White Chicken Enchiladas

This is my version of Pioneer Woman's white chicken enchiladas. I used fresh roasted Hatch chiles that my local HEB has every year and they were fantastic! I don't dip my tortillas in oil like she does for various reasons, but found that if you just heat the corn tortillas, they bend easier. This recipe is great with flour tortillas as well.

Ingredients
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 cups Reserved Broth From Chicken
12 whole Corn Tortillas
1 Onion, Diced
3 4 Oz Cans Diced Green Chilies(or diced fresh roasted Hatch chiles)
1 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 cups Heavy Cream
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 cup Sour Cream
2.5 cups Monterrey Jack Cheese, Grated
Salt And Pepper, to taste
2 Avocados, sliced
Cilantro, chopped


Saute onions in olive oil until they become tender. Add chicken and half of the chiles along with 1/2 teaspoon of paprika. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside.

In a separate large skillet, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat for one minute. Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the other half of the chiles. Reduce heat, then stir in sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Add salt and pepper as needed.

To assemble, spoon chicken mixture on top of tortillas, one by one. Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Pour cheese mixture all over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if and then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. After you take them out of the oven, sprinkle with fresh cilantro and cover with sliced avocados.

Apple Pie

Who doesn't like apple pie? I use a variety of apples to give it a really great flavor. Use a variety of ones labeled for baking. I guesstimated on the amount of apples, but you need about 4 lbs of apples in total if you want it to be pretty and high!

Ingredients
4 Granny Smith Apples
3 Jonagold Apples
2 Honey Crisp Apples
2 refrigerated pie crusts (2 come in a box)
1/2 cup, granulated sugar
1/4 cup, light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon, cinnamon
1/4 cup flour
1 dash, nutmeg
Juice of 1 lemon
1 egg

Peel and core apples and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Mix apples, lemon juice, sugar, spices and flour until well combined. Place one of the pie crusts in bottom of pan and cover with apple mixture. I pile as many as I can and then cover with remaining pie crust. Cut slits in top to vent and brush with lightly beaten egg. Sprinkle with some sugar and cinnamon and follow baking instructions on pie crust box.

Tomato Salad

This is a staple in our house. It's a great complement to our Sunday night steaks. Measurements are estimated....as usual. Feel free to change up the tomato to cheese ratio as you please.

Ingredients
5 or 6 ripe tomatoes, diced in bite size pieces
1 "ball" of soft mozzarella cheese, diced in bite size pieces
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

Mix all ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Tastes best after it sits in the fridge a while.

Lasagna

This is really a simple recipe, but I always get requests for it.

Ingredients
1 pound, lean hamburger meat
2 links, mild Italian Sausage (casings removed)
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon, chopped garlic
1 jar spaghetti sauce (I like Classico's Italian Sausage or Tomato Basil varieties)
2 tablespoons, tomato paste
1 teaspoon, sugar
1 package, no boil lasagna noodles
2 cups, shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup, shredded Parmesan cheese (not the kind in a can)
3 cups, ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon, Italian seasoning

Brown hamburger meat and sausage with onion along with desired amount of salt and pepper. Add spaghetti sauce, tomato paste and sugar and simmer over medium heat. In a mixing bowl, combine cheeses, Italian seasoning and egg and mix well. Be sure to save some shredded cheese for the top of the lasagna. Layer noodles, cheese and sauce in large baking dish and follow baking instructions on pasta box.