Summer is finally here! Pool days, watering flowers, brown babies, grilled burgers, long evenings, fireflies, shaved ice, cooking huge meals...huh? How did that one get in there??!!
One thing I have discovered about all this wonderful summeryness is that I rarely feel like standing in the kitchen. Especially now that my stomach makes reaching the cabinet a bit of a painful chore and I can't seem to find a cool place unless I lock myself in my deep freeze that is stuffed to the brim with sale finds;-)
So this incredible idea came to me last Sunday. I was planning my Monday. Filling it with clipping coupons, sorting coupons, grocery shopping, organizing all my steals, and then I realized that I would have to fit preparing dinner in there somewhere. So I begin to hatch a thought. Why not make the entire weeks meals in one evening? Jonny had stocked me up on ground beef and chicken so I had pretty much everything I needed to make anything I might have a hankerin' for.
So after doing all my couponing stuff ( I hate that word "stuff". I sounds so unimaginative.), I took a short nap and then put the boys and Molly at the table with crayons, paper, and stickers and started cooking up a storm.
I put a big pot of ground chuck on to brown, a big pot of chicken on to boil, filled the fryer with grease, pulled out all the casserole dishes and all the spices and started filling the kitchen with good things to eat.
I made Beef Enchiladas (my own recipe that my family later informed me needs a little tweaking), Fried Chicken, Chicken Spaghetti, and Sour Cream Enchiladas.
It may sound like a ton of work, but amazingly enough it didn't take me any longer than cooking one meal would've taken since everything was cooking at one time. I had Meghan helping me clean up and Ally helping me shred chicken and we had the best time.
It has been so wonderful each evening as dinner time approaches, knowing that dinner is sitting in the fridge waiting to be popped into the oven!
I have heard of ladies that prepare meals for an entire month and then freeze them, but Jonny absolutely despises leftovers and pulling a dish that's been sitting in the freezer for a few weeks is dangerously close to leftovers for my sweet husband. As it is, I wondered how he might feel about being served enchiladas that have been marinating for three days, but he has made no complaints and has appreciated not being asked to stop and get us burgers on those evenings that little "nameless baby" makes cooking seem very unappealing.
I am excited to put together next week's menu which I will try to remember to share with you.
As for right now, I will post the recipe for Sour Cream Enchiladas that many of you have requested. Similar to many of my recipes, I have no measurements for this one, I just dump ingredients in until it looks right. But given that it's little else than cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and cheese, the possibility that you will go wrong is remote.
I simply boil about three pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and let me them cool. Then shred them. In a large bowl, I combine a large container of sour cream and four cans of cream of chicken soup. Then I add about a cup and a half a grated extra sharp cheddar cheese and a small can of green chilies. Then I dump in the chicken and stir it all together.
Next, grease a large casserole dish and make sure your oven is preheated to 350 degrees.
Then put about a half a cup (more or less) in each flour tortilla shell, roll it up and lay it in the casserole dish. Repeat until dish is full. Then pour remaining sauce over shells and cover with grated cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly. Very easy and most delicious I might add.
Talk to you soon friends!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Reicpes, recipes, and more recipes!!
Hello out there to all of my faithful readers! I have had so many of you sweet people kindly ask me if I might ever possibly post again and I always feel so guilty because I promised you in the beginning that I would post everyday. That turned into once a week, and we are now somewhere around once every month or two:-(
I do have a good excuse though. Besides struggling to find the time to sit here for more than a few minutes at a time, I cannot seem to get my imagination to work like it use to. It takes me forever to come up with a fresh idea that I haven't used yet (is that redundant?) and then when I finally come up with one, I get interrupted fifty-eleven times and completely lose my train of thought. So when I read back over my post, I'm thinking "What on earth did I mean by that??"
I have decided to bring a recipe back that I get asked about the most often, fried chicken. I have had so many people tell me that they can't find a recipe that they like, or that they simply can't figure out how to fry meat properly. So I am going to explain my recipe step by step. I'm also going to add lemonade cookies and Asian slaw, two favorites that are not my own, but those I have borrowed from other wonderful cooks.
Fried Chicken first:
Step 1: Thaw boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Step 2: Heat an electric skillet filled about 1/3 full with vegetable oil to 350 degrees being sure to not put any chicken in it until sizzles when you sprinkle a drop or two of water into it. Putting plenty of oil in your pan makes the chicken cook more evenly.
Step 3: Find a good size bowl and put 2-3 cups of flour into it (depending on how much chicken you're frying) and then sprinkle in as much pepper as you like. Stir.
Step 4: Salt each side of each piece of chicken. I do quite a bit of salt being that I really like my chicken salty and it makes it more moist.
Step 5: Carefully place chicken in hot grease and cover. I always cover the chicken for the first side to cook, and then leave the cover off for the other side. This makes the crust crispy but keeps the chicken moist. Turn the chicken over as soon as the crust is nice and golden brown.
Step 6: Dry on paper towels to keep from getting greasy.
This is my best attempt at explaining my chicken frying method. If you still find that yours doesn't turn out the way you like it, then call me and we'll have a chicken frying date!!
Lemonade Cookies
This recipe came from one of my magazines, but I must confess to you that I, myself, personally, have never made these. Ally makes these for me on a regular basis and they are truly ADDICTIVE!!!
1 cup unsalted butter softened
1 and 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup sweetened lemonade powder mix
2 eggs
2 tsp lemon zest
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
In a large mixing bowl, combine first three ingredients. Beat at medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs and lemon zest beating well.
In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients. Add this mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed blending well after each addition. Divide dough into fourths wrapping each portion in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with wax paper. On a floured surface, roll each portion of chilled dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Using the top of a small glass, cut dough into flat cookies. Place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake 6-8 minutes and cool completely. Icing recipe follows.
Lemonade Icing
3 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
6 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate thawed
In a medium bowl, combine sugar, butter, and lemonade. Beat at low speed until combined. Ice cooled cookies.
I highly recommend giving this recipe a try. It may sound long and tedious, but Ally has never messed it up even a little bit and she has been making this recipe since she was twelve. I guarantee that you will LOVE IT!!!!
Asian Slaw
I'm not exactly sure where this recipe originated, but I got it from my friend Kellye and it is one of my favorite summer salads.
It is very easy to make and gets better the longer it sits.
1 package of coleslaw mix
1 package of ramen noodles uncooked and broken into small bits
1 cup almonds 1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup craisens
1 apple cut up
Dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
Mix and toss with salad.
Super easy huh?!
One last little recipe and then I have to skidoodle off here before my midwife comes.
It's one of my favorites to serve with fried chicken;-)
Honey-buttered rolls
Super simple and takes less then ten minutes.
Simply cook a bag of Sister Schuberts rolls for about seven minutes making sure they're still soft.
While they're cooking mix together a stick of melted butter and around 1/3 cup honey. More or less depending on how sweet you like your bread. Then brush the mixture over your hot rolls. I've gotten a million compliments on these and they're so ridiculously easy!
Well folks,hope this makes up for the long absence and that these recipes keep you busy for the next few nights. Enjoy!!
I do have a good excuse though. Besides struggling to find the time to sit here for more than a few minutes at a time, I cannot seem to get my imagination to work like it use to. It takes me forever to come up with a fresh idea that I haven't used yet (is that redundant?) and then when I finally come up with one, I get interrupted fifty-eleven times and completely lose my train of thought. So when I read back over my post, I'm thinking "What on earth did I mean by that??"
I have decided to bring a recipe back that I get asked about the most often, fried chicken. I have had so many people tell me that they can't find a recipe that they like, or that they simply can't figure out how to fry meat properly. So I am going to explain my recipe step by step. I'm also going to add lemonade cookies and Asian slaw, two favorites that are not my own, but those I have borrowed from other wonderful cooks.
Fried Chicken first:
Step 1: Thaw boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Step 2: Heat an electric skillet filled about 1/3 full with vegetable oil to 350 degrees being sure to not put any chicken in it until sizzles when you sprinkle a drop or two of water into it. Putting plenty of oil in your pan makes the chicken cook more evenly.
Step 3: Find a good size bowl and put 2-3 cups of flour into it (depending on how much chicken you're frying) and then sprinkle in as much pepper as you like. Stir.
Step 4: Salt each side of each piece of chicken. I do quite a bit of salt being that I really like my chicken salty and it makes it more moist.
Step 5: Carefully place chicken in hot grease and cover. I always cover the chicken for the first side to cook, and then leave the cover off for the other side. This makes the crust crispy but keeps the chicken moist. Turn the chicken over as soon as the crust is nice and golden brown.
Step 6: Dry on paper towels to keep from getting greasy.
This is my best attempt at explaining my chicken frying method. If you still find that yours doesn't turn out the way you like it, then call me and we'll have a chicken frying date!!
Lemonade Cookies
This recipe came from one of my magazines, but I must confess to you that I, myself, personally, have never made these. Ally makes these for me on a regular basis and they are truly ADDICTIVE!!!
1 cup unsalted butter softened
1 and 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup sweetened lemonade powder mix
2 eggs
2 tsp lemon zest
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
In a large mixing bowl, combine first three ingredients. Beat at medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs and lemon zest beating well.
In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients. Add this mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed blending well after each addition. Divide dough into fourths wrapping each portion in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with wax paper. On a floured surface, roll each portion of chilled dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Using the top of a small glass, cut dough into flat cookies. Place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake 6-8 minutes and cool completely. Icing recipe follows.
Lemonade Icing
3 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
6 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate thawed
In a medium bowl, combine sugar, butter, and lemonade. Beat at low speed until combined. Ice cooled cookies.
I highly recommend giving this recipe a try. It may sound long and tedious, but Ally has never messed it up even a little bit and she has been making this recipe since she was twelve. I guarantee that you will LOVE IT!!!!
Asian Slaw
I'm not exactly sure where this recipe originated, but I got it from my friend Kellye and it is one of my favorite summer salads.
It is very easy to make and gets better the longer it sits.
1 package of coleslaw mix
1 package of ramen noodles uncooked and broken into small bits
1 cup almonds 1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup craisens
1 apple cut up
Dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
Mix and toss with salad.
Super easy huh?!
One last little recipe and then I have to skidoodle off here before my midwife comes.
It's one of my favorites to serve with fried chicken;-)
Honey-buttered rolls
Super simple and takes less then ten minutes.
Simply cook a bag of Sister Schuberts rolls for about seven minutes making sure they're still soft.
While they're cooking mix together a stick of melted butter and around 1/3 cup honey. More or less depending on how sweet you like your bread. Then brush the mixture over your hot rolls. I've gotten a million compliments on these and they're so ridiculously easy!
Well folks,hope this makes up for the long absence and that these recipes keep you busy for the next few nights. Enjoy!!
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