Week of 6/28

Mon – pasta w/vodka (Viva Italia)
Tues – fish, cornbread, greens
Weds – bbq pulled pork sandwiches, slaw, edemame or salad, cherry pie
Thurs – chicken fingers or grilled breasts and squash
Fri – chicken enchiladas (Jody's recipe -- see below)
Extras – pizza; goulash
---
Back in the swing of things this week after not shopping last week. Even at that, the cupboard isn't totally bare. Hot, humid weather is here of late, and it makes me want to eat watermelon and drink lemonade all day. Happy cooking.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

---

Make: 10 servings ( I think it's more than that -- more like 14 to 16, depends on how big you cut the pieces)
Prep:  10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Bake:  28 minutes at 350 degrees

3 cups shredded, cooked chicken (can use a precooked rotisserie chicken)
1 packet (1.25 ounces) taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
2 cups salsa verde
9 fajita-size flour tortillas
1 can (15.5 ounces) refried beans, warmed in the microwave
8 ounces sour cream
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix chicken, taco seasoning, 1/2 cup water and salsa verde in a skillet.  Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes.

2.  Coat 13x9x2-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Cover bottom of pan with 3 flour tortillas, overlapping.  Pour half of the chicken mixture on the tortillas.  Cover with 3 more tortillas.  Spread with warmed beans and sour cream.

3.  Sprinkle half the cheese over the beans and sour cream, and cover with the remaining 3 tortillas.  Top with remaining chicken mixture, followed by remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 28 minutes, until bubbly.

p.s. Baptism chow

The dishes we made for the baptism were excellent to the last. I am unabashedly claiming this since all we did was follow directions. And there were hardly any left-overs. So, if you're wanting to try any of the recipes, I recommend them all.

Menu plan 6/21

Mon – left over pizza; mac-n-cheese for kids (solstice pj-party at toy store after swimming -- eat fast!)
Tues – rotisserie chicken and mashed potatoes 
Weds – BBQ sandwiches, beans, slaw (pulling from our freezer--dwindling backstock, boo hoo)
Thurs – chicken fajitas and peppers
Fri – steak/brats/grilling eats
Extras – fish sandwiches and slaw
---
Trying to get by without much shopping this week. We had fun celebrating last weekend with our baby's baptism, and really haven't done much in the kitchen since.

The convergence of mealtime and evening swimming lessons has been going well, oddly enough. We have a snack before leaving, and I've more often than not gotten dinner prepped or organized enough  in advance that we can eat shortly after being home. We caught a turtle on the way home tonight so that threw everything off meal-wise, hence the mac-n-cheese. A worthwhile diversion, though.

My mom asked if I felt like I was more organized with 3 kids. I'm not ready to claim a higher level of organization, but I do think I'm honing my prioritization skills. Having meals ready is high on that list to keep things flowing smoothly at night. Hungry kids = mayhem!

Is there a bagel in the house?

It occurred to us last night that we have been doing an okay job of prepping for our Baptism brunch on Sunday. Too bad we've totally neglected to consider that people will be visiting throughout the weekend and there's hardly a crumb of other food in the house. Think we'll do a Sam's trip tonight and get some steaks for grilling, a side salad, and sun chips. I'm making those dolmates as well to have on hand.

Or maybe we'll just be GONE at every mealtime. Think anyone will catch on?

Instant Fondue

Dried apricot + jar of Nutella.
Viola!