April 25, 2011

Engagement Pictures!

That's right! We have them now!!
Our friend Britney is studying photography and I love her stuff so far!
We went out and did pictures Saturday morning in the wind and cold and somehow she has wrangled (or Photoshopped) my hair into something worthy of pictures. Quite a feat right there :D
Here's the link to the sneak peak album on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10150170703979661.316702.579994660
If you can't see them (idk what her picture settings for non friends are) you can go to my page and they're my top 7 new photos of me.

I don't know if I could pick a favorite of the seven, but I sure like this one:

Thanks Brit! I love your work!!

April 4, 2011

Enchilladas!

I made these for dinner last night (okay, not these, my pictures are still on my camera) and they were very good! Mike, Dan and I were super full and that was after halving the recipe, so 1-2 is definitely all any one person needs. Here's the halved (ish) recipe from Annie's Eats, a food blog I stumbled upon:


Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
1 tsp. canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
6 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
Cooking spray



Directions: 
Combine onion, jalapeno and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and sugar, and cook just until fragrant, less than 30 seconds.  Mix in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato.  Bring the sauce to a simmer, lower the heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.  

Nestle the chicken into the sauce.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through (160˚ F on an instant-read thermometer), about 12-20 minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool.  

Strain the sauce through a large mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing down on the onions and tomatoes to extract as much liquid as possible.  Transfer the reserved solids to a large bowl and set aside.  Season the sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Shred the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the bowl with the onion mixture.  Add in ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce, ½ cup of each of the shredded cheeses, and the cilantro.  Stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.  Oil a 9 x 13" baking dish with cooking spray.  Stack the tortillas on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 40-60 seconds, until warm and pliable.  Spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of a tortilla.  Roll up the tortilla around the filling tightly, and place in the prepared baking dish, seam-side down.  Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas. 

Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray.  Place in the oven, uncovered, for 7 minutes or until the tortillas start to brown slightly.  

Reduce the oven temperature to 400˚ F.  Remove the enchiladas from the oven and pour the sauce oven the top.  Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.  Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  

Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is browned.  Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving. 



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Here's Mike's mom's enchilada recipe that we're going to try next for comparison:


2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and diced. Dice 1 bunch of green onions and combine with chicken, 4 oz sour cream, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 4 oz can of green chilies and 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese. Warm 6 tortillas for pliability and stuff with filling. Lay in sprayed 9x13 pan and top with 4 oz shredded cheese and 1/2 a jar of picante sauce, covering the edges of the tortilla shells. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes