Family Dinner: Christmas Eve Enchiladas

On Christmas Eve, we eat enchiladas.

 You might be wondering what makes these so "Christmas-ey"?

Well, nothing really. Except the ingredients list. Take a gander....see the absence of anything with reduced fat in the title? I could make these healthier, but I don't. And that, my friends, is what makes them worthy of a special occasion. Well, that and the fact that they are delicious. If you are in need of something cheesy, gooey, spicy, and awesome, this is your huckleberry.

PS - 1 more unhealthified recipe to share and then I am back to regularly scheduled healthy meals. I swear. I have to, because I can't afford new pants.

C.E. Enchiladas
Makes 10

1 recipe enchilada sauce (I use this one)
1 10-pack flour tortillas
4 plum tomatoes
1/2 onion
1 can black beans
1 can corn
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream and sliced green onions for garnish, if desired

1. Make your enchilada sauce and set aside.

2. Heat oven to 375. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Add enough enchilada sauce tithe bottom of your dish to cover it. And set aside.

3. Cut your plum tomatoes in half length-wise and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and insides, throws this away. Dice up the tomato shells and place them in a medium bowl. Dice the onion and add this to the tomatoes. Drain and rinse the beans and corn and mix together with the tomatoes and onions.

4. Fill one shell at a time with a handful of cheese (about 1/4 cup) and a scoop of vegetable filling (3-4 tablespoons). Roll and place each in the pan, seam side down. I do 8 across, and then 2 length-wise. And you will have to jam them in. Note....you will have extra filling leftover.

5. Smush the enchiladas down a little if you need some room, then top with the remaining enchilada sauce. Cover with foil and bake until hot and bubbly, 35 minutes. Remove foil and top with remaining cheese and a handful of sliced green onions, if desired. Bake an additional 10 minutes or so, uncovered, until the cheese topping is melted. Serve with sour cream.

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas.

OOTD: Cozy

I wore this the other night when I took the kids out to a super fancy dinner (Culver's....that's how we roll). It was kid's night, which basically meant it was crowded.  And that there were clowns there doing face painting and balloons.

P.S. Our Culver's is better than your Culver's. Seriously. Check out these faces:

Christmas Pocohontas and Santa Batman

And check out this new necklace I got, an early Christmas present from B (dogeared gold infinity necklace). Love that guy.

Room Mom, Christmas Edition

Some nut-free treats I made for the kids party. I love that my kids go to a school where homemade treats are still allowed, it gives me something to do with my free time.

Personalized sugar cookie mittens, Rudolph and Frosty marshmallow pops, and Rudolph cups (for egg nog and apple juice).

OOTD: The Miracle Headband

Here it is again: sweater, jeans, boots. Nothing new. Be prepared to see this sweater a lot, I am constantly reaching for it.  I need to buy less Target crap and pick up more things like this.

There is one thing I really want to discuss here, and that is how awesome headbands are. I sported this look when I took the kids to Kringle's Kingdom one night when B was out of town. We needed to get out of the house and do something fun. I hadn't showered in 2 days, and I don't even want to admit how many days it had been since I washed my hair (more than 5). Things got hectic! Needless to say, I looked a wreck. This is where the magic of the headband comes in...some dry shampoo, a bun, and a large sparkly head decal and I am looking semi-human again. It was a Christmas miracle!

Does anyone else have a favorite last minute trick to go from looking like a zombie to somewhat presentable?

P.S.  I took a shower and washed my hair the next day.  I am not always fillthy.

Hi Bowser!  Headband courtesy of my sister, from S Korea.

And just for fun, a picture of the kids.  Being cute and enjoying the wonder of Christmas.

Bake It: Clementine Glazed Shortbread Cookies

Yes, another baking post. I know you are probably all sick of stuffing your faces with Christmas cookies at this point.  I know I am ( ok, not really).  But I thought I would share this one. Because, if you are like me, you have an abundance of clementines hanging around your fruit bowl. And it would be a shame not to butter and sugar them up a little...in the spirit of Christmas and all.

Clementine Glazed Shortbread Cookies
Makes ~24 cookies

2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup powdered sugar (for cookies)
1 cup butter, slightly softened
4-6 clementines
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for glaze)
1 TB corn syrup

1. Finely grate clementines to get 3 TB zest. Set clementines and zest aside.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and powdered sugar together until smooth and creamy. Mix in 1 TB zest and salt. Gently stir in flour by hand until just incorporated.

3. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1-2 hours, or until cold.

4. Heat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or cooking spray. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness in floured surface. Use a cookie cutter or knife to cut into desired shape and place on prepared sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes until just browned. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheets then remove to wire racks (or your counter) to cool fully.

5. While cookies are cooling, prepare glaze. Juice clementines to get 1/4 cup juice. Mix powdered sugar, remaining 2 TB zest, clementine juice, and corn syrup until smooth. Spread over tops of cooled cookies. Let glaze dry, then store in air tight container.

Bake It: Cranberry Orange Scones

This is not a "healthified" recipe. It is, however, a good one. I have a healthier version I will share another day (when I get back on the healthier-only wagon). But these taste better. And it is the holiday season, which means I am reveling in butter and sugar filled glory.

It took several tries for me to get scones right, and now that I have it down, I am passing my findings on to you. Scones are incredibly easy to make once you know the trick, and are awesome hot out of the oven.

Want to know the other awesome thing about scones? They freeze perfectly. I always make the dough then put them straight into the freezer. Once frozen, I keep them in a zip lock bag, then pop them straight from the freezer into the oven whenever I have a hankering. Suckers think I was baking all morning.

This is my favorite flavor combo, but this recipe is easily adaptable to other flavors (blueberry, lemon, chocolate chip, ginger peach, and on and on).

Enjoy!

Cranberry Orange Scones
Makes 12

3 cups plus 2 TB flour
1/3 cup plus 2 TB sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 TB orange zest (from 1-2 oranges)
1 1/2 (3/4 cup) sticks butter, cold
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup cold buttermilk (or sub with 1 cup milk mixed with 1 TB apple cider vinegar)
turbinado sugar for topping, if desired

1. Roughly chop the cranberries and toss with the 2 TB flour and the 2 TB sugar. Set aside.

2. Cut your butter into chunks and put onto a plate. You are going to want this really really cold, so what I do is put the plate of butter in the freezer while I do the next steps. Then I take it out right before I am ready to add it.

3. In a food processor fitted with the regular blade, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and orange zest. Pulse briefly to blend. If you don't have a food processor, just do this step in a large bowl.

4. Add the cold butter chunks, and pulse in short spurts until the mixture resembles pea gravel or coarse corn meal. Do not over mix! Place mixture in a large bowl. If you are not using a food processor, then use your fingers to break up the butter pieces and rub the flour into the butter until you get the coarse meal texture. Again, do not over mix or let the butter get too warm. This should not be "doughy" at all. More like coarse flour.

5. Stir in the cranberries. Lastly, add the buttermilk, barely barely barely mixing it in...you seriously barely want to combine this. The less you touch this, the flakier and fluffier your scones will be. Knead once or twice and turn dough out onto a floured surface, using your hands to shape into a rectangle (about 8x10"). Sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar, if desired. Use a knife to cut dough into 12 triangles. At this point you can freeze these and bake them whenever. Or you can go ahead and bake them.

6. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or cooking spray at 375 for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.