shredded chicky enchiladas verdes

                           

 i love mexican food! i would be one happy camper eating mexican for supper every night, but probably not the healthiest camper. the good thing about cooking mexican dishes at home is you can make a healthier version of your el sombrero, el torro, el something or another that slabs on the heavy sour cream and doesn't exactly use light cheese or cut back on the grease..but that's probably why it's sooooo good! these shredded chicken enchiladas verdes are slack on the calories without slacking on flavor. i could go back for seconds now..

what ya need:

4 bone in chicken thighs
corn tortillas
shredded mexican blend cheese
lettuce
tomatoes
yellow onion
salsa verde
light sour cream
enchilada or taco mix


first things first, wash your chicken under running water. place your chicken thighs in a pot of water with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. cook on medium to high heat for 20 - 25 minutes.

  

once your chicken thighs are cooked, place them on a cutting board to cool. if you're

in a hurry you can place the cutting board in the fridge to speed things up. 

peel the skin off the chicken and begin shredding with your hands. 

 

the pups made sure i saved some chicken for them! they LOOOVE chicky.

dice your onion and add it to a warm skillet with a little olive oil. 

then add your shredded chicken, taco or enchilada packet seasoning, 

3/4 cup water and mix well. let flavors cook together for 10 - 12 minutes.

 

in the meantime, prep your corn tortillas in a baking dish. i LOVE these by la tortilla 

factory. you can find them at the fresh market, and they are by far my favorite.

 

now, the exciting part!! fill each individual enchilada with a generous portion

of shredded chicken and cheese. then roll the enchiladas up reaaaal tight and flip over

so the fold is facing the bottom of your baking dish. then drizzle some of the 

seasoning over the top of your enchiladas and sprinkle some mo' cheese. 

place in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is melted.

 

once your enchiladas are finished, plate them and dress with 

your toppings. i like to make a big salad on top with shredded lettuce, 

tomatoes, salsa verde and a dollop of sour cream.

we had some leftover homemade pinto beans that i served with our enchiladas,

but your favorite fat free refried beans certainly do the trick here as well. this is a great

recipe for a big group. super cheap and an easy clean up once it's all said and done. 

ENJOY!

fall favorites!

i like to mix things up a bit and talk about other interests of mine, one of which happens to be fashion. fall is my favorite season. cooler weather, college football, fires, and accessories! i'm obviously a big fan of accessorizing..hence why i started my jewelry business give a penny designs (www.giveapennydesigns.com) a little over two years ago. don't get me wrong, i love summer time but fall screams scarves, boots, leggings, vests..ahhh, music to my ears. here are a few of my new fall favorites:

my bb dakota faux fur vest..i LOVE it!
and can't wait to wear it soon.

 

my steve madden grey over the knee boots..

 

with these free people pull over corduroy jeggings

 

AND finally a top, an amazing top. this ella moss sweater/shirt

with some give a penny designs jewelry, of course!

the gold becca earrings, in labradorite and the brass cuff

 

 so comfy & chic! xoxo

 

spinach & goat cheese chicken wraps with tomatoes & mushrooms

 

nothing like a healthy monday night supper to get the ball rolling

for the upcoming work week. this spinach & goat cheese chicken breast is 

so delish, easy and affordable, it's a keeper for sure.

what ya need:

chicken breast x2

spinach. we got a bag, so we can use the rest later

goat cheese

grape tomatoes

mushrooms

parsley

basil

salt and pepper

olive oil

first, things first..wash your chicken. as always. then place 

the chicken back on the parchment paper for an easy clean up. 

take a skillet, and beat yo chicken. so it's nice and flat for you to roll up.

add salt and pepper. spread the goat cheese

and last but certainly not least, the spinach.

we had some skewers left over from making kabobs, but you 

could also use a toothpick..just something to keep the chicken rolled up

tight. we don't need any goodies escaping. start from one end

and roll your chicken into a ball and stick it with your skewer. 

  

since ben wasn't too busy, we put our chicken on the

BGE (big green egg, one of the best wedding gifts of all!) for 20

minutes. but you can easily stick this in a 350 degree oven for 20 - 25 min.

while your chicken is cookin' away, start on your tomatoes and mushrooms.

rinse both and pat dry. heat up your skillet with some olive oil on medium heat. 

add your tomatoes, mushrooms, parsley, basil, and s&p. saute on low to med heat 

for 10 - 12 min, or until tomatoes and shrooms are soft.

 

quick, easy, affordable and healthy meal ready in just minutes. ENJOY!

saturday's potato salad

yay! fall has finally arrived... and in our house we welcome it with open arms. our pups can lay in the sunshine without overheating, we can leave the doors open, have a fire..(maybe!), and there's plenty of football and cookin' going on. this past saturday, ben got up early to study and i took the pups for a nice long jog to enjoy the beautiful weather. when we got back, i started thinking about dinner..obvi because i'm always thinking about the next meal and planning my day around it. we had some small red potatoes, dill (leftover from a yummy shrimp orzo dish), celery, onion, mustard and mayo...so i decided to make some homemade potato salad to go with our burgers. the potato salad was so good, you'll have to try it!

what ya need:

1.5 pds small red potatoes
1 cup light mayo
1/4 cup skim milk
2 tablespoons grey poupon
1/2 cup dill
1/2 cup celery
1/2 cup onion
salt and pepper to taste

cut your potatoes into quarters or halves, however you like 'em
and place them in a large pot with salt and bring to a boil. then
lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 min. test the potatoes
with a fork and make sure they are tender. 

drain the potatoes in a colander, then
place the colander over the pot and cover with a
dish towel. leave the potatoes to steam for another 15 min.

while your potatoes are steaming, prep your dressing.
make sure to seperate the fresh dill from it's stems. it's tedious but well
worth it. the finer the dill, the better!
i also added a half of lemon juice. we had
it in the fridge..why not.

in a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, milk,
mustard, dill and 1 tablespoon salt and pepper.

 

once your potatoes have cooled, place them in a bowl to mix

the dressing. i like to save some dressing for after 

it's been resting in the fridge, because sometimes it can dry out. 

add the onion and celery. toss well, cover and place

in the fridge for a few hours to allow the flavors to come together. 

ENJOY!!!

homemade zaza

sunday nights are pretty hard to beat with the current hbo and showtime lineup. boardwalk empire, dexter, east bound and down..just to name a few. the only thing that could make this night any better is a homemade zaza. it seems really involved but once you get the ingredients you will have them in your kitchen for months to come.

what ya need:

-2 tablespoons sugar
-1 tablespoon kosher salt
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-3/4 cup warm water
-2 cups bread flour (we used regular flour bc i figured i would get more use from it)
-1 teaspoon instant yeast
-2 teaspoons olive oil
-olive oil for pizza crust
-flour for dusting the pizza
-tomato sauce
-cheese. italian blend of mozzarella and parmesan.

place the sugar, salt, olive oil, water, 1 cup of flour, yeast,

and remaining cup of flour into a standing mixer.

 

start the mixer on low and mix until the 

dough just comes together, forming a ball. 

knead for 15 minutes on medium speed.

 

roll the pizza dough into a smooth ball on the counter top.

place into a glass bowl. add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the bowl and

toss to coat. ideally, you should cover with plastic wrap and 

refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours...BUT last minute zaza cravings 

call for improvisations. so, we heated the oven to 200 and waited 1

hour for the dough to rise. it worked..hip, hip!

while the dough is rising in the oven, prep your toppings. we used

mushrooms, a green pepper, black olives, 

pepperoni (pups made us) and italian blend cheese.

sprinkle flour onto the counter top and stretch the dough into a round disc, rotating after each stretch. toss the dough in the air, go ahead..do it. once your dough is nice and round, paint some egg whites on the edge of the za so your crust will be nice and colorful.

 dress your zaza with all the fixin's and bake at 

500 degrees for 9-12 minutes or until 

golden brown and bubbly. 

let the za rest for a few minutes so everything

will stay in place before you slice it. ENJOY!