Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

G.I. Joe doesn't like enchiladas. I KNOW. I too questioned whether he should be seen by a doctor. We're from New Mexico. It's truly an abomination.

I decided to take on the challenge of making enchiladas that he would like. These might do the trick.

Great success.

He literally devoured these. I thought I was going to lose my hand reaching for seconds. I took out all the things he didn't like in traditional enchiladas (Corn tortillas and pre-made enchilada. Boy doesn't like cornbread either. Again, I KNOW.)

I served these with a bit of homemade pico de gallo that I pulled together from the stuff I had in my fridge, and he devoured that too.

I love pico de gallo, maybe even more than I love salsa. It's just so pretty. Here's a good recipe if you've never made it before: http://allrecipes.com/

Just spoon it over the enchiladas. It's tots amaze. My husband has threatened me with duct tape if I don't stop saying the word, "tots", as in "totally."

Let's get going, because I'm already getting hungry again.

First get some chicken together. And not the boneless, skinless breasts, but thighs and drumsticks. About six of them. Or go full throttle and get an entire cut-up fryer chicken. Now is the time to go big or go home. Place your chicken in a big pot, and add a pinch of salt.

My chicken is golden. It's emitting yummy rays. Now fill the pot with enough water to cover up the chicken.

That is quite an action shot. I am obviously a genius photographer.

Cover, bring the water to boil, and then let it simmer for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, cut the jalapeno in half and seed it.

Now dice the halves up. And DO NOT touch your eyes without washing very thoroughly. I do this every time I'm around jalapenos. It's like my eyeballs have jalapeno juice magnets in them.

Get out your medium onion.

Please don't judge my dicing. It's terrible and I'm embarrassed, but dicing is scary. And I have no hand-eye coordination. Make me proud.

Your chicken should be done by now.

That is not so pretty. Thankfully, it gets better.

I'm glad someone likes my cooking.


On a side note, I inadvertently bought the most wonderful paper towels. They are not indestructible or soak up a ton of icky, but I never want to buy a different roll of paper towels ever again.

Magical.

Back to the enchiladas. Take 3 small cans of green chile and dice them up. I happen to have roasted green chile that we smuggled from New Mexico, which works amazingly. It should absolutely be illegal, like cocaine. During green chile season, the entire state goes out of control. It's a very dangerous time.

Pick your heat carefully. That is not for the faint of taste buds.


Heat up two tablespoons of canola oil in a skillet, and dump in your onions and jalapenos. Stir them around and let them cook for only about a minute, just to get the heating process started.

Now add the shredded chicken, half of the green chiles, and half the paprika.

This is so exciting. Now you can add that chicken broth.

Just a half cup, and stir it around.

Your kitchen smells amazing right now, I promise you. Now you can add the heavy cream. I imagine that you're resisting the idea of heavy cream. Do it. I did, because I'm a naughty girl and naughty girls have all the fun.

Naughty.

Stir it in, and let it bubble up, get hot, and reduce a bit.

I almost threw in the towel right then and there and ate this with a fork. But I didn't, because I'm not that naughty.

Get out your tortillas. Feel free to use corn ones, just make sure to soften them over a bit of oil in a heated skillet. Otherwise they crack and that's just yuck.

Now we make the creamy enchilada sauce. And this part is magical, if I do say so myself. It's time for butter.

Just a dab.

Add a bit of flour.

Stir it in with a whisk, because otherwise you will get little chunks. Using a whisk ensures your little mixture will be smooth and delightful. Now you can pour in the remaining chicken broth. Stir it in real nice-like.

Throw in the green chile and stir that in too. At this point, it's a good idea to switch to a spatula or wooden spoon. I didn't do that, because I'm a space cadet. Do as I say, not as I do.

Once that's stirred in, add the sour cream. It'll melt a bit, and you get the job of mixing it into the sauce. Life is terrible.

Once it's nice and mixed, it should look like something from your dreams.

Have we met before? Your creaminess looks familiar.

Perhaps we should add some paprika, salt, and pepper to jog my memory.

 

Throw in some cayenne pepper if you're feeling adventurous. Stir that in. 

I love cheese. Allow me to demonstrate.

I thought this sauce was missing something.

Clearly, every recipe needs a big honkin' pile of cheese.

Set that aside. Grab a tortilla and fill it with the corn mixture.

Maybe some more cheese would be a good idea.

Yes, that was a good idea. Now roll up the tortilla and place it seam side down in a casserole dish or pan.

That is just sad. We should fix the problem.

Like piggies wrapped in blankets. I plan to be a piggie later with this dish.

Cover the enchiladas with the sauce. Use all of it. Don't be shy.

Throw some more cheese on there if you feel like it. Don't beat yourself up. Just let it happen.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until you just can't stand it anymore.

Ohhhhhhhhh...

Hooray! Now you can carefully cut it up and put it on your plate. Or, if you're like me, jab a spatula into the middle of the pan, shovel out some tortillas, drag it across the table, spilling all the way, and chuck it onto your plate. Not pretty, but highly effective.

Add some pico de gallo, if you feel so inclined. Or salsa or hot sauce or nothing. It's time to spread your wings.

The leftovers lasted less than half a day. Oh, and the whole thing about G.I. Joe not liking enchiladas?

That was his plate.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients
      -2 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
      -2 cups of chicken broth
      -3 tablespoons of canola oil
      -7 medium flour tortillas
      -1 whole onion, diced
      -12 oz of green chile, fresh roasted or canned
      -1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
      -1 teaspoon of paprika (cayenne pepper is optional)
      -1/2 cup of heavy cream
      -2 tablespoons of butter
      -2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
      -1 cup of sour cream
      -2 1/2 cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese
      -Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
      1. Place the chicken in a pot and cover with water. Cover the pot, and put on high heat to boil, then lower to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot, and shred. Set aside.

      2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large skillet, and add the diced onion and jalapeno. Stir and cook for one minute, then add the shredded chicken, half of the chiles and half of the paprika. Stir and cook for two more minutes. Add in 1/2 cup of chicken broth, and let the mixture cook for several minutes. Pour in the heavy cream, mix in, and allow the chicken mixture to heat up and bubble, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

     3. In another skillet, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, add in the flour and gently blend together with a whisk. Pour in the remaining 1 1/2 cup of chicken broth, mixing into the flour mixture. Add remaining green chiles and mix in. Put the sour cream into the sauce, and use a spatula to distribute into thoroughly blended. Sprinkle on paprika, salt, and pepper, as well as cheese, and stir until spices are incorporated and cheese is melted. Set aside.

     4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Hold a tortilla in one hand, and use a spoon to put a helping of the chicken mixture on top. Add some cheese, roll up the tortilla, and place seam side down in the dish. Continue with remaining tortillas and chicken.

     5. Pour the cheese sauce over the tortillas, and sprinkle with a small amount of shredded cheese, if desired.

     6. Bake for 30 minutes until edges are golden brown and bubbling. Serve with a spatula, separating the tortillas. Garnish with pico de gallo, salsa, or cilantro.

Blackberry Jam and Bee Stings

So as you've heard, it's blackberry season in Washington. And not just blackberry season, but BLACKBERRY season. They are everywhere, and they are delicious. Big, shiny, juicy, beautiful berries. I love them, and so does everybody else.

I collected some for my upcoming jam endeavor a few days ago, just me and the dogs. G.I. Joe was at that job thingy he does. I don't know.

ANYWAY. I got stung by a bee. Through my jeans, and I won't put up a picture because it was on the back of my upper thigh. Yup, right where you're thinking. Awkward. But I was traumatized, and didn't want to go back by myself.

I took G.I. Joe with me to collect blackberries, and it was very successful. No bee stings, and we found fresh, wild mint. Glorious. We collected enough to make jam, and that's what I decided to do; I like to think my domesticity report card has a few A's on it.

G.I. Joe has already eaten an entire jar, so I call this recipe successful. I tend to gauge my recipes by how much he likes them. I like it because there isn't anything weird in it. No pectin or gelatin or skeleton or animal hooves or anything. That's right, there are just three ingredients in this recipe.

Bet you can't guess the first one.

Those are some pretty blackberries. And look at that delicate, feminine hand. Now whose could that be?

I digress.

This is probably not enough to make jam. But this might be enough:

That should be good. You can measure them out. Or not. This recipe is the easiest thing ever, and pretty much everything is as you like it. But for propriety's sake, I measured out my blackberries.

I don't know how that purple ring showed up on my Pyrex measuring glass, but I like to think it's coming from the blackberries. Like a halo. You know, because they're so pure.

Pour all the berries into a medium saucepan, but don't turn on the heat yet.

More beautiful purple halos. My kitchen is berry heaven.

See that whisk? Whhhisssk. Whisk whisk whisk. Wh wh whisk. I just love that word. You will need a whisk, or whisk-like device. Or really, a spoon is fine, because you're supposed to use that to mash up the berries into a lovely little berry stew.

Don't completely destroy them. Leave some heft in there, it makes this jam all the difference. I should probably stop here and note that this is not a jam for people who prefer to get their fruit from gummy snacks and a Smuckers jar. Because this is not a Smuckers kind of jam. We don't do Smuckers, unless the situation calls for it, and I'm smeared with finger paint and dirt. This happens more often than you think.

It's time for some sugar. The granulated stuff is just fine. Measure some out and pour it over the berry mush. You can really tweak it here, because this is a matter of what kind of sweet tooth you have. Mine is out of control.

Stir it all up, until the sugar is blended into the berry juice.

Get out some lemons, and grate off a little bit of the peel. Make sure to just get the yellow part, not the white rind. That stuff is bitter and just guh-ross. I forgot to mention that I also excel in teenage-ese. Just a few little slices is fine.

Roll your lemon out on the counter to get the juices flowing, cut it in half, and squeeze out the juice. If you don't have quite enough but don't want to cut open another lemon, just use the bottled stuff.

Or you can just use it and save yourself the trouble of buying lemons. Seriously, it's ok. The freshness gods are not going to come after you. I love lemons and have no qualms about substituting this sometimes.

Add in a few tablespoons into the mixture.

Stir it all up, and turn the heat up to high. That's right, you want the hottest setting on the stove. Let that boil for about five to seven minutes, depending on how many berries you have. More on that later.

You'll start seeing a little bit of foam collecting on the top of your boiling berries.

That's ok. Just leave it be for now. The color will be very pretty, but you won't want it in the end. Let it boil on high heat for a bit, with lots of happy little jam bubbles. Once it's bubbled for while, turn down the heat to about medium and just let it roll around for a little. Your mixture will look a little like this.

You can start skimming off the foam while it's cooking. Just take a spoon and get as much off the top as possible without taking any of the jam. Do your best. I believe in you.

After it's bubbled for about fifteen minutes, turn off the heat and remove the saucepan. Now, very carefully, spoon the jam mixture into Mason jars. Make sure there is nobody around you, like children, dogs, or ducks. It's like molten lava, which is good for now.

Don't be alarmed if it doesn't look like it has a snowball's chace in hell of being spread on toast. That's what the cooling time is for. You can just marvel at its beauty for now.

I know, I'm a very messy jam spooner. Also, I love that color. Perhaps a dress in the same color is just the ticket. Screw on the lids, and let it cool for a few hours. Make sure you refrigerate the stuff, and it will be good for a week. If you want it to last a while longer, go through the canning process and store it in the pantry. By the way, canning is not as scary as it sounds. After one try, I am now an expert canner.

Here is a good link for canning information: http://www.fcs.uga.edu/

G.I. Joe ate almost an entire jar in one day. I plan to just roll around in it.

Blackberry Jam

Ingredients
      - 3 cups of blackberries (raspberries & blueberries are also ok)
      - 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
      - 3 tbsps of lemon juice
      - Slivers of lemon peel

Directions
      1. Place the blackberries in a medium saucepan and gently crush the berries with a small whisk or spoon, enough to release the juices.

      2. Add the sugar and the lemon juice. A good ratio is half a cup of sugar and one tablespoon of lemon juice per one cup of berries.

     3. Stir together all the ingredients, along with the lemon peel, and set burner on high heat. Allow to boil for five minutes (add one minute per extra cup of blackberries).

     4. Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for at least 15 minutes, adding two minutes for each cup of blackberries. Skim off the foam throughout the simmering process.

     5. Remove the saucepan from heat, and distribute throughout the Mason jars, leaving 1/2 inch of space between the jam and the lid. Seal lids and proceed with canning process, or allow to cool overnight. Eat on toast in the messiest way possible.