***Honey Lime Enchiladas***

I don't think it's a secret that Michael and I have a slight obsession with Mexican cuisine....even to the point that Taco Bell is usually somewhere in our bi-weekly diet. (Oh please stop now, for all of those are planning on leaving me a post informing me that T Bell is not real Mexican food or even real food at that.) Yes, I know!!! But we all have our guilty pleasures...and sometimes after one too many brews on a beautiful Colorado patio...it's all I want in the world. :) If you ever have heard about the menu at our house, you have probably heard my hubby babbling on about either how delicious my food is, or that he primarily is forced to eat "rabbit food." We usually eat very healthy and I have tried several times to quit "quiero-ing" Taco Bell, but it's a habit I just can't kick. To try and combat our intake of whatever it is they are now claiming is "meat," by finding yummy recipes that keep us at home, and can be considered healthy or that I can make slight adjustments to make them healthier. Oh and the spicier, the better!

I found tonight's dinner selection on pinterest.com. It comes from an adorable sister's blog: Six Sister's Stuff

I adapted it a bit to half the portions, substitute the heavy cream, and kick up the spice!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

Marinade -

3 tablespoons honey

2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice (1/2 large lime)

1/2 tablespoons chili powder

4 cloves garlic, mined

1/2 pound chicken, cooked and shredded
2 jalapeno peppers, sliced
2 Anaheim chilies, diced

6-8 whole wheat tortillas (I used whole wheat tortillas)

1/2 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded

15 ounces green enchilada sauce

1 cup heavy cream substitute (3/4 c. milk, 1/3 c. melted and cooled butter)

Directions:

1. Whisk the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken in a Zip-loc bag.

2. Let it marinate for at least a 1/2 hour, but preferably a half day or so.

3. Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 8X8 baking pan.

4. Add the peppers and chilies to the chicken mixture. Fill the tortillas with chicken, saving any marinade, and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas.

5. Put tortillas in 8x8 pan as you go.

6. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream substitute and leftover marinade (if there is any).

7. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas.

8. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

9. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

Puma Life: Custom Stamp Giveaway

Puma Life: Custom Stamp Giveaway

I love these stamps! Fantastic Giveaway, check it out!

Zucchini Madness!

It's that time of year......it's starts of with the smiles and cheers that finally something in our garden is ready to eat, and quickly turns to the overwhelming piles of veggies that you don't want to waste. What do you do? How many times can you grill zucchini and squash before it gets old? In our house, any more than twice a week and I'm in trouble. Then I move on to zucchini bread.... one for us, one for the neighbors...now what???

I really don't think I need to explain my obsession with Pinterest, but it has truly saved my life so far this summer. I have found plenty of zucchini recipes to satisfy everyone! 

This one is definitely a new favorite! You get lots of vitamins and minerals without even realizing it. Don't get me wrong, I have been blessed that I actually love veggies and can eat them raw, steamed, baked, etc. I don't need to dip them in ranch dressing or plug my nose as I eat them.....but if this is you, you will even enjoy these babies. 

Double Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

(from adassofsass.com)

2 cups zucchini, grated
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup honey or agave nectar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips 

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper leaving 1 inch of the paper hanging over the edge to create handles. Grease parchment paper. Set aside.
- Grate zucchini. Press with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Fluff with a fork, set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together oil, eggs, agave or honey and vanilla. Add zucchini.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
- Add dry mixture to the wet/zucchini mixture. Stir to combine. Add chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.  Remove from pan using parchment paper handles.  Serve chilled for a fudgy brownie or warmed for a gooey, cakey brownie.

Got my chocolate fix for awhile and I love that they cracked so beautifully, too!

Another favorite comes from an awesome cookbook we got on our Crate and Barrel registry, the Big Green Cookbook:

Cheesy Zucchini Macaroni

1 1/2 t. sea salt, or to taste

8 ounces (2 cups) whole-wheat elbow macaroni

1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

3 T. unsalted organic butter

3 T. buckwheat flour

2 1/4 cups 2% organic milk or plain unsweetened soymilk

2 scallions, minced

1/4 t. freshly grounded black pepper, or to taste

1/8 t. freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup shredded organic or locally produced swiss cheese

1 cup shredded organic or locally produced extra-sharp cheddar

1 cup shredded organic or locally produced muenster cheese

1. Bring 4 cups water and 1 t. salt to boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the macaroni and zucchini. Bring it back to a boil.  Cover and turn off heat. Let "lid cook" (cook covered while the burner is off) until macaroni is al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour until combined. Very gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the white part of the scallions, pepper, and nutmeg while stirring constantly. Bring just to boil. Stir in cheeses until melted, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat. Cover and let "lid cook" until the cheeses are fully melted. 

3. Stir the cheese mixture into the cooked macaroni and zucchini. Add the remaining salt. Let sit 5 minutes before serving to allow mixture to combine.

4. Serve with green part of scallions on top.

What is your favorite zucchini recipe?????

Girl's Night Shenanigans

I got a phone call about a week ago from my best friend, Brittany, asking if I'd like to co-host a Thirty One Gifts party with her. I love hosting, so of course I agreed! In a weeks time we had planned our soiree and had a great little menu put together. I must say we were an awesome team in the kitchen and of course I had to share it with you all!

First up, 

Marinated Cheese

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 (2 ounce) bottle diced pimento, drained
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons minced green onions
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (8 ounce) package Cheddar cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cold

Directions

1. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the olive oil, wine vinegar, pimento, parsley, green onion, garlic, sugar, basil, salt and pepper. Shake vigorously to blend. Set aside.
2. Cut the block of Cheddar cheese in half lengthwise. Cut crosswise into 1/4 inch slices to form squares. Repeat with cream cheese. Arrange cheese squares alternately in a shallow baking dish with slices standing on edge. You can arrange in a single long row, or 2 parallel rows depending on the size of your dish. Pour the marinade from the jar over the cheese slices, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
3. To serve, remove slices to a serving platter so they are still arranged in an alternating pattern. Spoon some of the extra marinade over the cheese, and serve with crackers.     

We were both really excited to see how these came out......think it was a pretty good 1st attempt, but I will add a couple minutes cook time next time!

Petite Lasagnas

(from canyoustayfordinner.com)

(makes 12)

12 oz raw ground turkey

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2  teaspoon pepper

1 cup finely chopped onion

½ cup finely chopped mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, minced

14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes, or tomato sauce

1 tablespoon dried oregano, divided

1 tsp dried basil

1 ½ cups part skim ricotta cheese

24 small square wonton wrappers (the kind near the tofu in the refrigerated section of the produce department)

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

 

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey, onions, mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Crumble the meat and saute the mixture for about 10 minutes, or until the turkey is cooked through. Add the garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds.

Add the crushed tomatoes and 2 tsp of oregano. Bring the pan to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add to turkey mixture.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, a pinch of salt and pepper, the remaining teaspoon of oregano, and the basil. Stir to mix well. Set aside.

Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Place 1 wonton wrapper into each of the 12 cups, pressing firmly in the bottom of the cup and up the sides.

Using half of the ricotta mixture, divide it among the 12 muffin cups. Next, using half of the turkey tomato sauce, spoon it evenly over each of the ricotta filled cups. Sprinkle with 2 tsp of mozzarella.

Gently press another wonton wrapper on top of the mozzarella layer.

Repeat the process by distributing the remaining ricotta, then the remaining tomato sauce, and finally the rest of the shredded mozzarella.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

Let the cups cool, remove them from the pan, and serve! 

Grilled Zucchini Roll-Ups With Herbs and Cheese

Ingredients

• 3 small zucchini (about 1/2 pound each), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/16 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 1/2 ounces fresh goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 ounces bagged baby spinach (2 cups lightly packed)
• 1/3 cup basil leaves

Preparation

• 1. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium.
• 2. Discard the outermost slices of zucchini; brush the rest with oil on both sides. Sprinkle the zucchini slices with salt and pepper. Grill until tender, about 4 minutes per side. You can prepare the zucchini a day ahead and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• 3. In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, parsley, and lemon juice, mashing together with a fork.
• 4. Put 1/2 teaspoon of the cheese mixture about 1/2 inch from the end of a zucchini slice. Top with a few spinach leaves and a small (or half of a large) basil leaf. Roll up and place seam side down on a platter. Repeat with remaining zucchini slices. You can make these up to a day in advance; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

And for dessert......

Apple Nachos

(from ShugarySweets.com)

4 large Granny Smith apples, sliced 

35 large marshmallows

1/4 cup butter

35 caramels

1 Tbsp evaporated milk (or half and half)

1/4 cup peanuts

1/4 cup mini semi-sweet morsels

2 Tbsp chocolate syrup

Slice apples and arrange on platter.

In saucepan, melt marshmallows and butter until creamy. Set aside.

In microwave dish, melt caramels with milk (cooking in 30 second intervals, and stirring). Set aside.

Pour marshmallow cream over apple slices, followed by caramel sauce. Drizzle chocolate syrup and sprinkle with peanuts and mini chocolate morsels. Serve immediately and enjoy!

These are SOOOOOOO yummy! Perfect caramel apple fix! We dipped our apples in Sprite so they wouldn't brown....I wouldn't recommend it, as all the hot toppings seemed to squeeze it out and we were left with a gooey soup by the end of the night. (However, the sloppy soup was just as delicious.) 

Brittany picked up some Flip-Flop Wines for us to enjoy. I love these wines! They are cute summer wines that are pretty inexpensive, yet incredibly tasty! And for each bottle purchased, Soles4Souls will distribute a pair of shoes to someone in need. :)

We had a great evening! It's so nice to share the night with some great friends, have some good laughs and good food. I also fell in love with Thirty-One Gifts! If you haven't heard of them yet definitely check them out. They have a product to organize just about every part of your life! My Mother-in-law and I are hosting another party on August 13th in the Springs....so mark your calendars and come join us.

I also have to brag a little bit.....Ladies, I am so lucky to have such a spectacular husband! Not only did he allow me to host this Girl's Night with no complaints whatsoever (which included smelling all the aromas of cooking food,) but he also was a huge help with clean up! You rock babe! Thank you and I love you!

Over the Border Shrimp Enchiladas

I've had a very stressful summer so far, so when my sister said she was coming to stay with us tonight I was so excited for some sister time! :) She tends to be our bad influence and we usually end up at Taco Bell sometime during her stay, but tonight we all decided to keep our Mexi food fix at home and cook up some of her famous Over the Border Shrimp Enchiladas!

Over the Border Shrimp Enchiladas

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 lb. shrimp; shelled and devained
1 can chopped green chilies
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
8 whole wheat tortillas
1 1/2 c.  think and chunky salsa (we prefer hot)
6 oz. Mexican Style cheese **We used Reilly's Best Beer Cheese instead...delicious!**

As well as, any other toppings you may want....fresh jalapenos are our family's favorite! The hotter the better!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Warm tortillas in oven for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, saute onions in oil on medium high until tender. Add shrimp, green chilies, salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder cook for 2-3 minutes or until shrimp turns pink.

Add cream cheese to shrimp mixture until melted.

Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Fill each tortilla with about 1/3 cup of the shrimp mixture. Once all filled tortillas are in the casserole dish, spread the salsa over the top followed by the cheese. Bake in oven for 20 minutes; uncovered.

We enjoyed them with some Jalapeno Lemon-Lime Margaritas!  Ole!

(Please excuse the picture quality...phone camera...)

Star Spangled Strawberries

 I hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July! My oh my, is summer flying by! We had a great weekend with the family (that was much needed after the week we had.) Spent our time kayaking, playing yard games, BBQing, and ended with a concert and fireworks!

I thought these strawberries were too cute to pass up.......

 

And so easy too! I was able to make my weekly batch of Friendship Bread at the same time. 

What you need:

2 containers of organic strawberries

white chocolate chips

blue sprinkles 

Today's Playlist:

You and I- Ingrid Michaelson

Bird Song- Florence & The Machine

Sex of Fire- Kings of Leon

Don't fireworks just make you happy!

Blackberry Peach Cupcakes

There is nothing more that I love then summer fruit (well, other than my Michael, of course!) I start every morning with a yummy bowl of greek yogurt and ripe berries :) So when I saw this recipe on Sunshine and Carousels Blog and just so happened to pick up blackberries and peaches at the store the same day...I knew I had to make these ASAP.

Blackberry Peach Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour                                                                                                                                      1 Tablespoon baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature 
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1  cup of milk
5 quartered and peeled fresh peaches
1 cup of blackberries


Mix (sift) your dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl cream your butter and sugar.  Add in your eggs one at a time and then add your vanilla. Add your flour mixture into your butter mixture, slowly, one part at a time.  


Put your peaches and ONLY 5-7 blackberries into your food processor.  Let it pulse a few times until the mixture is chunky but not liquefied. You want some texture.  Then fold the fruit into your batter.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-21 minutes. 




 Blackberry Buttercream Icing:

1/2 cup of butter
5-6 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Large handful of blackberries

Puree a large handful of blackberries in your food processor.  Set it to the side.

Cream your butter.  Add one cup of powdered sugar at a time.  Add your vanilla and your blackberry mixture.  Beat until smooth and fluffy. You only need a little bit of blackberry puree so don't put more than just a handful of blackberries into your mix.  Add more powdered sugar to reach your desired consistency.

I had to rush them over to the hubby's work, so I didn't have time to take a great picture...but I know I will be making them again soon!


I also decided to start something new for the blog. Whenever I'm baking I always put on music that puts me in a baking mood. So from now I am going to post a couple songs that inspired me during my kitchen session. 


Here are today's:

Not Fair- Lily Allen
Whatever You Like -Anya Marina
I Think I Like You- Donora