World famous Chicken Enchiladas "Giveaway"

Welcome everyone:
2010 (Twenty-Ten) is here. Scott & I are ready for the new year. I have a prize pack to giveaway, from Old El Paso,it is really cool,you get an Football themed serving platter , 2 cans of Old El Paso green chillies, football themed paper plates,napkins, and a table runner, just send me an email at elba09@comcast.net and I will be picking 1 lucky winner the 1st week in January 2010. All information, product, prize pack, online coupon link, and giveaway have all been provided by Old El Paso through MyBlogSpark.
I am going to make My world famous Chicken Enchilada's. Don't forget to print your coupon for Old El Paso Green Chilli's from "MyBlogSpark"

http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=ql5ndqz8679680&bt=vi&o=60559&ci=1&c=GM&p=TFWYe75d

These Chicken Enchiladas are so good I make these for our Superbowl party every year.
This has been a family favorite of mine for years, I hope you & yours enjoy this as much as my family does...

8 6-inch flour tortillas
3/4 cup chopped onion
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon coriander
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 8 ounce carton of Sour Cream
2 cups chicken broth
1 4-ounce can diced green chili peppers, drained
2 cups scredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 ounces)
3 cups of chopped cooked chicken
1 cup sliced pitted black olives
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup sliced green onions

Wrap your tortillas in foil and heat in a 350 oven for 10 mins.
For the sauce, in a saucepan cook onion, garlic,coriander & white pepper in butter till onion is tender.
Mix the flour into the sour cream; add to onion mixture,stir in the broth and chilli peppers all at once.
Stir and cook till thick and bubbly.
Remove from heat,stir in 1 cup of the cheese.
For the filling,stir 3/4 cup of the sauce into the chicken.
Place 1/4 cup of the filling into each tortilla, roll up.Arrange seam side down,in a lightly greased 12x7x2 glass baking dish.Top with remaining sauce. Bake,covered, in a 350 oven for 30 minutes or till heated through.
Sprinkle remaining cheese,olives,tomatoes, and green onion bake UN-covered till cheese melts. Let stand 15 minutes. Serves 4... Enjoy !

Snowball cake w/ 7-Minute Frosting ....

I made this for my Boyfriend Birthday. He loves this stuff! I hope you do too.
What You Need:

1 pkg. (2-layer size) devil's food cake mix
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1 egg
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
Frosting:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
2 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup Baker's Angel Flake Coconut

To bake the Cake:
1.HEAT oven to 350ºF. Prepare cake batter, in 2 1⁄2-qt. ovenproof bowl, as directed on package; scrape side of bowl. Beat cream cheese, egg and granulated sugar until well blended; spoon into center of batter in bowl.
2.BAKE 1 hour 5 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in bowl 10 min. Loosen cake from bowl with knife; using potholders if necessary, invert onto wire rack. Remove bowl. Cool cake completely.
3.Meanwhile get set up to make the 7-Minute Frosting
Directions
Place sugar,or corn syrup, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a handheld electric mixer for 1 minute. Place pan over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. (If this happens, it could cause your frosting to become grainy). Beat constantly on high speed with electric mixer for 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Let cool for a few minutes afrost your cake, then put on the Bakers Coconut.

Old-fashioned doughnuts

My Mom & Nana used to make these old fashioned doughnuts when we where kids.
These old-fashioned doughnuts are a heavy cake-y type. After cooking them, you can coat them with a cinnamon/sugar mixture or icing sugar. (Or, if you have lots of time, you could ice the tops.)
These are quite yummy.
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp shortening

1 cup milk
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 1/2 cups flour

Beat eggs, then add the sugar and shortening. Slowly add milk and lemon juice and stir to mix. In a separate bowl, loosely mix the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add to the egg mixture and mix well.

If you'd rather not roll out the doughnut shape, you can add carefully drop in dough using two tablespoons. Use an amount of dough equal to a bit smaller than a golfball. They'll cook up great and taste just as good!

The dough is not a stiff dough, but rather a very soft one. Sprinkle flour onto the counter top and drop out some of the dough. (I just put my hand into that bowl and pull out a good handful then let it drop into the flour.) Because it's a soft dough, you can just spread it with your hands and flatten it to about 3/8 of an inch thick. Make sure you sprinkle more flour on the top of the blob of dough before spreading it or it'll stick to your hands!

Cutting the dough: I used an old Doughnut cutter that I got from my Mom. A cookie cutter in the shape of a doughnut helps.
Carefully slide them into the hot oil, using a metal lifter. Let the doughnuts cook until a good golden brown, then flip over to cook the other side. I don't like to flip mine too often so I keep to just doing it once. (Saves getting splashed in oil.)
Ok I went a little off of my regular diet menu, but after all it is the holidays!

The very best slow roasted Tomatoes

We have a wonderful friend who has a mega garden this summer (2009) and he has been kind enough to share his bounty with us. So I am going to share my family's top Secert recipe with you. I promise you will love it.

Indigents:Cherry, grape or small Roma tomatoes,Whole cloves of garlic unpeeled, Olive oil , Herbs such as thyme or rosemary (optional)

Preheat oven to 225°F. Halve each cherry or grape tomato crosswise, or Roma tomato lengthwise and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet along with the cloves of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, just enough to make the tomatoes glisten. Sprinkle herbs on, if you are using them, and salt and pepper, though go easily on these because the finished product will be so flavorful you’ll need very little to help it along.
Bake the tomatoes in the oven for about three hours. You want the tomatoes to be shriveled and dry, but with a little juice left inside–this could take more or less time depending on the size of your tomatoes.
Either use them right away or let them cool, cover them with some extra olive oil and keep them in the fridge for the best summer condiment, ever. And for snacking.... ENJOY :)

Mexican omelette

Recipe Ingredients:
2 Large whole eggs , plus 3 egg white's
1/2 cup Can of Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)
1/2 cup Kidney beans canned
1/2 cup sweet Green pepper
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms
3 teaspoons of Olive oil
salt & pepper to taste



Cooking Instructions
In medium non stick skillet saute' pan cook onion, garlic, chickpeas, kidney beans, red and green peppers and mushrooms in 1 tsp olive oil until tender. In mixing bowl, whip all eggs and seasoning. In second saute' pan heat 1 tsp of the olive oil, add 1/2 egg mixture and cook until omelet is formed. Fill with 1/2 of the vegetable mixture, fold over and serve. repeat for 2ND omelet.

Rosemary Chicken

12 oz Boneless skinless Chicken breast
4 tbs Cornstarch
2 cups plain yogurt
8 cups broccoli
4 Cups diced tomatoes
2 cup pear slices
5 Tsp Olive oil
3 tsp dried Rosemary
2 Tsp paprika
1 Cup Chicken broth

Cooking Instructions
In non stick skillet cook chicken in oil until lightly browned; add yogurt, paprika and rosemary to chicken and simmer for 3 minutes. Mix cornstarch with chicken broth to dissolve; Add to chicken mixture. Simmer until thick sauce forms. Steam broccoli in separate pan until tender. Prepare 2 dinner plates by placing a bed of tomato slice on each plate, top with broccoli. Place chicken beside broccoli and tomato and garnish with pear slices. Enjoy !

Brown Rice

•3 tablespoons butter
•16 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms
•1 cup slivered blanched almonds
•1 cup brown rice
•3 cups water
•1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped pimiento
•1 teaspoon salt
•1/8 teaspoon pepper
Preparation:
Melt butter in medium saucepan; sauté mushrooms and almonds until golden. Add remaining ingredients; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes, until rice is tender. Enjoy

Mexican Burgers

GROUND BEEF, 85% lean 4oz
GROUND Turkey 4oz
SALSA 8oz
KIDNEY BEAN, CANNED
Sweet Green Bell pepper 2 cups
TOMATO PUREE,CANNED W/SALT 1cup
OLIVE OIL 1 teaspoon
CHILI POWDER 1 teaspoon

In a medium bowl mix together the ground beef,turkey and salsa. Form 2 oblong patties. Place under broiler. Cook until browned. While patties are cooking add oil to non stick skillet cook kidney beans and peppers until hot, then add chili powder, hot sauce, and tomato puree. Simmer for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Place each patti on a plate and top with vegetable mixture. Enjoy
Total Carbohydrate 45 grams
Total Fat 17 grams
Protein 32 grams

Chicken with Garden Vegetables

Chicken breast, boneless 6 oz
Yogurt or skim milk plain 1 cup
Broccoli flower clusters flowerets 3 cups
Almond, unblanched slivered 4 tbsp
Mushroom - second batch slices 3 cups
Olive oil extra virgin 3 tsp
Onion raw 3 cups
Mushroom raw 4 cups
Cornstarch 4 tsp
Broth, chicken can 1 cup
Carrot, raw sliced 1 cup

Cooking Instructions-In sauce pan cook onions, quartered mushrooms carrots, and chicken in chicken broth and oil until chicken and vegetables are done. Remove saucepan from heat and slowly stir in lemon juice, and yogurt. Then add cornstarch(dissolve in a little water first). Lightly simmer until mixture thickens. In another sauce pan place broccoli and enough water to cover. Cook until broccoli is bright green and tender. Place Chicken mixture on two serving plates, top with equal amounts of broccoli, sliced mushrooms and slivered almonds. Enjoy !

Number of Servings:2
Calories Per Serving:516

Protein 43 grams

Totals carbs 54

Total Fat 17 Grams

Mango Mania !

Did you know that mango's are in season now! If you are following this blog, you should always eat the freshest fruits that are in season. Mango's are a great source of fiber ,1 cup equals , 3 grams of fiber.Pears are also a wonderful source of fiber, 5 grams ! Here is something I like to make for the 2 of us.
Mango Parfait
2 Large ripe mango's,peeled,pitted and cubed
3 Cups low fat vanilla yogurt
6 Tablespoons low fat granola

Layer all ingredients equally in 4 clear cups (mango 1st, then yogurt, top with granola) sprinkle some cinnamon on top, sit back and enjoy :)

ANY FRUIT STUFFED WHOLE-WHEAT FRENCH TOAST

For this recipe I use mashed or diced mango's, but you can substitute the fruit with almost anything you might have on hand. First Pre-heat oven to 400F ,

2 large or 3 medium eggs ,1/2 cups low-fat or vanilla soy milk milk 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract,1 tsp. raw sugar,4 slices of whole wheat bread.Beat together eggs, milk, vanilla and sugar. Dip each side of bread in this mixture, then leave bread to soak up remaining milk while you prepare your topping.

Topping:1 slice of bread , 1/4 cup Chopped macadamia nuts, 2 TBL. raw sugar.

Process bread, nuts and sugar in small bowl of food processor or blender.

Assemble: 2 TBL. Melted unsalted butter, 1 1/2 tsp. raw sugar,

Butter a small baking dish. Lay 2 slices of soaked bread on the bottom. Top with mango or your choice of sliced fruit. Sprinkle fruit with 1 tsp. of raw sugar. Top with second slice of bread. Liberally sprinkle bread-nut topping, then drizzle with melted butter.

Bake in pre-heated oven for 5 minutes, then turn oven down to 325F (for another 25 minutes). If top starts to brown to quickly, cover with foil to protect crust.

Enjoy !

Fresh Fruit Kabobs w/ yummy Lime Dressing

For kabobs:
1 large pink grapefruit, peeled, cut in segments (pith and seeds removed)
2 oranges, peeled, cut in segments (pith and seeds removed)
8 fresh pineapple pieces
8 large strawberries, rinsed
2 Tbs. fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. fresh grated lime peel

For salad and dressing:
2/3 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
4 Tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. fresh grated lime peel
3 Tbs. sugar
6 cups baby lettuce greens

To make fruit kabobs, toss fruit pieces with lime juice and peel.
Thread fruit pieces in the following order on each of eight 6-inch wooden skewers: grapefruit, orange, strawberry, pineapple.
Make salad dressing by whisking lite sour cream or low fat yogurt with lime juice, lime peel, and a drizzle of honey in bowl.
Reserve half of salad dressing, and toss baby greens with remainder of dressing.
On each of four serving plates, divide dressed greens evenly as bed for 2 skewers per serving.
Drizzle remaining dressing on fruit kabobs and Enjoy !

The 40/30/30 Life

Welcome, My diet is all about cooking fresh, right in your own home, with carefully balanced 40/30/30/nutrition and calorie – conscious recipes. I am going to share some my own mouthwatering recipes to help you get there, and save your family’s health. Once you try my diet, you will know what it means to eat well and be well. Cooking Fresh for a better you is all about getting your energy back. …. First and foremost, forget the term diet. Why you ask, because diets fail. This will be a way of life. There’s no regimen calling for low fats, low carbs, low calories or any other form of rigid deprivation. Those programs are bound to fail because they ignore the fundamentals basis of losing excess weight and keeping it off for good. Also, there are no magic pills or energy drinks, or diet drugs that will ever truly work for the long run.The core component of this program is balanced nutrition. The goal is to stay close to 40/30/30. Food selections and meal selections can be within the following ranges:
Carbohydrate 35% - 40 - 50% calories
Protein 25% - 30 - 35% calories
Fat 20% - 30 - 35% calories .