2009 October | Sweet Life

Oct

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

I hope your Halloween is filled with tricks and treats!!!

Eat candy like when you were 9, I know I will!!

Spend time with family and friends, for Halloween only comes once a year!!

Oct

My sister and her hubs have been house hunting for quite some time now, for their first home. Well I’m happy to report they have found it and she is super happy. Well when I first went over to check it out, I instantly knew this house was meant for her. While she gave me the grand tour I was surprised at how the house was so similar to my big sis. The house is warm, loving and homey. All the traits my sister was blessed with since birth. Don’t get me wrong she can be a major pain in the- booty-just ask her hubby,(just joshing girl!) but she’s just a doll. Well the kids were running around like they have lived there forever, which is always a great sign of future memories yet to be made. Well knowing she would be exhausted from unpacking and me being the wonderful sister that I am decided to take her a home cooked meal. Well I instantly thought of flautas, why you ask? There kid friendly, super tasty and portable. Ya, she can munch and still unpack. Well serve these dinner style with a side of rice and beans or they would be perfect appetizers with a cool guacamole and chipotle sauce. This recipe is super easy and feel free to change out with any meat you love!! Hey big sis Congrats, girl your house rocks !!

There like little soldiers lined up to battle hunger….ha ha

Notice two pan?? Hey I gotta eat….why not? fry up a couple for yourself also!

Flautas
from Foodnation with Bobby flay

ingredients
2 1/2 pounds chicken
1/2 onion chopped
1 1/2 jalapenos
1 tbsp salt
1 to 2 cups vegetable oil
36 corn tortillas

In a pot cover chicken with water. Add onions, jalapenos, and 1 tsp of salt and bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Remove meat from pot and cool. Pull chicken apart inot small pieces. In a deep pan heat oil to about 370-400 degrees. Dip tortillas into hot oil for about1/2 second until torilla is soft. Lay the shredded chicken in the middle of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla and put toothpick in the middle of the flauta to hold in place. Once rolled deep fry each flauta in the oil, until golden brown. allow to cool and remove tooothpick.

***When the flautas are pulled from frying sprinkle some salt on them for an added texture.***

Oct

Football Grub

This Sunday we went with easy comfort food. Sometimes your belly craves scrumptious but quick food. I got this sloppy joe recipe from my little sis, who made it for her family and got rave reviews. The onion strings are from the ever pleasant- reason my thighs are getting bigger each week, Pioneer Woman. Enjoy!!!

Doesn’t it look so cute… Man I’m hungry

I didn’t even get a chance to plate these…..crunchy goodness

PW’s Onion Strings

1 large onion

2 cups buttermilk

2 cups flour

1 scant tbsp salt

lots of black pepper

1/4 to 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Canola Oil

Slice onion very thin. Place in baking dish and cover with buttermilk for at least one hour.

Combine dry ingredients and set aside.

Heat oil to 375 degrees

Grab a handful of onions, throw into flour mixture, tab to shake off excess, and PLUNGE into hot oil. Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown.

Repeat until onions are gone.

**NO changes, But I doubled the recipe, ha ha

Sloppy Joes

from Better Homes and Garden

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef or ground pork

1/2 cup chopped onion (1medium)

1/2 cup chopped green sweet pepper (1small)

1- 8oz can tomato sauce

2 tbsp water

1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Dash bottled hot pepper sauce

6 kaiser rolls or hamburge bun, spilt and toasted

Directions

In a large skillet cook beef, onion, and sweet pepper until meat is brown and vegetables are tender, stirring to break up any meat. drain off fat.

Stir tomato sauce, water, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and hot pepper sauce into beef mixture in skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve on rolls.

Makes 6 sandwiches

**pretty easy , no big changes I did sub ground turkey for pork-just cause that’s what I had on hand.

Oct

Halloween Memories

We took some time out this weekend to do a Halloween activity with the girls. They wanted to bake and decorate cookies. Great except, I really suck at decorating. I have no patience, no god given artisitc talent and am too clumsy to handle delicate sugar cookies. Well we had fun talking, laughing and comparing who was worse at decorating- so all in all we had a good time. The cookie batter is from Martha Stewart and the lousy decorating is brought to you by us. Enjoy!!

Here is a haunted house created by my 4yr old….scary…..

Depressed ghost….by me

Going batty….by hubby

A witch with flair….by chuls

My Dia de los Muertos skull…I kinda like this one

Hubby’s skull..very cool

This one was eaten first…he deserved it!!

Ideal Sugar Cookies

by Martha Stewart

from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook

ingredients

2 cups all -purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup (1stick) unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 tbsp brandy or milk

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

directions

Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder in a medium bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter and sugar; add dry ingredients, and mix until incorporated. With mixer running add egg, brandy or milk, and vanilla- mix until incoporated.

Trasfer dough to a work surface and shape into 2 discs, cover with plastic wrap and refirgerate for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper; set aside

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes, and transfer to lined baking sheets, leaving an inch in between. Leftover dough can be rolled and cut once more. Bake until lightly brown, about 10 minutes; do not allow to brown. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Decorate.

Oct

Procrastination…….

I have a major paper due this week for American Literature- You would think I would get up early while everyone is still sleeping and work on it…. Nah I got up early and did this in the exact order
1 Got Up
2 Made coffee
3 Made doughnut holes
4 Sat down, with coffee and doughnut holes and watched reality tv
I know that is so horrible, I should be rough drafting my paper and nit picking until it’s a perfect A, but no. Hey, I work better under pressure and these doughnut holes could not wait my goodness there stuffed with caramel!! After I made them I almost punched myself for not making them sooner or doubling the batch. I pretty much ate ALL of them while watching really bad tv which brings no intellectual meaning to my life just pure pleasure. Anyways here’s the recipe try it out and if anyone is good at writing papers, drop me a line. Enjoy!!

Aren’t the lovely, just out of the fryer and slightly oozing caramel….

Chocolate-Caramel Doughnut Holes
makes 28-30
Everday Food October

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour- plus more for the work surface
1 cup cocoa powder
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 cup sugar, plus more for coating
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
28-30 store bought soft caramel squares, unwrapped
5 to 6 cups vegetable oil for frying

1 Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together sugar, buttermilk, butter, and eggs until throughly combined. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture just until a smooth dough forms.

2 On a lightly floured work surface, pat dough flat and lightly flour. Roll out dough to a 1/3 inch thickness. Cut into rounds with a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter (to lifet rounds from work surface, use a thin spatula). Reroll and cut scraps.

3 Place a caramel in the center of each round, pinch dough closed around it, and gently roll into a smooth ball.

4 Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Fill a wide shallow bowl with 1 inch sugar, In a large heavy pot, heat 4 inches oil until it registers 350 degrees on a candy thermometer. In batches of 4 fry doughnuts 5 minutes, turning once with a slotted spoon and adjusting heat as needed. Transfer doughnuts to prepared sheet; let rest 4 minutes.Roll in sugar to coat. Serve immediately.

Oct

When Daddy’s Away, the Girls will ……Eat!!

My hubby is extremely busy and to add to his list of duties- is the Army Reserve. After he left active duty, to fufill his contract he was to serve in the Reserves. During the week him being so busy I cater to his every manly need of meat, bacon and more meat. Hey it’s love, it has nothing to do with me enjoying any of these meals…. ya whatever!! Well when daddy leaves for the weekend me and my girls get a chance to enjoy some of our own fav foods. We love to indulge in pasta, veggies dishes and making different coolers to wash everything down with. Here is what we enjoyed this weekend. Enjoy!!

We started the weekend with a recipe from Giada- Penne with Spinach sauce. I had been wanting to make this for awhile now, but it got lost in the pile of “TRY” recipes. This was a fairly easy recipe , my little girl ate two bowls, which in our house signifies– HIT!!

The next day we had a plate of buttered zucchinni noodles with potato cakes. The potato cakes are from Michael Chirarello, they use up any left over mashed potatoes from a previous dinner. The girls really liked the potato cakes, which have a chunk of mozzarella inside which melts after the cake is fried. The zuchinni noodles are super easy, buttery and cheesey. I added parm, lemon zest and just a sprinkle of lemon juice when serving.

The girls and I like to drink foofy drinks, you know drinks thats guys don’t like. When we drink them we put them in beautiful glasses, so we feel like were at the spa, but we still need to have our neon straws, it’s a must. Well this concotion is made from blended guavss, and we used o.j to thin it out–the guava blend is very thick so you can thin it out with any juice you have on hand.

Zucchini Noodles

adapted from Allrecipes

6 zucchini

2 tsp salt

3 tbsp margarine ( I used butter and olive oil)

1 clove garlice minced (I used 3 but I love garlic)

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

lemon zest (optional)

lemon juice (optional)

Cut zucchini into thin, noodle like strips (you can use a mandoline or peeler). Toss with salt and place noodles into colander to drain for 30 minutes.

Bring a pot of water to boil, add noodles- cook for one minute. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking process.

Heat pan over medium heat add butter and olive oil. Add garlic and saute quickly, add noodles and season to taste- add zest amd juice. Cook for about 5 minutes and sprinkle with cheese.

***You can also add any herb you have on hand

***Zest and lemon juice are optional, I like to add jusat to give a little kick to noodles.

Guava Cooler

by sweetlife

serves 2-4

5- 6 guavas

water

o.j

Wash and cut guavas in half. With spoon scoop out seeds from guavas and place them into a blender. Blend and use the water to thin the pilp a little. Place guava mix into glasses and add o.j to desired consistency. Add ice or serve chilled.

*** If wanting to make a quciker version at most supermarket they sell guava juice, some have sugar added and are thinner in consistency so you can add less o.j.

*** Any juice will work with this–you can also add ginger ale to give it a bubbly effect.

Potato Cakes

adapted from Michael Chiarello

8 servings

3 pounds large russet potatoes scrubbed cleaned

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly grated black pepper

8 oz mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 to 1 cup olive oil

1 small jar store bought pesto sauce.

Preheat oven to 450

Bake potatoes right on oven rack until a bit overdone, about 1 hour.

Let sit until cool enough to handle, cut in half and scoop out the flesh. Reserve the potato skins, for another use if desired. Lower the oven to 250 degrees. Pass the potatos through a potato ricer or grate them on the large holes of a box grater. You should have about six cups. Season with salt and pepper and then divide into 16 equal balls. Press each into a patty about 1/3 thick.

Cut half of the cheese into 1/4 inch pieces. Place a piece of cheese in the middle of each of eight patties. cover with the remaining patties and shape into a smooth disc. lightly dust each side with flour. (potato patties can be made one day ahead and covered in the fridge one day before cooking)

Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add 3 tbsp of oil an dheat just until the oil begins to smoke. Place four patties in the skillet. When you hear the patties sizzle lower the heat to medium. Cook until brown and crispy on both sides 10 to 12 minutes total, turning once. if the potatoes absorb all the oil add another tbsp or 2 to the skillet and cook four remaining patties.

In a microwave safe bowl, warm pesto in microwave for about 30 seconds or until warmed through. Grate the remaining mozzarella.

To serve Sprinkle each potato cake with grated mozarella and place in the 250 degree oven until cheese is melted. Spoon pesto on top of each cake and serve immediately.

*** I had leftover mash potaotes that I used for this recipe and I did not use pesto.

Penne with Spinach Sauce

by Giada De Laurentiis

1 pound whole wheat or multi grain pasta

3 garlic cloves

2 ounces goat cheese

1 ounce reduced fat cream cheese

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly gorund pepper

6 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves

2 tbsp frshly grated parmesan

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the penne and cook until it is tender, but still firm to bite- stirring occasionally about 12 minutes. Mince the garlic in the food processor. Add the goat cheese, cream cheese, 3/4 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and half of the spinach leaves. Blend until mixture is smooth and creamy. Set aside. Place the remaining leaves in a large bowl. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Spoon the pasta atop the spinach leaves in the bowl. Scrape cheese and spinach mixture over the pasta mixture and toss to coat, adding enough cooking liquid to moisten. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parm and serve.

***The only thing I did change about this recipe after reading the reviews on food network, was to saute the garlic in olive oil. The flavor of garlic is still there but not overpowering.

Oct

Look Away Momo!!

My mom doesn’t eat pork, why you ask? Well, she watched a documentary about how horrible pigs were being treated and how they were forced to eat these awful and harmful scraps. I’m not sure what documentary this was, but since then she stays away from pork. Well right after watching this, she called me and told me how awful it must have been for the poor pigs, and to stay away from pork. Okay I love her and she lives next door to me- ya didn’t I tell you- I bought the house next door to my parents. Well try sneaking in pork to make carnitas– IMPOSSIBLE!! Anyways I was at the store picking up butter for a new recipe I wanted to try out when I decided to pass by and pick up some shrimp. As I was walking by the meat market I heard a faint sound… hey you over here…. what??? Hey you over here…. I knew right away- it was the pork calling me, telling me it’s okay she’s not here. My mom is visitng my little sis, it was my chance. Oh man I’m so getting the pork. I went over picked up a package of boneless pork loin chops and the first thing that popped into my head was TORTAS!! Oh ya with all the fixings… am I afraid?? Will she find out?? Who cares?? (love ya momo). Let’s see what happens.

First I made these beauties. They are pickled red onions in lemon juice. Oh they add a nice crunch!!

Then I made cliantro lemon dressing to use as my glue for the spinach

Then I made a quick side dish of roasted sweet potaotoes and roasted apples (apples and pork great combo).

Then I began constructing my Torta, I’m so excited….

I toasted the bread, hollowed out one side and added the thinly sliced pork which I sauteded with onion and garlic.

The I added my cilantro lemon dressing and cheese to the torta

Finally I added the spinach, tomatoes and the pickled onions… Oh man it’s time to eat.

Turn one side onto the other, give a good press and slice. I know Tortas are usually made on either cemitas or bollios, but my dad had just brought me a loaf of Pan Frances earlier that morning. Toasting it helped give it that extra muscle to handle all that pork.

Well we all sat down to dig in, and I began thinking about my mom and those cute little pigs. Ya guilt set in- then I turned over to hubby and he was looking at me with lust in his eyes. “Wow this is awesome!”. he says. I quickly kicked guilt out of the room and began eating. Oh man disobeying your mom every once in awhile is totally delicious. Enjoy!!

There’s really no recipe for this, it’s just cooking pork and adding to whatever you like. Below is how I cooked it, feel free to experiment.

Torta
by sweetlife

2 pounds boneless pork
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 onion sliced
4 garlic cloves chopped
cheese (I used asadero)
pan frances sliced in half-toasted
spinach
slice tomatoes
pickled onions (recipe follows)
cliantro lemon dressing (recipe follows)

Thinly slice the pork and salt and pepper, I placed pork in freezer for awhile to help slice thin. Heat pan over high heat and add olive oil. Add onions and cook until transculent, add garlic and let cook for about 1 minute. Add pork stir together with onion and garlic, until cooked.

Cilantro Lemon dressing
by sweetlife

This the glue for the spinach
1 cup of plain yougurt –strained through cheesecloth– or you can use greek yougurt which is thicker
lemon zest – 1 tsp
lemon juice of 1 lemon
cilantro chopped finely
salt and pepper

Strain yougurt and place in bowl, add zest, lemon juice, cliantro and mix. add salt and pepper to taste.

Pickled Red Onions
by Rick Bayless
makes 1 cup

1 small red onion- peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (I have also used lemon- works fine)
salt

In a non-reactive bowl add thinly sliced onions and pour boiling water over them. Count to ten and immediately put the onions into a strainer. Shake all the excess water off the onions and place back into bowl. Pour lime juice over them and stir in 1 1/2 tsp salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. These will last a week or more in the fridge.

Oct

Happy Birthday Nina!!!

Happy Birthday little sis, hey how old are you now??? Really wow time has flown … your so old. Just kidding you young sexy thing. I’m sorry I can’t be with you on your birthday, since you live so far away in Junction, Kansas. But to celebrate your birthday I am sending you a virtual bday cake, hey it’s thoughtful, pretty and I’m literally saving you so many calories. Don’t worry about the calories, I will happily consume them for you. I promise you that I will enjoy half of your bday cake, well maybe most of it. Hey I’m older than you I really need the sugar boost to make it through the day. Well little sis thanks for always being there for me you know how needy I am. Thanks for the laughs, tears, raising babies together and most important the 2am whataburger runs we make when your here. Love ya girl!!

Well I wanted to pick something a little different from a regular bday cake and I came across this cake from Nancy McDermott. I bought this cookbook several months ago, but hadn’t really looked at it completely. Well I was really impressed with all the different cakes in this book, from tradtional to new spins on classics. The name caught my attention right away because my little sis loves oatmeal. The house smelled divine while the cake baked and the frosting with pecans, coconut was surreal. I did frost the middle of the cake, but frosted lightly I wanted to leave the sides bare with the lovely brown color. Try it out. Enjoy!!

Oatmeal Cake
from Southern Cakes
by Nancy McDermott
serves 8-10

cake
1 cup old fashioned oatmeal (not quick cooking)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 6 chunks
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten well
1 tsp vanilla extract

Coconut- Pecan Frosting
1/2 cup (1stick) butter
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

To make the cake
In a medium bowl, combine the oatmeal, butter, and boiling water, and stir to mix them together a bit. Set aside for 20 to 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350, and generously grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans, or one 13 by 9 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg, and stir with a fork to mix everything well. In a large bowl, combine both kinds of sugar with the eggs and vanilla, and beat with a mixer at medium speed for about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl, until thick and lightly colored.

Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture in 2 batches, beating just long enough each time to make the flour disappear. Mix in the oatmeal, stirring and folding to combine everything into a nubby but well-mixed batter.

Scrape into the prepared pans and bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cakes are golden brown, spring back when touched lightly in the center, and begin pulling away from the sides of the pans. Cool in the pans on wire racks or folded kitchen towels for 10 minutes. If you have used round cake pans, carefully turn out the cakes onto wire racks, turn top side up, and finish cooling. Or cool the cake in the large rectangular pan.

To make the frosting, in a medium saucepan, combine the butter, evaporated milk, and sugar, and place it over medium heat. Bring to a gentl boil, stiriing now and then. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla, pecans, and coconut. Beat well with a wooden spoon, a whisk, or a muxer on low speed, until you have a thickened, cooled frosting. spread it between the two layers and then on the top of the cake, or spread it over the top of the rectangle cake, and serve it in squares, right from pan.

I seriously think this looks like a mutant pac-man!!!

Oct

Gourmet

I just found out that Gourmet magazine will stop publication of their magazine. The last magazine will be the November issue. I was pretty upset, I have been reading Gourmet for what seems like forever. Their website will stay up for awhile, until phased out. I have a ton of recipes from Gourmet that my family adores, so at least Gourmet will live on in my house. Thank you Gourmet for being such a inspiration to me and so many other cooks. You will be missed.
http://www.gourmet.com/

Lemon Glazed Butter Cake

Gourmet Magazine

April 2009

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

rounded 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp whole milk

1 tbsp grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs at room temperature 30 minutes

1 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon sugar

garnish– confectioners sugar for dusting

preheat oven to 350 with rack in middle

Butter and flour an 8 by 2 inch cake pan

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. stir together milk, zest and vanilla.

Beat together buteer and granulated sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add eggs 1 at a time beating well after each addition.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until each addition is just incorporated.

Pour batter into cake pan and smooth top, then rap gently on counter to release any air bubbles.

Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

Cool in pan 10 minutes.

Whisk together confectioners sugar and lemon juice until smooth.

Turn out cake onto rack and set over a baking sheet, then reinvert.

Brush top and side of cake with all of the glaze.

Cool completely.

**Cake can be glazed 1 day ahead and kept at room temperature.

Oct

Cafe Tacuba-Style Creamy Chicken Enchiladas, by Rick Bayless

These beauties can be made for special guests, romantic dinners or impressing your boss. Or in our case a delicious Monday night dinner watching Brett Farve play on Monday Night Football. These enchiladas are made with chicken in a creamy spinach and roasted poblano sauce. I have made these before, but they just keep getting better. Oh and the next day, ya even better. Pure comfort alone or add a side of beans and rice. Your family will thank you, and your tummy will ask for seconds, or thirds, or these for breakfast… you get me. Enjoy!!

Cafe Tacuba-Style Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Enchiladas Cremosas de Pollo, Estillo Cafe Tacuba
Rick bayless
from PBS specail “Moveable feast with America’s Favorite Chefs”
serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
2 fresh poblanp chiles
1 cup (lightly packed) roughly chopped spinach leaves
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth
6 tablespoons (3ounces) butter- or you can use vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup flour
salt
3 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken
12 corn tortillas
A little vegetable oil for brushing or spraying
About 1 cup Mexican melting cheese (Chihuahua, quesadilla, asadero, monterrey jack, or mild cheddar)
A little chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions
1. Make the sauce– Roast the poblanos directly over a gas flame or a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler. turning regularly, until the skins have blistered and blackened on all side, about 5 minutes for an open flame, about 10 minutes under the broiler. Cover with a kitchen towel and, when handable, rub off the blackened skin, tear open and pull out the seed pod and stem. Quickly rinse to remove any stray seeds or bits of skin. Roughly chop and put in a blender jar. Add the spinach. In a medium (3quart) saucepan, combine the milk and broth, set over medium-low heat to warm.

In a large (4quart) saucepan, melt butter (or heat the oil) over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for a minute to release its aroma, then add flour and stir the mixture for a minute. Raise the heat to medium-high. Pour in the warm broth mixture and whisk constantly until the sauce boils. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour half the hot sauce into the blender with the chiles and spinach. cover loosely ( I remove the center part of the lid, secure the lid, then drape a cloth over the whole thing.) and blend untill smooth. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining sauce. Taste and season well with salt, usually about 2 teaspoons.

2. Finishing the enchiladas– Heat the oven to 350 degress. smear about 1/4 cup of sauce over the bottom of each of four to six 9inch individual oven proof baking/serving dishes ( for indivdual servings)– or smear about 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 13×9 inch baking dish (for family serving). Stir 1 cup of the sauce into the chicken.
Lay half of the tortillas out on a baking sheet and lightly brush or spray both sides of the tortillas with oil; top each tortilla with another one and brush or spray those with oil. Bake just until warm through and soften, about 3 minutes. Stack the tortillas and cover with a towel to keep warm.
Working quickly so that the tortillas stay hot and pliable, roll a portion of the chicken up in each tortilla, then line them all up in the baking dish or dishes. douse evenly with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake until the enchiladas are hot through ( the cheese will have begun to brown) about 20 minutes. Garnish with the cilantro and serve without hesitation.

Archive for October, 2009

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

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