The best verde enchiladas.

Still looking for my camera cord. :o( In the mean time, I thought I'd share my absolute favorite verde enchilada recipe (from America's Test Kitchen Healthy Cookbook).

 To make this dish of amazingness, you will need:

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts trimmed & pounded if necessary
• Salt & pepper
• 2 1/2 cups of enchilada sauce (I buy 2 cans of Hatch verde sauce from HEB--the BEST)
• 1 cup finely crumbled queso fresco (or feta if you can't find queso fresco)
• 1 (4 oz.) can of green chiles
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro (optional)
• 12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas (Do not buy the cheapest kind! They will break apart, and you will have to make an enchilada casserole instead. I speak from experience.)
• 1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
• a slow cooker, microwave, 9"x13" pan, and a clean kitchen towel

Cook chicken breasts with ~1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in slow cooker on high for three hours. Transfer to a bowl and shred with forks. Combine with another 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, crumbled queso fresco, green chiles, and cilantro if you're using. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix well.

Take six of the tortillas and wrap in a damp kitchen towel. Microwave 25 seconds or until pliable and slightly warm. While you are waiting, drizzle a little enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture and roll up; place in pan seam-side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas until no more filling remains.

Pour one cup enchilada sauce over top and sprinkle with the Monterrey Jack cheese. Cover with foil and bake ~10 minutes. Remove foil and bake another five minutes to melt cheese.

Serve with remaining enchilada sauce, sour cream, or your favorite fixings! You can also make these ahead of time (stop before topping with enchilada sauce and cheese) and refrigerate up to two days or freeze. When you are ready to consume, top with sauce and cheese and bake 10-20 minutes (or until warm) without the foil.

So, I have been looking for my camera's USB cord for many moons. Blog posts without pictures are kind of lame, so I have been uninspired to blog lately. I hope to find it soon!

Overheard.

"So now we are going to brainstorm three ways that we can make our school No Place for Hate. Go ahead and write down your ideas in your composition book."
"Mrs. Hann, how do you spell tazer?"

Menu Planning Monday

So I didn't end up cooking very much last week. One night we went out and another night I wasn't hungry (due to sitting on the couch all afternoon eating chips and green sauce because I had a stressful day). That will not happen again this week!

Menu Planning Monday
monday :: cashew chicken
tuesday :: roasted pork tenderloin, green beans, salad
wednesday :: "World's Best" Mac and Cheese (we will be adding bacon)
thursday :: link sausage (Tyson got some flavored variety from Buc-ee's...) and zucchini cakes
friday :: dog sitting! (so probably baked potatoes all weekend)

Black Bean & Bacon Soup

So, I wish I had a photo to share with this recipe...but let's face it, black-ish soup isn't that appealing anyways. We also gobbled it up pretty quickly!

Soup
5 strips bacon , sliced (use a delicious thick cut!)
1 medium onion, diced
2 T. diced green chiles
2 cans black beans, undrained
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup taco sauce (can buy in a jar...or you can make it homemade for less money and more flavor!)

Homemade Taco Sauce (makes ~3 cups)
3 cups water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
3 tablespoons white vinegar
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper


Make the taco sauce first. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and stir well (in a medium saucepan). Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil on medium-ish heat. Turn to medium-low and simmer five minutes. Let cool. Can be kept in refrigerator.


Cook bacon at medium heat in a dutch oven or large pot until crisp and delicious. Add onion and chiles and cook five minutes or until onion begins to brown. Stir in beans, broth, and taco sauce; bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes. Puree soup with an immersion blender (or transfer to a food processor) until the consistency is to your liking.

A few of my favorite photos of late...

Super delish breakfast my dad made last weekend (bacon omelet)!

So much Airborne and cheap mechanical pencils are required to work in a school.

New favorite flats...not so comfy though.

Brody Bear!

 New owls in my classroom! Courtesy of Pottery Barn Kids and a craft fair. They still need names...I am thinking Winston for my friend on the right.

Scrapbook layout I did while Tyson was out of town! I think this was before I actually finished it.

Poor California all by itself...

Check out that awesome Texas! We decorated our doors at school to promote going to college. Please note the paper at the bottom of the door...a student added that today, intending it to be Montana. Also please ignore the fact that Indiana is bigger than California. I should have added a sign that said, "WARNING: Not to scale!"