Twoo Wove

Sickly Summer

After returning from my grand vacation adventures, today

I was sick. *achoo!*

And half a box of tissues of later,

And after HOURS 

of catching up on my favorite TV series,

I finally realized I should update my blog.

Turkey Enchiladas

(I made these for my roommates yesterday, and even the Asian was a big fan!)

Bare Necessities:

• 1 pound ground turkey breast (make sure to get the breast- it's better for you than regular ground turkey because there's no rib meat)
• 1 can green chili enchilada sauce
• 1 can red enchilada sauce
• Taco seasoning 1 Tablespoon
• Fajita seasoning  2 Tablepsoons, divided
• Onion powder (or real onions ... onion powder is much cheaper and accomplishes the same task)
• Mushrooms, diced- however many you want, depending on how much you like mushrooms.  I used four big caps
• Tortillas, whatever kind you prefer
• Cheddar Cheese, (or Colby Jack works great, too)
• Mild/Hot Taco Sauce, depending on your preference

Weapons of Choice:

• Crock Pot
• 9x13 casserole pan, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray

Method of Operations:

1. Combine both cans of enchilada sauces, taco seasoning, and one Tablespoon of the fajita seasoning in a crock pot.  Add the turkey and mix well.  Cook on low for about 4-5 hours.
2. Add diced mushrooms, onion powder, and the rest of the fajita seasoning and cook on high for about 30 more minutes.
3. When the turkey mixture is done, grab a plate and put on tortilla on it.  Using a slotted spoon, place one scoop of turkey down the middle of the tortilla in a line.  Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon or two of cheese on top of the turkey.  Fold one half of the tortilla over the turkey, making sure the turkey stays in the middle.  Fold the other side of the tortilla over and under.  Carefully lift the enchilada so none of the turkey spills out and place it in the casserole dish, short-ways.  Repeat with the rest of the tortillas or until the turkey is gone, or you have no more room in the casserole dish.  Whichever comes first ;] My turkey lasted for about 10 enchiladas.
4. Pour a light drizzle of taco sauce over the whole dish of enchiladas.  Sprinkle with cheese, making sure each enchilada receives a good amount.  If desired, you may also spread the leftover juices from the crockpot on top.
5. Place in the oven and bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes, or until the edges of the tortillas begin to brown.
6. Serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, and/or whatever captures your fancy. :]

No picture this week :[ You'll just have to use your imagination!

Caramel Apples: The Secrets!

When I was younger (like, early teens younger), we made caramel apples every year to raise money for girl's camp.  When we first made them, they were $5.  And we're not just talking an apple dipped in caramel here.  We're talking, fat, red, juicy apples hand dipped in smooth caramel and re-dipped in rich white chocolate, and then dipped again in decadent milk chocolate and finally sprinkled with chopped nuts and pieces of toffee.  They first rolled out of the kitchen for $5 per apple.  The next year, $5.50.  The next year, $7.50.  And we never had a decrease in customers.  People kept buying more, and more, and more.  (Means they were heavenly and worth the $8 we sold them for most recently.)  So, here are some nifty tips and tricks for making delicious caramel apples that your friends, neighbors, family, and enemies will die for.

1. Braeburn of Fuji
You can't use just any old apple.  You're combining it with tons of other rich flavors like caramel and chocolate.  It needs to have that apple taste AND those sweet flavors.  Green apples are far too overpowering.  My favorite ones to use are Braeburns, but Fujis work as well.

2. Consistent Caramel
You have to use the same brand of caramels and you have to have the right consistency.  Different brands don't always work together well, and can be confusing.  The consistency of your caramel should be not too thick and not too thin.  If it's too thick, your apples will be huge because the caramel doesn't run off.  If it's too thin, your apples won't have any caramel on them by the end of the night because it will all run off.  A little bit of run off is good, but not a lot.  I compare to prefectly melted chocolate.  You don't want it that thin; just a bit thicker.  Don't follow the directions on the caramel package- just add a teaspoon of water at a time and watch it.

3. Ogres have layers- and so should caramel apples.
To make them look really pretty and professional, don't cover the whole apple all the way up to the top with every single topping.  Cover the whole thing with caramel; then the next time you dip it, only cover it 2/3 of the way up.  The next time, only 1/3.  If you have more layers, adjust how much you cover, but make sure each layer can be seen and it will look fabulous, I guarantee. :]

4. Serve 'em Fresh.
Apples still rot.  If you want to give caramel apples as gifts, make them the day of or the day before.  If you wait for too long, then the caramel will eventually all run off, and the apple will rot.  Which is a sad thing indeed.

5. Get some help!
There are a lot of components to any kind of candy making and having helpers is a good thing, particularly helpers who know what they're doing!  If you want to make caramel apples, I will gladly lend a helping hand- it's tricky, but once you do it with someone, you kind of get a feel for it.

Sorry there aren't any pictures to go with this one; I know you'll find it in your hearts to forgive me. ;]

Getting Crazy with the Spices

So, it's Friday . . . and I'm not dressin' up and I got no where to go, so how about a little adventure says I?

Amidst doing laundry, I noticed that I was somewhat hungered... so when I came back, I did a little cooking and creating of my own. :]  And I came up with something delicious! (which seems to happen every once in a while)

What I used:

• Unclaimed/unmarked ground beef sitting in the back of our freezer
• Cream Cheese
• Random half package of guacamole seasoning which has been sitting on our spice shelf forever
• Water
• Rice
• Ranch Dressing
• Chopped Onions
• Mozzarella Cheese

I put the cheeses, the guacamole seasoning, the onions, a little bit of water and the ground beef in a pan and just . . . cooked it.  Then I *attempted* to make rice with a little bit of ranch dressing in it to give a little zingy do.  (Okay, side note: Rice is my arch-nemesis.  Apparently, I didn't live with my Asians for long enough because I still to this day can not cook it right!  I always, always, always cook it too long or not long enough.  Plus, it's so bland, I never have any idea what to do with it.  I bought a small bag of it this last shopping trip because I wanted to have another go at making it awesome-tastic and so far the score is Rice: 4 Leigha: 0.)  So, the rice, of course, didn't come out quite how I wanted it to (it's more like one big mushy mess), but it all still tastes delicious!!

Isn't beef glorious?? :] Sorry, Chik-fil-a cows; just know that I still love you (different kind of love).

So, this was after I ate some . . .  I forgot to take a picture first :)

Overall Score: A

Also, pics from the most recent pizza night!! (I know you were all waiting with baited breath for these)

This is Baked Potato Pizza- SOO good!  We even stuffed the crust :]

Everyone's favorite pizza by far- Chicken Spinach Alfredo Pizza (My own personal creation :] )

All while listening to Disney music :]

Adventures in Foreign Dining Part 2

It's time for [ASIAN FOOD NIGHT]!!!!

  

Shinjung made Bolgogi; Jordan made half of the potsickers and the chinese sausage; Amanda made the rice and seaweed; and Jeff made the other half of the potsickers (his were smaller, so they only took one bite, while Jordan's were bigger and took two bites.)

After dinner we played
SAN GUO SHA

(basically, a Chinese version of Bang)

It was way fun!!!! 

All in all, a great night!