Chicken Enchiladas Suizas

Friday night has recently become my night for trying new recipes. I don't have to be in a hurry and if it takes longer to make the recipe than I estimate, that's OK. We aren't on a schedule. We had the BEST chicken enchiladas for supper tonight. They sort of remind me of the chicken burrito at On The Border. I found the recipe at Allrecipes (love that website). Here it is:

INGREDIENTS

* 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1 green bell pepper, chopped
* 1 red bell pepper, chopped (I left this out because I didn't have one)
* 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
* 1 cup green salsa
* 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 4 teaspoons ground cumin
* 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
* salt and ground black pepper to taste
* 12 (7 inch) flour tortillas
* 10 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
* 1 cup whipping cream
* 1/2 cup chicken broth

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a rapid boil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the boiling water; cover. Cook 15 to 20 minutes; drain and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 10x15 baking dish.
3. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper in the melted butter until just soft, 5 to 8 minutes; transfer to a large bowl. Add the chicken, Cheddar cheese, green chile peppers, salsa, cilantro, cumin, and chipotle peppers to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper; mix.
4. Place about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture along the edge of a tortilla; roll tightly into a tube. Place the enchilada, seam-side down, into the prepared baking dish. Repeat until all the chicken mixture is used. Sprinkle Monterrey Jack cheese over the enchiladas. Whisk together the whipping cream and chicken broth in a small bowl; pour over the enchiladas. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
5. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until cheese is completely melted, about 10 minutes.

Everybody loved it. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Something to Believe In

Believe

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.
C. S. Lewis

Make a Mosiac

As you can see, I don't have a window over my kitchen sink (I do have a large bay window in the table area of the kitchen). When we first moved in I had a huge wreath hanging over the sink. I never really liked it, but didn't know what else would go in such a large space.

One day, I visited a gorgeous home that had a professionally done mosaic style back splash in the kitchen made with pieces of blue and white dishes as tiles and I just fell in love with it. I decided to replicate it on a much smaller scale in DIY fashion.

First, I had to gather the dishes (it took more dishes than you might think). I decided to use one and only one of my beloved Blue Willow plates as the focal point of the mosaic, but I wasn't about to break more than I absolutely had to. The great part was that since I was going to break the plates anyway, I could buy the chipped and broken pieces on clearance. I got a couple of chipped plates on clearance at T.J. Maxx and I also bought a service for four of blue and white dishes at Target. The set was already on clearance, but I noticed that one of the plates was broken inside the box. I asked the checker if she could mark it down even further and pointed out the broken plate. I got the entire set for $6! I found the small blue "outline" tiles on clearance at Home Depot. I think they were being discontinued.

Next, my brother helped me cut a large piece of plywood to fit between the cabinets. I didn't want the mosaic to be permanent. We have no intention of moving, but you never know. Plus it was easier to make the mosaic while the plywood was laying flat and then fit it into place rather than doing it directly on the wall.

I broke the plates with a hammer (be sure and wear safety glasses if you do this). I had to hit them harder than I thought. I thought I could just tap them and they would break, but it actually took a little force. I put the plates in a pillowcase (that wound up cut to ribbons) and broke them on the front porch. Poor Mike thought I had lost my mind (and not for the first time I'm sure) when he came home and found me breaking plates on the porch with a hammer.

Then all I had to do was spread tile mastic on the plywood with a trowel and arrange the tiles like I wanted. I didn't even grout it afterward (although I probably should have). Once it was good and dry I nailed it into place and it's been there ever since. I love it and I think it adds a lot of character to my kitchen. I get lots of compliments on it. By the way, you can click on the picture to view it larger.

If you have a project that you want to try, go for it. If I can do it, so can you! :)

At Least It's Cozy Inside

This is the tree in my front yard. It is miserably cold and icy outside. Nice and cozy in the house though. I made cookies, got all my dusting and vacuuming done, and now the tea kettle is boiling so I can relax for a few minutes.

I have to get out in the weather soon to drive carpool and I'm so not looking forward to it. Six kids, three schools and icy roads...not a fun combination. I want to curl up on the couch with a book and my knitting and not leave the house until it warms up.

Make Do Monday: Bedspread

Ann Kroeker has a great new carnival "dedicated to sharing the creative, frugal or even humble ways we’re making-do." I think this is a terrific idea! Be sure to head over and read about her Christmas pajama ordeal.

My Make Do Monday is about my bedspread. You may recall that I recently mentioned I want a new one. The current one is worn out and has holes in it. And by holes, I don't mean small, barely noticeable holes, but huge holes where you can see the blanket underneath.


A new bedspread is just not in the budget at the moment, so I decided to find a way to make do. I pulled out an old quilt that I love (although it's almost as shabby as my bedspread) and spread it on top. It's a twin size quilt, so it doesn't cover the whole bed. I guess you could call it the layered look. At least it adds some warmth and looks better than all those holes. Sort of adds to the cottage charm of my bedroom don't you think? :)

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today (January 26th)

Outside my window... It's cloudy, quiet and COLD! I'm not a fan of 21 degree weather.

I am thinking...About starting a fire in the fireplace. I usually save the firewood for when Mike and the kids are home, but it would be so cozy on such a dreary day.

I am thankful for...being healthy and active enough to take care of my home and family.

From the kitchen...chicken enchiladas for supper and hopefully some baking.

I am wearing...A super thick and soft pink sweater, jeans and thick woolly socks.

I am reading... Re-reading one of my Betty Neels novels. They are so sweet and homey.

I am hoping...that we don't really have the "freezing drizzle" that the weatherman is calling for. Driving on icy roads completely freaks me out. Mike will just have to take the kids to school tomorrow if it's icy.

I am creating...Still working on my rainy day scarf.

I am hearing...Billie Holiday singing "On the Sunny Side of the Street".

Around the house...washing sheets and cleaning the laundry room.

One of my favorite things...The sight of my daffodils just beginning to push up out of the cold ground. Spring IS coming! :)

A few plans for the rest of the week... planning the upcoming school bake sale, returning library books (maybe by writing it here I'll remember), and hopefully some cozy evenings in front of the fire.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Greg took this picture and I like it. Ranches and farms are common sights around here.

Find more Daybook entries at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

New Design

Don't you love the new blog look? Did you notice that you can grab my button? I am the very happy recipient of a blog makeover courtesy of Southern Girl Blog Designs. Joanna made my blog look just like I would if I knew how. She is super sweet and easy to work with and can do anything from an entire blog makeover to a button for your blog carnival. If you want your blog to look fantastic, Joanna is the gal for you! Plus, she has a 20% off special going until February 14th! Even better! :)

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday

Sleeping Baby
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
Psalm 139:13-17 (ESV)

Read more about Sanctity of Human Life Sunday and what you can do to help here.

Some answers to pro-choice arguments.

How to Knit

I've had some requests for knitting instructions. I taught myself how to knit from a book. If you don't know anyone who knits, you can check out a knitting book from the library or you can learn from videos. Sometimes it's easier to learn from actually watching someone knit in person or on a video than learning from a book.

I found a couple of knitting videos for you that might be helpful.

This video is all about the different types of yarns available. Hobby Lobby often has yarn for half price and Wal-Mart sometimes has yarn on clearance. I've even found some nice yarn at Dollar Tree. Knitting does not have to be an expensive hobby and you can make some really nice hand made gifts.


This video shows how to cast on. It's the first step in knitting.


This one shows how to make the basic knit stitch.


Hopefully this will get you started. Remember that it takes practice. I made LOTS of mistakes as I was first starting out and still do. Just keep with it. After a while your hands will be making that knit stitch without you even having to think about it.

January Grocery Spending

Shopping at the local chi-chi market went really well this afternoon, although my will power totally crumbled at the bakery and I bought the croissants. I can't wait for croissants and coffee for breakfast in the morning. Don't they look yummy? Is it breakfast time yet?

I finished out my grocery shopping for the month and we won't have missed a single meal despite the reduced budget. :) The Lord has provided very well. I'll have to re-stock the pantry next month, but that's OK.

I looked at our mint.com account and compared total food spending for the month of January to money spent on food in December.
Our totals are: drum roll please...
January spending = 60% of December's spending! I don't think my family even noticed. Some of the lesser amount is because I did lots of elaborate baking in December that I didn't do this month, but I'm still happy with how it turned out.

To Market, To Market...

Street Market, Rue De Levy, Paris, France
My price book has already come in handy! I went to Sam's yesterday to get some of my groceries and I found that while the milk is cheaper, the eggs are not. Who knew?

Today I am headed to our local chi-chi, fou-fou market to finish up my shopping. I'll have to keep myself away from their gorgeous flowers and specialty coffees, but there are plenty of good deals to be had for the smart shopper who knows a good price when she sees one. :)

Progress

I thought you might want to see the progress I've made on the rainy day scarf that I started on the 14th when I shared A Day in My Life. I haven't been able to devote any large blocks of time to knitting, but it is coming along nicely. I love the wavy pattern and it's a lot of fun to knit.

The commonplace

"It is the treating of the commonplace with the feeling of the sublime that gives to art its true power."
-Jean-Francois Millet

And the same goes for homemaking, don't you think?

Household Organization

American Housewife
Some of my key organization tools are my notebooks and my small calendar that I carry in my purse. January always seems like a great time for re-evaluating so I've been thinking about how these tools are working for me. There's no point in continuing to use a tool that is no longer the best fit for my life.

I've realized that I don't use the calendar in my notebook at all, I only use the one in my purse. I write things in it while I'm out. For example, when the kids were at the dentist last week, I made appointments for the 2 who need cavities filled, and for the next round of cleanings. I immediately wrote them in my calendar. I do the same when I'm at a PTA meeting or at church. I just pull out my calendar and write everything down immediately. That way I don't have to keep up with those little cards from the dentist, the PTA newsletter and the church bulletin.

I still use my menu notebook when planning my week's menu and making my shopping list and I store important receipts and tax documents in my household notebook. I was using the budget section every month until I started using mint.com for that. I love that mint can track our spending trends and give us averages of our utilities, grocery spending, gas spending, you name it.

Now that I have my duct-taped, been to Iraq and back laptop courtesy of Greg, :) I am finding it so much easier to do things online, so I have been looking at online organizers. I have played around with several. I have looked at Rememberthemilk.com, Cozi, and Springpad. They each have some really neat features. I think my favorite so far is Springpad because it is very customizable and is basically an online notebook. I also love that I can have it email me reminders of certain events or tasks. It also has a place for my weekly meal plan, favorite recipes (no more printing recipes from various websites, I can just put them on my Springpad), diary, shopping lists, and pretty much anything else you can think of. I'm on the computer a lot (maybe too much? don't answer that!), so it's easy to open up my Springpad and enter information from my calendar, enter a recipe or plan a menu. It even has a pantry inventory to help with planning menus.

I don't plan on giving up my old notebooks and I'll continue to carry a calendar in my purse, but I think the majority of my planning, budgeting and organizing will now be done digitally.

Have you made the leap to digital organizing? Why or why not?

By the way, I was not asked to review any of these online organizers. This is just meant to be helpful information for you.

Pasta and Italian Meat Sauce

This is an easy recipe that I make time after time. My family loves it. It's from the January/February 2003 issue of Martha Stewart's Everday Food and is an adaptation of Ragu alla Bolognese (sauce in the style of Bologna). I changed it up slightly.

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 carrot, grated (about 1/2 cup)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup milk
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 pound fettuccine
grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Heat the butter and oil in a large pan.


Stir in the carrot, onion, and garlic.


Add the ground beef and cook until it is browned.



Add the tomatoes and their liquid. Stir in the milk, bayleaf, thyme, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Simmer 20 minutes.


Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the fettuccine until al dente. Drain the fettuccine and return to warm pot. Add meat sauce and toss. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan and with crusty bread.


Now clean your plate! :)

Frugal Friday: Price Book

I've known for a long time that I should make a price book to help me with my grocery savings. I've read about how helpful they are on several blogs and also of course in my thrift store copy of The Complete Tightwad Gazette. Price books are a great way to help you keep track of what the prices are so you can buy things only when they are at their cheapest.

I do have the prices of a few items in my head, but I sure can't remember everything. I guess I never made a price book because I couldn't imagine myself standing in the aisles of my local grocery store scribbling in a book. What if the manager asked me to leave? I would be mortified!

Well, I finally had a light bulb moment. Why not just use my receipts? Greg gave me a blank book and I got out my latest receipts, my Tightwad Gazette, and made a price book. It's small enough to slip in my purse and I will no longer stand in front of a sale sign at the grocery store and wonder if it's really a good deal.


See more Frugal Friday posts at Biblical Womanhood.

Scripture in our home

I have scripture displayed in several different ways in our home. There is so much negativity in the world and I want our home to have a positive, restful, Christian atmosphere. I like being reminded of God's grace and promises as I look around.

In our master bedroom.


In our living room.


In the entryway.


In the kitchen.

A Day in My Life - January

I slept a little late this morning and didn't get up until 7:00 (and didn't get my exercise in). I woke up to Mike making blueberry pancakes for the kids. Isn't he sweet? We talked about what sort of bedding we want for our bed (hopefully in the next month or two). Our current bedspread is worn out and has holes in it. This is his vote.

Don't think it's gonna happen! :)

We got the kids dressed and off to school and then I came home to eat my breakfast, check email, do breakfast dishes, start a load of laundry, and listen to Beth Moore.

I guess I was on spin cycle when I took this picture. :) Just wanted you to see my cute washing machine. I'm still really enjoying it. Notice I don't have the pedestal (it was like $300!), but it works just fine without one.

I did some vacuuming and then sat down to plan my menu and make my grocery list for the week. I got out my sales circulars, menu notebook, and inventory, made my list and then of course, I had to blog my menu. :)


My sweet mom goes to church near my house and after she finished her ladies Bible study, she came by to treat me to lunch. We had such a nice visit. I'm so blessed to have my family nearby.

After lunch, I read a few blogs and started on a new knitting project. It's called the "Rainy Day Scarf" and I found the pattern at the Motherload. I think it's going to be cute. I even took it with me to work on while I sat in the carpool lane.


I also spray painted an old picture frame. I think I may frame a small tapestry that Greg brought me from Japan.


After school I took all the kids to the grocery store with me. They are getting old enough to be a big help.

I got a lot and spent WAY less than I usually do. Yeah! :)

While the kids were unloading I started supper. Bobby took this picture of me in my favorite apron.


I made Frito Pie and the recipe is so easy y'all are going to laugh! All you do is make your favorite chili, and pour it on top of Fritos in a pan. Then grate some cheese on top, sprinkle some chopped onions around (if you like them) and bake for a few minutes until the cheese is melted. That's all there is to it. My family loves this and would probably eat it once a week.

I did supper dishes.

And now I'm sitting on the couch. :) The girls are in bed and I'm watching TV with my guys.

Hope you all had a wonderful day! For more "A Day in My Life" posts, be sure and visit Little Jenny Wren.

Bonne nuit! :)