Sunday, January 27, 2013

Pinned it, Made it! Monday ~ Week 25 ~

It’s time for Pinned it, Made it! Monday again already!

 
This week I tried out a couple different recipes from Pinterest for dinner. I’m going to share them with you and give you my honest opinions of both. Both of these pins came from my What’s For Dinner Pinterest board.

The first one was Jalapenos' Spinach Enchiladas. This recipe is a spin-off of a dish that is served at a well known Mexican restaurant, Jalapenos, in Texas.

Here’s the original pin:

Original Source:  Food.com


And the recipe:


Enchiladas

4 (10 oz) pkgs frozen chopped spinach or 4 bunches fresh spinach, cooked
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb. fresh muschrooms, halved
1 tablespoon butter
2 slices white bread, crusts removed
salt
2 teaspoons white pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 eggs
2 cups grated monterey jack and cheddar cheese blend, divided
10-12 flour tortillas



     Cilantro Cream Sauce

3 cups half and half
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch, plus
2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in a small amount of cold water
3 cupts chopped cilantro

    Directions:
 
 
  1. For enchiladas, cook the spinach according to the package directions, if using frozen.
  2. While spinach is cooking, combine garlic, onion and mushrooms in food processor, and process until coarsely chopped.
  3. Melt butter in sauté pan, and sauté onion mixture until onion is translucent.
  4. Remove pan from heat, and set aside.
  5. Drain spinach, squeezing out excess water.
  6. Make bread crumbs in food processor from sliced bread.
  7. Add spinach, salt, pepper, nutmeg, chili powder and eggs.
  8. Process until blended thoroughly.
  9. Transfer to mixing bowl, and stir in onion mixture and 6 tablespoons cheese.
  10. Preheat broiler.
  11. Spoon a portion of filling onto each tortilla and roll it up.
  12. Place each enchilada in casserole dish, seam side down.
  13. Repeat until you've used up filling.
  14. For cream sauce, mix half-and-half, cayenne, salt and a little of the dissolved corn starch in medium saucepan, and heat until thickened.
  15. The sauce should be creamy, not runny; add more cornstarch mixture as necessary.
  16. Off the heat, stir in cilantro.
  17. Pour Cilantro Cream Sauce over tortillas, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
  18. Broil until cheese melts and turns golden color.
 
**NOTE FROM TAMMY**  I used the frozen spinach and used garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. I also left off the mushrooms because I don't care for them. 

Here’s mine before going into the oven:



And ready to eat:



Well, my honest take on these is that they were just ok. I wasn’t that thrilled about them. My parents came over for dinner and my dad seemed to like them pretty well. But Jason and I held the same opinion, that they were just ok.  (My mom didn't try them because she doesn't do spicy).  We had some left over for the next night and we ate them because we had them, but they’re just not something that I will probably make again. And they were a little time consuming to make. BUT, if you really like spinach and you don’t mind dishes that take a little extra prep time, then you should try them and decide for yourself!

As far as enchiladas go, this one, 3 Cheese Enchiladas, is still our favorite!  And it's easy to make!  I like fast and easy!  :)


The second dish I tried this week didn’t really have a name other than Sausage/Potatoes.

 Here’s the original pin:

Original Source:  Recipe Select
  Sausage/Potatoes

Since I couldn't find the exact instructions on the link,  I just improvised. I cut up a 10 lb bag of red potatoes and spread them out over a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil. I then cut up 1 package of polka kiebalsa and one package of smoked sausages and browned them a little first, then mixed them in with the potatoes. I cut up an onion and sprinkled them over the potatoes and sausages, as well as some banana peppers and a little juice from the jar of banana peppers. Then finally, I sprinkled some Italian seasoning over all of that. I covered this with foil and put them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes or so. Just watch for your potatoes to soften since every oven is different. (I think I actually began with my oven higher but ended up turning it down).

Here's ours:



This one gets two thumbs up especially from Jason and me!  Joy is our picky eater, but Luke liked it.  :)  Every bite was eaten between two meals! Yummy! I will definitely be making this one again.

Now come on..... share with us what you’ve been trying out from Pinterest……we’d love to see!


To participate in Pinned it, Made it! Monday, here are the guidelines:

1) Just do a post about what you’ve pinned and made from Pinterest, then come back over here to Country Girl at Home and link that particular post (not your blog in general) on this post below.

2) I don’t mind if you link up more than one post….multiple entries are fine.

3) You must add my Pinned it, Made it! Monday button on your post or sidebar of your blog linking back to Country Girl at Home. You may get this button code on the page at the top of my blog labeled “Buttons”. Just copy and paste the code into your post.

4) Be supportive and visit blog entries. I do ask that you visit at least one and leave a comment there. And don't forget to leave me one here! :) We all love comments, don’t we? It’s encouraging and uplifting!

5) By linking up and participating, you give me permission to use your entry photo if I decide to feature an entry.

Thanks for joining me today for Pinned it, Made it! Monday. Have a great week!

  ♥ Tammy ♥

14 comments:

Patty Sumner said...

I love spinach in anything so those enchillada's look great. I am going to definitely try that one. Blessings!

Michelle said...

Thank you for the honest opinion on the enchiladas. You saved me time and money.

Mary Ann said...

The enchiladas do look really pretty though!

Cora from Hidden Riches said...

It's funny about enchiladas --- they always look so good,and then I taste them and find them "just okay!" Something seems to be missing, or they are dry. And definitely not worth the work. But your sausage and potatoes looks like a real winner! I'm going to try that one.

So glad to see you on my blog and thank you for your sweet comment. Strange how we lose some of our contacts. I've tried to find some from way back, even went back to the beginning of my blog and went through the comments to find them, but couldn't! I'm so glad our paths crossed again!

Holly said...

I don't think I will be trying the spinach enchiladas because I am not a big fan of spinach, but I have seen the sausage and potato one and have been wondering if it would be good. Think I will definitely be trying it now! Thanks for sharing.

Lori said...

We love Sausage and Potatoes here. My sister in law gave me her recipe years ago and I normally cook them in a skillet on the stove top. I'll have to try baking them the next time I make them.

Candy C. said...

Love the idea of doing the sausage and potatoes in the oven! Like Lori, I usually cook them in a skillet on the stove top. Thanks for the review of the spinach enchiladas too. I guess not every recipe can earn five stars! :)

jennifer768 said...

Will be trying the sausage dinner for sure.I appreciate the honest opinion on the meals.Hugs,Jen

Linda ★ Parker's General said...

Don't like chili powder so would have substituted Red pepper flakes, cut the spinach in half and added chopped chicken in its place. Mushrooms would be very good. We love them all. The sauce sounds delicious and the finished product looks great.
Potatoes and sausage? We prefer our sausages with peppers and onions....Potatoes on the side.

Allison said...

Your recipes look great. I love Mexican food and need to make me some enchiladas soon.

Annie said...

Looks yummy!!!!

Never So Simple said...

I have also made the sausage potato meal. I used frozen mixed peppers and onions.I have made this a couple of times and it was hit here also. Another good one I have tried was the cube steak in mushroom soup. it's so tender and delicious. I try to try something new weekly also.

Donna

Debbie Fisher (debbiedee) said...

the sausage and potatoes sound yummy! I am going to watch for sausage sales now to make this.

Joy ~ Doodlebug ~ said...

Mama,

Pinterest has some good recipes! What did we do without it? ;)

Love you! 8!

Love,
Joy :)