Summer Squast Enchiladas

I have had this recipe for years and think I got it from Taste of Home magazine.  Wherever it was from it was sent in by a Josette Koets of Fairfax, Minn.  I had forgotten about it till I got a lot of lovely yellow squash from my sister, Cherrill, and needed different ways to prepare the squash.  I really enjoyed this, Clark said it was really good, and Clint says it is all right and he ate only a half of an enchilada.  (I finished his the next day and it was still yummy for me)  Hope you like it.  I cut the recipe in half for us and it made three good sized enchiladas.  Served it with chicken as the main dish.
I forgot to cover mine in the oven so the edges got a bit brown but I liked the crispiness it gave.

3/4 Cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBs oil
3 Cups chopped yellow summer squash or zucchini
1/2 of a 4 oz can chopped green chilli peppers (more if you like peppers)
1 recipe Spicy Sauce (below)
8- 6 or 7 inch flour tortillas
1 1/2 cup  chopped tomatoes
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (I used cheddar)

Cook onion and garlic in oil for 2 minutes; add squash.  Cover and cook 3 to 5 minutes or till tender.  Drain. Stir in peppers.   Prepare the spicy sauce.  Stir 1/3 of the spicy sauce into the squash mixture.   Fill each tortilla with 1/3 C squash mixture.   Roll up and place in greased 12 x 7 1/2 x 2 inch baking dish.   Top with remaining spicy sauce and cover, and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Top with tomatoes the last 5 minutes.   Makes 8 servings.

Spicy Sauce:
Melt 2 TBS. butter or margarine in a sauce pan.  Stir in 2 TBS. flour, 1 to 2 tsps. chili powder, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8  tsp. pepper.   Add 1 cup milk and cook and stir till bubbly.   Stir in 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

Rosemary Olive Oil Crock Pot Bread

I got this recipe from hostthetoast.com and it was submitted by Morgan.  Making breads is one of my favorite things to do so I had to give this a try.  I thought it turned out well and it is supposed to be like the rosemary bread that is served at Macaroni Grill but I haven't had it so don't know about that.
It was a fun experiment and I liked the bread but think that if I make it again I will just bake it in the oven and be done with it.  It is easy and you don't need a mixer, and if you don't want to turn your oven on, it works.  I did brown it under the broiler after it was cooked until it browned.

3 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 packet dry active yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
1 1/4 C warm water
1/4 C fresh rosemary, chopped, divided (I used dried and 1/8 C)
3 TB olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt, divided (I  would increase the salt to 1 1/2 tsp.)

You will also need parchment paper, paper towels, and a crock pot.

Mix together water, yeast, and sugar and let sit 10 minutes.  The mixture should become bubbly.  Stir in half the salt (1/2 tsp or more if you choose to increase it) 2 tsp. of the rosemary, olive oil, and all of the flour.   Mix until fully combined.  Work it together with your hands if necessary.
Put dough in a large greased bowl and cover with a towel.   Let it rise for 1 hour.  Remove the dough from the bowl gently and form into a ball on a floured surface.   Let sit for another 20 minutes.Set the crock pot to high.
 Line the pot with two pieces of parchment paper, leaving at least 2 inches hanging out of each side of the pot.   Place the dough in the crock pot and sprinkle it with the remaining salt and rosemary.  Drape paper towels over the top of the crock pot and then place the lid on.   This should capture any moisture that would sit on the lid and prevent it from dripping back onto the bread.  Cook the bread for 2 hours, and remove from the crock pot.  It will most likely still be a bit pale on the outside.   It tastes all right, but put it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put it under the broiler for a quick 3 to 5 minutes to get a crunchier, darker crust..  Let cool before slicing.  Serve with extra olive oil drizzled on top if desired.

Rhubarb dessert

Husband loves fresh rhubarb cooked with tapioca so today we picked our first rhubarb and I made some that he thought was great.   Usually I don't measure but for some reason I did today and this is what I came up with.   It is good served warm or cold and a dollop of whipped cream really enhanced it for me.  this is super easy.

3 Cups fresh rhubarb, diced
1 Cup sugar
2 1/2 TBS. tapioca
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. almond flavoring
1/4 Cup cold water
2 drops red food coloring

Mix all ingredients together and let it sit for five minutes.   Bring to a boil and then simmer until the rhubarb is soft.   Remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes.   Serve hot or cold with a dollop of cream if desired.

Cast Iron Chicken Pot Pie with Cheddar Drop Biscuits

I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen an it was submitted by Alaska from Scratch.  I have always loved pot pies but hated to make the crusts so this was an easy fix since it doesn't have a crust and so that probably makes it not a real pot pie.  I have made this several times and we really like it.   It is also very easy to make as I usually use my bottled chicken.  Clint took the picture.

Chicken pot pie with Cheddar Drop Biscuits

For the filling:
2 TB. butter
1 onion finely chopped  (I used dried as I didn't have an onion)
1/4 C flour
2 C chicken broth
1 C Milk
2 C cooked chicken (light and dark meat, leftovers, or a rotisserie chicken)
1- 3/4 C frozen peas and carrot mixture
1 TB fresh parsley chopped, (I didn't use this)
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Biscuits
2 C flour
1 TB baking Powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp. sugar
6 TB cold butter cut into 1/2 " pieces
1 C medium cheddar cheese, grated, (I used mild as that is all I had)
1- 1/4 C buttermilk
Pepper

Heat a 12 inch cast iron skillet (I am sure you can use any skillet that will go into the oven) over medium heat, add butter and then onions, cooking till translucent.  Sprinkle in flour, stirring constantly and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.  Pour in chicken broth and the milk, stirring till combined.  Turn up the heat and bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring as mixture thickens.   Add chicken, vegetables and seasonings.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
For the biscuits, stir together the dry ingredients.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or use your fingers until the mixture is crumbly.   Stir in cheese, followed by the buttermilk.   Stir just until it comes together and forms a thick sticky dough.   Do not over stir.  Drop the biscuit dough, about 1/4 Cup
size dollops on the top of the pot pie filling.   Sprinkle the biscuits with black pepper, (I didn't do this but it would be good).  Place skillet in preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the biscuits are golden.

Caramel Apple Nachos

Found this recipe on www.lilluna.com.  Made it for my birthday dessert, and everyone loved it!
Tastes like a yummy caramel apple.  We will definitely be making this one again.

Ingredients

• 3-4 gala apples
• 3-4 granny smith apples
• ½ package Kraft Caramels (unwrapped) (or Ice Cream Caramel Topping)
• 1 TB water
• white chocolate (vanilla) candy coating
• mini chocolate chips
• Heath toffee bits

Instructions

1. Place heath bits and mini chips into separate bowls. It's important to have these all ready so they can be sprinkled on as soon as the caramel and white chocolate are on.
2. Cut a ziploc bag at the corner. This will be for the white chocolate for you to drizzle on.
3. Cut your apples right before working on candy coating and caramel so they do not brown. Place on your prepared dish.
4. Unwrap caramels and place in small pot with 1 TB water. Heat on low-medium temp until melted. (Or if you opt to use Ice Cream Caramel Topping skip this step).
5. At the same time, melt white chocolate by placing candy coating in a small pot on low heat and stirring constantly until melted and smooth. Place in ziploc bag with cut corner as soon as it's done.
6. Drizzle white chocolate and caramel on as soon as they are melted and smooth. Sprinkle toppings (toffee bits and mini chips) on immediately.
7. Serve immediately.