Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

I got a text message from my cousin in Texas yesterday saying that she had tried the Curried Egg Salad with homemade wheat bread (YUM) and that she and her husband had loved it! It's one of my husband's favorites as well. He's told me in the past, "Honey, you can make this one once a week." :D 

I love sharing recipes with friends and family. It's one of those little things that helps to span the miles when you live so far apart. :)

I made the following enchiladas for the guys this past week and thought they were pretty good. However, my husband let it be known that these are NOT his favorite. (Yes. He's shy like that. :) He prefers the sour cream enchiladas that I normally make for him. These have a cream cheese base and he wasn't a fan. You'll have to try them out and let me know what you think. My husband feels very strongly that cream cheese does not equal Mexican food. :) So, while I thought they were pretty tasty, this recipe is not going to make it into the "Husband Approved" category. :D 

For those of you still willing to experiment on your own friends or family, THIS IS A GREAT MAKE AHEAD AND FREEZE FOR THE FUTURE RECIPE! (Who doesn't need some of those?! :)

You'll need the following ingredients: 

2 T. butter

1 sliced onion

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded

2 T. diced green chilies

3 ounces diced cream cheese

salt to taste

1 c. (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack

3 T. vegetable oil

4 large flour tortillas

1/2 c. whipping cream

SERVES:4

(You'll notice in the pictures that I doubled the above ingredients. I'm cooking for two hungry runners and a pregnant gal. We can eat in this house!)

Directions: 

Melt butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. 

Remove skillet from heat and add the chicken, chilies and cream cheese. Mix lightly and add salt to taste. 

(NOTE: If you're making this ahead, put in a 1-quart freezer bag, label and freeze. Put the Monterey Jack cheese in a sandwich bag and tape to the front of the larger bag. To serve, thaw the filling and Jack cheese and continue on with the remainder of this recipe.)

Heat the oil in the skillet. Dip the tortillas one at a time into the oil and fry for several seconds until they begin to blister and become limp. Remove and drain on paper towels. 

Spoon about 1/3 cup of the filling down the center of each tortilla.  

Roll and set, seam side down, in a 13x9-inch baking dish that has been greased.

Moisten by pouring the whipping cream over the enchiladas. 

Sprinkle with the cheese. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. 

YUM! 

(Well, at least I thought so. :)

Linking up to some of these great parties.

This Week's Little Lonely Post :)

I can't believe this entire week has gone by and I haven't posted a single thing. So sorry for being a slacker but I promise I've been keeping very busy with my little guy. We've been reading, singing, learning to put the right shape in the corresponding hole in his little wooden toy, rolling the ball back and forth and wherever else it might go, etc. etc. etc. 

He's stood without holding on to anything a couple of times now. The first time he stood for about 20 seconds and then started clapping for himself. It was too cute for words. Today after a very short 30 minute nap, the little guy joined me in the kitchen to "help me" finish getting lunch together. His help includes holding on to my leg and hollering or opening every cupboard and drawer available. I was in the midst of whipping up a yummy chicken curry salad (I'll share the recipe next week) when I realized he was not holding on to my leg anymore and I hadn't felt him slide down to sit. I turned to find him balancing in the middle of the kitchen floor! My little guy is growing up. (I don't know whether I want to smile or tear up after that last sentence.) 

Moving on....

Both my boys and my two little furbabies are sound asleep and now is my chance to get in a little blogging.  :) A moment ago I heard thunder in the distance. The wind blowing through the open window is carrying the smell of rain. That is one of my all-time favorite smells. Everything seems very peaceful and I'm feeling quite content at the moment. :) 

Today marks 12 weeks pregnant with our second little one! I can hardly believe it! After a scare early on, things have been going really well. I would post a picture, but I'm about twice the size I was at this stage of my first pregnancy, so I think I'll refrain. :) We're praying for a healthy and happy little one to be a friend and sibling for our little guy. Our little family is growing. We were just slow starters, but we're making up for lost time now! :D 

I'll do my best to be a better blogger next week. In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend and squeeze in some time for a nice cup of coffee. :)

Blogger Woes

Google apparently hates me lately. Yesterday morning I noticed that my "Follow Me" button was missing along with all my followers. When I visited other blogs, I couldn't follow them or view their "Follow Me" button. I reported all this to the blogger "help." Last evening my followers were back and my background was missing. Now BOTH have disappeared. Sigh. Please bare with me as I try to work out the kinks. I've already tried to reload the background several times as I realize the text is difficult to read at present. Know I'm working on the problem.

I'm hoping to wake up in the morning and find that my little blog has miraculously righted itself. :) 

Has anyone else experienced this type of problem with their blog or is it personal? :)

Hope your weekend is off to a great start and you're experiencing none of the technical difficulties afore mentioned. 

I Think I'm In Love....

Oh my goodness!! I ADORE this chevron ruffle pillow by Crazy Wonderful! How gorgeous is this?!! The best part is she gives a tutorial so that we can try to make one too!! This pillow just satisfies deep inner longings, doesn't it? :)

Lil Luna shares how to make this "Count Your Blessings" board. She even did hers in my all-time favorite colors. :)

Another feature that will make you happy just looking at it is this adorable craft space by Craft-O-Maniac. You have to check out her post for a closer look at all the bright and happy cuteness. I know I'm gushing today. It's just my mood. :)

These are just a couple of things I've come across this past week that made me smile and inspired me. Hope they've put a smile on your face as well! :D 

Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend and Count Your Blessings!

My Little Helper and Toasted Almond Chicken

I love motherhood. Granted, I think it's by far the most exhausted I've ever been, but oh my goodness! The rewards are beyond measure. My little guy is my constant companion. He's cracking me up right now as he crawls all over the place with one of his daddy's powerbars in each fist. He's been looking quite proud of himself ever since he snatched them out of his dad's bag. :)

Below are a couple of pics of me and my little helper. 

Walking the dogs...

Vacuuming the floors...

(for those of you new to this blog, we are up in Mammoth Lakes, CA in a rented condo for a couple of months. Please do NOT think this is my decor, etc. LOL :)

Making the recipe I'm about to share with you....

 I consider this Southern Living recipe one of my favorite comfort foods. I've changed it up a bit over time. The guys like it and the leftovers always go fast.  As I've mentioned before, this family likes rice. Have you seen the size bag we buy?? This is another dish that I serve over rice. You can also serve it over toast points if you prefer. 

This recipe takes about 45 minutes to make and serves about six.

You will need the following ingredients: 

6 skinned and boned chicken breast halves

 1/8 t. salt

1/8 t. pepper

3 T. butter, divided

3 cups whipping cream

4 T. orange marmalade

2 T. Dijon mustard

1/4 t. ground red pepper

1 (2.25-ounce) pkg. sliced almonds, toasted

Kind of a different combination, huh? 

About 20 minutes before dinner I start my rice. 

The original recipe calls for you to flatten your chicken breasts to a 1/4 inch thickness. However, my family prefers to have it in pieces in the size pictured below. Either way works. 

Sprinkle your chicken with salt and pepper. 

Melt 1 1/2 T. butter in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. 

Add half your chicken and cook on each side until golden.

Sadly, I got my chicken a little too golden the evening my little helper and I made this. :)

Remove chicken from skillet. Repeat procedure with remaining butter and chicken.

Reduce your heat to medium; add whipping cream and next three ingredients to skillet, stirring well. 

Add chicken; sprinkle with almonds, and cook until sauce thickens.

Serve over rice. :)

Note: If this is a bit too fattening for your taste, the original recipe calls for only 1/2 of the sauce that I listed. However, my husband and I found it to be rather dry that way and we like having extra sauce to spoon over the rice. :) 

Linking up to some of these great parties! 

Upcycled Jars=Birthday Happy For a Friend

Shortly before returning to Mammoth Lakes I got to celebrate a sweet friend's 30th birthday. I had some jars at home that I had removed the labels from, washed and saved for "something." I did a little sleuthing and, with the help of my friend's husband, found out some of her favorite candies. 

A little ribbon, a little hot glue, some scrapbook paper and mod podge and I had some fun little gift jars of candy to tuck in with a few other "birthday happies." 

Starbursts, Skittles and Peanut Butter Cups. YUM! :D

I apologize for the horrible quality of these pictures. My husband was in Brazil at the time and he had taken our only camera. I took these using the camera on my computer. However, you get the general idea of how they turned out. :)

(I realize this is an exceptionally bad photo, but I was trying to get my son to his Gammy and get out the door for the party. I did, however, want to try to show you the scrapbook paper mod podged to the top. :)

Here's the birthday girl...

and the whole crew...

Girlfriends are such a blessing! :) I can't wait to get back home and see these gals in person. :)

Linking up to some of these great parties. 

Maple Sausage Skillet

I made this recipe this past week for the boys. Even my little guy loved trying bits of it. The original recipe is from Taste of Home, however, I've changed it up a bit to fit my family's pickiness culinary preferences. I'll make a note at the end in case you want the original ingredients. 

Here's what you'll need (though the amounts are vague because I change it up every time I make it, depending on what's in the fridge):

1 lb. fully cooked Kielbasa or Polish sausage, sliced
1 t. canola oil
1 medium green pepper, thinly sliced
2 medium red peppers, thinly sliced
1 red onion, halved and sliced
2 or 3 celery ribs, sliced
sliced carrots
maple syrup
black pepper

and.....hot cooked rice.
Ummm.....we really like rice in this family. I think our bag of rice is bigger than our child at present. :)

I chop all my veggies.

In a large skillet, cook sausage in oil for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned.

Add vegetables; stir-fry 3-4 minutes longer or until crisp-tender.
(It's been a little tricky here in Mammoth, I miss my stir-fry skillet from home. The veggies were overflowing the skillet.)

Stir in the syrup and pepper.


Heat through.

Serve with rice.



The original recipe calls for just 1/2 lb. of sausage, 1 t. canola oil, 1 med. green pepper, 1 small onion, 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (my husband won't eat those:( sigh), 1 celery rib, 2 T. maple syrup (I ALWAYS use more than that :), 1/4 t. pepper. 


BON APPETITE! 




Linking up to some of my favorite link parties. 

Check Out This Giveaway!

Christina over at Christina's Adventures is hosting a fun giveaway spotlighting an etsy shop with such cute and affordable jewelry, you won't be able to resist shopping! I couldn't. I just purchased these from Simple Serendipity...

Aren't they just so cute! Nothing in her shop is over $5.00!! Can we say, "Time to stock up on stocking stuffers??" :D You can check out Christina's giveaway HERE.

Hope you're all having a great weekend. Be sure to check back tomorrow for a favorite family recipe that is so easy and almost all the way healthy. :D 

All Things Coffee

Due to the fact that it is Feature Friday and in honor of all things coffee, I thought I'd share some etsy love and show you a few things that have caught my coffee lovin' eye. 

This particular little number by Doodling A Smile could be my life's motto at the moment...especially in blog land. :)

Check out this adorable "Know Your Coffees" print from the etsy shop Blimp Cat.

For the paper lovin' folks in the house, here are some of my favorite tags that I've come across. I adore these coffee-stained tags by September Faire. 

 I thought these coffee-stained tags by Zero Names Left were cute as well.

I found this simple stamp by NoraJane that I now think I probably need. Sigh.

You'll know when I get it. I'll be using it on every note, letter and gift card.  :D

I love the smell of coffee. I love the taste of coffee (except perhaps when pregnant). What could be better than BATHING in coffee?? :D I ask you?
Check out this coffee scrub by Wicked Scentuals.

and this  coffee body butter by Whitney's Lotions and Potions.

This "Good Morning Handsome" coffee spoon by Sycamore Hill would make a great gift for your coffee-lovin' sweetheart. I may have to purchase this one for my man. Afterall, he did bring me roses on Monday. :)

For me personally, I'd choose a coffee spoon that said, "No Coffee, No Workee." That could be another life motto for me. :D 

If anyone in my family is needing a gift idea for me....

hint.hint.hint. 

I'm just sayin'.... :D 

Hope you all have enjoyed these fun little etsy finds as much as I have. :) Any other coffee kindred spirits in the house? 

So I Have A Little Announcement To Make... :D

It looks like our little guy is going to be a big brother! :D

I'm still a little bit in shock, but oh so excited at the same time. Our little guy and the newest little addition will be just 14 months apart. I told my husband that we'll just be very happy, very exhausted people for the next several years and then we'll be golden. :) It would probably be a bit easier if I were about 10 years younger (LOL), but I'm so incredibly happy that after such a long journey to have just one child, we're suddenly blessed with the expectation of a second. :) We had an ultrasound this morning and it was so incredible to see the baby (the size of a peanut right now) waving it's little arm and leg buds around like crazy. The doctor was cracking up because the little thing wasn't gonna sit still for anything. 

Now you know the secondary reason for my sporadic blogging. I have been SO INCREDIBLY TIRED, like almost unable to hold my eyes open kind of tired. I didn't really have that with the first pregnancy, but I wasn't chasing around a 10 month old then either. :) He's keeping me so busy that by the time he takes a nap, I fall asleep right along with him. :) The condo up here in Mammoth isn't all that clean right now and the meals aren't all that gourmet. I'm just trying to keep my head above water and stay awake most days. :) 

I'm going to try to start blogging on my fitness blog again this coming week so that I can try to stay active and accountable through this pregnancy. I'll be starting my little walking program. Please feel free to come over and join me there as well. :) I need all the company I can get in that arena. We're up in Mammoth Lakes and it's hard for me to be away from my girlfriends. As busy as I am here, it's also lonely. I'm looking forward to going home for a couple of weeks in October as well as heading to the east coast to visit my sister and new little niece! 

Aren't they just so cute! 

If any of you wonderfully creative women would be interested in doing a guest blog, please contact me with the project or recipe you'd like to share. I'd love to feature some of you while I'm away from home and most of my supplies, etc. Blogging is about community, right? :) Heaven knows I'm missing that up here. :) 

Just wanted to share our exciting news with you. I couldn't hold it in any longer. :) 

Hope you're all having a great Thursday! 

Curried Egg Salad

I am usually NOT an egg salad fan. As a matter of fact, it wasn't until the last year or so that I would even eat eggs unless they were baked into something yummy. However, I love curry and so does my husband. One winter when we were up in Mammoth Lakes and the snow was piling higher than I cared to venture out in, I was desperate for a recipe that I could throw together quickly for my husband and his coach and not have to get out in the weather for ingredients. I found a recipe for curried egg salad and thought I'd give it a whirl. Turns out it was so tasty that it even made its way into my little recipe book that I talk about here. 

If you like curry and even just kinda like eggs, you're gonna love this. This recipe is so simple and one of our very favorites for a quick lunch or light dinner. I like to double the recipe so that we have leftovers. After the flavors have gelled, this is almost even better the next day and my husband always cleans it out in short order. Here's what you'll need: 

1/2 c. mayo

1/2 t. honey

1/2 t. ground curry

Dash ground ginger

6 hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped

3 green onions, chopped

6 slices whole wheat bread

sliced tomato (optional)

In a bowl, blend mayonnaise, honey, curry and ginger. 

Stir in eggs and green onions.

(Let me insert my favorite way to hard-cook eggs, just in case you're like me and were always peeling away half the egg along with the shell. I start timing the eggs for 10 minutes after the water reaches a boil. After they've boiled for a good 10 minutes, I turn off the burner and cover the eggs with a lid to sit for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, I pour the water out and immediately fill the pan with very cold water. After the eggs are completely cool, I drain the water and shake the pan around to crack the shells. The eggshells then peel away without any problems and I actually have presentable eggs. It doesn't really matter with this recipe, but it's nice for deviled eggs, Southwest Cobb Salad, etc. )

Okay, back to today's recipe. :)

Here's my messy bowl after I've finished mixing. I wish I'd made it pretty for you guys, but this is real and it's my quick, gotta have something on the table within 30 minutes, recipe. :)

My favorite way to serve this is on toasted bread with sliced tomatoes and grapes as a side dish.

So Yummy! 

If you try it, let me know what you think. :) 

Check out some of my favorite blog parties! 

Black and White Monday

Hello, Faithful Friends! :) Happy Monday to you! My little guy and I are up in Mammoth Lakes, CA 

(again) and going just a little nuts. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful here. The mountains, the lakes... it's all breathtaking. But I'm a city girl. I like the mountains for a week or two. But several months and I'm going bonkers. 

Lately, I'm a really homesick city girl. I'm not talking homesick for our home in SoCal. I'm not talking homesick for our home in Oregon. Sigh. I'm talking, this Southern gal is MAJORLY homesick for her FAMILY and for TEXAS. I'm so ready to go home to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and put down roots near my sweet grandmother and my sister and my awesome extended family. Something about having my little guy makes me want to go home and raise him where I'm the happiest and where he can get to know his cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. If I had my way, I'd be buying a house in Frisco about right now.  I don't even care that they've had over 30 days straight of weather over 100 degrees. It'd be worth just being around my folks. :) 

I know I'm rambling and even whining just a bit...but a girl has got to vent every now and then. Thanks for putting up with me. :) But enough of that. On to today's little blog post. 

This morning my little guy woke up way before the sun came up. So... in an effort to get out of the house and do something relatively fun, I packed him up, pjs and all and he and I went out for a little breakfast date. I wish I'd taken the camera with me. He had his first bits of pancake with the tiniest smidge of syrup and he was lovin' it. Folks in the booth nearby were crackin' up. His hands started waving and his feet started kicking and his smile was a mile-wide. Apparently he likes that a bit more than the standard carrots and peas he's been accustomed to. It was too cute. :D Totally made me smile.

After breakfast we made a productive early morning trip to the grocery store and then it was back to the condo (sigh) where he's currently taking a nap - giving me a chance to peruse some favorite blogs and even discover a couple of new ones. I know it's not Friday, but I'm doing some features anyway. There were several projects and posts that stood out to me this morning and, when I realized they were all black and white, I figured it was a sign and I had to blog about them. :)

Random Picture: Here I am with the little guy I'm head over heels in love with. I can't even believe he'll be 10 months this week! The time is flying. He's crawling all over the place, pulling himself up on any and everything, stable or otherwise, and keeping me incredibly busy. Thus the sporadic blogging. :)

Check out this adorable owl art over at Till Death Do Us Part. I so want to do these! I need more rooms in my house to decorate! :D 

Meg over at A Little Knick Knack made these Easy Envelope Pillows. It was one of the first blogs I checked out this morning and the beginning of the black and white theme for the day. :) Thanks, Meg, for sharing. It almost makes me willing to brave the Ikea craziness to try to find this cute fabric! :D

These adorable First Day of School Survival Kits were made over at Sassy Sites for just under $1 apiece! That's hard to beat! Such a cute and thoughtful way to start the school year. 

This is my newest blog discovery. I'm looking forward to exploring it more. Randee over at How About Them Apples looks like a kindred teacher spirit. She's currently teaching kindergarten (brave soul) and is celebrating reaching over 100 followers by hosting this adorable giveaway! Be sure to check it out. It runs through the 12th of August and would make such a cute gift for your favorite teacher or for yourself. :)

Hope your week is off to a great start. My little man is now enjoying a snack of grapes cut into tiny pieces, graham crackers, vanilla yogurt and rice cereal. Fun times. My husband walked in a moment ago with a dozen beautiful roses. Such a surprise!! He must have known his wife needed a pick-me-up today.   :D I don't even remember the last time he brought me roses. His timing today was perfect. :)

Thank you, Honey.