The Best Chicken Enchilada Recipe!!!

This is my very favorite ever! It is so filling without being greasy or overwhelming.


Yield
10 servings (serving size: 1 casserole slice and 1 tablespoon sour cream)


Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup prechopped fresh onion
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
Dash of ground red pepper
2 (15.5-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken
1 cup thinly sliced green onions, divided
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives, divided
18 (6-inch) corn tortillas, divided
Cooking spray
2 cups (8 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (16-ounce) jar green salsa
10 tablespoon reduced-fat sour cream
Cilantro sprigs (optional)


Preparation
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add prechopped onion; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in cumin, chili powder, garlic salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute. Stir in beans; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add chicken, 1/2 cup green onions, and 7 tablespoons ripe olives; stir well.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Layer 6 tortillas on bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas; sprinkle with 3/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining 6 tortillas.
Combine milk, chopped cilantro, and salsa in a blender, and process until smooth. Pour over top of tortillas. Cover and bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese, remaining 1/2 cup green onions, and remaining 1 tablespoon olives. Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve with sour cream. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.


Nutritional Information
Calories:
353 (30% from fat)
Fat:
11.8g (sat 4.2g,mono 4.2g,poly 1.8g)
Protein:
23.5g
Carbohydrate:
45.8g
Fiber:
7.9g
Cholesterol:
45mg
Iron:
2.5mg
Sodium:
734mg
Calcium:
396mg

Gardner Village Petting Zoo

Here are some pics of us at the petting zoo... If you missed out, I'll be going some more and will let everyone know when we're going if you want to come!

Spicy Asian Lettuc Wraps

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 3 lettuce wraps)

Ingredients
2 1/2 ounces bean threads (cellophane noodles) (I used Rice noodles)
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon chile paste with garlic
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken (I just grabbed a Rotisserie Chicken)
12 large Boston or Romaine lettuce leaves (I used Green Leaf Lettuce)

Preparation
Cover bean threads with boiling water. Let stand for 5 minutes or until softened. Drain, and rinse under cool water. Chop noodles.
While bean threads soak, combine cilantro, soy sauce, chile paste, and oil in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add noodles and chicken to soy sauce mixture; toss well to coat. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture down center of each lettuce leaf; roll up.


Nutritional Information
Calories:
213 (21% from fat)
Fat:
4.9g (sat 1g,mono 1.8g,poly 1.5g)
Protein:
23.2g
Carbohydrate:
18.3g
Fiber:
0.7g
Cholesterol:
60mg
Iron:
1.7mg
Sodium:
641mg
Calcium:
31mg

Ava was ready to go!

Fourth of July

Went up to Snowbird in the morning for a (mediocre-at-best) breakfast and to ride the tram. Here are some pics of us...

Grammy, me, and Ava on the tramride back down.

Funny

Even if it isn't true, it's still funny :) Thanks again to cousin Marilyn, you always send the best jokes.

A LITTLE KNOWN BASEBALL FACT:
The first testicular guard (Cup) was used in baseball in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1934.
It took 60 years for men to realize that the brain is also important.

Cranberry-Oatmeal Bars

Yield
24 servings (serving size: 1 square)

Ingredients
Crust:
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons orange juice
Cooking spray

Filling:
1 1/3 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. To prepare crust, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle butter and juice over flour mixture, stirring until moistened (mixture will be crumbly). Reserve 1/2 cup oat mixture. Press remaining oat mixture into the bottom of an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. To prepare filling, combine cranberries, sour cream, granulated sugar, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well. Spread cranberry mixture over prepared crust; sprinkle reserved oat mixture evenly over filling. Bake at 325° for 40 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

"Fablehaven" Book 4 Review

Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Finished in a couple of days. I am telling you these are equal to if not better in some areas than Harry Potter. And this time around, the surprise came as a true surprise. Fantastic books, I totally recommend them to everyone of all ages!


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Thanks to Marilyn for the joke!

TOUGH TO ARGUE WITH THIS ONE.

Indian Chief 'Two Eagles' was asked by a white government official, 'You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars and his technological advances. You've seen his progress, and the damage he's done.'

The Chief nodded in agreement.

The official continued, 'Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?'

The Chief stared at the government official for over a minute and then calmly replied. 'When white man find land, Indians running it, no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, clean water. Women did all the work, Medicine man free.. Indian man spend all day hunting and fishing; all night having sex.' Then the chief leaned back and smiled. 'Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that.'

"Eldest" Review

Eldest by Christopher Paolini

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Usually the second book in a series suffers from not having a real beginning or closure, but I felt this book totally defied that convention. I even enjoyed it more than the first. I guessed a couple of things, but was still surprised by others. I am really interested to read the next one!


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"Son of a Witch" Review

Son of a Witch: A Novel by Gregory Maguire

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
hmmmm... None of the characters have anything resembling noble intentions or motivations until almost the end (even then, it only slightly resembles good). But, I guess that was kind of the point. Having said that, though, I still found the characters really fascinating, even though I couldn't respect them, for some reason, I still cared about Liir. Again couldn't think of anyone to recommend this to, but I found it an interesting read.


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"Eragon" Review

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I've decided to wait at least a week after finishing a book before I decide what to rate it. This wasn't as fast paced as Eon, but I still got into it and really wanted to know what happens next. Thankfully I have the next book from the Library and can start it as soon as I'm done with my current read. I do like that it has elves and dwarves in it, yet it doesn't feel in any way like it's trying to be Lord of the Rings.


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"Presidents of the Church" Review

Presidents Of The Church: Insights Into Their Lives And Teachings by Truman G. Madsen

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Madsen brings a conversational tone to his biographies - no surprise considering his books are usually based on series of lectures. He has had personal interactions with many of the Prophets and apostles and descendants of those prophets who died previous to his lifetime. Some stories are ones that are widely known among members of the Church, but many may not be.

I felt inspired by each biography. These were exemplary men, sacrificing for what they believed in, charitable, uncomplaining, full of faith, hope, and love. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about good upstanding men, or who might be interested in learning what kind of men have been called to lead The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I like that Madsen doesn't feel it necessary to portray them as perfect, but he also doesn't go out of his way to dwell on perceived shortcomings - it is a positive look at them, but not a glorified worship of them.


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"Wicked" Review

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I would have given it five stars honestly, but I have to confess some of the sexual stuff was distractingly out there for me. It's much darker than the musical, but if you put aside any expectations of similarities, I found it a fascinating take on the whole story of Elphaba. It's much more cynical and political. Other than Fiyero being married at the time of their affair, I enjoyed their romance more in the book than the musical, if only because you get to see it develop more. Of course, it makes their story sadder. I thought the story got the most interesting at the onset of the affair and found it even more fascinating in some ways after Fiyero is discovered in Elphaba's flat. I really enjoyed it, but don't know who I could recommend it to.


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