Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Cheese Enchiladas Verde

You need to make this, trust me. It's that good.

Prep: 15 min Bake: 25 min

1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend
1 small zucchini, shredded (3/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fres cilantro
8 corn tortillas (5 or 6 inches in diameter)
1/3 soft cream cheese with roasted garlic
1 jar (16 oz) green salsa (salsa verde)
1 medium avocado, diced
4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

Heat oven to 350. Spray rectangular baking dish with cooking spray. Mix shredded cheese, zucchini and cilantro.

Spread each tortilla with about 2 teaspoons cream cheese. Spoon about 1/3 cup shredded cheese misutre onto each tortilla; spread to withing 1 inch of edge. Roll up; place seams side down in baking dish. Pour salsa over tortillas.

Cover and bake about 25 minutes or until hot. Top with avocado and onions. Approx. 4 servings.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Help!

I'm having a Christmas party, and I want to make fudge but I don't have a really good recipe. Can anyone help me?

Friday, December 12, 2008

Olive Garden Minestrone

A while back Betsy posted a recipe for faux Zuppa Tuscana and in keeping with the Olive Garden Soup idea, here's the recipe for faux Olive Garden Minestrone. This is one of my favorite items on the Olive Garden menu, and when I found this recipe online I just had to try it out and it has taken the place of my favorite soup recipe ever.

3 tablespoons live oil
1 cup minced white onion (about one small onion)
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup froze cut Italian green beans
1/4 cup minced celery
4 teaspoons minced garlic
4 cups vegetable broth (I recommended Swansons ... and don't substitute chicken broth!)
2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained
2 (15 ounce) cans whie beans or great northern beans, drained
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup carrot, julienned or shredded
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups hot water
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup small shell pasta

1. Heat three tablespoons of live oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
2. Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions being to turn translucent.
3. Add vegetable broth to pot plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water and spices.
4. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or untile desired consistency.

Optional:
In step #3, add a splash of red wine. If you're grocery shopping in Utah, you won't be able to find red wine in the grocery store, but Harmons does carry cooking wines.

Also, this makes A LOT of soup, so feel free to half the recipe.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

California Fruit Salad

This is the perfect winter fruit salad. I got this recipe from my great-aunt Shirley Standford. She brings this to family events and there are never any leftovers.

2 large cans pineapple
1 can mandarin oranges
1 large package cook-and-serve vanilla pudding
Bananas
Kiwi
Maraschino cherries

Drain oranges, discard juice. Drain pineapple, keep juice. Cooke pudding with pineapple juice until pudding thickens. Pour pudding mixture over oranges and pineapple. Let set several hours or over night. Add other fruit right before serving.