Chef Steph's Chicken Enchiladas

I have only had enchiladas once before in my life and I loved them...when my mom ordered them at Margaritas a few weeks ago, i knew I had to learn how to make enchiladas. I think this is my favorite mexican dish. Tyler said it was one of the best meals I ever made him....after 3 years of cooking for him almost every night that was a huge compliment to me...So here's the recipe...enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

2 yellow hungarian wax peppers

2 red chili peppers

1 purple pepper (may be substituted for 1 red pepper, i just didn't have any red ones off hand or I would have used one)

1 purple onion

1 vine tomato (2 if you prefer)

1/2 can black beans, drained

Flour tortillas

at least 1 LB or 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 cup of sour cream

Enchilada sauce

1 bag of colby-jack shredded cheese

salsa is optional to top the enchiladas with

DIRECTIONS:

- The first thing you want to do is cook the chicken breasts until they are done and let them cool off.

-Cut the peppers vertically in half or in thirds and de-seed them. After you've removed all of the seeds chop the peppers into small pieces, along with the purple onion.

-Put the onions and peppers into a frying pan with 2 tbsp of melted butter and fry them for 5-7 minutes on medium-low heat.(While these are cooking it is a good time to shred up the chicken breasts that you cooke and to dice the tomato)

-Once the chicken is shredded and the vegetables are grilled combine the chicken with the peppers,onions,and tomato.

-Mix 1/2 of the bottle of enchilada sauce and 1/2 can of black beans in with the chicken and vegetables and mix well.

-Lay out the tortilla and put 1 cup of the mixture in the center of it, fold ends and wrap. Place enchilada seam side down in casserole dish. Repeat until you are out of mix. For me it made 5 large enchiladas.

-Mix 1 cup of sour cream with remaining enchilada sauce and spread over the top of the enchiladas.

-Cover enchiladas with shredded cheese ( I love cheese so I used the entire bag)

-Cook at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

- Serve with more sour cream and salsa if desired

I'm still stuck using my camera phone so the pictures aren't the best quality.



Remembering September 11

I will never forget the devistation and tragedy that took place on 9/11/2001, it was the first time in my life that I realised the harsh reality of how evil  and cruel some people in the world could be. I never imagined I would live to see such a tragedy.

 Four planes were hijacked in the USA...two hit the World Trade Center towers in New York City, one hit the Pentagon in Washington D.C. causing a portion of it to collapse, and one was destined for another landmark, but evidence shows that the passengers found out about the terrorists plans and tryed to take control of the plane...they succeeded in stopping the plane from reaching its destination ...Nearly 3,000 people were killed.

20% of Americans knew somebody who was hurt or killed in the attacks...There were only 289 bodies found "intact"....and a total of 19,858 body parts were found.

1609 people lost a spouse or partner and an estimated 3,051 children lost a parent. 

Nearly 1.4 million Americans changed their holiday transportation from a plane to a train or car in 2001.

This is the biggest catastrophe to happen to the United States since Pearl Harbor.

I hope that all of these victims and their families are in your hearts and prayers today.

September 11 2001 Video.

Confessions Of An Economic Hitman---one of the best books I've ever read...

"The US spends over 87 billion conducting the war in Iraq, while the U.N. estimates that with less then half of that we could provide clean water,sannitation,adequate diets,and basic education to the entire planet"...




More about the book...

My 5 Favorite Actors

Robert De Niro

He's hilarious and he plays a good gangster.

Good Robert De Niro movies I've seen-

Goodfellas, Godfather, Righteous Kill, Meet the Fockers/ Meet the Parents...(new one coming out Christmas 2010 cant wait), Analyze that, Hide and Seek, Heat, The Untouchables

Morgan Freeman

Good Morgan Freeman movies I've seen-

Shawshank Redemption,Gone Baby Gone, Evan Almighty,Lucky Number Sleven, Se7en,

Edward Norton

Good Edward Norton movies I've seen-

Pride and Glory, 25th Hour,Death to Smoochy, American History X, Fight Club,

Matt Damon

Good Matt Damon Movies I've seen-

The Informant, The Bourne movies,The daparted,Eurotrip,Oceans Elever, Saving Private Ryan

Leonardo Dicaprio

Good Leo Dicaprio movies I've seen-

Shutter Island, Departed, Gangs Of New York, Titanic, Romeo & Juliet,

Ps- if i could have top 6 number 6 would be

 BRAD PITT OR MARK WALBERG 

"You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone outta be."

I had a great Labor Day weekend....
Saturday, I spent a LONG time making lasagna. Due to the labor day weekend budlights I was drinking, I forgot to take a picture of the outcome because I dug right in. (By the way, it was only $16.00 for 30 racks at Hannaford all weekend long.)
I spent about 3 hours making sauce for the lasagna. I used diced tomatoes with Italian herbs in it ,2 jars of roasted garlic and onion sauce,an entire bulb of  minced garlic,red bell peppers,and an onion with some basil, oregano,and italian seasoning. I let it cook on low heat for about 3 hours and added about 1/2 cup of water at the end to make it less thick. I used about 1 LB of sweet sausage (ground), 1 LB ground beef, and about 1 LB of shredded chicken breast., along with the usual ricotta and lots and lots of fresh mozzerella.
The lasagna came out perfect as expected. Next time I'll post the recipe with pictures.
Sunday was my beautiful mothers birthday. Happy birthday mama, i love you. Her and I went to see Eat,Pray,Love with Julia Roberts. I really enjoyed the first half but I think towards the second half it got alittle boring. Julia Roberts always has been and always will be one of the most talented actress's , not to mention she is flawless for her age...The movie made me want to go to Naples, Italy sooo bad... and it also featured tons of amazing looking food.
"Eat, because it nourishes your body and mind. Don't shy away from food. If you love food, eat without guilt. Our body can be resilient to the food we eat. But we should also respect the body's needs..Pray, for the redemption of our souls. Spirituality gives you solace and peace of mind. Prayers should not read like a wish-list for Santa Claus. Instead, they should energize the soul and loosen the grip of material thoughts...
Love, as you have never loved before. Do not feel ashamed to express love and revel in the feeling of being in love. Love everything and everybody around you. See how it revitalizes your soul."

I love the new Ben & Jerry's Boston Cream Pie Ice Cream

similar looking rodents.

Beaver

Woodchuck is the same as a Groundhog

woodchuck

groundhog

Capybara

incase you were wondering

Fresh produce

Today I went to the farmers market. I currently have been having some financial difficulties, so I only had enough change to get a peach...It was so juicy and sweet...the best peach I ever had.

I can't wait until I have an extra 10-20 dollars to go back before they close October 21. I like knowing where my produce is coming from and also, that it's locally grown...and most importantly...fresh!

If  you haven't gone to a farmers market yet this summer, you are definately missing out...and should try to go to one before they close in mid-October...

In Manchester it is every Thursday, I think from 3-6pm. I took a few pictures on my cell phone. Tomorrow...is.....Friday! And a 3 day weekend!!!

I love Labor day, mainly because it is a day off from work, but also because it is one of the two BBQ HOLIDAYS.

I love barbeque food. If I could eat barbeque food on a daily basis, I would.

I need to begin figuring out how I am going to own my own restaurant someday. Or taco truck.

I need to showcase my amazing inside out cheeseburgers. I will not reveal all of the ingredients because I don't want anyone trying to steal my recipe.

I will be famous for my burgers someday.

Everyone have a safe and fun labor day!!

Quick & Easy Cheeseburger With fryed eggs

I was too tired to make the usual inside-out burgers last night, so instead I made this 1/2 pound cheeseburger and added 2 fryed eggs to the top. It took no time and is something I think anyone can handle making...even if you mess up the fryed egg it will still taste good...I only succeded at one of the two and it still came out fine!

Ingredients
(serves 2)
- 4 eggs
- 1 Lb ground beef made into 2 1/2 Lb pattys
- 4 slices of bread, or burger buns
- 2 slices of provolone cheese
- 2 slices of horsradish cheddar cheese
- horsradish mustard ( i prefer Silver Springs beer and braut horsradish mustard)
- black pepper
- ketchup and any other desired condiments

Instructions
- When I make this type of burger I put the patty on a small frying pan and cover with another small frying pan so the burger can cook all the way through, otherwise I find that the burger over cooks on the outside and under cooks on the inside. I cook the burger on a medium setting until it is ready to be flipped.
- Flip the burger and cover again with the small frying pan and let cook about 4 minutes or until burger is fully cooked. Sometimes it depends on how hot your stove gets on a medium setting. If it is a gas stove you want to cook on a medium-low setting, expecially the last few minutes of cooking.
- Put a slice of horsradish cheddar on the bottom slice of bread, and the finished burger next.
-While cheese is melting, crack 2 eggs on another frying pan and fry the eggs. When I do 2 eggs i cook them together so it is like one big fryed egg with 2 yolks.
- Once fryed egg is complete but it on top of the burger, sprinkle with salt,and put the slive of provolone on top.
-Add the desired condiments and put last slice of bread on top and enjoy!

ALSO-Some people like to toast the bread ( like me) and spread some butter on it. I think it adds some flavor, but regaurdless the result is delicious!

ZZzzzzZZzZzZZZZZZzzzz

Today I COULD NOT get out of bed. I slept until 11:05 which is a new record for me on a work day.
There is nothing like laying in my air conditioned bed room under a few blankets with my kitty cuddling with me. The black out curtains definately improve the quality of my sleep. Here are some photos of others enjoying their sleep.