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!

Hearty Italian Sausage Soup

It has been a while since I had time to sit down and crank out a blog post, but that does not mean I haven't been busy! A couple of friends recently welcomed new babies into their families and I brought over a meal for them. This is the soup that I made for them and wanted to share with you. It is great for freezing and makes enough for more than one meal. Plus it is easy and packs in some yummy protein and not too unhealthy.


Hearty Italian Sausage Soup
1 lb Italian sausage (I use the ground kind)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Olive Oil
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
1 soup can of water
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 cup rotini pasta, uncooked
1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
shredded mozzarella

If you want a heartier soup/stew I use 2 cans of the beans and the whole box of the pasta but keep everything the same. I have also switched out diced tomatoes for stewed because I am not a fan of tomatoes especially when they are that big

1. Brown sausage, onions and garlic in the olive oil in a large saucepan until no longer pink
2. Add chicken broth, beans, tomatoes and water and brig to a boil.
3. Stir in pasta and cook until tender. Remove from the heat.
4. Stir in spinach and cover. Let stand for 5 minutes.
5. Top servings with shredded cheese.

That's it! How easy can it get! I put mine into little rubbermaid containers. That way the new family could either keep them and reuse them, or toss them out. No need to get your container back. You could go all out and make some bread and a dessert to go along with the soup and really brighten their day. It also works well to have on hand for a quick weeknight dinner, so you don't have to just give it away.

Salsa Chicken

I love a super easy, very few ingredient, meal. This is one that I have been making for a while. It is a nice go to when I didn't plan ahead, or don't want to go shopping to get supplies for something more elaborate. You can't go wrong with only needing three ingredients, and they are something most people already have at home. It doesn't look pretty, but it is very tasty!

Salsa Chicken
Boneless, skinless Chicken Breast, thawed (However many you need to feed your family)
Salsa
Shredded Cheese (I use the Mexican blend)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. (Size of baking dish will depend on how many chicken breasts you use)
Place chicken breast in prepared baking dish
Top Chicken with enough salsa to cover each breast
Top with cheese (If you are anything like me, there is no such thing as too much cheese)
Cover baking dish with tin foil and bake for 40 minutes or until the juices from the chicken run clear.

I typically serve with corn or mixed vegetables. Spanish rice is another nice side. I really like how the salsa helps maintain the juiciness of the chicken.

Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite quick and easy weeknight meal that is your go-to?

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!!

A Work in Progress- William's stocking

I don't get a lot of time to work on my cross stitching but the last 2 days I got a couple hours to work on it. I have never done one that is this complex but I am pretty excited for the final product. I didn't want to just buy any old stocking at Target for William for Christmas. I figured it would be much cooler if it was something that I made. My friend Krista had been posting progress of the stocking she was doing for her daughter and I was inspired. I knew I could cross stitch and figured that would be the perfect thing to do for William.
Luckily for me he doesn't understand the whole stocking thing yet since I am no where near finished. I am hoping to have it done by next Christmas. Pretty lofty goal since I only get to work on it sporadically for an hour here and there. I will get there eventually though.

The final product will be a stack of several animals. (Bird, Penguin, baby Polar Bear and Polar Bear) Like I mentioned, I have never done one this complex. By complex I mean having 2 different color strands of floss, all the highlight and shadow stuff, and it will also involve sewing. I am hoping to get into some sewing even though I have told myself over and over again that I really don't need that extra hobby and that I should stick to what I already know. Of course Pinterest likes to tell me differently and lures me in with all the amazing pins of things that I could make. 

I hope to continue to post updates on the progress here. Maybe it will keep me motivated and on track of my goal to finish in just under a year. 

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!