10 things I love about winter weekends

1. crunchy waffles with LOTS of butter and syrup

2. extra cozy cuddling in bed with the doggies

3. reading the Sunday paper listening to 50’s on 5

4. watching SNL on DVR from the previous evening

5. iphones on silent

6. writing down ideas in my journal (sunday’s make me feel creative!)

7. late church service..although we don’t make it as often as we should

8. planning our meals for the week

9. not worrying about what the scale will say on Monday as I shovel fistfuls of oil popped popper popcorn into my pie hole

10. super love it when company comes to stay!!

ah… recreating the famous scene from dirty dancing…

we had company again last weekend and i’m just now getting a chance to post these… we were supposed to go camping (yup! camping in February) with my cousin Eric, his beautiful gf Christine, and our neighbors Eric and Ashley. but mother nature had other plans. instead, we had a weekend full of pictionary, cooking, eating, and watching old movies and football. we had just as much fun as if we would have been stranded at the cabins with no running water and huddled around a small wood-burning stove. 🙂

a couple yummy things we made to eat….(although not pictured)

TURKEY TETRAZINI

*I LOVE this recipe in the winter. it makes a lot and usually i freeze half and eat for a quick weeknight dinner*

8 oz spaghetti, broken into 2″ pcs (2 1/2 cups dry) **i use amish egg noodles from the freezer section

2 C cooked turkey breast, cubed or shredded

4 T butter

3 T chopped onion

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 T chopped pimento **do it! it’s pretty in there : )

1 can evaporated milk (1 2/3 cup)

1/2 tsp celery salt

1/4 tsp marjoram

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 C parmesan cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS: Cook pasta until tender. Drain. Melt butter in a saucepan and saute onion until tender. In a bowl, gently stir together all the ingredients, except the cheeses. Pour into a greased 9×13 casserole dish and top with cheddar and parmesan.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes uncovered or until lightly browned and bubbling. Serve with whole wheat dinner rolls with butter and fresh green beans!

STACY’s CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

*adapted from a crockpot recipe some X-ray students gave me once ; )

3-4 chicken breasts, heavily seasoned with salt & pepper baked & shredded with 2 forks **can use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken

1 8 oz brick of cream cheese, softened

2 cans of green chiles, diced

1 T diced jalepenos if you like it spicy!

1 can of red enchilada sauce

1 can of green enchilada sauce (or 2 of red if you don’t like the green OR make your own if you have extra energy!)

2 C shredded cheddar cheese

chili powder

cumin

garlic salt

**i typically just sprinkle spices in and taste it because i’ve made it so many times! it really just depends on how bland/spicy you want them!

6-8 flour tortillas, room temperature

DIRECTIONS:  in a mixing bowl (i just use my kitchen aide mixer), combine chicken, cream cheese, chiles, jalepenos, half the cheddar cheese, and spices. When your mixture is tasting good and it’s really creamy, spread the mixture into 6-8 tortillas. Arrange in a 9×13″ greased pan. top with enchilada sauce and remaining cup of cheddar. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, covered. Then take the foil off and bake an additional 15-20 minutes until bubbly.

Serve hot with tortilla chips, chopped tomatoes/chopped fresh cilantro/sour cream ….. and an ice cold Corona. Imagine you’re on the beach in Mexico.

I probably make this at least once a week for a splurge : )  you can vary it a ton, too. try them with steak or pork!