Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas and a Cookbook Review/Giveaway

“Mom, what’s for Supper?”

I hear this every single day, as I’m sure a lot of you do. Sometimes that very simple question can strike fear into your heart. “Eek! What is for supper?”

It’s so easy to fall into a rut as far as dinners go. Not to mention trying to please everyone at the table. Southern Living has a new book that helps with these two problems, and it’s packed--bursting with easy 30 minute meals that are sure to make your life easier.

Contest is closed, but the enchilada recipe is still fantastic! Our random winner is comment #30, Amy M. Congrats, Amy! Thank you all for reading and entering.

“What’s for Supper” is written by Southern Living Test Kitchen Specialist Vanessa McNeil Rocchio, who has over 20 years of experience in the Southern Living Test Kitchens. The book is based on her popular column of the same name in Southern Living, and it includes more than 250 recipes!

Read through to enter for a chance to win your own copy of What’s for Supper!

Chapters and their descriptions are:

• The Supper Table. Simple, quick-fix ideas for salads, beverages, breads, and desserts.
• Dinner’s in the Pantry. Recipes made with pantry staples.
• Don’t Drive Through, Drive Home. Quick favorites that taste better than fast food.
• No-Cook Suppers. Leave the oven or stove off for these gems.
• Slow Cooker. Hands-off meals that cook so you don’t have to.
• Picky Eaters. Kid-friendly recipes to suit any taste.
• Cooking for Two. Downsized dishes that can easily be increased for a crowd.
• Weeknight Company. Special recipes that welcome company any night of the week.

Plus, scattered throughout the book are Vanessa’s Savvy Secrets, which are techniques and tips from the Southern Living Test Kitchen; Sidekicks, convenient side-dish suggestions; Time-Saving Tips; and Table Talk, dinner table conversation starters.

I fell in love with this book right away. Every recipe has a full color, stunning photo. They make you want to try everything immediately! The recipe text is laid out right inside the photos which makes it lovely to look at, as well. I have so many recipes earmarked to try, and I’m sure you will, too! There are a few recipes that make use of convenience items like a flavor/seasoning packet, a can of soup, or a jar of sauce. Are these deal breakers? No way! If you want to use them, feel free! If not, make your substitution and go, like I did with the enchilada sauce in this recipe. The recipes are worth it. There are so many great ideas in this book. From salads and sandwiches (hot and cold!), to meats and vegetables, pastas, casseroles, grilling recipes--it’s all covered in here. Go have a look inside the book!

We absolutely loved these Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas! Even my seventeen year old, who was pretty sure she wasn’t going to like them. The filling is delicious--creamy and full of chicken. And simple, too! I will definitely make these again.

Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas*

Makes 6 servings.

1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed
1 (16 oz) jar chunky salsa, DIVIDED
20 oz enchilada sauce (Recipe follows, or use 2 -20 oz cans ready made sauce.)
1 (8oz) package cream cheese
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)
10 (8  inch) flour tortillas
1 (16 oz) bag shredded Mexican four cheese blend
Toppings/Side Ideas:
Shredded lettuce
Chopped cilantro
Chopped red onion
Halved grape tomatoes

Enchilada Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

Olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce

In a medium sauce pan, heat a bit of oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the broth and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. I like to pour it into a square baking dish so it can cool a bit, and so it's easier to dip the tortillas into it.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9 inch baking dish. Set aside. Drain spinach, squeezing out as much liquid as you can.

Stir 1/4 cup of the salsa into the enchilada sauce, and set aside. Microwave the cream cheese in a medium sized bowl for one minute. Stir in the spinach, chicken, and remaining salsa. Stir until well blended.

I like to do this next step on a large cutting board for easy clean up. Dip each tortilla into the enchilada sauce and place it on the cutting board. Spoon a heaping 1/3 cupful of the filling down the center of each tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place it in the prepared pan, seam side down. Continue until you've used all the of the tortillas. I had some extra tortillas and made a few extra for a total of 13. Pour the sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with desired toppings.

• I serve ours with a simple side salad of lettuce, sliced avocado, tomatoes, and a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Top with a spoonful of Greek yogurt or sour cream.
• Southern Living used 2 (10 oz) cans of red enchilada sauce. I had everything on hand to make homemade, so that's what I used. They also don’t dip the tortillas in the sauce before filling and rolling, but I like to.
• I’ll have another recipe for you from the book later in the week, so stay tuned!

*Recipe reprinted with permission from Southern Living What's for Supper, Oxmoor House 2012. I was given a copy of the book for review at no charge, and was not paid for my opinion.

Win your very own copy of What’s for Supper!

I have one copy to give to a lucky, hungry reader. Entering is extremely simple--just leave a comment on this post. Simple as that!

1) Leave a comment on this post for one entry.

Extra, Optional Entries:

2) Tweet about this giveaway if you like, and leave a comment here for an extra entry.

3) If you would like to share about this on Facebook, leave one more comment here telling me you did.

That’s three chances for you to win!

I’ll choose a random winner on Wednesday, August 8th at midnight, EST. US shipping only. Good luck!

Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake Ice Cream

Scoopapalooza! It’s all about ice cream. Made with local ingredients, if we can swing it!

This one has local rhubarb and strawberries. Let’s face it, they’re the first dessert-type local ingredients we get here in NH every Spring. It’s still chilly here, folks--not too many choices yet. I made a Strawberry Rhubarb ice cream a couple years back, but I wanted to make another. That one was based on a simmered fruit sauce.

Something different. What to do?

“Elle, you could roast the rhubarb and berries first.” My brain seemed to say.

Oh yes! I’ve seen this before. So I roasted them with orange zest and juice, vanilla, and brown sugar. It makes the kitchen smell so pretty when they’re roasting, too! So that was the fruit component in this ice cream.

A good start, but I needed more. Cheesecake? Oh, cheesecake, I love you! Base ice cream: cheesecake.

Add ins? You guys know I love that good Ben & Jerry’s style of stuff-in-every-bite-of ice cream. Cheesecake has a crust, so that was a natural choice. Graham cracker crust, check. I love almond extract in all sorts of desserts and it just goes so well with strawberry and rhubarb, but I wanted chunks. I decided to go with my guilty pleasure, almond paste. Honestly. I can eat it right out of the tube. It’s too good! I have half a tube in the fridge right now. I could be eating it. I’ll refrain, otherwise I’ll get sidetracked.

This ice cream has everything I’d want in a cheesecake ice cream. It’s creamy, fruity, not too sweet--and it’s got chunks. Even the kids like it. Hey, it’s ice cream! They’re not crazy.

Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake Ice Cream

Makes 2 quarts.
Adapted from this recipe.

1 pound rhubarb, cut into 1-1 1/2 inch pieces
generous pound of strawberries, tops cut off and halved or quartered if large
zest of one orange
juice of 1/2 an orange
1 tsp vanilla extract (almond would be good here, too!)
3 tbsp brown sugar

16 oz cream cheese, at room temp
3/4 - 1 cup sugar, depending on how sweet your fruit is
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups of the roasted fruit, mashed up
2 cups half and half
3/4 cups graham cracker crust crumbs, either a homemade crust or store bought (see note below)
3/4 cups almond paste, cut into a small dice

Start by roasting the fruit. Heat the oven to 350. On a large baking sheet with sides, mix the rhubarb, berries, zest and juice, vanilla and brown sugar. Toss it all together with your hands, and place it in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven, let it cool, and then put it in a container in the fridge to chill completely.

To make the ice cream: Set the graham cracker crust crumbs and the almond paste cubes in the freezer to chill.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, blend the cream cheese, sugar (start with the 3/4 cup and add more if it needs it), lemon juice, almond extract, chilled, mashed pureed fruit and the half and half.  Get it as smooth as you can, but don't worry if there are some small chunks of cream cheese left.

This makes a bit more than will fit into my ice cream maker, but I managed to squeeze in 3 1/2 cups of the mixture. There was a little left over that you can do what you want with. Like slurp it up with a spoon.

Freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions. In the last few minutes of freezing time, add the graham cracker crust crumbs and almond paste cubes. Finish the freezing process and place it in the freezer to harden up.

• This is a creamy ice cream, but like so many homemade (and premium) ice creams, it'll benefit from a few minutes on the counter before you scoop it. Or a few seconds in the microwave, like in my photos. I gave the container about 40-50 seconds in the microwave and it was perfect for scooping.
• The leftover roasted fruit makes a great ice cream topping, by the way. How about over your morning oatmeal? With yogurt! It’s also good eaten straight from the container.
• I made the crust on the side of the graham cracker crumbs box. Use your fave.

Pizza Roll Ups

Game day food! These would be a fun snack to serve at your Super Bowl parties. Not only are they ridiculously simple to make, but they’re a little something different among the other snacks. A mixture of cream cheese, shredded cheeses, pepperoni and green onions is spread out on flour tortillas, and browned in a hot pan. Serve with your favorite marinara for dipping!

You could also change these up, making a Tex-mex type roll up, a spinach and feta roll up (Oooh, add some fresh dill to that one and I’m there!)--use your imagination!

Cream Cheesy Pizza Roll Ups

Makes 4 (8") tortillas, cut into 3 pieces each, so 12 pieces total.
Adapted from Cuisine at Home

8 oz softened cream cheese 

Scant 1/3 cup finely diced pepperoni 

1 cup shredded cheese (I picked up a pizza blend.) 

1/3 cup green onions, thinly sliced (just the green parts) 

1 tsp pizza seasoning

1 tsp fresh basil, minced

4 (8") flour tortillas 

a bit of oil for cooking 

Marinara or pizza sauce for dipping

In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, pepperoni, shredded cheese, green onions, pizza seasoning and basil. Mix well.

Spread each tortilla with some of the cheese mixture, and get it all the way to edges to help the rolls seal. Roll each one up tightly. Heat some oil in a pan over medium heat. Not too much, you're not deep frying, just browning the tortilla rolls. Depending on the size of your pan, place one or two rolls in the oil and brown on all sides. This should only take a few minutes for each one. Use tongs and turn the rolls so you brown them all over. Set aside, and finish browning the rolls.

Let them cool slightly before slicing. Slice each roll into 3 pieces and serve with your favorite marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.

If you’re looking for more ideas for fun Super Bowl foods, check out my post from last year. I collected some of my favorite past recipes for you to look over!

• Super Bowl Party Foods

And here are some of my favorites from the past year for you to check out:

• Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Cookies (This makes a lot to feed your crowd!)
• Turkey Pesto Parmesan Meatballs (Make meatball subs--add some sliced provolone!)
• A Ploughman’s Platter makes a great “nibbling” offering.
• Cosmic Brownies are super fudgy and you can personalize them with m&m’s in your team colors.
• Portland Eggplant Veggie Burgers--these are one of my faves!
• Game Day Buffalo Pork Meatball Subs--I’ll definitely be making these! I crave these constantly. Everything you love in a Buffalo Wing, but neater.
• Steak, Blue Cheese and Horseradish Cream Bites with Caramelized Onions. If making individual apps isn’t your thing, consider the parts of these apps in a sandwich!