Fiesta Fabulous Menu
This menu is yummy and a home cooked meal you will be glad to serve guests or family. It took less than 2 hours to make it mostly from scratch for 12 at my table last week.
The Menu is:
Chicken Enchiladas
Beef Enchiladas
Mexi Rice
Seasoned Pinto Beans
Green Salad
Condiments
Constant Comment Iced Tea
I feel I have reached a happy medium of some from scratch and some convenience. For instance, regretfully I didn't raise and butcher my chicken, but I did use ground venison for the beef Enchiladas that was in my freezer from last years hunting bounty.
I didn't make my own cream soup from scratch but snitched by using canned but did make my own homemade Enchilada sauce. Also didn't make my own flour tortillas but did cook my beans from dried ones instead of using canned.
So, I have made a few concessions here and there as all of us don't have all the resources at our hand...all of the time....but I can tell you it all tasted FIESTA FABULOUS and got raves from my guests.
Sour Cream
Cream of Chicken Soup
Pan Spray (like Vegelene or Pam)
Green Chilis (small cans available in International food section)
Flour Tortillas
Mexi blend shredded cheese
Cook and stir until cooked through or lightly browned on both sides. Then take kitchen shears and snip into bite sized pieces. Cook a few minutes longer until thoroughly cooked, adding a splash of water if needed so pieces won't stick. Set aside for recipe - Could be prepared up to 24 hours in advance of preparing the rest of the recipe and kept refrigerated until ready to use.
Step 2: Mix these together in a large mixing bowl, stirring to combine.
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 small can finely diced green chilis
Step 3: Spray a 9x13 baking dish with pan spray. Spread a very thin layer of mixture from step 2 in the bottom of the pan.
Step 4: Mix 2 cups of creamy mixture from Step 2 into the chicken pieces from Step 1. Add and stir in 2 cups finely shreded Mexi blend cheese.
Step 5: Put 1/4 cup of chicken mixture from Step 4 into the center length of a flour tortilla. Roll up tightly and place in 9x13 pan preapred from Step 3.
Step 6: Put any remaining mixture from Step 2 on top of rolled tortillas. Top with more finely grated shredded Mexi cheese blend (like Colby, Jack, Cheddar & Mozerella).
Step 7: Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and tortillas are heated through.
Step 8: Let casserole set for 10 minutes before cutting and serving hot with the other good things on your menu. Have sour cream, chopped cilantro and pickled jalapeno slices as condiments for the garnishes. ---------------------
One of my families most favorite meals is from dried black beans. The trick to dried beans is seasonings. They can be made very tasty! Tastes vary so here are my suggestions for adding to pinto beans.
I add all of these seasonings after they are cooked to a soft stage and just add the seasonings then simmer 10 minutes and serve.
Drain off all but a small portion of the juice from cooking. Add PLENTY of salt, pepper and even a bit of bacon grease really will boost the flavor.
Then my next seasonings for pinto beans we can't do without are chili powder and minced garlic + onion. Add all of these to your pot of cooked beans and I'm sure they will ask for more!
Makes a great quick casserole that no one will realize is made from some leftovers. You can make as much or as little as you would like of this recipe by doubling or tripling the ingredients. My recipe will feed 8 comfortably.
Add all of these ingredients to a saucepan, stir to combine, and cook on medium heat, covered, for 20 minutes.
Set off heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Fluff and stir. Serve hot as a side dish.
2 cups long grain rice
1 can cream style corn
1/4 cup diced bell pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
2 heaping Tbsp. chicken broth powder or 4 boullion cubes
2 1/2 cups water
1 can diced tomatoes w/ juice
1 tsp. dried onion flakes
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt --
Since we are Southeners I guess we just take our Iced Tea for granted...but then even in the South you can get some pretty nasty tasting Iced Tea.
Here is how I always get comments on mine.....
5 cups of cold water in a saucepan
2 family size decaf tea bags
1 "constant comment" tea bag by Bigelow
Bring to boil. Let stand only 10 minutes.
Add 1 1/3 cup sugar to a 1 gallon pitcher.
Add in hot tea mixture removing tea bags.
Stir to dissolve sugar.
Fill pitcher with cold water. Refrigerate.
Serve over crushed ice with lemon wedges.
"Constant Comment" is a tea blend with the delicious blend of fine tea with orange rind and sweet spice by Bigelow. When I don't make my Constant Comment Iced Tea I use 3 family size tea bags instead of what I have posted above and follow all directions the same as usual.
Tomato Paste Chili Powder
Salt & Pepper Cumin
Oregano Onions
Ground beef or venison or turkey
Flour Tortillas
Mexi Cheese blend (finely grated)
Optional: cilantro, jalapeno slices, black olives
Sauce for Homemade Enchiladas -
prepare first:
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can tomato paste
3 cups water
1 heaping TBSP. chili powder
Heat oil with garlic and then add chili powder, flour and whisk. Add in tomato sauce and water and continue whisking and cook on medium high heat while whisking til sauce is thickened. This is your sauce.
Now brown 2 lbs. of ground meat (turkey, venison or beef) until pink is gone. Add in one small chopped onion and 2 more cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp. oregano, 1 Tbsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. cumin and salt to taste.
Then add some of the above prepared red enchilada sauce to moisten meat.
Have warm soft flour tortillas ready to fill (do this by wrapping in foil and keeping in the oven on 300 degrees while preparing sauce and meat.
Spoon meat in the middle of each tortilla and add lots of mexi shred cheese - ROLL tightly.
Add rolled and filled tortillas to a greased or buttered 9x13 baking dish.
After pan is full of filled and rolled enchiladas, spoon over red sauce and then add more cheese on top.
Bake uncovered for 20 -25 minutes in 375 degree oven or until cheese is melted and lightly browned and enchiladas are heated through.
You can also garnish your enchilada dish with black olive slices or jalapeno slices if desired or sprinkle the top with freshly chopped cilantro as soon as you take it from the oven.
The Menu is:
Chicken Enchiladas
Beef Enchiladas
Mexi Rice
Seasoned Pinto Beans
Green Salad
Condiments
Constant Comment Iced Tea
I feel I have reached a happy medium of some from scratch and some convenience. For instance, regretfully I didn't raise and butcher my chicken, but I did use ground venison for the beef Enchiladas that was in my freezer from last years hunting bounty.
I didn't make my own cream soup from scratch but snitched by using canned but did make my own homemade Enchilada sauce. Also didn't make my own flour tortillas but did cook my beans from dried ones instead of using canned.
So, I have made a few concessions here and there as all of us don't have all the resources at our hand...all of the time....but I can tell you it all tasted FIESTA FABULOUS and got raves from my guests.
CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
GROCERY LIST:
Boneless skinless chicken breastsSour Cream
Cream of Chicken Soup
Pan Spray (like Vegelene or Pam)
Green Chilis (small cans available in International food section)
Flour Tortillas
Mexi blend shredded cheese
Chicken Enchilada Recipe Step by Step
Step 1: Pan fry boneless/skinless breasts in a very small amount of olive oil or butter. Add in a tablespoon of minced fresh garlic while cooking.Cook and stir until cooked through or lightly browned on both sides. Then take kitchen shears and snip into bite sized pieces. Cook a few minutes longer until thoroughly cooked, adding a splash of water if needed so pieces won't stick. Set aside for recipe - Could be prepared up to 24 hours in advance of preparing the rest of the recipe and kept refrigerated until ready to use.
Step 2: Mix these together in a large mixing bowl, stirring to combine.
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 small can finely diced green chilis
Step 3: Spray a 9x13 baking dish with pan spray. Spread a very thin layer of mixture from step 2 in the bottom of the pan.
Step 4: Mix 2 cups of creamy mixture from Step 2 into the chicken pieces from Step 1. Add and stir in 2 cups finely shreded Mexi blend cheese.
Step 5: Put 1/4 cup of chicken mixture from Step 4 into the center length of a flour tortilla. Roll up tightly and place in 9x13 pan preapred from Step 3.
Step 6: Put any remaining mixture from Step 2 on top of rolled tortillas. Top with more finely grated shredded Mexi cheese blend (like Colby, Jack, Cheddar & Mozerella).
Step 7: Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and tortillas are heated through.
Step 8: Let casserole set for 10 minutes before cutting and serving hot with the other good things on your menu. Have sour cream, chopped cilantro and pickled jalapeno slices as condiments for the garnishes. ---------------------
Seasoned Pinto Beans
Dried beans --- don't let them scare you! I NEVER buy canned beans...but always cook mine from scratch. When I use my Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker I can have my beans ready in just a jiffy -- no more having to soak them all night or start them cooking in the early morning.One of my families most favorite meals is from dried black beans. The trick to dried beans is seasonings. They can be made very tasty! Tastes vary so here are my suggestions for adding to pinto beans.
I add all of these seasonings after they are cooked to a soft stage and just add the seasonings then simmer 10 minutes and serve.
Drain off all but a small portion of the juice from cooking. Add PLENTY of salt, pepper and even a bit of bacon grease really will boost the flavor.
Then my next seasonings for pinto beans we can't do without are chili powder and minced garlic + onion. Add all of these to your pot of cooked beans and I'm sure they will ask for more!
Mexi Rice
This rice dish I invented goes great with any type of Mexi meat dish. I even use it as a base for adding cooked leftover dried beans on top and then seasoned taco meat and a big layer of cheese.Makes a great quick casserole that no one will realize is made from some leftovers. You can make as much or as little as you would like of this recipe by doubling or tripling the ingredients. My recipe will feed 8 comfortably.
Add all of these ingredients to a saucepan, stir to combine, and cook on medium heat, covered, for 20 minutes.
Set off heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Fluff and stir. Serve hot as a side dish.
2 cups long grain rice
1 can cream style corn
1/4 cup diced bell pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
2 heaping Tbsp. chicken broth powder or 4 boullion cubes
2 1/2 cups water
1 can diced tomatoes w/ juice
1 tsp. dried onion flakes
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt --
Constant Comment Iced Tea
My family tells me I make the best Iced tea! I just chuckle when I remember I had to ask my sister for a "RECIPE" to make iced tea when I first married.Since we are Southeners I guess we just take our Iced Tea for granted...but then even in the South you can get some pretty nasty tasting Iced Tea.
Here is how I always get comments on mine.....
5 cups of cold water in a saucepan
2 family size decaf tea bags
1 "constant comment" tea bag by Bigelow
Bring to boil. Let stand only 10 minutes.
Add 1 1/3 cup sugar to a 1 gallon pitcher.
Add in hot tea mixture removing tea bags.
Stir to dissolve sugar.
Fill pitcher with cold water. Refrigerate.
Serve over crushed ice with lemon wedges.
"Constant Comment" is a tea blend with the delicious blend of fine tea with orange rind and sweet spice by Bigelow. When I don't make my Constant Comment Iced Tea I use 3 family size tea bags instead of what I have posted above and follow all directions the same as usual.
BEEF ENCHILADAS ~
We don't buy beef of any kind as our freezers are stocked full of venison from each years hunt season by my hunter husband and his band of boy hunters. So this recipe calls for beef but I always use my ground venison in it with good results.GROCERY LIST:
Butter FlourTomato Paste Chili Powder
Salt & Pepper Cumin
Oregano Onions
Ground beef or venison or turkey
Flour Tortillas
Mexi Cheese blend (finely grated)
Optional: cilantro, jalapeno slices, black olives
Sauce for Homemade Enchiladas -
prepare first:
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can tomato paste
3 cups water
1 heaping TBSP. chili powder
Heat oil with garlic and then add chili powder, flour and whisk. Add in tomato sauce and water and continue whisking and cook on medium high heat while whisking til sauce is thickened. This is your sauce.
Now brown 2 lbs. of ground meat (turkey, venison or beef) until pink is gone. Add in one small chopped onion and 2 more cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp. oregano, 1 Tbsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. cumin and salt to taste.
Then add some of the above prepared red enchilada sauce to moisten meat.
Have warm soft flour tortillas ready to fill (do this by wrapping in foil and keeping in the oven on 300 degrees while preparing sauce and meat.
Spoon meat in the middle of each tortilla and add lots of mexi shred cheese - ROLL tightly.
Add rolled and filled tortillas to a greased or buttered 9x13 baking dish.
After pan is full of filled and rolled enchiladas, spoon over red sauce and then add more cheese on top.
Bake uncovered for 20 -25 minutes in 375 degree oven or until cheese is melted and lightly browned and enchiladas are heated through.
You can also garnish your enchilada dish with black olive slices or jalapeno slices if desired or sprinkle the top with freshly chopped cilantro as soon as you take it from the oven.