at home with ann

One of my friends had a baby recently, so I brought a dinner to share with them.  Whenever I do that, I make double so we get dinner, too!  After constructing their meal as traditional enchiladas and rolling many little tortillas, I decided to do something a little simpler for our version and make it into an oven bake.  Mexican and barbecue are both popular in our house, so this is the perfect combination! BBQ Chicken Enchiladas Ingredients: 1 lb. chicken breasts 1/2 cup barbecue sauce 1 (12 count) package of corn tortillas 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 cup corn (I used frozen) 1 cup enchilada sauce (homemade or store bought) 1/2 cup barbecue sauce 2-3 cup shredded cheddar cheese Optional toppings: sour cream, avocado, hot sauce, cilantro In a slow cooker, combine chicken and 1/2 cup bbq sauce.  Cook for 6-8 hours on low until easily shredded with a fork.  Alternatively, cook chicken in oven or on stove top and shred. Combine ch...

I gave these cookie mixes in a jar for Christmas presents this year along with some homemade bourbon vanilla extract.  Vanilla extract is the easiest thing in the world to make, aside from my having to explain to Jon how I used up an entire bottle of Makers Mark in one day.  Anyway, layering things in mason jars looks adorable, and everyone likes an excuse to bake cookies.  Somehow I managed to miscount the number I needed, because it's hard to count to...5, so I had an extra jar.  Oh well, cookie baking is a good snow day activity. While it's easiest and certainly works to add the mix all at once, I roughly separated the ingredients for mixing.  I emptied the white chocolate, cranberries, oats and flour mixture into a bowl before pouring the sugars into the butter and egg mixture.  Once the sugar and butter was mixed, I added the remaining ingredients. Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies in a Jar Ingredients: 1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup brown sugar 3...

I've been in a lunch rut.  On a good day I'm eating hummus wraps, on a more hectic one I'm enjoying grilled cheese crusts and the ends of a green smoothie.  While I spend our lunchtimes running back and forth to the kitchen and keeping an eye on the baby to make sure he doesn't try to eat an entire pear in one bite, it's nice to have real food in front of me when I do sit down.  I try to keep the afternoon snacking to a minimum, as it's all too easy to inhale half a bag of cashews without noticing, and this combination of protein, veggies and healthy fats keeps me full and up for toddler level sprinting races. I love this sauce.  I posted about it way back in the beginning of my blogging days as part of a lentil recipe.  Today I used it on quinoa and vegetables, but it makes a great dressing for salad or any grain or bean. Lemon Tahini Dressing From Oh She Glows 1/4 cup tahini 2 garlic cloves 1/2 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional) ko...