Cheesy goodness

Tonight was cheesey goodness. AndI need to start taking pictures because they were so good and words do not do them justice.

We had The Pioneer Woman's Cheese Enchilada's. They were so quick and easy and you can see their cheesey goodness at her site.

12 whole corn tortillas
Canola oil for frying
1 can enchilada sauce - it called for 20 oz, but I bought the big can which was way too much
2 C sour cream
2 C sharp cheddar
1 C sliced green onions
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 375

Mix together sour cream, 1 1/2 C cheddar, green onions, cumin, and cayenne pepper.

Heat canola oil in a small skillet and the enchilada sauce in another skillet.

Using tongs, fry a tortilla for about 10 seconds per side. Remove from oil and dunk in the enchillada sauce. Put on a plate and put 2 or 3 tablespoons of the cheese mixture in the center. Roll the tortillas and put in a 9X13 baking pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas and cheese mixture.

Cover the dish with the remaining cheese and bake 15 - 20 minutes until bubbly.

Top with a little dollop of sour cream and more green onions.

Seriously, make this tonight!

Breakfast for dinner

Tonight I went all out and made scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and warmed up some leftover pancakes. Sometimes it's just too much to actually cook and having something quick and easy is better than hitting a drive through.

Yogurt-marinated Chicken

I was home sick from work today for the second day recovering from the flu. I had planned on making this for the weekend, but decided that I would do it today for everyone else while I enjoyed a wonderful cup of chicken broth.

I was excited for this recipe because it was a complete meal. But we have never had quinoa before and my husband isn't a big fan of sweet potatoes.

Overall, the recipe is very, very simple, but missing something. I used a little bit more garlic and grated it instead of chopping it. I also added a little bit of butter to the quinoa.

I got one little boy with tears saying he didn't like any of it, one little boy deciding he just wasn't hungry, and one little boy who ate most of it. I'll probably make the chicken again, but not the sides.

From Real Simple magazine

Ingredients

· 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

· 4 cloves garlic, crushed

· 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

· kosher salt and black pepper

· 4 4-ounce chicken cutlets

· 1/4 cup walnuts

· 2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed well

· 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

· 1 tablespoon plus 3 teaspoons olive oil

· 1 large sweet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and thinly sliced

· 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded

· 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, halved if large

· 2 sprigs fresh thyme

· 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

2. Heat oven to 450° F. Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool and coarsely chop.

3. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to the package directions. Fold in the walnuts, parsley, 2 teaspoons of the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper.

4. Divide the potato, mushrooms, and thyme between 2 rimmed baking sheets; toss with 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Roast, rotating the sheets once, until tender, 13 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with the vinegar and toss gently.

5. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil in a large cast-iron or other nonstick skillet over medium heat. Wipe the excess marinade off the chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve with the quinoa and vegetables.

The famous question

Every day when I pick up my kids, their very first question is, "Mom, what are we having tonight?" Since starting preschool, they have decided that they are now picky eaters, but I refuse to make a special meal for each of them, so they get what the grownups are having and can choose to eat or not. We also have a crazy busy schedule and being just slightly type A, I have to have a plan. Once a week, I plan out our meals for the week. I have a template that I use that has the days of the week on one side and my grocery list on the other. I divide my grocery list into these categories - produce, meat, dairy, canned goods, frozen, pantry, health/beauty, household, misc.

On the calendar side, I put all our events and then plan out our meals, planning around the things we have at night. I have a few recipes that I use all the time, but I also collect recipes from magazines and other websites. They are all kept in binders in page protectors so that I can just wipe spills off of them. I then try to shop just once a week, unless an ingredient doesn't look that great on the day I go (here's a hint, find out when your produce deliveries are and go shopping that day or the next for the best choices).

Sometimes we stick to the meal assigned for that day and sometimes it's just a guideline of what we have available. I do try to use fresh, organic produce as close to my shopping day so that they are at their peak.

I will be posting my shopping list each week and the recipes that we had that day and use my kids reaction to rate it.