Author Archives: Janell

Firehouse Chicken Enchiladas

29 Thursday Jan 2009

Posted by in In the Kitchen

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IMG_1649My daughter Kara is the kind of person who goes the extra mile to make others feel special.  And I know the twenty or so kindergarteners who share her life would agree.  As a teacher, Kara works hard to make learning fun and draws on her creativity to accomplish this.  Her students,who have not yet learned the need to remake themselves into something they are not, return the favor by keeping her well entertained with stories told and stories that unfold before her very eyes.   But sometimes Kara’s students share not-so-fun things like the pesky childhood disease she’s had since Sunday.

So this week I’ve gone the extra mile –to make her feel special — by delivering her good food to eat.  Yesterday, it was these creamy chicken enchiladas – a recipe of Kara’s and her dad before her, and who knows beyond that… except that it was an OKC firefighter who used it to serve a crew of hungry fireman.  But no matter who they serve, these chicken enchiladas are always a sure fire hit.

Serves 8 to 10              Allow 3 hours total time, with 1.5 hours for preparation

PREPARATION

Prepare stuffing, topping & grated cheese before beginning the assembly process.

Enchilada Stuffing

Allow up to 2 hours for cooking and 30 minutes for preparation

Mix in a bowl:

Shredded cooked chicken breasts: 8 cups – 4 large bone-in breasts – boiled or baked

Sautéed chopped onion: 1 large – in microwave or on stovetop with 2 T. olive oil

Cheese Topping & Stuffing

Allow 15 minutes for preparation (while chicken is cooking)

Mix in a bowl, cover and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to assemble

Monterey Jack Cheese  – 1 lb grated.

Cheddar Cheese – 1 lb grated

Enchilada Sauce

Allow 15 minutes for preparation and cooking (while shredding chicken)

In a large saucepan, combine over low heat until heated through:

Cream of Chicken Soup – 2 10 oz. cans

Cream of Mushroom soup – 1 10 oz. can

Chicken Broth – 1 10 oz. can

Diced Green Chilies – 1 4 oz. can

Sour Cream – 1 cup

Tortillas

Allow 2 minutes

Flour tortillas – 16 to 20, softened in the microwave for easier folding

ASSEMBLY

Allow up to 30 minutes

In two 13×9 pans, coated with cooking spray, spread small amount of warm enchilada sauce in bottom of pans.

Stuff each flour tortilla with no more than ½ cup of enchilada mixture and 3 T. of grated cheese.  Roll tightly and add to pan. Cover enchiladas with remaining sauce and cheese.

BAKE

In a preheated 350 degree oven, cook for 20 to 30 minutes until warm & bubbly.  Let sit a few minutes before serving.

Bon Appetite

28 Wednesday Jan 2009

Posted by in Life at Home, The Great Outdoors

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It’s a gorgeous day in the neighborhood.  With snow on the ground and sun in the sky, Mesta Park just sparkles.  Evidently the dogs think so too.  They are outside frolicking in the snow.  But I see they’ve stopped to grab a quick bite to eat.  Oh, cute — they’re making snow ice cream.  It must be from an old family recipe — all from scratch.   

First, find a nice patch of clean snow.  This seems to be their most time consuming step – as I believe most French chefs will attest, the importance of fresh ingredients cannot be overstated – so take your time to sniff out the freshest ingredients possible.  Next, with one front paw, scratch the surface to excavate the snow into a small raised pile.  It’s best to go all the way down to the ground, bringing up little specks of dirt for the top of the pile.  Think of it as nature’s very own chocolate sprinkles. 

Bon Appetite.  No need to worry about calories.  Their snow ice cream is the perfect diet food.  French poodles don’t get fat.

 

Who needs an alarm clock?

27 Tuesday Jan 2009

Posted by in Life at Home, Mesta Park, Soul Care, The Great Outdoors

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They say our icy weather will not be as bad as last time.  Even so, when I woke up early to the sounds of ice pelting my rooftop, I could not shake off memories of last year’s storm.  So I got out of bed to let my sleep-robbing thoughts out on paper.  Maybe they’ll stop whining.

I tell myself there is nothing to fear, but something is bothering me.  What is it?  I know we weathered last year’s ice storm all right.  Compared to many in the neighborhood, our losses were minor – no heat and power for three days and one old Elm tree gone forever. 

But, as I remember this, I wonder whether the brevity of our suffering was a rare sort of grace given to those in mourning. 

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Two days before the storm hit, we had laid to rest my mother’s body.  And because the ice storm followed mom’s death so closely, I fear I may forever associate them together.

Will I always wake up at night when I hear ice hitting the rooftop? 

Will I always recall that moment of fancy–while living in our dark and cold home during last year’s storm– when I wondered whether slinging around ice was mom’s way of venting anger at death from the grave, in the same way she infrequently resorted to slinging around a pot or pan, or slamming a door or drawer to vent her anger at life when she was alive?

As I write this, I realize mom was not an angry person by nature nor was she angry about dying.  No, that fancy had nothing to do with mom’s anger.  It was all my own.   

Today, I release the anger to go back and live with last year’s storm.  And for this new storm, I choose to remember mom’s life, and the way she absolutely loved to look out her window on falling snow.  And so, in honor of her, I stop and look.  And it’s beautiful.  Then I stop and listen.  And it sounds like hundreds of little bugs are crashing into my windshield.