Chicken Enchilada Pasta

This was a Pinterest find that, admittedly, looks pretty weird.  But, trust me, it is SO GOOD!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded {or shredded rotisserie chicken…I used the breasts}

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 {4 oz.} can diced green chiles

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

2 {10 oz.} cans green chili enchilada sauce

2/3 cups red enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded "mexican" cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 lb. Penne pasta

Toppings: Avocado, Green Onions, Black Olives, Tomatoes, Sour Cream

1. Cook chicken, drain, and shred {or shred your rotisserie}.  Meanwhile boil pasta according to package and chop the veggies.
2. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for about 3-5 minutes.  Add garlic & red pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes.  Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, & enchilada sauces.  Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes.
3. Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through.  Now toss in the sour cream and cook on low heat or the sour cream will curdle.  Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through.
4. Drain pasta & return to pot.  Pour sauce over pasta and mix well.  Serve and garnish with avocado, tomato, green onion, and a dollop of sour cream.

**I also successfully froze half this recipe (it makes a lot!) and it was just as good the second time around!  Just make sure to cook your pasta al dente so it isn't too soggy.**

Beef Stew and Brown Bread, Yum!

We have had such warm weather that I really haven't been tempted to make delicious warm meals like this, but I thought I'd post anyway for all of my Northern family and friends who can enjoy this on a cold, snowy night. I will warn you that the bread in particular makes a LOT, but it freezes beautifully, so go ahead and make it according to the directions and you'll have it ready to go for a few more meals! 


Kyle's Favorite Beef Stew
(from allrecipes.com)

• 3 pounds cubed beef stew meat
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 4 large potatoes, cubed
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 (1 ounce) envelopes onion soup mix
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 large onions, quartered
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup burgundy wine
• 2 (6 ounce) packages fresh button mushrooms, halved
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

1. Toss the beef, flour, and salt in a sealable bag until the beef is coated.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine the beef and Worcestershire sauce in the skillet; cook until the beef is evenly browned on all sides; transfer to a slow cooker, but do not clean the skillet. Add the carrots, potatoes, parsley, and pepper to the slow cooker.
3. Combine the boiling water and soup mix in a small bowl; add to slow cooker.
4. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the melted butter until soft; transfer the onion and garlic to the slow cooker and return the skillet to the heat. Combine the wine and mushrooms to the skillet; cook until the mushrooms begin to absorb the wine; pour the mixture into the slow cooker.
5. Place the cover on the slow cooker and set to High; cook for one hour. Reduce heat to Low and cook until the beef is fork-tender, 6 to 8 hours. Whisk together the warm water and cornstarch; stir into the stew; cook uncovered until stew thickens, about 15 minutes.

Honey-Wheat Bushman Bread

(from Outback Steakhouse)

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup honey

2 cups bread flour, plus extra

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons instant coffee

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast

1 teaspoon caramel food coloring (optional)

3 tablespoons cornmeal, for dusting

whipped butter, for serving

Directions

1. Place all of the ingredients except for the cornmeal and whipped butter in a bread machine and follow the manufacturer's directions for the dough cycle.  The dough will be a little on the wet side and sticky, but if it seems too wet, add more bread flour while it is mixing / kneading.
2. Remove the dough from the machine, punch down, and divide into 8 portions.  Form the portions into tubular-shaped loaves 6 to 8 inches long and 2 inches wide.
3. Sprinkle the entire surface of the loaves with the cornmeal and place the loaves on two cookie sheets.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350F.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.  Serve warm with whipped butter. 

Mozzarella Meatballs

In honor of meal swap tonight, I thought I'd post a freezer friendly favorite from the club.  It's hard to believe that we've been cooking and swapping for about two years now!  Wow!  It sure has been a blessing to me to be able to pull something homemade out of the freezer a few nights a week for dinner.  It makes those emergency grocery trips or fast food nights very few and far between, for which we are all thankful.   Now on to the recipe!

Mozzarella Meatballs
(makes 120 meatballs-- ~6 meals worth!)
(from "Fix, Freeze, Feast")

6lbs. lean ground beef
15 sticks of mozzarella string cheese
3 c. dry bread crumbs
2/3 c. milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 c. minced onion
2 T. minced garlic
1 T. salt
2 tsp. black pepper

1. Remove string cheese from wrappers and cut each string into 8 equal pieces.  Place in a large bowl or 1 gallon freezer bag and freeze until it is time to form meatballs.
2. Preheat the oven to 500F.
3. Using your hands, thoroughly combine beef, breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.  Shape into 1- to 1 1/2-inch meatballs, around each piece of frozen mozzarella.  Seal meatballs well to keep cheese from oozing out.
4. Place meatballs close together on lightly greased broiler pans or rimmed baking sheets.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Cool meatballs.
5. Freeze in gallon sized freezer bag or serve right away with your favorite marinara!  YUM!

Baja Grilled Fish Tacos

About a year ago I sent out some feelers to see if anyone would be interested in a Cooking Club/Coop/Swap. A year later, we have all been blessed! Here is a yummy recipe that I have made for the swap a few times that is absolutely delish! Hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Baja Grilled Fish Tacos

(from Don't Panic More Dinner's in the Freezer!)

1 1/2 lbs. tilapia, striped bass, or similar mild fish

1 tsp. kosher (coarse) salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 large sweet onion, finely chopped

1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

2 small cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin (or more to taste)

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 c. olive oil

1/4 c. + 3 T. fresh lime juice

1/4 c. fresh orange juice

Serving Day

cooking spray or oil

salsa or pico de gallo

tortillas, heated

red onion, chopped

cilantro, chopped

avocado, diced

cabbage, finely shredded

lime wedges

Baja Lime Cream

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1/2 c. sour cream

2 T. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. finely grated lime zest

1 T. sugar, or more if needed

salt to taste

pinch of cayenne pepper

Cooking Day

Gently rinse fish fillets, then pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides of fish with kosher salt and pepper. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients (onion to orange juice). Place one third of the marinade in a small freezer bag and set aside. Pour the rest in a gallon freezer bag with the fish. Let the fish marinade in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before freezing. Keep both bags together for ease on serving day.

Serving Day

Thaw fish and extra marinade completely. To grill fish: spray grill surface with cooking spray to keep fish from sticking. Fish may also be grilled on a sprayed stove top griddle pan or broiled in the oven 4" from heat, 5 minutes per 1/2 inch of thickness or until fish flakes. Grill fish over medium heat, turning only once, and basting fish with extra marinade while grilling. Once the fish is cooked, coarsely chop. Assemble fish tacos using your choice of serving day condiments. Top with a drizzle of Baja Lime Cream.

Margarita Pork Chops

Here is a wonderful recipe that I used as part of my contribution to my monthly Cooking Coop last month. We are heavy into grill season and just loved the tangy flavor of this pork. Serve with Mexican sides or you could even slice it up and serve it on tortillas. YUM!

Margarita Pork Chops
(makes 3 entrees, 4 servings each)

1 tray (6-8lb) pork loin chops
4 1/2 c. bottled margarita mix
6 T. minced garlic (about 54 cloves)
3 tsp. black pepper
3 one-gallon freezer bags, labeled

1. Rinse and divide chops evenly among the freezer bags. Into each bag measure 1 1/2 cups margarita mix, 2 tablespoons garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Seal and freeze.
2. To cook one entree, completely thaw in refrigerator.
3. For outdoor cooking: Prepare a medium fire in a gas or charcoal grill. Cook chops, turning occasionally until temperature reads 160F in the thickest part. Do not baste during final 5 minutes and discard marinade.
4. For indoor cooking: Arrange chops on a greased broiler pan. Broil chops under high heat 5 inches from the heat source, turning frequently, for 14-18 minutes. Chops done when temperature reads 160F. Do not baste during final 5 minutes and discard marinade.

Turkish Pork Loin Chops with Bacon

About a month and a half ago I gathered up a group of wonderful ladies and we've started a meal swap. For those of you that just said, "Huh?!", we are each making enough of two main dishes and then freezing so that each family has 12 frozen meals a month. Some of us made breakfast things like a quiche (which actually goes for any meal at my house) and breakfast burritos. Anyway, this recipe was on the menu last month and EVERYONE loved it. I wish I had a photo, but try it anyway!! I'll include the freezing instructions courtesy of Fix, Freeze, Feast, one of my current favorites!

Turkish Pork Loin Chops with Bacon
(makes 2 entrees, 5-6 servings each)

1 tray (~12 chops) boneless pork loin chops
1/4 c. Turkish seasoning (recipe to follow)
12 slices bacon
15-20 toothpicks
2 one-gallon freezer bags, labeled

Homemade Turkish Seasoning
1 T. salt
1 T. garlic granules
1 T. ground cumin
2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried cilantro
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1. Rinse and trim chops as desired.
2. Mix up Turkish seasoning spices in a small bowl.
3. Rub 1 tsp of Turkish seasoning over the surfaces of each chop. Wrap one of more slices of bacon around the edge of each chop, securing with toothpicks.
4. Place chops on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the freezer for 1 hour. Divide frozen chops evenly among the freezer bags. To avoid puncturing the bags you may wish to double-bag the chops.
5. Seal and return to the freezer.

To Cook One Entree:

1. Place chops in an ungreased baking dish. Cover and completely thaw in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F.
3. Bake chops, uncovered, for 45-60 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of chop reads 160F.

These chops are super flavorful, tender, and moist! Serve with Baked Falafel , Easy Indian Style Okra, and maybe some Carrot Raisin Salad for a wonderful meal!