DELICIOSO...

Tonight a recipe (Layered Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas) comes to us from my sister, Megan. It is one that will have you saying..."mmm... muy rico (don't forget to roll that "r")" and you may not even speak Spanish! Now, before you begin, I highly recommend adding Laura Pausini as a station on Pandora...and let yourself relax as you make this scrumptious meal. (A teensy glass of sparkling wine is not a bad idea either)

Layered Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas:


What you need:

* 6-7 chicken tenderloins
* A drop or so of olive oil
* A dash or two of fajita seasoning
* A minced garlic clove
*1/3 of a can of Rotel
* Corn Tortillas
* Herdez salsa verde
* 2 cups of shredded cheese

What to do:
* Cook chicken with oil, fajita seasoning and garlic
*Once chicken is cooked thoroughly, shred.
* Stir in Rotel; simmer for 5 minutes
* Layer -
     1. salsa
     2. tortilla
     3. chicken
     4. sprinkle some cheese
     5. repeat
     6. for the top layer, place corn tortillas with salsa and top with cheese
* Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees

Now....while that is baking...make your sides.


Refried Black Beans (just one of the many way we make them)

What you need:
* 2 cans of black beans
* 1/3 can of Rotel
* 1 tsp. of olive oil
* 1/2 clove minced garlic

What to do:
* Toss all the above ingredients (except oil) into the blender ( do NOT let it become soupy)
* Heat oil in pan and then pour bean mixture into pan.
* Pour into pan and cook for about 15 minutes or so. (stirring occasionally)


Spanish Rice (ditto)


What you need:
* 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
* 1/2 a tomato diced
* 1/2 clove minced garlic
* 1/4 of an onion chopped
* 1 Tbsp. olive oil
* 1 1/2 cups of rice
* 3 cups of water

What to do:
* Heat oil in pan (medium heat)
* Add onion, cilantro, tomato, garlic, rice (stir)
* When rice is starting to brown, add water
* Let it come to a boil for about 3-5 minutes
* Turn off heat and place a lid on pan
* Let sit for 20 minutes
* Stir once more and serve

Held

Although I am not a huge fan of the music video...the words in the song are so powerful.

There are times in life when things happen that cannot be explained. Events occur that shake us to our very core. A dear friend of mine is experiencing such a time in her life right now. My heart literally breaks for her. Things happen in life; no matter who you are or what you have done. In most situations, people feel as if they have been abandon by God. This beautiful song by Natalie Grant reminds us that we are not promised to be spared of trials and tribulations, but rather to be "held" during those times. "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5) What an amazing promise. I pray for comfort, peace, and healing for my friend and her family.  As I am prepared to and wanting to step in and be there for her...I know that He is already there when no one can be, He is already in the midst of all who are hurting, He is there holding them through this time.

Those who may stop by...please say a prayer for my friend and her family.

Chicken & Biscuits...the easy version

Pandora is on....I am rockin' to Jason Aldean (come on, I am making Chicken and Biscuits...gotta have the country music playing) and I am ready to cook.

**Just a side note. I usually make this recipe "to taste". So please, feel free to do the same.  I have never been much of a recipe follower, usually just add and taste as I go.

Chicken and Biscuits:

What You Need:
* 5-6 chicken tenderloin
*1 Tbsp. of olive oil
* 1 tsp. of black pepper
* 1 can of chicken broth
*1 & 1/2 cans of cream of chicken
* 3/4 cup of sour cream
* Can of biscuits (I like the jumbo ones)


What To Do:
*Cook chicken, olive oil, and black pepper until done
*Add chicken broth and simmer for 10 minutes
*Dice up chicken
*Add cream of chicken soup and sour cream
*Simmer and stir every 5 minutes for 15-20 minutes
*Bake biscuits according to package
* Pour chicken gravy over biscuits and enjoy




Coleslaw:
What you need:
*1/2 a head of cabbage
* a little over 1/4 cup of light mayo
*1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
*2 Tbsp. of sugar

What to do:
* Chop half a head of cabbage
* Add mayo
* Mix sugar and vinegar together; heat in microwave for 1 minute (stir every 30 seconds)
* Pour sugar/vinegar over cabbage and stir

I learned this recipe from my dad, who I believe, learned from his mom. I usually add shredded carrot, but we  are currently without carrots in the Williams' household. My family always added more vinegar. The husband is not as big on vinegar as my family...so I toned it down. :)

Recipes From The Mothers...

You can find this recipe on my new blog Chronicles of a Keeper: Tater-Tot Casserole and Apple Dumpling

"Take a Back Road"

Today, this song kept rolling through my head. I was 15 minutes late for work because people DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DRIVE! Traffic jams are the worse and those who think they have somewhere more important to be and cut everyone off do not help the situation. Thankfully, my principal was understanding and my other principal covered my morning duty for me. 

I find it funny, for a person who has a lot of patience in most areas of life...I have none when it comes to driving...I get it from my dad. I think I may need to work on this.

I found the song on YouTube...I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Chicken Spaghetti

I love my hispanic food...I recently learned I love Italian food; Tonight I mixed two favorite kinds of food and created a dish I really enjoy. 

Chicken Spaghetti

What you need:

 * 7 chicken tenderloins (cut into 1 inch pieces)

 * 1 tablespoon of oil

 * 3 cans of tomato sauce (8 oz. cans)

 * 2 cans of diced tomato (14.5 oz. cans)

 * 1 clove of garlic (minced)

 * 1/2 an onion (chopped)

 * Cilantro (chopped)

 *2 bell peppers (sliced)

 * Fajita seasoning (I used  Carne Guisada seasoning because I was out of my fajita seasoning)

 *Salt

 * Spaghetti noodles

What to do:

* Heat oil in pan 

* Add chicken and fajita seasoning 

* Brown chicken and add onion, bell pepper and garlic

* Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes

* Salt to taste 

* Cook noodles according to box

* Done!

* Mix together (I mix it as I put it onto my plate or bowl. )

Cookies

I have been lacking with my weekly dessert posts. So today, I will post two really yummy cookie recipes.

The first recipe comes from my mom...well, I am not sure where she got the recipe. In fact, it may have been from a good friend of the family, Nancy. All I know is that I have been making these cookies for 10+ years. EASY and QUICK...and oh.so.good.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

What you will need -
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup of oil
* One box of cake mix (I used Devil's Food cake mix for these)
* Half a bag of chocolate chips

What to do -
* Preheat oven to 350
* Combine cake mix, eggs, oil in a mixing bowl (I use a mixer to make sure it is mixed well)
* Add chocolate chips
* Place by the spoonful on cookie sheet
* Bake for 8-9 minutes

The second one is from Taste of Home. I made these last week. I will say, these taste more like muffin tops than cookies. No matter the case, cookie or muffin top, still very good; I love the way banana and chocolate taste together! http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Banana-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookie:

What you will need - 

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chip 

What to do -

• In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, banana and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.
• Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool

Good Things

In my classroom, we do "good things". I try to take a few moments out of the day for my 1st graders to share something good in their lives. It is a really good way to build relationships with my students and make my classroom a place where we can share things with each other and it creates an environment for caring about others.

Here are a few of my recent good things.

Good Thing # 1 -I am going to have to take a moment to talk about my new obsession - Sunflower Market. I absolutely LOVE the deals they have. Last week, family packs of chicken breasts, $1.99 a pound!!! This week...please take notice...strawberries, 4 for $5. I personally do not eat them, but my son can eat them like they are going out of style! Tonight, I write with wrinkled fingers as I have just finished slicing 8 POUNDS of strawberries to freeze. I will not complain, I much rather slice strawberries than separate pounds and pounds of meat.


Good Thing #2 - Although I was involved in a fender bender this week... the person who hit me has insurance (yay) and everything is being taken care of.

Good Thing #3 - Lil' Man was sick for most of the week. :( Poor guy caught the stomach bug. This is not my good thing I am so thankful my mom was in town to help my sister and I out during conferences. He was able to spend time with his Abuelita as she took care of him and I was able to go to work and attend all my conferences as scheduled.

Good Thing #4 - We are almost through putting up the fence for the chicken and dog yard! Which is GREAT since that brings me closer to getting my garden going. Here is a picture of Lil' Man and I as we were about to head out into the cold, wet, muddy outdoors to begin putting up the fence. (Another good thing - Josh and Megan came over a few hours later....Josh worked outside with L; Megan and I watched Criminal Minds and a Lifetime movie)

Good Thing #5 - I FINALLY watched Cowboys and Aliens! I waited a long time to watch this. I love Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. I hate how old Harrison looks in the movie though; I prefer to remember him as he looked in the Indiana Jones movies.

This is how I choose to remember him.

Good Thing #6 - BUNCO!!! Saturday was Bunco night, man it was great to hang out with my friends and just chat, eat and play Bunco. I missed last months Bunco night and we did not have one in December...so it had been a REALLY long time since I played.


Good Thing #7 - I made Honey Mustard Crusted Chicken tonight for dinner. I have been wanting to try this recipe for awhile. So, after helping Lance outside and helping clean out the garage...I set to work to make dinner. I made some coleslaw and corn as our side-dishes...everything was really good.

Chicken Recipe, From Weight Watchers:

Ingredients

	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	2/3 cup(s) lite honey mustard dressing
	1/8 tsp table salt
	1/8 tsp black pepper
	2 tsp dill, freshly chopped
	1 medium uncooked scallion(s), finely sliced
	1 cup(s) cornflake crumbs
	1 pound(s) uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s), four 4 oz pieces

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a shallow pan with cooking spray.
  
• In a small bowl, combine honey mustard dressing, salt, pepper, dill and scallions; remove 1/3 cup and set aside.
  
• Place cornflake crumbs in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken into dressing mixture and then cornflake crumbs; place in prepared pan.
  
• Bake until chicken is golden and no longer pink in center, about 15 minutes.
  
• Drizzle remaining dressing mixture (the 1/3 cup that was set aside) over chicken breasts and serve. Yields 1 piece of chicken and about 1 1/3 tablespoons of dressing per serving.

Tomorrow a new week begins...so I will lay in bed, watch an episode of Friends and enjoy the last few hours of my weekend. 

Projects

You can view this post at chroniclesofakeeper.com

http://chroniclesofakeeper.com/2012/02/10/projects/

Cheesy Cilantro Pasta...So Easy, So Good

Picture it...you wake up, get dressed, get the kids dressed, grab the lunches, your purse, oh yeah...need to grab extra wipes and diapers to keep at the sitters, get everyone in and buckled, ugh forgot to gas yesterday, speed off, drop off kids, speed off to work, park the car...half way through your HECTIC work day you remember...I forgot to set out meat for dinner!!!! 

 If this is not you, please keep that to yourself...I envy you. Now, this may not be an accurate depiction of my everyday life...but, most of the events occur (in that order) everyday. For the days that this does happen...here is a recipe that can be your saving grace. 

I discovered it one day as I was preparing an ever-so-delightful meal of spaghetti. I could not bring myself to make plain old spaghetti...my family really deserved better than that...especially since the day before was probably fast food (don't judge me).

I decided to "fancy up" my pasta dish...or maybe I just "hodge-podged" it.

Cheesy Cilantro Pasta:

1 box of mini farfalle pasta

2 bell peppers (green, yellow, red...doesn't matter) - chopped

1/3 of an onion - chopped

1/2 bunch of cilantro - chopped

1 1/4 cup velveeta cheese

1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce

1 jar of favorite spaghetti sauce

1/3 cup of ranch (the actual dressing, not packet)

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and pour whole box (1 lb.) of pasta into the pot. 

Boil for 7 - 8 minutes

While pasta is cooking; in a pan sauté (with a drop or two of olive oil) - peppers, onions, and cilantro

When pasta is done, drain and put pasta back into pot

Reduce heat; stir in veggies, velveeta, tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, ranch 

Stir continuously for about 5 minutes

YOU ARE DONE

Serve with garlic bread, salad, and enjoy!

There are so many different things you can do with this dish...adding meat, making it spicy with a jalapeño sautéed in the mix, and so on. Please share your renditions of this recipe...for all the moms who are just having one of those days. 

An Apple A Day...

Honey Crisp Apple

My FAVORITE apple, Honey Crisp, is one of my favorite breakfasts, mid-afternoon  snacks and now was part of a favorite dessert. For my Super Bowl dish, I decided to make an Apple Upside-Down Spice Cake...and of course, I used Honey Crisp apples. 


Upside-Down Apple Spice Cake:

* 2 large apples
* 1/2 cup butter
* 2/3 cup brown sugar
* Spice Cake mix (water, egg, oil according to your cake mix box)
* 1 banana

Directions:
* Heat oven to 350°F
* Melt butter and mix in brown sugar

* Pour butter and brown sugar into bottom of bundt cake pan
* Chop up apples and sprinkle on top of butter/brown sugar.
* Mix cake as directed
* Mash up one banana and mix in with cake batter
* Pour batter into bundt pan
* Bake for 40 minutes
* Loosen sides with a knife and turn upside down on a platter
* Enjoy

This is such a MOIST and DELICIOUS cake. Served with a chilled glass of milk or nice cup of hot coffee would equal perfection.