An Echilada Lesson/Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

(Sadly, no pictures today as I was in a rush to cook and we gobbled  them up too fast!)

As a born and bred Texas girl and lover of all things Tex-Mex, I take my enchiladas very seriously. I have a particular affection toward sour cream chicken enchiladas and those will be the subject of today's post.

But, before I get into the specifics of how to make authentic sour cream chicken enchiladas, we must first cover some enchilada basics.

1. Enchiladas are not - repeat after me - enchiladas are NOT made with flour tortillas. If you want to stuff, roll, and smother in sauce a flour tortilla, go right ahead. But, you will not be making an enchilada. You wll be making a burrito (if you fry it before adding the sauce, you will be making a chimichanga, whic I can also get behind.)

Enchiladas are made with CORN TORTILLAS. Fried, stuffed, rolled, and smothered corn tortillas.

Fried?!, you say? That brings me to point ...

2. To make the perfect enchilada, a short dip in the hot oil tub is a must. This will make them more pliable for rolling and adds a depth of flavor and texture.

3. Don't forget the sauce. No, not that sauce. You will smother your beautifully rolled enchilada in the good stuff in a minute. But, one last step before stuffing: the enchilada sauce dip. Just a simple red sauce will do. Once again, this helps with pliability and flavor.

Those three steps are basic to any enchilada you want to build.

Now, onto my glorious sour cream chicken enchiladas.

I have been trying for years to achieve the perfect SCCE. And I have done plentynof research . . . in the form of eating them at every Mexican food restaurant in sight. I have scoured recipes and played around in the kitchen. Each time I come away with a trick, a little closer to perfection.

Last night, I finally hot the jackpot. As close as I think I will ever come to restaurant quality.

So, a key steps:

1. Do not just use plain chicken. Even the most spectacular sauce will not make up for boring, unflavored chicken. And, don't worry if you have done this. So, have a few restaurants I have eaten at.

2. Just covering rolled tortillas in sour cream does not an enchilada sauce make. Just no.

3. A cream of any thing sauce is not a key ingredient. Now, I love a good cream of anything soup in a wide variety of casseoles. They do not have a place in enchilada sauces.

4. Please use monterrey jack cheese.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
12 enchiladas

Adapted from multiple recipes, taste tests, and trial amd error.
Some, of not most, ingredients are not exact. This is more method than recipe.

1 whole fryer chicken
1 can stewed or diced tomatoes
1 small can chopped green chilis
onion, chopped
red enchilada sauce
corn tortillas
vegetable, canola, or corn oil
olive oil
butter
flour
chicken broth
sour cream
ground cumin
verde enchilada sauce or salsa verde
one block monterrey jack cheese
colby or colby jack cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Boil your chicken. Nothing special. Just throw him in a pot, cover with water, and boil about an hour to an hour and a half, until done/falling off the bone. Remove from water and set aside until cool enough to handle.

While chicken cools, shred cheeses and saute onion (I used not quite half a small onion).

Once chicken is cooled, remove from boned and roughly shred into a bowl. Pour tomatoes over chicken, breaking them up some, then green chilis. Add onion. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Lightly fry tortillas in oil (do not use olive oil), flipping once, about 15 to 20 seconds each side. Tortillas are ready when they are pliable and slightly crispy on the edges. Place on paper towels to cool and soak up excess oil.

Pour red sauce into shallow dish.

Assemble enchiladas: dip tortilla in sauce (both sides), add a small sprinkle of monterrey jack cheese, spoon chicken into center, roll, and place seam side down in sprayed casserole dish. Once all tortillas are rolled, set aside and make sauce.

In a pan (I used the same one I sautéed the onions in), heat olive oil and butter over medium high heat until butter is melted. Whisk in flour unti l it is absorbed. Salt and pepper. Whisk in chicken broth,whisking until flour is dissolved and it begins to thicken. Whisk in sour cream to desired consistency. Add cumin and more salt/pepper to taste.

(I used approximately 3 tbsps oil/butter and flour, just over 2 cups broth, and about 8 oz. sour cream.)

Pour sauce over rolled tortillas and cover with foil. Bake at 400 until sauce begins to bubble (10 to 15 minutes). Cover with rest of monterrey jack cheese and just a sprinkle of colby or colby/jack. Bake for another 5 minutes or so, covered, until cheese melts.

Serve with more sour cream spooned on top.

Sissy's Variations:

Yep, variations to my own recipe.

An alternative to frying the totillas in oil is broiling them in rimmed cookie sheets sprayed generously with cooking spray. Downside is having to keep a close eye on them.

I use canned enchilada sauces because I have not yet perfected the red or verde sauce.

I like to shred cheese for recipes like this because it melts better.

I think cumin and the verde sauce are the key ingredients to this sauce, the things that put it over the edge.

A Whole New Kind of Crack Cookie: The Smack Cookie

Name courtesy of The Husband.

I think I may have just made a cookie I like more than Crack Cookies. And, let's face it, that's saying a LOT!

Truth be told, they are Crack Cookies, but with a twist--Cinnamon. Everybody together now: mmmm.

I've been wanting to use cinnamon chips for a long time but no store I checked had them. Finally, about six months ago, I spotted them at the nearby Albertson's, but still didn't buy them. Then a month or so ago, a friend suggested Crack Cookies with cinnamon chips, so I figured it was about time.

Of course, I couldn't just replace the chocolate chips with cinnamon chips. I needed more. One of the things I love best about cinnamon is eating it with butter and sugar. An idea was born and I think it totally makes them.

Sissy's Variations:

• Add cinnamon to taste (oh, come on, we all know you taste the cookie dough). I added it during the creaming of the butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. I don't know if made a difference, but that's where I felt it needed to go.
• Here's the real kicker:  melted butter with cinnamom and sugar brushed on top. I did this as soon as they were out of the oven, so for my cookies, that meant when they were still a little soft on top. I think this allowed the butter to seep in good, but then also gave a good almost glaze to the top.

I have to say, even The Husband asked for a second cookie right away. He said it kept getting better the more he chewed. Can't beat that. I told him he got to name them, thus, Smack Cookies--at least for now. I really hope they are as good next day, not hot out of the oven. Because hot out of the oven, these may be the best cookies ever!

Weekly Meal Plan: 4/4 thru 4/10

A few days late and few dollars short. Ha! Wow, okay, the week's almost over, but I'm still going to post. Mainly because the carpet guy is here cleaning the carpets, which means I'm in the kitchen with the laptop, which means quick, easy posts.

This week's goal is really more healthy, well balanced meals. I do promise to get the last few recipes from last week up ASAP.

So, here it is:

Sunday:  Out
Monday:  Grilled tilapia, navy beans, Caesar salad sandwiches
Tuesday:  Ground Beef & Shredded Potato Casserole, side salad
Wednesday:  Chicken Stir Fry grilled tilapia, navy beans, Caesar salad
Thursday:  Easy Italian Chicken Legs Breasts (slow cooker), roasted potatoes, Italian-style green beans
Friday:  Honey Mustard Salmon, brown rice, spinach/peas
Saturday:  Out

I will definitely have recipes up for the casserole, the Italian chicken, and the salmon.

Kelly's Famous Meatloaf (Slow Cooker) w/Cheddar Cheese and Macaroni

Today was work from home day, which means slow cooker dinner day. I love a good meat loaf. There are so many variations on the meat loaf, but I'm pretty much a plain Jane meat loaf kinda gal. Meat loaf is one dish it never would have occurred to me to cooking the slow cooker. One reason is that awesome little crust you get on the outer edges when cooked in the oven. But, this recipe from my Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook is too awesome not to eat over and over.

I decided to make mac 'n cheese with it instead of mashed potatoes, which I would normally make, since we just had potatoes with the CFS on Sunday. The recipe I like to use is one I saw Rachael Ray make years ago on her show. It is probably the best homemade mac 'n' cheese I've ever had--perfectly creamy and cheesy. It also travels well--I've taken it to potlucks with friends and work.

Kelly's Famous Meat Loaf

(Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook, 2006)

Prep: 9 minutes
Cook: 5 hours
Slow-Cooker Size: 3-quart oval

• 1 1/2 pounds ground round
• 1 (1-oz) envelope dry onion soup mix
• 1 cup ketchup, divided
• 1/4 c. water
• 3/4 c. fine, dry breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1 c. (4 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. prepared mustard

Combine ground round, soup mix, 1/2 cup ketchup, and next 6 ingredients; shape mixture into 8- x 4-inch loaf. Place loaf into lightly greased 3-quart oval slow cooker.
Cover and cook on HIGH 1 hour. Reduce heat to LOW, and cook 3 hours. Remove ceramic insert from cooker, and carefully pour grease off meat loaf; return insert to cooker.
Stir together remaing 1/2 cup ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard in a small bowl; spread over meat loaf.
Cover and cook on LOW 1 more hour or until meat loaf registers 160. Remove meat loaf from ceramic insert, and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Sissy's Variations:
I try to use ground turkey as much as possible in place of ground beef. We've gotten to where we don't really even notice the difference. But, I still have a small aversion to ground turkey in large "chunks"--burgers (I'm almost over this one), loaves, balls. So, for this dish, I mix half ground turkey with half VERY lean ground beef. This time I also went ahead and used a pound of each for a 2-lb loaf. I just adjusted the cooking time 30 minutes at each level and it turned out fine.
I also use low fat cheese because I have it on hand and it is just one more place to cut back fat and calories.
As I've mentioned before, I have an 8-quart slow cooker, but I don't find that to be a hinderence in this recipe. If anything, it might help in that it keeps too much of the grease from getting on too much of the loaf.

Cheddar Cheese and Macaroni
(Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals 2, 2003)

• 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked 8 minutes or al dente to package directions
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil or olive oil (once around the pan)
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 1 1/2 c. whole or 2% milk
• 3 c. shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (a couple pinches)
• Salt, to taste

Heat a medium-size deep skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter. When butter melts into oil, stir in flour. Gently cook, whisking flour and butter together, until smooth and flour has had a chance to cook, about 3 minutes. Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk. Gently bring milk to a bubble while stirring frequently. Allow the milk to thicken a bit, then stir in 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, a handfull at a time. Season sauce with nutmeg an cayenne. Taste and add a little salt, if you like. Add cooked pasta to the sauce and coat completely by turning over and over in the cheese sauce. Transfer to a baking dish, top with remaining cheese, and place under a hot broiler for a minute to brown the top.

Sissy's Variations:
This recipe is way too heavy and fattening for a normal, everyday meal, so I took some steps to lighten it up.
I used skim milk instead of whole. I actually meant to buy some fat free half and half, which I've used in another light mac 'n' cheese recipe, but I forgot, so I used what I had on hand. The trick to using skim milk in something like this is to heat it slower than you normally would. But, I had no problem with it thickening right up.
I also use Smart Balance Whipped as opposed to regular butter. Fewer calories, less fat, less sodium, and good things like Omega 3 added. And you still get the butter taste.
I prefer to use the Ronzoni pastas. I don't really like whole wheat so much, so this is a good compromise. It may still be higher in carbs, but it also has good things like more protein, more fiber, and I think the Omega 3 too.
And, like in the meat loaf, I used low fat cheese. I used a combo of pre-shredded medium cheddar and a block of Cabot reduced fat sharp. The cabot reduced fat is a bit more expensive than a generic cheese, but it's really good. I do use the white cheddar when I'm making this dish for a potluck, but the difference isn't THAT great.

CFS&G

Well, that's what it was called in MY house. That would be Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy. I'm a Texas girl through and through--I love warm Spring days, the Dallas Cowboys, and Chicken Fried Steak. Fortunately for me, my daddy happened to make a killer Chicken Fried Steak and he taught me how to make it as soon as I could stand on a chair at the kitchen counter and dredge the meat.

About 6 months ago, I had some time to make a good Saturday night dinner at home and the subject of Chicken Fried Steak came up. I realized that in almost 8 years, I had never made this dish for B. I am not really sure how that is even possible, but it was, so problem solved. That was dinner. I've made it a couple of other times and he says it's the best CFS anywhere. So, last weekend we were having dinner with our friend Scotty P. and we were all eating CFS at a local restaurant. We all agreed it was awesome, but B said mine was better. Now, I'm not bragging, but I had to agree. I have a theory that, like so many other dishes, CFS is better homemade. I don't know what it is--the batter is better, it isn't too crisp (yes, that can be a bad thing), you aren't only tasting the crust. I don't know; just better.

Anyway, we decided that Scott deserved dinner for mowing our lawn (B can't mow right now due to his condition) and that Chicken Fried Steak would the perfect payback--what can I say, I know what the guy likes!

What's going to follow isn't a traditional recipe as I sort of believe this dish is more of a method than a recipe. And, really, no one way is probably right. It's just what you like. Personally, I think there are a few things you absolutely HAVE to do/have to make it just right.

Chicken Fried Steak

• Tenderized Steak--cubed, round, sirlion; doesn't matter as long as it is tenderized
• Flour
• Bread crumbs
• Seasoning of choice
• Eggs
• Milk
• Vegetable Oil

Prep batter and "assembly line" first. Place milk in first bowl/pie plate. Crack and slightly whisk eggs in second bowl/pie plate. Mix flour, bread crumbs, and seasonings in third bowl/pie plate. If meat is in large pieces, cut into serving size pieces and salt/pepper each side. Line a baking dish/cookie sheet with paper towels and heat over to warm/low. Put vegetable oil in a deep skillet and heat to high/medium high. While oil heats, batter your meat.

1. Dredge through flour mixture.
2. Dip in eggs.
3. Dredge through flour again, covering competely.
4. Dip in milk.
5. Dredge through flour again, covering completely, then shaking off excess.
6. Place on plate in single layer.

Place meat into hot oil one at a time, not overcrowding the skillet. Cook on first side until you the crust form on the sides. Turn. Cook again until crust forms. Turn again and cook on each side one more time to crisp up the crust. Transfer to towel lined baking dish and put in over to keep warm until ready to serve.

Sissy's Variation:
All amounts will vary based on the amount you are cooking. My seasonings of choice are salt, pepper, garlic powder--and two "secret" ingredients:  ground cumin and ground thyme. I wish I knew how long I cook the meat, but I usually just eyeball it. Next time, I'll time it, I promise

Gravy

• Pan drippings from steak
• Flour
• Milk
• Salt
• Pepper
• Spices

Heat drippings in a separate skillet. Whisk in an equal amount of flour to the about of drippings. Season and continue to wisk for a few minutes until slightly thickened. Whisk in milk and cook, whisking constantly, until gravy boils and thickens. Remove from heat and taste to adjust seasoning.

Sissy's Variations:
All amounts are going to vary based on much you are making. I am so NOT an expert on gravy. It has taken me many years of many failures to "perfect" a white gravy. For me, the big thing was to transfer the dippings to a new skillet, something I didn't do for a long time. 

Of course, you can't have CFS&G without mashed potatoes. I won't bore you with a recipe for that. I also made some green beans loosely based on some green beans my boss makes for Thanksgiving at work every year. One large can of flat, Italian green beans sauted with chopped onions in olive oil and tablespoon of butter (Smart Balance) with garlic powder and pepper. Green beans are the perfect veggie to serve along side this meal.

Weekly Meal Plan (3/28 thru 4/4)

So, here it is once again. I did pretty good sticking the plan last week. Our goal this week is to stick to it even better. My goal this week is also to make some these "heavier" meals a big lighter. B had a big hand in choosing this week's menu items, though had it been up to him, we would be having ALL comfort food.

Meals:

Sunday:  Chicken Fried Steak w/mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans
Monday:  Chicken Stir Fry w/brown rice
Tuesday:  Tilapia, navy beans, Caesar salad
Wednesday:  Meatloaf, mac 'n cheese, veggie/salad
Thursday:  Baked Potato Soup, BLT/BLA
Friday:  Chicken Pot Pie, salad
Saturday:  Open

In case you missed it, some of last week's meals have been added to the blog and check back on these post for links to the recipes.

Happy Sunday!

Lemony Chicken (Slow Cooker) w/Roasted Potatoes

Lemon Chicken is a dish that scares me a bit. I've made it twice before, one unimpressive and one awful. The first was just some Lemon Pepper seasoning, so kind of boring. The second was a recipe from my Biggest Loser cookbook that turned out WAY too lemony and just not good. So, once again, B was pretty skeptical, but he agreed to let me try it.

Lemony Chicken ("The Everything Slow Cooker Cookbook; Margaret Kaeter, 2002)

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp. table salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 c. sherry
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. crumbled dry oregano
• 1 tsp. grated lemon peel

4 to 6 quart slow cooker.

Wash the chicken breast; do no remove the bone or skin. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the butter in a medium-sized skillet. Saute the chicken until brown. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the chicken to the slow cooker. Add the sherry to the skillet and stir to lossed the brown bits on the bottom of the skillet (deglaze). Pour the sherry mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with the oregano and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours. Cut the lemon peel into 1/8-in. squares. Add the lemon juice and bits of lemon peel. Cook covered on low for 1 additional hour.

Roasted Potatoes:  Nothing special here. Just 2lbs. baby red potatoes cut into pieces. Toss with olive oil and whatever you like. This time I used garlic and onion powder and dried, minced onion and garlic. Put in sprayed baking dish. Cover and cook at 400 for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 20 to 25 minutes until slightly crispy.

Sissy's Variation:
I do not ever cook with chicken breast on the bone or with the skin. So, I just used 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I always have on hand.
I did use one extra clove of garlic because I love it so.
I did not have any sherry on hand, so I used a bit of white wine that I had in the fridge.
Because I used BLSL chicken, the browing step was a bit different. I couldn't let it get too brown or it would have cooked all the way through, so I just barely let it get brown. The BLSL chicken also does not give out good "bits" for deglazing, but there were some and I did want to utelize the butter flavor, so I still did that step.
Once I poured the wine mixture over the chicken, I didn't think there was quite enough liquid in there to keep the chicken from drying out--even knowing I would add the lemon later. Two things made me add some additional liquid in the form of chicken broth:  I have a larger (8 qt.) slow cooker than the recipe called for and chicken not on the bone tends to be a bit drier, especially in the slow cooker.
We were unable to eat the chicken the night I made it, so I stuck it and the juice in the fridge for the next night. Even reheated, it was so good. B ate it on sandwiches. I ate it with the juice drizzled over and for dipping. Yum!

Mexican Pork Carnitas (Slow Cooker Meal)

I love tacos. And I love experimenting with different kinds of tacos. So, when I came across the Mexican Pork Carnitas in my "Everything Slow Cooker Cookbook" (Margaret Kaeter, 2002), I really wanted to try them. One little problem:  B is not a fan of pork or non-basic tacos. But, I showed him the recipe and asked what he thought. I equated it to something you might get at Chipotle. He took the bait and, as luck would have it, Pork Butt Roast was on sale at a local store, so were in business.

This was a perfect meal to throw in the slow cooker on a Sunday for Sunday night dinner and there were PLENTY of leftovers for later meals. As a matter of fact, we've already had two dinners out of it and still enough for one more. What I do NOT have, however, are pictures. Two meals and I didn't manage to grab the camera either time!

Mexican Pork Carnitas

• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 to 4-pound pork butt roast
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 (12-oz.) can or bottle of lager beer

1. Peel and slice the garlic cloves about 1/8-in. thick. Using a sharp paring knife, cut slices into the butt roast and insert the garlic cloves, one slice in each opening. Place the butt roast in the slow cooker.
2. Chop  the cilantro into 1/4-in. lengths. Place the cilantro and jalapeno pepper on top of the butt roast. Pour the beer over the top and cook on high setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove the meat and shred it. Discard the jalapeno pepper and cilantro.

Serving suggestion: Steam corn tortillas by placing them in the microwave with a cup of water and cooking on high for 20 seconds. Ladle meat into the tortillas and top with chopped tomatoes and onions.

Sissy's Variation:
So, remember how I said the pork butt roast was on sale? Yeah, such a good sale that they were sold out by the time I got there. Because I needed to hurry and get the meat in the slow cooker in order to actually eat it that night, I could not go to another store. So, I bought another type of pork roast (sorry, I originally cooked this nearly two weeks ago and B went into the hospital three days later for a week, so I've completley forgotten what kind). I knew when I bought it that this roast would turn out a bit different, and it did. It was more dry than it was supposed to be, but still really good. I cut the roast in half because it was pretty big. I also used two jalapenos and a bunch and a half of cilantro because the called for amount seemed too little to me for the amount of meat. I think it worked out for the best--good flavor.

Also, I did serve it as tacos, but not just with tomatoes and onions. I added a small amout of salsa verde (not homemade this time), sour cream, and Monterrey Jack cheese. For the second dinner, I had avocado instead of sour cream. I think I liked the avocado better!

Weekly Meal Plan 3/21 thru 3/27

Some of these meals will seem like a repeat from two weeks ago. If you don't follow my other blog or know me in real life or on Facebook, the reason for that is most of the meals are "repeats" is that they did not get cooked last time around. The hubby was in the hospital for a week, so cooking at home just didn't happen. So, I have all this food in the house to cook now!

• Sunday:  ribs (slow cooker), roasted red potatoes
• Monday:  pork carnitas tacos, rice, black beans (frozen leftovers from two weeks ago)
• Tuesday:  leftover three bean chili and/or chicken chili (I have both in the feezer from a few weeks ago)
• Wednesday:  Lemony Chicken (slow cooker), rice, veggie, Out
• Thursday:  tilapia, navy beans, salad/veggie, Lemony Chicken and roasted red potatoes
• Friday:  Open
• Saturday:  chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes

Recipes to follow throughout the week.

Have a great one!

Meal Plan 3/7 thru 3/13

Trying a little something new to get the blog back up and running. It's a new goal for me. I've meal planned in the past, but never very strictly. That is something I'm trying to get better at for so many reasons:  structure, money saving, healthy diet.

The plan is to have this post up on Sundays as that is when my meal week starts. I go Sunday through Saturday since I do my grocery shopping on Sundays. As should be obvious, I'm a bit behind this week. So, I'll save some of my long-winded explaination for next week. Simply, this post will contain my meals for the week and posts during the week will give recipes when I think the recipes warrant posting. I will continue my baking posts too.

Meals for 3/7 thru 3/13

• Sunday--Pork Carnitas Tacos, rice, black beans
• Monday--Turkey burgers, mac 'n cheese
• Tuesday--Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
• Wednesday--Grilled tilapia, navy beans, salad
• Thursday--Lemony Chicken, brown rice, veggie
• Friday--Open/leftovers
• Saturday--Ribs, oven-roasted potatoes, veggie/salad

See you tomorrow night for some recipes!

More Lightened Up Desserts

In honor of my friends Darren and Stacy, I thought I'd post a couple more desserts from my Lighten Up! 5-Ingredients Less Fat Recipes cookbook. After I posted the Mexican Chocolate Cake recipe, Darren decided to go home and bake it for Stacy. She was impressed. So, here are a couple more recipes that are equally as tasty. I haven't made them recently, but they are tried and true!

3 Ingredient Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
1 (16 oz.) can dark sweet cherries, drained, syrup reserved
5 egg whites
1 reduced fat chocolate cake mix

1. Puree cherries in food processor.
2. Mix pureed cherries and egg whites in a large bowl with electric mixer.
3. Add dry cake mix and 1/4c. reserved cherry juice.
4. Mix well, and pour into a sprayed 9" x 13" pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
12 servings; per serving: 225 calories, less than 4g of fat

Sissy's Variations: I like to make this cake in a bundt. I don't know what made me do that, but I really like that you get way more than the 12 servings and it's easy to transport.

Banana Pudding
When I first started using this cookbook, I made my husband (then my boyfriend) highlight all the recipes in it that he thought he would like. This one got highlighted and marked with "oh yes!" It did not disappoint. It's so good, that you don't even miss what's missing.
Ingredients:
1 large (6 servings) pkg. sugar free vanilla instant pudding
2 1/2 c. skim milk
1 (8 oz.) tub frozen light whipped topping, thawed
3/4 c. POST GRAPE-NUTS Brand Natural Wheat and Barley Cereal
4 bananas, sliced

1. Mix pudding mix and mild in a large bowl with a whisk.
2. Add thawed whipped topping.
3. Layer in a serving dish: half the cereal, half the banana slices, half the pudding.
4. Repeat layers.
5. This must be refrigerated 6 hours or up to overnight for the cereal to become soft.
8 servings; per serving: 200 calories, 4g fat

Sissy's Variations: I can't think of any variations that I've ever done myself except adding a few banana slices decoratively on top of the cereal. I've been meaning to try this with the lower calorie/lower fat/light 'Nilla Wafers used in classic Banana Pudding.

Mexican Chocolate Cake

Finally updating with a new recipe. Not really a new recipe to me, though. This Mexican Chocolate Cake is an old, easy standby that's not only super yummy, but also lower in calories and fat than most cakes (most desserts, in general). This makes it vastly different from the other recipes in my blog!

I made the cake for a Cinco de Mayo potluck lunch at the office and had one request for the recipe and multiple compliments on the cake, so what better way to start back on the blog?

The recipe is from my Lighten Up! 5-Ingredient Less Fat Recipes cookbook.

Ingredients (cake):

• 5 egg whites
• 2 1/2 c. unsweetened cinnamon applesauce
• 1 reduced fat chocolate cake mix
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
  

1. Beat egg whites with electric mixer until foamy.
2. Mix in applesauce.
3. Add dry cake mix, vanilla, and cinnamon.
4. Mix at medium speed for 1 minute.
5. Spread in sprayed and floured 9" x 13" pan.

Ingredients (topping:)

• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1. Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle on top.
2. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes.
12 servings; per serving: 220 calories, 3g fat

Sissy's Variations: I can never seem to find unsweetened cinnamon applesauce, so I just use plain unsweetened and add cinnamon until I think it looks right. Sorry, measurement! I also just spray the pan with cooking spray, but don't flour and have never had an issue with sticking.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

I've seen BBQ pizza recipes before and for some reason, it just really sounded good on this night and I had everything on hand to make it except the dough. I do like to make my own pizza dough and make it frequently, but it can be a little time consuming on a weeknight, so I keep the refrigerated kind on hand for when the pizza craving attacks. I was very pleased with the outcome and Bill really liked, which was a huge plus.

BBQ Chicken Pizza
Ingredients:
pizza dough (homemade or store bought)
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
BBQ sauce
mozzarella cheese
sharp cheddar cheese
red onion, chopped

1. Spray grill with cooking spray and preheat grill. Season chicken with salt (or salt substitute), pepper, and garlic powder. Grill chicken until cooked through, turning as needed.

2. When chicken is almost done, coat lightly with BBQ sauce. Remove from grill to cool. While chicken cools, place pizza dough on pizza or cookie sheet.

3. Spread BBQ sauce on pizza dough almost to the edge, leaving a small crust. Sprinkle with a little bit of mozzarella and a large amount of cheddar cheese, enough to cover the BBQ sauce.

4. Cut chicken into small chunks and sprinkle over cheese. Sprinkle with a little more cheddar cheese and chopped onion. Drizzle with BBQ sauce.

5. Bake according to pizza dough directions, usually around 15 minutes.

Sissy's Variations:
For the BBQ sauce, I had both regular and hot and spicy on hand. I figured the hot and spicy would be too hot for spreading, so I used it on the chicken and the regular as the "pizza sauce." It was a perfect combo. I also used cheeses that were either low fat and/or made with 2% milk to cut back on calories. No problems with melting. And, of course, only half the pizza had onion, since I don't like uncooked onion.

Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

We're meat eaters around here. I've only successfully made one other meatless meal that we both really loved, kept us satisfied, and that I would certainly make again. But, I was really looking to keep costs down this week and went to the pantry and fridge for things I already had on hand. It's certainly nothing original and nothing terribly spectacular, but they turned out really good.

Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients:
(All ingredients can be adjusted based on how many enchiladas you are making; I made seven.)
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
enchilada sauce (I used leftovers of the sauce I used for the Avocado Enchiladas), about 2 c.
1/2 block 2% sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
onions, chopped
shredded colby jack cheese
corn tortillas

1. Heat black beans on stovetop or  in microwave until warm, but not mushy. I added some garlic powder for flavor. Re-heat enchilada sauce.

 

 

2. Quick "fry" tortillas in oven (spray tortillas with cooking spray and cook on baking sheet in oven set to 350 until they are just pliable).

3. Fill tortillas with beans, cheddar cheese, and onions (I don't eat onions like that, so only Bill got onions). Roll and place seam side down in baking dish.

4. Pour enchilada sauce evenly over enchiladas. Top with colby jack cheese.

5. Bake in 350 degree oven until cheese melts, about 5-10 minutes.

Sissy's Variations:
As I mentioned, I didn't use onions since I don't like them. Bill also had his topped with extra chopped onions. I'd like to try these with different beans just to experiment, but these were great as is!

An All-time Fave: Chicken Spaghetti

One of my very favorite dishes of all time is the Chicken Spaghetti my mom cooks. Now, the fact that it's something my mom cooks is something pretty amazing all by itself. My mom, you see, doesn't really cook. She married men who could cook, and that is where I learned much of what I know about cooking--from my dad and my stepdad, both of whom are great cooks. But, Chicken Spaghetti is something my got from her mom and she's been cooking it for me forever. We rarely get to eat it because nobody else likes it quite like we do; they just tolerate it.

Mom says she has the recipe somewhere, but I've never used. I just sort of go from memory and occasionally call Mom to make sure I'm not forgetting something. It's super simple and makes great leftovers. But WARNING it makes A LOT. I suppose there are ways to cut it down, but for us, it just doesn't work unless you make a lot.

Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients:
1 whole fryer chicken
1 lb. spaghetti
1 lb. Velveeta cheese
2 cans stewed tomatoes (Italian style or regular)
1 can sweet peas, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup (optional, use only if necessary)

1. Boil chicken in large stock pot until done (about 1.5 hours).

2. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Save broth.

3. Once broth cools a bit, skim fat from top and discard. Bring broth back to a boil and cook spaghetti in broth according to package directions. The pasta should absorb most of the liquid, leaving no need to drain. If there is too much excess liquid, drain off some.

4. Leave pot on burner and reduce heat to medium low. Cube Velveeta into pasta, stirring frequently to allow cheese to melt and to keep it from burning on the bottom.

 

5. De-bone and de-fat chicken and shred into pot. (I just pull the chicken off the bone, discarding the skin and fat, and shred with my fingers. Some people can't do that, so use your favorite method.)

 

6. Add tomatoes, breaking up the tomatoes with your hands or a fork. Allow to heat through.

 

7. Add peas just before serving.

 

 

Sissy's Variations:
The cream of chicken soup is used to thicken the spaghetti up if needed (as well as add some extra flavor). Mine was pretty thick this time on it's own, so I didn't use it. I had 2% Velveeta cheese on hand, so I used that without any difference in taste.

It was super yummy, as always. Bill even raved about it. And I will be eating on it for a week!

Crack Cookies Gone Wild

In case you're wondering, yes, I've probably lost my mind. The very first recipe I ever blogged about was Crack Cookies, which are just crazy good chocolate chip cookies that I make that are kind of famous. So, last week my very good friends Dina had unexpected back surgery. Two days before her surgery, I had told her I'd make some Crack Cookies to bring to work that week to make her feel better (she LOVES my Crack Cookies--I bake them for her as her Christmas present every year). Well, her surgery ended up being scheduled way before we expected, so I didn't get to make them beforehand, so I told her that as soon as she was up for it after surgery, I would send her a whole batch via her sister (who I also work with). So, not knowing when I'd need to make them, I just got all the stuff to make them and decided to play with recipe a little bit.

Recently, I had bought some dark chocolate and white chocolate chips and some semi-sweet chocolate chunks.

 

So, I bought some more milk chocolate chips (the ones I prefer to use) and headed home to check out what all I had.

 

 

I found some Mini M&Ms for baking and some semi-sweet mini chocolate chips.

 

 

I had a plan. If they were already Crack Cookies, jazzing 'em up this way could only mean one thing: Crack Cookies Gone Wild. Hey, I already said I know I've lost my mind!

The recipe makes 4 dozen cookies, so I decided to try 4 different kinds of Crack Cookies.

I made up the dough as usual. Then I split the dough into four 3/4 c. batches. I used about 1/2 c. (probably a little more) of add-ins for each dozen since the original recipe calls for 2 c. chocolate chips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regular (milk chocolate)

 

 

 

 

Dark Chocolate Chip

White Chocolate/Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chip

Mini M&M/Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunk

Unfortunately, I was a bit distracted and the first night's batch didn't turn out quite as good as I liked. They were a little more over cooked than I usually like, but they were still good, so I hear. That batch went to work with Bill. I made the same thing the next night to take to work with me, and while they didn't get quite the same reception as regular Crack Cookies, they were enjoyed. The white chocolate in particular seemed to be a hit.

Update 9/10: I made Dina her Crack Cookies this week. Her sister was going to be able to take them to her on Tuesday, which happened to be the same day she got her staples out. I got an email from her this morning saying they were the best batch ever. I had to agree. I knew as soon as I pulled them out of the oven that they were perfect, and of course I had taste one. There really is no other cookie like a Crack Cookie!

Peanut Butter Cookies

I'm not the biggest fan of peanut butter cookies (weird, since I really love peanut butter in every form), but others really do, so I figured I'd give them a try. Since my very favorite cookies are my Crack Cookies, so I really wanted to find a peanut butter cookie that was close. In searching my Google Reader, I came across these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies from Fresh From Cate's Kitchen blog. The recipe is really similar to my crack cookie recipe, so I decided to try it.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from Fresh From Cate's Kitchen)

Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 c.) butter, softened
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 12-oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat.

2. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.

3. Mix the butter and both sugars in stand mixer on medium until fluffy. (The recipe doesn't specifically mention where to add the peanut butter, so I added it here.) Stir in vanilla and egg and mix on low until combined.

4. Add the flour mixture and mix on low just until the flour is no longer visible. Stir in chocolate chips.

 

 

5. Drop by large spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake 8-10 minutes, or until just set. Remove from the oven and let cool on sheet fro 5 minutes, then eat or transfer to wire wrack to cool completely.

 

Sissy's Variations:
I made two batches and I wanted one with nothing in it, so I made plain PB cookies. The other batch, I used  semi-sweet chocolate/peanut butter swirl chips because they looked fun.

Unfortunately, somebody was distracting me (we won't name names!) and they cooked a little longer than I would have liked. They were still good (yes, I tried them), but a little on the crispy side for my taste. Everybody liked them, but I will do better next time.

And I'm thinking I may try to adapt the crack cookies to peanut butter cookies one of these days.