Shrimp Enchiladas

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Yes, you read that right, SHRIMP ENCHILADAS! I had my first shrimp enchiladas a couple of years ago at one of my favorite restaurants, Cafe Sabor, in Logan UT. After I had them I just had to find a recipe for them. I couldn't find one just like them but this one is just as amazing. We're going to Logan in a few weeks and I think I'll have to get those shrimp enchiladas at Cafe Sabor and disect them to try to make up my own recipe for them. I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs and the only things I changed were the addition of cilantro and I use canned diced tomatoes instead of fresh. I hope you love these as much as we all do!

SHRIMP ENCHILADAS
adapted from www.melskitchencafe.com

1/2 cup sweet red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 can (15 oz) plain diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 C chopped, fresh cilantro-divided
8 (9-inch) flour tortillas

Saute red pepper, onion and green pepper in 1/4 cup butter until crisp-tender. Add oregano, salt, garlic powder, pepper, cayenne pepper, cream and flour; blend well. Continue cooking for 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese; stir until melted. Add sour cream and 1/4 C cilantro, stir to blend. Set aside.

In another skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Saute shrimp and 1/2 cup onion until shrimp are pink. Remove shrimp and chop; return to butter and onion. Add tomatoes and 1/2 of the cheese sauce. Spoon 1/3 cup shrimp mixture into each tortilla. Sprinkle cheese on top of shrimp mixture. Roll up tightly. Arrange seam side down in a 9X13-inch glass baking dish. Spoon remaining cheese sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Garnish with remaining 1/4 C cilantro.

Spring Shells and Cheese

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I got this recipe in my Food Network magazine back in April. Ben is the one who actually made it! I was still recovering from my oral surgery and could still only eat soft foods. Ben saw this recipe sitting out when he got home and ASKED if he could make it. He said it sounded fun to make. Aren't I a lucky lady? He did a great job and we all loved it!

SPRING SHELLS AND CHEESE
Food Network Magazine

Ingredients
2 pounds medium zucchini
Kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
6 cups whole milk
4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 pound medium pasta shells
4 shallots, minced
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
4 ounces parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
4 ounces gruyere cheese, grated (about 1 1/4 cups)
4 ounces baby spinach

Directions
Grate the zucchini into a colander using the large holes of a box grater. Toss with 1tablespoon salt, then place in the sink to drain, about 15 minutes. Squeeze out the excess liquid.

Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, nutmeg, cayenne, 2 teaspoons salt, and black pepper to taste and mix with a wooden spoon to make a paste. Cook, stirring, until the paste puffs slightly, about 3minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk, then add the thyme, bay leaves and lemon zest and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened slightly, about 25 minutes. Strain into a bowl; discard the herbs.

Meanwhile, position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and add to the sauce.

Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring, until almost tender, about 4 minutes. Add the zucchini mixture to the pasta along with the egg yolks and all but 3 tablespoons of both cheeses; stir to combine, then add the spinach.

Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and sprinkle with the reserved cheeses. Bake until browned on top and heated through, 25 to 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

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Sorry I've been a little M.I.A. this week from my blog but my little sis, Farrah, is here visiting and we've been busy busy busy. We mainly have been busy EATING! Why is it that when I have visitors most of the visit is centered around what we eat, where we eat, when we eat, and what we are going to cook? Farrah is a foodie like me and I am scared to weigh myself after this week is over! One time when she visited me years ago and I lived in San Antonio, we made these cookies together and they were amazing. I had totally forgotten about them until I was browsing recipes trying to figure out what we could make together. They came out perfectly and we had fun making them! How did I ever forget these??? They are also called Homemade Oreos but I like to name them something more generic I guess. They are best after they chill in the fridge and I think they would freeze well. They never last long enough in my house to make it to the freezer though! We frosted these thick and still had frosting leftover so I think next time I'll either half the frosting or double the cookies. You might like the frosting even thicker so follow this recipe as is if you like. Don't you love the little plate they're on? I saw it at Anthropologie and had to have it. Luckily it was on super sale at only $3! Oh, and it's not my fault if you gain 5 lbs eating all of them yourself or if you get a tummy ache because you can't stop eating them!

CHOCOLATE SANDWICH COOKIES


1 Devil's Food cake mix
3/4 C shortening
1/2 C butter
2 eggs
8 oz package cream cheese
1 lb powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix cake mix, shortening, and eggs. Dough will be thick. Roll into balls and smash to desired size. Bake at 350 for 5-8 minutes. Don't overbake! Completely cool cookies. Mix remaining ingredients together and frost between 2 cookies.

Apple Turnovers

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I made these in the week we got back from the cruise because I think I was still in "dessert mode" and needed something sweet and fast. I had some puff pastry that had been in my freezer for a while that needed to be used. I also had bought a bunch of apples thinking we had none when, of course, we had like 10 already in the fridge. I got this recipe from Allrecipes but used Gala apples. They worked just fine in place of the Granny Smith ones. Instead of making the glaze we served them warm with vanilla ice cream. They were better than apple pie!

APPLE TURNOVERS
(www.allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cups water
4 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 (17.25 ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.Combine the lemon and 4 cups water in a large bowl. Place the sliced apples in the water to keep them from browning.
2.Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain water from apples, and place them into the hot skillet. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Add brown sugar, and cinnamon, and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Stir together cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water. Pour into the skillet, and mix well. Cook for another minute, or until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat to cool slightly.
3.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4.Unfold puff pastry sheets, and repair any cracks by pressing them back together. Trim each sheet into a square. Then cut each larger square into 4 smaller squares. Spoon apples onto the center of each squares. Fold over from corner to corner into a triangle shape, and press edges together to seal. Place turnovers on a baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between them.
5.Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until turnovers are puffed and lightly browned. Cool completely before glazing.
6.To make the glaze, mix together the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Adjust the thickness by adding more sugar or milk if necessary. Drizzle glaze over the cooled turnovers.

Summer on a Plate

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Today is Memorial Day which usually means parties and eating yummy BBQ but that's not going to happen today and I'm bummed. First of all, I had gum grafting done about 6 days ago so I won't be biting into any ribs or burgers for a month. Second, I now have what I think is a sinus infection and feel like crud. Boo! Since I'm here whining about not being able to eat I thought I'd share with you a couple of my favorite summertime recipes. I look at this picture and think that it is just "summer on a plate" and it makes me drool! These beans are soooo good! I hate when baked beans have floppy bacon in them and the crispy bacon in these is perfect. If you take them to a potluck definitely double the recipe because every last bean will be GONE! This is my favorite macaroni salad and I was so happy to find it. It tastes just like my mom's, who when I asked, said she didn't have a recipe for. Enjoy these at your backyard cookouts this summer!

BAKED BEANS
by Charlotte Hancey
serves 6

2 one lb cans pork and beans
2/3 C ketchup
1 1/2 C onions, chopped in bite sized pieces (I use yellow onions)
3/4 C brown sugar
6 slices bacon, chopped in bite sized pieces
1 tsp dry mustard
1 TB worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper (or more if you like)

You'll need a large pot that can be used on the stovetop and in the oven. Preheat oven to 325.

Fry bacon in pot until almost crisp. Drain about 3/4 of the grease then add the onions and cook until bacon is crisp and onions are tender. Mix the rest of the ingredients into pot. Cover and bake 1 1/2 hours at 325. Uncover the last 20-30 minutes.

These beans freeze well. I like to make a double batch and freeze in portions for my family.

CLASSIC MACARONI SALAD
(www.allrecipes.com)
serves 10

4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2/3 cup white sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup grated carrot (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped pimento peppers (optional)

Directions
1.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain.
2.In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the onion, celery, green pepper, carrot, pimentos and macaroni. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, but preferably overnight.
CHAR'S NOTES: The recipe is very versatile when it comes to the veggies. The way I like it is with chopped cucumbers, green onions, black olives, grated carrot, and any kind of bell pepper. Neither Ben or I like raw celery so I always replace it with cucumbers. Just use the base recipe and add whatever veggies you have on hand. Even tomatoes would be great!

Cruise Food!

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The food on our Royal Caribbean cruise deserves it's own post so excuse me while I indulge myself in remembering it. This particular cruise ship (or line-not sure)doesn't do the lavish midnight buffets anymore because we were told it was a waste of uneaten food. That didn't matter, though, because food was everywhere! The first couple of nights, dinner wasn't amazing. Our dinner companions probably thought we were the pickiest people because while they all devoured theirs, we complained about it. We're picky foodies though! :)
The first port we went to on day 3 was Haiti which is RC's private island. They served a huge buffet that was so good Ben and I were like "Why don't they just serve this at dinner?" LOL! They served Jamaican jerk chicken that was soooo good and some kind of BBQ pork. After that, though, we were not disappointed and loved our dinners on the ship. On night 2 I tried two new things: escargot and duck. The escargot, though drowning in butter, was awful! I was the only one at my table that didn't like it. The texture wasn't bad but the aftertaste was like dirt. I did really like the duck which surprised me. My favorite night of all was the Venetian night with the yummy Italian food. I had a scallop risotto for my appetizer, chicken marsala for entree, then warm chocolate cake AND rasberry panna cotta for desert. Every single bite that night was incredible! The warm chocolate cake was the most delicious thing I ate the entire trip. That unassuming little piece of cake blew me away! It looked like a molten cake but was firmer and so rich that I asked for a glass of milk. The head waiter thought it was funny that I asked for one but it was the perfect accompaniament. Speaking of the head waiter, Charanjeet was so personable and nice and our regular waiter, Ketut, was great too. I think it was night 3 that Charanjeet was talking to us and asked if we liked Indian food. Some of us did and some hadn't tried it so he brought us butter chicken, naan, and lentils that weren't on the menu. It was so good! On the 2nd formal night we had lobster and prime rib which we looked forward to and weren't disappointed in any way. Ben had two plates of lobster and one of prime rib! Our waiter told us that the record was 35 lobster tails. 35! I guess you have to take advantage of that when you're cruising because what other time could you do that?
We had some food at ports that was amazing too. In Ochos Rios, Jamaica I was so excited to have some more jerk chicken. Our tour guide took us to a shopping area with a Hard Rock Cafe and said that they had jerk chicken. "But I want REAL jerk chicken!" I said to him but he assured me that it was authentic. I ordered a jerk chicken sandwich and it was to die for! They served this interesting, very spicy sauce on the side which was so good we asked to buy a bottle. It has guava, red pepper flakes, and vinegar in it, among other things. In Grand Cayman we stopped at some little outdoor fast food kind of place to grab a quick bite. We ordered 2 ham and cheese croissants not thinking much of it but to our surprise it was delicious! He cut the croissant and made it like a grilled ham and cheese. I really wanted to try the conch fritters I saw advertised at a restaurant on our way back but didn't have time. Most days too we'd get back on the ship at around 4 or so and grab some great little sandwiches at a cafe on the ship. We didn't have dinner until 8:30 so it was a great chance to eat again! Then in Cozumel we went to Pancho's Backyard for lunch and it was really great too. We ordered mahi mahi fish tacos and they were the best fried fish tacos that we had ever had. Their guacamole was so creamy and yummy too! As we were sitting in this beautiful, outdoors restaurant Ben said to me, "You're finally eating your favorite, Mexican food, IN Mexico!" Love it! I wish I had taken pictures of that meal.
Are you hungry yet? I am! I want to go back! I had to warn our dinner companions the first night that I was going to be taking pics of my food for my blog (and memories!) so they didn't think I was crazy. These pictures don't do the food justice though. The lighting was bad and I was in a hurry to devour it! You'll notice that there are mostly dessert pictures and that is because I was so hungry when the appetizer and entree got to me that I'd forget to take pics. It was funny because the first night the 6 of us were very conservative with our food selections and just ordered one appetizer, entree, and dessert. Then as the nights progressed and we got comfortable with each other we were all ordering 2-3 of each course and eating off each other's plates! When I got home I was SEVEN pounds heavier but it was worth every single bite! Ok, so if you're not hungry yet you will be now because here are the pictures!

My Hard Rock Cafe awesome Jamaican meal. Ya mon it was good!

Strawberry Meringue-pretty but way too sweet

Pork tenderloin, lentils with green beans, and au gratin potatoes

Pina Colada Tart


I had this AND a plate of prime rib. No shame here!

Cute little dessert trio: Rum cake, very fudgy brownie, and lemon cheesecake

Warm Chocolate Cake AKA "The Best Dessert I've Ever Had in My Whole Life!"

Rasberry Panna Cotta

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

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I've had this recipe forever and finally made it a couple of weeks ago. Why oh why did I let that recipe sit there for so long? It is soooo good! I've tried many tortilla soup recipes and haven't found one yet that I loved, until now. This is fast prep and easy to make. The best thing was that my kids liked it! They are the pickiest kids when it comes to soups, casseroles, chili or anything that has lots of "stuff" in it. Most of the time my kids like all of the ingredients individually but when it's all mixed up they are scared to try it. When they saw their bowl of soup topped with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream and cilantro they were all for it! All of 3 of my kids love cilantro. When they smell it or see me chopping it up they come running for their own little stem of it to munch on. It just warms my heart since I'm in love with cilantro too! I'm training them well aren't I? At least I'm trying to anyway. I used rotisserie chicken because it is easy, flavorful and moist and I didn't have to cook it. I didn't have frozen corn that day so I just used canned but added it in the last 30 minutes. Oh, and I did not make my own tortilla strips. Who has time for that? I just grabbed some tortilla chips from the pantry and crunched them up over the top. The directions are here, though, if you decide to venture that far.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
(www.allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

Directions

1.Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3.Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4.Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.