The Pioneer Woman's White Chicken Enchiladas

Tonight I made THE Pioneer Woman's White Chicken Enchiladas. When I made my meal plan for this 2 weeks last Saturday, I had planned to make Easy Chicken and Dumplings for tonight. I picked up chicken breasts on my shopping trip for just this purpose. Then last Monday I saw this post on Ree, the Pioneer Woman's blog. Forget chicken and dumplings, I'm making this! With shredded chicken, heavy whipping cream, onions, green chilies, AND a jalapeno in the filling plus sour cream, more green chilies, and 1-1/2 cups of Monterrey Jack cheese in the sauce, I couldn't resist. I knew that it had to be ridiculously good. I didn't do a step by step pictorial on this one. PW's skills put me to shame. Just check out her blog if you'd like to see pictures of this project. As always, they are beautiful.

Here they are, fresh out of the oven.



And served up with some Rice a Roni Spanish Rice. Yep, from a box. The PW served hers with real homemade Mexican rice. You can check that out at The Pioneer Woman Cooks too. The enchiladas were challenge enough for me tonight, thank you very much!



Okay, the verdict: Obviously really good. Delicious. The crazy thing is...and I really can't believe that I'm about to type this...I still like my Chicken Enchilada recipe better. The one that I've been making for years. Maybe it's because I'm used to it? Maybe it's because I like the use of coriander in my sauce versus the paprika in Ree's recipe? Maybe it's that I feel less guilt when I eat my version with no cream, no sour cream, less cheese. Maybe it's that mine comes together just a little quicker with less ingredients and less chopping? I'm not sure what it is. Please don't misunderstand, I still loved PW's chicken enchiladas. What's not to love? I'm just surprised that I still like my recipe more, that's all.

I should note that I did take a couple of liberties with PW's recipe. I used just chicken breast, rather than a whole cut up chicken. I used cafe style enchilada tortillas made with corn flour...not regular wheat flour tortillas, but not full on corn tortillas... and I didn't fry them first. And last, I didn't shred my own cheese. I just bought it pre-shredded from a bag.

You know what I will take with me from PW's chicken enchiladas and apply to mine? The addition of fresh cilantro on top! That totally made the dish for me. I'm not sure why I haven't been topping my enchiladas with fresh cilantro all along.

Adios, amigos! Have a good night!

Weeknight Ravioli Bake

Recipes like this are one of the reasons that I will probably renew my subscription to Kraft food & family magazine...even though it is no longer free. (Booo!) This dish came together in less than 10 minutes and was a huge hit with the kiddos. Not to mention, it only uses 5 ingredients, not including water. Remember my 5 ingredient challenge?

You just need frozen ravioli, a can of diced tomatoes, a jar of spaghetti sauce, a bag of shredded cheese, and some Parmesan to sprinkle over the top.


Mix together the spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, and 1 cup of water, then spread a cupful into the bottom of a casserole dish. I sprinkled a little browned Italian sausage that I found in the freezer. Completely optional step. This would be an excellent meatless dinner as well. The recipe called for 2 lbs. of frozen ravioli. My grocery only carried it in 1 lb. 9 oz. bags. Without a coupon, it was a little pricey, so I opted for just one bag. It was plenty. : )


Top the ravioli with a cup of cheese. The recipe suggests Italian blend cheese. I already had mozzarella in my fridge, so I went with that.


Then repeat the layers, ending with sauce and then cheese on top.


Bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 15 minutes. You're supposed to let this cool for another 10 minutes before cutting. By the time this came outta the oven we had 15 minutes to eat before we needed to leave for my daughter's dance class. I dished it up fast with the instruction to, "blow on it!" to keep them from burning their tongues.


This would be excellent with a salad and garlic bread. I had the garlic bread (Texas Toast from the freezer) covered, but there was no time for a salad. Our Mondays are always crazy! The picture in Kraft food & family looked a lot like lasagna. It held it's shape in a neat little square. Not mine. It was just a yummy pile of cheese-filled pasta. I think that they (the Kraft Foods kitchen staff) used great big pieces of ravioli and they must've adhered to the 10 minute cool time suggestion. Nobody here cared that it didn't look like the picture, that's for sure!


One more note: The Kraft Kitchen Tips at the bottom of the recipe on their site suggests adding spinach between the layers. Excellent idea and nutrition booster! The next time that I make this, I'll definitely add spinach.

Weeknight Ravioli Bake from Kraft food & family

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 55 min
Makes: 8 servings

What You Need!

1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup water
2 pkg. (1 lb. each) frozen cheese ravioli
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Italian* Three Cheese Blend
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Make It!

HEAT oven to 400ºF.

MIX spaghetti sauce, tomatoes and water; spoon 1 cup onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish.

LAYER half the ravioli and 1 cup shredded cheese over sauce. Top with remaining ravioli and sauce mixture. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese; cover.

BAKE 30 min.; uncover. Bake 15 min. or until ravioli is tender and heated through. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Let stand 10 min.

Nutrition Information
Calories 500 Total fat 22 g Saturated fat 13 g Cholesterol 90 mg Sodium 1100 mg Carbohydrate 52 g Dietary fiber 4 g Sugars 8 g Protein 25 g Vitamin A 25 %DV Vitamin C 25 %DV Calcium 70 %DV Iron 15 %DV

Meal Plan and Grocery List 11/16- 11/22

Hello everyone! I sit here watching my Indianapolis Colts battle the New England Patriots and enjoying the last moments of a rare weekend that we had absolutely no where that we had to be. I have to say that the weather cooperated beautifully for a weekend at home. It was lovely here. I cleaned, cooked, played, watched football, and helped a good friend celebrate her birthday. I am re-charged for the week ahead. As far as meal planning goes, this will be an easy one for me. I've got meals planned for Monday thru Wednesday, then on Thursday we will eat leftovers.(I'll be too busy packing my elasticized waistband pants into a suitcase to cook.) Friday we're heading out early to kick off the Thanksgiving festivities, first with my family and then on to my husband's family on the actual holiday. Last year I hosted Thanksgiving at my house, so this year should be a cake walk for me. I'll just be contributing a few signature dishes at each dinner. Speaking of signature dishes, later this week I'll post the links to all of the recipes I used last year for our Thanksgiving feast.

For now, here's the plan for this week:

Monday November 16th

Weeknight Ravioli Bake

Tuesday November 17th

The Pioneer's Woman's White Chicken Enchiladas

Wednesday November 18th

Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup with Individual Focaccia Breads

Thursday November 19th

Leftovers

Friday-Sunday

Homeward bound!



Grocery List

Produce

2 onions
1 jalapeno pepper
cilantro
3 lbs. plum tomatoes
3 heads garlic
basil

Meat

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast

Dairy

8 oz. shredded Italian cheese blend
grated Parmesan
12 tortillas
4 oz. heavy cream
butter
sour cream
shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1 tube refrigerated breadsticks

Canned Goods

1 jar spaghetti sauce
3 cans diced tomatoes
canola oil
3- 4 oz. cans diced green chilies
80 oz. chicken broth
olive oil
6 oz. tomato paste
12 oz. evaporated milk

Dry Goods

paprika
thyme
Italian seasoning

Freezer

2 lbs. cheese ravioli


Hope ya'll had a wonderful weekend too and happy cooking!

Pumpkin Spiced Pancakes

Try these for breakfast over the weekend! Super easy...I just made pancakes from a mix and then added in some pumpkin puree (leftover from the pumpkin spice donuts) and cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Truthfully, we didn't eat these for breakfast. We had them for lunch. You know how it is on the last day before a scheduled grocery shopping trip...we were out of everything! No lunch meat. Not that it mattered, we were out of bread too. This meant that grilled cheese or PB&J were also out of the question. My husband had taken the leftovers from our last night's dinner for his lunch. Not even a freezer pizza, fish stick, or package of ramen noodles in sight! Of course the first question out of my daughter's mouth when I picked her up from pre-K was, "What's for lunch?" I had to think hard before I enthusiastically announced, "Pancakes!" Enthusiastically, because I've found that if I don't take the right approach when announcing some of my meals, that the kids are a "tough sell" and don't jump on my band wagon...or should I say chuck wagon? My daughter was still a little hesitant. "Awww, pancakes!? I wanted...." But after I promised to let her help she stopped complaining. And better yet, when she took the first bite of these sweet, fluffy, pumpkin spiced pancakes, she wasn't complaining at all!

Here's what I used: Heart Smart Bisquick, skim milk, 1 egg, 3/4 cup pumpkin puree, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.



I just followed the directions for the pancakes on the side of the box. There's a note under the recipe that reads Light and Fluffy Pancakes: Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla with the egg. So I did that. Then I stirred in the pumpkin and spices before mixing it all together.



The batter was a little thick, so I ended up adding some water until it was thin enough to pour by 1/4 cupfuls onto my oiled and heated griddle pan.



These were delicious topped with butter and warm maple syrup and an extra sprinkle of nutmeg. So much for heart healthy...



I'm thinking of repeating this recipe tomorrow...only, we'll actually eat it for breakfast this time, possibly accompanied by bacon twists and good strong coffee. Perfect for a blustery November Saturday morning!

Pumpkin Spiced Pancakes

2 cups Heart Smart Baking mix
1 1/4 cups skim milk
1 egg (or 2 egg whites)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4- 1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
water to thin batter if necessary

Stir sugar and vanilla into egg. Combine all ingredients and stir until blended. Pour by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls onto hot greased griddle. Cook until bubbles break on the surface. Turn; cook until golden. Yield: about 20 pancakes.

Steak and Potatoes

It doesn't get more basic than a meat and potatoes meal. This post is no fuss, much like the recipes that I used tonight.

Here's whatcha need for the steak: Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing, Steak Sauce, brown sugar, garlic, a sirloin or flank steak, olive oil, and an onion.



This one is so simple, there's really no need for me to document the step by step. I found this recipe in the latest edition of food & family from Kraft. I've been getting this magazine completely free for a few years, but this latest issue arrived with ATTENTION: FINAL-ISSUE ALERT stamped on the cover and subscription information and cost included inside. Bummer. Well, they've got me hooked now. I love their nothin' fancy, quick, easy, and above all family pleasin' recipes. If you're interested in a subscription you can sign up at www.kraftfoods.com/mag

Here's the recipe from Kraft Foods:

Marinated Steak with Caramelized Onions

Prep Time: 10 min Total Time: 1 hr 36 min Makes: 4 servings

What You Need:

1/4 cup KRAFT Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
3 Tbsp. A.1. Original Steak Sauce, divided
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 boneless beef sirloin steak (1 lb.) 1 Tbsp.
olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced

Make It!
MIX dressing, 2 Tbsp. steak sauce, sugar and garlic until well blended. Pour over steak in shallow dish; turn steak to coat both sides. Refrigerate 1 hour to marinate.

HEAT oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions; cook and stir 5 min. Cover; cook on medium-low heat 15 min. or until onions are golden brown, stirring occasionally.

MEANWHILE, heat broiler. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Place steak on broiler pan. Broil steak, 4 inches from heat, 8 min. on each side or until done
(160ºF). Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 5 min. before cutting across the grain into thin slices. Stir remaining steak sauce into onions. Serve with the meat.

This was good. Just a couple of notes: The recipe suggests marinating the steak for 1 hour. However, you'd be fine to marinate it overnight or all day. I put mine in the marinade this morning and broiled it for dinner, a little over 8 hours later. The flavor was good, but certainly not intense. So don't be afraid to put this in the marinade the night before you intend to eat it and return home from work the following night to grill or broil it. My other suggestion is to salt and pepper that steak before broiling. I sprinkled mine with some kosher salt and ground a little pepper over the top. It was delicious served atop the caramelized onions, swimming in steak sauce.

And what goes better with steak than potatoes? I served this with a quick version of cheesy garlic potatoes. Quick because I didn't peel or quarter a single potato to make these. Nope, I cheated and used (gasp!) potato flakes from a box. I'm not usually a fan of potato flake mashed taters, but with the addition of cream cheese, garlic, and American or cheddar cheese, these are SO good! Just prepare the potatoes according to the package directions and then stir in the other ingredients until the cheeses are melted. YUM!



The recipe for these potatoes also came from Kraft food & family. Remember the Easy Shepherd's Pie that I made last October? This is the recipe from the potatoes used to top that pie. I like to use shredded cheddar in this recipe, however, as I rummaged through my fridge tonight, I realized that I was out of luck. So, I threw in a couple of American singles instead. Still really good....

Here's the recipe:

Easy Cheesy Garlic Potatoes

1 envelope instant potatoes, prepared according to package directions or two cups of leftover mashed potatoes, heated
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced

Stir the cheeses and garlic into the hot mashed potatoes until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!