Dinner

I have to tell you about our dinner tonight! On the menu was Mexican Lasagna so I start to gather my ingredients and realize that what I thought was enchilada sauce was not! So, normally, I would send Doug to Butera which is a couple of minutes away to get some. Well, with the whole Cooking from your Pantry Challenge - I couldn't do that soooooo I got online and found a recipe for Enchilada sauce. Let me tell you - I will never buy Enchilada Sauce again! It was super easy and really, really good! I have made a few recipes in the past and haven't really liked it as much as the canned one that I buy and it was way more work. Here is the recipe:


Enchilada Sauce


1 tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced (I used jarred minced garlic I always have on hand)

1 tsp. Sofrito (this is not in the original recipe but I added it because it's an excellent addition to any Spanish food - it comes in a jar and you can find it in the Spanish section of your grocery store. It adds a TON of great flavor to any food!)

1 tsp. minced onion

1/2 tsp. dried oregano (I used Mexican Oregano but regular would be just fine)

2 1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/8 tsp ground black pepper (I used fresh ground)

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried parsley (didn't have any so I left it out)

1/4 cup salsa

2 - 8 oz cans of tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups water


Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and Sofrito and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add onion, all of the spices, salsa and tomato sauce. Mix together and then stir in the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.


So, I cooked up some 4 chicken breasts (cut in small pieces) in a pan with a bit of olive oil added some sauce (about 1/2 cup) and set it aside. I poured some sauce in the bottom of a 9" square baking pan. Dip the tortillas in the remaining sauce and layer in the pan (cut in half to fit if needed) add a layer of meat and top with cheese (I used shredded Mexican blend). Repeat the steps 3 times and then pour your remaining sauce over the cheese. Top with more cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Super easy and it is delish!


I should have taken a picture because it was really pretty but I am not the best at remembering the picture taking (something that my friend Cindy scolds me for - sorry Cindy!) :-)

So, for tomorrow (Wednesday) we have decided to make things easy and throw some chicken, potatoes and Italian dressing in the crock-pot. We will have some veggies and rolls with it.

Thursday - Burgers, Ore-Ida fries, baked beans, pasta salad

Friday - Our schedules are all over the place so we are going to make some Bertolli Chicken Parmesan meals that I got a few weeks ago for nights just like this plus a salad! I was surprised, they are actually pretty good.

Saturday - Crazy schedule again and I have to decorate a birthday cake. We are going to just do leftovers or as I call it "fend for yourself night". :-)

So, week 4 seems to be going along just fine! Hope you guys are getting creative with your meals too.