how to make chicken enchiladas

Mexican food is a favorite of many. There are many popular Mexican restaurants throughout the United States. One of the best ways to get a taste of Mexican food is also to prepare it at home. Making this easy chicken enchilada recipe is one of the easiest and quickest ways to prepare a Mexican dish in no time.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 1 lb of Precooked Chicken Breast-precut
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 small can of green chiles
• 1 can of Red Enchilada Sauce
• Taco Shells
• 1 bag of shredded Mexican cheese
• food processor
• aluminum foil
• Nonstick spray
• Glass casserole dish
• large mixing bowl

1. • 1
     Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray nonstick spray in your glass casserole dish.
   • 2
     Add your chicken in your food processor along with the red pepper. Process it until it is finely chopped. Pour the chicken and red pepper mixture into your mixing bowl.
   • 3
     Open your can of green chilies. Add them to the mixing bowl. Then spoon in your cup of sour cream.
   • 4
     Mix all of the ingredients together completely. Then add about a half-cup of your shredded cheese, and stir it into the mixture too.
   • 5
     Open your bag of tortilla shells. Then open your can of red enchilada sauce. Lay one of your tortilla shells flat, and take a spoonful of red sauce and spread it in the middle of your tortilla shell. Then spoon in some of the chicken mixture from the bowl on your tortilla as well. Roll your tortilla up enchilada style and place in your casserole dish.
   • 6
     Repeat step 5 until you have filled your casserole dish. The casserole dish usually holds about 6 to 8 enchiladas. Take the remaining red sauce and pour over the top of the enchiladas. Spring some cheese on top of the sauce. For added flavor, you can add some chopped green pepper too.
   • 7
     Cover the top with aluminum foil. Place in your oven and let them bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Enchiladas are finished when all of the cheese has been melted and the shells are a very light brown. Take caution when taking out your enchiladas and removing the aluminum foil. Contents will be very hot

Tips & Warnings

• This dish is delicious served with refried beans and Mexican rice. Add a salad for some extra color!

how to make pumpkin pie

Pie pumpkins are smaller and sweeter than traditional halloween pumpkins, allowing them to be used to make pumpkin pie.

With its delicious and creamy texture that's hard to resist, pumpkin pie is the dessert of the holiday season. While usually made with canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie that is made from scratch is not only an even more delicious seasonal treat but it's definitely worth the effort. Why not make a treat that's as rewarding as it is tasty?

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• pie pumpkin
• 1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 9-inch pie shell
• For pie shell:
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup firm unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup ice water

1. • 1
     Cut your pie pumpkin in half and remove the stem. Scoop out the seeds and extra string. Place both halves on a foil lined baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake your pumpkin at 350˚ for about 1.5 hours or until tender. Scoop out the flesh, which should be quite soft and puree the pumpkin using a hand or regular blender
   • 2
     After your pumpkin has been prepared, combine together the sugar, cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger and salt. In a separate bowl beat eggs and stir in your dry ingredients as well as your pumpkin. Mix well and slowly add in the evaporated milk while you stir. Make sure the filling is blended and smooth. Preheat your oven to 375˚
   • 3
     For your pie shell cut your butter into the flour mixture. Use an electric mixer to combine the ingredients. Pour in the ice water a little at a time (on low speed) until your mixture begins to clump and hold together. Remove the formed dough from the mixer and sprinkle a bit of flour before wrapping in plastic wrap and refrigerating for an hour. Remove the dough after it has set in the refrigerator and roll out the dough using a pie crust bag or placing it in between wax paper. Place the dough in your pie pan and shape the edges however you like. You can also use scissors to cut off the top edge. Pour your pumpkin mixture into your pie shell.
   • 4
     With your oven already pre-heated, bake pie in the middle of the oven for 50 to 65 minutes. Cool and serve with whipped cream with a dash of cinnamon on top. You have just made pumpkin pie from scratch!

Tips & Warnings

• If you would really like to make full use of your pumpkin, why not bake the pumpkin seeds! Remove the string from the seeds, run them under water and put them in a plastic bag. Add about 1 teaspoon of oil (olive oil or grapeseed oil are healthy alternatives) and shake vigorously until all the seeds are coated. Spread them out on a baking sheet and toast them in a 375 degree oven for 12 minutes or until brown. Sprinkle with salt and enjoy!
• Pie pumpkins can be found during the holidays at your regular supermarket or specialty health food stores. They are much smaller than regular pumpkins and taste sweeter.
• As it gets closer to fully baking, insert a toothpick into the pie to check how well it has cooked. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is probably ready to be taken out.
• If making the pie shell from scratch is too much hassle, you can always use store bought shell. I find that using a graham cracker shell enhances and gives a great new kick to a traditional recipe

You're getting that mega craving for ice cream. No need to drive to the store or wait in line at a Baskin-Robbins. In less than a minute you can make your own homemade ice cream using your blender. No other equipment is required. Experiment with different flavors and serve it as a unique dessert to your guests at your next home party. Tell them you made it by blending a few ingredients in a blender and they'll think you're a kitchen magician!

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Blender
• 1 package of your favorite frozen fruit or your favorite chocolate syrup (for chocolate ice cream) or 1 vanilla bean (for vanilla ice cream)
• Heavy whipping cream, frozen or 1 can coconut cream (remove from can and freeze in ice cream tray) or Mori-Nu Organic Silken Firm Tofu, frozen (for vegans)
• Superfine sugar
• Pure vanilla extract
• Your favorite nuts or candy (optional) or your favorite liqueur (optional)

1. • 1
     If you're using fresh fruit, freeze overnight. Freeze whipping cream, cream of coconut or tofu ahead of time, preferably overnight.
   • 2
     For one or two servings, place into a blender:
     1 cup frozen fresh fruit or 1 package frozen fruit or flavoring of your choice, chocolate syrup or vanilla bean (split lengthwise with a paring knife, remove seeds from the inside of the bean and add to the blender, discard pod)
     1 cup heavy whipping or coconut cream or tofu, frozen
     Superfine sugar (start with 1/4 cup and add more, if desired, to taste).
     1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
   • 3
     Blend at high speed just until smooth and creamy. Pour into a freezer container and freeze for up to 2 hours or until texture is firmer. After about an hour, if you wish, you can stir in your favorite nuts, candy, sweetened coconut, mini chocolate chips or other ingredients, or 1 tbsp. of your favorite liqueur then freeze for about another hour or a little longer. Scoop it out and enjoy!

Tips & Warnings

• This dessert is best when made and eaten on the same day. Freezing leftovers overnight results in the solids sinking to the bottom. Organic ingredients are recommended. Use pure vanilla extract. It's far better than imitation vanilla extract and has no "off" taste. Use bourbon vanilla beans from Madagascar. They can be found at your local health food or spice store or online. If you're making plain vanilla ice cream, use both beans and extract. Freezing fruit and cream ahead of time results in a more even textured ice cream. If using chocolate syrup or other flavoring, add according to your taste and adjust when necessary.

homemade cookie recipe

There are zillions of cookie recipes out there, but how do you make them taste "as good as homemade?" Here are some tips that will make every recipe taste better.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• butter, butter, butter
• fresh nuts, flour, and spices
• insulated cookie sheets
• foil
• cooling racks

1. • 1
     For best flavor and texture, use a good-quality butter rather than margarine, vegetable shortening, or lard.

     DON'T use reduced-fat margarine -- manufacturers reduce the fat by replacing it with water, which gives cookies a cake-like texture instead of the crispy crunchy flaky texture of your grandma's cookies.

     And avoid cheap butter -- the cheaper the butter, the higher the water content. Again, you'll end up with little cakes instead of cookies.
   • 2
     If you use salted butter, you may not need to add the salt the cookie recipe calls for.
   • 3
     Make sure the baking soda or baking powder is well broken up before you add it to the mixing bowl -- soda "flavor bursts" spoil the effect of homemade cookies!
   • 4
     Go ahead, double the vanilla. You know you want to ...

     Just be aware that if you want the butter flavor to knock your socks off, a little extra vanilla will enhance the butter flavor but too much vanilla will mask it.

     The same is true when combining vanilla with other delicate flavors. Last time I used pistachios in cookies I regretted adding too much vanilla. Mind you, "too much" in this case was about four times what the recipe called for, but you get my point: If the raison d'etre of the cookie is pistachio, it's a disappointment to taste only vanilla.
   • 5
     Many baking spices have volatile ingredients. For the liveliest flavor, buy and use them promptly rather than keeping them around the house. This is much easier and cheaper now that many grocery stores offer bulk spices.
   • 6
     Experiment with nut varieties. For example, hazelnuts with milk or semi-sweet chocolate is a match made in heaven.
   • 7
     Good-quality chocolate chips make a huge difference! Don't stint on the quality of your most important flavor ingredients.
   • 8
     Insulated cookie sheets are a life-saver! Cookies bake more evenly, and the even baking gives you a longer time period to pull the cookies out of the oven "perfectly baked."
   • 9
     You can use foil instead of greasing the cookie sheet -- spatulas work well on the foil and cleanup is far easier. And, if you butter the foil, you get the added flavor of the butter with the easy cleanup of foil.
   • 10
     Using a small icecream scoop to put cookie batter on the sheets speeds things up and gives rounder, more uniformly sized cookies.
   • 11
     Cookies are done baking when they're no longer glossy, or when tiny (about a half millimeter) holes open up all the way across the top of the cookie. If you like your cookies more caramelized, you can leave them in the oven a couple minutes longer than this bubble-break stage.
   • 12
     Cooling racks let your cookies release more steam than if you put them on paper towels or paper bags, so they'll keep their crispy crunchy texture longer.
   • 13
     If your cookies aren't all eaten by bedtime, store them in an airtight container.

Tips & Warnings

• Perishable ingredients like butter and nuts last longer in the freezer but can take on "refrigerator flavor." For best results, buy them shortly before baking rather than keeping them around for months.
• Besides being less flavorful, lard and shortening tend to go rancid, giving your cookies a bitter flavor (and making them slightly carcinogenic). If your recipe requires either, make sure it's fresh.
• Nuts and flour (especially whole-grain flour) also have a tendency to go rancid. Make sure yours are fresh.

how to make chicken casserole

Follow simple directions and prepare ahead of time for Crock-Pot cooking.

Slow cooking with a Crock-Pot is a good way to be organized and save time. It can also be helpful for a working person or a family with young children. In addition, Crock-Pot use a small amount of electricity, thereby saving money as well. Crock-Pot cooking only requires that the food preparation is done in advance. Once you prepare your food you place in the crock pot and allow it to cook for several hours. There are many types of recipes that can be used in a Crock-Pot, chicken casserole being a favorite.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Crock-Pot
• 4 uncooked chicken breasts
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup Minute Rice, brown or white

1. Chicken Casserole Recipe

   • 1
     Gather all of the ingredients for the recipe and place on your counter or table. The more organized you are, the quicker the preparation time.
   • 2
     Open the cream of celery soup, cream of chicken soup and cream of mushroom soup. Mix the soups together in the bottom of the Crock-Pot. You can substitute different types of soup. For instance, if you don't want mushrooms in your casserole, substitute it with another can of cream of chicken to have to creams of chicken and one cream of celery.
   • 3
     Dice up two stalks of celery. Chop up one large onion and mince three cloves of garlic. Add the all the vegetables to the soup in the Crock-Pot and stir.
   • 4
     Measure 1 cup of minute rice and add to the soup mixture. Feel free to use either brown or white rice, depending on your likes or needs.
   • 5
     Take four large uncooked chicken breasts. Cut up the chicken into 1/4-inch pieces. Place the chicken on top of the soup mixture. Place the lid on the Crock-Pot. Turn the heat on to high for four hours. Serve the chicken casserole with your favorite bread.
   • 6
     Leave the leftovers in the Crock-Pot dish in the refrigerator. You can reheat this again using the Crock-Pot. For leftovers, place the heat on high for about an hour, checking and stirring occasionally.

how to cook lasagna

Cook Lasagna

One of the best and most favorite Italian dishes around, is lasagna. It's just about every ones favorite and it's great for family gatherings covered dishes and social get togethers, both at church and at the office.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 1 package of lasagna noodles
• 1 pound of sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 pound of cottage cheese
• 1 pound of Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese, grated
• 2 pounds of lean ground beef or ground chuck
• 1 small bunch of celery, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 green pepper finely chopped
• 6 to 8 whole mushrooms sliced thin
• 2 (16 ounce) cans of tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) can of tomato sauce
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Pinch of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon of cumin
• 2 pats of butter
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup of red wine of your choice
• Olive oil
• French bread
• Garlic powder
• Casserole dish
• Fry pan
• Large pot for pasta

 

1. How to Cook Lasagna

   • 1
     Brown onions and garlic in olive oil in fry pan until onions become transparent. Add celery and green pepper. Cook until vegetables are soft. Remove from pan.
   • 2
     Brown ground beef or chuck in a touch of olive oil. After meat is browned, add salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, oregano (not too much), mushrooms, cooked onions, cooked garlic, cooked celery and cooked green pepper. Stir until well blended.
   • 3
     Sprinkle prepared dish with red pepper flakes, if desired. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and red wine of choice. Allow to cook slowly for approximately one hour until sauce blends well.
   • 4
     Cook pasta in separate pot, leaving the pasta slightly undone. It will have a sticky texture to it. Partially cooking the pasta will keep it from getting too mushy during the baking process.
   • 5
     Assemble dish by placing a layer of partially cooked pasta in the bottom of the casserole dish. Dot with a pat of butter. Layer with cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, then a layer of the prepared sauce. Sprinkle with additional red peppers flakes, if desired; then another layer of pasta, butter and cheeses. Finish the top with a layer of sauce. Be easy on the butter. You don't want your dish to be too greasy.
   • 6
     Top the dish with grated Parmesan cheese and additional cheddar cheese (if desired). Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes until cheese is melted on the inside and dish is thoroughly heated.Serve with garlic flavored french bread.
   • 7
     As left overs... Utilize the fragments from this dish by reassembling what you have in a smaller casserole dish. Add a little tomato juice if it seems dry. Grate cheese over top and heat through thoroughly for approximately 30 minutes. This dish will serve approximately 10 -12 people

how to cook fried chicken

A comfort meal of deep-fried chcken is surprisingly fast and simple to prepare.

Deep fried chicken is enjoyed all over the U.S. and the tradition dates back to the days when many households kept chickens in the yard. When company arrived, several chickens were rounded up, had their necks wrung off, dipped into boiling water and the feathers were removed. The chickens were deep-fried by the family recipe and a great deal of pride was taken in the results. Single-breading, double-breading or using an egg batter to fry chicken creates a skin coating that is crispy, thick and heavy.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 1 Frying chicken, 2-½ to 3 lbs.
• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Paper towels
• Heavy pot
• Peanut oil or lard
• Frying oil thermometer
• 1 cup sll-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• Metal tongs
• Baking sheet
• Wire rack

1. • 1
     Cut the excess fat from the neck and around the bottom of the chicken  with a sharp knife, and remove the pin feathers.
   • 2
     Dismember the chicken into eight pieces by laying the chicken breast down on the cutting board, and cutting slightly to the side of the backbone. Spread the chicken and chop the center of the breastbone at the neck, and then continue to cut the chicken in half. Slice the chicken where the leg joins the thigh and where the thigh joins the backbone. Cut the wing away from the breast at the joint where it joins the breast.
   • 3
     Wash the chicken thoroughly under running water taking care to clean the little bones that comprise the backbone. Dry thoroughly with paper towels.
   • 4
     Place a heavy pot filled with just enough oil or lard so the chicken will float when dropped into it. Make certain that the pot is large enough so that the oil will not overflow the sides when the chicken is added while frying.
   • 5
     Turn the stove burner to medium high and heat the oil to 370 degrees F. Maintain this temperature by adjusting the burner throughout the cooking  process.
   • 6
     Mix together the flour, salt, pepper and cayenne in a bowl. Place 1 piece of chicken at a time -- beginning with the thighs and legs -- in the mixture, covering them thoroughly shaking off the excess. Then drop them in the oil.
   • 7
     Place a baking sheet with a wire rack in it next to the frying pot. Use a pair of metal tongs to turn the chicken for even browning. When the thigh reaches 180 degrees F the chicken is done.
   • 8
     Lift the chicken out of the oil and place on the wire rack to drain

Tips & Warnings

• Wrap leftovers in foil or freezer bags to be refried and eaten later. Refry the chicken by placing the thawed chicken in peanut oil between 350 to 400 degrees F for only two to three minutes, and it will remain crispy.
• Break one thigh at a time by taking it in both hands and opening it up. This will break the thighbone and will prevent a red bone after the chicken is cooked. A red bone is distasteful to many people.
• Sanitize the work area thoroughly before and after handling the chicken by washing with a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water.
• Hall all your necessary utensils handy so it is not necessary to dig through drawers after handling the chicken.