Recipes

I know everyone is posting about fall. About how the weather is changing, the leaves are starting to turn, and Halloween will be here soon. But I’m not ready! Summer went by too fast. And we just got that darn new grill!

So, in its honor, I’m posting one last summer/grill recipe. Grilling season isn’t over yet. We still have Indian summer. And besides, there are a bunch of you down under who are just getting ready for summer. So, this recipe is for you. It’s a recipe for grilled potatoes wrapped in foil. They make a great side dish and since they’re grilled in foil packets, the clean up is very easy.

Grilled Potatoes in Foil

1/2 c. Miracle Whip salad dressing (don’t let this scare you, it melts and disappears while cooking)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t. paprika
1/4 t. each: salt, pepper
3 baking potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 large onion sliced

• Mix together salad dressing and seasonings in large bowl until well blended. Stir in potatoes and onions to coat.
• Divide potato mixture evenly among six 12-inch square pieces of heavy-duty foil. Seal each to form packet.
• Place foil packets on grill over medium-hot coals. Grill, covered, 25 – 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Makes 6 servings.

Throw those potato packets on the grill, burn your pork chops and you’re ready for dinner!

We’re off to see TheSecondChild tomorrow for parents weekend.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
XOXO,
Anna

P.S. Are all the rest of you being killed with spam comments?  I can filter out most of the drug spam (so if you decide to send me a comment containing “viagra”, “levitra”, etc., your comment will go into moderation!) but I’m having trouble with the Paris Hilton spam.  What words do I filter out?

• Paris – what if someone wants to comment on a great trip to Paris?
• Hilton — a comment about a great Hilton to stay in?
• Crotch — there is occasionally sewing content here — what if we need to discuss crotch seams?
• Photos — Hello?  We discuss photos all the time!

Send advice!  ;-)

Boy, you have all certainly been busy while I was gone. I just can’t seem to get caught up, but it’s been fun reading some of your blogs and being inspired. You all need vacations! I don’t think I’ve even whittled my bloglines down 50%, and the weekend is coming again. I always get behind on the weekend. Can you get behind if you’re already behind?

I’m on business travel again until tomorrow, so that means I’m posting a recipe. These chicken enchiladas should be what my little family had for dinner tonight — I made them in advance and left them for my HungryMen. This is one of our favorite recipes for a number of reasons. First, they’re rich and delicious. If you’re on a diet, you should probably just skip this post altogether. (Unless, of course, you have incredible willpower and can eat a very small portion.) Second, they might look a little detailed to make, but they’re really pretty easy. And third, they’re very versatile. I first had them at a VERY nice dinner party, so they dress up well. Or, they can dress down, as we usually have them — nothing fancy. They’re pictured here with the VERY yummy jalapeno poppers that were featured on Pioneer Woman Cooks recently. The enchiladas are looking quite over-done in this picture ’cause I love the cheese nice and crusty brown, but trust me, they’re REALLY good. MeMum and I make them for several people who have visited us and they always ask for the recipe.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

1 T. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 4.5 oz. can chopped green chilies
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
8 8-inch flour tortillas
2 8-oz. packages Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
2 c. whipping cream
3 1/2 c. chopped, cooked chicken breast

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat; add onion, and saute 5 minutes. Add green chilies; saute 1 minute. Stir in cream cheese and chicken; cook, stirring constantly, until cheese melts.

Spoon 2-3 T. chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down, in a lightly greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Sprinkle with Monterrey Jack cheese and drizzle with whipping cream. To lighten, substitute half milk. (But we never do, we’re oinkers!)

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until bubbly and browned just the way you like them.
Yum, Yum. I hope they have some left when I get home!

XOXO,
Anna

Red Bunny and I are having a great time reading all of your comments and dreaming of all the new places he might call home. (Notice I said he — I found it such fun to see some people call him a she and some a he. For some reason, I’ve always thought of my bunnies as “he’s.” Unless they have pink in them. Maybe it’s that whole sticking pins in him thing. And by the way, I’m very touched by so many of you who are concerned that the pins might be hurting Red Bunny. We prefer to think of this treatment as accupuncture, vice VooDoo. Male bunny notwithstanding. ;-) )

Thank you all so much for all your wonderful comments. You’ve made the move fun, in spite of the little bugs here and there. As I learned a new mail tool, I managed to send an e-mail to the wrong person. Oops! And I mistakenly thought that if I did a little test post before anyone knew about the new place and then deleted it, it would be gone. Oops2. It apparently still hangs out there in the RSS feed, so bloglines picked it up. Red Bunny and I were Red Faced! And speaking of bloglines, it doesn’t seem to like the new feed, as it doesn’t keep track of subscribers. Oh well, change always brings a few hitches, no?

While Red Bunny and I hang around reading comments and preparing for the drawing (don’t forget to enter your name on the Welcome post if you’d like Red Bunny), we thought we’d share with you a favorite family recipe. It’s also a new favorite of SweetiePie’s.

Flaky Beef Buns

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/3 cup chopped green onions, including tops
1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 T Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon pepper
10-oz. can Hungry Jack Refrigerated Flaky Biscuits*
1 egg, slightly beaten
Dash salt
1 T sesame seed

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheet. In large skillet, brown ground beef; drain. Remove from heat. Add green onions, mayonnaise, mustard and pepper; mix well. Separate dough into 10 biscuits; press or roll each to a 4-inch circle. Spoon 2 tablespoons meat mixture onto center of each circle. Bring dough up over meat mixture; pinch edges together to form buns. Place seam side down on prepared cookie sheet; brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seed. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 16 minutes or until golden brown.
*If you don’t have access to Hungry Jack biscuits, you could just use any biscuit dough (that’s American style biscuits, not cookies!), cut it into rounds and then flatten them out before filling them with the meat mixture.

I’m enjoying all of the Encyclopedia of Me posts out there, started by Cassi. I’d really love to participate, but I’ll be absent for a bit, later in the month, so I don’t think it will work. What a fun idea though!

XOXO,
Anna