Chicken Enchiladas

Whenever we finish up a bag of quinoa/chia chips, we save the crumbs to top a chicken enchilada casserole.

Our most recent batch featured fresh corn...


and a fresh poblano pepper from my indoor garden!


Typically we make two main dishes each week and rotate them every other night. We both enjoy leftovers, and having meals already made is so convenient when we get off work late, especially when we are trying to train for Ride the Rockies.

After the first night of this latest batch, The Lizard out of the blue commented, "That was really good!"

And it was! So I thought I'd share the recipe...

Chicken Enchiladas

1 pound ground chicken, browned with garlic, chipotle pepper powder and onions to taste
18 white corn tortillas
1 can of black beans
2 ears of white corn, cut off the cob
1 medium-sized chile pepper, diced
2 cups of green chile or enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cheese (We use Tillamook sharp cheddar.)
1 cup crushed tortilla chips

Layer 6 tortillas in a 18x9-inch greased pan. (I use coconut oil.)

Spread a layer of the ground chicken, corn, beans, and sprinkle on half the diced pepper.


Cover with green chile/enchilada sauce, and sprinkle with cheese.




Add another layer of tortillas, and repeat layers of chicken, corn, beans, pepper, sauce and cheese.


Cover with remaining tortillas, then add remainder of sauce and cheese.


Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, cover with tortilla chips, and return to oven for ten minutes.


Sometimes we add in brown rice or rice and quinoa, but I forgot to make a bowl of rice for this batch.

Garnish with sour cream and/or guacamole if desired.

Enjoy!

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Snowflake Monday

I was testing the pattern for my Storm King Snowflake when I realized on the third round I'd already published pattern I was testing. I didn't feel like starting all over again, so I designed a whole new flake from that center.

I've been focusing on the Weminuche Range for snowflake names ever since we were drawn for Ride the Rockies in March, so I suppose I should continue until I use up the landmark names or until after Ride the Rockies, whichever comes first. Mount Silex sits right next to Storm King, so that makes a pretty good name for this literally related pattern.

At 13,628 feet, Mount Silex is the 128th tallest of 584 13ers in Colorado. It's yet another peak in the San Juan Mountain sub-range called the Grenadiers and also known as one of the quartzite peaks. If that geographical tem is not inspirational, I don't know what is!

This trip report has a close-up photo of the rugged summit and a wonderful shot of the alpine lake bearing the peak's name, as well as a beautiful close-up of Storm King from a point of view from which I've never been. All of the photos in this trip report make me want to go back to the Weminuche, although both Silex and Guardian summits look beyond my skills AND confidence. Hopefully I'd get good photos instead...

Silex reflects the Latin word for flint, according to "Colorado Place Names" author William Bright.

Here's a bit of trivia I didn't stumble upon while I was writing the Storm King post. Four Colorado mountains share the name, but the one I wrote about is the tallest.

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!


Finished Size: 5 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, water soluble school glue or desired stiffener, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line

Mount Silex Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: 12 sc in ring; sl st in starting sc. Don't pull magic ring too tight.

Round 2: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc and ch 1), * 1 dc in next sc, ch 1, 1 dc in next sc, ch 10, 1 dc in same sc, ch 1; repeat from * around 4 times; 1 dc in next sc, ch 1, 1 dc in next same sc as sl st, ch 5, 1 trtr in 2nd ch of starting ch 3 to form 6th ch 10 sp of Round.

Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 5 dc over post of trtr directly below, [6 dc in next ch 10 loop, ch 3, 6 dc in same loop] 5 times; 6 dc in next ch 10 sp, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.
NOTE: Stopping here and binding off makes an adorable little snowflake.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.


Round 4: Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc and ch 3), 1 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 13, 1 dc in 8th ch from hook, ch 5, 1 dc in same ch, ch 7, sl st in same ch (tri-picot made), ch 5, 1 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 1 dc in same sp, [ch 5], 1 dc in same sp, ch 3, 1 dc in same sp; repeat from * 5 times, ending at [ch 5] on final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

If using glue, mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture or desired stiffener. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

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Gethsemane Friday

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Little Princess(es)

I gave my little seven-year-old neighbor a Disney Princess charm pack for her seventh birthday last year. We started her quilt in November. She wanted to finish it by Christmas. We got it done before Easter...

This is her first pieced quilt. We made two panel quilts last year when her baby brother was born, one for her and one for him. She totally designed this one using 2-inch jelly roll strips in my scrap boxes, and this time she did all the quilting herself. She has come a long way since those panel quilts!


She can still drive the sewing machine a little too fast, and sometimes she gets chattering and forgets to watch where she's sewing, but she's made so much progress, even since we started in November.


When she finished the first two rows, she excitedly sewed them together. I suggested we pin the rest of the rows and go a little slower, and almost all of her second, third and fourth row corners match up perfectly!


I put the binding on, but the rest is all her! She is so proud of this creation!














Linking up with Busy Hands Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Crazy Mom Quilts.

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Wordless Wednesday

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Citrus Serenity

I've been playing with my food again.




And oh, was that fresh-squeezed orange juice after I got done playing delicious!!! (As was the freshly squeezed lemon limeade and the orange grapefruit juice. I'm definitely going to have to do this more often!)

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Snowflake Monday

Crocus, anemone, windflower, prairie smoke... all are common names for the pasqueflower.

The pasqueflower is the South Dakota state flower. It's among the first to bloom there, and unlike here in the Rocky Mountains, where it pops through the snow for a couple of weeks in late winter or early spring, in South Dakota, the pasqueflower often will bloom through June.


The Lakota name for this flower is hosi cekpa, which means child's navel.

The furry-coated pasqueflower announces the coming of spring. The soft hairs covering the petals and stems keep the plant warm during snowfall and freezing temperatures.


The French word pasque refers to Easter. The name windflower comes from the gorgeous bad hair day seeds being spread in the wind, which is a common denominator throughout the prairie as well as the Rocky Mountains. After flowering, the white, lavender or purple blossoms become fuzzy seedheads beloved by photographers such as me.






Here are previous flower flakes in this series:

Amaryllis
Blue Flax
Chamomile
Clematis
Daisy
Daffodil
Dahlia
Delphinium
Forget-Me-Not
Iris
Hoya
Lobelia
Love in a Mist
Mother's Day Snowflake (rose-like)
Picotee
Sixifrage
Spiderwort
Spring Star Flower
Windflower
You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!


Finished Size: 5.5 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread 2 or 3 colors, size 7 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, water soluble school glue or desired stiffener, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line


Pasqueflower Snowflake Instructions

With white, light purple or dark purple, make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 4 (counts as 1 dc and ch 2), [1 dc in ring, ch 2] 5 times; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 4. Pull magic circle tight.

Round 2: [In next ch 2 sp work 1 sc, 1 hdc, 1dc, ch 1, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc] 6 times; sl st in starting sc.

Round 3: * 1 sc in next hdc, 1 hdc in next dc, 4 dc in next ch 1 sp, ch 1, sl st in top of dc just worked, 3 dc in same ch 1 sp, 1 hdc in next dc, 1 sc in next hdc, sl st between next 2 sc; repeat from * around 5 times for a total of 6 petals; bind off. Weave in ends.


Round 4: With green, if making leaves, or white, working from wrong side of flower, 1 dc around any Round 1 dc post, *ch 3, 1 dc around next Round 1 dc post; repeat from * 4 times; ch 1, 1 dc in starting dc to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round.

Round 5: Ch 5 (counts as ch 5 and 1 dc), * 1 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 5; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last 3 ch of final repeat; 1 tr in 2nd ch of starting ch 5 to form 6th ch 5 sp of Round.

Round 6: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of tr directly below, 2 hdc in same sp, 1 sc in same sp, * 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, 2 hdc in same sp, 3 dc in same sp, ch 3, 3 dc in same sp, 2 hdc in same sp; 1 sc in same sp; repeat from * around 4 times; 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, 2 hdc in same sp, 3 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round. (If making leaves, bind off green here and work remainder of Rounds in white.)
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.


Round 7: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 3, 1 dc in gap between next 2 sc, ch 3, 2 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 2 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 3, 1 dc in gap between next 2 sc, ch 3, 2 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 8: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 3 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 3 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 3 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 9: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 3 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 3, [1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 5] 2 times, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 4 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 4 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 3, [1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 5] 2 times, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 4 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 10: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 3, [1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 5] 3 times, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 5 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook (picot made), 5 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 3, [1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 5] 3 times, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 5 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook (picot made), sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: Make a tiny pompom from light yellow thread and tie to center of flower.










I dabbed my pompoms with a drop of school glue after attaching them to hold them in place and shape them.






Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

If using glue, mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture or desired stiffener. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch the snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

And now, for the Easter egg version of this snowflake:


Work Rounds 1-6 same as above.

Round 7: Ch 8 (counts as 1 dc and ch 6), * 1 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 1 dc in same tip, ch 3; repeat from * around 5 times; 1 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 8 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 8: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 8, 2 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 2 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 8, 2 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.

Round 9: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 10, 3 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 3 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 10, 3 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 10: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 3 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 12, [4 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 4 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 12, 4 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 11: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 14, 5 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 10, 5 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 14, 5 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 10, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off. Weave in ends.

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