cheesy enchilada casserole.

Cooking really makes me happy, especially when it's something I see in a book or on pinterest and I know that it's going to be easy and delicious. But sometimes it's not as easy or delicious as you thought it would be. This is an example of that.

On my to-do list for food, I included this enchilada casserole. It sounded yummy, and who doesn't love enchiladas? Turns out I still prefer enchiladas in enchilada form, but I think I can rev up this recipe a little bit to get it to be more exciting. This dish wasn't completely horrible, just a little too rich and mostly deprived of any nutritional value (which is fine when it's something delish, but not something that you're not crazy about).

There are probably tons of people out there who will love this dish, so I will do my best to describe it and try to include some suggestions I have that could have made it better for me, even after the adapting I did to the recipe in the first place to accommodate my family's tastes.

Ingredients [with adaptations]:
// 12 soft corn tortillas [twelve is way too many in my opinion, I used eight and it was still way too much, so I'd go for about four. The tortillas that don't sit on the top get very soggy and thick and it was a very odd texture and definitely took away from the flavor of the meat and everything else]
// 1 lb. ground beef
// 1 can chopped olives [I used a small can and it was plenty]
// 2 10 oz. cans cream of chicken soup [the original recipe called for one chicken and one cream of mushroom soup, I used both chicken instead but honestly could have used just one and would have been more than fine]
// 1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce
// 1/2  chopped white onion [could have definitely used a whole onion in the end]
// 1 lb. shredded mexican blend cheese
-------------------------------------------------
would have included:
// 1 large chopped tomato
// chives to taste

Instructions based on what I did and what I would change for next time:
1// cook minced beef thoroughly in a sauce pan.
2// mix together soup, enchilada sauce, olives, onions, chives, & tomatoes.
3// add the beef and cheese to the mixture and transfer into a casserole dish after combining everything.
4// cut up tortillas into eighths and add to casserole dish, making sure each piece is sticking out a little bit, rather than shoved inside [this will prevent most of the sogginess on the inside, and plus, the crunchy ones on the outside were my favorite part].
5// bake on 350*F for 45-55 minutes.
6// garnish with sour cream, guac, or salsa (even all three).

Like I said, this dish wasn't terrible, it was just a little bit overwhelming. I served lettuce and tomato on the side along with fresh corn + feta guacamole and sour cream. My whole family enjoyed it for the most part, we just decided that it was too heavy, it was a little too liquidy, there wasn't enough beef for how much soup there was, and there wasn't nearly enough onion. The point of this recipe is that it is supposed to be easier than just making enchiladas, but to be honest, I've made them before with R and they didn't really take any longer; if anything, less time is taken because they don't cook as long and the prep doesn't include chopping up the tortillas, just rolling them.

I suggest making this if you're adventurous and love Mexican food like my family does, but bear in mind how heavy it may be even with my proposed changes. It's not for delicate eaters, that's for sure!

buffalo chicken dip.

YUM, is all I will say to start this off. I love buffalo chicken, I love spicy, and I love dips. Win, win, win here with this recipe (adapted from here).

Ingredients

// 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast

// 12 oz. frank's hot sauce

// 8 oz. cream cheese

// 1 cup mexican blend shredded cheese (or any shredded cheese of your choice)

// 1 cup bleu cheese dressing (I only had ranch at hand but bleu cheese is the way to go if you like either)

1// poach the chicken [note: I looked up a few different ways to do this, and in the end I combined a few because it was my first time doing it. Boil water in a pot, put chicken breasts cut in half in the water, immediately turn heat down to low, let chicken simmer for 25 minutes or until cooked through].

2// shred the chicken into bits and soak in the hot sauce.

3// spread the cream cheese on the bottom of a casserole dish.

4// add soaked chicken on top, followed by the cheese and the drizzled dressing.

5// bake on 350*F for 20 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes to crisp up the cheese on the top.

6// serve with chips, celery, bread bits, or a spoon.

corn + feta guac.

I'm positive that I must have mentioned quite a few times that I have an intense passion for guacamole. I could eat it anytime, anywhere, on anything. See an example in my revolutionized guacamole grilled cheese.

Another recipe on my pinterest to-do list // food edition was corn and feta guac (adapted from here), and it was soooo easy to make and so delish.

// 2 large avocados

// 1/2 cup corn

// 1/2-1/3 cup feta

// 1/2 medium red onion

// clove of garlic

// 2 tbsp. lime juice

// ~1 tsp. pepper

// ~1 tsp. salt

// 2 tbsp. cilantro (my local supermarket was out of fresh cilantro, which was a bummer because it is my favorite ingredient, but the corn & feta made it less apparent that it wasn't there, so if you don't like cilantro, this will still be great guac)

1// mash avocado.

2// add chopped up red onion and garlic, lime juice, salt + pepper, corn, and most of the feta to the avocado.

3// mix well, top with remaining feta & serve.

That's literally it. The prep takes longer than the making and eating combined, guaranteed. I am convinced now that the guacamole possibilities in life are endless.

guacamole grilled cheese.

I will never eat grilled cheese the same way again - even though I have since made a plain grilled cheese at three in the morning after coming home from a night out. But I digress.

This grilled cheese (adapted slightly from this recipe) was just ridiculous. R and I could not stop talking about how good it was the whole way through eating them and then for days after. Heck, we're still talking about it.

For the (amazing) guac:
// two ripe avocados
// two small tomatoes or one large
// about a third of a red onion, minced
// garlic clove, minced
// two tablespoons cilantro, chopped
// one tablespoon fresh lime juice
// half teaspoon course salt
// half teaspoon ground black pepper

For the rest of the sandwich:
// crusty bread
// the cheese of your choice (we used cheddar)

Six steps standing between you and the best grilled cheese of your life:
1// mash the peeled avacado in a bowl.
2// add minced onion, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, salt + pepper to the mashed avocado.
3// gently stir in the tomato - we used a lot of tomato because we love chunky guac with juicy tomato, but add the tomato based on your taste.
4// butter one side of each slice of bread, place on the grill or in a heated pan & add a piece of cheese to each slice.
5// spread guac on one half of a sandwich as soon as the cheese starts melting and the bread browns.
6// smush the halves together, cut in the shape of your choice, and scarf (with a little bit of sour cream if you so choose).

I don't think I can stress enough how delicious this sandwich is. I am really passionate about guacamole, and this batch we made was so perfect that the sandwiches were that much better because of it. It's all very life changing.

hot caprese dip.

The first thing that Rich and I made off of my Pinterest to-do list: food edition was a hot caprese dip. I originally pinned this recipe from here, and have been saying I'd make it forever because it's only three ingredients. That's it! I mean throwing in a little bit of salt & pepper won't kill anyone, but it's really just tomato, basil, and mozzarella cheese. Perfection, if you will.

Ingredients:
// a handful of basil from your garden (or a packet, we're not all gardeners!)
// two vine tomatoes, or any type of tomato of your choice really.
// 8-10 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese.

1// chop everything into small pieces, and try to squeeze as much of the liquid from the cheese and tomatoes as possible, or the dip will retain water.
2// mix everything in a bowl with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, then put into an oven-safe dish.
3// Bake on 375* for 15 minutes, and broil for two minutes so the cheese gets a light golden brown bubbling on top.
4// Serve right away, and watch people from all over your neighborhood follow the heavenly scent to your kitchen.

You might want to double or triple up this recipe if you're serving more than 3-4 people. This stuff goes, people.

pinterest inspired to-do list // food.

I spend so much time on Pinterest, and just like everyone else I think to myself as I pin something, "this is so cool, I'm going to do this later!" or "I am totally going to bake that cake this weekend and have a party with all of these sweet diy decorations so that my friends can eat my cake." I do it all the time. So even though pinterest keeps all of my pins in one place for me, I figured I'd start a little series by picking the top ten things on a pinterest board that I want to do/make/cook, and make my way through those lists little by little when I have the time.

My first list is definitely going to have to come from my delish board, because when Rich is here we love cooking together, so this will be like a little challenge for us in the weeks that he's visiting. On this board I have desserts, drinks, dips, and food-food items, so I think I'll limit this first list to the food-food and savory dips. I'm sure we'll end up ploughing through these, and if that's the case, I think desserts will have to be up next.

1// chicken pesto sandwich on a french baguette with tomato, arugula, and mozzarella. YUM CITY. We are both huuuuuge sandwich lovers, especially anything on a french baguette.
2// creamy white chicken and artichoke lasagna. Chicken, good. Artichoke, good. Melted cheesy goodness, gooooood.
3// mashed "potatoes" - mashed cauliflower, chives, garlic, romano cheese, and olive oil. I'm just mostly curious to see if it actually tastes like mashed potatoes at all.
4// corn and feta guacamole. I love, love, love guacamole and I love feta cheese equally, if not more. This looks absolutely delish and perfect for snacking in front of a movie or while dinner is cooking.
5// burgers stacked with spinich, brie, cranberry, avacado, bacon, and onion rings. omg. R loves burgers, so this is going to have to be a must.
6// guacamole grilled cheese sandwich. Another great sandwich, and another guacamole recipe. Amazing spin on a classic.
7// caprese dip. serve hot with pita chips. Or a spoon.
8// enchilada casserole. Cheesy goodness that can probably be served as a dish on it's own, or as a dip.
9// steak with onion bleu cheese sauce. I'm a huge fan of meats being served with a killer sauce all over it rather than just some BBQ sauce or ketchup. This is much more restaurant style, and onions and bleu cheese are just amazing.
10// buffalo chicken dip. Self-explanitory.

I'm really excited now that I've narrowed it down to ten things. I feel like this list being here will make me try harder to actually cook these dishes. Now Rich just needs to get here and we can get moving!

See my progress here.