Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

This was a quick, delicious meal.

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas
16 oz jar Salsa Verde
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
8 medium (soft taco size) flour tortillas
* Note: can use Monterey Jack cheese if want milder flavor and use Mild or Medium sauce depending on taste preference

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon a thin layer of salsa verde into the bottom of the dish. Combine chicken, 1 cup salsa verde, and 1 cup cheese in a bowl. Spoon about 1/3 cup mixture down the middle of a tortilla. Fold sides over and place seam side down in prepared baking dish. Top with remaining salsa and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes until bubbly.

Audrey is 21

This is what we woke up to on Audrey's birthday - Let it snow!

Audrey enjoyed her birthday and opened presents at home. She is saving her birthday movie / meal for early March when the movie she wants to see is released. Audrey got CDs (Saving Mr Banks, Frozen), a Lego Marvel XBox game, Disney plush (Bambi, Pooh, Eeyore, Scamp), Apple TV, and a vintage style drafting table.

Church Things

2/2 - Audrey is now the Relief Society secretary under President Ronda Fosburg.

2/9 - Sam played a piano duet with Dan Cutler, "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" from this website
http://www.defordmusic.com/sheet-music/alphabetical-list/my-heavenly-father-loves-me/

2/9 - John and Sam are now the Temple Prep teachers.

2/13 - Relief Society Activity at the church - Waffle Bar

2/23 - Visiting Teaching Open House with Chocolate Fountain at the Fosburg's.

Applebee's Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta

This recipe is a keeper!

Applebee's Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup prepared Italian salad dressing
3 cups dry Penne pasta
15 ounces Alfredo sauce
8 ounces combination of shredded Italian cheese (mozzarella, Parmesan and provolone)
4 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 tablespoons olive oil

Place the chicken breasts in a ziploc bag and pour Italian dressing over the top. Place in refrigerator and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.

Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard) and grill on an outdoor (or indoor grill) until fully cooked (internal temp 165 degrees). Remove the chicken from the grill and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Slice the chicken into thin strips.

In a medium bowl combine tomatoes, basil, and garlic. Meanwhile, cook penne pasta according to package directions. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drain the noodles and toss them with the alfredo sauce. Stir in the sliced cooked chicken. Pour into the casserole dish. Top with shredded cheeses. Place into oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the cheese is lightly brown and the mixture is bubbly. Top with tomato and basil mixture and serve.

Caramel Popcorn

Susan Clifford made this for a choir potluck in the fall, so when John wanted to bring treats to Young Men's, we got the recipe. It is yummy!

Caramel Popcorn
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup Karo syrup

Combine and boil for 2-3 minutes until light caramel color. This makes a soft caramel. If you want it harder, cook it longer. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla.

Pour hot mixture over 4 cups (popped volume) popcorn. Optional: Add mixed nuts or peanuts to popped corn.

Monuments Men

Went to Riverpark Square and saw Monuments Men today. The movie was directed by George Clooney. Starred George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balabn, Hugh Bonneville and Cate Blanchett. "The Monuments Men" is a group of men (in real life around 350, and in this film 7) who are tasked with finding and saving the historically and culturally significant fine art, monuments and archives that had been stolen by the Nazis during World War II. I enjoyed the historical aspect of the film and the stories of the main characters. It was interesting to me as it was not something I was aware had happened during WWII.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was a Friday this year and also the start of a 4-day-weekend for many, so John and I decided to celebrate early and went to Black Angus on Wednesday 02/12 instead. Happy birthday Abraham Lincoln!

Audrey says I have a "problem" - - see below...they had a sale on my very favorite candy so I had to stock up!! Russell Stover Dark Chocolate covered marshmallow hearts are the best. At Easter, they have marshmallow eggs. The shape does not matter, but must be Dark chocolate (rather than milk). Yum!

Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes

Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes
10 oz maraschino cherries, drained (about #20)
1 box white cake mix
Reserved juice from cherries
Enough milk to make 1 cup liquid (I used about 1/2 cup)
1 stick butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour cake pan or cupcake tins. Drain the cherries and reserve juice. Slice the cherries in half and set aside. Put the cake mix in a mixing bowl. Add enough milk to the cherry juice to bring the liquid to 1 cup. Pour that into the cake mix. Add all the other ingredients and mix until combined. Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. After completely cool, frost with whipped topping.

Super Bowl 48

Super Bowl XLVIII was the first Super Bowl played outdoors in a cold-weather city (New Jersey) and the first game that I watched in its entirety.  The Seattle Seahawks played the Denver Broncos. The game featured the top offense (Denver) against the top defense (Seahawks), something that last occurred in the 2003 Super Bowl.

Here we are ready for the game and decked out in our Seahawks gear! Even the kitty has prepped herself by taking full control of the remote!

On the first play of the game, 12 seconds into the game, the Broncos snapped the ball, it flew past Peyton Manning into the end zone, where Seattle picked up a safety. The quickest score in Super Bowl history (2-0). Scoring results by quarter: Seahawks - 8|14|14|7 and Broncos 0|0|8|0 .  The Seahawks defeated the Broncos 34-8, the third largest point differential in Super Bowl history. This became the first Super Bowl victory for the Seahawks!!

I thought the game was enjoyable to watch, but true football fans felt it was a tad boring. However, it was the most watched television program in US history with 111.5 million viewers! The halftime show featuring Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chili Peppers was entertaining. And of course we had to have our snacks ready. We had chocolate football cupcakes, Ruffles with onion dip, Spinach Dip with French bread, Little Smokies in BBQ sauce, and Hot Cheese Bean Dip with tortilla chips.

Hot Cheese Bean Dip
1 can (16oz) refried beans
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup green onions, diced
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
2/3 cup salsa (extra liquid drained)
1 can (4oz) diced green chilies (drained)
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Mix everything together. Place in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until bubbling on the sides and golden brown on top, about 45-60 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Spinach Dip
1 package (10oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (16oz) container sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 package Knorr Vegetable recipe mix (the yellow package)
3 green onions, chopped finely

Make sure spinach is thoroughly dry. Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Optional: can add diced water chestnuts if desired. Serve with French bread.