Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

It is time for me to post something other than a dessert. :) It's not that I ONLY make desserts, I just get the best pictures with the desserts I do make, so I post them more often. I have another girl scout cookie recipe coming at you, so we needed something to break up the sweets. 

This recipe is perfect. We make this for an "everyday" meal or a meal to entertain company. They are easy, unique and tasty.

melskitchencafe.com

 Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
6 T honey
4-5 T lime juice
1 T chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 lb cooked chicken, shredded
10-12 soft taco sized flour tortillas
2 cups colby or monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 - 10 oz. can green enchilada sauce

Mix first 4 ingredients together in ziploc bag and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least a half hour.

With cooking spray, spray a 9×13 pan (or 2 8x8's and save one half of this recipe in the freezer for another meal*). Pour enchilada sauce into the the dish, enough to make a thin layer on the bottom (Approximately 1/2 can for a 9x12 and a 1/3 of a can per 8x8).

Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese. Pour the rest of the can of green enchilada sauce over enchiladas then sprinkle with more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. (Put it under the broiler at the end to make the cheese brown and crispy on the top - see pic below.)


 *Freezable Meal: Freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top. OR put in your refrigerator the night before and bake at regular time and temperature.

After putting these under the broiler the last few minutes they turn golden... yum.

Samoa Cookies

What is better than a Samoa Girl Scout Cookie? A homemade one :) These are a bit of work, but worth it. Plus, with the shrinking number of Samoas per box, who can afford not to make their own?

Samoa Cookies

Makes about 3 1/2 to 4 dozen

The Cookie (base):

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

up to 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, next, the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk only as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (you may not need any at all). The dough should come together into a soft, pliable ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough seems sticky.

It's easiest to roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches (between pieces of wax (or parchment) paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or a little thinner) using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined (or on silicone mat) baking sheet and make a hole in the center. I used the small end of a large round piping tip. Nicole comments that you can use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat until the dough is used up (it's okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, to allow them to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Coconut Caramel Topping:

3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

12-ounces good-quality chewy caramels

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons milk

8 ounces dark, semi-sweet or milk chocolate (chocolate chips will do)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F)

Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch carefully, especially near the end of toasting time; the coconut toasts very quickly once it begins to become golden.

Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 teaspoons per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it begins to firm up, to make it soft and spreadable once again.

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. (I melted mine stovetop using double boiler method.) Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper (I used silicone baking mats instead). Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate. (Melt a bit of additional chocolate, if there is not quite enough for each cookie.)

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Recipe Source: OnceUponAPlate

Monster Cookies

These cookies have been on the blog for a while, but I thought it was time to give them a new picture and bring them all back to our attention. These are good. Peanut butter. Chocolate. Oats. Chewy cookie.

 
Monster Cookies

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)
1/2 cup M&Ms (I used mini)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup raisins, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Add baking soda, and oatmeal. Mix well. Stir in the M&Ms, chocolate chips, raisins. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not over bake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in an air tight container.

Recipe by Paula Deen