Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

I have been making these for years.  They are so easy and so very tasty.  There are a couple ways you can make these...I'll share the different variations with you.  And, as always, I double this recipe for my gigantic family.

Ingredients:

*1- 12 oz can evaporated milk (NOT sweetened condensed milk)
*2 small cans cream of chicken soup OR 1 large can
*1 can green chilies
*1 onion, chopped
*3 cups shredded chicken OR 2 cans of chicken OR 1 lb ground beef
*1 1/2 cup grated cheese (I use cheddar)
*Corn OR flour tortillas (I use corn...the flour tortillas tend to get soggy)

Procedure:

1.  Preheat oven to 350*

2.  Brown and drain the beef, if that is the meat of your choice.

3.  Boil and shred chicken, if using shredded chicken.

4.  Spray  a 9x13 or 10x15 baking dish

5.  Mix the evaporated milk, soup, onions, meat, and chilies in a saucepan.  Heat through.

6.  Cover the bottom of the baking dish with a very thin layer of the sauce.

7.  Cover the sauce with one layer of tortillas.

8.  Cover the tortillas with a layer of sauce.

9.  Continue layering until you end with the last of your sauce. Top with cheese.

10.  Bake until heated through, about 30-40 minutes.

*NOTE:  I usually serve these enchiladas with Mexican Rice.

Homemade Corn Tortillas

I actually got this recipe off my bag of Masa de Maiz (Corn Masa Flour). These are pretty darn tasty.

What you need:

*2 cups instant corn masa flour
*1/4 tsp. salt
*1 3/4 cups warm water
(This amount will make approximately 16 corn tortillas)

What you do:

1. Combine the masa, salt, and warm water in a bowl and mix with your hands. Add extra water by the Tbsp. to reach a soft dough (mashed potato consistency). Mix for about 4 minutes. Allow masa to sit for 10 minutes.

2. Cut 2 squares of wax paper for each tortilla being prepared. Form masa into 2 Tbsp. size balls. Place a sheet of wax paper on both sides of the masa ball and place in a tortilla press. Lightly press the tortilla to the desired thickness; set aside with the wax paper. Finish making the rest of the tortillas in the same manner.

3. Heat a large non-stick skillet, ungreased griddle or comal over high heat for about 3 minutes. Remove the wax paper from the tortilla and cook for 1 minute per side. Store in a tortilla warmer (if you have one) or a gallon size Ziploc bag.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

This is a really easy recipe for flour tortillas. It took me a few times to get the tortillas rolled into a shape reminiscent of circles, but it honestly doesn't matter what they look like...they will still taste fabulous!

What you need:

*4 cups all-purpose flour
*1 tsp. salt
*2 tsps. baking powder
*2 Tbsps. lard (Crisco...actual LARD)
*1 1/2 cups water

What you do:

1. Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Mix in the lard with your fingers until the flour resembles cornmeal. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together. Place on a lightly floured surface and knead a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.

2. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot skillet and cook until bubbly and golden (about 30 seconds); flip and continue cooking on the other side (about 20 seconds). Place the cooked tortilla in a tortilla warmer (if you have one) or a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Continue rolling and cooking the remaining dough.

Apple Dapple Cake

I found this recipe in a cookbook I've had for about 8 years...and this is the first time I've made it. And let me tell you...my family and I have been missing out! This cake recipe came out of "Recetas Mexicana de Mi Gente" (Mexican Recipes of My People). I don't know if there is any chance that this is an authentic Mexican recipe, but it sure is good!

What you'll need:

3 eggs

1 1/2 c. cooking oil (I use Canola)

2 c. sugar

3 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 c. walnuts, chopped

4 c. apples, peeled and chopped (I used Gala)

1 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. milk

1 stick butter or margarine

2 tsp. vanilla

What you'll do:

Cream eggs, oil, and white sugar. Sift together and fold in flour, salt, and baking soda. Add vanilla. Add walnuts and apples. Stir until just blended. Bake at 350* F for about 40 minutes in a 9x13 cake pan. Place cake (still in pan) on a cooling rack. Boil brown sugar, butter, and milk for 2 minutes and pour over hot cake. Let cool in pan.

*The brown sugar topping will be absorbed and make the cake moist and delicious!

Nacho Cheese Chicken Chowder

I made this for dinner tonight. It didn't go over too well. I think it may have been due to the fact that it's still pretty warm where we live. This is an excellent chowder on a chilly day.

What you'll need:

*1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
*2 14-oz. cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
*2 11-oz. cans condensed nacho cheese soup
*1 10-oz. package frozen whole kernel corn
* Tortilla chips

What you do:

*In a 3 1/2 - 4-quart slow cooker combine chicken, undrained tomatoes, soup, and corn.

*Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-3 hours.

*Serve with tortilla chips.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Here is another tasty recipe I stole from Jessica. Sorry, there is no picture for this one.

What you'll need:

*1 lb. ground turkey or beef
*2 Tbsp. olive oil (really any type of cooking oil can be used)
*1 onion, chopped
*1 Tbsp garlic, minced
*1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
*1/4 cup green salsa
*1 tsp. salt
*1 tsp. cumin
*2 tsp. chili powder
*28 oz. green enchilada sauce
*10 oz. red enchilada sauce
*1 cup sour cream
*1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend...whatever you like)
*Penne pasta

Here's what you do:

*Cook pasta according to package directions.
*Meanwhile, in a large dutch oven or heavy pot; saute the onion, pepper, and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, 1/4 cup green salsa, salt, cumin, chili powder, and both enchilada sauces. Mix well. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the sour cream and cheese; mix well. Heat until cheese melts. DO NOT BOIL! If you boil the sauce, it will separate. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it well. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix well. Serve with a green salad to complete the meal.

Horchata

Have you ever tried Horchata? Horchata is a traditional Mexican rice milk beverage...and it is so TASTY! I decided to try my hand at making is from scratch yesterday. Mostly because I'm sick of paying $3 for the already made stuff at H-E-B. This is actually really easy to make and tastes like the "real" stuff you would get in Mexico.

Here's what you'll need:

*1 cup white rice
*5 cups water
*1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
*3 cinnamon sticks
*1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
*2/3 cup sugar
*1/2 cup milk

Here's what you do:

*Pour rice and water into blender and blend about 1 minute.

Make sure you put the lid on the blender before starting it up!

*Add cinnamon sticks to the water. Let rice, water, and cinnamon sticks stand at room temperature for a MINIMUM of 3 hours with cinnamon sticks(Mine soaked for 5 hours).

*Strain the rice water into a pitcher and discard rice and cinnamon sticks.


*Add all other ingredients. Stir well.

*Pour into a glass over ice and enjoy!