Monthly Archives: December 2007

Cardomom-Lime Sweet Rolls

These rolls were delicious and not difficult to make at all. The cardomom is really unexpected and I like the sweet-sour taste they have. I’ll definately make them again and might play around with different fillings. They take a while because of the rising time, but the actual hand-on prep doesn’t take much at all. They don’t make a huge mess either, which is rare for baking. LINK TO RECIPE

Chicken Enchiladas

I was cleaning out the cabinets the other day and found a can of enchilada sauce that I bought a while ago but never used. I had never made enchiladas before, so I looked for recipes and was surprised at how different they all were! This was kind of a mish-mash of a bunch of different recipes that I found. They were delicious! I got 5 enchiladas from the recipe- 2 with a small side of refried beans was plenty for me.

1 can enchilada sauce
1 small onion, minced
2 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
.5 cup chicken broth
oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. fat free sour cream
3/4 cup jack cheese, shredded
5 tortillas, warmed (I used Manny’s brand, which were very good.)

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine onion, chicken, broth, oregano, and garlic in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook about 10 minutes (until chicken is cooked through). The broth will boil off- just keep an eye on it.

Remove chicken and onion from pan and place on a cutting board. Let cool or a few minutes.

Shred the chicken with 2 forks. In a small bowl, combine chicken, onion, sour cream, and a little enchilada sauce.

Pour about half the remaining sauce into the bottom of a baking pan. Spoon a little filling into each tortilla and place (seam side down) in pan. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle cheese over it all.

Bake about 15 minutes.

Pear and Raspberry Brie Puffs

I’ll warn you- these are a pain in the ass to make. The bite size is fun though, and eliminated any urge to put the brie on top of bread. I did base this off an old recipe of mine (also a staple at my holiday get-togethers), so if you want something a bit easier just leave the brie whole, top it with the fruit and wrap the whole thing in brie. Cooking time will be abut the same.

1 pat butter
3 pears, diced finely
1/2 pint raspberries
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 wheel brie, chilled
1 pkg phyllo dough
spray oil

Melt the butter in a pan. Add the pears and sugar and cook until soft. Stir in the berries and remove from heat.

As best as you can, cut the brie into about 1″ cubes (this will be easiest if it’s chilled).

Working quickly so the dough doesn’t dry out, layer 3 sheets of phyllo (spray each sheet with oil). Cut them into 3 long strips.

Put one cheese cube and a little of the fruit mixture on the bottom left of each strip. Fold it up into a triangle, flag-style. Repeat until you run out of filling. I got a little over 30 puffs.

Place on a greased baking sheet (don’t let them tough each other or they’ll stick together). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Cumin Lamb Chops with Orange-Curry Couscous

The spices go perfectly with the lamb. Don’t be afraid to use all of the mixture- it looks like a lot, but the lamb holds up well to it. The couscous was great. i didn’t have orange juice on hand, so I just used some thre some frozen concentrate and water into the pot. I bet the couscous would be great served cold the next day.

1 t. cumin
1/2 t. corriander
dash salt
2 t. honey
4 lamb chops
1/2 onion, chopped
handful dried cranberries
1/2 c. water
1 c. orange juice
1 t. curry powder
1 c. Isreali couscous
cilanto to taste

preheat broiler.

In a small bowl, combine cumin, corriander, and salt.
Spread each lamb chop with honey and coat with spice mixture.
Set aside.

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft.
Add next 4 ingredients (through curry) and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and add couscous. Cover.

Put the lamb under the broiler. I broiled them for about 5 minutes on each side for a medium level of doneness.

Just before serving, add cilantro to couscous and fluff with a fork.