enjoy!

Ronnie's Tortellini Soup
Serves 4-5

3 cups water
2 cans tomato soup
1 large package 3 cheese pre-cooked tortellini (found in the refrigerated section by the cheese normally. I ended up with "rainbow" tortellini because Target was out of my regular kind. I kind of like how colorful it made it look)
1 lb hot Italian sausage (Any Italian sausage works if you aren't a fan of the hot, or like me, have a baby eating it too)
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp dry basil
1tsp oregano
2 carrots, sliced (I use baby carrots because that is what I have on hand)
1 zucchini, sliced

Brown meat and onion and drain off the extra fat.

Mix everything together in a large pot except tortellini and zucchini. Bring to a boil and let simmer until carrots are just about cooked.

Add tortellini and when they are just about cooked (they will puff up) add the zucchini.

Cook an additional 3-5 min until the zucchini is somewhat transparent. The thicker you slice your zucchini the less transparent it will get. I try to go for a thin slice, but not super thin as you can see in the picture.

Pretty easy for a yummy comforting soup. It is so thick it is almost stew like. Hope you enjoy!

Chicken Wild Rice

As a Minnesotan I am pretty sure it is a prerequisite that we make Chicken Wild Rice at least once in our lifetime, if not once a week in the winter. Ok, not that frequently, but it is a great comfort food. I found the original recipe that I used here. I have made a few changes, mostly not worrying about making it "skinny." I really should, but for whatever reason I really don't look for the reduced anything cans when buying the soup.
Before I get into the recipe I will add a picture of my helper.

First the ingredients:

5-6 boneless, skinless Chicken breasts

1 cup Wild rice

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1 can Cream of Celery soup

1 can of water

1 package of onion soup mix

fresh mushrooms  (This is a change from the original recipe. I had them sitting around and thought why not use them in this as well.)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Mix everything except the chicken breasts together

mmm looks pretty

3. Place the rice mixture in a 9x13 baking dish

4. Place the Chicken Breasts on top of the rice mix and cover with aluminum foil.

5. Bake for 1 hour covered

6. Remove cover and bake an additional 30 minutes

yummy!!

7. Mix/Shred the chicken and serve hot.

I love how easy this is to make. I used to be intimidated by Wild rice because I wasn't really sure what to do with it. I also like that it doesn't require a lot of ingredients and what it does call for I usually have on hand. Hope you enjoy it!