Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!

First I would like to say that I have never attempted to blog before--so please bear with me as I embark on one of my New Years Resolutions...

2010 was very good to me. I bought a house with my boyfriend, Chris and changed careers, among many other things. I was fortunate enough to be able to take a little break between my old job and current job. And by a little, I mean almost 5 weeks.

I found myself on the couch often, watching Giada, Paula Deen, Barefoot Contessa, The Neelys -- you know, the usual Food Network lineup. I began experimenting with recipes and realized that cooking is not as hard as it looks (despite the fact that I have to wear my hair in a pony tail with an apron on - as opposed to Giada whose hair is perfectly styled while simultaneously showing off the girls and creating thousands of amazing recipes with her key ingredient, marscapone cheese -- maybe I am a tinsy bit jealous).

College is over, and as much as I don't want to admit it, I am becoming an adult. No longer is it acceptable to bring a pack of keystone to a party. And I am sure the love of my life will not stick around forever if he continues to get fed Raman Noodles. So, pour a glass of wine and join me on my journey through the kitchen as I teach myself to cook! I hope you and your family enjoy these recipes as much as we have.

LOVE,

Lauren


Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Texas Ice Storm Improv: Crazy Chicken Enchiladas

First off I would like to say that I live in Texas for a reason! I was not a fan of the week long ice/snow storm and frigid temeratures!! Anyways, in the midst of the crazy weather, we got a craving for mexican food. Not wanting to go out (the restaurants were probably closed) or fight the ice to run to the grocery store -- I attempted to improvise with what we had and created some delicious chicken enchiladas.  The first problem was we didnt have any tortillas, cheese or sour cream. Our neighbors lent us cheese, I learned that buttermilk can be substituted for sour cream by adding lemon juice, and last of all I made homemade tortillas (which to my surprise were really easy)!



Tortillas

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup warm awter

Preparation:

1. Mix all ingredients together and knead into a big ball. Break off  2 inch balls one by one and roll out to the thinness and shape of a tortilla.
2. In a flat pan on medium high heat, place dough on pan and let cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute and then flip. They cook very fast-- be careful you don't burn them.

Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, boiled and then shredded
1/2 can cream of mushroom
1/2 can cream of chicken
1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tbs lemon juice
dash of cayenne pepper
dash of garlic powder
s & p
3 cups cheese
cilantro and salsa to top

Preparation:

1. Combine cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, buttermilk, lemon juice, and seasoning. Mix thorougly and separate into equal parts in two bowls.
2. In one bowl mix in shredded chicken and ONLY 2 cups of cheese. This will be your stuffing for your tortillas.
3. Using the mixture in the other bowl (without chicken and cheese) pour enough to cover lightly the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.
4. Place a few spoonfulls of "stuffing" in the middle of a tortilla. Roll up and place seam down into baking dish. Repeat until dish is full.
5. Pour remaining mixture (sans chicken and cheese) over the enchiladas. Sprinkle remaining cup of cheese on top.
6. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Top with cilantro and salsa.
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