Enchiladas

(sorry the picture is blurry...I didn't realize it until days later when I uploaded the pictures)

What you'll need:

1 1/2lb ground beef

1 small onion, diced (or you can use dehydrated onion)

2 Tbs dried red pepper flakes

1 can diced green chilies

1 cup minute rice

1/2 C water

1 can pinto beans

Flour tortillas

Shredded cheddar cheese

2 cans enchilada sauce (or make your own)

What you'll do:

Preheat oven to 350.

Brown ground beef in skillet with onions, red pepper flakes and green chilies.  Add rice, 1/2 C water and pinto beans.

While the meat is cooking, trim the tortillas.  All I do is use a pizza cutter to slice off 1/2" two opposite ends of the tortilla.  This makes them fit into the pan a little better.

Spread 1/2 of one of the enchilada sauces on the bottom of a 13x9 pan to keep the enchiladas from sticking.  Fill the tortillias.  Place them in the pan.

Once all the tortillas are filled and in the pan, empty the remainder of the enchilada sauce over them.  Bake for 25 minutes, pull out of oven and top with cheese, bake another 10 minutes.

  

Serve with sour cream and salsa. 

Creamy Italian Crock Pot Chicken

I love crock pot recipes.  A little prep ahead of time and then BAM...dinner is ready!  This recipe is creamy, but has fantastic flavor from the Italian dressing seasoning packets.  I used cream of mushroom and cream of celrey soups, but you can use any two "cream of" soups that you want. 

What you'll need:

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8oz carrots, julienned

8oz mushrooms, sliced

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of celery soup

2 envelopes dry Italian dressing mix

1 onion, diced

1 C sour cream

2 Tbs cornstarch

What you'll do:

Put the chicken breasts on the bottom of the slow cooker.  I didn't even bother to unthaw mine. 

Place carrots and mushrooms over chicken. 

In a separate bowl, mix soup, dressing mix and onion.  Pour over top of chicken and vegetables. 

Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.  

Half an hour before serving, mix sour cream with cornstarch and add to slow cooker to thicken the gravy.  

Serve over rice. 

Easy Strawberry Sauce

Strawberry shortcake is yummy, right?  Please tell me you don't buy that clearish strawberry flavored gooey stuff to mix with your strawberries.  Because you can make a sauce SO easy and it is much healthier and tastier than that gooey stuff.  

What you'll need:

2 pints of strawberries

1 or 2Tbs sugar (your preference...taste and see how sweet you want it)

1 tsp orange extract

What you'll do:

Slice strawberries into a bowl

Add sugar

Mash with potato masher...The texture is up to you.  Big, thick chunks or small ones.

Add orange extract, stir and refrigerate.  

Serve and enjoy!

See I TOLD you this one was easy!  Now you have no excuse to use that nasty gooey stuff again!

Strawberry Banana Bread

This is a yummy, sweet bread I like to make in the spring. 

What you'll need:

5 medium bananas, smashed (should be about 1.5 C)

1 C sugar

1/2 C oil

2 eggs

2 C flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 C chopped strawberries

What you'll do:

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix bananas, sugar, eggs & oil.  Don't mix until it's soupy...make sure the bananas still are a little lumpy. 

Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Stir until just mixed...again, don't get too vigorous with the mixing...you don't want banana soup. 

Stir in the strawberries.  I do this by hand because I don't want the strawberries to get all mangled.  

Spoon batter into bread pan (I like to use my mini four loaf pan from Pampered Chef).  

Bake for 35 minutes for mini loaf pan, 55 mins for a large pan (9x5x3) or 45 mins for two medium sized pans (7x3x2)