The whole enchilada

An easy way to make run-of-the-mill enchilada sauce is to combine canned red sauce and canned tomato soup. The soup mitigates the spice a little bit for us wimps, although I still think it's a little spicy. I am the wimpiest of the wimps, though. Above, I just made plain old cheese enchiladas, but they are lightning fast to put together, and with the toppings, they make a great weeknight dinner.

THE RECIPE:

8 flour tortillas
Shredded cheese
1 10-ounce can red enchilada sauce
1 10-ounce can condensed tomato soup
Desired toppings

Fill tortillas with cheese and roll. Place in baking dish. Mix sauce and soup well, then pour over tortillas, ensuring that sauce sinks down to bottom of dish. Top with extra cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream, lettuce, etc. if desired.

Good garlic!

These garlic green beans have served us well over the past few years. Everyone loves them, and they make a nice side dish for almost any meal. I eat massive amounts of green beans when they are served this way. I use frozen green beans, but if you want to use fresh, you might need to steam them first so they are partially cooked.

THE RECIPE:

1 1/2 lbs. frozen green beans, thawed
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. canola, vegetable OR sesame oil
1 tsp. sugar
6 cloves garlic, pressed

In small bowl, combine soy sauce, oil and sugar; set aside. Put garlic in skillet coated with cooking spray. Cook on medium-high for a minute or two, until softened. Add green beans. Stir until well-coated. Add sauce and stir until most of liquid is absorbed. Makes 6 servings.

Flurry of curry

This recipe for coconut-curry chicken was something different for us and really good. We definitely want to make it again. I might add chopped peanuts next time. I love the combination of coconut milk and curry. And the addition of basil was a pleasant surprise. And in case you're worried, it's not spicy.

THE RECIPE:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut up
2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1 c. chopped red onion (I'm sure this could be optional)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk*
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 Tbsp. snipped fresh basil OR 3 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger OR 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
Cooked rice

Mix curry, salt, pepper and chili powder in small bowl. Put chicken pieces in baggie and toss with spices. Close bag and refrigerate for as long as possible to allow spices to penetrate.

Cook onions and garlic in hot oil over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Remove from pan. Cook chicken through, then remove from pan as well. Combine coconut milk and cornstarch, then add to pan and cook until slightly thickened and bubbly. Return chicken, onions and garlic to pan. Stir in basil and ginger. Serve over hot rice.

*I know lowfat coconut milk exists, but I didn't see it at Walmart.

Love at first sight

My daughter recently told her grandma: "My mom is addicted to chocolate." What a smart girl. It's very true. Chocolate cake is divine with this chocolate cream cheese frosting. Store-bought frosting doesn't even hold a candle to this. Boxed cake mixes are fine, though. You'll want to walk around with a fork if you have this decadence at your house.

THE frosting RECIPE:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter or spread, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. cocoa powder
5 to 6 c. powdered sugar
Milk to thin, if desired

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla together. Add cocoa. Gradually add powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency. Thin with a couple of tablespoons of milk if necessary. I like mine to be really spreadable and smooth, not thick and pasty.

And that's a wrap!

My friend Kylie gave me the recipe for these lettuce wraps. We have made them many times since. They have a mild flavor and are very good. There are never any leftovers. Someday I might tweak them to see if I can end up with a stronger flavor, just for a nice change. We'll see.

THE RECIPE:

3 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 tsp. rice vinegar*
1 Tbsp. oil
2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
4 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can straw mushrooms, drained and chopped*
Lettuce leaves, washed and dried

Mix soy sauce, brown sugar and rice vinegar, and set aside. Saute remainder of ingredients in oil, then add sauce. Mix thoroughly and remove from heat. Before serving, cool until just warm. Wrap in lettuce leaves.

*Rice vinegar tastes very similar to white vinegar, so if you don't want to pay for a whole bottle, I'm sure you could just use white. You'll find straw mushrooms by the water chestnuts in the Asian food aisle.

Chickety China the Chinese chicken

My sister-in-law hooked me up with this recipe for Oriental chicken salad. We used it as our main dish for dinner and gobbled it right up. It's a simple salad with only a few ingredients, which you can adjust to suit your fancy. I did a little of that myself.

THE RECIPE:

1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (I boiled mine)
3/4 c. sliced almonds, lightly toasted if desired
1 package Oriental-flavored Ramen noodles
1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained

3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/3 c. oil (I used canola)
1/4 c. sugar
Seasoning packet from Ramen

Wisk together dressing ingredients and chill until ready to serve. Break up dry Ramen noodles (I pounded the package before opening it), then brown in skillet. Toss with lettuce, chopped chicken, oranges and almonds. Toss with dressing.

A little luck o' the Irish

Corned beef with mustard sauce is the traditional Irish-American meal for St. Patrick's Day. It is really good and so easy to make. It is usually served with cabbage, but we served ours with roasted asparagus, which we absolutely love. Mind you, asparagus isn't just for St. Patrick's Day. You'll want to mark this recipe and use it all through spring!

CORNED BEEF:

1 corned beef brisket, flat cut*
Seasoning packet that comes with the meat
Water

Put corned beef in slow cooker. Cover with water, then sprinkle with seasoning. Cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 8 to 10 hours. *There are two popular cuts of corned beef brisket, flat cut and point cut. I recommend the flat cut, even though it's more expensive. Every thread of meat on the point cut is laced with fat.

MUSTARD SAUCE:

1/8 c. mayo

1/8 c. sour cream
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard (I used spicy brown for half)
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. creamy horseradish

Mix ingredients well. Use as a dipping sauce for corned beef. Refrigerate leftovers.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS:

Asparagus spears, washed
1 Tbsp. olive oil or melted butter
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Break off woody ends of washed asparagus. Bend the end of the spear, and the asparagus will know what to do. It snaps where it needs to. Arrange spears on shallow baking pan or cookie sheet. Drizzle oil over all, then roll spears around so they are well-coated. Season with salt and pepper. Bake spears of medium thickness for about 10 minutes. Skinny spears may need less time, and thick ones may need more. Asparagus is best when it is still a little crisp. Don't make them mushy!