Delicious Cheap Chicken Enchiladas!

Yes, its me again. Im just such an amazing cook, and so humble too, that I couldnt keep my recipies from you any longer :).

And you are gonna be SOOOOO happy because its a Crock Pot recipe. I dont know about you, but I am a huge fan of Crock Pot recipies. Simple, Quick, and you dont have to babysit it! Its just great! Not to mention you (or the hubs... hehe) only has one pan to clean :). Ok so Ive experienced a bit with chicken enchiladas. I wanted them to be yummy, easy, fast, and inexpensive. So here is what I have come up with that isnt going to break your pocket book, but is still UBER yummy. (I just love that word.. UBER).

This meal fills a 9x13 pan if you have a lot of mouths to feed (or just one HUNGRY hubby). But for some of us we just have a little family so you can make 2 8x8 pans if you dont want 5 days of left overs :). What I actually do is just do the 9x13 pan, then freeze the rest and reheat a week later. It reheats really well!



2 chicken breasts (about a pound. I buy mine on sale for no more than $2)
1/3 cup mild salsa (about $.50)
1 10 oz can chile verde enchilada sauce (about $1)(many brands make it. Ive found that Las Palmas has the best flavor.. but thats just my opinion)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (i use the cheddar/monterey-jack blend) ($.50)
1 1/2 cup mozerella cheese ($2)
10 tortillas (about $1.50)

Totals around 7 or 8 bucks. not bad to feed a whole family. especially not bad for 2 meals.

mix sauce and salsa in crock pot.


add chicken and fully coat. cook for an hour on low heat (i think my crock pot cooks really fast so check for doneness at this point. chicken should be completely cooked). shred with 2 forks and return to pot, keeping pot on "keep warm" setting for at least 30 minutes. the longer it sits in the sauce, the better the flavor so i do mine for an hour.


put a little cheddar, some chicken, and some mozerella in each enchilada.


top with remaining sauce and mozerella. 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. We were so excited to eat these that I forgot to take a final picture.. but you get the idea. Enjoy!!

DELICIOUS Homemade Wheat Bread

This recipe is amazing. For one.. its delicious. Two... its a FOOD STORAGE recipe. No eggs, no milk, etc.. like many bread recipies call for. Will come in handy one day if it needs to. I have to say that my mother in law makes the most amazing wheat bread. Its like candy... seriousely. My almost 2 year old (picky as picky gets) eater wont touch storebought bread, but calls for this one by name! I could eat a whole loaf, but havent (or have I?). Its sooo good and I didnt take pictures because its super easy and well.. i forgot. So get out your bread maker and write down this recipe!

*First of all I have to say that some of my comments are geared toward those who may have never made bread before, or are new at it. These are tips that I wish I would have known when I was new to making my own bread*

First, make your Bread Mix:
1 cup shortening powder (you can buy this in a #10 can at places like Emergency Essentials
2 cups sugar
4 TBS salt
combine all ingredients and mix WELL!

Now this mix makes about 13 loafs of bread, thats why this might seem like a huge amount. But if you are like me you make it often so I like to make it in large quantities and just grab a small amount each time I make it.

Tip: Have all ingredients ready when you start, if the water sits too long it will cool down and take longer to rise.

Here is the recipe: Add to bread maker in order.
1 1/4 cup very warm water (not HOT, just very warm)
1/4 cup Bread Mix (see above)
1/4 cup honey (I know.. YUMMM right?)
3 TBS, 1 tsp non-fat dry milk

Every good bread recipe has 3 cups of flour or grain. As you can see in the next part, she uses a variety of yummies that make the flavor of this bread INCREDIBLE!

First cup:
2 heaping spoonfulls of gluten (Walmart has this)
the rest whole wheat flour

Second cup:
whole wheat flour

Third cup:
1/4 cup instant oats (the quick ones... they are smaller then regular oats)
the rest bread flour

2 tsp yeast. When adding yeast to the top of the flour, make sure the yeast does not touch the liquids in the bottom. The heat from the water kills the yeast and it will not rise properly if it doesnt churn with the flour first. The best way to do this is to make a pool on the top of the flour thats about 2 inches wide and an inch deep. Pour yeast in pool, cover lightly with flour. Set bread maker to dough setting. When its done, do not knead! Gently form dough into loaf and place in greased loaf pan. Ive found that using crisco works best. Let rise until double in size. This should only take 1-2 hours. Sometimes less depending on temperature of your kitchen, and altitude level. Im in California and it takes about an hour. I just moved from utah and it used to take like 3 or 4 haha! But when its double the size its ready to go in the oven. 350 degrees. 29 minutes. TaDa!

This hits store-bought wheat bread out of the park!! Its a lot healthier for you too. Im a nerd sometimes. One thing that makes me a nerd is that when I find or make up new recipies I like to do all the math and figure out the nutrition facts for it. This is especially fun to do with bread because bread isnt very good for you. BUT, lets be honest now, most of us would sit and eat a whole loaf becaues bread is AMAZING! So its fun to find recipies that are healthy, as well as delicious. SO, I have done the math on this one and the nutrition facts are as follows:

Serving size: 2 regular slices (or one large (3/4 inch or so) slice if you like to eat it plain like me)
Calories: 106
Fat: .5 g
Sugar: 6 g
Sodium: 151 mg
Protein: 4.5

So as it turns out, its actually pretty healthy for you. A great source of healthy calories. Enjoy!

Ricotta Mozzarella Stuffed Shells in 30 minutes

This is WAY easier than it sounds or looks. I got the original from Moms who Think. But I changed it.
15 jumbo shells, uncooked
1 10-oz. package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 tsp Cilantro
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 14 1/2-oz. cans crushed tomatoes

Get your pan of water with a tad of salt and oil. Bring to Boil

While you are waiting for it to boil... Have a dance party!

and then find a fancy or old oven safe pan and line with foil. Who wants to save on dish duty?

mix together the ingredients

now stir. Be sure to turn your head and sneeze in your sleeve. The pepper is potent!

Stir some more and taste it. I added more seasonings. 

add some tomatos into your pan and then some more basil

and don't give in too much to the cute ones wanting a taste. Unless they beg. 

add the remaining broccoli

now your jumbo shells should be done. 

Rinse with COLD water. 

Scoop the yummy filling into each shell. Its a bit messy. 

and now you can give into the little beggar

Place the shells in the pan. Add the rest of the tomatoes over the shells. So pretty. 

Now cover those pretty shells with foil. Bake at 375*

Sprinkle more cheese and ENJOY!!

Chili's Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

Here it is folks. You can look at it here or visit him on YouTube.

I am on a baking roll this week gearing up for my Valentines Day Party.