Chicken Enchilada Casserole

It’s been a little while since I’ve shared a recipe so I decided on Thursday that it was the perfect time to document the making of our meal because I was making a family favorite. Chicken Enchilada Casserole, yummmm

What you will need:
Cooking spray
1 cup chicken broth
1 (4.5 oz) can green chilies ( I use whole because I like to take the seeds out and chop them myself)
4 good sized pieces of chicken
2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup monterey jack cheese
1/4 cup cream cheese
10 oz. enchilada sauce
12 corn tortillas
1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese

Combine chicken broth & half the can of chiles in a large skillet. Bring to a boil.


Add chicken, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.


Remove chicken and let cool. Shred chicken apart. Save remaining liquid with chiles. Preheat oven to 350 degrees


Heat olive oil over medium heat and add remaining 1/2 can of chiles and your onions. Saute for approximately 3 minutes.

Add your reserved cooking liquid, evaporated milk, jack cheese, cream cheese and enchilada sauce and shredded chicken. Stir well (until cream cheese is fully incorporated in the sauce) and cook for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Line the bottom of your coated casserole dish with approximately 4 tortillas. Spoon enchilada mixture over tortillas and then top with cheese. Repeat two or three times and sprinkle with remaining

Bake in oven for approximately 30 minutes or until thoroughly cooked and nice and the cheese is nice and bubbly.


I typically serve this with Spanish rice and re-fried beans. This casserole is full of flavor but salsa is always welcome at our table :)

I promise everyone will love this casserole! Even my picky kids chow down. Also if you have a vegetarian in the family this can be easily converted to be vegetarian friendly. Simply replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth and you can either do no chicken or you can do mock chicken in it. I have made it that way for my sister many times and it's also on of her favorites.

Too short?

Hi I'm Shana and I'am 5ft 5in, short? Not really. Tall? uh not so much. Practically perfect, why thank you :)
I've never really considered myself short but there are times I really feel like it. Like when I stand next to my husband or a couple of my friends. They tower over me. And then there's times I go to get something out of my laundry room, and of course the thing I need is on the VERY top shelf and I can't reach it! What do I do? Don't tell my husband but I climb onto the washing machine. Terrified that one day I will break my washer or dryer. Solution, well that's easy. I need a stool. We used to have one when we had our house but since we've moved nine times in eight years it has magically disappeared. I'm thinking this one would look perfect in my house.
Not only would a stool help me not break my washer and myself but I could also use it to get stuff from the top cupboard in my kitchen. My husband can't even reach some of the things all the way up there. And not to mention, is that one pictured above just not the cutest little stool. And I could think of many other uses for it, one being I can do a little photo shoot with Jr and Samantha standing on either side of it and Shawn sitting on it.

I was not compensated for this post

Hunny Do List

I hear all the time from friends and family that they (the wives) make Hunny do lists. I've never done one before because I've always thought they were a tad silly, why make a list when you can just do it right then and there! But with our taxes coming in soon and our rental falling apart the list of things I would like fixed has gotten quite long. Well long in my opinion LOL So I decided what they heck, I may as well make a list. Here's what I have so far:

1. Replace doorknobs on doors
a. Kitchen door
b. Kids bathroom door
c. Master bathroom door
d. Living room door

2. Replace track wheels on the glass slider

3. Replace broken tiles in kitchen and bar area

4. Repair washing "room" closet doors

5. Rent carpet cleaner

Here's a picture of the broken tiles.

The bar area

Over the dishwasher

What upsets me about repairing these is that they have already been repaired by the prior tenant yet they have fallen off again. The one on the bar area has already cut both Steve and I. This condo was built in the late 70'2 or early 80's. I'm thinking more 70's due to the puke green appliances and matching linoleum on the floors LOL I can totally understand not really wanting to put a lot of money into a rental, especially if you live out of the country but in my opinion there comes a time when it is necessary and when tiles that have been repaired many times keep breaking and are now a hazard, that would be the time if any to put some money into your rental and replace the counter tops. Again, just my honest opinion LOL

Look at me, I've gone off track of my original reason for this post. Okay back to hunny do lists. I'm thinking the list I have is good for right now, I'm sure as time goes on I will think of more. Since this is my first time making one of these I'm wondering I'm I the odd ball out that has never made one of these or am I not alone in feeling these were silly.

Wordless Wednesday

This is the result of brushing curly hair when not wet....a FRO lol

How much can one little person eat

It is only 7:48 am, Shawn has been awake for almost two hours now. He wakes up and is immediately hungry (unfortunately he got that from his mama). He had two bowls of Cheerios for breakfast, yes I actually am brave enough to give a a one and a half year old a bowl of cereal with milk in it. And now he stands at my side, going back and forth to my left side then my right saying "more more more' as I eat, scratch that, attempt to eat.
I don't mind that he has a big appetite especially since his older brother Jr eats like a bird most of the time. He is also the least picky eater out of the three kids but I'm wondering how much is too much? Shawn can easily put down three bowls of oatmeal for breakfast! I can't even eat that much at one time lol I love that my little dude is a chunky monkey but he's not overweight by any means. Yes he weighs as much as his three year old sister but he's always been on that side of the spectrum, my other two are my skinny mini's (as I call them).
So back to the point of this post, what do you consider to be too much or enough for a one and a half year old? Do you put a limit on your kids food intake?

Get ready for some football!

Yesterday I hosted a Digorno believe party. They were awesome enough to send coupons for SIX free pizzas, beads, stickers, potholder, chip clip, pizza cutter and four dollar off coupons for me to pass out to my guests. The kids had a blast playing with each other while the adults watched the football game(go Saints!). And everyone really enjoyed the pizza. Towards the end of the party, after we all had some beers we took our pictures to show we believe Digorno is better then delivery pizza. We convinced by brother in law to wear his stickers with no shirt on, hes always the goofy one so it wasn't to hard to convince him lol

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Welcome to the world of flakes

So I got approved to host a Digorno pizza party last month. As SOON as I got approved I sent out invites to my family and a few friends. I was very excited since this was going to be my first time hosting anything like this. The only parties I've ever thrown are the kids birthdays and my sisters baby shower. I'm no expert at throwing parties which is fine by me but I take pride in what I've done and I can't help but get excited as the party nears.
So here I sit, the day before the party with only one rsvp. Well two if you count my husband LOL I am very disappointed in this. A simple yay or nay is all I ask. I have to plan how much drinks I need to buy and appetizers and the rest of the small things yet I can't because I have no clue who is coming. I called my mom to see if she will be here and she wants to play it by ear because Jr has a cough. I asked my other sister and her response was "ughhh" so I'm taking that as a no.
I don't ask much of my family because I know the response I will get but from a simple get together I would have liked to have my family there.
I'm wondering if I am the only one who has to deal with this? It drives me nuts beyond belief, which in turn upsets my husband because he doesn't like seeing me upset (sweet isn't he lol) It's times like these I wonder what things would be like if we still lived in another state

Okay I apologize for ranting, but hey it's better to get it out then keep it bundled up inside right ;)

Crazy weather

Well some would say it's crazy weather but I just think it's awesome. I am a California born and raised girl but for a brief few years we moved around a lot. In 2003 we moved to Texas, lived there for a year and ended up moving back to California. Not by choice, they closed down my husbands work station. We stayed in California for about two years and then moved to Colorado. We only lived there for about 5 months and then packed up and left for Georgia. Again we were only there for about 5 months. By this time our family had grown from just Steve and I to Jr and little Samantha. When we found out I was pregnant again we moved back to be closer to family. Crazy, yes I know LOL
So the reason I mention all the moving is because I got to experience many different types of weather. In Texas we had a tornado in the next town over, same with Colorado. We got to experience amazing thunder storms in Texas and Georgia. And I got to experience snow (yay) In Colorado and a little bit in Texas. Seeing as I've experienced these different types of weather it always gives me a good laugh when it rains here in California. And how they refer to it as "storm watch 2010". If they only knew what a real storm was LOL
So I am siting back and loving all this rain and I'm excited for more next week!

Georgia (Do you know how many tries it took to capture this lol)

Colorado (I took this pic because the sky was so green)

Colorado (Jr's first time in real snow)

Wordless Wednesday

This was the beautiful sunrise on Tuesday morning. (no editing on these pics)

Party Planning Giveaway

If your anything like me planning a party can be stressful, trying to make sure everything is perfect and making sure you have enough of everything. I tend to go overboard and always have extra food, drinks, decorations LOL A friend of mine, Gena is hosting a giveaway for what I think is an awesome idea! It's for a party planning pack from Atlanta Party Planning She offers invitations, decorations, food, entertainment, goodie bags, location and more!

Hurry up and head on over to enter, the giveaway ends January 21, 2010 @ 10:00 am EST

Shame on me

Wow, I haven't posted in a while. I have recently found twitter and yes I will admit I am addicted LOL So a little update on how things have been over here. Busy! I am not liking Steve being in school. Well let me clarify, I am proud of him for being in school but I am not liking the intersession schedule. He goes from 8am to 11:30am, comes home, takes a nap and then does homework almost until dinner time. Since it's only a 5 week course as opposed to 5 months he has a TON of homework. So along with him being in school Jr is back in school. I will admit it is nice that Steve has morning class because now he drops Jr off in the mornings.
The kids are doing great, no sickies...wooohooo! Sam is now asking when she can go to school by herself. Little girl is totally ready and I am so not!
Well I'm off to clean, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Cool contest I found to win free groceries for a year

"I don't know about you but I would love not to have to pay for groceries for a year!"

Hey, I just entered this contest on Cozi.com to win free groceries for a year. All you have to do is put in your email address.

Even if you don’t enter, please click the link to help me win. (I get an extra entry for telling you.) Thanks!

View >>

Before & After

Well it's not so much a before and after it's more like a with flash and without LOL Photography is one of my passions. I've never seen myself anywhere near professional status which is fine by me, although one day I would love to take classes and learn more about my camera and how to utilize it to it's full potential. A dream of mine is to take pictures of natural settings, whether it be a farmer herding cow, a girl getting water from a stream or a tornado. My husband is going to school for meteorological science so maybe when he's out chasing tornado's I can be by his side taking pictures of them. My picture taking goes in spurts. Sometimes I can go a week without taking a single picture and the following week I will take 100 pictures in one day.
Okay I'm rambling now, the reason for this post was to show a scene that I thought was pretty. One with a flash and one without. I WISH I had my nikon and not my little point and shoot cause the quality on the picture sucks. But it will have to do.
This was at my parents house a couple weeks ago.

Odd ball

I've always know Shawn was an odd ball but now he has started banging his head on things and he finds it absolutely hilarious! He will run through the house and bang his head on the wall or the window. I remember Jr going through a similar faze but he didn't do it nearly as hard as Shawn does. Here's a short little video of him the other day

Please bear with me

I am trying to figure out this whole making a button thing. It looks cute when it's full sized, not so much when it's button size. So I might be changing it a lot for a little but till I can get it to look just right. If anyone has any suggestions I'm ALL ears (eyes) LOL

Wordless Wednesday

This picture cracks me up. If you don't know Shawn this is his "cheese" face but to me it looks like he's saying ewwww to his sister giving him kisses LOL Hmmmm, maybe I should have not revealed the true meaning behind the pic haha

Little sneak

I was helping Jr get ready for school this morning and I walked back into the kitchen to see Shawn like this:


He is such a little stinker. Instead of saying no I couldn't help but giggle and grab the camera

Balloons!

What kid doesn't like balloons, especially huge one's that they can watch fly through the sky. This morning there was about 13-15 hot air balloons taking off near our house. I brought the kids outside and we watched them all for about thirty minutes. It was non stop "balloon.....bawooon".

The Polka Dot Tot Spot

I won a gift certificate on Just For Me and You to The Polka Dot Tot Shop. When I first saw her site I was in love with her clothes! Heather has the most adorable little girls skirts there along with many other items like pants, cloth play blocks, Easter eggs, fabric cards and more. I knew instantly what I wanted from her site. She contacted me right away about my blog win and me being new to costum made clothes I didn't know what information to give her LOL She was very nice and explained what information she needed in order to process my order. My son ended up with pneumonia and I felt horrible but wasn't able to respond to one of her emails because I left out one measurement. She said it was no problem and went ahead and guesstimated based on the other measurements I gave her and mailed my daughters skirt out! We received the skirt last night and I am so pleased with how well it turned out. It fits her PERFECTLY! I had to take some pictures just because seriously, this skirt is beyond cute.




Go take a look at her site, I promise you will love what she has! The Polka Dot Tot Shop

Having boys

I watched my friend Genas momtv show today and one of her topics was raising her girls to be confident and happy with themselves and how the media and people in general today can make that hard. I am in complete agreiance with that. It worries me what my daughter might struggle with in her teen years. Appearance wasn't the highest thing on my priority list growing up, heck I wore holed jeans and my boyfriends t-shirts LOL I was more into the grunge thing then the preppy gotta spend hours on my hair and makeup faze. But I know times are changing and that's what worries me. I'm not only worried about my daughter but for my sons to. Boys get scrutinized just as much as girls, maybe not in the same way but they are pressured to be cool and do the "right" things and do things that are "cool". They also pick up how a woman should be treated and not be treated just as girls learn how they should be treated.
I strive to be the best mother to my kids, keep my cool during stressful situations and answers all the questions my curious little one's ask me. But I can only do so much, I have to trust that I have instilled the right values in my children and they will make the best decisions for themselves.

Monday

Jr goes back to school on Monday and he is sooooooo excited. He has been asking since day 1 of winter vacation when he gets to go back. I love that he loves school so much. He also hasn't stopped talking about all his friends at school. I hope it stays like this for a LONG time. I know the day will eventually come when he dreads school but I hope it's not for a very long time.

(Sorry I've been kind of slow on posting, I'm going through a major blogging brain fart right now)

Wordless Wednesday

CHEESE! I just love this picture of him :D

Go figure

I write a post about how big my baby boy is getting and he goes and looses his second tooth! Well not so much loosing as pulling, mommy pulling LOL He actually really surprised me. He doesn't let me touch his teeth. When his first tooth was loose he freaked out and cried that it was loose. I kept asking if I could see how loose this tooth was but he refused to let me touch it. Yesterday he had been playing with it off and on all day and right at bed time he looks at me and asked me if I could pull his tooth out! I was shocked to say the least but excited he asked me so I didn't waste anytime doing it.
These were taken this morning with his present from the tooth fairy. As you can tell he is still half asleep LOL

Curl up with a Book and a Nook! Contest

My baby is growing up

I know it's not much for some but for me it's little things that make me realize just how fast my first born is growing up. He is six years old and growing so much every day. He is beginning to learn how to read and knows his alphabet, counts to 100, asks a million questions each day and now he knows how to make popcorn all by himself. And yes it was the learning how to make popcorn all by himself that almost made me cry. I still remember bringing him home from the hospital, walking up three flights of stairs and putting him in his bassinet for the first time. Oh where did my little itty bitty baby go :( I wish I could keep my babies young, selfish yes, realistic no LOL
On the other hand it makes me so excited to think of the man he will grow up to be one day. He's already listed off about ten things that he would like to be when he grows up. Fireman, police man, Dr, working in construction. Of course some of the things he listed were just hilarious, go figure I can't remember them right now.
Anywho, I'm realizing my baby is growing up and it's hitting me hard today. I'll just give him some extra cuddles when he's asleep tonight.

Inspiration

As I laid in bed last night I had hundreds of ideas pouring through of what to write about today, tomorrow, heck the rest of the week. And of course when I woke up this morning they were all gone! I'm wondering where everyone (bloggers) get's their inspiration from. Obviously the main one for me is being a mother and talking about my kids. They are the biggest part of my life so why not talk about them, what's wrong with a little bragging right LOL But there are other things in my life I enjoy like photography, cooking, the outdoors (except when it's cold). As you can tell I am having a hard time coming up with things to talk about lately.
Oh on a side note, I made a button for my blog. Nothing special, actually it's quite boring in my opinion but hey it works, right??? haha

Want to try to win a bumbleride stroller!

Momstart is hosting a great giveaway. Okay not great it's awesome! From everything I have read and seen about the Bumbleride strollers they amazing. One lucky reader will win the Flyer by Bumbleride. Hurry up and enter because the giveaway ends on January 18, 2010!

Here's the direct link also: http://momstart.com/2010/01/bumbleride-flyer-the-amazing-stroller-review-donation-and-giveaway/

What can’t you live without?

For me that’s easy, my washer and dryer! 

We actually have this love hate kind of relationship going on. I love them because without them I would go nuts hand washing all our clothes. I hate them because they don’t fold my clothes by themselves and put them away LOL

I’m starting off the New year by cleaning my house and catching up on things I haven’t been doing (laundry).

And that’s not even half of it. Not even close haha. Please excuse the unmade bed. I spent most of the morning and part of the early afternoon doing laundry and I am happy to say that…..it is ALL done!

 

Samantha wanted to get it on the pictures :)

Happy New Year!

 

I got to ring in the New Year with two out of the four most favorite people in my life. I even got my New Years KISS from my wonderful hubby! Yay. As you can tell by the picture Jr was not in the picture taking mood but too bad haha, I wanted a picture of us on the first minute of the year 2010.

January 1, 2010 @ 12:01am