Enchilada Casserole

I have a small confession to make. I am in LOVE with a blog that's not even my own. I actually look forward to the posts and they always tend to make me smile. This fabulous site is Iowa Girl Eats. I've never been to Iowa but if I were to ever meet Kristin, I'd tell her that her recipes and photography are phenomenal. Her "Friday Favorites" e-mails are my guilty pleasure. Go visit her site and make sure you subscribe to her posts. She is so unbelievably creative.

Casseroles are my new best friends. I love the easy one-dish clean up and I love that a lot of them give me some down time while they are baking. They let me do other things around the house as dinner comes together in a snap.

I recently saw this post on Iowa Girl's website and like the others that I have tried from her, this did not disappoint! Lazy Girl's Enchilada Casserole had my name written all over it. I'm not really too lazy but I like when something doesn't require a lot of work but produces awesome results. This casserole falls into this category. It literally took me under 40 minutes start to finish (and including baking time).

Here's what you do.

Lazy Girl's Enchilada Casserole
Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats
Serves 4-6

1 pound chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

salt and pepper

1 cup enchilada sauce (red or green, depending on your preference. I used red for this recipe.)

1 cup low-fat sour cream

3/4 cup jarred salsa

1 cup frozen corn, thawed (I used canned corn because it's what I had on hand)

4 ounces diced green chilies

12 white corn tortillas, torn into bite-sized pieces

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

sliced green onions or cilantro, for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper then saute in a large, nonstick-sprayed skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through. Remove to a plate to cool slightly.

2. In a very large bowl add enchilada sauce, sour cream and salsa then whisk to combine. Add cooked chicken, corn, and green chilies then stir to combine. Add corn tortillas then stir to combine.

3. Spray a 9×13″ casserole dish (or 2 smaller baking dishes) with nonstick spray then scoop mixture inside. Top with cheese then bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Top with green onions or cilantro and salsa, if desired.

All I have to say is YUMM! This one was a winner. It satisfied my weekly craving for Mexican food and it was so easy to put together. You can serve this with rice, a salad, or even some black beans on the side.

Thanks for stopping by!

xo, Stephanie

Butter-Braised Vegetables

I'm on a veggie kick lately. There is something about the start of spring that makes me want to eat vegetables ALL-OF-THE-TIME! Someday I plan to live in an area where farmer's markets just aren't on weekends and only 6 months of the year. Doesn't that sound nice? Lately the fruits and vegetables at the supermarket have been all sort of blah. I haven't seen anything interesting that has caught my eye.

However, carrots, brussels sprouts, and radishes always seem to be available. I recently saw a vegetable dish from Cook's Country that definitely caught my eye. It included all of these vegetables and I couldn't wait to make it.

This is a great vegetable dish that is so flavorful (and it's not even really drenched in butter). It would go excellent with anything from a grilled piece of steak to a pork chop. We had it with ham and it was awesome! The butter is very subtle and the title of this dish is misleading. The vegetables are braised in mostly chicken broth.

Here's what you do.

Butter-Braised Vegetables
Adapted from Cook's Country
Serves 6
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick on bias
1 pound radishes, trimmed and quartered
12 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp minced fresh chives

1. Bring broth to simmer in Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Whisk in 1 tablespoon butter until melted. Add carrots, radishes, Brussels sprouts, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper to pot. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 11 to 14 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to serving dish.
2. Remove all but ¼ cup broth from pot. Whisk remaining 3 tablespoons butter into remaining ¼ cup broth in pot until melted and slightly thickened and pour over vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with chives. Serve.


This will be my go-to vegetable dish - spring, summer, fall and winter! Well, at least until I'm living in a place where farmer's markets are all year round!

Hope you enjoy!

xo, Stephanie

Welcome To My New Site!!

Welcome! After a bit of a blogging hiatus, I'm back with a new site. Some of you may know me from The Happy Housewife Project. I blogged on the HHP for 3 years before I pulled the plug. That site was like an unborn baby. I had no clue what I was in for. It was an awesome learning experience and now I'm back to fill your tummies with a whole bunch of yummies (catchy, huh?).

So...without further ado, let's get going with my first post in my new home.

FACT: I don't really like white chocolate.
FACT: I LOVE dark chocolate.
FACT: I LOVE cake.

What happens when you put together white chocolate, cake mix, and pretzels? You get this amazing salty/sweet combination. If white chocolate only came in cake batter flavor, I just might consider converting from a dark chocolate lover. It's definitely something to try!

These chocolate cake batter covered pretzels make such a pretty presentation and are great for any celebration! They are easy to make and the kids can even help out.

Here's what you do.

Cake Batter Pretzels
Adapted from I'm Topsy Turvy
14 ounces of white melting chocolate (such as Wilton Candy Melts)
2 heaping tablespoons of Funfetti Cake Mix
Pretzel Rods (about 20-25 of them)
Sprinkles
Parchment Paper

1. Melt white chocolate.
2. Once completely melted, stir in cake mix. Mix well until fully incorporated.
3. Coat pretzel rods in chocolate mixture and immediately pour sprinkles on top so that they adhere.
4. Place on parchment paper to allow to cool and harden.

I'm making these for my sister's birthday today. She's turning the big THREE-OH! I'm so excited to celebrate with her and share these pretzels as my first post with you. If you want to learn more about my sister and her ah-mazing story, check out her blog at Kidney Krusaders!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my new home. Hope you enjoy all of the recipes and projects that I share with you. I'm here to fill your tummies with yummies!!

xo, Stephanie