Enchiladas with PepperJack Cheese and Green Sauce

8 corn or taco-size flour tortillas

2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, divided

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles, drained*

1 pound cooked chicken, shredded or cut into bite sized pieces, optional

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees for flour tortillas or 350 for corn.

2. Spread 2 tablespoons of the cheese on each tortilla and roll up. Add the chicken if using. Place the tortillas seam side down in a 9x13 inch baking dish.

3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan; stir in the flour. Add the broth all at once and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Stir in the sour cream and chiles. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble, but do not boil. Pour the mixture over the tortillas and bake for 20 minutes for flour tortillas; 15 minutes for corn.

4. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the enchiladas and bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

Serves 8

*I actually only used half of a can of chiles because that was all I had on hand. I thought the enchiladas were spicy enough with only half a can because the pepper jack add spice as well.

Fired-up Mac n' Cheese

I used the full amount of cayenne the recipe calls for and I thought it was pretty spicy, kids probably wouldn't eat it, so if you're feeding kids use 1/8 teaspoon. However, my husband and I thought it was the best mac n' cheese we've had. It's nice to have an easy homemade mac n' cheese because i know exactly what's in it, unlike the blue box kind.

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni, or other pasta (penne, etc.)

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Crumb topping:

2 to 3 slices white bread*

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook the pasta according to package; drain.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and 8x8 inch baking dish.

3. Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan and add the flour. Stir with a whisk until mixture is bubbly, about 1 minute. Add the milk, cooking and stirring until the mixture thickens. Add the salt, cayenne, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir for 1 minute.

4. Remove pan from the heat and add cheddar cheese and the 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted. Stir in the pasta. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.

5. To make crumb topping, tear the bread into small pieces and pulse in the food processor to make 1 cup crumbs. Mix in the butter and the parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the pasta mixture. Bakes for 20 to 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly and the topping is brown.

Serves 6

* Note: I used about 3/4 of a sleeve of ritz crackers instead of the bread, which I crushed

The Food Nanny

My sister-in-law let me borrow her cookbook from Liz Edmunds, "The Food Nanny." So far everything I've tried from her has been super yummy. I've made a new label for "Food Nanny" so she gets the credit she deserves. I'll be posting her recipes as I try them.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

The book I got this recipe from claims this soup is good as any you'll get at a restaurant. I totally agree, it was delicious! I used the marinara recipe listed in the post below.

I used our nifty hand blender to smooth the soup and that worked perfectly. I thought this soup was so good. I can't wait until I can go to the farmer's market and get fresh ingredients. I even used fat free half and half and it was still great.

1/2 cup butter

1 cup flour

4 cups chicken broth

3 1/2 cups half and half

1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, or 8 to 10 small vine-ripened tomatoes, diced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook and stir for 5 minutes to slightly brown the mixture. Whisk in the broth. Increase the heat and cook and stir until thickened. Decrease the heat to low, stir in the half and half, simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Stir in the marinara sauce, tomatoes, and basil, and cook until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve as is chunky style, or puree in a food processor or blender for a smooth soup.

Makes 12 cups

Super Easy Marinara Sauce

Sauce for soups, pizza, pasta sauce, breadsticks, etc.

1 (14.5) can diced tomatoes, or 4 fresh tomatoes peeled and diced (about 2 cups), crushed in blender

4 small garlic cloves, minced

2 sprigs fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried

1. Pour tomatoes into a small saucepan and stir in the garlic and oregano. Cook over low heat about 5 minutes.

I used canned tomatoes and dried basil and this sauce was super delicious!

Potato Keilbasa Skillet

1 pound red potatoes, cubed

3 tablespoons water

3/4 pound smoked kielbasa or polish sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 cups fresh baby spinach

5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1. Place potatoes and water in a microwave- safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes or until tender; drain.

2. In a large skillet, saute kielbasa and onion in oil until onion is tender. Add potatoes; saute 3-5 minutes longer or until kielbasa and potatoes are lightly browned.

3. Combine the brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, thyme and pepper; stir into skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Add spinach and bacon; cook and stir until spinach is wilted.

Serves 4. Ready in 30 mins.