(Leftover) Quesadillas

I'm going to do that annoying thing where a story precedes a recipe.


We're quarantined. We have time.

Scout the Dog is on a diet. This happens a few times a year, even when he was getting a mile or two through the fields each day in Colorado. He just tends to hold weight in a weird way. He gets so much human food from Wells...it's adding up.

So we skewered and grilled some NY strip steaks last week. I use this marinade, always, when preparing steak. Right before we put them on the grill, we sprinkled them with some Montreal steak seasoning. They were ah-mazing.

But the dogs also got their own skewer of plain steak tidbits, because they are ridiculously spoiled.

So don't feel too bad for Scout. He's permanently angry at me for "starving" him. And last night he took off across the front yard where Scott was spreading mulch, I grabbed him to haul him back in the house (slippers on and all) and we did the usual dance of him growling and pawing at me and me saying "go ahead, bite me, I dare you. seriously, do it". Scout kept growling and I kept lecturing him saying things like "I rocked you to sleep as a puppy...go ahead, bite me and you'll be in the basement for the night...you don't know how good you have it". (I hope Wells took notes.)

But anyway. Scout knows I love him because I make him steak and salmon quite often. We never grill meat without setting aside some for Scout and Jett.

The point of this recipe is that it's perfect for repurposing leftovers. Which is ideal for being stuck in the house all of the time and relying on what you have in the pantry.

I grilled some peppers and diced up the leftover steak and made quesadillas.

I squirted a bit of lime juice on the top and then served queso on the side. (I have a hoarded supply of queso in the pantry but that's a story for another blog post.)

Are you finding ways to repurpose your leftovers? I see many people talking about oddly enjoying the slower pace of life and this is part of it. I admit that I don't hate this side of quarantining. It's rewarding to become less wasteful. 

Pantry Enchiladas

I don't know what to call this. Basically, I throw together something similar to this once a month or so. It can be made with mostly ingredients you have on hand. During a time when we're pretty reliant on whatever we have in the pantry, you can use whatever ingredients you want! Every time, it's a little different. On this day, I didn't have any enchilada sauce, so I made a sauce using this recipe from Budget Bytes and now I will never waste money on cans of pre-made enchilada sauce again. If you get nothing else from this post, use that sauce recipe the next time you make enchiladas.

• Tortillas 
• Enchilada sauce
• Shredded cheese

For the filling, I used:

• 2ish cups shredded chicken we had leftover from grilling the night before
• 1 1/2 cups prepared brown rice
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 2 T. diced green chiles (from a can)
• Other ingredients I would/could normally use: ground beef,  queso, black beans, cooked peppers and onions, and Rotel

(it's worth mentioning that I had lime and cilantro but forget to use them, so include those if you have them)

And then I had this Hatch Chile Cream Cheese Spread. I bought it at a farmers' market last year. We had had a hatch chile dip in Colorado that was good enough to eat with a spoon. I've been looking for something similar ever since and such things, in Pennsylvania, don't exist. 

So I paid $10 for that jar of chile spread and have been putting it on my burritos and quesadillas and enchiladas for months. 

...it's gone now. 

I would recommend spreading your tortillas with sour cream or something similar? It gives a great flavor once everything is baked together.

350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, covered with foil. Then broil the top for a few minutes. 

I made this with the intention of leftovers and there were none. It'd be a great meal to freeze for a later date though.

What are you cooking this week?

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Who watched The Superbowl? I went to bed during the 3rd quarter. But congratulations to my brother: he has been a Chiefs fan since 3rd grade and no one has ever been sure why. He had a Chiefs Starter jacket when every other 8 year old had a Steelers one. It was very confusing.

Also, the halftime show...I saw a lot of complaining on Facebook this morning. Mostly complaining that other people were complaining? It was very confusing.

This was my only actual thought:

Coming up this week, I have some February goals. I don't know that they're aspirational, so much as they're just things I want to get done. One is to clean out the spice cabinet.
This is reason #1 why I make my own taco seasoning these days. It's really nice to use up the spices we already have.
Reason #2 is the obvious health benefits.

When I started giving Wells whatever food we were eating, I realized that he loved anything with Mexican flavors. Enchiladas, enchilada quinoa, taco meat, etc.

I also realized I liked the idea of not filling him up with whatever preservatives they put in the packets.

And it's really nice not to have to remember to buy the packets.

This recipe comes from The Balanced Life, but I'm sure you can find a similar one almost anywhere. I believe this was on Instagram years ago and she had gotten it from, still, someone else.  I wrote it down at one point. I have no idea where it is in order to link it!

I triple this recipe, keep it in a Ziploc bag or Tupperware container and use about 2 tablespoons for each pound of meat. Or, 2 tablespoons each time a recipe says to use a packet of seasoning.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

1 T. chili powder

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. onion powder

1/8 t. red pepper

1/4 t. dried oregano

1 1/2 t. cumin

1 t. sea salt

Mix together and store in an airtight container. 

I did do a Bachelor post the other day if you're into that kinda thing.

(A link to) Mexican Stuffed Shells

Recipe challenge, week thirty-four. Kind of.

I can't lie. I haven't cooked in awhile.  In fact, grocery shopping isn't even fun anymore. In fact-in fact, I stopped at Chick-fila for dinner the other day when I knew Scott wouldn't be home until late.  I really just wanted a giant unsweetened tea, but I figured a chicken wrap would hold me over as I hunkered down to two hours of paperwork on a Thursday night.  How boring, right? The dogs weren't happy about it, but someone has to work to buy all those treats....

In fact, I've taken a step back from social media in general because I like to be intentional with things and right now I'm busy being intentional with things other than blogging.  Mostly school stuff.  But I've been insisting on half an hour of Pilates (at least) every day. It takes an extreme amount of forethought to put a workout into a busy day, and I'm the first one to admit that I've been going to bed too late.  However, dinner has barely been getting made because by the time I leave school, drive 30 minutes home, and I feed/walk/play with the dogs, it's almost 6pm and I have stuff to do and I end up putting something together for Scott and I just eat whatever.  It's not a practice I recommend.  If I'm lucky, I keep up with the laundry and dishes as the week goes on. Which means not often.

However, I made these stuffed shells weeks ago and took them to my friend who'd just had a baby.  I made a double batch so we had dinner for two nights too.  I do love freezer cooking and this is a great example of something you can make, wrap up tightly, stick in the freezer, and pull out on a busy day.

 It's not my recipe;  I googled "healthy Mexican stuffed shells" and this is what came up.  So I don't know if this counts because I didn't invent it. But it IS new and I DID make it and it's not like I'm writing a cookbook or plagiarizing, right?

I'll just post the link.  Just in case.

Blender Guacamole

Recipe challenge, week twenty-five.

I've been experimenting with the Vitamix lately.  I got this cookbook in the mail and I was intrigued by their guacamole recipe.  It's a really interesting take on guac, because I usually mash the avocado with a potato masher and then add in some pico de gallo because the more flavor the better.

Let it be known that the picture I took looks very little like the picture in the cookbook, which disappointed me.  I was looking forward to some blended guacamole that looked like this:

Oh well.  If I were going to make it again, I would add more lime juice and maybe just a hint of garlic.  It was a bit too garlicky for me. And maybe more juice would've helped it blend.  

That would make sense.

Blender Guacamole

from Vitamix Cookbook

2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and diced

2 roma tomatos, diced (I used 6 grape tomatoes)

4 tablespoons finely diced onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Juice of half a lemon or lime

Sea salt to taste

Add all ingredients to your blend and start it on low, slowly increasing the speed to high.  Blend for about a minute, until desired consistency is reached. 

Fajita Quinoa

Recipe challenge, week twenty-three (which is this week)

In case you're looking for a high-protein, low-carb kinda meal this weekend...I make fajita meat in the crockpot a lot and it's easy to freeze once you cook it too.  This is like a giant Mexican quinoa salad of sorts, but I'd totally put this with tortillas, taco shells or on nachos.  The idea for the recipe came from A Year of Slow-Cooking, but I made them into quesadillas a couple of years ago.

This is a recipe post, but I do have other things to say.

Scott asked me if I wanted to go to a Kenny Chesney concert with a bunch of people he works with later this year.  Apparently it's a tail-gating extravaganza with tickets ranging from $40-$240.

I tried to be diplomatic with the smiley face.  He didn't answer my email, so when we Skyped yesterday, I asked about it.  He said, "Yeah, I figured that was a NO."

All I could think of was this gif.

Okay, maybe it was just the one thing that I needed to get out.

Fajita Quinoa

1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced

1 packet fajita seasoning mix (or 2 T. of homemade fajita/taco seasoning)

¼ water

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 bell peppers, thinly sliced

Cooked quinoa (I use chicken broth instead of water: 1 cup dry quinoa, 2 cups broth, cook it like you would rice)

Guacamole/pico de gallo/cilantro

In a 4-quart crockpot, combine all of the ingredients and stir it around.  Cook on low for 2-4 hours.  It cooks pretty quickly because the meat is already sliced.  Serve with quinoa and your favorite toppings for Mexican food. 

You can easily double this recipe in a 6-quart crockpot and even freeze portions in Ziploc bags.

Burrito Bowls

Recipe challenge, week eighteen.

Since tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, you can make this for dinner and enjoy it with a margarita. Or two.  Unless you're going out somewhere.  In which case you can still make this and enjoy it with a margarita (or two) on any old Tuesday night.

Aside from the Chipotle that I enjoyed for lunch on Friday, I've only been to a Chipotle restaurant twice.  Once in Springfield, Missouri and...well, I feel like I've been there twice.  Maybe I haven't. I really can't remember.  I've been to Qdoba dozens and dozens of times because it's always been more accessible.  Though there is a Chipotle on every corner in Colorado Springs so I don't know if my reasoning makes any sense.

I think the reason why I never go there is because I can make stuff at home that tastes just as good.  I mean, the Chipotle I had was okay.  Nothing wrong with it.  I'd probably eat it often if it was set down in front of me.  But I swear that if you buy a particular array of ingredients at the beginning of the week, you can eat Chipotle-like food every day.

-Chicken or steak (pre-cooked)
-Frozen or fresh corn
-Tomatoes
-Pico de gallo (or salsa)
-Black beans
-Garlic
-Onion
-Peppers
-Cilantro
-Lime
-Shredded cheese
-Avocado
-Smoked Paprika
-Tortillas

I almost always have these foods on hand, and have put them together in several combinations and it always tastes amazing.

Start off by sauteing the thinly sliced peppers and onions in some olive oil for a few minutes. Add in thinly sliced garlic (sliced gives a sweeter flavor than minced) and let it cook for another minute or so.  Add in bite-sized pieces of chicken or steak (or you can make it without) and sprinkle on some smoked paprika.  Toss in the frozen corn, drained and rinsed black beans, and tomatoes.  Let it all cook together for a few minutes.  Add in some chopped cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

In a bowl, place a warmed tortilla.  Top with the filling and sprinkle cheese on it.  Add slices of avocado and enjoy.

Often, I'll just make burritos out of the mixture and then warm them in the oven for 20 minutes before topping with avocado.

Another variation is to leave out the meat and use diced, roasted sweet potatoes.  This is my go-to dinner/lunch-prep meal because it's so easy and tasty.

Sweet Corn Salsa

I love candy corn.  If I could figure out a way to put candy corn into regular meals, I would.  However, in the summer, we love getting sweet corn and adding it to dinner just as much as I love eating candy corn in the fall.  Or any time of year actually.

I'm convinced that 2014 will be the year I attempt this:

That is candy corn, around a marshmallow.

via Pinterest

Until then, I find myself picking up a few ears of corn every time I go grocery shopping.  I boil them, shave off the kernels, and then toss them with a little garlic and lime.  Usually, these go on top of a bbq chicken salad or steak salad.  It really adds a lot of flavor and texture.

On this particular day I had a mango that needed to be used and I managed to find a can of black beans.    Salsa it was!  If you like this, my original black bean salsa recipe is fantastic and basic mango salsa is pretty amazing too.  In fact, this is just a variation on every other salsa I make, but it's too good not to share.  At the least, I can bring your attention to my other recipes!  These are very popular around here and are perfect for entertaining.

Sweet Corn Salsa
makes about 3 cups

1 mango, peeled and cut into small dices
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of one lime
2 cloves of garlic, grated or finely chopped
2 T. chopped cilantro
2 ears of corn, cooked and shaved from the cob

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.  Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Scott said that it tastes better the second day.  I wouldn't know about that.  He got to the leftovers before I did.  

You might also like… Mango Salsa, Corn and Tomato Guacamole, Black Bean Salsa,  

Feed the dog, please (and Mango Salsa)

On Saturday, I went for sushi in Rolla, the nearest "big" town and the nearest good sushi.  It's about 20 miles east.  Beforehand, I did a little Kohl's clearance rack shopping.  I'm trying to re-vamp my closet.  If you've been following my WIW posts, you'll know this is desperately needed.  After a Las Vegas roll with a friend, I went home to an empty house and found that Scott had taken the dog to the archery range.

Before I'd taken off for Rolla, I'd reminded Scott to feed Scout at 5:30.  He's never home when the dog eats, so I wanted to make sure he knew my SOP (standard operating procedure) and all.  Scout and I have a very specific routine.  He laughed and went on with whatever he was doing.

When they returned home at 8:30, as we were wrestling Scout to the floor in order to pick the ticks off of him (and as I was feeding him Cheerios to keep him still), I said, "Did you feed him?", never expecting the answer to be "No".  I was just asking to make conversation.

Scott:  No.  We left at 4:00.

Me: Are you serious?

No wonder he was biting us and eating those Cheerios like his life depended on it.  He missed dinnertime by 3 hours.  Poor little guy...

Because he'd spent some time rolling around in the woods, he was covered with teeny ticks from head to paw.  We spent all night holding him down...and then I was still all itchy, thinking they were on me.  Against my better judgment, we fed him french fries to keep him still.

Scott is never taking him anywhere again.  Ever.

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We also went to the farmers' market.  I've spent years wishing for a real live farmers' market (no such thing on the tundra).  Scott and I've also spent years waiting for fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes. It's not warm enough to grow them outside in Alaska.  Since I bought a few too many, I made some salsa.  If I'd had a mango on hand, I would've gone for mango salsa.  I think you should try it.  I waited 27 years too long.

A few weeks ago, I tried Mango Salsa for the first time while we were on our "camping" trip.  That version was mango, tomatoes, and cilantro.  The sweetness of the salsa tasted amazing on top of salty tortilla chips.  Since I'm a black bean/corn salsa fanatic, I added these filling ingredients to stretch the salsa and it made quite a bit. We finished it in two days, as is the usual for a bowl of salsa or a container of hummus around here.

Mango Salsa

1 mango, peeled and diced into small pieces
1 can corn OR 1 cup thawed frozen corn OR 1 corn cob, shucked
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup onion, finely diced
Juice of 1 lime
Sea salt
1/2 t. garlic powder OR 1 clove minced garlic

Mix all the ingredients together and taste.  You can add more salt, lime, or garlic if needed.  If you're eating it with tortilla chips, they'll add some salty flavor too.
Store in the fridge.  It tastes the best the next day!

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Mingle Monday

Pinned. Did. Done.

On Friday morning, as I was all hopped up on cough syrup, I found myself trying this out at 7am on the kitchen floor.  I'll definitely be repeating it, as it felt like a great stretch, if nothing else.  

Maybe not everyday at 7am though.

Source: fitnessmagazine.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Other than that, most of what I Pin (and accomplish) is food.

How 'bout you?  Accomplish anything you've found on Pinterest lately?

This intrigued me.  It's basically cold oatmeal.  But it was pretty tasty.  And since I've been off of cereal for almost 2 weeks now, I'm back to munching on oatmeal for breakfast again.

Source: snack-girl.com via Kristin on Pinterest

More breakfast.  Overnight Pumpkin Pancakes.  I did not like these.  Scott loved them (and ate them all).  I reached for the Aunt Jemima box and made myself a "real" pancake.  

Source: snack-girl.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Skinny Chicken Pot Pie.
I love chicken pot pie.  And I love biscuits.  However, we haven't been eating much of either of those in the last year or so.  My pot pie recipe uses a lot of fat/flour.  This one doesn't.  It was actually really good.  Next time, I'll cut the fat-free half-and-half with skim milk and add in some corn starch for extra thickening.  I made this in one big pan, instead of in small ramekins.

Source: eat-yourself-skinny.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Apple Butter Bites. They were quite tasty and fudge-like.  And so easy.  It's worth giving them a try..especially if you have apple butter sitting around.

Source: crazyforcrust.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Ranch Chicken Enchiladas.  We highly recommend them! Since I'm not a fan of bottled ranch dressing (personal vendetta I've held since a lunchbox mishap in 4th grade), I used sour cream and ranch dip seasoning instead.  I'll certainly make enchiladas this way again.

Source: julieseatsandtreats.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Kristin's Guacamole (and lazy-person-chicken)

"Seriously?  This is what it's come to?"

I didn't take this picture.  Google image search did.

Indeed.  It has come to this.

Let's not even talk about it.  I just thought I'd share that this is the perfect solution when you need protein, but are too lazy to defrost, cut, and fully cook your own chicken.  Yes, sometimes, even a rotisserie chicken won't do.  Rotisserie chickens need to be eaten within a couple of days.  These can sit in the freezer forever!  You are welcome, friends.

Now.  Guacamole.

I refer to the Summer of 2008 as the Summer of Guacamole.  I was 22.  I tried it for the first time.  I liked it.  I proceeded to eat at least 2 avocados a week for an entire summer.  I made this for Scott when we first started dating.  He made me an ice cream cake.  And the deal was sealed.

Personally, I'm a fan of that powdered guacamole mix you can buy at the store (in the produce section) to mash with your avocados.  However, avocados are kind of expensive.  And cramming vegetables onto tortilla chips is a great way to get them into your body.
So I make my guacamole pico-de-gallo-style to stretch my avocado budget and to get more vegetables into myself.  It works well enough.

Kristin's Guacamole
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
2 garlic cloves (grated or finely minced)
Juice of 1 lime
3 T of chopped cilantro
1 Roma tomato, finely chopped
1/4 cup of sweet or red onion, finely chopped
1/2 t salt

 In a small mixing bowl, mash the avocados.  Blend all the other ingredients into the avocados, adding more salt to taste, if necessary.  Cover and store in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.  It'll last a day or two in the fridge.

Black Bean and Lime Quesadillas

Clearly, my creativity knows no bounds.
BBQ Quesadillas...Caramelized Veggie Quesadillas...and now, Black Bean and Lime Quesadillas.

I wanted to buy a rotisserie chicken.

Because I wanted a chicken salad.

And when I was at the store buying the spinach and tomatoes, I thought, "Kristin, you do not need to buy a rotisserie chicken.  You have frozen chicken at home.  You  will make that.  You don't need to buy more chicken.  Remember how the last $7 rotisserie chickens went mostly to waste?"

So I went home and, that's right, ate a chicken-less salad because I'm far too lazy to defrost and cook my own chicken.

The next day, I bought the rotisserie chicken.

Then I needed to use it up.

This was one of the ways.

Not having a husband around to eat up all the food is wearing me out.

Black Bean and Lime Quesadillas
makes 4 quesadillas

1 recipe of Garlic and Lime Black Bean Salsa (eat the rest of it with chips!)
2 cups of cooked, diced chicken
1 cup (approx.) shredded Mexican-blend cheese

Heat a frying pan over medium heat.

Place a tortilla in it and then top with a sprinkle of shredded cheese.

Add a 1/2 cup of the Garlic and Lime Black Bean Salsa.  Sprinkle on a 1/2 cup of the chicken.  Add a handful of shredded cheese.  Top with another tortilla.  

Check every 30 seconds or so, and as soon as the cheese is melted, carefully flip the quesadilla.  Cook for another 2 minutes or so until brown on the other side.  

Remove from the pan and slice with a pizza cutter (the easiest method).

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Weekend Potluck

BBQ and Spinach Quesadillas

 So I talked about being a vegetarian of sorts.

I don't celebrate the idea of being vegetarian or vegan, though there are some great blogs out there that showcase these eating styles.  I'm an omnivore.  I love me some chicken tenders, a good sirloin, or even a caribou burger.  And if I ever do venture toward a herbivore lifestyle, it's purely out of convenience or (most likely) laziness.  And I have weird texture issues.  I don't like hamburger meat because the texture freaks me out. 

I average at least one chicken quesadilla a week as part of my new "really-I-swear-I'm-an-omnivore" lifestyle.

I foresee a lot of this "bbq" chicken being made once Scott is home and I have to cook real food again.  For some reason, cookies don't equal dinner for him the way they do for me.

I know.  I don't understand that logic either.

BBQ and Spinach Quesadillas 
makes 1 quesadilla

2 tortillas (I used whole-wheat)
1/2 cup of diced chicken (I used the Faux Grilled Chicken linked above and it was ah-maz-ing.)
1/2 cup baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese (or cheddar)

Over medium-high heat, place a tortilla in it and then top with half the cheese, the chicken, and the spinach.  Add the rest of the cheese to the top of the spinach.  Top with another tortilla.  Cook for about 3 minutes and, as soon as the cheese is melted, carefully flip the quesadilla.  Cook for another 2 minutes or so until brown on the other side.

Remove from the pan and slice with a pizza cutter (the easiest method).

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Tuesday Talent Show

Recipe Sharing Monday

Veggie Quesadillas

I often toss around the idea of becoming a vegetarian.  I don't eat a whole lot of meat anyway, so it wouldn't be all that difficult.

Then I thought about my love for fried chicken tenders.  And shrimp.  And steak.

I couldn't give up those three things.  Oh, I like crab cakes too.

So those 4 meat items would have to remain in my diet.  But other than that...

This is what leads me to believe I'd make a good vegetarian:  I like to make quesadillas with caramelized onions, black beans, corn, and peppers.  I usually throw in some chicken for Scott's benefit, and then I end up picking the chicken out and pushing it to the side of my plate.  (Note:  I do not do this with steak, which is why steak would remain in my diet should I decide to become this falsified version of a vegetarian.)

So I finally stopped fooling myself and now I just make the quesadillas with veggies.  Oh, and cheese.  I could never be vegan.

 

Veggie Quesadilla

Makes 3-4 quesadillas (depending on how much filling you like)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

1 chopped tomato

1/2 cup diced onion

1 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese

Whole-wheat tortillas

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan.  Soften the onion first.  Throw in the bell pepper.  Saute for about 3-4 minutes over medium high heat.  Add in the corn, tomato, and black beans.  MAKE SURE YOU'VE RINSED THE BEANS FIRST (I ended up with a mushy mess once because I didn't :(.  

Let it all heat together.  You can sprinkle with some salt or garlic powder for extra flavor, if desired.  

Remove from the pan and set aside.  Either wipe out that frying pan or heat another one over medium heat.  Place a tortilla in it and then top with 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the veggie mixture.  Add a handful of shredded cheese.  Top with another tortilla.  Check every 30 seconds or so, and as soon as the cheese is melted, carefully flip the quesadilla.  Cook for another 2 minutes or so until brown on the other side.  

Remove from the pan and slice with a pizza cutter (the easiest method).

This veggie mixture is also very tasty when just eaten with tortilla chips!

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Cast Party Wednesday

These Chicks Cooked

Chili Cheese Dip

Last chance to enter the Alaska Chicks Headband Giveaway!

I don't think you could:  A) mess this dish up, or B) displease anyone by making this dish.

Nope.  Not even a vegetarian.  You can use vegetarian chili.  And vegan cheese, if dairy isn't a part of your diet.

So there a recipe that can suit just about everyone.  You're welcome.

I made chili and then needed to do something with some of the leftovers.  Chili containing a pound (or more) of ground beef would feed both of us for dayssss.  I like to cook too much to be eating leftovers everyday.

I used my extra large ramekin, but an 8x8 pan would also work.  You can double this as easily as you could quadruple it.  There are no real measurements.  I put it together in 90 seconds, popped it into the toaster oven (oh yes, it was during that two-week period), and it was ready to go.

Chili Cheese Dip
makes an 8x8 pan

1 - 8oz. block cream cheese, softened
2-3 cups of leftover chili (or a can of chili)
1 cup of shredded cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese

Spread the cream cheese into the bottom of your pan.  Layer on the chili and then sprinkle with cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Broil for a few minutes until the cheese on top bubbles.

Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

*You could also adapt this recipe by just tossing everything into the Crockpot and letting it all heat through and melt together.*

That's me cooking dinner in a hat and scarf because..well, you know.

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The Stuff of Success

Chicken Enchiladas

These were GOOD.  I didn't take a picture because they looked pretty much like those vegetable things I made a couple of weeks back.  I know that they aren't traditional enchiladas.  These aren't soaking in sauce.  The outsides are kind of crispy, actually.  Plus, no sauce on the outside equals healthier, equals you can eat more.  Oh, and I would have added tomato (or even made a nice little pico de gallo for on top), but no tomatoes were to be found in the house. 

Kristin's Chicken Enchiladas

6 whole-wheat tortillas (Try them!  They have so much flavor.)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, salt
1/2 can of black beans
1/2 of a 10.75 oz. can of cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream (I used light.)
1/2 cup of frozen or canned corn
1 cup of shredded cheddar

In a little olive oil, cook the diced chicken with garlic powder, chili powder, and onion powder.  Just give a sprinkle of each.  (I don't measure.  I'm willing to take the risk.  This drives Scott insane. Especially when I'm baking.)

In a small mixing bowl, combine, soup, sour cream, corn, beans, and HALF a cup of the cheddar.  Add the chicken once it is cooked.  Spoon into flat tortillas and roll them up.  This mixture was just right for six 8" tortillas.  Place seam side down in baking dish and top with the rest of the cheese.  Bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Vegetable Enchiladas

Apparently I have too much time on my hands this week.  Seriously...the math tests need to be graded, but the blog is getting updated daily.  It's 8pm, REALLY light out, but kinda chilly.  So I just want to sit here and do nothing except eat warm oatmeal cookies.  So I shall do just that...

I found a recipe for vegetable burritos in a cookbook.  However, I'm not skilled enough to fold a tortilla into a burrito properly.  So I gave up on that pretty quickly.  I made them into enchiladas instead.  But they're not really enchiladas because these are healthy.  They don't have sauce on or in them.  Just a vegetable mixture and a little cheese for glue.  They are so quick and easy to make, and taste even better the next day.  I guess you could call them tortilla sandwiches?  We'll probably just refer to them as the "beans and peppers in the tortilla thing...you know, the thing you bake in the oven".

Vegetable Enchiladas
1 can black beans
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 large onion or 1 small onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
1 diced tomato OR 1/2 can Ro-Tel
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or monterey jack

8 whole-wheat tortillas (These are the best things EVER.)

 (If you're in the market for a food item sold in packages of 11, you are in luck.)

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a deep skillet and put the onion in to soften.  Add the pepper after a minute or two.   Once they are softening sufficiently, add the garlic and stir around.  Then add the beans, corn, and tomatoes.  Let it all cook together for a few minutes.

Lay out the tortillas and scoop 1/3 a cup of the mixture into each, topping with some cheese.  Roll up the "enchilada" and place seam side down in an 8x8 pan.  Once they are all in there, throw the remaining cheese onto the top.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. 

Salsa Chicken Soup

I found this on a terrific slow-cooking website and made a few changes.  I'll make it again because the flavor is amazing.  I feel that if I give credit to the source AND I admit that I, in fact, did not invent the recipe, that's like citing, right?  Anyway, I found it here.  I'm not yet at the point of making my own beans, so I used the canned variety.  When I make it again, I think I'll use one can of black beans and two cups of corn (so that's the way I'm writing out this recipe).


Salsa Chicken Soup
2-3 frozen chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn
1 jar (16 oz.) salsa
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 t. cumin
sour cream, for topping at the end

Mix everything together in the slow-cooker.  Cook on high for about 4 hours or on low for 6 hours.  Swirl some sour cream into each individual serving. 

Beef Skillet Dip

And now something you could actually eat for dinner (aside from all the chocolate desserts I've been making lately).  I think this was originally supposed to be a casserole of sorts, but I made it into a dip.  It made a pretty filling dinner and was ridiculously easy.  Instead of just dipping tortilla chips like we did, you could also spoon it into hard or soft taco shells.  I'd also recommend it as an appetizer for a party or football Sunday.  So I shall probably make it again when the Steelers make it to the Superbowl!


Beef Skillet Dip
1 pound ground hamburger
1/2 of an onion, chopped
2 Tb taco seasoning OR chili seasoning OR fajita seasoning (whatever you have)
1 can condensed tomato soup
3/4 cup salsa
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips for dipping

Brown the ground hamburger in a skillet.  Drain off the fat, if necessary, and add the onion and garlic. Cook for another two minutes or so.  Stir in the seasoning, tomato soup, salsa, and water.  Bring to a boil and lower the heat.  Cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens a bit.  Sprinkle the cheddar on top and let it melt.  Top each portion with sour cream, if desired.  We just put the skillet on a potholder and ate it out of the pan.