Spicy Turkey Nachos

MMMMM nachos!!!

Boy do I love me some nachos.

If I'm craving them, I have to have them.

Otherwise the craving just never goes away.

I will seriously crave them until I have some!

And now that I've gone on and on about my love of nachos,

let me show you how to make some that are super easy and tasty!

The Goods:

Tortilla Chips

Taco Meat

Spanish Rice

Black Beans

Shredded Cheese

Avocado

Pickled Jalapenos

Green Onions

Plain Greek Yogurt

Fresh Lime

I like to layer all the goodies, so I don't end up with all the hearty stuff on top,

and just sad, dry, boring chips left alone on the bottom.

For this batch, I did the following:

A thin layer of chips, followed by meat, beans, and rice.

Then sprinkled some cheese on top of that layer.

Followed by two more layers done the exact same way.

Lastly, I added some jalapenos to the top layer.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees,

then pop your nacho dish in the oven for a few minutes.

Keep an eye on it, and pull it out when the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Once it's nice and hot, remove from the oven and

add fresh squeezed lime, avocado, green onions and greek yogurt.

Now grab a ton of napkins (this IS finger food) and dig in!!!

Homemade Chicken Enchiladas - Two Ways!

I've made Chicken Enchiladas countless times,

but until recently I'd only used red sauce.

And when prepping to make this batch,

I realized I've never blogged about making them.

So today is your lucky day folks!

Not only do you get to see how they're made,

but you get to see how you can make them 

with two different types of enchilada sauce!

These Chicken Enchiladas are yummy,

pretty simple to make too,

and can be even made ahead of time.

Keep reading to see how they're made!

The Goods:

Chicken Breasts

Corn Tortillas

Yellow Onion

Garlic

Taco Seasoning

Cheese

Red Enchilada Sauce

Green Enchilada Sauce

Olive Oil (Not pictured - oops!)

Season your chicken with taco seasoning and a little olive oil.

I use a homemade mix, but use whatever you'd like.

Roast your chicken in the oven until fully cooked.

Once the chicken has cooled enough to touch,

start shredding it using two forks.

Now it's time to saute your onion and garlic in a little olive oil.

Once they're nice and fragrant remove from the heat...

And add to the bowl of shredded chicken.

Toss everything together so it's evenly mixed.

It's almost time to assemble and roll your enchiladas!

Get your pan(s) prepped - spray with PAM and then add a thin layer of sauce.

Since I was doing two kinds, I had one with red and the other with green.

Lay corn tortilla on a flat surface and add filling to your liking.

You'll want enough filling so your enchilada is hearty, 

but not too much so you can't roll the tortilla.

Roll the tortilla up and place it seem side down into the sauce.

Keep rolling until your pan(s) are full and you've used all the filling.

Then cover with more sauce (the same kind you used on the bottom).

If you're baking the enchiladas right away, top with shredded cheese.

Use whatever your little heart (and taste buds) desires,

but I tend to use cheddar with red sauce and jack cheese with green sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes - until cheese is melted.

Now all that's left to do is dig in and ENJOY!

(But don't burn your mouth with hot cheese!!!)

If you're not baking them right away,

leave the cheese off and add when it's time to bake.

Freeze in baking dish(es) that are tightly sealed in zipper bags.

Chicken Enchiladas
1 pound chicken breasts
16 corn tortillas
1 medium yellow onion - diced
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 cup shredded cheese (1/2 cup cheddar, 1/2 cup jack)
1 10-ounce can red enchilada sauce
1 10-ounce can green enchilada sauce

1. Season your chicken with the taco seasoning and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
2. Roast at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes - until fully cooked.
3. Let chicken cool and then start shredding with two forks. 
4. Saute your onions and garlic with the remaining table spoon of olive oil. 
5. Once fragrant, remove from heat and add to shredded chicken. Toss to combine.
6. Spray your pan(s) with pan and put a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom.
7. Microwave your tortillas for about 30 seconds to make them easier to roll.
8. Add about 1/4 cup of filling to each tortilla and roll up to form enchilada. 
9. Place rolled enchiladas in pan, continuing until each pan is filled. 
10. Top with remaining enchilada sauce.
11. If freezing to bake later (in the next few months at most!), leave the cheese off and add when ready to bake. Freeze in baking dish(es) that are tightly sealed in zipper bags. Then add cheese before ready to bake. 
12. If baking the enchiladas right away, add shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes - until cheese is melted.

Homemade Freezer Meals!

I absolutely love cooking, but with my schedule 

I don't always have time to whip up a homemade meal.

So over the years, I've become smarter

and realized I can make certain things ahead of time,

pop them in the freezer and then bake/heat at a later time!

This has come in hand on NUMEROUS occasions.

You've read about all of these recipes before,

but I thought I'd put them all in one place for you.

For most of the recipes listed -

I usually make enough to eat once (and have leftovers) 

and a similar size to freeze and eat again soon!

Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Chicken Spaghetti

Baked Ziti 

Baked Mac n Cheese 

Baked Manicotti

Baked Pretzel Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

Individual Sloppy Joe's

Inez's Turkey Burgers

Turkey Pot Pies 

Soup

Soup

and MORE Soup 

I have some ideas for more freezer meals to make in the future,
but am always looking for suggestions so please send them my way!

Homemade Soup: Taco Soup

I saw this soup recipe on a blog I read and it sounded amazing!

I couldn't wait to make it and give it a try.

I did so not too long after spotting the recipe.

And I haven't blogged about a homemade soup in awhile,

so I thought it was time I shared another yummy soup on my blog.

This recipe is so easy to make and gives you quite a few servings. 

I made enough to eat for a few meals and then freeze some for later.
(Note: I've found that it's easier to freeze soup in individual servings.)

Take a look below at the process and then give it a try.

I'm pretty sure you'll like the outcome - I sure did!

The Goods:

 Ground Turkey (or Beef)

Taco Seasoning - Packet or Homemade

Onion

Bell Pepper

Black Beans

Kidney Beans

Pinto Beans

Corn

Rotel Tomatoes

Diced Tomatoes

Ranch Packet

Brown the meat, add the onions and bell pepper and sauté.

Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

Simmer at least 30 minutes - if not longer.

Garnish with Sour Cream, Cheese and Green Onions!

Dig in and ENJOY!!!!

Potato, Ham and Cheese Quiche

A few weeks ago, my friend Renee told me about a quiche she had made with ham. After hearing all about it, I KNEW I wanted to make myself a quiche with ham very soon! 

I couldn't wait very long - I made the quiche just a few days later and had it for dinner with Elina. My ham quiche was a little different than Renee's, but I'm sure both were quite tasty! 

The Goods:

Pie Crust

Eggs

Milk

Cream

Ham

Cheddar Cheese

Cubed Potatoes

Onion

Salt

Pepper

Mine had thick cut ham, shredded medium cheddar cheese, cubed potatoes and sauteed onions. 

Oh and eggs, of course eggs!

Once everything is prepped, putting the quiche together only takes a few minutes. But then you have to wait about 40 minutes to enjoy the deliciousness! 

It's worth the wait though, I promise!

Elina and I enjoyed the quiche with homemade salsa and a chopped salad.

Bacon Friday With Friends!

I unexpectedly had some friends over for dinner on Friday night. I got a call saying they were going to be near me and were curious if I wanted to hang out. I didn't have any plans so I told them to come on over! 

None of us really wanted to go out and spend money, so we quickly figured out what we had in our fridges and made a meal out of that! And because bacon is SO delicious, we decided to include it in everything we made - including dessert! And that's how Bacon Friday came about!

ALL the goodies!

Ranch Fries with Bacon Crumbles

Spring Mix Salad with Figs, Goat Cheese and Bacon

Grilled Cheese with Bacon. 

YUM!!!

And for dessert...

We enjoyed Chocolate Covered Bacon!

They picked it up at the fair earlier in the day.

And it was a perfect ending to a bacon filled Friday!

Sunday Night Dinner: Take 30

For my 30th Sunday Night Dinner post, I made something SO tasty and it's something I haven't made in a very long time. In fact, I've never made this exact version either! My friend Alison got to be a taste tester and I think she went home full and happy! 

So what did I make? 

LASAGNA!!!

Kale, Spinach and Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups to be exact! 

And I served them with a spring mix salad and fresh garlic bread. 

I was very happy with the outcome and will absolutely be making these again in the future. And this time I won't wait as long to make them again! In fact - this would make an excellent dish this Fall and I seriously CANNOT wait for it to get here. C'mon Fall!!!

Note: I used this recipe and used Kale, Spinach and Zucchini instead of the Prosciutto. I'm sure either would be fine, but this was all veggie and still incredibly delicious! 

Sunday Night Dinner: Take 27

Last night, I made a VERY tasty pulled pork for my parents. I always tell them about the things I'm making, so I figured it was only right to make them something delicious while they were staying with me! 

I decided to make them pulled pork. I'd never made this exact pulled pork (another post I'll blog about in the not too distant future), but I have made a different version that was cooked IN barbecue sauce before. The version I made for my parents was very moist with the right amount of spice. The spice came from a rub I made and put on to sit for almost 24 hours. I then cooked it with 2 homegrown jalapenos sliced up and put in the crock pot with the sliced onions and pork loin. 

The pork loin I got was WAY too much food for just three of us, but I knew that going in and planned to use the leftovers for something else amazing!

That something else came tonight when I made a Pork and Green Chile Burrito!!! 

It sounded great and was even better than I'd expected! I will, without a doubt, be making these again! The pulled pork, the burritos, everything!!! 

Heavenly Twice Baked Potatoes

I've always loved Twice Baked Potatoes. What's NOT to love about them really? They're potatoes that are full of a bunch of yummy things like butter, garlic and bacon to name a few things. And I may be a little biased, but I happen to LOVE the ones I make! 

They're so simple, but not that simple (I've messed them up once or twice to be honest), but the time and effort it takes to make them is SO worth it! Let me show you how...

The Goods:

Potatoes

Onion

Garlic

Bacon

Butter

Cheese - I used Cheddar

Milk

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Bake your potatoes!

While the potatoes are baking...

Cook up some bacon!

Make sure it's nice and crispy!!!

And sauté your onions and garlic 

in some olive oil/bacon drippings!

Until they're golden and smell AMAZING!!!

Once the potatoes are baked...

Cut the top off and scoop out the potatoes.

I saved the tops and made delicious potatoes skins!

Scoop them out quite a bit!

Until they look like the ones above.

Add the butter (not pictured - OOPS!)...

And the sautéed onion and garlic...

Oh and the bacon too...

Don't forget some shredded cheese!

Mix it all up until well combined 

and then put into a gallon zipper bag. 

Cut the tip off the bag and fill potatoes 

back up with the yummy mixture!

Put a little more shredded cheese and bacon on top.

And bake again until the cheese is melted and starts to turn golden.

It was about 20 minutes for me.

Now...dive in and ENJOY!!!