Easy dinner - enchiladas

Been a bit behind in posting recipes lately, as well as cooking regularly. While food hasn't been appealing to me lately...I mean not at all, I haven't been very creative in cooking. I'm getting better though and hope this morning all-day sickness is just about over (crossing fingers!). Enchiladas sounded good to me and I thought it had been a while since I made them. While searching for this one recipe I have that I remember was super easy, and then not finding it, I think part of the recipe came to me and then I followed part of another. So this is part of probably at least two recipes, but hey it turned out great!

1 8-oz soft cream cheese
1 small 8-oz container of sour cream
1 can 10-oz red enchilada sauce
7-10 tortillas
1 package shredded cheese
1-2 cans 4-oz diced green chiles

**Number of tortillas depend on how full you fill them and how much filling you want to make. This made about 7 med-large enchiladas. This would be EASILY halved to make just a single or double serving dinner.

In a large mixing bowl mix cream cheese. Tip: Let cream cheese sit out of fridge for about 10-15 minutes until it softens. Add to this the sour cream and diced green chiles. I used 1 can, and it was fairly good as far as spicy goes. Feel free to add a second can or even a can of diced jalapenos. Also add about 1/4-1/3 cup of enchilada sauce. Sprinkle in a handful of shredded cheese (about 1/4 cup or so). Warm tortillas in microwave for 20 seconds to warm so they will mold easy. Fill the tortillas with about 1/3-1/4 cup filling and add more shredded cheese if you want. Place seam side down in a casserole dish. I had to use two casserole dishes because I made extra. Top with rest of enchilada sauce and more shredded cheese. Optional: top with black olives. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and starts bubbling.

I hope you get the inspiration to cook up something easy and delicious for dinner one night this week!

Enchilada's Crock Pot Style

I thought I'd go ahead and post the recipe for this. I've had a few requests for it and it is one of the best recipes for enchiladas I've found. I learned to make enchiladas in the crock pot, but have since learned the regular way. This is easy, and of course I've made some changes :)

Crock Pot Enchiladas {from the cookbook Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook}

1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onions (I always half this)
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers (I usually use a bit more)
16-oz can red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
15-oz can black beans, rinsed & drained
10-oz can diced tomatoes w/green chilies (I use Rotel)
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1 cup shredded Pepper jack or Monterey jack cheese(I usually just use one kind of cheese)
6 flour tortillas, 6-7 inch diameter (Depending on the size of your crock pot the tortillas may be bigger or smaller)

Cook the beef, onions and green peppers until beef is browned & veggies are tender. Drain excess grease. Add the next 8 ingredients. I've found if you like Rotel, you can add an extra can in. It seems a little too "bean-y" to me at times. Combine (or just shred) cheeses. In a slow cooker layer about 3/4 cup meat/veggie mix, then a tortilla, then about 1/3 cup cheese. Repeat until last layer is cheese on top of a tortilla. I never use proportions right, so I have more or less layers with more or less meat and cheese. Oh well, tastes the same.

**Recipe says to cook on low for 5-7 hours or until heated through. I don't buy that, I think it'll be burnt up. Everything is cooked already, and all you are doing is melting the cheese and warming everything together. Once it is all cooked and you layer it in the crock pot, I'd give it 45 min-1 hour on high, then check it, turn to low and monitor for another 15-20 minutes. I'm nervous leaving this cook all day, so its a pretty quick crock pot dinner for me.  

I hope you try this out and I hope it works for you. Let me know how it goes! Sorry for the lack of pictures, having trouble uploading.

Happy Saturday!