10.26.2008
cooking
| I've been trying to cook a greater variety of dinners lately to make things a little more exciting. I'd like to cut down on our eating out expenses by half, and I figure that if I'm a little more adventurous in the kitchen, we'll be less likely to want to eat out. We'll see how this theory pans out. Last week I made Baked Gnocci with Ricotta and Spinach, Chicken Enchiladas Suizas (the key is using raw/homemade tortillas), and Turkey Chipotle Chili. One night we had grilled cheese with Provolone and Asiago with the chili. Tonight we had salad made with dried cranberries, walnuts and gorgonzola along with individual Cheesy Shepherd's Pies (I made them in ramekins). For the rest of the week, we're going to have Chicken Tikka Masala with naan and chickpeas and finally Spinach Pie with a side of hummus, kalamata olives and pita. Here are my basic rules for cooking: 1) I cook enough for two nights. Neither I nor my husband mind eating the same dinner two nights in a row, and it cuts down on dishes and time. 2) I cook one meat-free dinner every week. 3) I try to cook one new dish every week while rotating in and out the dishes that I've cooked before. and finally: 4) If I know the week will be crazy (long meetings, grades are due, etc), I make sure that there's a meal that my husband, a notoriously bad cook, can make. Generally this means spaghetti or something he can grill out. He makes delicious hamburgers after we had some tutorial sessions. I'm going to start recording our weekly meals here so that I can roughly track the dishes that we've been eating and how often I repeat certain things. The enchiladas are probably the most repeated item since my husband requests them once a month or so. My recipe for super-easy Chicken Enchiladas Suizas 1 jar Tomatillo Sauce 1 package fresh (raw) tortillas 1 pound chicken breasts (you can mix with dark meat if you like a richer taste) 1 8-oz package of shredded Pepper Jack cheese 1/2 large onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 garlic clove chili powder to taste 9x13 baking dish Pan for frying Deep saute pan or pot for poaching (the one Iinked is one of our most-used wedding gifts) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Poach the chicken in water with a crushed garlic clove. While the chicken is poaching, saute the onion an bell pepper until crisp-tender. Fry the torillas using cooking spray. While the tortillas cool off enough to be touched, shred the poached chicken using two forks or your fingers. Add the sauteed onion and bell pepper along with chili powder to taste. Allow to cool slightly, then add half the cheese to the mix. Spread a thin layer of the tomatillo sauce at the bottom of the baking dish. Stuff the tortillas with the chicken mixture, placing each full tortilla seam-side down in the baking dish. Tortillas should fit in one layer. Once all the tortillas are stuffed and placed, pour the remaining tomatillo sauce over them, topping with the remaining cheese. Cover baking dish tightly with foil. Bake in hot oven for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling. We generally eat this with spanish rice and black beans, cooked with chipotle adobe peppers and garlic. I sometimes also throw in whatever veggies we have sitting in the fridge (squash, mushrooms if you like them, etc). Labels: cooking |
posted by a teacher at 6:41 PM