Quick & Easy Enchilada Casserole

So Mr. Devilish Dish and I did a thing this Spring.  We bought a bass boat.  Now that Little Devil has left the nest and we're empty nesters we decided we needed a fun "social distancing" type hobby we can enjoy together.  I grew up on Oklahoma lakes, so I was completely on board with the idea.  We've had a really fun spring and summer so far.  The only downside (and it isn't much of a downside) is we sometimes come home after dinner time.  Again, this isn't a bad thing since we're empty nesters and don't have anyone waiting to be fed but ourselves, but now I'm on the hunt for recipes that come together quickly and easily after day on the lake.  This Quick & Easy Enchilada Casserole totally fits the bill.  Only 5 ingredients and about 25 minutes in the oven to a hearty Mexican feast!  The time saver is the tortilla chips.  No tortillas to soften and roll up, just a short cut with the chips!  You can even use store bought taco seasoning, to speed things up.  I happened to have some of my Homemade Taco Seasoning on hand, which is gluten-free so I used that.  Canned enchilada sauce and pre-shredded cheese make it even easier.  Just brown your ground beef and onions and layer the ingredients together. While it bakes, throw together a simple lettuce and tomato salad and you'll have a comforting, filling meal that comes together in minutes.  The perfect ending to a day enjoying your favorite hobby!

Only 5 ingredients to a quick & easy meal!

Layer crushed tortilla chips in prepared dish.

Brown ground beef and diced onion.

Season with taco seasoning.

Combine ground beef mixture with
enchilada sauce and half of the cheese.
Pour over the crushed chips.

Top with remaining cheese.
Bake 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Serve with a simple
lettuce and tomato salad for a hearty meal. 
Perfect after a day of boating!

Aunt Jenny's Watermelon Salad

My college friends and I recently celebrated our annual girl's weekend at the lake.  Lots of fun was had by all, including a few drinks and lots of good food, mostly prepared by my friend Jenny.  She has been my roommate, sorority sister and all around best friend for many years now.  If you know Jenny then you know she is extraordinarily kind, patient, generous and a fabulous cook.  I'll go ahead and admit I'm not a huge fan of watermelon, but when I tasted this salad I could totally change my mind!  It is colorful, refreshing and an unusual combination of flavors that work perfectly together.  Just like our group of friends.  The first night she prepared this for us she forgot to add the red onion, but we all agreed it wasn't necessary.  Feel free to add it if you'd like but I think the salad is equally delicious without it.  The second night we prepared this we were out of cilantro and again, it was still just as tasty.  We used a store bought raspberry vinaigrette, but feel free to use your favorite homemade too.  This goes together in minutes, the most time consuming part is cubing the watermelon, so get a friend like Aunt Amy to do the work for you. This is an excellent summer side dish, perfect for a hot day, so refreshing! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.  Good friends, good food, good times.  Here's to Jenny: Aunt to the Little Devil, CEO, incredible mother with a beautiful singing voice, tadpole wrangler, gardener, beekeeper, fabulous cook and best friend!

Aunt Jenny's Watermelon Salad
the perfectly refreshing side dish for
any summer meal!

Here's the Raspberry Vinaigrette we used.
Jenny is so thoughtful to pick a gluten free
dressing just for me!

A colorful and cool side dish
for any hot weather meal.

Marshmallow Fruit Dip

Mr. Devilish Dish golfs and fishes.  A lot.  And when he's been at the golf course or the lake all day, he usually doesn't want a huge, heavy dinner.  Especially when the weather is hot.  Those are the nights we have something like chicken salad sandwiches.  Which I like to think is healthy.  And sometimes I use yogurt instead of mayonnaise so they are a bit healthier. And then I offer fruit as a side dish.  But in order to pass fruit off as a side dish to my family I have to serve it with something yummy like fondue or Marshmallow Dip.  To offset the times I try to feed them healthy things.  Fresh veggies?  NO.  Ranch Dip?  Yes! So on hot days when I serve fruit as a dessert, you can imagine the excitement when they see this dip alongside the fruit! You won't believe how easy this is.  It's only three ingredients.  One of which is marshmallow fluff.  Which could be a meal on it's own.  (Not that I would know, because I would never do something like eat marshmallow fluff from the jar with a spoon.  I mean who does that?  Not people that make healthy chicken salad sandwiches for dinner.  Well okay maybe.  It's called balance.) Whether you consider Marshmallow Fruit Dip a side dish or not, we can all agree it's fabulous.  And spoon worthy! 

It's a side dish, people.

Look how fluffy and yummy it is!

Strawberries, bananas, grapes, and apple slices.
That part is definitely good for you!

Marshmallow Fruit Dip...
Almost as good as eating the marshmallow fluff
out of the jar!

Easy Peasy Caprese Salad

We've been working on our yard a lot this year.  The deck has been stained and sealed with new lights installed all around.  I got a great little corner plant stand to hold some of my plants and herbs.  Mr. Devilish Dish got a new grill he's been playing with.  Once we pop up the big red umbrella and turn on the tunes it is a great little place to dine al fresco or enjoy an evening cocktail.  Now in no way do I have a green thumb, but I try harder every year.  I really love having tomatoes, peppers and especially fresh herbs for cooking.  So when Mr. Devilish Dish suggested an impromptu meal on the patio with friends I was totally excited to show off our hard work.  I wasn't as excited when he suggested grilling beer brats for dinner, with the usual side dishes of baked beans and potato salad.  Don't get me wrong, I love baked beans and potato salad and they are my go-to summer side dishes, BUT it was a small gathering which didn't require the typical large, potluck-style side dish.  We ran to the store for a few essentials and I said, "Let me assess what produce looks the prettiest and I will create a side dish around that."  I found the prettiest package of little organic heirloom tomatoes.  Not only were they bursting with flavor, but the color variety was gorgeous.  When you start with great tomatoes, you really don't need a lot of ingredients to improve upon their flavor.  I knew immediately a Caprese-style salad would be perfect.  The traditional Caprese salad features alternating tomato and mozzarella slices topped with fresh basil leaves and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic.  With a patio full of fresh herbs that would be no problem.  I grabbed a package of mozzarella pearls, because I knew their tiny bite size would be ideal with the cherry tomatoes.  This salad goes together in under 10 minutes and makes the perfect fresh side dish for any grilled meal.  And with the weather getting hotter and tomatoes getting riper, you'll want to make this all summer, it is easy peasy!

A colorful side dish perfect for dining al fresco.
Goes together in under 10 minutes.
Easy Peasy!

Only 5 ingredients...

Check out the vibrant colors
of the fresh tomatoes and basil!

Grown-Up Cherry Limeades

Sonic-Drive In was founded in Shawnee, Oklahoma in 1953.  So cherry limeades were quintessential to my childhood.  Lots of high school nights were spend "cruising" around aimlessly with my friends only to wind up at the drive in for a cherry limeade drink.  I don't drink them that often as an adult, mainly because I survive on Diet Coke or water only, but they sure are tasty every once in a while.  Since we've been stuck at home with nothing to do, Mr. Devilish Dish and I have been working diligently in our backyard.  It's not a huge back yard, but it does have plenty of space for Ghirardelli "Elli" to run laps like shes a racing dog.  And there is a lovely deck where we like to sit in the evenings and enjoy an adult beverage while we watch said dog racing.  Along with yard work, our adult beverage consumption as increased and it has been kind of fun to come up with a different cocktail each weekend.  Last time we enjoyed the Birthday Weekend Cocktail invented by my friend Jenny featuring moscato wine, vanilla vodka and strawberry soda pop.  Also during the quarantine here in Oklahoma small towns, "cruising" has become a thing again.  Huge Facebook groups have formed and folks of all ages are social-distancing by driving around in their cars listening to music and visiting the drive-ins just like the old high school days.  We haven't done that yet, but I want to soon, so I can see all of the classic cars and motorcycles and basically feel like I'm in high school again.  As we were reminiscing about our high school days the topic of Cherry Limeades came up and I decided a Grown-Up Cherry Limeade would be the ideal patio beverage.  With Memorial Day weekend and cook outs coming up,  here's a blast from the past with an updated adult twist.  So take a spin in your classic car, come home and put on some 80's music and get on the patio with a Grown-Up Cherry Limeade drink.  

A childhood favorite gets an adult makeover!

Refreshing, nostalgic and patio ready 

You MUST get the Tillen FarmsMerry Maraschino Cherries.
They are so worth it and totally make the drink!

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend
and drink responsibly!

GROWN-UP CHERRY LIMEADES

4 ounces prepared limeade (I made a pitcher from concentrate)
4 ounces lemon-lime soda (I used Diet 7Up)
1 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce grenadine (I used the juice from the cherry jar instead and it's so good)
*Maraschino Cherries - You HAVE to get the Tillen Farms Merry Maraschino Cherries!
Lime wedges for garnish

In a glass, combine limeade, lemon-lime soda, vodka and grenadine.  Stir and add ice.  Garnish with cherries and lime wedges.

*NOTE: These are the absolute best Maraschino Cherries I've ever tasted and  I don't even like maraschino cherries :) you can use regular grenadine, but trust me, splurge on these cherries and use their juice in your cocktail instead.  It's so good.

Chicken Korma

Korma is a type of curry, made with meat or vegetables cooked in a flavorful sauce.  You can vary the type of vegetables you like, or opt for lamb, shrimp or in this case chicken.  If you've ever eaten at an Indian food buffet, chances are you've had Korma.  You know from past posts like Butter Chicken and Homemade Naan Bread that we are huge fans of Indian food around here.  This type of cuisine always seems complicated to me and I'm guessing it's due to either number of spices in a recipe or simply because they aren't spices that are usually in my wheelhouse and for some reason I equate exotic spice with difficulty.  Which isn't the case with this recipe at all.  It's quite simple to make and easily changed around to accommodate any variety of meats or vegetables you have on hand.  You could easily leave out the meat altogether and substitute some hearty potatoes or cauliflower for a tasty veggie version too.  Serve with Basmati or Jasmine rice and a batch of my Homemade Naan Bread to soak up the sauce.  The creamy sauce and warm flavors are sure to satisfy.  Don't be afraid to try something new in your kitchen.  It's as simple as reaching into your spice cabinet!

A simple to make curry using chicken, or whatever
meats or vegetables you have on hand.

Everything cooks in one dish.

The resulting sauce is rich, creamy and flavorful.
Check out the BALTI DISH.

Serve over Basmati or Jasmine Rice with Naan Bread
for a satisfying meal.

Strawberry Rolls

Since the quarantine, I've been trying to bake some kind of treat every week to share with my family.  So far I've made the No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread and Chocolate Cookies with White Chocolate Chips.  My mom had some blackberries in her freezer that she shared.  Much to my brother's chagrin I did not make homemade blackberry cobblers, I used them to make the Berry Best Muffins.  (Sorry Bro, I'll make you a cobbler on your birthday!) By far, the Strawberry Rolls have been the biggest hit, AND the easiest to prepare!  These sweet little rolls would be ideal for a Mother's Day Breakfast or Brunch, and they would look lovely in a little basket as a gift for Mom or Grandma.  Bonus, they are easy enough for the kids to help prepare and everyone loves them.  Strawberries are in season right now, so it's easy to find big, beautiful bright red berries at peak flavor.  Using crescent roll dough makes this recipe a breeze, and it takes just a handful of ingredients.  Surprise your family (and especially the MOMS) this weekend with a super simple, strawberry treat...

   

A tasty, simple to prepare treat.
Ideal for Mother's Day or anytime you
need a little snack.

Combine fresh chopped strawberries,
sugar, vanilla and salt.

Roll up strawberry mixture in to
prepared crescent roll dough triangles.

Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.

It's okay if the filling leaks out.
You want to see the pretty
color once they're baked.

Warm tender rolls with a sweet berry filling

The perfect treat for MOM, or anyone
who deserves a little homemade strawberry snack.