Menu Mondays

In an attempt to blog more often, I'm going to try something new:

MONDAYS: "Not Me, Monday!" with MckMama or Menu Monday

WEDNESDAYS: Wordless Wednesday where I will show a favorite picture of the past

THURSDAYS: Thankful Thursdays

FRIDAYS: "Show Us Your Life" with Kelly (unless I have nothing to contribute)

Since today is Monday, I'll try my hand at sharing one of our favorite recipes with you! I'll be honest...Brad does most of the cooking around here. When I'm working a 12-hour shift, there just isn't a lot of time for me to get home, cook dinner, eat and have some quality time together since I don't arrive until after 7:30. Brad actually enjoys cooking, and I [usually] clean up. So, more power to him.

We haven't really gotten good enough to spout off food from random ingredients yet, so we get our recipes from a variety of sources. Case in point:

FIRECRACKER ENCHILADAS

from Rachael Ray

3 T Olive Oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 T all-purpose flour

29-oz can tomato sauce

1 T chili powder

2.5 tsp ground cumin

1.5 tsp salt

1 lb muenster cheese, grated

2 lb chicken, shredded (this can be a pre-cooked rotisserie, or you grill 3-4 breasts)

3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - seeded and chopped

12-18 6-inch corn tortillas

1. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add 2/3 onion and cook ~5 minutes.

2. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in 1.5 cups water, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside

3. Meanwhile, preheat broiler.

4. In large bowl, mix shredded chicken, 2/3 cheese and chiles.

5. In large casserole dish, spread 1 cup of enchilada sauce evenly across bottom. (I use two smaller dishes, thus splitting the 1 cup of sauce between the two.) Dip 1 tortilla in remaining sauce, coating both sides. Transfer to plate and fill w/ chicken mixture. Roll up, transfer to dish seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas and mixture.

6. Top enchiladas with remaining onion, sauce and cheese.

7. Broil until bubbly, 5-7 minutes. Turn off broiler and leave in oven an additional 5 minutes or until heated through.

This dish takes some time (shredding chicken, grating cheese) and is a little messy, so we normally just have some chips and salsa and guacamole as a side. YUM-O! as Rachael would say!

SIDE NOTE: We enjoy spicy food, so I typically leave the seeds of one pepper in!