Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oil
3 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)
2 (4-oz.) cans chopped green chilies
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
3 (10-oz.) cans enchilada sauce, divided
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Mexican four-cheese blend, divided
8 (9-inch) burrito-size flour tortillas (I used whole wheat)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425º. Saute diced onion for about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for two more minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Stir together the chicken, green chilies, cilantro, 1 1/2cups enchilada sauce, and 1 cup cheese.

2. Spoon about 1/2 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll tortillas up, and place, seam sides down, in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

3. Bake, covered, at 425° for 20 minutes; uncover and bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Pork Chops & Dressing

6-8 pork chops (I used bone-in)
one batch of delicious tasty cornbread (I left out the creamed corn this time)
1/2 cup butter
16 oz. beef broth (chicken broth would work fine – beef broth was all I had)
1 can cream of chicken soup

Make cornbread according to directions. When it comes out of the oven, flip it into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter, and break apart the cornbread until it’s well-combined with the butter. Add broth, soup, and then taste. Add salt and pepper if necessary.

Heat skillet (medium high-ish), then pour in a couple of tablespoons of your favorite oil. Season pork chops with salt and pepper, then brown on each side for 3-4 minutes.

Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray, and place browned pork chops along the bottom of the dish. Spread dressing mixture on top of the pork chops, then cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.

Bake (covered) on 350 for about 45 minutes. Then remove foil and bake another 15 minutes.

Paula's Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck

1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of celery soup
1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (15-ounce) can niblet corn, drained
1 (15-ounce) can English peas, drained
3 tablespoons browning sauce (I didn’t know what this was so I left it out)
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (I used hot sauce)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon poultry seasoning (left it out because it seemed weird)
1/8 teaspoon sage (left out the sage, too)
(I also added about 1/4 cup sour cream because I just felt like it)
1 (32-ounce) package frozen tater tots

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 13×9-inch baking dish.

In a large skillet, combine ground chuck, onion, and garlic; cook over medium-high heat until meat is browned and crumbles. Drain well.

In a large bowl, combine meat mixture, soups, corn, peas, browning sauce, garlic salt, red pepper, paprika, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and sage. Spoon into prepared baking dish. Top evenly with tater tots.

Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until browned and bubbly.

Makes 8 – 10 servings.

BigMama's Mississippi Sin Dip

1 loaf french bread
8 oz. container of french onion dip
4 oz. can green chiles, drained
1 package of bacon bits
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

And yes, all this cheese makes it seem very fattening, but think of all the calcium!

Plus, the bacon bits provide some protein.

Anyway, cut out top of french bread and scoop out insides. Mix all other ingredients together in a large bowl. Put the dip inside the loaf of french bread and put the top of bread back on. Wrap the whole thing in foil and bake 1 hour at 350. I personally love this served with Fritos Scoops, but it would be great with crackers too.

BigMama's Mexican Casserole

1 lb. ground chuck (we use ground venison at our house because we live off the land)

1 chopped onion
15 oz. can Ranch Style beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup (we use 98% fat free to counteract all the powdered Donettes)
1 can Rotel (if you want major heartburn, use the Extra Hot version)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
Tortilla chips
1 pound grated cheddar

Brown beef and onions. Drain grease. Add beans, soup, Rotel, salt, chili powder and simmer for 10 minutes. Line greased casserole dish with chips and half of cheese. Spoon half of beef mixture on top of chips. Repeat layers. Sprinkle more cheese on top. Bake at 300 for 30 minutes.

BigMama's Meatball Sandwiches

1 pound ground beef
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce or homemade if you’re into that sort of thing
1 package of french bread sandwich rolls
Sliced mozzarella cheese
butter

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef with the next 7 ingredients. Roll into meatballs approximately 3 inches or so in diameter and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees and then turn them and cook another five minutes.

Pour sauce into large pot on the stove. Add meatballs. Let simmer for about 30 minutes to 1 hour for extra flavor. (This totally isn’t necessary but my Me-Ma used to let her sauce simmer for about 5 hours on Sunday mornings and it makes it even more delicious.)

Place the sandwich rolls open and face up on a cookie sheet. Spread each one with plenty of butter. Broil them in the oven until they are slightly (SLIGHTLY) brown and then pull them out and cover them with as many mozzarella cheese slices as you feel are appropriate. (No one will judge you for superfluous mozzarella cheese) Place them back in the oven and broil them until the cheese is melted.

Slice the meatballs in half and place on the sandwich. You’ll use about 2 meatballs per sandwich. Pour a little bit of the sauce over the meatballs, close up your sandwich and eat until you’re slightly sick.

Chicken Cakes with Remoulade Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 medium size red bell pepper, diced
4 green onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups chopped cooked chicken (I buy Tyson roasted chicken because I believe I’ve mentioned I cannot deal with raw chicken without a resulting need for extensive therapy)
1 cup soft bread crumbs (I use Progresso bread crumbs with Garlic and Onion)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (you can use light or fat free)
1 tablespoon Creole mustard (or stoneground mustard if you can’t find Creole)
1 tsp. Creole seasoning (like Tony Chachere’s)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Remoulade Sauce (recipe follows)

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper, green onions and garlic. Saute 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Stir together bell pepper mixture, chicken and next five ingredients. Shape mixture into 6-8 patties depending on the size (you can also make mini-patties to serve as hors douerves)

Fry 4 patties at a time in 2 tablespoons hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all patties are cooked. Serve immediately with Remoulade Sauce.

And here’s where I’d show y’all the finished product, but I ate them too fast and forgot to take a picture.

Remoulade Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
3 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons Creole Mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4-1/2 tsp. ground red pepper

Stir together until well-blended.

And if you have leftovers the next day, put some remoulade sauce and a chicken cake on some toasted bread.

You will be so glad you did.