Ground Beef Enchiladas

"My very youngest attempts at legit meals, probably starting around 10 years old or so, was conspiring items from cooked ground beef. Specifically 'taco flats' from a jr cookbook my dad gave me for my birthday around that time. That morphed into enchiladas and I'm not quite sure how they ended up being made the way they are - but always have been made this way. My dad has always been a fan of these (not a thumbs up easily awarded) and will eat as many as I make 'til they're gone! Many others I've served this meal share the same sentiment. Kids even like them if they're not too spicy!''

1 lb ground beef
1 onion (chopped)
1 can Las Palmas enchilada sauce (mild)
1 small can tomato sauce
seasonings
1 pkg Mexican blend cheese
1 small can olives (sliced)
1 can black beans
1/4 cup white cheese
1 cup rice
2 cups chicken stock
12 corn tortillas
sour cream (topping)

1. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a non-stick pan. Chop up a medium onion and add about 2/3 to the warmed pan. Cook until onions are tender and transparent. Add thawed ground beef. Add some seasoned salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cumin and any other spices you favor to give the meat a little flavor (don't overseason as there will be many more flavors added).

2. While meat is cooking put a can of enchilada sauce in a saucepan on low and add a can of tomato sauce or two depending on the level of spiciness you prefer. Allow to heat up slowly while other items are cooking. Stir occasionally.

3. In a small pan heat a nickel size amount of vegetable oil. Put in tortilla and flip to cover in oil. Heat to a soft cook on each side and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil. Repeat for each of the dozen tortillas.

4. Take all enchilada ingredients (cooked meat, sauce, olives, tortillas, cheese) and organize as necessary to create an assembly line. Spray vegetable oil on pan (preferably glass or ceramic) to minimize sticking then ladle just enough sauce into the pan to cover the bottom. Dip the cooked tortilla into sauce to thoroughly coat, lay flat in pan, layer the fillings, then roll. Repeat until you've used up all the ingredients, preserving some of the cheese for topping. Ladle a small amount of sauce over the top of finished enchiladas and then sprinkle to cover with cheese. Cover with foil and place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.

5. In a medium-sized pan heat a small amount of olive oil and the remainder of the onion. Cook until tender and transparent. Then add rice, stirring frequently. While rice is coming to a brown, grab a 2-cup measuring cup and add a 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce/tomato sauce mixture then fill the rest with chicken stock. Can add some spices to the broth as well (salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc.) Add to browned rice. Will be very hot. Stir to mix into rice then cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes or until water is absorbed.

6. Take a can or two of black beans (beans+liquid) and blend them in a blender until smooth (for a different texture). Pour into a small saucepan and add a grip of white cheese (whatever kind you have or prefer) to give them added flavor. Heat on low while rice is cooking and enchiladas are baking.

7. When rice is done enchiladas should be ready (cheese on top nicely melted and browning) to come out. Allow them to sit for a few minutes before dishing up with rice and beans!

Enjoy!

Source: My brain.

OOPS Chicken and Veggies

As basic as my cooking skills are, I tend to follow the OOPS strategy for meal success which would be adding Olive Oil, Pepper and Salt (seasoned) to give it a great simple flavor. I'm always in need of quick and simple options for meals that can be made on the fly, yet still be reasonably healthy, therefore the OOPS chicken and veggies meal was born! If I were more skilled there's probably great gravy to be made from what ends up in the chicken pan, but my butt will thank me for not learning that technique just yet!

Baked potato
Broccoli
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Frozen chicken tenderloins
Olive oil
Seasoned salt
Pepper
Spices (sage, thyme, etc.)
Lemon (if desired)
Balsamic vinegar (if desired)

1) Poke a couple holes in a washed baked potato and stick it in the microwave for about 12 minutes.

2) Cut veggies into bite sized pieces then grab a gallon ziploc bag and put them in the bag. Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil, then sprinkle on some seasoned salt and crushed black pepper, more or less to taste. You can also add any of your favorite spices to further season to your liking. Zip the bag closed and toss around until seasonings and oil have evenly coated the veggies.

3) Prepare a pan with a small amount of water at the bottom and add a veggie basket (see here), then transfer the coated veggies from the bag into the pan. Turn on high and cover so the water will boil and then steam.

4) Drop a few pieces of frozen chicken tenderloins into the empty ziploc and add a little more salt and pepper then toss around to season evenly. In a small pan heat a small amount of olive oil on medium-high heat then add chicken pieces one by one, taking care not to burn yourself when water meets oil. I then cover (not completely) and let them cook for about 5 minutes or so until the bottoms are a nice golden brown. Then turn over and brown the other side. Remove from pan and place onto paper towel to remove excess oil.

4) Check on your veggies and steam to desired tenderness. Add the baked potato now done in the microwave and give a squeeze of lemon over the meal or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar over the veggies for an added pop of flavor.

5) Enjoy your quick meal!

Source: My brain.

Kona Inn Banana Bread

"I buy bananas a week in advance so they'll be ripe and ready for when I make this stellar banana nut bread. It's sweet and moist and nearly a cake. I first tasted this at the Turners and up and bought the Fannie Farmer Baking Book so I could own the recipe and make it myself. If I bring this into the office and leave the plate in the kitchen, the next time I come back it usually looks as pictured above and is merely crumbs by the afternoon. I'm told, 'I've got this one down.' I've made it my practice to bake in a bundt pan and serve on a pretty colored plate."

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups granulated white sugar
2 cups ripe mashed bananas (about 6 bananas)
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup chopped walnuts

1) Preheat the oven to 350.

2) Grease 2 8x4x3-inch loaf pans, or as I prefer, one standard bundt pan.

3) Stir together the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.

4) In another larger bowl, mix together the shortening, sugar, mashed bananas, eggs and walnuts. Add the combined dry ingredients and stir only until the batter is thoroughly blended.

5) Pour into the prepared pans and bake 50-60 minutes (usually 60 minutes for bundt pan), or until a skewer or straw inserted in the center of the loaves comes out clean, or with only a few moist crumbs.

6)Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out on a rack and let cool completely.

Source: Fannie Farmer Baking Book recipe for Kona Inn Banana Bread

Silky Blankies

Years ago, one of the mom's I babysit for was pregnant with #2 (Emma, now 8), and while I was there one afternoon watching her oldest (Ian, now 10) she spent the day making a silky blankie for her new arrival. My crafty brain took notes on how she put it together and shortly thereafter I made a trip to the fabric store and was trying to make them myself. I've made a number of them over the years for baby shower gifts and it warms my heart every time I see one that's ragged and used and made a favorite by a little one.


I'm always very particular about picking fabrics and tend to spend hours at Jenny's Fabrics combing the discount aisle to find just the right fabrics to pair together to make my creations. My recent journey to Jenny's resulted in a lot of pink favorites, so I'll be stocking up on baby girl gifts. Next time I'll hopefully find some winners that will be better suited for baby boys.



The finished silky blankie has a super soft satiny back and four patches of fuzzy flannel in the front. I like to make them on the larger size (full blanket is about 20" square) so that they can snuggle with them and love them into their pre-school years.


I went a little overboard with supplies this time, buying enough to probably make about 20 blankies in two different color schemes, so I made sure to get a few through the assembly line out the gate and justify the upfront expense. 6 down, 14 to go! Let's hope my sewing machine and I stay friends for most of 2011 and perhaps I'll have a sewing project to share each month!