Sometimes I like to pick out really intense recipes that challenge me as a cook. This is not one of them. In fact, I took the lazy way out with this and didn’t even make my own enchilada sauce. Shame on me. Except not because the Trader Joe’s kind is really quite delicious and it spared me at least 3 extra dirty dishes in the sink. So really, I’m the genius in this equation. If you’d like to be a true chef and come up with your own sauce, by all means! In fact, here’s a rather nice sounding recipe. As for me, I’ll stick with my jarred sauce. thankyouverymuch  Most traditional enchiladas also call for corn tortillas. But Blake has a thing against the corn tortilla. The way he turns his nose up at the sheer sight of them is almost entertaining. That man is nothing if not opinionated about his food. Don’t even get him started on turkey bacon. But if I want my family to eat, sometimes we have to make sacrifices (truth be told, I’m not a fan myself) and so flour tortillas it is.  Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas The players:  1 1/2 lbs organic chicken breast 1 large container of organic chicken stock 1 medium yellow onion 10-12 6” flour tortillas cooking spray shredded cheese (I used a 3 cheese blend)   enchilada sauce (I used this kind)  1 jalapeno chopped (we didn’t do this but will next go round)  The play by play:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean and rinse chicken and then place in a large pot (you can quarter the pieces to save time) to poach.  In the meantime, dice the onion. Once chicken is cooked (and cool enough to handle) shred and toss into a large bowl. Add the diced onion, about a cup of cheese, 1/4 to 1/2  cup of enchilada sauce (personal preference- I go with less because I don’t like super saucy enchiladas), and the chopped jalapeno. Stir to combine.  Spray a Pyrex dish with nonstick spray. For each tortilla shell, place about 1/3 cup of chicken mixture evenly into the center of the shell. Tightly wrap the shell around the filling and lay seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat until you’ve used all the filling (we had about 11 enchiladas total). Top the enchiladas with a liberal coating of sauce (I just drizzled what was left in the bottle over top). The pièce de résistance  is the cheese. Liberally coat these suckers with a healthy coating of cheese.  If you’re really hungry- do not cover with foil and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes [that’s what I did]. If you can wait for a bit, cover the dish and bake for 15 minutes and then uncover and bake until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Remove from oven and let rest for a minute- though if you’re like me you’ll start peeling the delicious cheese off with your fingers and you’ll wind up with a bunt thumb.  Chef’s Addendum:  fancy this up with sliced avocado and a dallop of Greek yogurt. Could also spread refried beans along the tortilla before adding the chicken mixture or could throw a handful of fresh, minced cilantro in with the cheese, chicken, and sauce. 

Sometimes I like to pick out really intense recipes that challenge me as a cook. This is not one of them. In fact, I took the lazy way out with this and didn’t even make my own enchilada sauce. Shame on me. Except not because the Trader Joe’s kind is really quite delicious and it spared me at least 3 extra dirty dishes in the sink. So really, I’m the genius in this equation. If you’d like to be a true chef and come up with your own sauce, by all means! In fact, here’s a rather nice sounding recipe. As for me, I’ll stick with my jarred sauce. thankyouverymuch 

Most traditional enchiladas also call for corn tortillas. But Blake has a thing against the corn tortilla. The way he turns his nose up at the sheer sight of them is almost entertaining. That man is nothing if not opinionated about his food. Don’t even get him started on turkey bacon. But if I want my family to eat, sometimes we have to make sacrifices (truth be told, I’m not a fan myself) and so flour tortillas it is. 

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

The players: 

  • 1 1/2 lbs organic chicken breast
  • 1 large container of organic chicken stock
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 10-12 6” flour tortillas
  • cooking spray
  • shredded cheese (I used a 3 cheese blend)  
  • enchilada sauce (I used this kind) 
  • 1 jalapeno chopped (we didn’t do this but will next go round) 

The play by play: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean and rinse chicken and then place in a large pot (you can quarter the pieces to save time) to poach. 

In the meantime, dice the onion. Once chicken is cooked (and cool enough to handle) shred and toss into a large bowl. Add the diced onion, about a cup of cheese, 1/4 to 1/2  cup of enchilada sauce (personal preference- I go with less because I don’t like super saucy enchiladas), and the chopped jalapeno. Stir to combine. 

Spray a Pyrex dish with nonstick spray. For each tortilla shell, place about 1/3 cup of chicken mixture evenly into the center of the shell. Tightly wrap the shell around the filling and lay seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat until you’ve used all the filling (we had about 11 enchiladas total). Top the enchiladas with a liberal coating of sauce (I just drizzled what was left in the bottle over top). The pièce de résistance  is the cheese. Liberally coat these suckers with a healthy coating of cheese. 

If you’re really hungry- do not cover with foil and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes [that’s what I did]. If you can wait for a bit, cover the dish and bake for 15 minutes and then uncover and bake until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Remove from oven and let rest for a minute- though if you’re like me you’ll start peeling the delicious cheese off with your fingers and you’ll wind up with a bunt thumb. 

Chef’s Addendum:  fancy this up with sliced avocado and a dallop of Greek yogurt. Could also spread refried beans along the tortilla before adding the chicken mixture or could throw a handful of fresh, minced cilantro in with the cheese, chicken, and sauce. 

I’m fairly sure I posted this recipe way back when I first started my blog. Some things have grown and changed since then— but this remains one of the H house favorites. And when B requested this for dinner in celebration of Cinco de Drinko Mayo, I happily obliged.  Smoky Beef Tacos The players:  2 to 3 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo  3/4 cup of Simply Heinz ketchup (or other natural/ organic ketchup of choice) 1 to 1 1/3 cup of water (depending on how much sauce you’d like) 8 garlic cloves, pureed with chilies  coarse salt and ground pepper 1 boneless beef chuck roast (about 3-4 pounds), excess fat trimmed flour tortillas (6-inch), lightly toasted The play-by-play:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a small food processor, pulse the garlic and the chilies until finely chopped. Then, in a Dutch oven stir together chili mixture, ketchup, 1 cup water, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cut beef into 4 equal pieces. Add to pot, and turn to coat. Once each side is browned, cover and transfer pot to oven. Bake (covered) until beef is fork-tender about 2 1/2- 3 hours.  Transfer beef to a bowl. With a large spoon skim off and discard fat from cooking liquid. Shred beef with two forks and moisten with cooking liquid as needed. While I’m shredding the beef, I usually have Mr. H heat the tortillas in a dry skillet until warm (no one wants a crispy taco).  Serve with sliced avocado, Cojita cheese, extra sauce (that the meat was braised in), a dollop of Greek yogurt and a tomato/ corn relish on the side.  [original recipe c/o Martha Stewart] 

I’m fairly sure I posted this recipe way back when I first started my blog. Some things have grown and changed since then— but this remains one of the H house favorites. And when B requested this for dinner in celebration of Cinco de Drinko Mayo, I happily obliged. 

Smoky Beef Tacos

The players: 

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo 
  • 3/4 cup of Simply Heinz ketchup (or other natural/ organic ketchup of choice)
  • 1 to 1 1/3 cup of water (depending on how much sauce you’d like)
  • 8 garlic cloves, pureed with chilies 
  • coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 boneless beef chuck roast (about 3-4 pounds), excess fat trimmed
  • flour tortillas (6-inch), lightly toasted

The play-by-play: 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a small food processor, pulse the garlic and the chilies until finely chopped. Then, in a Dutch oven stir together chili mixture, ketchup, 1 cup water, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
  2. Cut beef into 4 equal pieces. Add to pot, and turn to coat. Once each side is browned, cover and transfer pot to oven. Bake (covered) until beef is fork-tender about 2 1/2- 3 hours. 
  3. Transfer beef to a bowl. With a large spoon skim off and discard fat from cooking liquid. Shred beef with two forks and moisten with cooking liquid as needed. While I’m shredding the beef, I usually have Mr. H heat the tortillas in a dry skillet until warm (no one wants a crispy taco). 
  4. Serve with sliced avocado, Cojita cheese, extra sauce (that the meat was braised in), a dollop of Greek yogurt and a tomato/ corn relish on the side. 

[original recipe c/o Martha Stewart] 

I believe that the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, that white certainly can be worn before Memorial Day, that a good laugh can turn around even the grayest days, and that no proper birthday celebration is complete without a cake. And candles. Obnoxiously large, multi-colored candles.  Also, that cake looks like a doll cake. In reality it was a behemoth double layer, yummy cake that clearly served more than my Barbie collection. Do better working with angles next time, Elizabeth.  [shakes head at self]  Carrot Cake The players: (for the cake part) 2 cups sugar 1 cup veggie oil 4 organic brown eggs 2 cups King Arthur unbleached all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon a little more than 2 cups of grated carrots (for the icing part— aka the best part)  stick butter (softened)  1, 8 oz. package cream cheese (softened)  1 pound powdered sugar 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 cup Pecans (chopped. or if you’re me, pounded with a meat tenderizer)  The play-by-play: (for the cake) Preheat the oven to 350. Cream the oil, sugar, and eggs in a stand mixer. In a separate, large bowl, sift together flour, salt (don’t forget the salt. I did. oops), baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. With the mixer on, slowly add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture and mix just until combined. Fold in carrots with a spatula.  Spray 2 round cake pans with Baker’s Joy.  [sidenote: have you ever heard of Baker’s Joy? it’s the shit. go get some. back to the show-] Pour batter into the two greased bans and bake at 350 until done (about 25-35 minutes). I like to tap my pans on the counter rather aggressively to get out the air bubbles. Plus it’s great for working out any frustration you might have. [Not that I speak from experience or anything.] To see if the cake’s finished, you can do the fork test or give the pan a swift jiggle. If the cake moves, it’s not finished baking. Once done, remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.  (for the icing) Chef’s Note: if you’re like me, you may actually prefer MORE icing to cake ratio and in that case, you should double the icing recipe. Because you only live once, right?! In a stand mixer, cream the vanilla extract, butter, and sugar together. Once combined, slowly add in the powdered sugar. Then mix in the nuts (which, if I’m being honest, were way more fun to pound with a meat tenderizer than they were to chop in a refined fashion).  Once cake is cooled, place bottom layer on a platter. Spread icing on and then place second layer on top. Ice the cake completely (top & sides) and don’t worry about being perfect. Because no matter what you do, this cake will taste magnificent.  Recipe only slightly adapted from a Pioneer Woman original. 

I believe that the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, that white certainly can be worn before Memorial Day, that a good laugh can turn around even the grayest days, and that no proper birthday celebration is complete without a cake. And candles. Obnoxiously large, multi-colored candles. 

Also, that cake looks like a doll cake. In reality it was a behemoth double layer, yummy cake that clearly served more than my Barbie collection. Do better working with angles next time, Elizabeth. 

[shakes head at self] 

Carrot Cake

The players:

(for the cake part)

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup veggie oil
  • 4 organic brown eggs
  • 2 cups King Arthur unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • a little more than 2 cups of grated carrots

(for the icing part— aka the best part)

  •  stick butter (softened) 
  • 1, 8 oz. package cream cheese (softened) 
  • 1 pound powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup Pecans (chopped. or if you’re me, pounded with a meat tenderizer) 

The play-by-play:

(for the cake)

Preheat the oven to 350. Cream the oil, sugar, and eggs in a stand mixer. In a separate, large bowl, sift together flour, salt (don’t forget the salt. I did. oops), baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. With the mixer on, slowly add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture and mix just until combined. Fold in carrots with a spatula. 

Spray 2 round cake pans with Baker’s Joy. 

[sidenote: have you ever heard of Baker’s Joy? it’s the shit. go get some. back to the show-]

Pour batter into the two greased bans and bake at 350 until done (about 25-35 minutes). I like to tap my pans on the counter rather aggressively to get out the air bubbles. Plus it’s great for working out any frustration you might have. [Not that I speak from experience or anything.]

To see if the cake’s finished, you can do the fork test or give the pan a swift jiggle. If the cake moves, it’s not finished baking. Once done, remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. 

(for the icing)

Chef’s Note: if you’re like me, you may actually prefer MORE icing to cake ratio and in that case, you should double the icing recipe. Because you only live once, right?!

In a stand mixer, cream the vanilla extract, butter, and sugar together. Once combined, slowly add in the powdered sugar. Then mix in the nuts (which, if I’m being honest, were way more fun to pound with a meat tenderizer than they were to chop in a refined fashion). 

Once cake is cooled, place bottom layer on a platter. Spread icing on and then place second layer on top. Ice the cake completely (top & sides) and don’t worry about being perfect. Because no matter what you do, this cake will taste magnificent. 

Recipe only slightly adapted from a Pioneer Woman original. 

this weekend: I ate more than one cheeseburger (exhibit a above; the east coast solution to zero In-N-Out Burger locations) made my most favorite & time consuming dinner  & pie (who could forget that pie) wore flat sandals (yes, me in flats) and enjoyed every. single. second of it all because isn’t that what weekends are truly all about?  well, that and having trouble buttoning your pants on Monday morning

this weekend:

I ate more than one cheeseburger (exhibit a above; the east coast solution to zero In-N-Out Burger locations)

made my most favorite & time consuming dinner  & pie (who could forget that pie)

wore flat sandals (yes, me in flats)

and enjoyed every. single. second of it all

because isn’t that what weekends are truly all about? 

well, that and having trouble buttoning your pants on Monday morning

image

I feel slightly guilty that I’m taking even an iota of credit for finding this recipe. So let’s be clear here, gang. I had a couple of requests last night after posting this picture on Instagram and I’m happy to oblige— but I didn’t create this. At all. I simply read the package I picked up at the grocery store, followed the directions [for the most part at least] and out came this SUPER easy Tuesday night dinner. 

So without further adeau…

McCormick’s White Chicken Chili

The players: 

  • 1 tablespoon oil (I used vegetable; olive oil has too much flavor to use in a dish like this)
  • 1 pound of organic chicken, sliced into 1/2” cubes
  • 1 (19 oz) can of cannellini beans, undrained 
  • 1 packet of McCormick’s White Chicken Chili Seasoning Mix
  • 1 1/4 cups of water
  • avocado
  • 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper (can be omitted- we like spicy foods @ the H house)
  • shredded Pepper Jack cheese (or other cheese of choice)

The play-by-play:

Add oil to skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes (until no longer pink). 

Stir in seasoning mix and then add water. Stir until incorporated and then dump in the can of (undrained) beans. Very important- don’t drain those beans! Bring mixture to a boil and the reduce heat and cover. Cook 10-12 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to serving dishes and then top with avocado and cheese. 

Enjoy!

[just to reiterate  this recipe is not an EPH original and the McCormick version can be found here] 

Ps- the yellow chair is a vintage favorite of mine (inherited 4 of these beauties from my Momma) and the basket was a wedding gift (the Beachcomber High Rectangular // from Pottery Barn). the wine was Pillar Box Red. 

food! for the week! this is progress, people!!!

I finally decided to make life a tad easier on myself. No, I didn’t pick out all my outfits for the next 5 [work] days. Nor did I break out the iron and smooth out all my clean, wrinkly clothes (and pillowcases) yesterday afternoon. 

Come to think of it- I still have quite a bit on my “to do” list at the homestead. 

But at least I have dinner pre-prepped for the next few nights. As I saute and sliced my goodies for dinner last night, I decided that I might as well kill TWO dishes with one stone & keep my fridge stocked for the next couple of days. Because as I quipped last week, it’s been a slight struggle getting dinner cooked and on the table before 9 pm in the H house as of late. 

Here’s to hoping that these 2 goodies— Chicken [& biscuits!] Pot Pie & my favorite Italian soup (which Blake doesn’t enjoy quite as much as I do; more for me, biscuits for him)— allow me less chaos at feeding time.

image

White Bean, Pancetta, & Tortellini Soup 

The players:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 oz pancetta, chopped
  • 2 large shallots, chopped
  • 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 15-oz can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 bundle of Swiss chard, well rinsed and cored
  • 6 cups organic, low-sodium chicken broth (I always use Pacific)
  • 1  9-oz package cheese tortellini
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

The play-by-play: 

In a large soup pot [dutch oven] heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the pancetta and cook until crisp. Then add the carrots, shallots, and garlic and cook until veggies are translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the beans, Swiss chard, and broth. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat then reduce to the heat to a simmer for 8-10 minutes.  Add the tortellini and cook until pasta is tender.  Season with pepper and serve.

[photo c/o Cookin Canuck & recipe (slightly adapted) from a Giada original found in Everyday Pasta] 

buzzfeedfood:

Could we interest you in a Shamrock Shake full of Jameson? 

Get the recipe here

Relevant to both the fact that I tried my first Shamrock Shake on Saturday afternoon [thumbs up] and the whole yet to meet a milkshake I don’t like argument.

it appears to be food day on this here blog…

weeknight eats- and why I can’t seem to pull it together

I’ve struggled recently getting dinner on the table before 8:45 pm. As you all know, I love to cook. Really and truly. But there’s just something about spending another hour toiling away over the stove after a 9 hour workday, whatever workout follows, and then cleaning/ adjusting/ putting out any fires that need to be put out on the home front. At that point my tank is empty and I just want to pull up a stool & eat Greek yogurt straight from the container for dinner. 

[edit: Blake would be more than game to help but as he tends to work 13-14 hour days, that really isn’t an option. he’s in charge of the dishes] 

I realize that I’m clearly not the busiest chicken in the hen house but I can’t do it all and often I’m left wandering from the pantry to the fridge back to the pantry and over to the produce bowl to try and come up with SOMETHING I can put on the table. More often than not- it’s some form of protein (likely chicken- sorry, B), sauteed potatoes, and a green. Boring party of two. 

Have I mentioned that pre-planning doesn’t help when you have grandiose ideas of dinner and no energy left to put them together. Because it doesn’t. It leaves me with all the ingredients for cheesesteak and no desire to heat the skillet. 

I can appreciate that there are plenty of options out there- but I’m not a huge fan of ordering/ eating out during the week. While our consumption might not be considered “clean”  I really do like to know what’s going into my meals. Meaning? Swinging by Mickey D’s on the way home from spin class is really not an plan-of-action for us. 

I believe I’ve discovered [what I deemed] the Holy Grail of prepared dinners. Only- I kind of had to heat the chicken in the oven and simmer the sauce on the stove. Plus I served with a green salad and fresh Pappardelle noodles- so I’ll take a little credit for putting some thought into the meal. 

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The great news about this is- as with all of TJ’s products- there are no artificial flavors, preservatives, or colors added. Most of the ingredients listed (yes, I’m a label reader) are organic and this doesn’t contain any partially hydrogenated oil or trans fat. Sure it’s a back seat option to any home-cooked chicken dish but sometimes you have to settle for second best. Or- as I call it- a welcome assistant when All’s Quiet on the Dinner Front. 

Other TJ’s staples in constant rotation @ the H house: Tofu Edamame Nuggets (for me; leftovers for B on these nights) and Spinach Tortellini [mix with fresh pesto, artichoke hearts, and cheery tomatoes for a simple salad].

This is not a sponsored post— just a few recommendations on helpful weeknight dinner solutions. 

It’s becoming increasingly obvious to me that I might have a minor obsession with Meyer Lemons & subsequently recipes including said citrus. Above- exhibit A to serve as evidence if you will- a snippet of my Pinterest page. which leads me to my question [nay- request]  Do you have any Meyer lemon recipes you’d like to share with your truly? 

It’s becoming increasingly obvious to me that I might have a minor obsession with Meyer Lemons & subsequently recipes including said citrus. Above- exhibit A to serve as evidence if you will- a snippet of my Pinterest page.

which leads me to my question [nay- request] 

Do you have any Meyer lemon recipes you’d like to share with your truly? 

bacon, egg, cheese + avocado breakfast- or perhaps dinner-sandwiches [via the lovely canttuchthis]

bacon, egg, cheese + avocado breakfast- or perhaps dinner-sandwiches

[via the lovely canttuchthis]