Shredded Beef Enchiladas

This recipe is a two in one.  The enchiladas are really my very own creation, but it's probably not that different from other recipes you have seen for making beef enchiladas with red sauce.  The special part is the shredded beef.  It's the only way I like making a roast, whether to have with potatoes for Sunday dinner or to put in this recipe.  If you have never tried making a roast like this, trust me, try it.  The roast recipe came from my mother, and she called it "Poor Man's Roast," because even with cheaper cuts of beef, it still turns out great every time. 

Also, I used to make these enchiladas with refried beans spread in the tortillas, and I have since taken that part out.  It really doesn't need it.  I like beans better as a side dish rather than inside the enchiladas.  Watch out--these are pretty hearty.

Makes 2 9x13 pans of 6-7 each, so great for when you need to take a meal to someone, because it feeds two families.  I also will freeze one pan for later. 

12-14 flour tortillas

2 lbs. Mexican blend shredded cheese

1 large onion, diced

1 small can green chiles

4 lb. pot roast

1 T worchesershire sauce

1 can mushroom soup

1 pkg. lipton dried onion soup

1 can tomato soup

1 pkg. enchilada seasonings

1 10 oz. can red enchilada sauce

1 can water (use tomato soup can)

1 small 6 oz can tomato paste

salt and pepper

minced garlic (about 4-5 tsp.)

For Roast:

Prepare roast by rubbing with salt and pepper.  Cut 7-8 slits in roast and fill each slit with about ½ t of minced garlic.  Drizzle 1 T worchestire over roast.  Sprinkle lipton soup and spread the mushroom soup over roast.  Triple wrap with foil, but not too tightly, and seal well.  Bake on low (225°) for about 10 hours or so.  Carefully open foil, shred beef, and save all liquid.

For Enchiladas:

In a large skillet, sauté onion and green chilis.  Add shredded beef and set aside.  Strain roast gravy drippings into a large sauce pan over low heat.  Add 1 can tomato soup, 1 can water, enchilada sauce, seasonings, and tomato paste.  Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. 

Coat the bottom of a 9x13 pan with enchilada sauce.  Cut tortillas on each side so they fit in the pan (if necessary) without folding the sides in.  Divide the meat mixture in half and evenly distribute the meat with a generous amount of cheese onto each enchilada.  Roll each up and place in pan.  Repeat in a second 9x13 pan with 6-7 more tortillas and the rest of the meat.  Pour the red sauce evenly over both pans and top with lots of cheese.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes until bubbly.  May freeze before baking. 

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I can't take credit for this recipe. I got it from the blog of my friend, Melanie Hegewald, but it is such a keeper. I love that it uses both corn tortillas and chicken; all the recipes for enchiladas I have used in the past with chicken and green enchilada sauce use flour tortillas, so it was fun to try something different.

Best part, my family LOVED these. All three of the girls just scarfed them, and then we had some for leftovers and the whole family ate them again really well. It's a home run of a recipe--delicious for both the kids and the adults. Just adjust heat level to your taste. I used 2 t. of chili powder and mild sauce for them. I could have gone hotter for me.

1/2 C. honey
1/3 C. lime juice (about 2 large limes)
2-3 t. chili powder, depending on heat level desired
2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 t. garlic powder
1 & 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3 large breasts), cooked and shredded (I used all chicken off of a rotisserie chicken, including the dark meat)
3 C. Mexican cheese blend, shredded; 2C. is for the filling and 1C. is for the top
1/4 C. chopped cilantro
12 corn tortillas (the ones I used were fairly large, like the size of flour tortillas; I did not use the size used for “Pierce Tacos,” for example, and I cut them on the sides a little to fit side by side in the pan)
1 14-oz can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
3/4 C. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the chicken, add 2 cups shredded cheese and the cilantro and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tortillas, 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, in the refrigerator.

Heat a large griddle till a drop of water skitters across (about 350 degrees F). Spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray or oil it with a little bit of canola oil in between each round of tortillas. Heat tortillas about 20 seconds on each side till warm and flexible and some golden brown spots have appeared. Remove the tortillas from the griddle and keep them between a couple of paper towels until ready to use.

Sray or oil the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish.
Add at least 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla. Roll the tortilla up and place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each.
Repeat with the remaining chicken mixture and tortillas. Pour the creamy mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top. Serve with sour cream, sliced avocado, black beans, and Spanish rice or a green salad for a great meal.

Lime Slush Punch

From Lion House and Mom's collection

2 c sugar
8 c water
1 12 oz can frozen limeade
5 fresh lime, juice
2 12 oz, 7 up

Combine sugar, water and heat slightly until dissolved.  Add frozen limeade and juice of five lime.  Mix and freeze.  Remove about 1 hr before and break up.  Pour in punch bowl and add 7 up.

Party Punch

I've never made a party punch and I don't know why.  This recipe is from Mom's collection.

2 bottles cranberry juice
2 c orange juice
1/4 c lemon juice
1 qt pineapple sherbet
1 qt ginger ale

Mix together and serve.

Shoyu Chicken

1 1/2 c brown sugar
3/4 c soy sauce
1 1/2 c water
2 cloves garlic-minced
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Cook above ingredients with frozen chicken until tender.  Serve over rice.

Beef Stew

Mom's recipe.  Simple and yummy.  I'll never forget we ate it at our murder mystery night at their house one year.

Beef stew Meat
Mixed veggies
brown gravy

Roll meat in flour and brown.  Cook overnight in crockpot with pepper.  Add in veggies including potatoes and brown gravy.  Cook low till tender.  Serve with bread.

Taco Soup

From an old roommate.  Scott has called me about this recipe over the years.  He used to come over whenever I cooked it back in college.

1 1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 c chopped onion
2 cans water
1 can corn with juice
1 can rinsed kidney beans
8 oz tomato sauce
24 oz can tomatoes with juice
1 pkg taco seasoning

Cook above ingredients in crockpot for 3-4 hours.  Top with cheese, chips (we like frito's) salsa, sour cream.