Rejuvenation

April 14, 201341 Comments

Today’s post is going to be quick and easy. You see, you may notice a few changes on the blog today – a new look, new features and finally…index pages! As most bloggers know, changes like that are not so quick and easy. They take time…lots of time. But we had some this weekend and we figured it was time to liven things up a bit around here, make some improvements, get around to the things we’ve been procrastinating. Frankly, we were ready for a little rejuvenation. So was this recipe…

Seafood enchiladas have long been a favorite summertime dish for us. My grandpa passed along a recipe to me years ago after clipping it from a magazine in the lobby of the hospital where he volunteered. He saw it, knew my affection for seafood, and thought I would like it. He was right. (He found at least 50 recipes…perhaps he was trying to tell me something.) Well, my cooking skills have much improved since then and I opted to scrap the pre-mixed seasoning packet and put my own spin on these babies.

The original recipe calls for regular cream cheese, butter and a ranch dressing seasoning packet. I typically swap out the regular cream cheese for reduced fat cream cheese. I’ve even used the fat-free or a mixture of the two and the results don’t vary at all. I also usually switch out the butter for oil. Now this time, having worked my way around a kitchen a bit more these past few years, I decided to bag the ranch seasoning mix and all its sodium for my own mixture of spices. So in place of the ranch dressing mixture I combined parsley, dill, chives, salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder.

As for the recipe, it’s simple. Mix the cream cheese and spices with a bit of milk in a large bowl. Reserve about a 1/4 of the mixture in a small bowl to the side. Next saute the cayenne, onion and garlic in a skillet. Toss in the crab meat, sliced black olives and Salsa Verde. The original recipe called for green chilies, but we’re rejuvenating, remember. 🙂 (Next time, I’ll make my own salsa too….) Cook this mixture for a few minutes and then add it to the large bowl with the cream cheese and spices. Fold in some Colby Jack cheese and spread the mixture evenly in the center of about 8 to 12 tortilla shells.

Next roll the enchiladas, place them in a baking dish seam-side down and top with a bit more Salsa Verde, the small bowl of cream cheese mix and some more Colby Jack. Bake the enchiladas covered for 25 minutes at 350F. Finally, uncover and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. And you’re done…see, quick and easy.

Mike and I have enjoyed these enchiladas numerous times over the years, but this was the kids’ first experience with them. I was a little skeptical. I knew they would enjoy the crab, but I wasn’t so sure about the salsa and dill flavor. Well, I should have remembered Mr. N’s affection for ranch dressing, he really liked the enchiladas and gave them 3 spoons. Miss A liked them too, but not as much as her brother. She rang in with 2 spoons. Mike and I both really enjoyed the freshened up version of the dish. I gave them 4 spoons and Mike a strong 3 spoon vote. Overall, a very successful meal. I bet Grandpa would have enjoyed them too – or at least the fact that I still make them!

Have a great week everyone. We’ll be back next week with our first recipe from our Thai cooking adventures. In the meantime, we hope you have as much fun checking out the indices as we had making them. We didn’t realize just how many states and countries we’ve visited – and just how much the kids have changed!

Print this recipe: Seafood Enchiladas

Thoughts of Summer

March 10, 2013April 13, 201320 Comments

I realize that most people are still thinking about spring. It’s so close after all. Even if there is still snow on the ground. Miss A, however, she’s our summer girl and keeps asking when it will be summer again. She has been this way from the time she was tiny. She loves it hot outside. She wants to live in sun dresses and never have to wear a coat (I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve found her without a coat this winter.). And can I just tell you how cute her curls are in the heat! So while we’re bringing back a few of our favorites from the past during this month-long hiatus, we thought we’d share with you one of our summertime favorites. This one is also from one of our state-side cooking adventures which we do in addition to cooking recipes from around the world.

I hope you’re all doing well. We’ve been keeping busy and we’ll have photos to share soon. Until then, we hope you enjoy this past recipe as much as we did! Continue reading →

Jumping Beans – Main Course Basket

February 17, 2013April 13, 201359 Comments

Last week we talked about difficult choices. Well, apparently our main course basket from our Chopped Challenge was full of difficult choices because the winning basket which was contributed by Kelly at Inspired Edibles and included pistachios, smoked paprika, artichoke hearts and black beluga lentils only won by one vote. Continue reading →

Cleaning House

January 27, 2013April 13, 201324 Comments

We’re gearing up for next weekend’s Chopped Challenge. The votes are rolling in and last I checked we had some pretty good neck-to-neck races. Don’t worry though, there’s still time to get your votes in before Friday. It’s going to be so much fun. There’s definite anticipation in the house – a mix of nerves and excitement. So don’t forget, vote early and often. 😉

In the meantime, what better way to start of the New Year than by getting rid of the clutter. So we’ve spent the last few weekends cleaning house. Every drawer, closet and nook and cranny in this house has been cleaned and purged. Baby toys are all packed up and the kids’ new toys all have organized new homes. If we’re being realistic, we know that won’t last long, but it sure feels good for a few minutes anyway. Continue reading →

ChefDad at the Bat

January 13, 2013April 13, 201351 Comments

It looked extremely rocky for the Mudville nine that day;
The score stood two to four , with but one inning left to play.
So when Cooney died at second, and Burroughs did the same,
A pallor wreathed the features of the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go, leaving there the rest,
With that hope that springs eternal within the human breast.
They thought, if only Casey could get a whack at that,
They’d put up even money now, with Casey at the bat.

–Ernest Lawrence Thayer, Casey at the Bat

When I was ten years old, my dad made me a deal that if I went a whole season in little league without striking out, he’d take me anywhere in the world I wanted to go for dinner. Now, at age 10 I didn’t know as much about cooking around the world as Mr. N and Miss A, and I think he figured I’d pick something familiar and local. I was, however, an adventurous eater and by about the third or fourth game of the season, I’d settled on Joe’s Stone Crabs in Miami. I’d never been there, but my dad would have occasion to travel there back then, and he always raved about it. In retrospect, he probably did some nudging to ensure that if I picked a place that would wind up costing him two plane tickets, he at least wanted stone crabs out of the deal. I also think he didn’t expect to have to pay up. Continue reading →

Reining in the New Year

January 7, 2013April 13, 201325 Comments

Happy 2013! Personally, I for one couldn’t be happier that we’re in a New Year. I don’t think the changing calendar has ever been quite as symbolic as this past holiday was for us and we wanted to make it special. So after our marathon weekend of cooking, baking and shopping; and after four Christmas celebrations, Mike, Mr. N, Miss A and I packed up and got out of dodge! We decided to end 2012 on a high note.