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Blissfully Domestic: Hispanic Heritage Month

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month?  I've got a few ideas for table settings, and a recipe for Shrimp Ceviche over at Blissfully Domestic.

Mom Made Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas

I'm heading to New York in a few days to attend the BlogHer conference, and although my husband can whip up a quick pasta, and has the local pizza place on speed dial, I like to make sure there are snacks, staple items, and a few other meal options available whenever I'm out of town.

We normally have Mexican food one night a week and the little kids love cheese quesadillas, but I wanted to have something ready for the others to enjoy too, so I made enchiladas. 

I want to share the recipe first, and then I have a few tips for freezing dishes.

Mom Made Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas

(recipe provided by MomSelect and GLAD)

serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 can (4.5-ounces) diced chilies
• 1 rotisserie chicken (store-bought), picked of its meat
• 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 jar (16-ounces) salsa
• 1 can (28-ounces) enchilada sauce
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and garlic and saute until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add the chilies, chicken, chili powders and salsa to the skillet and stir to combine all the ingredients.  Allow to simmer, about 5 minutes to meld the ingredients.  Remove the pan from the heat to assemble the enchiladas.
3. Soften the tortillas in a microwave oven for about 30 seconds on high.
4. Coat the bottom of a casserole pan with some of the enchilada sauce.  Then place the rest of the sauce in a shallow pie pan.  Dip a tortilla into remaining sauce and then fill with about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture.  Fold the tortilla over the filling and place seamside down in the casserole dish.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
5. Pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas and then sprinkle the top with the cheese.
6. Bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through and the cheese has melted.

We enjoyed them for dinner, then I popped the remaining filling into a Glad FreezerWare™ Container for my husband to re-heat one night next week.

FREEZING TIPS:

I did a lot of research about freezing enchiladas.  There was a lot of discussion on forums as to whether the enchiladas went mushy when thawed and re-heated,  and also about the quality of the tortillas, some found they became a little dry around the edges. 

I then looked into the possibility of freezing everything individually, so that once thawed, the enchiladas could be assembled and baked in the oven.   I only need my frozen meal to last about a week which means that my tortillas didn't need to be frozen as they'll last quite well in the refrigerator, however if you were wanting to freeze the meal for longer, then remove the tortillas from the bag and place waxed paper between the portions you would need for your meals.  Place the tortillas back into the bag, seal, and pop into the freezer.  When you need to thaw some for a meal bring out just those that you need between the waxed paper, and place in the refrigerator the day before you need them.  If they feel like they may crack when rolling the enchiladas, just pop them into the microwave for 30 seconds.

I only needed to freeze the leftover filling so I placed that into my Glad FreezerWare™ Container.  I also wanted the directions for assembling and heating the enchiladas handy so my husband would know exactly what to do so I wrapped them in a piece of Glad Press 'n Seal® and popped that into the container with the filling before putting it in the freezer.  This way my recipe card wouldn't be ruined.

Be sure to visit Glad.com and Facebook.com/Glad for fun Mom Made tips, giveaways, printables and more from trusted moms!

Disclosure: I received a Mom Made Meal Kit from GLAD and MomSelect to help with my BlogHer preparation.

Rancho La Puerta in Mexico

Last week I was invited, along with a couple of fellow bloggers (Christine and Suzette) to Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico.  Yes MEXICO people.  And it was AMAZING!  I could go on and on about how fabulous this destination is, and I probably will, and you will most like see way too many photos, so you may want to grab a beverage, and snacks, and settle on a comfy sofa with your laptop.  And don't even get me started on their cooking school and culinary center.  Again, AMAZING!

I'm not kidding when I say this place is life changing, it was named World's Best Destination Spa in Travel & Leisure World's Best Awards Reader's Poll in 2011.  I secretly wondered if they would notice if I holed myself up in one of the villas and didn't leave.  Ever.  But then I remembered I have kids at home who need me, and well, then I immediatley started planning girlfriend trips in my head.  The ranch is 3000 acres of everything you could ever need - fitness classes, activities, healthy meals, spa treatments, private villas, hiking, culinary school, guest lectures, pools, and an organic garden.   There are lots of rooms for downtime with big comfy couches, fresh fruit, water, gourmet coffee, and most importantly peace and quiet.  There are four pools, a tennis court, basketball court, and volleyball.  And, did I mention the peace and quiet.  The place is so large, and so spread out that you don't hear noise from other guests, or classes.

So let me tell you a little about our day.  Although we went on a Wednesday, we experienced what Saturday's at the Ranch are like.  

Once we arrived at the ranch, we changed into some workout gear and took a tour of the ranch.  Which meant we walked a lot, I think for close to 2 hours.  We viewed some of the classes that were happening, we walked through the many gardens, and stopped for a quick coffee.  Let me share a few photos before I continue.

Once our tour was complete, we each enjoyed the most relaxing 50 minute massage.  You are given a locker when you arrive, along with bathrobe and slippers, and don't fear if you forget to bring toiletry items, because everything is right there for you, right down to sterilized hairbrushes, disposable razors, feminine products, and sunscreen.

After our massages, and getting changed we were whisked off to lunch.  There is one central location for lunch and a large dinner bell that is rung when meals are ready.  We went into a smaller private area and enjoyed a delicious lunch and learned more about the wonderful ranch and their amazing Family Weeks that are coming up from August 4-11 and 11-18.  If my kids were 7, I would book this in a heartbeat for our family.

While you are enjoying everything the ranch has to offer, kids will be learning cooking, gardening, attend fitness classes, storytelling, drumming classes, nature activities, art and photography classes, bio construction, animation (with Dave Zaboski, a former Disney Animator), and they will have cross-cultural experiences too.   If families want to spend more time together to lay by the pool, or stay in their casita, that's not a problem, the schedules are very flexible, you can do as little or as much as you want.

Before I forget, let me share a few photographs of the main dining area.

After lunch, we were given a tour of the accomodations.  They really are little houses, and they are not piled on top of one another, each has it's own space, a private deck with chairs, and a lovely view.

I hope this photo gives a little perspective as to how far the castitas are spaced apart.

I want to show you a couple of the casitas.  The first one is perfect for parents with one child.

This one is great for a larger family.

Aren't the casitas gorgeous?  Now you know why I wanted to move into one.   Best part, there are NO televisions.  It's all about spending time together and bonding.  There are movie nights that you can enjoy with other families in the movie room though.

After our tour we were given free time.  We immediately headed for one of the only rooms with wi-fi to send out a few tweets and instagram some photos.  They were serving smoothies nearby so of course we indulged.  They were berry and banana and had assorted toppings out such as granola, and toasted coconut to top your smoothies with.  Delicious is an understatement.  I should have had two. 

Then Christine and I braved the bathing suits and had a swim in one of the pools, before popping into the sauna for a bit.  Then it was showers, and getting ready for the cooking school.

A van picked us (and other guests) up for the 2 mile drive to the Cooking School and Culinary Center where executive chef Denise Roa teaches guests how to cook delicious dishes that they then enjoy for dinner.  The cooking school is located on the Rancho La Puerta property, along with a 6-acre organic farm.   For those familiar with San Diego, Denise previously worked at the Pacifica Del Mar, the Del Mar Racetrack Turf Club, and the Hilton in Torrey Pines, to name a few places.

We took a tour of the farm, then learned how to cook paella outdoors on the grill, and did a hands-on cooking class inside where we formed groups of two and cooked Seafood Paella with each group using a different grain.  Once the meals were finished we all sat outdoors and enjoyed a meal together complete with sangria, and tasted all of the wonderful dishes that we made.  I even have the recipes to share (see below). 

The venue:

The garden:

The culinary school:

(Christine and I cooking our paella dishes)

Enjoying our dinner with the group:

RECIPES:

Seafood Paella

(serves 6) - you need a large pan that can go in the oven 12"wide x 3" deep

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp Spanish saffron threads
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 poblano chiles, (stems & seeds removed, 1/4 inch diced)
• 10 cloves garlic (peeled & minced)
• 1 cup small diced fennel
• 1/2 white onion (peeled, 1/4 inch diced)
• 1 leek, (white part only, 1/2 inch pieces)
• 2 cups long-grain brown rice
• 3 roma tomatoes (1/4 inch diced)
• 1 cup white wine
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 6 large shrimp (peeled & deveined)
• 6 large clams and mussels
• 1 red bell pepper (roasted, peeled and julienned)
• 1/2 tsp Spanish paprika
• 1/2 cup Spanish olives

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Soak the saffrom in hot water for 30 minutes.  In a 12-inch ovenproof saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Saute the poblano chiles until soft, stirring often, about 1 minute.  Add the onoin, leek and garlic, and cook stirring for 2 minutes.  At this time you can also add any other vegetable for sauteing.  Stir in the rice, then the tomatoes, and cook for 1 minute more.  Add white wine.  Add the saffrom liquid and the stock and salt, and stir gently but thoroughly to combine.

Bring the Paella almost to a boil; shake the pan gently, but do not stir. 

Add the shrimp, clams, and mussels and cook for 1 minute.  Add roasted peppers and olives and cover.

Move the Paella to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle the seafood with paprika and return to the oven for 10 minutes more, or until the seafood is just cooked.  Remove from the oven and scatter peas over the top.  Let it rest for 15 minutes.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Sangria La Puerta

(serves 6)

Ingredients:

• 1 orange (thinly sliced)
• 1 lemon (thinly sliced)
• 1 bottle (750 ml) light-bodied red wine (such as Pinot Noir or Beaujolais)
• 1 cup fresh grape juice
• 1 cup unfiltered fresh apple juice
• 5 whole star anise
• 3 cinnamon sticks

Wash the orange and lemon and slice thinly from end to end.  Place the orange and lemon slices in a a large glass pitcher, add the remaining ingredients, and stir.  Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Strain the sangria and serve in tall glasses over herb lemon ice cubes if you like, and garnish with piece of soaked fruit.

**********************************

If that wasn't enough photos for you, I have even more on my Flickr album from the day.

 

Disclosure: I was provided with a day at Rancho La Puerta and returned with some goodies too.

Squash Quesadillas with Chipotle Lime Sour Cream

If you are looking for a new quesadilla recipe, Squash Quesadillas with Chipotle lime Sour Cream are absolutely delicious.

Prep Time: 15 minutes - Cook Time: 8 minutes - Yield: Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 each: small zucchini and yellow summer squash, thinly sliced (2 cups)
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet or yellow onion
• 2 tsp. canola or vegetable oil
• 3 tsp. pureed canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, divided
• 8 (6 to 7-inch) whole wheat or flavored flour tortillas
• 16 slices Sargento® Ultra Thin Sliced Colby-Jack Cheese
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• 1/2 tsp. finely shredded lime peel

Directions

• Cook squash and onion in oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 6 to 7 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from heat; stir in 2 tsp. chipotle chilies.
• Coat 4 tortillas with cooking spray; arrange sprayed sides down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place 2 slices cheese over each tortilla, tearing to fit. Top with vegetables, remaining cheese and tortillas; coat tops with cooking spray.
• Bake in preheated 450°F oven for 4 minutes or until golden brown on bottom. Use a large spatula to turn quesadillas over. Continue baking until tops are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, combine sour cream, remaining 1 teaspoon chipotle chilies and lime peel. Cut quesadillas into quarters; serve with chipotle lime sour cream.

Miss M was home sick from school today when I was making these so I made plain cheese quesadillas for her lunch and she loved them.  Which is something believe me, for the past few months she has refused to eat homemade quesadillas because she's been completely spoiled by a great little Mexican place in our neighborhood.

My quesadillas though with the squash and chipotle peppers in adobe sauce were absolutely amazing.  Especially when paired with the chipotle lime sour cream.   The best part, they take only 15 minutes to prepare, and 8 minutes to cook.  Head over to the Sargento® website for even more delicious recipes using Ultra Thin Sliced Cheese.

Want to try the Sargento Ultra Thin Sliced Cheese for yourself?  The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will be sent a coupon to try a packet for free.

Disclosure: I received products and compensation from Sargento Foods Inc. and The Motherhood as part of my participation in this campaign.

The Sandra by Sandra Lee Summer Carnival

A couple of weeks ago I was invited by Sears to travel to New York City for a Summer Carnival hosted by Sandra Lee, to celebrate the launch of Sandra's new home collection currently available in Sears and Kmart.

Sandra Lee is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and TV star.  She has a keen eye for what women want in home entertaining, with almost 200 items in her collection, that are affordable, and stylish.  The items range from storage, utensils, and tableware, to small kitchen appliances, bakeware, and textiles.  The signature red and white items are perfect for year-round entertaining, you can not only use them for holidays such as Valentine's Day, and Christmas, but throw in some blue for 4th of July, and add bursts of color with napkins, tablecloths, and other assorted items to brighten up your summer entertaining.

 

Upon our arrival in New York City and checking into the Fitzpatrick Manhattan Hotel we (the 21 bloggers in attendance) headed to Café Centro to meet with the Sears team where we enjoyed a lovely dinner and cocktails, and spent some time meeting the other bloggers.  Guest speaker Mark Bonchek, SVP of Communities and Networks at Sears Holdings discussed the future of social media. 

The following day we visited a Sears store where we were given a tour, viewed the Sandra by Sandra Lee line displayed in-store, listened to the marketing team talk about how they come to work with celebrities on their lines, and enjoyed demonstrations by representatives from Keurig, KitchenAid, Hamilton Beach, SodaStream, and Dolce Gusto. 

After our tour we were taken to The Kitchen where Sandra Lee was more than welcoming.  She is absolutely delightful in person and had taken the time to read up about each of us before our arrival and had many questions for us, we tasted her delicious recipes and cocktails, viewed more of her fabulous line, did a little tablescaping with her, and learned about the Holiday line that will be released later this year.

 

I have a few recipes to share with you that we enjoyed during the Summer Carnival, these are perfect for your summer parties. 

Sandy’s Sliders

Prep 15 minutes - Grill 9 minutes

Makes 6 servings

• 1 pound ground chuck
• 1 pound ground round
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons Montreal steak seasons, divided
• 3 Cheddar cheese slices, quartered
• Bibb lettuce leaves (optional)
• 1 (15-ounce) package classic wheat slider buns, Pepperidge Farm*
• Tomato slices (optional)

Spray grill rack with nonstick nonflammable cooking spray.  Preheat grill to medium-high heat (350 to 400).  In a large bowl, gently combine ground beef, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tablespoon seasoning.  Using hands, shape mixture in 12 patties.

Grill, covered with a grill lid, for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until desired degree of doneness.  Top each patty with 1 cheese slice quarter, and grill, covered with grill lid, for 1 minute, or until cheese melts.

Place lettuce on bottom halves of slider buns, if desired.  Add patties, and top each with a tomato slice, if desired.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon steak seasoning.  Cover with bun tops.  Serve immediately.

Copyright © 2011 Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade www.sandralee.com

Summer Berry Salad

Prep 15 minutes

Makes 6 servings

• 1 quart fresh strawberries
• 1 (4.5 ounce) package butter and tango lettuces
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1/2 (4-ounce) container crumbled feta cheese
• Prepared balsamic vinaigrette

Hull strawberries, and cut in half.  Arrange lettuce leaves on a serving platter.  Top with strawberry halves and blueberries, sprinkle with feta cheese, and drizzle with desired amount of vinaigrette.

Copyright © 2011 Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade www.sandralee.com

Beehive Cupcakes 

 These would have been perfect for the twins Bears and Bees Birthday Party.

Prep 40 minutes - Bake 15 minutes - Cool 30 minutes - Stand 30 minutes

Makes 24 cupcakes

• 1 package (18.25 ounces) butter recipe yellow cake mix, Betty Crocker®
• 11⁄2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
• 3⁄4 cup water
• 1⁄2 cup plus 3 tablespoons honey, Sue Bee®
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable shortening, Crisco®
• 8 cups powdered sugar, sifted, C&H®
• 5 drops yellow food coloring, McCormick®
• 1⁄4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tube (4.25 ounces) yellow decorating icing, Cake Mate®
• 48 black jelly beans, Jelly Belly®
• 96 sliced almonds, Planters®

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twenty-four 21⁄2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat cake mix, 1⁄2 cup of the butter, the water, 1⁄2 cup of the honey, and the eggs with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Scrape down side of bowl; beat for 2 minutes on medium. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups; cool completely on rack.

For yellow frosting, in a large bowl, beat shortening and the remaining 1 cup butter with electric mixer on medium until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, the remaining 3 tablespoons honey, and the yellow food coloring. Beat until combined. Add cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat on high until desired thickness.

To create beehives, insert a large round decorating tip into a large pastry bag. Fill pastry bag with yellow frosting. Pipe a small cone of frosting in the center of the top of each cupcake. Starting from the outer edge of each cupcake and working inward and upward, pipe frosting to form a hive shape.

To create bees, pipe yellow decorating icing in thin horizontal lines on black jelly beans. Let icing stand for 30 minutes. Insert two striped jelly beans on each frosting hive. For wings, insert an end of a sliced almond on each side of each striped jelly bean.

Recipe excerpted from Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Bake Sale Cookbook by Sandra Lee

Copyright © 2011 Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade www.sandralee.com

Meringue Marg

Makes 1 cocktail

• 1 1/2 ounces margarita mix
• 4 ounces crushed ice
• 1 teaspoon meringue cookie crumbs
• 1 fresh lime wedge

Combine margarita mix and ice in a blender.  Rub the rim of a chilled margarita glass with lime and then dip into crushed meringues.  Pour into the glass and garnish with lime wedge.

Copyright © 2011 Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade www.sandralee.com

You can view more photographs (including photo booth photos after cocktails, hilarious) on my Facebook album.

Disclosure:  My travel and accomodation for the Sandra Lee Summer Carnival were covered by Sears.  Photographs of the event above were provided by professional photographers. I also came home with some fabulous Sandra Lee items, including the indoor grill, which grills bacon perfectly.

Recipe: Fish Tacos

Do you love fish tacos as much as I do?  I eat them every single week.  Tuesday night is Taco Tuesday in our house and whether they are store bought, or made at home, we love them.  When I'm making them at home though I like to try out new recipes every now and then to mix it up.

You can purchase the ingredients required for this recipe from Smart & Final.  If you haven't been to an Extra store you really should take a look.  They have a fantastic selection of fruit and vegetables. 

 

One of the sale items this coming week are Gorton's fish.  This was the perfect opportunity for me to try out a new fish taco recipe.

Ingredients:

• Gorton's Beer Batter Fish Fillets
• Whole Wheat tortillas
• 2 cups purple cabbage, shredded
• 2 cups green cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 white corn, steamed then corn kernels removed with a knife
• 1 serrano chili, finely chopped
• fresh limes
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• pinch of garlic pepper
• cilantro
• creme fraiche

Cook the Gorton's fish fillets according to the package directions.  While cooking prepare the taco fillings.

Combine the shredded purple and green cabbage, serrano chili, red onion, 1/2 cup of cilantro, and corn kernels in a bowl.  In a separate small bowl combine the olive oil, hot sauce, 1/4 lime squeezed, and garlic pepper.  Pour the olive oil mixture over the cabbage and toss to combine.  Set aside.

Add the creme fraiche into a bowl and top with more cilantro. 

Once the fish is cooked slice it into 1cm thick portions.  Warm the tortillas.  Serve.

 

Place the cabbage mixture and fish on top of the warm tortilla.  Top with creme fraiche and more lime juice. 

 

 

A taco bar is great when having visitors over for dinner too.  Pop all of the ingredients out on plates and bowls and let guests make their own tacos.  You could add a tomato salsa, and guacamole for those who may not like cabbage.  Also add a couple of other options other than Beer Battered Fillets.  You could also serve Gorton's Garlic Butter Grilled Fillets and shrimp.

 

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and was created for the Smart & Final weekly newsletter. #CBias #sfsmarties