Ovis Hill Farm Market and Shuler's BBQ

On a cool day at the end of February we were off once again on one of our outings to support local farms and businesses. After meeting in the parking lot of a neighborhood business, we moved a cooler to one car, got ourselves situated, and proceeded to play "follow the leader" to our destination.

First stop, the Ovis Hill Farm "Farm Market" located next to Naturally Outdoors on West Palmetto Street in Florence, South Carolina!

Ovis Hill Farm is a family owned livestock and certified organic vegetable farm located in Darlington County just west of Florence and convenient to I-20 and I-95. Alice and Charlie Caldwell are currently shepherding sheep, grazing cows as well as pasture raised chickens & gathering eggs from a small flock of laying hens.The Caldwells sell pasture raised, grass fed lamb, beef, poultry, eggs, and dairy products as well as seasonal organic veggies. All meat is USDA inspected, hormone and antibiotic free and veggies are raised organically. A variety of products from Ovis Hill Farm and a network of local farms are at Ovis Hill Farm Markets located in Florence, Myrtle Beach and Hartsville SC. 

Each week a market bulletin in posted on their website with updates. This week's bulletin showed us the following: 
New Veggies from our Grow Foods Carolina Network! If all goes well with our link up we should have several varieties of lettuce, Daikon radishes, frozen organic blueberries and fresh turmeric root form several local farms in the Charleston area. We may also have baby collard greens, Ricky James' sweet potatoes and microgreens from City Roots.

There we met Charlie Caldwell, farmer and owner, and proceeded to look around and explore the amazing selection of products offered. Charlie greeted the group and really wanted to give us a talk about who and what they are, and what they do, but there just was never a good time as it quickly got busy, not just with our 9, but with many others coming to shop.

click photos to enlarge

What is unique is the partnering they do with the other farms ... that provided a much larger selection and the various types of products were amazing. Between the meat selections of chicken, pork or beef, variety of produce, grains and legumes, organic berries and dried fruits, milk, cheese, apple cider, fresh fish, honey and even ground coffee, you could literally shop here for the week for all your groceries. I was amazed! All this under a big white tent with a steady stream of customers coming and going. Charlie Caldwell is a great guy, and I would recommend this market to all my friends. Better yet, it's open year round!

After everyone got checked out, we loaded up our coolers with all the goodies we bought, went over the directions to our next destination, and headed out. So excited we were going for lunch at Shulers BBQ as seen on the popular TV show The Profit. I couldn't wait to see it and experience all of it, after I had watched this episode; I remember saying part way into the show, "hey this is in South Carolina not too far from us." You can watch a sneak peek of the episode here.

Located in the middle of nowhere, Shulers BBQ is a thriving business with lines out the door every day. Since we arrived shortly before they opened (and the lines were already forming), we opted to check out the adjacent General Store. When we first walked in everyone was like "uh oh, we're in trouble now" as each person drifted off to check out this or that. There's even a bakery inside ... trouble, trouble, trouble! We opted to look around, but come back in to shop after lunch (probably so we wouldn't all be toting numerous large bags of purchases with us).

When the restaurant opened we went in and straight up the line to pay for our orders, before we proceeded through the buffet with cafeteria-style trays. Since we had a group of 9, they had set aside a table for us in one of the large rooms adjoining the outdoor deck. The food was as you'd expect "down home country cooking" with pulled pork, fried chicken, every side dish you can imagine, Lynn's famous "little biscuits," and desserts! All this for the price of $8.95 + tax = $9.94 includes drinks and free refills. What a feast! Please be sure to check out their complete menu here.

We got our food, found our table, and proceeded to indulge in what is Shulers BBQ! We absolutely had a great time, eating and talking, and then someone mentioned dessert! Who could eat dessert? I was so full I was stuffed, but hey, it's dessert after all. Ok! So a few brave souls wondered up to get a delicious treat. There was Banana Pudding, Peach Cobbler with Ice-Cream and a Bread Pudding. Delicious! Shulers BBQ is a clean, fun, friendly place, and an experience worth remembering!

After lunch we shopped in the General Store as planned, gathered up our purchases and headed home.

It was another great day out supporting a local farm/farm market and family owned food establishment. No matter where we go, or what farm/market we visit, we always find the most friendly people you'd ever want to meet, and some of the freshest products available. These products didn't travel miles and miles to get to the store. They were picked the night before, loaded up (or sold on-site) and brought to the market or farm store ready for you and I to purchase and enjoy. It really doesn't get any fresher than that!

For more information, visit:

Ovis Hill Farm:
website
Facebook

Shulers BBQ:
website
Facebook

Personally, I'm going to be enjoying the delicious lentils I bought when I make my Linsen Suppe Mit Wurst (German Lentil Soup with Wurst)

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Beth's Sweet Spicy Sticky Bacon Wrapped Chicken

This is a guest post from my friend Beth! She and I first met when she was a Captain (she's an Air Force Academy graduate) serving in the Air Force and she had to share office space with me. We got along very well, even though she was much younger than myself, and starting her family as she was pregnant with her first son. She had a love of real food and visited her husband's family farm many times. She also sourced from local farms and markets, so many days we talked about food, recipes she'd made or I'd made, or markets we'd shopped.

Her husband is also serving in the Air Force, so when their first son arrived, Beth opted to get out of the military and become a stay at home mom (for now) around the same time I was retiring from the Air Force as a civilian employee.

A little time went by and they next thing I knew they had orders to move to another base. I would miss seeing her and talking food with her, but we knew we would stay in touch and we have indeed thanks in many ways to social media.

When they first moved to their new base, she was able to find a local CSA (community supported agriculture) program and shared pictures each week of their fabulous "haul" from the farm. I marveled at her bounty each week and looked forward to the meals I knew she was going to cook up. In fact, I have told her many times she needs to have her own blog where she can share her experiences and knowledge with others.

She and her husband recently welcomed the arrival of their second son, and things slowed down for just a bit, but not for long, because next thing I knew she was back in the kitchen creating all these fabulous "whole foods meals." I'd asked her to share this one with us, and I'm so glad she took the time to take some photos and write it down to share here.

RECIPE

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 pieces of thick cut bacon
Honey
Dry rub*
1/2-1 tbsp cayenne (depending on spice preference)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dry mustard

Method
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease broiler pan well (I use spray olive oil). Make dry rub and liberally coat chicken breasts in the dry rub. Wrap each breast with 2 pieces of bacon, place on broiler pan and drizzle honey liberally over each one.

Bake 20-30 minutes, topping each with more honey 1/2 way through the baking time. Turn oven to high broil and cook for 3 minutes to crisp the bacon. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with rosemary sweet potatoes and green beans, or your choice of side dishes.

*If you do not want to make this spice rub, or have a favorite of your own that lends itself to spicy, sweet, and smoky flavors, feel free to mix it up and make it your own.

Featured on Meal Plan Monday

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Spicy Asian Orange Sauce

Citrus fruit is great, and when oranges are in season I usually buy some to make marmalade. This year I wanted to do something different, so I decided to make this Spicy Asian Orange Sauce.

Inspired by Asian flavors, this sauce incorporates Chinese 5 Spice, soy sauce, red chili flakes and garlic to give it some zing! Brown sugar, white sugar and honey gives it some sweetness, and the apple cider vinegar gives it some punch.

Baste it on grilled chicken, pork ribs or ham for a delicious twist.

Recipe

Ingredients
12 medium-sized oranges
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup honey (I use raw local honey)
3/4 cup diced onion
2 tbls. mustard seed
1 tbls. minced garlic
1 tbls. soy sauce (dark soy but you can use any)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbls. red chili flakes (add more if you like spicy)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbls. Chinese 5 spice powder
1 tbls. orange zest (reserved to add to each jar)

Method
Peel all oranges, reserving peel*. Remove any seeds, separate oranges into sections, and add them to a large stock pot with 3 cups water of water. Simmer on low for an hour until fruit is soft. Add onions and simmer for 10 minutes or until onions are soft. Add the rest of the ingredients, simmer for 15 minutes. Using a regular or stick blender pulse the mixture till it’s mostly smooth.

Ladle hot sauce into prepared jars, adding a pinch of the reserved orange zest to each jar and stirring well to combine. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims of the jars with a damp paper towel, removing any food particles that would interfere with a good seal. Add your rings to the tops of each of the jars and turn to seal just "finger tight."

Processing: Add jars to a large stock pot with a rack on the bottom. Cover jars with hot water until the water is 2" over the top of the jars. Cover pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat and boil softly 20 minutes. When complete turn off the heat and remove the cover and let the jars sit for another few minutes. Remove the jars and place them back on the dishtowel in a place that they will sit overnight to cool. Allow jars to sit undisturbed 24 hours. Jars are sealed when button on top of lid is fully depressed. Store jars in pantry up to one year. Refrigerate jars after opening.

Yield:  5 pint jars

*Make Orange Zest with reserved peel - chop/grate orange peel using a food processor, and spread out on rimmed cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 170 degrees and dry zest in oven  over several hours, stirring from time to time (time will vary depending on oven but will be at least 3-4 hours). Once dried completely, store zest in small glass mason jars and use the zest as you would any store-bought zest. Zest will keep on your pantry shelf up to one year. How to use Zest

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird Cake is a banana-pineapple spice cake common in the Southern United States. Ingredients include flour, sugar, salt, ripe banana, pineapple, cinnamon, pecans, vanilla extract, eggs, and leavening agent. It is often served with cream cheese frosting. 

The cake has been a tradition in Southern cuisine since the mid-20th century. The first known publication of the recipe, as written by Mrs. L.H. Wiggins, was in the February 1978 issue of Southern Living. The cake won the Favorite Cake Award later that same year at the Kentucky State Fair.

It was selected Southern Living's favorite recipe in 1990 and was noted as the most requested recipe in the magazine's history. The cake typically has two or three layers with pecans, mashed bananas, crushed pineapple and cream cheese frosting. (source: Wikipedia)

Although normally made as a layer cake, it is delicious as a bundt cake, which is the way I decided to bake it. Oh my goodness ... moist, tender, delicate and delicious! No wonder this cake won a "favorite cake" award at the Kentucky State Fair.

RECIPE

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) can Dole crushed pineapple, undrained
2 cups chopped bananas
1 cup chopped pecans

Method

Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and 1 cup chopped toasted pecans. Spoon batter into 3 well-greased (with shortening or sprayed with baking spray) and floured 9-inch round cake pans, or one Bundt pan.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes (layers) and 60 minutes (Bundt pan) or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes our clean. Cool cake layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting and top with more chopped pecans.

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz. (1/4 cup) butter
4 oz. (1/4 cup) cream cheese
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. milk
Beat butter and cream cheese together in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add confectioner's sugar, vanilla and milk and beat until smooth. Frost cake and top with chopped pecans (optional).

Also seen on Meal Plan Monday

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Broccoli, Swiss, Cheddar and Bacon Breakfast Bowl

Today I experimented a little with a breakfast bowl idea. I wanted to bake it in a soup bowl so I could have individual servings, or 2 smaller servings per bowl depending on appetites.

I sprayed the inside of the soup bowls with cooking spray, then put all the ingredients in the bowl. I have to say it turned out very well. There is really more than enough for one hearty appetite or 2 smaller servings as I thought. The cheeses melted perfectly and the broccoli was just al dente and not too soft or overcooked.

Recipe

Ingredients
3 farm fresh eggs
1 tbls. sour cream
2 slices Swiss cheese, diced
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup broccoli, chopped
2 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a soup bowl with cooking spray. Whisk eggs and sour cream together and set aside.  Place chopped broccoli, Swiss cheese and crumbled bacon in bowl. Top with egg and sour cream mixture, sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake 20 minutes or until eggs are set and cheese melted. Using a table knife, carefully loosen sides all around and lift breakfast bowl out with a small spatula.

Serve immediately with a side of fresh fruit and your favorite beverage.

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

No-Knead Crusty White Bread

Updated August 2019 

I love a good rustic crusty white bread. There's just something earthy about it that makes you want to bake a loaf or 2 or 3 and then slather a slice with some fresh creamed butter.

What could be better than an easy homemade bread, you can store the dough in the refrigerator and bake several loaves, or hard rolls, over a week? 

Simply grab a hunk of dough out whenever you want. Yummmm!!! Better yet, you can make it any shape you want; oblong, round or shape into rolls.

It is great served with soup, awesome used for hearty sandwiches, sliced and served as bruschetta or crostini, or simply dipped in some yummy olive oil, it's all good to me.

This bread has a very nice crispy crust, and a delicious, soft dough interior ... it performed exactly as the original recipe said it would. It is delicious and a new family favorite. (Original recipe from King Arthur Flour)

RECIPE
Ingredients
3 cups lukewarm water
6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups all purpose flour* 
1 tbls. salt
1 1/2 tbls. instant or active dry yeast
* See "tips" below

Method
*The flour/liquid ratio is important in this recipe. If you measure flour by sprinkling it into your measuring cup, then gently sweeping off the excess, use 7 1/2 cups. If you measure flour by dipping your cup into the canister, then sweeping off the excess, use 6 1/2 cups. Most accurate of all, and guaranteed to give you the best results, if you measure flour by weight, use 32 ounces.

*Bread rising tip - turn oven on to 400 degrees for one minute. Turn oven off and put dough inside oven to rise.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, or a large (6-quart), food-safe plastic bucket. For first-timers, "lukewarm" means about 105°F, but don't stress over getting the temperatures exact here. Comfortably warm is fine.

Mix and stir everything together to make a very sticky, rough dough. If you have a stand mixer, beat at medium speed with the beater blade for 30 to 60 seconds. If you don't have a mixer, just stir-stir-stir with a big spoon or dough whisk until everything is combined.

Next, you're going to let the dough rise. If you've made the dough in a plastic bucket, you're all set - just let it stay there, covering the bucket with a lid or plastic wrap. If you've made the dough in a bowl that's not at least 6-quart capacity, transfer it to a large bowl; it's going to rise a lot. There's no need to grease the bowl, though you can if you like; it makes it a bit easier to get the dough out when it's time to bake bread.

Cover the bowl or bucket, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or for up to about 7 days. (If you're pressed for time, skip the room-temperature rise, and stick it right into the fridge). The longer you keep it in the fridge, the tangier it'll get; if you chill it for 7 days, it will taste like sourdough. Over the course of the first day or so, it'll rise, then fall. That's OK; that's what it's supposed to do.

When you're ready to make bread, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour; this will make it easier to grab a hunk. Grease your hands, and pull off about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough. It'll be about the size of a softball, or a large grapefruit.

Plop the sticky dough onto a floured work surface, and round it into a ball, or an oblong loaf. Don't fuss around trying to make it perfect; just do the best you can. If you are making an oblong loaf, pat the dough out on a lightly floured surface, then roll up jelly roll fashion, pinching ends to seal. The same is true with small rolls which will become hard rolls. Just use smaller amounts of dough and shape into several rolls.

Place the loaf on a piece of parchment (if you're going to use a baking stone); or onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sift a light coating of flour over the top; this will help keep the bread moist as it rests before baking.

Let the loaf warm to room temperature and rise; this should take about 60 minutes (or longer, up to a couple of hours, if your house is cool). It won't appear to rise upwards that much; rather, it'll seem to settle and expand. (see bread rising tip above).

Preheat your oven to 450°F while the loaf rests. If you're using a baking stone, position it on a middle rack while the oven preheats. Place a shallow metal or cast iron pan (not glass, Pyrex, or ceramic) on the lowest oven rack, and have 1 cup of hot water ready to go, or fill the pan partially with hot water and place it inside the oven while preheating and leave it in while baking (just be careful when opening the oven as the steam is very hot - this is my preferred method).

When you're ready to bake, take a sharp knife and slash the bread 2 or 3 times, making a cut about 1/2" deep. The bread may deflate a bit; that's OK, it'll pick right up in the hot oven. Brush tops with water and sprinkle on poppy seeds or sesame seeds if using.

Place the bread in the oven - onto the baking stone, if you're using one, or simply onto a middle rack, if it's on a pan - and carefully pour the 1 cup hot water into the shallow pan on the rack beneath. It'll bubble and steam; close the oven door quickly (Skip this step if you already partially filled the pan with hot water).

Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, until it's a deep, golden brown.

Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store leftover bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

To reheat: Preheat oven to 350 and heat bread for 5-7 minutes.


Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Blueberry Balsamic Barbecue Sauce

Seriously! Blueberry Balsamic Barbecue Sauce is the bomb diggity! It's sweet, tart, tangy, tingly, and oh so good. The sweet blueberries blend so well with the tart balsamic vinegar, then the bite of the red pepper flakes mellows out some to the smooth taste of the honey ... in a word ... amazing!

This the the perfect grilling sauce for pork or any poultry. Baste it on liberally toward the end of the grilling time for a simply delicious result.

RECIPE
Ingredients
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup raw local honey 
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, to taste
2 tsp. dried minced onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. molasses
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. course-ground black pepper

Method
Place all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer at least one hour, stirring from time to time to prevent sticking. Sauce will thicken and reduce some while simmering.

Remove from heat and process sauce in a blender until smooth. Pour contents into a 2 cup storage container and refrigerate.

To can it:

Pour into two - 8 oz. jelly jars leaving 1/2" headspace, cover with lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath or steam canner 15 minutes.

Remove jars from water bath or steam canner and let sit on top of a kitchen towel on your counter top 24 hours undisturbed. Jars are sealed when button in middle of top is fully depressed. Store up to one year in your pantry; refrigerate after opening.

When ready to use, baste sauce several times on grilled pork or chicken toward the end of the grilling process, or until meat is lightly caramelized with barbecue sauce. Serve additional sauce on the side if desired.

Cooks note - no need to can it if you don't want to. Store in your refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Yield: 2 cups or 2 - 8 oz. jelly jars

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Asian Inspired Ground Beef and Rice

Updated October 2020

I love most all Asian influenced foods ... they are typically loaded with veggies and are quick and easy to put together. They make an awesome weeknight supper, ready in just about no time at all. This one "spices things up" a bit using red pepper flakes, which you can omit if you want to, no biggie, or add more to your taste. It's totally up to you ... I just like it hot and spicy!

RECIPE
Ingredients
1 lb. grass-fed ground beef (pork, chicken/turkey, or lamb)
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
1 tbls. butter
2 cups cooked rice

Method
Brown ground beef; drain and set aside. In the same skillet stir fry garlic, onion, celery, carrots and cabbage with brown sugar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes until veggies are al dente, about 5 minutes. Toss in frozen peas, cover and cook about 3 minutes. Stir in cooked ground beef and serve immediately over hot, cooked rice.

Yield:  4 servings

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Grilled Lamb Shanks

Who knew Lamb Shanks are so darn good! Don't get me wrong, I grew up eating lamb, but that was Leg of Lamb, or Lamb Chops, not Lamb Shanks.

Since discovering Lamb Shanks at a couple of our local, small family farms, we have been trying them different ways.

Not too long ago we tried Slow Cooked Braised Lamb Shanks, but then my husband really wanted to try grilling them and this is the delicious result.

RECIPE
Ingredients
2 large lamb shanks
4 small garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 Tbls course ground black pepper
1 - 6" stalk fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp tarragon
1-2 tsp. raw local honey

Method
In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients except the lamb shanks and honey. Turn grill burners on the direct high and sear lamb shanks 5 minutes per side. Remove shanks and turn burners down to low-off-low.

Rub lamb shanks all over with spice rub. Spray a large piece of aluminum foil liberally with cooking spray and wrap shanks tightly in foil. Wrap another piece of foil around lamb shank package and place on the grill. Grill 2 hours over low heat, turning lamb shank package several times during the cooking time.

Remove lamb shanks from grill, remove foil wrapper and drizzle each lamb shank with honey. Serve immediately with your choice of side dishes. We served ours with sliced grilled potatoes topped with bleu cheese, onions and carrots.

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Spicy Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I love enchiladas, and I really love chicken enchiladas. Of course I have always made them individually rolled up in homemade flour tortillas with enchilada sauce and shredded cheese put over top, but then I thought, why not layer it and make it a casserole?

Homemade flour tortillas

Traditional enchiladas

Well I did that and this is the result. You actually get more pieces using less chicken this way, or so that was my result. 

Recipe

Ingredients
2 cups chicken broth
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
A few pickled jalapeno peppers (more or less to taste)
1 medium onion, chopped
½ cup milk
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
4 oz cream cheese
1 cup  Enchilada sauce
4 - 9" homemade flour tortillas
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put chicken broth in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add chicken, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done.

Remove chicken from cooking liquid and set 1 cup of cooking liquid aside for later use. Let chicken cool. Once cooled, shred chicken with two forks and set aside.

In the same skillet used to cook the chicken (with the 1 cup leftover cooking liquid), heat the pickled jalapenos and onion over medium-high heat. Cook for about 3 minutes or until onion is getting soft.

Add milk and cream cheese, stirring until cream cheese is melted. Add shredded Mexican cheese blend and stir until cheese is melted. Stir in enchilada sauce and shredded chicken and mix well.

In 9 x 13-inch baking dish, lightly coated with nonstick cooking spay, place 2 tortillas, side by side (slightly overlapping). Top with half of your chicken mixture. Repeat with two more tortillas and the other half of your chicken mixture. Top the last layer with sharp cheddar cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with sliced black olives, sliced pickled jalapenos, diced tomatoes and sour cream if desired.

Check out Chicken Zucchini Enchiladas from Sumptuous Spoonfuls and many more Mexican dishes from our blogger friends. Simply click the links.

Enjoy,
Mary


© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.