Sweet Potato And Black Bean Enchiladas

I'll just apologize now for not getting a better photo and will offer up a promise of a better one the next time these grace my kitchen. They were just to good to really wait and make a "pretty plate" for the camera. We good? Okay, yes... I say we're good.

Enchiladas are something of a staple around here. Both the, slightly labor intensive, rolled variety and the, far easier, "casserole" variety. What can I say? We sort of really dig Mexican food. The only issue I, personally, have with enchiladas is that I tend to get bored. 90% of the time I make chicken enchiladas. Always yummy, but boring, after 11ty billion times. We almost never have beef around the house, when enchiladas occur to me, so sometimes... When I'm just to bored with chicken to be bothered, I get a little creative and sometimes, that creativity results in sheer awesomeness. Enter: Sweet potato and black beans, if you please. And even if you don't please, so there!

There really is nothing to not like here. The sweetness of the sweet potato makes sweet, sweet music with chili powder, garlic, and cumin. Chipotle would play nice, too, but he wasn't invited last night, to keep the heat down. The end result is a hearty and filling dish rich with spices and just the right amount of kick that I think you'll really enjoy.

So, enough talk! Here's the recipe:

2 large sweet potatoes (yams, if you really want to be technical. Go for orange!)
1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs olive oil
1.5 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
1 can of green enchilada sauce
corn tortillas

Preheat the oven to 350 and cook those sweet potatoes however you want. I boiled mine, but roasting them is nice, too. While they're cooking, saute the onions and garlic until they're translucent and the onions have taken on a pretty color. When the sweet potatoes are done, mash them up, add everything except the cheese and tortillas and mix it up. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.

Now, here's the good part. pour some enchilada sauce in the bottom of your baking dish. Sprinkle a bit of cheese in each tortilla, add a healthy scoop of filling and roll and place it in the pan. Repeat until done. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese and bake about 25 minutes.

If you're going casserole style, line the bottom with corn tortillas, then spread the mixture over the top, sprinkle about half the cheese over the top and cover with another layer of tortillas. Cover with enchilada sauce and the remaining cheese and bake for the same amount of time.

I serve these with a bit of sour cream.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Someone once said, "Chicken soup is good for the soul.", and I have to say, that I agree. Chicken soup is warm, comforting, and full of "Make you feel better about anything" goodness. It's one of the very first things I think about when fall arrives and the weather cools and noses start to get stuffed up. I'm pretty sure chicken soup is sort of magical.

We needed some magic last night, for sure. We had a rough start that morning and it really just set a bad tone for the day. I had, thankfully, made some chicken stock overnight in our crock pot and had some leftover chicken from the previous night's dinner. It was as if the universe had perfectly aligned... I knew what I had to do! It was definitely a "Chicken Soup" night! And not just any chicken soup, oh no! It was a "Chicken Pot Pie Soup" sort of night.

Here is my method:

2-3 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite sized chunks
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 carrots, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2-3 ribs of celery, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup peas
5 cups of chicken stock
1 cup whole milk
1 cup cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp black pepper

Over med-high heat, melt your butter and toss in the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery and saute until the onion begins to turn translucent. Add in the flour and continue to stir and cook for 1-2 minutes. It's going to seize up and that is okay. Just don't let it burn! Add in the chicken stock and stir until it starts to thicken and bubble. Toss in the peas, bay leaf and thyme, reduce the heat to med-low and simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Stir in the milk and cream and add the salt and pepper. Allow it to heat through and serve with hot out of the oven biscuits.

Broccoli Sausage Pasta

We have a large family rife with big personalities and varying tastes. It can be very challenging to please them all, at times. Of our 4 children, one doesn't like rice, except plain sticky rice, one doesn't really like any veg except for carrots and broccoli, one refuses to eat any ground meat of any kind, and one is just a baby and likes to chuck his food to the floor. Usually, I try to make a conscious effort to include one component of each meal that I know everyone will like, which can be challenging. But, sometimes, it brings inspiration and I manage to sneak a 1 pot dish in front of my kids that they'll all eat to some degree... And that, in my book is a huge win!

Broccoli Sausage Pasta is something I came up with spur of the moment after we'd gotten home late from the store. The ground meat hater in the family hadn't been born just yet, so the 2 picky eaters we had at the time surprised the heck out of me by devouring the entire meal with out a single complaint and shocked me even more by asking me to make it again the following week. And thus, a family favorite was born! Even now, when my 5 year old tells me she hates ground meat, she will gladly eat the pasta and broccoli in this dish, which is good enough for me.

The dish is ridiculously simple. Bite size pieces of Italian sausage, broccoli, some garlic, olive oil all tossed together with adorably kid friendly bow tie pasta and topped with fresh parmesan cheese. You can NOT get this wrong, people! It's just not possible.

This is my method:

1 package sweet/mild/hot Italian sausage (if you use the kind in the casing, cut that off and rip into chunks)
1 box farfalle pasta
1 pound broccoli, cut into bite size spears
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Get a pot of water off to a rolling boil and cook your pasta to package directions. 1-2 minutes before you think the pasta is done, add the broccoli to the pot.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large pan, brown the sausage up until it's cooked through. Turn off the heat and add the garlic and the olive oil to the pan and let the residual heat saute the garlic while you go drain your pasta and broccoli.

Toss the cooked pasta and broccoli into your pan and toss it all together until it's well coated. Sprinkle with the Parm and serve hot.

Shrimp Scampi Pasta

As a busy mom with multiple kids, I'd  be lying if I said we weren't a busy family. Some nights call for a quick and easy dinner and, though I realize this makes me sound like a snot, shrimp scampi pasta is one of those meals I plan on when I know we'll be running in 10 different directions until it's nearly time to eat. Rich, garlicky, with huge bursts of citrus, a comforting portion of pasta, and the satisfying crunch of panko. It is definitely one of my family's favorite meals and it carries the added bonus of being a super fast meal.

Here is my method:

3/4 pound of linguine
3/4 pound of shimp
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs butter, unsalted
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper, optional
salt and pepper, to taste
2 lemons, zested and juiced
2 tbs flat Italian parsley, minced
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Cook the pasta according to package directions. While you're boiling your water, heat the olive oil and the butter in a large skillet and saute your garlic for a few minutes, until it's golden brown. Don't burn it!!! That tastes nasty. Once it looks all pretty, toss in the crushed red pepper and the shrimp and cook a few minutes per side, until they're pretty and pink. Add the lemon zest and the lemon juice. Toss in the linguine, parsley, salt and pepper, and the panko and toss until everything is combined well. Serve and enjoy!

Smoky Chipotle Tri Tip

When we were in San Diego, we grilled all year round. It was GLORIOUS! Even in the winter, the weather is still nice enough to spend copious amounts of time outside. It wasn't until we moved to Japan that we had to face facts that grilling out was really more of a "Summer" activity. And, now that we're in Texas, we are once again faced with grilling out being a seasonal event and we're taking full advantage while it's here.

My husband has a deep love affair with red meat. He is the type of guy who could eat burgers every day and never get bored. I won't lie, I love a nice cut of red meat from time to time. But, given the choice, I usually opt for chicken or fish. And while he enjoys both, if he feels we've gone to long without his beloved, I whip up his all time favorite dish. Smoky Chipotle Tri Tip. Rich in spices with just the right amount of heat and a smoky sweetness. This, paired with a bright salad, is the ultimate in perfect summer meals.

Here is my method:

1 Tri Tip, about 2-3 pounds
2 Tbs light brown sugar
1 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp granulated garlic
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp chipotle pepper

Mix all the spices together with the brown sugar and rub it into the tri tip. Allow it to sit about 20 minutes, to take the chill off the meat. Throw it on the grill and cook about 10-15 minutes on medium heat. Then flip and cook another 5-7 minutes. Take it off the grill and allow it to rest another 10-15 minutes so the juices can redistribute throughout the meat. Slice against the grain and serve.

Ranch Dressing

I have always been a "Ranch Dressing" girl. It was my mother's favorite and copious amounts were kept in our house for a multitude of applications. Salads, veggie dip, spread on a burger, dip for fries, hot wings, you name it, I've probably at least thought about putting ranch on it. It is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. Creamy, rich, with just the right amount of bite. I could bathe in it. No, seriously, I could.

Because I love this stuff so very much, I'm insanely picky. If we're out to eat, I always ask for a ranch salad, because restaurants always have the best tasting ranch dressing. Why? Because they make it from scratch, people! Ditch the bottle and try this, just once and you'll never buy a bottle again!

Here is my method:

2/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayo
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup parsley**, chopped
1/3 cup chives**, chopped
salt
pepper

Take just a moment to sprinkle a bit of salt on the garlic clove and use a fork to mash it to a paste. Combine the sour cream, mayo, garlic paste, parsley, and chives in a bowl and mix well. Add in buttermilk until you get the consistency you want. If it seems a bit thick, just add more buttermilk. Add salt and pepper to taste and then tuck it in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavors really come together.

**Use fresh herbs, they really do make the difference. You can buy both at the store, already cut and washed and ready to use. I prefer to grow my own, making this a far more economical choice than buying bottles of pre-made dressing.