Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas

These days living our daily lives dealing with COVID- 19, grocery shopping has become a planned activity.  There's no more making a short list and popping in to your favorite grocery store.  It's much easier to purchase ingredients that will be used in meals that we can enjoy for 8- 10 days.  The pound of Haddock that's purchased is prepared and enjoyed that night, like usual.  However, there are no longer 3 items on our grocery list.  It has become a larger list!  So, a slightly larger amount of chicken can be purchased, then grilled or baked.  There are easy meals to prepare and to enjoy with those extra slices of chicken the next night.  I talking Chicken Enchiladas!  Packaged Tortillas and Salsa need to be added to your grocery list if you are planning on enjoying this dinner one night, soon!

It's easy to prepare because the chicken has already been cooked!  The extra slices are cut into small pieces and mixed with sour cream, shredded cheese and a few other ingredients.  A small amount is placed on each tortilla before wrapping and placing into a baking dish.  About 30 minutes later Chicken Enchiladas will be ready for dinner.

Yes, I have written complete directions for this recipe before and it can be found here.

Last night we enjoyed them.  It sure was a quick and easy dinner to prepare!  Add tortillas and salsa to your grocery list whenever you will be baking/ grilling chicken.  A few slices of the chicken is key to another delicious dinner!  Leftovers?  Oh, no!  Those extra slices are the main ingredient to a very delicious dinner.  

Enjoy!
Yummy!

  
        

Chili

Chili

Sometimes, you need to work with the ingredients at hand!  Like these days when a quick trip to the grocery store is just not in the cards... whenever.  Planning ahead and purchasing needed groceries for 8- 10 days is a new norm for us.  It is working, though.  Sometimes, an ingredient is not in the fridge, so it is just skipped or substituted.  That was the case with Friday night's dinner. 

Chili "did its thing" in my Slow Cooker.  It cooked itself!  The ingredients were in the cooking pot simmering.  Usually, I use Ground Turkey when making Chili, but we enjoyed it with Ground Beef.  There was no Green Pepper to be found in my fridge, so half of the Diced Tomatoes were placed in the Slow Cooker's pot, first.  Then, the browned Ground Beef was added in.

Chili is so delicious any time of year with Ground Turkey or Ground Beef.  After dinner the extra portions were placed in a freezer container ready to be defrosted/ enjoyed at a later date.  It is so easy to prepare in a Slow Cooker! 

My complete Directions for Chili are here!    

There were a couple of changes when preparing it, but two things did not change.  We had the rye bread. We also added a dollop of Sour Cream on top of our serving of Chili.  It was so good!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

           

Early April

We are enjoying many colors in our yard.  What a great distraction from this current pandemic.  COVID-19 is always in our thoughts, but during the day it's good to take time to relax.  Enjoy the colors outdoors!  We don't have any roses blooming to enjoy their aroma, just yet.  However, there is new growth on our rose bushes.

I was waiting p-a-t-i-e-n-t-l-y for the Daffodil buds to open.  So many bulbs were planted many years ago.  Now, these are the only Daffodils in our yard.    

The Perennial Vinca spreads across a large area of one garden.  In early Spring these dainty flowers appear!

Hyacinths are just bursting open along with the bright yellow Forsythia!  Every day more bright yellow Forsythia buds open.  

 

The White Bleeding Hearts have sprouted up from the soil, too!  Before we know it the flowers will be visible.

Another favorite is our Rhododendron that always "does its thing"!  Half the bush has buds that open in the Spring.  Then, in Autumn the other half open.

It's good to stop and enjoy the beautiful colors!  Take some time each day to r-e-l-a-x!! 

Enjoy!
Stay Well!

   

Best Ever Irish Soda Bread

 

Best Ever Irish Soda Bread
(File Photo)

St. Patrick's Day is soon!  It's the day when just about everyone is Irish!  Me??  Oh, I'm Irish by marriage.  For that reason, I just knew years ago that I needed to bake a really great tasting Irish Soda Bread.  The kind of Irish Soda Bread that tasted better than any that I had tasted. 

I did locate a great recipe!  Now, whenever I sample a slice of other breads, it's always, "Ah, no, not as good."  Sometimes, they are a bit too dry.  Other times there are not many raisins to enjoy.  That does make a big difference.  

In my quest for the "perfect" Irish Soda Bread, I googled.  At that time my search led me to Carol who also had a foodie blog.  The ingredients were few and the method was so easy.  In my haste one year I melted and cooled the unsalted Butter.  That error led to a much easier method of preparing the dough.  

The dough is very sticky.  It's also plump full of Raisins!  The Raisins are soaked in hot water, first, drained and then added to the other ingredients.

Ready to be baked!
(File Photo)

This year, rather than write out the recipe for Best Ever Irish Soda Bread, here is the link.  Yes, it is worth it to click on this link!  Last week I purchased the needed ingredients, because I knew I had to bake this yummy bread for this Tuesday.  I'll be baking it tomorrow!   

If you have any extra slices, they can be frozen to enjoy at another time.  I place each half slice in a sandwich bag and then place all of the sandwich bags into a freezer bag.  The needed amount can be defrosted. This also makes a great gift for other family members!  In this photo it's cut and sliced and ready to be enjoyed.

A great treat to share!
(File Photo)

If you do not have Buttermilk in your fridge, save this recipe to use after purchasing it in the coming weeks.  The other ingredients, too, if they are not in your pantry.  This is one very tasty Irish Soda Bread!!  Whenever I bake one I always think of Carol who introduced me to this delicious bread!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

     


                     and

               Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!!

Dr. Seuss and the Cat in the Hat
at the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden
Springfield Museums

Today

On March 2

We wish you,

Dr. Seuss,

a Happy Birthday!!!

So many of us enjoy the books that Dr. Seuss wrote!!  Here in the Springfield, MA area his birthday is celebrated this week, as it is in so many other places.  He was born in Springfield, MA on March 2, 1904 and grew up in this city.  For that reason he has a very special place in the hearts of area residents.  Theodor Seuss Geisel wrote fascinating stories for children and used the name Dr. Seuss.  Seuss was his mother's maiden name.  On the grounds of the Springfield Museums in Springfield there are many large bronze statues of the characters in his books.  They were designed by his step- daughter the sculptor Lark Grey Dimond- Cates. 

His inspirations for his stories came from his surroundings when he was growing up.  Theodor Geisel grew up in the Forest Park section of Springfield.  His dad was the superintendent of the Forest Park Zoo.  Theodor often heard the phrase, "If I ran the zoo...".  Many of us have enjoyed his book, If I Ran the Zoo.  

Indian Motocycles are drawn in some of his books.  These motorcycles were manufactured in Springfield!  Theodor Geisel never lived on Mulberry Street.  His maternal grandparents owned a bakery in Springfield.  

Whenever I stop in, now, to visit one of the five museums at the Springfield Museums, it's always a treat to take a walk around the beautiful statues.  

Horton and Other Friends
at the Springfield Museums

One day many years ago after giving a tour to a school group I was leaving the complex.  Suddenly, I saw a little girl with her parents coming on the grounds to visit.  She ran over to The Lorax and gave him a big hug.

The Lorax
at the Springfield Museums

              
It is a very special place!  Now, there is also a museum, The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum, to visit.  It is a great place for children, young and old, to use their imaginations and have fun.  History of the area is also covered as it relates to this great author, Dr. Seuss!  If you have never visited this museum, stop in!  It is one of the five museums at this gem in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts!

Enjoy!

 

Some Valentine's Day History

A few years ago I wrote a post about Valentine's Day.  History is always interesting!  On the special day, which is today, February 14th- I am reposting it: 

American Valentine's Day Cards History

Enjoy Valentine's Day!!

Creamy Cheesy Pie

Creamy Cheesy Pie
ready to cut into slices
(File Photo)

How many years have I been making Creamy Cheesy Pie??  It has been so many.  Actually, a few decades!  Years ago my husband & I were in Florida visiting his parents when I first tasted this yummy dessert.  After enjoying dinner my MIL served cheesecake with fresh fruit.  Now, cheesecake is always so hard for me to resist.  It was so yummy that I asked her for the recipe!  The ingredients were milk, cream cheese and a package of pudding (to prepare on the stove).  Was I ever surprised!  The instructions were so easy, too! 

At home the week before I had baked a cheesecake that required more than one package of cream cheese and it was baked in a springform pan.  There were many step by step directions, too.  Considering the time it took me to prep the cheesecake I had made and how easy my MIL's was to prepare, this one has become a fave with me!  Oh, the one I had made was delicious, but why spend extra time prepping a food when there is another option? 

Creamy Cheesy Pie is also a fave here, because it is a recipe handed down to me!

If and whenever you happen to be looking for a simple, yet very tasty dessert, prepare this if your family enjoys cheesecake!

• I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese when I make it, now.  It's because I'm always trying to reduce cholesterol when cooking. 

• I also use 1% Milk + 2 teaspoons powdered dry milk when prepping any pudding mix.        

Creamy Cheesy Pie 

Ingredients:

(1) Premade Graham Cracker Pie Shell
(1) 8 ounce package Cream Cheese
(1) package Cook & Serve Vanilla Pudding mix
(2) Cups Milk

Method:

1. Prepare Pudding according to package directions. 
2. Place Cream Cheese in medium sized bowl.
3. Pour hot Pudding over Cream Cheese and whisk until smooth.
4. Pour mixture into Graham Cracker Crust.  Smooth mixture to crust edge.
5. Cool about 30 Minutes.  Then, cover with plastic wrap.
6. Refrigerate overnight.
7. Cut into needed slices. Add Whipped Cream on top and berries on the side.
8. Refrigerate remaining slices.

This is a great dessert any time of year!

Enjoy!
Yummy!