Snow Days

We've had some real winter weather here in Louisville.  Snow, then tons of ice topped off by even more snow and ice.  Many homes and businesses are without power.  Thankfully we still have power.  Caleb's classes were cancelled for the whole week and my office even closed for 2 days.  So for us, it was more of a mini-staycation!  We enjoyed spending lots of time together watching movies, reading, drinking hot chocolate, making chocolate chip cookies, and of course, playing in the snow.  

Cottage Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

Yes, you read that correctly, cottage cheese chicken enchiladas. Sound horrible? Well, open up that closed mind of yours because they are delicious! In fact, it has become one of our 'regulars.' I've never been one to follow recipes exactly, so I don't have specific measurements for you, but I adapted mine from this allrecipes.com recipe. They're pretty versatile, you can throw in whatever you like, and they freeze well. And I promise, you can't even detect the cottage cheese, just ask Caleb!

INGREDIENTS:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - boiled and shredded
oil (i use olive or canola)
chopped onion
1 7 oz can chopped green chile peppers
1 package taco or enchilada seasoning mix
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups cottage cheese
salt & pepper
flour or corn tortillas
shredded colby & monterey jack cheese
red enchilada sauce

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. Meat Mixture: Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, onion and green chile peppers and saute until browned, then add taco seasoning and prepare meat mixture according to package directions.

2. Cheese Mixture: mix sour cream with cottage cheese and season with salt and pepper.

3. Assemble: Heat tortillas until soft. In each tortilla place a spoonful of meat mixture, a spoonful of cheese mixture and a bit of shredded cheese. Roll tortillas and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with any remaining meat and cheese mixture, enchilada sauce and remaining shredded cheese.

4. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

A few tips: Don't skimp on the enchilada sauce. In fact, splurge and buy lots of the good stuff, or make it yourself. The enchilada sauce will make or break this dish. Also, make sure you spread some sauce on the bottom of the baking dish before adding the enchiladas. It will prevent them from drying out during baking.

11 Months Old, And Soooo Curious!

Our 11 month old girl is getting so big. She loves to explore and is starting to get into everything! She does not crawl, but does a bit of a scooting move instead. She loves pulling up onto furniture and taking tiny steps while holding onto our hands.

She is getting to be good friends with Luther and enjoys climbing on him. Doesn't he look thrilled?! She also loves it when he licks her hands, though it makes mommy cringe. Luther is very patient with her and I think he loves the attention.

She loves playing with everything in the 'junk' cabinet!

"Hey mom, would this color compliment my skin tone?"

Nella and friend, Shiloh, having a play date.

Shiloh's mommy took these sweet photos of Nella. Isn't she a beautiful baby girl?