sour cream enchiladas

These enchiladas from the Pioneer Woman are scrumptious! If you like sour cream/chicken enchiladas and green onions then you'll love this recipe. The original recipe doesn't call for chicken, but I added some leftover chicken I had cooked in the crock pot for some extra protein.

Ingredients

• 12 whole Corn Tortillas
• Canola Oil, For Frying
• 1 can (20 Ounce) Enchilada Sauce
• 2 cups Sour Cream
• 3 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Grated
• 1 cup Sliced/chopped Green Onions
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• cooked chicken, shredded (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix together sour cream, green onions 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar, cumin, cayenne pepper, and chicken.
Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Heat enchilada sauce in a separate skillet or saucepan.
Using tongs, fry tortillas one at a time, for only about five to ten seconds per side (don't allow to crisp.) Remove from oil, then dunk tortilla in enchilada sauce. Lay tortilla on a plate, then spoon a good two or three tablespoons of the sour cream mixture in the middle. Roll tortilla, then place face down in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas and sour cream mixture.
(If there's any sour cream mixture left over, use it as a dip for tortilla chips!)
Cover the dish with the remaining cheese, then bake for 15 to 20 minutes until bubbly.
Serve immediately. Place a dollop of sour cream on each serving, then sprinkle on sliced green onions.

jalapeno whiskey bbq sliders

There are no words to describe how good these sliders are. All I can say is make them for yourself, you can thank me later. Or thanking Pioneer Woman for that matter. ;o)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Ground Meat (beef, Bison, Turkey)
• Salt And Pepper
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Large Onion, Diced
• 1/2 cup Whiskey
• 1 cup Barbecue Sauce
• 1/4 cup Jarred Jalapeno Slices (more To Taste)
• 12 whole Slider Buns Or Dinner Rolls, Split (I like the savory butter Hawaiian rolls)

Preparation Instructions

Form the meat into 12 (or so) miniature patties and salt and pepper them on both sides. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the patties until just about done in the middle, approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the patties from the skillet and set aside. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of grease, then return the skillet to the stove.

Throw the diced onions in the skillet and stir to cook, about 3 minutes. Pour in whiskey (be careful if you're cooking over an open flame; turn it off momentarily to be extra careful) and stir. Allow the whiskey to reduce by half, about 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in jalapenos and the barbecue sauce.

Reduce the heat to low and place the patties in the barbecue sauce, turning to coat. Allow the patties to simmer in the sauce until everything's hot and bubbly.

Place the patties on individual buns and be sure to spoon extra sauce (with the jalapenos!) over the top of each one before topping with the other half of the bun.

olive garden alfredo sauce

This stuff is just...yum...especially if you buy some OG salad dressing and a gallon of peach tea to go with it! 
  
Ingredients:

1 pint heavy cream (I used 1/2 heavy cream and 1/2 half & half to lighten it up a little)
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons cream cheese (optional as a thickening agent, OG does not use cream cheese)
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder (I used 1/2 of a teaspoon)

Preparation:

In a saucepan combine butter, heavy cream, and cream cheese. Simmer this until all is melted, and mixed well. Add the Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Simmer this for 15-20 minutes on low or until sauce is thick. You may wish to season with a little salt and pepper.

roasted chicken noodle soup

This stuff is straight up delicious. Especially around here when it's like -10 outside and you just want some warm soup in your belly! This recipe makes quite a bit, but you can freeze it in individual portions, hand it out to friends, or cut the recipe in half. The measurements are approximated, like always I just add "some of this, some of that".
 
Just a tip if you live here in Alaska: if you go to the commissary right when they open, they sell yesterday's rotisserie chickens over by the tortillas for half off. I buy them for $3.99, what a steal!

I usually chop up all the veggies and shred the chicken while I'm simmering the chicken broth, that way it's all ready to go.


Ingredients:
12 cups homemade chicken broth
1/4 to 1/2 an onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, diced
a little diced cabbage (optional, I like cabbage lol)
small palm-full of fresh chopped parsley
1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed and shredded
1/2 a package of cooked noodles, your choice (the more noodles you add in, the less broth you will have, they suck up all the good juice!)
salt and pepper to your liking

Directions:
Add a little oil to the bottom of a large pot over medium heat. Add in onions, celery, carrots and cook until softened. Add in garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add chicken broth, green onions, cabbage, parsley, shredded chicken, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20-25 minutes (this is usually when I cook the noodles), add in cooked noodles, and serve!

quick chicken broth

Here's a quick, easy recipe for homemade chicken broth. That canned stuff just doesn't compare. Like with most recipes that I post, I don't use actual measurements for a lot of it. It's just "some of this, some of that", but that's the beauty of cooking right?! 

If you're not big on using bouillon packets or just want to keep it clean eating, just omit them and use chicken breasts (or I prefer to use the bones from a rotisserie chicken) and several fresh herbs (thyme, bay leaves, cilantro, peppercorns, etc). I like this recipe.

By the way, this recipe makes a ton, but it freezes well...or you could mix a little in with your dog's food for a treat. Shh, don't tell Tony. ;o)


Ingredients:
12 cups water

1/2 onion, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
2-4 cloves garlic
few sprigs fresh parsley
2 green onions
leftover chicken bones (I use the bones from my rotisserie chickens, you could sub chicken bouillon)
salt and pepper to your liking

Directions:
In a big pot, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium heat, and cook for about 20 minutes. When it's done, strain the liquid, like this:

 Portion leftovers to containers and freeze! Keeps for up to 6 months in the freezer.

chocolate covered pretzels

So I received my Christmas present *from myself* in the mail the other day, and have been dying to try it out! If you haven't guessed already, it's a new camera! Weee! :) These little treats were the perfect test tool! If you like chocolate covered pretzels, you must try making them at home! They're so much better than the pre-packaged kind...not to mention super easy (though a little time consuming). Perfect for filling into clear gift baggies, tie with some festive ribbon, and send them out as holiday gifts! I was feeling generous today so I packaged some up and gave them to Bear's groomer, she loved them :).

How cute would these be if you could find the pretzels in holiday shapes?!

Ingredients:
2 bags chocolate chips
Bag of mini pretzels
Sprinkles of your choice
wax paper


Directions:
Melt chocolate chips (1 bag at a time) in a bowl according to package directions. Dip pretzels one at a time quickly to coat while chocolate is still melted. Place pretzels on wax paper to set and cool. Finish with sprinkles before the chocolate dries! :)

crockpot pot roast

So I'm pretty convinced I make some of the best pot roast out there. I know there are a billion recipes out there, but most of them call for a ton of packaged spice envelopes and canned ingredients which are LOADED with sodium, fat and calories. This one is super simple but tastes great. My hubby and I love to add in some Louisiana hot sauce to give it an extra kick.

Ingredients:
3.5-4 lb pot roast
1/4 cup flour 
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3 carrots, sliced
2 onions, sliced
3 potatoes, quartered (I use a bunch of tiny halved red potatoes)
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bottle of beer (Guiness is the best for this recipe, or another dark beer)
Louisiana hot sauce, optional


Directions:
1. Combine flour, salt, and pepper; coat meat.
2. Place all veggies except mushrooms and garlic into crock pot.
3. Top with roast.
4. Spread mushrooms and garlic over roast.
5. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or high for 6-8 hours.