Simple, Perfect Enchiladas

So I have a new endeavor.  For Christmas I got "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" cookbook and I love it!!  I actually read it for fun in my free time and look at all the pictures and the recipes.  A few weeks ago I made the lasagna which was really good.  And then last night I made the enchiladas for me, Steven, Amy and Steven's roommate Rich.  They turned out really good and then I got an idea.  I am going to make every recipe in the book. I am going to post all the recipes and pictures.  I know it is like the "Julie and Julia" movie but it wasn't until after I decided to cook all the recipes that I thought of that movie.  And then I thought ha! I will blog about it. This is a horrible picture but I forgot to take a picture of all the enchiladas before I dished them up.  OH well.  Here we go...recipe #1 ( I won't count the lasagna.  I will make it again another time).

The Sauce:
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons flour
1 large can red enchilada sauce (28 ounces)
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tablespoons cilantro chopped

The Meat:
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion
Two 4 ounce cans diced green chilies
1/2 tsp salt

The Rest:
10-14 corn tortillas
canola oil for cooking
1/2 cup chopped black olives
1 cup chopped green onions
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

The Process:
In a saucepan combine the flour and canola oil over medium to low heat until starts to bubble.  Whisk together and bubble for 1 minute.  Pour the red sauce, broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer.  Now prepare the meat.  Chop onion and in a large skillet over medium to high heat, brown the ground beef with the onion.  Drain fat and then add the green chilies.  Add the salt and pepper and stir to combine.  Turn off heat and set aside.  In a small skillet over medium heat, lighly fry the tortillas in canola oil just until soft.  Do not allow them to become crispy.  Place on a paper towel lined plate.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spread 1/2 cup of sauce on the bottom of the pan in a 9x13 inch baking dish.  Next dip each tortilla into the sauce.  Set the sauce soaked tortillas on a cookie sheet and place the meat mixture, black olives and green onions on each tortilla.  Top with cheese.  Roll up the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish.  Repeat with all tortillas.  Stir in the cilantro into the sauce and pour remaining sauce over the top.  Then end with more cheese sprinkled on top.  Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.  Yummy!

I then heated up some refried beans and made the Rice-A-Roni mix for the mexican rice.  It was a perfect addition.  Steven told me it was all magical so that is good.  And I am sorry to admit that this is the first time I have actually made a full on meal for Steven.  And I really do enjoy cooking but I have no excuses.  It is just rather ridiculous.

For dessert I made my blueberry dump cake.  I don't have a picture but it is amazing and super easy.

1 yellow cake mix
One 20 ounce can of crushed pineapples
One 20 ounce can of blueberry pie filling
1 cube of butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour half the cake mix on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.  Then spread the pineapple over the cake mix including the juice.  Then add the blueberry pie filling on top.  Spread evenly.  Then pour the remaining half of cake mix over the filling.  Cut up small pieces of the cube of butter and lay evenly over the cake mix.  It is A LOT of butter but I am being Paula Dean on this one.  Bake for 40-45 minutes and serve with vanilla ice cream.  I promise you it is heaven.  It kind of tastes like a cobbler. 

Enjoy!

Book Review

I so easily get sucked into all the new and popular book series.  I did with Harry Potter when I didn't think I would, then the Twilight books and now this one.  When I read the synopsis, I thought it sounded like the craziest and most absurd idea for a book, but boy was I wrong.  It is a little "out there" but I have jumped on this bandwagon for sure.

I read both books so fast.  The first one I started reading on the plane flight to Seattle a couple months ago and finished it by the time we got back.  Steven was sick one of the nights and didn't want to do anything so I just pulled out the book and entertanied myself very easily.  I usually don't buy books either but just check them out at the library or borrow from a friend (Kelli usually) but I bought both these books from Barnes and Noble. 

Can't wait for the 3rd to come out.  It is rumored that it will be called "The Victors".  Very excited about this.

And just in case you were wondering...9 more days until my Tuesday nights will be occupied.

Thanksgiving and Christmas...better late than never!

This has taken me a long time to get done but Steven left his camera in my purse last night so I thought I would take advantage and get all the pics off his camera from Christmas since I was dumb and didn't take any.

So here we go...

For Thanksgiving we went to Sedona where my Aunt, Uncle and cousins have a time share.  We have been the last 3 years and we always enjoy it.  They have this tradition in the community where all the families decorate their condo and who ever wins gets a bunch of cool free stuff.  Not quite sure what that all entails, but it is a free and a fun show for us.

This one wasn't my favorite but it's the only one that I took a picture of that showed up.  It was a Disneyland theme and pretty cool looking.

Well that was short... so onto Christmas...this is the tree Steven and I decorated for his house since he was hosting his ENTIRE (I can finally get straight who is married to who and what child belongs to who) family for Christmas.  I was going for a gold and red theme if you can't tell.

These are all the nieces and nephews of the Jones family.  There are like four 3-year-olds and when my family came over for Christmas Eve dinner, my nephew Kaden who is 3, had so much fun and was throwing a major fit when it was time to leave.  And of course I didn't take any pictures of that.  Really wishing I would have right about now.

This is Evan (Danelle and Aaron's son).  I can't get enough of him in this bike helmet.

Not sure what happened here with my pictures but this is Trevor (David and Melissa's son) and Autumn (Paul and Laura's daughter).

This is Steven's oldest sister Carin pronounced (Car-in not Karen)  just in case you were wondering. :)

Trevor and Evan in the background.  Still loving him in this bike helmet.

Steven's parents with Trevor and Spencer.  I am sad their faces are covered up.

Steven's youngest sister Danelle (pronounced Duh-nelle just in case you were wondering again) and her youngest boy Chase.

Paul with his son Parker.  This little boy is incredible and so smart and can be such an entertainer but was sick half the time so not fun for him...and Paul and Laura.

We went to the temple lights

Ok and this is Whitney (Kyle and Lindsey's daughter).  Serioulsy can not get over how cute she is.  Her little voice and sassiness is to die for.

And a very bright flash...

We went and saw Avatar 3-D with Steven's brother-in-laws: Kyle and Kevin and sister Kim.  This picture is so funny b/c do you notice how my glasses are different than everyone else's?  Well...I pulled the wrong glasses out of my purse when we went to take a picture and didn't even notice until I saw this picture later.  So ridiulous but I really liked the movie.  It was way better then I thought it was going to be!

So I think the Jones Family plays more games then any family I have ever known.  In fact, they play so much they have even invented some of their own.  This is the dice game.  You have to roll or slide or whatever across the table and whoever is the closest to the edge without going off the edge, wins!!  This is my dice.  Amazing I know.  I win!

And more games...

Steven's Mom: Barbara, Bro-in-law Aaron, sister-in-law Laura, and bro-in-law Kyle and Steven in the gray...obviously

We had 2 separate groups going on at once...I wish I had pictures of everyone but this is Julie, Carin, Danelle, David, Melissa, Paul, my brothers Danny and Dallin and Lindsey on the couch with Spencer.

It was fun to have Steven's family here.  A few days after everyone was gone, it was still strange how quiet Steven's house was again.  It was a zoo but the best way to have it!

A few days after Christmas me, my mom, Danny and Dallin, and their friend Rick Hale went to California and Six Flaggs.  Here we are at Claim Jumper.  My mom has all the pics on her camera from the actual Six Flaggs adventure so I don't have them all right now so you may never see them but who really cares right??

And the huge and amazing piece of chocolate cake for dessert.  

We each took maybe 2 bites each since we were so full from dinner.

And then I thought I would end this really long post with an updated picture of Nixon Banks.  I serioulsy could eat him.  He is the best baby and I probably have heard him cry like twice and it was only because he was either hungry or tired.  I love him!!  Isn't he adorable??

Happy Sunday!

The Lovely Bones Movie

Awful

Enough Said. 

Hurry February 2nd

I will be the first to admit that I never really get into very much TV.  I am not quite sure why, but I think one of the reasons is because I lose interest during the week until the show comes on again.  My attention span is zero for most shows.  I really wish I could keep up with American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, and even The Bachelor this season has anything but my interest.  But then again...Jake drives me nuts.

Anyways, my point is, I just finished Season 5 of LOST on DVD and I can not wait until February 2nd.  I love this show and it all began one Friday night when I was not feeling good, and up at school and just had nothing better to do but start watching this freakin amazing show.  I almost feel like they are real people somewhere and then reality sets in and I remember that there really is no Jack Shephard and Kate Austin and Sawyer and ect.  Makes me kind of sad actually.

But that is okay because pretty soon we all get to have some very critical questions answered.  Only 26 more days (not including today) until this happens.  I am afraid 27 days sounds only that much further away.