Chicken Enchiladas

Martha, Martha, Martha! You did it again. I admit I was doubtful at first...Chicken Enchiladas with creamy green sauce? I don't know! But after careful consideration-I knew you wouldn't steer me wrong. This was a debut attempt at Enchiladas and in my opinion they were a huge hit. I was a little wobbly with flavor happiness that I admit, my photography is a bit off..oh well, next time we'll try again.

I did make a few adaptations right off the bat. I wanted more kick to my enchiladas and it worked perfectly for my taste, feel free to adjust it to fit yours.

Enchiladas with Creamy Green Sauce (Adapted from Martha Stewart )

3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 jars (16 ounces each) medium green salsa
3/4 cup heavy cream
12 corn tortillas (6-inch)
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely shredded (3 cups)
1 (4 oz) can of diced jalapenos
2 tsp ground adobo chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground corriander
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

(**Note: Because it was a bit warmer outside, I didn't want to heat the oven and the whole house for longer than I needed to, so I opted to cook the chicken on the grill. This added extra flavor, which payed off hugely. Prepare the chicken how you like.)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper; place with garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine salsa, jalapenos, and cream. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred meat, discarding skin and bones. In a large bowl, combine chicken and 1/2 cup salsa mixture, adobo chili powder, cumin, and corriander.

Stack tortillas flat, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute to soften. Working with one tortilla at a time, dip in salsa mixture, lay flat, and fill with 1/3 cup chicken mixture. Roll up and arrange, seam side down, 8 enchiladas lengthwise and 4 crosswise in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with remaining salsa mixture, then cheese.

Bake until cheese is browned and salsa is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes; let rest 10 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with cilantro, if desired.

This recipe made enough for 17 enchiladas, maybe I didn't put enough filling in each one-but I thought they were a good size. So even better, I put the rest in the freezer for another time.

Nutella Cupcakes

In this case, it took a village to save these little cupcakes, but in the end I was richly rewarded. Unfortunately, I tend to leave things in the oven just a little too long on occasion. This was no different, I was so excited, the house smelled lovely, and out of the oven the 12 perfectly shaped Nutella cupcakes came. I let them cool, took them out of the paper liners, got really excited, and took my first bite. Hmmm...I thought, not quite exactly what I was expecting...kind of dry. Argh, I double checked the baking time, and sure enough, I over did it.

When we got married we registered for this really nice Analon bakeware set, which we gratefully got. However when I started to bake with them I realized that Analon cooks more quickly and gets more hot than your average bakeware. So after much trial and testing I am now almost used to adjusting recipes oven temperature and reduced cooking time. The recipe I am blogging today, the beautiful Nutella cupcakes reflect the actual recipe, and is without the Analon adjustments that I should have made. But if you do bake with Analon, let me know how it goes for you, we should have a support group I think.

So now I have 11 overbaked cupcakes, and was desperate to save them. I reached out for help, and that is exactly what I got. The outpouring support I got was overwhelming. I realize that this was merely flour and butter, and sugar but now this became a challenge. What I decided would be the best remedy for this situation was to use the blunt end of a skewer and poke a bunch of holes on the top of the cupcakes and create an almondy simple syrup. Drizzle it over the top and let the little cakes drink it up. I also used the rest of the nutella up to create a 'light' frosting. I think that did the trick-Lets taste and find out!

**Yes that's our puppy in the background, isn't she cute!

Nutella Cupcakes (found here)


10 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 325F and line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.

Cream together butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Add in eggs on at a time, until fully incorporated. The batter may not look smooth, this is fine. Add vanilla.

Stir in flour, salt, and baking powder until batter is smooth and all flour is blended. Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin liner with batter. Cups should be 3/4 full if you're not using a scoop. Top each cake with 1 1/2 tsp Nutella. Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, folding a little batter up and over the Nutella as well.Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove to wire rack and allow to cool. Makes 12. While these cooled I prepared the simple syrup.

Flavored Simple Syrup (adapted from here)

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp Cream de Cacao Liqueur (can use any liquer, I wanted to keep with the cocoa flavor theme)


*Use the blunt end of a skewer and literally poke many holes in the top and just let these little cakes drink up the syrup.

World Nutella Day Icing (found here)

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup Nutella
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used almond extract)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, Nutella, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

So in conclusion whether you overbake your Nutella Cupcakes or not, the addition of the simple syrup and Nutella Icing are a nice treat either way!

Penne with Sauage and Tomato

William-Sonoma has always been a reliable source for finding anything to do with the kitchen, and that includes recipes. Check out their website, there is a plethora of resources there. One that cought my eye one day was their Cavatappi with Sausage and Tomato. This recipe was such a favorite it was quickly gobbled up before a picture was taken, oh well, maybe next time. We tend to like ours a bit spicier and with more fennel-here's my interpretation.

Penne with Sausage and Tomato (Inspired by William-Sonoma)

1 lb. hot Italian sausage
28 oz can of diced plum tomatoes
1 Tbsp fennel seed (can use less if preferred)
1 Tbsp dries garlic (can use less if preferred)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 lb. dried penne (or cavatappi)
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tsp oregono

Grab a big pot and get your water boiling, make sure and generously salt your pasta water. Get your pasta cooking and follow the cooking time on the box for al dente pasta. Once the cooked pasta combines with the finished sauce it will absorb a little more liquid, you don't want mushy pasta do you?

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, brown the sausage. Stir in the tomatoes and let the liquid reduce down slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the fennel, dried garlic, and oregono. Stir in the cream and simmer briefly until the cream thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the grated parmesan and give a quick stir. Add the cooked pasta to the saute pan and stir to coat.

Garnish with a sprinkle of parmesan or chopped parsely and enjoy.

Cheesecake Filled Strawberries

I struggled to come up with a name for these little gems...Inside Out Cheesecake? Blackbottom Strawberries? Oh boy, whatever you choose to call them is up to you. But be warned-they are dangerous! Adapt the number of strawberries to the size of the group you will be dazzling with these beauties!

Cheesecake Filled Strawberries (adapted from The Novice Chef)

16 large strawberries

Cheesecake filling of your choice, I used the easy stuff-Philladelphia Cheesecake filling, premade.

4 oz. Semisweet or Dark Chocolate

1/2 cup Graham Cracker crumbs

Directions

Clean and hollow out strawberries, this can be tricky. Use the smallest spoon you can find. Fo me it was the 1/2 tsp measuring spoon that did the trick. Once that is complete, melt the chocolate by whatever means you see fit, mine was via microwave in a glass measuring cup. If using chocolate bars or squares versus the chips, break into smaller pieces to expedite melting.

Spoon the melted chocolate into strawberries, filling halfway approximately. Lean the partially filled strawberries against the rim of a plate and let set up for about an hour. Continue filling the strawberries with the cheesecake filling and re-lean them against the rim of said dinner plate.

Place graham cracker crumbs in a shallow dish. Coat the exposed cheesecake edge in graham crumbs. For a nice touch, drizzle more melted chocolate across the berries for a finishing touch.

Macadamia Nut Blondies

When I was first introduced to Blondies it was many years a go at Applebees, and it had that buttery, gooey sauce dripping from the heaping scoop of ice cream melting on top of the Blondie. And man was that delicous! Recently I learned that a blondie is a brownie, but without the chocolate. There are countless recipes and combinations for these little darlings, but I love mine with macadamia nuts and white chocolate. Also I use almond extract versus vanilla for a little something different. Enjoy this one bowl wonder.

Macadamia Nut Blondies

7 Tbs butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup Macadamia Nuts
*1/4 cup white chocolate chips optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8 pan with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray. In a large microwave safe mixing bowl melt the butter. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Mix the brown sugar with the melted butter and beat until smooth. Beat in egg.

Add salt, stir in the flour, almond extract and baking powder. Mix in white chocolate chips if using. Pour into prepared pan and use a spatula to evenly spread mixture in pan and level the top. Bake for 21-22 minutes or until set in the middle. We generally like things on the lesser done side of things, so if you prefer a more done bar add 2 minutes to cooking time.

Cool on rack before cutting. Then swoon.

Marinated Lamb Kebabs

One of the simple pleasures I have on the weekends is visiting my local Byerly’s meat counter. These guys back there are awesome! Always friendly and helpful! These people are always ready with a grilling or roasting tip to make their products even tastier when you try them at home. Cheers to you people of the meat counters!

I approached the butcher and inquired about lamb (having never bought it before) and he pointed me in the right direction. Since I was only preparing dinner for the two of us I cut the recipe in half, which worked perfectly. I took home one pound of rosemary marinated top round lamb, which the butcher kindly cubed up for me for the kebabs.

Marinated Lamb Kebabs (from Barefoot Contessa)

1 pound plain yogurt (regular or lowfat) (I used half of a 32 oz container)
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus more for brushing grill
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons) (I used one to produce between 1/8 to ¼ cup)
5 tablespoons fresh whole rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds top round lamb (I used one pound)
1 red onion

Directions

Combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a large, non-reactive bowl. Add the lamb, making sure it is covered with the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days.

Prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals. Spread the coals in one tight layer on the grill.
Cut the lamb in 1 1/2-inch cubes. You should have about 20 cubes (I had about 10 since I halved the recipe). Also if cooking with wood skewers, soak them in water for 15 minutes to reduce the chance of them catching fire.

Cut the red onion in 8 pieces and separate each piece into 3 or 4 sections. Loosely thread 3 or 4 pieces of lamb onto skewers alternately with sections of onion. Sprinkle both sides of the lamb cubes with salt and pepper. Place the skewers on the hot grill and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times, until the lamb is medium-rare.

Easy Tzatziki

When I watched the Barefoot Contessa prepare her Greek inspired menu the other week that inspired me to give it a try also. Recently I visited a local Greek restaurant and tried the lamb, tzatziki, and their eggplant. Ina Garten made it look so easy, I wanted to try and recreate those delicious flavors at home also.

Easy Tzatziki (from Barefoot Contessa)

2 (7-ounce) containers Greek yogurt (recommended: Fage Total, but I couldn’t find this)
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled and seeded
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill (I used dried)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the yogurt in a medium bowl. Grate the cucumber on a box grater and squeeze the grated cucumber with your hand to remove some of the liquid. Add it to the yogurt along with the sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, dill, garlic, salt and pepper and stir. Serve with toasted pita.