Shredded chicken enchiladas

We enjoy Mexican food, its colorful and spicy. My husband makes very tasty enchiladas, and just last week he prepared these Chicken enchiladas in a red sauce and they came out delicious, so I thought why not share them with all, so follow these simple steps and enjoy them with your family too or friends :)) too



Ingredients 
1 packet foster farm ready shredded chicken package
1 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano seasoning
1/4 cup chipotle adobo chilies 
Salt to taste
1 medium can enchiladas red sauce
2 to 3 finely chopped green chilies
1 cup sour cream 


                                    

Chicken enchiladas

Saute shredded chicken 

Arrange filled soft tacos corn and white tacos 

Pour prepared sauce over tacos 

Bake at 350 F

Garnish enchiladas with cilantro and dollops of sour cream 

Method:
1.Heat olive oil in a medium skillet , add flour stir for 4 to 5 mins, on medium flame. Next add in chicken / veggie stock, seasonings. Continue to simmer on low heat, Add enchilada sauce . Stir and allow the sauce to boil for few mins.
2.In a separate skillet heat 1 tbsp oil, add cooked shredded chicken. Check package, add seasonings if required, as  cooked chicken may contain some salt. Add some finely chopped green chilies for that extra heat .Cook for few minutes, close burner . Keep aside.
3.Now using a baking dish  pour  1/2 cup of prepared sauce.
Now take each soft taco, on a plate and spread some prepared sauce on surface of  taco, fill with a spoonful of prepared chicken, add adoba pepper as per taste, shredded cheese, roll the tacos and place seam side at the bottom of the baking dish, continue filling and rolling tacos and placing them, till all are done. Cover with remaining sauce and top with cheddar cheese. 

Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes. Remove sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander and a dollop of fresh sour cream.
For vegetarians you can use black beans,instead of the chicken, and use vegetarian stock.

Ambal and Lassi

Hi Friends and my dear readers, its always a pleasure to write for you'll and thanks so much for taking the time to read and share these recipes with friends and family.
My today's dish is called Ambal, a childhood favorite of mine. The first time I tried  this dish was when I visited my relatives in Jammu. 
Ambal is a famous dish made often in Northern part of India. It is basically pumpkin, cooked in a sweet and sour way  and  adding of methi seeds, during tempering  takes this dish  to another level of flavors. Very easy to prepare, yummy and  healthy too !!
How about a cool glass of refreshing sweet Lassi, another childhood  favorite !
Spices are easily available these days, either online or in Indian stores.


Ingredients:

250 gm pumpkin (Orange colored) peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes 

1/4 cup soaked tamarind 

2 tbsp jaggery (available online or in Indian stores)

1/4 tsp methi dana ( Fenugreek seeds)

1 tsp ginger, chopped

1 tsp jeera seeds ( cumin seeds)

2-3 Kashmiri dried red chillies

1/2  tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp coriander powder 

2 Tbsp refined oil

Salt, to taste

1/4 tsp red chilly powder 

1/4 cup Water

Fresh Coriander leaves, to garnish

Ambal 

                                                             

Method:

   1. Heat a pan, add oil, for tempering, add methi seeds,cumin seeds, 2 dried red chillies,and ginger.
   2.Add turmeric, salt, red chilli powder. Saute for approx few  seconds.

3.Add  pumpkin and toss well. Add  tamarind and jaggery. Cook for 3-4 minutes on high flame.

4.Add 1/2 cup water, cover with a lid and cook (on a low flame) till pumpkin is soft and almost done.  Garnish with coriander leaves.

                                     

Lassi a north Indian yogurt drink, prepared by combining  plain yogurt, ice cubes, rose flavoring(available in Indian stores) very little water and sugar to your taste, I like mine with less sugar, so to keep it healthy! Just put all ingredients into a blender jar and blend for a minute or so, to give a nice creamy drink. Substitute with salt instead of sugar for a salty lassi, you can garnish with mint leaves too.

Again for mango lassi, all you do in this add mango pulp, check for sugar accordingly as mango pulp is usually sweet. Enjoy 

Bakeless granola bars

Granola bars, no baking how easy is that and also they are good for you. You can make it, take them along and the best part is its to your choice of ingredients ( I mean  why buy them at stores, when you can make them yourself, and to  your choice of whatever dried fruits and nuts you want to add)

Crunchy sweet and oh so good for you, so read this simple easy to make recipe and make your self ,and your family and friends happy.

Ingredients:

21/2 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips ( If your a chocolate fan or else you can substitute with coconut flakes)

1/4 cup mixed nuts, raisins, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, raisins etc.. make it your choice of seeds

1/4 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup light brown sugar

4 tbsp unsalted butter

                                                          

Cut out granola bars

Bakeless granola 

Method:

1. Using a baking tray lined with parchment or silver foil, toast  oats along with chopped almonds, for about 6 minutes at 350 F.

Take out of oven and stir them around, making sure they don't burn. Put Put them back in oven for another 10 minutes, remove  as they get light toasted. 

2.Pour these toasted oats almonds into a mixing bowl.

3.Heat a small pan add butter and melt it, over low heat. Add light brown sugar and vanilla essence ,close burner.

4.Add this melted butter to oats mixture.At this point you can go ahead and add some of the chocolate chips, don't worry it will melt and help to hold the bars.Mix in the nuts and coconut flakes.

I prefer to using a square baking pan, line it with silver foil, or parchment paper.

5.Pour  granola mixture into this  square pan, and press with a spatula to give it an even surface. Sprinkle the top with remaining chocolate chips. Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Remove the foil, and cut out even sized bars to enjoy!! 

Lavender lemon cookies

These lavender and lemon short bread cookies are very delicate and they have an amazing aroma to it. Lavender and lemon has a very nice combination. Just a little lavender goes a long way.
This recipe was tried by my daughter and son when home for Christmas, and it was a delight.

Lavender and Lemon cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp lavender ( use the culinary lavender and its available easily in the spice aisle, of the grocery store.)
1 tsp finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/2 cup softened butter
1.4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole milk

Method:

1. Firstly, using a mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar. Using a mortar grind together lavender, and lemon zest, with  1/4 tsp sugar. Add  lavender and lemon to creamed butter mixture.
2. Sieve flour with 1/2 tsp salt. Add flour to butter mixture, use a little milk, vanilla essence and  prepare a smooth dough. Cover with saran wrap and cool dough for about 30 minutes.
3. Take  dough, and using a rolling pin roll out 1/4 inch thickness. take a cookie cutter of the shapes you like and place on prepared cookie sheet to bake.
5.Sprinkle a little sugar on top and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, at 350 degrees F. Remove as the edges turn lightly browned. Cool on rack and enjoy your lavender lemon cookies.

Jam Filled cookies

Holiday time is the perfect time to enjoy treats and these butter cookies are just the thing festive with their colorful fillings and soft to melt in your mouth.
Easy to prepare and a favorite with all. 

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup softened butter
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fruit jam / jelly of your choice and flavor

Lavender and Jam filled cookies

Butter cookies filled with Jelly 

Method:
1. In  medium mixing bowl cream together the softened butter and sugar, till light and creamy.Add one egg yolk at a time, continue to mix gently.
2. Sieve the flour, and add it slowly and continue to mix to form a dough.Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate dough, in the fridge for about 20 minutes. As it cools, make small balls ,approximately 1 inch balls and arrange them on a lined baking tray about 2 inch apart .
3. Using  back of a spoon or thumb press into each of the dough  ball, to make a well for the jam filling.
4. Fill each hole with your choice of jelly preserve. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 to 20 minutes, and the cookies get baked to alight golden color.
5. Remove cool, over a rack and enjoy freshly baked butter jam cookies.

Next will be the recipe for lavender cookies.

Thanksgiving, and my favorite Pies!

Thanksgiving that perfect holiday before Christmas. The weather is getting cooler, with snow  and rain in many places. I love fall colors,  leaves change into beautiful colors during this time. New England has the most lovely natural display of fall trees, with yellow, red colors.
Not only nature, but also everyone gets into the holidays and gifting mood :)) and that is always exciting. But let me pause and speak for all, when we enjoy these treats  and feasts with our families, we should not forgot about those that need some support or donations to enjoy the Thanksgiving too.
So while we are thankful, we can express and share a little love to all.
The feast of thanksgiving can include some many different things, like pies , turkey, mashed potatoes, biscuits, corn and vegetable casseroles, with ham and bacon, and so much more that we can make and enjoy with our family and friends.
This is my share of recipes that I would be making as we like pies.
This year I decided to prepare apple., pumpkin and my favorite chocolate pie.
I like to use ready to bake pie crusts
Lets's start with apple pie, with easy to make step by step recipe.

Ingredients for Apple pie
8 apples, pealed and sliced. golden or granny apples your choice
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp sugar  to sprinkle on top
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tbsp of all purpose flour 
2 tbsp butter
Pie crust 9 inch ready to bake available in stores

                                          

                                            

Apple pie

Ingredients for Apple 

Pie crust

Ready to bake

in oven

Apple pie with ice cream 

Method:
For pie crust you can buy ready to bake pie crust available easily in market.
I used the 9 inch pastry sheet.
First  for the filling , in a medium bowl,add sugar and mix with dry ingredients, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, toss in apples, add lemon juice and  mix gently and keep aside.
Next, line up a 9 inch bottom baking plate with ready to bake pie crust, trimming the  edges and making a design to give it a border frill.
Add  apples filling in the bowl,don't add any more liquid! top with butter. Roll out remaining pastry sheet to cover  apples filling. Trim and seal edges, and make slits on top to allow steam to escape while baking.
Brush the top, with milk and sprinkle some sugar for that extra sheen. Cover with silver foil and bake at 375 degrees F, for 25 to 30 minutes, till crust is golden brown and apple filling is bubbly. Allow to stand, for about 20 minutes before slicing the pie. Goes well when served with cream or vanilla ice cream!


Chocolate Pie
Another of my favorite pie, is of course chocolate pie. I mean who can resist the combination of smooth chocolate, with heavy whipping cream , that is fluffed up! I saw this recipe on TV and the next thing was like, I am definitely going to make this :)) and since then it has become my favorite. 

                                                                 

Chocolate pie 

                               

Ingredients for chocolate pie 

Add coco powder to sugar

Mix dry ingredients 

Prepare graham cracker base in pie dish 

Add fluffy whipped cream and sprinkle chocolate 

Chocolate pie 

Ingredients
For the crust
2 packs (approximately 14 graham crackers )
6 tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar ( or you can use just plain sugar too )

For chocolate pudding ingredients
2 eggs separate the yolk ( you can save the white, I made an egg white omelette for my lunch :) using the leftover egg whites.)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
3 tbsp of coco powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
milk 2 cups ( I prefer to use whole milk, or at least 2 % for this recipe) 

For the pie crust, using a mixer, add graham crackers, grind to coarse powder, add melted butter. Cover the pie dish, with  this mixture, and pack the edges too. Use a measuring cup to press the mixture down, it works well.
Next, for the filling, using a sauce pan. Heat milk. Add cornstarch and stir on low heat.
In another bowl, add sugar and coco powder, add eggs one at a time.Add salt, vanilla essence  gently add this mixture with warm milk, continue to cook on low heat, making sure to stir it.don't over cook, stir gently for few minutes and close burner as pudding bubbles, 
Pour this prepared coco pudding mixture evenly into the already prepared graham pie dish. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours.
For the topping you can whip up 1 cup whipping cream, with 1/4 cup sugar. Whisk to form peaks,and then garnish the cooled pie with soft peak and you can add strawberries or soft chocolate curls as garnish too, along with the whipped cream.
Some like to use coco powder, whereas others even like bitter sweet, or plain chocolate for preparing the pudding, choice is yours :))have fun preparing this simple yet scrumptiously delicious pies, please yourself, friends and family!!

Chocolate Bark!

If you like chocolate, you will love chocolate bark🍫 that is basically tempered ( melted ) chocolate!

The fun is you can choose whether, you want the base to be milk, white or dark chocolate. My preference is bitter sweet chocolate. Also you get to add toppings, like sweet or salty nuts, of your choice and create your own style of chocolate.

I like the toppings to be in  many colours, texture and sweet and salty. You can have fun making it your way and surprising your guests for a little chocolate treat after dinner or just indulge in some yourself:) after all its a chocolate, and who doesn't like some!!

Do try out this very simple but special treat.

Ingredients are very basic

8 ounces chocolate, bitter sweet chocolate

2 ounces of white chocolate

Toppings your choice 

1/4 cup salted peanuts, or your choice of nuts

1/4 cup M&Ms

1/4 tsp or less butter ( optional but I used some just for making sure the chocolate doesn't stick to bowl while tempering)

                                           

  

Ingredients

                                                                   

Melt chocolate 

                                                                           

Melting chocolate

Pour chocolate  on the template 

Add toppings 

Sprinkle white chocolate 

Chocolate Bark 

 Doesn't it look yum! so do try out the simple steps and make some.

Method:

1. Cut the slab of chocolate, into pieces, put into a microwaveable bowl and microwave at intervals of 20 seconds. .In the first batch, chop approximately 5 ounces of chocolate and temper (melt) in microwave. As it melts, don't over melt.

Add remaining 3 ounces, continue and melt.

2. With the help of a pencil and ruler, mark out a rectangular shape on the parchment paper. Turn the paper and pour the melted chocolate on the side that has no pencil marks.Using a spatula, spread out the melted chocolate in a way that it stays within the marked rectangular shape.

3.Start adding toppings of your choice, while the chocolate is still in melted stage. Lightly press with hands, making sure the toppings get embedded. Now refrigerate fo 2 to 3 hours.

4. Temper some white chocolate, in a bowl in microwave and sprinkle on top of ready cooled chocolate bark.

Cut out shapes using a knife or just by your hand. Enjoy with friends and family, or at parties.