Green Enchiladas

Some people shy away from making enchiladas... I don't. 

1. Because I love them
2. Because they aren't as hard as you'd think.

First you start with a can, yes a can, of Las Palmas Green Chile Enchilada Sauce.  Open the can, pour it in a 12" frying pan and heat till bubbly, after that lower the flame to Low.

Have on hand a bowl of shredded chicken and a stack of corn tortillas, preferably Thin tortillas.

First you are going to fry the tortillas in heated oil, next pass the tortilla through the heated sauce. Place sauce covered tortilla on a dish, and layer after repeating the oil, sauce steps.

Put tortillas, one at a time in the hot oil, turning once and then moving on to the Green sauce.

It makes it easy if you stack them up on a plate randomly.  I don't stack them straight up because they end up sticking to each other and it's a huge mess once you go to fill and roll.

Here's an example of how I stack them up.

Once you are done with the oil and sauce step.  Put everything close together to make it easy to roll.

Place chicken on the tortilla and roll like a rolled taco.  Place in baking dish and keep filling and rolling till done.

Once done with the fill and roll process, I pour all the remaining green sauce on top and top with shredded cheese.  I like to place in Broiler for 5 minutes or so, till cheese is brown and bubbly.

Enchilada dinner in no time....

I always like to accompany with a side of Mexican rice.

You can also top with shredded lettuce and sour cream.

Sausage, Vegetable spaghetti sauce

First brown the sausage, or turkey.. whatever you prefer to use.  I personally love to use sausage in my spaghetti sauce.

Cut an assortment of your favorite vegetables to add to the sauce.

My favorites and most common vegetables are Zucchini, Mushrooms and Onion.

Add vegetable mixture to the sausage.  Keep on medium flame.

Add spaghetti sauce... yes from the jar.  Why complicate it? this is a quick recipe that is super easy to prepare, and also loaded with lots of delicious flavor.

Serve on top of your favorite pasta.  I usually have different types on hand.  For this recipe I used some Linguine, but any other type would work just as well.  Enjoy!!

Chicken Parmigiana....

Start by making a mix of crumbs, flour and seasonings.. I use garlic, salt, pepper.

 At this time, get the egg mixture ready too.  Beat 2 or 3 eggs, depending on how much you are making, .

Using boneless chicken breast, slice each breast lengthwise to give you two thin pieces. (I rather cut the chicken than use it whole, it's thinner and juicier this way)

 Coat chicken by passing it through the bread crumb first, then egg, and back through the bread crumb.

Then fry in hot oil, make sure oil is hot enough when you start the frying process.

While you are frying the chicken, put a jar of Marinara sauce to heat in a small pot.

This will go under the chicken once you are ready to plate.

Once you have all the chicken fried, place in tray and place a slice of Mozzarella on top of each.

Place tray in broiler for 5 minutes or till cheese gets brown and bubbly.  Keep an eye on it, it can burn fast.

Once the cheese looks toasty, bring the tray out of the oven and get ready to plate.

Place Marinara sauce on plate, place chicken on top of sauce .. and voila! Chicken Parmigiana. 

AGUA DE JAMAICA

AGUA DE JAMAICA

First step is to boil 1 cup dried hibiscus flower in a small pot with 2 cups water.

Bring to a boil, turn off stove and cover pot.  Let cool for at least 1 hour.

Once the concentrate of the hibiscus is cooled.  Drain into empty pitcher.

Add 1/2 cup of sugar and mix till dissolved.  Add more sugar as needed to your taste. I usually add up to 3/4 of a cup of sugar. 

Fill rest of pitcher with water. Recipe makes 1 liter.

Always add ice to the Agua de Jamaica.  It tastes delicious nice and cold.

Coming soon......

Hi friends..... and welcome to my new cooking blog.  Thought I would share with you a few of our family favorite dishes.  I went through many a time when my mind went blank and I found myself asking "what can I cook for dinner?".  I've come to find it easier with lots of different cookbooks... and lots of visits to different cooking blogs.. thanks to technology, it's that much easier to never again ask "what to make for dinner".  Have fun and get creative in the kitchen!!  enjoy ..