enchiladas verdes with mexican rice

Let's break up all this Thanksgiving recap with a dinner you might actually want to make this week. How about it? I really can be helpful. I bet you were starting to doubt that, but I'm here today to prove you wrong. Try this one out. Your family will thank you for it. Or at least I sure hope so. Otherwise, I'm going to feel really bad. My guys liked it. In fact, my daughter and I ate it for leftovers at least 3 different times. (That's a lot for us. We usually tire of things much quicker than that.)

And this rice was awesome. From this point on, anytime I make a Mexican-inspired main dish, this rice will serve as it's accompaniment.

Enchiladas Verdes
recipe from Taste of Home magazine

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 can chopped green chilies, drained
12 flour or corn tortillas (6 inch), your choice
1/4 cup canola oil

In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, garlic and salt over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain if necessary. Stir in cheddar cheese; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook and stir the soup, Velveeta, and milk over medium heat until cheese is melted. Stir in chilies.

If using corn tortillas, in a large skillet, fry tortillas, one at a time, in oil for 5 seconds on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Skip this step if you're using flour tortillas.

Place a scant 1/4 cup of meat mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over the top.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.


Mexican Rice
recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman
Serves 8

2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups rice
1 can Rotel
1 can petite diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
2 cups chicken broth (maybe a little more)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic, then cook for 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add rice. Stir constantly, making sure the rice doesn't burn. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes.

Add Rotel and tomatoes. Stir to combine and let cook for 2 minutes.

Finally, add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until rice is done. Add more liquid as needed; rice shouldn't be sticky. I left the rice with a bit of a bite still to it, al dente, if you will, and we loved it like that.

Just before serving, sprinkle freshly chopped cilantro over the top.

traditional green bean casserole

Please don't take it as an insult that I'm posting about this. It's just that, well, this is my husband's favorite holiday dish. The only thing he asks for. He just can't get enough of those crispy onions. And I can't really blame him. Those things are pretty good. Really, I just didn't think it'd showcase our family well if I left this out. Even if the recipe is plastered all over ever can of fried onions in every grocery store in the country. It makes my husband happy so I hope it makes you happy too.

Classic Green Bean Casserole
recipe courtesy of Campbell's Kitchen

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
dash of black pepper
2 cans cut green beans, drained
1 large can french fried onions

Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, green beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2 quart casserole baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbling. Stir. Then sprinkle with remaining onions and bake for 5 minutes more or until the onions are golden brown.

make ahead creamy mashed potatoes

Here's another tested and approved recipe for something else you can make ahead of time if you're cooking a big dinner. The recipe had most of the ingredients I use to make mashed potatoes on any ol' day...you know, cream cheese, butter, milk...all the goodies, and I was stoked to find out they were good even made a day in advance too. I love that. Especially with two young ones in the house. Anything I can do ahead is always, always my friend. Although I will say, my short-little-nap-taker-of-a-baby took no short of miraculous, LONG naps while I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner, so really, I can't complain. He sure knows how to show his momma some love.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes
recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman (yes, I know, I've been making a ton of her recipes lately. Once you try them, though, you'll know why.)

5 pounds russet potatoes
3/4 cup butter, plus a little more...
1 package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (maybe, make that, probably, more) milk
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Peel and cut potatoes into roughly the same size. Put them all in a big pot and cover potatoes with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes or so, until they are fork tender.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander and then put them back in the same pot you cooked them in and back on the stove. Mash the potatoes using a potato masher over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape.

Add the butter, cream cheese, and milk to the potatoes and mash til your heart's content. Next, add the seasoned salt and pepper and stir to combine. Taste and add more of whatever you think it's missing. I ended up adding more butter and milk and could have probably added more cream cheese too, if I'd have had some. Make sure they're just the way you like 'em.

Put the perfect mashed potatoes into a medium baking dish and put a couple small pats of butter on top. (Because we don't have enough butter already.) :-)

Now, you can either bake them in a 350 degree oven now until the butter is melted and the potatoes are warm or you can cover them and stick 'em in the fridge to eat the next day.

If you put the potatoes in the fridge, make sure you take them out of there about 2 to 3 hours before serving time and place on the counter. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until warmed through.

sweet potato casserole

Oh, there's SO much to write about from Thanksgiving dinner. I tried new dish after new dish after new dish after new dish after... You get the picture.

But I had to start with my favorite. And my brother-in-law's fave too. And I think I know why.

Double the topping.

Yep, I did it. I doubled the best part, cut down on the sweet potatoes a bit, and ended up squeezing a dessert into the main course. A to the awesome. Whatever that means.

And I know it's more than a little counterproductive to post these recipes after the holiday, but I thought someone might want to try them out for a Christmas dinner, or at the very least, you'll be armed and ready to go for next Thanksgiving.

Sweet Potatoes
recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman

3 good-sized sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup flour
1 1/2 sticks butter

Wash and dry sweet potatoes. Poke holes in them in a few places with a fork. Bake in a 375 degree oven until fork tender. (Mine took about an hour.)

Slice sweet potatoes open and scrape out the flesh into a large bowl.

Add white sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla extract and salt to sweet potatoes and mash with a potato masher to combine.

In a separate bowl, add brown sugar, pecans, flour and butter. Using a fork, mash all together until thoroughly combined.

Spread the sweet potato mixture into a baking dish and sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the top.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Much more Thanksgiving goodness to come this week! And a huge thanks to my brother-in-law, Mark, for taking the pics of the food on the big day with his camera that's about a thousand times better than mine. You did a really great job. :-)Post Options

easy homemade cranberry sauce

I'm hosting my first Thanksgiving dinner this year and I am excited. To say the least. I don't want to leave anything out and I just realized I'm making almost three dishes per person. Crazy. Trust me, I know. But I love this stuff.

I've been scouring food network and foodie blogs trying to find just what I want to make for our dinner. This recipe for cranberry sauce from Our Best Bites caught my attention because of the way it's prepared. Instead of having to hover over the cranberries while they cook on the stovetop, you can stick them in a baking dish in the oven and forget about 'em. I like that.

I went ahead and made mine yesterday to have another dish out of the way before all my major cooking tomorrow and Thursday. Not only is it convenient, it's good too. I'd definitely recommend this recipe for a traditional cranberry sauce.

Cranberry Sauce
by Our Best Bites

1 bag fresh cranberries
1 cup orange juice
1 cup water
1 stick cinnamon
1 very small pinch ground cloves
1 cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash cranberries and place in 9x13 baking dish. Add orange juice, water, cloves, and cinnamon stick and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 1 hour. Remove from oven, remove cinnamon stick, and allow to cool.

If you like it with more texture, mash berries with a potato masher; if you prefer it smooth, process in blender or food processor until desired consistency is reached. Or if you have an immersion blender, use that. That's what I did. What a good purchase. I highly recommend them. Saves dishes. Who doesn't like that?

braised short ribs and creamy polenta

When we have mixed feelings about a dish, I usually find myself at a loss for words. So today I'll start with the recipes, then I just might have a little something to say.

Braised Short Ribs
recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman

Serves 4

8 beef short ribs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 slices bacon
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 cups red wine
2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried rosemary

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Salt and pepper ribs then dredge them in the flour. Set ribs aside.

In a dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy and all the fat is rendered. Remove bacon and set aside.

Add vegetable oil to the bacon grease and raise heat to high. Brown ribs on all sides, then remove and set aside. Turn heat back down to medium.

Add the chopped onions and carrots to the dutch oven and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and then cook for 2 minutes.

Add beef broth, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed. Throw the bacon back in the pan. Add thyme and rosemary and stir. Then add the ribs to the liquid. They should be almost completely submerged.

Put on the lid to the dutch oven and place in the oven. Cook for 2 hours then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and cook for an additional 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit for 20 minutes with the lid on before serving.


Creamy Polenta with Goat Cheese

4 1/2 cups water
1 scant cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
4 ounces goat cheese

Bring water to a boil.

Slowly add cornmeal to the water, whisking constantly as you pour.

Reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, adding salt and extra water as needed if it looks to dry.

When finished cooking, stir in the butter and goat cheese until melted.

Serve with the braised short ribs on top.


These ribs are fall off the bone tender and very flavorful. We both really enjoyed them and the sauce they were cooked in. In fact, usually I'm not a fan of cooked carrots, but the ones submerged in this sauce for hours were spectacular. Truly. I think I would have been in love with this dish had I served mashed potatoes in place of the polenta. Oh polenta.

Not that you all wouldn't like it. You just might. It's different, something we're not quite used to, and I'm glad we tried it so we know what it takes like. But both me and Mr. Anderson wanted mashed potatoes. And I think my creamy, cheesy mashed potatoes would've brought those succulent ribs to another level. So if we have these ribs again, that's the plan. But I'm not saying you shouldn't try the polenta. If you're feeling adventurous, go for it. Just might surprise you.

roasted asparagus

Some things taste best when treated simply and left very close to their true form. I discovered this weekend that I love asparagus this way. Tossed with a little extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and pepper and roasted in the oven for 20 minutes. That's it. Ina Garten can give you all the specifics in her recipe, Roasted Asparagus. I've been craving it since then and can't wait to make it again tomorrow night for dinner.

lemon-basil potatoes

The second recipe I tried with the Parmesan Chicken was Giada de Laurentiis' Lemon-Basil Potatoes. I followed this recipe to the letter and came up with very different reviews.

My husband didn't care for them. He thought they were way too lemony and he wouldn't ever want to have them again. I, on the other hand, liked the flavors the potatoes soaked up from cooking in the chicken broth and lemon juice. (Usually I cook my potatoes in water, as I'm guessing most of you do too.) The fresh basil was a nice addition to finish them as well. I'm not sure I can say what my daughter thought, because, just like the chicken, they were topped with a big scoop of ketchup. I didn't try them her way, but I'm guessing the ketchup masks just about any flavor she might have otherwise experienced. Come to think of it, maybe I should have served them that way to my husband too.

I know we haven't had great success with the first two dishes from Thursday night's meal, but stick around, I saved the best for last.

spice up your melon

Before the summer fruit season is completely over, I thought I'd share my new favorite way to eat watermelon. Wanting a new way to spice up watermelon, I searched for new preparations and came across this, a lime-honey drizzle courtesy of Bobby Flay. Make sure you give yourself enough time to cool the syrup, otherwise it will run right off the watermelon. My husband doesn't care for the extra flavors, he likes his watermelon exactly the way God created it. And I don't blame him, it stands very well on its own, but my daughter and I enjoy switching things up every now and again. It's sure not a bad use of the leaves off our new pineapple mint plant either.