Chicken Enchiladas

I found this recipe in a Mexican Cookbook I have and since I was looking for something new I went for this recipe. Chicken Enchiladas are something I always order when I go out to Mexican restaurants and it's something I will still do because making them at home was simple but time consuming. For the sauce I used a standard Mexican Red sauce or salsa roja. This sauce can be used as a taco topping or even a dip for chips. To make the dish a little healthier I only used chicken breast meat, I cut down on the cheese, and used whole wheat tortillas. For garnish I whipped up a little guacamole, a black bean and quinoa salad and bought a bag of tortilla chips for some crunch in the final dish.

Ingredients:

1 batch of Salsa Roja (below) or 1 jar bought enchilada sauce
1 cup grated cheese like monterey jack or cheddar
3 cups shredded pre-cooked chicken
salt and pepper
12 tortillas

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450

2. In a bowl mix 1/4 cup of enchilada salsa and 1/4 cup cheese with the chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Coat 1 tortilla in sauce by dipping it right into the pan of warmed sauce. Place on a plate and put about 1/4 cup of chicken filling. Roll up. Repeat until filling and tortillas are gone. Place each one in a 9 x 13 baking sheet.

4. Spoon the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top of the rolled tortillas and sprinkle with some of the remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes of until heated through and bubbling.


Salsa Roja

6 large, ripe tomatoes
3 serrano chiles
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 of an onion, chopped
salt and pepper

1. Place the tomatoes and serrano chiles in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the tomato skins are peeling off and the tomatoes are soft but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Removes tomatoes and chilies with a slotted spoon and let cool for a few minutes, then peel off the tomato skins and stem and seed the chiles.

2. Puree the tomatoes, chilis, and chicken stock in a blender and set aside.

3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Saute the garlic and onion until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato mixture and cook, stirring until liquid has evaporated and sauce has thickened slightly.

-my tweek on this recipe is at the final step, I blended everything together because I didn't like the chunk of the veg. for the final enchiladas.

Bruschetta

For this appetizer, you can make the tomato mix before hand but you really need to buy fresh bread the day of and toast the bread the day of. Toasting bread under the broiler takes like 2 minutes max and the freshness of the bread adds tremendous flavor to the overall dish. When topping the bread make sure to wait to the last minute so bread doesn't get too soggy.

Ingredients:

2 loafs of fresh bread, cut on the bias into 1/4 inch thick slices
olive oil

Topping:
4 large tomatoes- halved and seeds removed
1 head of garlic
1 bunch of basil (save half the bunch for topping)
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tbs olive oil


Directions:

1. Place tomatoes on a foil lined pan cut side up and broil for 5 minutes until tomatoes are slightly charred.

2. When tomatoes are cool enough to handle, chop and place in a bowl

3. Slice head of garlic in half and place in aluminum foil. Cup/tent the foil around the garlic and then drizzle a little olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Seal garlic well in foil and roast in oven at 350 for about 45 minutes-1 hr or until garlic is golden brown and soft

4. Squeeze garlic into a separate bowl and mash with some salt and a fork.

5. add garlic mash to tomatoes and combine other ingredients of the mixture. You can do this 2 days in advance.

Day Of:

1. Buy bread, slice and toast. To promote browning, drizzle bread with a little olive oil.

2. Right before the party starts top the toasted bread with the tomato mix. I strained the mixture to get rid of the extra liquid so the bread wouldn't get too soggy.

3. Garnish with a chiffonade of basil.

Stuffed Dates

These are the Shea Center appetizer dates that I have made numerous times and are ALWAYS a huge hit. TRY THESE!!!! You can pit and halve the dates the day before but they need to be assembled the day of. Luckily you can do them early in the day and all you need to do is broil them right before the party starts. These are best eaten piping hot but they're still delicious at room temp.

Ingredients (needed for each one)

1 half of a medjool date, pited
1/2 tsp goat cheese-easier at room temp
1 small basil leaf
1 strip of proscuitto

Directions:

1. fill empty date with goat cheese.

2. Wrap with basil and then wrap with proscuitto

3. Skewer date so everything stays on

4. At last minute, place dates under broiler for 2 minutes or until proscuitto is a little crispy and browned.

South-Western Salsa Cups

Another appetizer for Mom's party.



TIP: make sure to taste each appetizer before you start making a bunch of each one to make sure everything is seasoned right. Make one sample of the dish and try it then make 50-60 of them.

Ingredients:

1 cob of corn
1 can of black beans, drained
1 large tomato or 2 small, seeded and chopped
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
2 avocados
2 limes
1 bag tostido scoops or similar tortilla chip cup

Directions:

1. Peel and clean corn cob. Roast on the grill for 5-7 minutes and rotate until all sides are charred.

2. Cut kernels off the cob and place in a bowl. Add beans, tomatoes, red onion, parsley. Season this with the zest of 1 lime and some salt and pepper. You can do this part 2 days in advance.

Day of the party:

1. line up chip cups.

2. squeeze juice of lime. Reserve some for avocado but add some lime juice to your taste to add some freshness to the dish.

3. Right when you're ready to serve spoon bean and corn mixture into the tortilla cups.

4. Remove avocado half from the peel with a large spoon. Chop up on a cutting board and place into lime juice so avocado won't turn brown. Season avocado with a little salt and pepper while in the lime juice.

5. Place one small piece of avocado on top of each cup and serve.

Cheese Tray

I've learned a few techniques to make a cheese tray for appetizers.

1. use 3 different cheeses. it can be diff colors, flavors, textures, heights anything.

2. Slice a few pieces off the block of cheese and cube for easier eating. Leave a big chunk of the cheese for better aesthetics.

3. Use large green leaves on the bottom or green grapes for color

4. Keep items in large groupings. It looks better this way. I don't know why or how but it does haha

5. try to make different shapes to keep the tray interesting.

Caprese Skewers

These are a way to get a caprese salad in a small bite size way. You can either marinate the cheese and tomatoes with a balsamic vinagrette or drizzle the finished skewers.

Ingredients:

cherry tomatoes
basil leaves
mozzarella-cubed into small bite sizes

Vinagrette:
5 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients for vinegrette. Whisk or shack together (can be done in advance. Pour over cheese or tomatoes and cover well or store dressing separately.

2. On day of, skewer 1 cherry tomato, 1 small basil leaf, and 1 piece of cheese.

3. Keep in fridge until ready to serve. Drizzle last minute if you didn't marinate prior

Tea Sandwiches

These are a great appetizer because they are filling and can be made way in advance! I suggest making 3-4 different types of sandwiches so there is a selection. I made chicken salad, turkey and cheese, and ham and cheese. Make sure to get really good stuff from the deli so all you have to do is take it home and assemble.

The way to keep these sandwiches fresh so you can make them early is simple! Make your sandwiches. Get a paper towel and wet it and then wring it out so it is only slightly damp. Layer a paper towel in between each sandwich and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Place them in the fridge until you are ready. When it's time to serve cut off the crusts and cut the sandwich in half or fourths so they are small and easy to eat.

Place them on a large platter in tall stacks so the table has extra height for the overall presentation later.