Recipe: Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

Another cooking adventure down and it was delicious! I'll include the full recipe at the bottom of the blog post. I found this recipe on the back of a can of Caskey's cream of chicken soup and adapted it a bit for me and my family! Note: This entry is very picture heavy!

First, we add a can of cream of chicken soup to a bowl.

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$5 Dinner Mom Cookbook

Are you looking for recipes to stretch your food dollar? How about a cookbook with 200 recipes, none costing more than $5 to make? “The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook” by Erin Chase, a MyBlogSpark member and creator of 5DollarDinners.com, prepared her first $5 dinner in August 2008.

She turned it into a three-fold mission:
• To make dinner for her family every night for $5 or less!
• To prepare healthy meals using natural and wholesome ingredients!
• To encourage and inspire others to do the same!

In addition to 200 economical recipes each with a Frugal Fact, she offers suggestions for making the most of grocery shopping and couponing. Her tips on meal planning include sample menus and ideas for using leftovers. Her recipes feed a family of four and list the approximate cost of the ingredients. Here’s a recipe Erin suggests to get you started. “The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook” is available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Borders, Overstock and Walmart.

Disclosure: I am a member of Pssst... and occasionally get information and free products from General Mills. I received this information in an email. Clicking on the picture will take you to Amazon where you can purchase the book - I am an Amazon Affiliate.

Easter Recipes

Are you scrambling to find a recipe for this Easter weekend? Then look no further because my bloggy friends have posted some great recipes! I also found a couple more that are pretty easy or make ahead. I may be trying some of these out myself!

• Homemade Kandy Kake (No candy is involved!) from The Practical Mom Guide
• Cheddar Chive Scones from Penny Sophisticate
• Pasta Fagioli from Between the Lines
• Passover Chocolate Nut Toffee from About.com Busy Cooks
• 4 Pepper Deviled Eggs from Alton Brown
• Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup from Paula Deen
• Robin's Egg Easter Basket Cupcakes from the Food Network Kitchens
• Easiest Ever Easter Menu from About.com Busy Cooks

Recipe: Crock Pot Chicken and Rice

This is one of my favorite recipes because it's super simple and super tasty. I actually made it for dinner last night!

Crock Pot Chicken and Rice
- 1 small can cream of chicken soup
- 1 small can cream of celery soup
- 1 small can cream of mushroom soup
- 4 large chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1 cup Minute rice

Mix the 3 cans of soup and rice into the crock pot. Place the chicken on top of the mixture, then add the diced celery. Cook for 3 hours on high or 4 hours on low. Makes 4 servings.

*When making this recipe, you can switch around the soups depending on what you have. You can use two cans celery and one can chicken, two cans chicken and one can mushroom, etc. I usually add a bit more rice too. You can also easily double or triple this recipe for bigger families or company.

Recipe: Sweet Amish Chili

Tonight I tried a recipe from a cookbook my family and I picked up at a local Amish store. The recipes we've tried from it so far have been great. Hubby said he wanted chili tonight and I've made chili many times but tonight I wanted something different. The last couple times I've tried it it's either been too bland or too spicy. So I decided to see what this cookbook had. The recipe below makes a sweeter type of chili (which I had never had) and I only tweaked it a little bit to my preferences. I added a jump break because there's lots of pictures! Click "Read More" to...well, read more! :)

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Recipe: Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas

This is one of my favorite Mexican dishes - add a side of rice and/or some refried beans and you're set for dinner - and it's pretty simple! Enjoy!

Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas

1 & 1/2 pounds cooked & shredded chicken breast
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 15 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes with onions, drained
1 1/2 (15 ounce) can enchilada sauce, divided
6-8 large flour tortillas
1 package (8 ounce) shredded Cheddar or Mexican Style cheese, divided
1/4 cup sliced green onions
Sour cream and salsa, as needed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine chicken, beans, corn, tomatoes and 3/4 cup of the enchilada sauce. Place a tortilla on a plate and fill with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheese, roll up and place in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Repeat with rest of tortillas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and green onions. Bake in oven for 20-25, or until heated through. Serve with sour cream and salsa, if you desire.

Recipe: Turtle Pumpkin Pie

I made this pie last night for a carry-in and it was a huge success - everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. I found the recipe in Kraft's Food & Family magazine Holiday 2009, which I am sad was my last issue! (Hint, hint, Christmas present. LOL) Anyway, here's the recipe - it would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving Day table!

Turtle Pumpkin Pie

(Prep time: 15 minutes, plus refrigeration. Serves 10.)

- 1 graham pie crust (6 oz.) As a side note, my graham cracker pie crust broke in half when I took it out so I just crumbled it and put it along the bottom/sides of my pie pan.
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. caramel ice cream topping, divided
- 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. chopped pecans, divided
- 2 pkg. (3.4 oz each) vanilla instant pudding
- 1 cup cold milk
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed, divided

Pour 1/4 cup caramel topping into pie crust; sprinkle with 1/2 cup nuts. Beat pudding mixes, milk, pumpkin and spices with whisk until blended. Stir in 1 1/2 cups whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate 1 hour. Top with remaining whipped topping, caramel topping and nuts just before serving.

Recipe: Cheesy Chicken Hashbrown Casserole

(I know I've been lacking in posts recently but we've been working on a lot of house projects and enjoying spending time with the hubby on his days off!) This is a recipe I have been making a lot recently and it's VERY tasty!

Cheesy Chicken Hashbrown Casserole
- 1 pkg. shredded hashbrowns (thawed)
- 1 pound chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions

Combine all ingredients, saving the hashbrowns for the last. Spread in casserole dish and cook at 350 degrees for 50 - 60 minutes.
Optional: You can add as much cheese as you like of whatever flavor - our family LOVES cheese so I add a lot more than what the recipe calls for! You can also wait and add the chicken until the casserole is done.
Also, I usually season my chicken with a marinade or a little bit of seasoned salt to give it some more flavor.