Chicken Enchiladas

I love enchiladas because you can add so many odds and ends to them. It is a great time to try new things in them. This is great for the family when you go out of town because you can freeze it and bake later. Im making this for a family who just had a baby. Im taking it uncooked and they can cook it whenever they are ready for dinner. This is one of Daves favorites. I make it half corn and half flour tortilla for us because thats how we like it.
Here is my basic recipie that I use.

Prep: 25 min
Cook Time: 30-40 min
Serves: 6

2 cups shredded chicken
1 pkg of Toco seasoning
1 15 oz. can beans drained ( i like black)
1 10.5 oz. can cream of chicken
1 3.5 oz green chiles diced or about 1/4 cup
1 14 oz of diced tomatos (drained)
1 cup of grated cheese (any kind you have)
10 - 20 corn tortillas or you can use flour if you like it softer.

Cook chiken on the stove with water till cooked. Using 2 forks shred the chicken into bite sized chunks. Add Toco seasoning and let it simmer in some water for about 3 min. To the pan on the stove add beans, cream of chicken, chiles, tomatos (drained) and 1/2 cup cheese. Preheat oven to 425*. In a 9x9 pan spoon some of the mixture on the bottom to coat. (Caserole version follows, start from here) Heat up the corn tortillas so that they are soft and wont break when rolled. you can do this in the microwave on a plate with a damp paper towel on top of stack of tortillas for about 1 min or so. Using a hand towel, (to keep your hand protected from hot ingredients) place warm tortilla on towel and spoon mixture into center of tortilla, about a little less than 1/4 cup. Roll the tortilla up and place in pan. Repeat until pan is full. I usually stuff it. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for about 30-40 min or until the cheese is melted and golden brown. You can also do a caserole version of this.
Caserole instructions:
Cut Tortilas up like a pie so you have triangles. Spoon some mixture on bottom of the pan to cover. Place cut tortillas in pan overlaping. cover with 1/4 mixture. Repeat 3 more times. Sprinkle with cheese and bake the same.

Spinich and Garlic Bruchetta

I made this recipie up instead of putting my laundry away. Its really yummy and a more creative use of my time. If you cant tell yet, I put spinich in almost everything... even in my spaghetti.

Serves: about 12
Time: 5 min

8 oz. cream cheese
2 garlic cloves minced
1 cup packed fresh spinich
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp basil flakes
tomato chopped fresh or sundried (optional)
1 loaf french bread (you can use cheesey bread too.)

slice loaf into 1 inch slices on a diagnal. lay on cookie sheet and put under the broiler for 3-5 min till golden brown. you can also put slices on the grill for about 30 sec or till slightly charred on edges. meanwhile pack spinich in a food processor and finley chop. add garlic, parmesan, lemon juice, and basil and chop again. Add cream cheese and pulse till creamy and smooth. (It will turn a minty green color). Spread on toasted bread while still warm and add optional tomatos. Serve immediatly. ( Spread can be made ahead of time.) you can finish off with a sprig of parsley for looks.

King Ranch Chicken

I've made this recipe for baby showers and other get-togethers and it always seems to be a big hit. My kids love this easy meal and it's one of our family's favorite dish. Sorry, I can't give the prep time, etc. I suppose it all depends on how fast you want to prep and cook it.

Ingredients:

¼ c. margarine or butter

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can (10 oz.) RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies (hot or mild), undrained

2 c. cubed cooked chicken

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

tortilla chips

Toppings:

sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced olives

Directions:

Sautee onions and pepper in margarine, for about 5 minutes. Add soups, RO*TEL, chicken and cheese, stirring until well blended over medium heat. Heat until bubbling. Serve over tortilla chips, topped with sour cream, shredded cheese and olives (and anything else you'd like to add). Serves 8.

** FYI: I prefer to make this recipe in a crockpot. After the onions and peppers are sauteed in a pan, I transfer them into a crockpot and add the remainder of the ingredients, stirring until well blended. Heat on low or medium setting until bubbly. Serve with toppings. Best when it's served warm. There's also a baked casserole version of this recipe at: www.ro-tel.com. Enjoy!!! :)

Hashbrown Quiche

I was making Shelleys coconut cookies and accidentally used the whole egg instead of just the egg whites. I didnt want to waste 4 good eggs so I thougt we would have breakfast for dinner tonight. This is what I came up with. It turned out pretty good.

Serves: Makes a 9 in quiche
Time: 1 hr 20 min

Crust:
3 c hashbrowns (I use frozen)
1/4 c butter
salt

Fill a pie pan with hashbrowns and arrange around pan and up the sides to make crust. drizzle butter all around and bake for 40 min at 450 degrees. Or until it is light brown on sides and cooked on bottom

Filling:
8 eggs
1/4 c milk
1/2 cup chopped onions (green would be good too)
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/2 c frozen corn
1/2 c chopped spinich
1/2 c grated cheddar chese (any cheese will do)
salt and pepper
add any spices or herbs you like

Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs. Add milk and cheese, mix. Add salt and pepper to taste and any spices or herbs. Pour all other ingredients over crust. Pour egg mixture over that. Bake for 40 min or until eggs are solid in center and puffed up. Let cool for a few minutes and serve. Garnish with sour cream.

Mild Chili

Serves:about 6
Time: about 30 min

1 lb ground beef
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatos
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
2 cans beans (15 oz) your choice I like red beans and pinto beans together
1 small onion chopped ( i use dry minced)
1 pakage McCormicks toco seasoning mix
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with parmesan, grated cheese, sour cream or tortilla chips

Brown beef. When beef is 1/2 cooked put in onions and cook the rest of the way. Add all other ingredients and simmer for about 10 min. Easy!