Thursday, September 8, 2011

Experiments & Adventures

I'm learning that as a newlywed almost everyday is an experiment and an adventure. From what to eat for dinner each night to fun hobbies, experimenting is probably the best word to describe the way we are living right now!

Experiment #1: Dinner

Poor Eric. He has suffered through several awful dinners, but always with a good attitude and he never complains- one of the many reasons why I love him. My favorite kitchen item is my crock pot. It is so easy to just throw food in there in the morning and dinner's ready to go when I get home. I have cooked delicious pork chops and chicken and some decent dinners using my handy dandy crock pot. The worst idea I have had? Letting pot roast sit in red wine in the crock pot all day. The recipe sounded good, but WOW, it wasn't. I got home to the smell of fermented wine which made me want to gag, and therefore, the meal was a disaster. One of the better non-crock pot recipes I found, I actually cooked last night for my brothers, sister, and Eric and it seemed to be a hit (so they say). I thought I would share it with you because it was super easy and tasty!


Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
best creamy chicken enchiladas
These are, without question, the best best best best BEST chicken enchiladas ever. Ever! They are drizzled in a creamy, cheesy sauce and baked until golden and bubbly.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas are one of my favorite meals ever! :)

Here’s what you’ll need:
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies, drained
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, cut up and softened
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast
8 (8″) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 pint whipping cream
Directions…
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9×13 baking dish with Pam. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add rotel and saute 1 min. Stir in cream cheese and chicken and cook, stirring constantly until cream cheese melts. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish.
best creamy chicken enchiladas
Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese, and drizzle with whipping cream.
best creamy chicken enchiladas
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. Take off foil and cook for another 15 mins, or until top is golden brown.
best creamy chicken enchiladas
Look at that bubbly cheesy goodness! :) One enchilada is plenty for one adult but these things are soooooooooo good I usually end up stuffing myself with two. I just cant help myself. :p

Read More http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/creamy-chicken-enchiladas.html#ixzz1XNpmTd4o

We actually used corn tortillas and it was amazing! If you have any other easy recipes that you would like to send my way, please do!

Hopefully, through these experiments, I will soon be a better cook and the suffering will end for Eric.

Experiment #2: Brewing Our Own Beer & Wine

For Eric's birthday, I bought him a Mr. Beer brew kit, because he has always wanted to try and brew his own beer. It is quite a process, but it's easy and fun! Come by the first week in October for a beer tasting. I'm not a fan of beer, so he will need a second opinion. I, on the other hand, love wine. I found a super easy, redneck way to make wine online and decided to try it out! If it works, I'll have to post the recipe on here. For now, take a look at our "fermenting closet" aka. our guest room closet.





The one thing I have learned through experimenting is that it keeps life fun and entertaining!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

The big question of the year...


How's married life? ...

This seems to be the first question I get asked when running into people I know, and it will probably continue through at least the first year of marriage. The answer I give to everyone after 2 1/2 months? It's great! I love it! This extremely broad and unspecific question cracks me up. We are newly weds! Of course it's wonderful! If it weren't, we would be in trouble! The better question? What is it like living together?

Before Eric and I got married, we took premarital counseling classes. They really prepared us in different areas: spiritually, financially, using conflict resolution, etc., but I don't think anything prepares you for living together.

There are so many things we have learned about each other in such a short amount of time while living in the same home. Here are a few examples:

*How we both sleep at night....he talks, I snore (occasionally)
*We are both equally clean and equally messy. This one is definitely a blessing. We never fight about the cleanliness or messiness of our home. The house is messy during the week but gets cleaned on the weekends. This works for us.
*I like grocery shopping alone.
*Our ideal weeknight? Grilling and watching tv at home.

I know the list will grow over time with many more fun and exciting years ahead of us, for better and for worse. So far, we have been extremely blessed with a healthy and happy marriage and love living together despite the quirks.

When people ask me--How's married life?... and I answer it's great, I love it! I am definitely telling the truth:)