Simple Supper Monday, Vol 58: Enchilada's Recipe #2

Since I was about 15, my Mom has had to work a lot of long hours. This was due, in part, to some hard life situations and events that altered our family at that time. My mom went from a homemaker to a work-a-holic. And she wasn't a work-a-holic because she LIKED work or had some awesome job. Mom became a work-a-holic out of necessity: she had 3 daughters to take care of, a mortgage to meet and bills to pay. She took whatever jobs she could find - mainly administrative. On the side, she would cater and hostess at a restaurant. This went on for more than 10 years, when she finally paid off her house and no longer had her kids living with her.

We were (and are) SO proud of her!

One of the things that my Mom gave up in this quest to survive was cooking and baking. Growing up, I have many fond memories of my Mom spending hours in the kitchen, pulling together tasty meals and scrumptious baked goods. The recipes were familiar and comforting: spaghetti and meatballs, chicken cutlet, apple pie, chocolate chip cookies, kolackis. My sisters and I would pull up chairs to the table and watch, mesmerised, as she measured, poured, and mixed ingredients. It was as though there were nothing my Mom could not create, given the right set of kitchen tools. She often let us help; sometimes we could even lick the bowl/spoon/mixer blades.

This may or may not be a bad habit I still have today.

I learned a lot from spending time with my Mom in the kitchen. I believe this is why I enjoy cooking and baking today. It was sad during those hard-working years, when my Mom all but stopped using her kitchen, save for a holiday or random day off. In recent weeks, my Mom has cut back her working even more, so that she is now working the regular hours most people abide by. She actually COMES HOME after work, and has her afternoons, evenings and weekends to do as she pleases.

So, you can imagine that it warms my heart to see that she has been spending her new found freedom gathering recipes and cooking new meals in her kitchen again.

I. LOVE. IT.

It's like new life has been breathed into her. And, as a consequence, new food has been hitting our tummies. My Mom is bravely trying complicated, involved recipes - and they have been turning out GREAT! One night, she had us all over for this new Enchilada recipe, which is interesting, as my Mom does not like any kind of ethnic food. And by "ethnic" I mean anything that is not "American fare." But, she was adventurous, and the result was fanTABulous.

I HAD to have the recipe.

And now I HAVE to pass it along to you. The original recipe can be found HERE at Allrecipes.com. Below is the recipe plus the additions my Mom and her friend, Lauren, added. (Thanks to Lauren who has been passing so many great new recipes along to my Mom!)

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Simple Supper Monday

Enchilada's Recipe #2

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cut into chunks
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
1 (1.25 ounce) package mild taco seasoning mix
1 bunch green onions, chopped, divided
1 cup water
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
5 (12 inch) flour tortillas
3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives
1 can black beans and corn

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1. Place the chicken in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken pieces are no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Shred chicken by placing two forks back to back and pulling meat apart. Set the shredded chicken aside. Meanwhile, Combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and chili powder in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.
2. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the shredded chicken, chopped green chilies, taco seasoning, half of the bunch of chopped green onion, and water. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, onion powder, and garlic powder; simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
3. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Stir 1 cup of the soup mixture into the skillet with the chicken mixture. Spread the remaining soup mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over the chicken filling before folding the tortillas, reserving half of the shredded cheese for topping the enchiladas. Fold tortillas over the filling and place seam-side down in the prepared pan.
5. Pour enchilada sauce evenly over the enchiladas. Cover with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of Cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the reserved chopped green onions and the sliced olives on top of the cheese. Bake in the preheated oven until filling is heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 25 minutes.

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I cannot begin to describe how TASTY these enchiladas were. The chicken was cooked to perfection, and so flavorful. I couldn't stop eating them. Like seriously couldn't stop. It became a problem.

This is not as "simple" as most recipes I post - but it was so good (and I was so proud of my Mom), I HAD to pass it along. If cooking the chicken is too complicated, consider using my Slowcooker Chicken Tacos recipe for preparing the chicken, then make the enchilada's from there.

I will be passing along a few more recipes from my Mom, as well as other things I've stumbled upon recently. So check back next week for more!

I'm ALWAYS looking for new things to try - PLEASE pass along your best Simple Supper recipes! moderndaydonnareed@gmail.com.