Spinach Enchilada Lasagna

Ingredients:

24 corn tortillas (small)
Two 8 oz. packages of shredded mexican cheese
32 oz. of green enchilada sauce
1/4 pint of heavy cream
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 8 oz. can of black olives, diced
1 whole yellow onion, diced
1 package of fresh spinach
1whole avocado
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

In a large pan, add 3 tbsp of oil. We use a pan large enough to fry 4 tortillas at a time. Over medium heat, lightly fry tortillas on each side. We find it easiest to coat  one side of each tortilla with a bit of oil, then flip immediately and let heat until the tortilla lightly bubbles. Flip, and fry the other side—each side should cook for about 30 seconds, or until you see the bubbles. Transfer each tortilla to a paper towel- covered plate. Repeat until each tortilla is fried.

In medium sauce pan, add enchilada sauce, brown sugar, and heavy cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, and then heat on medium until sauce starts to bubble. Remove from heat, and add just enough sauce to cover the bottom of a 9x13” lasagna pan. Add 8 tortillas to the bottom of the pan, spread apart to completely cover the bottom. Add a layer of cheese, onion, olive, and spinach. Add a few ladles of sauce to lightly coat the layers. Lightly dip each tortilla in the sauce, and add the next layer of 8 tortillas to the dish. Layer ingredients as before. Coat tortillas with sauce, and add the final layer of 8 tortillas. Pour the remaining sauce over lasagna. Sprinkle entire top of lasagna with cheese and onion. Add a layer of olive and avacado down the center for garnish.

Cover pan with foil, and bake at 350° for 30 minutes, the bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.

Oreo Cookie Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Fancy Brownies

Wow! That title was a mouthful...and so are these gooey, blissful, sinful, fancy brownies. Each bite of cream cheese and semi-sweet chocolate is pure deliciousness. 

Enough already. You get the hint, and you also need to get to the market.

Your shopping list below...😊

Topping:
16 oz. of cream cheese--softened
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tbsp. of pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
A handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Brownie:
1 package of brownie mix
1 egg (or more, if the box calls for it)
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
2 tbs. of butter or margarine--melted
16 Oreo cookies--crushed
1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Water (gradually added as needed)

Weapons of Choice:
1 large mixing bowl
1 medium mixing bowl
Whisk
Spoon
Butter knife
Measuring cup
scraping spatula                                        9"x13" baking or brownie pan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crush Oreos well in large refrigerator bag. Melt butter in medium bowl. Add crushed Oreos to bowl, and mix well; crumbs will be slightly softened. Add chocolate chips and fold into cookie crumbs. Set cookie crumb mix aside.

In a large bowl, prepare brownie mix according to instructions on box; we added more oil to ensure the cookie crumbs would not dry the brownie mix. After adding oil, mix well. Add egg and mix well. Add cookie crumbs and mix well. Dough will be stiff. Add a few tablespoons of water and mix. Continue to add a little water at a time until brownie mix becomes relatively easy to stir. Scrape mix into greased 9"x13" baking pan, spreading mix evenly into pan (you may use a smaller pan for taller brownies). 

Add cream cheese to large bowl and whisk until creamy. Add egg, vanilla, and sugar--mix well.

Scrape cream cheese onto brownie layer. Carefully spread cream cheese mix across brownie layer, taking care to not mix brownie crumbs into your cream cheese (these brownies are fancy). Sprinkle chocolate chips over cream cheese. Using the blade of a butter knife, run blade back and forth through the width of the pan (see picture). This adds a little extra fanciness to your already fancy brownies.

Bake ar 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Let cool before serving...or not. 😉

Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, and full of good stuff like vitamin C, potassium, and B vitamins. Sweet potatoes are yummy on their own, but sweet potato casserole is an easy side dish that compliments many Fall dinners. Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, yet some recipes call for a cup (or more) of white sugar, which can hide the natural flavors of the vegetable. Our recipe uses brown sugar, and calls for just a quarter of the sugar that would normally be used. We think you'll agree, our recipe enhances the natural sweetness and flavor of the sweet potato.

Give our sweet potato casserole a try! We're confident you'll love it too!

Ingredients:

Sweet Potato 

6 large sweet potatoes--peeled
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup of margarine (or butter)
2 tablespoons of pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (or cinnamon sugar)


Topping

1/3 cup of flour
3 tablespoons of melted margarine (or butter)
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

Optional:
Chopped pecans
Miniature marshmallows (add marshmallows to top at the last 10-15 minutes of baking time)

Weapons of Choice:

1 dutch oven or 9x13" casserole dish
1 potato masher
1 small bowl



Directions

Peel potatoes, and cut into 1" - 2" pieces.

Add potatoes to large pot of water, and bring to a boil.

While potatoes are boiling, make your topping:
Add flour, sugar, cinnamon, and melted margarine to small bowl, and combine ingredients until crumbly:

Set topping aside.

When potatoes are fork tender, remove from heat and drain.

Return drained potatoes to pot, and using a potato masher, mash potatoes well. Add eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and margarine to mashed potatoes. Mash again, thoroughly combining all ingredients until mixed well. .

Add cinnamon or cinnamon sugar to taste. Mix well.

Add crumbled topping to potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Creamy Lemon, Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Happy Thanksgiving!...Well, maybe 3 days ago!

Thanksgiving is over, and like most Americans, our fridges are filled will leftovers. What to do with all of that leftover turkey? Sure, we could make the same old boring sandwiches, but don't we eat turkey sandwiches all year round? I know I do--turkey clubs are awesome!

So, what about soup? Soup is comfort food, and what better way to face the chill than with a hot bowl of creamy turkey soup?

This recipe uses up that leftover turkey, yet tastes nothing like those holiday leftovers you're growing weary of. We think you'll agree, this lemony twist on leftover turkey will be one "leftover" recipe you'll turn to often.


Ingredients:

2 cups of diced, cooked turkey
2 packages of instant wild rice (cooked)
15 baby carrots--chopped
2 stalks of celery--chopped
1 large yellow onion--diced
4 tablespoons of butter (heaping)
4 teaspoons of flour (heaping)
2 cans of chicken broth
1 pint of half & half
2 lemons--juiced
Parsley
Salt and pepper


Directions:

Prepare the two packages of instant wild rice, and set aside. *We had one box of wild rice with barley on hand, and it worked well. ☺

In a Dutch oven, melt butter on low heat, then add carrots, celery, and onion. Toss veggies in melted butter. Cover, and cook on medium heat (stirring often) until vegetables are tender.

Uncover, add 1/2 can of chicken broth to your pot, and let simmer. Slowly add flour and stir until dissolved. Add the rest of your can of broth, and allow broth to bubble. Add second can of broth, and carton of half & half. Stir well. Add parsley (about a teaspoon), and stir well again.

Add diced turkey and stir into broth.

Add lemon juice. Be sure to strain pulp before adding.

Add a few dashes of salt and pepper to taste. Simmer uncovered on low for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy! ☺

Spinach Enchiladas

The Saucy Sicilians decided to spice up our Sunday afternoon with a little something South-of-the-border. We had some green enchilada sauce on hand, and it does no good just sitting on the shelf. With the addition of spinach and Mexican cheeses, these enchiladas were an amazing meat-alternative dish! Served with Mexican rice and vegetarian beans, we could barely move after two servings. Yes, they're that good! 


Ingredients:

Ingredients for the Sauce:
1 can of green enchilada sauce
1 can of diced green chilies
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp of margarine
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup of Half & Half
Sugar
Salt
White pepper (or black fine pepper, if you don't have white)

Ingredients for the Enchiladas:
24 small corn tortillas
Vegetable Oil (optional)
1 package of fresh spinach
1 package of Mexican cheese (reserve a handful to sprinkle over top of dish)
1 small can of diced olives
3 green onions, chopped
Sour cream (as a topping)

Weapons of Choice:
Large sauce pan
9" x 13" baking pan (or dish)
Stir spoon
Paper towels
Fry pan (optional)

Directions for the Sauce:
In a large saucepan, saute margarine, garlic and onions on high for about two minutes. 

Add enchilada sauce, green chilies, and juice of lemon. 

Add half & half and, bring sauce to a simmer. Add sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.


Directions for the Enchiladas:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spread some of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the baking pan. Have a towel handy, because this next part is messy. ☺

It's your preference if you prefer to lightly fry your tortillas in oil before filling and rolling. We choose not to as a healthier alternative, but this method of frying will make your tortillas a bit more pliable, and may ensure they do not break apart when filling and serving. We microwave ours for a few seconds with wet paper towels. Either method works well. 

Take softened tortillas and fill with cheese and spinach. Carefully  roll each tortilla, and place seam side down into your baking pan (this is where that towel comes in handy). Repeat with 12 enchiladas per row; you will end up with two rows. 

Pour the remainder of the enchilada sauce over your rolled enchiladas, coating each enchilada generously. Sprinkle cheese, green onions, and olives over enchiladas. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until dish is bubbling. 

Plate enchiladas, and top with sour cream. Serve with rice and beans. 



_____________________________________________________________________________

Our sides:

Our simmering homemade Mexican rice with green onions, tomatoes, and Spanish rice seasoning.

Vegetarian Refried Beans

Spiralized Zucchini and Squash with Alfredo

Spiralized vegetables are a tasty and healthy alternative to durum wheat pasta, and even whole wheat pasta. Looking for a way to cut carbs and add more veggies to your diet? Want to learn how to make our version of almost-guilt-free Alfredo? Try this amazing recipe! 

Spiralizing: The New Noodle

Just what the heck is spiralizing? A Spiralizer is a simple machine that creates pasta noodles from vegetables. Using a hand crank, fresh vegetables--such as squash and zucchini--are pressed through a blade to create long vegetable noodles. Our spiralizer came with three different blades, so we decided to use all three to try the different cuts and textures: spiral ribbon cuts, shoestrings, and vegetable "noodles". 

Wondering where to buy? We got ours here: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/paderno-sprializer/

You can also find spiralizers on Amazon, but who doesn't like perusing Williams-Sonoma. 

We decided to test run our new gadget by spiralizing summer squash and zucchini. Machine operation is incredibly quick and simple, and the machine itself is easy to clean. 

The different cuts were impressive! The straight blade (left) would be excellent for cucumber salad, and the chipper blade (center) would be perfect for creating curly fries and onion rings. The shredder blade (right) is ideal for creating pastas. 

For our "test run", we decided to try spiralizing our squash and zucchini with the skin left on. This resulted in a crunchy texture to the noodles. We determined we'd like this dish even more if we skinned our veggies first, resulting in a softer texture. Saute time is only 5 minutes, which is just long enough to soften the "pasta", but not enough time to tenderize the skin. No worries--that's what test runs are for, and through trial and error, we save our readers time!  But, if you prefer skin-on, go for it! 

The recipe...

Ingredients for Noodles:

2 large, straight summer squash (peeled) (note: the straighter the veggie, the easier to spiralize)

2 large, straight zucchini (peeled)

1 Tbsp olive oil

Ingredients for Alfredo:

1 tsp of minced garlic

2 Tbsp of margarine

2 Tbsp of all purpose flour

1 Tbsp of olive oil

1/2 cup of chicken broth

1 cup of skim milk

1 cup of Italian cheese (we used a blend)

A dash of Garlic salt and pepper

Weapons of Choice:

Paderno Spiralizer

Large saute pan

Tongs

Medium stirring spoon 

Directions:

Using your favorite spiralizing blade, spiralize zucchini and squash. Place into saute pan and add about a Tbsp of olive oil. Saute on high heat, tossing noodles and olive oil with tongs. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until noodles cook down, and water starts to accumulate at bottom of pan. Remove from heat. 

Place noodles in large strainer, and set aside. 

While noodles are straining, make your Alfredo. 

Add garlic, olive oil and margarine to saute pan. On medium heat, saute until garlic is lightly browned. Add flour; stir well until flour is completely saturated. Mixture will be slightly lumpy.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken broth, and continue to stir well until flowery lumps disappear. 

Add milk, and stir until sauce becomes bubbly and takes on a creamy texture. Once sauce bubbles, add cheese, and stir until cheese melts completely. 

Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste. 

After sauce is to desired thickness, add strained noodles, and toss until noodles are completely coated. 

Then serve! 

Healthier Eating:

To be mindful of our hearts and waistlines, we often cook using ingredients which are lower in fats, cholesterol, and sodium. For this recipe, we use skim milk and margarine. If you choose, you can create a richer sauce using cream or whole milk, and real butter. However, once you add cheese to our version, this sauce is so good, you won't be able to tell the difference. And unlike Alfredo made with cream, this sauce does not take on a sticky, pasty consistency when the pasta cools. Take our advice, and give our healthier version a try. We don't think you'll be disappointed.