{the dish} cream cheese chicken enchiladas

Amy and I got together last year a couple of times to cook for our families. It was great ... we spent time talking, solving world problems and knock out 2 large casseroles of chicken enchiladas for our families. Of course we had the best intentions of cooking together every other week ... then every month ... now we just get it in when we can ... life sometimes takes precedent. I hope this year we get to spend more time cooking together, inspiring each other and feeding our families and friends! enjoy!

I can not remember where I got the idea of adding cream cheese to my enchiladas, but throughout the years this recipe has changed so many times until this. This is by far the best way to eat chicken enchiladas. Filling and a completely satisfactory meal. A great meal for entertaining a big group of people. They are super easy to make, and I believe taste better then any enchiladas you will get out at a restaurant. I love this recipe.

cream cheese-chicken enchiladas

by amy twomey

ingredients
3 big packs of chicken breasts
1 large yellow onion
4 hatch green chili's
1 bag of shredded Monterrey jack cheese
3 bricks of cream cheese
2 TBS butter
white or yellow corn tortillas
1 box of gluten free chicken broth
buttermilk
salt and pepper to taste
avocado

*avocado salsa verde by ann west
[see ann's post for this here]

Saute your chicken and turn heat off and cool. Move chicken from pan and into a bowl. Use pan to saute butter and chopped onion and salt and pepper until onion is browned. Now shred chicken into the bowl and add into the pan with the onions. Add chicken broth and turn heat to low and cover for 15-20 min. Drain broth. Sometimes I prep chicken the night before I actually make enchiladas and place shredded chicken in a zip lock bag in fridge if you have limited time to cook.

make your Avocado Salsa Verde and set it aside.

in a saute pan saute some butter and add cream cheese until melted. Add in chicken and stir well. May add more salt and pepper to taste.

warm a huge handful at a time of corn tortillas wrapped in a damp paper towel in microwave for 90 sec to 1 min. remove

set out your casserole dishes and fill bottom of each dish with about 1/2 inch of buttermilk.

using a towel hold one warn enchilada in your hand and use a spoon to scoop chicken mixture into center of tortilla and roll it up and begin placing in rows in the casserole dish on top of buttermilk. Continue until dishes are full of enchiladas.

spread avocado verde salsa all over tops of enchiladas, add the chopped hatch green chili's all over and cover entire enchilada's with handfuls of shredded cheese.
cook @ 350 for 25-30 min until cheese is melted.

will serve 2 big families. So invite friends over to share this yummy meal.
We always eat this with rice and my lazy day pinto beans.

{rise 'n shine} black bean and poached egg ranchero

photo by ann west

brin l ner brinner def. noun. breakfast for dinner. Substituting breakfast (usually eaten in the morning) instead of a typical dinner (usually eaten at night). Brinner is prepared in times of desperation when time is short, budget is low and there is nothing else in the house. origin: stressed out moms that need a break.

black bean and poached egg ranchero by ann west

Canned black beans. Add 1 bay leaf and a dash of cumin. Heat and mash with a potato masher.

saute peppers (if you have them - if not skip it)

poach eggs (or fried if you like)

salsa

tortilla

feta cheese (or your preferred cheese)

avocado (to really jazz it up!)

on a tortilla or a bed of left over rice layer black beans, veggies (if you have them), poached eggs. Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve with salsa!

*** This meal can be served in the morning as well :)

{the dish} tamale tradition - year 02

tamales tradition - year 02: Last year my good girl friends and I embarked on what I hope is a yearly and long lasting tradition of making tamales. Renee, a wonderful friend, generously gave us her mothers tamale recipe and gingerly guided us through our first tamale making experience. Tamale making, like any great tradition, takes time and preparation. But it is the social interaction around the making of the tamales that must make them taste so good. For over four hours we sat and made masa, rolled our tamales, and then cooked them. We laughed and teased about the shape and size of some of our attempts. We delved into stories of past and present and basically had a blast. And to top it off we all walked away with 4 dozen or so delicious tamales.

This weekend we are making tamales again! (My meat is cooking as we speak.) I can't wait. We are going to start at 10 am and hope to be done by 3 pm. I am going to share with you the first part of this tamale making adventure. I will post the rest on dollop later during the weekend. Once we are done I will combine the post so if you want to return you will have a full recipe. Wish me luck!

{also I want to give huge credit and a very special thank you to Delfina Carrizales, Renne's beautiful mother. I hope one day we can make tamales with her!)

tamales by delfina carrizales

step 1 : soak the corn husks : 24 to 48 hours prior to assembly : soak in water making sure you separate the leaves

step 2 : prepare the chili paste : 1 day prior to assembly : in a sauce pan place 4 - 6 ancho chilies (per lb of meat I used 12 - 14) and cover with water and boil. Remove the chilies and reserve the liquid. If you are able peel and seed the chilies. (I buy dried chilies and sometimes it is hard to peel. I just put the whole chili skin and all in). Sautee 1 or 2 onions. Place chilies, onions and handful of garlic, salt and pepper into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the liquid from the boiling to the paste as needed (1/2 - 1 cup).

step 3 : cooking the meat : 1 day prior to assembly : I use a crockpot and it worked fine. You will be cooking these roasts for a long time 6 hours or so. 3lbs pork shoulder and 3lbs beef rump roast. Place them in the pot with a cup or so of the paste, more garlic, cumin, salt and pepper (you might want to add 1 cup of water or liquid from the chili boiling). Delfina says to use our color sense. "it should be a deep red color and the meat should be red and tasty." Once the meat is done adjust the seasoning. " you might need to add something. your meat must taste the way you want your tamale to taste."

I like my meat with a little more fire. I am going to roast some jalapenos, and some poblanos and probably add some red chili to the meat.

Ok that is it for now. My paste is made. My meat is cooking. We meet on Saturday. Check out dollop to see the rest.

happy tradition!

{in the pot} alison's hominy tortilla soup

photo by amy twomey

I am loving me some tortilla soup this fall. You simply can not go wrong with a big bowl of tortilla soup. I love this one because it is so different from the tradition recipe. I got this recipe from my dear friend alison who has shared a great many recipes with me that have become family favorites throughout the years. This is a great recipe for a busy evening when you need to whip a speedy dinner together. It is not necessary to cook it for 30-an hour but I personally like too. You can prepare it and eat it after 15 minutes if you are in a really big hurry! enjoy.


alison's hominy tortilla soup by amy twomey

ingredients

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 T. butter

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 can corn, do not drain

2 cans hominy, do not drain

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 t. cilantro

8 c. chicken broth

1 can rotel tomatoes

2 t. cumin

dash of cayenne pepper

salt & pepper to taste

saute onion in butter. add garlic, corn, hominy. Cook a few minutes and add all other ingredients and bring to boil. simmer for 30 min-1 hr with lid.

garnish with

monterey jack shredded cheese

avocado

tortilla chips crumbled up

over rice

*For some great Thanksgiving meal ideas be sure to check out amy and ann's {thanksgiving series} over at i am a celiac and dollop for 5 days of great recipes to inspire your Thanksgiving meal.

{in the pot} quick mexican bean soup

photo by amy twomey

I first had this soup about a year ago at my friend Julie's house. She had a soup party and made all of her favorite soups that covered her range, each soup was spectacular. But this Mexican Bean one won for me. I re-created this soup three times over the next few weeks. I have a tendency of doing that. I do that with music too. I find something I love and burn it out. So now, I try to only make this for special occasions. It is scrumptious and deserves a very special occasion!

quick mexican bean soup by amy twomey via julie kay

ingredients
1 package of Hickory Smoked Bacon.
chop raw bacon, then cook in large sauce pan, fry to crispy
1 yellow onion, diced.
1 purple onion, diced.
4 jalapenos, seeded and diced.

saute {above items} in bacon grease (remove cooked bacon first and set aside).
add 2 TB pepper and 1 1/2 kosher salt.
cook until soft.
transfer to soup pot and add:
2 cans of pinto beans (large size cans) with juice, and when empty fill cans with water to add 2 pinto cans full of water, 1 can drained corn, and tie 1 bunch cilantro to add. Boil everything above for 5 mins, then simmer for 4 hours (or longer), in the last hour add bacon from earlier fry.

Remove cilantro before serving.
If you want you can chop fresh cilantro for garnish to add before serving.

{the dish} brisket tacos

filling no. 6 - brisket tacos (see amy's other wonderful taco fillings from her blog i am a celiac - so many options)

What makes tacos such a family friendly food? I think we all serve them. We all love them one way or another. On taco night everyone seems satisfied. Lately, brisket tacos have been my favorite things to order in our local mexican restaurants. The meat is usually cooked so long that it is always so moist and brimming with flavor. With a little guac, some salsa yum!!!

My recipe is a simple one ... no frills ... but good. I make it in a crock pot. The best thing about a crock pot is when you come home from being away.... and open your door.... and your entire house has this delicious smell of home cooked goodness. I serve my brisket tacos with slaw, cheese(for the kids), sour cream, some sauteed pepper if I have time and of course, salsa. If you have time and want to make salsa try salsa verde , or salsa with a kick from amy's kitchen. Some nights I serve it with a of sweet potatoes and black bean saute and some fresh cut fruit. enjoy!

brisket tacos by ann west

1 trimmed brisket

2 7oz cans tomatillo salsa (green salsa)

1 7 oz can chipolte salsa or chipolte peppers in adobe sauce

1 bottle of beer

1 onion sliced

4 cloves garlic

2 tbls vinegar

2 tsp sugar

Put all of the ingredients in the crock pot and heat on low for 6 - 8 hours. Adjust seasonings midway through the cooking time. Shred beef and serve with some of the juice on top. We like corn tortillas with this one but flour are good too.

{the dish} cream cheese chicken enchiladas

photo by amy twomey

{cream cheese chicken enchiladas}

I can not remember where I got the idea of adding cream cheese to my enchiladas, but throughout the years this recipe has changed so many times until this. This is by far the best way to eat chicken enchiladas. Filling and a completely satisfactory meal. A great meal for entertaining a big group of people. They are easy to make, and I believe taste better then any enchiladas you will get out at a restaurant. I love this recipe.

cream cheese-chicken enchiladas by amy twomey

ingredients
3 big packs of chicken breasts
1 large yellow onion
4 hatch green chili's
1 bag of shredded Monterrey jack cheese
3 bricks of cream cheese
2 TBS butter
white or yellow corn tortillas
1 box of gluten free chicken broth
buttermilk
salt and pepper to taste
avocado

*avocado salsa verde
[see ann's post for this here]

Saute your chicken and turn heat off and cool. Move chicken from pan and into a bowl. Use pan to saute butter and chopped onion and salt and pepper until onion is browned. Now shred chicken into the bowl and add into the pan with the onions. Add chicken broth and turn heat to low and cover for 15-20 min. Drain broth. Sometimes I prep chicken the night before I actually make enchiladas and place shredded chicken in a zip lock bag in fridge if you have limited time to cook.

make your Avocado Salsa Verde and set it aside.

in a saute pan saute some butter and add cream cheese until melted. Add in chicken and stir well. May add more salt and pepper to taste.

warm a huge handful at a time of corn tortillas wrapped in a damp paper towel in microwave for 90 sec to 1 min. remove

set out your casserole dishes and fill bottom of each dish with about 1/2 inch of buttermilk.

using a towel hold one warn enchilada in your hand and use a spoon to scoop chicken mixture into center of tortilla and roll it up and begin placing in rows in the casserole dish on top of buttermilk. Continue until dishes are full of enchiladas.

spread avocado verde salsa all over tops of enchiladas, add the chopped hatch green chili's all over and cover entire enchilada's with handfuls of shredded cheese.
cook @ 350 for 25-30 min until cheese is melted.

will serve 2 big families. So invite friends over to share this yummy meal.
We always eat this with rice and my lazy day pinto beans.

...

{companions} lazy day pinto beans

photo by amy twomey

There is nothing like a cold winter weekend and staying inside all-weekend-long... cooking soups and beans and warm deserts. It is hot here in Texas, really really hot, so we dream about cold lazy days quite often. I am looking forward to January. January seems to be the month of staying in and cooking more then usual. Pinto beans are all day gig for me. My recipe is as simple as they get, it is all about cooking the beans all-day. We always have plenty of left overs to make re-fried beans the next day. I love my pinto beans in a soup consistency.

lazy day pinto beans by amy twomey

ingredients
2 small bags of dried pinto beans.
4-5 cloves of chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 of a 12 oz can of tomato puree
1 32 oz box of Pacific organic free range chicken broth

Wash beans well and add them to a pot full of water covering the beans. Bring pot to a boil and turn of heat and let sit covered for one hour. Drain the beans with water washing them very well and placing them back in the empty pot after soaking. Be sure beans are well covered with fresh water and bring them back to a boil this time adding chopped garlic, lots of salt and 3/4 of a can of tomato puree. Let boil, then turn to low heat for the rest of the day. When the water begins to soak up stir and add in a bit of the chicken broth until the box is all in the beans. Stir frequently. I add salt as I go and pepper and if you like cilantro you can add a bundle wrapped in string for extra flavor but I prefer the beans with just the salty garlic flavor. This bean is a very simple bean, very fresh and healthy. I have a great bean soup recipe that calls for bacon, but this recipe is not that. Sometimes I throw in a few extra cloves of garlic whole for an extra garlic flavor if you are a garlic lover. I cook the beans for about 6 hours, you can get away with 4 if you are crunched for time but 6 is perfection. Be sure to add broth or water as needed to keep it a soupy brothy consistency.