Take Them a Meal - Like Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas!

We have a new baby in our church family and last night J and I delivered the new parents a meal. I've written about the importance of and tips for meal delivery before, but since having a child of our own, this has become a real passion for me. Y'all, look around yourself and search for the new parents and offer them a meal. I promise you, "it takes a village" means more than helping raise a baby, it means making sure the harried parents are actually eating and eating more than just Easy Mac. The same goes for families in mourning, dealing with extended illness, or otherwise in crisis. 

I don't know this family very well (yet?), so we're just bringing dinner and sides tonight, but meal delivery can be so much more, especially if it's someone you're close to. As I mentioned in my previous post, after the birth of my niece we provided a few dinners, some breakfast items, snacks and all the fixins to make my in-laws' lives easier. 

It doesn't have to be a great production. Feeding people, I believe is my love language; I take so much pleasure in knowing that my hands produced something that will nourish their bodies, and maybe their souls. But just thinking about a person or family in need can be the thing that helps them keep their head above water. And those little extras are especially useful. 

How does that proverb go? Bring a mom a casserole and she'll have dinner for a single night. But bring her a casserole, some frozen pizzas, a pint of ice cream, a tub of cookie dough, freezable muffins, and a Stouffers lasagna and she'll actually retain her sanity during the first newborn sleep regression or bout of colic or postpartum hell. 


Let's go over a couple really easy tips to make meal delivery better for everyone:

 
• Use recyclable or cheapo plastic containers. New mamas have zero time or brain cells to spend on remembering whose Pyrex is whose. 
• Include idiot-proof instructions for reheating etc. Again, the brains of folks in are almost worthless at this point. 
• Include all the working parts for your meal. If you're bringing bagged salad with your spaghetti, grab a bottle of dressing. If you're bringing frozen waffles, bring syrup, too. Who knows the last time they hit the store. 
• And if you know they're going through a particularly trying time, with lots of visitors and little time (or money) for shopping, consider including a pack of paper towels, plates or plastic cutlery. 
  
• If you're organizing repeated meals with a group, use a planning service like Take Them a Meal, where you can include specific instructions (address, preferred delivery time, dietary needs) and each volunteer picks their "shifts" and logs what they're bringing. Please don't bring 10 broccoli casseroles in a row. They aren't a sponsor of my blog, but I can't sing the praises of Take Them a Meal enough; it's a great help to the volunteers and the family expecting dinner. 

So we showered little Eli with some love and offered his parents a chance to sit down and eat a real meal. I'm used one of my favorite recipes, which is perfect for meal delivery and freezer friendly (so you could benefit, too!). 

For some reason, as a single twenty-something, I was subscribed to a Pillsbury mailing list for coupons and recipes (probably why I resemble the Doughboy a little more now). I found this chicken enchilada recipe way back when and realized, even when I was cooking for one, that it was a find. 

It's relatively inexpensive and the prep takes less than 20 minutes. It's so easy to prepare, I could probably stop pulling the recipe out. You make an enchilada sauce from the soup, sour cream, chilies and cumin; then mix in the chicken and cheese; roll your enchiladas and top with sauce. Since all of the ingredients are fully cooked, you only need to heat through and melt the cheese and it's done! 

I love this recipe because it allows me to be thrifty with my ingredients and really plan ahead. You know I love to pinch a penny and we try to be especially economical with meat. Your local supermarket deli likely reduces rotisserie chickens at the end of the day,  at our Walmart you can sometimes snag them for less than $3; or whenever you make "basic" chicken - like grilled or even fried chicken, without a lot of sauce or bold flavorings - you can shred/chop those leftovers and freeze in 2 cup portions. Having chicken on hand is perfect for soups, chicken salad, or enchiladas! 

And these enchiladas are HUGE and hearty. If I'm delivering a meal for 3+ family members, I usually buy the aluminum 8x8" pans with lids ($1 for two!) and it's a legit struggle to fit eight enchiladas in there. What I like to do at home is use my 8X4" narrow pans and make two packs of four enchiladas. This way, we have dinner tonight and a freezer pack for whenever we, or someone else, needs it. The small packs are perfect for little families, so having a couple of these waiting in the deep freeze is very convenient. And they do freeze beautifully. 

Since everything is fully cooked, you don't necessarily need to par-bake the dish (but you could, just for 15 minutes or so), then wrap thoroughly in foil. To prepare, thaw in the fridge the night before and then bake until hot (which does take a little bit longer than when everything's room temp). And for the love of Pete - WRITE THESE DIRECTIONS ON ALL YOUR FROZEN FOODS. 1. You'll know what the eff those stacked up aluminum pans are filled with and 2. you (or whomever you deliver them to; fresh or frozen) will know how to reheat. This is incredibly obvious and a total pain if you forget to do it...like I do ALL.THE.TIME. 

Courtesy of Pillsbury.com 

Even if you aren't planning a meal delivery and could care less about deep freeze meal prep, this is a great in-the-moment meal. The enchiladas feed a crowd, they're really flavorful - you really get the cumin and the chilies, and you can dress them up as much as you like with salsa, sour cream, guac etc. 

I like to serve mine with what my Venezuelan friend calls "Mexican salad" (now that's a sociology project for sure). It's greens and cucumbers topped with canned whole kernel corn, canned black beans (rinsed and drained), cheese, and crushed tortilla chips. For the dressing you mix a taco seasoning packet into ranch dressing. We're talking Taco Bell level of culinary accuracy, but it's so good. Who could turn down "fiesta ranch?" 

But in all seriousness, take a minute this week as you meal plan to see if anyone in your circle is hurting, stressed, totally drained or just in need of a night off from the stove. And offer to bring them a meal. Or a pie. Or a drop off a gift card to a local pizza joint. Your small amount of effort will make a huge impact on their life and show them how much you truly care. 

No Nonsense Chicken Enchiladas

You all know that after flavor, ease and expense are my highest priorities in food. And since we bought our house and moved, that has never been more true. Our kitchen is the only room that is unpacked and remotely functioning; but we are still scrambling to find all our utensils and have been slack grocery shoppers. With that being said, dinners have been quick and easy, and usually come in a bag - but I took the opportunity this weekend to cook a real meal, and make several meals for later, to be kept in the freezer.

A great way to save money, is to scour your grocery store for "reduced for quick sale" items. This is especially handy with packaged produce, like mushrooms and lettuce; dairy items and the biggest savings are in meat. If you're an astute shopper, you can easily figure out which days are flagged for restocking and reducing current inventory. Our favorite local store, Ingles, puts bright stickers on produce and bulk items and that's the first thing we look for. Grabbing deals like this can be hit or miss, and sometimes on impulse rather than need alone but they're real steals! Be especially mindful of items that freeze or dehydrate well.

The other day, I went to Ingles to get some breakfast items, and I walked past the meat cooler where almost three pounds of chicken thighs were on sale for less than $2. Did I need chicken thighs? No. But, I brought them home, cleaned and repackaged them in two-portion airtight containers and threw them in the freezer. I later used a pack for last week's chicken panang curry and thawed the remainder to make two batches of these chicken enchiladas.

With meat already on hand, the rest of the items are staples in our home, so this recipe is incredibly inexpensive and would be easy to make on a whim, too.

Since you're making the roll-ups yourself, this is a very economical way to make individual servings, servings for two or a family. I doubled the recipe, which normally makes eight enchiladas or four servings. But instead of making two batches of eight I cooked in a smart way that would give us the most meals with the least amount of waste - one batch of eight for when we had a couple of friends over and two batches of four that we could eat ourselves; we ate one 2-person batch that night and I froze the other 4-pack and the 8-pack. Eight servings or 3-4 meals for under $10!

I love that these enchiladas are hearty but without feeling heavy or over-dressed with cheese or sauce. I chop my chicken into big, rough chunks, which gives the filling a thickness and great mouth feel as opposed to some saturated with sauce and runny filling. The green chiles add a mild heat and sweetness and the cumin adds that traditional "taco" flavoring we all love. You could easily dress this up with more spices or even some roughly chopped cilantro (which I despise). Also, you can add other vegetables to the filling; the Progresso soups include black beans but if you had some extra sweet corn kernels, kidney beans, sauteed onions or mushrooms (look in your fridge for leftovers or the reduced section of the store) you could add 1/2 a cup or so to the filling, too!

The recipe only involves mixing up two different bowls of ingredients - one for "sauce" and one for filling, and actually rolling the enchiladas. It's that simple, which makes this a great recipe for little helpers. If you chopped the chicken, this whole dish could be made by your children. How much would they enjoy eating something they'd made?

I hope you're able to incorporate this meal into your own fiestas and family dinners!

 

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 can (18.5 oz) Progresso chicken enchilada soup or southwestern vegetable soup

1/3 c sour cream

1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles*

1 t ground cumin

2 c chopped cooked chicken

1 1/2 c shredded cheese

8 flour tortillas (corn works, too)

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350. 

In a medium bowl, mix soup, sour cream, chiles and cumin. Pour 1/2 c soup mixture into ungreased 2 quart casserole dish for full serving (use smaller dishes if making smaller, freezable portions - 2 enchiladas per person). 

In another bowl, mix 1 c soup mixture with chicken and half of the cheese. 

Place 1/4-1/3 c chicken mixture in each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Pour remaining soup mixture on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover dish with a piece of alumninum foil sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. 

Bake 30 minutes, remove foil and bake 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Allow to rest at least 5 minutes before serving. 

If making to freeze: Only par-cook the enchiladas, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature then wrap with plastic wrap and foil to put in the fridge. When you want to cook it, pull it out the night before (so you'll have less reheat time) then cook at 350 for the final 15 minutes.

*You can use the canned green chiles, or roast your own if you have fresh peppers on hand. Green, sweet or red peppers would be good, but if you want to add heat add jalepenos or even something hotter! Toss your peppers on a baking sheet and place in a 500 degree oven. Cook until the skins are wrinkled and getting dark. Remove from the oven and throw them in a zip-top bag to steam, this will help the skin peel off, Rub them gently to remove the cooked skin. 

Summer Slaw

It's summer time which means we have more time to spend outside - playing bocce or just sitting on the deck - ergo, I want to spend less time inside cooking when I could be soaking up the sun! So this recipe is a quick one that's perfect for nights when you're in a rush to get to rec league softball or vacation Bible school, want to savor the sunlight or your kitchen is just too damned hot.

I say my dad "invented" this broccoli slaw, only because he's the only person I've ever seen make it; personally, I didn't know pre-packaged broccoli slaw mix even existed. But since he first made this, I've been hooked!

It's a great side dish, but my favorite way to serve it is on top of tacos - especially fish tacos.

For anyone who hasn't tried fish tacos: get with it! They are delicious. Admittedly, I was skeptical at first, too. My first drinking (and alcohol poisoning) experience was after eating a whole mess o' catfish and I never looked at fish (or the store whose sidewalk I besmirched) the same. However, fish tacos can be made from almost any fish, or even shrimp, and are a much more light, delicate and to me, summery take on a Mexican favorite. Sometimes tacos can really weigh you down; just the toppings alone - refried beans, sour cream, cheese (cheddar or cotija), salsa and more - can fill you up. And personally I hate to feel super full in the sweltering heat. Fish, white fish varieties especially, are lighter proteins to begin with and they don't need as much dressing up. Lemon juice, a dash of hot sauce (we're a devout Cholula family) and broccoli slaw do the trick!

The broccoli slaw is incredibly easy and only five ingredients. First, you need a bag of broccoli slaw mix; which may be the most ingenious food product in years. I love broccoli, but usually only find florets raw at salad bars or cocktail parties with ranch dip; so what happens to all of the raw " broccoli trees"? They are sliced into tiny shreds for broccoli slaw! And they have the most amazing texture - it's airy and weightless. When you bite through a broccoli tendril it's like no food texture I've ever felt! A little slaw goes a long way, especially when you're cooking for two, so start with half of the bag - it's easy to whip up more, if when seconds are needed.

Next, add a glob of mayonnaise, or  for a healthy sub stirred, plain Greek yogurt. This is all about consistency and texture. I like my slaw more on the veggie side - not the sauce-heavy-side. So I start with about a tablespoon of mayo, stir it in and see how well it coats. You really only want a light (almost non-existent) coating on the slaw to help all the components stick to each other - and to add that trademark bitter zing of mayo.

Add a squeeze of lemon juice (I start with a tsp.) and a handful of chopped dried cranberries and a handful of (shelled) sunflower seeds. This step lends itself well to pantry-panic. If you're out of cranberries, add raisins (PRO TIP: if they're particularly crusty and hard, soak them for about 3 minutes in warm water and dry on paper towels, they'll plump right up!); for the sunflower seeds - which we almost NEVER have - you can sub any nut. I used chopped pecans last night, but we've used walnuts before, too. The crunch is necessary!

It's that easy!

The flavors merry so well together. The broccoli itself has a very subtle flavor since it's cut into such small, airy pieces, so the other ingredients can really shine. Lemon juice brings an acidic brightness that pairs well with the mayonnaise and the cranberries pop the whole dish. Their signature tart sweetness livens your tastebuds; while the buttery, earthy nuttiness of the sunflower seeds grounds you again. All of these flavors are perfectly in sync and play well to the subtlety and butteriness of white fish.

Our fish tacos - rolled up; and a buffalo chicken tostada (more on that later in my Buffalo'd special)

For the other taco components last night, we used a whole wheat tortilla (flour and corn work too - but be advised, corn tortilla sizes are limited) and a Gorton's fish filet. I know we'd make Betty Draper proud with our use of breaded "fish sticks" - but you really could use any fresh or frozen fish. Grilled pollock, flounder and of course, catfish are great in these.

Emerging Cullowhee Restaurant Scene

This summer and fall has seen a rejuvenation of the Cullowhee restaurant scene with at least four new eating establishments opening in recent months.

This new life has been injected into the area largely due to the passage of liquor-by-the-drink legislation which allows for beer and wine to be sold  and for alcoholic drinks (including mixed liquor drinks) to be sold in restaurants and bars in a formerly dry part of the county. Being a college town, this is a boon for local business owners who can now expand their offerings to include alcohol and for restaurants to rake in the cash of college students (and probably their harried professors) with drink menus.

I had intended to make this post a positive triple review of three new local eateries: Sazon, Tuck's Tap & Grille and Cullowings. However, after trying all three (two of which I tried on multiple occasions), only one stands out as being a great deal, a beautiful restaurant, a unique find and offering numerous delicious dishes - Sazon.

Cullowings, as you can infer, is a sports bar-style wing joint. They offer burgers and sandwiches, but their premature claim to fame is their wide selection of beers and wing varieties. I've tried four of the wing flavors and they were all decent. Of the four I tried, I'd highly recommend their Polynesian flavor which offers a subtle pineapple-y sweetness with the smokiness of teriyaki sauce. However, this restaurant isn't particularly cheap (I go for wing nights that boast a less-than-50-cent wing) or fast (after 15 minutes of waiting, several of my wings were still pink) and I have no desire to ogle a foot-long beer menu or spend time with raucous frat boys watching a series of sporting events. But in a pinch, it's pretty good take out so I can drink my own cheap beer at home with only one boy and one tv.

Tuck's Tap & Grille has the same bar-feel as C-wings but with what I'm sure they consider to be more "elevated" dinner options. Like many casual dining restaurants, I would argue that Tuck's needs to find it's niche. A menu boasting salads, cold and hot sandwiches, pizzas, calzones, Stromboli and comfort food specials like meatloaf and lasagna desperately needs pared down - there are few Renaissance restaurants, more often they're Jacks of all trades and masters of none. Since our spectacular splurge at Ruth's Chris, I've been wanting chunks of bleu cheese all the time. I debated over Tuck's variety of sandwiches but couldn't resist their bacon and bleu burger that's "made from black angus beef." I will say the brioche bun was great with it's signature buttery sweetness, but apparently I ordered gray angus (that can't be what they mean by aged...can it?).  The group I went with said they were satisfied with their food, but I won't be the one suggesting we ever return.

Sazon is located in "old Cullowhee" which is highly contested as in dire need of renovation, improvement and new life. Many businesses have moved out, buildings have fallen into disrepair  and there are other easier and faster ways into campus. The space Sazon occupies has been a Mexican restaurant since...well, forever. In the '80s El Gato's was my pregnant mother's restaurant of choice. Throughout the past 25+ years, it's undergone many changes in name and ownership but has remained triumphantly a source of Mexican cuisine. I can't remember going to any of these restaurants and always thought that strip (with The HairPort, Red Skull Tattoos and now a package store) looked like a dive. However, I was pleasantly surprised the first time I entered Sazon.

It is brightly painted with beautiful Khalo-esque paintings with a Mexican folk art flair (including the most beautiful traditional calaverta and the picture below). The chairs are beautifully upholstered and the spacious tables leave lots of room for the ample portions of traditional Mexican fare. Being the mooch that I am and the people I dine with who allow me to eat off of their plates, I've been able to try a variety of dishes including vegetarian burritos, chile rellenos, salsa verde taquitos and more. All of the food is undeniably fresh - from the salsa with a pinch verdant chopped cilantro (normally my least favorite herb) to the creamy pinto beans - everything has the taste effort, precision and flair. And they pass my true test of quality Mexican restaurants - they have perfectly balanced, refreshing horchata. Horchata is a traditional drink in Latin America (and Spain) made of rice milk, vanilla and cinnamon; its one of the many aguas frescas you may see at Latin markets or restaurants in large glass vats. There are horrible powdered mixes and pre-packaged attempts at horchata but it's best made fresh (think fresh-squeezed orange juice vs. Sunny Delight). The horchata at Sazon is what I remember from trips to tiendas with my best friend in college. I have considered ordering horchata to-go from here for the nights we make Latin food on our own.

I highly recommend visiting this restaurant that offers refined plates of the semi-familiar but is much less Westernized than some other local restaurants or national chains. For $10 you can get a filling and flavorful meal that is presented beautifully in an equally elegant space.

But even beyond these three options, if you're in the area, explore our local restaurant scene - food service within campus buildings notwithstanding, there is only one chain restaurant in Cullowhee, everything else is locally owned and operated. So take a trip up to campus to visit the library or Mountain Heritage Museum or hit up the Cullowhee farmer's market on Wednesday evenings (5 p.m. behind The Mad Batter) to work up an appetite before trying the best eats around.