Honey Lime Chicken Enchilada Casserole

So, I’ve spent all day trying to think of a funny and/or creative into to this post.  And I’ve miserably failed so far. I think I’m going to claim writer’s block and have some chocolate to make myself feel better.

Despite the lack of introduction for this post, but this dish is just so good that I had to share it anyway. I originally found this recipe for Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas over at The Well-Fed Newlyweds and Big Man and I absolutely loved it! The flavors are so bright and unique and it’s a nice change from normal enchiladas with red sauce. I love how the sweet honey and gooey cheese balance the zing from the lime juice and chili powder. However, rolling the individual enchiladas was a little time consuming (and messy) and I was never able to serve them out of the pan without at least one unrolling so I decided to just make a casserole version instead. It’s layers of yumminess! After playing around with the ingredient amounts and casserole assembly, I finally came up with the perfect way to get these awesome flavors into an easy to make and serve form. That leaves just enough time to stir up a batch of margaritas to enjoy as well!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchilada Casserole (Adapted from The Well-Fed Newlyweds)

4 tbs. honey

3-1/2 tbs. lime juice (I use those little green plastic “juice grenades” you keep in the fridge, but you can use real limes)

2/3 tbs. chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1-1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (I just roast chicken breasts in the oven, but you could also shred a rotisserie chicken to make it even easier)

6-7 flour tortillas, snack size (6 inch diameter)

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

10 oz. green enchilada sauce

3/4 cup half and half

In a bowl, whisk together the honey, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic powder. Add in the shredded chicken and stir thoroughly to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

To assemble the casserole, first cut the tortillas in half. Then, remove the chicken from the marinade and stir the enchilada sauce and half and half into the remaining marinade. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray an 8×8 square with cooking spray (or lightly grease). Add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce mixture and turn the pan so the sauce coats the bottom. Layer in 4 tortillas halves, with the cut sides against the pan walls and the curved sides toward the middle, as shown. If desired, you can add another tortillas half at the center to cover the gap.

Distribute half of the shredded chicken over the tortillas. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese, and spoon 1/3 of the sauce mixture evenly over the top.

Repeat with another layer of tortillas, the rest of the chicken, and another 1/3 of the cheese and sauce.

Add the last layer of tortillas. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Let cool for about 5 minutes before cutting to make serving easier.

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Garlic Knots

Things have been busy here! Little Man had his second birthday party this past weekend and loved every minute of it. Rainbow cupcakes, balloons, gifts, and tons of love and attention; what’s not to love? He is talking more and more, learning to kick a soccer ball, and rocking his new “big boy” haircut.

Little Lady is getting so big! She is starting to crawl, babble, and she finds the world utterly fascinating, especially her big brother. She really enjoys trying out new foods and her hair is finally starting to grow (slowly)!

In the midst of all this, we still have all the rest of the normal life stuff, like Big Man’s job, church, grocery shopping, cleaning, and cooking. It can be a bit overwhelming, and I am learning that it is not only OK, but necessary to admit that I can’t do everything all the time. Not that Big Man asks me to do everything; he helps out so much. But there are days when we are both pretty tired and everything just feels a little off kilter.

This past week was a little rough, so when my mom called and asked if I would like her to drop off some homemade chicken soup for dinner, it was a wonderful treat! A yummy, healthy meal (even Little Man loves that soup) that I don’t have to cook? Yes, absolutely. Thank you, Mom! Since the main course was taken care of, I figured it would be nice to make some dinner rolls to go with the soup. I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen and tweaked it a little to our tastes, and to account for the high altitude.

These rolls were a perfect accompaniment to the soup. Soft and fluffy, with just the right amount of garlic and spices on top. And the recipe was super easy: you don’t even need a mixer! I mixed the dough with a wooden spoon and kneaded by hand. I especially liked that the recipe only made 5 rolls, so I didn’t have to worry about having too many leftovers. I’ll definitely be making these rolls again soon, and I hope you will too!

Garlic Knots (adapted from Tasty Kitchen)

1-1/2 cups bread flour*

1/2 tbs. sugar

1 tsp. quick-rise (instant) dry yeast

1 (scant) tsp. salt*

1 tbs. olive oil

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup lukewarm water

2 tsp. minced garlic (about 2 cloves)

2 tbs. butter, melted

1/8 tsp. dried oregano

1/8 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. dried parsley

*These measurements are for high altitude baking. If you are not at high altitude, use 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour, and 1/2 tsp salt.

 

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add the olive oil, milk, and water, and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough forms (it will be quite wet and sticky). Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic (you may have to add more flour). Transfer to a bowl that has been lightly oiled or sprayed with cooking spray and turn dough once to coat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise for one hour.

Turn out risen dough onto floured surface and divide into 5 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope (about 3/4 to 1 inch diameter) and tie into a knot, tucking the ends under. Place rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Cover with a clean towel and let rise 45 minutes, until the rolls look puffy.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To make the topping, combine melted butter with garlic and herbs. Brush the topping onto the risen rolls, and bake until golden brown, about 16-20 minutes. Enjoy warm with your favorite soup or chili.

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Weeknight Spaghetti and Meatballs

If I ever have time and money to burn, I would like to go to culinary school. I’d love to learn fancy-food dishes and techniques, use top-of-the-line equipment, and get to try lots of interesting things. I doubt that will ever happen, but I am blessed that Big Man lets me play “chef” and try new dishes and techniques even though he isn’t really the foodie type. (And if I’m being honest here, I am not really a true foodie either, I’m a wannabe. I’ll try just about any type of food, but what I actually eat day to day fits a 5 years old’s palate better than that of a Food Network star. Scallops, truffles, vegetables? Not so much. Sugar cereal, pepperoni pizza, and grilled-cheese-ketchup sandwiches? Yes, absolutely.) So a couple times a month I try cooking or baking something fancy and foodie-like, and it is something I really enjoy. But most of the time my recipes revolve around “normal” food, the simple, tasty thing that Big Man, Little Man, and I love eating.

So here is another weeknight recipe. Spaghetti and meatballs with a homemade sauce that is easy and quick enough to make on a weeknight. The sauce is a variation of 3 Ingredient Sauce from Smells Like Home and the Meatballs are from Savory Sweet Life. I added a couple things to the sauce, but the meatball recipe isn’t changed at all. I just cut it in half when I don’t want leftover meatballs and half the recipe makes just enough for 2 adults and a toddler. And if you are really in a time crunch, do bother sauteeing the onions and garlic for the meatballs, just mix them in raw. I’ve done it before and it works fine.

Sauce

1 28 oz. can peeled crushed tomatoes

5 tbs unsalted butter

1 yellow onion (or Vidalia when in season), peeled and cut in half

3 tbs half and half or heavy cream

1/2 tsp sea salt

Combine tomatoes, butter and onion is large saucepan. Heat and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in salt and half and half/cream and simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove onion and serve over hot cooked spaghetti.

Meatballs (serves 2)

1/2 lb ground beef

1/4 medium yellow onion, diced

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tbs olive oil

1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried basil

3/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes, cool slightly. In a large bowl, add all ingredients with onion and garlic and mix by hand until combined. Form golf-ball sized meatballs and brown on all sides in skillet (add more oil if needed). Once meatballs are browned, transfer skillet to oven (if oven-safe, otherwise place meatballs on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper) and bake for 15 minutes. Serve over hot cooked spaghetti and sauce.

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