Chicken Paprikas

Wednesday Study Lunch with the Girls.
Have I mentioned before how much I love my corningwear? It is so convenient on the go!!
I sometimes find during the semester that it can become increasingly difficult to eat well and study well at the same time. To do one in general takes away time I feel I could be spending on the other. Luckily I have a few hearty go to meals that I have reinvented to accommodate our busy schedule and I have been trying to incorporate them into our weekly meal plan to prevent us from eating too much junk food.

Chicken Paprikas according to the Joy of Cooking should take 1.5 hrs.
My version of this family favorite...30 min.

1 pkg boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders cut into bite size pieces
1/2 yellow onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
3 pads butter
1 turn of olive oil
S&P to taste
3 tbl paprika
1 tbl flour
2 + cups chicken stock
1 + cup sour cream
1 pkg pasta cooked per box

Add butter, olive oil an chicken to preheated pan on stove top and allow to simmer until chicken is half cooked thru. (Throw water on to boil at this point so noodles can be cooked when chicken is completed). Add onions and simmer until chicken is cooked through. Add garlic, S&P, and paprika to pan and stir to combine. Push chicken etc to the edge of the pan and add the flour to the center. combine with butter and onion juices and allow to cook for a minute before adding chicken stock. Mix in stock, recombine all ingredients and allow to thicken slightly. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly until pasta is finished. Add in sour cream and pasta, stir and bring back up to temp. Serve hot with chunks of crusty bread.

***If pasta is done early, do not add sour cream directly to hot chicken mixture. In this case place sour cream in a separate bowl and add a little of the stock from the pot to the sour cream and combine to bring the sour cream up to temp before adding all contents to the pan. This will prevent the sour cream from curdling in the pan.

Now That's a Sandwich!

Tuesday Night Dinner Post from Colorado

Tonight I came home and actually worked-out! I was so excited that I didn't want to spoil it by making a really heavy meal for dinner, and Jeff being so understanding suggested one of my favorites ... veggie sandwiches.

I usually make ours with croissants, but target was out and it's the closest store to us, so I substituted with mini focaccia rounds that I cut in half to make the sandwiches. I also added turkey and provolone to Jeff's to make it a big enough meal for him (his is pictured above). With both upgrades (focaccia and deli meat/cheese) I was still able to keep this dinner under $10 and we had enough to make sandwiches for 4-6 people.

Other ingredients:

Cream cheese

Avocado

Sprouts

Cucumbers

Carrots

To make it really kid-friendly you could cut up and lay out all ingred buffet style and let the kids pile on their favorites. Healthy, fun and delicious!!

Go Italian!

Julie - Here is one of our favorites! We have it for both lunch and dinner.
Prep time 5 min
cook time 10 min
serve hot!!

Baggett or Hoagie (They have great day old specials on these)
Mozarella Cheese
1 tomato
(optional - pesto, make it or pick it up pr- made at the store)

To make your own pesto (combine all in the food processor or blender)
bunch basil
parmesan cheese
smashed garlic clove
pinch salt
dash red pepper flakes
lemon juice (1 lemon)
stream in olive oil until smooth

Slice bread in half, spread on pesto, layer slices of mozarella and slices of tomato. Place on cookie sheet and bake in oven until bread is crispy and cheese is melted. Cut into individual portions. Serve along side tomato cheese soup to make it a full meal.

HELP!!!

I recently added a new member to my family and am now a mother of 4. Life is going pretty well, except I find that my afternoon and evenings are a nightmare. Picking up kids and then trying to soothe a hungry baby who is having his fussy period of the day, on top of managing homework and normal day to day meltdowns of the younger set leave dinner time a bit hectic.
Although I like to think that I typically "have it all together" mentally... lately "new mommy brain" has settled in and I can't seem to think clearly when I need to, namely at dinner time. Dinner needs to be quick, tasty, and kid-friendly. (extra emphasis on the quick!) DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY RECIPES TO SHARE? PLEASE?

Food Storage Stroganoff

1 can beef chunks
1 can cream of mushroom
dollop of sour cream
1/2 cup of beef broth
dash Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Stir into cooked egg noodles

Chicken 'n Dumplings

I forgot to take pictures in dishes, so here are
the leftovers in Tupperware.

I don't normally measure anything for this, but here's the best recipe I can put together.

2-4 Chicken breasts cut up, or 1-2 cans chicken chunks
3 cans chicken broth
2 cans Cream of Chicken
2 cut up celery stocks
3 cut up carrots

~Bring to a boil and add~

2-3 cups cooked egg noodles
pepper
Bisquick dumplings (follow directions on Bisquick box.)


Takes about 20 min total. Great leftovers!

Crockpot roast

Okay, so I found this picture online. It is identical to the one I am now using at Grandpa's house. I'm trying to consider it "cooking retro." LOL The funny thing? It works better than the new ones!

Sunday we had roast...

Crockpot
~Beef or Pork Roast
~onion or Golden onion soup mix
~Cut up potatoes and carrots
~Water up to 1/2 of the roast

Frozen meat--on low overnight
Thawed-- low 8 hours high 4-6 hours

LEFTOVERS!!! Re-heat or make a stew or sandwiches

Chili night

Ah the first cold and rainy day. Perfect night for Chili.

Wednesday Dinner Post from Denver

Today I made Campbell's Nacho Chicken and Rice Wraps for dinner. I recently copied the recipe out of a slow-cooker cook book at the library. It turned out well although a bit thick (I left it cooking a bit too long). Here's the recipe just in case it sounds good to anyone else :-)

Makes 10 servings, Prep time 10min, Cook 4-5 hrs

2 cans campbells chedder cheese soup

1 cup water

2 cups pace chunky salsa or picante sauce

1 1/4 cups uncooked regular long grain white rice

2 lbs bonless chicken breasts cubed

10 flour tortillas

Combine all but tortillas in the slow-cooker and let her rip! Serve hot.

Next time I make this I am going to cut the recipe in half, and possibly use cooked chicken (possibly left overs) to cut down the cooking time and prevent the mixture from getting to thick. (Just a thought)

Saturday's food report

My camera battery died, but I went easy tonight.

We had Progresso soups out of food storage with Rosemary/olive oil artisan bread and a green salad.

Another Name that kitchen tool...

Ok, I know the grapefruit spoon.
What's with the fork???
Looks painful.

Er... Pizza strips?

I think this one is a pitter, but its so tiny!

Food Report: Spaghetti

My little helper
Thank heavens for the Bumbo. I'd never get anything
done in the kitchen with out it.

1 Jar home canned spaghetti sauce
Oregano, garlic powder, basil and thyme
Egg noodles and Garlic bread

Getting creative with the food storage....

We recently moved in with my husband's grandfather. Since his wife's passing he has no idea what to do or how to use his food storage. Most of it needs to be used this year and he has charged me with this feat. So my friends, I am braving the world of canned and dry packed everything. Wish me luck!

Tonight's menu? Easy peasy. Spaghetti. I'll post pics.

Catch up on the Reports

Saturday and labor day we were invited over to other people's dinner tables. Tuesday I made food-storage Stroganoff (I didn't have my camera charged) and Wednesday Richard took us out to Costa Vida. Mmmmm.....

Let the real cooking commence!

Food Report #3

Um, yeah. So I found out it we were down from 5 for dinner to myself and the little girls. I chose a Hormel dinner and added rice and veggies on the side. It was okay but not great. The kids loved it though.

Its time for a game kids! Name That Kitchen Tool

What are these things called and what do they do? I'm finding all sorts of fun stuff here and haven't the foggiest what to do with them.

Food report #2

I should title these things "Wow, I'm glad this actually turned out ok." or "Cooking improv: whose dish is it anyway?"

I originally had planned enchiladas. We are living with my DH's grandpa who LOVES enchiladas. The tortillas we had in the fridge were too big so he went to the store for me. He brought back super small ones instead. I thought I'd make due, but the darn things kept falling apart every time I rolled them up! So, I ended up ripping them apart and making a sort of Enchilada Casserole. I also found out, much to my dismay, that he has no sour cream. I decided to try cream cheese instead.... you know, it was really good! Who knew?

Soups and Chili

Fall is almost officially here! What are your favorite cool weather dishes in a bowl?

Food report #1

Tonight we were going to have Bowtie Salad but with a different kitchen and not really any knowledge of what's in it, I improvised. Instead of bowties we had regular spaghetti noodles buttered and topped with parmesan. The kids LOVED it! :)

For dessert, we had watermelon.

Just for the heck of it...

I'm going to try to document our dinners for the next few weeks. I'm in hopes that this will inspire me to have healthier meals and eat in more than we have. Feel free to join me in reporting! I'll be starting tomorrow....

Grilled Pizza

Man, we had this for dinner tonight and it was soooo yummy!! Since it cooks on the grill, it's perfect for those hot days when you don't want to heat up the house!

Ingredients:

Dough (frozen or homemade. It doesn't matter)

Pizza toppings

Cheese

Once the dough has raised, divide the dough into 4 balls. Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8 inch thick. Repeat until you have 4 rounds. Place one pizza crust on a clean, oiled and preheated grill. Grill pizza crusts for about 1 min or until the bottom is brown. With tongs, gently flip it over and grill for an additional 30 seconds. Remove from grill and repeat with remaining pizzas. Let cool. Top with favorite toppings and return to a preheated grill for about 2-3 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning.

For our pizza, I used frozen Rhodes bread dough. I let the dough raise most of the day and divided it into four sections. For our pizzas, we had BBQ Chicken. I spread the crust first with BBQ sauce. Then topped it off with grilled chicken, onion, tomato and Italian cheese. It was delicious and easy. I'm sure any combination of toppings would be great!

Steakhouse bites

10 Crackers Keebler® Town House® Original
4 oz deli roast beef, thinly sliced
10 asparagus spear tips, blanched
2 Tbs prepared horseradish
2 radishes, thinly sliced


Directions

1. Top crackers with roast beef, asparagus tips, horseradish and radish slices. Serve immediately.


I haven't tried these yet, but I'm gonna!

Tip from Macey's

Keep your fresh mushrooms in the refrigerator and cover with paper towel.

Super Moist Corn Bread

Best Cornbread Ever

Description:
moist and delicious!

Directions:
1/2 c butter or margarine
ADD and STIR well: 2/3 c sugar
Blend in: 2 well beaten eggs
Combine and ADD:
1 c buttermilk (1 c milk with 1T vinegar)
1/2 tsp soda
Add and Stir: 1 c cornmeal
1 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
Put in greased 8 in square pan. Bake 375 for 30 min.

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!

Description:
My sister gave this to me and now other chip cookies just won't cut it.

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp HOT water
1 tsp soda
2 1/2 cup Flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 pkg Choc Chips
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
cream together shortening, and sugars. Add eggs. To the side add the REALLY HOT water to the baking soda it should bubble-- set aside. Add flour and salt. Then the soda water, chips and vanilla.

12-15 min at 375

Number Of Servings:3-4 doz

Preparation Time:a while

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

Grandma Ruth Stringham's Broccoli Soup:

1 med bunch of broccoli-finely chopped (about 2 cups frozen)

4-5 C diced potatoes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1 C margarine

1 C flour

1 C finely chopped onion

(about 1 ½ Tbs dried onion)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4 C chicken broth

2 C liquid from broccoli and potatoes

4 C milk or light cream

2 tsp salt

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

shredded cheddar cheese to taste

1) Cook potatoes and broccoli in salted water until both vegetables are tender. Save the liquid.

2) Cook onions in margarine until they are transparent.

3) Blend one cup flour into margarine and onions.

4) Add chicken broth, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil.

5) Stir in liquid from broccoli and potatoes, 4 cups milk and salt.

6) Add drained broccoli and potatoes. Stir to boiling.

Yields one gallon of soup. TIP: It is a lot of soup! Put leftovers into freezer bags and lay flat in freezer ( I like to do it per serving) Heat in a sauce pan -NOT microwave- on Low heat.

Gravy Tip

I can make a mean white sauce, but when it comes to the meat gravy, I fall more than short.

the first problem was that my concoction ended up looking like meat jelly (gross). My family makes gravy with corn starch, this is the result. Use flour. SOOOOOOO much better.

The second, is that it gets WAY too lumpy. (Also gross.) So, I called in the big guns, aka G-ma Teasdale.

Her tip is to take a small, clean jar and put your flour in cold water and stir it together. Most people do this and then put it in the broth, but Grandma then puts the lid on the jar and shakes "the living hell out of it." LOL The lumps that are left after stirring go away. I just tried it and I have myself some pretty perfect gravy.

Woo Hoo!

Minnestrone Soup

here goes....

1 lb. Stew meat (the original recipe called for italian sausage)

1 qt. Water

2 celery stalks chopped

2 large carrots diced

2 onions

1½ C. beef broth

2-8 oz cans of tomato sauce

1 large can of tomatoes

Garlic flavor

½ teaspoon basil

1 Tbs. sugar

1 tsp. Oregano

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1 C. of spiral noodles (I use wacky mac. The original recipe called for bow ties.)

Combine and simmer three hours in a large pot or stock pot. Then add 1 cup of cooked spiral noodles (I'm lazy and add more water and throw the noodles in dry about 15 min before serving) That's it it's done. Great with rolls. and oh your house will smell amazing

I love this recipe because not only is it tasty, it is a lot of opening and dumping. Not a huge mess and easy.

Taco Soup

Description:
This is really yummy...


Ingredients:
1 pkg taco seasoning (2 T-ish i think)
1 LB ground beef
1 chopped onion
1 46 oz tomato juice
1 8 oz tomato sauce
(i use blended up bottled tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce)
2 cans kidney beans ( i use 1 can chili beans and 1 can black) my kids don't like kidney beans.
1 can canned corn (drained)

Directions:
brown beef and onions add other ingredients and simmer. add more sauce if you like it thinner.
top with fritos chips and grated cheddar cheese.



Number Of Servings:8 servings

Strawberry Lemon Trifle

If you love the taste of lemon and strawberry, you need to try this!  It is the perfect dessert for a hot summer day.  

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup lemon yogurt

2 cups milk

1 pkg. (3.4 ounces) instant lemon pudding mix

2 tsps. grated lemon peel

2 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries, divided

1 tbsp. water

1 prepared angel food cake (10 inches)

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and yogurt.  Add the milk, pudding mix and lemon peel; beat until smooth.  In a blender, process 1/2 cup strawberries and water until smooth.  Tear cake into 1 inch pieces; place a third in a trifle bowl or 3 quart serving bowl.  Top with a third of the pudding mixture and half of the remaining strawberries.  Drizzle with half of the strawberry sauce.  Repeat.  Top with remaining cake and pudding mixture.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  

BEST Fruit Dip EVER

(Note... I don't always measure for this recipe- so just make sure you 'eye-ball' it to your desired consistency...)

1-2 packages cream cheese
1 jar marshmallow fluff
cinnamon to taste (optional)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Blend well until ingredients are incorporated together, and cream cheese is smooth. Mixture should be thick and sticky, yet spreadable.

My kids sometimes like to add a drop or two of food coloring, just to be festive.

This is great for potluck- just take a tray of whatever fruit is in season and bring your dip! My kids especially love to dip grapes or strawberries in it. YUM.

Napa Salad

2 Bags Coleslaw mix

2 Bunches green onions sliced into thin rounds

Saute in a pan

1/4-1/2 cup butter

2 pkgs broken up Ramon noodles

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1 small pkg sliced almonds

Dressing:

1 cup oil

1 1/2 tbl soy sauce

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup cider vinegar

Combine all in a large bowl and refrigerate for an hour or more before serving. This recipe holds well in the fridge so it can be done the night before if needed. It also makes a very large batch so feel free to cut as needed or keep for left overs :-)

Pot Luck Dishes

With summer here, and all the many gatherings approaching us. In need of some new pot luck dishes (main dish and side dishes) to take to these fun gatherings that won't spoil in the sun. Any receipe suggestions from you great ladies :) Thanks!

Costco Lettuce wraps...

We got these at Costco. They come in a twin pack and my goodness they
are cheap and tasty. Even better? The kids love them and
well, take a gander at the Nutrition chart...

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 113g ( 2 wraps)

Amount per Serving
Calories 150 Calories from Fat 25
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 2.5g	4%
Saturated Fat 0.5g	2%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 35mg	12%
Sodium 640mg	27%
Total Carbohydrate 16g	5%
Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
Sugars 9g
Protein 14g	28%

Vitamin A	2%
Vitamin C	0%
Calcium	0%
Iron	6%

---

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat 15.0% Carbs 42.7%

Protein 37.3%

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

I'm sure everyone has their own variation on these, and our family has been making them for as long as I remember. SO quick and SO yummy.

2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups oats

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients, except peanut butter and oatmeal. Bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Remove from heat and add peanut butter. When peanut butter is melted, add oats and mix well. (If the mixture looks really runny after a minute, add in a few more oats.) Drop by tablespoonful on wax paper. Cool completely. Eat.

Asparagus

I received this recipe from another family in our ward. Since that time, this is the only way we eat asparagus. My kids always ask for more. Hope you all enjoy it too :)

Ingredients:

extra virgin olive oil
Italian seasoning
asparagus
Parmesean cheese

Directions:
1. coat bottom of baking dish with the extra olive oil and liberally sprinkle Italian Seasoning in oil...place in oven as you heat it to 400 degrees (heating gets the seasoning infused into the oil)

Meanwhile snap the asparagus at the breaking point (discard the tougher lower ends)

2. Take pan out of oven and roll asaragus in flavored oil so it is well coated on all sides (thin asparagus works best) Place in heated oven and let roast for 7-8 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove from oven and sprinkle liberally with Parmesean cheese.

Soda Can Chicken

1 whole chicken (base the size on your family needs and the size of your grill. If you need more than a single soda can is able to handle try two small birds.)

1 bottle hard cider

1 soda can

foil

Preferred spice rub (exp poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, S&P, cumin & paprika)

Preheat grill - medium high heat. Clean chicken, remove internal fat and giblets and cover with spice rub. Fill empty soda can 3/4 full with hard cider. Create a drip pan with the foil to set the chicken on top of once on the grill, this will prevent flare ups. Place the chicken upright onto the soda can and cook over medium high heat until the outside is golden brown and the juices run clear (approx 1.25 hrs for a 4lb bird). Use indirect heat if possible.

I have made this for many parties and the spice rub always changes to match the rest of the dishes so go with what you like best. If you want to try something really impressive but really easy for a party try... clean the chicken and use your fingers to lift the skin covering the breast of the chicken. Stuff the cavity between the meat and skin with thinly sliced lemons and apples and pull the skin tight over the top securing with a toothpick if necessary. Then follow directions as above. The fruit gives the chicken a wonderful intense flavor and really impresses a crowd but only takes about 2 more minutes.

Roller Ice Cream

1 cup cream
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
flavoring of your choice (vanilla, almond, lemon, chocolate, etc)

Mix well and pour into 1lb coffee can (tape lid closed). Place 1lb can into 3 lb coffee can and fill the cavity with ice and salt. Tape lid on for security and roll for 15 min.

This is my moms recipe and we used to love helping make this as kids. She'd set everything up and we'd roll them back and forth between two of us in the back yard. She always used coffee cans because they were readily available to her but they can be substituted with any other metal cans approx the same size.

Italian Summer Corn

4 whole corn cooked and cut off cob
2-4 tbls butter
1/2-1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
S&P

Cook the corn through on the grill or via boiling water. Cut kernels off into large bowl and add butter, cheese and S&P to hot corn. Combine and allow butter and cheese to melt into corn. Serve warm. (some of the measurements vary depending on size of corn and family preference)

Apple Coleslaw

Dressing:
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 cup mayo
1/3 cup poppy seeds
1/3 cup honey
2 tsp S&P

Slaw Mix:
1 medium cabbage shredded
2 large carrots julienne cut (or shredded)
1 bunch scallions thinly sliced
4 Fuji apples peeled and julienne cut

Combine dressing first and allow to sit and combine. If buying and shredding your own cabbage I recommend half a purple and half a green, the flavors and colors work very well together. Combine all ingred, dredge with dressing and allow to sit in fridge for a few hours before serving for best flavor. If tight on time, use a store bought bag of pre-shredded slaw mix (found in the super market near the bags of spinach etc) and cut the dressing recipe, carrots, apples and scallions in half.

Grannie Mya's Baked Beans

2 qts great northern beans
1 lb brown sugar
1 lb bacon (diced)
1 btl ketchup (16oz)
1 onion minced

Brown off bacon in the bottom of the pot. Add all ingred. Simmer for 6hrs. This makes a load and takes some time but is so wonderful, once you try it you wont care how long it takes. It's great for summer BBQ's. Invite the whole block :-)

Summer Recipes

What are your favorite Summer recipes?

Salads, BBQ, fun stuff for the 4th?

I'm hankerin' for something summery, and I'm tired of my own standbys.

Tried it - loved it!

Thanks to everyone posting, this blog has become my go to at BL&D when I'm not sure what to make or simply when I want to try something new (which is nearly everyday lately:-). Especially thanks to Carrie for setting it up!! The picture above is the chicken enchiladas recipe posted by "Those Crazy Aliens" we love it (although we leave out the bell peppers) and I can make it on the grill as shown here (which is a blessing as my oven is broken). Thanks again - Lexi and Jeff

Cucumber,Tomato, Onion Salad

Dressing:
Equal parts water & vinegar to two parts oil.
S&P

1 yellow onion sliced thin
1-2 cucumbers sliced thin
2-4 large tomatoes sliced thin

Combine everything in a Tupperware and shake vigorously. Allow to sit in fridge a few hours before serving for best flavor.

Pot Roast with Vegetables

1 (3-4 lb) beef chuck roast
S&P
3 tbs olive oil
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water or stock
1 yellow onion halved
2 garlic cloves shopped
1 bunch baby carrots
2 celery stalks (sliced)
1 cup button mushrooms (halved)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

Place all in the slow cooker the night before or morning of, cook until tender.

Slow Cooker Chicken ala Gramma H

Chicken pieces (canned, leftovers, or ...)
Thin sliced onion on top
Cream of whatever soup (celery, mushroom chicken) do not dilute
S&P
15 or so min before serving add 1/4 cup white wine
Serve over you favorite noodles.

Swiss Steak - ala my Gramma Heinzeroth

Roll and pound steak with flour & S&P.
Brown in olive oil and butter.
Put in slow cooker, add onion, celery, green pepper (sliced eggplant optional).
Top with a can of stewed tomatoes and cook until tender.

Thank you!

Ladies, I am loving the activity on here. Thank you all for your recipes and tips. :)

Cherry Chocolate Cake

My sister Janice passed this recipe along to me. One word: yum.
1 pkg. Devil's food cake mix
1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling
1 tsp. Almond extract
2 beaten eggs

Frosting:
1 c. powder sugar
1/3 c. milk
5 Tbsp. Butter
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. Grease & flour 13x9 baking dish. In large bowl, mix all bar ingredients until well blended. Spread in pan. Bake 20-30 min. until done in the center.
In small saucepan, combine sugar, milk & butter. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Boil 1 min. Remove from heat. Blend in choc. chips. Let cool to spreading consistency. Spread over cooled cake. Cut when complete cooled.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

1 can chicken (or you can boil and shred/dice some)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 small can green chilies
fresh cilantro to taste
1-2 tsp garlic powder/salt to taste

Mix above ingredients in a bowl. No need to heat through. Our family loves cilantro, so we use a lot, but it is optional, and you could use dried or completely leave it out if you prefer.

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup salsa
1/2 small can tomato sauce

Mix above three ingredients in separate bowl. You don't want the bean mixture really soupy- just moistened through.

6 tortillas, cut into bite size squares
3-4 cups grated cheese

Take a knife or your pizza roller and cut all the tortilla into bite size pieces. You need about 2 tortilla per layer, so you might choose to cut them 2 at a time.

Lightly spray a 9 x 11 baking dish. Spread a thin layer of chicken/soup mixture on the bottom to prevent sticking and burning. Layer two cut up tortillas over this. Follow layering pattern below.

From the bottom, layer in this manner:

Chicken/Soup mixture
Tortilla Bites
Chicken/Soup Mixture
Cheese
Tortilla Bites
Bean/Salsa Mixture (use all of it)
Cheese
Tortilla Bites
Chicken/Soup
Cheese

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with salad or rice.

I have also sprayed my crock pot insert and layered this casserole inside and heated through, 3-4 hours. It works fine, too...