My Momma is a practical gal.
She doesn’t much prefer the kind of gifts that you buy from Macy’s and wrap. No, she’s a bouquet of flowers, plant an herb garden, clean the house and weed the yard, wash the car, go on a walk, and just hang out, type of gal.
Since my 5 siblings and I covered just about all of those categories this mother’s day weekend, I bet she was brimming with joy.
Out of all the small things we did to make her weekend an enjoyable and blessed one, I’d say that planting the herb garden was one of the best! After all, it is truly the gift that keeps on giving.
Please note little Kona in the backround, he was a great little helper, you know, keeping watch and all.
My little sister, Sarah, and I made delicious enchiladas for the family gathering. These were SO good, and my momma didn’t have to lift a finger. We were barely able to leave room for dessert!
But don’t worry, there’s always room for dessert. Especially when that dessert just so happens to be homemade graham crackers, some even stuffed with chocolate and marshmallow for the most decadent bite of S’mores!
Between my brother and I, I think we dominated half the batch as soon as they came out of the oven. Big surprise there. Not.
It was such a great weekend home, relaxing and playing with the family. I can’t wait for the next gathering!
Now for the food:
Poach and shred chicken and mix with seasonings. Saute onions. Warm tortillas. Make sauce. Build enchiladas.
Roll ‘em up and place seal side down in a huge baking dish (we used 15 X 10, since we were feeding a small army. You can easily cut the recipe down by 1/3 and feed a normal group of people). Pour warm prepped enchilada sauce over the top and top with cheese.
Bake at 350 to heat through for about 8 minutes, and then broil for another couple minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbling and slightly crispy.
Serve with some homemade guac, sour cream, and a corona with lime 
. Enjoy!
Shredded Chicken Enchiladas
Adapted from Rachel Ray
Serves 12
Ingredients:
Cooking Liquid:
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 pieces large chicken breasts
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp fresh oregano, stems removed (or 1 tsp dried oregano)
1 small onion, quartered
Chicken Filling:
3/4 cup cooking liquid (reserve, from prior step)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ tsp garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ tsp salt
Sauce:
1 ¾ cups enchilada sauce (or sub tomato sauce, plus 1 tsp chili powder, a few drops hot sauce)
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp tomato paste
Other Enchilada Ingredients:
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
18-20 corn tortillas
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies
3 1/2 cups Pepper Jack cheese,shredded
Light sour cream, garnish
cilantro, garnish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F and wrap corn tortillas in foil to warm in the oven, while preparing the enchiladas.
Bring broth to a boil in a deep saute pan. Carefully place the chicken into broth with bay and oregano and small quartered onion. Return to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 13-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare sauce by mixing together the enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, cinnamon, cumin, garlic powder, tomato paste, and let simmer for about 8 minutes. Turn the heat off but keep it warm until needed.
In another pan, on medium heat sautée the medium sliced onion with 2 Tbsp olive oil, for about 8 minutes, until soft.
Remove chicken breasts from the cooking liquid and place into a large bowl. While still warm, shred using 2 forks. Add 3/4 cup of cooking broth/liquid and tomato paste, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and mix well to distribute throughout the pieces of shredded chicken. Set the shredded chicken aside.
Remove tortillas from oven and turn the heat up to 350 degrees F.
To make the enchiladas, pile some shredded chicken, a sprinkle of diced green chilies, sautéed onions, and some shredded cheese. Roll them up and line the 15 X 10 baking dish with enchiladas, tightly packed, seam side down. Pour enchilada sauce over the chicken enchiladas and top with about 1 cup of shredded cheese. Place the enchiladas in oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes; turn the broiler on high and broil for another 4 minutes, checking to be sure the cheese doesn’t burn.
Garnish with light sour cream and chopped cilantro and enjoy!
From the Little Yellow Kitchen,
Chrissy
