The Whole Enchilada Pie

This recipe actually comes from a Diane Mott Davidson novel. I don't remember which one, but her novels are about a caterer and she always includes the recipes that are used for different events throughout the book. I haven't read one of her books that I don't like - they are an easy, yet intriguing read - all murder mysteries.

Anyway - this is the only one of her recipes I've tried, but I have a few other's copied down to try some day.

The Whole Enchilada Pie

1 lb. Ground Beef
Medium Onion, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/3 cup Picante Sauce
1 (16 oz) can Refried Beans (I use 2 cans - we like beans)
1 (10 oz) can Enchilada Sauce
1 tsp. Salt
2 cups crushed Corn Chips
3 cups grated Cheese

Preheat oven to 375°. In frying pan, brown beef, onion and garlic. Add picante sauce, beans, enchilada sauce and salt. Stir and cook until well combined and bubbly.

Layer in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish:
1 cup crushed chips
½ meat mixture
1 ½ cups cheese
1 cup crushed chips
½ meat mixture
1 ½ cup cheese

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until heated through.
Serve with build-your-own taco toppings: tomatoes, olives, sour cream, guacamole, etc...

**This recipe also works really well using a layer of Flour or Corn Tortillas instead of crushed chips – in fact we like it better that way! And the last time I made this I actually made it into enchiladas and it was still super easy.

Sweet and Sour Chicken - Julie Pinkham

I sit here at the computer, supposedly working on my Physical Science test that is due on Friday - and to create a way to stall, I've decided to post the inaugural recipe on my recipe blog. It is what we are having for dinner tonight. I got this recipe from my dear friend Julie (who practically melted this summer in Arizona). She served it at one of our monthly lunch get-to-gethers, back in the day when all of a 4-some of friends lived in Orem, Utah. It's really yummy and a favorite in our house. Even the kids will eat it.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 lb. Chicken – cut into bite size pieces
½ tsp. coarsely chopped or ground Ginger
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Onion powder or salt
½ tsp. Garlic powder or salt
1 Egg
¼ cup Flour
3 Tbs. Butter/margarine
1 can Pineapple chunks
½ cup Brown sugar
¼ cup vinegar (preferably apple cider)
1 Tbs. Soy sauce
2 Tbs. Cornstarch
1 Green pepper - chopped
6 med. Carrots - chopped

Mix together ginger, salt, onion and garlic powders, and flour. In a separate bowl whisk the egg. Coat chicken pieces with egg and then flour mixture. Melt butter over med-high heat, add chicken to brown.*
Boil vegetables until tender crisp (this doesn’t take as long as you think) – keep them warm until added. When chicken is browned add can of pineapple (with juice) to meat. Add vinegar, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Heat thoroughly. Take a couple of Tbs. of juice out to mix with cornstarch – whisk with fork until a smooth paste. Add back to meat and let juices thicken. Add veggies right before serving. Serve over rice or noodles.

*When I'm in a time crunch, or really just being lazy, I forgo the egg and flour and just dump the chicken into the pan and sprinkle with the ginger, onion, and garlic powders. It's not as good, but it still works. And if you want the traditional Chinese Restaurant version, you can add a little red food coloring to the sauce.

Enjoy the recipe. I hope to post at least one recipe a month - I'm going to aim for two. We'll see how it goes.
In the meantime - if you try this recipe and want to share your reviews, please feel free to post it as a comment or email me and I'll add it to the post.