Quick Chicken Enchiladas

Quick Chicken Enchiladas

Serves 4

* 1 onion, chopped fine

* 1 T vegetable oil

* 2 garlic cloves, minced

* 1 pound ground turkey (we usually use shredded chicken, but you can use ground beef or ground turkey or ground chicken or ground pork)

* 8-12 oz. monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2-3 cups use more cheese if you like them cheesier, I just use 2 cups -- I also have used sharp cheese when I am out of monterey jack) 

* 20 oz red enchiladas sauce (see note below)

* 1/4 cup jarred jalapenos, drained and chopped

* 1/2 cup minced cilantro (Jared doesn't like cilantro, so I leave this out)

10-14 (6 inch) corn tortillas (we have friends that do flour tortillas, but we like the corn better)

(optional) 1 can black beans

(optional) rice or corn (whatever you have around that you need to use up)

--Note on enchiladas sauce.

Giant Brand was a good. 

El Paso tastes like weak tomato sauce.Not good.

Acme tastes like chili powder. It is spicy and gritty. Not good.

Food Lion Brand is the best I have found so far. It is also mild, but not quite as bland as El Paso. Unfortunately, their brand comes in a glass jar of 18 oz.  So, I just add a bit of water it stretch it to 20 oz. I am not going to open another can just to skim off 2 oz. 

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and head to 400 degrees. Combine onion and oil in skillet over medium-high heat and cook until onion is softened and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in meat (shredded chicken or ground meat). If using ground beef or chicken, add it raw and cook 5-7 minutes until no longer pink.  Stir in 1-2 cups of cheese,1/2 - 1 cup of enchilada sauce (I like more in mine), jalapenos, cilantro, and black beans (if you are adding them). Season with salt and pepper.  

2. Meanwhile, stack tortillas, cover with plastic wrap or damp towel, microwave until softened and pliable, about 1 minute.  

3. Pour a little enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 13" x 9" pan. Place about 1/4 of a cup of the chicken mixture on a tortilla and roll up.  Place the seam side down in the pan. Repeat until the pan is filled. I put 10 across and then tuck 2 sets of 2 on the sides.  Top with 1 cup enchilada sauce and 1 cup cheese. 

4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 10 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is completely melted, about 5 minutes.  I don't use the foil.  I just bake it until the cheese is melted, but they can dry out if left in to cook for too long.

Note: We have noticed that they taste better if you make them in the morning and let the spices sit together all day and then cook them in the evening.   The flavors have time to develop more.  

Mexican Rice

This recipe is very good, but honestly, I cheat and buy the little boxes of mexican rice most of the time for dinner.  I am going to post the recipe for the enchiladas we love next week. They are from ATK as well.  :) I get almost all of my new recipes from them these days. 

Mexican Rice – From America's Test Kitchen (of course)

Serves 6 to 8

2 Tomatoes, peeled and quartered

1 white onion, peeled and quartered

3 jalapeno chiles

2 cups long-grain white rice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 T tomato paste

1-1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup cup minced cilantro

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and over to 350 degrees. Process tomatoes and onions in food processor until smooth. Transfer mixture to 2 cup measuring cup. If necessary, spoon off excess so that volume equals 2 cups. Remove ribs and seeds from 2 jalapenos, mince and set aside. Mince remaining jalapeno, including ribs and seeds; set aside.
2. Place rice in large fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold water until water runs clear, about 1-1/2 minutes. Shake rice vigorously in strainer to remove all excess water.
3. Heat oil in oven-safe 12" skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. Drop 3 or 4 rice grains into oil; if grains sizzle, oil is ready. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until rice is light golden and translucent, 6-8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add garlic and seeded minced jalapeno; and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-1/2 minutes. Stir in pureed tomatoes and onions, chicken broth, tomato paste, and salt. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Cover pan and transfer to over. Bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30-35 minutes, stirring well halfway through cooking.
4. Stir in cilantro and reserved minced jalapeno with seeds to taste. Serve immediately with lime wedges.   

English muffins

I had a great idea the other day! Why do English muffins have to be round? Why do I spend time cutting them out and rerolling the dough and cutting them out again? I introduce you to the square English muffin. All our English muffins in the future will be this shape. They taste the same.  They are easier to make. Win win. 

Do yourself a favor and make a batch today? Or a double batch (freeze some for later). 

Recipe Here!

Also, hooray for homemade bread!!! It is 1,000,000 times better than store bought bread.   

Blueberry Buckle

This is my new favorite recipe to use up blueberries. It is cross between a blueberry muffin and coffee cake. I am posting the original recipe and the ways I changed it. I made it the recipe the first time, but it was too sweet. So I reduced some sugar, substituted some applesauce for butter, and used half whole wheat flour the second time. Still great!!

Note: This is better served the day it is made.  The second day is okay.  By the third day the topping gets mushy.

Strusel ingredients:

1/2 c. Flour

1/2 c. Brown sugar

2 T. Sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Pinch salt

4 T. Butter

Mix everything but butter in mixer for 30-60 seconds until combined. Add butter and mix until it resembles wet sand (about 2-3 minutes). Set aside. 

Cake ingredients:

1-1/2 c. Flour (can use up to half whole wheat without noticing)

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

10 T butter (or 4T butter and 6T applesauce)

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 c. Sugar (or 1/3-1/2c.) 

1/2 tsp. lemon zest (I haven't used this because I haven't had any lemons)

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

4c. Blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9" cake pan (I have also made this in a 13x9). 

Cream butter, sugar, salt, and lemon zest about 3 minutes. 

Beat in vanilla. 

Best in eggs one at a time. 

Add flour and baking powder. Stir about 20 seconds. Don't overbeat!! Fold in blueberries with spatula. Batter will be very thick. 

Push batter to edges of pan with spatula.  Sprinkle with strudel. 

Bake 55 minutes (or 30-40 if using bigger pan).  Cool 15-20 minutes. Invert on  cookie sheet. Invert a second time in plate (so strudel is on the top). Or just serve out of pan. :) 

Sweet corn and tomato risotto (fast)

This is probably my favorite recipe right now.  I used to reserve ordering risotto to restaurants because the process of making it is so involved and takes too many pots.  However, then I saw this recipe by America's Test Kitchen for Speedy Risotto.  I made a few changes because I wanted it to taste like a version I had in a restaurant recently, but feel free to leave out the corn, tomatoes, and bacon for a different variation.  I have also cut the butter and Parmesan down. It was too greasy. And I added a bit of white wine because that is what most risotto recipes call for. 

They also suggest that you can add shredded chicken to this to make it a complete meal, but I like my chicken on the side.  I usually grill chicken or pan saute it with a simple sauce. The risotto is so rich; it doesn't need competing flavors. I love eating it with a simple spinach salad or just on a bed or spinach. It is so good.  I think it would be amazing with some scallops. :) 

Speedy Risotto

* 1 c. Arborio rice

* 3-1/2c. low-sodium chicken stock

* 1/4 c. white wine (or more chicken stock)

* 4 T. butter

* 1 onion, chopped fine

* 1-2 garlic cloves, minced

* 1/4 c. basil (or 1-2 tsp of dried) - I don't really like basil and so I cut this way back

* 2 tsp. lemon zest + 2 T. juice (I have made this without the zest and it is still good)

* 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 c) - the original recipe calls for twice this, but I don't like it so cheesy.  Also, I have used real Parmesan and the powdery green stuff and it both turns out. 

* 1/2 white corn (I use frozen)

* 1 tomato, diced

* A few pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1. Combine the rice, 2 cup broth, and 2 T. of butter in large bowl. Cover and microwave until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, melt 2 T. of butter over medium heat. Cook onion until soft. Stir in garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in hot rice mixture, corn, remaining broth, and white wine. Bring to simmer and cook until rice is tender, about 5-10 minutes. 

3. Off heat, stir in basil, lemon, Parmesan, and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Top with bacon. 

Enjoy. 

Planning & Simple Shredded Chicken

This is not an exciting picture. It is really ugly. 

However, it is a great example of a tip I thought I'd share today. 

There are some days I don't feel like cooking dinner. Nights that we have meetings planned or days that we have been running around all day. On those days I want to throw in the towel and go get Chipotle. But I know that ruins my budget and isn't all that healthy. So, I try to avoid it. Here are a few tips I have learned over the years. 

1. Prep meat in batches. See the ugly picture above. This morning I took a giant pack of chicken and cooked 2/3rds of it, shredded it, and put it in containers with the amount for each recipe. The bottom container has raw chicken (the last 1/3 of the pack) that I trimmed and cut into manageable chunks to speed along cooking times. It really didn't take me any more time than prepping just part of the meat. I already had the pans, scissors, and cutting boards out. I am saving myself two washings in the process. 

2. Meal plan. I used to think meal planning was silly. I didn't do it. But then I would panic each night when faced with cooking dinner. All of the sudden I would lose all inspiration. Now I meal plan, but I don't plan a meal for ever night. I usually leave in a night or two to eat leftovers or once in a while a night at a restaurant. 

3. I have a few quick go to meals in case everything fails. 

Pancakes and eggs

Tomato soup and grilled cheese 

And if all else fails yogurt and granola. :)

4. I invested in a cookbook filled with meals in under 45 minutes. Best idea ever. In case you want to buy it, it was on sale at Americas Test Kitchen's store. It is called the Quick Family Cookbook. 

There are a few tips I use to avoid eating out and food waste. I am slowly learning the longer I cook. And here is my new favorite way to cook chicken for casseroles or chicken salad, etc. :

Simple shredded chicken

(Makes 3 cups)

1T oil

1 lb. chicken breast

Heat oil in pan. Salt and pepper chicken. Place in pan. Brown first side.  (This gives the chicken a much better flavor). 

Flip chicken. Add 1/2c. Water. Cover an dinner until chicken reaches 160 degrees. 

Let cool. Shred into pieces. 

Ham & Cheese Bread

You can either make your favorite bread dough or buy premade bread dough. I usually use my Betty Crocker Italian bread recipe when I make this. Follow all the directions. Just stop before the last rise to roll out the dough and stuff. 

We slice off pieces and dip them in tomato soup or just eat it plain. It is especially good with tomato soup and I don't like tomato soup. 

Let the dough rise and whatever else the directions call for. Then roll it out, layer with ham, and sprinkle with cheese. 

 Roll up the dough. Pinch all the seams. Cut air vent in the top. You can roll the bottom in cornmeal, if you want the extra crunch. Let it rise another 30-60 minutes and then bake as directions say. 

Sometimes they split open in the open. 

Yum! 

Catching Up

My sister and I threw a children's literature themed baby shower for my other sister on Monday evening. It was lovely and amazing and the best shower I have ever been too. :) I had so much fun (I don't normally enjoy showers that much). However, I didn't take any pictures. So that's all you will hear about that. 

Yesterday, I caught up on laundry, cloth diapers, some house cleaning, yogurt making, and playing with the boys. We read bunches of books and spent most of the day in the toy closet. Warren now crawls. Martin thinks it is hilarious and calls him into the closet. He goes, "come here baby, have toy (for) you. Come hereeee."

We had steak fajitas for dinner. Jared and I don't like beef that much; we rarely eat it. We both prefer chicken (not dry chicken, you have the brine or marinade it). So, I forgot how easy steak fajitas are. Just sprinkle on salt, pepper, and lime juice and grill. Yum. 

We had some leftover bacon from breakfast on the weekend.  I threw that in with an onion and some black beans as a side. Delicious. 

We also attended touch-a-truck day on Saturday. Fire trucks, bucket trucks, excavators, and more. He is growing up too fast. We plan to take the boys every 2 or 3 years, which means Warren will be running around talking and climbing on trucks next time we go. I can't even imagine. Maybe my sister will be visiting with her son and the three boys can go running around. That will be so awesome and crazy and wonderful! 

Corn Tortillas

Honestly, you don't need a recipe for corn tortillas. It is simply water (I use boiling or hot water) and corn masa (flour). 

I use these in my chicken enchiladas and for baked chips. 

Here is how I make them. I mix the water and masa with a spoon while it is super hot and then with my hands once it cools down. It should be the consistency of play dough. It is actually fun to play with. :)

I roll them into 1-2" balls. They have to be covered with a damp cloth, during the winter or they will dry out. I place each one on the press with a piece of plastic under and over it. I use two plastic circles cut from grocery store bags (you can also use wax paper, but I saw my Mexican coworkers doing this and I thought, what a great use for grocery bags). 

Flatten with the press. Peel the top layer off carefully. Pick the other piece of plastic up and flip it over in your hand. Carefully, peel back the second piece of plastic. Place plastic back on press. Flip the tortilla, from your hand, into a hot pan. 

Cook 1-2 minutes for the first side. Flip. Cook another 30 seconds. Keep warm in a clean kitchen towel. 

I Wanted A Burger (chipotle, roasted garlic burgers)

I thought, around 2:00, I really would like a burger and fries for dinner. Maybe I should splurge and buy one. 

Note: I recently discovered how good Five Guys is while in the hospital after having Warren. My lunch was really late (after 1pm). I was craving protein and getting grumpy. Then they brought me tomato soup and a grilled cheese. What a disappointment to a woman who just had a baby!! I wanted to cry. So, my brother-in-law, wonderfully, ran out and bought me Five Guys. It was incredible. It was probably the best burger I have ever had. Part of that could be because I was in the hospital. :) I was incredibly grateful for that burger. 

Anyhow, I seriously considered buying Five Guys for dinner, but decided to take a look through my ATK cookbooks first. I discovered a burger recipe that I thought looked amazing (green onion, chipotle peppers, and roasted garlic). Then I thought, I don't have rolls and have no time to make yeast rolls.  So Martin and I threw together pretzel rolls. I finished it off with some oven-roasted sweet potato fries, that I tossed with a bit of olive oil, cinnamon, and sugar, and a salad leftover from last night. 

 I just wanted to mention two things they learned from cooking burgers that I found fascinating. 

1. If you like your burgers medium-done, poke a hole in the middle to help the burger cook evenly. That way the edges won't get super done before the middle is finished cooking. 

2. Grate your cheese into the burgers, if you want a cheese burger. If you melt the cheese on top, you end up over cooking the burger while trying to get the cheese to melt. 

Burger (Plain or Chipotle, Onion, Roasted Garlic)

*these can be grilled or pan cooked - I cooked them in a cast iron skillet over medium heat

Plain

1-1/2lb burger

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Add in for extra flavor:

1 T chipotles in Adobe sauce chopped

2 T chopped green onions

3 garlic cloves, dry roasted in a pan for about 8 minutes and then minced

I also added in 1/2 c. quick oatmeal because I was using frozen turkey burger that didn't have much form. 

Mix together. Make into four burgers (4-1/2" in diameter, 3/4" in height). Cook 3-1/2 minutes per side for rare. Cook 5 minutes per side for well-done. 

Salad Dressing

He loves his little monkey suit from his Aunt Hope. :) It has been so useful on these cold days. 

I don't like most salads. I don't really like lettuce. I hate kale. I don't like tomatoes plain (give them to me in salsa any day). I don't like carrots or cucumbers or radishes or any of those salad vegetables raw. I also don't like salad dressings. I don't get them; they are greasy and oily and taste processed. 

However, there is one salad that I do love, spinach salad with nuts, gorganzola, and fruit. I discovered this salad thanks to the GrandiHowards, whom I lived with during college. Strawberries and mandarin oranges are my favorite fruit combination, but pears, cranberries, and apples are also good. I buy spinach from SAMs because it is cheapest and it forces me to eat more salads. 

Mostly, I eat it plain, but sometimes I add a bit of this dressing. It is a recipe from my best friend from college, Michelle's roommate. She added candied pecans to her salad...amazing. Can it be called a salad still with fruit and candied nuts? :)

Salad Dressing for Sweet Salads

1/2 c. Canola oil

1/2 c. Honey

1/2 c. Soy sauce

1/4 c. Red wine vinagar

1/4 c. Sesame oil

1. Mix. Pour on salad. 

This keeps for months in the frig. 

Note: I used vegetable oil and olive oil the first time I made this because I had neither canola or sesame. 

Note 2: I have recently discovered, thanks to Dasha, that I like spinach salads with red onions and sweet peppers. Sometimes I add pecans and almonds. 

Spatchcocked, Pan Roasted Chicken

I made this recipe for dinner tonight and I highly recommend it. It might be another meal I start to take people. 

http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2014/11/how-to-make-a-spatchcocked-salted-pan-roasted-chicken/

I was going to post instructions, but thefrugalgirl does such a great job. Go visit her blog and read the recipe, complete with more pictures than I ever post. 

The great thing about this recipe is that it only takes 45 minutes to cook. You could easily throw the chicken and seasonings together and let it brine overnight. I let mine brine for the minimum of 4 hours and it was still tasty. It is amazing that simply salt, pepper, and paprika give you such a delicious flavor. 

One last note, I rubbed the seasonings under the skin and on top of it. 

We eat this with green beans, salad, and rice. I toast almonds and garlic and add them to green beans dry roasted in a pan. 

Chicken Pot Pie

Here is a random picture because all posts are better with pictures. :)

Martin likes to share his toys with Warren. He keeps asking him to play with him. It makes my heart happy. I love being their mom. 

On to the main post now. This is my go-to meal to take people. I have been trying to come up with some other meals recently (tacos, enchiladas, calzones) because I know people receive a lot of casseroles. But honesty, can you go wrong with a chicken pot pie? It is the perfect comfort food. I usually take a loaf of bread and a dessert too. 

Feel free to play with this recipe...a lot. I add whatever veggies I have in the house. Jared doesn't like peas, so I often leave those out and add green beans. I have started adding sweet potatoes sometimes, which changes the flavor of the sauce. I really like it; Jared likes the original sauce better. Sometimes we eat this over rice, when I am feeling lazy or don't want to eat all the calories of the crust. Sometimes I use a Store bought pie crust. Often I make the chicken stock when I cook my chicken, but I keep cartons of store bought chicken stock on hand too. It is all good. :) 

I also have a recipe for quick chicken pot pie that I will post later this month. It is so easy (sour cream, chicken soup, canned veggies...). I don't like it quite as much, but Jared loves them both. :) 

Chicken Pot Pie

1/3 c. Butter

2/3 c. Flour

1 onion

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2-3 c. Chicken broth

1 c. Milk

2-3 c. chicken (chopped or shredded, white or dark or a mixture) 

3-6 cups cooked assorted vegetables (peas, carrots, potatoes, green beans, broccoli, sweet potatoes, etc. I use whatever I have laying around).  

Optional (sometimes I eat the filling over rice or I top the Filling with biscuits or you can go the traditional route with a crust):

2 crusts (use a store bought pie crust, use your favorite pie crust recipe, or see end for recipe) - I have done all the methods listed above

1. Melt butter in a pan. Add onions. Cook until softened. Add flour, salt, pepper. Cook 1-3 minutes so flour loses its floury taste.

2. Slowly whisk in broth and milk. Bring to a boil. Cook 3-5 minutes until thickened. Turn down heat or turn off heat. 

3. Stir in chicken and veggies. Can leave over a low heat while you assemble the pie crust. 

4. Dump into a 13"x9" pan lined with a pie crust (or not if you want to eat it over rice or top it with biscuits). Top with pie crust, if using. 

5. Bake at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes until crust is golden brown. 

Pastry for Chicken Pot Pie

(This recipe makes enough for the bottom and top crust)

3 c. Flour (I use a mixture of whole wheat and regular flour and sometime I substitute some wheat germ or flax seeds)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 c. Shortening

3/4 c.  Flour

1.  Mix dry ingredients. 

2.  Cut in shortening. 

3. Add milk. Don't overmix. 

4. Divide in half. Roll out one part (make this part slightly bigger because you have to cover the bottom and edges of the pan) for the top and sides and one for the top. 

Pretzels and a Cookie recipe

Cindy usually makes these cookies each year, but she is out of town so I had to finally learn how to make them. She gave me the recipe years ago and explained all the things she changes. I have handwritten notes, that I took about the process, written all over the margins of the recipe. I will summarize it all in one place for you. 

Shortbread/Sugar/Spritz Cookies

1-1/2 sticks butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2-1/4 flour, sifted (or 2 cup flour AND 1/4 cup cocoa powder for chocolate layer)

***Note: I make one batch of chocolate dough and one of vanilla. Together they yielded about 13 dozen cookies. 

1. Cream butter and sugar together. I put mine in the KitchenAid and beat for 6-10 minutes. 

2. Add the vanilla and egg. Beat a few more minutes. 

3. Add flour by quickly. Don't overmix. 

4. You may need to refrigerate the dough to make it more stiff. I press one layer into a square baking dish and stick it in the  freezer while I make the second layer. 

*** Note: if you make the vanilla batch first, you don't have to clean your bowl or beater when you make the chocolate batch. 

5. Pull your dough out of the frig once it has stiffened some. Cut in half.

 Roll the first piece out. Once it is rolled out a bit, roll the dough up like a jelly roll. Those are your spiral cookies.

 For the striped cookies, cut the rest of the dough in half and stack the two halves on top of each other. Now roll out. 

***Note: these cookies keep well inthe  refrigerator. I kept mine for about two weeks in the frig. I would slice off about a dozen and cook them and wrap the rest of the dough up and put it back in the frig. 

Oh, and we made chocolate covered pretzels. They are so addicting. We made white chocolate ones too, but I didn't take a picture of them. 

Quick Chocolate Fudge Icing

Mondays are catch up days. I made chex mix, chicken stock, and white bean chili. That white bean chili recipe is delicious. It is listed under recipes on my blog.  I highly recommend making it. I will be working it into our winter rotation more. It is so easy. I also went grocery shopping, picked up Warren's birth certificate (why do you have to pay $32 for a copy?), made unofficial copies for the insurance companies, and dropped copies off to the insurance company. Thanks to my mom for watching the boys while I did all of that. 

I was battling a fever and infection all of last week so I am still catching up on things around the house. My last lab was last Monday!! Hooray. I can't believe I have been teaching for six years.  Crazy. 

Recipes still to come:

Sweet potato pie

Chicken pot pie

Sweet potatoes

I thought I would quickly give you my go to chocolate icing for sheet cakes. I cheat and make boxed cake (and I usually use applesauce instead of oil - no one will know the difference and you can have twice as much cake because it is healthier - ha). 

Chocolate Fudge Icing

1 c. Sugar

1/2 stick butter

1/2 c milk or cream

2-3 squares unsweetened chocolate (or 6-9T unsweetened cocoa powder)

Combine in a pan. Bring to a boil. Boil 3-5 minutes. Pour over cake. 

This little man will be five weeks this weekend. I don't know where the time has gone. Babies have the most kissable cheeks. I love them. 

P.s. While I was nursing Warren last night, at 3am, I heard Martin roll over in his crib and say, "yes, Christmas". He never moved or said anything else the whole time I was in there. What a funny kid. 

Cranberry Sauce

My mom asked me to make the cranberry sauce for thanksgiving because she said her sauce didn't turn out right last year. I am sure her sauce was wonderful, but since I am not doing much else, I thought I could do this because it is easy.  Most of the time, things just taste better if other people make them. I am following the America's Test Kitchen recipe (of course) instead of the recipe on the back of the bag. 

The changes they suggest are to decrease the water, add a bit of salt, and pick through the berries to remove the unripe berries.  I made this tonight because they said it could be refrigerated for up to a week. I will let you know how it turns out and post a picture, maybe. 

Cranberry Sauce

3/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

12 oz. cranberries, I used a few extra handfuls

Pick over the cranberries and throw away any unripe or rotten berries.  

Bring water, sugar and salt to boil over medium heat. I was changing the babies diaper and the mixture was boiling when I came back. I am not sure how long it boiled for. 

Add cranberries and simmer until slightly thickened and two-thirds of berries have burst. This should take about 10 minutes. Honestly, I have no idea what two-thirds of the berries look like because once they start bursting it changes the way the amounts look. So I just set my timer for ten minutes. 

Cool completely for at least 1 hour.  

I will post recipes for cornbread dressing and my sweet potato pie soon. Ps. I am cheating and I bought a pie crust this year. Gasp. When you have a non-yet-four-week-old baby, you pick your battles. The filling is so much more important!! I don't even like pie crust. I usually pick them off. 

One Hour Rolls

Tinker toys are some of Martin's new favorite toys. I am so glad; I love them. We made a spinning wheel last night and it kept Martin busy for almost half an hour. We also sorted the colors and shapes into different piles. It is teaching me patience because I want to jump in a sort them really fast and take over. :) I have to remind myself that he is learning, even if he isn't using them the "right" way all the time. 

My mom came over and watched Martin while Warren and I went to his 2 week check-up. What? How is he two weeks old? He is growing well which means I don't have to wake him at night to feed him if he is sleeping. Yay! She also collected my trash, washed diapers, vacuumed, and prepped chicken for dinner for tonight (we are having sour cream chicken - if you haven't made the   recipe yet, go do it! It is one of our favorites!!!). 

What happens when you want to have bread with a meal, but you didn't plan ahead? Let me introduce you to one of my favorite bread recipes from my mother-in-law, One Hour Yeast Rolls! My mom also threw these together for me yesterday. Thanks, Mom!! 

One Hour Rolls

1 tsp salt

3 T oil

2 T sugar

1 c. Milk

2-1/4 tsp yeast

2 c flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Heat sugar, oil, salt, and milk to 110-125 degrees. Pour over flour and yeast. Dough will be sticky, but not soupy. It may need more flour. 

Dump on a floured surface. Sprinkle top with flour. Pat to a 1/4" thickness. Cut into rounds. 

Lay on a greased cookie sheet (or on parchment paper). Place a pat of butter in the middle of each round. Fold in half and pinch edges to seal closed. 

Closed with dry dish towel. Rise 1-2 hours. Bake 12-15 minutes or until slightly brown. 

Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread

If you just happen to find yourself with some extra hazelnuts and spare time, might I suggest this recipe. 

The first time I had chocolate hazelnut spread was in France. They served it every morning, at the hostels, along with baguettes. I am not sure which is worse, England's toast and jam or France's baguettes with Nutella every morning. Baguettes are just so dry and sourdough flavored (I don't think it goes with chocolate spread very well). I guess you can eat the Nutella plain and save the bread for later when you are site seeing (which I did). One of Martin's first weeks of life was fueled by Nutella, baguettes, good pastries, and espressos. I had no idea I was pregnant. He had a lot of caffeine to counter the jetlag. But enough about that. 

I found the recipe on NPR's website, but it is an ATK recipe, of course. How amazing would homemade graham crackers be with this spread? I plan on making those soon and the dairy free whipped cream, if baby 2 needs to go dairy free, like Martin. 

Honestly, the only reason I found this page is because I was looking for a recipe for kale chips, which came in my csa bin... Bleh. I thought I would give kale chips one more try before giving up on kale altogether. If anyone loves kale, let me know and you can have mine. Ha ha. 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/07/24/334424736/with-help-from-americas-test-kitchen-why-buy-when-you-can-diy

And in case you think we are only eating Nutella around here, let me say I haven't bought Nutella since Martin had to go dairy free, almost two years ago. Also, I have a spaghetti squash cooking with some brocoli for dinner (but who needs a post about how to cook those?).  I am going to serve it with chicken in red sauce. We eat some healthy things. Ha ha. Life is too short to live on green stuff alone. :) 

Ingredients

1 c. Powdered sugar

2 c. Hazelnuts

1/3 c. Cocoa powder

1 T vanilla extract

2 T hazelnut oil (I used olive oil, but veggie oil would probably work better since it is flavorless)

1/8 tsp salt

1. Roast hazelnuts at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes until dark brown. Cool slightly. Dump into either a container with a lid or a bowl with another bowl flipped on top. Shake vigorously until skins come off. 

2. Put skinless hazelnuts in food rices sit with oil and process until they from a smooth, loose paste. Add everything else and process until the mixture becomes glossy. You may need to scrap down the sides of the food processor. 

You can store this in the frig for up to a month. This is super easy. Thankfully, hazelnuts are expensive and not something I keep around the house.  But if you do, you might find yourself making this quite often. 

Grandma's Pizza

This is the best at home recipe for pizza I have ever had!! I watched this episode on America's Test Kitchen and thought, "that can't be as good as they say." But it is. It is also super easy and costs between $3.50-$5.00, depending on if you buy the ingredients on sale or not. The bottom is always so crunchy. I love it. 

I was just about to call Jared and ask him to bring home a $5 Little Caesars pizza, but my frugal side kicked in and I made this instead. It tastes better too. It is hard to be lazy when you know you can make something that tastes better and is cheaper. 

Grandma Pizza

Serves 4-6

Dough

3 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup water

1 1/2 cups (8 1/4 ounces) bread flour

2 1/4 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

Topping

1(28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (1 cup)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Coat rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons oil. In your KitchAid, mix flour, yeast, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined. Add water and oil. Mix for about 10 minutes until dough is pulling away from the walls of the bowl. 

Place dough on cookie sheet and stretch to about 10" x 6". Let rise until doubled in size about 1 to 1½ hours. Stretch dough to corners of pan and let rise until slightly puffed, about 45 minutes. While it rises, place oven rack to lowest position and heat to 500 degrees.

Drain tomatoes. Combine tomatoes, oil, garlic, oregano, and salt in bowl. 

Sprinkle Parmesan over the dough. I have used both the stuff in the green can and fresh shredded Parmesan. I don't notice a difference. The real difference I notice is when I use all mozzarella, like the original recipe calls for. It is much better when you use half cheddar as half mozzarella (which is what I list in the   ingredients). 

Sprinkle on cheddar and mozzarella.  Top with tomato mixture and bake until browned and bubbling, about 15-20 minutes. Slide pizza onto wire rack (this is important - the time I skipped this step the bottom was more mushy and not crisp) and let cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy. 

Easy Crockpot Shredded BBQ Chicken

I made this for dinner last night with Mac and cheese, acorn squash, and salads. I eat mine plain. Jared puts his on bread. I made it in hopes that the leftovers would be a good lunch meat for Jared. I hate paying $6 or $7 for lunchmeat at the deli. It is pretty much amazing, as all ATK recipes.  

Okay, some notes about the recipe:

1. The original recipe calls for a mixture of boneless, skinless thighs and breasts. I bought a bunch of chicken breast with skin and bones on super clearance at the grocery store. That is what I used and it turned out delicious. I just fished them out at the end and pulled off the skin and the bones. It was slightly more work, but I believe the skin and bones gave the breast meat more flavor. All that to say, use whatever you have. 

2. I made a double batch and frozen some of it for later after the baby is born. I fit 6 breasts in my crockpot (I think it is a 6 quart). I give you the recipe for a single recipe. 

3. I didn't have enough bbq sauce for a double batch, but I still think it is delicious. 

Shredded BBQ Chicken

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 

3 pounds chicken

1-1/2 c bbq sauce 

1. Put chicken in bottom of crockpot. Sprinkle on spices. Pour on 1/2 to 3/4 cup of BBQ sauce. I used a bit of water too because I was trying to get all te BBQ sauce out of the jar. 

2. Cook for 4-6 hours on low. 

3. Take chicken out and shredded with a fork. Strain juice in bottom of crockpot. Mix 1 cup juice with remaining BBQ sauce and chicken.