Sunday, November 8, 2015

Sunday Dinner: The Best Red Enchiladas

So...I love a good enchilada and I've made some really delicious (I mean...I think they're pretty yummy) white enchiladas before. Sometimes I even crave those bad boys; that's how good I think they are. Full of myself much? Maybe. Full of delicious enchiladas? Yes please.

My family; it would seem, are more partial to enchiladas with red sauce. White sauce isn't really their jam and so I went on the hunt for a recipe made with red sauce. I stumbled on this one on Pintrest (which is always hit or miss, let's be honest) and since it had the word best in the title, I figured it was worth a try.

All the goods.
What You Need
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil/olive oil
- 1 small onion, peeled & diced
- 2 cans white meat chicken; drained
- salt & pepper
- 1 4 ounce can diced green chiles
- 1 15 ounce can of black beans; rinsed & drained
- 8 large flour tortillas
- 2 to 3 cups Mexican blend cheese
- 1 15 ounce can red enchilada sauce


Onions away!

This was seriously smelling delicious! 

The enchilada assembly line...
What You'll Do

- Preheat the oven to 350; grease a glass baking dish & set aside.

- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion & saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in can chicken and green chiles; season with salt & pepper. Saute for 5-6 minutes until chicken is warm through.

- To assemble each enchilada, first spread two tablespoons of sauce over the surface of the tortilla. Add beans in a line down the middle, top with the chicken mixture and sprinkle with the Mexican blend cheese. 

- Place the finished enchilada in your 9x13 inch baking dish and repeat until all eight tortillas are filled. Spread the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle on the remaining cheese. 

- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately!

The delicious finished product!

Peeking into a pan of goodness!
These went over really well with my red sauce loving parents and I'm sure they'll be just as big a hit for you. So whether you love white sauce or red sauce, you now have an option for both! Victory! 

Friday, November 6, 2015

Five on Friday


It's finally Friday - hallelujah! I don't know how your Friday has been, but mine got off to a rather rough start and I spent the first hour or so that I was awake feeling nauseated and dealing with a seriously ridiculous headache. Not really the best way to start any day...especially a Friday...but after some breakfast, coffee and of course medicine, I think I might survive. 

I don't know if I really explained last week but five on Friday is really simple to do and anyone can join in - just post about five things that are on your mind, add the logo and link up with one of the four blogs on the logo. I'm am avid reader of both April (A. Liz Adventues) and Christina's (Carolina Charm) blogs each week!



One: Chick Fil A Chicken Tortilla Soup; I am in love! I don't know if you've had the chicken tortilla soup they serve (seasonally...boo hoo) but I had it for the first time this week and as soon as I polished off my bowl I immediately started hunting Pintrest for a copy cat recipe. I think I may have found one...I'll keep you posted on that. Till then, I suggest you go get a bowl. Or two.

That limited time "sticker" makes me sad.


Two: There are only 48 days until Christmas...so if we're talking about what's on my mind then Christmas is pretty up there! I absolutely love Christmas and while I know my sister does too...I think she's able to be a little more restrained than I am. We posted the two pictures below on our Facebook profiles this week...can you guess which one of us posted which picture? Ha!

  

Three: The Nationals have a new manager; of course this is on my mind! The Nationals hired Dusty Baker as the new manager and since that hire they've also added Mike Maddux as the new pitching coach and Davey Lopes as the new first base coach. The word is still out on who the next batting coach will be...some people had speculated it could be Barry Bonds, but the clubhouse nixed that information pretty quick. So for now...we wait...and watch...and look forward to the 2016 season.

11/5/15 - Dusty Baker Day in DC!

Four: I am a die hard Peanuts fan; which might have something to do with the fact that the first toy I ever owned was a tiny red Snoopy that sat in my bassinet with me at the hospital. It was literally love at first sight, ha-ha! The new Peanuts movie came out today and I'm really looking forward to seeing it soon! It might not be this weekend, but I plan to see it while it's in the theaters. Will you be seeing it?
Wooohooo! 

Five: As always, I'll end with fitness. This week has been a struggle; I'll be honest. And I'll lay all the blame on the time change, ha-ha! I do not like my walk/jog to be the same every day but because the sun is almost completely gone by the time I get home from work now...I am going to have to either embrace the elliptical or learn to love making laps in the golf course parking lot. And it takes 5 and a half laps just to make a mile. *sigh* It all boils down to me making a decision about whether I want to make laps in the parking lot or get on the elliptical - because quitting isn't an option.

Hehehehe....


So - those are the five things that have been on my mind today - along with a million other things. If you have a blog and you'd like to join up, feel free! Happy (finally) Friday!

Thursday, November 5, 2015

DC Day - A Photo Dump

So - if we are friends on Facebook - you've already seen all these pictures and you're probably wondering why in the world I'm posting these here too. Well, the main reason is because I want to and since it's my blog...I can get away with it, ha-ha! The other reason is I use this blog as a sort of virtual "journal" for myself and things like this - they're the things I want to remember! So, I post all the pictures to my journal, so I can look back on them and smile.

Way back almost two weeks ago...on Saturday, October 24th I took my friend Katie to DC for the very first time ever...in her life. She had never been to DC and she'd never seen all the sights and she'd never rode on the Metro and so yeah...it was pretty fun!

The day was a bit overcast and we hoped, prayed, begged and pleaded for the sun to come out...and of course, it finally did around 3:30...right before we headed into the Metro and away from above ground. Oh well, we still had a blast and I hope you enjoy the pictures and some anecdotes from the day's adventures!





Katie told me "well, it's much larger in person than in pictures..." 

Can we get ourselves & the entire monument in the picture??

It was a busy day at my favorite memorial - the WWII Memorial - I think it's Katie's favorite now too.

I was so glad the fountains were still on - I get why they turn them off, but I so love the difference it makes when they're on!

My current home state!

The state where Katie & I met & became friends! 
Funny thing about that picture up there - we were trying to figure out the best way to get a picture of us with the Virginia pillar and we were hoping it wouldn't have to be a crazy selfie. Well, a guy walked up and asked if he could take the picture for us and of course we said yes...and then Katie grinned and told him "we want a picture because Virginia is the state we met in!" We posed for the picture with big grins and as soon as he handed me back my phone and turned to walk away, we both burst out laughing as Katie said "I'm pretty sure he thinks we're a couple after the way I said that!" Suffice it to say, we kept thinking back on that all day long and cracking up.

The state I've lived in the longest of my thirty-one years...

The state where my story started - I had to slouch because the California pillar was on a slant...

I bet those fountains will be turned off pretty soon...but they sure were pretty while they were on!

I was trying to be artsy fartsy & get the memorial, monument & flag all in one picture...


A huge group of WWII Veterans having a memorial ceremony; they even played TAPS, it was so moving to be in the presence of true American heroes.

Perhaps a better try at the whole artsy fartsy thing....

I wonder if we are distantly related to this Watson?

We couldn't decide if it was appropriate to smile or not...but it didn't matter, because you can't really tell.

The man himself - Mr. Lincoln.

Cheesin like a champ with Abe - I'm so goofy, I know. This isn't even the half of it...

Not a bad view if I do say so myself...
You know everyone tries to take those pictures where they look like they're holding the monument or pushing it or whatever? Yeah - I tried to do that but I'm too much of a dork to be able to make a good picture, ha! I think I got a good one of Katie (did I Katie?) but I couldn't stand my butt still long enough for Katie to get one of me. She must have told me to raise my hand up...up...up...over, good...no down a little...stop! But it was to no avail; I am just a goober and couldn't get it together. The proof is (not in the pudding) in the pictures...

I mean...not quite...

I mean...sort of...

The back side of the Korean War Memorial - amazingly there wasn't a single coin in this fountain!

The Korean War Memorial with some lovely Autumn trees....

I just love gorgeous Fall colors - I'm an October baby, I think it's programmed into my system...

I did mention I was goober - right?
Oh yes, I most certainly did have Katie take this picture. As soon as we spotted this, I started acting like a complete loon...pushing my butt like the sign said and of course, I knew I needed a picture. I have no shame and we were in stitches standing there waiting for the light to turn so we could cross the street. It's so nice to find a friend that has the same goofball sense of humor so you can do silly things together and think nothing of it - and that's exactly what Katie is! I'm so glad to call her my friend and I'm so glad we could stand on the street corner in downtown DC taking ridiculous pictures and cracking up!

Not quite as pretty as they are in the Spring...but still lovely.

I craned through the trees like a fruitcake to take this picture...& Katie took a picture of me being goofy to try to take the picture. Ha!

Aren't the red trees at the base of the Monument so pretty? I thought so.

This darling old man - a true hero & a genius about picture stylings.
So, when Katie and I were exploring the FDR Memorial, I told her all about how my sister and I used to get at the end of the food line to take a picture, pretending to be waiting to get food. Katie thought she might like to do that but right about the time we were going to get into position for the picture, one of the WWII veterans from the WWII Memorial ceremony came rolling along, being pushed by his daughter. Now - I don't know why we thought this, but we immediately sat down thinking he'd somehow be offended if we tried to take a picture like that. Well - that was silliness because he told his daughter to roll him right up to the front of the line and take his picture...he told her to frame it so that it looked like they were all standing in line behind him and be sure it "was a good one" which cracked us up. He was so tickled with his picture(s) and we were so tickled watching him!

Again - trying to be artsy fartsy. Did I mention I'm a dork?

Franklin & Fala - Franklin's finger & Fala's ears are popular things to rub for luck.

A statue given to the US from Japan...along with those famous cherry blossom trees.

Another art shot - architecture & all that, you know?

Jefferson - SO tall!

I maybe take too many pictures when I go to DC. Oh well!

Cheeser picture! 

The White House...in all it's glory...from far, far away...

And...on an ending note - the three states I've lived in (so far). I started on one side of the country & worked my way across...


Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Watson Wednesday

Oh y'all - this little dog is just too silly. He cracks me up on a daily basis and this week he has been especially funny. He just does the goofiest things and I can assure you; if he could talk, he'd tell you he was a human. I know without a doubt he thinks he is a "people" and you couldn't convince him otherwise.

Completely relaxed...so much so that he just stretched that leg out & into my lap.
Eating off a spork - like he's some kind of person or something...
My Dad captioned this: This dog isn't following the rules.