Chicken Enchilada with Lime Cilantro Rice

Tonight we had Chicken Enchiladas. I decided to try something new. I found this recipe with good reviews. It was okay. I won't make it that way again. I will stick with my own made up version. (Chicken from a can, 1 can cream of chicken, sour cream--maybe 3/4 cup, 1 can green chilies, then season to taste with garlic salt, pepper, cumin (a must in my book) and chili powder.)

Then I made the Rice recipe found here (scroll down). We love the combination of these two flavors together. (for best results, don't leave your rice sitting in your rice cooker for a long time--like 2 hours--time it better than me and you'll be happier with it.)

My weekly menu said that I was to serve this asparagus with the stuffed onions the other day, but I forgot to consult my menu. . . . So when I found it in the fridge today, I made it tonight even though it wasn't the best mix of flavors. We love this asparagus recipe. It calls for white asparagus, which is good, but it is just as good with green. And of course I never have the right kind of crumbs. I just blend up a slice of my white bread and call it good. Cut back on the butter and add some flax seed if you want.

Cache's birthday meal--grilled shrimp

This is a favorite of ours and tonight we experienced why once again:

Cilantro Lime Grilled Shrimp

2 cloves garlic

2 TBSP chopped cilantro

zest and juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup oil

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 lbs large shrimp

Combine first six ingredients in food processor (or chop finely yourself if your processor is kaput). Marinate shrimp for 30 minutes. Thread on skewers and grill for about 5 minutes. (unless you have a *very* old junky grill like ours then grill them-rotating often for heat distribution-until they turn pink--about 20 mins.)

With this meal we also had white rice, rolls and asparagus with the following recipe.

Baked Asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce
1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed
cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste
2 TBSP butter
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce

Arrange asparagus on baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper.
Bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees or until tender.

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Brown slightly. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar and soy sauce. Pour over asparagus.

Then I served his favorite cake--carrot. We love the yummy recipe found on this post. I've made it WAY too many times!

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Just a note about this meal. . . I accidentally purchased and thawed a package of precooked shrimp ($6.98/2 lb. bag). So Tom ran and got me some thawed, uncooked shrimp; it was quite a bit more pricey at $13.98/2 lbs. When I spend that much on an item for a meal I start calculating the price of the entire meal to make myself feel better. I figured that with the dessert the whole meal, including the price of shrimp, for a family of 7 was $20. Tom and I had eaten out earlier that day at The Lion House (which is considered quite cheap for that type of meal) and the two of us ate for $16. (And it wasn't even very good, I left very dissatisfied that I had spent that much money on not very good food.) Since I can usually feed my family for $4-$10 a meal, this was a more expensive meal--but not that much. It was WAY cheaper than eating out, even if you added the cost of the shrimp I didn't use this meal. (By the way, other plans were made to use the other shrimp.)

Chicken-Asparagus-Red Pepper

Last night we had this dish.

Quite good. I will make this again. Most kids ate it well.

Changes made first time: I cut the chicken up so I only had to use 6 pieces instead of the 8 to make enough for everyone+one left over lunch. Sauted slivered onion in a little butter. When the onions were almost done, I added the garlic. Then I added the broth and chicken. Used fresh red peppers instead processed ones. Served over pasta.

Changes for next time: I doubled the recipe, but I shouldn't have doubled the broth, it was very runny. If there is a fair amount of liquid at the end, I will thicken it. Basil would probably be good in this also. It would be good over rice also.

I also threw a Pecan Craisin Salad together since I didn't think this would be enough for teenage boys to get full. It had romaine lettuce, craisins and chopped pecans. The dressing was made with 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. I marinated sliced red onions in the dressing for about an hour before serving. (This takes the bite off of onions.) Very good! Everyone that likes salad loved this!