See, I Really Am Back!!! Throw Together Enchiladas

Enchiladas.

I always feel like enchiladas are something I need a recipe for. They sort of scare me. Not the actual eating them but making them always sounds like such a big deal. But I found out, I was wrong!

I was at a friends for a playdate (don't worry, I had kids with me) and while I was there she was getting her dinner ready for that night. She was making enchiladas. And she had no recipe. In fact, she was just putting left overs together and they looked delicious. I decided that if she could do it so could I.

So I thought that I would do it. The next day. And they were AMAZING!

I'm so glad that I wrote down what I was doing as I was doing it because they turned out so good that I knew I had to share. I kind of can't believe that I have another recipe that I made up myself  (with a little inspiration). Maybe I really am back!

I hope so!

Throw Together Enchiladas - Kaycee Style

(oh, and my photos suck...sorry)

This is how I began:

Prepare 2 cups of rice (I was in a hurry so I used my emergency supply of minute rice)

While your rice is cooking get out your best pan for some sautéing fun...

Sauté: (Remember these are 'throw together' so use the veggies that your family likes)

1 Onion

a handful of Sliced Mushrooms

1 clove of Garlic

1 Red Pepper, diced

1 cup of Broccoli in small bite-sized pieces

When all of the above vegggies are soft and smelling amazing add:

1 can of Diced Tomatoes

1 cup of Puréed Pumpkin (I think that this is what made the enchiladas so good. The sweetness of the pumpkin cut the acidity of the tomato and it was good!)

A sprinkle of Mrs. Dash, and Salt and Pepper

Grate some cheese (I used Cheddar) while this all simmers together in goodness.

Find your wraps. Did you know there were wraps involved? There are!

Putting it all together:

Lay out your first wrap.

Add a spoonful or two of rice.

Add some of your sautéed veggies on top.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Wrap up and put it into a greased casserole dish seam side down.

Continue with the rest of your ingredients until your dish is full. If there are any remaining veggies (there should be) cover your enchiladas and then sprinkle with more cheese. (if you don't have any extra veggies then probably throw some spaghetti sauce of salsa over the wraps just to keep them from drying out)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour.

Eat and be happy!

We liked these so much that I didn't get a pretty picture of this at all but there is a picture at least!

Click Here

Fall Comfort Food: Pumpkin Anything! Especially Pumpkin and Orange Muffins

I hate the fall. No really. I hate it. Aaron on the other hand loves it. Everything about it. The crisp air, the cozy sweaters and the deep sleep that comes with a cold night.

 I would way rather sweat it out in the summer. 

But I guess there are some good things that come with the autumn. Hot chocolate, my birthday, and soup. And one other thing that I've come to love about cooler days is being able to warm my house up with baking. Soon I will be back to baking bread every week and filling my house with cookies and brownies and treats. 

My kids have been asking to buy a pumpkin for a couple of weeks now.  Honestly, though, I'm not ready to give into autumn decor so I said no and then bought some canned pumpkin. There are tons of things you can make with pumpkin. Tons. In fact, I have a cousin who has had pumpkin potlucks. A bunch of people are invited and everyone has to bring a pumpkin dish. You would be shocked at what kinds of foods come to this potluck.  The year I went I brought a Pumpkin Chili, but there were so many other things.

I considered using my single can of pumpkin for Chili but decided one cool day this past week that I better make something good that I can send in Hazels lunch so I dug around for this recipe and was pleasantly surprised. These muffins were moist, light, and had a unique flavor that we have all come to love.

Pumpkin and Orange Muffins

1 1/2 cups of All Purpose Flour

1 tsp of Baking Powder

1 tsp of Baking Soda

1/2 tsp of Salt

1/2 tsp of Ground Cinnamon (I had no cinnamon so I threw in 2 tsp of All Spice instead of the cinnamon and the next 2 ingredients)

1/2 tsp of Nutmeg

1/2 tsp of Ginger

Raisins (OMITTED. I don't love raisins enough to add these to much of anything)

1 Egg

1/4 cup of White Sugar

1/3 cup of Cooking Oil

1 cup of Canned Pumpkin (I just threw in the whole can)

1/2 cup of Milk

1 1/2 Tbsp of Grated Orange Peel (my house smelled so good after grated this all up)

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until just moistened. Pour into greased muffin tin (or silicone liners) and bake at 400 degrees for 18 or until toothpick comes out clean. 

Cool and enjoy! Like I said before, these have a different flavor but they are so so good! And pretty too!

Happy October! 

Click Here

Things that make me smile :) and Super Moist Pumpkin Muffins

About 4 weeks ago my dear friend Tina told me that she had found mini silicone muffin liners. I was shocked and excited. I've been watching for some that weren't going to make me have to starve my family for a week because of the price and she wasn't even looking and found some. In Kingston. Shocking. Where did she find these wonderful liners? Home Sense. I would never have thought to look there. I love Home Sense but am too poor to let me self go in. 

I've known for 4 weeks that the liners were there but I haven't had a chance to get over and pick some up until Friday and even then it wasn't easy.

I spent this past week sick. And then just when I thought I was feeling better Aaron caught the bug. We spent the week laying around and feeding our kids junk because we were too sick to do or make anything. By Friday the fridge was empty, the pantry was raided (Thanks to Nigel who, at 2 is already eating everything) and it was clearly time to venture out of the house if we wanted to survive. 

I showered, dressed and by then was ready to crash. But then I remembered that my kids were starving so we grabbed jackets and my grocery list and headed out. We had about 5 places to go to with Home Sense being the last place on the list. When we finally got there Hazel was crying to go home and Nigel was crying to go in. I was tempted just to leave but I was  actually in the parking lot so we just went for it. 

I walked in, found someone who worked there and asked where the mini silicone muffin liners were and found out that they were cheaper than Tina thought! Dragging the kids in was worth it already. Well, there were 2 different brands and one was cheaper. They also only had 4 dozen left. Exactly what I wanted; 4 dozen liners would fill my 2 mini muffin pans. (I know that I technically can use them without the pans but in reality I need the pans. Don't ask me why, I just do)

So my trip was worth it. I am loving these adorable little liners, and I had to bake some muffins pronto:

Super Moist Pumpkin Muffins

1 1/2 cups of All-Purpose Flour (I should have used Whole Wheat)

1 tsp of Baking Soda

1 tsp of Baking Powder

1/2 tsp of Salt

1/2 tsp of Cinnamon (triple this, they need it)

1/2 tsp of Nutmeg

1/2 tsp of Ginger (I couldn't find my Nutmeg or Ginger so I used 1 tsp of All-Spice)

1/2 cup of Raisins (Omitted. I can't handle raisins where they don't belong. Which is everywhere except my moms Raisin Cookies)

1 Egg

1/4 cup of White Sugar

1/3 cup of Cooking Oil 

1 Cup of Canned Pumpkin (My can had almost 3 cups in it so I put the extra in a ziplock bag and it is in my freezer for later)

1/2 cup of Milk

Combine all of your ingredients in a large bowl. Mix until just moist. Lightly grease your muffin pans. or...

Fill muffins cups with batter 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

YUM! 

This recipe made 36 mini muffins. I have froze almost 2 dozen and the  rest we are enjoying right now.

p.s. The muffin liners at Home Sense cost $4.99/dozen for 1 brand and $6.99/dozen for the other. The woman who helped me said that they only randomly carry them and that Winners also has them occasionally. 

Click Here