Easiest-Ever Christmas!

December is fast approaching and for the next few weeks I am going to make this the Easiest-Ever Christmas!!  The recipes will be tried and true… well loved.. and most can be made days ahead of big day!!

Christmas is a time to spend with family… not in the kitchen whipping…roasting…mashing and missing out on the day!  There is no need for a complicated meal… just simple recipes that are delicious.  You might even get to set down for the entire dinner! 

I have two menus in mind.  One traditional and one is my favorite Christmas dinner!

Here Are The Two Menus That 

Will Save You This Christmas…

·       Ham with my Apricot Brown Sugar Glaze or Maple Brown Sugar Ham in the Slow Cooker

·       Potatoes Supreme or Cheesy Potatoes

·       Fluffy Strawberry Salad or To Die for Raspberry Salad

·       Pecan Orange Green Salad or Spinach Goat Cheese Salad

·       Easy Parmesan Knots or Best and Easiest Dinner Rolls

·       Best Ever Brownie Trifle or Frozen Caramel and Pecan Pie

·       Creamy Chicken Enchiladas or Molly’s Pork Enchiladas

·       Café Rio Cilantro Lime Rice or Salsa Spanish Rice (I personally use the Uncle Ben’s Spanish Rice packets that take 90 seconds in the microwave… love them!)

·       Molly’s Slow Cooker Refried Beans or go to Food City and get their refried beans from the Deli… add salsa and cheese.  Microwave until cheese is melted and they are warm. Divine!

·       Shredded lettuce and Tomatoes

·       Guacamole… my version or Guacamole Muy Bueno

·       Tortilla Chips (Food City’s are my favorite... big long bag)

·       Salsa… your choice

·       Frozen Raspberry Delight or Frozen Lemonade Pie

There you have it!  This week is all about the Main Dish… you will get both options for each menu.  Ham is easy and both Enchiladas can be made ahead of time!  My tip for this week… NEVER EVER try a new recipe for Christmas dinner… I speak from experience. So Sad…….

It is the day before Thanksgiving and some of us WILL be shopping! It will happen… we have forgotten something or several things when we shopped earlier in the week OR today is our only day to shop.  My advice… avoid late afternoon/evening if you can. I call those the Panic Hours. Stores know we will be coming and hopefully they will be well stocked with all the basics.

Sales for this week… as we roll into December.  Well… I have some good news and some not so good.  All store ads remain the same THROUGH Thanksgiving day! EXCEPT for FRY’s and PRO’S RANCH MARKET… those 2 stores ads are good through Friday.  I imagine there will be ads for the weekend… if so, I will post them.  Or if nothing looks fantastic I will post Tuesday night December 3^rd for that next week.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving 

and I hope it is filled with lots of 

Family… Laughter… and a Fabulous feast!

Molly

Ham with my Apricot Brown Sugar Glaze

This is Ham perfection as far as I am concerned!  Always turns out perfect and this Ham looks Fabulous on your serving platter. Just a pretty Ham!  The glaze is what makes it! I have used this glaze on pricey and less expensive Hams and they both turn out fantastic!… so I pretty much buy cheaper Spiral Hams. Always. Duh…

·       Any Spiral sliced Ham of your choice (make sure it comes with a glaze packet.)

·       1 cup Orange juice

·       1 cup packed Brown Sugar

·       2 cups Apricot Preserves

·       Dry mustard to taste

·       Glaze packet from Ham

Instructions

1.    Dissolve glaze packet according to instructions.

2.   In a large measuring cup or bowl, mix the brown sugar with the OJ until dissolved. 

3.   Stir in preserves and ½ to ¾ of the glaze mixture.  (You can use it all if you like.) 

4.   Remove Ham from oven 30 minutes before finish time.  Set oven temperature to 375 degrees. 

5.   Turn ham on its side as shown in picture above.  Apply glaze liberally getting in between slices. 

6.   Put Ham back in oven and give it about 15-20 minutes to get the yummy crunchy glaze we all love!

Maple Brown Sugar Ham... Slow Cooker

Easy. Delicious. Easy.... did I say Delicious?

Well... this Ham is one of my favorites!

            

INGREDIENTS:
7-8 pound spiral-cut ham (bone-in or boneless)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 cups pineapple juice

DIRECTIONS:

Use a 6-7 quart slow cooker. Unwrap the ham and discard flavor packet. Place the ham into the slow cooker stoneware, flat-side down. Rub brown sugar on all sides. Pour on maple syrup and pineapple juice. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. An hour before serving, baste ham with the collected juices from the bottom of the slow cooker. When cooking is done, remove carefully and let it rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before serving.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

I found this recipe in the Arizona Republic a while ago and the 

first time I made them… 

I knew that these were Special. Occasion. Enchiladas.

Why? You ask!  

First they are made with heavy cream which raises the calories a bazillion times and Second… they do take time to make.  They CAN be made ahead of time (up to 2 days.)

Amazing!  That is it!  I have eaten many enchiladas in my life and these make my heart go pitter patter… probably palpitations from the heavy cream.  Make these!  Worth every minute of your time!!

INGREDIENTS

·       6 chicken breasts- bone-in and with skin

·       2 cloves of garlic- minced

·       ½ cube of butter

·       2- 4 oz. cans diced green chiles

·       2 ½ cups yellow onion- diced

·       1 large red bell pepper- diced

·       4- 3 oz. pkgs. Cream cheese- cubed

·       4 cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese- divided

·       Oil

·       25 flour tortillas- salad plate size

·       1 ½ cups water

·       1 cup sour cream

·       1 1/3 cups heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

1.  Place the chicken breasts into a large pot and fill with enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil and cook until chicken is cooked through.  About 20 minutes. Remove from water and set aside to cool.  When cooled, remove skin and discard bones.  Shred all breast meat and set aside.

2.  In a fry pan put enough oil to fry fry tortillas and turn heat to medium.  When oil is hot, dip each tortilla and turn once until tortilla is limp. About 4 seconds per side.  Drain well on paper towels.

3. Heat butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the green chiles, onions, red pepper, and garlic.  Cook and stir for a few minutes until well combined.  Reduce heat just a little.  Add the cubed cream cheese and 2 cups of Monterrey Jack cheese.  Stir constantly so cheeses won’t stick.  As the cheeses melt, slowly add water until well combined.  Stir in the sour cream and continue stirring.  Turn heat to low.  Add shredded chicken and mix well.  Remove pan from heat.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a very large baking pan OR two 9 x 13 inch pans.  Spoon filling down the center of each tortilla.  About a heaping ¼ cup per tortilla.  Roll and place in pan seam side down.  Repeat until all tortillas are filled.  Top enchiladas with remaining 2 cups of cheese.  You can add more cheese if you like.  Evenly pour heavy cream over enchiladas.  Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes until golden and the center enchilada of pan is hot.  Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!!

Pork Enchiladas

You can make these in a flash!  I always make 2 pans and freeze one.  Enchiladas are one of my favorite food groups.  It is a food group, right?

I heart these Pork Enchiladas. Truly a must have recipe.  

You will L.O.V.E. THESE!!

Ingredients…

·       2 ¼ lbs. grated cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese

·       1- 28 oz. can Macayo Green Chile enchilada sauce

·       1 cup sour cream (can add more if you like)

·       About 2 ½ lbs. cooked and shredded pork (shredded chicken works well also)

·       12-18 corn tortillas

·       1 ½ large onions- chopped fine

·       Oil for frying tortillas

Directions…

1.  Heat oil in a skillet and fry corn tortillas by dipping in hot oil for a few seconds on each side.  Drain well on paper towels.

2. Combine Enchilada sauce and sour cream in a large sauce pan and heat on low until warm. 

3. Prepare onions, pork, and cheese to assemble Enchiladas.  I put them on separate paper plates.

4. Dip each fried tortilla in warm enchilada sauce.  Fill each tortilla with a little pork, onion and cheese.  Roll up, seam side down, in 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with Pam.

5.  Top with remaining Enchilada sauce and grated cheese.

6.  Bake at 350 until bubbly and golden.  About 30 -40 minutes. Center Enchiladas should be hot in middle.

** I sometimes buy fresh roasted green chiles from Food City and add those to my Enchilada sauce/ sour cream mixture.  It makes the sauce a little spicy.