My How Things Have Changed

May 28th, 2009

While editing yesterday’s birthday pictures I realized a few things have changed since the beginning of our spring birthday season.

It’s been 10 weeks since I posted this.

Let’s start with the background shall we?  Brenda mentioned taking the pizza boxes out to the trash for me.  Let me assure you, that was the least of my issues on this day.  My in-laws came over that day and ashamed as I was I could not manage to get the house any cleaner than the above picture.  Notice that the area behind the kitchen had become a catch-all.  Even the counters and sink were overflowing with crud.  I had tried to crop the picture, but you can still tell it was totally ridiculous.  And I didn’t even bother to dry my hair.

Speaking of hair..

A few weeks ago I did this to my hair:

Please tell me what I was thinking.  I was blond once upon a 15 year old ago time.  And somehow thought I could recapture that.  It’s gone, people.  I’m a brunette.  It’s just who I am.  And that cut?  I chopped it off in the bathroom one night.  Just got sick of it.  Beautiful.  So when I started feeling a little better I went to the actual hair dresser and let them fix me.  Plus, I have moved from looking fat and kinda frumpy to looking more, well, pregnant.  And, though, Chickadee, no longer wants to be asked about being pregnant, I, however, would like to have the antithesis of her shirt and let everyone know there is actually a baby growing in there.

As happy as I am with my own changed looks, one of my favorite changes in the background is the school nook.  It’s back!!  About a year and a half ago I made this little section of my house a place we could do school work.  I loved it, but alas I had a toddler that used to dump everything in sight.  With a little time (and even less training) he has begun to leave a few things alone now, and I’ve brought back a place I can put our supplies, a table for our work, and a comfy reading chair.  SO glad to have it back.  Along with the resurrection of the nook, is the actual schoolwork itself.  We worked back into daily worksheets and have now picked out our newest lapbooks that we’ll begin next week.  The kids and I both are excited.  It’s good to be back on top of things, cooking a little more, cleaning a little more, and good grief, showing a little bit of pride in myself.

Thanks, y’all, for loving me through the bad days.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

May 26th, 2009

Here’s that recipe I promised you. I hope it makes sense, most of this is from memory and not an exact recipe, so good luck! And feel free to ask me any questions you have. Don’t be daunted by the size of it. If you have pre-prepped some of these things (like the cheese, onions, and chicken) it won’t be SO much work at the time. And just remember it’s worth the work!

You’ll need 1 package corn tortillas (I usually buy the bigger package).  Set aside.

Enchilada sauce
1-2 cups sour cream (recipe calls for 1 cup, I like more)
4 tablespoons margarine
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese  **Edited:  I shred a 1 pound block of Monterey Jack and divide evenly between the sauce and the filler.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl mix together flour, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Melt margarine over low heat, stir in flour mixture to make a thick paste. Slowly stir in milk to make a gravy-type sauce. Add cheese and stir until melted, remove from heat, stir in sour cream and set aside.

Enchilada Filler
3 cups chopped chicken
1 medium onion chopped
1 small can black olives
1 small can diced green chilis
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
Approximately 1/2 cup of the Enchilada Sauce – just enough to make the mix moist and kind of stick together.

Mix all ingredients for the filler together in a large bowl. Spray or line your casserole dishes (I usually have enough to fill 2 9×13 pans, but as with all recipes for me, all things are approximate!) to keep them from sticking. At this point set up your “rolling station” to make everything go smoother. Set a bowl of warm water first, followed by tortillas, large bowl of filler, casserole dishes, then pan of sauce last. To keep tortillas from cracking – dip tortillas in warm water (hot oil is what the recipe calls for, though I’ve discovered they still kind of crack both ways, but not as badly as if they are cold, so I go the easier route). Fill tortillas with chicken filler, roll up, and place seam side down in casserole dish. Lay them side by side with sides touching. (I usually have left over tortillas and since we love the tortillas as much as the filler I usually lay an extra layer of flat tortillas over the top of the rolled/filled ones.  But this is definitely optional.)  When both dishes are full – pour remaining sauce evenly over rolled tortillas. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

Mmm – I can’t wait for dinner tonight! – except I forgot to pick up the can of chopped black olives, so I’ll be making a trip to the store first!  Hope you enjoy and let me know if you liked it or altered it, I’d love to try your version!