Enchiladas with texture

I have been making these creamy almond-chicken enchiladas for years now. The recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens and calls for cream of chicken soup. I don't like to use cream soups very much in my cooking -- we are trying to be healthier -- but I keep them in my food storage. This recipe is a great reason to use canned foods. I absolutely love the addition of almonds. They give great texture.

THE RECIPE:

4 c. diced chicken breasts
3/4 c. slivered almonds
1/2 c. chopped onion (sometimes I use green)
2 4-ounce cans diced green chilies
6 oz. cream cheese
2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
10 flour tortillas
2 15-ounce cans cream of chicken soup
12 oz. sour cream (I used light)
2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese

In large skillet, cook chicken. Add onions and 1/2 cup of the almonds, then saute. Add 2 tablespoons green chilies. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, 2 tablespoons milk and cumin. Add chicken mixture. Spoon into tortillas, then roll and place side by side in 9x13 baking dish. In medium bowl, combine soup, sour cream, 2 cups milk and remainder of chilies. Pour over tortillas. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining 1/4 cup almonds. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes more. (Sometimes I put the cheese in the tortilla filling instead.)

Garden fresh

I apologize for my long absence. I have had computer problems. Anyway, I'm back in action with this beautiful strawberry spinach salad. We grew our own spinach in the spring, and we have been enjoying all kinds of fresh salads lately. Homemade dressings are the way to go. I think you'll love this one. It's perfect for summertime. I halve the recipe for my small family.

THE RECIPE:

10 oz. fresh spinach
1 quart strawberries, sliced
1/2 c. slivered almonds

2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. white vinegar
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. minced onion (I used a little onion powder)

Toss salad ingredients. Mix dressing ingredients thoroughly. Apply as desired to individual servings. I like to make my dressing ahead of time and refrigerate it before use.

Amazing

I am in love with this fry sauce. It is a copy cat of the Creamy Amazing Sauce at Winger's. I want to drench everything in it. You could make potato wedges, like I did, but be careful not to overseason them. You don't want their flavor to detract from the sauce's flavor. It would be a tragedy. You could buy frozen french fries at the grocery store and dip them in the sauce. Or you could slather a hamburger in the sauce. Just find something to slather. Anything. You will love it. The sauce has a kick to it, but I'm a wimp, so I'm sure it won't bother any of you.

THE RECIPE:

1/2 packet ranch dip mix
1 c. sour cream
3 Tbsp. Frank's Red Hot sauce*
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. water

Mix ranch powder and sour cream, then cover and refrigerate for an hour. Meanwhile, in small saucepan, mix hot sauce, sugar and water. Simmer over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool. Combine hot sauce mixture with sour cream mixture, and that's it! Keep refrigerated.

*You'll find this in the grocery aisle with barbecue sauces and chili sauces.

Waste not, want not

My kids refuse to eat bread crust. For a long time, I didn't give in. I figured if they would just get in the habit, it would no longer be an issue. I'm the one who learned the lesson. They simply won't eat bread crust.

So now, I cut off the crust beforehand and toss it into a container in the pantry so it doesn't go to waste. I also toss in the heals and any other unused or stale bread, whether it's white or wheat. It all goes in together. I leave the container open to the air -- its lid is ajar -- so the scraps will dry out (but still be safe from dust).

I add scraps every day until the container is full and the bread is completely dry. (You see, moisture is what will make it go moldy. Dry bread will last forever.) Then I toss everything into my food processor and make bread crumbs for use in recipes such as this. Once you have crumbs, you can store them in an airtight container. When I see the pile of crusts I otherwise may have thrown away, I cringe. It really adds up. It feels good to be resourceful!

Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater

My new 5-year-old got "The Mother Goose Cookbook" for her birthday. It's a cute little book full of nursery rhymes and their coordinating recipes. Olivia wanted to get right to work. She chose Peter Pumpkin's Pumpkin Muffins, and she helped me the whole way. The muffins turned out very moist and yummy. My husband thought they had molasses in them, so the brown sugar must give them a little kick. But they still don't beat my favorite pumpkin muffins of all time. Sorry, Peter. What's up with your poem anyway? Who keeps his wife in a pumpkin shell?

THE RECIPE:

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. plus 6 Tbsp. packed brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 c. pumpkin puree

1/2 c. melted and cooled butter

1/4 c. plain yogurt or sour cream

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 c. warm honey

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 c. dried currants (I left these out)

3/4 c. chopped walnuts (I left these out)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter and flour muffin tins. In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. Add spices. In separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, butter, yogurt, eggs, honey and vanilla. Stir in currants and nuts. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring until batter is just blended. Fill muffin cups halfway with batter, then sprinkle remaining brown sugar on top. Bake about 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean. Makes about 15 muffins.

Truffle meets cookie

These chocolate truffle cookies are evil. They have been sent from the underworld to destroy us. They have a dense and fudgy texture, like a truffle -- perfect for sinking your teeth into. They are rich and delicious. I meant to give them away, but I couldn't stop eating them. They were in control, not me. Evil, I tell you. I got the recipe from My Kitchen Cafe.

THE RECIPE:

1 1/4 c. butter, slightly softened*
2 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sour cream or plain yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
2 c. chocolate chips
About 1/3 c. cocoa powder for rolling
About 2/3 c. powdered sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In large bowl, blend butter and powdered sugar. Add cocoa powder and salt, then sour cream and vanilla. Blend in flour, then stir in chocolate chips. If dough is too difficult to handle, refrigerate for 30 minutes or more. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in cocoa powder. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Do not flatten. Bake for 10 minutes.

Get them out even if they don't look done. Let cool for a few minutes before moving to wire rack. Cool completely -- I'm talking a good 45 to 60 minutes -- before rolling in powdered sugar. I know, it's hard to wait that long, but you must or the powdered sugar will melt.

*Your butter should give a little when you touch it, but it shouldn't be so soft that your finger pokes far into it. If your butter is too soft, you are going to have to refrigerate your dough before baking or your cookies will flatten.

Easter object lesson

I've seen these fun "empty tomb" rolls on multiple websites. Some people use homemade roll dough, others use frozen roll dough, and still others use refrigerated crescent dough. These rolls are the perfect way to teach the story of Jesus Christ's death, burial and resurrection to a child. Each roll starts out with a marshmallow inside, a symbol of the body of Jesus. When the rolls are cooked, the marshmallows melt, leaving a hollow roll -- an empty tomb. My almost-5-year-old was riveted on the lesson. She asked me to tell the story again and again as we assembled the rolls. Each ingredient is a symbol.

THE RECIPE:

1 8-count package refrigerated crescent roll dough
8 large marshmallows
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

Separate roll dough into eight triangles. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Dip each marshmallow in butter, then roll in cinnamon-sugar and place on triangle. Roll up marshmallow, being sure to seal edges well. Dip tops of dough balls in remaining butter and cinnamon-sugar. Place sugar-side up in greased muffin tins. Bake at 375 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Symbolism ideas:
(Scripture references come from King James version of Bible)

Marshmallow -- body of Jesus
Butter and cinnamon-sugar -- spices and ointments (Luke 23:56; John 19:40)
Roll dough -- linens for wrapping and/or tomb (Luke 23:53)
Oven -- tomb (or you can just have the dough be the tomb)
Hollow roll -- empty tomb/linens (Luke 24: 6; Mark 16:6)